BIC to host National Racing events for both bikes, 4-wheelers

Greater Noida, 13 Sept 2013: For the first time in the history of Indian motorsports, both 2-Wheelers and 4-Wheelers of the National Racing Championship under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI) will race together in a special weekend at the Buddh International Circuit in here this weekend.

According to a press release from Adrenna Communications, both the National Racing Championship and Indian National Motorcycle Championship will take place on Saturday and Sunday bringing together the biggest manufacturers in the world. Toyota, Honda, Yamaha will bring the international manufacturers together while MRF Tyres and TVS Racing will keep the Indian flag flying high. This will also mark the first time that a motorcycle race will be held at the BIC since the circuit opened in 2011.

The launch saw the 160+ participants standing on the main straight of the BIC under the start-finish lights along with various racing categories that will take place this weekend. The five partners (MRF, TVS, Toyota, Yamaha, Honda) all addressed the media and stressed on the need to develop motorsports in the country and this weekend being one little step.

Speaking on the main straight of the Circuit Vicky Chandhok, President, FMSCI, said: “This is truly a great moment for us to have both 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers racing on the same weekend. We would like to do this in a more regular basis depending on the outcome of the weekend. The home of the Indian GP is a great place to host this event for the first time ever. It is great to see manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Yamaha, TVS and of course MRF Racing all coming together for one simple goal – develop the sport in India. To have the first ever motorcycle race at the BIC is truly a great feeling and I am confident that this is the first of many. We will have motorcycle racing, single-seater racing, sportscar racing, what more could a racing fan ask for?”

The historic weekend will feature the MRF 1600 category, Toyota EMR Trophy and the Indian Touring Cars and Indian Junior Touring Cars Championship in the 4-Wheeler category. The 2-Wheeler races will include the the TVS Apache RTR-180 category, Yamaha Y2F R15 One Make Championship, Honda CBR 250 One Make Championship and NRC Experts, Group C upto 165cc.

Ajit Thomas, President, MMSC, was thrilled at the prospect of both cars and bikes racing on the same weekend. “This is the 17th year of the National Racing Championship and we are really excited about this special weekend that will see both bikes and cars running together. In our 60th year I am extremely proud of the great work done by everyone at the MMSC and all our esteemed partner. We are keen to take this unique initiative to the BIC and looking to make this a constant fixture in the coming years. We have only one objective in mind and that is to develop motorsports in the country and do everything in our power to make it a success,” he said.  

MRF Racing, will unleash their MRF 1600 category  on the BIC for only the second time, after being the support race for the Formula One Indian GP in 2011. Ashwin Sundar wrapped up the championship in the last round in Chennai but young pretenders Tarun Reddy, Advait Deodhar and Vikash Anand will be looking to make their mark at this challenging circuit. The international drivers have been impressive with Yudai Jinkawa taking three wins and Kizuki Hirota taking one win.

Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, said: “Coming to the BIC is always a special feeling and we can’t wait to see our cars go around this great circuit. Since the lap is longer and harder on the tyres we have had to push the envelope to ensure the driver’s can push the cars to the limit. We are extremely proud of the entire MRF 1600 season and a special thank you to the entire team who have made this possible. At the beginning of the season we were clear that we wanted to have a competitive series and am glad to see that we have achieved this. There is no better way to end the season that letting these young drivers fight it out at the BIC.”

The Indian Touring Car championship will see championship leader looking to close out the title as heads to the BIC with a 34 point lead. Last year’s champion Arjun Balu has seen his title hopes fade over the last two rounds as he has struggled to finish on the podium. He is level on points with V Ramnarayan as they will battle for the second place this weekend.

The Toyota Etios Motor Racing (EMR) Trophy will continue their participation in the 2013 NRC with 4 races being held at the BIC for the race weekend. This will be the first time that the Toyota EMR cars will race at the BIC. The winners will get an opportunity to race outside India to further hone their skills. The Toyota EMR had a great first round in Chennai and will give their young drivers the opportunity to impress at the BIC. Diljith was dominant at the earlier round in Chennai winning 2 out of the 3 races and will be the favourite to win again.

Commenting on this occasion, Sanjay Gupta, General Manager, Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “After a fun & excitement filled exhibition race season last year, the inaugural round of EMR Trophy took place in July in Chennai this year. This is our second participation in the National Racing Championship and the first time that the EMR cars will be driven at the BIC. Racing at the BIC will be a huge boost for all our drivers as they are all geared to take on the EMR Trophy. The best three EMR drivers of both Trophy I & II will also get the opportunity to race at the Vios Cup scheduled to take place in Thailand this year. It is a single make racing conducted by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in Thailand.”

The races from the FMSCI 2013 FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship will include the TVS Apache RTR-180 category, Yamaha Y2F R15 One Make Championship, Honda CBR 250 One Make Championship and NRC Experts, Group C upto 165cc.

The TVS Apache RTR-180 category has Ananth Raj in the lead with 93 points, with second placed SK Prakash 20 points behind him and Arun M further behind. Arvind Pangaonkar, Head, TVS Racing and Advisor R&D, TVS Motor Company, commented, “TVS Racing’s commitment to motorsport is evident in the fact that TVS Motor Company has for more than 25 years participated in, supported and excelled in various types of motorsports events held across the country. Such platforms help us get practical, hands on learning and insights.  This wealth of knowledge subsequently gets translated into our stock motorcycles to enhance customer delight.”

The Yamaha Y2F R15 One Make Championship is much closer with the top 5 riders separated by only 20 points. Shyam Shankar leads the championship ahead of Mathana Kumar. Behind them there is a five point difference separating M Sudhakar, P Ananth Raj and Dinesh Kumar.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Ravinder Singh, VP- Sales Strategy Planning, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. said, “Motorsports has always been an integral part of our corporate philosophy. We’ve always given special importance to motorcycle racing in India as we consider it a way of expressing the ‘Spirit of Challenge’ that we value so highly. We’ve really come a long way since 2010 when we first started the R15 One Make Race Championships in India. Through the R15 One Make race Championship, which is one of our key initiatives to connect with our customers, we aspire to take the motorcycle racing culture to newer heights in the country. This is the first time the race involving national level riders is being hosted at the Buddh International Circuit, a step which will help increase awareness on the Indian racing culture in this part of the country as well. We are very happy with this development as it is very much in line with our endeavor to take the racing culture to newer heights in the country.”

India’s only MotoGP rider Sarath Kumar leads the charge in the Honda CBR 250 One Make Championship with 73 points. The battle behind him is extremely close with upcoming rider Sumit Lucas Toppo in second place ahead of international race winner K Rajni Krishnan.

“This is the first time that HMSI is conducting Honda One Make Race at Buddh International Circuit. As a responsible member of society, Honda will continue to expand safe fun biking culture in India. With the CBR 250R under Team Championship, Honda will promote its global legacy of providing advanced motor-sports experience of expert riders.”, said Mr. Y S Guleria- Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India.

The NRC Experts Group C upto 165cc category is the closest of all with K Jagan and Vivek Pillai tied for first place with Sumit Lucas Toppo in third place, just 8 points away.

For all the live action go to www.madrasmotorsports.in

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