Chennai-born Indian racecar driver Karun Chandok is currently racing Mahindra’s entry in the all-electric Formula-E racing championship. On a visit to Delhi during the mid-season break, he spoke to Kushan Mitra about racing in india
How has the racing season been so farIJ
I have had a bit of a roller-coaster season so far, I opened with a couple of good races at Beijing and Putrajaya in Malaysia but it has been a bit tough after that. And it has been quite the opposite for Bruno (Senna), my teammate, he had a couple of bad races to start the season but has been fairly good since then with a couple of decent finishes.
Having raced in Formula 1, what is the biggest difference between this racing series and thatIJ
There are several differences, the fact that all teams use similar hardware, we race only in city centres, we have a compressed two day schedule, we swap cars and so many more. But the single biggest difference, as a driver, is the noise. Or, the lack of noise to be more specific.
There is a noise, but compared to a regular racing series with an internal combustion engine, it feels that there is no noise whatsoever. I know Formula 1 purists were upset in 2014 when the series shifted to new quieter engines, but these engines will really irritate them.
So if the racing purists don’t come, how will you fill the standsIJ
Honestly, we have been really surprised at the crowds coming for the race. Because of the low-noise and emission-free racing, we are able to hold the races in the middle of cities, for example in london we will be racing in the city, Formula 1 will never be allowed to do that. It is amazing racing downtown and that also means that fans, even casual fans, can just take a subway and come for the race.
We practice on Fridays and race on Saturdays which also minimises disruption to the city. In Miami for example, we raced around the American Airlines Arena, where the Miami Heat (the NBA basketball team) play. The crowds were huge. In most countries the Formula 1 circuits, even in Noida are really far away from the city so going there is a trek, this is easy and brings in casual fans.
And are cities vying to be part of the seriesIJ
From all indications, it appears that way. I was speaking to the promoter of Formula E, Alejandro Agag, and he told me that there are a lots of cities vying for a race. Think about it, racing in the middle of the city with spectacular views of downtown, it would be a such an immense tourism draw, just like the Singapore F1 race. We have 10 races this year, but I am sure the series could expand dramatically in the next few seasons.
So tourism and racing are linkedIJ
They definitely are, look at the Singapore Grand Prix, I understand that every year 10,000-15,000 visitors from India go for the race weekend in Singapore. Now the organisers there make sure they have a good time, there are things to do, rock shows and what not. Even though each race organiser has to pay the Formula 1 promoters a lot of money, over $50 million per race, if it is well organised, the local economy can benefit immensely.
So India could have done it betterIJ
Yes, it was such an opportunity lost. Packages should have been sold to tourists where a visit to the Taj Mahal or other places in north India could have been combined with the race. And it is not the organisers’ fault, but there should have been much more support from the tourism ministry. For example, other nations market their sporting events as tourist draws.
Is a part of that because the Government does not consider motorsport a sportIJ
Possibly, and I do not understand why. We are as fit as most athletes, require immense amounts of hand-eye co-ordination in a fairly risky sport. But for reasons unbeknownst to me, we are apparently ‘entertainment’.
What are you doing to change perceptionsIJ
I don’t know, but I hope some success for Mahindra Racing can help.
Do you see Formula E coming to IndiaIJ
I can imagine a race taking place in Central Delhi around Rajpath possibly, but I do not think it will happen anytime soon. Maybe at a smaller Indian city, but it will require a forward thinking city administrator and local Chief Minister.
And what benefits do you believe will accrue to Mahindra themselves through this investment in the racing team, given that all the hardware is commonIJ
Well, while the hardware is the same, every team is allowed to play around with the software. In this racing series, the biggest challenge is energy management like in no other racing series and the software to manage is a challenge as well. So engineers form Bangalore, who are part of the Reva development team come to every race. They also get to understand what it is like to work in a high-pressure environment where results are needed quickly.
From next season onwards, we will have some control over some hardware components as well, starting with the motor, so I believe the work the engineers do will translate into future electric cars. Maybe not in 2016 or 2017, but sooner rather than later.