Jump to content

Sundaram Karivaradhan: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Bot: Removing Commons:File:Formula Atlantic Lakshmi Mills Karivardhan.jpg (en). It was deleted on Commons by Steinsplitter (Copyright violation, see [[Commons:...
cleanup
Line 9: Line 9:
|image_size=
|image_size=
|birth_date={{Birth date|mf=yes|1954|06|20}}
|birth_date={{Birth date|mf=yes|1954|06|20}}
|birth_place=[[Coimbatore]], Tamil Nadu
|birth_place=[[Coimbatore]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
|death_date={{death date and age|mf=yes|1995|08|24|1954|06|20}}
|death_date={{death date and age|mf=yes|1995|08|24|1954|06|20}}
|death_place=[[Coimbatore]], Tamil Nadu
|death_place=[[Coimbatore]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
|nationality = Indian
|nationality = [[India]]n
|occupation=Racing, Engineering, MD of Lakshmi Mills
|occupation=[[Formula racing|Race driver]] <br> [[Business executive]]
|Father=G.K.Sundaram
|Father=G.K.Sundaram
}}
}}
'''Sundaram Karivardhan''' or short '''Kari''' (June 20, 1954 [[Coimbatore]], [[India]]–August 24, 1995 in the same town) was a legendary figure of [[India]]n [[motorsports]]. Apart from being a successful formula car racer, was also a designer and constructor of several formula cars, his most famous design being the [[Formula Maruti]] open wheeled race car. His low cost cars helped other racers, notably [[Narain Karthikeyan]], [[Karun Chandhok]], and [[Armaan Ebrahim]], to their entry into motorsports. A wealthy industrialist, he was later killed in an air crash, aged 41.
'''Sundaram Karivardhan''' or '''Kari''' (June 20, 1954 – August 24, 1995) was an [[India]]n formula racing driver, designer and a business executive. He was one of the pioneers of [[India]]n [[motorsports]]. He designed the [[Formula Maruti]] open wheeled race car and supported Indian racers, notably [[Narain Karthikeyan]], [[Karun Chandhok]], and [[Armaan Ebrahim]], in their entry into motorsports. He was later killed in an air crash, aged 41.


==Early days==
==Early days==
Sundaram Karivardhan was born on 20 June 1954 in Coimbatore to noted G.K.Sundaram from the [[Lakshmi Mills]] textile family.
Sundaram Karivardhan was born on 20 June 1954 in Coimbatore to G.K.Sundaram of the [[Lakshmi Mills]] textile family.


==Motor racing==
==Motor racing==
Quiet and shy in nature from a very young age, he showed a keen interest in bikes and cars. In the [[United Kingdom]] he attended the [[Jim Russell (racing driver)|Jim Russell]] racing school. Later, when he returned to India in the mid-70's, he started participating in the Chennai's [[Sholavaram]] races and [[Calcutta]]'s Barrackpore track. His first race was 1973 [[Sholavaram]] Grand Prix meet, later he appeared every year in newly constructed formula cars from his own garage. He raced until 1995, the year of his demise. Cars he raced ranged from [[Premier Padmini]], [[Datsun 510]], [[Sipani]] [[Reliant Kitten|Dolphin]], [[Formula Atlantic]], several cars of his own design and in the final years [[Formula 3]] cars. His last race was in a [[Formula Ford]], in [[McDowell]]{{disambiguation needed|date=April 2012}}'s body shell in Chennai's MMSC track.
He attended the [[Jim Russell (racing driver)|Jim Russell]] racing school. Later, he returned to India and started participating in the races held at [[Sholavaram]], [[Chennai]] and [[Barrackpore]], [[Kolkata]]. His first race was 1973 [[Sholavaram]] Grand Prix meet. Cars he raced ranged from [[Premier Padmini]], [[Datsun 510]], [[Sipani]] [[Reliant Kitten|Dolphin]], [[Formula Atlantic]], several cars of his own design and in the final years [[Formula 3]] cars. His last race was in a [[Formula Ford]] in Chennai's MMSC track. One of his early complete in-house designs was the 300 [[British Horse Power|BHP]] [[Formula Monoposto]] based on the [[Formula Atlantic]] [[Chevron B40]]. During the early 90's he purchased rights from a British based kit car manufacturer to build replica models of the [[Ford GT40]], using a [[Ford]] [[Cosworth]], [[Lotus 7]], and [[AC Cobra]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Coimbatore – the motor sport capital of India| publisher = The Hindu| year = 2011 | url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-editorialfeatures/article1464266.ece}}</ref>


