April Ends With a Celebration of The Unstoppable Spirit of Women With a Delhi to Agra Time Speed Distance Rally
Delhi: The 3rd edition of the much-awaited JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive – North Chapter was held today with a celebration of the indomitable spirit of the women drivers. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Member of Parliament, Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha Constituency, graced the flag-off ceremony, along with Mr. Anshuman Singhania, Managing Director, JK Tyre; Mr. VK Misra, Technical Director, JK Tyre; and auto industry veteran Mr. RK (Tutu) Dhawan. The event was flagged off from Film City Noida and traversed through a beautifully-curated route to the city of exquisite Mughal architecture – Agra.
Speaking after flagging off the rally, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Member of Parliament, Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha Constituency said, “It is a big thing for the largest democracy in the world to voice for the empowerment of its almost 50% of the population. Our Hon’ble Prime Minister has a great vision to empower our women. The big question is why women empowerment is required and I think here is an answer to that. Thanks to the Bennett Coleman Group and JK Tyre for considering to pass on a message to generations to come with this rally. I have met some of the participants and they are very jubilant and enthusiastic. Let us all work for women’s empowerment and see the changes in society.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre, said, “We, at JK Tyre, are immensely proud and glad to keep supporting a cause through this exciting and fun-filled Drive for the third time in a row. Our aim has always been to promote more and more women in motorsports and break the stereotypes. This Drive, along with the other events we organize, has been a key indicator of the growing enthusiasm among women to come out and showcase their excellent skills behind the wheels. We hope that the numbers keep growing year after year and the excitement gets multiplied.”
The Drive that is conducted in the FMSCI-approved Time, Speed, and Distance (TSD) format, witnesses great number of participation every year from women from different walks of life. This year, the drivers owned the rally with their vibrant display of colours and attires on different themes such as – “Equal pay for women”, “Women health matters”, “It’s time to woman up”, “Sustainable fashion”, “Corona vaccine”, “Equally beautiful”, “Say no to plastic”, “Save Earth”, “Mental health awareness”, and so on. They vouched for various pertinent women-centric issues as well as the issues ailing society and the world, in general. The Drive was about bringing a change in society and was promoted through the official hashtag #LIVEDRIVEN. This year, the event witnessed support by the UN Women as well.
JK Tyre being a pioneer in motorsports for over three decades, has set several benchmarks in celebrating women in motorsports. They not only introduced an all-women racing team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship, but also have been organizing the YLFO Power Drive, JK Tyre Women’s Rally to the Valley, annually to encourage women in motorsport. Moreover, in accordance with their efforts to support the cause of women in Motorsport, JK Tyre joined hands with the Defence Forces and organised a first-of-its-kind event- the ‘JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive’ for the wives of armed forces personnel.
The JK Tyre Times Women Drive has been a celebration of the women drivers across the country and an occasion to stand for a cause. It has been a vital platform for women drivers to come out together to break the stereotypes and own the road.
About JK Tyre:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.
About TWD:
In a country, where women drivers are often subjected to stereotypes and yet are critical influencers or decision-makers both at home and at the workplace, it was only natural for The Times Group to create a platform that breaks all stereotypes and labels while creating a movement for a cause. Since its inception, Times Women’s Drive has dedicated its raison d’être to the cause of Breast Cancer awareness and support in 2020. And over the last decade, Drive has consciously grown towards becoming a true reflection of the driving spirit in every woman. Every year, the Drive embraces a pertinent clarion call like #DRIVENBYPASSION #STEEREDBYLOVE(2016), #UNSTOPPABLEME (2017), #IAMTHEDRIVE(2018), #THISISME (2019) to engage with women across Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.