The inaugural AVT Gold Cup Million Endurance Race was conducted by the Madras Motor Sports Club at the MMRT circuit in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in the last weekend. The premier class of the race was won by Mathana Kumar and Aravind Balakrishnan.
The premier class of the race was conducted on Honda CBR250R race bikes. Mathana and Aravind won the race for Honda Ten10 Racing team. Apex Racing Academy riders Kishor VS and Anthony Peter finished second, while Sethil Kumar and AS Alexander finished third. The race was conducted at the 3.74 kilometre track over the duration of 30 minutes, with each team fielding two riders.
In Pro-Stock Open (301-400cc) category, P Sai Sahil and G Vikas Kumar emerged victorious, while the Pro-Stock Open (130-165cc) class was won by Yashas RL and K Kannan. The Stock (130-165cc) category was won by Aditya Rao Immaneni and Karthik.
Unlike other races, endurance races test the team’s and riders’ strategic prowess rather than outright speed. The race starts are also conducted in a distinctive manner, where the racers run towards their motorcycle to get astride and start racing rather than following the conventional grid-style start. Also, regulations require each rider to ride for a minimum of 20 minutes before switching to the other rider, with the upper limit being 45 minutes. This is the first time the AVT Gold Cup endurance race was conducted in India.
