Streamlining calender, having homebred talent in international events my priority: FMSCI chief

Mumbai, Nov 9 (PTI) Setting the house in order, streamlining the racing calendar as per the Indian climate and getting more homebred talent to compete in international events will be his top priorities, said new Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) president Arindam Ghosh on Saturday.

Ghosh, a former rally driver and an ex-FMSCI council member, became the motorsports body's president in September. He says he wants to set the "house in order" to ensure better cohesion among zonal bodies.

"I want to first go to the basics and streamline them. I don't want to say what was wrong and what it is. I want to streamline and put things in order so that there is more clarity," Ghosh told PTI.

"I want to reach out to people in different states, the competitors and apprise them of their rights. The rules and regulations are there, but the implementation and reading... we have to educate our competitors who are the main resources of the sport," he added.

Ghosh said changing the calendar as per the Indian climate for racing will be his top priority during his tenure.

"We are now using the calendar year (April to March) instead of January to December... because our climatic conditions are the best from December till February," he said.

"We don't want to miss out on good climatic conditions. As for the sponsors, their budgets also come out in the month of April. So for the ease of the competitors, if I start (competitions) from January or February, it is not right.

"Maybe globally it is, but in our conditions it is not. So that is one change which is happening.

Ghosh said it was crucial to have a proper communication channel with the zonal bodies.

"Someone is sitting in the south and he might not know what is happening in the east. I want to have people in all zones to give feedback to the federation. We'll have to reach out to the zones. I'm identifying people in the various zones who can help us with the feedback at the grassroots and reach out to competitors for easy access," he added.

Ghosh said a lot can be done financially for talented Indians so that they can prepare for international events.

"If I'm doing some event in our country and we don't have our drivers, to me, it doesn't look nice. Yes, it is good for the sport for the country and all that.

"I don't mind having the Moto GP and all that. But I want to see our riders and drivers also have a seat there. Even here, we don't have our drivers and riders.

"Even in the FIA Motorsport Games, I want to support the drivers, have a selection process and send a good team," he said.

On harnessing Indian talent, Ghosh said, "We have talent. But we need additional support... proper physio, dietician, a proper coach. So, if, we can generate some funds to promote the talent internationally, that will be our priority." PTI DDV AM DDV AM AM