Soorya, Navneeth win overall title: TVS Enduro race
Chennai, 28 March 2021: The Chennai-Puducherry combination of Soorya PM and Navneeth Kumar rode a smart, tactical race to annex the Overall title in the TVS Eurogrip MMSC Motorcycle Endurance Race 2021 at the MMRT, here on Sunday. The pair also topped the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category while completing 55 laps over two hours.
Finishing second a minute in arrears were pole-sitters from Hyderabad Satyanarayana Raju and Sahil Shetty though they also completed 55 laps, while the team of Abhimanyu Gautam and Anand R was third with 54 laps.
Anfal A and Subramani Gandan, completing 52 laps, won in the Stock 165cc category, restricted to those under 15 years of age, while Lani Zena Fernandez and Arpitha Bhat emerged champions in the Girls (TVS Apache RTR 200), completing 48 laps.
Explaining their strategy, Soorya said: “I went out first and was very mindful of the flags and the slow traffic. The idea was to put in consistent laps. After my first stint, Navneeth put in some hot laps which also helped us to finish on top.”
A big disappointment was the retirement of experienced pair of Rajini Krishnan and Sarath Kumar who packed up after 39 laps. The pair led initially, but was docked a ride-through penalty after Rajini, going out first, rode for 46 minutes instead of permitted 45. It effectively ended their challenge.
The results (Provisional):
Overall and Pro-Stock 301-400cc: 1. Soorya PM / Navneeth Kumar (55 laps, 02hrs, 00:38.471secs); 2. Satyanarayana Raju / P Sahil (55L; 02:01:29.921); 3. Abhimanyu Gautam / Anand R (54L; 02:01:22.055).
Stock 165cc: 1. Anfal A / Subramani Gandan (52L; 02:02:05.716); 2. Mohan Babu / Udayi Prakash (52L; 02:02:18.551); 3. Jagadeesh N / Allwin Xavier (51L; 02:02:29.670).
Girls (TVS Apache RTR 200) : 1. Lani Zena Fernandez / Arpitha Bhat (48L; 02:01:11.352); 2. Rakshitha Dave / Baddam Dipika (47L; 02:00:44.209); 3. Nivetha Jessica / Lakaya Lee (47L; 02:01:20.940).
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About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
