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MUMBAI: The ecstasy associated with India?s biggest and most coveted motorsport racing event is back. Come this weekend and the 13th edition of the much awaited JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2010 begins at the Madras Motor Race Track at Irungaatukottai. This edition will mark the transition of the National Racing Championship to a higher competitive level as some new formats with exciting races have been introduced.
?With a continuing vision to make motorpsort more popular, we have been adding on new formats and categories to make the sport more thrilling and at par with International standards. From Single Seater Racing to now a complete range in Tin-Top racing segment, the championship has been consistently moving up the value chain to provide a high level of competitiveness and exposure to participants,? said Mr. Sanjay Sharma ? Head Motorsports, JK Tyre and Industries Ltd.
The most remarkable addition to the racing categories this year is the Volkswagen ? JK Tyre Polo Cup India. This year, in 2010, the Polo Cup marks its debut in India in the 13th JK Tyre National Racing Championship season.
The one make-one car Polo Cup is being organized keeping in mind the ?Touring Car School? concept of Volkswagon. This has been running successfully in countries like the USA, China, South Africa and Denmark.
Driving camps were organized in Kolhapur and Coimbatore racing tracks to select the 20 best drivers to compete in the Volkswagon ? JK Tyre Polo Cup India for the 2010 season, and it did not come as a surprise that 80% of the selected drivers had graduated from JK Tyre racing & karting programs.
JK Tyre gave a rousing welcome to its international partner, by successfully organizing the inaugural round of the Volkswagon - JK Tyre Polo Cup on the 30th May 2010, in Pune - the hometown of Volkswagen India.
History was created in Indian Motorsport, as over 20,000 people watched along the street circuit in Balewadi, along with thousands enjoying the Live telecast on a leading TV Sports Channel, as talented Indian drivers battled it out on the track, in the 1.6 litre, 130 ps common rail diesel engine driven Volkswagon Polo car.
Overall this year, there will be a total of twelve races in the Polo Cup India 2010, which will run as a part of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship
The 13th edition of the National championship is going to be a treat for all the motorsport lovers. This season for the first time, the races will be broadcast with live timings which can be accessed on PC or Internet mobile phones. The link is www.apexracing.in/time/live.html .
The notable teams on the grid this season are Amaron Pro Racing, Meco Racing, Rams Racing, Mars Racing, VA-RAD Racing, Performance Racing, N1 Racing, Prine Racing, Team TVS Girling, Team Wallace Sports, Team Aerodene Race Krafts, Team Game Over, Team Moto Rev India, & Team Hot Cars Zone.
The Formula LGB Swift Category will see a packed grid, which includes the experienced Ameya Walawalkar, Ajay Kini and the talented Goutham Parekh and K.Vinoth.
The Super Saloons - which adhere to a cc to weight ratio of 1:1.75 will also see a more competitive grid, as B. Vijay Kumar, Sailesh Bollisetti, Madhumitha Rao and Siddharth Kishore will renew battle-cries on the racetrack.
To complete the range of options in the Tin Tops segment of the National Racing Championship, another new category has been added on this season.
The Indian Junior Touring Car Class (IJTC) is the category for start up drivers, and features young drivers in Race Star Cup Cars, which are stock cars with minor Suspension and engine modifications. The carburetted engines having modified cylinder and cam shaft adjustments are provided Free of Charge to the competitors by LG Sports, in an attempt to bridge the speed difference between the Super Saloons and the IJTC cars while also keeping the category affordable for budding drivers to compete in.
Every year, the JK Tyre National Racing Championship has added new elements to raise the competitive level of motorsport in the country. The company introduced the Junior Cup to give youngsters a chance to acclimatize to Single Seater Racing. It completed the backward integration by launching the JK Tyre National Rotax Max Karting Challenge in 2004 and the Rotax Rookie Cup this year.
This year, the championship takes another step forward, as it re-launches the Formula Rolon Class. The Bodywork of the car has been revamped and given a spanking new look, by LG Sports, the makers of the car chassis. The improved aerodynamics of the car creates greater downforce, which gives the car better cornering speed.
Under the hood, the car is powered by 1300 cc Suzuki engines, which are fully modified with a fully programmable ECU. The customized engine gives upto 140 hp thrust ? which packs quite a punch.
So with an exciting and action packed 6 rounds, the new season of the 2010 JK Tyre National Racing Championship promises to unveil new champions and racers, who will be keep the Indian flag flying high in the international arena in the days to come!
