30-member Indian contingent for FIA Asia-Pacific Motorsports Championship in Sri Lanka

Chennai, September 21, 2025: A 30-strong Indian contingent departs for Sri Lanka later this week to participate in the FIA Asia Pacific Motorsports Championship 2025 be held in Bandaragama, from September 26 to 28, hoping to put up a strong performance.

The other participating nations include Australia, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong – China, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Maldives, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan and Brunei.

The competitors selected by The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) will participate in Karting (Sprint, Endurance, Slalom), Auto Gymkhana, Autocross and E-Sports (i-Racing, Assetto Corsa) disciplines.

The contingent, which is a mix of youth and experience, includes four female competitors – Arshi Gupta (Faridabad) and Mariah Thacker (Mumbai) in Karting (Slalom and Endurance); Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda in Autocross and Tarushi Vikram from Chikmagaluru in Auto Gymkhana.

India has 24 entries in Karting across Cadet (8-12 years), Junior (12-15 years) and Senior (Above 16 years) categories. With the likes of eight-year-old Arshi Gupta from Faridabad, Chennai’s Rehan Khan Rasheed and Kiaan Shah (Mumbai), all regulars in the National Karting Championship, in the fray, medals are to be expected. The trio, along with Bengaluru’s B Rayan Gouda and B Kumar Gouda, Aarav Dewan (Gurugram), Thomas Jacob George (Kottayam) and Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) present a very strong Indian challenge in the Sprint category.

Focus would also be on another threesome of National Autocross champion Philippos Matthai (Delhi), Pragathi Gowda (Bengaluru), who has had international exposure, and former National Rally champion Chetan Shivram (Bengaluru) in the Autocross segment. They boast of rich experience which should help them to overcome any challenge.

India has a strong presence in the Auto Gymkhana too where Chikmagaluru’s Tarushi Vikram, Prateek Dalal (Bahadurgarh, Haryana) and Achintya Mehrotra (New Delhi), a multiple winner in the previous editions of the Asian Auto Gymkhana Championships, look good enough to win medals.

Looking ahead to the APMC event, FMSCI president Arindam Ghosh said: “We are very optimistic of a strong show by the Indian contingent and expecting a few podiums. The FIA Asia-Pacific Motorsports Championship provides an excellent opportunity for our youngsters to showcase their talent besides gaining valuable international exposure.”

FMSCI Karting Commission Chairperson Shyam Kumar was hopeful that India would bag a rich haul of medals. “India has a good record in international karting with several youngsters winning races and finishing on the podium. The present bunch bound for the FIA Asia-Pacific Motorsports Championship offers us much hope and can win a few medals. At the very least, they will benefit from this exposure and emerge as better drivers.”

Niroshan Pereira, Coordinator, APMC 2025 said: “At the outset, a hearty welcome to all participants. We hope that those taking part in the event in whatever capacity truly enjoy the competitions besides Sri Lankan hospitality. We are very grateful to India and the FMSCI for showing their support by fielding a large contingent.”

The Indian contingent:

Karting Sprint – Cadet: B Rayan Gouda (Bengaluru), Arshi Gupta (Faridabad) and Rehan Khan Rasheed (Chennai). Junior: Kiaan Shah (Mumbai) and B Kumar Gouda (Bengaluru). Senior: Aarav Dewan (Gurugram), Thomas Jacob George (Kottayam), and Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru).

Karting Endurance – Senior: Neel Shah (Mumbai), Mariah Thacker (Mumbai), Hitansh Gupta (Mumbai) and Vedant Mathur (Mumbai). 

Karting Slalom – Cadet: Aaruthran Prabu (Tiruchengode,Tamil Nadu), Atharva Hemani (Mumbai), Siddharth Bhanushali (Pune) and Yohan Acharya (Mumbai). Junior: Neil Chandra (Goa) and Agastya Crasto (Mumbai). Senior: Karthik Rajendran (Bengaluru), Khrys Nevin Francis (Thrissur), Neel Shah (Mumbai), Vedant Mathur (Mumbai), VV Viswajit (Chennai) and Mariah Thacker (Mumbai).

E-SPORTS – i-Racing: Rishabh Banerjee (Ranchi) and Sai Shiva Makesh Shankaran (Pune). Assetto Corsa:Sahil Khanna (Gurugram).

Auto Gymkhana: Tarushi Vikram (Chikmagaluru), Prateek Dalal (Bahadurgarh) and Achintya Mehrotra (New Delhi). Autocross: Philippos Matthai (New Delhi), Pragathi Gowda (Bengaluru) and Chetan Shivram (Bengaluru). 

About the FIA Asia-Pacific Motorsports Championship

The 2025 Asia Pacific Motorsports Championship, hosted in the scenic and culturally rich Sri Lanka, is a prestigious event collaboratively organised by the regional ASNs (National Motorsports Federations) of the Asia-Pacific region.

This championship was conceptualized with the goal of creating an accessible, cost-conscious platform that showcases the very best talents in motorsports across a variety of disciplines.

By providing a unified stage for competition, the event aspires to elevate and highlight the skills of participants, teams, and drivers, paving the way for their broader recognition on an international scale.