Jaden Rahman Pariat and Abhay Mohan delivered strong performances to win the MRF Formula 2000 and Formula 1600 titles as the MRF MMSC Indian National Car Racing Championship wrapped up its 2024 season at the Madras International Circuit. Diana Pundole, meanwhile, made history by clinching the MRF Saloons title – becoming the first female racer to do so.
MRF Formula 2000 champion – Jaden Rahman Pariat
Having already won eight out of the first ten races, Pariat decided to take it easy on the final day and avoided unnecessary risks. His closest title rival, Chetan Surineni, won both races on Sunday, but Pariat had scored more than enough points to win the championship.
“I have proved to myself that I have it in me to win a championship. After my win yesterday [on Saturday, August 17], I just wanted to bring the car home without trying anything risky, but it’s great to win my first-ever championship,” said the 17-year-old.
Results
Race 1
1. Jaden Rahman Pariat – 12mins 49.153secs
2. Chetan Surineni – 12mins 54.889secs
3. Tarun Muthaiah – 13mins 13.928secs
Race 2
1. Chetan Surineni – 15mins 59.892secs
2. Jaden Rahman Pariat – 16mins 03.671secs
3. Akhil Agarwal – 16mins 26.39secs
Race 3
1. Chetan Surineni – 16mins 17.445secs
2. Jaden Rahman Pariat – 16mins 18.863secs
3. Tarun Muthaiah – 16mins 31.961secs
MRF Formula 1600 champion – Abhay Mohan
Abhay Mohan secured the Formula 1600 title in what is his rookie season. The 16-year-old dominated the category and ended up winning 11 out of 12 races. He was denied a clean sweep by Zahan Commissariat, who won Race 2.
“Winning a championship in my debut season is great; I can’t find words to express my happiness. It was a good run overall, and I thank my JA Motorsport, my family and friends for their support,” said Mohan.
Results
Race 1
1. Abhay Mohan – 14mins 00.541secs
2. Zahan Commissariat – 14mins 03.100secs
3. Raaj Bakhru – 14mins 03.978secs
Race 2
1. Zahan Commissariat – 17mins 31.861secs
2. Abhay Mohan – 17mins 32.137secs
3. Saishiva Sankaran – 17mins 35.536secs
Race 3
1. Abhay Mohan – 16mins 45.609secs
2. Saishiva Sankaran – 16mins 49.407secs
3. Raaj Bakhru – 16mins 57.507secs
Indian Touring Cars champion - Biren Pithawalla
Biren Pithawalla won all races at the finale to take home the title. Anant Pithawalla joined him on the podium in all three races with a pair of third-place finishes and one second-place result.
Results
Race 1
1. Biren Pithawalla (Team N1) – 15mins 22.533secs
2. Deepak Ravikumar (Team Performance Racing) – 15mins 24.900secs
3. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) – 15mins 25.874secs
Race 2
1. Biren Pithawalla (Team N1) – 19mins 15.391secs
2. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) – 19mins 35.441secs
3. Jeevanantham Subramaniam (Pvt.) – 20mins 04.964secs
Race 3
1. Biren Pithawalla (Team N1) – 11mins 34.635secs
2. Deepak Ravikumar (Team Performance Racing) – 11mins 34.970secs
3. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) – 11mins 38.379secs
Indian Junior Touring Cars champion - Srinivas Teja
The Indian Junior Touring saw plenty of close fights. Team Performance Racing’s Srinivas Teja emerged on top in all three races to win the title.
Results
Race 1
1. Srinivas Teja (Team Performance Racing) – 15mins 38.598secs
2. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) – 15mins 55.340secs
3. Dean Mascarenhas (DB Motorsports) – 16mins 13.472secs
Race 2
1. Srinivas Teja (Team Performance Racing) – 19mins 42.384secs
2. Hatim Shabbir (Team Performance Racing) – 19mins 43.443secs
3. Yug Italiya (Team N1) – 20mins 05.723secs
Race 3
1. Srinivas Teja (Team Performance Racing) – 11mins 50.328secs
2. Hatim Shabbir (Team Performance Racing) – 11mins 50.786secs
3. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) – 12mins 00.937secs
MRF Saloons champion - Diana Pundole
“A sport that I love is finally loving me back,” rejoiced Diana Pundole, who has become the first-ever woman to win the MRF Saloons title. She won four races and finished on the podium 10 times this season.
