Staging motor sports events can be a logistical nightmare. Not so for Shrikant Karani, for whom holding the Hyderabad leg of Force India Academy's ‘One from a billion,' (now under way at Kart Cave, below Snow World, Lower Tank Bund Road) will be the 314th such event in a 28-year career. Back in 2006, the Limca Book of Records, through three-time world billiards champion Michael Ferreira, felicitated the seasoned sports management stalwart on completing 250 events successfully.
Associated with the Himalayan Rally since 1978, Karani set up Sportscraft, a firm that's a frontrunner in the field, right from its inception in 1983. His passion for the sport made him a pioneer in the field. Sure enough, he zoomed way ahead of the competition even before they could even get a foothold in the industry.
“Thanks to this sport, I've met the legendary Jackie Stewart, the former F1 champion,” says Karani. “To take this sport to the masses is my greatest ambition,” he adds with the zeal of a visionary.
A favourite among the corporates, ranging from Mahindra & Mahindra to Maruti Udyog and McDowells, Karani enabled companies reach their target audience, using this exciting sport as a platform to generate brand activation and management. Such is his versatility that he has organised events for mass and premium cars, two-wheelers (bikes, scooters), auto-rickshaws, tractors, trucks and even rigs, across India. A Gandhian in a way, he has held events in cities, tier I and II towns and the rural hinterland as well.
Never cowed down by a challenge, his organising abilities transcended national borders. He had conducted ‘Chalo ASEAN' – the Indian leg of the Association of South East Asian Nations rally, showcased by Sportscraft on behalf of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Confederation of Indian Industry. Some high profile campaigns Sportscraft has organised or been associated with include National Geographic's Flight of Hawks, Autocar magazine's Mileage Record, ITC's Bristol Motor X championship, Business Standard's Mileage Run, Maruti Udyog's Four Wheeler Autocross, Mahindra & Mahindra's Great Escape, Mitsubishi's Heart-in-Mouth for Pajero, J.K. Tyres' Karting championship rounds, Goodyear's Women's rally, MRF Motocross challenge, Ceat's rally for the blind, Gulf Oil Corporation's Foster A Child Navigational Rally and BPCL's Can you beat the fastest Indian? Widely respected for his professionalism, Karani is currently Vice President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), was VP of the Asian Motorcycle Union (UAM) from 2001 to 2005 and was re-elected to the post last January for another four-year term.
