Bengaluru, 5 Sept. 2022: Talented Shreyas Hareesh from Bengaluru dominated the last two rounds to upset the applecart of title-favourite Jinendra Kiran Sangave and was crowned the Indian champion in the FIM MiniGP India series which concluded at Meco Kartopia here on Sunday.
Shreyas and Kolhapur’s Jinendra qualified to represent India in the FIM MiniGP World Series Finals to be held in November in Valencia, Spain. “I am happy and excited that I have won the championship. I had fun and am eagerly looking forward to take part in the next stage of the World Championship at valencia, ” said Shreyas.
Shreyas (220 points) and Jinendra (213) finished first and second respectively in the FIM MiniGP World Series India 2022 which concluded at the Meco Kartopia here on Sunday. In the World Finals, the pair will compete with toppers of respective National series held in 15 countries.
The five-round, 10-race India series, organised by RMS Motorsport with support from Meco Motorsports, saw Jinendra, 13, dominate initially by winning five races in a row. However, 12-year old Shreyas staged a remarkable comeback by topping four of the next five races, including a double in Round-4 on Saturday to finish on top of the Series points table with 220 points. Jinendra, who barely survived a difficult final weekend, finished with 213 points, well ahead of third-placed Nandanan Mahendran of Chennai (153).
Bengaluru-based Nithila Das kept the ‘Women in Motorsports’ flag flying by winning the top honours among the girls and also finished a creditable fifth overall in the standings with 106 points among 15 riders while Rakshitha Dave from Chennai was seventh (94). The other two girls, both from Bengaluru, Aleena Mansur Sheikh and Anastya Pol, participated only in Round-1.
Nithila, a Karnataka State cycling champion in her class, took to racing only this year but displayed enough skills and talent to beat many experienced riders. She finished first among the girls in eight of the 10 races.
The results (all 15 laps):
Round-4: Race-1: 1. Shreyas Hareesh (Bengaluru) (16mins, 08.090secs); 2. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (16:40.592); 3. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (16:46.509). Race-2: Shreyas Hareesh (16:05.533); Jinendra Sangave (16:06.095); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (Chennai) (16:37.833).
Qualifying (Top 3, best lap): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (01:04.014); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (01:04.148); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (01:04.251).
Round-5: Race-1: Jinendra Kiran Sangave (16:07.381); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (16:07.958); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (16:20.406). Race-2: 1. Shreyas Hareesh (16:14.237); 2. Nandanan Mahendran (16:25.629); 3. Rakshith Dave (Chennai) (16:41.085).
Qualifying (Top 3, best lap): Shreyas Hareesh (01:03.061); 2. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (01:03.244); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (01:04.208).
FINAL SERIES STANDINGS (TOP 3): 1. Shreyas Hareesh (220 points); 2. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (213); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (153).
About FIM MiniGP World Series India Series
The FIM MiniGP World Series India, comprising a total of 10 races spread over five rounds, is part of the global programme run across 15 countries, and initiated by the FIM, the World governing body for two-wheeler racing, in conjunction with Dorna Sports, promoters of the FIM MotoGP.
The FIM launched the MiniGP Series in 2021, as part of the Road To MotoGP programme, aiming to create an equal platform for young riders around the World to begin their motorcycle racing careers. All riders compete on equal Ohvale GP-0 160 machinery (Mini bikes), manufactured in Italy, while Pirelli is the official single tyre supplier for all the FIM MiniGP World Series.
The top two riders based on points at the conclusion of the India series will represent the country in the FIM MiniGP World Series finals to be held in Valencia, Spain, in November.
