Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited had announced that the inaugural Etios Motorsport Racing Trophy will be held in Chennai and this race will be a part of the Madras Motor Sport Club’s (MMSC) FMSCI National Racing Championship. Toyota has been involved with various racing events. In 2012, Toyota had presented a one make racing concept at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo which was followed by 2 exhibition races conducted in Chennai and Gurgaon.
Senior Vice President Marketing at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, N Raja expressed his joy on being a part of the National Racing Championship saying that “2012 was an excitement filled year for EMR, right from its official launch at the Delhi Auto Expo to the two hugely successful exhibition races at Chennai and Gurgaon, and finally international exposure at the Colombo Night Race in December. EMR also saw a lot of excitement amongst the youth during the driver selection & training camps which were held in various cities. We also took EMR to all our dealerships across India to give our customers a taste of Toyota’s motorsport experience and it was very well received. As we begin our season in 2013, we look forward to a lot of thrill & excitement as our drivers are all geared to take on the National Racing Championship. It is an honor for us to be associated with National Racing Championship and we believe this will be an excellent opportunity for our line-up of drivers.”
The inaugural Etios Motor Racing started on the 27th of July on the Madras Motor Track. This was a part of the 3rd leg of the National Racing Championship and a total of 3 EMR races were conducted on 27th and 28th of July. The EMR Trophy started gloriously with Diljit emerging as the winner of the Race 1 as well Race 3. The Race 2, most thrilling race of the day, was bagged by Arjun Narendran. Unfortunately the 4th Race could not be held as there was heavy rainfall which could have put the young drivers in danger.
Race 1: This was the first race of the EMR Trophy and started with a lot of excitement. Diljit had qualified on the pole position for the race on Friday. When the race started he was seen leading from the very start and finished easily in the 1st position. He was followed by Akhil Rabindra, Abhinay Bikkani and Keith D’Souza. These 3 finished the race in the same order as mentioned above with a time difference of less than a second.
Race 2: This was the most thrilling and power packed race of the day. The tittle was bagged by Arjun Narendran with Abhinay Bikkani coming in 2nd and Varun Anekar claiming the 3rd position. Diljit secured the 4th place here after a collision with Rabindra.
Race 3: This race was also won by Diljit who started from the pole position and led the race at ease. There was some tough competition seen on the track as the drivers were aiming for the next 2 spots. Finally Abhinay Bikkani and Akhil Rabindra crossed the finish line ahead of the others.
The second round of EMR Trophy will be held at the 5th leg of the National Racing Championship on the Buddh International circuit located in Greater Noida in UP. This race track is going to be a great challenge for the 25 young drivers who will compete for the titles in a total of 8 races.
The winners of the all the races will get trophies as well cash prizes. There will also be a trophy and cash prize for the EMR most promising young driver. The top 3 winners of the entire season will join the Vois cup that will be conducted by Toyota Racing Department in Thailand.