New Delhi, Nov 18: On a day of dramatic twists and turns, the Chennai duo of Karthik Tharani and Raghul Rangasamy clinched the coveted Euro JK 2018 and LGB Formula 4 titles in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the BIC here on an action-packed Sunday.
Over 35,000 delighted fans roared as the Euro JK began shortly after a mind-boggling stunt show led by UK’s Terry Grant and Lithuania’s Aras Gibieza, with Tharani and Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee tied on 89 points and everything coming down to the last 10 laps.
A fitting finale was on the cards, with the reverse grid too coming into play and adding to the drama. Nayan and Karthik commenced from behind, from sixth and fifth position, making their task that much tougher.
Nayan, however, suffered a massive blow at the start of the second lap itself, colliding with Manav Sharma and pulling out of the race.
It left the field wide open for Karthik, allowing him to steadily get past the field to win the race as well as the championship. Nayan had to be content with the second place while Ashwin Datta, who had been leading after each of the earlier rounds, finished a disappointing third.
The LGB Formula 4, which has been exciting all through the season, was equally dramatic, with defending champion Vishnu Prasad being upstaged in the last race. With a clear 6-point lead, the MSport veteran simply needed to drive smart but he lost the plot and fell behind midway through the race.
This opened a window of opportunity for his teammate Raghul Rangasamy, even though he was lagging six points; he made a successful charge and finished second, which landed the championship in his lap. Vishnu picked up just one point, forcing him to yield the title to his teammate.
“I didn’t know I had won the Championship when the podium ceremony was taking place,” Raghul said at the press conference. “I got to know only after I came to the pits. It’s an amazing feeling to be the national champion,” he added.
Delhi’s Rohit Khanna took the race but it was good enough to give him only the third place.
Aizawl’s Malsawmdwngliana won the last Suzuki Gixxer Cup, claiming the second place in the overall run. Chennai’s Joseph Mathew hung on to his lead and the Cup, despite having his worst round.
Malsawmdwngliana also turned out victorious in the prestigious Asia Cup of Road Race, ahead of top Asian bikers. Australia’s Max Stauffer and Sri Lanka’s Hansika Abeysinghe took the second and third positions.
New Delhi’s Gurvinder Singh and Jaipur’s Vijay Singh pocketed the JK Superbike Cup 1000cc and the 600cc categories respectively.
The packed stands enjoyed the great carnival-like atmosphere at the BIC, involving karting by 10-year-olds, a stunning tractor act and a live musical programme by Punjabi pop sensation Jasmine Sandlas.
RESULTS
1. Karthik Tharani; 2. Nayan Chatterjee; 3. Ashwin Datta
1. Raghul Rangasamy; 2. Vishnu Prasad; 3. Rohit Khanna
1. Joseph Mathew; 2. Malsawmdwngliana; 3. Syed Muzammil Ali
(Race 3): 1. Nayan Chatterjee; 2. Karthik Tharani; 3. Arya Singh
(Race 4): 1. Karthik Tharani; 2. Yash Aradhya; 3. Brayan Perera
(Race 3): 1. Rohit Khanna; 2. Raghul Rangasamy; 3. Sandeep Kumar
1. Malsawmdwngliana; 2. Max Stauffer; 3. Hanika Abeysinghe
1. Malsawmdwngliana; 2. Sachin Chaudhary; 3. Sanjeev Mhatre
1. Vijay Singh; 2. Kulwant Singh; 3. Saranbir Singh
1. Dilip Lalwani; 2. Deepak Ravi Kumar; 3. Gurvinder Singh
JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of gruelling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre’s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the field of motor sport.
In 2011, the company acquired the Formula BMW Series and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series (JKRAS). With this acquisition, JK Tyre created history in Indian Motorsport by becoming the first Indian company to acquire an FIA accredited series. By taking over the series, JK Tyre promises to utilize it as a platform to encourage and support the world’s best racing drivers and promote India as one of Asia’s motorsport capitals.
Thus, JK Tyre has conquered two steps in the motorsport program where the new racing aspirants first establish themselves in India, then graduate to Asian level i.e. to Formula BMW, which is now JKRAS and then they move to higher levels of racing. JK Tyre now stands closer to achieving its mission of bringing world-class motorsport to the Indian masses. The Racing and Karting programme by JK Tyre has been the breeding ground for the country's motorsport talents like Narain Karthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel and other emerging talent.
Another pioneering initiative was the launch of the Truck Racing Championship in India in partnership with Tata Motors. The company developed & designed “JetRacing”-the new generation truck racing tyres especially for this application. With this, JK Tyre became the first tyre company to produce truck racing tyres in India. The combination of the Prima trucks fitted with Jet Racing received an overwhelming response from participants and has definitely brought in a revolution in the Indian racing scenario.
Anwesh Koley
anwesh.koley@jkmail.com
Monsum Hazarika
monsumh@gmail.com
Mob: +91 9999648056
CALENDAR 2024
