Indian drivers shone brightly at the Asian Auto Gymkhana Championship in Bandaragama, Sri Lanka, grabbing gold and silver medals amid the buzz of the FIA Asia-Pacific Motorsport Championship 2025. The action unfolded at the Bandaragama sports complex on Saturday, September 27.
New Delhi’s Achintya Mehrotra, 35, claimed the gold in a nail-biting finish against a tough field. He edged out Kyrgyzstan’s Vedenev Alexey by just two-tenths of a second after a dramatic shootout triggered by a technical issue and a two-second penalty for knocking over a cone. Mehrotra clocked an impressive 1:05 lap, down from his previous 1:10, and stayed focused despite the setback.
“I didn’t let up—I kept my pace and flow,” Mehrotra said. “Thrilled to snag this gold for India.” His teammate Prateek Dalal from Bahadurgarh, Haryana, wrapped up 13th.
In the women’s category, 21-year-old Tarushi Vikram from Chikmagaluru celebrated her international debut with a silver medal. She shook off early jitters with the track and her stock Hyundai i10 to hold second place. “This is my first global gymkhana event, and this silver means the world,” Tarushi said. “Raising the Indian flag on the podium felt incredible.”
Both Mehrotra and Tarushi gear up for more action in Sunday’s APMC segment of the gymkhana, where they could add to India’s medal haul.
Over in the Karting Sprint, young Indian talents impressed across the Cadet, Junior, and Senior classes heading into Sunday’s pre-finals and finals. Mumbai’s Kiaan Shah dominated Heat 1 with a win. In Cadets, Chennai’s 12-year-old Rehan Khan Rasheed, Faridabad’s eight-year-old Arshi Gupta, and Bengaluru’s 12-year-old B Rayan Gouda all snagged top-10 spots in every session.
The Senior class saw strong showings from Gurugram’s Aarav Dewan, Kottayam’s Thomas Jacob George, and Bengaluru’s Akshat Misra, setting up a promising day. “Our kids are delivering top-10 results—it’s a great sign for India’s medals tomorrow,” said karting team manager Prabha Shankar.
In Autocross (Crosscar), Bengaluru’s Chetan Shivram, a former national rally champ, led the Indians with a third-place finish to advance to the round of 16. New Delhi’s Phillippos Matthai took fifth, while Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda awaits qualification confirmation.
India’s solo E-Sports entry, Sahil Khanna from Gurugram in Assetto Corsa, put up a solid effort but missed the finals.
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