Jury members

Aishwarya Pissay

Off-Road Motorcycle Racer

Aishwarya Pissay, born on August 14, 1995, is a trailblazing Indian motorcycle racer. She made history as the first Indian motorsports athlete to claim a world title. A force to be reckoned with, Aishwarya secured top honors at the FIM Bajas World Cup, clinching 1st place in the women's category and 2nd in the junior's category. Notably, she is the first Indian woman to secure seven FMSCI National titles, including six consecutive Indian National Rally Championship victories in two-wheelers from 2017. Starting with circuit racing and winning Honda and TVS one-make titles, Aishwarya transitioned to dominating cross-country rallies on a global scale.

Ameya Naik

Executive Editor - ACKO Drive

Ameya leverages nearly 14 years of versatile experience. As the go-to expert, he excels in different departments of a news organisation. Juggling multiple roles with efficiency and élan, Ameya's automotive insights and industry expertise contribute significantly to our team.

Anand Dharmaraj

Track Instructor and Former Racer

Co-founder of Indimotard TWO, Anand is a man of many talents. His trackdays are unique and quite popular as his training methods are more tuned towards making you safe for the road than be a racer. He is one of the few Ducati DRE track certified coaches in India and a participant of the Baja 1000 rally, held in America. His workshop handles bikes of all capacities, as he likes to get his hands dirty.

Arun Mohan Nadar

Senior Editor - Two-Wheelers - ACKO Drive

If it’s anything to do with two-wheels, you can’t keep Arun too far from it. With over a decade experience in auto journalism he currently leads the bike vertical at ACKO Drive. Be it a humble commuter or a litre-class monster, he enjoys riding and reviewing them equally. An avid traveller, his favourite mode of transport is unsurprisingly a motorcycle! His other interests includes MotoGP, die cast collection and exploring new cuisines.

Dr. V Sumantran

Industry Veteran

Venkat Sumantran, a distinguished Indian businessman, academic, and author, brings over three decades of expertise to the global auto and mobility industry. As Chairman of Celeris Technologies, he also serves on the boards of various organizations in automotive, electronics, and aviation. Notably, Sumantran played a pivotal role as one of the inventors of the Tata Nano 1 lakh car.

Gul Panag

Actor & Automobile Enthusiast

Gul Panag effortlessly embraces a diverse array of roles—from acting and modeling to marathons, road trips, and serving on car and motorcycle award juries. A passionate advocate for animals, she seamlessly blends brand endorsements with her foray into politics. Gul is a versatile personality, adept at navigating various facets of her dynamic life.

Rayomand Banajee

Racer & Mentor

Rayomand Banajee, an accomplished figure in motorsports, has left an indelible mark on the racing landscape. With notable achievements, including championships in Formula Cars and Karting, he stands as a beacon of success. Renowned for representing and winning for India on the international stage in two distinct motorsport disciplines, Banajee is also actively shaping the future by mentoring the next generation of Indian racing talent.

Siddharth Vinayak Patankar

Editor-in-Chief - ACKO Drive, Vice Chairman - World Car Awards

Siddharth, a stalwart in auto journalism, knows bikes inside out. From senior primetime news anchor to chief editor-Auto, he's donned various roles. A pioneer at NDTV, Siddharth conceptualised all auto- related content, including the annual car and bike Awards and the Auto Prime programming. As a driving force behind car & bike.com, he played a key role in making it the country's 2nd largest auto portal. Notably, Siddharth is the first Asian journalist appointed as Executive Director on the steering committee of the prestigious World Car Awards, later elevated to vice chairman in 2021. He is currently the Chairman at the World Car Awards.

36/5, Hustlehub One East, Somasandrapalya, 27th Main Rd, Sector 2, HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560102.