Coimbatore, August 27th, 2023: Tijil Rao won the first and last race of the season opener while Arya Singh and Ruhaan win a race each in the LGB Formula 4 class. Arjun Nair clinches a double as Neythan and Joel win a race in the Novice Cup of the 26th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway. LGB Formula 4:
Tijil started the day finishing on top of the podium in the opening race. It was not easy though for the Bengaluru youngster as his teammates Arya Singh from Kolkata and T.S. Diljith from Thrissur gave him a run for his money. The lead kept changing hands lap after lap and, midway through, it was all about holding one’s nerve. But Tijil, despite the pressure, kept his cool, waited for the right moment to strike, and planned his move well in the final lap to take the chequered flag in style.
For Team Dark Don racing it did not matter as Arya and Diljith wrested the next two positions. In the second race, Arya gained sweet revenge over Tijil with a thrilling win. It was wheel-to-wheel racing between the two and, with three laps to go, it looked like anybody's game and, with it, another clean sweep for Dark Don Racing. The arrival of the safety car made it even more exciting for the spectators but not for the top three contenders as the back markers gained a slight advantage.
At this juncture, all eyes were on Arya and Tijil but the former did one better than the latter when it mattered most to finish the day on a merry note. Tijil and Viswas Vijayaraj of Ahura Racing had to rest content for the second and third spots respectively.
Round 3 turned out to be a battle royal all the way. In the opening race of day two, all eyes were on the Dark Don Racing stars but Bengaluru’s Ruhaan stamped his class with a stunning final lap victory. Arya Singh dominated for most part but Ruhaan played catch up with some brilliant driving. The former was beginning to feel the pressure. There was a little bumping and jostling now and then between the two but Ruhaan kept searching for space to sneak in. He managed to find one in the final lap and crossed the line much to the joy of his team. The final race was as good as the first but Tijil did one better than the rest to clinch the thriller. With the reverse grid in play, it was Saran Vikram from Mars Racing who started off on a blitzy note staying in the lead for good five laps, however it was Ruhaan who overtook him and was primed for victory.
But as luck would have it, Ruhaan spun out of the race giving the Dark Don’s a fresh leash of life with Diljith and Tijil battling it out for the victory. While it looked like the senior pro Diljith would close the round on a high, it was the young Tijil who showed grit and great skills to overtake in the 13th lap. It was a sight to behold as both the racers were involved in a to and fro action but eventually Tijil brought in his car ahead of others to end on a high. JK Tyre Novice Cup:
Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair, representing Momentum Motorsports, started the season on a super note as well clinching both the races of day one, in race one he was followed by his team mate Neythan Mc Pherson in second with just over a second difference and Joel Josheph from DTS Racing was further slower by over three seconds to settle for third position. In race2 it was Arjun once again on top as Saishiva Sankaran from MSport followed him in second position with over 5sec difference, while his teammate Abhay with less than a second deficit finished third.
In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, Bengaluru’s Arjun S. Nair of Momentum Motorsports, who cracked a double on Saturday, for once could not celebrate on top of the podium in the first race as his teammate Neythan McPherson from Pune staved off a stiff challenge from Aman Nagdev (MSport) and Arjun took the flag.
The nine-lap race saw the safety car out twice and that took some flow and shine out of the event. Aman and Arjun finished second and third respectively.
But in the second race, Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) came out victorious, while Arjun and McPherson wrested the next two spots.
JK Tyre 250 Cup:
Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa, starting on P2, ruled the field. Pole sitter G. Abhinav (Coimbatore) brought some cheer to the home crowd clocking the fastest time of 1:25.00. He maintained a good pace but not good enough to outsmart Sarvesh at the end. Bengaluru’s Rohit Lad had to rest content for the third spot.
JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup
R. Anand of Chennai scored over a strong field to take the prime spot on the podium.. In an incident filled race, which had to be restarted due to a couple of accidents saw Md Samrul Zubair of Hyderabad give Anand a run for his money but Anand crossed the line with rather consummate ease.
In Race2, Bengaluru boys who stole the show with a clean sweep. Abhishek Vasudev emerged victorious with an impressive timing of 13:53.248 minutes, while his city-mates, Ullass Nanda (13:53.651 minutes) and Md. Samrul Zubair (13:57.403 minutes) were the others who stood second and third on the podium respectively.