Kohima (Nagaland), December 1: The picturesque hills in Kohima will reverberate with the sounds of roaring cars as the JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally returns to the annual Hornbill Festival of Nagaland in a bigger and more exciting format.
The three-day event, beginning on Sunday, will see some of the country’s top rallyists battle for honours even as the entire town turns into party mode.
The annual rally which is in its 9th year of existence have added the off road challenge as well which would take place on the 4th of December.
The exciting off roading event making its debut in this iconic event will see top of the line drivers from the region as well as the country traversing through a course of 1.5 kms negotiating six gruelling obstacles in their bid to be crowned champions.
Arguably the most exotic Northeast state, Nagaland is also organizing a World War 2 Peace Rally to pay homage to its martyrs during the Battle of Kohima. Family members of the heroes will be part of a very touching rally, as they will be taken on a parade in vintage cars and jeeps towards the cemetery.
All three events coincide with the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, a seven-day extravaganza of cultural performances, ethnic food courts, handlooms and handicrafts bazaars, film and art festivals, fashion shows and a national rock contest.
"We are extremely delighted to be part of the Hornbill Motor Rally once again. JK Tyre has always been keen on tapping motorsport talents from every corner of the country. The Northeast has a number of motorsports enthusiasts and I am sure this year’s competitions will be exciting," Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Tyre & Motorsports, said.
The Time, Speed and Distance (TSD) rally will be run over a distance of 55 kilometres, starting from the IG Stadium. Day 1 will come to an end at the Kisama Heritage village. Day 2 will see the Off Road Challenge while Day 3 will be marked by the WW2 Peace Rally.
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.
Anwesh Koley
anwesh.koley@jkmail.com
Monsum Hazarika
monsumh@gmail.com
Mob: +91 9999648056
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