Tanveer wins top class; Ikshan, Shlok, Sachin bag a double too: Dirt Track Nationals

Coimbatore, 11 June 2023: Two young Satar riders, Ikshan Shanbhag and Shlok Ghorpade, won a brilliant brace to equal experienced riders Abdul Wahid Tanveer and Sachin D in the opening round of the MRF fmsci National Dirt Track Championship, promoted by Godspeed Racing, at the open grounds of Codissia, near Jenneys Club, here on Sunday.

While multiple National champion Tanveer notched up stunning victories in both the motos of the top class, SX1, it was a battle between youth and experience as Shlok Ghorpade and Ikshan Shanbagh, both from Satara, and D Sachin also posted wins in two motos each. The ladies class was bagged by former Road Racing National champion Ryhana Bee as she put paid to the hopes of Tanya Singh, but it was Ikshan’s sister, Tanika Shanbagh, a from Hero Motosports stable, took the last spot on the podium in the new format.

Nevertheless, the battle between the women will continue not just in Dirt Track Nationals but also in the 2w National Rally Championship, where Tanika has taken huge strides against established names while Ryhana continues to shine in Drag and Road Racing Nationals. With Aishwarya Pissay moving to bigger bikes and to the top class competing with male champions, Tanika is aiming for a double National title, both in Dirt Track and Rally. But a tough Ryhana Bee of Chennai got the hole shot in the first round and the momentum gets interesting as the DT Nationals move to the second round. “I am very happy to secure 1st position to begin the season on a winning note. It is good to be back on the podium after a few struggles in my INRC (2w) and INMRC. Where I used to be on the top but due to some technical issues I had bad crash in INMRC and it cost me a lot including 1st place,” said Ryhana, the 2020 Ladies champion in the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Champion (INMRC). “The track is very tricky and challenging. I feel good that I took the chequered flag with a huge lead after a healthy fight with my fellow riders. Hoping to set my bike up for a better show in the coming rounds. I must thank my team for the solid support and service. I thank MRF, Godspeed, and other organisers for giving us another safe platform to race and it was a weekend I enjoyed,” Ryhana added.

Mysuru’s Tanveer, one of the top riders from the TVS stable is a champion rider in Supercross and National 2w Rally championship but with no official entries from TVS, he took part as a privateer but his TVS 450 stood him in good stead. Though being a heavy bike is a bit of a disadvantage, the champion rider pulled out all the tricks in his repertoire to beat competition in the Dirt Track championship which is being revived after a decade.

Without taking many risks, Tanveer displayed smooth and steady riding skills to win both the Motos in SX1 upto 500cc class. The TVS champion beat Shlok Ghorpade of Satara in the first Moto and went on to best teammate Rugved Barguje in the second, after getting caught in the traffic in P4 early on. But he soon made it to the front and was leading comfortably by Lap 4 and went on to clinch the 10-Lap moto with much ado. “This double win makes me very happy as it is a good beginning to the season. I did not exert much and played safe making time in the corners and pacing it when required,” said Abdul Wahid Tanveer.

Sachin D, who races for Petronas TVS Racing in the Supercross and 2w rally Nationals was at his best. After a disappointing outing in Moto 1 of the Indian Experts Group C upto 260cc class, he came back strongly in Moto 2 to beat teammate Imran Pasha, the winner of first moto. Then he went on to make it a double winning the Indian Novice class (Group C, upto 260cc) with ease. “My first race day in the Dirt Track Nationals is really good. I enjoyed it as it is a completely different format from what I have been racing and rallying. I am riding dirt track championship for the first time and it is fun. So I am really happy with my performance and I like the 900-metre track. Hope to perform better in upcoming events and win the championship,” said Sachin.

The revival of the Dirt Track Nationals by Godspeed Racing saw overwhelming response with 137 entries and Coimbatore is known for its two-wheeler riders and their fans.

Provisional Results:

Class 1: SX1 Group A (Upto 500cc): Moto 1 (10 laps):

1. Abdul Wahid Tanveer (Mysuru), 20 points;

2. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara) 17;

3. Prajwal Vishwanath (Bengaluru) 15.

SX1 Group A (Upto 500cc): Moto 2 (10 laps):

1. Abdul Wahid Tanveer 20;

2. Rugved Barguje (Pune) 17;

3. Ishan Shanbhag 15.

Class 2: SX2: Group A (Private Experts, upto 500cc): Moto 1:

1. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara) 20;

2. K. Manikandan (Coimbatore) 17;

3. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) 15.

SX2: Group A (Private Experts, upto 500cc): Moto 2:

1. Shlok Ghorpade 20;

2. Abdul Latheef (Palakkad) 17;

3. K. Manikandan 15.

Class 3: Indian Novice (Group C, upto 260cc): Moto 1:

1. D. Sachin (Bengaluru) 20;

2. Mohd. Zaheer (Bengaluru) 17;

3. Faraz Pasha (Chamrajnagar) 15.

Class 4: Indian Experts: Group C, upto 260cc: Moto 1:

1. Imran Pasha (Mysuru) 20;

2. Varun Kumar (Coimbatore) 17;

3. K. Sasikumar (Coimbatore) 15.

Indian Experts: Group C, upto 260cc: Moto 2:

1. D. Sachin 20;

2. Imran Pasha 17;

3. Faraz Pasha 15.

Class 5: Private Experts: Group C, upto 260cc: Moto 1:

1. J. Abhishek (Coimbatore) 20;

2. L. Nathan (Coimbatore) 17;

3. Mohd. Zaheer 15.

Class 6: Indian Experts: Group C, 261-550cc: Moto 1:

1. Rohit Shinde (Baramati) 20;

2. Mohd. Zaheer 17;

3. Sreekanth Komana (Kochi) 15.

Class 7: Junior SX1: Group A, upto 250cc (Big wheels 12-16yrs): Moto 1:

1. Ikshan Shanbhag (Satara)20;

2. Shlok Ghorpade 17;

3. K. Adarsh (Coimbatore) 15.

Junior SX1: Group A, upto 250cc (Big wheels 12-16yrs): Moto 2:

1. Ikshan Shanbhag 20;

2. Shlok Ghorpade 17;

3. Wilmer Valentino (Kochi) 15.

Class 8: Junior SX2: Group A, upto 100cc (Small wheels 8-12yrs): Moto 1:

1. J. Sujan (Coimbatore) 20;

2. Darshit Chavan (Pune) 17;

3. Bhairav Chowdegowda (Bengaluru) 15.

Junior SX2: Group A, upto 100cc (Small wheels 8-12yrs): Moto 2:

1. Darshit Chavan 20;

2. Sahil Shelukar (Pune) 17;

3. Bhairav Chowdegowda 15.

Class 9: Scooters: Group C, upto 260cc: Moto 1:

1. Pinkesh Thakkar (Pune) 20;

2. Kishore Jadhav (Pune) 15;

3. Prem Kumar (Coimbatore) 15.

Class 10: Ladies: Group C, upto 260cc: Moto 1:

1. Rhyana Bee (Chennai) 20;

2. Tanaya Singh (Pune) 17;

3. Tanika Shanbhag (Satara) 15.

Demo Class:

1. Rayan Shakkir;

2. Thanin T;

3. Sumiran Narayan.