Tata Motors’ commercial vehicle division introduced truck racing for the first time ever in India in 2014. Announcing the third season to be held later this month, the T1 Prima racing series has included a new class – the Super class comprising of Indian drivers along with the Pro class where international racers race wheel to wheel.
The racing series is organised as per international standards and is certified by the British Truck Racing association. Two races for each class are going to be held at the Buddh International Circuit. While the Pro class will compete for 20 laps in each race, the Super Class will be slightly shorter owing to the limited experience of the Indian drivers at this sport.
The most interesting fact is that the racers for the Super class are your regular truckers that have been selected and groomed through a rigorous program for truck racing. Tata Motors’ dealers and fleet operators nominated around 500 drivers across the country of which 132 underwent the first level of training based on their clean track records, fitness and race readiness. 64 of them advanced through for race training and audio-visual training to teach them the nuances of racing. 23 of them qualified for the hands on training program initially led by instructors and then practice session to hone their skills. The 12 finalists have been chosen on their overall performance, promise and lap times at the MMRT race track in Chennai.
The announcement came on the eve of the Jamshetji Tata Day observed at Tata motors to celebrate the birthday of the patriarch of the Tata conglomerate. With trucks that now weigh lesser and handle better, the season three will see the lap times reduce further. Tata Motors is expecting the popularity of the racing series to go up as the spectator count has more or less doubled in the first two years.
