A high octane start to the season - Indian National Car Racing Championship

 The 2023 Indian National Car Racing Championship witnessed an impressive turnout with over 50 entries for round 1 of the 5-round season, featuring five exciting categories - Indian Touring Cars (ITC), Super Stock, Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC), Formula LGB1300, and MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios). Each round was action packed as all categories competed in three races with a maximum of 75 points for the taking. Notably, the first three categories were concurrently run from a combined grid, further intensifying the competition.

Among the standout performers of the weekend were Arjun Balu, Deepak Ravikumar, Diljith TS, and Angad Matharoo, who delivered stellar performances with multiple victories and podium finishes across categories. Deepak Ravikumar, in particular, showcased exceptional racing prowess as he skillfully navigated between two categories, securing an impressive three wins and two podiums in a total of six races. His accomplishments were made even more remarkable as he celebrated his 36th birthday on July 20th, just a day before the season commenced. During the races, he not only displayed exceptional fitness but also showed remarkable adaptability to varying on-track conditions.

There was also active participation of women racers in the event, with talented drivers like Muskaan Jubbal and Diana Pundole competing amongst their male counterparts, showcasing their passion and skill on the track.

“It is heartening to note that the entries include a few women drivers who, going by last season's performance, are capable of holding their own competing against their male counterparts.” - Vicky Chandhok, Organising Committee Chairman and MMS Vice President 

Indian Touring Cars (ITC)

Race Concepts Motorsports had a sweeping victory across all three races of the ITC Class with defending champion, Coimbatore’s Arjun Balu winning the first and the third race and Chennai’s Gurunath Meiyappan who was second in Race 1 taking the victory from Arjun in Race 2. The 11 time national champion, Balu, had his Honda City (in full ITC trim) still under preparation for the day 2 of the event and had to drive a stock car. He finished just behind his teammate in Race 2. Others on the podium included Pune’s Diana Pundole, third in Race 1 and Bengaluru's Ritvik Thomas in third and second for Race 2 and 3 respectively. Gurunath Meiyappan came in third in the last race of the category. 

Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC)

Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar, driving for team Performance Racing, dominated the track with wins in Race 1 and 2 and a podium in Race 3. His teammate, Akkineni Anand Prasad, also hailing from Chennai, made the second podium in both Race 1 and 2,  finally taking victory in Race 3. Srinivas Teja and Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala, from the same team, also secured podiums with Srinivas taking third in Race 1 and 3 and Hatim taking third in Race 2.

In the combined grid, Arjun Balu,started from Pole, but was unable to find power in his stock car, and dropped quickly to finish fourth making way for Ravikumar, Akkineni and Srinivas to take jump up in the standings. 

Super Stock

Thissur’s  Diljith TS, driving for DTS Racing, swept victory across the three races of the Super Stock category. He finished ahead of local challenger, Jarshan Anand from DB Motorsports, who finished second and third in Race 1 and 2 respectively. Delhi’s Justin Singh, driving for Redline Racing finished third and second in Race 1 and 3 respectively, meanwhile Coimbatore’s Yokeshwaran driving for Momentum Motorsports finished on the remaining positions of the podium for Race 2 and 3 (in P2, 3). 

Formula LGB1300 

Formula LGB 1300 continued tradition from the previous year, delivering a series of exhilarating moments across three action-packed races. The defending champion, Viswas Vijayraj, representing DTS Racing, dominated the qualifying session to secure pole position for Race 1. However, despite his efforts, Viswas couldn't convert his starting position into a victory and settled for second place. 

The race witnessed an intense rivalry between Viswas and Chennai's Deepak Ravikumar from Ahura Racing, with both drivers engaging in numerous close racing moments, ultimately culminating in an incident near the end of the race. Consequently, Ravikumar dropped to ninth, and the race leader suffered damage to his car’s camber strut. Seizing this opportune moment, Chennai's Raghul Rangasamy, representing MSport, skillfully snatched the lead from Viswas and emerged as the victor of the race. Raghul's teammate Chetan Surineni, from Bangalore,  also put up an impressive performance by securing the third spot on the podium after starting from P6.

In an electrifying second race, Tijil Rao, 20, hailing from Bangalore and racing for Momentum Motorsports, made a stunning comeback, despite facing disappointment in Race 1, as he retired following an incident. Starting from the 14th position on a reverse grid, he staged an incredible drive, overtaking all 13 cars ahead of him to clinch a spectacular victory. Deepak Ravikumar and Viswas Vijayaraj followed him closely, finishing P2 and P3, respectively, in the intense 10-lap race.

Reflecting on his performance, Tijil Rao remarked, "Unfortunately, I was involved in an incident in the first race and so, had to make up for that in the next race. It was fun as I managed to overtake all the 13 cars in front of me and win. I should have more such performances."

The last race of the event, saw Deepak Ravikumar secure a well-deserved victory, and Raghul Rangasamy once again showcasing his prowess by capturing the second place on the podium. Noida’s Aman Nagdev, representing MSport, displayed a strong performance and clinched the third place in the race. Ravikumar's triumph came rather comfortably after the front-runners, Viswas and Tijil, inadvertently collided while fiercely battling for the lead in the eight-lap race.

Rising Star - At just 14 years old, Eshan Narayanan has carved his name in motorsports history, becoming India's youngest Formula 4 LGB 1300 racer. Representing Ahura Racing Team, Eshan started from the 15th position and displayed exceptional skill and determination, as he surged ahead, claiming an impressive sixth position and achieving his personal best lap time.

"It’s a dream come true for me to make my debut as a professional race driver at the MRF National Championship in Formula 4 LGB 1300 category and I am excited and honored to become India’s youngest car race driver to compete against seasoned drivers with vast experience." expressed Eshan. 

MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) 

Chennai’s Angad Matharoo, with team Redline Racing, had a triple for the weekend winning all the races in the MRF Saloon Category. Mumbai’s Zahan Commissariat came in second in both Race 1 and 3. Anirudh Arvind, from Chennai was second in Race 2 and Jaiprashanth Venkat, from Coimbatore, came third in all the races.

The Indian National Car Racing Championship is a 4-wheel premier national motor racing championship organized by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC). Round 1 has undoubtedly set the tone for an action-packed and competitive season ahead, with outstanding performances and diverse participation, making it an event to remember for racing enthusiasts across the nation.

The next round of the championship will be held on the 18th of August, 2023 at Madras International Circuit. Follow Madras Motor Sports Club’s social for updates and broadcast information. Round 3,4,5 are scheduled for the weekends of 22nd September, 13th October and 15th December respectively.