13 national titles in pocket, ace rider Muddappa gunning for more

Ace Indian rider Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing, who has sealed one more championship title this year with a round to spare, will be gunning for more when he hits the track in the fourth and final round of MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship near here on Sunday.

Mudappa had bagged his 12th National title last year.

With an unbeatable lead of 29 points, the Bengaluru rider sealed the title in the 4-storke 1051 to 1650cc Super Sport class for his 13th title and he is taking part in three more classes, with a chance to increase his kitty.

He is also leading the 4-Stroke 851 to 1050cc Super Sport class by 22 points over compatriot Niranjan Kumar, and the 4-stroke Unrestricted class by 10 points over Mujahid Baig of Fast Track team.

However, Mudappa is behind Hyderabad ace Mohammed Riyaz, also of Fast Track, by 10 points in the 4-stroke 551 to 850cc Super Sport class.

Despite being the most-decorated drag rider in the country with many records across different tracks, the combination of Muddappa and Mantra Racing are hungry for more and are pushing the machines to reach the magic mark of 15 National titles.

"We worked hard and put in sustained efforts to reach this far. We are well-prepared and going all out to make history on Sunday," said Muddappa, who is nicknamed 'LightningR1 for his superfast runs.

No rider has ever won more than a dozen FMSCI National titles in the history of Indian motorsports.