Yuva Kumar clinches Sprint National Championship
Arambole (North Goa), 5 Dec 2021: Multiple Desert Storm champion Yuva Kumar did a stunning job on Saturday clocking the fastest Overall time and held on by the scruff of the neck to beat Sachin D of TVS Racing to clinch the maiden National championship for Hero MotoSports Team Rally, in the Motorsports INC FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2021 grand finale that concluded here on Sunday. Yuva emerged on top on Saturday but tied after the two final rounds on Sunday and won on aggregate top times by a fraction of a second, to the big relief of a huge Hero contingent in the happy-go-lucky Goan region bordering Maharashtra.
Riding a wave of success that brought him to the top of qualifiers in many of the 8 rounds from four zones in South, East, North and West, the Hero rider astride a brand new XPulse Rally 200 conquered the technical and challenging dirt track of 9.2 km at the rocky hill-side that became slushy on Saturday and tough on Sunday.
The motorsports team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, Hero MotoCorp, emerged Champions at the finals to bag their first National Championship. While Yuvakumar emerged Champion in the Stock Class (Group D) and Modified Class (Group B up to 260cc). The second team rider, Sathyaraj, finished as the Championship Runner-up in the Stock Class and fourth in the Modified Class, added a HeroMotosports press release.
After two days of racing in Goa, Yuva was declared winner topping the overall aggregate timesheets. Yuva clocked the fastest time on Saturday but talented youngster Sachin D ambushed the experienced rider, on Sunday. Though Yuva topped the times in Group D on both days, it was Sachin who did a better time in the weekend of two final rounds which had the National championship status. All the zonals were qualifiers and were not considered as Nationals.
There was some delay in releasing the results as there was a tie, after the two rounds time sheets were clubbed. But the organisers aggregated the two final rounds results and declared Yuva Kumar as winner. In Group B, the championship ended in a tie, and Yuva took the win by 900 milliseconds on aggregate stage timings.
Sathyaraj Arumgum was second on both days in Group D, bringing home a 1-2 finish for the team. With a fourth and third place over the weekend of riding, he was tied for third on points in Group B but finished fourth on aggregate stage times.
Team Hero MotoSports won Group B riding on the newly unveiled Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200, which the team will be racing on in the upcoming 2022 racing season as well.
The Indian National Rally Sprint Championship (INSRC) 2021, organized by Motorsport Inc. is an official motorcycle championship under the FMSCI (Federation of MotorSports clubs of India). The INSRC 2021 comprises of eight zonal qualifier rounds, with the top 5 riders from each zone qualifying for the finals in Goa.
Prior to their victory at the finals, team Hero MotoSports riders Sathyaraj and Yuvakumar had participated in the South, East and North Zone qualifying races of the championship and had emerged victorious with the trophies for the ‘Fastest Rider’ and ‘Best Team’ in all three zones.
Team Hero MotoSports rider, Yuvakumar said “We had two exciting days in Goa riding against the best riders from across the country. Winning the Championship in Group B and Group D is an incredible result and the new Xpulse Rally 200 was running really well. Many thanks to the entire team for the constant support and for the hard work in preparing this championship-winning bike.”
Team Hero MotoSports rider, Sathyaraj Arumgum said “I am really happy to finish as the runner up in the Sprint Championship. The Finals were tough with top competitors from all over the country. The track was hard and slushy with many undulations, but with the new Xpulse 200 Rally as well as the Stock Xpulse, we were able to clear the obstacles with ease. It is a great way to end the year, and I’m looking forward to more great results with the new Rally bike in the coming season.”
New Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200
The new Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200 (developed by Hero MotoSports, for motorsports), unveiled at the finals of the FMSCI INSRC 2021, boasts a substantial number of updates to the previous generation Xpulse Rally bike. The Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200 is powered with the new powerful 200cc 4V engine, delivering higher torque, acceleration and better overall performance for the rider. The new rally bike also weighs 20% lighter than the stock Xpulse 200 4V and rides on lightweight reinforced aluminum rims and Maxxis tyres for sportier performance. The new suspension package on the rally bike encompasses longer travel upside-down forks and rear shocks to tackle any terrain with total control. The updated side panels provide an improved ergonomics package in conjunction with the repositioned footsteps and tapered handlebars.
