‘Aim is to give INRC a facelift’
As the new season for the Indian National Rally Championship approaches closer, the situation for everyone is expected to improve with the Champions Yatch Club coming on board as the new promoters of the Indian National Rally Championship.
The new promoters led by Vamcy Merla, the CEO and director of the group, vows to revolutionise the sport in the country with their primary focus being on improving the situation for the drivers.
“We have been participants ourselves and exactly know that our main focus would be to work towards the betterment of the drivers.
“I understand that there are numerous people involved in successfully executing an event but if not for the drivers, the event cannot take place. So, our main target is to give more to the existing participants and simultaneously develop a new crop of upcoming enthusiasts,” Vamcy said.
The participants will be having more reasons to fight harder for the coveted crown as the stakes are all set to get higher with the new promoters doubling up the cash prize for the participants.
“First of all, we will raise the prize money by 100 per cent. As part of my deal with the local motorsport clubs who will conduct the event for me in their respective cities, the prize money will have to be given by them. And we shall double it up from our end.”
“We have also decided to scrap the entry fee for the young guns participating in the Junior NRC while women in motorsports will also have easy access to the prestigious championship with no fees being charged from them too. To entice the young aspirants in JNRC, the winners shall also be given a hefty cash prize of `2.5 lakhs.”
Talking about the kind of investment they are looking to make to change the face of INRC, he quipped, “Trust me we are going to make a huge investment. We have an agreement with the federation about not disclosing the amount, but believe me it is going to big and several notches higher than what the last promoters did.”
Vamcy, who himself was an offroader and an avid motorsport lover, he believes that motorsport is still a niche sport in the country and believes he can change that perception with his product packaging of the INRC.
“People follow WRC all around the world because they made the rallies accessible for the fans of the sport, so the same way I would want to change how Indian fans view it and with the right plan we’ll be able to broadcast it with a 14-camera setup along with a broadcast van,” he said.