Sohil Shah claims maiden victory in Indian Racing Festival, boosts Goa Aces JA Racing's title hopes

Championship contenders Goa Aces JA Racing received a significant boost as Sohil Shah dominated a high-quality field to secure a hat-trick of pole position, race win, and best lap at the Indian Racing Festival (IRF), promoted by Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd, at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday.

This marked the 23-year-old's first victory in the Indian Racing League, achieved in style as he outpaced veterans Neel Jani (Hyderabad Blackbirds) and Alvaro Parente (Speed Demons Delhi), who finished second and third respectively. However, Parente incurred a five-second penalty, dropping him to P4, while Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) moved up to P3.

Shah's commanding performance, with a winning margin of 17.156 seconds, underscored his dominance following several podium finishes earlier in the season. With the sun shining and the track nearly dry after morning rain, Shah surged ahead from the rolling start, extending his lead with each lap over Jani, Lancaster, and Parente, who were engaged in a close battle.

Further down the field, Shah's teammate Shahan Ali Mohsin impressed by finishing fifth after starting from P12, bringing additional cheer to the Goa Aces JA Racing camp. However, Shahan was later penalised 20 seconds, dropping him to seventh.

"I am very happy with this win today after several podium finishes. It was a good race, and I am pleased with my performance against top drivers like Jani, Parente, and Lancaster," said Shah.

Formula 4 Indian Championship

South African driver Aqil Alibhai (Hyderabad Blackbirds) delivered another stellar performance on a drying track at Kari Motor Speedway, securing his sixth overall and fifth consecutive win, further consolidating his position atop the leaderboard in the FIA-certified Formula 4 Indian Championship.

Ruhaan Alva (Shrachi Rarh Royal Bengal Tigers), Alibhai's closest rival, finished second after squandering a pole-position start, while Canadian Hady Noah Mimassi (Chennai Turbo Riders) completed the podium, also clinching the Rookie award and recording the race's fastest lap.

Alva's poor start at Turn-1 allowed Alibhai to take the lead, which he maintained by carefully navigating water patches and back markers. Behind him, Alva settled for second, unable to challenge Alibhai, while Mimassi held on to third.

Reflecting on his performance, championship leader Alibhai said: "I am happy with today's win. I had a good start but had to be cautious due to water on the track. Towards the end, others were catching up, but I managed to maintain my lead. I hope to keep this momentum tomorrow and win the championship."

27th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship

Starting from P2 on the grid, Bengaluru's Tijil Rao (Dark Don Racing) secured another victory, moving closer to the championship title in the 27th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship.

In a closely fought LGB Formula 4 race, Tijil held off a strong challenge from Chennai's Saran Vikram Tmars (Momentum Motorsports), while Rookie Dhruvh Goswami (MSPORT) from Bengaluru claimed third place. The incident-filled race saw seven drivers fail to finish.

Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup

Championship leader Navaneeth Kumar S from Puducherry strengthened his position with a win and a P2 finish in the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. His rival, Rohan R from Coimbatore, matched this performance to stay in title contention.

In the Amateurs category, Bengaluru's Yogesh P secured a double victory, sealing the championship in his class.

Provisional Results:

Indian Racing League (Race-1, Driver-A) 25 mins + 1 lap:

1. Sohil Shah (India, Goa Aces JA Racing) (26:34.598);

2. Neel Jani (Switzerland, Hyderabad Blackbirds) (26:51.754);

3. Jon Lancaster (UK, Chennai Turbo Riders) (26:54.848).

Best Lap: Sohil Shah (01:03.088).

Formula 4 Indian Open (Race-1, 25 mins + 1 lap):

1. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Hyderabad Blackbirds) (26:14.474);

2. Ruhaan Alva (India, Shrachi Rarh Royal Bengal Tigers) (26:15.614);

3. Hady Noah Mimassi (Canada, Chennai Turbo Riders) (26:17.254).

Best Lap: Mimassi (01:10.638).

JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship - LGB Formula 4 (Race-1, 15 laps):

1. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Dark Don Racing) (22:02.750);

2. Saran Vikram Tmars (Chennai, Momentum Motorsports) (23:03.725);

3. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSPORT) (23:04.504).

Rookie:

1. Dhruvh Goswami (23:04.504);

2. Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru, 23:06.147);

3. Neythan McPherson (Pune, Momentum Motorsports) (23:08.494)

Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup - Professionals:

Race-1 (9 laps):

1. Rohan R (Coimbatore) (11:44.984);

2. Navaneeth Kumar S (Puducherry) (11:45.320);

3. Anish Shetty (Bengaluru) (11:45.470).

Race-2 (6 laps):

1. Navaneeth Kumar S (07:48.397);

2. Anish Shetty (07:50.894);

3. Rohan R (07:51.227).

Amateurs:

Race-1 (9 laps):

1. Yogesh P (Bengaluru) (12:16.480);

2. Johring Warisa (Umrangso) (12:16.891);

3. Johnson Saldanha (Mangaluru) (12:22.450).

Race-2 (6 laps):

1. Yogesh P (Bengaluru) (08:08.594);

2. Johring Warisa (08:10.664);

3. Johnson Saldanha (08:21.798). (ANI)