Showing posts with label i1 Super Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label i1 Super Series. Show all posts

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Shah Rukh Khan takes Mumbai franchise of I1 Super Series

After owning a cricket team, Shah Rukh Khan has entered his maiden venture in motorsports. The bollywood actor will be the co-owner of the Mumbai franchise for the I1 Super Series racing league beginning Jan 8.

Shah Rukh Khan along with partners of Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, the Mehta Group, will take charge of one of the nine teams to take part in the city-based competition.

Apart from having nine teams from as many cities, each franchise will have an Indian and an international driver.

The inaugural Indian Grand Prix held last week was a huge success and Shah Rukh feels the I1 Super Series will only add to the increase in the popularity of motorsports in India.


"The I1 Super Series is a very interesting concept as it gets racing drivers from across the globe to partner with young Indian talent. After the inaugural Indian GP it is clear that motorsports is hugely popular in India and I strongly believe that this series will be a success with its one-of-a-kind concept. The concept is similar to the IPL and I am confident that in the years to come this can become one of the biggest motorsport events in the world," said Shah Rukh.

Machdar Motorsports, the promoters of the I1 Super Series, welcomed Shar Rukh`s entry into the league.

"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Shah Rukh Khan to the I1 Super Series as the franchisee holder for Mumbai. The announcement marks a momentous occasion for motorsports in India with one of the biggest stars in the country aligning with the highly anticipated series," said Anjana Reddy, director, Machdar Motorsports.

The first two races out of the 12 will take place at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, India while the other venues will be Malaysia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

I1 Super Series is a single-make racing competition. Radical SR3 Supercar, which has a top speed of 250 kmph, will be used by all the teams. The total prize money of the event will be $2 million.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Post F1, Sachin's racing venture revs up

What do Mohit Burman, Shah Rukh Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Sourav Ganguly have in common?

All the above said stars have shown keen interest to be a part of the Indian Racing League, partly owned by Sachin Tendulkar. The i1 Super Series, launched a few months back, is the culmination of the idea by Machdar Motor Sports Company and has eyed the fancy of investors after the inaugural Formula One Indian GP’s success despite the huge costs required to stage the event.

If all goes right, sources told a leading newspaper that the first edition of the racing series will hit the tracks on January 8 and conclude on February 26 next year.

According to the newspaper, i1 Super Series will have eight teams (city-based) with two cars each, forming a 16-member line-up. Tendulkar and Sanjana Reddy have together bought 26% share in the league. The races will feature F1 and upcoming Indian drivers and will be held in Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, Doha and Bahrain.

Potential Investors*

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan, Jai Mehta, Juhi Chawla

Delhi: Mohit Burman and another investor

Hyderabad: N Prasad, Akkineni Nagarjuna

Chennai: Tony Fernandes, SG Srinivas

Chandigarh: Yuvraj Singh and a local businessman

Kolkata: Consortium involving ex-cricketer Sourav Ganguly

Pune: A businessman related to a top Bollywood family

Bangalore: A consortium of investors