Who
could have ever imagined that trucking could get such a great sex appeal? With
dowdy, badly maintained, over loaded trucks with over worked drivers on Indian
roads, one could never have imagined that Indian trucks could don the colours
of oomph, style and glamour. Tata Motors has just proved that everything is
possible in the world of trucks too!
India’s
first truck racing championship – T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship by Tata
Motors, is all set to take place on March 23, 2014 at the Buddh International
Circuit in Greater Noida near Delhi. Apart from the song and dance programmes
that are usually associated with all such events, there would also be a support
race of motorcycles by TVS and Honda before the truck race. On the eve of the race, Tata Motors introduced
to media persons the six participating teams and a driver line-up with
internationally proven excellence in the field of truck racing.
Cummins,
Castrol, Tata Technologies, JK Tyre, Wabco and Accenture are the key sponsors
for the event, with Tata Steel, Setco Automotive, RSB Group and Rane Group as
associate sponsors. The six teams for the T1 Championship are Castrol Vecton,
Cummins, Tata Technologies Motorsports, Allied Partners, Dealer Daredevils and
Dealer Warriors. With two trucks running per team, all teams will compete in a
qualifier race, followed by the main race.
WABCO
is the official braking technology partner and JK Tyre is the official tyre
partner for the entire event. Conducted
under the aegis of FIA and FMSCI, the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship will
feature Tata Prima trucks, built specifically for the purpose. India’s first
truck racing championship is being organised by Madras Motor Sports Club
(MMSC), with safety and performance standards as per the guidelines of the
British Truck Racing Association (BTRA).
The
Prima race truck is the Prima 4038.S model with massive power of 370bhp@ 2100
RPM and a top speed of 110kmph. According to officials, this event was planned
one and a half years earlier and was scheduled to be held in March 2013. But
due to the downturn of the market the idea was postponed and later decided to
be held in March 2014.
The
organisers are planning to host the event annually or once in two years. This
has not been decided as yet. There is a possibility of Indian drivers to be
featured on the grid in the future. But currently organisers decided to get
professional truck drivers with prior experience as they felt it would take
time to train and develop a grid of Indian drivers with similar level of
experience for the event.
Former
FMSCI official Vicky Chandok stated that he would like to get fleet owners to
nominate their own drivers for the race so as to build popularity and a
possible motivation for truck drivers around the country so as to improve and
gain respect for the truck driver’s community. For the event K Tyre has specially
made for the trucks radial 315/80R22.5 semi slick tyres. The length of the
track has been shortened for the race to 2.1 kms.
Photography: Mohd. Nasir