Mars on a hot streak

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Team Mars Racing are the hotshots in the ongoing JK Tyre national racing championship.

There was no stopping the Mars Racing cars as the Chennai-based team have emerged victorious in all the four Formula Swift single-seater races so far.

Drivers R. Deepak and Ameya Walavalkar are proving to be a formidable combination, while the duo are blessed with well-tuned Formula Swift cars. Working behind the scene are young Saran Vikram and his father Shanmugam. Reigning champion Saran had no other choice than shifting his focus to tuning the vehicles after the organisers decided to drop the Formula Rolon class.

Talented Saran’s racing career is at crossroads with no sponsorship backing to go international. “At least, I am hoping to get a decent job with my diploma course in aircraft maintenance,” said Saran.

If it’s Saloon cars, it’s veterans

The Indian Touring Cars’ (Saloons) love affair with the veterans continues in the national championship.

67-year-old D. Vidhyaprakash and 58-year-old B. Vijaykumar shared the honours by winning a race each at the recently-concluded second round. While single-seaters are considered the class of youngsters, Saloon cars provide platform for veterans who want to continue their passion.

Though it’s expensive to convert a road car into a race-specific saloon, the packed grid underlines the interest level. 2009 champion Radha Selvaraj, who finished on podium in the second race of the weekend, says driving a front-wheel drive Saloons is no child’s play.

“It’s a different ball game. That’s why those who are coming from Formula cars are struggling to cope with the tin-tops,” he added.

Drivers for a cause

The weekend’s racing not only enthralled the speed junkies. It also kept a small gathering of children on their feet. As part of JK Tyres’ Corporate Social Responsibility rogramme, a group of underprivileged children from Coimbatore schools were given a memorable weekend getaway to the Kari Motor Speedway.

During the lunch break, drivers took a timeout and distributed gifts to the enthusiastic children, who left home with big grins.

Highfliers Ajay and Sudanand

Ajay Kini and Sudanand Daniel Rajan are high-fliers. Busy schedule is not a damper for the two commercial pilots, who are strong contenders in the Polo Cup and Formula Swift.

Ajay, who works with IndiGo, had an eventful weekend with a second place finish, while AirAsia pilot Sudanand missed a golden opportunity to win the race after leading it for a brief time.

Former champion Sudanand, who had some mechanical issues with the car, is hoping to bounce back in the next round.

The fastest scribe

Trading their pens for steering wheels, as many as nine journalists took part in a media race. Volkswagen’s driver coach Rayomand Banerjee, a former national champion, taught the nuances of racing to the scribes.

The eight-lap race had its share of thrills and spills with some bumper-to-bumper driving and off-track excursions. Overdrive’s Bertrand D’Souza emerged winner leading the race from pole to flag.