K-1000 gets a new slot in May; Hampi, Nagaland new venues for INRC

Bengaluru, 22 March 2021: The iconic Karnataka 1000, well known as K1000, which suffered a two-year break in its chequered history, will begin afresh as the second round of the National calendar with the traditional dates moved from August to May. The Champions Yacht Club, the promoters of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), for four-wheelers announced the calendar for 2021 with  six rounds and have added two more venues to the historic National championship by naming Nagaland, and Hampi, which successfully completed the Contender round this January. Delhi makes a comeback after last hosting a National round in 2005, the Rally of the North.

After a truncated season, the Champion Yacht Club FMSCI INRC 2021 will begin with the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) round in Chennai, run simultaneously with the Asian and National round, the popular South India Rally, from April 23 to 25. The round will also kick-start the Indian calendar in the hot summer of Chennai. Hosts Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC), one of the best clubs in India, who are known for their meticulous administration and well-planned events, are making no stone unturned to make the return of `the’ international event a grand success. India did not host any international motorsports events for two years except the MRF challenge racing. The SIR, INRC’s first round will be held in and around Irungattukottai in Kanchipuram district around the MMRT and will have a Super Special Stage and Track stage and there will be two more physical stages named, Avisa and Alpha.

The Nationals will culminate in the picturesque North-Eastern state of Nagaland from November 12 to 14 to be organised by NAMSA, who produced a first-time National winner when Launusanen Pongenar dramatically turned tables and proved all experts wrong winning his class on a vehicle which was initially disqualified for being “old” and lacking `Fitness’. Namsa’s Nagaland venue will be the latest addition to join the map of Indian rallying, as a new INRC venue.

Hampi, which was denied a round by FMSCI in 2020, did a tremendous job of successfully organising a motorsport event, and taught a lesson or two to veteran motorsport organisers on how to rope in a sponsor, as they managed to get a strong backing by JSW. Hampi will be the other new venue for the INRC rounds with a proper round of INRC this year.

Though, Arunachal Pradesh hosted the National event for three years, if fell off the map and Nagaland will be hosting its first ever INRC round to host the grand finale of the country’s premier motorsport event.

After round 1, the bandwagon will move to Bengaluru for K-1000 on May 28 to 30, hosted by Karnataka Motor Sports Club. Then the third round will be hosted by CASC (Coimbatore Auto Sports Club) in Coimbatore from July 17 to 18. The Delhi-NCR round from August 27 to 28, is yet to be finalised as FMSCI is required to approve it.

Also this year’s championship will see the SUV class added into the mix to give a chance to other drivers in the country to display their skill on the national circuit, in view of the cancellation of Raid de Himalaya. SUVs have been part of INRC from 2014 with Mahindra’s fielding the top winning combination of Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif. However, it will not be a separate National Championship class, and will run only as INRC class.

“We could not go all out last year due to reasons known to all. The pandemic had tied our hands and it was very difficult for us to organise a full season but still we did what we could do best and completed three rounds. But we are back on the track again and will have six rounds again this year,” Vamsi Merla, director of Champions Yacht Club and promoter of INRC said.

“When we came into motorsports, it was always our mission to take the sports to all the parts of the country and make it more inclusive and that is the reason we have given a chance to three new clubs. We are anticipating a great year ahead and hope that it exceeds all our expectations,” he further added.

Motor Sports Academy of Vijayanagar will carry out the operations in Hampi, meanwhile Nagaland Adventure and Motor Sports Association have been given the responsibility of the final round.

While Chennai,  Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Hampi have been ratified by the Rally Commission of the FMSCI, the Delhi-NCR and Nagaland round is subject to an FMSCI inspection and confirmation of the local organisers by the FMSCI.

INRC 2021 Calendar:

Round 1 – Chennai: Madras Motor Sports Club – April 23-25;

Round 2 – Bengaluru:  Karnataka Motor Sports Club -May 28-30;

Round 3 – Coimbatore: Coimbatore Auto Sports Club – July 17-18;

Round 4 – *Delhi, BND Motor Sports , August 27-28;

Round 5 -Hampi: Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar – October 1-3;

Round 6 – *Nagaland, NAMSA, – November 12-14;

*Subject to FMSCI inspection and confirmation of organizer by the FMSCI