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CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 10: Last month, during the Auto Expo show in New Delhi, the chairman of the Federation of Motor Clubs of India (FMSCI) D...

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 10: Last month, during the Auto Expo show in New Delhi, the chairman of the Federation of Motor Clubs of India (FMSCI) Dr Vijay Mallya threw a cocktail party with a difference. It was exclusive, even by Mallya’s standards, as he personally invited hand-picked top executives of major automobile manufacturers of the country. The sceptics dismissed the event as a PR exercise, but few reckoned with the dramatic effect it has had vis-a-vis motor sports.

Later this year, Ford’s `Josh’ machine, the Ikon, is likely to be homologated and, probably, enter the final rounds of the Rally Championship in the winter.

In fact, Ford India’s managing director Phil Spender has already been co-opted as a member of the Madras Motor Sports Club’s managing committee, and the word is that this former rally competitor has not wasted time in actively participating in the proceedings.

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Ford’s gesture: Ford India have decided to provide two ambulances, one safety car and six FIVs (Fast Intervention Vehicle) for the All-India Grand Prix races to be held at the Irungattukottai track on February 20.

Further, Spender, in a letter to the FMSCI on Thursday, has confirmed the participation of the Ikon car in the National Rally Championship. The Ikon is expected to be homologated by August 15.

Spender stated: “We have had many enquiries from competitors requesting we homologate Ford Ikon for competition in India and I am pleased to advise we have decided to do so. There is clearly a lot of work to be done to achieve homologation and set up competition projects with the right technical and commercial support to ensure long term benefit. We wish to use 2000 as a programme development year, homologating Ford Ikon in Q300 for full competition in 2001.”

To this end, Spender has proposed a summit in either late March or early April, between Ford India and other interested parties, including representatives of the sport’s World governing body, FIA, FMSCI, and “all teams who are interested in using Ford Ikon in competition.”

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For the summit, Ford India will be fielding John Fink (VP-Sales and Marketing), G Kalhe (Product Engineering), Bhuvana Ramalingam (Public Affairs) and V Sivaramakrishnan (Marketing).

PM Modi releases special coin, stamp to mark 100 years of RSS

India2 hr ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh [RSS] had suffered at the hands of British and Nizams for its belief of ‘nation first’. He also said RSS members, including founder KB Hedgewar, had been jailed during the freedom struggle. Modi released a special commemorative postage stamp and a coin to mark the centenary of the RSS.

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