JK Tyre
| Roaring
engines, screeching spin's, sharp contours, thundering speeds, kissing
beauties, flowing champagne…the adventure and glamour of
motorsports have always turned on the passions for billions, around the
world. Worldwide, perhaps no other sport matches the frenzy, the drama
and the money, which is associated with this sport. And you don't need
to get intensive training and scout out sponsors to experience this fun…thanks
to Go-Karting, the down-to-earth cousin of motor racing. |
 |
Finding it difficult
to believe…ask the thousands of speed freaks who experienced this
thrill, right at their neighborhood karting tracks at the first JK Tyre
National Go-Karting Championship. The championship spanning seven cities in
year 2000 and nine cities in 2001, pumped aldrenine unlike ever before! Year
2002 will witness the return of this action grandeur, as JK Tyre brings to
life yet another round of nail-biting non-stop karting extravaganza, …speeding
through across the country.
What
is Go-Karting ?
For starters, go-karting is the first step in the ladder towards a
professional career in the glamorous world. It provides the thrill of
motorsports even to those who do not harbour professional aspirations.
Go-karting is not just a sport, it's the only way for anyone who is
obsessed with speed, to put his wildest dreams right onto the tracks, as
everything here exactly stimulates the actual experiences of participating
in a Grand Prix! Driving little, mean go-karts in closed circuits surely
requires you to be a master of wits to be able to control the flow of
adrenaline, which you'll experience! Just have a look at some interesting
technicals of these karting babies…
Go-Karts
are state-of-the-art driving machines, which are about 2 meters long and 1.2
meters wide, with base height from ground being just about 4 inches. They
weigh around 100 kgs and come fitted with auto-transmission gears. The
180-cc engines, manufactured by Honda, Japan, are environment friendly and
can give upto 6 bhp. The karts have single disk brakes and the braking is
linear. The tyres, which drive these karts, are especially imported,
slickless, racing-category, tubeless tyres. They come equipped with an
electronic scorecard that informs the driver of his lap time, speed and
other such details. Depending on the length of the track, these karts could
be accelerated to speeds upto 100 kph. Considering their low base heights
and maximum speeds at this level, go-karting is certainly no meat for the
meek-hearted! The go-karts, which are used at international go-karting
championships, can even drive upto 200 kph!
Go-Karts are designed with a primary view to the occupant's safety.
Specially built tyre barriers around the circuit prevent the driver from any
injury, if he or she should wander off the track.
Still suspicious? Just consider the list of drivers, who started
their careers on go-karts and have today crossed the zeniths of motor racing…
Michael
Schumacher, Jean Alesi, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger and the legendary
Ayrton Senna! Even
Parthiva Sureshwaren, the Fastest Indian in Asia,
learnt several ropes of motorsports through Go-Karting!!
Go-Karting
in India
Go-Karting started in England in 1950's by US Army generals posted there,
as a fun pass time. It soon caught the imagination of the entire world and
is a major internationally recognised sport today.
In India, it was in the year 1997 when JK Tyre, the biggest promoter of
motorsport in India and credited with giving the country its motorsport
stalwarts such as Narain and Parthiva, pioneered this concept here. The
first go-karting track was developed at Faridabad, Delhi, followed soon by
another one at the picturesque Hiranandani Gardens at Powai in Mumbai and
quickly became a rage amongst the who's who as well as the masses. Two and a
half years since this beginning, JK Tyre now patronises seven out of ten
go-karting tracks in the country and more than half a million speed fanatics
have experienced the thrill of their lifetimes at these tracks. Indeed,
about 10000 visitors frequent the Mumbai track every month!
Yes, the Go-Karting has arrived in the country and has become a rage
amongst young and the old alike. Just consider the following facts, which
add sparkle to this
'Lifestyle of speed, by speed and for speed'…
- The video for Daler Mahendi's Jalwa was shot totally at Mumbai
Go-karting track
- MTV, the channel which defines lifestyle, has entered into a
contractual agreement with Mumbai Go-Karting track to shoot out several
of its programs.
