Bengaluru schoolboy Ruhaan Alva second in Italian Easykart Championship

Aided by a win and a fourth place finish in the back-to-back rounds, Bengaluru schoolboy Ruhaan Alva emerged vice champion in the Easykart 60 category of the Easykart Championship which concluded at the Lignano Sabbiadoro circuit in Italy on Sunday (September 10).

Ruhaan, supported by Italian kart manufacturer Birel Art, finished the nine-round championship tied with Patrese Lorenzo on 136 points. However, on count-back (number of wins), Ruhaan was adjudged vice champion, just 18 points behind overall winner Daniele D'Uroso. Ruhaan, in his debut season, had three wins, as against Lorenzo's one.

Ruhaan's final tally of points was all the more creditable considering that he missed the first round of the "60" category as he took part in the Mini before switching to the higher and more competitive class.

In Round Eight run on Saturday, Ruhaan qualified fourth in the heats, second in the pre-final with fastest lap. He came in second behind Adam Kowalski who, however, was docked 10-second penalty for starting the race on the wrong side of the grid and was shunted to eighth position. It elevated Ruhaan to first spot.

Going into Sunday's Round Nine, Ruhaan was third in the championship, trailing Lorenzo by just three points. He was ninth in the heats, fifth in the pre-final and fourth in the final. More crucially, he finished ahead of Lorenzo in the concluding round to earn 13 points as the two ended the championship tied on points, thus requiring the count-back which favoured the Indian.

"Overall, it was a fine performance by Ruhaan on debut in such a competitive championship. He started the season in the Mini category and won the opening round easily. We then decided to move him to the higher Easykart 60 category which had a bigger and more competitive grid.

"It was a steep learning curve for Ruhaan, but we are happy that he performed so well with three wins and a couple of podium positions to finish the championship as the vice champion," said an elated father Umakanth Alva.