The Indian tyre brand MRF Tyres is certainly no stranger to rally fans. During the handover of the new Fabia RS Rally2 racing special for the championships in Asia and Oceania, we had the opportunity to do a brief interview with its Managing Director, Mr. Vivek Ponnusamy.
Indian tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres sees motorsport as an opportunity for its global growth. That is why the company, after a long series of successes in the Asia-Pacific Championship, headed to European competitions. In the national championships or the ERC championship, MRF Tyres is thus putting the tyres on Škoda cars. "Europe is helping us to attract the attention of other markets," says Vivek Ponnusamy.
What is the MRF tradition in motorsport?
We make tyres for literally everything. From scooters to fighter jets, so our tyres are used on fighter jets operated by the Indian army, for example. And traditionally we are also involved in motorsport, we have been active in motorsport for about 45 years. But our activities have become more intense in the last ten years or so, since we have become a stable and active participant in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Since then, we have become, for example, the exclusive tyre suppliers for the championships in Australia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Uruguay and we will also soon be signing up Indonesia.
In 2014, you teamed up with Honza Kopecký, who won the APRC championship title with a Fabia S2000. How do you remember that?
Honza is not only a great driver, but also a great person. He helped us to grow, and we are still in touch to this day, we would like to work with him again. But the competition is strong, so we'll see how we do. But it would definitely help us move forward.
" I have fond memories of the entire 2014 Asia Pacific Championship season. Fabia S2000 and MRF Tires was a great combination. Despite the specific surfaces, the tyres had very good grip and were extremely durable. Their hard sidewalls were virtually impossible to puncture. Of course, at the time I was more attracted to the World Championship, in retrospect I have to say that I learned an awful lot. The whole championship was run on gravel in that sense it was a great lesson. I'm convinced that thanks to my experience on Asian gravel, I managed to win the world title with Fabia Rally2 in the 2018 season. " said Jan Kopecký.
Honza, by the way, remembers your tyres as being very durable.
Yes, that's a feature of our tyres that persists to this day. Even though we have evolved in terms of compound and construction over that time, the basic concept of a highly damage-resistant tyre remains the same.
Your first title in the APRC championship was won in 2012 by Chris Atkinson, also in a Fabia S2000. Why did you decide to tyre Škoda cars then?
That reason still exists today. Škoda is a brand that is 100% focused on its product. On one product. When the Fabia S2000 was being produced, it was focused on that. Then the Fabia Rally2. Then the Fabia Rally2 evo and now it's fully focused on the Fabia RS Rally2. This has always made it a very competitive product, with the added benefit of great support from Škoda Motorsport. Its engineers at competitions are always friendly, smiling, greeting their teams and competitors and enthusiastic about their work. This shows the great integrity of Škoda Motorsport. And that is why tyre manufacturers want to tyre Škoda cars more than other brands.
| Complete list of drivers who won the APRC title in Škoda cars in collaboration with MRF Tyres | ||
| Chris Atkinson | 2012 | Fabia S2000 |
| Gill Gaurav | 2013 | Fabia S2000 |
| 2016 | Fabia R5 | |
| 2017 | Fabia R5 | |
| Jan Kopecký | 2014 | Fabia S2000 |
| Pontus Tidemand | 2015 | Fabia S2000, Fabia R5 |
You entered Europe in 2018. How is the ERC different from the APRC?
It's like night and day. Europe is completely different in that respect. Rallying is at home here, the competition is huge, the start list is always packed, whether in the European championship or the national championships. That's why we want to be here. The intense competition helps us to move forward. It is a challenge to compete with the biggest and most traditional tyre suppliers, but even as a kind of rookie we are already winning here. And we've managed to be consistent in our performances. That's where we want to improve, Europe is the home of rallying, and we want to stay here and be successful.
How much have you improved in the past 10 years in the rally championships?
In percentage terms, I would tell you 1,500 %. But we must show that progress on the track, not in a PowerPoint presentation. And that's extremely difficult, because the competition is also moving forward. However, the proof of our progress is not only our successes, but also the fact that top drivers call me and ask for our tires that they would like to ride on them.
How does being involved in motorsport help you in the conventional tyre market?
Technology transfer definitely works. It's like the shift paddles that came out of Formula 1 and when you don't have them in your car today, you feel like you're missing something. The same logic applies here, we are pushing the design and quality of our conventional tyres forward. But participation in the rally also has marketing benefits for us. For example, in Latvia, when the local hero Mārtiņš Sesks won competitions there last year with our tyres and overalls in our colours, sales of our tyres in the agricultural tyre sector increased by 60%. And we want to build from this growth.
You took over the new Fabia RS Rally2. What are your plans for the car?
We will deploy the car in the APRC championship and in the Indonesian national championship. For that, by the way, we have developed a special mud tyre that has already proven its performance. So we want to win with the car, to show the quality of our brand, but at the same time to act as a kind of ambassador of the Škoda brand in the Asia-Pacific region.
