CD Jinan crowned Rider of the Day at Supercross Round 1

Nashik, 1 May 2022: Supercross stalwart from Kerala who had thrilled the fans for over two decades, CD Jinan of Petronas TVS Racing, continues to showcase his exhilarating skills and talent, astride an RTR 300 as he won “the Best Rider” tag once again. On a hot Sunday with searing temparatures, he had mixed results but came out on top in a hard-fought Group A SX1 Foreign Experts Class 1 with a win and a podium to garner higher points than teammate and young challenger Rugved Barguje in the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Supercross Championship 2022 here on Sunday.

Another feature event, the Indian Experts Group C Class 5, saw TVS champion, Sachin D clinch the issue for his team, Petronas TVS Racing, which dominated the proceedings once again with multiple wins and podiums for their riders.

Missing the hole-shot in the first Moto, the six-time National Supercross champion, CD Jinnan, had to be content with a second place which was won by youngster Rugved Barguje of Pune, who defended well. Jinan, despite his initial issues on the track, fought tooth and nail and did overtake Barguje in the penultimate lap but the youngster quickly regained the position with a clever pass and held on till the chequered flag for a deserving win. However, Moto 2 saw the veteran Jinnan restore the order as Barguje suffered a fall in the early stages in a reversal of fortunes, and could only recover to take a fourth. Though he missed the podium, he vowed to come back and his senior TVS mate took the honours in the Round 1.

Meanwhile, Sachin D, who is coming back from an injury, showed that he is back in form winning the honours in the Class 5 Indian Experts Group C Upto 260cc category ahead of Asaruddin and Karan Kumar. Sachin, a soft-spoken maestro, is a different rider on the track when he is on attack-mode, but his soft nature costed him many a victory. Last season saw him do all that he is known for on the track but the Sprint National champion 2020 saw his hard-fought title elude him due to off-track decisions. He is not the one to crib, for he prefers his bike to do the talking and he is back in the news with a well-deserved victory that launches his 2022 Supercross season. Watch out for his skilled antics on the track.

Young talent Jinendra Sangave of Kolhapur won the Locals class ahead of Pinkesh Thakkar and Russell Jossy finished third. Jinendra, the rider to look out for, took part in four races astride a Kawasaki KX250 in the SX2 and also raced in the Junior SX1 on a TVS RTR 200. Apart from the victory, the teen talent also had two second-place finishes in Junior SX and SX2, where he was punching above his weight with some seniors.

Ajay Srinivas of Bengaluru won SX2 moto while Arun D of Hassan in Karnataka, a popular rider with fans, won the Private Experts class. Banteilang Jarwa of Meghalaya, who represents the motorsports dreams of the North East, made up for his fall in the higher class to clinch the honours in the Novice Group C class.

Young and upcoming talent Akshat Hupale found his wonted form and showcased glimpses of his talent conquering the Junior SX2, the lowest age-group competition for riders below 14 years. He the rider to count on a dull day. He displays a cool mind and exhibits good riding skills, be his corner negotiation or sudden acceleration… If groomed well, this boy has the ability and talent to go places.

Shyam Kothari, the head of GodSpeed Racing, the promoter said: “I am very happy to welcome all the riders to the MRF National Supercross after the COVID-induced two-year break. The response is overwhelming with 105 entries in eight different classes and everybody is raring to go. We had a 650-metre long track with 23 double jumps, a table top and the usual terrain but this Nashik track is technical that provided challenging races and some keen battles. It was nice to see the galleries full with fans and families and I wish all the riders, all the best for the season with Round 2 in Pune coming up next Sunday.”

With the delayed calendar of 2021 completing only in March 2022, the fmsci Nationals are back on track once again with COVID19 travel restrictions coming to an end. The pandemic which ruined the schedule of many a National championship saw that no Supercross event was held for two years, 2020 and 2021. Supercross is one of the 13 Nationals of the Federation of Motorsports Clubs in India (fmsci) which is popular and attracts a huge fan following with the largest and most-impressive crowds adoring the riders. The skills of these riders and their feats are held at stadiums and open grounds that were brought closer to the spectators and fans with well-made tracks that provide all the exciting obstacles like double jumps, rumblers, bumps and amplifies the fun for the fan with an easy view from the galleries. Behind all this is the Promoter GodSpeed Racing, which is headed by none other than Shyam Kothari, a 7-time National champion in three different motorsports disciplines – 2w Rally, racing and motocross. The event sponsored by Title rights holder MRF gets support from SIDVIN and others.

The fmsci 2022 season began with the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for 4-wheelers organised by MMSC at Chennai in April and this is the second Nationals which finished the Round 1 and a back-to-back second round happening in Pune on May 8. Next Sunday will witness Chikkamagalur hosting the INRC for two-wheelers with another back-to-back round in Mangalore the following Sunday, also promoted by GodSpeed.

Results: Round 1 – 2022 (provisional – Unofficial):

Rider of the Day: CD Jinnan

1. Class 1 SX 1 (A&B) Group A Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (Foreign Experts Class) (2 motos):

Day’s Winners (on points):

Overall:

1. #50 CD Jinnan (Thrissur);

2. #9 Rugved Barguje (Pune);

3. #2 Mahesh VM ()’

Moto 1

1. #9 Rugved Barguje (TVS RTR 300) (Pune);

2. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);

3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);

Moto 2

1. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);

2. #37 Prajwal Vishwanath (TVS RTR 200 – Bengaluru)

3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);

2. Class 2 SX 2 (A&B) Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (2 motos):

1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);

2. #97 Jinendra Sangave (Kolhapur);

3. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);

Moto 2:

1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);

2. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);

3. #30 Bumik Lalwani (

3. Class 3 NOVICE Group C:  Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

1. #27 Banteilang Jerwa (TVS Racing – Shillong, Meghalaya);

2. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);

3. #73 Arun T (Hassan);

4. Class 4 LOCALS Group B: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

1. #90 Jinendra S;

2. #99 Pinesh Thakkar;

3. #6 Russel Jossy;

5. Class 5 INDIAN EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

Moto 1

1. #40 Sachin D (Petronas TVS Racing) (Bengaluru);

2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);

3. #8 Karan Kumar M (Coimbatore);

Moto 2 (Results awaited)

6. Class 6 PRIVATE EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

1. #73 Arun T (Impulse) (Hassan);

2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);

3. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);

7. Class 7 JR SX 1 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 250CC (2 motos):

1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara) 40 points;

2. #97  Jinendra Sangave 34;

3. #47 Anastya Pol  (Bengaluru) 28 ;

4. #52 Srujan 28 points

Moto 1

1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara);

2. #97  Jinendra Sangave 34;

3. #52 Srujan J.

8. Class 8 JR SX 2 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 100CC (for riders under-12 years):

Moto1 (Results awaited)

Moto2

1. #34 Akshat Hupale (KTM SX85 – Pune);

2. #17 Aleena Shaikh (Husqvarna) Bengaluru;

3. #5 Bhairav C;