In a rare congregation of cricketing heroes, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh and Brian Lara will share the spotlight in Chennai on July 5-6, when they officially launch the MRF-MAI Formule Mondiale Championship 2003 series.

The trio will don specially designed racing gear and drive a few laps around the circuit in their Go-Karts at Danny's Karting Centre, on the outskirts of Chennai, to kick-start the six-round championship that will witness the best talent from India, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The series, in its second year, will be run in accordance with the International Sporting Code of the Federation Internationale de Automobile, the world governing body for motorsport.

Competition will be held in six categories -- the Asian Zone National Karting Championship, the Indian National Karting Championship, the Karting Champions Trophy, Kadet-Indian National Karting Championship, the  manufacturer's trophy and the Privateer's Trophy.

The subsequent rounds of the Formule Mondiale series will be held in Pune (August 2-3), Kolkata (September 20-21), Nagpur (October 4-5), Mumbai (November 22-23) and Bangalore  (December 20-21).

Prize-money, amounting to Rs 700,000, will be up for grabs in the series.