F1 driver Ricciardo enthralls fans in the capital
October 1st, 2011 - 10:51 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo Saturday gave motorsports fans in the capital a taste of some serious speed and thrill by scorching down the majestic Rajpath stretch in a Red Bull Racing car.
Ricciardo, who replaced Narain Karthikeyan as a permanent driver for Hispania Racing this season, enthralled a sizeable crowd gathering around India Gate with some scintillating stunts, including the doughnut spin of the car. He drove on the popular stretch thrice, pushing the machine to a maximum speed of 250 km.
Though the Australian will make way for local driver Karthikeyan at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix Oct 30, he gave the motorsports freaks here a fitting curtain raiser ahead of the carnival at the Buddh Internatiional Circuit in Greater Noida near here. He ended the spectacular show by waving the Indian flag to the crowd while standing on top of the car.
Red Bull chose Ricciardo for the performance as he was a reserve driver with Toro Rosso (the other F1 team owned by Red Bull) before signing up with Hispania.
The rookie driver reckoned that the Indian GP will further popularise in the country that already has a F1 team in Force India.
“With Karun (Chandhok) in with a chance for racing in India and Narain already confirmed for it, the motorsport scenario looks good for the country. Force India are also doing well,” he said.
Before stepping on the gas, Ricciardo danced with a Bhangra group.
The other major performances of the day included a freestyle stunt show by a group called Ghost Rider and a music concert by rock band Indian Ocean.
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Tags: car red, curtain raiser, doughnut, f1 team, force india, ghost rider, greater noida, india gate, indian flag, karthikeyan, maximum speed, motorsports fans, music concert, oct 30, racing car, red bull racing, rookie driver, sizeable crowd, stunt show, toro rosso