Tijil Rao wins another race to lead the table; Sarvesh, Abhishek shine on bikes

INDIAinF1 Desk August 27, 2023

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Sarvesh Balappa, Centre, wins the 250cup on Sunday. INDIAinF1 photo by Rahul Reghu

Coimbatore, August 27, 2023: Bengaluru teenagerRuhaan Alva of MSport signed off on a merry note winning the first race on Day 2 but compatriot Tijil Rao of Dark Don Racing had the last laugh with a fine victory in the last race as he made it a double in the in the premier LGB Formula 4 class of the 26th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, the first round of which concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.

Tijil Rao, who shared honours with Arya Singh yesterday, won another race and made it a double to take the championship lead. In the opening race, all eyes were on the Dark Don Racing stars but it was Bengaluru’s Ruhaan who won Race 3 with a stunning overtake in the final lap. However, Tijil made a comeback with a facile win in the final Race 4 and ended Round 1 on a high leading the points table in the LGB F4 class.

Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) dominated for most part but Ruhaan played catch up with some brilliant driving. The former was beginning to feel the pressure. There was a little bumping and jostling now and then between the two but Ruhaan kept searching for space to sneak in. He managed to find one in the final lap and crossed the line much without any further hiccups.

Kolkata’s Arya Singh, #10, leads Dilijit TS, #44 while Ruhaan Alva, Yellow #27, waits for his time. INDIAinF1 photo

The second was as good as the first but Tijil did one better than the rest to clinch the thriller. With the reverse grid in play, it was Saran Vikram Tmars (Mars Racing) who started off on a blitzy note staying in the lead for good five laps, however it was Ruhaan who overtook him and was primed for victory.

Tijil Rao after Race 3 (in pic) makes a strong comeback.

Tijil Rao at his best:

Ruhaan failed to hold on to the lead as he spun out of the race giving the Dark Don’s racers a fresh leash of life with Diljith and Tijil battling it out for the victory. While it looked like the senior pro Diljith would close the round on a high, it was the young Tijil who showed grit and great skills to overtake in the 13^th lap. It was a sight to behold as both the racers were involved in a to and fro action but eventually Tijil brought in his car ahead of others to win the race, and a double in the weekend.

Neythan McPherson wins Novice Cup Race 3

In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, Bengaluru’s Arjun S. Nair of Momentum Motorsports, who cracked a double on Saturday, for once could not celebrate on top of the podium in the first race as his teammate Neythan McPherson from Pune staved off a stiff challenge from him and Aman
Nagdev (MSport) and took a good win.

The nine-lap race saw the safety car out twice and that took some flow and shine out of the event. Aman and Arjun finished second and third respectively.

But in the second race, Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) came out victorious, while Arjun and McPherson wrested the next two spots.

Good week-end for Arjun Nair

However, it was a good week-end for Arjun Nair, who took two victories and two podiums to lead the table in the Novice class after Round 1. “The weekend results justified the countless hours spent fine-tuning our strategies, perfecting my driving, and pushing myself all the time. The competition is fierce, but I managed to raise my performance up to it. I am motivated to work hard physically and to give my best for the remainder of the championship,” said Arjun Syam Nair confidently.

Sarvesh Balappa rules the roost

Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa, starting on P2, ruled the field in the JK Tyre presents 250 Cup. Pole sitter G Abhinav (Coimbatore) brought some cheer to the home crowd clocking the fastest time of 1:25.00. He maintained a good pace but not good enough to outsmart Sarvesh at the end. Bengaluru’s Rohit ad had to be content with the third spot.

Abhishek Vasudev at his best

In the JK Tyre Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, it was the Bengaluru boys who stole the show with a clean sweep. Abhishek Vasudev emerged victorious with an impressive timing of 13 minutes 53.248 seconds, while his city-mates, Ullass Nanda (13:53.651) and Md Samrul Zubair (13:57.403) were the others who stood second and third on the podium respectively.

Provisional Results (Day 2):
LGB Formula 4 Race 3

1. Ruhaan Alva, MSport: 22 minutes 09.037 seconds;

2. Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing: 22:09.084;

3. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 22:10.131.

Race 4

1. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 27:51.142;

2.Diljith TS, Dark Don: 27:51.822;

3.Saran Vikram Tmars, Mars Racing: 28:05.523.
Novice Cup Race 3

1. Neythan McPherson: Momentum Motorsports; 14:28.205;

2. Aman Nagdev; MSport: 14:28.801;

3. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 14:29.264.

Race 4
1. Joel Joseph, DTS Racing: 16:20.908;