DTS Racing’s Liron Jaden Samuels (37 points) edged out Aditya Patnaik (31 points) from Momentum Motorsports and emerged the overall champion of the JK Tyre Novice Cup, which forms part of the 27th JK Tyre – FMSCI National Racing Championship, at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam here on Saturday.
Both Liron and Aditya Patnaik completed a grand double on a day which witnessed a dramatic sequence of events. In fact, the latter scored a creditable win in the fourth and the final race of the day to secure a triple victory. But, as luck would have it, was imposed a 10-second penalty for the jump start in the fourth race which saw him slide to the fourth position. Liron, having finished second in the race, was elevated to the top and that further boosted his points tally.
Momentum Motorsports, however, was pleased to take home the team championship with 63 points to its kitty. DTS Racing, despite a stiff fight from their boys, fell short by two points.
Earlier, MSport’s Abhay, who finished third and second the other day, came out better prepared for the final hunt. The 16-year-old from Bengaluru blended caution with aggression en-route to winning the third race, the first for the day, in a rather commanding manner. Starting from P3, he got past leader Liron midway through and thereon clocked consistent times to hit the top spot.
On Friday, Liron (from Tirunelveli) and his DTS Racing teammate Lokith L. Ravi (from Pollachi) took the top two positions in the first race. The leading racers, who were in contention for the podium spots, made costly mistakes in the penultimate lap, allowing Liron and Lokith to seize the opportunity and cruise to victory.
Abhay secured the third place, while the other top contenders were left to reflect on their mistakes. Liron, feeling fortunate, explained that the key to their success was maintaining composure and capitalising on the mistakes of others.
In the second race, Aditya took control right from the start. However, he faced fierce competition from Abhay, who was always within striking distance. Despite the pressure, the 18-year-old from Navi Mumbai managed to hold his ground, even after a safety car situation, and ultimately crossed the finish line to claim victory.
JK Tyre Novice Cup:
Race 1 (10 laps): 1. Liron Jaden Samuels (DTS Racing) 13:33.268; 2. Lokith L. Ravi (DTS Racing) 13:33.639; 3. M. Abhay (MSport) 13:34.421.
Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Aditya Patnaik (Momentum Motorsport) 16:24.261; 2. M. Abhay (Msport) 16:242.547; 3. Liron Jaden Samuels (DTS Racing) 16:25.093.
Race 3 (9 laps): 1. M. Abhay (MSport) 12:18.579; 2. Saishiva Sankaran (Momentum Motorsport) 12:21.601; 3. Aditya Patnaik (Momentum Motorsport) 12:23.864.
Race 4 (10 laps): 1. Liron Jaden Samuels (DTS Racing) 15:08.194; 2. Neil Singh Kalsi (Momentum Motorsports) 15:09.284; 3. Lokith L. Ravi (DTS Racing) 15:10.549.
Race 5: 1. Aditya Patnaik (Momentum Motorsport) 13:12.582; 2. Saishiva Sankaran (Momentum Motorsport) 13:18.258; 3. Liron Jaden Samuels (DTS) 13:18.391.
