Pune's Sarthak Chavan finishes runner-up at MRF National Racing Challenge; Chirant Vishwanath wins

Sarthak Chavan, 19, of Pune finished runner-up at the MRF Indian National Racing Championship 2W-2026 round held at the Madras International Circuit. Chavan rides for the Petronas TVS Racing team and had to settle for second place.

The most exciting contest of the third round, held in Chennai, came in the Super Sport 301-400cc Open category. Chirant Vishwanath of Bengaluru, also a Petronas TVS Racing rider and Chavan's teammate, won it. He beat his fierce rival Chavan and stayed on top for a second consecutive day to complete a double win. Chavan finished second in both races of this round.

Heavy rain since morning delayed the start of the race by half an hour. In the short six-lap race, the country's top riders fought hard for every second.

In the first race on Saturday, Vishwanath took first place with a record lap time, while Chavan came second. Mohammed Mikail finished third and Rakshit Dave fourth in the same race.

In the second day's race too, Chavan and Vishwanath were locked in a close fight from the start. In the final, decisive stretch, Vishwanath got past Chavan and suddenly took the lead. At a sharp turn, Chavan lost control of his bike for a few moments, and the slip cost him the lead. Vishwanath won the race, his second win of the weekend, and Chavan again had to settle for second place.

Earlier, in the second round of the same championship held in September, Chavan had won two straight races in the main Super Sport 301-400cc Open category to take the double crown. He also finished first in the Electric RTE class of the Petronas TVS Racing One-Make Championship, completing a treble.

Chavan trains under coach Amol Talpade and is also receiving important guidance from fitness coach Mihir Ternikar.