Drag racing championship

FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Drag: The fastest rider in India, Hemanth Muddappa, began his 2024 campaign on a winning note with a double at the opening round of the MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship which began at the Madras International Circuit (MIC) in Irungattukottai, near here, on Saturday.

Muddappa, who has won national titles in drag racing a record 12 times, continued his successful association with team Mantra Racing, and the combination dished out another stellar performance in the first round, missing a triple by a whisker.

He started with a hard-fought victory in the 4-stroke 551 to 850cc Super Sport class clocking a blistering 8.630 seconds to edge out Hyderabad’s Mohammed Riyaz, who timed 8.675 seconds. Altaf Khan, also from Hyderabad, came third.