Leela wins ITC National title
Noida (New Delhi), 19 Sept 2013: N Leelakrishnan was crowned champion in the Indian Touring Cars (ITC) class in the fifth and final round of the National Racing Championship for cars at the Buddh International Circuit here Sunday.
Leelakrishnan started on pole and convincingly led from start to finish. Arjun Balu starting second, also had a good start and was followed by Sivaramakrishnan and V Ramnarayan.
Despite a hard chase from Sivaramkrishnan who was all over him, Balu stayed put in second place. Sivaramkrishnan made his move on the third lap and passed Arjun Balu with Ramnarayan also getting ahead of him in the next lap.
Meanwhile, Leelakrishnan took the flag first and crosssed the finish line only to be slapped a penalty which pushed him down to third place. However, his third position in the race was good enough to clinch the National title in ITC class. Arjun Balu came second in the championship ahead of Ramnarayan in third.
N. Leelakrishnan, also known as Leela in Indian motorsport circles, is a seven-time National Rally Champion and one time Formula 3(India) champion from Coimbatore.
