Superbike racer Sandesh determined to do well on international circuit
New Delhi, May 5: Having returned to the track after recovering from injuries, superbike racer Sandesh Prasannakumar is determined to do well on the international circuit this year.
The Chennai lad had broken his collarbone in an accident on the track last year and another one just a week before the race. But despite the injuries the biker is confident of achieving success this year.
"I had a couple of crashes last year on the bike which resulted in a broken collarbone -- which didn't take much time to recover. I recovered fast, but I was low on confidence,"said Sandesh..
"Just when I got my confidence back and built the bike after the crash, I had another small crash a week before the race which disturbed the geometry of the bike and from then we are just unable to set the bike to my riding style and ride to the limit. But step by step we are getting there and I'm sure I'll be riding on the limit in no time," he added.
Winner of the JK Tyre Superbike Cup race (2016), Sandesh also spoke about the racing scenario in the country and said that the Indian racers are still 5-10 years behind their counterparts in other Asian countries and 15 years behind the European riders.
"Racing in India, we are 5-10 years behind the Asia championship guys and 15 years behind the European riders. We aren't sponsored by any companies as they show a lot of interest only in cricket which gives them more branding than what our sport does," he said.
"The resources here are very limited, we need to book a track and pay them for our training as well in advance," the racer added.
When quizzed about the scope of the game in the country, Sandesh said: "Racing has a huge scope for everyone if treated and nurtured well. I'm sure if the media, government and corporates start funding the sport it will be huge for India. We have all the capability to go for gold on the world stage."
Sandesh also shared his upcoming plans to participate in the Thailand Championship and some Asia Supermoto meet.
"The main aim is to get faster, learn a lot more and be the best I can be in India. I am planning to ride in Thailand superbike championship and do a couple of wild card races in Asia supermoto championship. And also get back this year the JK Tyre Superbike championship which I had won in 2016.”
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Surat LS candidate Nilesh Kumbhani whose nomination form was rejected suspended from Congress
Ahmedabad, Apr 25: The Gujarat Congress on Friday suspended from the party for six years its Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to the BJP's Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.
A statement from the Congress said the party's disciplinary committee decided to suspend Kumbhani after thorough discussion, adding it had come to the conclusion that the nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or "in connivance with the BJP".
"To be fair to you we have given time to you to explain your case but instead of coming before the party disciplinary committee you have gone incommunicado. After your form was rejected by the authorities, BJP went ahead and got form of other eight candidates withdrawn. This has deprived people of Surat their voting rights," the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Balu Patel said.
"People of Surat and party workers have become very angry due to your action and are expressing their anger in different ways. The Congress party has decided to suspend you for six years from the party," the press note said.
Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected on April 21 after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming the signatures on the document was not theirs.
The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated on the same grounds.
In his order, Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi said the three nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected after prima facie discrepancy was found in the signatures of the proposers and they did not appear to be genuine.
Kumbhani, a former corporator from Surat, had unsuccessfully fought the 2022 Assembly polls from Kamrej there.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha constituency on April 22 after all other nominees, including one from BSP, withdrew from the fray one by one on the last day of withdrawing papers.
