Formula 1 my first love

BANGALORE: When a young Vijay Mallya, the ‘King Of Good Times’ first saw a group of amateur motorsport drivers revving up their machines on a dodgy Agram make-shift race track in Bangalore, he fell in love with a sport which remains a passion to this day. He believes the hot-rods separate the boys from the men and in the high tension, high risk F1, the stakes are higher and the challenges huge.
‘Take the bull by the horn and not the tiger by its tail,’ is his mantra.Mallya much fancies the fast and furious Sonny Liston versus Cassius Clay fight where Clay floored the famed Liston with a sucker punch in the first round than the Muhammed Ali-George Foreman epic in Zaire, where the legendary Ali bided his time employing the rope-a-dope trick to TKO Foreman.
Excerpts from an interview:
It isn’t well known that you love history as much as sports..
I love history and my passion is sports. F-1, cricket, horse racing and soccer, I simply get involved and winning gives me the best kick.
F-1, horse racing or Royal Challengers, which tops your list?
I love all sports. F-1 holds a definite edge and Force India is close to my heart.
From racing at Agram and Sholavaram to owning Force India, how has the journey been ?
Well Agram and Sholavaram were all good amateur efforts. The professional international circuit is huge and it was real hard work to get a foot in. And now that Force India has gained an entry and put India on the F-1 map the onus is on me to make it count and I’m certain it will happen very soon.
Apart from leasing out the heritage Kunigal Stud Farm where the great Tippu bred horses for his cavalry you are the owner of Tippu’s sword, your take on the prized collection ?
Tippu was one of the great Mysore Kings. I not only own his sword but in my collection I have a pistol, cannon and many other arms he used to fight the British. In fact, I have spoken to the Karnataka government on my wish to open a Tippu museum with my collection and hopefully if I get the green signal, many amongst us who love history will get to view these prized possessions in a state-of-the art museum.
The McDowell Indian Derby is the most glamorous and richest event on the Indian racing calendar, what next?
I’m happy that it’s now a must social event apart from being the No 1 race on the Indian racing calendar. It’s the dream of every horse owner to win the McDowell Indian Derby and that sums up the status the event enjoys.
The answer to what next is that I’m very keen to promote night racing and that’s the future. I understand that the attendance on race days are dropping and that is simply because the events are held in hot and humid afternoons. We need to facilitate the railbirds and provide the racing buffs a carnival atmosphere wherein they get to bring their family and friends for a good action-packed outing. I have already sounded the RWITC chairman about my plan on night racing and he did seem to like it.
Look how the T-20 draws big crowds in the night. A good three hours of fun and games is what the people want. We should by pass the traditions and move in this direction.
Which will delight you most, leading a winner at Royal Ascot or a podium finish at the F-1 Grand Prix ?
Well, Royal Ascot is not in the pipeline. A podium finish in F-1 will be historic.
The one moment you cherish most?
Two. Watching Force India on the circuit and leading in Cordon Bleu, my first Indian Derby winner.
Royal Challengers is the most sought-after team in IPL from the players’ point of view. Your comment as the owner?
A: Well, it’s good to know that the players are happy with the set-up. We simply want all our players to enjoy their stint and stay as one unit, one family. We put in the extra effort to facilitate that and make sure that they are in the right frame of mind and that’s about it.
Your favourite F1 track?
Monaco