Something old, something new

Vishnu Prasad, the defending JK Racing India Series champion won all three races at a race weekend. The opening round of the JK Racing Championship at Coimbatore’s Kari Motor Speedway, to be precise. That has a familiar ring to it. The 21-year-old raced in the series as it made its debut in 2013, prior to which the FB02 cars were used in the JK Racing Asia Series that lasted all of two years, prior to which they were used in Formula BMW Pacific.

Prasad has had a taste of these cars ever since JK Tyre took ownership of them including plenty of seat time last year on his way to the title with Khush Maini (four years his junior) snapping at his heels towards the conclusion of the season.

Like last year, Prasad also raced in Formula LGB 4, JK Tyre’s effort to create an Indian Formula 4 category where racers with less experience and stretched for a budget could take their first steps out of karting.

However, it was defending Toyota Etios Motor Racing champion Diljith T Shaji who swept the three LGB 4 races while Prasad scored a solitary podium in the final LGB 4 race of the weekend. The Volkswagen Polo R Cup, however, saw a new face from beyond south India step on to the top spot of the podium as Angad Singh Matharoo won the first race and finished second on a reverse grid in the second and final race.

Joining Matharoo in the top places of the Polo R Cup were a slew of other new faces, including Delhi’s Lee Keshav, a software professional by trade, who does well enough to fund his own forays into racing, including Formula Ford 1600 earlier this year!