The 2nd round of the Indian National Rally Championship takes place from the 6th to 9th of June and Karamjit Singh, the seasoned rally champion, will be present at the event thanks to JK Tyre and their association with Volkswagen Motorsports.
The 2002 Production World Rally Champion will drive for Slideways Industries, who have entered five Volkswagen Polo rally cars, in what is his third visit to India and it has been a rather interesting process that has brought him here.
Gaurav Gill, now driving for Team Mahindra, won the first round, and for the second round, it will be interesting to see Karamjit Singh in the line-up, competing at the Rally of Nashik; the only leg in the championship which will put the drivers to test on tarmac, as against dust-laden and dirt surfaces which are usually seen.
Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre & Industries Limited stated, “We have been thinking of getting back to rallying for a while. To take our partnership with Volkswagen further we have taken this step in association with Slideways Industries to first develop the hardware and thereafter launch a full-fledged programme for Team JK Tyre.”
JK Tyre are seven-time National Rally champions. There has been a considerable gap within which the company has successfully put karting and other motor racing programmes in place. They will now slowly, but steadily make their way back into the rugged world of rallying. They are the official tyre supplier and technical partner for Slideways Industries’ INRC programme which is headed by Sirish Chandran, former editor of one of India’s leading auto magazines and a rally enthusiast at heart.
The event kicked off on Thursday with a ceremonial flag-off through the streets of Nashik in a parade. It is the only national motor racing event held in Maharashtra and thus is significant for all motorsport enthusiasts who have the chance to cheer for their home team on their own turf.
You will find all the happenings and pictures from the Rally of Nashik in the forthcoming issue of Car India magazine.
