Vishnu Prasad, Joseph Mathew look to consolidate

New Delhi: Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad and Joseph Mathew will look to build on their respective leads as the third and penultimate round of the JK Tyre national racing championship begins at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on Saturday.

Vishnu staved off a stiff challenge from defending champion Anindith Reddy despite being beset by engine problems to hold on to his top position in the Euro JK class, while Joseph has so far remained undefeated in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup and will be keen to continue his win streak.

The Red Bull Road to Rookie Cup too holds significance, with the winner set to represent India in the Road to MotoGP in Spain. Twelve youngsters in the age group of 12 to 16 had been identified after selection trials across the country.

It is likely to come down to a showdown between two of Mizoram’s eight wonder kids. Lalhruaizela (38 points) is better placed going into the weekend, and Lalnunsanga trails him by eight points.

“The Red Bull races are going to be exciting. We have already seen these boys race like champions,” Sanjay Sharma, head of JK Tyre Motorsports said. “With an all-expenses paid trip to the mega event in Spain at stake, I am sure they will fight even harder.”

In the Euro 17, Vishnu suffered a setback as he didn’t finish in Race 1 with an engine problem and managed only 24 points in the round to squander his 13-point advantage.

Hyderabad’s Anindith and Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee made the most of his misfortune to reduce the deficit. Vishnu is on 64 points, Anindith on 63 and Nayan not so far behind on 54. 

In LGB Formula 4, Prasad enjoyed a stroke of luck and caught up with leader Chittesh Mandody of Kolhapur on 42 points. In the Gixxer Cup, Aizawl racer Lalmawipui (23 point) and Sanjeev Mhatre (22 points) trail Joseph (40 points) and will hope to at least come closer to him over the weekend.