Indian National Racing Championship Heats Up: 61 Entries for Penultimate Round

The third round was earlier scheduled for December 6-7 but postponed due to inclement weather in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.

The two single-seater categories, which will be run concurrently - Formula 2000 and Formula 1600 - and boasting of grids full of young talent, will no doubt headline the weekend card of 12 races with 61 entries in the fray.

Bengaluru teenager Ishaan Madesh, fresh from winning the National Karting title, will be renewing his rivalry with Pune's 17-year-old Arjun Chheda, the championship leader in the MRF F2000 category. The pair is separated by just two points. Similarly, another 17-year-old, Sai Shiva Shankaran, from Pune, leads the points table in the MRF F1600 class, just 4 points ahead of Bengalurean Arjun S Nair.

The frontrunners in other classes, including the Touring Car,s which is made up of four sub-classes - the Indian Touring Cars (ITC), ITC 1625, Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock - the MRF Saloons and the Formula LGB 1300, will have an eye on the rearview mirror through the weekend to keep track of their respective rivals.

Of the lot, the premier ITC category is set up nicely for intriguing contests across the three races scheduled. While former National champion from Coimbatore, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) currently leads the championship with a healthy 29-point advantage, he needs to look out for local ace Ritesh Rai (Buzzing Hornet). Rai, after sitting out Round-1 in Coimbatore, marked his return with a sensational triple crown in Round-2 to put himself in contention for the title, albeit fourth in the championship behind Dhruv Chavan, a privateer from Lonavla, and defending champion Biren Pithawalla (Team N1 Racing) from Mumbai.

Among the head-turners is 80-year-old from Coimbatore, Vidyaprakash Damodaran (Performance Racing), who notched three back-to-back wins and heads the ITC 1625 class to underline his competitive prowess that remains undiminished even after some six decades of racing.

Bengaluru's Rithwik Thomas (Race Concepts), who started the season with three consecutive wins in Round 1, and Sri Lankan Kesara Godage head the leaderboard in the IJTC and Super Stock categories, respectively, while Coimbatore's Akshay Muralidharan, with a double in the previous round, tops the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) class.

Nethan McPherson from Pune (Momentum Motorsports) is perched on top in the Formula LGB 1300 (Open and Junior) category, with three podium finishes but without a win in five starts.

Chairman of the event, Vicky Chandhok, said: "While we welcome the competitors back to the Madras International Circuit for the third round, the 12 races scheduled are likely to generate a lot of excitement as there is still plenty to fight for. The season so far has thrown up surprises and close racing, with some young drivers showing promise and potential, and this weekend should see more of them."

- IANS