The student of Pune-based DYPDC Centre for Automotive Research and Studies, Tejas Manek, to fly out to Berlin for Formula E weekend, the prize for winning Mahindra’s race suit design contest
Pune: Tejas Manek is a mechanical engineer by qualification, is awaiting Masters degree in automobile design, but it is the virtual tailoring of a race suit that has catapulted this Pune student to a new high.
Manek is flying off to Berlin early on Friday morning where he will present his prize winning race suit to Mahindra Racing’s Formula E driver, Nick Heidfeld.
Now stitched in actual, Manek will handover the race suit on Saturday to the German driver ahead of the Formula E weekend in Berlin.
The German capital is hosting the Formula e-Prix double-header encounter at Tempelhof Airport.
“I am an automobile fanatic, but had never thought of designing a race suit. An opportunity came in through Mahindra contest, which I came to know on Facebook and I enrolled,” Manek told Sakal Times in an interview.
Born and raised in Mumbai, the 23-year-old Manek has been studying in Pune for the last two years at the DY Patil-Dilip Chhabria Centre for Automotive Research and Studies.
“I am done with my course and results are awaited anytime now. So when I came across this contest, I gave my full attention to it and completed all the parameters to the book,” Manek said of his race suit design.
“We had clear instructions of making the race suit for Nick Heidfled.
There were restrictions about colours to be used and logos to be placed.
I followed everything to the last detail and while we had to do all this virtually, my entry won the prize because I made the race suit look real with the effect of cloth and not just plain drawing,” explained Manek.
The contest by Mahindra was to get more people involved in motorsports in general and Formula E in particular, which unfortunately has very limited viewers in India.
“There is an Indian team, Mahindra Racing, as a constructor competing in Formula E, but there is very little knowledge about it,” said Manek, who, however has totally different idea about his career.
“Air brush painting is something that interests me. I want to open a design studio and do custom painting of cars and bikes. There are no many artists in India who do air brush painting and that area interests me most,” said Manek.
His first brush with motorsports was when he modified his Bajaj Pulsar, gave it a classic look and named it Pulracer.
