Some rare feats in INRC history; Some honest questions!

By David Bodapati

Bengaluru: Indian Motorsports is still running and breathing life because there are some mad people who are passionate about motorsports. Once the bug bites, it is very difficult to leave motorsports. Once Vicky Chandhok, the man who brought F1 to India said: `”You can make Millions in Motorsports, but before that you have to spend Billions.”

So many enthusiasts, organisers, promoters end up spending huge amounts in the belief that the amount spent, is promoting motorsports. They end up paying from their pockets. Indian Rallying saw the likes of Red Rooster Racing, then the likes of a popular cine artiste Ajith, then teams going to MotoGP and then Sidvin sponsoring a team in WRC. Many others have been there. As far as sponsors are concerned, names like Bosch, Castrol, Yokohoma, Bharat Petroleum’s Speed, MAK, Ceat, have all came, saw and left. I have missed many names… though.

All faded in their time because of lack of returns. Now it is interesting to see, big jewellers and Construction giants from Andhra Pradesh coming in as sponsors due to the efforts of the INRC promoter. But only time will tell, if we can sustain, provide them with good media, and retain them as supporters of the sport.

All the officials, stewards, Federation, marshals, organising clubs, promoters and everyone, including media, should realise that without drivers and riders, we are zero. We think that because we are organising or the Federation is there, so sport is there. Sport is never there because of all of us, the sport is there because there are sportspersons, who sacrifice many things in life, work hard and showcase their talent. Only because or riders, drivers and co-drivers the sport exists. Whether it is a karting kid of six years or an 80-year-old veteran in racing. Oldies may be `BIG’, but bumping out youngsters, playing dirty and spoiling the mood and spirit of sport should be nipped in the bud.

Or else, Indian motorsports will remain like this for the next 50 years. Glad that COVID 19 prevented many of the `Oldies’ to stay indoors this 2020. An youngster who won the first three races on his debut, disappeared and did not take part in the second year of that championship and switched to a different championship. Another talented driver, retired prematurely and became a coach! A driver from the East or a rider from the South were famous 20 years back, for their aggressive tactics which intimidated their rivals. With the current President being strict with the stewards and demanding immediate reports, the governance has improved a bit, if one can say so, and cleaning up the sport is of utmost priority.

Coming back to FMSCI, Akbar Ebrahim, during his previous tenure in 2018, made efforts to increase the membership of the council as recommended by the Ministry of Sports. However, he did not get his amendment passed as the council blocked it, only increasing the membership by one member. Now we have 10 members. As long as this undemocratic number continues, the Union Ministry of Sports is not likely to recognise motorsports as a sporting discipline.

We are already not an Olympic sport which is a big disadvantage. FMSCI does not have an India selection committee. Those who represent India are handpicked and not selected on merit or talent or the number of wins they have. The sports ministry considers it as being done as per the `whims and fancies’ of the council. There are 27 federations in the recognised list of Sports Federations and who are on the Ministry’s list for priority funding. The Ministry has also put out guidelines for all the National Federations to promote transparency, good governance and accountability. So if FMSCI wants to be National Federation, as an ASN of FIA andbe a member of Indian Olympic Association, it has to fulfill and follow certain norms and conditions.

So it is time we clean up our own act. In 2018, when Ebrahim informed about many changes and developmental programmes he is planning to introduce, much of it did not appear in the media, because the same evening, Gaurav Gill announced his entry into WRC, at the K1000 press conference in Bengaluru.

That year, he finished his tenure and there was a break and now in his second stint as FMSCI president, one hopes he continues his sincere efforts to bring some discipline into the administration of motorsport and elevate sportspersons to the level they deserve. Being an active racer himself, like Vicky Chandhok and many others in the council, it is time we respect the drivers and riders, who are being ill-treated by many officials in many championships. Almost all council members, except one or two, have been sportspersons at some point of time. So it would be easy to understand the plight of drivers and riders. Hope this article is taken in good spirit.

In let us see in what way and how, fmsci can promote sport. Any rider or driver getting a sponsor is a difficult job. So if one gets a sponsor, the fmsci charges more money to allow him to take part. Is this what other sports are doing. No federation charges money from sportspersons, so exorbitantly, to take part in sport. Instead of encouraging more sportspersons, are we chasing them away. Time to introspect.

