Max attack
AYRTON SENNA called karting the purest, rawest form of motorsport. Coming from him, it sounds a bit ridiculous. Here was a man who lived and died in pursuit of the fastest time, driving the pinnacle of track technology, saying the essence of motorsport could be found in a 10bhp go-kart. It sounds a bit like when rich people say “money isn’t everything”, doesn’t it?
In motorsport circles, much like Yoda and the Jedi, questioning Senna is high treason tantamount to blasphemy and probable death. I can almost see the foaming mouths and gnashing teeth waiting to rip me to shreds. As much as I like being shredded, I found myself at the JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Karting Championship at Kolhapur in search of the truth.
The karting championship was returning to Kolhapur after three years. It provides a platform unlike any other for aspiring racers. It is run over two categories, junior and senior max. The Junior category saw Bangalore boys Kush Maini and Ricky Donison finish on top. Aaroh Ravindra came in third for Rayo Racing. For Aaroh and Kush, it was their third podium in three races.
In the senior category, Chittesh Mandody got off to a good start. The Rayo Racing duo of Ameya Bafna and Nayan Chatterjee got off to good starts behind Mandody. At end of lap 1, it was Rayo Racing 1 and 2, with Ameya and Nayan battling ferociously for the lead. Dhruv Mohite moved to third with Vishnu Prasad of Meco Racing hot on his heels. Vishnu eventually pipped Dhruv for third, while Ameya claimed his second victory of the year. Ameya’s team-mate Nayan finished in second place.
In the high intensity sport of motor racing, it’s easy to be gruff when tempers fly and the testosterone hits the fan. Even grown men lose their patience from time to time. Mechanical failures, pile-ups, concentration lapses are all in a day’s work for the professional racer, learning to deal with it all is the devil. Aside from the obvious understanding of racing lines and mechanical knowledge, karting provides a foundation unlike anything else for aspiring drivers. But what I saw in each and every one of the kids out on the track that weekend – most of whose helmets were probably heavier than their tiny little heads – was maturity beyond their years.
The National Karting championship action straight from Kolhapur