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Adnaan Ahmed of Bangalore .......a
rare double title |
Bhopal:
Bangalore’s Adnaan Ahmed of TVS racing team, astride a TVS Apache,
earned a rare double with two titles as he emerged overall
champion in two categories namely in the Novice Class for bikes up
to 130 cc and 131 cc up to 165 cc 4-strokes with 80 and 77 points
respectively in the four rounds of Gulf Dirt Track National
Championship for the two-wheelers which concluded here on
Saturday.
Adnaan collected prize money of two cheques of Rs. 25,000 each for
his two overall titles in the two sections. On Saturday he won the
two races to earn Rs. 3000/- each while on Friday also he had won
the same two races to garner Rs. 3000/- each. He was, thus,
overall richer by Rs. 62,000/-.
Nitish Sharma of Jaipur with 56 points became overall champion in
Novice Class for bikes up to 165 cc 2-stroke to win a prize money
of Rs. 25,000/- cheque.
While Bangalore riders of TVS racing teams swept the Foreign
Motorcycles Class and Indian Expert Class categories as they
garnered all the three overall positions in the two sections of
which the first two rounds in Jodhpur and Nashik and third and
fourth rounds were held here at Bhopal.
In the Foreign Motorcycles Class H.K. Pradeep clinched the overall
honours, as he finished with 143 points from the four rounds,
ahead of Pramod Joshua (118), Aravind KP (116) and R. Natraj (97).
While in the Indian Expert Class Pramod Joshua, Aravind K. P. and
H. K. Pradeep with 136, 120 and 116 points were overall placed
first, second and third respectively.
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 Class
Group A 250cc 2 and 4-stroke. In the end, after neck-and-neck
racing over the many hairpin bends on the specially-laid out
course, it was Aravind’s care-free riding that got the better of
his TVS teammates in the first race of the category, with Joshua
getting second place and Pradeep third. Nashik’s Shamim 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 Aravind 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),
Aravind (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 up to 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 honours
in this class, finishing with 136 points, while Aravind was second
with 120 points and Pradeep third with 116 points.
Local lad Syed Asif Ali, son Syed Ashiq Ali, riding his TVS Apache
was the toast of all eyes as he emerged overall second in the
Private Expert Class with 126 points to his credit to lay hands on
Rs. 25,000/- cheque. A. Anand of Coimbatore, as expected, was
rewarded for his good riding right through the championship. He
finished first with 142 points while Suhail Ahmed of Bangalore was
third with 96 points.
Competition in the Private Expert Class too was really close.
Anand, 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 up to 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 Asif Ali in that order, Anand winning the
first race, and Asif Ali the second.
Apart from overall second position Syed Asif Ali who came first in
one and was placed second in the other on Saturday gathered Rs.
4800/- cheque. While on Friday in the third round he had had his
name inscribed amongst the winners to step on to the victory stand
in four events wherein he had collected total Rs. 10,200/-, along
with certificates and mementos. Thus, overall he was rich by Rs.
40,000/-.
Another Bhopal rider Muzaffar Ali astride RTR emerged city’s top
rider, winning the local class to take a cheque of Rs. 3,000/-.
Mohammad Yusuf and Yasir Ishaq came second and third respectively.
On Friday in the third round Muzaffar Ali riding Yamaha had won
the Madhya Pradesh Local Class Motorcycles up to 165 cc, 2 stroke
of 2 stroke garnering Rs. 3000/- as first prize. He was followed
by Syed Asif Ali and Shujaat Khan.
Meanwhile, besides the race being an exercise in judicious
maneuvering and good balance of the bike around the many sharp
bends it is also a test of one’s strength, stamina and speed. It
was high octane competition which was witnessed in the fourth
round of the Gulf Dirt Track National Championship for
two-wheelers, in Bhopal on Saturday. TVS Racing riders, led by
superb performances from Aravind 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.
Soon after 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.
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.
(pervezbari@eth.net)
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