India and Formula One racing- Vijay Mallaya & Michiel Mol Buy the Spyker F1 for 88 Million Euros
India is now in F1 races from 2007, when a consortium led by an Indian businessman Vijay Mallaya and Michiel Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for 88 million Euros. Force India (team) was formed in 2007 but its roots can be traced back in 1991. It was founded as Jordan Grand Prix. Eddie Jordan, the owner of Jordan Grand Prix sold this to Selverstone before selling it to Spyker Cars. Again, due to financial costs, it was sold to the Orange India Holdings group and Vijay Mallaya and Michiel Mol took the ownership of the team.
The primary sponsor of this team is Kingfisher, a brand owned by Vijay Mallaya. Force India team used Ferrari engines in 2008 and the team also started to use the Indian flag in its team logo from 2008. Force India also launched 2 cars in 2007 and 2009. The Spyker F8-VII was a Formula One car, constructed by Spyker F1 that competed in the 2007 Formula One World Championship. Then the Force India VJM02 was Force India’s formula One Car for 2009 Formula One season. It was revealed in a low-key press event, after the car's first test at the Silverstone Circuit, on February 28, 2009, before a public test at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain the following day.
The future of F1 racing is very bright in India, as they have potential drivers. The growth of International companies in India is providing a number of opportunities to foreign investors and so this country can easily penetrate in the billion dollar game of F1. Formula one office in India has a staff of more than 300 employees.
However, on the ground level, unlike Europe and America where this game is well established, India is still new in this sport and it will take years to settle down but the popularity is increasing rapidly in India. Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and there are millions of families in India, which promise a strong financial future for the sports industry, that is the reason companies like Renault have started using their racing cars to attract people. Bridgestone and Vodafone have also brought Ferrari and McLaren cars to the country.
Another important point why this game is being promoted in India by companies is because of a massive television audience of India. It is one of the untapped markets around the world where 600 million people watch every season of F1 race. "The F1 is huge tool for us - not only as a sport which we will encash on, but as a brand" says Ashish Sinha Roy, vice president of Renault India.
"We are not only looking at F1 but motorsports as a whole." He adds that the company wants to bring in other promotions to India, including programmes for driver development and finding ways to utilize local talent.
Force India finished 9th out of 10 last season but improved significantly in the closing stages and are bullish for 2010, as they say that the new car's greater stability will definitely boost their chances for next season. Bernie Ecclestone has recently said that a contract has been signed with JPSK Sports Private Ltd, a subsidiary of Jaiprakash Associates Limited, to stage the first ever Formula One Grand Prix in India, which is going to be held in The National Capital Region of New Delhi in 2010.
Michael Taub, has finally succeeded along with Mr. Sunder Mulchandani in bringing this major event to India, where the audience is over a billion people. Michael Taub has been the driving force behind the project to bring F1 to India for last one decade and now he is finally achieved something. Now apart from cricket, audiences are increasing every day for F1 and this game is going to be very popular in the country in the coming years. There are many industrialists and businessmen who are keeping their eye on this game, as they see this as a business opportunity for them.
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