Vishnu Prasad of Chennai is on his way to defending the FB02 title (Formula BMW) in the JK Tyre Racing Championship after topping the opening race of the season finale at the Buddh International Circuit here today.
Though guest driver Armaan Ebrahim was the first to cross the finishing line, 10 points of the winner were awarded to championship leader Prasad, who finished second ahead of nearest rival Akhil Rabindra.
Rabindra came fourth in the 10-lap race, while Ananth Shanmugam and Sandeep Kumar bagged second and third place.
21-year-old Prasad, with 78 points, enjoys an 18-point lead over Rabindra going into the double header tomorrow.
It was a flawless effort from the experienced Ebrahim, who finished ahead of Prasad after starting from the back of the grid.
"It was slippery out there with the drizzle. Armaan went past me on lap four and after that it was a pretty straightforward race. But I am not happy with my pace as I was seventh tenths of a second slower than Armaan. It is a huge gap," Prasad told PTI, adding the cold conditions made it tough for him to get the tyres up to temperature.
Most would celebrate after winning the championship but not Prasad, who almost quit racing in frustration of not getting an international breakthrough after toiling on the domestic circuit for close to a decade.
"I quit almost couple of seasons ago but my dad helped me get back on the track. There is little you can do in motorsports without having required funding to race abroad. And I am only talking about doing junior single seaters, not even a major championship. It would be nice if win tomorrow, but I will breathe a lot more easy if I am able to secure a drive outside India next season," said Prasad, who is pursuing an engineering degree for an alternate career option.
He hopes he has arranged enough money for a drive in China or an Italian F4 stint next year.
"In motorsports, it's not done until it's done but I am positive about next year," said a smiling Prasad, who beat Arjun Maini for the title last year.
