[doomsday]

Well they have yet to discover a car that can be as competitive for a given amount of money- so Esteem it is for now. Leela tried running a Honda last season for a couple of races, but the driver was no good. It may come back sometime when he has time from his busy schedule at Red Rooster and decides to prep that car again. Till then, Esteems and (a couple of) 1.3L Zens it is. No trunk spoilers thankfully though.

Originally Posted by Mpower

Looks like Viji sir forgot his briefcase on his bonnet.

Now that you say it, the big-a** hood scoop actually looks like a briefcase there....

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by nickatnite

I wasn't there. I hope it's the end of your "surprise"..

Everything about you turns out to be a surprise these days, Nick. Now, that's not a surprise, is it ?

Originally Posted by Mpower

Hey! Supersaloons is full of Esteems !!!! (wasn't the whole idea to bring in more variety) ...but nice to see Esteems all dressed up with spoilers and bodykits.

Esteems are super.

Last year there was a Honda City too which did not run.
Some pics of last years races here.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by doomsday

Well they have yet to discover a car that can be as competitive for a given amount of money- so Esteem it is for now.

I'd like to see some nice Ikon 1.6s. Such a beautiful handling car but a 'no show' in Indian racing. They have depreciated to a point where they are cheap to buy and run.

[doomsday]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I'd like to see some nice Ikon 1.6s. Such a beautiful handling car but a 'no show' in Indian racing. They have depreciated to a point where they are cheap to buy and run.

I would tend to disagree, based on some experiences with the erstwhile 'Josh Machine' but this is from a few years back- the spares used to cost an arm and a leg, and the reliability was questionable. I don't know what the state now is , but IMO working with the old SOHC-Rocam motor may not be a great choice and a swap to the more modern DOHC-Duratec would be a better platform to work with.

With reference to the used car market, a 1.6 still demands anywhere between 1.7-2.5 lakh in Bbay (going by Carwale), so its not that cheap. Dunno what kind of aftermarket support is available too, wrt suspension et al.

[speedfreak7116]

Originally Posted by doomsday

I would tend to disagree, based on some experiences with the erstwhile 'Josh Machine' but this is from a few years back- the spares used to cost an arm and a leg, and the reliability was questionable. I don't know what the state now is , but IMO working with the old SOHC-Rocam motor may not be a great choice and a swap to the more modern DOHC-Duratec would be a better platform to work with.

With reference to the used car market, a 1.6 still demands anywhere between 1.7-2.5 lakh in Bbay (going by Carwale), so its not that cheap. Dunno what kind of aftermarket support is available too, wrt suspension et al.

Very true... Performance upgrades for Ikons are very few and maintenance extremely overpriced... Plus you got to remember it would come under the 1.6 category against the Baleno's and City's which have much higher bhp.. If you take the 1.3l version then the Esteems are way lighter and performance upgrades available literally all over the world...

[Killer]

The fastest man of the round, K Rajini- lap time in 1:50 range.

Rajini's best time was actually a 1:49.940 in race 2. Personally i managed the 2nd fastest time of 1:51.437 but had to settle for 4th struggling with handling issues and lack of power that has unfortunately been plaguing me this year...hoping to do better next time...

[doomsday]

Originally Posted by Killer

Rajini's best time was actually a 1:49.940 in race 2. Personally i managed the 2nd fastest time of 1:51.437 but had to settle for 4th struggling with handling issues and lack of power that has unfortunately been plaguing me this year...hoping to do better next time...

I was aware of is best time as you mentioned- however, for the sake of simplicity I mentioned "1:50 range" since this was what he was achieving consistently. In fact, his total time in race 2 was slightly higher than race 1.

I understand that thousandth of a second matters in racing but consistency should get higher priority in circuit racing than a one-off best (which is not substantially quicker btw).

I noticed you struggling with the bike and even Rohit was off which can be attributed to the bike itself (you know what I mean). I was impressed with Praveen Keerthi, though.

[Killer]

Yup couldnt consistently do that time coz i was having to override the bike to get that time. I could only do 2 or 3 laps at that pace and then was too tired and had to back off. I mentioned my bike because those in the know are aware of my machine, it is the only one of the top 4 bikes with a completely stock engine. Not taking anything away from the riders but just so you know, Rohits and Praveens bikes are full blown HRC race machines with plenty more power

[Killer]

Results for the bikes

Incidentally the conditions were worse in race 5 due to increased track temperature so Rajini did very well to clock similar times as race 1

[nitrous]

I believe two bikers crashed. One of them being Alisha. Who's the other one?

[Killer]

Originally Posted by nitrous

I believe two bikers crashed. One of them being Alisha. Who's the other one?

Vivek Pillai at the last corner before the home straight

[Mpower]

Why is Dilip Roger shown as DNF? What other series is he running this year?

[doomsday]

Originally Posted by Killer

Yup couldnt consistently do that time coz i was having to override the bike to get that time. I could only do 2 or 3 laps at that pace and then was too tired and had to back off. I mentioned my bike because those in the know are aware of my machine, it is the only one of the top 4 bikes with a completely stock engine. Not taking anything away from the riders but just so you know, Rohits and Praveens bikes are full blown HRC race machines with plenty more power

I know Rohit's bike since the days it was painted in a shade of yellow and he used it to commute and pull stunts on the street- with the full race fairing. For these races, I understand that he was running stock rear suspension with an overly stiff front and the bike was literally floating, could be seen very clearly at the long C1. Praveen's bike was set-up well and he rode as well, especially in the second race. I never thought he had the kind of potential to hang out with top riders, despite the fact that he won the Cup last year.

Originally Posted by Mpower

Why is Dilip Roger shown as DNF? What other series is he running this year?

Its actually DNS- Did Not Start, didnt see him around, he's racing in the Rolon 2W National Championship and also participated in the German ADAC Berge trophy a while back.

[Killer]

Originally Posted by doomsday

I know Rohit's bike since the days it was painted in a shade of yellow and he used it to commute and pull stunts on the street- with the full race fairing. For these races, I understand that he was running stock rear suspension with an overly stiff front and the bike was literally floating, could be seen very clearly at the long C1.

Yes then i need not tell you its one of the best track 600's on the grid, ask any other expert class racer if you want confirmation of that, i've personally ridden it hard around the chennai track and its a fantastic machine. Yes we all have suspension issues to sort out

Dilip was there for practice and gave entry as well but did not participate, not sure why.

[reddream]

Great pics and thanks all for the race report.