Mugello: Top teenager Marco Bezzecchi (16) took another hard-fought victory in the final race of the five-round national Italian CIV championship at the classic Mugello circuit on October 11, to seal his first championship crown, and also secure the Constructors’ championship for Mahindra Peugeot.

Riding a Mahindra for Team Porto Maggiore, the 16-year-old from Rimini – the heartland of Italian motorcycle racing – triumphed by inches after a race-long battle with rival Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Bezzecchi’s Mahindra MGP3O was strikingly painted in the red, white and green of the Italian Tricolore, and he was draped in the national flag as he celebrated his race and championship win.

Bezzecchi and Giannantonio had exchanged the lead over and over again as they battled round the scenic circuit, venue for the prestigious Italian MotoGP race; but clever tactics and the sprinting power of his Mahindra gave Bezzecchi the crucial edge past the chequered flag, and the points he needed to confirm his championship title.

The Italian CIV national championship is an important series in Europe, and has been the springboard for many famous riders including Valentino Rossi, who hails from the countryside near Rimini.

Mahindra, the only Indian constructor in international championship racing, has forged strong links with Italy, with Mahindra Racing’s European headquarters in Varese.

Mahindra has taken part in the CIV series since 2012, when the machines were still 125cc two-strokes; winning the Constructors’ crown at the first attempt. Mahindra won it again in 2013, when the series was opened to Moto3, 250cc, machines.

The current Mahindra MGP3O ridden to victory by Bezzecchi is a 250cc four-stroke, as campaigned in the Moto3 World Championship.