MRF CHALLENGE 2013 HEADS TO BAHRAIN FOR ROUND 2

– MRF CHALLENGE GOES INTERNATIONAL AS SUPPORT RACE FOR FIA WEC
– INDIAN DRIVER RAJ BHARATH TO JOIN MRF CHALLENGE 2013 IN BAHRAIN

November 27, 2013:  Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 season will kick–off this weekend with the Indian based series heading to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. The FIA sanctioned MRF Challenge will continue to mix it with the elite in international motorsport as it will serve as one of the main support races for the FIA World Endurance Championship round. This will be the first time that an Indian series, which includes race cars made in India and run on Indian tyres, will race internationally. This weekend will see 4 races of the MRF Formula 2000 cars in action, India´s faster single–seater cars.

The MRF Challenge also announced the addition of young Indian driver Raj Bharath who will join the championship in Round 2 at Bahrain. He will join other Indian drivers Parth Ghorpade and Vikash Anand on the grid. The battle will resume with Formula Renault 3.5 driver Arthur Pic defending his championship lead against GP3 driver Tio Ellinas and British driver Rupert Svendsen–Cook. The weekend will have 2 free practice sessions, one qualifying session and 4 races this weekend. Other races this weekend include the FIA WEC and the Porsche GT3 Cup.

Mr. Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, commented, "We had a great start to the season in India and now we move on to Bahrain for Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013. We are proud to be the first Indian tyre manufacturer to race our tyres internationally in a single–seater series. This is a huge step not only for us, but Indian motorsport as well. The circuit is challenging for drivers and we are confident of another action packed race this weekend."

The MRF Challenge boasts some of the top upcoming drivers across the world with Formula Renault 3.5 driver Arthur Pic leading the charge. Both Pic and second placed Tio Ellinas were busy after Round 1 as they tested the GP2 car in Abu Dhabi. GP2 Series and Formula Renault 3.5 both serve as the top feeder series for Formula 1 and it is a great for the MRF Challenge to have drivers of this calibre competing here.

The Indian challenge will be boosted with the addition of young driver Raj Bharath joining the competition. Bharath had a successful year in the Formula Masters China Series with race wins, pole positions and podium finishes. Bharath and Parth Ghorpade are the only two Indians to race in internationally single–seater categories this year, along with MRF driver Narain Karthikeyan.

Mr. J Anand, Managing Director, JA Motorsports, strongly believes that it can only help young Indian drivers to compete with the best drivers from Europe. He commented, "Our objective was always to build an international series attracting the best drivers from across the globe. This also helps our young Indian drivers develop as they work and compete against a good line–up of drivers. Bahrain will be a new challenge for all the drivers and they are all very excited to be driving over here."