"We want to transform this sport into a culture"

Talking to Vinay Pant, assistant V P marketing, Maruti Suzuki India

Why is motorsport important to Maruti Suzuki?

India is growing at a fast pace with our youth increasingly becoming interested in trying their hand at motorsports. Maruti Suzuki, for the past decade or so has been at the forefront, organising cross-country rallies, endurance rallies and autocross events across the country. Our three flagship rallies – the Raid-de-Himalaya, Desert Storm and Dakshin Dare cover most parts of the country barring the East. This year, we plan to conduct a TSD rally in Arunachal Pradesh, after which we can easily say we have the whole country covered. Since the sport is still growing and a number of people are slowly joining the Maruti Suzuki Motorsport family, we give them an opportunity to first participate in autocross events, then graduate to the TSD formats before actually getting in to hardcore rallying.

Maruti Suzuki Motorsport have had a long journey, when did it start and how much has it grown since then?

The journey began way back in 1999 with the introduction of the Raid-de-Himalaya. This year, the 18th edition will take place in October. The Dakshin Dare is currently running in its 8th edition, so yes, it has grown over the years from strength to strength. Talking about our new cars, we have been rigorously testing the Vitara Brezza and the S-Cross in the TSD and Extreme formats and it is only a matter of time before the cars will be prepped and ready to rally. Motorsport has come a long way, but still, we are not satisfied with the growth. Our main aim is to transform this sport into a culture.

What kind of response have you received for the NStsdRC?

In order to grow, we have to incorporate the feedback we get, analyse it and try and implement as much as we can. We have received a good response and the competitors are happy with the addition of the driver’s tests. TSD is known to be a navigator’s rally, but with the addition of the special stages the drivers also play an equally important role. It also makes it a lot more interesting and fun. To promote motorsport, we have to offer something different that will keep the interest alive.

What is the vision of Maruti Suzuki Motorsport?

Currently we have a number of events being carried out across the country, so for starters we would like to grow as an organisation and hold such events on a much larger scale. There are a set number of people who participate regularly in all events, we want this number to grow and wish that newer faces join the bandwagon. A small step is to spread awareness about our events, that is why we have a ceremonial start at malls, which attracts a lot of crowd, so people are aware of the events. The addition of the Super Special Stages helps in giving spectators something to cheer about.

What steps are taken to promote motorsport as a spectator sport?

The new age Indian is extremely digital savvy and that is the area where we need to have a strong presence and we do. We have a lot of fantastic content going up on all media platforms which engages a lot of people towards the event. To promote motorsport, we have to bring the sport to the people. And that is just what we have done with the introduction of the special stages in the TSD format and various autocross events across major cities in the country.

When can we expect to see the Swift and the S-Cross being homologated?

It is all in the process and we are taking one step at a time to make sure everything is perfect. Yes, at some point we will homologate the newer cars, it is in the pipeline, but I cannot draw a line as to when exactly this will happen.

The autocross event has grown, where is it heading from here?

Yes, the autocross event has got a lot of attention; currently it is conducted in four cities and this year we will be organising the Maruti Suzuki FMSCI Indian National Autocross championship in eight cities and are planning to reach out to more cities next year. We sell over a million cars in a year, so in order to promote the sport we have to organise events in places where people can actually come and participate, and this championship will definitely do so.