Seventeen Indian truck drivers
will compete against each other in the final round – Level 4, of the T1 Racer
Program (TRP), organised by Tata Motors, for the very first time. The final
round of the TRP, will determine 12 Indian truck racing finalists who will
compete against each other, in Season 3 of the T1 Prima Truck Racing
Championship 2016, scheduled to be held the Buddh International Circuit (BIC),
Greater Noida, on March 20, 2016.
Tata Motors also unveiled the
new T1 2016 race truck, with a total 43 additional modifications, for a faster,
more exciting Season 3.
In the meantime, Wabco, a
leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety,
efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, announced that it has
renewed its commitment to Tata Motors’ T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship in
2016 for the third year in a row. Wabco will continue to serve as the official
Braking Technology Partner to India’s premier truck racing event, introduced in
2014.
For season 3, Tata Motors
kicked-off the T1 Racer Program. So far, 17 Indian truck drivers have been
selected via the program, from a pool of over 550 driver entries, from Tata
Motors customer base. These 17 drivers will further be narrowed down to 12, to
compete against each other, at the BIC in Greater Noida.
Like in the earlier years,
Season 3 of the championship will continue to host experienced international
drivers representing six teams, featuring 12 Tata PRIMA race trucks, built for
the purpose. On the race day, there will be two race categories, with four
races –
• Two Super Class – Comprising
of Indian race truck drivers
• Two Pro Class –Comprising of
Internationally acclaimed drivers with proven experience in the field of truck
racing.
Tata Motors conceptualised and
introduced a new Indian Race Truck Driver selection and training program, based
on the company’s strategic objective, of making the profession of truck driving
aspirational, and at the same time, act as a catalyst to induct drivers, into
the future of T1. This was primarily because, driving a commercial vehicle was
not necessarily a consideration for one’s livelihood any more, given harsh
working conditions, constant pressures to deliver on time, along a number of
multiple employment options that have come up in the last couple of year. Also
given that professional truck racing was a concept alien to India, there wasn’t
a readily available pool of Indian drivers that could compete on the race
track. This led to the inception of the ‘T1 Racer Program’, a driver
development initiative, aimed at creating ‘Prima Racers’, out of ordinary truck
drivers.
While Season 3 will witness
Indian drivers competing in black Prima race trucks, which are identical to
each other – in look and built, the six teams competing in the Pro Class of the
T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship Season 3, will represent teams, who
participated in the previous two seasons of the championship, with one new
team. These are –
1) Team Castrol Vecton (Last
years’ champions)
2) Team Cummins
3) Team Tata Technologies
Motorsports
4) Team Tata Motors Finance
5) Team Dealer Warriors
6) Team Dealer Daredevils
Commenting on the occasion,
Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata
Motors, said, “Trucking is vitally important to the nation's economy and the T1
Racer Program has been designed to help put a name and face to the men, who
deliver essential commodities across the country every day. Since inception in
2014, with the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, we had made a conscious
decision to give Indian drivers an opportunity to be part of this prestigious
event, and today, are in the process of selecting the final 12. We are proud to
have collaborated with our customers for a shared vision in promoting the
profession of truck driving and are excited and honoured to have these
individuals, as the newest members of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship.”
Source: Tata Motors