- Participation of over 100 motorsport enthusiasts
- R Harshitha Gowda wins in female category
- Joseph George was the fastest amateur
Bangalore, 15th November, 2016: The Bangalore edition of Maruti Suzuki’s first ever Indian National Autocross Championship 2016 concluded on November 13th, witnessing a participation of over 100 motorsport enthusiasts bubbling with sheer grit and passion for the sport.
The Autocross Championship is acting as a stepping stone for many beginner rallyists, providing them a platform to explore their motoring skills and boosting their confidence for them to prepare themselves for harsher formats of rallies. The beginners get to taste the adrenaline rush in a safer environment before graduating to tougher format of rallying. Some Autocross winners like last year’s Autocross champion, Den Thimmiah have also gone ahead to participate in tougher and more challenging cross country rallies like Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm, Dakshin Dare and Raid de Himalaya.
Some notable mentions from the exciting two days journey:
- M.Bopaiah, participating in the Modified Category was the fastest out of all the participants
- Joseph Geoge was the fastest amateur in his Maruti Suzuki Swift
- R Harshitha Gowda was the winner in female category
Speaking on the successful conclusion of the Bangalore edition of the National Championship, Mr. Vinay Pant, Assistant Vice President (Marketing), said, “Through this championship, we aim to reach out to the future rallyists who are yet to discover their true potential and give beginner-level motorsport enthusiasts a chance to participate in such exciting yet challenging contests. We have expanded the Autocross Championship to a national level, with Bangalore edition being extended to Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Jaipur and Chandigarh and Delhi-NCR. We are sure this National championship will receive overwhelming responses from all over the country.”
The Championship will be further carried forward in Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Jaipur and Chandigarh with the grand finale in Delhi-NCR. The championship in 2016 will see the champions from southern India compete with champions from north India for the coveted national title. In addition to the two zones, there will be an additional round at Mumbai. Points of this round will count towards either the North or the South depending on the competitor’s zone selection. The top 4 point holders of each zone from each class will be eligible to participate in a finale which will be held in Noida.
Auto Cross Backgrounder
Autocross is targeted at the enthusiast who has little or no exposure to motorsports. Maruti Suzuki Autocross gives the aspirant an introductory platform to learn about motorsports and hone their skills. Known to deliver high decibel excitement, it has stringent safety parameters. Unlike high profile full scale rallies, Autocross is a city rallying experience with nominal entry fees. The winner gets the title of coveted title of National Autocross Champion. The first round of the Indian National Autocross championship was held in Cochin and will be held in Chandigarh, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Jaipur after Bangalore round. The Championship in 2016 shall see the champions from southern India compete with Champion(S) from North India for the coveted National title at BIC, Noida in March 2017.
AUTOCROSS – Over the years
Maruti Suzuki introduced the Autocross in 2002. Today the sport has grown into one of the most anticipated motorsport events with over hundreds of fiercely competitive participants. The Autocross Championship is another feather in the cap for Maruti aiming to build a strong foothold for motorsports in India apart from Raid De Himalaya, Dakshin Dare, Dessert Storm and the Maruti Suzuki National TSD Rally Championship. The participants can bring any car – the idea is to have make the most of experience while learning transitions and braking, promoting safety and skill of their street driving The Maruti Suzuki Autocross has maintained a very high level of technical finesse that is constantly innovating.
