Ahamed leads 1-2 for TVS Racing; Sarvesh makes 5 wins on bounce

CHENNAI: KY Ahamed led a 1-2 finish for Petronas TVS Racing while Rajiv Sethu chalked up his maiden win of the season and Sarvesh Balappa his fifth in a row in their respective categories as the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 sparked to life on Saturday at the Madras International Circuit here.

Ahamed scored a merited win in the premier Pro-Stock 301400cc Open category as the unbeaten run of Rajini Krishnan from RACR Castrol Power1, who had won the previous four races over two rounds, ended. The latter went off the track when in the lead due to mechanical issues, but managed to finish third.

In a heart-stopping Pro-Stock 165cc Open race, Sethu fought and won a tense battle that kept the final outcome in suspense until the very finish. The Honda star held off the Petronas TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and KY Ahamed even as leader and pole-sitter Prabhu Arunagiri from Pacer Yamaha crashed in the dying moments of the six-lap race.

Meanwhile, Sarvesh secured his fifth win on the bounce in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category in a race that was reduced to four laps from the scheduled six following multiple crashes in the very first lap. All riders in the crashes escaped with minor injuries. Meanwhile, Ann Jennifer of Alpha Racing qualified for pole position for Sunday’s race in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category.

RESULTS (PROVISIONAL):

Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open

(Race 1): 1. KY Ahamed (11 minutes, 18.989 seconds); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (11:19.095); 3. Rajini Krishnan (11:28.348).

Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race 1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (11:48.625); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (11:48.900); 3. KY Ahamed (11:49.128).

Novice (Stock 165cc) (Race 1):

1. Sarvesh Balappa (08:48.175); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (08:48.414);

3. Aldrin Babu (08:52.063)