Samir Thapar

Samir Thapar is an Indian rally driver[1] and businessman[2][3][4] who debuted the Indian National Rally Championship in 1992. He is a member of the industrialist Thapar family, being the grandson of Karam Chand Thapar.

Samir Thapar
Personal information
Nationality Indian
Born (1965-01-16) January 16, 1965
Delhi, India
World Rally Championship record
Active years1996-1997, 2003, 2013-2016
Ralliesn/a
Rally winsn/a
Podiumsn/a
Stage winsn/a
Total pointsn/a
First rally1996 Karnataka 1000 Rally
Last rally2016 MRF Rally de North

Racing career

2013: viral video

In July 2013, after a ten year break from racing, Thapar participated in the 2013 Indian National Rally Championship alongside co-driver Vivek Ponnusamy.[5] A camera was installed inside the car to record the race, and afterwards, Thapar uploaded the recording to his YouTube channel.[6][7] Yohann Setna, then a manager at the racing and rally team J.A. Motorsport, downloaded the video and edited it down to a humorous three-and-a-half minute clip of the moments during which Ponnusamy was shouting at Thapar, including phrases such as "Samir, you are breaking the car." The cut-down video was uploaded to Setna's YouTube channel on August 8 and went viral, acquiring over a million views within a few weeks.[7]

Ponnusamy lodged a complaint under Section 66A of the Indian Information Technology Act, which penalizes sending offensive messages. He alleged that the edits portrayed Thapar and himself in a "demeaning manner," and that the video had provoked racially abusive comments and caused him to lose several rally contracts. Setna was arrested on August 24.[6][7]

References
  1. Samir Thapar - eWRC-results.com
  2. When A Rally Driver Tells His Co-Driver To "Shut Up", You Know They're Having A Bad Time
  3. Pandora Papers: Samir Thapar owns BVI firm holding ‘non-promoter’ stake in JCT Ltd | Express Exclusive News,The Indian Express
  4. Who is Samir Thapar, the Industrialist Held by Uttarakhand Cops?
  5. 2013 Indian National Rally Championship Kicks Off
  6. Man held for posting edited rally footage on You Tube | Chennai News - Times of India
  7. Motor sports executive lands in jail for posting ‘funny’ clip online - The Hindu
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