INTENSE COMBAT
Round one and two of the 2024 Indian National Car Racing Championship saw super competitive racing. We break it down for you
THE 2024 SEASON SAW 50 DRIVERS PARTICIPATE ACROSS SEVEN CATEGORIES
THE INDIAN NATIONAL CAR Racing Championship (INCRC) is widely regarded as the pinnacle of car racing in India, and for good reason. It brings together the best of both worlds — rising talents and experienced veterans who always put on a good show. Following a short winter break, racing returned to the Madras International Circuit (MIC) in February for the 2024 season, which saw 50 drivers participate across seven categories.
Round 1
The first round saw a lot of action, especially in the top tier classes. In the MRF Formula 2000 category, Shillong-based Jaden Rahman Pariat, who was leading the first race until the last lap, had to surrender his lead and settle for P2 due to issues with his powertrain. As a result, it was Bengalurubased Chetan Surineni who ended up winning. But Jaden came out strong the next day with back-to-back wins in race 2 and 3. He said, “I did some preparation by watching my onboard videos from my December race. I realised there was plenty in the car. It was a question of putting things together which I did this weekend.”
The MRF Formula 1600 category saw nothing but pure dominance by Abhay Mohan who went on to win all three races. “My only target for this round was to be on top, which I did,” he said. Zahan Commissariat bagged P2 in all three races. The Indian Touring Car championship category saw the return of Biren Pithawalla, who bagged P2 in the championship last year. He started this season on a strong note, winning both races. Following him were Ritesh Rai and Pratik Sonawane who bagged P2 in each race respectively. Performance Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar also made it to the podium, with a brace of P3 finishes.
In the Indian Junior Touring Cars category, Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala crossed the line in P1, ahead of his teammate Srinivas Teja, but Srinivas had the upper hand in race 2, beating Jamnagarwala. The Super Stock category was dominated by Angad Matharoo who won both races and Diana Punde just came short of making it a clean sweep, winning two of the three races in the MRF Saloons class. Lastly, in the Formula LGB 1300 category, it was Viswas
Vijayraj who won two races, losing only to his teammate Arya Singh in the second race.
Round 2
In round 2, which was held on the following weekend of February 25, Jaden Pariat continued to impress with his strong performance, winning all three races of the MRF Formula 2000 category. Abhay Mohan also followed that with a clean sweep, by bagging P1 in all the three races in the MRF Formula 1600 class. In the Indian Touring Cars category, Biren Pithawalla won his fourth race in a row. Deepak Ravikumar, again, also made the podium in both races. Srinivas Teja won two consecutive races in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category. Yokeshwaran also made the podium in both races, finishing third twice. In the Super Stock category, Angad Matharoo of Buzzing Hornet Motorsports was disqualified for a technical violation even though he crossed the finish line first. Anirudha Arvind of Redline Racing India was awarded the victory as a result. However, Matharoo recovered and won Race 2 the following day, beating Arvind. Viswas Vijayaraj of DTS Racing won the first and third races of the Formula LGB 1300. However, he was unable to complete the sweep as he was outraced by Balaprasath in race 2.
The 2024 INCRC has begun on a high note. After a couple of intense action packed weekends, 17-year old Jaden Pariat, who was literally a force to be reckoned with, currently leads the championship in the Formula 2000 class. Going by all the action that unfurled in the first two rounds, round 3 of the INCRC, scheduled for July 27-28, 2024, is going to be a nail biter for sure. ⌧