Tamil Nadu CM Vijay Flags Off Le Mans Cup at Silverstone During UK Visit

September 13, 2026

England, UK: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay visited the world-famous Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit in England during his first official overseas visit, inspected its infrastructure and flagged off the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup race, in which renowned actor and motor racing driver Ajith Kumar participated.

Vijay Inspects Silverstone Facilities, Flags Off Race

Vijay personally inspected the track layout, safety systems and other infrastructure facilities at Silverstone on Saturday before flagging off the race.

The event was attended by Public Works and Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu Member Secretary Meghanatha Reddy and senior officials, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.

The visit comes after Vijay announced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly plans to establish a world-class Motor Sports City, leveraging the state’s strong automotive and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing ecosystem.

Ajith Kumar Hails Motor Sports City Announcement

Actor and motor racing driver Ajith Kumar had earlier welcomed the announcement. His meeting with Vijay at the Silverstone event drew widespread attention, as both have spent more than three decades being portrayed as competing stars of Tamil cinema.

Ajith publicly thanked Vijay for taking time from his official responsibilities to attend the event and expressed happiness over his former colleague’s political journey.

Vijay Leads UK Investment Outreach

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom, leading a high-level delegation aimed at attracting fresh global investments and expanding operations across key sectors, including advanced manufacturing, electric vehicles, electronics and Global Capability Centres (GCCs).

The overseas outreach seeks to generate large-scale employment and further strengthen the state government’s objective of positioning Tamil Nadu as Asia’s leading investment-friendly destination.

The visit follows a major economic milestone achieved within 100 days of the Vijay-led administration assuming office. During this period, the state signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) securing investments exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore at the Vetri Tamil Nadu Investors’ Conference 2026, according to an official statement.