Coimbatore: Arya Singh emerged as the early benchmark in the LGB Formula 4 class as the CTR-JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2026 opened at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore on Saturday. A dramatic first day featured nine races across eleven categories, but Singh’s composed victory in a disrupted Formula 4 race placed him firmly at the top of the championship table.The race was reduced to 11 laps after four laps behind the safety car, leaving little margin for error once racing resumed. Front-row starters Mehul Agarwal and Arya Singh fought hard for control, while Meco Racing’s Raghul Rangasamy forced his way into second. Agarwal briefly reclaimed the lead, but a late 360-degree spin changed the outcome, allowing Singh to move ahead and seal victory by 2.456 seconds. Rangasamy finished second, while Dark Don rookie Aditya Patnaik edged the recovering Agarwal by just 0.120 seconds for third. Dhruv Goswami also impressed, charging from 19th on the grid to sixth.In the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, Kabir Sahoch dominated the Amateur class with two lights-to-flag wins. He took Race 1 by 2.298 seconds and Race 2 by 3.218 seconds. In the Pro class, Senthil Kumar won Race 1 from pole by just 0.025 seconds over Anish Shetty, before Navaneeth Kumar claimed Race 2 after a red-flag restart.The JK Tyre Levitas Cup saw Mumbai’s Pratik Sonawane take control of the Gentleman class with a commanding pole-to-flag win by 8.574 seconds over Sidharth Balasundaram. Mira Erda delivered a strong recovery drive from eighth to third overall, while Aadam Junaid won the Rookie class ahead of Ajay Sankar and Vikram A B. (The writer is in Coimbatore on an invitation from JK Tyres).