Rakshith & Rakshitha, the Chennai twins blossom at MMSC bike races

Irungattukottai, 21 August 2021: Talented teenage twins, Rakshith and Rakshitha, from Chennai, blossomed together to notch-up easy maiden victories in their respective one-make Championships at the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship, 70-km from Chennai, here on Saturday.

The 8th Standard students of Chettinad Harishree Vidyalayam, Chennai, gave themselves a belated birthday gift as they took the top spot on the podium today. The talented duo, who completed 13 years on August 8, made their debut in the first round last December, and are only in their second season.

It was Rakshith Srihari Dave, who took the stage first, dominating the Idimetsu Honda CBR 150 Novice Class Race 1 as he clocked 13 minutes, 12.373 seconds over six laps. Taking the lead at the first corner into the second lap, he soon increased the gap and put in consistent laps with steady riding to grab an easy win beating Prakash Kamath of Bokaro Steel City by a huge 4.8 second margin even as Theopaul Leander, also from Chennai, finished third. “I enjoyed my race and feel happy to get my first victory. I thank my team and my parents,” said Rakhsith in the pitlane after the win.

In the third race of the day, the TVS RTR200 for Girls Race 1, Rakshitha S Dave also took a thrilling victory defeating Baddam Deepika Reddy and Adlin Seles. Later, Deepika was penalised 10-seconds for a jump start. Thus, Adlin came second and Nishita Palani took the final podium place ahead of Deepika in fourth. “I am very happy with my victory as I gave a good fight. I am also glad because this is my maiden win which was made possible by my bike. I thank TVS racing for giving me this wonderful platform to perform,” quipped Rakshitha, who made her Debut on 11th December last year and got a podium the very next day in the Girls Stock 165cc class of the National Championship. She also partnered with Deepika and won a second place in the girls section of the Endurance event conducted by Madras Motors Sports Club in March this year sharing a tiring-47 laps with the Hyderabad lass, before the pandemic stopped all sports activity. She says, she enjoys riding and is looking forward for more racing, says the youngest participant on the grid.

The kids get their inspiration from their dad Srihari R Dave, who used to race for fun and turned his passion into profession as he continues in the automobile business. “I feel blessed and proud of my twins,” he said after the double delight today. Their mom, Vidya Srihari, is visibly pleased too. Though she was reluctant initially, to allow the kids go racing bikes for fear of injuries, she was convinced by all the three, and now understands the safe environment at MMRT for racing. “I don’t watch the race as I am still afraid but am happy and thrilled that they both won today. My husband convinced me. Also, it is not just racing, they learn how to take failures in equal stride, that helps them grow in life,” she said.

Currently, Rakshitha is coached by Mohamed Haneef of Speed Demon Motorsports, Chennai and Rakshit is under the umbrella of Idemitsu Honda Racing India. Both the riders underwent Level I training by Ramji at the basic camp at Ten10 Racing Academy in Bengaluru in 2018. They had a few podiums last season but this is their maiden victory and both are the youngest on their respective grids. This year, both were shortlisted for the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, which was scheduled for October 2021 in Malaysia, before the pandemic played spoilsport and the event was put-off. If groomed and nurtured properly, the kids would `go places’…