Coimbatore: The concluding day of Round 2 of the 16th JK Tyre Racing Championship witnessed thrills galore in five exciting races, two each in the JK Racing India Series and JK Tyre VW Polo R Cup and one in the Formula LGB 4 class, at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. Vishnu Prasad

Fresh after yesterday’s scintillating victory in the first race, the JK Racing India Series’ second race witnessed pole position holder Vishnu Prasad leading the pack of drivers by a margin that kept widening after each round. The young driver had a dominant race that he attributed to a lightning-fast opening lap, proving just how decisive the first few laps are. He was followed by Bangalore boys Akhil Rabindra and Arjun Maini for the first few laps before Maini gave up his position to the Kohlapur based Chittesh Mandody. The trio held onto their positions until the end and Prasad took the chequered flag with a margin of six well-made seconds. Towards the end, an event involving Karminder Singh and Maini helped Hyderabad’s Akhil Khushlani to register a fourth place finish with a total time of 17:00.389.

Starting on pole in the final FB02 race, Prasad stole the limelight yet again. Though weary with the amount of racing over the weekend, Prasad stuck to his ground though a young Maini put constant pressure on him. Maini’s car seemed packed with power and helped him do the fastest lap of the race. Vishnu grabbed yet another incredible podium (17:01.571) while Mandody challenged Maini on a number of occasions but the Bangalorean drove admirably to finish second in a total time of 17:01.891.
 

In a smooth Race 1 of the JK Tyre VW Polo R Cup, South African driver Jeffrey Kruger started on pole accompanied by Prashant Tharani and Yatin Magu. The race witnessed Tharani taking an early lead, which he held until the end (19:12.212), trailed by Kruger (19:13.271). Rahil Noorani, drove commendably to end the race third (19:23.552) after having started in fifth position. In Race 2 of the Polo R Cup that started with reversed grid positions, Gowdam Raj was first on the grid. Keeping him company were Noorani and Hanoosh Supraneni. The 15-lap race witnessed an enjoyable tussle between Kruger, Tharani, Yatin Magu, Raj, Angad Matharoo, and Noorani, who showed the way followed by Kruger and Tharani. Since Noorani was unlucky to be given a 20-second penalty, Kruger won, registering his second podium finish followed by Tharani (19:43.595) and Magu (19:48.293) who was a new face on the podium.

Round 2 of the JK Tyre Racing Championship also witnessed Volkswagen Vento cars making their debut on Kari Motor Speedway in an exhibition race, opening the possibility of an all-new racing series in the future.

The final Race 3 of the Formula LGB 4 class was undoubtedly the most exciting contest of the day thanks to a magnificent blend of high-speed action, mid-race incidents and a royal battle for victory. Mumbai’s Rayo Racing driver Ameya Bafna was the pole starter followed by Vishnu Prasad (Meco Racing) and Advait Deodhar (Dark Don Racing). Chennai’s Saran Vikram and Sarosh Hataria (Dark Don Racing) were fourth and fifth on the grid respectively. In a magnificent display of talent and expertise, the Coimbatore based Hataria made his way up the order and battled it out with Bafna, who was going strong in first place. The pair engaged in an enthralling display of racing, overtaking each other a number of times. In the ninth lap, the race was red flagged due to an incident involving Avalanche Racing driver M D Tushar, who skidded on the track, hit the barrier and flipped over but was unhurt. Once the race resumed, an unlucky Bafna was forced to retire due to a technical problem with his car. There was no looking back for Hataria, who cemented his lead thereon, chased by Vikram and Prasad. During the very last lap, and just when everybody thought the contest was over, Karthik Krishna, at No. 4, made contact with Vikram in a bid to overtake Prasad who was in third place. Krishna was given a 30-second penalty for the incident owing to which Prasad finished tenth and Vikram last. Young Meco Racing drivers Tejasram Caveripakam (11:28.794) and Akash Gowda (11:31.123) followed Hataria (11:25.798).

In September, round three of the six-round JK Tyre Racing Championship 2013 will once again offer drivers and spectators the finest racing action in the country.

JK Racing India Series – Race 2 (15 laps)

1. Vishnu Prasad (16:49.724) 2. Akhil Rabindra (16:55.724) 3. Chittesh Mandody (16:55.524)

JK Racing India Series – Race 3 (15 laps)

1. Vishnu Prasad (17:01.571) 2. Arjun Maini (17:01.891) 3. Chittesh Mandody (17:02.261)

Polo R Cup – Race 1 (15 laps)

1. Prashant Tharani (19:12.212) 2. Jeffrey Kruger (19:13.271) 3. Rahil Noorani (19:23.552)

Polo R Cup – Race 2 (15 laps)

1. Jeffery Kruger (19:40.847) 2. Prashanth Tharani (19:43.595) 3. Yatin Magu (19:48.293)

Formula LGB 4 – Race 3 (7 laps)

1. Sarosh Hataria (11:25.798) 2. Tejasram Caveripakam (11:28.794) 3. Akash Gowda (11:31.123)