Young Pune racer Sarthak Chavan, representing Petronas TVS Racing, showed exceptional skill by seizing pole position in the fiercely competitive Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category. This impressive feat occurred during the qualifying session of the fourth round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championships, held at the Madras International Circuit on Friday.
Despite an earlier crash during the morning practice session, which had left him 1.1 seconds behind, Sarthak bounced back with a virtually perfect qualifying lap. He powered his way around the 3.712 km circuit, recording an impressive time of 1 minute, 48.047 seconds. This stellar performance sets the stage for an exciting showdown with the current championship leader, 27-year-old Rahil Pillarisetty from Hyderabad (RACR Castrol Power1), who secured second place with a time of 1:48.084. Currently, Rahil holds a slim nine-point lead over Sarthak in the championship standings.
The results: Qualifying: National Championship:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open:
- 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, Petronas TVS Racing) (1min, 48.047secs)
Super Stock Intermediate 165cc:
- 1. Kamal Navas (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (2:05.168)
Stock 301-400cc (Novice):
- 1. Jagadeesh Nagaraj (Bengaluru, Motul Sparks Racing) (1:58.562)
Stock 165cc (Novice):
- 1. Rajender Beedani (Hyderabad, MAI Racing) (2:07.108)
Petronas TVS One-Make Championship:
- Expert (Apache RR 310): 1. Ajay Xavier (Nagercoil) (1:55.764)
- Women (Apache RTR 200): 1. Elakiya Ravi (Chennai) (2:11.813)
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (CB 300F):
- 1. R. Solomon (Chennai) (2:05.081)