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Room for speed

Motorheads in the city want the Government to allocate land to build a permanent racetrack

PROUD HERITAGE Bangalore has a history of producing champion racers who are spoken of with reverence when racing aficionados meet

"Motor sports is dangerous," "Motor sports can be dangerous," and now "Motor sports is safe," these are the placards displayed at motor sports meets over the years till now. The truth is that any motor sport staged with care and precaution is safe for all, including the spectators while the rampant illegal drag races staged clandestinely will always be dangerous and could result in fatalities.

Bangalore takes pride in producing a number of champion drivers and riders. When compared to Coimbatore, Chennai, Chandigarh or Mumbai and Pune, our city's roll of honour stands tall. Farad Cariappa, A.D. Jayaram, Jagat Nanjappa and Anita Nanjappa have been leading racers, and Lohith Urs, Vikram Mathias, Jaidas Menon and Sujith are among the many present-day racers. Names like Mohan, Sridhar, Ashok Thirumale (sadly with us no more), Ravi Thirumale, Somendar Singh, Shekar, `Racing' Babu, `Checkpoint' Babu and Harsha are spoken of with reverence when racing aficionados meet.

But the city is also notorious for street drag meets that take place late at night. The short stretch of road from St. Joseph's College circle to the War Memorial at Brigade Road junction used to see maniac drivers gun their machines after some hard drinking at Imperial Hotel. Mahatma Gandhi Road from the Queen's statue to Trinity Circle was another favourite track for drag racers. Ashok Tiwari of Vasa Autosports has analysed the situation very well. "It's a difference between sports drivers and racing freaks," says Ashok.

"Sports drivers are serious about their skills and will not drive under the influence of alcohol. Our two-wheeler drivers now have less protective equipment than a batsman in cricket. Normally in a street drag, money is pooled into a kitty and after paying off the cops, the booty is given to the winner of the race. It is race between two people and the risk of accidents is very high. Many of these drag races are staged around the ring roads at night with the connivance of the cops. All this can be avoided if the Government recognises the sport and allocates some 25 acres of land to build a permanent track. If such a place exists then anyone keen on showing his driving skills can pay and use the track with all the safety parameters available on hand."

Ashok has been organising motor racing events since 1994. For two years, the sport grew in leaps and bounds but after that there was a slump with liquor and tobacco companies pulling out of sponsorships. When a major cigarette brand pulled out Castrol stepped in to fill the breach. It was only after 2000 that some sort of professionalism came into the sport in the city. The astute Ashok realised that the smaller towns and cities hold huge potential for staging motor sports. He has conducted a number of events in places like Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Tumkur and Mangalore drawing huge crowds to watch the events. Ashok is particularly pleased with the professionalism shown by his racing drivers.

"Each one of them now carries a file with their driving licence, blood groups and safety equipment. They ensure that an ambulance is on stand-by at the event with a team of doctors and paramedical staff. Our racing meet is an ideal place for serious drivers interested in making a career in motor sports. Youngsters like Syed Zubair, Karan Kadam, Dilip Talekar, Joshua Pramod and Asghar have fared well at our events and have gone on to get the backing of TVS and Yamaha which are involved in a big way in the sport."

The message is loud and clear from people like Ashok. Racing is safe and thrilling when conducted under supervision. But illegal racing — especially under the influence of alcohol — is a sure death wish.

D. RAVI SHANKAR

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