Young Arjun Maini seals first victory in JK India series

Showing excellent driving skills, young driver Arjun Maini claimed his maiden win in the Formula BMW series as he pipped Vishnu Prasad by three seconds in race 1 of round three in the JK Tyre Racing championship at the Buddh International Circuit on Saturday.

Greater Noida: Showing excellent driving skills, young driver Arjun Maini claimed his maiden win in the Formula BMW series as he pipped Vishnu Prasad by three seconds in race 1 of round three in the JK Tyre Racing championship at the Buddh International Circuit here on Saturday.

Competing in the series, exclusive for Indian U-20 drivers, Arjun started from second position on the grid but overtook pole sitter Mahavir in lap 4 to take the lead, which he defended well till the end to win the 10-lap race. Mahavir later conceded his second position to Vishnu in lap 7 and despite finishing third he ended up in eighth position after being handed a five-place penalty for jump-start. As a result Karminder Singh was promoted to podium, which was his first of the season. "It was great experience driving here. The track was getting better and better. It was quite frustrating to be stuck behind Mahavir for the first few laps, but then I would say it was an epic moment when I finally managed to overtake him," the 15-year-old Bangalorean said after the race. Vishnu, who was dominating in round two at Coimbatore with three wins, praised Arjun for maintaning the lead. "I did what I could, but Arjun had good pace and I couldn`t overtake him. Still I am satisfied with today`s result and it gives me motivation to better my result in the second and third race tomorrow, he said. Karminder, who hails from Delhi, was delighted to be on the podium in his `home` race. "I didn`t make the best of starts, but I realised that I needed to keep things clean and consistent. In the end, it paid off and I am thrilled that my first podium came on my home track," he said. More PTI