Results
Race 1
1. Diana Pundole (Redline Racing) – 16mins 46.605secs
2. Anirudha Aravind (Redline Racing) – 16mins 50.194secs
3. Tarushi Vikram (Redline Racing) – 16mins 53.548secs
Race 2
1. Anirudha Aravind (Redline Racing) – 21mins 03.555secs
2. Diana Pundole (Redline Racing) – 21mins 03.824secs
3. Muskaan Jubbal (Redline Racing) – 21mins 04.229secs
Race 3
1. Diana Pundole (Redline Racing) – 16mins 42.428secs
2. Anirudha Aravind (Redline Racing) – 16mins 46.799secs
3. Muskaan Jubbal (Redline Racing) – 16mins 49.432secs
Polo Cup champion - Dhruv Chavan
The Polo Cup came right down to the wire, with just one point separating Dhruv Chavan and Aditya Patnaik heading into the final race. Chavan ended up getting the upper hand and pipped Patnaik to title victory by just four points. Romir Arya was crowned the ‘Best Rookie’ of the season.
Results
Race 1
1. Aditya Patnaik – 15mins 35.929secs
2. Ojas Surve – 15mins 39.574secs
3. Dhruv Chavan – 15mins 40.330secs
Race 2
1. Dhruv Chavan – 15mins 35.029secs
2. Ojas Surve – 15mins 35.876secs
3. Aditya Patnaik – 15mins 36.524secs
Race 3
1. Romir Arya – 19mins 22.798secs
2. Ojas Surve – 19mins 25.236secs
3. Dhruv Chavan – 19mins 28.045secs
Race 4
1. Romir Arya – 15mins 33.374secs
2. Dhruv Chavan – 15mins 42.731secs
3. Munjal Savia – 15mins 43.284secs
Race 5
1. Aditya Patnaik – 19mins 30.762secs
2. Munjal Savia – 19mins 40.753secs
3. Romir Arya – 19mins 41.461secs
Race 6
1. Ojas Surve – 15mins 34.195secs
2. Dhruv Chavan – 15mins 39.358secs
3. Aditya Patnaik – 15mins 40.331secs
Formula LGB 1300 champion - Viswas Vijayaraj
Viswas Vijayaraj clinched the Formula LGB 1300 title despite retiring early in the last two races. Mira Erda ended up winning Race 2 from pole position, securing her first-ever single-seater victory. “I have waited for 10 years for this moment. I have been racing in a single-seater class since 2014, but apart from a few podiums, I have never won a race. So, I am absolutely delighted,” she said.
Results
Race 1
1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) – 09mins 25.493secs
2. Balaprasath (DTS Racing) – 09mins 26.828secs
3. Diljith TS (DTS Racing) – 09mins 27.460secs
Race 2
1. Mira Erda (DTS Racing) – 19mins 53.382secs
2. Diljith TS (DTS Racing) – 19mins 54.804secs
3. Dhruv Goswami (MSport) – 19mins 57.549secs
Race 3
1. Diljith TS (DTS Racing) – 15mins 08.241secs
2. Balaprasath (DTS Racing) – 15mins 11.699secs
3. Neev Datta (MSport) – 15mins 17.425secs
Super Stock
Justin Singh won two races in the Super Stock category, while Balaprasath picked up a win as well. However, the results are still pending investigation. So, a championship winner has yet to be confirmed.
Results
Race 1
1. Balaprasath (DTS Racing) – 16mins 45.693secs
2. Justin Singh (Redline Racing) – 16mins 46.283secs
3. Manan Patel (Redline Racing) – 17mins 00.886secs
Race 2
1. Justin Singh (Redline Racing) – 21mins 07.530secs
2. Anirudha Aravind (Redline Racing) – 21mins 09.109secs
3. Angad Matharoo (Buzzing Hornet Motorsports) – 21mins 11.496secs
Race 3
1. Justin Singh (Redline Racing) – 12mins 35.884secs
2. Anirudha Aravind (Redline Racing) – 12mins 40.607secs
3. Manan Patel (Redline Racing) – 12mins 40.825secs
Also see:
Pariat leads MRF Formula 2000 after Round 3; Polo Cup returns