National Karting: Ruhaan Alva, Nikhilesh Raju, Hamza seal wins

Former champion from Bengaluru, Ruhaan Alva of MSport clinched the day’s honors with a fine double in the Senior Max category as the second round of the National Rotax Max Karting 2024 concluded at the Kartopia track, here on Sunday.

Nikhilesh Raju of Peregrine Racing, also from Bengaluru, won the Junior Max final, but it was Arafat Sheik who topped the pre-final race in the Junior class. Mumbai’s Hamza Balasinorwala of Rayo Racing won the Micro Max final after Chennai’s Rivaan Dev Preetham of MSport bagged the pre-final.

Alva took a fine victory in the final race, but in the pre-final, Akshat Misra of Crest Motorsports finished ‘first’ before logging a 5-second penalty for causing a collision and was pushed down to second place behind Alva. Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing came third in both races.

Earlier, in the pre-final of the Junior class, Nikhilesh Raju had to be content with a second place as Pune’s Arafath Sheikh of Crest Motorsport notched up a comfortable win. Mumbai’s Kiaan Shah of Rayo Racing completed the podium in third in both races.

In the Micro Max pre-final, first round winner 11-year-old Rivaan Dev Preetham, took the honors as he edged out Danish Dalmiya of MSport to second. Dalmiya had won second place in the final too. Hamza, of Rayo Racing, who came third in the pre-final went on to win the final in Round 2.