'India has done more for motor sport than most nations in the Asian region’

Neither is Akbar Ebrahim built for small talk nor does he dabble in diplomacy. Perhaps, watching the rise-and-fall routine of motor sports in the country has made him pithy. India saw the grand entry of F1 and its embarrassing exit after three editions. Formula E arrived last year, but got shelved due to political wrangling this year. MotoGP had a successful round last year, but no one can predict its future. In a chat with DH speaks to Akbar, the president of the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India, discusses the problems, the future and FMSCI's role in promoting motor sports in the country. 

Excerpts:

Having brought home a set of big-ticket events, is there scope for more in India? If so, what is FMSCI’s role in ensuring their operations?

See, we’re here only to provide support. The FMSCI, per se, doesn’t do the bidding for Formula One or Formula E or Moto GP. That is the job of a local promoter. Typically, the Federation doesn’t enter into negotiations with the service providers. We’re only here to ensure the operations go as planned, the marshals are in check, the medicals are ready, and basically, provide resources to the promoter to ensure the sport is run safely and well.

How difficult is it to ensure these operations run well when the scale is escalated?

It’s always a challenge. Sure, it’s easier handling a national championship as opposed to the F1 or MotoGP, but the pain points are almost identical. We have to ensure we’re diligent to keep the entire system moving. It’s the same with F1 or MotoGP. As far as I know, going by feedback from promoters, and confirmations from FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) and FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme), we have done a good job at the big events we have hosted.

Yet, Formula One left our shores despite promising a long-term alliance. Why did it have to come down to that?

A race is not merely about operations. As I said, we did a fine job in the running of the race, but what transpired then (2013) was not at the level of FMSCI. It was at the state and central level. When it comes down to policies and rewriting them, it’s not easy. This was between the FIA and the government because of the taxation rules in India.

Have those rules been modified for the better?

Yeah, I think F1 leaving India was quite a jolt. I don’t think they expected them to walk out when typically they’re used to more negotiations and typically get people to listen to them. What I noticed during the maiden Moto GP was that the ministry was very supportive, especially when it came to bringing in equipment. That’s where the bulk of the problem is, and with that out of the way, we can expect race organisers to come to India without having to be stressed about a lot of things.

Perhaps, but Formula E didn’t run the race this year due to ‘instability’?

That’s an entirely separate issue between the organisers, the local promoters, and the local government. Again, organising a race in any part of the world is a hassle. It happens everywhere. Yes, we’re used to seeing some races on the calendar perpetually, but those are only in some cases. The only difference is our system hasn’t evolved yet to ensure it’s seamless. That will take some time, but that MotoGP and Formula E are on our shores, we can continue to push to make the policies better. It’s lucrative enough for a policy change, that’s for sure.

Do promoters consult you, the FMSCI, before bringing on a race?

A lot of what the promoter does comes down to the viability of how he positions himself, what he is getting paid for, what he is paying for, what he gets in return, and eventually about doing long-term viability planning. That’s what they should do, but they don’t come to us for input. They have their own advice systems in place, consultants they call themselves, and then set up a feasibility report. Most of them are not sure of how racing works so these reports typically tend to be lopsided. Some people do come and ask because some of us in the Federation have been in the business of racing for over four decades so they know what they get when they come to us.

Do you think the FMSCI has done enough to promote motor sport in the country?

I don’t get why people think motor sport is not doing well in India first of all. I know where the question was coming from so I may as well tackle the primary sentiment (laughs). Save for Japan and Australia, no other country in the Asian region has done more for motor sport than India. We’re far ahead in this region so this narrative needs to change. We can be better, but that doesn’t mean we’re bad.

The question was intended towards infrastructure and how the sport is more focused in the South rather than the North…

Right. Getting land for tracks is not easy because of the cost and also the size of the land needed. It was relatively easier back in the day in Chennai and in Coimbatore so they put up tracks there. Obviously, where there are tracks there is a spike in talent from that region and subsequent following for the sport. There is a shift, there are more and more racers from the North, and in time there will be infrastructure to facilitate this movement. As of now, I think there will be a track coming in Pune next year.

There have been a couple of deaths in the sport over the last year, what is the FMSCI doing to evolve its safety measures?

Safety is the one thing we have to keep focusing on, and for that, we need to pay attention to the FIA or the FIM. They chart out the rules and we adhere to them as stringent as possible. We don’t have the expertise in our country to chalk our rules for safety. That learning for the FIA and the FIM has come from years of working on races, and that information is passed down the line and to us. See, this is racing, there will be some incidents. All we can do is ensure we keep it down to a minimum. As far as we are concerned, we don’t have a bad track record at all.