Bengal Speed Festival 2024 put the industrial town of Haldia on India’s motorsports map as automobile enthusiasts, motorsports fans, and local residents made up a 5,000 strong crowd to witness the thrilling autocross action during the 2-3 November weekend.
This was the fifth year of the National Autocross Championship qualifier with other supporting 4W Autocross being held in Haldia which witnessed a neck-to-neck competition amongst the top drivers of the eastern zone.
With the support of Shrachi Sports as Title Sponsor, this event got a great boost. Other sponsors such as Vamcy Merla, Haldia Municipality and Haldia Development Authority among many other organizations also extended their patronage to make this event a grand success.
The event was a combination of 4Wheeler Autocross and East Zone Qualifier of Indian National Autocross Championship 2024. The total number of entries registered for the event was a staggering 146 amongst which there were two lady participants.
In 4W Indian National Autocross Championship Qualifier, Karan Chaudhury clocked the best timing of the event with 1 minute 56.337 seconds followed by Saujatya Kole, Areeb Rahman, Nilanjan Banerjee and Uday Ganguly.
Saujatya Kole registered the fastest time with 1 minute 37.636 seconds in Open Autocross followed by Karan Chaudhury, Raunak Jana, Uday Ganguly and Sourabh Choudhury.
Speaking on the occasion, Saurav Chatterjee & Sk. Ajgar Ali, the main organisers of this event explained that autocross is not only about raw speed; one has to match that with driving acumen and physical stamina as well. They also added that 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.
The goal of FMSCI, the apex body of Indian Motorsports, is to identify young budding talents from the regional zones and thus Bengal Speed Festival 2024 is a big step forward to the eminent goal.
Calcutta Motor Sports Club and Kolkata Automotive Sports Association along with Motor Sports Association of Eastern India, the organising motorsports clubs of Bengal Speed Festival 2024 shall together be the guiding force of raw talents in the near future.
Photographs by Ranadip Mandal
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