A more subdued crowd turnout than the sold out round three brought racing at the BIC to a close for 2013
It may only have lasted for four rounds, but the 2013 JK Tyre Racing Championship and the Volkswagen Polo R Cup rounds seemed a lot more packed and drawn out for sure.
Perhaps it has something to do with the format of the racing weekends where every one of the three regular categories that sees three races each over the course of a Saturday and Sunday.
Throw in Volkswagen Motorsport India’s increasingly popular stunt shows, one offs like a media race and even an all-female racing series using the previous generation Polo R Cup cars and you get a racing weekend with almost constant activity.
At times you get the feeling that the showpiece of the racing weekends gets overlooked; that being the JK Racing India Series (in lead picture) with Formula BMW cars driven by the most prominent drivers in the national karting championship. No matter how breathlessly the master of ceremonies tries to emphasize its importance on the PA system, including the one at the Buddh International Circuit!
But it’s all about fun, though, in the end, which is highlighted to a great extent by the action seen in the LGB Formula 4 races. While not looking particularly impressive or aesthetically pleasing, the cars, meant to be the first taste of car racing for young drivers in India, more often than not feature in the tightest battles for positions and some of the most spectacular looking crashes too.
Although the Volkswagen Polo R Cup drivers may have a thing or two to say about that after a three car incident that sounded and looked frightening.
A similarly scary crash occurred at the Buddh circuit in round three too, and there seems to be a sense among drivers that they can get away with pretty much anything due to the BIC’s safer surroundings and wider run off areas. It certainly looks more forgiving than what you find at Coimbatore’s Kari Motor Speedway and the Irungattokotai circuit outside of Chennai.
Most of the drivers in the Polo R Cup are as green as they come and on seeing incidents like the one at round four makes you wonder that maybe it is a good idea for their drivers to not be sent directly for the European-based Scirocco R Cup anymore.
This year’s Polo R Cup champion Rahil Noorani – South Africa’s Jeffrey Kruger scored more points in the season but was not part of the main grid – will get a fully paid drive in the JKRIS next year that will reunite him with the FB02 car he drove in a support race for the 2011 Indian Grand Prix.
Not a bad arrangement for sure. As is taking a bit of a breather from scurrying around pits, paddock and all over circuits in the hot sun for a while!
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