Chennai: After dishing out heart-stopping finishes last month, India’s top two-wheeler racers and manufacturers – Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM – will return to action in the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019 commencing at the MMRT, here on Friday, September 6.
The 2019 season has been a roller-coaster with reputations taking a beating and it has thrown open the race for the titles in various categories wide open.
Viewed in this context, this weekend’s races assume added significance as the contenders go wheel-to-wheel for precious championship points.
The Pro-Stock categories comprising the premium 301-400cc class besides 201-300cc and the 165cc, all run on MRF slick tyres, have witnessed thrilling battles through the season.
Thus, going into Round 4, Chennai-based TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar (101 points) and KY Ahamed (98), both with two wins apiece from six starts, head the 301-400cc class where defending champion Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) is placed sixth with 51 points with just one win. In contrast, Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) is comfortably placed with 90 points in the 201-300cc class following a hat-trick of victories, well ahead of team-mate and fellow-Bengalurean Abhishek Vasudev (63).
The popular Pro-Stock 165cc class has seen long-time rivals Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing and TVS Racing, locked in a fierce fight.
Honda’s international rider Chennai’s Rajiv Sethu, after missing the first round due to his commitments in Japan, won four races in a row to lead the championship with 100 points, ahead of seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing (94) who, in turn, enjoys a one-point lead over Honda’s Sarath Kumar. Both Jagan and Sarath have won one race apiece.
The Novice class (Stock 165cc), with its 40-bike grid and packed with talent, has Chennai’s I Venkatesan (Moto Maniacz Racing) in the lead with 98 points .
