Team Maruti Suzuki Motorsport fielded a four-man army for the 16th edition of the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm, which began with a ceremonial flag off at the Great India Place Mall here on Sunday.
The team believes the pack of four — Suresh Rana (co-driver P.V.S. Murthy), Sandeep Sharma (Karan Arya), Dharampal Jangra (Hari Krishna) and Samrat Yadav (Nazeeb Nizami) — will have a successful raid.
Grand Vitara, S-Cross, New Brezza and the old warhorse Gypsy will be the cars under their command.
“I have been driving in the desert as a privateer for some time and it not only cost me my energy and time but also a lot of money. And that adds to a lot of pressure and with it, affected a bit of my performance. But, this time around, I am going to drive cool because the team will take care of everything,” said Samrat, a new driver at the event.
“My target is to finish on the podium. I will also get a chance to understand team dynamics,” he added.
The rest in the bunch are far more experienced and have played a big part for the team over the years.
Sanjeev Handa, Vice President (Marketing), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., said, “We have been around for many years but this is one sport that has not found enough traction. It is very expensive and it is up to corporates like us to take it to the next level.”
About fielding four teams, he said the idea is very simple. “Motorsport is all about man, machine and performance. We have the vehicle and the people. It is is just that we are clubbing them all into one homogenous thing called Team Motorsport.”
He wanted more youngsters, both men and women, to participate. “There are quite a few women around this year and the numbers will only increase. In fact, I see the sport flying high in the next few years.”
Comments
SHARE