Motorsports: Saleem, Surya, Phaneesh top JK Tyre-MMS Rookie Cup

Chennai, April 29 (IANS) Bangalore's Rubeel M. Saleem, Chennai lad Surya Raguram, both from Meco Racing, and H.B. Phaneesh of Mohite's Racing emerged champions in their respective classes in the first round of the third JK Tyre-MMS Rotax Rookie Cup at the 810 metre MMS Kartainment Track here Sunday.

Phaneesh won the remaining three races on Sunday for a clean sweep of the five races over the weekend in the Micro Max category (7-12 years). However, the sixth standard student of JCS Public School (JC Campus) was excluded from Sunday's opening race (Race 3) due to a technical infringement.

Phaneesh, nevertheless, won the honours in his category with 100 points, three more than Bangalore boy Yash Aradhya of Meco Racing.

Raguram won two out of three races on Sunday to take his tally to 110 points in the Junior Max category (13-16 years), finishing even with Mumbai's Arya Gandhi of Rayo Racing, who won the final race.

Young motorsports enthusiasts from across the country have registered themselves in the 10-race series being held over two rounds. The final round comprising the remaining five races will be held in Hyderabad from May 18 to 20.

The winners of the three classes in the Rookie Cup will be rewarded with scholarship Training Programmes under former ace driver Akbar Ebrahim, president of Meco Motorsports.

The results :

Micro Max (7-12 years): Race 3 (9 laps): 1. Yash Aradhya (Bangalore, Meco Racing); 2. Kahran Vorha (Haryana, Meco Racing); 3. Thanish (Delhi, Meco Racing). Race 4 (10 laps): 1. HB Phaneesh (Mysore, Mohite's Racing); 2. Yash Aradhya; Kahran Vorha. Race 5 (10 laps): 1. Phaneesh; 2. Yash Aradhya; 3. Kahran Vorha.

Junior Max (13-16 years): Race 3 (12 laps): 1. Surya Raguram (Chennai, Meco Racing); 2. Arya Gandhi (Mumbai, Rayo Racing); 3. Akash Gowda (Bangalore, Meco Racing). Race 4 (11 laps): 1. Surya Raguram; 2. Arya Gandhi; 3. Ananth Shanmugam (Bangalore, Meco Racing). Race 5 (11 laps): 1. Arya Gandhi; 2. Akash Gowda; 3. Surya Raguram.

Senior Max (15 years and above): Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Anshuman Chatterjee (Mumbai, Rayo Racing); 2. Rubeel M. Saleem (Bangalore, Meco Racing); 3. Keith G. D'Souza. Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Anshuman Chatterjee; 2. Rubeel Saleem; 3. Keith D'Souza. Race 5 (15 laps): 1. Rubeel Saleem; 2. Pranav Thakkar (Mumbai, Rayo Racing); 3. Keith D'Souza.