After a gap of three months, the MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship resumes with the third round, beginning this weekend at the Kari Motor Speedway with over 50 drivers in the fray. With five races in the single-seater category, including the Formula LGB 1300 which is part of the National championship and the MRF Formula F1600, there is plenty of action in store for racing enthusiasts.
The National Championship comprises competitions in the Formula LGB 1300 powered by Swift engine and saloon car class which in turn has three separate categories ? the Super Stock (stock), Indian Junior Touring Cars (1600cc) and the Indian Touring Cars (modified). The MRF F1600 sports a 1.6 litre Ford Duratec engine putting out 140 horse power and fitted with a Hewland five-speed sequential shift gearbox.
The previous two rounds held at the MMRT circuit which is celebrating its 25th year, in Sriperumbudur, were marked by close, wheel-to-wheel racing and the same is expected at the smaller and tighter Kari Motor Speedway track. While Arjun Narendran heads the ITC class with three wins from four starts, Sidharth B and Fahad Kutty are tied on 83 points, each with two wins in the IJTC category. Varun Anekar and Abhinay Bikani are locked with 68 points having won two races in the Super Stock class.
Mohit Aryan, who topped two of the three races, heads the Formula LGB 1300 class with 38 points, two clear of Chetan Korada who has one win and two third-place finishes. The leaderboard positions are as close in the MRF F1600 class where Karthik Tharani (80), who has won two of the four races, Gautam Parekh (76) and Arjun Narendran (70) head the pack while further down the grid, a mere 10 points separate six drivers.
The MRF FF1600 is the best single-seater series in India. The winner of the championship gets a free round in the F3-style India-based MRF Challenge which features the MRF Formula 2000 car, and is raced internationally. Last year, four Indians from the MRF FF1600 graduated to the MRF Challenge, with 2014 winner Tarun Reddy, who has since moved to FIA Formula 4, also winning in the first round in Qatar.
