National racing championship: Crashes galore on opening day

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A makeshift first aid room in the middle of the Kari Motor Speedway was brimming with activity. Bruised and bandaged, youngsters limped out in torn and soiled racing overalls.

For the daredevil bikers, the disappointment of missing out on the race was more painful than the injury itself.

Bike racers are no strangers to mishaps, but the number of crashes on the opening day of the Sidvin-MMSC national two-wheeler racing championship was unprecedented.

As the championship, for the first time, has attracted more than 200 entries from across the country, it turned out to be a first track experience for many of them.

No doubt, one-make championships of Yamaha, Honda and TVS have given a great platform for novices, but putting them in a mean machine on a technical track that challenges even a seasoned rider proved to be a gamble. Some riders also blamed the bumpy track for accidents.

As seasoned biker Subash Chandra Bose pointed out, the newcomers should have taught basic lesson about cornering and braking.

“Some of them looked really clueless. The falls were result of the lack of knowledge and they were carrying too much speed into corners,” added Bose.

The national championship races, with prominent names in fray, were business as usual. K. Rajini continued his stranglehold in the Superbike (600cc) class with a scintillating 13-second win over R. Deepak.

The highlight of the day, however, was the newly-introduced Group C with 165cc bikes (restricted modifications).

Shyam Shankar stole the limelight from pole winner Sumit Lucas Toppo in a race marked with thrills and spills.

Sumit had to settle for the final podium place as Shyam’s MotoRev teammate A. Prabhu nudged ahead towards the fag end of the race.

The 165cc Group B Open class, which churned out enthralling races last year, was a big let down on Saturday.

Only five bikes took off from the grid with just three taking the chequered flag. TVS rider Harry Sylvester came home first with Shyam Shankar and Karthick finishing behind him.

Results

National championship races: Superbikes (600cc): 1. K. Rajini (MotoRev); 2. R. Deepak (Preethi Racing); 3. M. Gautham (MotoRev).

Group B 165cc (fully modified): 1. Harry Sylvester (TVS); 2. Shyam Shankar (MotoRev); 3. Karthikeyan (TVS). Group C (165cc restricted modification): 1. Shyam Shankar (MotoRev); 2. A. Prabhu (MotoRev); 3. Sumit Lucas Toppo (Performance).

One-make races: TVS Apache RTR: 1. Rahul G. Rathod; 2. S. Prem Hari; 3. Jonathan Clifford. CBR 250R: 1. M. Gautham; 2. A. Prabhu; 3. S. Vivek Pillai.

CB Twister: 1. Md Intekhan Alam; 2. Sahay; 3. Poornansh. Yamaha R15: 1. P. Sandesh; 2. R. Ramesh Kumar; 3. Shamilsen. Apache RTR Open: 1. S.K. Prakash; 2. Aravind Ganesh; 3. Vivek Mani.