Indian motorsports arena is expected go to newer heights, with the introduction of National Autocross Championship by the Federation Of Motorsports Clubs in India(FMSCI), Governing body for Motorsports in the country, INAC for which many motorsports clubs competed in the Bidding process stipulated by the FMSCI, finally being awarded to Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar Hampi(MAV) for the period of 3 years.
Indian National Autocross Championship (INAC)– what is it?
Autocross is a timed competition in which one or Two drivers race against the time through a defined course on either on a tarmac or gravel surface. It is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe competition and active participation. Autocross differs from road racing and oval racing in that generally there is only one car/two cars on the track, driving against the clock rather than other cars. As an entry-level motorsport it provides a stepping stone for drivers looking to move into other more competitive and possibly expensive forms of racing (such as rallying, rallycross and circuit racing).
Autocross courses are typically one to two kilometres long and tend to place demands on car handling and driver skill rather than on engine power and outright speed. Events typically have many classes that allow almost any vehicle, from economy sedans to purpose-built racing cars, to compete. Due to the nature of a typical track, speeds can be slower when compared to other forms of motorsports, usually not exceeding highway speeds, but the activity level (measured in discrete turns per minute) can be higher than even Formula One due to the large number of elements packed into each course.
Similar Autocross events around the world are the Australian Autocross, British Autocross, European Autocross and Time Attack in the United States
The Academy –MAV(Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar Hampi)
Started couple of years back by a bunch of motorsports enthusiasts viz Santosh ,Rohit and others, under the vision of Rohit , MAV were the pioneers to start festival of motorsports in a world heritage place called Hampi. The festival consisted of many formats of motorsports and ran for multiple weekends in formats viz rally for 2 wheelers, 4-wheelers , Autocross ,TSD(Time Speed and Distance Rally) in the 1st year then followed by national championship round for 2w and national rally contender round for 4wheelers and Autocross de Hampi and the famous 4×4 Hampi OFFROAD Challenge under the assistance of Darpan Gowda.. in all the festival of motorsports was supported by biggies like Parth Jindal (JSW Group), MRF,Royal Orchid Hotels,TVS, Karnataka Tourism, Department of Youth Empowerment & Sports,RedBull and many others
The Promoters-
The Promoters of INAC from Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar , Santosh HM and Rohit Gowda enlightened further that there will be 9 categories to compete in the INAC including a stock car class for those who don’t have rally spec car .
The championship will be run in different locations across the country accounted as zones viz North ,South, East ,West and a Finals Round where all the winners / top drivers from each zone will sweat it out on the finals to be crowned as the Indian National Autocross Champion.
After the carefully assessing Covid unlock regulations in each of the zones , the promoters admit they will release the Calendar soon.
Highlights of INAC that promoters shared –
- Free Entry for women – to promote women in Motorsports (which already is gaining popularity due to the efforts of Another Promoter in the Country for Rallying – INRC Mr Vamcy Merla, whose unparalleled support to the drivers and to the people in the motorsports in recognized by many )
- Training Courses across the country – for those motorsports enthusiasts who want to enter into serious motorsports and to become the next Gaurav Gill or Aishwarya Pissay (both are National and International Champions )
- Cars to be provided Free of cost – After completion of training in order to take part in the championship or any other Autocross event , the INRC promoter –Mr Vamcy Merla promised to provide cars to use for those who cannot afford to rent/buy such expensive rally spec cars free of cost.
- Special Women Co- Ordinator for Women in Motorsports (WIM)- a dedicated Women Cordinator will be at the access of WIM to address their issues/Grievances
- In a Minimum of 5 states ,the INAC is scheduled to be Hosted depending on the support from the Government
- 9 categories/Classes available in INAC to compete
- INAC to be a stepping stone for Selection into INRC- both the INAC and INRC promoters SANTOSH and Mr VAMCY MERLA share that they will select good/ skilled and performing drivers to the field of Rallying and also enabling them to compete in the international events like DAKAR and BAJA and many others.
To sum it up, the motorsports enthusiasts are really looking forward to INAC format after many years and even the promoters are hopeful that more and more young talented drivers both women and men make an entry into the field of motorsports in the country and outside taking the motorsports to a whole new level.