The Good, Bad and Ugly from T1 Truck Racing Championship Season 3

by  Shantanu Jain Entertainment | March 22, 2016 | Feature

T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship Tata Motors T.I.C. Modern Stage Services

I still vividly remember walking out of the Season 2 of the Tata Motors T1 Truck Racing Championship content, enthusiastic and ecstatic that India finally had an exciting sports racing property of its own. An action packed event which met the international standards of unblemished organizing and execution by T.I.C and yet was still very desi in its approach.  Yes, I waited anxiously for a year for the madness of truck racing to envelop me again but the recently organized season of 3 of the truck racing championship left me slightly discouraged and bummed out instead.

The reasons? I cannot really decide which one to begin with. The very entry into the Buddh International Circuit was a daunting task for attendees. There was a Grand Stand, The Picnic Stand, The Paddock Zone, The Parking Zone, Tunnels and almost 30 entry gates at the venue but negating it all was a less than informed brigade of guards and helpers from BIC itself, who could'nt even correctly guide the attendees on where to go. I had to enter the paddock zone but was misdirected on three different occasions as a result of which I had to walk at a solid 4 Kilometres with countless attendees often asking me for guidance as they faced the same predicament. Needless to say many people whose job did not involve doing an extensive coverage of the event went back.

As a result of which, the expectations of having 80000 attendees this time around shot back on the organizers of the event as in the audience were a little more than 50,000 people, a number which is nothing when you compare it to last year’s count and might we remind you that it rained cats and dogs that day. Also last year the on-ground activations and marketing activities done to promote the event were remarkable. One could really feel the spirit of attendees who came in large numbers to cheer but this was not the case time. 

                                       The empty audience stands can be seen in the background

Additionally, the enthusiasm of the crowd too was at its minimum. Leave aside the final lap for both Super Class and Pro Class Category races, the audience reaction was pretty dull throughout the event. Neither Garima Yagnik nor Neeti Mohan could add the much needed sizzle into the atmosphere. The only saving grace for the entertainment factor were the star performances by Badshah and Sunidhi Chauhan. Emcee of the event Bollywood Actor, Sameer Kochar too did not add anything to the event. Clearly, the organizers could have gone with a more popular face than him. Have a look at the crowd reaction below:

In terms of experiential engagement too, this season of the championship failed to bring anything new on the table. The championship saw digital photo booths, routine displays from associate sponsors and drones flying in the air but are these elements enough? Do we not seen them already in almost all the events we attend? For any other vanilla event, these elements would have worked but where is the ‘extra’ engagement or the ‘level up’ of the property from last year? Every element felt like a rehash of what we had already seen in the previous edition.

The sporting action of the event however was crisp and edgy. There were copious thrilling moments throughout the main races of the event and for those who came only for the racing action got their money’s worth. The overall execution of the on-ground action by T.I.C was smooth and seamless. The stage of the event created by ‘Modern Stage Service’ was impeccable and Fabrication done by ‘Yes We Do’ was just right. Rama Tent House was also one of the service providers at the event and their efforts were applauded by the organizers. 

Overall the third edition of T1 Truck Racing Championship was not a bad event at all. In fact, it was a sweet treat if you compare it to other sporting events of the country and T.I.C executed the event smoothly. However, where this edition of the championship failed was in its attempt to present anything new. Yes, the highlight of the race was the presence of Indian drivers and it worked, thus adding a more Indianess to the event as well but the overall event lacked an eletrifying buzz in the atmosphere, something which is the very essence of a sporting property at the level of T1. With each successive edition of a thriving intellectual property the common expectation is to see something new and more engaging and not be stuck on the same level for years. Common Tata Motors we expect more from you!!

*Festivals, Lifestyle, Sports, and Business... Click here for the full list of categories in Event Intellectual Properties at WOW Awards Asia 2016.