Excitement Builds for Round 2 of Indian National Car Racing Championship 2026

Upcoming Racing Action at Kari Motor Speedway

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, is gearing up for the second round of the CTR-JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2026, scheduled for November 14-15. Following an exhilarating opening round, the competitors now find themselves under pressure as they aim to defend their positions.

The first round was filled with thrilling moments, including decisive victories, dramatic collisions, and unexpected rain delays. The upcoming weekend will test the drivers' ability to maintain their lead or recover lost ground, as highlighted in a recent press release.

With 18 races planned over the two days, participants will have numerous chances to seize opportunities and showcase their skills.

The opening round featured a variety of winners, with Arya Singh triumphing in a rain-soaked Saturday race by a margin of 2.456 seconds. Meco Racing's Dhruvh Goswami clinched victory in the first Sunday race with a daring outside maneuver, while Balaprasath secured a win in the rain-affected finale, which was halted and concluded after nine laps.

Goswami's Sunday win came after an impressive recovery from 19th place to finish sixth on Saturday. Mehul Agarwal consistently challenged for the lead in all three races, while Raghul Rangasamy achieved podium finishes twice. Rookie Aditya Patnaik's third-place finish on Saturday, just 0.120 seconds ahead of Agarwal, indicates a competitive field.

In the Amateurs category, Kabir Sahoch from Vadodara dominated by winning all three races with margins of 2.298, 3.218, and 1.793 seconds, while also improving his fastest lap time from 1:19.880 to 1:19.452.

Leading the chase is Saurav Sanjay Dey from Mumbai, who advanced from tenth to fifth in his first race, followed by a second and third-place finish. Harish Yodhin from Srivilliputtur also made a strong showing, moving from fifth to second on Sunday. Brandon Dsouza and Johnson Xavier Saldanha are also in contention, having finished closely in Race 2.

The Professionals category saw three different winners across the races. Senthil Kumar from Coimbatore won Race 1 by a narrow 0.025 seconds, while Navaneeth Kumar excelled in Race 2 after a red-flag restart. Anish Shetty from Bangalore claimed victory in the Sunday race, starting from fifth and finishing 4.091 seconds ahead. Shetty also recorded the fastest lap of the weekend at 1:15.546.

In the Gentleman races, Mumbai's Pratik Sonawane won both events from pole position, with margins of 8.574 and 5.053 seconds, while setting the fastest lap of the weekend at 1:24.681 on Sunday. The battle for third place has been particularly competitive.

Mira Erda, who started eighth on Saturday, finished third, but Vinith Kumar overtook her on the penultimate lap of Sunday’s race. Among the Rookies, Sri Lanka's Aadam Junaid secured two wins, finishing fifth overall on Sunday, with Ajay Sankar and Shreyans Mittal also in pursuit.

Meco Racing's Shatveer Shetty started the season strongly, winning both races from pole by significant margins. The competition for positions behind him remains fierce, with DTS Racing's Augustine Boby finishing second in both races, and Aadam Junaid consistently completing the podium.

The first round proved challenging, with nine drivers unable to finish on Saturday and a collision involving three cars affecting two more on Sunday. As the championship progresses, maintaining composure will be crucial for all competitors.

Several drivers emerged from the opening round in strong positions. DTS Racing's Diljith T S won both Super Stock races by margins of 15.8 and 10.635 seconds. Aman Nagdev from Noida also dominated the Indian Touring Cars, finishing 20.631 and 18.137 seconds ahead of his competitors. Deepak Ravikumar from Team Performance Racing won the Indian Junior Touring Cars race on Saturday, starting from 12th place, and narrowly defeating his teammate Srinivas Teja on Sunday.

The Indian Super Touring Cars category saw Arjun Narendran from Arka Motorsports win on Saturday by 10.042 seconds, while Biren Pithawalla from Team N1 Intervalve took the victory in the wet Sunday race after a multi-car pile-up affected Narendran's chances.

Arjun Balu, who finished just 0.343 seconds behind Pithawalla for second place on Saturday, remains a contender as the series heads into Round 2, with the championship race wide open.