Kolhapur’s Krishnaraj D. Mahadik and Bangalore’s Ananth Shanmugam shared a race win each in the JK Racing India Series, the premium category of the second round of the FMSCI-JK Tyre Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway circuit in Chettipalayam here on Sunday.
For both drivers it was their first big win of the season. It was a refreshing change as well for the crowd to see a young man in Krishnaraj on the podium early in the day. The 17-year-old deserved to be there as that was the kind of commitment and courage he showed right through the race.
A class twelve student, Krishnaraj started on a flying note only to surrender the lead in the very first lap to Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad, who made a smart move in the first corner.
But Krishnaraj was not one to give up. He upped the pace and put the pressure back on Vishnu and even caught up with him in the third lap. From there it was a royal battle between the two and, for the crowd, a treat to watch.
Vishnu fought hard and just when he appeared to be in a position to seal the top slot in came the safety car and squashed those little chances that Vishnu had in mind. Krishnaraj gathered pace from there and worked his way to a fine win. “I am pleased. I was actually worried when the safety car was in. I thought Vishnu would catch up with me. He was very close but I hung on,” said a relieved Krishnaraj.
The second race was as close as the first. But, this time around, the fight was between Vishnu and Ananth Shanmugam. The former raced his way from the back of the grid to threaten the latter upfront. But Ananth held his nerve to win the race by a whisker.
“It was quite a close call but I managed to come out a clear winner,” said Ananth.
Chennai’s Ajay Kini made it three wins in a row in the Formula LGB4 category. The results: JK Racing India Series: Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Krishnaraj D. Mahadik (Kolhapur) 20:28.413; 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) 20:29.071; 3. Akhil Rabindra (Bangalore) 20:31.656. Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Ananth Shanmugam (Bangalore) 18:40.513; 2. Vishnu Prasad 18:40.824; 3. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) 18:41.371.
FLGB4: Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Ajay Kini (Dark Don Racing, Chennai) 21:57.702; 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Meco Racing, Chennai) 21:58.001; 3. T.S. Diljith (Avalanche, Thrissur) 21:58.620.
Volkswagen Vento Cup: Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Karminder Singh (Delhi) 18:58.061; 2. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) 19:02.952; 3. Anindith Reddy Konda (Hyderabad) 19:04.711.
