Irungattukottai MMRT turns 25; MRF Challenge final round at Chennai

Irungattukottai (Chennai), 21 Jan 2015: The Madras Motor Sport Club (MMSC), one of the oldest motorsport clubs in India, will celebrate 25 years of the Irungattukottai Madras Motor Race Track. Round 1 of India’s biggest domestic racing championship The MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship will provide non-stop action this weekend and feature some of the fastest racing categories in India with the India’s only international series, the MRF Challenge 2014, taking centre stage.

Fans will be thrilled with plenty more action on the cards including the fastest bikes in the country, Superbikes, fastest national single-seater series, MRF FF1600 and the fastest saloon cars in the country, the Indian Touring Car Championship (ITC). They will be also be joined by the Indian Junior Touring Car Championship (IJTC) and the Superstock category.

The MMRT has been critical for Indian motorsports and has been first step for India’s only Formula 1 drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok. It has also played a role in developing other Indian stars, including Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel and more recently Tarun Reddy. The NRC has taken motorsports across the country with races held in Chennai, Coimbatore, Kolkata and Greater Noida.

Mr. Vicky Chandhok, Vice-President of the MMSC, was thrilled to see the progress made by the NRC in promoting Indian motorsport over the years. He commented, “The MMRT has played one of the most important roles in Indian motorsport as it was the first ever fully functional race track in India. Every Indian driver and rider have made their first steps here and this circuit will always hold a place in Indian motorsport history. It has helped the NRC in promoting and developing motorsport in the country. 25 years has seen progress over the years with vast improvements in the single-seater and touring car categories, infrastructure, and technology advancement. As the promoter, the entire MMSC team has constantly lived up to the challenges and ensured we provide the best possible racing environment. A special thank you to all our partners who continue to show commitment to the sport. This weekend will be a real treat for racing fans with the fastest cars and bikes taking to track and promising unlimited action.”

The FIA inscribed MRF Challenge 2014, which became the first Indian based motorsport series to go international last year, will look to end on a high with the final round taking place at the MMRT in Chennai. Young British driver Toby Sowery holds a slender 14 point lead over GP3 driver Ryan Cullen, with Indian driver Raj Bharath also in with a chance, albeit 29 points off the leader. With Cullen and Bharath having more experience at the highly technical Chennai circuit, the title battle promises to be a thriller. There will be 4 Indians on the grid with Raj being joined by Tarun Reddy, Lee Keshav and Mahavir Raghunathan. Both Sowery and Cullen have two wins each this year with Raj having one win to his name.

The three round calendar, which saw the leading Indian based single-seater racing category go international for the second year running, will also see prize money of Rs. 6,500,000 handed out to the winners of the Championship.

Mr. Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, commented, “After two entertaining rounds with 8 races, we are extremely excited to head back home to Chennai for the final round. All the drivers enjoy coming to the MMRT and find the circuit technical and highly challenging which makes it the perfect venue to crown our MRF Challenge 2014 Champion. We will also have our MRF FF1600 cars back for another season as this series plays an important role in preparing these youngsters for the next step, which is the MRF Challenge. We will continue to push the boundaries to ensure India is seen as a key global motorsport player.”

This weekend will also see Round 1 of the MRF FF1600 Championship. The FF1600 serves as a perfect platform for upcoming drivers with 4 drivers from last year graduating to the MRF Challenge. This year will see former Indian Junior Touring Cars Champion Feroze Khan, 2014 Volkswagen Polo Cup Champion Karthik Tharani Singh in the FF1600, along with defending Indian Touring Car Champion Arjun Narendran. The series will also feature several young drivers including Tejas Ram, Mahatru Krishnamurthi, and Anshul Shah. However the biggest crowd puller will be leading South Indian cinema star, Actor Jai who will make his debut in single-seaters with the MRF FF1600 series.

In the ITC category, Arjun Narendran will be back to defend his title against regular rivals Ashish Ramaswamy and B Vijaykumar. Last year’s IJTC winner Dr. VJ Senthil will graduate to the ITC and will definitely look to battle to for the title. The Superstock category will continue to be the breeding ground for young rookies looking to make their mark in the sportscar circuit. The ITC, IJTC and Superstock categories represent the fastest saloon car racing in the country and provides a great opportunity for drivers with different experience levels.

There will also be a special Superbike race this weekend, featuring some of the best 600cc & 1000cc bikes. There is an overall list of 14 entries in this category. This will be a great opportunity for 2-wheeler fans to get up close and see riders touching top speeds on some of the best superbikes in the country.

Practice and qualifying will take place on Friday with races starting on Saturday morning. Please visit www.madrasmotorsports.in for more information.

About MMSC

Madras Motor Sports Club, founded in 1952, is one of the oldest motorsports club in India & have been pioneers in conducting motorsports events in India for decades. MMSC hosts more than 14 racing events both cars & bikes, and equal number of TSD rallies in the city. MMSC owns and operates the Madras Motor Race Track Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur, Chennai, India. MMSC has been the promoter for the National Racing Championship for both 4-wheelers and 2-wheelers for decades.  It has constantly maintained the highest standards in organising motor sport at local, national & international levels including the recently conducted Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship. The MMSC is committed to the growth & development of the sport.

eom/MMSC press release