Philippos Matthai, Ashad Pasha shine in National Autocross Championships

Delhi’s Philippos Matthai emerged as the fastest driver in the Time Attack and won the FMSCI National Championship award in the Indian National AutoCross Championship Finals and Time Attack Races held at the Nanoli Stud Farm near Pune.

The event hosted by the Indian Automotive Racing Club (IARC) over the weekend witnessed an exhilarating display of speed and skill.

Philippos Matthai emerged as a standout performer, clinching the title of the fastest driver in the Time Attack Event and securing a couple of podium finishes in the FMSCI National AutoCross Championship.

The championship finals also highlighted outstanding performances from Dhruva Chandrashekar, Mazdayar Vatcha, Nikhil J., Daksh Gill, and Nikeeta Takkale, among others, across various categories of races.

In the fiercely contested INAC-Open Class, Matthai’s stellar lap of 1:26.000 in his VW Polo secured him the top spot, leaving his competitors trailing behind. Notably, Uday Pilani claimed second place with a time of 11:28.909, followed closely by Naveen Puligilla with a time of 1:33.422 and Nikhil J recorded 1:33.824. In the INAC 1 Class (800cc to 1650cc), Nikhil J. showcased his speed mastery with a blistering fastest time of 1:25.094, leading the pack ahead of Dhruva Chandrashekar who recorded 1:26.267 and Ashad Pasha who did a lap in 1:26.854, demonstrated remarkable skill in securing podium finishes.

Ashad Pasha further showcased his talent with dominant double wins in the INAC 2 Class (800cc to 1400cc) and (1401cc to 1650cc) with a commanding time of 1:27.840, closely followed by Mazdayar with 1:32.228 and Kiran Reddy with 1:32.336. Dhruva Chandrashekar’s triumph in the INAC 2 Open Class, with a timing of 1:26:738 in VW Polo, underscored the intensity of competition, with his closely contested victory against Philippos Matthai and Nikeeta Takkale, showcasing the pinnacle of racing excellence.

In INAC 3-Open Class Hyderabad’s Mazdayar Vatcha emerged victorious with a standout performance of 1:30.657, with Goa’s Amey Desai coming in second with a time of 1:31.277 followed by Praveen Dwarkanath with a time of 1:33.474. The 4WD Open category witnessed Daksh Gill’s dominance in Subaru, as he claimed the title with an exceptional time of 1:27.786, followed by Sravan Kuttor who recorded 1:33.222 and Mazdayar with 1:34.002.

In the women’s category of Time Attack event, Pune’s Nikeeta Takkale secured first position with a time of 1:31.380 followed by Tarushi Vikram with 1:32.988 and Nikita Nair coming in 3rd with 2:01.456.