Come July 30 and the soccer superstars will be present in Delhi for the unveiling of the India A1 car and team by Sheikh Maktoum, the member of the ruling royal family of Dubai who has devised the sport.

"Both Ronaldo and Figo are promoters of A1 in their own countries, Brazil and Portugal, and have confirmed they would be part of the delegation coming to India for the launch," Andre Timmins, director of Wizcraft International Entertainment, which is organising a series of events to introduce and promote the sport in India, told The Telegraph.

Billed as the "World Cup of Motorsport" and hoping to be the substitute for the more illustrious F1, the A1 Grand Prix will see 25 countries locked in contest. In F1, teams (Ferrari, McLaren, Honda, etc.), not countries, take part.

The A1 cars, with 3400 cc engines, will weigh around 600 kg and will be fitted with six-speed transverse sequential gear selection through the paddle-shift system.

Just like F1, A1 races will be held on weekends -- the qualifying race on Saturdays and the main races (first a 25-minute sprint and then a 60-minute race) on Sundays. Thewinning drivers and the champion teams will be awarded points, to be added up through the full season.

Of the 12 races to take place in the inaugural season, from September 2005 to March 2006, three will be hosted in Asian countries -- China, Indonesia and Malaysia. On offer is a prize money of 1 million dollars for the top 10 finishers in every race.