2006 JK Tyre National Racing Championship Round 6 : 23rd & 24th Dec 2006 : Chennai Grand Finale on 24th December 2006

The curtains will come down on this year’s formula car racing season with the 6th and final round of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2006 getting underway this weekend at the MMST Track in Irrungattukottai near Chennai. The qualifying will be held on Saturday, 23rd December 2006. One race each in the Formula LGB Swift and Formula LGB Hyundai categories will be held on the same day. Race 2 in these categories along with both races in the Formula Rolon Chevrolet category will be held on Sunday.

With the championship having been sealed in the 5th leg in all three categories - Formula Rolon Chevrolet, Formula LGB Hyundai and Formula LGB Swift by Gaurav Gill from Delhi , Rayomand Banajee from Pune and Saran Vikram from Chennai respectively the focus will be now shift to the battle for the 2nd and 3rd places. All the three drivers have amassed unbeatable leads having notched up 90, 91 and 84 points respectively.

In the Formula Rolon category Gaurav Dalal from Chennai is well placed in the second position with a tally of 61 points. It will a quadrangular fight for the third place between the veteran Indian racer from Chennai Akbar Ebrahim 38-pts, Ameya Walavalkar from Mumbai 36-pts, Rayomand Banajee from Pune 33-pts, and Akhil Khushlani from Hyderabad 32-pts.

Ajay Kini from Chennai is comfortably perched in the 2nd place of the Formula LGB Hyundai category having piled up 66 points. It will be a fascinating duel for the 3rd place between veteran racer C. Rajaram from Coimbatore and the young Ashwin Sunder from Chennai with one point separating them. Rajaram has 38 points against Ashwin’s 37. Also in the reckoning for the 3rd place slot are Chennai lads Sudarshan Rao and Anand Prasad with 29 and 26 points respectively.

The tussle for the 2nd and 3rd places in the Formula LGB Swift category promises to be a very exciting affair with four racers in the hunt. Saahil Shelar from Mumbai has 57 points and is closely followed by Chennai lads Ajay Kini & Ashwin Sunder and veteran racer C. Rajaram with 55, 54 and 53 points respectively.

Team wise, Wallace Sports has done extremely well to head the charts in Formula Rolon Chevrolet and Formula LGB Swift categories with 126 and 152 points respectively. Team Meco Sports is the leader in the Formula LGB Hyundai category having garnered 131 points.

The main races will commence at 11 am on Sunday.

Entry for the public is free.

JK Tyre’s strategic alliance with Maruti, General Motors & Hyundai to promote motor sports in India came as a shot in the arm for many aspiring racers who had the will but not the fortune to make a career in formula racing. The alliance saw MARUTI, GENERAL MOTORS and HYUNDAI powering Formula LGB Swift, Formula Rolon Chevrolet and Formula LGB Hyundai respectively to make this championship a turning point in Indian motor racing. All vehicles have were fitted with specially designed “Formula Tyres” from JK Tyre. And for aspiring domestic talent these racing machines were a major boon as they were able to race at 1/10th of the international cost.

This alliance was responsible for evolution of teams like WSRF, Meco Racing, Team NK Amaron, Team NK Speed, Gemini Racing, Prime Racing and Rams Racing, setting out in conquest of the grand title. Team NK Amaron and Team NK Speed comprised drivers handpicked by Narain Karthikeyan himself.

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