CHENNAI: The Madras International Karting Arena, inaugurated last week, is set to host its first competitive event this weekend, as the final round of the MECO-FMSCI National Karting Championship Rotax Max Classes gets underway.
A total of 54 entrants are competing, with titles up for grabs in the two-day event starting on Saturday. Championship winners in each category — Micro Max, Junior Max, and Senior Max — will go on to represent India at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Sarno, Italy, between 19-26 October.
The last four rounds of the tournament witnessed intense competition across all categories, resulting in a close race for the top spots on the leaderboard. However, with a maximum of 110 points (55 each for Pre-Finals and Finals) available in this concluding round, the championship race remains wide open.
In the Micro Max category, Chennai's 11-year-old Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSPORT) leads the championship, having delivered two dominant performances by winning both the Pre-Finals and Finals in Rounds 3 and 4, extending his lead by 32 points over Hamza Balasinorwala (Rayo Racing).
The Junior Max title fight is much closer, with Pune's Arafath Sheikh (Crest Motorsports) ahead of Mumbai's Aahil Mecklai (Rayo Racing) by just 17 points.
In the Senior Max category, former National champion Ruhaan Alva (MSPORT) from Bengaluru heads the leaderboard, buoyed by his strong results in Round 2, where he topped both the Pre-Finals and Finals. He currently enjoys a 22-point cushion over Chennai's Varun Hari Praveen (Peregrine Racing).
The two-day event will include official practice and qualifying sessions, along with Heats 1 and 2 for all categories on Saturday. Sunday will see the Pre-Finals and Finals, both offering crucial championship points.