Hemanth Muddappa blazes to double at Indian Drag Nationals
Chennai, December 27
Bengaluru's speed maestro Hemanth Muddappa strengthened his grip on the title race with two commanding victories and a podium finish in the third and penultimate round of the FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship 2025 at the Madras International Circuit here on Saturday, as per an FMSCI release.
Riding for Mantra Racing, Muddappa was in blistering form, storming to victory in the Unrestricted Super Sport 4-stroke class with a time of 8.269 seconds, edging out Hanuman Pawshe of Fast Track Racing India, who clocked 8.301s. Muddappa's stunning comeback in this class saw him close the gap with Pawshe, as both are on 55 championship points each, while Alimon Sai Dalvi is on 53 after he faced issues with the bike.
Muddappa was once again untouchable in the 1051-1650cc category, winning in 8.542s, ahead of Mujahid Pasha (8.629s) and Alimon Sai Dalvi (8.694s). The Mantra ace now has one hand on the trophy, as he leads the standings on 75 points, ahead of Pasha on 54 and Dalvi on 38.
In the keenly fought 851-1050cc class, it was Mumbai's Hanuman Pawshe who clocked 8.338s to chalk out a narrow win piping Muddappa (8.367s), but the 15-time National Drag Champion still leads the title hunt with 68 points, while Pawshe has only 53.
Muddappa, however, chose not to start in the 551-850cc class, which featured only two other riders. Shaik Yunus of Madanapalle won the category in 9.655s, ahead of Chennai rider Karthik R of Team 99 Racing (9.930s).
"Hemanth did not start citing lack of competition... as there were only two other riders and the defending champion was not in fray. It does not look good to go for a National Championship title with only two riders as opposition," felt Sharan, his tuner.
In the Girls class, C2 Racing swept the podium with Lapis Lazuli of Nagercoil beating Shanti Chandra of Hyderabad.
In the supporting classes, Bengaluru's Syed Imran of Fast Track Racing India enjoyed a stellar outing with two victories and a podium, winning the 361-550cc Twin Cylinder class and the Super Sport 2-stroke up to 130cc category, besides finishing second in the 2-stroke 131-165cc race.
Mumbai's Madhan Kumar took top honours in the Super Sport Indian 165cc class, while Mujjahid Pasha of Bengaluru clinched the 361-550cc Single Cylinder title ahead of teammate Sarah Hayat Khan. The Super Sport 2-stroke 131-165cc crown went to Prashanth S of Bengaluru, and in the Super Sport 4-stroke 166-225cc class, Ali Hussain topped the charts with fellow Bengalurean Syed Muheed in second and Chennai's Govardhan R third.
The final Round 4, which decides the National championship winners across different classes, is on Sunday.
Provisional Results:
Super Sport 4Stroke: Unrestricted:1. Hemanth Muddappa (Bengaluru, Mantra Racing) (08.269 seconds);2. Hanuman Pawshe (Mumbai, Fast Track Racing India) (08.301);3. Sugan Prasad SP (Bengaluru, Mantra Racing) (08.391).
1051 t0 1650cc:1. Hemanth Muddappa (08.542);2. Mujahid Pasha (Bengaluru, Fast Track Racing India) (08.629);3. Alimon Sai Dalvi (Bengaluru, Fast Track Racing India) (08.694).
851 to 1050 cc1. Hanuman Pawshe (08.338);2. Hemanth Muddappa (08.367);3. Sugan Prasad SP (08.403).
551 to 850cc:1. Shaik Yunus (Madanapalle, privateer) (09.655);2. Karthik R (Chennai, Team 99 Racing) (09.930).
Girls- Super Stock 4 Stroke Upto 165cc:1. Lapis Lazuli (Nagercoil, C2 Racing) (16.030);2. Shanti Chandra (Hyderabad, C2 Racing) (16.430);3. M Thangamani (Salem, C2 Racing) (18.007);
Super Sport Indian 4S:Upto 165cc:1. Madhan Kumar R (Mumbai, Accsys India Rookies Racing Team) (13.617);2. Abdul Shaikh (Mumbai, pvt) (13.947);3. Shahinsha R (Chennai, pvt) (14.027).
361 to 550cc (Single Cylinder):1. Mujjahid Pasha (Bengaluru, Fast Track Racing India) (12.301);2. Sarah Hayat Khan (Bengaluru, Fast Track RI) (12.452);3. Abhishek B Shinde (Bengaluru, Fast Track RI) (12.553).361 to 550cc (Twin Cylinder):1. Syed Imran (Bengaluru, Fast Track RI) (11.495);2. Iqbal Shaikh (Bengaluru, pvt) (11.535);3. Shahrukh Khan (Mumbai, Mantra Racing) (11.541).
Super Sport 2stroke:upto 130cc:1. Syed Imran (Bng, Fast Track) (12.980);2. Aiyaz (Bengaluru, pvt) (13.565);3. Bala Subramanian (Chennai, pvt) (13,691).
131 to 165cc:1. Prashanth S (Bengaluru, pvt) (12.622);2. Syed Imran (Bng, Fast Track) (12.648);3. Farvez Ali (Bengaluru, pvt) (13.021).
Super Sport 4stroke 166 to 225cc:1. Ali Hussain (Bengaluru, pvt) (13.195);2. Syed Muheed (Bengaluru, pvt) (13.341);3. Govardhan R (Chennai, Team 99 Racing) (13.573).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see more women on the podium! Lapis Lazuli, Shanti Chandra, and Sarah Hayat Khan are inspiring. We need more coverage and support for female racers in India. Hope this encourages more girls to take up the sport.
Respect to Hemanth for not starting in the 551-850cc class. His tuner is right, a national championship should have proper competition. It shows integrity. But wow, the battle with Pawshe in the other classes is razor-thin! 8.269 vs 8.301 seconds... that's pure adrenaline.
Bengaluru riders absolutely dominating the results sheet! Syed Imran, Mujahid Pasha, Prashanth S... our city has some serious need for speed. Proud moment. 🏍️💨 Hope the final round is telecast live somewhere.
While the racing is exciting, I do wish the article gave a bit more context for new fans. What exactly is "drag racing"? How does the points system work? A small explainer would help more people get interested in this growing sport.
The engineering and tuning behind these machines must be phenomenal. Shaving off hundredths of a second is a huge achievement. Big shoutout to all the tuners and mechanics like Sharan mentioned in the article. They are the unsung heroes.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.