The Daily Express 1968 London-Sydney Marathon rekindled the motor sport spark for enthusiasts in Bombay (now Mumbai). Leading long-distance drivers of the world at that time were taking part, and the overland run from London ended at Bombay, from where the cars were shipped to Perth, Australia. This gave the participants (who were also the Carnet Holders for the cars) three full days in the city prior to their departure. The inevitable interactions and dinners followed, which were memorable.
A direct result of this interaction was the coming together of some Indian motor sport stalwarts of that time to form a club that would begin the promotion of motor sport in Bombay. These included Ajaypat Singhania, His Highness the Maharaja of Gondal, Nazir Hoosein, Mohinder Lalwani and Kishan Rao to name a few. The IARC was then formed as a Section 25 non-profit Public Limited Company limited by guarantee.
With the support of Ajaypat and the ground availability of JK Gram in Thane, numerous gymkhanas for cars and scrambles for motorcycles followed. Hill climbs were held in quarries where the quarry owner was happy to smoothen the road and join in the fun of a Sunday morning excursion. Hill Climbs extended far and wide and the Sinhagad Fort climb near Pune became an annual feature, which was always extremely well attended. Since it was possible to close the roads in that era, it made for a memorable and superb event.
Serious navigation rallies were also a feature at that time. One of the members, Ravi Kumar, owned a restaurant called the Bullock Cart at Kala Ghoda. He would provide a dinner for the participating members after which, at around midnight the event started. It was a complicated navigational rally within the city of Bombay with participants returning in the morning for breakfast.
There soon arose a need for an all-India body and the IARC played its part as one of the founding members of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), which later became the ASN (representative organization) of the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile – the world body for motorsport and mobility) in India and is so today.
Unfortunately, as the years passed, the holding of events became more difficult in and around the city of Bombay and consequently, the number of events began to dwindle with the sole exception being the annual Car Rally for the Blind, which runs to this day. The commencement of the Himalayan Rally in 1980 took many of the active organizers of the IARC into its fold and this also added to the reduction of events.
With circumstances having changed today and cars and motorcycles now being easily available, a new breed of young men and women has come forward to run events which include Drag Racing, Navigational Rallies, Autocrosses & Auto Gymkhanas and to also revive the Vintage Register, which assists in the restoration and running of old cars and motorcycles.
When Nazir Hoosein former motorsport administrator and vice-president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) passed away at the age of 78 on May 12th 2019 the Indian motorsport fraternity lost a legend
Nazir was bitten by the motorsport bug early on in his life, and the fascination for all things automotive grew steadily from there. On his 16th birthday, he was presented with his father's Jaguar XK120, a car that had raced and won trophies at the Juhu Races in Mumbai. Soon after this, he, along with his friend Mohinder 'Chubi' Lalwani, opened the Alpha Garage. And, not too long after that, their racing team - Double Barrels Team Alpha - took to competition
Nazir administered through India the second London-Sydney Marathon which ran in 1977, as also the last London-Sydney Marathon which ran in 1993. Being a talented racer himself, he won the 1970 Tehran Dakar Rally with Mohinder ‘Chubi’ Lalwani and Suresh Naik, the first Indian team to win an international event among numerous other wins. Known for his meticulousness and attention to details, he prepared many race and rally-winning cars in his garage Alpha Motors under Mumbai’s Liberty Cinema, of which he was the owner.
Considered the doyen of Indian motorsport, Nazir put Indian motorsport on the world stage even before India opened up to foreign players. Amongst his greatest achievements was undoubtedly The Himalayan Rally (1980-1990) – an international rally unparalleled in scale and stature. He also conceived the Great Desert Himalayan Rally - the longest rally India has held at 4,000 kms!
Nazir played an important role on the global motorsport stage, being a member of the World Motor Sport Council, the Chief Steward in the World Rally Championship, and also one of four permanent F1 stewards for many years. It is safe to say that in his day, no Indian has ever enjoyed the same stature in the highest echelons of motorsport.
Formula 1 Steward from 1993 to 2008
One of the four permanent chief stewards for Formula 1 for 8 years during this time.
One of the four permanent stewards for the World Rally Championship, culminating in his being the sole Chief Steward for the entire WRC from 2006 to 2008.
As the President of the FIA Asian Zone for a number of years was responsible for the promotion of motor sport in fourteen Asian countries.