By IANS,
New Delhi : The vroom of the high-powered engines reverberated through the heart of the national capital Sunday. The boom and the roar came from Formula-One cars that left the motorsport enthusiasts of the city watch in awe and asking for more.
Though it is still some time before India sets its date with Formula-1 race, premier car maker and F1 team Renault Sunday gave the city its first crush with one of the most popular sport worldwide.
The four-hour-long spectacle with breathtaking stunts in F1 cars scorched the Rajpath and the weekend crowd around New Delhi’s landmark India Gate was left star-struck on an early winter afternoon at the ING Renault Formula-one Roadshow.
Behind the wheels were none other than F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr and test driver Lucas di Grassi, who sped off the mean machines at lightning fast and showed their control with the doughnut manouver.
But it was famous Hollywood stunt director Terry Grant, who stole the show with his breathless stunts.
The show started with sky divers from the army floating down from 6,000 feet above the ground level.
And then rolled in the cars. A variety of Renault sports cars, including Megane Trophy, sped past and then formed various formations. After half an hour zoomed past the Formula-1 R-27, which can accelerate from 0-100 kmph in just two seconds, with Piquet in the driver’s seat. The smoke and majestic sound filled the air, bringing the traffic around Rajpath to a standstill.
“It has been an amazing evening for us. We had first planned other things for our weekend, but when we got to know about this Roadshow, we came here,” said Ravish Tarway, who came with his friends to watch the show.
Rotating the rear of the car around the front wheels continuously, the drivers created circular skid marks.
But the showstopper was when Grant performed his audacious stunts.
Even as he rotated the car 360 degrees, Grant came out of it and stood at the top doing a namaste, leaving the audience breathless. He also made the car move like a remote control toy as he showed amazing control to manouvre it in between two girls standing less than two metres away.