Did Rahil Pillarisetty Achieve His First Win in Four Years at the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship?

Chennai, June 8 (NationPress) The talented rider from Hyderabad, Rahil Pillarisetty (RACR Castrol Power1), achieved a remarkable feat by securing his first victory in four years, narrowly defeating the favored Sarthak Chavan, a young racer from Pune, during the prestigious Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open race. This thrilling event marked the conclusion of the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship, which was abruptly halted due to a severe thunderstorm at the Madras International Circuit on Sunday.

The torrential rainfall and strong winds caused significant disruption at the facility, leading to the cancellation of the remaining two races, which have been rescheduled for the second round in August.

In earlier races, Ann Jennifer (RACR Castrol Power1) from Chennai and Varun Patil (Mad Rabbit Racing) from Bengaluru both celebrated double victories in the Girls (Stock 165cc) and Stock 301-400cc (Novice) categories, respectively, while young Kedarnadh (Motul KTM Gusto Racing) from Tirupati emerged victorious in the Stock 165cc (Novice) race.

The highlight of the day was Rahil’s stunning performance in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open Race-2, where he skillfully navigated a fierce challenge from Sarthak Chavan, yesterday's Race-1 victor, with a powerful late surge. Initially, they found themselves trailing Chiranth Vishwanath (Petronas TVS Racing) from Bengaluru, who had made a spectacular start from P4.

Veteran racer Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1), a multiple national champion, was also in contention, running P2 for most of the race until yielding to both Sarthak and Rahil. Ultimately, the duo outpaced Chiranth, with Rahil successfully defending his lead. Sarthak finished in second place, just ahead of Chiranth.

Meanwhile, Ann Jennifer (RACR Castrol Power1) kicked off her campaign to reclaim the national title she last won in 2020 with a strong performance, leaving her competitors trailing in her wake for a repeat victory after her Saturday win in Race-1.

Ann shared, “I have made a great start to the season by winning both races. However, I am aware that others might catch up as the season progresses, so I must continue to work hard, just like I did during the off-season when I trained with the Pro-Stock competitors and learned a great deal from them.

“I feel good considering my situation last year after suffering a head injury from a crash in Round-3. The doctors suggested I quit racing, but the passion for the sport runs deep in my veins, and I couldn't resist getting back on a race bike. Despite my two wins this weekend, I believe there’s still room for improvement, and I aim to be quicker in the next round.”

R Solomon from Bengaluru also made headlines by winning the second race in the Honda CB 300F class, showcasing a commanding performance that saw him finish over 10 seconds ahead of Chennai riders Deepak Kumar and Swaroop Krishna in the eight-lap race.

Sarthak Chavan dominated the Electric RTE race, finishing convincingly ahead of Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) in second and C Senthilkumar (Coimbatore) in third. In the abbreviated Rookie (Apache RTR 200) race, Hari Haran from Coimbatore clinched victory, outperforming Poojitha Anil Kumar (Bengaluru) and Sri Lankan Hesali Nehansa Peiris.

Full Results:

Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad, RACR Castrol Power 1) (11mins, 03.229secs); 2. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:03.501); 3. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:03.543).

Stock 301-400cc (Novice) Race-2: 1. Varun Patil (Bengaluru, Mad Rabbit Racing) (12:22.078); 2. Kamal Navas (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (12:22.412); 3. Jagadeesh Nagaraj (Bengaluru, 12:23.382).

Stock 165cc (Novice) Race-2: 1. Kedarnath (Tirupati, Motul KTM Gusto Racing) (13:09.435); 2. Rajender Beedani (Hyderabad, MAI Racing) (13:15.456); 3. Yashwant Varma (Visakhapatnam, Motul Sparks Racing) (13:25.449).

Girls (Stock 165cc) Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Chennai, Motul Sparks Racing) (10:55.279); 2. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (10:57.190); 3. Rakshitha Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power 1) (10:58.280).

Petronas TVS One-Make Championship:

Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race-2 (4 laps): 1. Hari Haran R (Coimbatore) (09:11.487); 2. Poojitha Anil Kumar (Bengaluru) (09:19.950); 3. Hesali Nehansa Peiris (Sri Lanka) (09:20.010).

Electric RTE (4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, Petronas TVS Racing) (07:21.348); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (07:27.075); 3. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore, Petronas TVS Racing) (07:35.232).

Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup:

Honda CB 300F (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Solomon R (Bengaluru) (17:03.481); 2. Deepak Kumar (Chennai) (17:13.576); 3. Swaroop Krishna (Chennai) (17:24.441).