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JKFMSCI National Championship: Surya Varathan seals the deal in picturesque Coimbatore to lift Novice Cup
Situated on the outskirts of Coimbatore in a place called Chettipalayam, the 2.1km long track at the Kari Motor Speedway was used for the penultimate round of the championship.
People are greeted by the ear-splitting revving sound of engines while making their way inside the Kari Motor Speedway — the venue that hosted the third round of JKFMSCI national racing championship.
Situated on the outskirts of Coimbatore in a place called Chettipalayam, the 2.1km long track was used for the penultimate round of the championship, which boasts of giving the country multiple race drivers in the past.
The picturesque location added to the thrill as the calmness of windmills and palm trees situated around the area acted as the perfect foil for the fiery beasts shouting on the top of their voices on the racing track.
There is an old adage in Motorsport which says ‘a driver is only as good as his or her machine’, however JK Motorsports head Sanjay Sharma doesn’t seem to believe in that notion.
“We try to provide a level playing field to every racer so that the racer wins and not the machine,” Sharma told the Hindustan Times.
When asked about the safety of the drivers who put their lives on the line in the three events — Euro JK, Formula 4 LGB and Novice Cup — Sharma claimed that their hands-on approach makes it easier to tackle crashes and collisions, which happens often in the high-octane sport.
“We are always prepared for any kind of situation. When somebody is down and before the ambulance reaches the exact location on the track, our guys get to the injured racer first and helps the driver and the car come off the track to avoid any further mishap,” Sharma said.
“We provide proper training and drills to prepare the authorized people for any such scenario,” he added.
The 21st national racing championship also saw its fair share of history being created this year as for the first time ever, an all-women team participated in the Formula 4 LGB event. Founded by former national champion Sarosh Hataria, the Ahura racing team is driving its way forward into the spotlight.
“In July, I was told that Sarosh is planning to come up with an all-women’s team and they wanted me to come on board to mentor them. I was very thrilled at the prospect as I used to race with Sarosh in 2004. I was more than happy to help getting in more women into the sport as during my time, I was the only woman on the track, chasing men around the corners,” said Divya Miglani, a professional racer and India’s first trained race control dcoc.
“Out of 60 women who turned up for the selection process, 12 were selected, six first team racers and six for the reserves. These women are now competing at the National Championship but we must be patient with them right now and look at improving them as racers rather than checking their scores out,” she added.
FMSCI’s Chairman of Women Motorsports Sita Raina said if things go according to plan, people may soon see an all-women grid competing for title.
“We will identify and select six more talented women racers and then the idea is to give them proper training before they can compete against the ones who are already present on the circuit,” she said.
In the Euro JK category, the only woman racer participating, finished eighth to showcase her massive potential. 18-year-old Mira Erda has been receiving good reviews since breaking on to the circuit and her reputation keeps on increasing with every passing race.
Not just women, but few young guns are also turning heads with their stunning performances. Surya Varathan lifted the Novice Cup while 15-year-old Tijil Rao finished second, leaving some seasoned campaigners in their wake en route to glory.
“These youngsters have been amazing. Tijil is part of the team which is owned by a former racer and it is great to see that people who have been part of the circuit for long are now grooming the young talent. So the idea is to give it back to the sport in whichever way possible,” Miglani said.
The Novice cup may have ended but there is still lot to fight for in the other two categories. After setting ablaze Coimbatore, the battle now moves to the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida — the venue for the fourth and final round of the competition and it will decide who will be crowned as the national champions.
As things stand, Chennai’s Ashwin Datta is well on course to win his maiden Euro JK title as he has a two-point lead over Nayan Chatterjee after the conclusion of Round 3.
The LGB Formula 4 too proved to be topsy-turvy but Vishnu Prasad managed to keep his nose barely ahead despite not having the best of weekends and will have his work cut-out in the final round at the BIC.
