Hemanth Muddappa set to extend domination on Drag Nationals
Chennai, 26 Dec 2022: Reigning National champion Hemanth Muddappa representing Mantra Racing team from Bengaluru is expected to extend his domination this week as the curtains come down on the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit here this week with Rounds 2, 3 and 4, being run from Tuesday, December 27 to Friday, December 30.
In the first round in July, Muddappa won two National championship races and is all set to add to his kitty of nine National Championship titles.
While the first round of the four-round Championship was held in July, the subsequent outings could not be held as scheduled due to monsoon rains and the Mandhus cyclone that severely impacted the region. As such, the promoters, Madras Motor Sports Club, decided to bunch the remaining three rounds and complete the championship.
Tuesday has been set aside for practice sessions, while the following three days will witness final runs in Rounds 2, 3 and 4 at the end of which the National Champions will be declared.
As has been the trend in the championship, close to 150 entries, across eight categories, have been received with MMSC incentivising the riders to compete in all the three rounds this week.
One of the highlights of the weekend would be the 4-Stroke Unrestricted category where Muddappa faces arch-rival and fellow-Bengalurean Alimon Saidalvi who won the 302-metre dash in July.
On view this week would be an array of super bikes, ranging from the Suzuki Hayabusa to Triumph to BMW, besides a host of modified Indian bikes.
In fact, Bengaluru is very strongly represented in all the categories while riders from Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, fill up the rest of the grids.
Two of the categories – Super Sport 851-1050cc and Super Sport 166-225cc – will be run as support events.
As in the past, the 2-Stroke categories have attracted the most number of entries, totalling over 60 while the Girls class (4-Stroke up to 165cc) has eight competitors.
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the Madras International Circuit (earlier MMRT), in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC installed Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
