Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 26 : India's premier touring car series, the Polo Cup, concluded on a high note with Aman Nagdev emerging victorious after a thrilling three-way battle here on Sunday at the FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship.
Nagdev, Aditya Patnaik and Ojas Surve were in the hunt to win the coveted National Crown as the curtain went up on the final day of the National Championship.
The four-race weekend at the 3.717 km-long Madras International Circuit saw Surve bag the crucial pole position in qualifying for Race 1, with a lap time of 1:54.910. Patnaik was a mere 0.126 seconds behind him, and Nagdev a further 0.194 away.
Nagdev got a brilliant start in the race, but he was soon blocked off by Surve. The duo slugged it out through the first 3 corners before Nagdev streaked ahead. Patnaik, starting fifth, also had a fantastic start and was soon challenging Surve for second place. Eventually, Nagdev won the race, while Patnaik finished second, ahead of Surve.
Race 2 began under extremely wet conditions. A safety car start ensured that all started the race safely. Surve made a brilliant move around the outside of Corner 1 on Patnaik to move from third to second before Corner 2. He immediately challenged Nagdev for the lead around the outside of Corner 2. Surve and Nagdev went side by side through Corner 3, and Surve came out ahead.
Surve then enthralled everyone with a wet driving masterclass to win the race comfortably, ahead of Patnaik and Nagdev.
More exciting battles were witnessed in Race 3. Mumbai's Reyaan Bafna started on Pole and held the lead for a few laps. However a quick charging Patnaik soon muscled his way through and got the lead. He went on to win comfortably ahead of Nagdev. Mumbai's Pratik Sonawane was the racer who gained the most. He started down in P6 and raced brilliantly climbing from sixth to third to complete the podium.
The final race of the championship had Sonawane start well from second to take the early lead. Nagdev made a good dive into Corner 9 to take the lead, while behind him, Surve also went past Patnaik into third. The intense battle saw 4 cars covered by less than a second. A couple of laps later, Surve made a good move to emerge second. He chased Nagdev till the end but was unable to get close enough. Nagdev won the last race of the Championship to earn his maiden National Title. Surve was second, while Patnaik completed the podium.
Aman Nagdev (215 points) won six races in addition to three more podiums en route to his maiden national title. Aditya Patnaik (194 points) had 2 victories and an enviable 100% podium success rate to finish second overall in the National Championship. Ojas Surve (176 points), also with 2 victories, was third overall. Mumbai's Reyaan Bafna bagged the Best Rookie Title.
"This is my first-ever National Championship Title and means a lot. It's been a very competitive season with really intense but clean battles with the others. A huge thank you to my parents for their unwavering support all these years. I also want to thank the entire Polo Cup team for putting together a fantastic series," said the newly crowned champion.
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