Sai Sanjay (No. 33), championship leader in the MRF F2000 category.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 enters its crucial phase when the third and penultimate round gets underway at the Madras International Circuit, here on Friday with the title contenders in all categories jostling for points and positions.
While the MRF Formula 2000 category continues to headline a card of 14 races, a fresh grid in the championship is the Volkswagen Polo Cup with a 15-car field. Both these categories will have four races apiece over the weekend.
The Polo Cup field includes two drivers from Bangladesh — Avik Anwar, winner of the UAE Pro Car Championship, and Ishayat Hussain, in his second season in this category.
Salem’s Sai Sanjay (93 points) and Chirag Ghorpade (82) from Bengaluru are the front-runners in the MRF F2000 category with two wins each in five starts. Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (75) of Race Concepts, winner of all three races so far, enjoys a comfortable 35-point advantage in the ITC category.
Local racers Akkineni Anand Prasad of Performance Racing (55) and teammate Ritesh Rai (61) head the IJTC and Super Stock classes, respectively, but with challengers very much in their rearview mirrors.
