Exciting JK Tyre Racing Championship finals on the cards

The countdown for the 16th JK Tyre Racing Championship finale to be held at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) here this weekend has begun.

The stage is set for the crowning of champions as the contenders get ready to battle it out for one last time on the 5.14 km Formula 1 track from Nov 30 to Dec 1.

The highlight of the year has been the introduction of the JK Racing India Series using the cars that formed the grid in the erstwhile Formula BMW Championship, using the FIA spec cars built on Mygale chassis and powered by BMW 1.2 litre engines.

Going into the final round, the title race remains split wide open. Chennai-based driver Vishnu Prasad leads the points table with 179 points. But 15-year-old Arjun Maini from Bangalore turned on the heat on Prasad in the previous round to take two wins. Maini sits in second place on the leaderboard with 145 points.

Kolhapur's Chittesh Mandody is third with 108 points.

With a maximum of 84 points up for grabs from three races in the final round, including points for pole position and fastest lap, Prasad doesn't have the luxury to sit easy.

With Maini displaying red-hot form, Prasad has to dig deep into his experience to lay his hands on the trophy.

"It's good to go into the final round with the championship lead but it doesn't mean much. I have to come up with the best performance because the stakes are pretty high and things can turn around in a blink," said Prasad.

In Formula LGB 4, Sarosh Hataria has established a solid lead of 92 points with a total of 187 points. A string of wins in the previous three rounds have given the Dark Don Racing driver a comfortable cushion going into the final round. He needs just a couple of points to close out the championship.

But there is no such luxury for Prasad and Kartik Krishna in second and third place, respectively, who are separated by a solitary point. Prasad, driving for Meco Motor Sports, has 95 points while Krishna is on 94.

It's equally close in the Volkswagen Polo R Cup. South African driver Jeffrey Kruger, doing his first full season in the championship, has been a class apart but his guest driver status rules him out as championship contender.

Prashanth Tharani leads the points table among Indian drivers with 256 points but the Chennai-based driver has Mumbai's Rahil Noornai snapping at his heels with 232 points. Chandigarh's Angad Matharoo is third at 222 points. The champion will earn a free entry in next year's Scirocco Cup in Germany.