Raghul Rangasamy and Vishnu Prasad from Chennai are best buddies off the track but, on it, they fight it out. Their battle added spice to the opening round of the 22nd JK Tyre-FMSCI National racing championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam here on Sunday.
After some thrilling action, the duo, representing MSport, won a race each in the popular Formula LGB4 class. It was Raghul who stole the thunder in the opening race while Vishnu finished on top in the second, making it a memorable outing for MSport.
Drama, more drama
There was post-race drama too as Vishnu was dislodged from the top before being reinstated after a series of protests.
The JK Tyre Novice Cup also witnessed some heated off-the-track action. Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports), who scored a double the other day, took the chequered flag yet again only to find that he had made a jump start. He was penalised 10 seconds and slid down to the eighth position.
Mohamed Ryan (MSport, Chennai), who finished second, was declared the winner.
Mira, the best
A new category for women was introduced to recognise the best racer in the LGB4 bunch. Vadodara’s Mira Erda (MSport) grabbed the honours, finishing ahead of all the others in each of the races.
The results (provisional):
Formula LGB4: Race 2: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) 18:28.329; 2. Vishnu Prasad (MSport) 18:31.673; 3. A. Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don) 18:32.848.
Race 3: 1. Vishnu Prasad 20:02.742; 2. Raghul Rangasamy 20:02.810; 3. Ashwin Datta (Dark Don Racing) 20:05.316.
JK Tyre Novice Cup: Race 3: 1. Mohamed Ryan (MSport) 23:44.056; 2. Aaroh Ravindra (Momentum Motorsports) 23:47.212; 3. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art) 23:47.330.
JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Syed Muzammil Ali 14:19.609; 2. Tanay Gaikwad 14:25.458; 3. Sidharth Sajan 14:27.480.
JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies: 1. Ikshan Shanbag; 2. Prashanth R 3. Aryan Gurav 14:35.073.
JK Tyre women's category (Formula LGB4): 1. Mira Erda (MSport); 2. Mega K.S (Ahura Racing); 3. Diana Pundole (Ahura Racing).