Indian grand prix * Thousands watch the race,hundreds hear it from Yamuna Expressway At 3 pm on sunny Sunday,the farmers of villages neighbouring the Buddh International Circuit got the feel of Formula One racing as the roar of race cars was heard till kilometres away. Despite their protest against the land acquisition policy for the racing circuit,hundreds of villagers seated themselves on the embankments of the Yamuna Expressway to witness all the happenings of the F1,if not see the race in progress. Are you sure these are cars? They sound like aeroplanes. There is a helicopter flying overhead. It must be the aircraft thats making so much noise, said Jagpal Singh of Dankaur village,about the deafening sound of cars. The sound of powerful engines coming to life also brought adrenaline rush for the thousands of fans waiting to enter the event venue. P Subramaniam from Chennai had brought his eight-year-old son with him. Ive never heard anything like this. I was stuck in a traffic jam on the way here,so got late. I cant wait to get in, said Subramaniam. His son,Ananth,dressed in the colours of Force India was eager to get in as he did not want to miss India playing. I hope they win, he said. When told that Force India did not really have any Indian drivers in the race,Ananth said,The team has India colours on their logo and Im wearing the shirt. Thats enough for me to support them. A group of German and Italian fans were seen entering the circuit waving red flags bearing the word Tifosi,leaving many like Surinder Bhat confounded. Is that a team? Ive never heard of Tifosi, said Bhat. He then chose to walk up to the group to clear his doubt. They said Tifosi means Scarlet Fever,meaning they are supporters of the Ferrari team. We both hugged each other. Im a Ferrari supporter too, he said. The tight security around the venue meant visitors had to walk long stretches to reach their entry points. With a distance of 1 km between North and South stands,the auto-rickshaw drivers were in for a treat. They charged up to Rs 100 for a ride. People need to get to their entrance points quickly,so they are willing to pay anything. Its a good day for business, said Dilbag Yadav,an auto driver. As the celebrities rolled in,the policemen had a running game among them to point out who came in which car. Mostly we cant see since the cars have tinted glasses. But Anil Kapoor came in a Rolls Royce. Ive never seen so many luxury cars. Ive seen four limousines today. Id never seen one before this, a constable said. A businessman from Delhi,Maninder Kohli,left the venue early to avoid the rush of crowd. Ive never seen anything like this. Im coming back next year for sure, he said. A sentiment echoed by all present fans,auto drivers,policemen and even farmers.
