Race Report: 2018 JK Tyre National Racing Championship Round 4

• Heading into the final round of racing, the championship was undecided in all categories.
• The 600cc and 1000cc Superbike Cup was also held during the last round of JKNRC.
• Joseph Matthew was forced into early retirement after he crashed on Day 1 in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup category.
• Gurvinder Singh took home the cup in the 1000cc superbike category.

The final round of the 2018 JK Tyre National Racing Championship was held over the weekend and with the championship up for grabs in all categories, we expected a lot of drama and close finishes. And we were not disappointed. Read on to find out how things progressed over the two days.

Day 1

Euro JK18

The penultimate day of racing for this calendar year kicked off with the Euro JK18 category. Ashwin Datta (74), Brayan Perera (63), Karthik Tharani (68) and Nayan Chatterjee (66) were all positioned within 8 points of each other in the table and with four races to go, the championship was as open as it could be. The first race was a tightly contested affair between Karthik and Nayan. Nayan started the race in P3 and despite having a good race, he just couldn’t find a way past Karthik, who finished first. In the second race in the category, the reverse grid came into play and Ashwin Datta, the table topper before the final round, started in P2. However, he could not make the most of it and also suffered a 10 second penalty for a jump start, finishing last. Nayan (P5) and Kartik (P6) made a strong start and built on their achievements in the first race, finishing first and third, respectively. By the end of the day, Kartik (82) and Nayan (81) had leapfrogged Ashwin (79) in the points table.

LGB Formula 4

In the LGB Formula 4 category, Vishnu Prasad came into the final round racing sitting comfortably on top of the table with 61 points. He was followed by Raghul Rangasamy and Rohit Khanna with 57 and 47 points, respectively. All three had a chance to claim the championship trophy. In the first race, the podium comprised of Vishnu, Rahul and Sohil Shah, in that order. However, in the second race, all three could not manage a podium finish with the spoils being shared by Diljith TS, Rohit Khanna and Sandeep Kumar, respectively. Despite finishing fourth in the second race, Vishnu Prasad remained in prime position to take home the championship trophy.

Superbike Cup

Delhi's motorsport fans got a little extra for their money as the final round of the JKNRC also hosted the Superbike Cup for 600cc and 1000cc bikes. In the 600cc segment, Vijay Singh clinched  first place on the podium followed by Kulwant Singh and Kamran Dubash in the only race of the day. The faster 1000cc category saw Gurvinder Singh take first place on the podium followed by Dilip Rogger and Deepak Ravi Kumar.

Gixxer Cup

The Gixxer Cup was the only round where the winner was almost decided. Joseph Matthew had six clean races in the previous rounds and had won all six of them, sitting comfortably on 60 points before the fourth round began. The only other contender for the championship trophy in this segment was Syed Muzammil Ali, who sat on 41 points in the table. Ali needed two straight wins and for Joseph to not take any more points from the remaining two races to win the cup. As luck would have it, Matthew crashed in the first race of the weekend, breaking his arm in the process. Ali had a chance to have a go at the championship but failed to capitalise on it by not even finishing on the podium. At the end of day one, the Gixxer Cup was in the bag for Matthew.

Day 2

Euro JK 18

In the first Euro JK18 race of the day, Nayan Chatterjee took first place on the podium, followed by Karthik Tharani and Arya Singh. This set up an interesting clash for the final race of the Euro JK18 category of the season. Nayan and Karthik were both tied on 89 points before the start of the final race. To make things more interesting, the reverse grid came into play and both the championship contenders started in fifth and sixth once again. However, Nayan suffered a collision with fellow racer Manav Sharma at the start of the second lap, ruling him out of the race. Karthik went on to win the race and the championship trophy. Nayan Chatterjee came in second in overall proceedings while Ashwin Datta, who had been leading the table before the final round commenced, ended up in third place.

LGB Formula 4

The LGB Formula 4 championship was also set up for a dramatic finish. Vishnu Prasad was the favourite to clinch the title. Only needing a few points, the veteran lost the plot and ended up not even finishing on the podium. His one point haul from the race allowed his team mate, Raghul Rangasamy, to clinch the championship trophy. In overall proceedings, Vishnu came in second while Delhi’s Rohit Khanna took third place.

Superbike Cup

In the Superbike Cup, Vijay Singh and Kulwant Singh repeated their performance from day 1, clinching first and second respectively. Third position was occupied by Saranbir Singh. In the final standings, Vijay Singh took home the championship trophy. In the 1000cc category, Gurvinder Singh could not recreate the magic from day 1 and had to settle for third position. He was pipped by Dilip Lalwani, who took first and Deepak Ravi Kumar, who took second spot. The overall championship was won by Gurvinder Singh. Both, Gurvinder Singh and Deepak Ravi Kumar were aboard the Ducati Panigale V4 S and Ducati Panigale V4, respectively, which were running stock OEM fitments. While Ducatis at the track are nothing new, it was the first time that Ducati was present to support the riders, racing on their motorcycles. Another Ducati rider who was present at the races was Dr Neharika Yadav, a dentist who likes to moonlight as a racer on race weekends. Racing on a Panigale 959 she managed to complete both races, a big task for an amateur amongst professionals.

Gixxer Cup

The Gixxer Cup race was a bit of a dead rubber in the end due to Joseph Matthew’s early retirement from the round. First, second and third positions were taken up by Malsawmdwngliana, Sachin Chaudhary and Sanjeev Mhatre, respectively. Joseph Matthew won the championship with Malsawmdwngliana and Syed Muzammil Ali coming in second and third, respectively.