The country’s leading riders gave Nashik’s motorsport fans a treat in nuances of off-the-road riding in the fifth and final leg of the Gulf Dirt Track FMSCI National Championship for motorcycles in Nashik on Sunday.
After Commissioner of Police, Nashik, Kulwant Kumar Sarangal flagged off the event, sponsored by Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd, India’s leading lubricant manufacturing and marketing company, it was a fierce contest all the way as riders battled with each other for overall honours in the concluding leg of the National championship, conducted by Sportscraft, Mumbai, in association with Nashik Automotive Sports Association.
While the class for Foreign Motorcycles upto 260 cc, the glamour event, witnessed the stiffest competition, it was Naresh V S who cakewalked his way to the title in the Private Expert Class for 260cc 2 & 4 stroke bikes.
The Bangalore rider, who placed first in all the previous legs — in Mangalore, Aurangabad, Jodhpur and Nashik, had assured himself of the title even before the final round having garnered 160 points after the fourth round, proved too good again on Sunday, though he could not win both the races in his class.
Astride a Yamaha RX 135, he could finish first only in the second race, as his Bangalore mate Suhail Ahmed (Yamaha 135) beat him to first place. Sharath Kumar (TVS Apache) was third.
But Naresh had the last laugh, winning Race 2, with another Bangalore rider Sharath Kumar and Bhopal’s Syed Asif Ali coming second and third respectively.
Overall, he finished with 197 points, while the No 2 and 3 placers had only 109 and 104 respectively.
While Naresh’s triumph was a foregone conclusion, there was a battle royal in the class for Foreign Motorcycles upto 260 cc as just a few points separated the first three riders in contention for overall honours..
Going into the final round, it was Harith Noah who led the field with 132 points overall, with his Bangalore TVS mates R Natraj and Pramod Joshua just behind on 130. But Joshua, who stole the show in the fourth round on Saturday, continued from where he left, winning both the races to emerge champion rider, with 170 points over the five rounds, in the foreign class. While Noha (166) had to rest content with second place in both, Coimbatore’s Innasi Santhosh M and Natraj (145) finished third in the first and second races respectively.
Joshua crowned himself with more glory. Having taken the overall lead, he went into Sunday’s programme in the Indian Expert class 260cc 2 & 4 stroke on 133 points, followed by his TVS Racing mates from Bangalore S Madhu (123 points) and R Natraj (115), and after another good show swelled it by placing second in the first race and first in the second to crown himself as National champion in the Indian Expert category too. Joshua finished with 170 points to emerge champion in the class; Natrak (152) and S Madhu (149) were overall second and tird respectively.
Bangalore’s Yuva Kumar, astride a TVS Victor, won the first race in the novice class for motorcycles upto 130cc 4-stroke. Coimbatore’s Jagdeesh Kumar (Yamaha YBX) and Bangalore’s Abhijit Shetty (TVS Victor) finished second and third respectively. The first place finish enabled Yuva to swell his points tally to 89 and seal the title in the category.
Abhijit Shetty, astride a TVS Apache RTR, had the consolation of winning the novice class for motorcycles upto 131cc upto 165cc 4-stroke. Yuva Kumar and Jagdeesh Kumar placed second and third respectively.
Coimbatore’s C S Anand Kumar (Yamaha 135) won the novice class for motorcycles upto 165cc 2-stroke. Indore’s Kunal yadav and Miraj’s Arif Shaikh were second and third respectively.
MansinghThakur, astride a TVS Apache RTR, won the Nashik class. Ganesh Lokhane (TVS Fiero) and Anish Nair (TVS Apache RTR) placed second and third respectively.
For riders and the public, which came in large numbers, this Gulf Oil event was certainly one to remember. They had two days of top-class action from the best riders and their bikes. The manner in which Sportscraft conducted the long programme is commendable.
Thanks to the support of young and able NCC Cadets from 7 Maharashtra Battalion and students of Lokneta Vyankatrao Hirey College, who assisted in track marshalling, the races went through without any hitch. The meticulous organization will only help in popularizing the sport and taking it to the next level.
