Bengaluru racer Chiranth Vishwanath scripts history in Motegi, Japan

Chiranth Vishwanath from Bengaluru scripted history when he became the first Indian to win a race at the iconic Mobility Resort Motegi racetrack in Japan recently as he finished the round 3 of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship with a victory and a fourth-place finish in the TVS Asia Championship category.

Having qualified fourth after a series of fastest laps in the official practice session, 18-year-old Chiranth, astride a TVS Apache RR 310, set a hot pace in Race-1 to lead from the start. However, in the fifth of the eight-lap race, he fell to P5 following a contact with another rider. But he recovered and overtook three riders in the last lap to post a fine win, his first in the championship.

In Race-2, Chiranth was in P2 until the last lap when he had another contact with fellow-rider which cost him two spots and he eventually finished fourth.

Reflecting on the weekend, Chiranth said: “It was a tough but good weekend for me. I had good pace through Race-1 and though I lost position, I kept my cool to eventually win the race after I moved past three front-runners in the last lap. In Race-2, I was in the hunt for a podium when another contact cost me two places and I managed P4. It was a good learning experience for me and I am grateful to TVS Racing, my sponsors and family for the support.”

The win and P4 finish helped Chiranth move up to fourth in the championship as he prepares for the next round in Indonesia in August.