MSport's Sohil Shah started in pole position but Datta managed to go past him at the first opportunity. Shah and Datta were then involved in an early two-way tussle at the top of the grid which was settled in lap 6 when the former spun while trying to pass Datta on Round 2. This pushed him all the way to the back of the grid and Datta got breathing space in front.
However, a safety car period helped Prasad gain on Datta. When the safety car was removed at the beginning of the last lap, Prasad took full advantage and dashed past Datta, who eventually fell behind team mate Khanna to finish third.
The Novice Cup, which supplemented the LGB-4 category, saw 14-year-old Chirag Ghorpade of Momentum Motorsports stand at the top of the podium. His teammate Aaroh Ravindra and Mohamed Ryan (MSport) claimed the second and third place in the first race. In the second, Chirag and Aaroh got a one-two finish again while Parikshit Dardhalli of DTS Racing finished third.
The fifth edition of the Gixxer Cup also kicked off with the first of four rounds being held at Kari in conjunction with the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. Muzammil Ali was dominant on Saturday, grabbing pole in the qualifiers and then going on to win the race too. Tanay Gaikwad (Pune) and Amul Angadi (Coimbatore) clinched second and third place in a 31-strong grid.
(Rohit Mundayur can be contacted on rohit.m@.in)
( With inputs from IANS )