Visakhapatnam, Nov 10 (IANS): After a couple of postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian National Rally Championship 2021-22 season is all ready to set the engine revving from December 16-18 here.

The announcement was made by the Sports Minister of Andhra Pradesh Muttamseti Srinivas Rao in a function on Wednesday.

The event will be conducted by the Karnataka Motorsport Club and apart from Round 1, they have been given the responsibility to take care of the K100 Rally as well, which is Round 2 and will take place in Bengaluru in January.

"It is a matter of huge pride for me that I am able to take the sport to new places which has always been my vision. I have always wanted motorsport to reach every nook and corner of the country. I would like to thank the Government of Andhra Pradesh for their support and cooperation," said Vamsi Merla, promoter of the INRC.

While the promoter wanted to go all out and have a full calendar, due to paucity of time and delays, this year there will be only four rounds, with the Round 3 happening in Coimbatore to be conducted by Coimbatore Auto Sports Club in February, MMSC has been awarded the right for organising the grand finale which will happen in March. The venue for the finale is yet to be decided.

Apart from the championship rounds, a contender round is also being planned for April in Hyderabad.

The championship this year is expected to break all records in terms of participation and would see the involvement of major stakeholders of Indian motorsports including JK Tyre, MRF and Yokohama.