Chennai: Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, would be seen in action at the MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship here this weekend. Besides 16-year-old Mike Schumacher, the FIA-inscribed MRF International Challenge, with a card of four races, will also witness other overseas drivers such as Jean Alesi’s son Giuliano, Harrison Newey, son of leading F1 designer Adrian Newey, in action.
The Chennai event is the final of the series. Previous rounds were held in Baharain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The National Championship would have double-headers in the MRF F1600 and the two classes of the Saloon cars — the Super Stock and the Indian Junior Touring Cars.
Two other categories, the Formula LGB 1300 and the Indian Touring Car, will join the championship from second round to be held in March. Also on this weekend’s programme card is a support event of two races for Honda CBR 250 bikes. However, with the championship still wide open, the focus would be as much on front-runners.
Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, heads the leader board with 168 points, ahead of Tatiana Calderon from Colombia (150), Russian Nikita Troitcki (137) and Belgium’s Alessio Picariello (134), while the Indian interest will be around Chennai teenager Tarun Reddy, who is currently sixth in the championship.
As for the MRF Formula 1600, run on Ford engine, the competition is expected to be close and fierce as was the case last season when Karthik Tharanisingh emerged champion, pipping Goutham Parekh, the contest between the two going down to the wire.
The pair, along with Arjun Narendran, who finished third and winner of the Indian Touring Cars championship, will be again going head-to-head for the top honours.
For the first time, the MRF F1600 will boast of a full grid of 17 drivers followed by a waiting list of aspirants awaiting a chance to get a drive. The happy situation is due to the shootout that MMSC had organised recently, providing opportunity for all-comers to make the race grid.
The Saloon car races, as always, expected to throw up its share of wheel-to-wheel racing that has made this category one of the most popular among the petrol-heads. Dr VJ Senthil, the 2014 champion from Trichy, is back in the hunt in the IJTC class after a season’s break, and his presence among a crop of young guns should add spice to the proceedings.
