Leelakrishnan back after 17 year hiatus,shows class

Veteran Formula 3 driver Leela Krishnan finished runner up in the first race of Super Saloon category.

Coming out of 17 years of hibernation,veteran Formula 3 driver and seven time national champion Leela Krishnan finished runner up in the first race of Super Saloon category in the third leg of the 14th JK Tyre national racing championship here today.

In the Super Saloon race,T R Radha Selvarajan of RAD Racing,second on pole,spun out in the first turn after the start. But veterans including Leela Krishnan (RAD Racing) and V Ram Narayanan,also on a comeback trail after 1994 with his stint with MRF,were the cynosure of all eyes.

Coimbatores Rajvirdhan of Prime Racing won from pole in Super Saloon class timing 20:24.968 seconds. Leela Krishnan (20:39.329 secs) started fifth and finished second. Defending champion Siddharth Krishore was third in 20:57.189 secs,while Ram Narayanan finished a creditable fourth.

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The LGB Formula Swift class qualifying saw pole sitter S Naredran of TVS Girling drifting away from a good start and losing time in the second lap due to oil spill from a car. Seizing the chance,Mumbais Ameya Walavalkar of Mars Racing won the 15 lapper timing 20:01.813 seconds. Teammate Deepak Ravi Kumar (20:09.308 secs) of Chennai finished second.

Narendran shifted gears and passed three cars to close the gap and settled for third. Having returned a best lap time of 1min 59.132 secs,he clocked a total time of 20:09.579 secs.

Deepak Ravi kumar with 98 points leads the table followed by Ameya (75). Karthik Krishna (55) is third.

B Balavijay (MotoRev India) won Indian Junior Touring Cars ahead of pole-sitter DiljitShaji (LCT Sigaram Racing)whose car lost pace after seven laps in the 10 lap race.