India's top woman racer Sneha grabs second place in Malaysia

Sepang (Malaysia) (PTI): India's fastest woman racer Sneha Sharma grabbed the second position in the opening round of the highly competitive MSF Series here at the Sepang International Circuit.

Sneha, one of the first women to break into racing circles in the country, was the only Indian driver in this championship too.

She raced in a Proton Saga for Team DV Motorsport and was sponsored by JK Tyre, competing against a formidable grid of 70 cars divided into 4 categories: Pro, Advanced, Intermediate and Casual.

The 27-year-old airline pilot by profession clocked a best time of 2:57.4 to classify for the Advanced category, an achievement in itself given the mix of top international racers.

She, however, stunned the field, taking the first place in Race 1 and the second in Race 2 to win the coveted second position overall in the Ladies Cup Championship.

Sneha took a highly creditable sixth position in the overall Advanced category.

"I am completely over the moon as it is my first international victory," an exultant Sneha said.

"I had fun on the track, driving the races back to back and being part of the wheel-to-wheel action all the way till the chequered flag," she added.

"I overtook 2 cars just before the finish line which is amazing.

I must say it wasn't easy as the car requires a lot of skill to drive.

Moreover, we had some gear-box issues too but the team (DV Motorsport) did a wonderful job to help us get the top podium places in both the races," she explained.

The next round of the MSF series is scheduled to take place on April 14. "I am already looking forward to that weekend," Sneha declared.