National karting championship

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, AUG. 20. The second edition of the JK Tyre National karting championship featuring nine races, two more than the inaugural event, will be flagged off in Bangalore on September 2.

After the success in the 2000 championship, in which Asif Nazir emerged the champion, the organisers added Kolkata and Chennai as new venues in the itinerary. The final of the championship will be held in Delhi on December 23.

The action at each centre will start a week before the day of the race. The participants will go through qualifying rounds, grid finals, semifinals and the final race to identify the regional finalists. The top two finishers at each venue will qualify for the final in Delhi.

The third-placed drivers will have another chance to qualify for the final by finishing among the top two in a special race to be conducted in Delhi.

The championship was declared open by top Indian race driver Narain Karthikeyan here on Monday. ``This (karting) is the most grass-root level of motor sport and it is gaining audience in the country. That's very heartwarming,'' Karthikeyan said.

Speaking about his programme, Karthikeyan said he would be leaving for Japan to rejoin the Formula Nippon championship. Karthikeyan, who test-drove for Jaguar F-1 team in June, said though there have been no immediate offers, his managers were negotiating with a few Formula One teams.

The schedule: Regional races: Bangalore (Sept. 2), Chennai (Sept. 16), Mumbai (Oct. 7), Hyderabad (Oct. 28), Ahmedabad (Nov. 4), Calcutta (Nov. 18), Baroda (Dec. 2), Ludhiana (Dec. 16); Final: Delhi (Dec. 23).

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Section  : Sport
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