National racing championship 2023 set to roar into action in Coimbatore

Coimbatore, Aug 25 (IANS) Motorsport enthusiasts are in for a treat as the iconic JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) revs back with a brand-new season this weekend on August 26-27, here.

The Kari Motor Speedway, is all set for high-octane action, continuing its legacy of discovering and nurturing emerging talent. The track which is nestled on the outskirts of Coimbatore and surrounded by natural beauty has been a home to JKNRC for a long time and has time and again proved to be a worthy and rewarding venue for motorsports enthusiasts.  

JKNRC which is in its 26th year of existence, enjoys an iconic status and has been a breeding ground for Indian motorsports which yielded desired results and helped various drivers including Narain Karthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Arjun Maini, Kush Maini and others graduate to the next level to realise their dreams.

Over the years, it has given a platform to aspiring drivers from all parts of the country to make it big in motorsport. And like every edition, this year too it will see pan-India participation from Jammu, Chandigarh, Delhi in North to Sikkim in North-East, Mumbai in West and, Hyderabad, Bangalore & Chennai in South and will give an opportunity to both male and female drivers to prove their mettle on a level-playing field.

The opening round will see the contenders push their limits for the coveted National Champion title in the Indian make LGB Formula 4, and becoming the overall champion in the JK Tyre Novice Cup and JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup with an aim to grab early advantage and set the tone for the remainder of the season.

"JK Tyre's commitment to fostering motorsports inclusively across the nation remains unwavering," Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre said. "Our championships have consistently delivered thrilling results. Given the impressive lineup this year, we anticipate an array of surprises on the track," he added.  

The LGB Formula 4 category features the most economical Indian made single-seater racing cars. The cars are powered by a carbureted 1298cc Suzuki engine and feature a 5-Speed Gearbox and a chrome molybdenum tubing frame.

The battle for supremacy in this flagship category of JKNRC, will see fierce competition between last season’s podium finishers Amir Syed (Ahura Racing), Diljith TS (Dark Don Racing), Raghul Rangasamy (MSport), amongst other seasoned drivers like Ruhaan Alva (MSport) who has been dazzling in international circuits lately.

As a part of its unrelenting commitment to promote women in motorsport, this season the grid features India's premier female driver Mira Erda (Msport) and Anushriya Gulati (Dark Don Racing) who are set to challenge their male counterparts, showcasing their prowess in this year's championship.

Furthermore, female participation extends beyond the LGB Formula 4. In the JK Tyre Novice Cup which is for amateurs who are setting their foot in the world of formula car racing, 15-yrs old Aashi Hanspal (MSport) from Mumbai who was part of the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars project in 2020 along with the Ahura Racing pair of Priyanka Vijay from Bangalore and Avani Veeramaneni from Hyderabad are ready to rub shoulders with the boys for glory, aiming to etch their names in the records of Indian motorsport.

The girls will make their presence in the two-wheeler category as Aisvariya V & Logapriya S from Coimbatore will be battling it out with the big boys in the JK Tyre presents 250 Cup. 

For two-wheeler enthusiasts, the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup will feature an exhilarating showdown with the “Pro-Am series” format where amateur and professional riders will compete together in the same grid. The Continental GT Cup brings in racers from all over the country, providing them with the opportunity to fully engage in the sport of track racing.  All riders are armed with identical, specially race-prepared Continental GT-R650s, all powered by the internationally acclaimed and awarded 648cc parallel-twin engine from Royal Enfield. Learning from the past two years, this year’s Continental GT-R650 has been re-tuned with a race ECU for even better performance. A grid of 25 riders out of which 75 per cent are amateurs, the competition is expected to be a fierce spectacle for all attendees.

Adding more excitement to the weekend, this season will see the 250cc Suzuki race bikes in the JK Tyre presents 250 Cup powered by United CRA which comprises a grid of 20 young riders from Gangtok, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Hubli, Coimbatore.

The three round championship will unfold in Coimbatore over the next few months as the participants will engage in some wheel-to-wheel action leading up to the country getting its Racing Champions of 2023.