Chennai, India, August 16: Chennai teenager Rakshith Dave was handed the biggest victory of his career after being promoted to first place in the premier Super Sport 301-400cc category as the opening round of the MRF Indian National Racing Challenge 2W-2026 concluded at the Madras International Circuit on Sunday.

The 18-year-old had survived a horrific crash during Saturday’s action before producing a remarkable performance in Sunday’s race. Dave, who started from the back of the grid, finished behind Bengaluru’s Chiranth Vishwanath but was promoted to the top step of the podium after Vishwanath was handed a 30-second post-race penalty following an inquiry.

Vishwanath, who had battled throughout the race with Hyderabad’s Rahil Pillarisetty and Petronas TVS Racing’s Pune rider Sarthak Chavan, was subsequently classified seventh. Chavan, meanwhile, finished eighth after crashing during a last-lap battle with Vishwanath.

The race produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the opening MRF Indian National Racing Challenge 2W round. Vishwanath, Chavan and Pillarisetty exchanged the lead positions during the first half before Vishwanath moved ahead, with Chavan closing in rapidly.

On the final lap, Chavan made a move on Vishwanath at the Turn-3 left-hander. The two riders made contact on corner exit, sending Chavan crashing. The Pune rider managed to get back on his motorcycle and complete the race, while Vishwanath crossed the finish line first.

Following the penalty, Dave was elevated to first place, with Pillarisetty taking second and the remaining podium positions decided after the revised classification.

Kabilesh Rajini Krishnan Takes Maiden Domestic Victory

Earlier, 16-year-old Kabilesh Rajini Krishnan produced a breakthrough performance to win the Super Stock 301-400cc race.

Riding for RACR Castrol Power1, the son of legendary 11-time National champion Rajini Krishnan started from the back of the grid but fought his way through the field to secure his maiden domestic racing victory.

The win was particularly significant after Kabilesh spent 10 months away from racing following a serious thigh-bone injury sustained in a crash during a race in Malaysia last year.

Rajini Krishnan welcomed his son’s achievement but remained measured about his prospects for the season, saying there was still a long way to go.

Ann Jennifer Completes Super Stock 165cc Double

Chennai’s Ann Jennifer also enjoyed a memorable weekend, completing a double in the Super Stock 165cc category for Motul Sparks Racing.

The former National women’s champion overcame a disastrous start after missing a gear shift and dropping from pole to fourth. Contact with another rider subsequently dropped her a further two positions.

Jennifer, however, kept her composure and fought her way back through the field to claim a spectacular victory. She was the only female rider on the grid.

“This was the best race of my career,” Jennifer said after her victory.

Her Sunday triumph followed her Race-1 victory on Saturday, giving her two wins from two races in the category.

Hari Haran and Ashwin R Complete Weekend Doubles

Coimbatore’s Hari Haran of RACR Castrol Power1 also completed a double after winning the Stock 165cc Novice race in a closely fought contest.

In the Pro-Stock 200cc Open category, young Abdul Basim of Chandra LGE Racing emerged victorious after a dramatic race in which several front-runners crashed.

The race was arguably the closest of the weekend, with five riders in contention for victory before a last-lap incident reshaped the podium. Kozhikode’s Amarnath Menon, making his return to racing after a four-year break, finished second, while Chennai’s Soorya PM of Chandra LGE Racing was third.

The weekend’s final race saw Bengaluru privateer Ashwin R claim his second victory of the weekend in the Stock 301-400cc Novice category. Lokesh V of Speed Up Racing finished second, while local rider Venugopalan S took third.

Petronas TVS Racing One-Make Championship

The Petronas TVS Racing One-Make Championship also provided plenty of action on Sunday.

Chennai’s Kamal Navas produced a stunning ride in the Expert RR 310 class after starting last on the grid. He overtook Saturday’s Race-1 winner Rajender Beedani of Hyderabad to take victory, with Hari Haran finishing third.

In the Rookie category, Bengaluru’s 15-year-old Dev Agastya improved on his sixth-place finish from Saturday to claim victory. Jammu and Kashmir’s Rehbar Islam Baktoo finished second, followed by Pothu Vignesh of Mancherial.

Provisional results (all 6 laps unless mentioned):

Super Sport 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Rakshith Dave (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11mins, 04.384secs); 2. Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad, RACR Castrol Power1) (11:05.051); 3. Mohamed Mikail (Thiruvallur, MadRabbit Racing) (11:05.592).

Pro-Stock 200cc Open (Race-2): 1. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai, Chandra LGE Racing) (11:56.275); 2. Amarnath K Menon (Kozhikode, MadRabbit Racing) (11:56.365); 3. Soorya PM (Chennai, Chandra LGE Racing) (11:56.876).

Super Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Kabilesh Rajni Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1) (11:42.885); 2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur, RACR Castrol Power1) (11:43.025); 3. Seshadri (Bengaluru, Motul Gusto Racing) (11:43.254).

Super Stock 165cc Intermediate (Race-2): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Chennai, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:51.378); 2. Anand Kumar S (Chennai, Ipone Yakuza Racing India) (12:52.927); 3. Anandhu KK (Chennai, Veedol C2 Racing) (12:56.928).

Stock 301-400cc (Novice) Race-2: 1. Ashwin RS (Bengaluru) (Pvt) (12:22.013); 2. Lokesh V (Bengaluru, Speed Up Racing) (12:22.085); 3. Venugopalan S (Chennai, Pvt) (12:23.011).

Stock 165cc (Novice) Race-2: 1. Hari Haran R (Coimbatore, RACR Castrol Power1) (13:11.607); 2. Yashwant Varma (Visakhapatnam, Motul Sparks Racing) (13:11.885); 3. Dev Agastya (Bengaluru, Pvt.) (13:12.151).

Petronas TVS Racing One-Make Championship:

Open (RR 310) Race-2: 1. Kamal Navas (Chennai) (11:45.349); 2. Rajender Beedani (Hyderabad) (11:45.565); 3. Hari Haran R (Coimbatore) (11:48.211).

Rookie (RTR 200) Race-2 (4 laps): 1. Dev Agastya (Bengaluru) (08:52.667); 2. Rehbar Islam Baktoo (J&K) (08:52.794); 3. Pothu Vignesh (Mancherial) (08:52.921);

Electric RTE (4 laps): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (07:27.506); 2. Rakshith Dave (Chennai) (07:31.753); 3. Savion Sabu (Bengaluru) (07:40.792).

Media (4 laps): 1. Ansh Srivastava (Noida) (09:01.164); 2. Pranav Singh Rawat (Pune) (09:02.486); 3. Mohammed Inamul Hasan (Delhi) (09:08.572).