Gixxer Races Get Into the Groove
It’s the third round of the Suzuki Gixxer Cup and the competition is heating up. Here is how the riders faired during the race weekend at Sriperumbudur
THE EXPERIENCE OF the previous two rounds and a deeper familiarity with the Suzuki Gixxer SF race bikes has resulted into some exhilarating competition and tight finishes in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup’s Novice and Open championships. On a characteristically hot day at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT), the riders took to the tarmac for two races in the Open category and three races in the Novice category in their attempt to win their respective championships.
Suzuki Gixxer Cup: Open
Meka Vidhuraj came out on top in both races, but don’t let the back-to-back victories fool you. He had to fight and scrap at every step along the way, particularly in race two where he finished just 0.015 seconds in front of Vivian Gladwin, who was tailed all the way to the finish-line by Rajnikanth B, who eventually finished just 0.167 seconds behind Gladwin. The front pack had left the remainder of the 20 competitors in their wake; no mean feat considering the one-make structure of the race meant their machines were essentially identical.
Suzuki Gixxer Cup: Novice
As the name suggests, the Novice category of the Gixxer Cup features the newer, younger and less experienced racers who are still developing their skills out on the track. They more than made up for their lack of experience with exuberance, vigour and perseverance when it came to race time. Joseph Mathew and Antony Peter were at their impervious best, clinching the first and second spots respectively on all of three of the four-lap races. Clinton Cordeiro, Amarnath Rajan, and Alan Fernando all took a solitary second runner’s-up spot each in the three races respectively.