Double podium finishes for IDEMITSU Honda SK 69 racing team in Round 2 of Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 PS165cc
Devika Nair 
Riding into day 2 of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021, the IDEMITSU Honda SK69 Racing team ended Round 2 with two podium finishes in Pro-Stock 165cc category.
The action-packed Sunday saw both hope and courage from the ace rider Rajiv Sethu. Starting the race fearlessly from second place on grid, he gave tough competition to other riders and maintained his steady performance until the last lap where his unfortunate crash pulled him down in the race. Despite that, Rajiv recorded the best lap of 1:57.047 in race 2 of PS165cc category.
On the other hand, Senthil Kumar, who after his 5th position start left no stone unturned to grab a podium for IDEMITSU Honda SK69 Racing team. Inching closer with competitors, Senthil finished the race on third stopping the clock at 16:10.248 after a 15 seconds penalty.
Talking about Honda’s progress in racing, Mr. Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “This is my first visit to Madras Motor Racetrack and I am thrilled to see the enthusiasm of all riders for motorsports. I had some of the best moments today in watching these young champions proving their racing DNA. I’m glad that we introduced Honda Hornet 2.0 One Make Race providing opportunity to racing enthusiasts and our customers in future to experience the thrill of racing on the track with this machine. I hope that some of our young talent from the IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup will make it to International Racing Championships in future. I wish them good luck for this season ahead.”
Speaking on today’s race, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Senior Vice President - Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India. Pvt. Ltd. said, “Round 2 saw both high and low points for Honda Racing India. Our young riders across NSF250R & CBR150R classes of Talent Cup are now maturing in the world of racing and showing new techniques in their riding. Both Prakash Kamat and Kavin Quintal were stupendous and showed their racing prowess. In Hornet 2.0 One Make Race, Kevin Kannan proved his racing DNA and utilized the machine well in topping the charts. On the other hand, our experienced rider Rajiv Sethu unfortunately met with a crash while giving a tough fight. Whereas, Senthil Kumar brought home one more podium for the team. With the end of this round today, the challenge still continues to take on the championship titles.”
Newly introduced Honda Hornet 2.0 One Make Race
In an intense battle to glory, the race 2 of Honda Hornet 2.0 One Make Race saw changing statistics with every lap. Fighting for the top from get-go, Kevin Kannan rode his best till chequered line despite technical glitch in his machine. Crossing the finish line first with total time of 13:28.694, Kevin Kannan stamps his dominance with two podium wins in this round of Honda Hornet 2.0 One Make Race. With 0.475 seconds behind, Balaji G closed in at second followed by Alwin Sundar at 3rd who recorded the best lap of 2:12.092 in today’s race and earned a double podium. It was not a good day for Sudheer Sudhakar who while contending for third place fell in last lap of the race.
IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R & CBR150R categories
The race 2 of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R category was once again dominated by the local boy Kavin Quintal who won the race with a huge lead of 8.995 seconds. Behind Kavin was Pune’s Sarthak Chavan, who with total time of 15:01.558 finished 2nd. Joining them on podium is Chennai’s young gun Geoffrey Emmanuel who made spectacular gains after a unfortunate crash in yesterday’s race which had put him back of the grid at 10th position.
Today’s race saw Prakash Kamat once again stealing the show with his power packed performance in IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup CBR150R Class. Having a comfortable lead of 12.276 seconds, the 17-year-old from Bokaro Steel City took the chequered flag for second time this weekend. In a side-by-side racing action for 2nd spot between Chennai’s Johann Emanuel and Theopaul Leander, 15-year-old Johann finished second, putting Theopaul on third with a gap of just 0.162 seconds.
