Chennai: The stakes and expectations are as high as they can get in the fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 to be held at the Madras International Circuit from Friday.
The two premier categories, MRF F2000 and the Touring Cars comprising three classes, will have three races apiece while four will be run in the Volkswagen Polo Cup, and two each in the Formula LGB 1300 and the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios).
The titles in each of these categories are up for grabs and few points separate the front-runners, thus setting the stage for an exciting finish to the monsoon-interrupted 2022 season that spilled over to 2023.
In what could be a humdinger, the MRF F2000 is headed towards a nail-biting finish, with five drivers having realistic as well as mathematical chances (depending on the results) of clinching the championship.
With a maximum of 75 points on offer, Sai Sanjay (153), Mohamed Ryan (125), Dillon Thomas Zacharaiah (117), Divy Nandan (113) and Chirag Ghorpade (112) are the front-runners.
Two Coimbatore stars, 10-time National champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, 93 points) and former title winner Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports, 86), head the Indian Touring Cars category.
As per provisional standings, Chennai drivers and Performance Racing teammates Akkineni Anand Prasad (92) and Raja Rajan (78) are ahead of the pack in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category.
Another Chennai and Performance Racing driver, Ritesh Rai (111) enjoys a healthy 31-point lead over S. Narendran (Redline Racing) in the Super Stock class.
The Formula LGB 1300 category has seen the closest races this season with plenty of wheel-to-wheel competition. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) from Mamallapuram and Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj are separated by 15 points in the provisional points table.
Sai Sanjay, the leader in MRF F2000 category.
Arjun Balu, who is in the lead in the Indian Touring Cars category.
