Delhi Championship with MRF a grand success

November 01, 2011 03:04 am | Updated 03:04 am IST - NEW DELHI:

K.M. Mammen, MRF Chairman and MD, presents the trophy to Jordan King , the winner of the Delhi Championship with MRF, a support race of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit. Photo: Special Arrangement

K.M. Mammen, MRF Chairman and MD, presents the trophy to Jordan King , the winner of the Delhi Championship with MRF, a support race of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit. Photo: Special Arrangement

The promise and enthusiasm of youth was the hallmark of the Delhi Championship with MRF, which was a grand success at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida on Sunday.

The event — one of the two support races for the first ever F1 event in the country — is a platform created by tyre major MRF, and the effort served its purpose when it saw some intense battles for the podium.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan King of Great Britain drove in spectacular fashion to emerge champion in the second and final race.

He seemed extremely delighted to receive the winner's cheque of $50,000 and the trophy resembling the Qutub Minar from the managing director of MRF, K.M. Mammen.

Starting the race from the second row on the grid, King gained the lead in the very first lap before losing it briefly to 22-year-old Kourosh Khani of Iran.

He regained the lead in style and finished a deserving winner.

King said he was confident of winning since he knew that he had the speed.

It was a gripping race that saw plenty of action on the track.

Nick Percat, the winner of the first leg, spun out in the very first lap.

Catching the eye

The lone woman driver of the competition, the 18-year-old Alice Powell, caught everyone's attention with podium finishes in both races.

“An intense level of competition was seen over the last two days and for me to do well consistently, gives me great confidence,” said Powell.

She drove a composed and technically correct second race to take the $30,000 for her second-place finish.

Khani, who took home $20,000 for bagging third spot, was satisfied with his effort.

“I am driving this car for the first time and it was (very) demanding. An error on my part saw me lose the lead, but I was aggressive enough to hold on and put out some great laps,” he said.

Indian drivers Zaamin Jaffer and Gaurav Gill competed well to earn a brace of top-10 finishes each. In fact, Jaffer claimed the fifth spot in the second race. Another Indian driver, Ashwin Sundar, grabbed the seventh place on the final day.

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