The third round of the VW Polo Cup visiting the KMS in Coimbatore for the last time this season turned out to be a cracker as drivers’ standings were shuffled and some more in the two races of India’s first manufacturer-backed racing series, running as a part of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship.
In race one, it was Vizag driver Sailesh Bolisetti who took the chequered flag after going past Vishnu Prasad who led the race from the lights. Prasad thereafter had to settle for second with Munjal Savla chasing him in third place. However, fourth placed Sahil Shelar had other ideas as he managed to make his way past Savla in the penultimate lap, taking the final spot on the podium.
Race two saw more drama as it was Samyak Shah in the lead from the lights but Parth Ghorpade made his way up the field from mid-pack before going past the former at C1. Sailesh Bolisetti was also on a charge from a seventh place start and found himself behind Samyak in third position with Mohd Fahad Kutty chasing him down. Sailesh then proceeded to find his way past Samyak, securing a second placed finish while Fahad Kutty came up with another banzai run in the last laps and dug his way past Samyak, who was relegated to fourth
.
Championship leader Karthik Shankar had a forgettable outing as he could manage a best of sixth placed finish in race one, finishing way down the order in 10th for race two. Thus, Sailesh Bolisetti once again leads the drivers’ standings post round three thanks to his consistently strong performance throughout the weekend. The last three rounds of the championship are scheduled at the MMRT in Chennai- which would finally decide the maiden VW Polo Cup India champion.
Results:
Race 1
1. Sailesh Bolisetti 25:55:675
2. Vishnu Prasad 26:03:490
3. Sahil Shelar 26:04:141
Race 2
1. Parth Ghorpade 26:00:295
2. Sailesh Bolisetti 26:02:657
3. Mohd Fahad Kutty 26:14:309