New Delhi: The 25th edition of the coveted JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship 2022 will commence this weekend with the first round scheduled from September 17-18 at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore.
The championship which began in 1997 has over the years produced some of country’s best racing drivers who have done the country proud at the world stage of motorsport. Names like Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, Gaurav Gill, Armaan Ebrahim, Aditya Patel, Arjun Maini, Kush Maini, Yash Aradhya are all prodigies of this premier racing program.
The season opener in Coimbatore will have races across four categories namely the Indian make LGB Formula 4, JK Tyre Novice Cup, JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup and a new introduction of JK Tyre Presents Endurance League Cup 2022 Powered by United CRA.
The LGB Formula 4 category constitutes a primary stage in single-seater racing and features the most economical Indian make single-seater racing cars. The cars are powered by a carburetted 1298cc Suzuki Swift engine and feature an Esteem 5-Speed Gearbox and a chrome molybdenum tubing frame.
The category will see a grid of six teams fielding 25 seasoned race drivers from across cities namely Patiala, Nellore, Dehradun, Panchkula, Kottyam, Vadodara. Seasoned drivers Arya Singh from Dark Don Racing, Amir Sayed, and Diljith T S from Ahura Racing, Ruhaan Alva, and Mira Erda from MSport are among the few who will be seen fighting for the LGB Formula 4 title. With defending champion Vishnu Prasad’s absence, this weekend will surely see some action-packed performances as a new winner will emerge. Defending champion of JK Tyre Novice Cup 2021 Ruhaan Alva graduates to LGB 4 category this season. Ruhaan has already secured JK Tyre’s scholarship to graduate to higher categories i.e LGB 4 in domestic and F4 internationally.
Further, giving the young talent the platform to step into the world of racing is the JK Tyre Novice Cup. The Novice Cup will feature 20 newcomers in a grid of 31 cars who will fight for the title. As the name suggests, this category caters to newcomers and young enthusiasts from the field of racing. Last edition’s podium finishers Chennai lad Aadithya Parasuram, Chetan Surineni from Bangalore will feature again this time.
Adding more cheer to the weekend, 25 riders will also be seen competing in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. This year, the format of the championship has been changed to a Pro-Am Series with 10 professional and 15 amateur riders competing together on the same grid. With its new Pro-Am series format, the upcoming edition of India’s only retro-racing championship promises to be faster and fiercer, showcasing every nuance of racecraft.
Anish Damodara Shetty of Hubli, who clinched the debut Championship title in the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup in last edition, will be defending his title this time, while last edition’s podium finisher Meka Vidhuraj, and Allwin Xavier, Anfal Akhdhar will give him a tough fight among the other contenders.
Apart from the three usual categories, is the introduction of JK Tyre Presents Endurance League Cup 2022 Powered by United CRA. Endurance race, as the name goes, test the durability and the endurance capacity of both the man and machine. Based on the international format of non-stop racing, the category will feature 250 cc race bikes wherein 20 teams of three drivers each will race non-stop for 60 minutes with two driver changes in their fight for the debut title.
Speaking ahead of the 25th edition, Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsports, JK Tyre said, “JK Tyre has been the driver of opportunities for the growth of motorsport in India for decades. Motorsports is engrained in our very DNA and we are extremely committed to providing the young and budding talent a wide range of opportunities and a definite platform to grow.
“Bearing testimony to our commitment is the fact that we are the only manufacturer to have run a championship in India for 25 continuous years. We’re glad to commence the 25th edition of this coveted championship this year and excited to continue to keep growing our legacy. We are looking forward to blazing, neck to neck action this weekend. I wish all the participants the very best.”
–iANS