VISAKHAPATNAM: The City of Destiny will host the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship, the flagship Nationals of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India, in December. This is for the first time that such an adventure motorsport event of this magnitude is being held in Andhra Pradesh. Thousands of people are expected to throng the racing route along the beach from RK beach to INS Kalinga to witness the high-end sophisticated cars move at a mind-blowing speed. The four-day rally will kick-start on December 17.
Speaking to TNIE, promoter of the national rally Merla Vamsi of Champions Yacht Club, which is hosting the motor rally in association with Karnataka Motor Sports Club, said Vizag was chosen to showcase the beauty of the city to the world. “Aesthetic beach view and long marine drive will provide the perfect setting for the four-day rally. Any visitor to the city will fall in love with the city. We are contemplating hosting a contenders’ rally in Hyderabad after the first round in Vizag which is likely to attract a record number of cars. In the last edition in Chennai, 65 cars participated and it is likely to attract more now. International stars, including the King of Indian Motorsports, Gaurav Gill, the only Arjuna awardee in the sport, will participate. International maestros such as Gill, Karna Kadu, Dean Mascarenhas and Amittraji Gosh will participate,” he said.
As many as 400 persons, mostly police and technical, will be deployed all along the route to monitor the rally. There will be 12 special stages of the rally, including eight on December 18 and four on December 19, from RK Beach to INS Kalin. A team of 35 rally experts and 40 HAM station operators from KMSC Bengaluru and 10 FMSCI officials will monitor the safety of the rally.
Prominent women drivers to fight it out
A host of women, as part of Women in Motorsports (WIM) are being provided free entries to support a platform for them to fight with men on equal footing. Mother-daughter doctor pair of Shivani and Deepthi Pruthvi, Pragathi Gowda, Deeksha Balakrishna, Madhi Sri Elangovan, Athira Murali are expected to be in the fray
Key teams
Teams such as MRF, JK Tyre, Mahindras, YokohomaArka Motorsports, Chettinad Sporting, Snap Racing, and other motorsports giants will participate in the rally.