2022 INMRC: Rajini Krishnan kicks off season with double wins

Superbike racing ace Rajini Krishnan sealed his 10th national title earlier this year, and he’s continued that form in Round 1 of the 2022 MRF MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (INMRC) with two race wins. The opening round saw the INMRC return to the Kari Motor Speedway after three years, and it was several riders’ first outing on the new Kari layout.

• Krishnan won both Pro-Stock 301-400cc races
• Strong Round 1 for Pacer Yamaha
• TVS and Honda championships return to action

Pro-Stock 301-400cc

Krishnan, riding his refurbished Yamaha R3 with a lighter frame and other modifications, opened the season with a comfortable win in Race 1. Petronas TVS’ Jagan Kumar and Speed Up Racing’s Anand R joined him on the podium.

He repeated that feat the next day – taking an early lead and scoring another commanding victory in Race 2. Petronas TVS secured the remaining two podium spots with KY Ahamed in second and Thailand’s Vorapong Malahuan (a guest rider for this round) in third.

Results

Race 1

1. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power  - 12mins 26.700secs
2. Jagan Kumar (Petronas TVS Racing) – 12mins 30.167secs
3. Anand R (Speed Up Racing) – 12mins 41.745secs

Race 2

1. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power  – 17mins 24.801secs
2. KY Ahamed (Petronas TVS Racing) – 17mins 30.128secs
3. Vorapong Malahuan (Petronas TVS Racing) – 17mins 31.642secs

Pro-Stock 165cc Open

Pacer Yamaha’s Mathana Kumar also scored back-to-back wins. With Petronas TVS’ Jagan Kumar and KY Ahamed struck with mechanical issues, Mathana Kumar had a clear path to victory in Race 1, ahead of his teammate Prabhu Arunagiri and Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu.

Pacer Yamaha followed that up with a clean podium sweep in Race 2 – Mathana Kumar winning ahead of Arunagiri and Mithun Kumar. While Pacer Yamaha celebrated their first podium sweep in a decade, Petronas TVS and Honda suffered a disastrous race, with none of their riders making to the finish line.

Results

Race 1

1. Mathana Kumar (Pacer Yamaha) – 13mins 07.483secs
2. Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha) – 13mins 07.875secs
3. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) – 13mins 16.228secs

Race 2

1. Mathana Kumar (Pacer Yamaha) – 18mins 22.071secs
2. Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha) – 18mins 22.128secs
3. Mithun Kumar (Pacer Yamaha) - 18mins 41.533secs

Novice Stock 165cc

The Novice Stock category saw some drama. Md Samrul Zubair won Race 1 on ground, ahead of his teammate Vignesh Goud. However, both riders were disqualified due to a technical infringement, handing victory to Axor Sparks Racing’s Sarvesh Balappa.

Balappa won Race 2 as well, but this time, he dictated the pace from his pole position start.

Results

Race 1

1. Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing) – 10mins 12.279secs
2. Chiranth V (Rookies Racing) – 10mins 13.555secs
3. Aldrin Babu (RACR Castrol Power 1) – 10mins 23.920secs

Race 2

1. Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing) – 14mins 33.419secs
2. Chiranth V (Rookies Racing) – 14mins 38.810secs
3. Aldrin Babu (RACR Castrol Power 1) – 14mins 46.913secs

Girls Stock 165cc

This category also saw the winner – RACR Castrol Power’s Lani Zena Fernandez – disqualified due to a technical infringement. This elevated former champion Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing) to first place, ahead of Winverve Apex Racing Academy’s Aditi Krishnan and Axor Sparks Racing’s Jagruti Penkar.

Reigning champion Ryhana Bee finished 10th after crashing on the last lap.

Results

Race 1

1. Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing) – 11mins 53.085secs
2. Aditi Krishnan (Winverve Apex Racing Academy) – 11mins 56.205secs
3. Jagruti Penkar (Axor Sparks Racing) – 12mins 03.051secs

Stock 301-400cc (Support race)

The Stock 301-400cc category was a new addition to the round and was run as a support race on Saturday. Mihir Vijay Sakpal won the sole race held in this category, with Ashwin R and Naresh Kaname completing the podium.

