In addition to the Novice Class (Under 23 years) and Open Class (Above 23 years), Suzuki took the Gixxer Cup one step further this year by collaborating with the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup. The Road to Rookies Cup is a real launch pad for young riders in the age of 13 to 17 years to get access to the Rookies Cup in Spain and then on to Moto 3, Moto 2 and eventually MotoGP!
Thanks to the positive reputation and rapport garnered by the Suzuki Gixxer Cup in its maiden year, this season began with overwhelming participation for both Novice and Open classes, even from neighboring countries. Novice had a total of 39 entries and Open had 24 entries with many eagerly on the waitlist. Friday was spent with the riders going out on practice sessions in batches and getting re-acquainted with their race machines, feedback to the technical crew, and tweaking of the brakes and other minor adjustments. The race prepared Gixxer SFs have been upgraded to rear disc brakes, which helped in better braking control for our racers!
Sunday, as always, was the most energetic and active day of the Gixxer Cup weekend with 3 races lined up! Novice Race 2 had the riders in 2 groups, racing for 1st position and then for 4th, both being closely fought to the last lap. Finally, Aaron emerged the winner again, leaving the 2nd position for Joseph P Mathew and 3rd was claimed by Amarnath Rajan.
nd place went to Vivek Mani and 3rd to Prabhu V.
It was satisfying to know that the race Gixxer SFs performed about 2 seconds faster per lap compared to last year, clearly showcasing how well the machines and riders have evolved in the past year.
A visit by some 200 enthusiastic Gixxer customers from the area added to the fun and fanfare as they witnessed the Team Suzuki pits, the race bikes and all the racing action up close!
At the end of the day, our deserved winners were as follows:
- Novice Race 1
Laps: 6
1st: Aaron Gunawardena 9:03:050
2nd: Joseph P Mathew 9:08:852
3rd: Amarnath Rajan 9:17:098
Best Lap: Aaron Gunawarden 1:21:161 (93.1 kmph)
- Novice Race 2
Laps: 6
1st: Aaron Gunawardena 9:15:735
2nd: Joseph P Mathew 9:16:580
3rd: Amarnath Rajan 9:20:722
Best Lap: Joseph P Mathew 1:20:645 (93.7 kmph) - Open Race 1
Laps: 10
1st: B Rajnikanth 15:17:444
2nd: Vivek Mani 15:29:148
3rd: Prabhu V 15:30:765
Best Lap: 1:21:224 (93.1kmph) - Open Race 2
Laps: CANCELLED
Round 2 takes the Suzuki Gixxer Cup to the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai on the weekend of the 8thth









