Double delight for Mahindra Racing

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Mahindra Racing were back on track as their young rider Miroslav Popov took the chequered flag in the seventh and penultimate round of the CIV 125 GP season at the Marco Simoncelli World Circuit in Misano, Italy on Sunday.

The result came as a double delight for Mahindra after their mainstay, Riccardo Moretti, had recorded victory in the first of two races of this doubleheader round.

Czech rider Popov, who was drafted into the team as a replacement for Sarath Kumar, rode an amazing race.

He battled nerves and did exceeding well to fight it out among the leading pack in only his second outing.

Popov and teammate Moretti started from the second and fifth row in the grid respectively. The second race was reduced to 15 laps instead of the scheduled 18 as high temperatures could have affected the tyres.

“That was an amazing race. I passed so many riders and I was able to fight in a pack of six to seven riders. I had to take some risks but I am happy that they paid off.

The bike was so quick and helped me win a hard fought and spectacular race. I thank my team for the help I got this weekend,” said Popov.

Moretti, on the other hand, couldn’t get the desired start and was unable to fill the gap between himself and Popov. However, the Italian rider brought in all his experience to finish on a commendable third position.

“We had a bit of bad luck in this championship. I was able to win four races out of seven and today I ended up third on the podium, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to get the title. We were unlucky at Monza and especially at Mugello, when I got a faultless collision with another rider but I have no regrets as I did my best and so did the team. Today, I had some set-up issues. I tried to push at my best to get a podium finish and I am to have achieved it.”

Meanwhile, Moretti’s lone rival for the championship title, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, registered second place which was enough for him to clinch the title with one race to go.

Moretti is second in the classification, while Popov climbed up to the eighth spot. In manufacturer standings, Mahindra are sitting pretty in the first place with 151 points ahead of Aprilia with 146 and Honda on 50 points. The final race of the season will be held at the Vallelunga circuit on October 14.