F1 legend Mika inaugurates India’s first international karting track MIKA

CHENNAI: In a significant leap towards the growth of Indian motorsports, the country’s first FIA-CIK-approved international karting track, Madras International Karting Arena (MIKA), was officially inaugurated here at Irungattukottai on Thursday.

Fittingly, the track was unveiled by two-time Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen, whose name the circuit proudly carries.

“It’s been a while since I first heard about this project. I immediately said yes—not just because of the name MIKA, but because India is very close to my heart. I’m mentoring Kush Maini. I have friends here, and I really like the country and its people, said Mika, speaking to the media after the inauguration ceremony.

‘The Flying Finn’ visited the city in the afternoon and greeted the drivers who are part of the Meco Fmsci National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2024, which will be the first racing event in the circuit.

The young drivers will get the first feel of the track this weekend in testing and the fifth and final round of the championship will take place on September 28 and 29.

In an exciting display, the 55-year-old donned his iconic McLaren suit, jumped into one of the karts and went around the circuit alongside Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, the only two Indian drivers who raced in F1.

“The layout of the circuit is really interesting for the drivers with a good mix of corners. It will be challenging and fun for the drivers and combined with the latest CIK (the world governing body for Karting) safety standards, it really is comparable with the top Karting tracks in the world,” added the former champion.

The 1.2-km-long MIKA circuit was designed by UK-based Driven International in active consultation with Karun Chandok.

“Karting is the foundation of motorsports—it's where drivers start their journey up the racing ladder. That’s why this project means so much to me. This track is very personal, and seeing it come to life after all the design work is incredible. Of course, the real effort took place here on the ground, with many hands making it possible,” said Karun speaking to DT Next.

Reflecting on his own memories, Karun, who once watched Hakkinen race and is now part of the state-of-the-art MIKA project named after the Finnish legend, added, “If I can think back to growing up and watching races with my friends, we were watching Mika fighting Michael Schumacher, and that was the era most people my age remember in India. So it’s very nice to have him come here and inaugurate the track.”

Apart from the plans of hosting national events and international championships, the karting track will be open soon for public use, featuring leisure karts for recreation.