With a fastest lap timing and leading the race until few corners from the finish, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tiger’s Ruhaan Alva slipped to third position with a gearbox malfunction and home favourite Chennai Turbo Rider’s Jon Lancaster, made the best of the opportunity to finish on the top step of the podium on Day One of the third round of the Indian Racing Festival promoted by Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd, at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.
The 35-year-old Lancaster from UK and representing Chennai Turbo Riders in this franchise-based Indian Racing League championship, was running about four seconds behind Alva (Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers) in the last lap of the race (A Driver), but lady luck smiled on him when disaster struck Alva a few corners from the finish, allowing him to take the win ahead of Czech Republic’s Gabriela Jilkova (Goa Aces JA Racing). Alva, who had started from pole position and built a winning lead, managed to limp home in third place in a race that was his to lose.
With a win in sight and less than a lap left for the finish, the 18-year-old Ruhaan came across a car that had spun across the track. He slowed down and passed the stricken car only to meet with disaster as the engine spluttered and the gear got stuck in third. It allowed Lancaster and Jilkova to pass him.
At the start, Alva made a good getaway while his team-mate, Malaysian Allister Yoongdropped two spots from P2 as Lancaster and Jilkova slipped past in the very first lap. Their positions remained unchanged until the last lap when Alva blew away a certain victory. “You got to take the opportunities,” was how Lancaster commented after the win. “It was The Indian Racing Festival, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited.
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Bangalore Speedsters enjoyed a double podium with teenager from Shillong Jaden Pariat taking a win, his second of the championship, while team-mate 16-year-old Abhay Mohan from Bengaluru, in his first full single-seater season, coming in third behind South African Aqil Alibhai (Black Birds Hyderabad).
Off to a clean start from pole position, 17-year-old Pariat, winner here in Round 1, and National champion in the MRF F2000 class, never looked back for a lights-to-flag win. Behind him, Alibhai settled into P2 from Lap 1 to the finish, not having the pace to trouble Pariat who also put in the fastest lap of the race, a blistering one minute, 40.459 seconds.
Down the grid, battles raged up for track positions. Abhay Mohan, winner of the National title in the MRF F1600 category earlier this summer, started from P5 but immediately gained a spot when Veer Sheth (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) stalled on the grid and dropped to last. Abhay then put fellow-Bengalurean Ruhaan Alva (Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers) under pressure before passing for P3, a position he comfortably held to the finish. Alva eventually came in fifth.
Down the road, Gurugram’s Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) put in an impressive show to climb from P16 to eventual P7 finish.
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Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath led a 1-2 finish for Dark Don after starting P3 on the 24-car grid in Race-1 that was twice interrupted by Safety Car due to on-track incidents. Following him home was Tijil Rao from Bengaluru ahead of Ahura Racing’s Chetan Surineni, also from Bengaluru. It was the second win of the season for Bala Prasath.
Likewise, Abhay Mohan, who showed impressive pace for his second win, and DhruvhGoswami, both from Bengaluru, delivered a 1-2 result for MSPORT while Hyderabad’s Abhinav Reddy (Avalanche Racing) completed the podium.
At the start of the race, pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj (Dark Don Racing) led the pack for a couple of laps before the Safety Car was deployed. On resumption, Vijayaraj slid to third behind Bala Prasath who put in some quick laps to gain the lead ahead of Tijil Rao who had led briefly. The order remained unchanged for a couple of laps until Surineni made a move on Vijayaraj to take P3 before the second Safety Car period. The race ended behind the Safety Car with Bala Prasath taking a win from Tijil Rao and Surineni.
Later, in Race-2 that was red-flagged twice and reduced to five laps, Chetan Surinenitook the honours, holding off Bala Prasath and Viswas Vijayaraj. In the Rookie class, Bengaluru’s Dhruv Goswami finished first ahead of Abhinav Reddy and Pune’s Neythan McPherson (Momentum Motorsport).
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