Seasoned pros
Seasoned campaigner Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1), in line for his 11th national career title, has 161 points in the kitty going into the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open double-header that offers a maximum of 50 points.
Placed behind him on the leaderboard are Petronas TVS Racing's KY Ahamed (126) and Deepak Ravikumar (125). Thus, Rajini needs 16 more points this weekend to seal the championship.
Three-way battle
It is a three-way battle in the Pro-Stock 165cc category involving Pacer Yamaha's Mathana Kumar (126 points), Rajiv Sethu of Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing (109) and Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha, 104) ahead of the twin races.
Hubballi's Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing), with five wins and a podium finish from eight races so far, has taken an unassailable 58-point lead in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category while Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing), the 2020 champion, has a slender nine-point advantage over Mumbai's Jagruthi Kiran Penkar (Axor Sparks Racing) in the Girls (Stock 165cc) class
Crowning glory
Pune youngster Sarthak Chavan enjoys a 30-point advantage in the NSF 250R class of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup while Kolhapur's Raheesh Mudassar Khatri is virtually assured of the crown in the Novice (CBR 150) category with eight wins from eight starts.
The Petronas TVS one-make Championship organised by MMSC comprises four categories -- Open (Apache RR 310), Rookie, Girls and Media (all RTR 200).
Vroom time in Chennai!
Hyderabad's Rahil Pillarisetty requires only five more points from two races this weekend to clinch the title in the Open class, while Bengaluru teenager Chiranth Viswanath has effectively sealed the championship in the Rookie category having won all eight races so far, and Aditi Krishnan, also from Bengaluru, with four wins from as many outings, enjoys an unbeatable lead in the Girls class.
Buck up guys! Fasten your seat belts! It's vroom time in Chennai!