Kyle, Ruhaan and Aditya are Rotax Max Indian National champions 2021

Bengaluru, 29 Nov 2021: Peregrine Racing team won the Senior Team Championship while its lead driver Kyle Aditya Kumaran became the 2021 Senior National Karting Champion winning all but one race in the Meco FMSCI National Karting Championship Rotax Max class at the Meco Kartopia track, near Bagalur here in wet conditions on Sunday. Teenager Ruhaan Alva and young talent Aditya Suresh Kamat won the Junior and Cadet National titles.

“This is my first championship in India and I am glad we won it. We were consistent and my team Peregrine Racing did a good job and supported me well. I am looking forward to the Rotax Max World Finals. Wearing India colours and racing for Team India is a proud moment and I am eagerly looking forward to the Grand Finals in Bahrain,” said Kumaran. 

The 18-year old UAE-based racer from Thiruchirapalli, dominated the season finishing first in all the five Final races and four out of five Pre-Final races in the five national rounds. The racer who last week won the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Nations Cup in DD2 class, also won the Driver of the year award and bagged other prizes for most number of wins and poles. Teammate Suriya Varathan finished second in the championship while the 2012 champion Ameya Bafna could only finish third.

In the Junior section, MSport’s Ruhaan Alva who won the maiden Senior title in X30 earlier, won his first Rotax Max National in junior class. He also has two X30 Junior National titles in his chequered career of over 7 years, much of which was spent in Europe in his early days. This is his third title this year. Earlier he graduated to Formula cars taking part in the JK Nationals and clinched the Rookie title, winning the Formula Junior Racing Series (FJRS) in Coimbatore and was back on the karting track here winning the X30 National Karting Championship in the Senior Category in September 2021. Again, he is on his way to Coimbatore and is likely to wrap up another title by Dec 5 at the JK Tyre Novice Championship in Formula LGB 1300 at Kari Motor Speedway.

Rohaan Madesh, elder of the Madesh brothers, who broke his chain in the final round, saw Abhay climb to second spot, and the young Peregrine racer from Bengaluru had to be content with a third place.

Birel Art India’s 10-year Aditya Suresh Kamat became the Micro Max National champion. “I am very happy to win. Last year, I came 2nd but I worked hard now I am a National champion,” he said. Starting from P4, he took the lead by Lap 3 and won the Final race to clinch the cadet championship. The Class 5 student of Sudarshan Vidya Mandir in Bengaluru became the vice-champion last year on debut and loves to drive in the wet conditions. Aditya is coached by Preetham Muniappa, the 2002 National karting champion of MRF Mondiale fame, who went on to win the Asian Championship. And his kart is tuned by Abhinandan Krishnan, a former racer and Automobile Engineer.

Behind Aditya, in the battle between the teammates from MSport for the other top slots in the Cadet championship, Madurai’s Anuj A, the baby of the grid, who had a brilliant start in the Final race that shot him into the lead, sidestepped Sheikh Arafath from Pune, who too has age on his side.

While Peregrine won the Team title in the Senior Max class, MSport and Birel Art India shared the honours in the Junior Max and Micro Max categories respectively. All three champions have booked a ticket to the Rotax Max Grand Finals scheduled to be held in Bahrain from December 11 to 18.

Final Results – Fifth and final Round:

Senior Max

Pre-Final: (15 laps): 1. MR Rishon (Birel Art – Bengaluru) (12:34.733); 2. Kyle Kumaran (Peregrine Racing – Bengaluru) (12:35.282); 3. K Surya Varathan (Peregrine Racing – Coimbatore) (12:37.710). Fastest lap: K Suriya Varathan 57.537.

Final: (18 laps): 1. Kyle Kumaran (Peregrine Racing) (21:06.932); 2. MR Rishon (Birel Art – Bengaluru) (21:07.450); 3. Divy Nandan (NK Racing – Gurugoan) (21:08.442). Fastest lap: Ameya Bafna 1:08.497.

Junior Max

Pre Final: (12 laps): 1. Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing – Bengaluru) (11:00.388); 2. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine – Bengaluru) 11:00.834; 3. Jaden R Pariat (MSport – Guwahati) (11:01.304); Fastest lap: Ruhaan Alva 54.095.

Final: (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport) (15:00.630); 2. Veer Sheth (NK Racing Academy – Mumbai) (14:08.638); 3. Abhay M (Birel Art India – Bengaluru) (15:10.851); Fastest lap: Ruhaan Alva 57.186.

Micro Max

Pre-Final (10 laps): 1. Arafath Sheikh (MSport – Pune) (10:13.852); 2. Vedha Vishnu (MSport – Chennai) (10:16.803); 3. Nikhilesh Raju (Birel Art –Bengaluru) (10:19.519). Fastest lap: Aditya Suresh Kamat (Bengaluru) 1:00.133.

Final: (12 Laps): 1.Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art – Bengaluru) 15:23.451; 2. Vedha Vishnu (MSport – Chennai) (15:23.666); 3. Shrili Mistry (Erda’s Racing – Vadodara) (15:31.279). Fastest lap: Vedha Vishnu 1:14.274.

2021 Rotax Max Indian National Champions and Top-3:

Senior Max: 1. Kyle Kumaran (Peregrine Racing – Bengaluru/UAE) 441; 2. K Suriya Varathan (Peregrine Racing – Coimbatore) 408; 3. Ameya Bafna (Rayo Racing – Mumbai) 408;

Junior Max: 1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport – Bengaluru) 430; 2. Abhay M (Birel Art India – Bengaluru) 404;

3. Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing – Bengaluru) 398.

Micro Max – Cadet: 1. Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art India -Bengaluru) 432; 2. Anuj A (MSport – Madurai) 414; 3. Arafath Sheikh (MSport – Pune) 406.

Team Champions: Senior: Peregrine Racing; Junior: MSport; Cadet:  Birel Art India.

Special Awards: Driver of the year (Best Driver):  Kyle Kumaran; Most number of Poles: Kyle Kumaran; Most number of wins: Kyle Kumaran; Akbar Ebrahim Most-improved Karter: Anuj A (Micro Max); Best Newcomer: Raiden Samarvel; Super girl Micro Max – Shrily Mistry; Super girl Junior Max: Aashi Hanspal; Super girl Senior Max: Vidyali Reddy.

LoRes photo Caption:

Kyle Kumaran, #70, who became the Senior National champ, celebrates as he takes the chequered flag first, in the final race of Round 5 on 28nov2021 at Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru. Photo by David Bodapati