Tata Motors is all geared up to host their mega racing event, T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship 2016, at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC), Greater Noida on 20 March 2016. 17 potential Indian truck drivers have been extensively trained to develop and use their driving skills on the track. Initially all of the 17 drivers will participate in LEVEL 4, of the first T1 Racer Program (TRP) and further 12 of them will be selected to compete on the final race day. The T1 Racer Program (TRP) is an initiative by Tata Motors to select and train ordinary truck drivers and convert them into professional Prima Racers, as the company likes to call them. The TRP helped Tata Motors to select 17 potential truck drivers out of a pool of over 550 driver entries, from Tata Motors customer base. The company has also partnered with WABCO, JK Tyre, Castrol, Cummins, Tata Motors Finance and Tata Technologies for the racing event.
The names of the 17 Indian racers for the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship 2016 are as follows –
- Syed Akram Pasha
- Padam Singh Bhati
- Md. Parvez
- Bachchu Singh
- Rabinder Yadav
- Malkeet Singh
- Jagat Singh
- Rajkumar Mahato
- Bikash Mahato
- Anand
- Nagarjuna A
- Shankar Singh
- Jitendra Singh
- Bhag Chand
- Raghuveer Singh
- Mohd Iliyas
- Gobind Singh
The T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship in its third season will feature two categories namely – Super Class and Pro Class. The Super class category will comprise of Indian race truck drivers and the Pro Class will have internationally acclaimed drivers. For this season, the automaker has developed a new T1 2016 race truck. The race truck is all pumped up with 43 additional modifications and is all ready to take on the racetrack. The Tata Prima 4038.S will compete in the upcoming Prima racing event. The engine of this race machine propels it with 370 BHP of power at 2,100 RPM and a do a top speed of 130 Km/h. For Season 3 of the T1 PRIMA Truck Racing Championship, Tata Motors has undertaken significant changes for these racer trucks to increase their performance and safety, all of these mods are executed adhering to the guidelines from the BTRA.
Following are some of the changes to the T1 2016 race truck –
- Reduced Centre of gravity by 100 mm, to improve dynamic stability at high speeds
- New lighter suspension system, to improve the ride and handling characteristics
- New improved shock absorbers, for stability during high speed corner turns
- Improved brake cooling system with jet nozzles
- New lightweight aluminium fuel tank & water tanks
- New tyres of 315/70 R 22.5 introduced in place of 315/80 R 22.5, from last season
- Front Flat wheel where mounting face offset is 127 in place of 175 from last season
This year six teams will compete in the Pro Class of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship and they are
- Team Castrol Vecton (Last years’ champions)
- Team Cummins
- Team Tata Technologies Motorsports
- Team Tata Motors Finance
- Team Dealer Warriors
- Team Dealer Daredevils
Commenting on the occasion, Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “Trucking is vitally important to the nation’s economy and the T1 Racer Program has been designed to help put a name and face to the men, who deliver essential commodities across the country every day. Since inception in 2014, with the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, we had made a conscious decision to give Indian drivers an opportunity to be part of this prestigious event, and today,are in the process of selecting the final 12. We are proud to have collaborated with our customers for a shared vision in promoting the profession of truck driving and are excited and honored to have these individuals, as the newest members of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship.”
Speaking on the occasion, R. Ramakrishnan, Senior Vice President, Product Strategy & Planning and Customer Value Creation, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “In season 1 we created history, by hosting the very first truck race here in India. In season 2, we showcased race trucks that were ‘Bigger, Better & Faster’. In season 3, Tata Motors is unfolding a new chapter in the history of Indian trucking, with a theme of ‘India to the World’ involving Indian talent, and is all set to create history yet again, in the one of the world largest commercial vehicle markets. With the T1 Racer Program having attracted over 550 nominations from our customers businesses, the ones shortlisted through the program today, are based on driving experience, average kilometers driven in a year, along with the experience of negotiating different terrains. 17 have passed the Level 3 of the Indian Truck Racer program. The final 12 will be decided after level 4. We wish them the very best.”