Ricky Donison left his rivals clutching at thin air as the karting season got underway with the opening round of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax championship here on Sunday.
Donison, the defending Senior Max champion, picked up from where he had left off last year, dominating the heats and pre-finals before winning the final race by over three seconds at the Meco Kartopia track near here.
“It was an amazing weekend. I can't believe how perfect everything was,” the BPC Racing driver said afterwards. Donison started at the front and simply could not be stopped, racking up one ‘fastest lap’ after another.
Ameya Bafna of Rayo Racing was second, with Nayan Chatterjee some four seconds behind him.
In the Junior Max category, Manav Sharma of BPC Racing had virtually no competition in the final race, with Nirmal Umashankar edging Paul Francis to second. Yash Aradhya, one of the pre-race favourites, retired with engine trouble on the second lap.
In the final of the Micro Max category, Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin withstood great pressure from Ruhaan Alva to claim victory. Shahan, who started the final race in third place, fought a long battle with Ruhaan, with the lead changing hands on a number of occasions.
The results: Senior Max: 1. Ricky Donison (BPC Racing) 18:21.52s; 2. Ameya Bafna (Rayo Racing) 18:24.855; 3. Nayan Chatterjee (Meco Racing) 18:28.792.
Junior Max: 1. Manav Sharma (BPC Racing) 16:35.848; 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Meco Racing) 16:38.739; 3. Paul T. Francis (Meco Racing) 16:42.312.
Micro Max: 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Meco Racing) 15:47.512; 2. Ruhaan Alva (Peregrine Racing) 15:47.888; 3. Yashas More (BPC Racing) 15:55.111.
