K-1000 set to begin after shaky start

After the Delhi leg -- the original fourth round -- was cancelled due to rain and the Hyderabad leg (fifth round) was postponed to a later date due to an incomplete course, the Bangalore stage was expected to put the season back on track. But things did not look too bright for the Karnataka Motor Sports Club-run event to begin with.

However, KMSC organising commitee member Bharath Raj dismissed the chances of the second stage not being run and said APRC and INRC stewards had approved the track after a run at 4.00 pm.  

FIA stewards Steven Kennedy and Allen Oh, and observer Martin Willard were inclined to dismiss the second stage as it was thought to be too dangerous, and also cancelled the shake down at Clarks Exotica due to safety concerns, but a run in the evening changed that stand.

With the race set to go according to plan, six-time INRC champion Naren Kumar (co-driver Ram Kumar, 27 points) of Red Rooster Racing will eye a record seventh title in the 2000N+ category after blistering performances at Coimbatore and Jodhpur.

Last year’s champion Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif, 16) got off to a breathtaking start with a typically dominating win in the season opener but the Delhi driver lost ground due to mechanical failures in the last two races.

RRR’s Vikram Mathias (PVS Murthy, 24) and Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik, 16) are placed second but a win here should give the table a new look.