FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2026 set for season opener in Coimbatore
Coimbatore, Oct 22 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) With drivers like Dhruv Goshwani, Monith Srinivasan, Sandeep Kumar, and Saran Vikram on the grid, the next chapter of Indian circuit racing begins at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore, as the FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2026 gets underway on October 24–25.
Now in its 29th season, the championship will bring together emerging talent besides experienced racers like Goshwani, Monith Srinivasan and Sandeep Kumar across six categories, with 17 races scheduled over the weekend.
From single-seater racing and touring car competition to single-make championships, the opening weekend will offer a diverse programme of racing, with competitors looking to establish early momentum in their respective categories.
The weekend will feature the Formula 4, Continental GT Cup, Novice F1300, Super Saloon, Indian Touring Car (ITC), Indian Super Touring Car (ISTC) and Levitas Cup categories. With races spread across Saturday and Sunday, the opening round will test drivers on speed, consistency, race craft and their ability to manage pressure across multiple sessions.
LGB Formula 4 is the first step into single-seater racing and remains one of the most economical single-seater racing series. The cars are powered by a carburetted 1,298cc Suzuki Swift engine, feature an Esteem five-speed gearbox and are built around a chrome-molybdenum tubing frame.
The category, which is in its 29th year, will feature three races over the weekend. With seasoned drivers like Dhruv Goshwani, Monith Srinivasan, Sandeep Kumar, and Saran Vikram forming the grid, the opening round will offer the first indication of the competitive order in a category where consistency, precision and race craft can prove decisive.
The Continental GT Cup, which is in its sixth edition, has an exciting change in categories, with the Amateurs and Professionals racing on separate grids and different platforms, the GT-R650 and GT-R750 respectively. Twenty Amateurs and fifteen Professionals form the grids, guaranteeing exciting action across both fields.
The category will feature three races in each category. Kabir Sahoch and Saurav Dey will be among the drivers to watch in the Amateur class, while Senthil Kumar, Anish D. Shetty, and Allwin Xavier will look to challenge for the leading positions in the Professional category.
The Novice Cup serves as the foundational stepping stone from go-karting into full-scale open-wheel formula racing, helping emerging drivers transition to single-seater competition. The category will feature two races across the weekend. The opening round will reward drivers who combine strong starts with consistency and composure.
Super Saloon: Touring car competition
The Super Saloon category brings together a range of production-based racing cars, from tightly regulated classes to highly modified touring cars. The Super Stock/IJTC (Indian Junior Touring Cars) classes offer a competitive platform for drivers to demonstrate their car control, cornering ability and overtaking skills, with Super Stock emphasising close competition through controlled technical regulations, while IJTC provides a progression pathway for drivers developing their touring car racing skills. The category will feature two races over this weekend, giving competitors opportunities to make an impact in the opening round.
The Indian Touring Car (ITC) and Indian Super Touring Car (ISTC) classes feature production-based cars prepared for circuit competition, with ISTC representing the more extensively modified tier. Enhanced performance and race-specific engineering place a premium on speed, precision, consistency and racecraft.
The ITC/ISTC category will run two races as drivers look to establish an early advantage in the 2026 championship.
The Levitas Cup is India’s only single-make racing championship. The JK Tyre Levitas Cup, which enters its second edition this season, features lightweight, race-prepped Maruti Suzuki Ignis cars. With its focus on precision, car control, braking, cornering and overtaking, the category offers a 1.2-litre K-Series naturally aspirated stock engine with headers and a straight-pipe exhaust (92 hp).
The category will feature two races across the weekend. Split into Rookie (novices/non-podium drivers) and Pro/Gentlemen’s categories will give competitors an opportunity to build momentum and establish their position in the early championship standings.
With six categories and 17 races across two days, the FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2026 promises a varied weekend of circuit racing at Kari Motor Speedway, with a grid packed with talent, featuring leading national drivers, international entries from Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and pioneering women racers from across India.
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