Coimbatore : The first round of the 22nd edition of completely repackaged JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship 2019, begins here Saturday, with a sharper focus on spotting sand nurturing younger talent in India.

This new format has made the Indian Formula LGB-4 and the LGB Novice Cup the prime attractions and the Suzuki Gixxer Cup will help 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,” Head of JK Tyre Motorsport, Sanjay Sharma said in a release Friday.

“We decided to plug this gap by giving a wider platform for young drivers through our Formula LGB 4 category.” he said.

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 glowing 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. This will change the entire dynamic of the sport and set the stage for the next generation of Indian champions, the release said.

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.