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Motorsport executive Mark Hughes who helped establish Bahrain International Circuit as one of the world's leading tracks is now spearheading the sport's drive further into Asia.
He returned to the kingdom for Sunday's opening F1 race of the 2010 season and is determined to ensure India will next year boast a top flight arena of its own.
Mark Hughes, 38, vice-president of JPSK Sports and the former operations director at the Bahrain International Circuit told GulfWeekly about the excitement of bringing Formula One to India and what to expect.
He said: "There have been talks about staging F1 in India for about 12 years, give or take. We have started construction and are all very excited. The earth work has started from the back and you can actually see the definition of the circuit where it drops and pulls.
"We have also started the drainage work, the foundation for the pit building and the construction of the grandstand which is significant due to its 30,000 seats."
Mr Hughes is confident India's dreams of hosting a Formula One Grand Prix race in 2011 is right on schedule.
The $350 million circuit is taking shape in Greater Noida which is 40km from New Delhi. It is being constructed by JPSK Sports, which is part of the Jaypee Group, over an area of 5.5km (3.1 miles). The facility has been designed by German F1 circuit architect Hermann Tilke, the company behind the BIC and Abu Dhabi's celebrated Yas Marina Circuit.
Mr Hughes used to live in Budaiya with his wife Suzie and son, Morgan, five. He said: "I spent five years as the operations director at the BIC learning my way around and it was a very useful experience, especially for what I am doing now.
"In my opinion India is going to be the benchmark grand prix for the next 10 years. It is one of the most exciting and incredible countries with an amazing economy."
Mr Hughes said: "There is a huge amount of interest in racing in India with Formula One being the jewel in the crown of motor sports. The track is also designed to cater for other races such as motorbikes as India has the second largest bike market.
"Personally this is an exciting challenge. I now have been given the chance to be the top man at the track in India. It's a natural progression for me and I can build my own team.
"It is absolutely logical for India to have a circuit because of the size of the market and the 1.3 billion people interested and passionate about the sport. Right now there is an Indian Formula One team with an Indian driver and this is generating such a huge buzz throughout the country.
"There is another track in India which is a 'Grade 4' club circuit and while it's a great little circuit it will never be suitable for F1. So we are going to take F1 to India for the first time."
The new circuit and its facilities will hold a staggering 120,000 to150,000 fans and is set to be completed by the middle of next year. The aim is to host a race at the end of next season.
Mr Hughes added: "We have a lot to do but we are on schedule at the moment. We have to keep on top of things and we are very confident.
"Since we are a construction company as well we are very good at building things on time. We made a commitment to the F1 community that we will get this track ready and hopefully we will see it on the F1 calendar next year.
"We are also in the hotel industry so there will be a Sixth Senses Spa that will be ready next year, a golf course and a hotel next to the Taj Mahal.
"We are looking at packages for tourists to enjoy before and after the race. India is more than just a track and you want people to spend time there."
But it will be the track that race fans are most interested in. F1's leading blog f1fanatic.co.uk, said: "It looks like a circuit in two halves, with several slow corners before and after the main start-finish straight. These are surely intended to increase opportunities for overtaking, something F1 car designers have been demanding recently. But the other half of the track includes several longer-radius corners and some quick-looking bends."
