26 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

In the 70s, 80s and 90s were a lot of Indian racing drivers, who often only raced in India. I searched for more results of these drivers. About Vijay Mallya we have an own thread here:

http://forums.autosp...&threadid=98367

But there were some others: Vickey Chandhok, Aditya Patel, who drives in the Pacific Formula BMW 2008 comde from an Indian motorsport family, Akbar Ebrahim was racing in India and then in the 90s in Great Britain, there was Muskeh Jani, the father of Neel Jani, who was racing in India in fromer days, and some others.

Have you more infos about these or other drivers?

[HistoryFan]

Vicky Chandhok is the father of GP2 driver Karun Chandhok. He was a important person for the Indian GP, which will taking place in 2010. Vicky Chandhok is a leading person in the Indian Motorsport Federation, the FMSC. In 1972 he started a career as rallye driver (photos, results, more infos?). His father Indu Chandhok was also rallye driver in the 50s (pictures, results, more infos?). Indu Chandhok also etablished the FSMC. More infos about the Chandhoks?

Also Narain Karthikeyan's father (name?) was rallye driver and also champion. Harish Samtani drove an F2 car in India in the early 80s, late 70s perhaps.

[Flat Black]

Interesting topic.

Are there many tracks in India? I can't imagine there would be. Auto racing tends to be most prominent in the wealthier nations, although India is slowly getting there.

Also, I can just imagine how hellish it would be to race in the Indian heat and humidity.

[HistoryFan]

Vicky Chandhok won the 1987 Rallye D`Endurance with Manoj Dalal.

The father of Aditya Patel is Kamlesh Patel. He is involved in Indian motorsport since more than 35 years. He drove Rallye but also Formula racing cars. He still raced, for example in the Esteem category in the JK Tyre National racing championship. Any more infos?

[chris shaw]

Wasn't there an Indian called Kinny Lall racing a dark brown Brabham F3 (BT21B ?) in UK in late 60's ?

[HistoryFan]

Originally posted by Flat Black
Interesting topic.

Are there many tracks in India? I can't imagine there would be. Auto racing tends to be most prominent in the wealthier nations, although India is slowly getting there.

Also, I can just imagine how hellish it would be to race in the Indian heat and humidity.

There is a racing organisation in India called JK Tyre National racing championship. This organisation hold many Formula races, like Formula Maruti or Formula LGB Swift or Formula LGB Hyundai and so on. And the races were hold on 2 Indian tracs: Chennai and Coimbatore. Perhaps there are some more litte tracs.

I also think it's an interesting topic, but a little bit difficult to find out some infos about the former Indian racing drivers...

[HistoryFan]

Originally posted by chris shaw
Wasn't there an Indian called Kinny Lall racing a dark brown Brabham F3 (BT21B ?) in UK in late 60's ?

Yes, that's true, in an Brabham BT21, not BT21B (so my sources said).
He was entered by "Team India" in some races. Who was behind that team?

[fines]

Dilantha Malagamuwa, although I believe he may be from Sri Lanka. Raced Formula Nippon and other stuff in Japan. I have a little more on him, but not at my fingertips.

[Hieronymus]

Domingo-brothers in South African Drivers' Championship races in the late 1960s and 1970s.

[HistoryFan]

Originally posted by Hieronymus
Domingo-brothers in South African Drivers' Championship races in the late 1960s and 1970s.

You mean Mike and Joe Domingo? They are really from India? They also have an own team which was called "Team Domingo" and also drove in the South African Formula Atlantik championship.

[D-Type]

Originally posted by HistoryFan


You mean Mike and Joe Domingo? They are really from India? They also have an own team which was called "Team Domingo" and also drove in the South African Formula Atlantik championship.

I would expect they were probably South African born but of Indian ancestry. In South Africa they would be described as 'Indian'.

This is exactly the same situation as Joginder Singh and Shektar Mehta, who were born in Kenya and Uganda respectively, and countless others who rallied and raced in East Africa. In rally entry lists they would both be identified as Kenyan (in Mehta's case because the family had moved from Uganda to Kenya). Locally they would have been described as 'Asian' to avoid the post-partition sensitivities associated with describing people whose relatives were in what became Pakistan as 'Indian'. Or Joginder might have been described as 'Sikh'.

Can I make the point that this is not conscious racism, merely a pragmatic way of describing the community people came from.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by D-Type
I would expect they were probably South African born but of Indian ancestry. In South Africa they would be described as 'Indian'.

