Stage set for Round 2 of 26th National Racing Championship

NEW DELHI: Bengaluru boys Tijil Rao of Dark Don Racing and Arjun S Nair of Momentum Motorsports will be the cynosure of all eyes in their respective categories as the curtain goes up for Round 2 of the 26th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship during the coming weekend at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore.

Both the participants were in excellent form and staved off stiff challenges from their fellow competitors to finish the opening round at the top of the leaderboard in their respective categories. They will look to continue their good run and aim to consolidate their positions at the top of the leaderboard.

The second round of the championship will be the penultimate round and will help racers to further strengthen their overall standings. Some nail biting action is anticipated during the rounds between the top contenders across categories as they will be fighting head to head to be a step closer towards winning the overall championship title.

Tijil, who entered the championship as one of the early favorites, lived up to the hype as he nosed ahead in the blue riband LGB Formula 4 category with 27 points. He got off to a jubilant start, winning the opening race and finished second and third in the next two races. He could have logged in more points to increase the gap at the top, but a sixth-place finish in the final race pegged him back.

However, he will have to be at his imperious best during the weekend as Arya Singh of Kolkata is breathing fiercely down his neck. Arya, another youngster on the grid, is trailing by just a solitary point and will hope to turn the tables on his fellow Dark Don racer. Arya also had a near-perfect race weekend for Round 1 in August, winning one and finishing second in two races. He was in contention to finish on top, but a DNF in the last race meant he had to be content with the second spot.

Nellore’s Vishwas Vijayraj of Ahura Racing and Ruhaan Alva of M Sports from Bengaluru are tied on 20 points and despite just one finish on the podium apiece, they did not drift apart significantly and would attempt at narrowing down the lead if not usurp it.

The seasoned duo of Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) and Bengaluru’s Diljith TS (Dark Don Racing) will be pushing hard to prove their class and hope to rectify their previous errors and come back roaring into the second round.

Arjun was at his ominous best in the JK Tyre Novice Cup, accumulating 34 points. He began on a stunning note, completing a grand double on the first day and followed it with a third place and second place finish on the last day to soar ahead of others. He will be hoping to maintain his form and continue his stranglehold at the top.

DTS Racing’s Joel Joseph from Ernakulam with 25 points and Neythan McPherson from Pune of Momentum Motorsports with 24 points are currently second and third on the table. They would be eager to spice up the competition and hope to throw a spanner in Arjun’s quest for domination in the category.

This will be not all, as two-wheeler enthusiasts will also be in for a treat; there will be two bikes races in the offing. Speed junkies from all over the country will make their presence felt in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield GT Cup and JK Tyre presents 250 Cup powered by United CRA.

Bengaluru’s Abhishek Vasudev was the standout performer in the GT Cup and has accumulated 17 points by virtue of winning one race and finishing second in the other one, to launch his campaign on high note. His city-mate Ullas Nanda is just five points behind on 12, while Chennai’s Anand R is on 10 points. With the gap not that wide, the riders will have to be at the top of the game to seize the advantage and strengthen their position on the leaderboard.