Kolkata, 22nd August, 2023: The city of joy was buzzing on Sunday evening as over 80 ladies took to the wheels to participate in the first ever all-women’s car rally held in the city-JK Tyre Ladies Power Drive. JK Tyre hosted this TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) event as part of its nationwide push to promote women in Motorsport. It was a landmark moment for the women drivers of Kolkata as they got to experience being part of an entry-level motorsport event for the first time in their home city.
Organized by Just Sportz & EMSAA (Eastern Motor Sports Automobile Associate) under the aegis of FMSCI, the event was flagged-off by Smt. Krishna Chakraborty, Hon'ble Mayor, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, along with Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, Hon'ble Judge, Kolkata High Court, Sri. Jag Mohan, IPS, Director General of Police, Civil Defence, and actress Trina Saha. The event started from Hotel Westin in Kolkata and took in the beautiful landscapes around the city, before culminating at the same point.
Actress Trina Saha said, “Hats off to JK Tyre for bringing in such an innovative concept to Kolkata and I look forward to participating in this event in the next edition. Women are multi-taskers and kudos to all of them who are participating.”
The event had participation from women across all age groups from 21yrs to 75 yrs. Conducted in the FMSCI-approved Time, Speed, and Distance (TSD) format, JK Tyre Ladies Power Drive served as a platform for participants to champion various causes related to the empowerment of women.
Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre, said. "It’s a moment of pride for all of us at JK Tyre as we hosted the very first edition of the Women’s Rally in the city. The turnout we had was overwhelming and I’m confident that with events like these, we’ll see a broadening of the female motorsport fan base in the city. We hope to see this excitement spread to more and more enthusiasts in the upcoming editions."
Following the rally, the winners were declared, and an elaborate celebration ensued. It has been a vital platform for women drivers to come out together to break the stereotypes and own the road.
*Podium Finishers*
*Winner Saswati Nag Chowdhury (Driver) & Ipsita Das (Co-Driver)*
*First-Runner Up Sumantika Choudury (Driver), Sanhita Ray (Co-Driver) & Suparna Dutta*
*Second-Runner Up Poulomi Pramanik (Driver) & Poonam Das (Co-Driver)*
The Kolkata event was the latest in JK Tyre’s efforts to boost female interest in motorsport. As a pioneer in motorsports for four decades, the company has set several benchmarks for celebrating women in Motorsport. They not only introduced an all-women racing team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship but also have been organising the YLFO Power Drive and the JK Tyre Women’s Rally to the Valley annually to encourage women in motorsport. Moreover, in accordance with their efforts to support the cause of women in Motorsport, JK Tyre joined hands with the Defence Forces and organised a first-of-its-kind event, the ‘JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, for the wives of armed forces personnel.
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