Greater Noida: Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy strengthened his title bid in the Euro JK16 single-seater category with a delightful double on the penultimate day of the 18th JK Tyre National Racing Championship here at the Buddh International Circuit on Saturday.
With a nine-point lead over his championship rivals Ananth Shanmugam (Bengaluru) and Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) — both tied on 87 — the 26-year-old Anindith carries the favourite’s tag into the finale where two more races scheduled and as many as 20 points are up for grabs.
He might be comfortably ahead in points, but the reverse grid start means Anindith who will be sixth on the grid for Sunday’s first race can’t afford to make a mistake, especially with his title contenders in front of him.
Ananth, who started the day as joint leader along with Anindith, slipped behind by two points in the morning race by finishing second but the biggest disappointment was waiting for him in the following race when he came home a lowly eighth as a result of a drive-through penalty for jumping the red lights.
He was, however, promoted to sixth in classification as Akhil Rabindra and Krishnaraj Mahadik were not eligible for points for driving with foreign licences.
Anindith, the eldest son of Telangana MP Vishweshwar Reddy and Sangita, the youngest daughter of Apollo Hospitals’ founder-chairman Prathap C. Reddy, said standing on top of the BIC podium with his parents watching him race for the first time was a special moment.
“It’s been a great season for me. I have won five out of last six races in the championship. Though I have the momentum and a good lead to boot, I have to be wary of my opponents who are capable of pulling off stunning moves. I have some plans for the morrow.”
Meanwhile, Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad inched closer to the Formula LGB 4 title by winning both the races on Saturday.
Results
Euro JK16: Race 1: 1. Anindith Reddy; 2. Ananth Shanmugham; 3. Nayan Chatterjee. Race 2: 1. Anindith Reddy; 2. Nayan Chatterjee; 3. Akhil Rabindra. LGB 4: Race 1: 1. Vishnu Prasad; 2. Raghul Rangasamy; 3. Saran Vikram Tmars. Race 2: 1. Vishnu Prasad; 2. Raghul Rangasamy; 3. Saran Vikram Tmars. JK Touring Cars: 1. Deepak Chinnapa; 2. Rajaram C; 3. M. Sivaramakrishnan. JK Super Bike 1000cc: 1. Simranjeet Singh; 2. Sandesh P; 3. Dilip Rogger. JK Super Bike 600cc: 1. Gurvinder Singh; 2. Deepak Ravikumar; 3. Vijay Singh.
