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{{More citations needed|article|date=June 2008}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Sundaram Karivardhan
|image=
|image_size=
|birth_date={{Birth date|df=yes|1954|06|20}}
|birth_place=[[Coimbatore]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
|death_date={{death date and age|df=yes|1995|08|24|1954|06|20}}
|death_place=[[Coimbatore]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
|nationality = [[India]]n
|occupation=[[Formula racing|Race driver]] <br> [[Business executive]]
|father=G.K.Sundaram
}}
'''Sundaram Karivardhan Naidu''' or '''Kari''' (20 June 1954 – 24 August 1995) was an [[India]]n formula racing driver, designer and a business executive. He was one of the pioneers of [[India]]n [[motorsports]]. He designed the [[Formula Maruti]] open wheeled race car and supported Indian racers, notably [[Narain Karthikeyan]], [[Karun Chandhok]], and [[Armaan Ebrahim]], in their entry into motorsports. He was later killed in an air crash, aged 41.

==Early days==
Sundaram Karivardhan was born on 20 June 1954 in Coimbatore to G.K.Sundaram Naidu of the [[Lakshmi Mills]] textile family.

==Motor racing==
He attended the [[Jim Russell (racing driver)|Jim Russell]] racing school. Later, he returned to India and started participating in the races held at [[Sholavaram]], [[Chennai]] and [[Barrackpore]], [[Kolkata]]. His first race was 1973 [[Sholavaram]] Grand Prix meet. Cars he raced ranged from [[Premier Padmini]], [[Datsun 510]], [[Sipani]] [[Reliant Kitten|Dolphin]], [[Formula Atlantic]], several cars of his own design and in the final years [[Formula 3]] cars. His last race was in a [[Formula Ford]] in Chennai's MMSC track. One of his early complete in-house designs was the Formula Monoposto based on the [[Formula Atlantic]] Chevron B40. During the early 1990s he purchased rights from a British based kit car manufacturer to build replica models of the [[Ford GT40]], using a [[Ford]] [[Cosworth]], [[Lotus Seven|Lotus 7]], and [[AC Cobra]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Coimbatore – the motor sport capital of India| newspaper = The Hindu| date = 17 February 2011 | first=Rayan | last=Rozario | url = https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-editorialfeatures/Coimbatore-ndash-the-motor-sport-capital-of-India/article15448081.ece }}</ref>

In an effort to make racing more affordable in India and improve grassroots level racing he designed and tested a small single seater, dubbed as India's Formula Ford, with a Maruti 800 engine, and adapting easily available parts, sometimes made in-house. His second design was a two seater car named McDowell 1000 using a [[Maruti Gypsy]] 1.0 liter engine. [[FISSME]] (Formula India Single Seater Maruti Engine) widely known as [[formula Maruti]] was launched in 1988.<ref>{{cite web | title = Kari's vision | year = 2005 | url =http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2005/04/03/stories/2005040300190200.htm| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20050420125859/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2005/04/03/stories/2005040300190200.htm| url-status =dead| work = [[The Hindu]] | archive-date =2005-04-20}}</ref> The class was discontinued from the mainstream championship in 2006.

[[File:Formula Maruti in Coimbatore Track.jpg|thumb|200px|A FISSME or Formula Maruti Single Seater racing Car]]
[[File:Team JK Hari Singh - Mcdowell Rally D'Endurance 1992.jpg|thumb|200px|Karivardhan's rally tuned Team JK tyre Group A2(IND) Rally Gypsy driven by Hari Singh in the 1992 Rally D'Endurance]]

Kari entered in a few [[Rallying|rallies]]. He later launched the JK Rally team in 1992. Kari's racing team was known as Super Speeds, and the main sponsor was [[Lakshmi Mills]]. The early cars had a white and blue body shell which was later switched to black and gold. The company that built his cars was P&B Engineering.

Kari was interested in many areas of mechanics, and that included his interest in aviation as his family owned a Cessna airplane. In 1989 he started a small manufacturing plant near Coimbatore to manufacture Power Gilders using a Yezdi 250cc motorcycle engine, later a Rotax engine. He would often test his gliders flying to the Ooty Mountains, Dindigul, Kovilpatti, or Kayattar near Tirunelveli. The small airstrip in Coimbatore later became the Kari Motor Speedway.

==Death==
He died on 24 August 1995 while flying a [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited|Puspak]] trainer aircraft while trying to log additional flying time as required to retain his flying license.

==Popular culture==
The race track in [[Coimbatore]] is named after Karivardhan ([[Kari Motor Speedway]]).<ref>{{cite web | title = To Kari with love, Kari Motor Speedway | year = 2003 | url =http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/12/01/stories/2003120102260100.htm| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20040103142952/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/12/01/stories/2003120102260100.htm| url-status =dead| work = [[The Hindu]] | archive-date =2004-01-03}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources and links==
*[http://forbesindia.com/printcontent/17702 Revisiting Kari, Overdrive Magazine and Forbes India Magazine]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071127082057/http://www.nagpurtrade.com/Motorsport.html Indian Motorsport and Kari]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928123002/http://www.snehah.com/forum/view_topic/66/dare_devil_ace_car_racer_late_kari_form_psg_cbe/]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karivardhan}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian racing drivers]]
[[Category:Indian rally drivers]]
[[Category:Tamil sportspeople]]

Sundaram Karivardhan - Revision history

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