INRC set for a grand comeback in 2013

December 20, 2012 / 14:45 IST

The 2012 season of the Indian National Rally Championship was one to forget, but the FMSCI plans to bring the championship back with a big bang next year. An exciting eight-round calendar has been announced for 2013, and will see the INRC travel to more parts of the country than it has in the past couple of seasons. The season will also kick off earlier than it has in the past few years, with the first round to be held in Chennai in the month of March. Tarmac rallies are set to come back as well, with Nashik, which has been one of the fastest tarmac rallies on the INRC calendar, and Cochin to make for two tarmac rounds next year. Classes will include the popular Group N class for cars up to 2000cc and the Group N class for cars up to 1600cc. Two new cars, the Maruti Suzuki SX4 and the Volkswagen Polo will make their debut in the INRC next year in the Group N 1600cc class. Both cars are known for their dynamics and should give the class a breath of fresh air and make for some interesting stage timings.

The IRC (Indian Rally Championship) and JINRC (Junior Indian Rally Championship) that were initiated last year will continue to be a part of the INRC next year as well. The regulations for the two classes remain unchanged with the JINRC allowing drivers up to 27 years of age to compete in Group N cars under 1600cc, while the IRC is open to foreign participation in homologated Group N4 cars. The FMSCI claims the IRC has garnered huge interest from drivers from countries like countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. With such an elaborate plan chalked out for next year, all we can say is we cannot wait for the cars to kick up the dirt afresh and give us a chance to see lots of sideways action as the drivers battle it out for top honours.

Here's the 2013 INRC calendar:

Round1 - March 22-24, Chennai (gravel)