Coimbatore's Bala wins Formula Junior Racing Series 2018 Championship

Coimbatore, May 21 (IANS) Local racer Bala Prasath set a scorching pace over the weekend to claim the Formula Junior Racing Series 2018 championship here.

Bala, who was trailing in second place after Round 1 with 91 points, was in his element in Round 2 at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday.

He collected a handsome tally of 115 points, winning three races and finishing second in two to leapfrog over Round 1 leader Sohil Shah. 

Bengaluru's Sohil, who was sitting pretty with 120 points, had a disastrous weekend. He began with a DNF (did not finish) and could only manage third place in the next three races. 

He clinched the second place in the final round but by then the championship had slipped out of his hands. He could muster only 68 points to finish second, with an aggregate of 188 championship points.

Chennai's Nirmal Umashankar had a very good weekend, winning two races and finishing second in two more. 

However, in the final race, he suffered a DNF that hurt his chances very badly. He amassed 92 points in Round 2 but his poor tally of 51 in Round 1 meant that he had to be content with the third position. 

The FJRS, organised by MECO Motorsports, was introduced in 2016 to provide a platform to drivers and riders coming out of the winter season to prepare for the National Championships. 

An FMSCI-approved event, it is open to anybody over 14 years and holds a valid FMSCI National Racing license.