Local favourite Aravind KP of TVS Racing recovered from a slow start to win the final round of the MRF Mogrip National supercross championship here on Saturday.
With this triumph, Aravind clinched his 17th National championship and second this year after he clinched the Raid de Himalaya earlier this year.
The Mangaluru rider came in to the championships with a 29-point lead over Abdul Waheed Tanweer (151), but faltered with his first race, the Class 3, Indian Experts Group, "B" Stroke 2/4 up to 260cc.
Aravind raced into the lead but slipped during the second lap, of the four lap race, allowing R Natraj to take the position and with it the race. Aravind did show stomach for a fight though as he clawed his way back from the tail-end of the order to finish fourth.
Aravind suffered a somewhat similar fate in his second race of the day, the first leg of the Class I, (SX 1, Group A, upto 250cc 2-stroke, 500cc 4-stroke) race.
He was once again off to a bright start and built up a substantial lead but slipped again at the third corner, which allowed Suhail Ahmed to take the lead. This time though, Aravind was on his feet quickly and manged to secure second spot.
After being dealt such a massive dose of misfortune, Aravind had to make up lost ground in the main event, the second leg of the Class I, (SX 1, Group A, upto 250cc 2-stroke, 500cc 4-stroke), race.
Rugved Barguje got off the mark quickest this time but his lead did not last too long as Aravind overtook him by the end of the first lap. The situation should have been a comfortable one for the champion but he faced stiff competition from KTM’s Jinan CD.
In the fourth lap, of the six lap race, Jinan moved up alongside Aravind and passed him by taking the inside line at the second turn.
Jinan looked to have put some daylight between the TVS rider and himself but in the final lap, a spirited Aravind refused to abate and fought back.
Both riders locked horns at the second corner again, and this time it was crowd favourite, Aravind, who came out on top after Jinan lost grip and went to the ground.
With a short distance left in the race, Aravind, eased home and clinched his crown as Jinan’s brave effort earned him second place and Tanweer finished third.
The 1500-strong crowd was also witness to a scintillating display of stunt-biking by Australians Daniel Ford and Shaun Webb. The duo executed a number of breathtaking manouvre’s with the back-flip receiving maximum applause from the audiences.
Results: Class 1: SX 1 - Group "A" Stroke 2/4 Upto 250cc/ 500cc: 1. KP Aravind (Team TVS Racing, moto 1: 17, moto 2: 20 points); 2. CD Jinan (Thrissur, 20 & 13); 3. AW Tanveer (TVS Racing, 15 & 17).
Class 2: Novice - Group "C" Stroke 2/4 Upto 260cc: Saijith ES (Team TVS Racing) 1; Amal Verghese (Eranakulam) 2; Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore) 3.
Class 3: Indian Experts - Group "B" Stroke 2/4 Upto 260cc: R Natraj (Team TVS Racing) 1; AW Tanveer (Team TVS Racing) 2; Yuva Kumar (Team TVS Racing) 3.
Class 4: Locals Group "B" Stroke 2/4 Upto 260cc: Basheer Ahmed (Bangalore) 1; Azmath Sharif (Bangalore) 2; Gautam Kumar (Bangalore) 3. Class 5: Indian Experts Class-C Stroke 2/4 Upto 260cc: AW Tanveer (Team TVS Racing) 1; Saijith ES (Team TVS Racing) 2; R Natraj (Team TVS Racing) 3. Class 6: Private Experts - Group "C" Stroke 2/4 Upto 260cc: Suhail Ahmed (Bangalore) 1; Basheer Ahmed (Bangalore) 2; Amal Verghese (Ernakulam) 3. Class 7: SX 2 - Group "A" Stroke 2/4 Upto 250cc/ 500cc: Adnan Ahmed (Mangalore, moto 1: 20, moto 2: 17) 1; Suhail Ahmed (Bangalore, 15 & 20) 2; Jignesh Patel (Nagpur, 17 & 15) 3. Class 8: Jr SX - Group "A/B/C/D" Stroke 2/4 Upto 500cc: Rugved Barguje (TVS Racing) 1; Rishi Gomes (Goa) 2; Amon Gomes (Goa) 3. Class 9: International Open Class SX 3 Group A Up To 250cc/ 500cc: Alexander Ivanyutin (Russia) 1; Bryce Stewart (USA) 2; Vitaly Gusev (Russia) 3.
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