APACHE ATTACK
The 2017 TVS One Make Championship gets under way at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore
WE WERE BACK AT THE KARI MOTOR Speedway over the second weekend of June to witness the opening round of the TVS One Make Championship. The motorcycle used for this race series is the TVS Apache 200 4V that was introduced to the track at the beginning of the 2016 season, and is the ideal tool for first-time racers to cut their teeth on as they learn the nuances of racecraft. The race-spec version of the bike, although visually similar to its road-going cousin, features upgraded engine internals, trackbiased tuning, better breathing and a free-flow exhaust, all of which have increased the top-end power of the bike, allowing it to rev much higher than the stock bike. Young riders have the option to enrol themselves to race in the Novice Class, while the more experienced ones fight for the Open Class Championship. So let’s get to the racing.
Open Class
RACE ONE
The first Open Class race of the weekend saw last year’s Novice Class champion, Yashas R L, out-riding more experienced racers to take top honours. Pushing right from the start, the Bengaluru lad built up a decent lead as he was chased to the line by Chennai’s Prabhu V. Prabhu even set the fastest lap of the race (1:21.957), but was unable to close the four-second gap separating him from the lead and had to settle for second place. Behind these two, an intense battle unfolded for the last podium spot between Chennaibased riders Arun Muthukrishnan and Yuvaraj S, with Yuvaraj finally securing the third place by just a tenth of a second.
RACE TWO
Sunday’s Open Class race saw experience triumph as Yashas made a mistake and slipped down the order and Chennai’s Sivanesan S took home an authoritative victory. Crossing the finish line just over three seconds behind the leader was Prabhu V, while Kamran Dubash from Panchgani was able to break away from the chasing pack to secure third place and his spot on the podium.
Novice Class
RACE ONE
Saturday’s Novice Class race saw fresh talent take on established riders from the last season. Chennai’s Peddu Sri Harsha proved that experience counts by stretching out a massive six-second lead and winning the 10-lap race. Shankar Guru and Anup Kumar, also from Chennai, finished in second and third places respectively.
RACE TWO
The second Novice Class race of the weekend went again to Peddu Sri Harsha, who is clearly going to be the rider to look out for this season. Second place went to Shankar Guru, while Chennai’s Alexander A S was able to secure the last spot on the podium with time to spare.