Sepang
Indian teenager Rakshith Dave bagged two podium places in the third and final round to clinch a creditable runners-up spot, in his debut season, in the Malaysian Superbike Championship 2023, which concluded here at the Sepang International Circuit. Rakshith, who made his international debut in Round 1 with a stunning double victory in his class went on to bag the second place in the highly-competitive Championship in Malaysia. In Round 3, Rakshith won two podiums, a second and a third place in the MSBK 250 B Race category but had to be content with the second in the overall standings of his class for the championship. In the in the 8-lap Race 1, he timed 20min, 53.558sec and later clocked 20:41.903 for a second place in Race 2. Earlier, astride a Honda CBR250RR, Rakshith won both the Round 1 races in his class in the Malaysia SBK 250cc category (B category), at the famed MotoGP circuit, the Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur. Rakshith bagged the ‘Week-end Warrior Trophy’ in the first round. Chennai’s Rakshith, 15, a Class X student of Lady Andal, said: I am very happy to take a second place in the prestigious Malaysian Super Bike Championship. I am really elated and this gives me a push to continue my dreams. I thank my family, my team and crew who have worked really hard for this season and I hope to launch a new and better season soon. Rakshith made his debut at the Madras International circuit in 2020 after he was selected for the Honda India Talent Cup and took a podium in his very first race. In the next two years, he scored many victories and podiums and graduated to NSF 250 class and went on to take part in the inaugural MiniGP India series in 2022.
