Motorsports has existed in India for more than six decades now, but it is in the last few years that this sport has gained popularity and generated interest across the country. With growing participation in international races and road racing events, India’s role in the global motorsport arena has never been bigger. Indian auto manufacturers are investing their resources into this sport and are already seeing returns with strong finishes in international events. Even our home-grown racers are making a name for themselves on the global stage, and today many young racing drivers in the country are aspiring to be professional racers. What started as and was always perceived to be a niche sport for the affluent in the early years, has gained mainstream popularity and has been considered as a serious sport after the establishment of Federation Of Motor Sports Clubs Of India (FMSCI) in the 1970s. It not only brought about a shift towards this sport but also set the base for serious professional motorsports in the country with standardised rules and regulations. Post this development, this game attracted attention from auto industry players as they realised that the learnings from the track would help in improving the performance of the stock vehicles and will also provide impetus to the motorsports in India. Today we have two big racing series in India, the JK Tyre National Racing Championship and the MRF Racing Championship which has series like the Volkswagen Polo R Cup under it, giving the athletes scope to showcase their motor racing skills across various categories. From the years of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, we now have many motorsports athletes coming up through the ranks… and the scene of motorsports in India is poised for a glorious future. The sport still needs more brands and big players to come in and support the sport and its athletes. When this happens, we will see motorsports become the pinnacle of sports in India in no time. The sport already has a crazy fan following, which is only growing with every passing day… and with upcoming race tracks in Pune, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, it is only going BIG! About the author
Follow him on Instagram: sahilsanjayshelar Sahil Sanjay Shelar is a professional motor racing driver with over 17+ years of motor racing seasons under his belt and 100+ races in India and Asia. He is also a motorsports mentor and is associated with various automobile magazines and publications to review all things cars and motorsports.