Racing is a fickle sport that requires hard word, commitment, and a lot of luck, But most importantly, you need to pick your area of expertise and stick to it. Nobody seems to have told that to Maninder Singh Prince. Since 2008, Prince has been a part of the racing scene in India, having started on dirt bikes and constantly finishing on the podium for a decade. He then shifted his focus to cars, and is currently actively part of the rallying scene in India. To give you a better picture of what his journey has been, let’s start from the beginning.
Two-wheeled Racing
Singh’s journey in the world of motorcycles can be traced back to 2008. He began his journey in the dirt, and immediately tasted success in the form of winning the National Dirt Track Championship in 2008 and 2009. From 2008 to 2018, Singh also took part in the National Supercross Championship. While he never outrightly won the event, he constant finished on the podium in all his time racing in the series. Singh has also been involved with Japanese brand Kawasaki, having won both his championships on Kawasaki motorcycles.
Four-wheeled racing
Since 2020, Singh shifted his focus to rallying. He began his first full season in 2020, where he competed in the INRC3 category. He came in first and third in the first two rounds that were held in Arunachal. The third round was held in Coimbatore where he again came in third. While he couldn’t get his hands on the championship, Singh did end up being picked up JK Tyre Motorsport - a great boost for any racer in India.
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2021 was a season that Singh would prefer to forget as he saw three DNFs in three rounds due to mechanical failures, meaning he was out of contention for the title. 2022 was to finally be his year, but not without any drama. Round 1 took place in Chennai, and after falling to ninth in the standings due to small mechanical failures, Singh managed to comeback despite flipping his car in the process to finish 4th. Round 2 of the season was held in Coimbatore, where he once again came fourth in his class due to mechanical issues.
His fortunes began to change as Round 3 was held in Bengaluru, where he began the rally in first position, and maintained that place. However, a small crash on Day 2 meant that he slipped down to second in the overall ranking. Round 4 was held in Nagaland, and that is where Singh had a chance to wrap up the championship. He played smart to finish on the podium, and ended up winning the 2022 INRC3 championship.
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Summary
Maninder Singh Prince has had a long career in the Indian racing scene and to be able to compete in both the two-wheeler and four-wheeler category definitely deserves applause. Over the years, he has had support from sponsors such as JK Tyres, DB Motorsports, Bengaluru, and Motul Oil India. He was also a part of the Gaurav Gill Advanced Driver Academy, which he claims helped him mature as a rally driver. With a championship under his belt from last season, we wish Singh all the best for his future racing endeavours.
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