After a spectacular show in round 1 where the Eneos Honda Erula Racing team bagged seven podium finishes in the Pro-stock 165cc category, the team is aiming to seal the Triple Crown victory in the Pro-Stock 125cc category of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship as well. To that end, the stage is set for an action-packed performance this weekend at the Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai.
The weekend extravaganza will witness Honda’s riders Rajiv Sethu, Mathana Kumar and Senthil Kumar fighting fiercely to maintain their dominance in the Pro-Stock 165cc class. Securing one win and three podium finishes in the first round, Mathana Kumara leads the championship with 73 points (a 12 points gap with nearest competitor). Rajiv Sethu, however, is a close third, with 60 points (just 1 behind the second-placed rider), and has three podium finishes including one win to his credit. Their teammate Senthil Kumar is aggressively competing to reach the top.
Meanwhile, the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF250R and CBR150R classes) will see 24 young riders aged 12-20 getting the opportunity of battling for championship titles astride the NSF250R and CBR150R race machines.
In the hotly contested NSF250R class, 14-year-old Sarthak Chavan from Pune heads the grid with two podium wins in first round. Challenging him will be the frontrunners Kavin Quintal and Varoon S from Chennai. Giving them stiff competition will be Geoffrey Emanuel, Charan T and Deepak S from Chennai; Samuel Martin and AS James from Bangalore, Raj Dashwanth from Trichy and Mohsin from Velachery.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Shyam Sundar from Chennai is currently leading the scoreboard after back-to-back wins in round one of the CBR150R class. Completing the 14-rider grid will be the novice riders including Rakshit and Johan (in 2nd and 3rd position) who were hand-picked from Honda India Talent Hunt across India – be it from the Bokaro Steel City, Belgaum, Patna, Satara, Pune, Mumbai, Uttur, Malappuram and Chennai, ready to partake in the championship.
Speaking on the final round, Prabhu Nagaraj, Senior VP – brand and communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd said, “It is incredible to see the finesse and determination with which our riders have been performing. As a team, we have always ensured the development of our riders both physically and mentally to excel on race track. Holding the baton for the team, our seasoned riders Rajiv Sethu and Mathana Kumar have stood well on our expectations and have risen to the top. On the other hand, the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup – NSF250R and CBR150R categories are becoming the highlight of the championship where the young riders are competing and challenging themselves to adapt and improve their race craft. This weekend will surely be an interesting one and our riders are all charged up to win the championship.”