The first day of racing in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 kicked off with thrilling races, headlined by TVS Racing’s young sensation Sarthak Chavan clinching his maiden National title. With action-packed performances across various categories, the day was filled with nail-biting finishes and a few upsets that set the stage for an exciting final race day.
Pune’s Sarthak Chavan capped off an extraordinary season by securing his first National title in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open class. Riding with incredible skill, the 17-year-old racer made history as the youngest champion in the category, sealing the title with his eighth win of the season. Sarthak tactically followed his teammate Chiranth Vishwanath for much of the six-lap race before making a decisive move on the final lap. With this victory, Sarthak built an unassailable 57-point lead over Chiranth, leaving his rivals no chance to catch up with one race still left to go. Veteran Rajini Krishnan finished third, adding another podium to his storied career.
Later in the day, the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race saw an intense battle between Sarthak, KY Ahamed, and Chiranth Vishwanath, all TVS Racing teammates. The race went down to the wire, with three different leaders throughout the six laps and many close calls. In the final corner, Chiranth executed a bold move to overtake Sarthak and Ahamed. The trio finished within a second of each other, making for one of the most thrilling races of the weekend. Despite the win, Chiranth remains fourth on the leaderboard, while Ahamed, Jagan Kumar and Chavan are separated by just three points going into the final race.
The Stock 301-400cc (Novice) race saw Raj Kumar C from RDX Torque Racing hold off stiff competition from Savion Sabu of Mad Rabbit Racing to claim the win, with Chennai’s Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan rounding out the podium. Kaushik’s third-place finish keeps him at the top of the standings with a comfortable 17-point lead over Raj Kumar as they head into the final race on Sunday.
Abdul Basim, riding for Rockers Racing, continued his domination in the Novice (Stock 165cc) class with his eighth consecutive win. Although the championship was already sealed in the previous round, Basim showed no signs of slowing down as he fended off Motul Sparks Racing’s Tasmai Cariappa for yet another victory.
Meanwhile, in the Girls (Stock 165cc) class, championship contenders Ryhana Bee and Rakshitha Dave crashed out after making contact in the third lap. This left the door open for Jagathishree Kumaresan (One Racing) to cruise to an easy victory, moving her to the top of the leaderboard with a 22-point lead heading into the last race of the season.
In the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, Malappuram’s Mohsin Paramban continued his winning ways, taking his sixth victory in nine races. It was a hard-fought race, with Mohsin marginally edging out Kolhapur’s Siddesh Sawant and Bengaluru’s Savion Sabu in a close finish. He has given one of the most dominant performances this season with six wins out of nine races.
The TVS One-Make Championship also saw some exciting action. Senthilkumar C from Coimbatore took his sixth win in the Open (RR 310) class, putting him in a commanding position for Sunday’s final race 13 points clear of second-placed Manoj Yesuadian. Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s Harshith V Bogar provisionally sealed the Rookie (Apache RTR 200) championship after finishing second behind Akarsh Jangam from Vijayawada. Harshith’s 44-point lead going into Sunday makes him unbeatable in the standings. Pune’s Saimah Ajaz Baig clinched the title in the Girls (Apache RTR 200) class despite finishing second behind Mumbai’s Sarah Khan. The points from her runner-up finish ensured that Saimah topped the championship in her category.
The action continues tomorrow, with the final races of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024. Stay tuned for updates!