In an effort to make racing more affordable in India and improve grassroots level racing he designed and tested a small single seater, dubbed as India's Formula Ford, with a Maruti 800 engine, and adapting easily available parts, sometimes made in-house. His second design was a two seater car named McDowell 1000 using a [[Maruti Gypsy]] 1.0 liter engine. [[FISSME]] (Formula India Single Seater Maruti Engine) widely known as [[formula Maruti]] was launched in 1988. <ref>{{cite web | title = Kari's vision | publisher = The Hindu| year = 2005 | url =http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2005/04/03/stories/2005040300190200.htm}}</ref> The class was discontinued from the mainstream championship in 2006.
Apart from [[Sholavaram]] he has also raced in Calcutta'S [[Barrackpore]] Track and in [[Delhi]].


===Race Car Constructor===
One of his early complete in-house designs was the 300 [[British Horse Power|BHP]] [[Formula Monoposto]] based on the [[Formula Atlantic]] [[Chevron B40]] model nicknamed “Black Beauty”. But until the late 80's, motorsports was only for wealthy drivers. In an effort to make racing more affordable in India and improve grassroots level racing he designed and tested a small single seater, dubbed as India's Formula Ford, with a Maruti 800 engine, and adapting easily available parts, sometimes made in-house. His second design was a two seater car named McDowell 1000 using a [[Maruti Gypsy]] 1.0 liter engine.

===FISSME===
[[Image:Formula Maruti in Coimbatore Track.jpg|thumb|270px|A FISSME or Formula Maruti Single Seater racing Car]]
[[Image:Formula Maruti in Coimbatore Track.jpg|thumb|270px|A FISSME or Formula Maruti Single Seater racing Car]]
⚫
[[File:Team JK Hari Singh - Mcdowell Rally D'Endurance 1992.jpg|thumb|200px|Karivardhan's rally tuned Team JK tyre Group A2(IND) Rally Gypsy driven by Hari Singh in the 1992 Rally D'Endurance]]


⚫
Kari entered in a few [[Rallying|rallies]]. He later launched the JK Rally team in 1992. Kari's racing team was [[Super Speeds]], and the main sponsor was [[Lakshmi Mills]]. The early cars had a white and blue body shell which was later switched to black and gold. The company that built his cars was [[P&B Engineering]]. Kari's family owned a [[Cessna]] airplane and in 1989, he started to make small [[Power Glider]]s using a [[Yezdi]] 250cc motorcycle engine.
[[FISSME]] (Formula India Single Seater Maruti Engine) widely known as [[formula Maruti]] was launched in 1988 in Chennai's Park Sheraton just before the annual [[Wiktionary:Grand Prix|Grand Prix]] races in MMSC track. Notable drivers taking part in the inaugural race were [[J. Anand]], [[Akbar Ebrahim]] and [[R. Gopinath]], all of them would later become national champions in Formula 3. The inaugural race was won by Akbar Ebhrahim.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kari's vision | publisher = The Hindu| year = 2005 | url =http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2005/04/03/stories/2005040300190200.htm}}</ref>

Later years saw drivers like [[Narain Karthikeyan]], [[Karun Chandhok]], [[Armaan Ebrahim]] and other future national champions making their debut races in a Formula Maruti series, until the class was discontinued from the mainstream championship in 2006. Still these cars race in junior championship, and are the most affordable open wheeled formula cars in the world costing not more than [[United States Dollar|US$]] 400 for a single race.

===Motor Rallying===
⚫
[[File:Team JK Hari Singh - Mcdowell Rally D'Endurance 1992.jpg|thumb|270px|Karivardhan's rally tuned Team JK tyre Group A2(IND) Rally Gypsy driven by Hari Singh in the 1992 Mcdowell Rally D'Endurance]]
Kari entered in very few [[Rallying|rallies]], among them the [[Karnataka]] [[K-1000]] in [[Bangalore]]. He later launched the JK Rally team in 1992, when [[JK Tyres]] wanted to enter into rallying which was previously dominated by [[MRF Tyres]]. In the 1990 season he spotted a young [[Hari Singh]] from [[Chandigargh]] taking part in the Coimbatore Rally and, seeing his talent, offered him to tune his car, enabling him to win the Indian Championship title 5 times.
During the early 90's he quickly converted all [[Maruti Gypsy]] [[Rally car]]s to fuel injection when tuned chips gained popularity.

