Rajiv Sethu grabs podium for IDEMITSU Honda SK69 Racing
Chennai, 10 September 2022: As day 1 of Round 4 of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 came to a close today, the IDEMITSU Honda SK69 racing team’s Rajiv Sethu displayed finesse on track and was second to cross the chequered line in the Pro-Stock 165cc category.
Exhibiting true racing DNA of Honda were the 18 young and budding riders of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup who rode fiercely to clinch the top laurels. While 14-year-old Raheesh Khatri has sealed the championship after hauling in his 7th straight victory in CBR150R class, Kavin Quintal’s splendid performance confirmed his first place on podium in today’s NSF250R race.
Satisfied with riders’ performance in today’s race, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj – Operating Officer, Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, “The penultimate round of 2022 INMRC has begun with celebrations for team Honda. The strong performance by Rajiv Sethu shows our commitment to nurturing top motorsport riders in India. His zeal for winning brought one more podium for us in Pro-Stock 165cc category. Bringing more excitement were the young guns Kavin Quintal and Raheesh Khatri who were unstoppable in IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF 250R and CBR150R categories. We are looking forward to more achievements for the team in tomorrow’s races.”
MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship – ProStock 165cc: The race 1 of PS165cc national championship witnessed several head on battles to win top spots. Starting today’s race from 6th on the grid, Rajiv Sethu moved to 4th in lap 2. Executing right strategies and techniques, Rajiv gave tough competition to other contenders. His fearless riding throughout the race confirmed his second position, missing first position with 0.101 seconds. He stopped the clock at 9:52.304 Whereas Senthil Kumar retired early from the race due to some technical issues. On the other hand, ASK Honda Racing’s Abhishek V finished 7th at 10:07.893.
IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R: In today’s race of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup NSF250R, Kavin Quintal from Chennai rose to glory by clinching the first podium finish completing the race at 11:13.591. Behind Kavin was Bengaluru’s AS James who with total time of 11:19.131 finished second. The race saw multiple back and forths between Mohsin P and Shyam Sundar and its was finally Mohsin P from Malappuram who overpowered Shyam with 0.453 seconds lead and recorded the best lap of 1:47.716. Whereas the championship leader Sarthak Chavan from Pune will be missing the races due to his injury after yesterday’s free practice session.
IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup CBR150R: The IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup CBR150R race 1 saw Mumbai’s Raheesh Khatri once again taking the chequered flag. Winning the race with 12:54.512 total time & 2:07.408 best lap, Raheesh has set a new benchmark of back-to-back 7 wins and has sealed the championship victory. Giving each other a tough fight to clinch the podium finish, it was Kolhapur’s Siddesh Sawant who secured 2nd place on the podium. He was followed by Bengaluru’s Harshith V Bogar who finished third with total time of 13:19.398. It was an unfortunate day for front runners Shyam Babu and Rajender Beedani who suffered crash during last two laps.
Honda Hornet 2.0 One Make Support Race: The action-packed Honda Hornet 2.0 One Make Support race saw neck-to-neck competition. Proving the best amongst all in today’s race was Thrissur’s Allwin Xavier, who maintained his lead and finished first with a total time of 13:28.607. Following him back home was Chennai’s Romario John who climbed up three positions and finished second, just 0.144 seconds behind Allwin. Overcoming all the challenges was Chennai’s G Balaji, who scored third position. Sudheer Sudhakar, who was in a close contention for the podium met with a crash and did not finish the race.
