Ahamed and Deepak complete a 1-2 for Petronas TVS Racing

Rajiv Sethu finally chalked up his first win of the season and Sarvesh Balappa his fifth-in-a-row

K.Y. Ahamed led a 1-2 finish for Petronas TVS Racing in the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday. Similarly, Rajiv Sethu finally chalked up his first win of the season and Sarvesh Balappa his fifth-in-a-row in their respective categories.

Ahamed scored a merited win in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category with team-mate Deepak Ravikumar in tow. The unbeaten run of champion Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1), who had won the previous four races over two rounds, ended as he went off the track when in the lead due to mechanical issues, but managed to finish third.

Later, in a heart-stopper in the Pro-Stock 165cc race, Rajiv Sethu fought and won a tense battle that kept the final outcome in suspense until the very finish. The lead Honda star held off Petronas TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and Ahamed even as leader and pole-sitter Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha) crashed in the dying moments of the six-lap race.

The results (Provisional – all six laps unless mentioned): National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open: Race-1: 1. K.Y. Ahamed (Petronas TVS Racing) (11mins, 18.989secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Petronas TVS Racing) (11:19.095); 3. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1) (11:28.348).

Pro-Stock 165cc Open: Race-1: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (11:48.625); 2. Deepak (11:48.900); 3. Ahamed (11:49.128).

Novice (Stock 165cc): Race-1 (4 laps): 1. Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing) (08:48.175); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Rookies Racing) (08:48.414); 3. Aldrin Babu (RACR Castrol Power1) (08:52.063).

Support Race – Stock 301-400cc (Novice): 1. Jayanth Prathipati (12:30.951); 2. Shazan Khan (Race Abilities) (12:33.847); 3. Vivek M (Race Abilities) (12:34.581).