The first season of the FIM MiniGP World Series India has wrapped up, with Shreyas Hareesh emerging as the overall winner ahead of Jinendra Kiran Sangave. Both youngsters will now represent India in the MiniGP finals that will be held in Valencia in November, during the 2022 MotoGP finale week.
- FIM MiniGP world finals on November 2-3
- Hareesh wins FIM MiniGP India, Sangave second
Shreyas Hareesh wins FIM MiniGP India
The FIM MiniGP series is a crucial platform for young riders looking to make it to MotoGP or international motorcycle racing in general. Fifteen countries around the world – including Australia, Qatar, Indonesia and the UK – host their national series, open to riders aged 10 to 14. Participants compete on the Ohvale GP-0 160 race bike, which is small in size but features a level of specification equal to most full-size race bikes.
The top two riders from each series then get the chance to compete in the FIM MiniGP World Series Final. This is the first time that India has hosted its own MiniGP series, with 10 races held across five rounds. 13-year-old Jinendra Kiran Sangave initially dominated proceedings by clinching five back-to-back wins. However, 12-year-old Shreyas Hareesh staged a remarkable comeback by winning four of the next five races.
Hareesh’s victory streak, combined with a tough final weekend for Sangave, saw the former take overall victory, with 220 points. Sangave is second with 213 points, well ahead of third-placed Nandanan Mahendran (153 points). Among the four girls who participated, Nithila Das was the strongest finisher, with 106 points placing her fifth overall.
Representing India in the FIM MiniGP world finals
Both Hareesh and Sangave will get to represent India in the world finals, which will take place on November 2 and 3, ahead of the 2022 MotoGP finale at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
The winner will earn a spot in one of the Road to MotoGP programmes on the next rung of their career ladder. The exact programme will be determined by the winning rider’s age as well as location.
