INRC 2018: 5 drivers most likely to win the drivers' championship
2018 is a milestone year for the Indian National Rally Championship(INRC), the 30th anniversary of the championship that has been running since 1988.
The 2018 season consists of six rallies scheduled to run across different states of the country. The classes for this season are the INRC1, INRC2, and INRC3.The crews competing in all the 3 classes are eligible for the overall INRC title.
The cars competing in the INRC1 class will the Mahindra super XUV’s and VW polo R2s. The INRC2 and INRC3 will have a pack of the VW polos and the Mitsubishi cedias. The only difference between the two classes being INRC3 cars will adhere to the Group-N regulations while in the INRC2 modifications in accordance with the regulations is allowed.
The INRC 4-wheel drive cup and 2-wheel drive will be run as the support classes and these crews will not be eligible for the Overall INRC title.
#5 Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt
Bangalore based Rahul and his co-driver Vivek won the INRC-2 Championship in 2017 ahead of his team-mate Karna Kadur from ARKA Motorsport.
In the sport of rallying mechanical breakdowns and punctures are very common due to the rough and bumpy gravel roads, unlike racing the slightest mistake can end your rally on most occasions.
Rahul with his exceptional driving skills and his vastly experienced co-driver Vivek together have completed every single rally from the year 2014, that’s twenty straight rallies, twelve wins, six runners-up, a third place. Making it four championships in a row in their Mitsubishi Cedia.
The crew will be driving their new VW polo in the INRC2 class for the 2018 season. In the South India Rally, they will be driving a Group-N polo in the INRC2 class and expected to get their upgrades as the season progresses
With such consistency and experience in rallying and switching over to a quicker car for this year, we can certainly expect Rahul to be a top contender for the overall INRC title.