Chennai, Apr 30 (IANS): Reigning National champion in his class, Hemanth Muddappa, displayed his masterclass once again to begin his 2023 campaign in style as he bagged a double in the opening round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Championship 2023 at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.

The Mantra Racing rider, a 10-time Indian National Drag Champion is the defending champion in the 1051 to 1650cc Superbikes class. On Sunday, he claimed the honours as the 'Fastest Rider' of the day.

On way to victory in the Four-stroke 1051 to 1650cc Super Sport class he defeated Sidharth Parmar of Mumbai with a handsome margin and then set the quickest time of Round 1, as he went on to win the Blue Ribbon event, the four-stroke Unrestricted class beating Mohammad Riyaz of Hyderabad by three-tenths of a second, a big boost for his 2023 season.

"When you touch rock bottom, it teaches you lessons that reaching mountain-tops never will," was how the fitness freak explained his exploits today. Last year, he set out his focus on three titles but was able to win the Championship in only one class, which may have disappointed the Indian record holder, but nevertheless Muddappa got his 10th National title in 2022.

The second of the four rounds will be organised by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) at the MIC on July 1 and 2.