Nation Opens F1 Auto Racing Era

The era of Formula One auto racing has opened in Korea.

Twenty four drivers from 12 teams officially drove on Korea`s F1 circuit on a test run in the morning and afternoon Friday.

The Yeongam International Circuit covers 1.85 square kilometers and was just completed on reclaimed land in Yeongnam County, South Jeolla province. It looked desolate due to its sheer size but F1 machines energized the circuit through roaring engines as they sped up on the well-paved route on the first day of the Korean Grand Prix.

Bruno Senna, 27, the nephew of the late three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, who was killed in a race in 1994, had the honor of becoming the first racer to run on the circuit

Roads around the circuit saw a severe traffic jam in the morning hours, as more than 20,000 people visited the site despite Friday being a weekday.

An organizing committee official said with an excited look, “We have far more spectators than we expected. We cannot estimate how big an audience we`ll have Saturday and Sunday, when the preliminary and final races will take place."

kimsk@donga.com