National Motorcycle Racing Championship | Prabhu Arunagiri, Sarvesh Balappa secure pole position

Prabhu, lying third on the leaderboard in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category, clocked a best lap of 1.55.045s, while completing the front row were the Petronas TVS Racing pair of K.Y. Ahamed (1.55.556) and defending champion Jagan Kumar (1.55.757)

Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha) and Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing) clinched the pole position in their respective categories to set the tone for the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the Madras International Circuit (MIC) here on Friday.

Prabhu, lying third on the leaderboard in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category, clocked a best lap of 1.55.045s, while completing the front row were the Petronas TVS Racing pair of K.Y. Ahamed (1.55.556) and defending champion Jagan Kumar (1.55.757).

Championship leader Mathana Kumar (Pacer Yamaha), who leads the field by 17 points, qualified seventh for Race-1. Stressed out after his bike’s battery burst due to overheating about 20 minutes before the qualifying session, Mathana played it safe and clocked a best lap of 1.56.423 to slot himself into seventh position on the grid.

Sarvesh, who has virtually clinched the championship in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category with five wins from eight starts for an unassailable 58-point lead, kept his cool during the qualifying session when he got stuck in traffic to clock a best lap of 2.06.072s to spearhead a front row sweep for Axor Sparks Racing. Mysuru’s Varun Nanjundegowda (2.06.188) and Rohan Ramesh from Coimbatore (2.07.219) were placed second and third.

Earlier, veteran Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1), chasing his 11th National career title, warmed up for this weekend’s double-header in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category with a flying lap of 1.51.639s, ahead of Petronas TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar (1.52.159) and Jagan Kumar (1.52.494).

Qualifying (best lap): National Championship: Pro-Stock 165cc Open: 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha, 1.55.045s); 2. K.Y. Ahamed (Petronas TVS Racing, 1.55.556); 3. Jagan Kumar (Petronas TVS Racing, 1.55.757).

Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing, 2.06.072); 2. Varun Nanjundegowda (Axor Sparks Racing, 2.06.188); 3. Rohan Ramesh (Axor Sparks Racing, 2.07.219).