Tamil Nadu CM Vijay waved the green flag at the Le Mans Cup Silverstone round

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actor C. Joseph Vijay waves the green flag to start the Michelin Le Mans Cup at Silverstone in the United Kingdom on Saturday. Vijay will attend the fifth round of the 2026 championship as a special guest and support the Indian riders competing during the weekend.

“A special guest will be waving the green flag at Silverstone this weekend! C. Joseph VIJAY. Indian actor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu @actorvijay will be joining us to support our Indian drivers in the UK and officially launch the #SilverstoneRound ahead of the 44 car grid. Can’t wait to get out racing this Saturday!” read the statement from Le Mans Cup on X. (Credit: Le Mans Cup X)

Indian actor and racer Ajith Kumar will compete in the LMP3 Pro/Am category for Ajith RedAnt by Virage alongside Frenchman Romain Wozniak. Former F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan and Aditya Patel form the all-India pairing for Ajith RedAnt Racing in the LMP3 class.

Launched in 2016, the Michelin Le Mans Cup is an endurance racing championship designed as a pathway for drivers wishing to progress towards competitions such as the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The two-hour race at Silverstone will take place on the 5.891km Grand Prix circuit on September 12, with the season ending at Portimao in October.

CM VIJAY SHOWS SUPPORT FOR MOTOR SPORTS

The Tamil Nadu CM recently unveiled an ambitious development plan for Chennai, including plans for a new secretariat complex along with dedicated Olympic and motor sports cities in the state capital.

The goal of motorsport cities is to bring Formula 1 to the state in the future Ajith welcomed the initiative.

“I heartily thank the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C Joseph Vijay Avla, for giving much needed attention to every sports discipline including motor sports by announcing the initiatives of Tamilnadu government to develop infrastructure. Being involved in motor sports at present, I would like to paraphrase the quote of astronaut Mr. Neil Stepapstrong, the giant of Nadu from ‘One motorsport in Tamilna. India!’ I wish Hon’ble Thiru Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay Avla the best in all his endeavours,” Ajith told India Today.

The proposed facility will serve Formula 1 through Formula 4 racing and will also feature training infrastructure aimed at developing the next generation of professional drivers.

The project is also expected to provide a major boost to Tamil Nadu’s motor sports ecosystem, attract sports tourism and generate wider economic activity.

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Published on:

10 Sep 2026 23:54 IST