JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2017: Day 1 Report

Day 1 of the 20th JK Tyre National Racing Championship has concluded here at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore with the weather gods ensuring the perfect climate for a racing weekend. Day 1 witnessed two races of the Euro JK 17, the flagship racing series, along with one race of the LGB4 category. The motorcycle series had two races, the Gixxer Cup round followed by the Road to Rookie Cup.

Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad dominated the proceedings in the Euro JK 17 races after winning both the races in the category. He had started fourth after qualifying concerns but he managed to whip out a stellar first lap to gain the lead which he held till the end of the race. Defending champion, Anindith Reddy, tried very hard in both the races, but could not manage to pass Vishnu in either races. Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee gained from Anindith’s mistake in Race 2 while the latter tried a move on Vishnu, to finish 2nd in Race 2 after finishing 3rd in Race 1.

Chittesh Mandody, from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, started from pole and maintained steady pace throughout the race to claim the top spot at the podium. Diljith TS, an experienced campaigner and ex-champion, he finished a well-fought second. With his car struggling for top-speed on straights, Saran Vikram showed immense grit in claiming the final spot on the podium.

The motorcycle races started with the Road to Rookie Cup, where Suzuki, along with JK Tyre, is trying to create a platform for young and budding motorcycle racers. While a more experienced Jaden Gunawardena from Sri Lanka took the top spot, it was our boys from Aizawl, Mizoram who won everybody's hearts. Seeing a racetrack for the first time in their lives, they were just a second off Jaden and we expect them to give the Sri Lankan a tough fight by the end of the season. Lalhruaizela and Lalnunsanga took the second and third positions respectively and it was great to see them celebrating with all the competitors.

The first round of the Suzuki Gixxer Cup saw 22 riders on the starting grid. While Joseph Matthew led the race from the first lap, Sanjeev Mhatre and Lalmawipuia fought all through the 10 laps for the second and third positions.