The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Tej Naik pulls off a stunning win

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Monday, Oct 29, 2007
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Sport - Racing : Motor

Tej Naik pulls off a stunning win

Nuvem (Goa): Local boy Tej Naik, a 17-year-old first year BBM student of MES College, pulled off a stunning victory in the final of the first Amaron Karting Challenge at the Verna Karting Track here on Sunday.

Tej was awarded a fully-paid drive for the Rotax race in 2008. Twelve finalists from for the five earlier rounds in Chennai, Bangalore, Kolhapur, Mumbai and Goa made up the final start list after the heats held earlier. A total of 24 racers qualified for the heats.

In the title round, Rahul Sharan of St. Joseph’s College (Bangalore) was in the pole position and Tej, who had qualified from Goa on Saturday, was in kart No. 2.

The duo sped away from the rest of the 10 competitors and Rahul managed to hold off Tej’s challenge for 10 laps. Tej’s efforts were finally rewarded when Rahul gave him a brief opening on the grandstand curve in the penultimate lap.

Tej quickly took the chance and skilfully made the pass.

Rahul, desperate to regain the lead, came very close to colliding with Tej on the final lap and had to step off the accelerator to avoid the crash.

The fight for the third place was just as intense and it was Mitra Yerawadekar of Pune who bagged the third place.

Earlier 10 teams of two drivers each participated in the 90-minute endurance event. Rayomand Banajee and Steven Hodges from Mumbai won the event and Kolhapur’s Ameya Walvalkar and Adumber Hede were second.

Chennai’s Parth Ghorpade and Vishnu Prasad finished third. — Special Correspondent

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