Rivaan wins Mini Max category, smashes circuit record

BENGALURU: Chennai's Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSPORT) underlined his rising stature in Indian karting with a flawless display in Round 4 of the MECO-FMSCI National Karting Championship Rotax Max Classes at Meco Kartopia on Sunday.

Rivaan swept every session in the Mini Max category — two heats, the pre-final and the final — to consolidate his lead on the leaderboard. The 12-year-old also rewrote the circuit record, clocking 57.991 seconds around the 1.2km layout during the pre-finals. With 32 points separating him from Faridabad’s Yatharth Gaur (Leapfrog Racing), Rivaan looks firmly in control of the title race.

In the Senior Max class, Mumbai’s Krish Gupta delivered a standout win for Rayo Racing. Starting from fifth, Krish fought through the field to upset championship leader and local favourite Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing), who had dominated earlier sessions but finished fourth after an incident in the final. Pune’s Arjun Vijay Chheda (Crest Motorsports) and Mumbai’s Aahil Mecklai (Rayo Racing) completed the podium. Despite the setback, Ishaan still leads the standings by just two points over Arjun.

The Junior Max Final saw Pune’s Arafath Sheikh (Crest Motorsports) confirm his authority by winning both the pre-final and the final, moving within 30 points of championship leader Eshanth Vengatesan (MSPORT). In Micro Max, Bengaluru’s Shiv Tummala (Peregrine Racing) repeated the double, topping both races to extend his grip on the category.

Rivaan, along with Ishaan and Eshanth, has been nominated to represent India at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand finals in Bahrain from November 29 to December 6.