Santhosh triumphs

The Bangalore-born rider grabbed top honours in the sixth and final round in Pune to collect 219 points overall while team-mate KP Aravind (169) and CD Jinan finished second and third on the points table respectively.

With ten points required to win the championship, Santhosh needed to keep his calm, and he managed to do just that.

Santhosh grappled with defending champion Veer Patel for the top spot in Moto I until the fourth corner from the chequered flag.

Santhosh, who had won the title in 2005, overtook Veer for 20 points, effectively sealing the title. The Bangalore rider, however, was in no mood to relax as he charged to victory in the Moto II, giving TVS -- celebrating their 25th year in motor sports -- yet another reason to celebrate.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to win back the title. After winning the title in 2005, I was hampered by a lot of injuries and couldn’t do well.

“This year, I was free of injuries and I’ve proved my critics wrong,” said an ecstatic Santhosh.

Results: Foreign Open (Group A, 250-500 cc): CS Santhosh (TVS Racing) 1, KP Aravind (TVS) 2; Veer Patel (Baroda) 3. Indian experts: Group B, upto 260 cc: HK Pradeep (TVS Racing) 1; CS Santhosh (TVS) 2; Vishal Barguje (TVS) 3. Group C, upto 260 cc: R Natraj (TVS Racing) 1; Vishal Barguje (TVS) 2; Bashir Ahmed (Bangalore) 3. Private: Foriegn (Group A, 250-500 cc): Raivat Dhillon (Delhi) 1; Allan Sequiera (Goa) 2; Gurav Khatri (Jaipur) 3. Experts (Group C, upto 260 cc): Bashir Ahmed (Bangalore) 1; HE Anil Kumar (Bangalore) 2; Pinkesh Thakkar (Pune) 3.
Novice (Group C, upto 260 cc): VS Naresh (TVS Racing) 1; Bashir Ahmed (Bangalore) 2; Md Asghar (TVS) 3.
Overall: CS Santhosh (219) 1; KP Aravind (169) 2; CD Jinan (168) 3.