New Delhi: The inaugural Formula One race in New Delhi later this year was one of the reasons that prompted Tata Motors to back Narain Karthikeyan's return to the sport after five years.
Karthikeyan will be seen in action with Tata Motors sponsored Hispania Racing Team in the Oct 28-30 race and a top official of the Indian automobile giant admitted that backing the Coimbatore lad was a natural choice as it helps in "brand enhancement".
Tata Motors has also been one of the oldest sponsors of Karthikeyan since 2002. Karthikeyan had also raced for Tata LeMans racing team.
Speaking to IANS, R.Ramakrishnan, vice president (commercial-passenger business unit) of Tata said: "It has been a long association between Karthikeyan and Tata. The New Delhi race was certainly one reason why we supported him. Besides this, we remain committed to motorsport activities as it helps tremendously in brand enhancement.
Meanwhile, Tata Motors on Monday also launched a rally team called 'Full Throttle' which will feature in the Desert Storm 2011, a premier rally, starting on February 22.
The Full Throttle team will comprise two Tata Safaris and a Tata Xenon. The cars, however, will be different from the standard version.
"There will be extra external protection for the vehicles. They will have more ground clearance. The interiors will be basic and it will be a two seater," said a Tata engineer.
The rally kicks off from Ahmedabad and will culminate in New Delhi.
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