Logical to run FIA-backed F4 SEA rounds at MMRT, says MMSC's Vicky Chandhok

The Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) has roped in another international event at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai for the 2018 season - the circuit has a Grade 2 License which means it can hold races up to the FIA Formula 2 level.

After successfully staging the final round of the 2017/18 MRF Challenge and also the Indian round of the 2017 Asia Road Racing Championship, the circuit will host two rounds of the FIA Formula 4 South East Asia Championship this year.

The rounds will run on a back-to-back weekends, the first taking place during September 1-2 followed by the weekend of September 8-9 - forming the 2018 FIA F4 SEA season's Round 3 and 4 respectively, after the first two rounds in Malaysia.

This will be MMRT's first FIA-run series at the circuit. The MRF Challenge series is overlooked by the FIA, but doesn't have the official certification under its umbrella. In fact, this will be the first FIA event in India since the 2013 Formula 1's Indian Grand Prix.

"Our relationship with Peter Thompson (F4 SEA promoter) goes way back to the days when he ran the Asian F3 series under Meritus GP with the likes of Akbar Ebrahim, Narain Karthikeyan and even Karun Chandhok," started MMSC's Vicky Chandhok exclusively.

"It was logical for us to connect with Peter and bring the FIA-backed F4 series in India. We quickly decided that we cannot run a F4 championship as a whole in the country since the costs are just too high to buy the cars, hire mechanics and engineers, etc.

"So, the next best alternative for MMSC was to host a round of an existing championship. Because we know Peter very well, so went with the F4 SEA from all the other F4 series happening in this side of the globe.

"We started the discussion only six weeks back and we signed upon the deal three weeks ago for a back-to-back weekend, which bodes well for the championship as well as for us as hosts. It also happens that MMRT will stage the first FIA-run event in India post F1," he added.

The idea is to run the races with other Indian series. As per the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) calendar, the September 1-2 weekend is a free without any action at MMRT, but the next weekend has the fourth round of the Indian National Motorcycle Championship.

The support event confirmation will come in the coming few weeks. With the staging of the F4 SEA races, the next international standard event which MMSC is hoping to bring to India is the newly-launched FIA F3 Asia Championship starting next month.

The upgraded and renovated circuit featuring international-standard pit garages over the year in 2017 was inaugurated during the season-finale of the MRF Challenge championship, with the hope of hosting more Asian-level races.

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Meanwhile, the F4 SEA has had Indian association in the series with Armaan Ebrahim working as the driver coach. In the racing contingent, Akash Gowda finished third in the inaugural season which also had Mohammed Nalwalla racing. Last year, Nayan Chatterjee raced in one event.

After two seasons of running in a part-year format, the 2018 season will start and finish within the same year, switching to a three-race per weekend format. The first round is scheduled at Sepang during July 7-8 weekend, followed by another during July 13-15 weekend.

Then comes the races at MMRT, followed by back-to-back weekends at Chang International Circuit in Thailand during October 19-21 and October 26-28 respectively, with standalone events during November 23-25 and December 1-2 at Sepang completing the season.

"We are looking forward to our first F4 SEA race in India with a double-header at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, on the 1st and 2nd September and on the following weekend the 8th and 9th September," said Thompson.

"MERITUS.GP (the exclusive F4 SEA race engineering supplier) started their Asian adventure in 1996 with Narain Karthikeyan at this very track. Narain is the first of eight F1 graduates from the MERITUS.GP team."

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