JK Tyre Racing: Champions crowned in finale

Amid overcast weather and thick morning fog, the fourth and final round of the JK Tyre Racing Championship concluded on Sunday with races in the JK Racing India Series (JKRIS), Volkswagen Vento Cup, LGB Formula 4 and the JK Superbike Cup at the 5.125km Buddh International Circuit near Greater Noida.

The races on Sunday were marred by frequent safety car periods, with up to two of them over the course of just 8 laps of racing in the Vento Cup race. A rider fell during qualifying for the Superbike Cup on Saturday too at the exit of turn 3 but he as well as the other competitors involved in incidents were unhurt.

JK RACING INDIA SERIES
Vishnu Prasad won his third JKRIS title, and is highly unlikely to return for a fourth straight year of participation with the 22-year-old looking to try his hand in Asian-based sportscar racing series for 2016. Prasad won two of the weekend's three races, with Italy's Constantino Peroni winning the other. MRF Formula Ford 1600 champion Karthik Tharani was stripped of a win in the second of the three races on account of overtaking Peroni under yellow flags that were being waved on the straight between Turn 4 and 5 because of a stricken car lying on the grass.

JK Racing India Series (10 laps)

RACE 1
Vishnu Prasad – 21:39.753
Constantino Peroni – 21:41:409
Karthik Tharani – 21:38.102

RACE 2
Constantino Peroni – 21:29:480
Krishnaraaj Mahadik – 21:36.227
Nayan Chatterjee – 21:37.233

RACE 3
Vishnu Prasad – 21:31.250
Akhil Rabindra - 21:35.238
Krishnaraaj Mahadik - 21:35:423

VOLKSWAGEN VENTO CUP
Anindith Reddy won the inaugural Vento Cup title while racing veteran Sailesh Bolisetti won two of the three races of the weekend. Reddy only clinched the title in the final race of the weekend, however, beating Karminder Singh to the crown. Ishaan Dodhiwala was third in the championship standings.

In the Vento Cup fray for the first time was autoX editor Dhruv Behl who qualified seventh out of the 20 drivers despite it being his very first outing in the car, with no prior practice, and finished the three races in sixth, seventh and sixth places, respectively.

JK Tyre -VW Vento Cup (8 laps)

RACE 1
Sailesh Bolisetti - 19:44.538
Anandith Reddy - 19:51:217
Karminder Singh - 19:53:757

RACE 2
Karminder Singh - 27:02.166
Ishaan Dodhiwala – 27:04.912
Anindith Reddy – 27:05.151

RACE 3
Sailesh Bolisetti – 23:07.820
Ishaan Dodhiwala – 23:08.914
Anindith Reddy – 23:09.893

LGB FORMULA 4
In what could very well be the final outing for the current 'F4' car - which is being heavily re-designed in order to comply with the FIA's minimum requirements for the formula - veteran racer Ajay Kini (who is a pilot by profession) returned to the cockpit to win the title after taking a win, third place and a fourth place in the three races of the weekend.

Racing for Dark Don Racing, the 26-year-old's only real challengers were the other drivers in the team among whom was Delhi's Rohit Khanna, who was unable to repeat his victory from the third round that was also held at the Buddh Circuit.

Formula LGB 4 (8 laps)

RACE 1
Ajay Kini (Team Dark Don Racing) – 19:48.361
Krishnaraaj Mahadik (Team Dark Don Racing) – 19:48.631
Vishnu Prasad (Team Meco Racing) – 19:56.640

RACE 2
Sudharshan Rao (Team Dark Don Racing) – 19:50.669
Krishnaraaj Mahadik (Team Dark Don Racing) – 19:50.781
Ajay Kini (Team Meco Racing) – 19:51.178

RACE 3
Sudharshan Rao (Team Dark Don Racing) – 23:53.146
Vishnu Prasad (Team Meco Racing) – 23:53.451
Krishnaraaj Mahadik ((Team Dark Don Racing) – 23:52.056

JK SUPERBIKE CUP
With it's mixture of serious and semi-serious amateur and professional riders, the JK Superbike Cup provided the majority of the spectacle for the fans in attendance as 20 litre-class production sports bikes mixed with 12 Triumph Daytona 675Rs that had been brought to the circuit with the co-operation from the manufacturer.

Simranjeet won the 1000cc class from Deepak Ravi Kumar and Sandesh Prasanna. All three managed to set fastest laps that were in the low two minute mark, with Kumar's best time over the eight lap race being a 2m00.425s.

Juzar Motiwala won the 600cc class with Vijay Singh and Gurvinder Singh Matharu following him home.