Ajay Kini bags driver championship title

Chennai: Bangalore`s Ajay Kini clinched the coveted Driver championship title in the Formula Swift category with a race to spare in the penultimate and sixth leg of the 13th J K Tyre FMSCI National Road Racing at suburban Irungattukottai MMST Track near Sriperumbudur on Saturday. Three of the five sections of races in the eleventh and penultimate round in Formula Swift, Formula LGB Rolon and Indian Super Saloon car events threw out winners other than the current Championship Points Table leaders but the top notch drivers continue to remain safe for the respective titles at the end of the races on Saturday. Though Ajay Kini has taken an unassailable lead in the Formula Swift event with a race to be held tomorrow in Formula Swift with 77 points, the overall second and third placed drivers could be identified tomorrow. Goutham Parekh of Chennai, Ajay Kini`s team mate from Wallace Sports is at present placed second with a slender margin of one point to Mumbai`s Ameya Walavalkar (TVS Girling with 63 points. A higher placed finish between these two tomorrow would decide the runner-up and third position. However, TVS Girling`s chances of winning the Team Championship title remain intact though Wallace Sports has narrowed the margin on points.Saturday`s event was won by City`s R Deepak of Mars Racing, a rank outsider from the top bracket on points finished first and S Narendran (TVS Girling) and Goutham Parekh came second and third respectively. The Formula Rolon event was to be cancelled as a lone car from Ram`s Racing with Delhi`s Kathik Shankar astride came on Starters Order and all other eight cars were faced with "Electronic Control Unit" problems in their cars. After a couple of warnings to the teams that the race would be cancelled if they are not ready, there was delay in start of the event. PTI