Affordability, a big concern
Giving an insight into the expensive nature of motorsports, Narain Karthikeyan said, “The basic import duty structure is nearly 60% of the cost
by the time the kart comes to India.”
India’s first-ever Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, in a panel discussion on motorsports at Sportstar’s South Sports Conclave, said affordability was the biggest factor hurting the sport’s growth prospects.
“There was an uplift in interest when we had an Indian driver, the Force India F1 team and the Indian GP. After that it has been stagnant... I think affordability is the biggest factor restricting the sport,” said Narain.
Giving an insight into the expensive nature of motorsports, Narain said, “The basic import duty structure is nearly 60% of the cost by the time the kart comes to India.”
Narain also wanted the federation to be more proactive in lobbying with the ministry and government. “Just writing letters is not enough. There needs to be proactive lobbying to get concessions so that we, who run teams, can find the next set of drivers by making it affordable,” he said.
Reflecting on the challenges as an administrator, Balakrishna Jayasimha, Executive, Sporting, FMSCI, felt some of the broadbased decisions from the government hurt the sport. He cited the examples of import restrictions on tyres and the demand for ISI certification of crash helmets — already the best in the world in terms of safety and quality — as those that had a negative impact.
“We want the government to consult with stakeholders like us when they make decisions.”
Armaan Ebrahim, a former F2 racer and cofounder of the X1 Racing League, said that creating the right platform from karting to single-seater racing is crucial in producing racers who can compete at the global level.
“After karting, we did not have a good proper championship. We are now starting Formula 4 and Formula Regional India, which are Fia-sanctioned events that give super license points. More importantly, it opens the door for drivers to access sponsors,” Armaan said.
C.S. Santosh, the first Indian to compete at the Dakar Rally, said age restrictions on starting with small bikes must be lowered if Indians wished to compete with the best in the world.
“We have lots of people in colleges who can participate in motorsports as engineers. We should take these to the forefront and move things forward,” he said.