SRIPERUMBUDUR, India – The MRF Formula 1600 Championship was decided narrowly in favor of Vikash Anand as the 2016 MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championships concluded at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT), near Chennai, this weekend. Anand, 22, won the 12th and final round by less than a second from rival Karthik Tharani to secure the championship crown.
Anand wins both a full-season drive in the 2016/2017 MRF Challenge series and an invitation to compete in the Mazda Road to Indy $200K Scholarship Shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Calif., in December.
“I worked hard to win this championship and I really can’t explain how I am feeling right now. Indy is a great opportunity to go abroad and explore new opportunities and learn. I will give my best to be competitive,” said Anand, who returned to racing this season after an 18-month break and notched six wins for a tally of 206 points, 10 ahead of Tharani.
Anand began his weekend by qualifying comfortably on pole position for the first of three races, but threw away his advantage by making a poor start in Saturday’s opening race. He recovered from fourth to finish second, albeit far behind Tharani, who thereby regaining the championship lead by seven points heading into Sunday’s double-header conclusion.
The grid for Sunday’s opening race, set by a reverse of the top four finishing positions from the previous day, saw Rahul Rangasamy starting from pole ahead of Sandeep Kumar and then the two title rivals, Anand and Tharani. Anand moved up to second place on the opening lap and then took the lead on Lap 7. He took the checkered flag 4.566 seconds ahead of Rangasamy, while Tharani, who had dominated the early part of the season, winning each of the first four races, could manage only third, narrowly ahead of Reddy.
Anand held a slender three-point edge over Tharani heading into the final race on Sunday afternoon and quickly pulled away to a three-second lead. Tharani responded by turning a series of fastest laps to close within a second but Anand held on to win both the race and the championship.
About Madras Motor Sports Club:
The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.
For more information, contact Anand Philar at apmediacom@yahoo.com.