Embassy boost for racer Raj

Motor sport in the City received a shot in the arm with Embassy Group making thier foray into the segment by sponsoring budding racing driver Raj Bharath for the Formula Masters Asian Series.

The real estate giant will sponsor the 18-year-old in the single-seater Asian series which basically is an upgraded version of last year’s Formula Pilota Series in which he garnered 13 podium finishes.

The difference between last season and this season’s championship is the engine provider. Formula Masters will use Volkswagen’s German Formula 3 engines (around 25 brake horse power more) instead of the Fiat Abarth engines while the chassis will remain the same as the one used last season.

“This is one of the biggest things to have happened for motorsport in Bangalore,” said Akbar Ebraham, president of Meco Motorsports -- the team which Raj will continue to represent this season. “As you know, it is a very expensive sport and life is incredibly hard for a racing driver in India. Such sponsors coming forth is not only great for Raj, it is also perfect for other Indian drivers as they can vie for bigger things knowing well that they might find a sponsor more easily than they could in the past.”

Raj, who has been one of the most consistent performers in his five-year career as a karting prodigy to consistent single-seater racer, will be under pressure to perform under the given circumstances but his success in the previous season will give him the confidence to move up the ranks.

“This is a great opportunity for me. I will look at putting on a good show,” said the soft-spoken youngster, who will be directed by chief engineer Patrick Roberts. “I haven’t tested the new cars yet but it won’t be too different from the one I drove last year. Just a little faster but I will be able to cope with that.”

Meanwhile, Akbar, without getting into the details, mentioned that there will be a new series unveiled in India later this season where Raj will drive to further enhance his skills.