Philippos Matthai and Tarushi Vikram Shine at National Rally Sprint Championship
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Synopsis
Delhi's Philippos Matthai and Chikkamagaluru's Tarushi Vikram each secured two championships during the FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2024, held at the Madras International Circuit. This event showcased remarkable talent and competitive spirit in the world of rally racing.
Key Takeaways
- Philippos Matthai and Tarushi Vikram each claimed two titles.
- The event was organized at the Madras International Circuit.
- Heavy rains altered the track conditions, switching to full tarmac.
- The competition included various classes, showcasing a wide range of talent.
- Ashish Gupta made a notable return to racing after 40 years.
Chennai, Jan 19 (NationPress) Philippos Matthai from Delhi and Tarushi Vikram hailing from Chikkamagaluru each secured two championships during the finals of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2024, hosted by the Madras Motor Sports Club at the Madras International Circuit on Sunday.
The seasoned rally driver, Matthai, who has multiple national titles in rally, autocross, and sprint, alongside his co-driver Harish KN from Bengaluru, exhibited remarkable skill on a slippery track, achieving the fastest time of the day, which led to his triumph in the esteemed Rally Sprint 1 category. He also secured the title in the Rally Sprint 2 class.
Chandan Manche Gowda from Bengaluru and co-driver Venu Ramesh Kumar of Coimbatore finished in second place in both top classes. Nevertheless, they celebrated their victory in the Rally Sprint 3 championship, overcoming another competitor from Bengaluru, Arjun Rajiv (with co-driver Pramod Raman).
Collegiate athlete Tarushi Vikram clinched the Ladies title with a time of 09 minutes, 52.374 seconds, also achieving the ninth-best overall time among 24 participants. Together with her co-driver Amitha Aneesh, she claimed the Junior National title, outperforming 16-year-old newcomer Vihaan Bhat. Additionally, former rally driver Ashish Gupta, making a comeback after 40 years, captured the Veterans class title.
Amey Desai from Goa (with co-driver Mahamad Asif Mulla) who triumphed in the Autocross event last Sunday, secured the Rally Sprint 4 class title. Umesh Rane from Thane (co-driver Suraj Biswas from New Panvel), the sole entry in the Rally Sprint 5 category, took home the prize as the other qualifiers did not compete in the finals.
Due to heavy rainfall overnight, the organizers modified the original dirt track to a full tarmac route. The 6.2 km circuit was completed twice, and final standings were determined based on cumulative times.
The results (Provisional – cumulative timings – 2 laps):
Rally Sprint 1: 1. Philippos Matthai (Delhi) / Harish KN (Bengaluru) (09mins, 11.211secs); 2. Chandan Manche Gowda (Bengaluru) / Venu Ramesh Kumar (Coimbatore) (09:17.096).
Rally Sprint 2: 1. Philippos Matthai (Delhi) / Harish KN (Bengaluru) (09:15.788); 2. Chandan Manche Gowda (Bengaluru) / Venu Ramesh Kumar (Coimbatore) (09:28.473); 3. Arjun Rajiv / Pramod Raman (both Bengaluru) (09:40.939).
Rally Sprint 3: 1. Chandan Manche Gowda (Bengaluru) / Venu Ramesh Kumar (Coimbatore) (09:11.231); 2. Arjun Rajiv / Pramod Raman (both Bengaluru) (09:31.593); 3. Ramprasanth / Robert Antony (both Coimbatore) (09:39.603).
Rally Sprint 4: 1. Amey Desai / Mahamad Asif Mulla (both Goa) (10:02.552); 2. Sravan Kumar (Hyderabad) / Dinky Varghese (Coimbatore) (10:26.819); 3. Kushal Chaudhari / Suraj Biswas (both New Panvel) (10:27.018).
Rally Sprint 5: 1. Umesh Rane (Thane) / Suraj Biswas (New Panvel) (10:54.678).
Juniors: 1. Tarushi Vikram (Chikkamagaluru) / Amitha Aneesh (Bengaluru) (09:52.374); 2. Vihaan Bhat / Rohit GR (both Bengaluru) (11:32.349).
Ladies: 1. Tarushi Vikram (Chikkamagaluru) / Amitha Aneesh (Bengaluru) (09:52.374).
Veteran: 1. Ashish Gupta (Chennai) / Amitha Aneesh (Bengaluru) (11:15.800).
