Rane Group sees T1 Prima Truck Racing as a brand-building initiative

The Rane Group, one of the sponsors for the upcoming T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship, is to use the event as a brand-building exercise for itself. The championship, which is to be held for the first time in India on March 23 at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, under the aegis of Tata Motors, will see six truck racing teams compete in 12 Prima Model 4038.S trucks.

Speaking to Autocar Professional, L Ganesh, chairman of the Rane Group, said that the steering system components for Tata Motors’ Prima trucks, have been custom built for the racing event. 

“India is facing a dearth of truck drivers and one of the reasons for this is lack of an aspiration for trucking. Through this event, Tata Motors intends to address this issue and bring about greater aspirations for trucking. Rane Group companies derive fairly large revenues from the commercial vehicle segment in India. Considering these factors, we feel the event provides a great brand-building opportunity to Rane among the trucking community,” says Ganesh.

The Rane Group, however, does not have any plans to sponsor racing events in overseas markets, given that its presence there is still small. But Group companies have sponsored a few racing events in India in the past. For example, Rane Engine Valves sponsored the Volkswagen Polo Cup in 2013. 

Rane expects the entire commercial vehicle community to attend or follow the Prima truck racing championship. Other than component manufacturers, fleet owners, dealers and distributors of commercial vehicles and automotive components, truck owners and drivers are also expected to follow the happenings at the championship.