4W National Racing Championship: Arjun Balu, Joel Joseph, Kesara Godage notch wins
Aman Nagdev (Buzzing Hornet) from Noida emerged victorious in the Volkswagen Polo Cup race that brought the curtains down on the day’s proceedings
Arjun Balu en route to winning the ITC race
COIMBATORE: Pune teenagers, Arjun Chheda and Sai Shiva Sankaran notched brilliant victories in the MRF Formula 2000 and F1600 categories, respectively, on Saturday as the first round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2025 commenced at the windswept and slippery Kari Motor Speedway, amidst intermittent drizzle.
In between, Coimbatore veteran and former champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), returning to the championship after a year’s break, powered his way to a fine win in the Indian Touring Cars category, while behind him team-mate from Bengaluru Ritwik Thomas (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Sri Lankan Kesara Godage (Super Stock) topped their respective categories in a 12-lap race that saw a combined grid of all three classes.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Joel Joseph from Ernakulam led a 1-2-3 finish for DTS Racing in the Formula LGB 1300 race (Open) ahead of Lokithlingeash Ravi (Pollachi) and Bengaluru’s Prathik Ashok. The trio was classified in same positions in the Junior class also. Aman Nagdev (Buzzing Hornet) from Noida emerged victorious in the Volkswagen Polo Cup race that brought the curtains down on the day’s proceedings.
Arjun Chheda, the 16-year-old from Pune, made the best of a poor start by pole-sitter Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) who stalled his car to drop to sixth but the multiple National Karting champion made ground to eventually finish second on debut. Chheda, with a sizable lead, won untroubled while another Bengalurean, Shivesh Selvarathnam was third.
“The story would have been different had he (Ishaan Madesh) not stalled. I enjoyed a good lead and made the best of the situation. I had a good pace,” said Chheda.
In the MRF F1600 race, Sai Shiva Sankaran drove a fine race where he slipped to second after a bad start from pole position but fought his way back into the lead to notch his maiden win in this class while two Bengalureans, Arjun S Nair and Nigel Abraham Thomas came in second and third, respectively. “Not sure why I made a bad start. I lost position but managed to take the lead and then I had the pace to stay in front,” said Sai Shiva Sankaran.
Likewise, Arjun Balu had problems enough with his Honda IVTEC car as he trailed pole-sitter and last year’s champion from Mumbai Biren Pithawalla (N1 Racing) for two laps before the latter retired with a blown engine. Balu brought into play his vast experience to stay out of trouble in a light drizzle that rendered the track slippery for a win. “I had to make do without the second gear right from the start. It was a tough race under the circumstances. The drizzle came in handy for me and yes, my rally experience helped me to counter the slippery track,” said Balu, a multiple National racing and rally champion, as he exhibited his versatility.