- Some of prominent personalities who frequent out these tracks include
names like Ajay Jadeja, Sameer Thapar, Nagarjuna, Aditya Pancholi,
Atul Agnihotri, Nafisa Joseph, Maria Gorreti, Sameer Modi, Vikram
Singhania besides several others. Go-Karting has certainly become
the platform for the hottest in bollywood and corporate echelons to
express their passion for fun and speed.
- Go-Karting tracks have become hot spots for social gatherings and
corporate events and have hosted several events for International
embassies and financial institutions
- Each go-karting track is surrounded by a family entertainment
centre and offers several interesting fun options for the entire
family. For example, the Hiranandani track at Mumbai offers rock
climbing terrains and video games parlours and will soon have a bowling
alley, while the track at Delhi offers bowling alley and video game
parlour. In short- it's fun, without any brakes, at any go-karting track
you end up at.
| City |
Track length and
other distinct features |
| Mumbai |
2 tracks of 700m and 400m respectively, the second
track meant exclusively for children under the age of 10. However, both
the circuits can be combined during championships to form a circuit of
more than 1-KM length, the longest in India. The track is located in
picturesque surroundings and is located on a small hilltop at an height
of about 500-ft from sea level. The track comprises a series of troughs
and acmes to add on to the thrill. It has a rock climbing terrain and
video game parlors to supplement the family fun |
| Delhi |
300m long track, which also has a complete
entertainment centre, primarily comprising of fast food restaurants,
video games and bowling alleys. |
| Hyderabad |
711m long track along with facilities for pool
table, archery, skating ring, cyber café and restaurant. This is
India' only internationally accredited track. |
| Bangalore |
350 m long track, situated amongst luxurious
surroundings of Bangalore Palace |
| Ludhiana |
380 m long track in South City with loads of
entertainment |
| Ahmedabad |
380m long track with a F1 concept cafe |
| Calcutta |
A 400 m long track at Salt Lake city with a
waterpark. |
Karting
JK Tyre launched karting in India in 1997 and today patronises around ten
tracks all over the nation.
The first-ever JK Tyre National Karting Championship was launched in 2000…enabling
thousands experience the frenzy of motorsports like never before, as this
'biggest motorsport extravaganza' reached to seven cities simultaneously
over seven weeks, with mega finals right in the heart of nation's capital -
Connaught Place, New Delhi admist thousands of cheering crowds. Asif Nazir,
the nation's first ever JK Tyre National Karting Champion, went on to become
the runner-up Formula Asian Champion and now the first Indian to drive in
American Barber Dodge Series.
JK Tyre National Karting Championship 2001 was even bigger than its
predecessor…reaching out to nine cities with the mega finals at Goa.
The Championship, institutionalized with an objective to discover nation's
budding motorsport talents and help them shape a professional career in this
field…is supported by several leading corporates. The JK Tyre National
Karting Championship 2001 was supported by FORD India, NOW ISP, SEGA &
Caltex Lubricants.
Quotes on Karting
Narain Karthikeyan
" Though Karting is recognised world-wide as a first step towards
professional motorsports, at my time, only a few lucky Indians had access to
this training tool. I'm glad to see how fast karting has caught the
imagination of the nation…as well as to see the enthusiasm in people to
experience the frenzy of motorsports. This spells good times for motorsports
in this country. However, at the same time, I would like to maintain that
its time to take even karting to higher levels of competitiveness &
technical features. The JK Tyre National Karting Championship is one right
step in this direction…"
Parthiva Sureshwaren
" One cannot overemphasise the importance of karting during the
formative years of a professional motorsport driver. I still remember my
earlier drill of undergoing several rounds of karting over hours to polish
my car control & maneuvering skills. Even today, karting is closest &
most-accessible form of practice for me when I'm away from the tracks. And,
if you are a novice in this field or a Schuey devotee like me, nothing pumps
your adrenaline like five rounds of karting action over twisty tracks…"
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