Coimbatore, July 26 (PTI) The 22nd edition of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship got underway here on Saturday with a sharper focus on spotting and nurturing younger talent in the country.

The championship has been repackaged completely, making the Indian Formula LGB-4 and the LGB Novice Cup the prime attractions. Likewise, the Suzuki Gixxer Cup is aimed at helping novices refine their skills in the 2-wheeler category.

"JKNRC has been a huge hit with a number of talented drivers emerging over the years. However, we noticed that we were graduating to the international level rather quickly, leaving a void at home," Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Tyre Motorsport, said.

"We decided to plug this gap by giving a wider platform for young drivers through our Formula LGB 4 category," he added.

Popular racers like Kolhapur's Chittesh Mandody (Avalanche Racing), Chennai's Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) and Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don Racing) will battle it out for top honours in the LGB 4 category this season.

Another highlight of Round 1 is the pan-India representation across categories, especially among rookies.

In addition to the all-girls team, talented newcomers including Mumbai's Ojasvi Mehta are examples of female participation with the novice tag.

The first three rounds will take place in Coimbatore and the fourth and final at the BIC in Greater Noida, and that's where JK Tyre will unveil its grand vision for Indian racing and its biggest surprise: the next level of the international Formula car.

In the 2-wheeler category too, 600 & 1000cc Super Bikes will get a huge boost with a couple of leading global bike manufacturers likely to join the grids. PTI

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