Ishaan Madesh, Rivaan Dev Preetham dominate: Meco Meritus Cup

Bengaluru, 27 April 2025: Promising local talent Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) and Chennai’s Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSport) came up with dominating performances in their respective categories in the first round of the Meco Meritus Cup karting competition at the Meco Kartopia track, here on Sunday.

Ishaan was in a league of his own in the Senior Max category where he won both the Sprint races besides topping the qualifying session to pick up maximum points and top the table.

Similarly, Rivaan won both Sprint wins in the Mini Max category as he held off another Chennai driver Rehan Khan. The two MSport teammates were brimming with confidence following their recent international participation in the Champions of the Future Academy Program. Mumbai’s Hamza Balasinorwala (Crest Motorsport) finished third.

Shiv Tummala (Peregrine Racing) from Hyderabad also notched a double in the Micro Max category, winning both the Sprint races. Peregrine Racing dominated the Micro Max class sweeping all the podium places in Race 2. Bengaluru’s Jishnu Seralathan came second in both the races while another local boy Zidaan Arshaan Anees, also from Peregrine, took the third place in the second race. Coimbatore’s Shivneel of MSport took third in the Sprint, the only podium place which Peregrine could not lay their hands on.

Pune’s Arafath Sheikh (Crest Motorsport) was unbeaten in the OKJ Junior class which the Meco Motorsports introduced in 2023 as the India Karting Academy Trophy (Junior Class) into the Meritus Cup, to give the Indian junior drivers an opportunity to experience the FIA OK-J engine which is a replica of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy that runs with the FIA homologated OK-J engines and the FIA homologated OTK Chassis.

Meco Motorsports, promoters of the National Karting Championship for over a decade, are pleased to announce the association with Sidvin Energy Engineering as the Presenting Sponsor and MRF as the partner sponsor for the Meritus Cup and the Meco fmsci National Karting Championship scheduled to commence next month.

Final results: Senior Max – Sprint Race 1 (14 laps):

1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (13mins, 08.334secs);

2. Arafath Sheikh (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (13:10.090);

3. Neythan McPherson (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (13:14.558).

Sprint Race 2: 1. Ishaan Maadesh (13:09.827);

2. Arafath Sheikh (13:11.029);

3. Nikilesh Raju (Bengaluru, MSport) (13:11.454).

OK Junior (15 laps):

1. Arafath Sheikh (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (14:12.912);

2. Kairav Roberson (Chennai, MSport) (14:14.878);

3. Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSport) (14:17.251).

Micro Max – Sprint Race 1 (10 laps):

1. Shiv Tummala (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (10:17.782);

2. Jishnu Seralathan (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (10:30.299);

3. Shivneel (Coimbatore, MSport) (10:30.531).

Race 2 (12 laps): 1. Shiv Tummala (12:43.633);

2. Jishnu Seralathan (12:46.972);

3, Zidaan Arshaan Anees (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (13:09.008).

Mini Max – Sprint Race 1 (10 laps):

1. Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai, MSport) (09:56.463);

2. Rehan Khan R (Chennai, MSport) (09:58.279);

3. Yatharth Gaur (Faridabad, Leapfrog Racing) (10:07.925).

Race 2 (12 laps): 1. Rivaan Dev Preetham (12:15.500);

2. Hamza Balasinorwala (Crest Motorsport) (12:15.941);

3. Rehan Khan (12:20.841).