The monsoons are almost over. The Pujas are around the corner and then, before you know it, winter will have arrived. This is the season that I look forward to the most, not only because of the good weather but because it?s that time of year when Indian motorsport is in top gear. This is especially true of karting as no sooner does a nip in the air set in than the JK Tyres National Championship gets underway.

Karting is considered to be the nursery section of motorsport. And everybody who is somebody in motorsport such as Ralf and Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Rubens Barrichello, Mark Webber and even the late great Ayrton Senna started off their racing careers in a kart. Incidentally, for Senna, the World Karting Championship was of greater significance than Formula 1 ? he always regretted the fact that he never won it.

Most Indian drivers too, got their start in karting. Both Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok are ardent fans and promote it as an excellent way to prepare for the higher classes. Asif Nazir surprised the motorsporting community by winning the first ever JK Tyres Championship and then competed strongly against Karun Chandhok to finish second in Formula Asia the next year.

The 2004 karting season has already started with a bang with several regional rounds scheduled to be held in different cities. The first two of these have already been completed at the Runway 9 facility in Secunderabad and the amazing Speed Zone circuit in Bangalore. Next up is Goa and its fabulous facility at Go A Kart Racing on October 24 while the last day of the month will see yet another race in Mumbai at the Hakone Sports Centre.

The championship then moves east to Calcutta and the Monte Carlo Circuit on November 14 for round five and a week later, the action swings across the country to Ahmedabad and the rather ominously named Road Rash karting centre. A break in the karting calendar follows, during which the regional qualifiers will no doubt be honing their skills for the finals scheduled to be held in New Delhi on December 26.

This year, drivers will race in four classes ? Cadet, Junior, All Women and Senior ? which means that participants will range in age from eight to 16 years and above. While the Cadet class will feature eight to 12-year-olds with a minimum body weight of 25kg, the Junior class will have 13 to 15-year-olds weighing in at a minimum of 40kg slogging it out on the track. The Senior class is meant for 16 years and above and requires a minimum weight of 60kg. The Midget class, introduced just last year, for five to eight-year-old children, however, has been discontinued as concerns have been raised over the safety aspect and possibility of injury to younger kids. All competitors will require a competition license issued by the MAI (Motorsports Association of India). This can be obtained either from the organising circuit or the FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India) and should bear both the logos of MAI and FMSCI.

All participants will be weighed along with their kits to ensure eligibility for a class. To equalise the weights of underweight drivers within a class, ballast weights of 2kg or 4kg or a combination of both will be added to the karts.

There will be two types of karts used for the championship ? the F1 CK3 and the F1 K3. The former, being the Cadet kart, is not only less powerful but is also smaller (both shorter and narrower) and lighter than the F1 K3. Four-stroke Briggs & Stratton engines of 198cc, developing 5bhp and 206cc engines developing 12bhp will power them. These particular types of karts will be seen at all the circuits except Secunderabad, where the karts will be powered by 5.5bhp Honda engines.

Co-sponsored by General Motors and Speed (Bharat Petroleum) among others, each regional round will carry cash prizes as well as an automatic qualification to the finals. The overall winner of the championship stands to win an Opel Corsa Sail as well as a fully-sponsored drive in the FISSME class at the JK Tyre Racing Championship.

Currently, 15-year-old Armaan Ebrahim is flying high as far as India is concerned. But he certainly can?t afford to rest on his laurels for there are hordes of youngsters out there eagerly trying their hands at this relatively new sport thanks to more and more progressive-thinking parents. Given a few more years, it?s quite possible that Indian names will become more common around the racing circuits of the world.

My dream car

Komal Sood
Fashion designer and retailer

One drive was all that it took for me to fall in love with this one. It was earlier in the year when I was holidaying in Australia that I came across the Lexus SUV. It belonged to a friend of ours and we drove in it from Sydney to Port Stephens. It was a delight making that trip in the Lexus as the car is powerful, incredibly smooth as well as spacious. It’s one of the best-looking SUVs I’ve ever seen and even though really roomy, it looks pretty compact without appearing too boxy. In fact, it’s quite curvy — almost like a spaceship. It has a sun-roof as also a hi-tech navigational screen that shows you a map of the area you’re in. So, if I ever got to splurge on the car of my dreams, the Lexus — in silver or charcoal-gray — it would have to be.

Driving in the city however, is another ball game. And in this case, I guess my dream car would be the Mercedes 240E. Not only is it great for city roads, it’s gorgeous and comfortable to boot. And yes, I’d love to own one in jet black.

AS TOLD TO JANINE WYNNE-PETERS