Gulf Cup Dirt Track Racing –2008 Pune

C S Santosh (Team TVS Racing) again proved a cut above the rest in the Gulf Cup Dirt Track Motorcycle Racing, which attracted a record 220 entries, in Pune on Sunday.

The TVS Racing rider from Bangalore produced a superb demonstration of bike riding to win four events – both races in the India Expert Classes for modified and Foreign motorcycles upto 260cc 2 & 4 stroke.

In the process, he confirmed that his exploits in the first leg of the Gulf Cup in Mangalore was no fluke. He and his Team TVS Racing teammates dominated the Indian Expert Class Group B class, with Pradeep H K and Arun Babu finishing second and third respectively behind him in both races.

It would have been a TVS sweep had C Vijay Kumar, another Bangalore rider, astride a Honda, not taken second place behind Santosh in Group A (foreign motorcycles) of the Indian Expert Class upto 260cc.

The sizeable crowd at the Shahu Maharaj grounds was treated to some brilliant riding as the country’s best riders went through the motions on a specially laid out course. It was indeed a breath-taking display as the riders powered their way around the winding course, specially prepared by organizers Sportscraft. Santosh and his TVS team mates’ proficiency on the slushy hairpin bends gave them the edge over their rivals.

While Santosh dominated the glamour races, Pune’s Yogesh Barguje and Eeshan Lokhande drew the loudest applause from the home crowd. Riding Honda bikes, they finished first and second respectively in both races of the Private Expert Class Group A for foreign motorcycles upto 260cc. Young Sandeep Kotegar, who caught the eye in Mangalore after entering as an individual entry and was picked up by TVS Racing team, repaid the confidence his team had in him by winning both the novice class races for motorcycles upto 130cc and 165cc.

Snehal Chavan and Amul Satpute were the other local riders to do well. They respectively won the local class for Group C 165cc 4 stroke and 2stroke bikes.

The intense competition and humid conditions took its toll on the riders as some of them got into heated arguments after a couple of racescontending they were blocked or denied space to overtake. It resulted the start of some classes being delayed. Nonetheless, the riders had nothing to complain about. Sportscraft did a remarkable of ensuring a smooth run of the event and no bad blood left among the riders at the end of the day

Race Results