Bengaluru, April 28
Promising local talent Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) and Chennai’s Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSPORT) came up with dominating performances in their respective categories in the first round of the Meritus Cup karting competition at the MECO Kartopia track.
Ishaan was in a league of his own in the Senior Max category where he won both the Sprint races besides topping the qualifying session to pick up maximum points and top the table.
Similarly, Rivaan won both Sprint wins in the Mini Max category as he held off another Chennai driver Rehan Khan. The two MSPORT teammates were brimming with confidence following their recent international participation in the Champions of the Future Academy Program.
Mumbai’s Hamza Balasinorwala (Crest Motorsport) finished third.
Shiv Tummala (Peregrine Racing) from Hyderabad also notched a double in the Micro Max category, winning both the Sprint races.
Pune’s Arafath Sheikh (Crest Motorsport) was unbeaten in the OKJ Junior class which the Meco Motorsports introduced in 2023 as the India Karting Academy Trophy (Junior Class) into the Meritus Cup, to give Indian junior drivers an opportunity to experience the FIA OK-J engine which is a replica of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy that runs with the FIA homologated OK-J engines and the FIA homologated OTK Chassis.
Results:
Senior Max – Sprint Race 1 (14 laps): Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (13mins, 08.334secs); 2. Arafath Sheikh (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (13:10.090); 3. Neythan McPherson (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (13:14.558).
Sprint Race 2: 1. Ishaan Maadesh (13:09.827); 2. Arafath Sheikh (13:11.029); 3. Nikilesh Raju (Bengaluru, MSPORT) (13:11.454).
OK Junior (15 laps): 1. Arafath Sheikh (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (14:12.912); 2. Kairav Roberson (Chennai, MSPORT) (14:14.878); 3. Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSPORT) (14:17.251).
Micro Max – Sprint Race 1 (10 laps): Shiv Tummala (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (10:17.782); Jishnu Seralathan (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (10:30.299); 3. Shivneel (Coimbatore, MSPORT) (10:30.531).
Race 2 (12 laps): 1. Shiv Tummala (12:43.633); 2. Jishnu Seralathan (12:46.972); 3, Zidaan Arshaan Anees (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (13:09.008).
Mini Max – Sprint Race 1 (10 laps): 1. Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai, MSPORT) (09:56.463); 2. Rehan Khan R (Chennai, MSPORT) (09:58.279); 3. Yatharth Gaur (Faridabad, Leapfrog Racing) (10:07.925).
Race 2 (12 laps): Rivaan Dev Preetham (12:15.500); 2. Hamza Balasinorwala (Crest Motorsport) (12:15.941); 3. Rehan Khan (12:20.841).
— IANS
Reader Comments
Incredible performance by Ishaan! Dominating both races in Senior Max is no small feat. Bengaluru's karting scene is really producing some top talent these days. 🚀
So proud to see young Indian talent shining! Rivaan and Rehan's international experience seems to be paying off. Hope we see more coverage of these rising stars.
While the performances were impressive, I wish the article gave more insight into the technical aspects. What setups were these drivers using? How did the track conditions affect the races?
Shiv Tummala with a double win in Micro Max! 👠My nephew races in that category and looks up to these kids. Great to see such young talent getting recognition.
Interesting to see Arafath Sheikh competing in both Senior Max and OKJ Junior. Must be exhausting but he's clearly handling it well with podium finishes in both!
The MSPORT team is really dominating across categories! Chennai representing strong in the karting scene. When's the next round? Would love to attend!
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