Stage set for pulsating MRF F1600 race action

The third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship will be held in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. The races to look out for are the MRF F1600 and the Volkswagen Ameo Cup.

This weekend's action comprises of 14 races.

The added incentive for the drivers to do well in the MRF F1600 is that the champion gets a chance to compete in the shootout of the Mazda Road To Indy in the United States of America.

In this category, Anindith Reddy is the man to beat as he is leading the championship with 93 points. However, it is not going to be an easy ride as Sandeep Kumar and Raghul Rangasamy are strong contenders.

“I had a really good run in the morning and that was when the track conditions were excellent," he said.

"In the afternoon, the track was hot and I was not doing as well as in the morning. There is the qualifying tomorrow and two races.

"There is not much difference between the top three and it will boil down to who strings together a few good laps,” he added.

The other exciting races of the weekend are in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup. The first round in Coimbatore saw some exciting racing, with Delhi's Karminder Singh and  Chennai's Sandeep Kumar winning a race each.

However, both of them seem to have a tough task on hand. Guest driver Devin Robertson, from South Africa, secured pole position with a 1m54.150s after topping the free practice sessions.

Sixteen-year-old Arya Singh (Kolkata) won the Student Cup class.

The other classes in this weekend's round are Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars, Super Stock and Esteem Cup.

Red Rooster Performance's Arjun Narendran topped the ITC qualifying with the best time of 1m54.365s.

The weekend's action will culminate with the first round of the 2017 MMSC FMSCI National Drag Racing Championship for four-wheelers.