INDIA in F1

Tag: Team Slideways Industries

  • Slideways Industries Gears Up for South India Rally; Reigning champ Shroff to miss Ro1

    Slideways Industries Gears Up for South India Rally; Reigning champ Shroff to miss Ro1

    By Aniruddha Rangnekar

    Pune, 21 April 2025: With over a decade of relentless passion and performance, Team Slideways Industries returns to the Blueband Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for the 2025 season, ready to take on the dust, speed, and competition. Based in Pune and proudly backed by the Pinnacle Group, Slideways Industries has grown into a household name in Indian motorsport, known for its consistency, innovation, and champion pedigree.

    The team will be fielding two cars for the Indu Chandhok Memorial 48th South India Rally, the opening round of the Blueband 2025 INRC season, set to take place in Chennai. Despite the absence of key drivers Daraius Shroff, Aniruddha Rangnekar, and Shivani Parmarโ€”all sitting out this round due to personal commitmentsโ€”Slideways is raring to go with a dynamic new lineup.

    A Global Touch and a Youthful Spark

    Adding an international flair to the rally is the Singapore-based husband-wife duo, Raguvaran V and Amanda Chew Jia Ying. The pair brings global experience and enthusiasm to the INRC, making them the only international entry in this edition of the rally.

    Alongside them, promising young talent Tarushi Vikram from Chikkamagaluru will be piloting the second Slideways car, showcasing the teamโ€™s commitment to nurturing new talent in Indian motorsport. Both entries are part of Slidewaysโ€™ highly acclaimed Arrive & Drive programme in the INRC3 category.

    Revolutionising Grassroots Rallying

    Slideways Industries has been a pioneer of the Arrive & Drive format in India, offering aspiring racers a seamless entry into professional rallying. Under this program, the team handles everythingโ€”from logistics, testing, and car prep to full service supportโ€”so that drivers can focus solely on what they do best: driving. Itโ€™s a one-of-a-kind initiative that has opened doors for both young hopefuls and motorsport enthusiasts to experience the thrill of INRC.

    A Legacy of Champions

    Over the years, Slideways Industries has built an enviable legacy. Their 2024 INRC3 Drivers Championship win with Mumbai’s Daraius Shroff is just one of the many accolades to their name. The team has also collaborated closely with Gaurav Gill, Indiaโ€™s only Arjuna Awardee in motorsport and multiple Asia Pacific Rally Champion.

    Their long-standing partnership with the Gaurav Gill Advanced Driving Academy further strengthens their grassroots impact, with Slideways drivers doubling up as instructors to groom the next generation of Indian rally stars.

    Legends Behind the Wheel

    Slideways has had some iconic names behind the wheel of their machines, including Karamjit Singh, the legendary multiple Asia Pacific Rally Champion, and Vikram Mathias, a stalwart of Indian rallying. These associations not only speak volumes about the teamโ€™s engineering prowess but also about their stature within the motorsport community.

    As the engines rev and the dust begins to rise in Chennai, Team Slideways Industries stands poised yet again to inspire, compete, and win. Watch this space as one of Indiaโ€™s most-loved rally teams hits the ground running in the 2025 INRC season!

  • To SIR with love: From Singapore Streets to South India Stages – Meet Rallyโ€™s Newest Couple

    To SIR with love: From Singapore Streets to South India Stages – Meet Rallyโ€™s Newest Couple

    CHENNAI, 21 April 2025: When you think of Singapore, you think of skyscrapers, spotless streets, and Formula 1’s Marina Bay Circuit. You donโ€™t think of gravel roads, rally-spec cars, or jungle trails. But for husband-and-wife duo Raguvaran and Amanda, rallying is more than just motorsportโ€”itโ€™s a shared dream that’s defied borders, convention, and even geography.

    This weekend, the duo will be making their competitive debut at the Indu Chandhok Memorial 48th South India Rally, the opening round of the Blueband 2025 Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), representing Puneโ€™s formidable Slideways Industries team. Theyโ€™re the only international team on the entry listโ€”and their journey here is as heartwarming as remarkable.

    A Rally Dream Born on an Island Without Rallies

    Singapore is a bustling city-state barely 49 km wide, where every inch of land is spoken for. Rallying there? Practically impossible. โ€œThere were no rally events. Just no space,โ€ says Amanda, who caught the rally bug long before she ever got behind the wheel. โ€œBut I always dreamed of co-driving.โ€

    After marrying Ragu, a motorsport volunteer since 2012 with some single-seater driving experience, the couple decided to give rallying a serious shot. โ€œAmanda had this undying interest in rallies,โ€ Ragu smiles. โ€œSo I said, โ€˜Letโ€™s go for itโ€™โ€”though I did hit pause when I saw what we were getting into at first!โ€

    Slideways Industries: The Launchpad

    Their rally aspirations began to take shape when they connected with Slideways Industries, one of Indiaโ€™s most respected rally outfits. With over a decade in the sport and a reputation for nurturing talent through its arrive-and-drive programme, the team gave Amanda and Ragu just what they needed: a fully-prepped rally car, professional training, and logistical support. โ€œAll we had to do was show up and drive,โ€ Amanda laughs.

    Slideways has previously fielded legends like Gaurav Gill, Karamjit Singh, and Vikram Mathias, and helped produce champions like Daraius Shroff, the 2024 INRC3 titleholder. Now, theyโ€™re backing a team thatโ€™s perhaps their most unique yetโ€”Ragama Racing, a name inspired by the coupleโ€™s bond (Rag-u and Ama-nda).

    From Organisers to Racers

    Before they strapped into rally suits, Amanda and Ragu spent years on the other side of the barrier. They volunteered, managed events, and served in key positions at Singaporeโ€™s motorsport events. In 2017, their paths converged again as friends, which turned to romance in 2022, and soon enough, a motorsport partnership for life.

    The Road to South India Rally

    Their official rally debut comes after just a single testing session last week in Coimbatore. โ€œWe only just sat in a rally car for the first time,โ€ Amanda admits. But theyโ€™re undeterred. โ€œOur goal is simple: finish the rally, have fun, and make friends.โ€

    As temperatures soar in Chennai, the coupleโ€™s biggest challenge might just be the Indian summer. But spirits are high. โ€œThis is a dream come true for us,โ€ says Ragu. โ€œIโ€™m particularly stoked for Amanda. Sheโ€™s been building up to this moment for much longer than I have.โ€

    A Rally Debut Unlike Any Other

    Amanda will co-drive, calling the shots from the navigatorโ€™s seat, while Ragu takes the wheel. Itโ€™s a trial by fire in one of the INRCโ€™s toughest events, but itโ€™s also the kind of story that reminds fans why they fell in love with motorsport in the first place.

    So, if you find yourself at the service park this weekend, look for the couple with matching helmets, mismatched gloves, and big grins of โ€œRagama Racing.โ€ Stop by. Say hi. Theyโ€™ll likely be more excited to meet you than you are to meet them.

    Amanda and Ragu would like to give a shout-out to those who have assisted their journey: โ€œThis would not have been possible if not for the help of our good friend and world-renowned professional co-driver, Dale Moscatt, and Aniruddha of Slideways Industries. Each of them contributed significantly to getting us well prepared for this event.โ€

    For Amanda and Ragu,ย this isnโ€™t just a rallyโ€”itโ€™s the start of something incredible.ย As their team name denotes, it’s music on four wheels!