Sarthak Chavan Wins from the Back Row as TVS Sweeps the MMRT Premier Podium
Sarthak Chavan led Rakshith Dave and Chiranth Vishwanath in a Petronas TVS Racing one, two, three, while Ann Jennifer, Kabilesh Rajini Krishnan and six more winners shaped a busy Saturday at MMRT.
ViPeople Motorsport DeskPublished Updated 8 min read
Photograph: event media
Audio articleListen to this storySerena (Enhanced) · English UK
Sarthak Chavan turned a back row start into victory in the premier Super Sport 301 to 400cc race at Madras International Circuit on Saturday. Rakshith Dave finished 0.195 seconds behind and Chiranth Vishwanath completed a Petronas TVS Racing sweep of the first three places.
The provisional classification places Chavan at 11 minutes 03.311 seconds, Dave at 11:03.506 and Vishwanath at 11:06.187. Rahil Pillarisetty, who had taken pole on Friday, retired at the end of the penultimate lap. The result moved the focus from qualifying position to the way the race was managed through traffic.
Sarthak Chavan won Saturday’s Super Sport 301 to 400cc race after starting from the back row at MMRT.Photograph: event media
A long journey ended with the shortest route to first place
Chavan reached Sriperumbudur at about 06:00 on Saturday after overnight travel from Spain. He had missed Friday practice and qualifying, which left him on the back row. The race therefore began with a clear task. He needed to move forward without losing the tyres or the time required to reach the leading group.
The narrow winning margin shows how little room remained at the finish. Dave stayed within two tenths, while Vishwanath was less than three seconds behind the winner. A one, two, three result also gave Petronas TVS Racing a complete premier-class podium at the first main racing point of the weekend.
Ann Jennifer rebuilt her weekend from the last grid position
Ann Jennifer AS won the Super Stock 165cc Intermediate race in 12 minutes 46.048 seconds. A qualifying crash had put her at the back of the grid, so the result required progress through the field and a clean final phase once she reached the front.
Her victory gave the Saturday programme one of its clearest recovery drives. It also added an important result to the women in Indian motorcycle racing record, with a rider converting a difficult qualifying day into a classified national-level win.
Ann Jennifer, on motorcycle 24, came through from the back of the grid to win the Super Stock 165cc Intermediate race.Photograph: event media
Kabilesh and Mohamed set the Open-class pace
Kabilesh Rajini Krishnan won Super Stock 301 to 400cc in 11 minutes 38.273 seconds. Mohamed Mikail took the Pro Stock 200cc Open race in 11:51.610. Their results gave the Saturday card two more experienced reference points across classes with different engines, tyre demands and traffic patterns.
Mohamed Mikail won the Pro Stock 200cc Open race in 11 minutes 51.610 seconds.Photograph: event media
The class structure matters because the weekend is larger than one headline race. Riders are learning the same circuit through motorcycles with different power, braking and corner speed. A clear provisional classification allows each winner to be recognised within the competition they actually faced.
The novice races produced two more distinct winners
Anandhu KK won the Stock 301 to 400cc Novice race in 12 minutes 15.190 seconds. Yashwant Varma took the Stock 165cc Novice victory in 13:09.445. Both photographs show the work behind the times, with Anandhu leading a close group through a corner and Yashwant keeping Raja Shreeharsha Singamsetty behind on the straight.
Anandhu KK, number 17, leads the Stock 301 to 400cc Novice pack during his Saturday victory.Photograph: event media
Yashwant Varma, number 88, leads Raja Shreeharsha Singamsetty on his way to the Stock 165cc Novice victory.Photograph: event media
One-make racing widened the Saturday winner list
The TVS One Make Championship added three races to the programme. Rajender Beedani won the Expert class in 11:42.499. Poojita Anil Kumar won the Women’s race in 11:14.009, while Pothu Vignesh took the Rookie contest in 13:13.842.
Those categories give riders a shared technical base and put more of the result in the start, line choice, braking and racecraft. They also give the national weekend a ladder, from rookie and novice competition to the quickest Open classes.
Sunday must complete the picture
These are Saturday’s provisional results. The round continues on Sunday, so the final weekend report must wait for the remaining races and any classification changes issued by the organisers. Chavan, Ann Jennifer and the other Saturday winners have secured the first half of the story.
ViPeople will update the article when the complete Round 2 classification is available. Until then, the verified record is precise. Petronas TVS Racing filled the premier podium, Chavan won from the back row and eight further race winners gave the MMRT programme its depth.
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