Coimbatore: Dhruvh Goswami from Kolkata, representing MSPORT, was the star of the day at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday as the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship approached a climax. Two races in the LGB F4 category, it was Dhruvh who had shown speed and consistency on a warm day. Conditions for racing were ideal, with a cloud cover also providing a shield. When the previous round of the championship was held last month, the weather was unpredictable.
On an action-packed day where the roar of LGB F4 cars, the F4 cars, which are more powerful and robust and confirm to international standards (FIA) were on view, the battle at lower levels in the Levitas Cup and also the Royal Enfield GT Cup (bikes) also lent a zing.
The showpiece event was the LGB F4 category, which is the national championship, and title will be decided on Sunday. In the morning, Dhruvh Goswami was in control as she ate up the 15 laps in his car in 19:58.578. The fastest lap he timed was 1: 16.729 on the 2.3km stretch.
It is not easy to tame the Kari Motor Speedway. The distance is short, there are many tricky corners and to steer clear demands skill and concentration. But then, Dhruvh is familiar with the layout of the Kari Speedway, on the outskirts of Coimbatore, where weekends and racing are enjoyable. Having topped the first race, in the second race in the evening, Dhruvh was challenged by Mehul Agarwal. The Dark Don Racing driver came out tops as he timed 24:20.393. This was marginally ahead of Dhruvh, who was behind at 24:20. 551.
With the F4 cars also on view, it was good to see drivers from overseas push hard on the pedal. In the tight race, Sachel Rotge from France showed he could conquer the field. Representing Kiccha’s Kings Bengaluru, the Frenchman clocked 26: 50.931 for 25 minutes of racing plus one lap, which is the format.
Behind Sachel was Ghazi Motlekar from Mozambique. He was slower in comparison, registering a total time of 26:56.598. Shane Chandaria from Kenya, who had done well last month at the same venue, finished third.