Young Driver '10 winner announced

The verdict’s out. Sumit Kukreja beat 20,400 fellow contestants to take home the trophy of the second edition of the exciting Maruti Suzuki-Autocar Young Driver challenge. 

The two-month long hunt for India’s best young driver, Maruti Suzuki-Autocar Young Driver was open to anyone between the age of 18 and 30 years with a valid driving license and reflected Maruti Suzuki’s efforts to heighten safety awareness on the roads. The competition tested participants’ knowledge of traffic rules, awareness of road safety as well as their real-world driving skills.

Speaking on the occasion, automobile expert and editor-in-chief, Autocar India, Mr Hormazd Sorabjee said, “The root cause of the high accident rate in India is because of poor driving. The objective of this event was to develop safe driving skills and inculcate a safe driving culture in our youth.”

While giving away a spanking new Maruti A-star as the grand prize, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) executive officer (marketing and sales) Mayank Pareek said, “We believe that the young people of this country hold the key in road safety promotion. These are the people who are getting affluent and buying their own cars. That’s why Maruti Suzuki has chosen the youth of India to be its brand ambassador for this cause.”

Sumit Kukreja has also been chosen to be Maruti Suzuki’s ambassador for safe driving and promoting road safety awareness.

The Young Driver 2010 contest was held in three phases. In the first phase, competitors had to register for an online theory test on traffic rules, awareness of road safety and knowledge of their cars. Out of 20,400 applicants, 1,050 contestants were short-listed for the second stage conducted at 31 Maruti Driving Schools across 22 cities. These participants had to go through a practical test along with a test in the driving simulator. The top 30 contestants qualified for the final stage of the contest.

During this final stage of evaluation, the contestants underwent an actual driving test under the keen eyes of judges from Autocar India and Maruti Suzuki’s driving instructors. Contestants were evaluated on parameters such as smoothness, vehicle control and presence of mind during emergency situations.