Go Karting on May 9

PUNE, May 5: Go Karting, known worldwide as the stepping stone to Formula One racing, comes into Pune in a big way with the 1st Track MR...

PUNE, May 5: Go Karting, known worldwide as the stepping stone to Formula One racing, comes into Pune in a big way with the 1st Track MRF Go Karting Racing Championship8217;, which is slated as the first such championship in the country.

8220;We are the only Go Karting centre in the country that has come up to the standards of the International federation,8221; informed Shyam Kothari at a press briefing to announce the event which will be held on May 9.

The race that is divided into five categories 8212; men8217;s, ladies, children 8 to 15 yrs, inter-collegiate and corporate sector 8212; will go through two qualifying rounds in progress and semi-finals before culminating with the finals on Sunday.

The minimum qualifying time for the men8217;s race is 43 seconds, while for the ladies event it has been kept at 45 seconds. All drivers who qualify within the time frame will go through to the second qualifying round and then to the semi-final, where the seven fastest drivers will be chosen, the rest being eliminated on basis of timing.

The finals will consist of 30 laps in the men8217;s category, 15 laps for ladies, 20 laps for corporate, 20 laps for inter-collegiate section and seven for children.

In the corporate section, Mercedes Benz, Finolex, Bajaj Auto, Kinetic Honda, Thermax, Kirloskar Oil Engines, TVS Suzuki, Venkeys, BPL, Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Tempo and Poonawalla Group have confirmed their entries.

In the inter-collegiate section, eight colleges 8212; Wadia, Fergusson, BMCC, Symbiosis, MIT, BJ Medical, Poona Engineering, AFMC, DY Patil, Bharti Vidyapeeth and VIT 8212; have been invited to send teams of three drivers each, who will be running an endurance race of 20 laps.

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The championship will be further enlivened by a dance performance by Amitab, along with celebrities and dignitaries for the prize distribution ceremony.

The Prizes
Men8217;s: 1. Taj Goa2 cases Kingfisher beerPantaloon; 2. Holiday Inn dinnerPantaloon1 case Kingfisher beer; 3. Pantaloon1 case Kingfisher.
Ladies: 1. MicrowaveBombay Stores; 2. Holiday InnBPL MobileBombay Stores; 3. Holiday InnBombay Store.
Corporate: 1. Taj ChiplunBPL MobileBombay Store; 2. Taj NasikBombay Store; 3. Bombay Store.
Children8217;s: 1. 2 cases CokeBombay StoreHoliday Inn; 2. 1 case CokeBombay Store; 3. 1 case CokeBombay Store.
College: 1. BPL MobilePantaloonHoliday Inn.