Indian National Autocross Championship East Zone Qualifier gets underway amidst huge excitement at Haldia in front of nearly 10,000 strong local crowds. This is the consecutive second year of this championship taking place in Haldia and the drivers have got a thumping response from the locals, for whom a sporting event of this stature is a rarity. The event was initially scheduled on November 9 – 10, but the organiser had to postpone the same due to cyclone Bulbul. Now this event has been rescheduled on
November 30. The first day will consist of some practice and qualifying races where nearly 50 competitors will try to understand the track and make their strategies. The next day (December 1) will witness the final races.
Speaking on the occasion, Saurav Chatterjee and Sk. Ajgar Ali, former National TSD Rally Champions and the key organisers of this event explained the aim of the event is to woo the youth away from road racing to regulated motorsports, where safety of the drivers is of paramount importance. They explained autocross is not only about raw speed; one has to match that with driving acumen and physical stamina as well. This year the championship has nice categories, divided according to engine capacity and modification, to make the competition as fair as possible.
There is a separate event planned for the amateur drivers and ladies as well. The Haldia Autocross is a flagship autocross event in Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India calendar. The goal of FMSCI Indian National Autocross Championship is to identify young budding talents from the regional zones and thus Haldia Autocross is a big step forward to the eminent goal. Motor Sports Association of Eastern India, the
organising motorsports club, wants to be the guiding force of many raw talents in the near future. The championship would be a two day affair being held on 9th and 10th November, culminating with the prize distribution ceremony. The entire Haldia town is buzzing with excitement. It is a get set go in true sense.
Power Drive 