Stage set for Coimbatore's National Racing round

The four-wheel, multi-category series returns to action after a four-month break following the season opener in Chennai in February.

Round 2 of the National Racing Championship will mark the start of the new MRF F1600 and Volkswagen Ameo Cup seasons - both categories were absent from the Chennai opener with their spots effectively occupied by MRF Challenge.

The MRF F1600 will sport a 14-strong grid, comprising established racers Nayan Chatterjee, Sandeep Kumar (2017 runner-up) and Raghul Rangasamy, touring car convert Karminder Singh and karting graduate Yash Aradhya.

As far as the Ameo Cup is concerned, the championship will boast a field of 19 drivers, including two female racers. The youngest of the lot is Yash Ojha, who will be just 19-year-old when he lines up on the grid for the first of the 10 Ameo races of the season.

The overall winner of the championship will win a fully-sponsored drive in the MRF F1600 series, following in the footsteps of Karminder and Ishaan Dodhiwala. The rookie title winner, meanwhile, will be awarded a seat in the senior Ameo category.

Apart from MRF F1600 and Ameo, National Racing Championship will also feature saloon car and LGB 1300 races.

Among saloon cars, the premier Indian Touring Car category will see its grid bolstered by veteran racers Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan and Arjun Balu.

However, the former champions must remain wary of Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy, who won two of the three races in Chennai last time out.

The National Racing Championship round gets underway with practice on Friday, with all qualifying sessions and races scheduled over the weekend.