Coimbatore, Jul 28 (IANS): The third round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, the Blue Band Sports Rally of Coimbatore 2023, has shattered all records even before the flag-off, with as many as 76 cars lining up for the big day of the two-day race, starting on Saturday.

The Rally has received a huge boost thanks to the Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation, which is changing the face of Indian motorsport by supporting events, teams and drivers across the board.

The VM Foundation is backing 37 teams, making up nearly 50 per cent of the grid for this round.

Top teams like Ammyfield Rallying, Arka Motorsports, Chettinad Sporting, and top drivers like former INRC champion Chetan Shivram, Prince (Maninder Singh) and Aimen Ahmed are buzzing with excitement on the eve of the rally.

''I have been passionate about motorsports all my life,'' the chairman of VM Sports Foundation, Vamcy Merla, said.

''I have promoted several FMSCI events in the past too, including the 2019 edition of the Indian National Rally Championship. I have created this foundation to help India's best rallyists follow their dreams without worrying about money,'' he added.

Merla, incidentally, is also competing in the rally, his first time ever at this level. He has registered in the Gypsy Cup and has Raghuram Saminathan as his navigator.

''The INRC has received a huge boost thanks to VM Foundation's enthusiasm and wholehearted support. Several drivers, who can't afford the costs of competing in an event of this scale and magnitude and skip several rounds every year, are all here in Coimbatore,'' J Prithviraj, secretary of the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, said.

''We have a formidable field and every class is going to be thrilling and a close affair," he added.