Chennai, Feb 14 (IANS) A mouth-watering contest between two of India’s top drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Gaurav Gill, will headline the concluding round of the 2013 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 series commencing here Saturday along with the first round of the 2014 MRF Formula 1600 championship.
While neither Karthikeyan, India’s first Formula One driver, nor Gill, winner of the 2013 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and a former National racing champion, is in the hunt for the MRF title, the two speed devils racing side by side in the Renault engine-powered Formula 2000 is a sight not to be missed.
The F2000 series pits the two title contenders Tio Ellinas of Cyprus who leads with 150 points and British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook with 128 points. Frenchman Arthur Pic, who is second in the championship with 134 points, will be absent due to prior commitments.
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Besides Karthikeyan, who is a guest driver, and Gill, in only his second race of the season, the other Indians on the grid are youngsters Vikash Anand and Raj Bharath for whom it will be another learning experience.
“MRF invited me to race this weekend and I could not turn down the offer to race in front of my home crowd. It has been a long time since I raced in Chennai, and am looking forward to having fun this weekend.
“The MRF Challenge not only has the fastest cars but also have some the fastest young drivers on the grid from across the globe,” said Karthikeyan who is set to drive in Japan’s Super Formula later this season.
The MRF Challenge champion will receive a purse of Rs. 25 lakh while the runner-up will be awarded Rs. 15 lakh and the third placed driver Rs. 10 lakh.
The F1600 grid is also very competitive with teenager Tarun Reddy, youngest winner of a race last year, alongside Vikash Anand, 2013 Formula LGB champion Narendran Sankaran, Mihir Dharkar, Arjun Narendran, Advait Deodhar and Siddharth Trivellore among others.
As in the past, the weekend will also witness the popular MRF Muscle Freestyle Riders Callum Shaw and Luke Smith performing their world famous stunts like the ‘Superman’, ‘Whip’, ‘Backflip’, ’9Knack’ and many more.
Adding to the festival atmosphere is a group of Harley Davidson riders showcasing their motorcycles while the Tamil Nadu Cycling Club (TCC) will be conducting Criterium cycle race jointly with Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) in four categories — Boys, Women, Men’s open and Men’s elite (by invitation only).