These are some of the things that should be discussed in the council about how to make things easy for more sportspersons to take part in the 10 different National Championships. Not whether Coimbatore or CASC, should be thrown out. CASC has not done its society registration renewal for many years. But when they joined FMSCI 50 years back, too the Society renewal of CASC was not done. So the status quo remains. Why did then FMSCI accept them as founder members. If that is the case many of the founders will lose their membership.

The criteria for becoming a founder member is to pay their subscription and conduct activities as prescribed by the council. The actual question that needs to be asked is why are Founding members given a veto power. The Ministry of Sports did not recognise motorsports not just because we are not an Olympic sport. Every federation in the country which is member of IOC, is truly representative and all India in nature, having federal Units in each state. The Ministry wanted the council to be increased to 18 or 19, by taking other active clubs as council members, so that slowly the representation will improve. This has been resisted by the founding members.

In an interview to this website in 2018 at Bengaluru after the K1000 press conference, Akbar Ebrahim, said that he was planning to introduce an amendment to expand the council membership to 18 or 19 members. But since it has to be approved by the council, he has first introduced 11 members. Then there will be five founding members and the other six can override the founders, if they are `blocking the development of sport’. So that transparency, governance and accountability will increase. But fmsci has increased the membership fee of the clubs from Rs.2000 a decade back by about five to 8 times bigger. How can a club conduct sport by paying such huge amounts to federation. Why is the federation paying income tax of a few lakhs. Why cant they use the money to buy sporting equipments, or spend for other sporting activities, which will then reduce their income tax. Why should a hosting club pay the stewards flight fares, their hotel accommodation in a star hotel, and their fancy food bills… these are some of the things council should discuss. Not whether a founding member should be barred, because they are not in the same camp. Coimbatore is one of the first clubs to conduct drag races much before Sholavaram, in Sulur, an old air strip, according to Britannica Encyclopedia which used to attract more than a lakh spectators. Unfortunately, these were not documented.

They are one of the few clubs along with KMSC (formerly BMSC), MMSC, now defunct APMSC (Charminar challenge), Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) and the Kerala KASC, who used to be active.

Coimbatore also had the honour of hosting the first rally, after INRC got the status of a National Championship in 1988 with Mr L Gopalakrishnan and Mr R Mahendran, winning the rally in a Maruti 800, the only time a Maruti won INRC round before Gypsy’s took over. I know I will be termed immediately as a biased reporter. But I have been in Jodhpur too. It is then FMSCI president who conducted the Press Conference along with Mr Vamsi Merla, the promoter, which this reporter attended. Things would have been much better but for the local uprising. CASC has also been hand-holding and supporting the Popular rally for many years, as my good friend late George Francis used to reel out stories as he was a regular in Kerala, as every rally used to provide a chance for him to visit his native place. I too attended a few of them, with Kuttikanam, the Misty Meadows Rally of Kerala in 2010, being my favourite.

Obviously, drivers and riders will not comment. Why a particular journalist is painted Red Or Yellow. Are we promoting sport, or is media becoming a rogue element in killing the sport… A moot point to debate and food for thought. Will stop here. I and George, have been mulling over this story for the last five years, but did not get the courage to write. I will be killing my conscience and will be doing disservice to my later friend George Francis and wanted to do this before his death anniversary on April 11. As a senior journalist, I feel I should not shun my duty of being a watchdog! I request everyone to take this in the right spirit and do something to sort out the mess!

The year 2020 is a no-nonsense year in the history of Indian Rallying: It is also a year which began on a negative note and ended on a positive note. The COVID19, has changed the world and the evolving situation demanded that FMSCI, the governing body of motorsports in India too, had to make rules and ban huge gatherings. The year started with the arrival of Corona virus and ended with hope, as vaccination entered the market and by Jan 16, the roll out of vaccination was undertaken. But no rally (INRC) was held in 2020. The 2020 calendar is being completed in January and February 202`1, with two back-to-back rounds in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh on super-fast Tarmac on National Highway NH415.

Disclosure: This reporter covered the Rally of Arunachal Pradesh and his one-way travel to Guwahati and both ways Helicopter rider from Guwahati to Itanagar was paid by the Promoters, Champion Yacht Club, and his stay was offered by the Tourism Department of Arunachal Pradesh. INDIAinF1 is thankful for providing a chance to our reporter to attend the INRC Rounds 1 & 2.