Day 2 of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship showcased immense skill as the track conditions kept changing. It was a cloudy afternoon at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore and the EuroJK drivers were ready for their second race of the weekend. There was mild drizzle on track but the cars were equipped slick tyres as there no sign of heavy rain that could lead to a wet track. The schedule had 5 races listed among the 3 categories along with a EuroJK race that was re-scheduled from Day 1 due to technical problems. The track conditions would vastly affect the EuroJK cars as they run on slick tyres and would need to swap to rain tyres for a wet race. The LGB4 cars did not seem to have an advantage either, the only problem was that the drivers had to carefully open the throttle their entry and exits. Yes, we witnessed a few slides and close saves on turn 6 but all went well as there were no crashes except a few cars having dangling front wings/noses.
Certainly this category is a must watch for every motorsport enthusiast in India. The cars are open wheel formula cars, powered by BMW engines and owned by Euro International. On a tight track like Kari, it was mesmerizing to witness the talent that was required to put these cars through their paces. ‘Eargasm’ is the only word to describe these machines, especially when the throttle is wide open through the main straight and right after turn 6.
Day 2 featured three races (Including Race 2 which was re-scheduled for Day 2) under the Euro JK series, the Race 2 started off on a slightly wet track. Sri Lanka’s Bryan Perera proved his mettle by charging away from Nayan Chatterjee who finished in second place followed by Ashwin Datta rounding off the podium in third. Bryan managed a overall time of 15:22.568 (m:s.ms) while Nayan was almost 3 seconds behind with a time of 15:26.377.
Race 3 on Sunday saw Bryan Pererain the lead again, but this time Nayan and Ashwin were on his tail for close second and third. Bryan raced to the top and won two EuroJK races, the rest of the podium was completed by Nayan and Ashwin for both Race 2 and 3. Karthik Tharani made an aggressive comeback in the last race, from third place passing Nayan and Ashwin for the top spot during the last few laps. The top three times were quite close, with Karthik clocking 15:33.789, Ashwin 15:34.334 and Nayan somehow managed to close in Ashwin’s rear wing with a 15:34.403.
Karthik and Bryan took the top spots in 2 of the EuroJK races, while Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee stayed right behind the leaders by rounding off the podium thrice on Day 2. Nayan grabbed the second place twice and the third place once. Ashwin Datta from Chennai also gave a tough fight, finishing second in Race 4 and third in Race 2 and 3 gaining him 24 points on the leaderboard. Bryan Perera and Karthik Tharani made 23 points overall while Nayan followed with 20 points.
The LGB4 race 2 which was held on Sunday caused quite the stir, as the grid toppers lagged behind after the first few laps of the race. Rohit Khanna (16:56.965) of Dark Don racing rose to the top and took the lead over Chittesh Mandody and Vishnu Prasad who finished in second and third. Chittesh from Kolhapur snatched the second place from A. Balaprasath of MSport, while Vishnu Prasad held onto a commendable third place finish.
The last race (Race 3) of the LGB4 series was on a wet track making it even tougher for drivers to hold their ground. Turn 6 saw a few spin outs and close saves. The first few laps were under the guidance of the safety car, but once the leash was off it was a close race right from the get go. However, the wet track did not stop Raghul Rangasamy of MSport from latching onto the lead. Chittesh showed exceptional control by staying put to second place with Vishnnu Prasad in third place. There was barely a second difference between the top two drivers. Vishnu Prasad is topping the leaderboard with 22 points after Round 1. Raghul and Rohit have 21 and 17 points.
The Race 2 of the Gixxer series featured 8 talented riders from the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup and 22 riders under the Suzuki Gixxer Cup 2018. Even though the standings would be separated, the race grid was shared by both the classes. The fight for the top 3 spots was underway showcasing some beautiful overtaking maneuvers which applaud worthy considering that they were only riding 150cc bikes. Joseph Mathew from Chennai and Malsawmdawngliana from Aizwal led the grid and later, the race.
