Shah Rukh Khan and Arindam Chaudhuri bag Mumbai and Delhi based i1 Super Series Teams

The build-up to the success of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix has certainly set a number of motorsport initiatives in the country into supreme motion, the most promising of which is the Indian Racing League, better known to us as the i1 Super Series.

Officially launched in August this year, the all new motorsport racing league under the guardianship of Machdar Motorsports Company, recently announced that the league would consist of 9 teams with 12 races that would span across 5 countries.

Two of these city-based franchisees, one based out of Mumbai and the other Delhi are now no longer up for grabs, and have been allotted their respective owners. While, news of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan taking ownership for the Mumbai team may not come as a big surprise at this point in time, the Delhi franchisee in a complete paradox to speculations so far, has fallen into the hands of Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri.

Both owners, obviously seeing the immense potential of this new found motorsports initiative in the country are quite optimistic about its long term success and more importantly their indispensable association with the league from here on.

Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri, Director of the IIPM think tank was particularly impressed by the concept, and unknown to the media has been quite keen to be a part of it from the beginning. As the new owner of the Delhi franchisee, he said, “We are delighted to be the Delhi Franchisee holder and very excited to be part of the i1 Super Series. After the success of the inaugural Indian GP, motorsport is definitely enjoying on a high in the country and will only continue to grow. From Planman Stars we will always work towards supporting all kinds of sports in India.”

Scheduled to begin in January 2012, the i1 Super Series will consist of 9 teams representing the Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore. The 12 races scheduled to be held right up until February 26 next year will take place not only in India but also in the UAE, Malaysia, Bahrain and Qatar. 

With the owners of the Mumbai and the Delhi team now finalized, expect the remaining 7 city based teams of the motorsports league to pull in some high-profile individuals, especially those who realize the true potential of encouraging and promoting such a niche sport in the country.