Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India revamped
Probably just two shades less colourful than the race for the 2014 parliamentary elections, this. Just ahead of the elections for the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India, there was drama aplenty. Factions were sparring with each other, nominees were being discussed, alliances were being formed. Not too long before the elections, the then President of the FMSCI, Vicky Chandhok chose not to contest for the post of president, having already served as president for seven of the last nine years.
When the elections did take place in the Annual General Meeting in Chennai, the results were withheld. This was because of certain legal hassles to do with the fact that member clubs of the FMSCI were meant to be non-profit, which some member clubs objected to as they believed that decree had been passed without the requisite two-third vote required to pass such a judgement. Eventually, though, it was decided that the regulation spoke of the Federation itself, and not the member clubs that comprise it. And after a rather drawn out court battle came to a close, the results of the election were finally released.
The new council, in addition to the existing founder members â€" the Madras Motor Sports Club, Karnataka Motor Sports Club and Coimbatore Auto Sports Club â€" included Performance Cars Racing Trust, Meco Motorsports, Spitfire Motorsports, Motorsports Club of Chikmagalur and Himalayan Motor Sports Club. The council voted for the new president of the Federation, and J Prithviraj of the CASC was elected to office, with Tutu Dhawan as vice-president of the FMSCI.
The heads of various commissions were also decided. A major change in the structure of the FMSCI is the inclusion of a Corporate Relations and Communications Committee that aims to package Indian motorsport as a whole. Appointing a communications officer is one of the key moves on the cards and will be done in the hopes of making the sport more accessible to the media and therefore the viewing public as well. The plans so far seem ambitious, but if handled right, could yield results. Now to wait and watch.
FMSCI Commissions
Rally 4W: Farooq Ahmed
Cross Country Rally (2/4 W): Manjeev Bhalla
Karting: Sajeev Mathew Rajan
FIA Titular/Deputy: Vijay Mallya/Vicky Chandhok or Akbar Ebrahim
FIM Titular/Deputy: Shrikant Karani/J Prithiviraj
Race Commission 4W (National/International): Akbar Ebrahim
Race 2W: Aspi Bhathena
Supercross/Motocross: Shyam Kothari
Rally 2W: Praneeth Perumal
Drag Racing: Akbar Ebrahim
Truck Racing: Akbar Ebrahim