At a time, when the future of Formula One racing in India is in danger, Tata Motors has taken an initiative to bring the sport of truck-racing to India. Though, it's early to comment on the kind of response this new sport will receive here, Tata Motors seems confident of its future, and believes that the championship will give Indian audiences a grand spectacle of trucks competing against each other.
After announcing the launch of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, last month, Tata Motors today invited media-persons to experience the range of Prima trucks, competing in the race, scheduled for 23rd March. To give you a brief of what is going to happen at the championship, we bring you the details of the schedule, trucks, drivers and everything happening there.
What is truck racing?
Truck racing is a form of motor racing, in which the modified versions of heavy tractor units compete with each-other on racing circuits. Americans were the first to start this sport, but today it's equally popular in Europe and other parts of the world. However, the game is unknown to most people in India. T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship will be conducted under the aegis of FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) and FMSCI (the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India). The FIA is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world's leading motoring organisations.
Range of trucks competing in the Indian championship
At the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, 12 Prima race trucks will compete against each other for the top-spot. The Trucks have been modified based on the British Truck Racing Association (BTRA) guidelines and are certified by FMSCI after having undergone stringent security check-ups.
In order to make these trucks fit for racing and meet safety and performance guidelines suggested by BTRA, a total 22 key modifications were made. Some of the changes made are on- fuel tank, brake cooling system, propeller shaft guards, racing seats and safety belts, exhaust, steering wheel etc.
The Prima to be used as a race truck is a 4038 S model, which with a 6.5-litre, 8-cylinder, CRDi engine under the hood, belts out a massive 370bhp @ 2100rpm, while yielding a rather impressive 1550Nm of peak torque at 1200-1400rpm. Transmitting power to the wheels of the truck will be an eight-speed manual transmission gearbox. This truck will have a maximum geared speed of 110kmph (with Std. rear axle).
Truck Racing Championship Venue and Race format
T1 Truck Racing Championship will be held at Buddh International Circuit, Gearter Noida. On the Race day, there will be two races. The first one a qualifier race, followed by the main race, seeing a rolling start of big Tata Prima race trucks.The championship will feature 12 Tata PRIMA trucks, built for the purpose. These will be divided among six teams, with participation from experienced international drivers.
The race will be held on March 23rd from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm.
Participants/Drivers
The first-ever Indian Truck Racing Championship will invite some internationally acclaimed drivers, with proven record in the truck racing like British Racing Championship and European Truck Racing championship.
The Championship will also witness two-time British truck racing champion, Steve Horne, who is one of the most celebrated and longest serving truck racing drivers in the world. He has also played a key role in multiple operational aspects of India's first truck racing championship.
