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Tag: Nazir Hoosein

  • Mahindra joins sponsors for Nazir Hoosein memorial drive

    Mahindra joins sponsors for Nazir Hoosein memorial drive

    New Delhi, 6 Nov 2021: The Nazir Hoosein Memorial Drive by Team Firefox today announced that Mahindra Adventure is the presenting sponsor of the drive. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has a long history of association with the Himalayan Rally, having been involved with the event right from its first edition in 1980. Taking this legacy forward, Mahindra Adventure, the experiential marketing vertical of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has come onboard as the presenting sponsor. As a part of the association, the All-New Mahindra Thar, among others, will be a prominent SUV from the Mahindra stable in the drive. In addition, 15 Mahindra SUVs will also be seen supporting the execution and management of the drive. 

    The event received a further boost right before its flag off, with several former winners and winners confirming their participation in the event, set to flag off on November 8th. 

    Commenting on the association, Harish Lalchandani, Head of Marketing (PV & Pickup, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “The Nazir Hoosein Memorial Drive has its deep-rooted legacy in motorsports and adventure. With our decades of experience in building authentic and capable SUVs that encourage people to explore the impossible, we are proud to be a part of this nostalgic journey.” 

    Mahindra Adventure will have two All-New Mahindra Thar, among others, at the NHMD, both in retro fitted colours of the original Himalayan Rally. The first car to be flagged off, on November 8th will be the All-New Mahindra Thar driven by Col (Retd.) SS Sekhon, a six-time winner of the Himalayan Rally. The second car will be driven by Surinder Thatthi, Vice President Sport at the FIA. Thatthi was involved hugely with the original event in the 1980s and in fact India coordinator for the Opel factory team that won the inaugural edition. 

    Among the participants are Colonel (Retd) SS Sekhon, one of the most experienced drivers in the field, who participated in nine of the eleven editions of the Himalayan Rally. Col Sekhon won the top Indian car award thrice and with his teammate Capt Chauhan, was a household name around the Himalayan Rally. 

    The drive will also see Manjeet Bhalla and Flory Roothaert in action, a major throwback to the 80s when the duo were the pair to beat at the Himalayan Rally. Bhalla was the first Indian co-driver to navigate a world class rally driver at the Himalayan Rally when he partnered Roothaert — a man with immense experience on the international stage. Roothaert’s driving style won him multiple individual podiums and endeared him to Indian fans, a feeling that was mutual.    

    NHMD is also privileged and thankful to Army Adventure for sending their all-ladies team in support of the drive. The team will comprise Lt Col Euthica and Major Tejal Parashare. Lt Col Euthica is widely regarded as one of the best women rally drivers in the Army, leading the first all-woman team by the Army in the Extreme category of the Raid de Himalaya 2018 and Desert Storm 2019. She won the Coupe de Dames in the Royal Rajasthan Rally 2019 and bagged the top place in T2 category in SJOBA 2019. The duo’s association with the drive is a huge boost for the event. 

    Other notable drivers participating in the NHMD include Kiran Mody, Rajiv Rai, Tutu Dahawan, Alak Raju, Farad Bhathena, Farokh Commissariat, Uday Esawaran. 

    Mahindra Adventure is a title sponsor of the event, in continuation of its association at the inaugural event. Other sponsors include Haridarshan, Sidvin, IARC, Hella, Motul and supported by Apollo Healthcare.

  • Nostalgic Nazir Hoosein memorial drive brings Himalayan fraternity together

    Nostalgic Nazir Hoosein memorial drive brings Himalayan fraternity together

    New Delhi, October 16: Two years into a pandemic that has brought the world to a grinding halt, nostalgia is the one thing that has endured. With systems slowly coming back to normal and sporting events slowly finding their feet in a new landscape, a desire to travel, relive and experience the great outdoors has never been more palpable. Motorsports in India is slowly getting back in gear, with events lining up for a new season and kicking things off is one that is as much rooted in the past as it is a signifier of the way ahead. 
     
    The Nazir Hoosein Memorial Drive by Team Firefox was officially launched today in a virtual press conference with former winners, participants and dignitaries sharing their memories of an event and a pioneer who reshaped Indian motorsport. 
     
    “Once we saw things slowly opening up, some of us involved with the motorsport community decided that we should do a drive, something to hark back the good times,” Rajan Syal said. “That idea snowballed into doing something to commemorate Nazir Hoosein.”
     
    Hoosein was a founder member of his club, the  Indian Automotive Racing Club (IARC) and was former President of the Federation of MotorSport Clubs of India (FMSCI)  in 1984/85. While his pioneering administrative work paved the way for many motorsport enthusiasts in the country, Hoosein is perhaps most fondly remembered for founding an event that reshaped Indian motorsport — the Himalayan Rally.
     
    Hoosein’s original desire, that the event showcase Indian motorsport as well as the diaspora of the country remains the driving motivation behind this memorial event too. Gaurav Gill, a multiple time FIA Asia Pacific Rally champion remembers the Himalayan Rally shaping his interest in motorsport in his formative years. “I heard about it as a young child and it really drove my passion for rallying. I am very happy to see this tribute to the iconic rally route in the Himalayas seeing such good participation and look forward to its great success.”
     
    The first edition, held in 1980 was based on a safari rally format. Since then the concept stuck, with international participants supporting the format and the course itself. The Himalayan Rally would form the spine of the Indian motorscape in the 80s, and winners — most notably Jayant Shah — often turning into overnight celebrities in the country.
     
    “Nazir was a man of vision, and the Himalayan Rally brought international rallying to India,” Farokh Commissariat said. “This year we also celebrate the 50th year of the IARC and it is fitting that the rally will allow us to pay tribute to him in a manner deserving of his stature.”
     
