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Hitting the dirt track in style

The city will host the inaugural races of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India Championship

POPULAR SPORT The last edition of the dirt track championships held in 2004 drew a lot of spectators

This is one for motor sports buffs in Mangalore. The second edition of the Gulf Dirt Track National Championships will be held here next weekend. It was last held in the city in 2004 at the exhibition ground next to Mangala Stadium but this year the organisers, Sportscraft, Mumbai, and Managalore Motor Sports Association, have chosen B. Yenepoya School at Jeppina Mogaru in the outskirts of the city.

The Mangalore leg is part of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India Championship (FMSCI), which will be staged in five centres. The organisers say they chose Mangalore because the people here are crazy about motor sports.

Good response

"The response we got from here two years ago was special. We are making a new start to this year's championship here. The remaining four rounds will be held at Coimbatore, Nagpur, Nasik and Jaipur," said Srikanth Karani of Sportscraft.

Dispelling apprehensions that dirt track racing is dangerous, Karani said: "It has been our observation that youngsters who take race machines on the tracks are some of the best drivers on road. It is far safer to hit top gear in a controlled driving environment rather than our city roads, which are death traps by their making and design."

About the design of race track, Karani said: "It will enable some of India's finest riders such as Vijay Kumar C., C.S. Santhosh, Pradeep H.K., Syed Zubair, all from Bangalore and Shameen Khan of Nasik to truly showcase their talent. It will be designed in such a manner that riders get a chance to open their throttles and hit fourth and fifth gears on a consistent basis."

Admitting that absence of team rivalry, a major motivating factor for riders in previous edition, will take some sheen off from the event, Karani said there would be lot of prizes on offer in the individual categories. "Team Yamaha, which enjoyed great rivalry with Team TVS, pulled out mid way from the first national championships last year due to technical reasons.''

An added attraction for spectators this year will be the KTM bikes, which will be driven by riders from Nasik and Baroda. "We are trying to promote private class, featuring riders astride foreign motorcycles. A few promising riders from Nasik and Baroda are expected to participate with KTMs of Austrian make. Besides, we will also have a few older Yamahas and Hondas that spectators will enjoy watching. This event is an outlet for youth to quench their thirst for speed and adventure. An added advantage of dirt track races is that it offers spectators a chance to see riders really go full throttle in a neck and neck race unlike motocross where they negotiate jumps, hairpin curves and other hazards. It is far more spectator-friendly."

Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. has been sponsoring this event for the past four years and it is only since last year that the FMSCI has accorded the status of national championship for the event.

S. Das, General Manager (South), Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. Said the company's long-standing association with the event has brought in expected dividends. "We see our association as an investment for the future through the youth. Besides brand promotion activities, we also use this forum to promote the virtues of safe driving and have found that the youth are quite receptive."

JAIDEEP SHENOY

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