I meet Malcolm Bulley, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA), on the ninth floor of Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chennai. Busy typing messages on his mobile phone, Malcolm excuses himself for a few minutes and then returns. I ask him why he looks so different from his Facebook profile photograph. “That was taken last December. So much has changed. May be I have aged fast,” he smiles.
That might not be entirely true, but what’s true is Malcolm’s itinerary which is in fast-track mode. In five full days, the Australian visited Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai on a “fact-finding exercise” to promote drag racing in India and identify corporates who would be willing to partner ANDRA.
“It’s a two-pronged approach,” says Malcolm, adding, “I am primarily looking to build brand awareness of drag racing in India and seek corporate partnership for ANDRA.”
After having interacted with the stakeholders in the sport — the corporates, the tyre manufacturers, representatives from Madras Motor Sports Club and the National motorsports body (FMSCI), Malcolm is optimistic that drag racing can be introduced in India as “people here have shown interest.”
How popular is drag racing in Australia, I ask.
“It is a niche sport in Australia (ANDRA was established in 1973). Basically motorsport is big in Australia. We are establishing our platform there as a mainstream sport. Considering the population (approximately 25 million) in our country, drag racing has become a high impact sport. We’ve got 3,000 competitors, and high-end vehicles. There is a lot of corporate engagement,” he says. However, he laments that the sport has not attracted prize money in a big way. “You have chosen a wrong sport if you are looking for prize money. Individual racers put in a fair bit (of money) themselves,” he says.
ANDRA’s CEO is excited when he speaks about the sport. “It is very spectator- friendly. You can see the beginning, the end, the paddock, the pit area and how people rebuild engines. You can feel the noise and the speed. It is very addictive,” he explains.
Malcolm says, at the moment, the U.S., Australia and Europe have drag racing championships of their own, and of the lot, the US enjoys the biggest market. “The U.S. model is by far the strongest; they’ve got a wider population, wider vehicles and wider competitors than anywhere else in the world. We need to enlarge our presence,” he admits.
How did Malcolm zero in on India? “Through Tareen,” he answers.
A. K. Tareen, brand ambassador for India and the Middle East for ANDRA, says there are a lot of possibilities for ANDRA to develop and grow in India. “We are serious about India in a strategic way. Hopefully, we will have a fruitful association. ANDRA comes with 40 years of experience in drag racing. We are sure India will be keen to add this sport to its portfolio (along with other categories of motorsports). Hopefully, Malcolm's visit will speed up India’s interest in drag racing,” he explains.
Tareen foresees a bilateral sporting partnership between India and Australia beyond cricket. “That would be exciting and add a new dimension considering India’s passion for motorsport,” says ANDRA's brand ambassador.
Malcolm says drag racing is a very technical and sophisticated form of racing. “It is very much like launching a rocket. There is so much that goes into the preparations for a run.”
The India-Australia partnership, he believes, will be mutually beneficial. “It has to be and it will be,” says Malcolm.
