The second round of the 2016 MRF Volkswagen Vento Cup concluded at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT), yesterday, with Ishaan Dodhiwala taking over as the sole leader in the driver's championhsip after Karminder Singh - with whom he was tied - failed to match his consistency.
Despite finishing sixth with an apparent problem on his car in the opening race on Saturday - while Singh took third place - Dodhiwala took a win and a third place on Sunday while Singh could only manage fourth and seventh.
Keith D'Souza and Niranjan Todkari claimed their first Vento Cup wins on Saturday and Sunday, respectively while guest driver - Evo India editor Sirish Chandran - took three top five finishes across both days including a podium on Sunday's first race.
SURFACE TENSION
The weekend was, however, slightly compromised by resurfacing work done on different parts of the 3.717 km circuit. Part of an effort of the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) to update the circuit - apparently costing Rs. 4 crore, as stated by MMSC president Vicky Chandhok on Twitter - the resurfacing was done too close to the start of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship round.
The Vento Cup cars, which were one of five different classes of racing, were unable to make the most of Volkswagen Motorsport India's return to the MMRT after three years away and following a switch to MRF tyres that allowed them to go 2.5 seconds a lap faster than when they were on JK Tyre rubber at the previous round in Coimbatore.
With tarmac being thrown off the track and the sound of clattering bits of it and stones brought to the track by drivers cutting corners to find extra grip, there were long delays in the racing program as workers went out to sweep the track clean as much as possible.
The issues were enough for the upcoming round of the Two-wheel National Racing Championship - originally scheduled for 23 and 24 July - to be indefinitely postponed so that the MMSC could carry out the repair work required.
RACING AND CHASING
As far as the highlights on the track was concerned, the second of the three races, held early on Sunday was the pick of the bunch. With the two Chinese guest drivers - Li Huwei and He Xi Xi - leading early, a train of cars formed behind Xi Xi who seemed to be holding up the field, including Dodhiwala who eventually found a way past after the Chinese ran wide at the exit of turn eight of the 12-turn circuit.
Dodhiwala set off after Huwei and steadily ate into the gap until it came down to less than a second with just a lap left in the ten-lap race. On the final lap, Huwei missed a gearshift while going into the esses and Dodhiwala stormed past to cross the finish line in first with Chandran in third.
The third round of the Vento Cup is scheduled to be held on August 19-21 at the MMRT, which will hopefully not have issues with the surface following the MMSC's repair work.
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