Tata Motors brings truck racing to India, launches T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship

Tata Motors announced the launch of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship to bring truck racing to India for the first time. The first ever truck racing championship in India, has been inscribed on the calendars of FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) and
FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India). The Truck Racing Championship will be held on March 23, 2014, at the Budh International Circuit. 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 feature12 Tata Prima trucks, built for the purpose. These will be divided among six teams, with participation from experienced international drivers. The T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship is being organised by (MMSCI), with safety and performance standards being followed as per (BTRA) British Truck Racing Association guidelines.

"Through the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, we are introducing yet another pioneering initiative in the Indian trucking space. We at Tata Motors are ready to embark on yet another milestone of HorizonNext, with the highest levels of performance and competitiveness of our trucks, to take customer engagement to another level. Formula 1 is the pinnacle of 4-wheeler racing in the world, and we at Tata Motors are taking the initative to make the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship as the pinnacle of truck racing, in India. With this we are not only adding an exciting new dimension to one of the largest trucking markets in the world, but also connecting our passion for trucks to the larger Indian audience," Karl Slym, Managing Director, Tata Motors Limited.

Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors added, "As a leader in the Indian commercial vehicle space, Tata Motors has been leading the transformation in the industry. The Tata Prima marked the arrival of a completely modern truck brand, benchmarked to the global best, with its contemporary styledcabin, power-to-weight ratio, safety aspects, technology, quality and reliability. T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship is a great platform to showcase these technological advancements, through performance excellence, alsoenabling Tata Motors to connect with its fleet customers, many of them being well-travelled, well-educated second generation business owners, looking to add excitement to their business. Through this initiative we also hope to triggergreater aspiration for trucking, given the industry is facing a serious dearth of truck drivers."

Tata Prima 4038 S will compete in the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship 2014,with the massive power of 370 bhp @ 2,100 rpm and a top speed of 110 Km/h. To make these Prima trucks fit for racing, 22 key modifications were made to meet a mix of safety and performance needs as per guidelines from British Truck Racing Association. These included significant changes in fuel tank, brake cooling system, propeller shaft guards, racing seats and safety belts, exhaust, steering wheel among others.The trucks have gone through multiple quality checks and also tested on the test circuit at Jamshedpur for high speed run and control.

The T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship will also witness two-time British truck racing champion, Steve Horne.

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