2008 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Magic India Drive 3

(from Ferrari Press Release)  First Day from Bangalore

The Indian Silicon Valley and Garden City. This city has nume­rous IT companies and the streets are lined with trees. We are participating in the opening ceremony of the new Shell petrol station; Shell is a sponsor of Ferrari. Later on we’re visiting the Hindu Big Bull Temple and the Botanic Garden with its Crystal Palace. At the end of the day a gala diner is held for us at the Taj and local entrepreneurs and some Ferrari owners partici­pate with enthusiasm. As of today the “Magic India Discovery” Tour has some new journalists on board: the Japanese Tomoyu­ki Shidana, the German Dieter Ammann, the US-American Kiino Ronald and the Belgian Piet Andries.

Second Day

We’re leaving Bangalore in the morning and get stuck in rush hour’s traffic, which is just the same as in every other Indian city. We’re taking the road in the direction of Hyderabad in the North. The road is being reconstructed to build two lanes. Thus very often we have to slow down. But even where the new road is ready, we can’t go too fast, because we’re slowed down by the artificial bumps. Just outside Bangalore we’re leaving the State of Kar­nataka and enter Andhra Pradesh, which is the sixth state the 612 Scagliettis are crossing. The landscape looks dry with many rocks and there is hardly any agriculture. There are not the usual houses built along the road and there is hardly any urbanization to see in this area. The road runs parallel to the railway and sometimes we have to cross it, too. This is a good opportunity to take some photos; although we obviously also take some photos next to the temples where we stop. Although the road surface is not too good, we reach a good average speed with the 612 Scaglietti. At Kurnool our hotel is right in the city centre and we get stuck in traffic, while people gather around the two cars from Ferrari.

Third Day

We’re leaving in the direction of Hyderabad and the landscape looks the same as yesterday: hilly, hardly any agriculture and not many houses. We’re stopping at the Alampur Temples, which have been saved from the waters of a nearby artificial lake, by moving them or building levees. Leaving Kurnool we’re crossing the Krishna, one of the rivers on the high plain, which runs into the Bengal Sea. The traffic here is quite intense compared to yesterday, as there are some companies located around the city of Hyderabad. Thus our average speed is dropping and it takes us longer than expected to reach Hyderabad. In the afternoon we take some photos of the 612 Scaglietti in front of some interesting sights, such as the Charminar Gate, the Laad Bazaar and the Mecca Masjid mosque, one of the biggest one in the country. Tomorrow we will spend in Hyderabad, participating in several events, held especially for the “Magic India Discovery” Tour.

Fourth Day

Today we are visiting the city. In the morning we visit the Golconda fortress, which has been built when the Hampi were defeated. The Golconda fortress has been abandoned in the 17th century, when the sovereigns moved to Hydebarad. Afterwards we’re seeing some other interesting sights of the city, before we participate in the function, especially organized for Ferrari at the Taj, sponsor of the “Magic India Discovery” Tour. As usual the cars generate enthusiasm amongst the guests, gathered around the two 612 Scaglietti, sitting on a stage.

Fifth Day

We’re leaving Hyderabad on the highway arriving at the Ramoji City Film grounds, where numerous films, for which India is famous, have been shot. On the grounds there are houses, a hotel and even a school, while the landscape around the complex is still quite dry and rocky. We’re leaving Ramoji and suddenly the road becomes extremely narrow. Although there’s really heavy traffic the 612 Scaglietti can keep up a good average speed. There are vast areas without any houses, which is a sign how difficult it is in this part of India to grow anything. As we get closer to the coast, the vegetation becomes greener and greener; big trees next to the road and more and more people around. Rice plantations and buffaloes can be seen now, too. In the villages we can see some Hindu temples, but also Christian churches. We still have around 50 kilometres to go to Vijawada, but now there’s the highway and it is a “normal” road again. For the first time on our Tour we see some rickshaws. Arriving at Vi­jaywada we cross the river Krishna. The hotel is right in the city centre and the arrival of the two cars from Ferrari paralyzes the traffic.

Sixth Day

A very fast highway takes us to our next destination. We’re driving along the coast, with vast rice plantations and enormous palm trees. This area is famous for its rice plantations. It is very hot and humid at at Rajamundhary, where we have lunch at the local Tata-Fiat dealer, while it starts to rain. We’re crossing the Goda­vari, the impressive river. We’re taking many photos, although the sky is quite grey. The journalists are satisfied that from time to time they can open the throttle of the 612 Scaglietti on this highway. We spot many sites, where irrigation canals are built. The road is modern and the construction zones are visible. The traffic seems much more organized here, although from time to time there’s the odd car driving in the wrong direction. Arriving at Vizag we spot the cones of some antique volcanoes, but also chimneys and factory buildings, sing of industrial activities in this area. Vizag is a very clean city and probably the most organized we’ve seen so far. It is extremely modern, which we can also tell because of the billboards with ads for wine. The hotel is at the beach and the arrival of the two cars from Ferrari ge­nerates the usual enthusiasm.

Seventh Day

This is a very modern city with a big harbour, a wonderful beach and nice buildings. We’re off to visit the most im­portant sights of the city and at 12:30h the whole Team meets at the hotel to watch the Malaysian GP. Everybody is really excited to see the two reed cars in the front row and in the end Raikkonens victory generates enthusiastic chants. In the afternoon the journalists, who have alre­ady driven the two 612 Scaglietti, are leaving us, while new members of the Team get used to the cars for our next stage, leading to Calcutta. Now there’s Ju Len from Singapore and the Japanese journalists Muratami Sei, Ichihara Naohide and Akira Suzuki.

The remainder of the day-by-day journal available at www.ferrari-indiantour.com