Jagat Singh, Nagarjuna A win first ever Indian truck race

Like the way Vicky Chandhok described, the journey from the “highway to the speedway” finally culminated with Jagat Singh and Nagarjuna A winning the first ever Indian truck race. For the first time in the last three years of the race, the professional British drivers were forgotten and the crowds rooted for the local lads. These Indian drivers would not have ever dreamt that they would one day get an opportunity to compete in a truck race and win accolades for their companies and become a hero in the eyes of their friends and most of all their families. Many of drivers came from humble backgrounds and were accustomed to the world of poverty and hardship.

The two, Jagat and Nagarjuna created Indian motorsports history when they won the maiden race T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, organised for Indian truck drivers, in its third edition.

The Indian drivers competed in the Super Class category comprising of some of the most experienced drivers. These drivers were selected through one of the most comprehensive training and selection programmes for Indian driver, from Tata Motors fleet customers’ operations across the country. 

Trained by some of the best race instructors in India, roped in by MOMA, over a period of three months, the T1 Prima race saw the trucking heroes take home Rs 10 lakh. This amount was awarded to each of the first place winners of the two Super Class category races.

Meanwhile, for the British drivers, having finished fourth in the first 8-lap race of the two Pro Class races comprising of international drivers, David Jenkins of Team Tata Technologies took top honours in the final 20-lap race, with Rick Collett and Graham Powell both from Team Tata Cummins, taking second and third place respectively, in an action packed race.

Mat Summerfield of Team Castrol Vecton, winner of the first 8-lap race, clocked the fastest lap of 1:50:691 seconds, in the second race, around the 3.1 kilometers race track.

Coming back the race comprising Indian drivers, the 12 Indian drivers selected for Season 3 of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship were –

Nagarjuna A

Bacchu Singh

Rabinder Yadav

Bhag Chand

Rajkumar Mahato

Jitendra Singh

MD Parvez

Jagat Singh

Anand

Mohd. Iliyas

Malkeet Singh

Syed Akram Pasha

While Season 3 witnessed Indian drivers competing in black Prima race trucks, which were identical to each other – in look and built, the 12 coloured trucks competing in the Pro Class of the T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship Season 3, represented six teams, who participated in the previous two seasons of the championship, with one new team – Tata Motors Finance. Following were the teams and their drivers – 

INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS

Tata Technologies                           David Jenkins     Brian Burt

Castrol  Matt Summerfield          Adam Bint

Cummins                                             Rick Collett          Graham Powell

Dealer Daredevils                           Ray Coleman      Simon Cole

Dealer Warriors                               Ben Horne          Paul McCumisky

Tata Motors Finance                      Oly Janes             Tony Smith

Tata Motors has also partnered with some of the country’s leading automotive brands. The included 1. WABCO – Official Braking Technology Partner

2. JK Tyre – Official Tyre Partner

3. Castrol – Official Lubricant Partner

4. Cummins – Official Engine Technology Partner

5. Tata Motors Finance – Official Commercial Vehicle Financing Partner

6. Tata Technologies – Official Technology Partner

The Season 3 also hosted some of the country’s most prominent names from the music and entertainment scene. From the sensational Hip Hop heartthrob Badshah to the vivacious damsel of melody, Neeti Mohan, the scintillating Garima Yajnik, with her foot-tapping Indo-western numbers and last but not the least, the ruling diva of Bollywood music, with her memorable feast of melody and dance numbers, Sunidhi Chauhan, were few amongst the many other surprises that T1 season 3 had to offer.

The T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship is organised by MMSC (Madras Motor Sports Club) and is inscribed on the calendars of FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) and FMSCI (the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India) with safety and performance standards being followed as per the guidelines of the BTRA (British Truck Racing Association), who also play in role in the selection of the best British and European Race Truck Drivers, that compete in the T1 Championship.