===Racing Team===
⚫
Kari's racing team was [[Super Speeds]], and the main sponsor was [[Lakshmi Mills]]. The early cars had a white and blue body shell which was later switched to black and gold. The company that built his cars was [[P&B Engineering]]. [[J. Anand]] and [[N. Leela Krishnan]] were some of the notable drivers from his team before the duo switched to rival [[Team MRF]].

==Aviator==
Kari was interested in many areas of mechanics, and that included his interest in [[aviation]] as his family owned a [[Cessna]] airplane. In 1989 he started a small manufacturing plant near Coimbatore to manufacture [[Power Gilder]]s using a [[Yezdi]] 250cc motorcycle engine, later a Rotax engine. He would often test his gliders flying to the [[Ooty]] Mountains, Dindigul, [[Kovilpatti]], or Kayattar near [[Tirunelveli]]. The small airstrip in Coimbatore later became the [[Kari Motor Speedway]].

==Other projects==
In the early 90's he was promoted to be the [[Managing Director]] of [[Lakshmi Mills]] and held this key management position in several of his group companies. Also he ventured into new areas like development of aerators for [[prawn]] breeding. One of his other earliest ventures was to manufacture small farm tractors. During the early 90's he purchased rights from a British based kit car manufacturer to build replica models of the [[Ford GT40]], using a [[Ford]] [[Cosworth]], [[Lotus 7]], and [[AC Cobra]]. But before commencing production he died in an aircraft crash in [[Coimbatore]].

==Fatal crash==
He died on 24 August 1995 while flying a [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited|Puspak]] trainers aircraft. The purpose of flying was to log some additional flying time as required to retain his flying license. The accident was widely mourned by the racing scene. He was about to make a full mark in the automobile scenario and his last press interview was with Car and Bike magazine and [[BBC]] Motor Show programme days before his crash.

His demise almost created a vacuum in Indian Motorsports with dwindling crowds in the Chennai track and after the 1997 season made the MMSC scrap the All India Grand Prix Meet altogether. In 2002 his long-time friend and co-racer [[B. Vijaykumar]] stepped in to build and launch [[Formula LGB]] and [[Formula Rolon]] race cars and also constructed a race track in his hometown which is a major motorsports hub.

==Character and legacy==
Widely known as a gentleman racer, his unselfish ways and dedication to the development of Indian motorsports attracted many new talents into Motorsports. Kari also earned admiration from several quarters more for his character than his racing talents. Though born in one of [[Coimbatore]]'s wealthiest families, Kari was easily approachable by several people irrespective of social barriers. Kari was nevertheless considered a unique man with his soft-spoken nature and publicity shy nature. He was good in spotting new talents and training them to become professionals like Akbar Ebrahim and five time national Rallying Champion Hari Singh.<ref>{{cite web | title = Coimbatore – the motor sport capital of India| publisher = The Hindu| year = 2011 | url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-editorialfeatures/article1464266.ece}}</ref>


==Death==
Kari's Team Super Speeds later became a Limited Company now a part of L. G. Balakrishnan Brothers and today has a motorsports division which constructs the [[Formula LGB]] and [[Formula Rolon]] cars.
He died on 24 August 1995 while flying a [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited|Puspak]] trainer aircraft while trying to log additional flying time as required to retain his flying license.


==Popular Culture==
The race track in [[Coimbatore]] is named after Karivardhan ([[Kari Motor Speedway]]),<ref>{{cite web | title = To Kari with love, Kari Motor Speedway | publisher = The Hindu| year = 2003 | url =http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/12/01/stories/2003120102260100.htm}}</ref> and in Karamadai in Coimbatore an [[Industrial Training school]] is named after him. Some of his former employees have their garages named in his honour. His Intended [[Caterham Cars|Caterham]] based car was named Kari 65 in his honour with 65 being his racing number.
The race track in [[Coimbatore]] is named after Karivardhan ([[Kari Motor Speedway]]),<ref>{{cite web | title = To Kari with love, Kari Motor Speedway | publisher = The Hindu| year = 2003 | url =http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/12/01/stories/2003120102260100.htm}}</ref> and in Karamadai in Coimbatore an [[Industrial Training school]] is named after him. Some of his former employees have their garages named in his honour. His Intended [[Caterham Cars|Caterham]] based car was named Kari 65 in his honour with 65 being his racing number.


