Visakhapatnam, February 8 Basil Sunny, a rider from Ernakulam, won his first national title at the final of the MRF MoGrip FMSCI Indian National Supercross Championship held here on Sunday.
Despite pain from a torn ligament and a fractured left toe, and postponing medical treatment to complete the season, Sunny delivered one of the most determined campaigns in recent Indian Supercross history.
Although he didn't win a moto across the six rounds, his relentless top finishes and refusal to give up proved decisive, winning him the national title.
"I feel relieved, and it is such a wonderful feeling to win my first championship title despite all the on-field and off-track drama. I delayed treatment for the last 15 days to complete this final round. I am glad that hard work and sacrifice ultimately paid off," said Sunny after securing the title.
The premier SX1 class was won by Pune's Rugved Barguje, who reclaimed the national title after the challenge from Ikshan Shanbagh ended midway through the last moto.
Barguje, a five-time national champion, relied on consistency and race craft rather than risky heroics, to win his sixth national title.
Another TVS rider, Prajwal Vishwanath, won the 'Rider of the Day' in the final round but was not in contention for the crown.
In the novice category, Coimbatore's Shailesh Kumar of TVS Racing emerged as a standout performer to secure the national title.
The Indian Experts class saw Banteilang Jyrwa of Shillong assert his dominance in the championship, while the Private Experts division crown went to Abhi S Nath, also from Coimbatore.
Jinendra Sangave dominated the Junior SX1 category, while Pune's Chaitanya Joshi claimed the 85cc Junior SX2 title.
In the youngest championship class, Junior SX3, Vismay Ram Y topped the standings to bag the national title.