Suzuki’s 1993 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kevin Schwantz was the celebrated guest of honour at the final round of the 2015 Suzuki Gixxer Cup Championship at Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, India at the weekend.
Texan Schwantz was invited to fifth round of the all-new Suzuki one-make series by Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL), met the riders and mingled with more-than 800 Suzuki race fans - who rode to the circuit on their Gixxer SFs - before trying-out the Suzuki Gixxer SF and then a more-familiar GSX-R1000 Superbike around the 3.1km circuit.
Said Schwantz: “For Suzuki as a manufacturer to be involved and supporting a series like the Gixxer Cup, what an opportunity this is for kids that ‘wanna race to come and get on a bike and get on track. Suzuki is making it so cost-effective for young kids to get on a bike. Anytime you're riding a bike that's prepared by a factory, you are being watched by them too. When you go fast - and you dominate a race - there's a lot of potential opportunity that could come to a bunch of Indian kids out of this program for sure.
“This was my first time riding a Gixxer 150, and it was a lot of fun! I wish I could have done more laps on it. And riding a GSX-R1000 is always just unbelievable; it wheelies all the way down the straightaway at 200-220kph on the back wheel and 290kph down the back straightaway! The power, the handling, the ability of that bike is amazing!”
The Suzuki Gixxer Cup has been organised by MMSC and approved by FMSCI run at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, Madras Motor Race Track Chennai and Buddh International Circuit Greater Noida.
The Open category (riders over 23 years of age) saw Meka Vidhuraj take both the wins convincingly, leaving Kamlesh, Rajinikanth and Ananth Raj battling for their place on the podium.
The series Open Championship winner was Ananth Raj, who increased his margin over Abhishek V, who took runner-up despite a crash in the first race and a mid-field finish in race two; as Meka collected third overall due to his successful weekend results.
The Novice Races also saw a double win for Vishwadev Muraleedharan, with Amarnath Menon coming second and seventh. The rest of the podium positions were filled by Ajeesh, Simranjeet and Sebastian.
After a long and close season-long battle, the Novice Championship went to Vishwadev with Amarnath second and Sreejith – unable to attend the final round – third.
Both Open and Novice Champions get to go home with their Suzuki Gixxer SF and Suzuki Gixxer motorcycles, respectively, while the second and third positions take cash prizes of Rs.20,000 and Rs.10,000 each.
Said Mr. Masayoshi Ito, Managing Director, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd: “We end the 2015 Suzuki Gixxer Cup on a high note and a feeling of immense satisfaction! Not only have our Gixxer SF motorcycles performed extremely well, the riders who have raced with us through the season have also grown as racers and we all are surely going to take home many fond memories from this first season. The entire SMIPL family has worked hard to make this event a grand success and witness to the fact this is the grand finale in the esteemed company of none other than legendary World Champion Kevin Schwantz! The 2015 Suzuki Gixxer Cup has been an amazing experience for Team Suzuki as well as all the riders, crew members and organisations that were a part of this project! We can’t wait to be back for the 2016 season!”
Open Race 1: Laps: 8 (Short Loop 3.1km) 1 Meku Vidhuraj 13:57.519, 2 Kamlesh P Thakur 14:08.893, 3 Rajinikanth R 14:10.221. Best Lap: Meka Vidhuraj 1:44.044 (107.26 kmph).
Open Race 2: Laps: 8 (Short Loop 3.1km) 1 Meku Vidhuraj 14:00.875, 2 Kamlesh P Thakur 14:01.098, 3 Ananth Raj 14:03.081. Best Lap: Meka Vidhuraj 1:43.652 (107.66 kmph)
Novice Race 1: Laps: 6 (Short Loop 3.1km) 1 Vishwadev Muraleedharan 10:35.639, 2 Amarnath Menon 10:42.936, 3 Ajeesh A 10:43.683. Best Lap: Vishwadev Muraleedharan 1:45.681 (105.60 kmph)
Novice Race 2: Laps: 6 (Short Loop 3.1km) 1 Vishwadev Muraleedharan 10:35.468, 2 Simranjeet Singh 10:46.438, 3 Sebastian J 10:46.480. Best Lap: Vishwadev Muraleedharan 1:45.093 (106.19 kmph).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup 2015 Open Championship Results: 1 Ananth Raj – 180.5 Pts, 2 Abhishek Vasudev – 122.5 Pts, 3 Meka Vidhuraj - 118 Pts.
Suzuki Gixxer Cup 2015 Novice Championship Results: 1 Vishwadev Muraleedharan – 212 Pts, 2 Amarnath Menon – 184 Pts, 3 Sreejith PR – 68 Pts.
