Akhil leads fray at national racing

Even in a city known for its deep-rooted automobile heritage, this weekend’s motorsport fixture is more than a speed festival. The Kari Motor Speedway will be bustling with a bevy of high-revving beauties as two forms of motorsport — racing and rallying — converge at the same venue for the first time in India. The inaugural edition of the JK Tyre Racing Championship will have three competition classes (Formula BMW, Polo R Cup and LGB Formula 4), while the third round of the Indian National Rally Championship with the strongest-ever line-up ensures a grand spectacle for speed lovers. The two-day rally which will be flagged off on Saturday morning traverses through wind farms for a total distance of 347 km before culminating on the tarmac of the Speedway with a Spectator Super Special stage. The race track also houses Parc Ferme, where rally cars regroup for repairs. All eyes were on the FB02 machines with the Mygale chassis and 1.2litre BMW engines. The cars, which were previouly used in the JK Asia Series in 2011 and 2012, usher in a new era in domestic racing with young drivers, most of them graduating from karting, getting a taste of world-class equipment. Akhil Khushlani, one of two drivers with a previous experience of driving the BMW cars, says it’s a great opportunity for the budding drivers. “It’s a good inititative. When I drove the same cars in Formula BMW Pacific a couple of years ago, I had to spend almost a crore. Now, all the drivers are getting a free drive here. They only have to make a refundable deposit for damages,” said the Hyderabad youngster. The grid has 12 cars and all of them are exciting prospects. Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad will be the main challenger for Akhil. Chennai’s Saran Vikram, Sahara Force India Young Driver Academy’s Arjun Maini and Ameya Bafna are the others capable of upstaging Akhil. In the INRC, Malaysian Karamjit Singh, national champion Amittrajit Ghosh and Asia Pacific Rally title contendor Gaurav Gill are the big draws.