Did Karna Kadur and Musa Sherif Achieve a Grand Double at the APRC and INRC?

Chennai, April 27 (NationPress) After a hiatus of three years, Bengaluru’s current National champion Karna Kadur from Arka Motorsports triumphed in a round of the FIA-Asia Pacific Rally Championship 2025 held at the Madras International Circuit this Sunday.

The 36-year-old Kadur delivered a nearly impeccable performance in the Volkswagen Polo, supported by his skilled co-driver Musa Sherif from Kasargod, as the duo also secured victory in the inaugural round of the FMSCI Indian National Championship 2025, powered by Vamcy Merla and organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club.

Coming in second for the APRC was Kadur’s teammate, the England-based former National champion Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik, Mangaluru), while Delhi’s Harkrishan Wadia (co-driver Harish KN, Bengaluru) rounded out the APRC podium after Philippos Matthai (Harish KN), who was in third, retired due to a mechanical fault just five kilometers from the finish line of the day’s final Special Stage.

Wadia exhibited exceptional driving skills today, managing to recover from a two-minute penalty incurred the previous day for an early check-in at the Start Time Control, ultimately winning the Junior APRC (for participants aged 28 and younger) ahead of overnight leader Arnav Pratap Singh (Rohit N) and Abhin Rai (Moideen Jasheer KM).

Kadur credited his success to a meticulous balance of caution and aggression, stating, “After quite a while, we experienced a trouble-free run. The car performed excellently, and everything aligned perfectly. Our strategy was carefully mapped out and executed without a hitch. We could have increased our speed, but due to rising temperatures, we opted for some caution. Observing some competitors struggle, I chose to conserve energy in case I needed to accelerate later. Regardless, it’s a strong kickoff for the season. Additionally, my co-driver Musa’s calls were incredibly precise, which was a major advantage,” he expressed.

Ghosh faced challenges with a VW Polo that was assembled just three days prior to the event after his Mahindra XUV 300 experienced issues during testing. “We encountered difficulties with the car all weekend. Today, we lost the clutch, which hampered our progress. Nonetheless, given the circumstances and the short preparation time for the VW Polo, we managed quite well.”

Wadia was pleasantly surprised to finish third in the APRC and lead the INRC2 category. “The two-minute penalty from my early check-in affected me significantly. Despite maintaining a competitive pace over the two days, those two minutes kept adding to my overall time. Thankfully, I got lucky in the end with Philippos’ retirement while I gained over 50 seconds on my competitors today.”

Another commendable performance came from Tarushi Vikram (Vybhav Mukund Rao) from Bengaluru, who excelled in the Women INRC class, showcasing impressive speed and control.