India’s motorsport heritage

Sholavaram, the legendary T-shaped racetrack located just north of Chennai, India, was once a magnet for motorsport enthusiasts worldwide. From 1953 to 1989, it hosted thrilling races that attracted top racers from across the globe, making it the highlight of the Indian motorsport calendar.
However, as racing shifted to the newer Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur, and the Open Class of racing was discontinued, the enchantment of Sholavaram faded into history. Join us as we journey back in time to hear firsthand accounts from those who witnessed Indian motorsport's glory days and explore the mystique that surrounded Sholavaram.
00:00 - Indian Motor Racing
01:54 - India's Air Strip Race Tracks
02:34 - Vijay Mallya's McDowell's liveried Group A2 Fiat 1100
04:30 - Vicky Chandhok's early days at Sholavaram
05:35 - The allure of Sholavaram - Ferraris and E-Type Jaguars racing
06:09 - Stopwatches and traditional Time Keeping methods at Sholavaram
06:48 - Karun Chandhok, India's second-ever F1 driver
07:11 - MMSC and FMSCI Founding Member Indu Chandhok on his first race
07:48 - Veteran Automotive Journalist Adil Jal Darukhanawala's memories of Sholavaram
08:28 - The T-shaped layout of the Sholavaram racetrack
09:45 - The legends roster at Sholavaram - Darius Bhathena and more!
10:53 - Mohinder "Chubi" Lalwani and Renuka Kirpalani
11:48 - Chubi Lalwani's first race
12:51 - Chubi's skill as a racecar tuner and builder
13:08 - Double Barrels Team Alpha's Racing Special
13:47 - The Formula Indian category of racing
15:14 - Pratap "Bobby" Jayaram - racer and designer of the REVA electric car
16:19 - Carrying on AD Jayaram's legacy as a racecar builder
17:10 - How to prepare a racecar
18:04 - Beating the Calcutta racers in the Ambassador class
18:37 - Sundaram Karivardhan and his impact on Indian racing
19:03 - CK Jinan on Karivardhan
20:00 - Dolphin Special in action
20:54 - Kari's Formula Atlantic vs Vicky Chandhok's MRF Formula 2 car
21:32 -Kari's motorsport philanthropy
23:47 - Memories from the 50th Year of Sholavaram
25:05 - Subash Chandra Bose or "Bullet Bose"
26:30 - Sholavaram's Open Class and taking the crown from "Bullet Bhaskie"
27:33 - Bullet Bose and the Royal Enfield Factory Strike
27:59 - How to Push Start a Motorcycle at the Races
28:19 - Riding Gear at Sholavaram in the 1970s
29:02 - Sholavaram reunion
29:07 - Sholavaram Spectator VS Raghavan
29:51 - A fan's memories of Sholavaram
30:16 - International Racers at Sholavaram
31:01 - Vijay Mallya's Ensign F1 at Sholavaram
31:08 - Maharajkumar of Gondal's Surteen F5000 TS11
31:40 - 1989 - The End of Racing at Sholavaram
31:53 - The Sholavaram Race Track today
Report by Vaishali Dinakaran | Camera: Arjun Dhavale | Editing: Kirsten Jungclaus
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[@DilipDhanasingh]

My grew up as a spectator during the last phase of the Sholavaram era! I consider it the best era in Indian Motorsports!!!

[@DWREV]

Thanks for watching! 😊

[@RonnyCRock]

Crazy how Motorsport looked like in the past. I was allowed to watch races in Chennai, Coimbatore and Dehli live on ground between 2011-15 and can say that Motorsport in India is always exciting. But these insights here give Perspektive to the history of Indien Motorsport and it’s passionate community since that time. A must watch in my eyes.

[@2751Jackson]

Wow!!! can't believe this used to happen in our country😍♥️

[@nikhilkapoor8413]

Great coverage. These stories of Indian motorsports need to reach a wider audience.

[@gowincoach1802]

Well made Video, brought back lots of memories, thank you for all the efforts to put together such a video. Well done and look forward to many more such videos

[@RoadRunneR69]

Just watched the Parsi car enthusiast video and now this!! Absolutely brilliant videos guys, please please keep up the goof work!!

[@shreeramshetty777]

Fantastic video, giving us a great look at the history of Indian motorsports. It's really amazing what those people achieved back in the day

[@TheLucknowWalla]

Brilliant. A story put together so well. Brought back so many memories... 😊👍

[@malvikakarunan2119]

Wow! Really cool video!! Looking forward to many more of such videos.

