Fresh Injection: 17th MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship

Vicky aims to rope in new manufacturers into the National Racing Championship

It was heartening to see a positive and strong ending to the 17th MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida in the middle of September. Bringing together the leading car and bike categories in the country for one special weekend was a success, and we will definitely look at repeating this on an annual basis.

I believe the weekend was a big success due to the involvement of the world’s leading manufacturers under one roof. To have the likes of Honda, Yamaha, Toyota, and add to that Indian giants MRF and TVS, is definitely the right recipe for success. More importantly, it was good to see all these stakeholders working towards one common goal – growing the sport in India. The reception they got at the BIC on Sunday surely proves that Indian motorsport is on the right path.

This year has been the start of a new era of sorts as we aim to further grow motorsports in the country.  After a tough 2012 for the Indian National Rallying Championship (INRC), this year has seen vast improvement – and this is due to the incredible support of the member clubs of the FMSCI. Without a title sponsor, the FMSCI took on the responsibility of staging a successful Rally Championship, and with the efforts of all the clubs this was made possible. Similarly, for the National Racing Championship, MMSC took on the task of running it by itself, without a title sponsor. On behalf of the Federation, I must congratulate the organizers on a job well done.

This year has seen another global manufacturer enter the NRC in the shape of Toyota. This is a big boost to Indian Motorsport after Volkswagen entered 4 years ago. Their 25-car grid was a breath of fresh air, and it was great to see rookie drivers battling it out. The driver selection was narrowed down from 3,000 candidates from all across the country. It’s great to see both Volkswagen and Toyota investing in motorsport and encouraging young talent.

This year also saw the Volkswagen Vento making its debut in the Indian Touring Cars category. Compared to the usual Maruti Esteem’s, it was good to see a car with manufacturer support enter the ITC. I’m quite confident that we’ll have more manufacturers entering the ITC category in the years to come. Even though the Esteem is still proving to be top of the class, it’s just a matter of time before other manufacturers fight for this spot.

In fact, I’ve spoken with four vehicle manufacturers who have expressed their interest in being a part of the NRC. I do not expect their involvement overnight, but their positivity about joining the NRC is definitely great news for Indian Motorsport.

(The author is President, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, and a former rallying champion).