By IANS,
Chennai : Doubling of prize-money and introduction of an Open class for diesel vehicles, besides the inclusion of Bhubaneshwar as a new venue, feature in the 2011 Indian National Rally Championship calendar that was announced here Thursday.
While the prize-money for winner in each class is hiked to Rs.1 lakh, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI) is in the process of finalising regulations for the Open class.
For the moment, the Open class is for any vehicle, up to 2800cc, manufactured in India and homologated to meet the stringent safety standards.
Meanwhile, Bhubaneshwar makes its entry into the series while Chikmgalur, Chennai and Durgapur are back in the championship to complete seven rounds with other venues being Nashik, Bangalore and Coimbatore.
“When I was elected president, I reiterated my intention of taking the Rally Championship back to its glory days and together with IMG-PSP Sports (promoters), we are now heading in the right direction,” said FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok.
“This year sees an increase from five to seven rounds and we hope to see some fiercely fought battles through the Championship.”
The calendar is:
April 22-24: Durgapur; June 2-5: Nashik. June 23-26: Chennai; July 22-24: Coimbatore; August 19-21: Bangalore; November 18-20: Chikmgalur; December 9-11: Bhubaneshwar.