Sepang [Malaysia], July 27 (ANI): Indian racer Aditya Patnaik emphatically won the Sporting Class at Round 3 of the Gold Vios Championship Malaysia at the iconic Sepang International Circuit late on Sunday night. Aditya collected an impressive 15,000 MYR as prize money.
The Mumbai-based youngster came third in Race 1 and then followed that up with a win in Race 2, to seal the top spot on the podium for Round 3. This is his maiden international car racing victory in his first year of International Car Racing, after graduating from the Polo Cup India as the Vice-National Champion, 2 years in a row, according to a press release.
Aditya from Rayo Racing, driving for former F1 Racer – Alex Young’s Team Axle Sports, could only manage fourth in qualifying. Rain and changing weather conditions made qualifying a real tricky affair for the 21-car grid in the Sporting Class.
Race 1 saw Aditya lose some positions in the opening laps as the front bunch of cars ran up to 4 cars wide in the first few corners. The former Indian National Karting Champion then had an intense wheel-to-wheel battle with Malaysia’s Taj Aiman. However, it was Lew Xuan Yan who won ahead of Aiman and Aditya.
The Top 8 finishers of Race 1 get reversed for the start of Race 2. Aditya’s third place finish meant he had to start sixth. A good start by Aditya saw him gain some positions and by Lap 3 he was in third place.
A brief safety car period ensued and once racing resumed, Aditya gained once more to move into second. A mighty battle followed with Adam Mikail and Aditya eventually got the better of him to gain the race lead. Aditya then pulled away and opened a lead, but the safety car was deployed once again. Aditya held on to bag his maiden international win, ahead of Mikail and Ariff Azmi.
“Race 1 was entirely a wheel-to-wheel battle, and Race 2 turned into my best race of the year — fighting and earning the lead for the win was a great feeling,” conceded Aditya Patnaik, according to the release.
“Aditya has proved himself in all categories he has raced. From Karting to Formula Cars and now the Vios Challenge, in his very first season of International Racing,” said Saurav Bandyopadhyay, CEO of Rayo Racing who was accompanying and coaching Aditya in Malaysia.
Former Malaysian F1 racer, Alex Young added, “Despite racing in Malaysia for the first time, Aditya adapted very quickly. It has been a pleasure to work with him. His win today was well deserved and a result of all the hard work he puts in.”
Aditya, Champion of the FMSCI National Karting Championship in 2023, had a horrific high-speed accident during a single seater race last year. He broke his arm and required surgery, which kept him out of racing for 2 months. He has bounced back with a strong international season. With one round left in the Championship, Aditya lies third with 88 points. (ANI)
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