Chennai, Feb 17:
The 2024 season of the MRF MMSC-FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship kicks off this weekend with the Madras International Circuit hosting the first round on Saturday and Sunday .
With 50 entries spread across five categories – the MRF Formula 2000, MRF Formula 1600, Formula LGB 1300, the Touring Cars and MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) – the card of 11 races is expected to dish out exciting wheel-to-wheel competition as in the seasons gone by.
The ever popular Touring Cars category comprises three classes ? the premium Indian Touring Cars (ITC), Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC) and the Super Stock ? that will be run from a combined grid.
The MRF Formula 2000 headlines the weekend card along with the MRF Formula 1600, and will have three races that also will be run from a combined grid. Bengaluru’s 20-year-old Chetan Surineni, winner of the F1600 title last season, has moved up to the F2000 for the 2024 championship with the promising teenager from Shillong, Jaden Rahman Pariat for company.
The MRF F1600 grid has another Bengalurean, Abhaykumar M, the youngest driver in the category at 15, and his performance will be closely watched.
The ITC field is brimming with experience. Chennai’s Ritesh Rai (Arka Motorsports) along with Mumbai’s Biren Pithawalla (Team N1 Racing) who finished second and third, respectively, in the 2023 championship, are expected to be strong title contenders. One of the new faces in this category is Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar, the 2023 IJTC champion, who is spearheading the Team Performance Racing’s challenge.
The Formula LGB 1300 grid is a mix of youth and experience, and as in the past, extremely competitive.
The MRF Saloons category boasts of a clutch of female drivers headed by the experienced Diana Pundole, a mother of two from Pune, and the talented teenager from Delhi, Muskaan Jubbal besides Chikkamagaluru’s Tarushi Vikram and Rekha Murugrappa (Chennai).
The field also includes two Sri Lankan drivers, Kalim Iqbal and Adeesha Kasun Kithwith besides last year’s championship runner-up Jaiprashanth Venkat from Coimbatore.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas, looking ahead to the new season, said: “As promoters, the MMSC welcomes all the competitors, teams and the Media to the 2024 season which we look forward to with heightened expectations of unearthing new talent. Our long-time sponsors, MRF Tyres, continue their association with us for which we are thankful.”
