Amara Raja launches new karting challenge

Chennai, June 19: In yet another step towards playing a more direct role in promoting motorsport, Amaron Pro Racing, a corporate sporting initiative of leading automotive and indutrial battery maker 'Amara Raja Batteries' today announed the launch of 'Amaron Karting Challenge 2007' on July 8, to identify, nurture and promote young racing talent in the country.

Addressing a press conference here, Amara Raja Managing Director Jay Galla and India's first F3 driver Akbar Ebrahim of Meco Motor Sports, said this would be the first multi-city karting challenge in India with EVO-AE 1 Karts, the latest version of Subaru 4 stroke engines provided to rookie Karters in the age group of 3 to 17, who would be participating in the competition.

The competition would also be open to kartes who have not been on the podium in any other karting championship in the last three years, he said.

''EVO-AE Karts being used in India for the first time, are first rate topped with latest technology version of the Subaru 4 stroke with a power output of 9 BHP'', Akbar Ibrahim said, explaining the technical aspects of the new karting event.

Akbar said the first challenge would be held in Chennai on July 8 and the next four in Bangalore (Aug 5), Kolhapur(August 26), Mumbai(Sept 16) and Goa on October 21. The finals will also be held in Goa on the same day.

Akbar said the existing Karting competitions like MRF, JK Tyres and four others did not offer scope to move on to higher level. In this new format, Amaron would be providing the karts to the young drivers free, he said. Mr Jay Galla said Amara Raja would also introduce a new format for higher level Karting at professional level for seniors and juniors.

''We are also charting out plans to be involved more directly in motoracing in the international arena in addition to having drivers as our brand ambassadors'', he also announced.

Akbar said for the new challege races, the first 250 entries from the school students in each venue announced would be accepted. They would be put through a practice session from which the fastest 64 karters would qualify. They would be divided into eight karters in a group to take part in heats.

The top four drivers from each group will qualify for Pre Final heats. The top four karters from these heats will compete against each other to qualify for the semi finals. The semi finals will have two races. The top four from the semi final qualifiers will compete against each other for the final challenge, he said.

The top three winners in the final race will qualify for the Grand Finals which will be held in Goa on October 21.

Along with the challenge, Amara Raja also announced the launch of Amaron Karting Scholarship Programme, for which the winner of the Grand finals would be chosen in 2008.

''The winner can take part in the JK Tyre Rotax Max Challenge and the Indian National Rotax Max Championship,'' Akbar said.

UNI