Chennai, Oct 8 (PTI) Chennai collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) took the pole position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category as the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 began at the MMRT at nearby Sriperumbudur on Friday.

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The 19-year-old Sundar, who leads the championship standings in the Novice category following a double in the first round in August, overcame a shaky start in the qualifying session but recovered to post the fastest lap.

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Meanwhile, TVS Racing's Deepak Ravikumar (01:52.567) and Jagan Kumar (01:52.627) were among the quickest riders in the free practice session in the premier Pro-stock 301-400cc category with championship leader Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Racing) just behind them.

Later, Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing's Rajiv Sethu set the pace in the Pro-stock 165cc category during the free practice session by topping the time sheets with a hot lap of 01:56.344, ahead of TVS Racing pair of defending champion Jagan Kumar (01:56.405) and KY Ahamed (01:57.070). The close competition between Honda and TVS riders has produced several nail-biting finishes and this weekend's double-header promises more of the same.

In the Girls (Novice, Stock 165cc) category, championship leader Ryhana Bee (RACR) from Chennai was the quickest in Free Practice followed by defending champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) who is still to score a point this season.

In the qualifying sessions for the One-Make Championship organised by the MMSC, Puducherry's Navaneeth Kumar (TVS RR 310 Open), Rakshita Dave from Chennai (TVS Girls, RTR 200) and Prakash Kamat from Bokaro Steel City (Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup, Novice, CBR 150), qualified for pole positions in their respective categories.

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