So
what if F1 is not coming soon at the Buddh International Circuit? The action
continues, with or without the F1 car. On March 23, 2014, the circuit will come
alive with the sound of Tata trucks. Yes, trucks! The sound of mammoth engines of heavy modified
trucks weighing about six tonnes each will resonate in the air as, for the
first time in India, T1 Prima Truck racing championship is being introduced in
the country by Tata Motors.
Top
racers from UK will be there to race these massive vehicles. They would include
Bran John Burt, David Jenkins, Paul Mccumisky, David Ball, Stuart Oliver, James
Horne, Simon Ashley Reid, Richard Collett, Steven Powell, Steven Thomas and
Graham Powell. Now it’s for all of us to observe their driving skills during
the event.
The
event will be the first ever truck racing championship to be held in the
country. The series will use six heavily-modified Tata Prima trucks capable of
putting out 370bhp of power and reaching a top speed of 110kmph.
This
truck racing championship has been inscribed on the calendars of FIA
(Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) and FMSCI (the Federation of Motor
Sports Clubs of India). The event is being managed by T.I.C, an event
management and marketing company headquartered in Chennai.
The
T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship is being organised by Madras Motor Sports
Club of India (MMSCI), with safety and performance standards being followed as
per (BTRA) British Truck Racing Association guidelines. Each truck/team is
owned by a principal sponsor. There will be six teams of two trucks each.
Not
all drivers will be foreigners, there would be Indian drivers especially
trained for the event . The race would have some grand ceremonies associated
with it with celebrities like Mika, Salim Sulamain, Sivamani & Sanjay
Shetty’s troupe of dancers performing during the event. For the public there
would be a Bollywood personalities gracing the occasion, a truck exhibition,
merchandise shops, test drives on trucks, food court with kid's fun zone, et al.
Designer Manish Arora has been roped in to do art work on some trucks and have
a fashion show as a part of the event.
On the Race day, there will be two races. The
first one will be a qualifier race, the second will be the main race.
To
make these Prima trucks fit for racing, 22 key modifications were made to meet
a mix of safety and performance needs as per guidelines from British Truck
Racing Association. These included significant changes in fuel tank, brake
cooling system, propeller shaft guards, racing seats and safety belts, exhaust,
steering wheel among others. The trucks have gone through multiple quality
checks and also tested on the test circuit at Jamshedpur for high speed run and
control.
The
championship race will witness two-time British truck racing champion, Steve
Horn, who is among the most celebrated, longest serving truck racing drivers,
playing an instrumental role in the first ever Truck racing championship of
India.