Chennai, Jan 5 (NationPress) Three 17-year-olds, Pune’s Arjun Chheda and Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran, along with Ishaan Madesh from Bengaluru, emerged as key figures with their wins in the MRF single-seater segments as the third and second-to-last round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2025 came to a close at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai on Monday.

Arjun Chheda and Ishaan Madesh, both reigning champions in national karting, each secured victory in the MRF Formula 2000 category, while Sai Shiva Sankaran showcased his prowess by winning all three races in the MRF Formula 1600 class this round, bringing his total to five wins this season, which will conclude later this month at the same venue.

The outcomes placed Arjun Chheda at the top of the provisional championship standings, claiming five victories, just five points ahead of Ishaan Madesh, while Sai Shiva Sankaran leads by 24 points over Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair.

A major highlight of the weekend was the dedication of the mechanics from Arka Motorsports, who toiled late into the night to prepare their cars for the day’s two races in the Indian Touring Cars class. Their hard work paid off as Chennai’s Ritesh Rai (Buzzing Hornet), with support from Arka Motorsports, achieved a remarkable double win.

Returning after a 20-year hiatus, multiple National Rally champion Karna Kadur (Arka Motorsports) secured a podium finish, marking his return with distinction. Meanwhile, former national champion and points leader, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore, faced a challenging round with three retirements due to car troubles.

At the round’s conclusion, Lonavla’s Dhruv Chavan, a private entry, maintained his status as the only competitor in the ITC Class to finish all nine races, leading the championship by a mere three points ahead of Pithawalla, with Ritesh Rai moving to third place, surpassing Arjun Balu.

Dilijith TS (DTS Racing) from Thrissur continued his impressive run with a sixth consecutive win in the Super Stock class, keeping his title hopes alive, while Sri Lankan Kesara Godage (Performance Racing), with three second-place finishes, continues to top the points table in this category. Viswas Vijayaraj from Nellore also had a successful Monday, achieving a double victory in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class.

Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) from Ernakulam concluded a successful round by winning both races on Monday, with the first race experiencing multiple stoppages due to on-track incidents, propelling him to the top of the points standings in both Open and Junior classes of the Formula LGB 1300 category.

In the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) category, Coimbatore’s Akshay Muralidharan and local competitor Mohamed Arfath each claimed a race victory, with Muralidharan currently leading the championship in this category.