==See also==
*[[Sholavaram]]
*[[FISSME]] (a.k.a. Formula Maruti)
*[[Kari Motor Speedway]]


==References==
==References==
Line 71: Line 42:


==Sources and links==
==Sources and links==
[http://www.mmsc.in Madras Motor Sports Club]
*[http://forbesindia.com/printcontent/17702 Revisiting Kari, Overdrive Magazine and Forbes India Magazine]
*[http://forbesindia.com/printcontent/17702 Revisiting Kari, Overdrive Magazine and Forbes India Magazine]
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/12/01/stories/2003120102260100.htm Race track dedicated to Kari], The Hindu, Dec 01, 2003
*[http://www.nagpurtrade.com/Motorsport.html Indian Motorsport and Kari]
*[http://www.nagpurtrade.com/Motorsport.html Indian Motorsport and Kari]
*[http://www.robbylobby.com/blog/ Kari's Power Glider]
*[http://x-air.in/html/profile.htm Raj Hansa Ultra Lights]
*[http://www.snehah.com/forum/view_topic/66/dare_devil_ace_car_racer_late_kari_form_psg_cbe/]
*[http://www.snehah.com/forum/view_topic/66/dare_devil_ace_car_racer_late_kari_form_psg_cbe/]
*[http://www.atlasf1.com/2001/jan24/ganeshan.html]
*[http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2005/0303/sp28-1.html]


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
Line 91: Line 56:
}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karivardhan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karivardhan}}
[[Category:Alumni of PSG College of Technology]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]

Revision as of 17:33, 23 February 2015

Sundaram Karivardhan
Born(1954-06-20)June 20, 1954
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
DiedAugust 24, 1995(1995-08-24) (aged 41)
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Race driver
Business executive

Sundaram Karivardhan or Kari (June 20, 1954 – August 24, 1995) was an Indian formula racing driver, designer and a business executive. He was one of the pioneers of Indian motorsports. He designed the Formula Maruti open wheeled race car and supported Indian racers, notably Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, and Armaan Ebrahim, in their entry into motorsports. He was later killed in an air crash, aged 41.

Early days

Sundaram Karivardhan was born on 20 June 1954 in Coimbatore to G.K.Sundaram of the Lakshmi Mills textile family.

Motor racing

He attended the Jim Russell racing school. Later, he returned to India and started participating in the races held at Sholavaram, Chennai and Barrackpore, Kolkata. His first race was 1973 Sholavaram Grand Prix meet. Cars he raced ranged from Premier Padmini, Datsun 510, Sipani Dolphin, Formula Atlantic, several cars of his own design and in the final years Formula 3 cars. His last race was in a Formula Ford in Chennai's MMSC track. One of his early complete in-house designs was the 300 BHP Formula Monoposto based on the Formula Atlantic Chevron B40. During the early 90's he purchased rights from a British based kit car manufacturer to build replica models of the Ford GT40, using a Ford Cosworth, Lotus 7, and AC Cobra.[1]

In an effort to make racing more affordable in India and improve grassroots level racing he designed and tested a small single seater, dubbed as India's Formula Ford, with a Maruti 800 engine, and adapting easily available parts, sometimes made in-house. His second design was a two seater car named McDowell 1000 using a Maruti Gypsy 1.0 liter engine. FISSME (Formula India Single Seater Maruti Engine) widely known as formula Maruti was launched in 1988. [2] The class was discontinued from the mainstream championship in 2006.

A FISSME or Formula Maruti Single Seater racing Car
Karivardhan's rally tuned Team JK tyre Group A2(IND) Rally Gypsy driven by Hari Singh in the 1992 Rally D'Endurance

Kari entered in a few rallies. He later launched the JK Rally team in 1992. Kari's racing team was Super Speeds, and the main sponsor was Lakshmi Mills. The early cars had a white and blue body shell which was later switched to black and gold. The company that built his cars was P&B Engineering. Kari's family owned a Cessna airplane and in 1989, he started to make small Power Gliders using a Yezdi 250cc motorcycle engine.

Death

He died on 24 August 1995 while flying a Puspak trainer aircraft while trying to log additional flying time as required to retain his flying license.

The race track in Coimbatore is named after Karivardhan (Kari Motor Speedway),[3] and in Karamadai in Coimbatore an Industrial Training school is named after him. Some of his former employees have their garages named in his honour. His Intended Caterham based car was named Kari 65 in his honour with 65 being his racing number.


References

  1. ^ "Coimbatore – the motor sport capital of India". The Hindu. 2011.
  2. ^ "Kari's vision". The Hindu. 2005.
  3. ^ "To Kari with love, Kari Motor Speedway". The Hindu. 2003.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sundaram_Karivaradhan&oldid=648503476"