A fabulous feast for speed junkies.

The season opener of the Sidvin-MMSC national two-wheeler racing championship at Coimbatore had all the ingredients to make it a fabulous feast for speed junkies. The race stewards, marshals and medical staff were kept on their toes as the organisers conducted 23 entertaining races in 10 different categories over the weekend. The paddock was bursting at its seams with manufacturers flaunting their fleet of vehicles as the enthusiastic crowd made a beeline to check out the mean machines. Adding glamour quotient Leggy lasses, sporting skimpy skirts, walking up and down the pitlane may not be an unusual sight in motorsport. But for regulars at the national bike racing, the last weekend’s season opener was a pleasant surprise. Not to be left behind by their rich cousins — four-wheeler racing — bike manufacturers brought in a dozen umbrella girls to adorn the starting grid. The girls initially seemed like fish out of water, but they slowly started feeling at home. Private team boost The number of private teams in the fray has underlined the growth of the national championship. Three years ago, the team concept was almost non-existent as factory-supported TVS Racing remained the sole outfit. The entry of Chennai-based Moto-Rev India, Ten10 racing and Apex has changed the trend. The 2012 season has another four new entrants in Yellow Panthers, Performance, Thunderbolt and Sparks. The newly-introduced Group C 165cc CC Open (with restricted modifications) proved to be the most competitive category with 20 bikes vying for honours. The simmering rivalry among the private teams brought a smile to the organisers as it only signals a rosy future for the sport in the country. Second round to be postponed? As the Madras Motorsport Club-owned circuit in Irungattukottai is currently shut for refurbishment, the second round of the championship, slated to be held in the last weekend of this month, could be postponed. The MMSC track is undergoing a layout change to get a Grade 4 certificate from the FIA (International governing body). “Work on a new pit entry and flattening of kerbs is going on. The track is expected to be ready by end of July, before the third round,” said Amit Arora, GM of MMSC. Sarath shows new vigour Competing in the Italian championship has surely transformed Sarath Kumar. Representing Mahindra, the Chennai racer is performing impressively in the highly-competitive series and the exposure seems to have made a sea change in Sarath’s approach. “I think I have a new found vigour after the podium finish in the second round. Now, my thoughts are focussed entirely on riding as my manager Ramji Govindarajan is taking care of the sponsorship issues. So there is no extra pressure on me,” said Sarath, who was in Coimbatore to catch up with some of his friends at the national championship. New stars on the horizon By his own admission, K. Rajini, arguably the best rider in the country, is at the fag end of his career. Having won a dozen titles in domestic competitions, the polite racer has nothing left to prove in India. As the national championship is looking for a new star, three bikers — R. Deepak, Shyam Shankar and K. Jagan have thrown their hats into the ring. Deepak is versatile. He is currently the only Indian racing two-wheelers as well cars. Deepak has already proved to be a threat for Rajini in Superbikes with his second-place finish last year. Shyam has come a long way from a street racer to national champion. His performance in the one-make event last year fetched him a Honda-sponsored racing trip to Japan. In the last weekend’s event in Coimbatore, Shyam achieved a double in the Group C 165cc Open class with dominant victories. Jagan, a TVS protégé, is calm, but his on-track exploits speak volumes. The trio promise a lot, but can they dominate the nationals like Rajini did is anybody’s guess.