Mangalore boy shines in dirt track racing

Mangalore, February 16: The greatest moment in the career of Siddanth Nayak of Mangalore, an emerging star on the horizon of dirt track racing, came five weeks after he turned 18 on January 7.

At Coimbatore on Sunday (February 13), he was adjudged the First Runner Up in the Rolon National Dirt Racing Championship. “This is the first time that I am getting a national honour,” Siddanth said on Tuesday with a sparkle in his eye. He did not look like being on the cloud nine though.

His father Satish Chandra Nayak, a city-based businessman, however, described the achievement as “excellent”. He too, however, is disheartened that Siddanth could not emerge champion.

It was a fall in the ninth lap in Coimbatore that did him in, the worried father told The Hindu.

Till then, he was placed second in the race and the fall spoiled his chances of becoming a champion. The track was hard and had “tight corners” (sharp curves), Siddanth said. “It was worth a ride,” he said sounding professional. Rolon National Dirt Racing Championship was conducted in four legs over several months in different parts of the country – Chadigarh, Kolhapur, Hyderabad and Coimbatore in that order – and points were given to riders for their overall performance in each leg.

After three legs, Siddanth was among the favourites and his family thought that he had a fair chance of becoming a champion. Hence he participated in it ignoring high fever he was suffering from. The young rider initially did not like to go on record that he had fever, lest others think he was giving an alibi for the failure to clinch the title. Although he began badly in Chandigarh where he did not get any of the top placements, he did well in the next two events and was placed first runner-up in both of them. In Coimbatore, he was placed third.

Motocross

While his father expects him to become “world champion,” Siddanth has set his eyes on riding a bigger bike (called built-bike or dirt bike) and may soon start training in Bangalore. As a beginner, he had been restricted hitherto to 130 cc or 165 cc bikes.

Now, the young man plans to move over to motocross dirt track racing which involves jumping of the bike, for which he needs training. A schedule of training for him to acquire new skill sets is to be drawn soon, he told The Hindu.

Siddanth, who has no qualms in calling himself the best dirt track racer in the city and hates wheeling for fun, will be seen in action in the district next week when he participates in the State-level dirt track race in Sullia. About 100 participants from the State are expected to take part in it. Catch him there, if you can.