[@warrenmeszaros9698]

Amazing documentary... cheers....🏎️

[@abhishektakle8852]

What a great story and so passionately told by all the protagonists! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Would love to see more such content.

[@shorubad4527]

Such a wonderful video. I found myself wishing it was longer! Keep up the amazing work.

[@ayubansari1521]

Yes it was great hearing to all legand's " indian raceing ",my memories were refresed, seeing this episode.the past will never come.

[@user-xn6kh1yj6g]

Just Brilliant! It seems like the less we had (in terms of cars and money) the more we did with it. This is archiving at its finest.

[@user-id8pc7cb1i]

VERY NOSTALGIC TO SEE THIS VIDEO & BEST OF ALL , TO SEE MYSELF RACING DURING 1980 AT THE SHOLAWARAM RACE TRACK IN MADRAS , IN MY " GROUP A1A FIAT CAR " TUNED BY " CHUBI , THE LIVING LEGEND " ; VIKASH CHUDIWALA FROM MUMBAI

[@DWREV]

How lovely, thanks for watching! And we’re glad you had a cameo in the piece. 😊

[@DWREV]

Which role will India's Motorsport play in the future? What do you think when thinking of Mahindra for example?

[@rohanjr4664]

Wow team what a documentary ⚡️

[@DWREV]

Thanks so very much for watching our piece, and for leaving us a comment. We hope you'll find more stories on our channel that you like!

[@njramesh2115]

You had forgotten to mention that tyre brand, MRF Tyres was one of the biggest supporters of Sholavaram and the MMSC during its Golden Era and continues to promote motorsport today.

[@jabbarnazimuddin4968]

and McDowell also

[@22feetavengers96]

Are these iconic cars still around? Where can I see them?

[@DWREV]

Very few cars that were raced at Sholavaram are still around, and you can see some of them. The Maharajkumar of Gondal's Surtees TS11 Formula 5000 is still in the Gondal palace, and can be viewed when visitors are allowed in. The fabled Qmarri is in Kolkata, carefully maintained by Ravi & Rishi Kumar (although it might not be possible to see it). The McDowells 1000 twin-seater and the racing Dolphin are in the Geedee Musuem in Coimbatore. And Vijay Mallya's racing Fiat 1100 is at the Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur, and is brought out for show runs once in a while.

[@MrTicktock1414]

I must have told hundreds of stories about sholavaram to my son and I was just a spectator

[@DWREV]

How lovely, thanks for watching the video. And we're happy to hear any anecdotes you might have to share with us!

[@hemanthrau01]

Nice video. However, "26:30 - Sholavaram's Open Class and taking the crown from "Bullet Bhaskie"" is partially incorrect. As a "journalist", you should do better fact finding, and state actual facts. "Bullet Bhasky", after winning 1 rolling trophy, was forced to retire due to back injuries sustained from racing. He then asked Royal Enfield to give his prepared Bullet racing bike to Mr. Subhash Chandra Bose to race that year instead, and then "Bullet Bose" won and rose to fame. I'm very happy for Mr. Bose's rise to fame, and he was truly very talented. How do I know all this? - Bullet Bhasky, who is still living and breathing, is my father.

[@DineshSharma-uv8yj]

Sorry to say you haven't covered all time greatest two wheeler legend Somendar Singh known as Singana from Mysore??

[@DWREV]

Thanks for watching the video and for your comment. It was impossible for us to film with all the legends from Sholavaram, which is why we said we only managed to scratch the surface. However, if you watch the video very closely, you'll spot Somender Singh on his racing motorcycle. Perhaps we could do another video on the genius that is Singh-Anna another day.

[@DineshSharma-nc8zy]

yes that would be a honour to him thank you so much

[@user-qs7ib7np9m]

In your interview of vijay mallaya car being a winner is absolutely wrong. It has never completed one full lap of sholavaram. The unbeatable car is Mr Vidyaprakash Fiat MEV 2002 in the same category category

[@DWREV]

Thank you for watching, and for your feedback. We didn’t say the car won, we merely said it was considered one of the best race-prepped Fiats to have ever raced in India.

[@balajivenkatapathy3392]

I agree with that... I think he had two fiats... One white and the other black.. Both 2002...also can't forget Mr.B.Vijayakumars fiat... 1011