Etios Motor Racing (EMR) | Indian Car Blog

The eagerly-awaited Etios Motor Racing(EMR) Exhibition Race was being held at the Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai on 4th and 5th of August,2012. The race has been organised by Toyota Kirloskar Motors Pvt. Ltd. wherein 25 promising young racers have participated.

Apart from a show-stopping Grand Opening Ceremony that held the audience in a daze, other exciting events like Celebrity Races, Dealer/ Media Races, SUV Zone, Karting Zone, Children’s Learning Zone, ‘Design your EMR Car’ kept the audience across all ages hooked. Akira lida and Ben Collins, the two international guest drivers were also invited by Toyota.

TKM is following the new brand campaign”Waku Doki” which means “great excitement and fun” in Japanese. The EMR exhibition Race was hosted close to the launch of this concept.

Mr. Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “With EMR, we are happy to carry forward Toyota’s glorious global motorsport heritage. The overwhelming response we got for the EMR driver selection is a proof that today more and more Indian girls and boys are working towards a career in motorsport, and Toyota is looking forward to being a part of their training and growth in the sport.”

Mr. Taro Hishida, Director, Toyota Technocraft (TRD), said, “TRD has been conducting one- make races in Japan and other parts of the world for many years now and has also been instrumental in supporting the development of racing cars. We have also successfully completed the design of the recently launched Liva TRD Sportivo and are honored to support the development of the Etios Motor Racing series, here in India. We would like to support TKM continually through EMR racing activity and TRD Sportivo products, hoping many customers in India will feel the excitement of “Wakudoki”.

The next Exhibition Race is being scheduled in the first weekend of October in Delhi and the EMR Trophy Series will be held in the second half of 2013.

Etios Motor Racing

TRD (Tyota Racing Development) is the corporate brand from the Toyota affiliate, Toyota Technocraft Co. Ltd. which will support the EMR by providing the racing parts and their technological expertise all through the series. The Etios racing platform would be a blessing for the young racers as it will motivate them and help them to intensify their skills and also help them to attain the emulous edge for their future in motorsports. They will be coached by the experts. This series will focus in bringing out the endurance levels of Etios and the “fun to drive” objective of the vehicle.

Toyota Kirloskar Motors Pvt. Ltd. displayed their concept cars from its EMR Series at their two prominent dealerships in Bangalore, Ravindu Toyota and Nandi Toyota. The carmaker also displayed exciting motorsport activities along with the exhibition of the cars. By this, TKM is further following the “WAKU DOKI” concept which means “excitement, joy and fun” in Japanese.

Etios Motor Racing (EMR) was introduced at the Auto Expo 2012 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The new sporty avatar of the Etios will strengthen Toyota’s efforts in reaching out to the younger group and popularize motorsports in the country.
TKM is also going to organize motorsport based activities for all age groups visiting the dealership which will include racing simulators, remote controlled cars on race tracks, children’s automotive learning area, and other relevant contests and activities. The company plans to spread the EMR brand and also spread its wings in 14 cities and 24 dealerships. There will be exhibition races, road shows and many more activities throughout the year.

Mr. Hidehisa Nagae, Executive Managing Coordinator-Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said “We aim to exceed our customers’ expectations, and create many more happy customers. Recently, Toyota laid down its global mission, called WAKU DOKI which is to provide ‘excitement’, ‘joy’ and ‘fun’ through its products. Here in India, I am pleased that TKM has decided to start motorsports in the same global direction with the Etios brand.”

RK Ramesh, General Manager Conversion & Accessories, said: “Motorsports is gaining popularity in India, commanding a growing audience among the young, educated and dynamic; the demographic that the Etios Brand also reaches out to. We would like to take this opportunity to promote motorsports in India through EMR and capitalise on our global motorsport heritage. The response we have received so far has been good and we are amazed at the fantastic young talent that has appeared for the driver auditions from across the country. I am sure once we are done with the training programme and the EMR Series we will have a few world-class drivers representing not only Toyota Motorsports but our country as well.”

Etios Motor Racing

The EMR will be supported by TRD (Tyota Racing Development), the corporate brand from the Toyota affiliate, Toyota Technocraft Co. Ltd. The EMR Trophy Series which is scheduled to be held in the second half of 2013 will be based on a one make racing championship platform with FIA qualified cars. The racing parts will be supplied by TRD and their technical expertise will be utilized throughout the series. Toyota also plans to work with Red Rooster Racing (International) Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore based Indian motorsport expert, to better understand the sport in India.
MRF (pioneer of motor racing in India) and DENSO (a Toyota affiliate that manufactures auto parts) will be associated as ‘Official Partners’ for EMR.

The young racers would be benefited by the Etios racing platform as it will help them to sharpen their skills and also train them to attain a competitive edge for their future in motorsports. The experts will mentor them. This series will help in bringing out the technological prowess of the manufacturer and the endurance levels of the Etios and the ‘fun to drive’ aspect of the vehicle.

For driver selection, online applications were open which recorded 3303 registrations. The first EMR camp just concluded after auditions in Pune, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. The second and third camps which are scheduled for May-June will enable evaluators to arrive at the final line-up of 25 drivers.