Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is on a seven-day UK tour, combining investment talks and research for a proposed Motor Sports City with a high-profile appearance at Silverstone. He will wave the green flag at the Michelin Le Mans Cup, where actor-racer Ajith Kumar competes, while officials study circuit operations and pursue major European investments and jobs for the state.
Tamil Nadu CM C. Joseph Vijay departed Chennai earlier this week for a seven-day tour of the UK, the first foreign journey undertaken by him after assuming office as chief minister. As part of the tour, he intends to seek investments from Britain along with researching successful models for establishing the Motor Sports City project for Tamil Nadu.
The tour clearly has its own motorsport undertones too. According to an official statement made by the Michelin Le Mans Cup organisers, Vijay will grace the event at the historic Silverstone circuit in England, where he will unfurl the green flag to mark the start of the Silverstone leg of the competition scheduled for Saturday. The 44 cars lined up on the starting line will begin proceedings for Vijay.
There is significance behind this visit, as Ajith Kumar, another superstar hailing from the same Tamil film industry as Vijay, is currently competing in the race at Silverstone in the endurance category as part of the Ajith RedAnt by Virage team.
Vijay and his team will observe everything about the circuits: their layout, safety mechanisms, and how these racing venues function commercially, information that is set to help develop the Motor Sports City project in Tamil Nadu State.
The visit also comes with a definite agenda of economics. The mission will be held in light of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between India and UK, effective from July 15; where, the delegation has cited proposals from Europe to invest amounts around ₹ 8,491 crore and provide employment opportunities to around 5,690 people. This mission includes Public Works Department Minister Aadhav Arjuna, SDAT Member Secretary Meghanath Reddy, and GuidanceTN CEO Deepak Jacob, before flying back to Chennai on September 17.