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It was a gloomy Saturday, with dark clouds hovering above along with a slight drizzle. However, the Kari Motor Speedway track in Coimbatore was lively today, with the smell of burning rubber, sounds of screeching tyres and roaring engines, while radio chatter from the walkies of the marshals added to the heated environment. Somehow our weekend was more than sorted, as today was the Day 1 of the JK Tyre Indian National Racing Championship 2018. The schedule included three classes, menacing Euro JK class, Formula LGB4 and the Suzuki Gixxer Cup 2018. The Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup 2018 riders shared the grid with the Suzuki Gixxer Cup riders. There were 8 riders that were selected to compete in the Race this weekend along with 22 of the Gixxer Cup riders. The highlight of the day was the all-women Ahura Racing team that participated in the Formula LGB 4 class.
The Euro JK class featured open wheel formula cars powered by BMW engines. These race machines were pretty darn loud and really quick. If one would ever want to watch Formula One up close, try this first and check whether your ears can handle the bleeding. The Qualifying Round for the class featured some of most talented drivers in India. Nayan Chatterjee from Mumbai piloting the car no 9 clocked the fastest time and created a gap compared to the rest of the pack. Volkswagen Motorsports test driver Karthik Tharani makes a beautiful comeback into competitive racing and grabs the second position on the grid clocking a commendable 1:00.691 (m:s.ms) with Nirmal Uma Shankar in third position.
The Qualifying round went through quite smooth but it wasnt so for the first race of the day. The 15 lap Euro JK race started with a formation lap and saw some very competitive streaks by all the drivers. Unfortunately, it was bad luck for the race leader Nayan Chatterjee who made his way back to the pits due to a suspected technical issue before his first lap. Sudarshan Rao piloting car no 9 also drove into the pits after the third lap making it the second DNF of the first race. Nayan’s run to the pits opened up the first place to Karthik Tharani who was leading by a huge gap. Nirmal Uma Shankar was in second place closely followed by Manav Sharma and Ashwin Datta in third and fourth place. Amidst the heated race, Yash Aradhya clocked the fastest time of 1:00.952. The race 2 of Euro JK was scheduled as the last race of the day but had to be carried forward to the next day (Sunday) due to some technical difficulties.
The LGB 4 Formula cars are powered by a carbureted 1.3-lire Suzuki Swift engines mated to a 5-Speed Esteem Gearbox on a chrome molybdenum tubing frame. No matter how small the these cars may look, they are quite quick. THe qualifying round for the Formula LGB 4 was split into two batches. Chittesh Mandody the top spot on the grid (01.10.654) followed by Vishnu Prasad and Sandeep Kumar for a close second and third place. Dr. Ritika Oberoi from the Ahura Racing squad clocked the fastest (1:15.362) among the all-women team and started 19th on the grid.
The first race of the LGB Formula 4 was a close and featured some very close battles. Vishnu Prasad led the race with a total time of 18:03.844 in the 15 lap race. Sandeep Kumar followed for a close second along with Raghul Rangasamy rounding off the podium. Chittesh Mandody of Avalanche racing and Sohil Shah of M Sport return to the pits with suspected technical problems. Hansuja of Ahura Racing did not manage to start the race and was left with a DNS for the race. AHura Racing’s Megaa K was the fastest in 17th place among the all women team.
The qualifying session of the Suzuki Gixxer cup and Road to Rookies cup featured a very talented lot of riders. There were 30 riders in total, 8 chosen for the RedBull Road to Rookies Cup and 22 were Gixxer Cup riders. Joseph Mathew from Chennai secured pole position with a huge gap. Anthony Lalawmpuia from Aizwal managed a second position on the grid along with Sanjeev Mhatre following for a close third position.
The 10 lap race 1 was very close, but not for the race leader Joseph Mathew who opened up a big gap between the first two positions. Malsawmdawngkiana followed Joseph for a second position while Syed ALi took third place in the overall standings. The Road to Rookies also shared the same grid but the results were separated. Zothanmawia from Aizwal led the RedBull Road to Rookies cup 2018, with PC Andy and Jerome right on his tail in second and third place. The race registered two DNF’s with Anubhav Nirwal and Samuel Lalrinsanga bailing to the pits on the lap 18 and 34 respectively. Haritha Muralikrishnan from Chennai was the only female rider among the lot, she displayed exceptional talent and managed a 19th position in the Suzuki GIxxer Cup 2018
The media were given a hot lap with in two Suzuki Baleno’s with a RS bumper kit, a loud exhaust, rear disc brakes and an aftermarket handbrake lever. The Stunt drivers blasted towards every corner, did not bother about the apex and pulled the handbrake to initiate a powerslide or on some corners a mild scandanavian flick to spill your guts out while you hold onto a not-so reassuring grab handle. The same cars would be used in the main stunt show event during the Day 2 finale along with Throttlez the stunt riding team from Coimbatore.
Chennai trio shine as Ahura Racing girls steal thunder on opening day of JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship
Coimbatore, July 7: Chennai’s awesome trio of Karthik Tharani, Vishnu Prasad and Joseph Mathew began the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship on a winning note, even as the all-women’s team of Ahura Racing stole the thunder here on Saturday afternoon.
Karthik Tharani claimed the coveted first race in the Euro JK 18 category, winning the 15-lap race in 15:29.526 minutes. Nirmal Uma Shankar (Chennai) and Manav Sharma (Faridabad) took the other two places on the podium.
Seasoned racer Vishnu Prasad (MSport) staved off a stiff challenge from Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don) and Raghul Rangasamy (also of MSport) to win the highly competitive opening race in the LGB Formula 4.
In the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, defending champion Joseph Matthew was at his imperious best once again, taking the first race of the season in 14:15.877 minutes. He was over 3 seconds faster than Aizawl’s Malsawmdawngliana and Bengaluru’s Syed Muzamil Ali, who was a further 3 seconds behind.
The Red Bull Road to Rookies was once again dominated by the boys from the north-east, with Zothanmawia and Andy Lalhmangaihsang taking the first two places. Jerome Vanlalrengpuia from Mizoram finished third.
The day, however, belonged to the girls from Ahura Racing in their striking red cars and uniforms. The six girls created history on Friday, becoming the first all women’s team to compete in India. Five of them eventually competed in the LGB 4 category, and did well to finish the race.
Racing for the first time ever, Coimbatore’s Megaa KS beat the rest of the girls, impressing with an overall timing of 18:09.051 minutes. Pune’s Dr Ritika Oberoi, a seasoned motorsports competitor, chased her all the way, taking one extra second.
Race 2 of the Euro JK 18 could not take place on Saturday afternoon as scheduled due to a technical glitch. It will now take place on Sunday, when Round 1 concludes.
Results
Euro JK 18: 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai; 15:29.526) , 2. Nirmal Uma Shankar (Chennai; 15:31.424), 3. Manav Sharma (Faridabad; 15:34.487)
LGB 4: 1. Vishnu Prasad (MSport; 18:03.844), 2. Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don; 18:04.983). 3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:11.014)
Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Joseph Matthew (Chennai; 14:15.877), 2. Malsawmdawngliana (Aizawl; 14:19.122), 3. Syed Muzamil Ali (Bengaluru; 14:19.181)
Red Bull Road To Rookies: 1. Zothanmawia (Aizawl; 14:23.901), 2. Andy Lalhmangaihsang (Aizawl; 14:47.701); 3. Jerome Vanlalrengpuia (Mizoram; 14:50.264)