    NHMD will follow the original route from the 1981 edition, with a 100 car field kicking off from Greater Noida on November 8th. The first stop will be Lansdowne (8th), followed by Mussoorie (9th) and Kufri (10th). On the 11th, drivers will tackle the iconic route of the original rally — the Jalori Pass before halting in Manali. The final day will see participants cross over the Rohtang pass before concluding the drive in Manali. “The idea was to recreate the original route, for various reasons. In 40 years, a lot of the landscape has changed, and it will be interesting for former participants as well as fans to experience it,” Syal said. 
     
    “I am delighted to be part of this wonderful tribute to Mr Nazeer Hoosein,” Mohan Nagarajan, Chairman Sidvin Energy Engineering said. “Going back and tracing the iconic Himalayan Rally route will be a wonderful experience not just for me but for all members of the motorsports community of India.”

  • About IARC and Nazir Hoosein

    About IARC and Nazir Hoosein

    A Brief History
    The Daily Express 1968 London-Sydney Marathon rekindled the motor sport spark for enthusiasts in Bombay (now Mumbai). Leading long-distance drivers of the world at that time were taking part, and the overland run from London ended at Bombay, from where the cars were shipped to Perth, Australia. This gave the participants (who were also the Carnet Holders for the cars) three full days in the city prior to their departure. The inevitable interactions and dinners followed, which were memorable.

    File photo of Asian Auto Gymkhana organised by IARC in 2018.

    A direct result of this interaction was the coming together of some Indian motor sport stalwarts of that time to form a club that would begin the promotion of motor sport in Bombay. These included Ajaypat Singhania, His Highness the Maharaja of Gondal, Nazir Hoosein, Mohinder Lalwani and Kishan Rao to name a few. The IARC was then formed as a Section 25 non-profit Public Limited Company limited by guarantee.

    With the support of Ajaypat and the ground availability of JK Gram in Thane, numerous gymkhanas for cars and scrambles for motorcycles followed. Hill climbs were held in quarries where the quarry owner was happy to smoothen the road and join in the fun of a Sunday morning excursion. Hill Climbs extended far and wide and the Sinhagad Fort climb near Pune became an annual feature, which was always extremely well attended. Since it was possible to close the roads in that era, it made for a memorable and superb event.
    Serious navigation rallies were also a feature at that time. One of the members, Ravi Kumar, owned a restaurant called the Bullock Cart at Kala Ghoda. He would provide a dinner for the participating members after which, at around midnight the event started. It was a complicated navigational rally within the city of Bombay with participants returning in the morning for breakfast.
    There soon arose a need for an all-India body and the IARC played its part as one of the founding members of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), which later became the ASN (representative organization) of the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile – the world body for motorsport and mobility) in India and is so today.
    Unfortunately, as the years passed, the holding of events became more difficult in and around the city of Bombay and consequently, the number of events began to dwindle with the sole exception being the annual Car Rally for the Blind, which runs to this day. The commencement of the Himalayan Rally in 1980 took many of the active organizers of the IARC into its fold and this also added to the reduction of events.
    With circumstances having changed today and cars and motorcycles now being easily available, a new breed of young men and women has come forward to run events which include Drag Racing, Navigational Rallies and to also revive the Vintage Register, which assists in the restoration and running of old cars and motorcycles.
    The Chairman of the IARC, Mr. Nazir Hoosein, administered through India the second London-Sydney Marathon which ran in 1977, as also the last London-Sydney Marathon which ran in 1993. Mr Hoosein was a Formula 1 Steward from 1993 to 2008 and one of the four permanent chief stewards for Formula 1 for 8 years during this time. He was also one of the four permanent stewards for the World Rally Championship, culminating in his being the sole Chief Steward for the entire WRC from 2006 to 2008. As the President of the FIA Asian Zone for a number of years, Mr Hoosein was responsible for the promotion of motor sport in fourteen Asian countries.
    His international experience stands the IARC in good stead today which, coupled with the experience and knowledge of the other members of the Board, possibly makes the IARC the repository of the maximum motor sport knowledge in this country.
    Some years ago, the FIA’s round of the APRC ran in Pune and Bangalore and once again the IARC core team did the work behind the scenes. As mentioned earlier, the Blind Men’s Rally has run over a number of years annually and the core team is responsible for this effort also. IARC have also organized the Kutch Desert Car Rally in the Little Rann of Kutch, a Vintage Drive to Lavasa and a Freeway Drive to New Cuffe Parade for the Lodha group during 2013-2014. Recently the first round of the JK Tyre Racing Championship in Coimbatore for LGB Formula 04, FB 02, Volkswagen Polo R Cup and Vento Support race ran under IARC permits in May 2014.
    Other recent events worthy of mention:
    2014 Lavasa Women’s Drive was organised with the social objective of awareness for the early detection and prevention of women’s cancer, achieving a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of women participating in a motor sport event in the world.
    2016 Times Women’s Drive 2016. There were over 450 entries, simultaneous starting from 3 cities – Mumbai, Bangaluru and Pune – to reach Goa the next day. Once again, the objective was to create awareness about early screening and prevention of women’s cancer, with the support of the Tata Memorial Hospital.
    2017 Final Round of JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship Euro JK17 & LGB Formula 4 at Budhha International Circuit, Noida.
    2017 Final round of of FIM Asia Cup of Road Race in India at Budhha International Circuit, Noida.
    2018 The Asia Auto Gymkhana Competition of India
    Office Address:
    Indian Automotive Racing Club Ltd.,
    Liberty Bldg., 41/42, Marine Lines,
    Mumbai-400020.
    Email : iarcindia@gmail.com