It was a close fight between the top three positions, Mathew, Malsawmdawngliana and Syed Muzamil Ali. Siddharth Sajan piloting bike no 19 lost control of his bike and was out almost 14 minutes into the race. Rushabh shah, Zochhuanliana and Deepak Gharty did not manage to finish the race making it four DNF’s. Under the Red Bull Rookies Cup standings, Zothanmawia from Aizawl took the first place (14:36.129) followed by Jerome Vanlalrengpuia from Mizoram and Andy Lalhmangaihsang.
Press Release
Sri Lanka’s Perera, Chennai’s Tharani grab honours in JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship
Coimbatore, July 8: Sri Lanka’s Bryan Perera made the most of slightly wet conditions to emerge the star of the day, winning two Euro JK 18 races in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship here on Sunday.
Karthik Tharani, who won the laurels in this category on Saturday, however, made a valiant comeback in the fourth and final race to catch up with Perera as Round 1 came to a thrilling finish.
Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee stayed right behind the leaders by making the podium thrice on Sunday, grabbing the second place twice and the third place once. Another Chennai racer Ashwin Datta enjoyed a good run, finishing second in Race 4 and third in Race 2 and 3.
In fact, Ashwin Datta has taken top position on the leader-board with 24 points, upstaging Perera and Tharani who have accumulated 23 points. Nayan has 20 points.
The LGB 4 too proved to be a tantalising affair, with Delhi’s Rohit Khanna and Chennai’s Raghul Rangsamy winning one race each. Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad had won Race 1 on Saturday, to produce three different winners in the three races in this category.
Vishnu and Kolhapur’s Chittesh Mandody took the second and third places in both the races to pick up valuable points. Vishnu, however, is ahead on points after Round 1 with 22 in his kitty. Raghul and Rohit have 21 and 17 points.
In the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, Joseph Matthew continued his imperious run, remaining unbeaten over this weekend too. He finished the 10 laps in 14:16.799 minutes, recording his quickest time of 1:23.411 minutes in Lap 6 for his second straight victory.
Syed Muzamil Ali (Bengaluru) and Malsawmdawngliana (Aizawl), who had finished third and second last evening, swapped places in Race 2 to finish on the same number of points.
A carnival-like atmosphere reigned at the Kari Motor Speedway, with a big holiday crowd turning up to enjoy the Race Day. Music, stunts and close races marked the day, as the competitors gunned for glory.
The Ahura Racing team once again were greeted with the loudest cheers, with the five girls in red tackling the wet conditions with elan.
The slippery track didn’t deter them, leading to a series of photo-finishes in all the categories. Bryan Perera recorded the day’s fastest lap in Race 3, taking just 1:00.279 minutes in his Euro JK 18 car.
RESULTS
Euro JK 18, Race 2: 1. Bryan Perera (Sri Lanka, 15:22.568); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 15:26.377); 3. Ashwin Datta (Chennai, 15:29.942)
Euro JK 18, Race 3: 1. Bryan Perera (Sri Lanka, 14:15.491); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 14:17.269); 3. Ashwin Datta (Chennai, 14:23.294)
Euro JK 18, Race 4: 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai, 15:33.789); 2. Ashwin Datta (Chennai, 15:34.334); Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 15:34.403)
LGB 4, Race 2: 1. Rohit Khanna (Dark Don, 16:56.965); 2. Chittesh Mandody (Kolhapur, 16:59.249); 3. Vishnu Prasad (MSport; 17:02.297)
LGB 4, Race 3: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 21:56.544); Chittesh Mandody (Kolhapur, 21:57.698); 3. Vishnu Prasad (MSport; 21:59.430)
Suzuki Gixxer Cup, Race 2: 1. Joseph Matthew (Chennai; 14:16.799), 2. Syed Muzamil Ali (Bengaluru; 14:18.749); 3. Malsawmdawngliana (Aizawl; 14:19.951)
Red Bull Rookie, Race 2: 1. Zothanmawia (Aizawl; 14:36.129), 2. Jerome Vanlalrengpuia (Mizoram; 15:04.514); 3. Andy Lalhmangaihsang (Aizawl; 15:13.476)