FMSCI National Racing Championship 2023: Tijil Rao, Arya Singh dominate LGB Formula 4 class; sweet double for Arjun Nair in Novice Cup on day-1

Chettipalayam (Tamil Nadu)[India], August 26 : The season’s opening round of the 26th National Racing Championship got off to a fantastic start with Dark Don Racing boys Tijil Rao and Arya Singh winning a race apiece in the LGB Formula 4 class, the premier event, that turned out to be a thriller all the way at the Kari Motor Speedway circuit in Chettipalayam here on Saturday.
Tijil started the day finishing on top of the podium in the opening race. It was not easy though for the Bengaluru youngster as his teammates Arya Singh (Kolkata) and T.S. Diljith (Thrissur) gave him a run for his money. The lead kept changing hands lap after lap and, midway through, it was all about holding one’s nerve. But Tijil, despite the pressure, kept his cool, waited for the right moment to strike, and planned his move well in the final lap to take the checkered flag in style.
For Team Dark Don racing it did not matter as Arya and Diljith wrested the next two positions. In the second race, Arya gained sweet revenge over Tijil with a thrilling win. It was wheel-to-wheel racing between the two and, with three laps to go, it looked like anybody's game and, with it, another clean sweep for Dark Don Racing. The arrival of the safety car made it even more exciting for the spectators but not for the top three contenders as the back markers gained a slight
advantage.
At this juncture, all eyes were on Arya and Tijil but the former did one better than the latter when it mattered most to finish the day on a merry note. Tijil and Viswas Vijayaraj of Ahura Racing had to rest content for the second and third spots respectively.
Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair, representing Momentum Motorsports, started the season on a super note as well clinching a sweet double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. He clocked the fastest timing in both races and showed all that he had the race pace to beat the best.
R. Anand of Chennai scored over a strong field to take the prime spot on the podium in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. In an incident-filled race, which had to be restarted due to a couple of accidents saw Md Samrul Zubair of Hyderabad give Anand a run for his money but Anand crossed the line with rather consummate ease.
The races will be webcast live on JK Tyre Motorsport’s social media on Sunday from 11 am onwards
Results (Day 1)
LGB Formula 4 Race 1
1. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:171 minutes; 2. Arya singh, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:369 minutes; 3. Diljith TS, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:586 minutes
LGB Formula 4 Race 2
1. Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing: 22:28.087 minutes; 2. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 22:28.370 minutes; 3. Viswas Vijayaraj: Ahura Racing, 22:31.297
JK Tyre Novice Cup 1
1. Arjun S Nair Momentum Motorsports: 13:23:275 minutes; 2. Neythan McPherson, Momentum Motorsports: 13:24:517 minutes; 3. Joel Josheph, DTS Racing: 13:27:272 minutes
JK Tyre Novice Cup Race 2
1. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 13:41.982 minutes; 2. Saishiva Sankaran, MSport: 13:47.537 minutes; 3. Abhay M, Msport: 13:48.318 minutes
JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup
1. Anand R: 14:53.242 minutes; 2. MD Samrul Zubair: 14:53.806 minutes; 3. Abhishek Vasudev :14:54.196 minutes.