This year’s Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) will see 10 women drivers and co-drivers joining the grid after winning a nation-wide talent hunt and earning a fully sponsored drive.
INRC is a rallying series organized by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the governing body of India recognized by FIA culminating with National Champion Driver and Co-Driver. The championship first received its National Championship Title status in 1988.
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) is the National Sporting Authority (ASN) assigned by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Headquartered in Paris, the governing body for international 4-Wheeler Motorsports is the formal organizer of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC).
FMSCI has been pushing hard to have more diverse representation in Indian motorsport. The body recently even announced that its various commissions will all have members representing the interests of women.
The participants at INRC compete against 45 best national and international rally champions displaying their skills in front of 40,000 packed audience. The Sponsorers will send two talented drivers to Europe to train with International rally teams and they will set up a cutting-edge drivers' training school in India.
The women riders and co-drivers will feature in the upcoming INRC if they top in a nation-wide talent hunt conducted at Bengaluru's Unite Off-Road Track. Former INRC champion Chetan Shivaram conducted a selection and training programme.
A total of 25 talented but unheralded women racers were shortlisted across the country at the event held at Bengaluru's Unite Off-Road Track and were given beginners' and advance training in rally cars by ace rallyists Suhem Kabeer and Dhruva Chandrashekar before the shootout.
"My commitment towards supporting existing and upcoming ‘Women in Motorsports’ made me launch this initiative. We had planned this in the last year as well but unfortunately to the pandemic we had to shelf it. But with normalcy finally getting restored in the country we finally went ahead this year and now here we are with 10 highly talented women finally getting the platform and support they deserve,” said Vamsi Merla, Director, Champions Yacht Club, and promoter of the INRC.
Athira Murali from Kottayam emerged as the winner and will be co-driver by her city mate George Varghese. Renuka G of Andhra Pradesh (and Chandini Kotian of Mumbai), Ojasvi Mehta of Mumbai (and Belgaum's Isha Sharma), Anupama Bindra of Gurgaon (and Pallavi Yadav of Mumbai), and mother-daughter duo from Mumbai Shivani Parmar (and Dr. Vani Parmar) are the other drivers who made the final cut.
The winners will be judged based on the lap timings in the final selection round which will be supervised by an FMSCI jury team.
The promoters of INRC will fully sponsor the winners which include entry fee, prepared rally-spec car, rally tires, and accommodation.
2021 INRC will include 6 rounds across the country, with the first one being held in Chennai on April 23-25. Delhi, Hampi, and Nagaland will host their first-ever INRC round this year. In addition, the organizers have also introduced a new SUV class to give a chance to other drivers in the country to display their skill on the national circuit.
