Motorsports in India 100 years behind: Ahluwalia

Veteran rally driver Amanpreet Ahluwalia overcame fierce competition to win the JK Tyre Arunachal Festival of Speed recently. The owner of one of the biggest rally car workshops in the country, the Noida-based Ahluwalia was delighted with his win but expressed displeasure at the state of rallying in the country.

“It is slow. You just have Gaurav Gill who is into the international arena in terms of rallying, you have Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Narain Karthikeyan in different segments of racing but then it is pretty slow here as sponsors are not there in this country for motorsports.

“Till the time manufacturers do not step in, it is going to take a lot of time. I would say motorsports in India is lagging the rest of the world by a hundred years,” Ahluwalia said.

“There are no sponsors and as long as your father is sponsoring you or if you start earning, you can do it. To expect sponsors to come in and give you huge amounts is not happening here,” he added.

The-40-year-old was one of the favourites to win the championship. What impressed the most was that he was virtually untouchable and led from Day One, winning eight of the 10 stages.

“It was my first experience of the North-east and I really enjoyed it. The only problem is the transportation and the money involved to prepare the car, transport it as well as travel with a whole service team, which does require a lot of money.

“But then it is an adventure sport and everybody looks forward to it and this is a beautiful place to race.

“These events serve as stepping stones for guys in the North-east as there are lot of talented drivers here.”

Asked about his strengths as a driver, he said, “My strength is a combination of my car and skill. To win, you need a 50-50 ratio of both; if your car is not good you cannot survive. The combination should work smoothly at the right place. You need a complete package to win.’’

Ahluwalia also asserted he had no plans of retiring and hoped to compete in the foreseeable future.

“Not much fitness is required, just get inside your car, buckle up, wait for the count down to start and go and finish it off. Six-seven years back and I was 15-16 kgs lighter but despite gaining weight since then, I am fit to race,” he said.

“Till the time my eyesight remains clear, I will continue rallying as it does not take too much toll on my body.”