MOTORSPORT
INRC3 driver Premlal passes away
There was a pall of gloom on day one of the Rally of Coimbatore, the third round of the Blueband-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four wheelers, following the death of INRC3 driver K.V. Premlal from Kerala.
The 47-year-old from Kannur, representing Team Chettinad Sporting, suffered a cardiac arrest on the transport section of the rally. His co-driver K.R. Rishikesh tried his best to resuscitate him but in vain.
Incidentally, both of them are doctors.
The entire rally community was saddened to hear the sudden demise of Premlal and offered their condolences to the family.
- Rayan Rozario
Rally of Coimbatore: Aditya Thakur leads the pack on day one
Aditya Thakur (co-driver Virender Kashyap), the INRC2 driver from Himachal, silenced the big guns with his stunning drive to emerge the overall leader after six stages in the Rally of Coimbatore, the third round of the Blueband-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship for four wheelers, in Coimbatore on Saturday.
WRC driver Gaurav Gill (Aniruddh Rangnekar), who is going through a lean patch, came out all guns blazing in the first stage. Thereafter, it was Team Chettinad Sporting’s Aditya all the way.
Aditya had spent most of his time in Coimbatore. “I know the place and the surface and we set up our car accordingly. We definitely pushed to our limits. The stages were good and we did not make any mistakes and that’s why we managed to finish on top,” he said.
He credited the lead to Virender. “He has been rallying since I was a young boy. INRC is like breakfast for him. He is spot on and I kept following his notes.”
Sunday’s Kethanur stages are going to be a tough. “It’s my favourite as well. There are no long stages and also, I will be the first car out,” added Aditya, who finished on top in his category, the INRC2.
INRC driver Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) finished behind Aditya. “I don’t know how as we lacked the power. The turbo was gone right from stage one. Our top speed was just 100kms an hour. I was just driving through and obviously pleased to finish second,” said Amittrajit.
The results (provisional, day one):
- Rayan Rozario
Honda India riders impress in Asia Road Racing Championship
The riders of the IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team impressed in Race 1 of Round 4 of the 2024 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Indonesia on Sunday.
The Indian duo of Kavin Quintal and Mohsin Paramban completed the race with determination and consistency at Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit.
Starting strong from the 27th position on the grid, Chennai’s 19-year-old rising star, Kavin Quintal, swiftly moved up after the first lap and maintained consistency throughout the race.
Leveraging his experience and executing strategic moves effectively, he gave tough competition to international riders and continued to elevate his performance despite an injury. He finished the race at 19th position with a total time of 18:37.226.
Kavin’s teammate, Mohsin Paramban from Mallapuram, started the race from 21st on the grid and delivered a good performance on international soil.
He maintained consistency throughout the race, navigating the track and crossing the chequered flag at 22nd position with a total time of 18:44.784.
Both the riders, however, could not secure any points for the team in Race 1 of Round 4.
- PTI
FOOTBALL
RF Young Champs duo Subham Bhattacharya and Narendra Naik joins Odisha FC
Odisha FC has strengthened its youth ranks by signing two promising youngsters, Subham Bhattacharya and Narendra Naik, from the RF Young Champs.
Bhattacharya, a towering center-back, is known for his exceptional ball-playing abilities. His composure on the ball and ability to initiate attacks from the backline makes him a versatile asset to any team. He is set to be a part of the men’s first-team squad under Sergio Lobera.
Subham Bhattacharya and Narendra Naik | Photo Credit: ODISHA FC
Naik, a defensive midfielder, brings a commanding presence to the heart of the park. His ability to shield the backline while contributing to build-up play makes him a crucial cog in any successful team. Naik’s strength in both defensive and offensive phases of the game is a valuable addition to the club’s reserves squad.
- Team Sportstar
TENNIS
ITF: Vaidehi loses in semifinals to Prozorova
Vaidehi Chaudhari was beaten 2-6, 6-0, 6-0 by Tatiana Prozorova in the semifinals of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.
The results:
- Team Sportstar
GOLF
Vidhatri wins in play-off for second victory in four starts on Hero WPGT
Vidhatri Urs picked up her second title in just her fourth start as a professional as she grabbed the 10th leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour at Prestige Golfshire, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Vidhatri, who was tied third in her first two starts, which were the seventh and eighth legs of the Tour, won the ninth leg and made it back-to-back victories with a win in a play-off in the 10th leg.
Vidhatri, who started the day with a two-shot lead over the field, could afford a 2-over 74, but with Amandeep Drall playing a fine round of 2-under 70, the best card of the day, the clash headed into a play-off.
She kept her nerves as Amandeep missed the fairway and did not recover. Playing the extra hole on the 10th, Vidhatri made a par, while Amandeep missed out.
Vidhatri had just two birdies against four bogeys, while Amandeep opened with an eagle two on Par-4 first. She added three more birdies on third, fourth and sixth with a bogey on the Par-5 fifth.
Despite being four behind Vidhatri at the start of the day, Amandeep caught up with the leader halfway through the final round.
Amandeep and Vidhatri had two bogeys and one birdie on the back nine and ended in a play-off.
Sneha Singh with a second straight 71 was third, one shot behind Vidhatri and Amandeep. Sneha needed another birdie on the 18th after she made a birdie on the 17th.
She failed and missed on getting to 2-over total that would have got her into a three-way play-off. Sneha had five birdies against four bogeys.
Rhea Jha (73) was fifth, while Jasmine Shekar, who was chasing Vidhatri after the second day, shot 77 and finished fifth.
Amateur Mannat Brar (74) and Hitaashee Bakshi (77) were tied for sixth, while Khushi Khanijau 78) was eighth.
Kriti Chowhan (76) and Neha Tripathi (77) completed the Top-10. Saanvi Somu crashed to 79 and was out of the Top-10 in 11th place.
In the Hero Order of Merit, Hitaashee Bakshi stayed on the top with Sneha second and Amandeep third. Khushi Khanijau was fourth and Gaurika Bishnoi was fifth.
The 10th leg winner Vidhatri was lying 10th. While the top four have played nine or more events, Gaurika has played only five and Vidhatri has played four.
- PTI
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