By IANS,
New Delhi : It turned out to be a day of carnival for Delhites. In the morning it was the pleasure of running a marathon and afternoon turned to be a date with Formula One cars.
The people of capital woke up early and put on their jogging shoes on a chilly morning to run in the Delhi Half-Marathon and gathered in large numbers on the lawns of Rajpath to watch a spectacular display of Formula one cars at the ING Renault Formula-One Roadshow.
If it was Bollywood’s most talked couple Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, who stole the morning show, the afternoon undoubtedly belonged to famous Hollywood stunt driver Terry Grant of James Bond movie fame. Grant, who directed stunts for recently released Bond movie “Quantum of Solace”, showed why he is so sought after worldwide.
The Half-Marathon, now in its fourth year, has become an annual festival where the people of the capital take part in the ‘Great Delhi Run’ with full enthusiasm. The numbers keep on increasing every year and this time 18,500 turned out for it.
Young and old alike, cine stars and celebrities, and people from all walks of life came together to promote diverse causes through the run. There was a smile in every face and joy in every step. The colourful and joyous ambience spoke volumes for the city’s undying spirit that braved serial blasts two months back. Delhi certainly rocked Sunday.
“I run marathons all over the world but Delhi is special for me. This half-marathon is a true example of the spirit of the city,” said Ashish Roy, who at the age of 76 was the oldest participant in the open category.
If it was all human will and strength on show in the morning, the afternoon belonged to the power of modern machines.
With talks of Delhi hosting a Formula-one race in three years’ time, motorsport lovers had their first crush with the mean machines.
The vroom of the high-powered F-1 engines reverberated through the heart of city on the majestic Rajpath where French car maker Renault’s roadshow left the fans star-struck on an early winter afternoon.
The four-hour-long spectacle had breathtaking stunts as F-1 cars were driven by race driver Nelson Piquet Jr and test driver Lucas di Grassi.
“It was wonderful to come to India and perform here. India has already got a F-1 team and there are few good drivers like Karun Chandhok coming up in big way. The popularity of F-1 is growing here and I am sure India will soon have a F-1 race,” said Piquet Jr.
The R27 F-1 cars sped off at lightning speed and showed their control with the doughnut manoveur.
But it was famous Hollywood stunt director Grant, who stole the show with his breathless stunts.
“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.