Ahamed wins, but Rajini inches closer to title

CHENNAI: KY Ahamed of Petronas TVS Racing completed a hat-trick of wins in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category while Rajini Krishnan from RACR Castrol Power1 moved within one point of clinching the title after a third-place finish in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit here on Saturday.

Later, Petronas TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar notched up his second win of the season in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category, but not before surviving a hectic scramble in the last lap. Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu edged out championship leader Mathana Kumar from Pacer Yamaha for the second place, narrowing the points deficit to 14 with one more race to be run on Sunday.

In the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open race, pole-sitter Ahamed led a 1-2 finish for his team with Deepak Ravikumar in tow. Rajini, starting from P4, struggled with a clutch pedal issue, but used his vast experience to good effect and scrambled to the third position. The result means that defending champion Rajini needs just one point from Sunday’s concluding race to seal his 11th National title. Ahamed trails the holder by 25 points with Ravikumar, a further eight behind, in third.

Meanwhile, Rohan Ramesh led a 1-2 finish for Axor Sparks Racing in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category ahead of Kayan Zubin Patel, with Vignesh Goud completing the podium. Sarvesh Balappa, also of Axor Sparks Racing, came fourth, but has effectively bagged the title as he leads by 54 points going into Race 2.

RESULTS (PROVISIONAL): Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race 1): 1. KY Ahamed (11 minutes, 20.954 seconds); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (11:21.029); 3. Rajini Krishnan (11:22.050).

Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race 1): 1. Jagan Kumar (11:50.902); 2. Rajiv Sethu (11:51.067); 3. Mathana Kumar (11:51.308).

Novice (Stock 165cc) (Race 1): 1. Rohan Ramesh (13:00.141); 2. Kayan Zubin Patel (13:02.912); 3. P Vignesh Goud (13:04.091)