It was an action packed weekend at the Kari Motor Speedway with Round 2 of the 18th JK Tyre Racing Championship that saw thrilling battles between the drivers across three different categories.
DAY 1 Report & Result (05th September 2015)
If engine noise is music to your ears, the JK-FB02 cars howling past on straights is pure aural enchantment. The day started with round 2 of the JK Racing India series with 12 cars shooting off the grid. 17 year old driver from Kolhapur Krishnaraj Mahadik managed to keep his lead only for a lap before being overtaken by 15 year old Kush Maini on the very second lap. An experienced Vishnu Prasad managed to cut Maini’s short lived glory by overtaking him on the 3rd. With Krishnaraj and Kush hot on heels trying to hunt down Vishnu were engaged in a battle for second place which was eventually claimed by Krishnaraj and Vishnu flew past the checkered flag in convincing fashion. Sandeep Kumar, Ameya Bafna & Dhruv Mohite had an odd bad day not being able to finish the 15 lap race.
Second event of the day was Race 1 of the Formula LGB4, which could well be compared to the likes of Moto3 with drivers engaged into an absolute dogfight to gain positions on a technically challenging Kari track. Spins, collisions and drivers going off the track added thrill to the action with the safety car rushing out twice. Ultimately it was the driver from Chennai- Ajay Kini who maintained his position from pole to the finish in triumphant style with Raghul Rangaswamy taking second place despite starting from seventh on the grid followed by Diljith TS grabbing the final place on the podium.
Race 2 was off to a disastrous start with 5 cars involved in a major collision on the very first lap with red flags marking a restart. Ajay Kini blasted his way to the top taking his second consecutive win of the day despite starting from 6th on the grid. Losing traction over an oil spill on track brought Raghul within sniffing distance- but Kini put in a few hot laps pulling away from the pack taking the checkered flag in first place followed by Raghul and Krishnaraj Mahadik.
The Volkswagen Vento Cup- the fourth race of the day saw Anindith Reddy Konda from Hyderabad take first position followed by Ishaan Dodhiwala and Karminder Singh from New Delhi finishing second and third respectively.
Race Results: Day 1
- JK Racing India Series- Race 1- 15 laps
- Vishnu Prasad – 16:32.381
- Krishnaraj Mahadik – 16:33.490
- Kush Maini – 16:38.288
- Formula LGB 4 (Race 1) – 15 laps
- Ajay Kini – Team Dark Don Racing – 20:45:770
- Raghul Rangswamy – Meco Racing – 20:49:034
- Diljith TS – Avalanche Racing – 20:52.200
- Formula LGB 4 (Race 2)- 14 laps (restart race)
- Ajay Kini – Team Dark Don Racing – 17:09.068
- Raghul Rangswamy- Meco Racing- 17:18.976
- Krishnaraj Mahadik – Dark Don Racing – 17:19.701
- JK Tyre-Volkswagen Vento Cup (10 laps) (restart race)
- Anindith Reddy Konda – 13:22.137
- Ishaan Dodhiwala – 13:22.997
- Karminder Singh – 13:26.965
DAY 2 Report & Result (06th September 2015)
A hot day couldn’t deter motorsport fans from piling up on the stands to witness Day 2 of the 18th JK Tyre Racing Championship 2015.
Spectators were treated right from the start with the whining engine note of the JKFB02 cars lining up the starting grid for the JK Racing India Series. The reversed grid format put Krishnaraj Mahadik on pole, but once the cars got rolling- Mahadik was overtaken by Vishnu Prasad after the very first lap. Mahadik fought to reclaim his position successfully from Vishnu taking it all the way to the checkered flag. Kush Maini who finished third on Day 1 kept up the pace trying every skill and trick to overtake Vishnu but couldn’t. With Bangalore driver Akhil Rabidra on his tail after having started eighth on the grid- Kush tried to up the pace but only ending with a gear shift issue and losing the third place to Rabidra.
Later it was the Formula LGB 4 all set to thrill the fans again with speedy skirmishes among the drivers. Blessed with drama again- only 13 cars out of the 21 made it to the finish line as eight cars went off the track bringing the safety car into action. The top eight cars were involved in a game of catch up and it was the icy cool temperament of Ajay Kini that saw him sprint past the checkered flag and score a hat trick of wins. Raghul Rangaswamy played the patient game and managed to finish second after starting fifth from the grid. Diljith off to a great start battled his way to the top notching up the final place on the podium.
Next on the race schedule was the JK Tyre-Volkswagen Vento Cup and Delhi boy Karminder Singh annihilated the competition (none actually) by his shattering pace. Starting from sixth on the grid, Karminder nosed his way ahead to the top slot. Eventually the gap between him and the rest was wide enough to make overtaking look like a distant dream as he blazed away to victory. It was the cleanest race of the weekend with the safety car being confined to the paddock. Ishaan Dodhiwala took second while Anindith Reddy finished in third position.
The last race of the day saw the JKFB02 cars pump up the adrenalin again with cars at the top battling till the last lap to end the day on a winning note. It was a dream weekend for Bangalore boy Ananth Shanmugam who claimed his first victory in the JK Racing India Series leading from pole to the finish. It was a slugfest with four cars behind him eyeing the remaining two podium places. Vishnu Prasad kept himself in the hunt within sniffing distance, but in the end Ananth kept his pace and place right till the checkered flag with Karthik Tharani from Chennai taking the third position.
Race Results: Day 2
- JK Racing India Series – Race 2 (15 laps)
- Krishnaraj Mahadik – 20:28.413
- Vishnu Prasad – 20:29.071
- Akhil Rabindra – 20:31.656
- JK Racing India Series – Race 3 (15 laps)
- Ananth Shanmugam – 18:40.513
- Vishnu Prasad – 18:40.824
- Karthik Tharani – 18:41.371
- Formula LGB 4 – Race 3 (15 laps)
- Ajay Kini: Team Dark Don Racing – 21:57.702
- Raghul Rangaswamy –Team Meco Racing – 21:58.001
- Diljith TS – Team Avalanche Racing – 21:58.620
- JK Tyre-Volkswagen Vento Cup- Race 2 (15 laps)
- Karminder Singh – 18:58.061
- Ishaan Dodhiwala – 19:02.952
- Anindith Reddy Konda – 19:04.711
The next round takes the JK Tyre Racing Championship 2015 to the grand Buddh International Circuit next month, where the drivers and cars would be seen clocking higher top speeds with ample opportunities for overtaking manoeuvres.
On the concluding note, it was personally no less than a treat witnessing the drivers and cars pushing hard to grab every incremental inch on the race track. In a country where motorsports isn’t widely followed- it was indeed emotionally touching to behold the passion and dedication of the teams and drivers for their arduous strive towards a perfect win. The spectators added motivation and they were treated by the Volkswagen Polos and KTM Dukes who pulled off some breathtaking stunts.
IMAGE GALLERY:
Round 2. 18th JK Tyre Racing Championship 2015- Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore
