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JK Tyre ties up with Suzuki, will create new opportunities in two-wheeler racing

New Delhi, India |May 25, 2017 :: After playing a pioneering role in identifying and nurturing India’s top racers for over two decades, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. is embarking on a new mission to churn out world class bike racers for the country.

The trendsetters for Indian motorsport, JK Tyre, have tied up with the global leaders in two-wheelers, Suzuki, to achieve this goal and will introduce a two-wheeler racing series that will become part of their iconic National Racing Championship, which is in its 20th year.

The series will give an opportunity to every aspiring biker, in every nook and corner of the country to showcase his or her skills and dream of becoming a champion.

“We have charted the career of almost all our international racers right from their karting days till now,” pointed out Sanjay Sharma, JK Tyre’s Corporate Communication & Motorsport head. “Now that we have entered the two-wheeler market with our tyres, this is a logical step forward. We want to create champion bikers,” he added.

Among others, the F1 duo of NarainKarthikeyan and Karun Chandok, and even the new sensation on the block Arjun Maini, owe their rise to JK Motorsport’s vision and support.

The championship, baptised as JK Tyre presents Suzuki Gixxer Cup 2017, envisages two different categories, one for the age-group of 12-16 years and the other for the over 16-year-olds.

The young rookie category will also be the feeding line for the international program Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup. This is totally up JK Tyre’s alley, given their vast experience in spotting talent at the karting stage itself and moulding them to the highest echelons of racing in the world. Their partnership with Suzuki will follow the same path and offer the champion to participate in the prestigious selection program for the RedBull Rookie Cup – Road to MotoGP in Spain.

The main category will be for the over 16 years age bikers and will be part of the highly successful Suzuki Gixxer Cup. Close to 25 youngsters will be selected for this and they will race in the national championship to begin in Coimbatore in July.

To make it convenient for every Indian, JK Tyre Motorsport will hold selections rounds in fourdifferent parts of the country: Bengaluru in the South (June 4), Aizwal in the East (June 10), Pune in the West (June 18) and the National Capital Region in the North (June 25).

The aspiring biker simply needs to register himself or herself for any of the rounds and reach the selection venue at the designated time and date. They will be provided Suzuki Gixxer bikes and will participate in straight shootouts with each other under strict guidelines and safety norms and will also undergo personality tests by JK Motorsport experts.

The names of the shortlisted bikers will be announced on June 27. They will then be inculcated into a training programme in Coimbatore where they will make the transition from talented rookies to potential world beaters. It won’t just be technical lessons and biking or racing classes though. They will undergo fitness training too, with a world renowned fitness expert personally charting each biker’s schedule.

“In other words, a youngster simply needs to have the talent and the passion for biking. JK Tyre, just like we did for youngsters in karting, and car and formula racers, we will take care of everything here too. We will even ensure that they are groomed by image managers so that they can appear on world circuits confidently,” Sanjay Sharma said.

This is great news for Indian motorsport. We are confident a new breed of motorcycle racers will emerge as a result of this partnership,” Mr Satoshi Uchida, Managing Director, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited, said. “Motorcycle racing is an exciting sport and is gaining more popularity amongst the youth. Given JK’s dedication to Indian Motorsport and Suzuki’s racing spirit & passion, we shall do our best to turn enthusiastic bikers into champions,” he added.

About JK Tyre Motorsport:

JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of gruelling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre’s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the field of motor sport.

In 2011, the company acquired the Formula BMW Series and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series (JKRAS). With this acquisition, JK Tyre created history in Indian Motorsport by becoming the first Indian company to acquire an FIA accredited series. By taking over the series, JK Tyre promises to utilize it as a platform to encourage and support the world’s best racing drivers and promote India as one of Asia’s motorsport capitals.

Thus, JK Tyre has conquered two steps in the motorsport program where the new racing aspirants first establish themselves in

India, then graduate to Asian level i.e. to Formula BMW, which is now JKRAS and then they move to higher levels of racing. JK Tyre now stands closer to achieving its mission of bringing world-class motorsport to the Indian masses. The Racing and Karting programme by JK Tyre has been the breeding ground for the country’s motorsport talents like Narain Karthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel and other emerging talent.

Another pioneering initiative was the launch of the Truck Racing Championship in India in partnership with Tata Motors. The company developed & designed “JetRacing”-the new generation truck racing tyres especially for this application. With this, JK Tyre became the first tyre company to produce truck racing tyres in India. The combination of the Prima trucks fitted with Jet Racing received an overwhelming response from participants and has definitely brought in a revolution in the Indian racing scenario.:

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