After Backing The Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Petronas To Back TVS

The Petronas TVS racing team will partake in all formats of domestic 2-wheeler racing

After powering Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team to eight constructors’ championships, Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas will join hands with TVS Racing.

TVS Motor Company announced that TVS Racing will now be called Petronas-TVS Racing, with the partnership also seeing the addition of new liveries. Besides, Petronas will also supply TVS with its high-grade Sprinta line of racing oils. A total of seven bikes were showcased. The GP 165 R, GP 310 R, OMC RR 200 and OMC RR 310 were the faired ones, the OMC RTR 200 was the streetfighter, while the TR 300 X and TR 450 R were the dirt bikes on display. 

The bikes featured a mix of TVS’ trademark dark blue, white and red colours mixed with Petronas’ light blue on the fairing. We wish TVS offered the paint scheme of the OMC RR 310 on the latest iteration of their flagship motorcycle, the Apache RR 310, at least as a limited-edition variant.

The team will participate in road racing, supercross and rally formats. This includes the Indian National Supercross Championship (INSC), Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (INMRC) and Indian National Rally Championship (INRC). Along with this, TVS and Petronas Lubricants International (PLI) have struck a business alliance in order to develop a co-branded oil, namely Petronas TVS TRU4 RacePro. The oil will be available on sale in India from May 2022. 

Petronas has identified India as one of the biggest lube markets in Asia and teaming up with TVS will offer them better brand recognition. The partnership is for five years initially and the terms will be renewed accordingly. In addition to the Petronas TVS TRU4 RacePro, Petronas is also manufacturing its high-grade Sprinta line of racing oils in Panvel, Maharashtra. Through this alliance, Petronas intends to increase its footprint in India, trying to make itself a household name, especially among TVS owners. 

Moreover, taking part in motorsports will also help the company strengthen its R&D department. The advanced race-derived technology will eventually trickle down into the production motorcycles too. Case in point, the TVS Apache RTR 165 RP which, though based on the Apache RTR 160 4V, boasts quite a few changes to its engine (including a 5cc bump in displacement!). We recently rode the TVS Apache RTR 165 RP, and you can read all about it from our review. 

Ultimately, though, we hope TVS’ latest venture leads to more such deals in the future, and that it takes the Indian motorsports scene that much further ahead.