Coimbatore, Aug 1 (IANS) Astride a Group B (4-stroke, 130-1655cc) TVS Apache, Pramod Joshua of TVS Racing completed a hat-trick of wins as he claimed the overall title in the first round of the Mak Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheelers here Sunday.
Finishing second and one minute, 26 seconds behind the Bangalorean was National champion K.P. Aravind, who lost time by overshooting the corners.
‘I was fortunate to take a good lead and pull away from my teammates. But with the loose gravel and slippery stages, it was tough to keep the lead. I am so happy to win for the third time here,’ said Joshua.
Arvind said: ‘I am happy with the second place as I made some mistakes and today Joshua was good. I am looking forward to making up in the other rounds of the National.’
Local contender Venu Ramesh Kumar on a Hero Honda Karizma won Group B 4-stroke up to 260cc class to also achieve a hat-trick of wins here following his success in 2008 and 2009 in the 130 cc category.
Of the 40 entrants, 31 finished the day as the tough terrain took its toll.
The results (provisional):
Overall: 1, Pramod Joshua, Team TVS Racing, 1hr, 13mins, 03secs; 2. KP Arvind, TVS Racing, 1:14:29.3. Pradeep HK, TVS Racing, 1:16:17.
Group D (4-Stroke): Up to 130 cc – 1 Kamalakannan S 1:28.46; 2. Sandesh C 1:29:17.0; 3. VS Naresh 1:33:26. Above 130cc to 165cc: 1. Sharth Kumar 1:28:21; 2. Raja R 1:29:59; 3. Rayan Peter Anthony 1:42:00
Group B (4-Stroke): Up to 130cc – 1. Renu Kumar Nagaraj 1:36:44; 2. Ganesh Moorthy MD 1:47:04; 3. V Babu 2: 23:54. Above 130 cc to 165 cc: 1, Pramod Joshua, Team TVS Racing, 1;13:03; 2. KP Arvind, TVS Racing, 1:14:29; 3. Pradeep HK, TVS Racing, 1:16: 17. Above 165cc to 210cc: 1. Rahul R 1:36:31; 2.Siddharth 2: 05:44. Above 210 cc to 260 cc: 1. Venu Ramesh Kumar 1:21:18; 2. Chetan Ganapathy 1:21:35.
Group B (2-Stroke): Up to 130 cc: 1. Asad Khan CA 1:26:10; 2. Roopesh DC 1:29:19; 3. Varun SS 1:43:51. Above 130cc to 165cc: 1. R Nataraj, 1:20.22; 2. Anil Kumar HE 1:25:51; 3. Shiva Kumar SP 1:26:05.
