Vishnu brushes off late Peroni challenge to clinch win
GREATER NOIDA: There is a reason Italian Costantino Peroni is competing at the JK Racing India Series. The thought process is, young European talent will make the competition tougher and thereby provide the home-grown racers with valuable experience. The Milan-born 18-year-old may well be doing that for good measure at the Series but the education isn’t unidirectional. On Sunday at the Buddh International Circuit here, Vishnu Prasad ensured that.
Chennai’s Vishnu is no newcomer to the scene; he has been dominating the category for a couple of years and is spoken of in highly within the racing community. This isn’t a driver who would give you an inch of extra space without a fight. In Race 1 at the JK Racing series, with Vishnu looking set to drive past the finish line, Peroni made the move on the last lap.
The Italian refused to be a mere dot on Vishnu’s rearview mirror and showed up in the full magnificence of the BMW-powered open-wheel FB04 machine, right beside Vishnu’s. He was eyeing the outside line of the curve. Vishnu, however, proved to be too bold, closing out the space by pushing Peroni outside the track. The move was aggressive enough to tame the Italian, yet subtle to avoid a penalty. Winner: Vishnu. Peroni, however, was penalised for a jumpstart earlier and lost his second place. NO VW WORRIES HERE Volkswagen surely hasn’t had a good couple of months, with all the bad publicity the car manufacturer has received for the cheat devices in its commercial vehicles. But at the VW Vento Cup here, there was no talk of exhaust. Here, only speed and driving skill mattered; and Anindith Reddy and Karminder SIngh showed that.
Faridabad’s Karminder Singh overcame a tough challenge by Hyderabad’s Ishaan Dodhiwala to win the morning race, while Anindith found enough power to keep Ishaan at bay in Race 2. Sailesh Bolisetti, who has seen better days and is on a return to racing after testing the waters in the Telugu film industry, came third. It, however, may not be a result that would stop him from trying his luck in the movies.