Correct

[HistoryFan]

About Akbar Ebrahim:
- born 14th December 1963
- also has a professional cricket career
- 1987: Formula Maruti: won his first race and is now the driver with the most poles and wins in this series. Are there more infos?
- He was 4 times National racing champion, 3 times in a row.
- He won the Indian Formula Three championship (when? more infos?, pictures?)
- third in the 1994 Formula Asia championship
- competed in Formula Ford, british F4, british F3 1995, british F2 1996. More infos?
- He than etablishes his own Team "Team India" which was successful in the Formula Asia in the last year with Parthiva Sureshwaren, Karun Chandhok and Asif Nazir. The team also ran the A1 GP Team India in the first season 2005/2006.


Where could I find more about the Indian Formula 3 and the Formula Maruti (past)?

[KWSN - DSM]

A bunch of names, and a little history here

http://www.mmsc.in/history.htm

Were there not a F3 race in Madras (Chennain) late 1980ies?? Reynard winning with Wallace? if so, were there no Indian drivers making the step up?

[HistoryFan]

Yes the Madras- and Calcuttas GP were held in the late 70s and early 80s. We have discussed that a little bit in TNF, perhaps in the Vijay-Mallya-thread I postet in this thread.

Then I have a little bit about Mukesh Jani, the father of Neel Jani: He is driver coach at Daltec Racing, a racing driver school from Daniel von Grünigen. But I have no more informations about his driving career. Some help?

[HistoryFan]

EDIT:

There was also Sundaram Karivardhan who died in a plane crash 1995. He was a successful Indian Formula car racer and later contructor. He was the uncle of Narain Karthikeyan.

And the dad of Karthikeyan is called G.R. Karthikeyan. How is his full name? He was 6 times Indian Rallye champion!

[Alan Cox]

Not sure if he ws 100% Indian, but who remembers Carlton J Tingling, Formula Ford racer and, eventually, Class B British F3 Champion in 1985?

[fines]

Wasn't he from Jamaica?

[David McKinney]

Same mistake Columbus made

[HistoryFan]

J. Anand. (full name?)

[HistoryFan]

Some more infos about Sundaram Karivardhan:
- born: 20th June 1954 in Coimbatore
- death: 1995 because of a plane crash
- debut: 1973 at the Sholavaram Grand Prix
- drove with various formula racing cars including an Formula Atlantic (which?), Formula 3 (which?) and Formula Ford.
- since the 80s he was also constructor.
- he built the chassis for the Formula Maruti and the chassis for most of the Indian Formula series.
- he had also an own racing team called Super Speeds (also was involved in building the chassis), which entered a TOM's Toyota for some Formula 3 races from 1988 until 1995 (more infos?)

[HistoryFan]

About Kinny Lall:
- He drove in some F3 races with a Brabham Ford BT21 in 1968
- In 1963 he was entered in some Formula Junior races with a Lotus Ford 22
- He designed some Formula racing cars in India
- In the most races he was entered by Team India (more?).

[HistoryFan]

Originally posted by D-Type
I would expect they were probably South African born but of Indian ancestry. In South Africa they would be described as 'Indian'.

This is exactly the same situation as Joginder Singh and Shektar Mehta, who were born in Kenya and Uganda respectively, and countless others who rallied and raced in East Africa. In rally entry lists they would both be identified as Kenyan (in Mehta's case because the family had moved from Uganda to Kenya). Locally they would have been described as 'Asian' to avoid the post-partition sensitivities associated with describing people whose relatives were in what became Pakistan as 'Indian'. Or Joginder might have been described as 'Sikh'.

Can I make the point that this is not conscious racism, merely a pragmatic way of describing the community people came from.

Also Aguri Suzuki is of Indian ancestry.

[HistoryFan]

And about J.Anand:
- was a famous Indian racing driver in the 80s and 90s.
- won several Formula Maruti and F3 races in India, for Super Seeds and MRF
- he runs an Rallye Team for MRF
- he also is involved in Indian Formula sports for Tata.

[Mallory Dan]

Saeed Rozhanzamir, raced UK FF in the late 70s I think, was he Indian?

[MCS]

Originally posted by Mallory Dan
Saeed Rozhanzamir, raced UK FF in the late 70s I think, was he Indian?

Saeed raced a Delta for a while in FF2000. The spelling is wrong Dan, but I can't remember how his surname is spelt.

He wasn't an Indian, but I can't remember which Arab state he came from either.

A perfect gentleman though.

[Graham Clayton]

An interesting article about racing at Coimbatore:

http://www.thehindu....icle1464266.ece