Thrills, Talent and Tight Finishes: Round 2 of JK Tyre Racing Season 2025 Delivers Action-Packed Weekend at Kari Motor Speedway
Round 2 of the JK Tyre Racing Season 2025 delivered an action-packed weekend of racing at the Kari Motor Speedway on the outskirts of Coimbatore, bringing together India’s best young drivers, seasoned professionals, and emerging talent under one electrifying motorsport spectacle. Across categories — from the debut of the JK Tyre Levitas Cup to the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup and the JK Tyre Novice Cup — Round 2 reaffirmed JK Tyre’s role for nurturing racing talent and growing motorsport from the grassroots up.
Coimbatore’s Jai Prashanth Venkat showed he could handle the Maruti Ignis with confidence, topping the charts in the final race of the Levitas Cup, introduced this year in JK Tyre’s racing calendar. The weekend was demanding, with cloud, rain, and strong breeze making it a true test of skill and nerve. By Sunday afternoon, Jai Prashanth had timed 14:38.492 over 10 laps of the 2.3 km circuit.
This was fitting reward for Jai Prashanth, who had started cautiously on Saturday. On that day, young Nihal Singh from Gurugram, a 10th standard student, impressed with raw speed and enthusiasm. He showed he could transition from karting to racing, though car troubles on Sunday kept him from pushing harder.
For Nihal, Saturday was a memorable start, as he combined speed with skill to win the first race. Mechanical issues later slowed him down, but racing against experienced drivers was a valuable lesson. Still in school, Nihal will take away plenty from this weekend.
The highlight of Sunday afternoon was Jai Prashanth’s duel with Mira Erda, competing as a guest driver, in the fourth race. Mira, a seasoned professional, finished on the podium in all four races, proof that her competitive spirit remains strong. “I am thrilled I could go strong. This car is a delight, even though it is new. There are enough safety features in it, including a roll cage, which makes it good,” she said. Mira has been in the sport for over 15 years.
The single-make Levitas Cup races, spread across two days, showed the potential of the machine in promoting grassroots talent. Jai Prashanth peaked in the fourth race, clocking his best lap at 1:26.100. “I am very happy, it has been a good Sunday,” he said.
Sunday’s bike races added to the thrill. On the heavy Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup machines, two Kari Motor Speedway regulars turned up the heat. Navaneeth Kumar and Anish D Shetty battled fiercely, their rivalry peaking in the final lap of the third race. In a dramatic finish, Navaneeth edged past Anish by just 2/1000th of a second. Navaneeth clocked 13:21.934, while Anish posted a best lap of 1:16.898. “I am thrilled, but must admit I was lucky to win such a close race,” Navaneeth said. Already a proven racer, he finds this season particularly exciting.
The ‘Street to Circuit’ theme of the bike races is about scouting fresh talent from cities across India. Some rookies had never raced on a circuit before. Among them, Johring Warisa from Umrangso, Assam, gained invaluable experience competing alongside veterans like Navaneeth and Anish. His timing and speed showed steady improvement through the weekend.
The JK Tyre Novice Cup added another layer of excitement to the weekend, offering a crucial platform for emerging racers to showcase their talent and gain competitive experience. Across three closely contested races, Bhuvan Bonu of MSPORT impressed with two victories (Race 1 – 16:06.951 and Race 3 – 16:26.624), while Abhijit Vadavalli of Momentum Motorsports clinched the win in Race 2 with a commanding time of 14:23.860. Vinith Kumar M and Lokithlingeash Ravi also featured prominently on the podium, underlining the depth of young talent in the field. The Novice Cup once again highlighted JK Tyre Motorsport’s commitment to building the next generation of Indian racing stars from the grassroots level.
Provisional Results – Day 1 & 2
JK Tyre Levitas Cup – Race 1
Rookie:
- Nihal Singh – 15:28.013
- Balaji Raju – 15:32.923
- Ashwin Pugalagiri – 15:34.065
Gentlemen’s:
- Mira Erda – 15:28.691
- Ram Charan – 15:33.399
- Jai Prashanth Venkat – 15:47.145
JK Tyre Levitas Cup – Race 2
Rookie:
- Ashwin Pugalagiri – 15:14.501
- Balaji Raju – 15:25.007
- Akshay Muralidharan – 15:26.302
Gentlemen’s:
- Mira Erda – 15:04.056
- Jai Prashanth Venkat – 15:25.312
- Nitin A R – 15:25.839
JK Tyre Levitas Cup – Race 3
Rookie:
- Dipayan Dutta – 15:11.024
- Ashwin Pugalagiri – 15:12.661
-
- Nihal Singh – 15:28.194
Gentlemen’s:
- Jai Prashanth Venkat – 15:12.388
- Mira Erda – 15:13.192
- Ram Charan – 15:19.548
JK Tyre Levitas Cup – Race 4
Rookie:
- Balaji Raju – 14:48.249
- Dipayan Dutta – 14:49.551
- Vasudevan SS – 14:54.880
Gentlemen’s:
- Jai Prashanth Venkat – 14:38.490
- Mira Erda – 14:38.750
- Nitin A R – 14:39.881
Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup presented by JK Tyre
Race 1 – Professionals:
- Anish D Shetty – 13:21.374
- Navaneeth Kumar – 13:22.233
- Kayan Zubin Patel – 13:22.769
Race 1 – Amateurs:
- Bryan Nicholas – 13:42.154
- Johring Warisa – 13:42.406
- Kabir Sahoch – 13:53.815
Race 2 – Professionals:
- Anish D Shetty – 13:10.550
- Navaneeth Kumar – 13:10.726
- Kayan Zubin Patel – 13:12.424
Race 2 – Amateurs:
- Bryan Nicholas – 13:25.259
- Johring Warisa – 13:25.818
- Kabir Sahoch – 13:43.878
Race 3 – Professionals:
- Navaneeth Kumar – 13:21.934
- Anish D Shetty – 13:21.936
- Kayan Zubin Patel – 13:29.204
Race 3 – Amateurs:
- Johring Warisa – 13:30.058
- Bryan Nicholas – 13:31.447
- Kabir Sahoch – 13:52.334
JK Tyre Novice Cup
Race 1:
- Bhuvan Bonu – MSPORT – 16:06.951
- Vinith Kumar M – DTS Racing – 16:07.646
- Avi Malavalli – MSPORT – 16:12.169
Race 2:
- Abhijit Vadavalli – Momentum Motorsports – 14:23.860
- Bhuvan Bonu – MSPORT – 14:25.946
- Lokithlingeash Ravi – DTS Racing – 14:27.820
Race 3:
- Bhuvan Bonu – MSPORT – 16:26.624
- Abhijit Vadavalli – Momentum Motorsports – 16:26.692
- Lokithlingeash Ravi – DTS Racing – 16:27.943