Bandaragama (Sri Lanka), September 27, 2025: It was a proud day for Indian motorsport as New Delhi’s Achintya Mehrotra clinched gold and Chikmagaluru’s Tarushi Vikram secured silver at the Asian Auto Gymkhana Championship 2025, held at the Bandaragama Sports Complex alongside the FIA Asia-Pacific Motorsport Championship.

Mehrotra Holds Nerve in Dramatic Shootout

The 35-year-old Mehrotra faced stiff competition in the men’s category, including a penalty scare. Despite knocking over a cone and receiving a two-second penalty in the decisive shootout, Mehrotra held his pace and delivered a winning time of 1:05, narrowly edging out Kyrgyzstan’s Vedenev Alexey by just two-tenths of a second.

“I knew about the penalty but stayed focused on my pace and rhythm. Beating Vedenev by such a small margin makes this win even more special,” said a jubilant Mehrotra. His compatriot Prateek Dalal from Bahadurgarh finished 13th in the same category.

Tarushi Vikram’s Dream Debut

In the women’s division, 21-year-old Tarushi Vikram made a remarkable international debut, securing silver after overcoming early struggles on the technical Bandaragama layout.

“This is my first international Gymkhana event, and adapting to the stock Hyundai i10 was a challenge. Winning silver and raising the Indian flag on the podium is a dream come true,” said Tarushi, who now sets her sights on Sunday’s APMC segment.

Karting Sprint: India’s Young Guns Shine

India’s youngsters impressed in the Karting Sprint heats across Cadet, Junior, and Senior classes.

• Kiaan Shah (Mumbai) won Heat 1 in the Junior class.
• In Cadet, Rehan Khan Rasheed (Chennai), Arshi Gupta (Faridabad, 8 years old), and B. Rayan Gouda (Bengaluru) all secured consistent top-10 finishes.
• In the Senior class, Aarav Dewan (Gurugram), Thomas Jacob George (Kottayam), and Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) showed strong pace heading into the Pre-Finals and Finals.

“It is heartening to see our youngsters in the top-10 consistently. It bodes well for India’s medal chances tomorrow,” said Prabha Shankar, Karting Team Manager.

Autocross & E-Sports: Mixed Results for India

In Autocross (Crosscar), former National Rally Champion Chetan Shivram (Bengaluru) finished third overall to qualify for the round of 16. Phillippos Matthai (New Delhi) ended fifth, while Pragathi Gowda (Bengaluru) awaits confirmation of qualification.

In E-Sports (Assetto Corsa), India’s sole representative Sahil Khanna (Gurugram) put up a spirited effort but fell short of making the final round.

What’s Next

The action continues on Sunday with the APMC segment of the Auto Gymkhana Championship, where both Mehrotra and Tarushi remain strong contenders for more medals. Meanwhile, India’s karting prodigies will aim to convert their promising heats into podium finishes.