Who is Thirmal Roy?

To make a long story short, I’m a retired rally driver and now a retired technical consultant for automobile dealers. I have, over the course of my involvement in first the motorsport industry and subsequently the automobile industry, gathered a significant amount of experience that I believe can be of value to many people. This is my attempt at sharing that experience.

Now, why should my opinion matter to you? A fair question to ask, considering we live in an age in which an encyclopedia’s worth of information is a mouse click away. My accomplishments include:

• Being a part of the rally team of the late Colin McRae, a World Rally Champion.
• Winning a number of rallies on both two wheelers and four wheelers, as well as a Championship.
• Having the distinction of being the only Indian to simultaneously hold a Seed A license in two wheelers as well as four wheelers.
• Being an instructor on automobiles at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad.
• Appearing on an automobile focused television program in which I gave my opinion and shared advice on a variety of automobile related issues.
• Converting vehicles to make them more accessible to people with disabilities (such as implementing a hand controlled gear switching system)
• Tuning not just my own rally cars and motorcycles, but also those of other top rallyists.
• Serving as a scrutineer for FMSCI (Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India)
• Rebuilding the engines of high performance cars such as Subaru Imprezas to 300+ BHP.
• Being the first rider to win a National Rally on a 100cc bike in the 1980s.
• Serving as a technical consultant for automobile dealers.

In the 1980s, I used to convert petrol cars to diesel. To this day, I am using two of the cars that I converted – a Maruti 800 and a Gypsy. It is always amusing to me when I take my 800 for refuelling and be asked twice, “Are you sure it’s diesel?”

It is now my wish to share all of that experience, be it on technical issues, vehicle maintenance, driving tips, what to watch out for before buying a car, and do-it-yourself tweaks.

Above all else, I have a passion for automobiles, and this is one outlet for that. If even one person benefits from the advice that I give here, I will consider it a success.

At any rate, I’m glad you decided to stop by. Thank you for coming, and feel free to contact me at any time through the Contact page – I would be delighted to answer any questions.