Pune, Sep 16 (IANS) Pune’s Sarthak Chavan, riding for Petronas TVS Racing, returned to India after an impressive stint in the Asia TVS One Make Championship abroad, where he consistently demonstrated his ability against top international competition.

On his return, he lined up at the MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the Madras International Circuit, enduring a mixed weekend with a triple podium before finishing on a high with a well-fought victory in the final race.

In the Asia TVS One Make series, a support category to the Asian Road Racing Championship, Chavan delivered podium finishes in seven of the eight races held across four venues abroad at Chang, Sepang, Motegi, and Mandalika this season.

His results have kept him firmly in the title hunt, standing just three points behind the championship leader with more races still to come. The highlight of his campaign came at Round 4 in Mandalika, Indonesia, where he finished runner-up in both races.

In Race 2, starting from fifth on the grid, Chavan carved his way through the field to challenge Ramdan Rosli in a tense eight-lap contest. He briefly took the lead on the final lap, only to be edged out by Rosli at the line by a mere 0.007 seconds, one of the narrowest margins recorded in the series. Luis Miguel secured third, while fellow Indians Chiranth Vishwanath and Rakshith Sri Hari Dave placed sixth and eighth.

Earlier in his career, Chavan had already established himself as one of the brightest young riders in India. Born on 30 October 2006 in Pune, he became the youngest-ever champion at 16 years, in the Pro-Stock 301–400cc Open class of the MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship, winning nine of the ten races to clinch his first national title in October 2024.

Introduced to the sport at the age of six by his father and mentored by coach Amol Talpade, a multiple-time national champion, he has risen quickly through the domestic ranks and translated that success onto the international stage this season.

Back in India, his form has remained strong. At the recent National Championship round in Chennai, he stood on the podium in all three races he contested.

He showed resilience to win the Pro-Stock 301–400cc Open Race 2 on the final day on Sunday after a second-place Race 1 behind Rahil Pillarisetty on Saturday and also topped the TVS Electric RTE class, underlining his versatility and ability to adapt across formats.

Chavan’s next stop is Round 5 from October 10 to 12 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, followed by the final Round 6 from December 5 to 7 at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand.

–IANS

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