Samir Thapar
NationalityIndia Indian
Born (1965-01-16) 16 January 1965
Delhi, India

Samir Thapar is an Indian businessman and rally driver.[1][2][3][4]

Racing career

Early career

Thapar debuted in the Indian National Rally Championship in 1992.

Viral video

In July 2013, after a ten year break from racing, Thapar participated in the Rally of Coimbatore of the 2013 Indian National Rally Championship alongside co-driver Vivek Ponnusamy.[5] A camera was installed inside the car to record the race, and afterwards, Thapar uploaded the recording to his YouTube channel.[6][7] Yohann Setna, then a manager at the racing and rally team J.A. Motorsport, downloaded the video and edited it down to a humorous three-and-a-half minute clip of the moments during which Ponnusamy was shouting at Thapar, including phrases such as "Samir, you are breaking the car." The cut-down video was uploaded to Setna's YouTube channel on 8 August and went viral, acquiring over a million views within a few weeks.[7]

Ponnusamy lodged a complaint under Section 66A of the Indian Information Technology Act, which penalizes sending offensive messages. He alleged that the edits portrayed Thapar and himself in a "demeaning manner," and that the video had provoked racially abusive comments and caused him to lose several rally contracts. Setna was arrested on 24 August, but released the next day.[6][7]

Personal life

He is a member of the industrialist Thapar family, being the grandson of Karam Chand Thapar.

References

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