With APOGEE ‘25 just around the corner, the APOGEE English Press sat down with Pulkit Maheshwari, the coordinator of Inspired Karters Gravity (IKRG), to gain insight into their work for the upcoming fest. 

Pulkit described IKRG as a group of racing enthusiasts who build go-karts and participate in various design and racing events across the country, such as the Formula Kart Design Challenge (FKDC) and the Go Kart Design Challenge (GKDC). For the fest, IKRG would be organising two events—an RC racing event and an exhibition of the IKRG go-kart. The former involves participants competing to win a limited edition Pagani Hot Wheels set. 

The coordinator further elaborated by mentioning that one of IKRG’s main objectives is visibility, making APOGEE an important platform to achieve this goal. He stated that APOGEE ‘24 was the first time IKRG organised an event for the fest, and this time around, the work would be streamlined due to their learnings from the previous year. He added that IKRG would be getting rid of vendors entirely, due to the amount of complexity involved otherwise. 

When asked about the preparatory work for the fest, Pulkit mentioned that their only task was getting the go-kart ready. As a consequence of removing vendors, IKRG would replace their dynamic karting event—that lets participants ride in the go-kart—with an exhibition, significantly reducing the pre-fest workload. 

The coordinator said that for a technical team such as IKRG, the main work lies beyond the fest. Pulkit elaborated that IKRG had participated in the Buddh International Circuit competition in October of 2024, which he describes fondly as an irreplaceable experience, and added that the next big event for the club is the FKDC in Coimbatore, for which preparations are underway. 

Pulkit shared that IKRG is a relatively new club, with limited resources and room for a more efficient structure. He spoke of the origins of the club, tracing back to Inspired Karters, another club that had existed for decades before splitting into two—Inspired Karters Electric (IKE) and Inspired Karters Gravity (IKRG). He emphasized that the goal of IKRG is to help foster the spirit of innovation amongst the public, and remarked that he wished to make flying drones a reality for BITS Pilani.

On a parting note, Pulkit shared that his experience as a coordinator has been good, although slightly challenging because of him still being in his second year of college. He urged the public to look forward to APOGEE and attend IKRG’s events.