High octane competition was witnessed in the fourth round of the Gulf Dirt Track National Championship for two-wheelers, in Bhopal . TVS Racing riders, led by superb performances from Arvind K P, H K Pradeep, Pramod Joshua and R Natraj, stole the show as expected, either winning events in the glamour classes or snatching second or third places.
The event, staged under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), and organised by Mumbai’s Sportscraft, had thrills galore as the country’s leading riders battled to crown themselves National champions in various categories.
After the resounding success of the first two rounds in Jodhpur and Nashik, the third and fourth rounds staged in Bhopal on Friday and Saturday also saw top class riding from not only the above mentioned riders but the local talent too.
After Shri A.V. Singh, ex- Chief Secretary Govt. of Madhya Pradesh and ex-State Election Commissioner flagged off the event at 10 in the morning, the above mentioned trio, all astride TVS 250 FX, produced an awesome display of riding.
Aravind, Joshua and Pradeep, all seasoned riders and past champions in previous Gulf Dirt Track races, were engaged in a rousing battle in the two races for Foreign Motorcycles Group A 250cc 2 and 4-stroke. In the end, after neck-and-next racing over the many hairpin bends on the specially-laid out course, it was Aravind’s carefree riding that got the better of his TVS teammates in the first race of the category, with Joshua placing second place and Pradeep third.
Nashik’s Shamin Khan all so did well and ran the aforementioned Bangalore riders close but had to settle for fourth place.
However, Pradeep had his revenge in the second race of the category, relegating Arvind to second place and Joshua to third.
That enabled Pradeep clinch the overall honours, as he finished with 143 points from the four rounds, ahead of Joshua (118), Arvind (116) and Natraj 97. It must be mentioned here that Aravind had missed the first round.,
But Aravind was unstoppable in the Indian Expert Class Group B Motorcycle upto 260 cc 2 & 4 stroke, winning both the races, with Joshua finishing second in both and Naresh VS and Pradeep taking third place in one race each.
Joshua though took overall honors in this class, finishing with 136 points, while Aravind was second with 120 points and Pradeep third with 116 points.
Competition in the Private Expert class too was really close. A Anand of Coimbatore, astride a Yamaha 135, and Bhopal’s Syed Asif Ali, astride a TVS Apache, were engaged in a keen tussle in the two races for Group B motorcycles upto 260cc 2 and 4-stroke. In the end it was fitting that each won a race. The former finished on top in the first race, followed by Ali in that order, Anand winning the first race, and Ali the second.
Anand, as expected, was rewarded for his good riding right through the championship. He finished with 142 points while Ali aggregated 126 for second place and Suhail Ahmed was third with 96 points.
Muzaffar Ali emerged Bhopal’s top rider, winning the local class. Mohd Yusuf and Yasir Ishaq were second and third respectively.
Bangalore’s Adnaan Ahmed, astride a TVS Apache, won two races in the Novice class for bikes 131 cc up to 165 cc 4-stroke, while Coimbatore’s Dinu Devasia, astride a Yamaha 135, won the 2-stroke class.
In the end, the final round was one riders will always remember. The dicey course saw them display exceptional riding skills which was appreciated by the good compliment of spectators who braved the chilly conditions and turned up for what was a feast of dirt track riding
[nggallery id=4]
