Chennai, Jan 10 (NationPress) Two riders from Hyderabad, Rahil Pillarisetty (RACR Castrol Power1) and Rajender Beedani (MAI Racing), have put an end to a lengthy title drought by clinching the championship in their respective categories with a race remaining in the fifth and final round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship held at the Madras International Circuit on Saturday.

Also securing a championship today was Varun Patil (Mad Rabbit Racing) from Bengaluru in the Stock 301-400cc category, while Raj Kumar (Motul Sparks Racing) from Coimbatore is just one point away from sealing the title in the SuperStock Intermediate 165cc category after a fierce competition with teammate Md Samrul Zubair from Hyderabad.

The day's events were impacted by light rain and diminishing daylight, leading to the postponement of one race (Pro-Stock 200cc Open) until Sunday morning.

Rahil Pillarisetty, 28, who last celebrated a national victory in his debut year of 2017, achieved a thrilling win over his rival Sarthak Chavan (Petronas TVS Racing) with a bold last-corner maneuver to lead the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open race, thus securing a commanding lead in the points standings. This marked his sixth victory in nine races.

“I feel happy, but not overwhelmingly so with today's title win. It's more of a massive relief that my eight-year quest for a Championship has finally concluded. In previous seasons, I consistently finished second or third in the championship. Approaching today’s race, I maintained a calm demeanor. I was mindful of the two TVS competitors, Sarthak (Chavan) and Chiranth (Vishwanath) trailing me. I allowed them to pass before gradually launching my attack. I overtook Chiranth, and in the last corner of the last lap, I noticed an opportunity and seized it. I moved inside, and Sarthak kept the door open, which allowed me to win,” shared Rahil, who is currently battling a fever and cold.

Similarly, 21-year-old Rajender Beedani made sure not to leave anything to chance as he recovered from a slip to fourth place early in the race after making contact with another competitor. He fought back to score a remarkable victory, his fifth in nine races. “This is my fourth season in the National championship, and it feels wonderful to finally achieve a title. I am grateful to my team and everyone who has supported me throughout the years,” said Rajender, whose closest competitor, Lal Nunsanga (Motul Sparks Racing) from Aizawl, finished in fourth place.

Later on, 37-year-old Varun Patil, often referred to as a “Gentleman Rider,” did just enough to secure his championship by strategically avoiding the leading pack to earn six points with a mid-grid finish. Another racer from Bengaluru, Jagadeesh Nagaraj (Motul Sparks Racing), claimed his first race victory of the season, finishing ahead of local competitor Kamal Navas (Rockers Racing) and Shyam Sundar (KYT Helmet ISBK Racing) from Thiruvallur.

Additionally, former National champion Ann Jennifer (Motul Sparks Racing) triumphed in the Girls (Stock 165cc) race, moving into second place on the points table, trailing Jagathishee Kumaresan (One Racing), who was satisfied to finish third behind Pune’s Saimah Ajaz Baig (KYT Helmet ISBK Racing). Jagathishree leads Ann Jennifer by 20 points heading into Sunday’s season finale.