Narain Karthikeyan's son Shiv Neel, Rehan Khan dazzle in 3rd round of IAME India Series karting
Chennai, Aug 1
Little Shiv Neel from Coimbatore showcased his racing pedigree with a brilliant performance to dominate the Mini class in the third round of the IAME India Series karting organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club at the Madras International Karting Arena in Chennai on Saturday.
Representing the NKRA with the KKM team, Shiv Neel, son of India's first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, won both the championship points-scoring races, the Super Heat and Finals, in the Mini to underline his talent and controlled aggression as he literally muscled his way to victories.
Similarly, Aaruthran Prabhu (Kartkrew Motorsports) from Kumbarapuram, the gold medalist at the FIA Asia-Pacific Championship in Sri Lanka last year, won both the Super Heat and Finals in the Mini Under-10 segment that was run concurrently with the Mini class.
Equally impressive was Chennai's Rehan Khan Rasheed (Momentum Motorsports) who took the honours in the Junior Finals with a near-flawless drive. Rehan Khan, starting the Finals from P2, blasted off the line and opened a huge lead which kept increasing with each lap as he completed a commanding win. He thus made up for his defeat in the Super Heat earlier in the afternoon when he conceded the lead to Abhishikt Barse in the very last lap. But Rehan was not to be denied in the Finals, which he dominated to win from Abhishikt Barse and Adithya Pratap.
In the Senior category, Delhi's Armaan Dhawan (Leap Frog Racing) and local challenger Kairav Roberson (MSPORT) battled their way to a win apiece. Dhawan held off Roberson in the Finals in a tight finish to reverse the Super Heat result earlier in the day. Roberson had trumped Dhawan in the Super Heat with a lights-to-flag win. Another Chennai entrant, Madhusudhan (Kartkrew Motorsports), finished third in both outings.
The fourth round of the series will be held at the same venue on Sunday.
Founded in 1968, IAME (Italian American Motor Engineering) is a world leader in high-performance kart racing engines. The IAME Series is an internationally standardised championship format organised globally, now including India alongside regions such as the UAE, Sri Lanka, Morocco, and Europe.
The results (Provisional - subject to post-race scrutiny):
IAME X30 - 125cc Seniors (Finals, 16 laps): 1. Armaan Dhawan (New Delhi, Leap Frog Racing) (13:28.933); 2. Kairav Roberson (Chennai, MSPORT) (13:29.078); 3. Madhusudhan (Chennai, Kartkrew Motorsports) (13:36.239). Super Heat (14 laps): 1. Kairav Roberson (Chennai, MSPORT) (11:45.380); 2. Armaan Dhawan (New Delhi, Leap Frog Racing) (11:45.717); 3. Madhusudhan (Chennai, Kartkrew Motorsports) (11:50.137).
Juniors (Finals, 14 laps): 1. Rehan Khan Rasheed (Chennai, Momentum Motorsports) (11:55.505); 2. Abhishikt Barse (Pune, Crest Motorsports) (11:59.906); 3. Adithya Pratap (Chennai, Momentum Motorsports) (12:04.715). Super Heat (12 laps): 1. Abhishikt Barse (10:24.324); 2. Rehan Khan Rasheed (10:24.440); 3. Adithya Pratap (10:24.815).
IAME X30 - 60cc Mini Class (Finals, 12 laps): 1. Shiv Neel (Coimbatore, NKRA with KKM) (11:13.089); 2. Rudra Gokulnath (UK, NKRA with Momentum) (11:13.626); 3. Eeshan Swaroop (Bengaluru, Kartkrew Motorsports) (11:20.842). Super Heat (10 laps): 1. Shiv Neel (Coimbatore, NKRA with KKM) (09:22.918); 2. Rudra Gokulnath (UK, NKRA with Momentum) (09:22.966); 3. Eeshan Swaroop (Bengaluru, Kartkrew Motorsports) (09:26.244).
Mini Under-10 (Finals, 12 laps): 1. Aaruthran Prabhu (Kumbarapuram, Kartkrew Motorsports) (11:13.415); 2. Ayansh Patil (Kolhapur, MSPORT) (11:13.797); 3. Saakhir Joseph Nagpal (Haryana, Peregrine Racing) (11:18.716). Super Heat (10 laps): 1. Aaruthran Prabhu (09:20.580); 2. Yeshwin Vinay Kishore (Chennai, Peregrine Racing) (09:22.092); 3. Ayansh Patil (09:27.055).
— IANS
Reader Comments
I never knew karting in India had this level of organization. IAME being a global standard is huge for our young racers. Hope sponsors step up and support these kids - the next F1 champion could easily come from India if we support grassroots motorsport properly!
The future is bright. Narain Karthikeyan opened the doors for Indian F1 dreamers, and now his son is taking it forward. But I'm equally impressed with kids like Rehan and Aaruthran from different cities competing at this level. Keep pushing, champs! 🙌
This is wonderful. But I wonder about the cost of getting into karting in India. It seems like a rich man's sport honestly. Would love to see more government support and academies for underprivileged kids who may have the talent but not the resources. Even then, heartening to see Indian motorsport growing.
Shoutout to the Madras Motor Sports Club for organizing such events in Chennai. The city has become a proper hub for motorsport. Those results show some really close finishes too — 0.385s gap between 1st and 2nd in Seniors! Absolutely nail-biting stuff. 🏁
Proud to see a girl's perspective on this too - I hope we see more female drivers coming up the ranks soon. For now, these boys are showing real dedication. Training from such a young age and competing at national level is genuinely inspiring. The India motorsport story is just beginning! 🌟
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