Unilazer Ventures, a sports marketing firm founded by Ronnie Screwvala and a part of Unilazer Ventures Pvt Ltd is planning to bring motor racing to 10 Indian destinations by October-November 2016. The first to start will be Diu, Puducherry and Dadra Nagar Haveli. The other destinations being looked at are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Leh, Ladakh, Goa, Andaman and Lakshdweep.
Speaking exclusively to Financial Express Online, entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala, said, “Once the permissions are in place we expect to roll out by October-November 2016. The races will be open street circuits having 2 km to 4 km loops and covering 55 to 60 km with multiple laps comparable to Moto 3 category with 250 cc bikes. There will be 10 teams with each team having two riders – one Indian and one foreign with one reserve rider who will also be Indian. The project is estimated to cost `300 crore as we are looking at a 10 year vision so we will be spending around `5 to `10 crore on each team per year.” He further added that, “The teams will be selected through a bidding process like the Kabaddi League and there will be team owners. The teams will then undergo a three to six months training in a foreign location where bike racing is very popular, for them to get the feel of the sport. We want the bikers to connect with their machines because it is not the thrill of biking but it is the journey.”
The company is in discussions with CII and other tourism bodies to provide infrastructure and logistics support.