Toyota Etios Motor Racing Revs-up In Srilanka

Updated: Thursday, January 3, 2013, 17:06 [IST]

Toyota Etios Motor Racing (EMR) driver from Bangalore, Akhil Rabindra led from start to finish as he clinched his first win at the EMR race held during the Colombo Night Races 2012 in Colombo last weekend. The young driver completed the race in 17:38.251 minutes around the 4 Km street circuit. The podium was shared by Mezaan Anees and Binoy John Maddela, both from Bangalore, who secured the second and third positions respectively. Mezaan completed the race in 17:39.73 minutes whereas Binoy secured his podium finish with a close 17:40.341 mins. The fastest lap was clocked by Abhinay Bikkani at 2:10:068 minutes in his eighth lap of the race.

The EMR race at Colombo saw participation from eight EMR drivers along with two Sri Lankan drivers who set the track on fire at the night street race last weekend.

Commenting on EMR's participation and a great race by the EMR drivers, Mr. Sandeep Singh, Deputy Managing Director, Marketing, TKM said, "Toyota is committed to bringing forth young racing talent in India by grooming them and helping them build a platform for themselves to enter professional racing. EMR's participation in the second edition of the Colombo Night Race has taken Toyota's racing to the next level and has helped us give the young EMR drivers an international exposure.

This year has been fairly competitive for the young EMR entrants and even a street night circuit at the Colombo Night Race did not prove to be a deterrent for the young drivers from doing their best. This continued high level of performance from our drivers gives us a lot of confidence that these young drivers will have a great future in motorsports.

Here, we would also like to extend our gratitude to our counterparts in Sri Lanka, Toyota Lanka Pvt. Ltd (TLPL) who have sponsored this event and have played the perfect host to us," continued Mr. Singh.
The second edition of the spectacular Colombo Night Races also saw participation from GT3, GT4, SL-GT, Formula Mclaren's 1300, and other international racing cars and bikes.

About Etios Motor Racing:

Continuing the Company's global legacy of motorsports, the EMR Series is being supported by one of the most accomplished and acclaimed engineering companies in motorsport history - TRD (Toyota Racing Development), the corporate brand from the Toyota affiliate, Toyota Technocraft Co. Ltd. The EMR Series that is slated to be held in the second half of 2013 will be based on a single-make racing championship platform. The cars will be FIA qualified with racing parts supplied by TRD, and their technical expertise will be utilized throughout the series.

Toyota is also working closely with Indian motorsport experts, Red Rooster Racing (International) Pvt., Ltd. based in Bangalore, with Leelakrishnan former racing and rallying champion at the helm.

The Official Partners for EMR in 2012 are MRF - tyre manufacturer, DENSO - a Toyota affiliate that manufactures auto parts, Savita - sole distributor of Idemitsu Oil products in India, BMC - producers of air filters and MapmyIndia - providers of GPA navigation and online maps.

The Etios racing platform will help talented young racers develop their skills, and further train them to gain a competitive edge for their future in motorsports. They will be mentored by experts in the field, and will be given an opportunity to compete amongst the best in the country. This series will not only highlight the technological prowess of the manufacturer, but also the endurance levels of the Etios and the ‘fun to drive' aspect of the vehicle.