Mika Hakkinen inaugurates MIKA - India’s first CIK standard karting track

India gets its newest professional karting track at the Madras International Circuit, in Chennai, comes the MIKA – Madras International Karting arena. The track is built to Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK or CIK-FIA) standards. The occasion was graced by two-time Formula 1 world champion, Mika Hakkinen, along with India’s only two Formula 1 drivers – Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan.

The circuit has been under development for almost a year and was designed by the UK-based Driven International, with Karun Chandhok advising on the layout. It is a 1.2 km circuit, which Mika Hakkinen described as the “perfect go-karting track,” with its long straights and fast-flowing corners. The layout is designed to promote great racing and overtaking, but most importantly, to develop and train young drivers for a future in international racing.

When asked about MIKA, Karun Chandhok told evo India that when they decided to build a karting track, they wanted to do it properly and at a global standard, just as MIC has done for over two decades. The track is equipped with floodlights, a control room, and a holding area with charging facilities for electric go-karts. MIKA will be open to the public for leisure activities and competitions. The facility is still a work in progress, with major plans to make it attractive for family outings and corporate events. Karun, in fact, hopes that in the near future, current karting teams will start basing themselves at the track, store their karts here so they can "arrive and drive," and eventually increase interest among the youth. MMSC president Ajit Thomas also mentioned that they have plans to conduct major international events at the MIKA circuit, in addition to helping develop young talent in India.

The karts currently available at the track are a mix of internal combustion engine karts, electric karts, and karts for kids. Two-seaters will be added soon as well. This wide variety of karts is chosen to give people a range of options to invest in and enjoy karting. The next step is to introduce Rotax karts, enabling young motorsport aspirants to go racing.

Hakkinen also stressed the importance of karting from a young age for anyone aiming to enter professional motorsport. He karted for 10 years and, while much of his technique and racecraft came from those early years, he mentioned that the most important skill he learned through karting was mental resilience. Being able to take a hit, suffer a loss, and learn to bounce back was the key lesson for him. In hindsight, these lessons helped him win the championship twice, against a formidable opponent like Michael Schumacher.

Mika, Karun, and Narain gave us a taste of the track’s potential as they inaugurated it in true racer fashion – by racing on it. At the start, Narain took the lead with Karun close behind and Mika following. By the middle of the first lap, Mika got the hang of the kart and started having some fun by pulling off a Scandinavian flick around the corners, eventually passing the pair. Throughout the five laps, the three kept overtaking one another, with positions changing almost at every corner. The entire spectacle was a display of the exciting possibilities for the future of Indian motorsports and the thrilling races that could come from the young drivers competing here.