Results

Race 1

1. Mihir Vijay Sakpal (Apex Racing Academy) – 13mins 52.706secs
2. Ashwin R – 13mins 55.015secs
3. Naresh Kaname – 13mins 57.088secs

Petronas TVS One Make Championship

The round saw the debut of the rebranded Petronas One Make Championship, in line with TVS’ new partnership with the Malaysian oil and gas giant. Top performers in this year’s championship will progress to the TVS Asia One Make Championship.

Rahil Pillarisetty scored the most points in the Apache RR310 Open category, with victory in Race 1 and second place in Race 2. Jagadeesh N ended up winning the second race.

Chiranth V won both Rookie races featuring the Apache RTR 200, while Aditi Krishnan won in the Girls’ category. Ishan Lee took top honours in the Media race.

Results

Apache RR310 Open Race 1

1. Rahil Pillarisetty – 13mins 04.172secs
2. Ananthraj P – 13mins 05.484secs
3. Navaneeth Kumar S – 13mins 06.797secs

Apache RR310 Open Race 2

1. Jagadeesh N – 10mins 29.569secs
2. Rahil Pillarisetty – 10mins 32.080secs
3. Venkatesan I – 10mins 34.880secs

Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race 1

1. Chiranth V – 13mins 53.153secs
2. Shreyas Hareesh – 13mins 57.560secs
3. Tamizhinian KR – 14mins 25.140secs

Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race 2

1. Chiranth V – 13mins 51.474secs
2. Shreyas Hareesh – 13mins 51.852secs
3. Abdul Basim – 14mins 06.275secs

Girls (Apache RTR 200)

1. Aditi Krishnan – 11mins 58.451secs
2. Renuka Gajendran – 12mins 13.332secs
3. Ananya Aswathi – 12mins 35.006secs

Media (Apache RTR 200)

1. Ishan Lee – 12mins 7.978secs
2. Mandar Sawant – 12mins 52.501secs
3. Stephen Neil Gershom – 12mins 54.566secs

Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup

With prior experience of riding the Moto3-spec NSF250R on national and international circuits, Sarthak Shrikant Chavan won both NSF250 races, leading both from start to finish. Both races saw the same podium, with Shyam Sundar second and AS James third.

Raheesh Mudassar Khatri defeated Siddesh Sawant to win the first CBR150R race, making his way up from seventh on the grid. The 14-year-old repeated this success in Race 2 as well, finishing a mammoth 25secs ahead of second-placed Sawant.

Results

NSF250 Race 1

1. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan – 12mins 24.394secs
2. Shyam Sundar – 12mins 40.808secs
3. AS James – 12mins 44.806secs

NSF250 Race 2

1. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan – 12mins 24.097secs
2. Shyam Sundar – 12mins 34.188secs
3. AS James – 12mins 44.324secs

CBR150 Race 1

1. Raheesh Mudassar Khatri – 14mins 46.340secs
2. Siddesh Sawant – 14mins 46.408secs
3. Shyam Babu – 15mins 06.707secs

CBR150 Race 2

1. Raheesh Mudassar Khatri – 20mins 28.652secs
2. Siddesh Sawant – 20mins 54.257secs
3. Harshith V Bogar – 21mins 08.255secs

Honda Hornet 2.0

Ullas Santrupt Nanda dominated in the Honda Hornet 2.0 support event, winning both races. Chennai rider Romario also featured on the podium twice with a pair of third-place finishes.

Results

Race 1

1. Ullas Santrupt Nanda – 15mins 03.230secs
2. G Balaji – 15mins 03.458secs
3. Romario – 15mins 05.368secs

Race 2

1. Ullas Santrupt Nanda – 15mins 08.672secs
2. Allwin Xavier – 15mins 10.286secs
3. Romario – 15mins 10.868secs