Akhil Khuslani stormed to a dominant triumph in the Formula BMW category race of the JK Tyre Racing Championship here at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday.
While the Hyderabad youngster’s pole-to-flag victory was an expected result given his previous experience in the BMW-powered car, the revelation of the opening round was 15-year-old Bengaluru rookie Arjun Maini who finished second.
Arjun, one of the precocious talents to come through national karting, made a seamless transition into single-seater racing with a podium on debut. He turned many a head with his flawless drive holding off Vishnu Prasad in the 15-lap race that began under a steady drizzle.
As Akhil made a swift getaway in a heavy headwind and managed to pull ahead of the rest of the pack, the spotlight shifted on the two-horse race for the second spot between Arjun and Vishnu.
Vishnu, who has been driving single-seaters for quite sometime, used his experience to narrow the gap, but Arjun proved a hard nut to crack.
“It was a difficult race as Vishnu was breathing down my neck throughout. I had to keep looking my rear-view mirror. It feels great to start my Formula car career with a podium. If I work on my consistency and speed, I can get better,” said Arjun.
Results: Formula BMW: 1. Akhil Khuslani (Hyderabad); 2. Arjun Maini (Bengaluru); Vishnu Prasad (Chennai). Formula 4 (Race 1): 1. Saran Vikram (Mars Racing); 2. Kartik Krishna (Dark Don Racing); 3. Tejas Ram (Meco). Race 2: 1. Sarosh Hataria (Dark Don Racing); 2. Saran Vikram (Mars Racing); 3. Vishnu (Meco).