As expected Akhil Khushlani made a clean sweep of the Formula BMW class in the season-opener of the 2013 JK Tyre Racing Championship here at the Kari Motor Speedway on Sunday. The 23-year-old from Hyderabad was hardly challenged in the grid full of rookies and his first round domination — winning all the three races — could well force the organisers to introduce reverse grid system from the second round to liven up the category. Barring a couple of laps in which mid-table drivers jostled for track positions, the 15-lap race was a mere procession.
The 15-year-old Bengaluru boy Arjun Maini continued to impress as he capped of his eventful single-seater debut with another podium finish. Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad had no time to relax as he competed in two single-seater categories -- BMW and Formula 4 -- and notched up four podiums.
Both Arjun and Vishnu vowed that they were determined to stop Akhil from running away with a huge lead in the championship battle. “The opening round helped me a lot to understand the car. With more practice, I am sure I can get better and put pressure on the guys ahead of me” said Arjun.
Dark Don’s Sarosh Hataria won his second race of the weekend in the Formula 4 class but the victory was marred by a suspension of his teammate Ajay Kini. The Bengaluru-based racer was summoned by the stewards when another competitor Saran Vikram alleged that Ajay hit his car from behind during Race 3. After checking the on-board video, stewards decided to suspend Ajay for a month and also referred the case to FMSCI, recommending to withdraw his license.
In the Polo R Cup, Mumbai’s Rahil Noorani and South African Jeffrey Kruger shared the limelight. Rahil, who stormed to pole, won the Race 1 and finished third in the Race 2 (reverse grid) after starting eighth.
Results
Formula BMW (Race 2): 1. Akhil Khushlani (Hyderabad); 2. Chitesh Mandody (Kolhapur); 3. Akhil Rabindra (Bengaluru). Race 3: Akhil Khushlani (Hyderabad); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai); 3. Arjun Maini (Bengaluru).
Formula 4 (Race 3): 1. Sarosh Hataria (Dark Don); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Meco); 3. Ameya Bafna (Rayo Racing).
VW Polo Cup (Race 1): 1. Rahil Noorani (Mumbai); 2. Jeffrey Kruuger (South Africa); 3. Prasanth Tharani (Chennai). Race 2: Jeffrey Kruuger (South Africa); 2. Karthik Tharani (Chennai); 3. Rahil Noorani (Mumbai).