Irungattukottai Race Track
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The Madras International Circuit (MIC, previously known as Madras Motor Race Track and Irungattukottai Race Track) is a permanent motor racing circuit located in
Irungattukottai Irungattukottai is a fast emerging neighbourhood of Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by pop ...
,
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. It was built in the late 1980s and was inaugurated in 1990. It was the first permanent racing circuit in India and is owned by the Madras Motor Sports Club. In July 2022, the track was renamed as Madras International Circuit.


History

In 1971, the Madras Motor Sports Club, Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, Karnataka Motor Sports Club along with Calcutta Motor Sports Club and Mumbai's Indian Automotive Racing Club, united to form the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), headquartered in Chennai, to ensure common regulations and orderly conduct of events. Race meets were held on airstrips at Sholavaram in Chennai, Sulur in Coimbatore and Agara in Bangalore. In 1990, the Irungattukottai track was built to provide a permanent structure for racing. Hosts the Indian Racing National Championships for both bikes and cars, and the Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championships. An annual round of the
MRF Challenge MRF Challenge is an open-wheel motorsport formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science r ...
was held till 2020 and was since discontinued due to
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
.


Karting arena

MMSC has also built a go-kart track to promote the sport at the grassroots level in 2023. The CIK approved track named, Madras International Karting Arena popular as MIKA, was inaugurated on 19 September 2024 by former
Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
world champion Mika Hakkinen in presence of former F1 drivers
Narain Karthikeyan Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan (; born 14 January 1977) is an Indian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and . Early life and family background Karthikeyan was born on 14 January 1977 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu to Sheela ...
and Karun Chandhok.


Layout

The main circuit is long with 12 turns and 3 straights, with the longest one being . The club circuit is long and has 7 turns. Both the tracks are wide on average with at the start line and operate in a clockwise direction. The track is a
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...
and
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme The International Motorcycling Federation (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) or (FIM) is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 123 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six continent ...
-certified circuit. The tracks were resurfaced in 2007 and vehicles allowed for races include bikes of all categories and cars up to F3. FIA granted a Grade 2 license to the circuit in 2014.


Events

; Current * February: MRF Formula 2000, Formula LGB 1300, Indian Touring Car National Championship * July: MRF Formula 2000, Formula LGB 1300, Indian Touring Car National Championship * August: Indian Racing League, F4 Indian Championship, MRF Formula 2000, Formula LGB 1300, Indian Touring Car National Championship * September: Indian Racing League, F4 Indian Championship, MRF Formula 2000, Formula LGB 1300, Indian Touring Car National Championship ; Former *
Asia Road Racing Championship The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (known as Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship for sponsorship reason) is the regional motorcycle road racing championship for Asia, held since 1996. This championship is part of the production-based ...
(1997, 2009–2011, 2013, 2017–2018) *
Asian Formula Three Championship The Asian Formula Three Championship was a Open wheel car, single-seater racing series based in South East Asia. It is one of a number of national and international Formula Three championships that form part of an established "career ladder" belo ...
(2008) *
Formula 4 South East Asia Championship The Formula 4 South East Asia Championship is a formula racing series run to Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was held over 2016-17 Formula 4 South East Asia Championship, 2016 and 2017. ...
(2018–2019)


Lap records

As of December 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Madras International Circuit are listed as:


See also

* Madras Motor Sports Club


Notes


References


External links


Irungattukottai Race Track
{{Asia Road Racing Championship circuits Motorsport venues in Tamil Nadu Sports venues in Chennai 1990 establishments in Tamil Nadu Sports venues completed in 1990 20th-century architecture in India