Coimbatore set for motorsports gala

Motorsport enthusiasts here will get to see plenty of action when the JK Tyre Racing Championships and Rally of Coimbatore begin at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday.

JK Tyre, after organising two international seasons of Formula BMW, has decided to go for a domestic event aimed at giving under-20 drivers a taste of junior single seater racing. Part of the Championships will be Volkswagen Polo R-Cup and Formula LGB 4.

The premier class is the Formula BMW where 12 drivers battle it out in cars powered by 1.2 litre BMW bike engine and Mygale chassis. Popular European team EuroInternational has built all the cars.

While drivers making their debut will look at displaying their talent, the familiar ones including Akhil Khushlani, Vishnu Prasad and Arjun Maini would want to prove themselves again.

Qualifying and Race 1 will take place on Saturday and the other two races on Sunday. The winner of Formula BMW will get to test a F3 car.

The Rally of Coimbatore, which will serve as the Round 3 of India National Rally Championship, boasts of all big names in the business.

Headlining the field are former World champion (production class) Karamjit Singh of Malaysia with compatriot Jagdev Singh in the navigator's seat in a Volkswagen Polo representing Slideways Industries, India's ace driver Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) who will be seeking a hat-trick of wins this season in a modified factory-backed Mahindra XUV 500 and reigning National champion Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) driving a Group N-spec Mitsubishi Cedia.

The two Special Stages, Gem (12.45Kms) and Textool (24.81Kms) that would be run twice on Saturday and once on Sunday, are located near Kethanur, about 40 km from Coimbatore. The stage terrain is said to be "smooth gravel" with average speeds in the range of 70 to 75 kmph.

The event will conclude with a Super Special Stage (2.32Kms) at the Kari Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The total Rally distance is 347.6 Kms of which 114.10 Kms will be competitive (Special Stages).