FIM MiniGP World Series India 2022: Bengaluru girl Nithila Das tops them all; Shreyas, Jinendra make the cut

New entrant

India, along with Australia, Austria, Indonesia, Japan and Qatar were the new additions to the Series that already includes 10 other countries -- France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, North America, Portugal, Spain, the UK and Alpe-Adria.

All the five rounds were being run on karting tracks that met the minimum standards set by the FIM and FMSCI.

8 out of 10

Each round comprised two races and with eight podium finishes in 10 races, Nithila topped them all. "I'm so happy to have competed in a World Series. The bike was really powerful and I really enjoyed it. I thank my family, friends and relatives for the support they've given me which has helped to pursue my passion," said Nithila, the 7th Grade student of 21K school in Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru.

As per competition rules, the best riders will qualify for the FIM MiniGP World Series Finals to be held in Valencia (Spain) in November. While Bengaluru's Shreyas Hareesh and Kolhapur's Jinendra Kiran Sangave, who topped the boys category will represent India at Valencia, Nithila might get a wild-card entry for the grand finale.

Road to MotoGP

The FIM had launched the MiniGP Series in 2021, as part of the Road To MotoGP programme, aiming to create an equal platform for young riders around the world to begin their motorcycle racing careers.

All riders competed on equal Ohvale GP-0 160 machinery (Mini bikes), manufactured in Italy, while Pirelli is the official single tyre supplier for all the FIM MiniGP World Series.

Shreyas, Jinendra make it

Meanwhile, in the boys category, Shreyas (220 points) and Jinendra (213) finished first and second respectively. In the World Finals, the pair will compete with toppers of respective National series held in 15 countries.

The five-round, 10-race India series, organised by RMS Motorsport with support from Meco Motorsports, saw Jinendra, 13, dominate initially by winning five races in a row. However, 12-year old Shreyas staged a remarkable comeback by topping four of the next five races, including a double in Round-4 in the last weekend to finish on top of the Series points table with 220 points. Jinendra, who barely survived a difficult final weekend, finished with 213 points, well ahead of third-placed Nandanan Mahendran of Chennai (153).