Rajini, Mathana and Balappa bag double

COIMBATORE: RACR Castrol Power 1’s Rajini Krishnan notched up a double in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category as did Pacer Yamaha’s Mathana Kumar (Pro-Stock 165cc) and Sarvesh Balappa of Axor Sparks Racing (Novice Stock 165cc) on the concluding day – Sunday – of the Rolon Round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 at the Kari Motor Speedway here.

Rajini grabbed the early lead in the 14-lap outing and put in another command performance for a comfortable victory. Petronas TVS Racing’s KY Ahamed and his teammate Vorapong Malahuan (guest rider from Thailand) finished second and third respectively. Meanwhile, Mathana led a podium sweep for Pacer Yamaha as his teammates Prabhu Arunagiri and Mithun Kumar followed him home in that order.

“All credit to the riders who performed extremely well. It has been a decade since Pacer Yamaha had a podium sweep. Yes, it brought back memories of our team’s halcyon days,” said Pacer Yamaha owner Shekar Bhojanna, who began tuning bikes in 1976.

The Pro-Stock 165cc race was a disaster for two big teams – Petronas TVS Racing and Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing – since none of their top riders finished the contest. In the Novice race, Balappa dictated the pace from his pole position start and was never really troubled or challenged while posting a fine win.

Earlier, the results of the Girls (Stock 165cc) race were revised after winner Lani Zena Fernandez of RACR Castrol Power 1 was disqualified for a ‘technical infringement’. As a result, Ann Jennifer from Alpha Racing was elevated to the top spot.

RESULTS (PROVISIONAL):Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race 2): 1. Rajini Krishnan (17 minutes, 24.801 seconds); 2. KY Ahamed (17:30.128); 3. Vorapong Malahuan (17:31.642).

Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race 2): 1. Mathana Kumar (18:22.071); 2. Prabhu Arunagiri (18:22.128); 3. Mithun Kumar (18:41.533).

Novice (Stock 165cc) (Race 2):1. Sarvesh Balappa (14:33.419); 2. V Chiranth (14:38.810); 3. Aldrin Babu (14:46.913).

Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (11:53.085); 2. Aditi Krishnan (11:56.205); 3. Jagruti Penkar (12:03.051)

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