Anish Shetty started fifth on the grid for the Professional race and still won it, beating the rider who had swept every Professional race in the previous round. Round 2 of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup 2026, presented by JK Tyre, finally ran at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on 24 and 25 October, about a month after its own published calendar said it would.
The Continental GT Cup is Royal Enfield’s one-make racing series built around its 650cc twins, and the amateur grid is open to anyone over 18 with a driving licence, no racing record required. We covered how that works, and what it costs Royal Enfield to run, in an earlier explainer on the 2026 season. This piece is about what actually happened on track.
Professional Class: Shetty Beats the Round 1 Sweeper
In Round 1, newcomer Senthil Kumar won every Professional race on the GT-R750, the new race prototype built only for 2026’s top class. Round 2 flipped that. Shetty won the decisive Race 3 by 4.091 seconds over Navaneeth Kumar despite starting fifth, setting the weekend’s fastest Professional lap at 1:15.648. Senthil Kumar, last round’s sweeper, finished third.
| Position | Rider | City | Gap / Note |
| 1 | Anish Shetty | Bengaluru | Started P5, fastest lap 1:15.648 |
| 2 | Navaneeth Kumar | – | +4.091s |
| 3 | Senthil Kumar | – | Won every Pro race in Round 1 |
Amateur Class: Kabir Sahoch Still Hasn’t Lost a Race
Kabir Sahoch’s Race 3 win on the GT-R650 was his third of the weekend, a clean sweep, and it follows a Round 1 sweep in September. Across two rounds and six races this season, he has not finished off the top step. His Race 3 margin was 1.793 seconds, with a fastest lap of 1:19.452.
| Position | Rider | City | Gap / Note |
| 1 | Kabir Sahoch | Vadodara | +1.793s, fastest lap 1:19.452 |
| 2 | Harish Yodhin | – | – |
| 3 | Saurav Sanjay Dey | – | – |
Round 2 ran alongside the CTR-JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship’s own season opener at the same venue, which had its own drama: a last-corner collision in the Indian Super Touring Cars, a 0.004-second photo finish in the F1300 Novice Cup, and a rain-hit, red-flagged finale in LGB Formula 4. The GT Cup races ran clean by comparison.
Video: Royal Enfield
A Season That Keeps Missing Its Own Calendar
Royal Enfield’s own press note, issued in May, scheduled Round 2 for 26 to 28 September. It ran almost a month later instead. Round 1 shows the same pattern: Royal Enfield’s calendar had it down for 22 to 24 August, but race coverage of that round only appeared in the second week of September. Two rounds in, both have slipped by roughly the same margin, which is worth knowing if you are planning to watch the Grand Finale in person.
How an Everyday Rider Actually Gets on This Grid
The amateur door is genuinely open: a valid driving licence, no prior racing licence, and the nerve to show up at a zonal trial. Around 6,000 people registered for the 2026 season online, and only 35 race seats exist, 20 Amateur and 15 Professional, so the odds are long. Amateurs race the GT-R650, built on the same 648cc parallel-twin platform as the road-going Continental GT 650, which starts at ₹3.58 lakh ex-showroom and tops out at ₹3.88 lakh. The race bike is a prepped version of a motorcycle you can walk into a showroom and buy.
Two rounds in, the Professional class has had two different winners and the Amateur class has had one rider who refuses to lose. That is a more interesting title fight than most one-make series manage.
What’s Next
The Grand Finale, Round 3, is scheduled for Kari Motor Speedway from 13 to 15 November, the weekend after Diwali. Given how the first two rounds have run, treat that date as a plan rather than a promise. Senthil Kumar and Anish Shetty go into it separated by one result each; Kabir Sahoch goes in as the only rider yet to be beaten.
What is the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup?
It is Royal Enfield’s one-make racing series for its Continental GT platform, run across three rounds at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. 2026 is its sixth season, and the first since 2022 to split Professional and Amateur riders onto separate grids with different bikes.
Can a regular rider actually enter?
Yes, for the Amateur class. Royal Enfield asks only for a valid driving licence and does not require a racing record or a bike of your own. Shortlisted entrants go through zonal trials and Track School sessions before a final selection round decides the 20 Amateur seats.
When and where is the next round?
Round 3, the Grand Finale, is scheduled for Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore from 13 to 15 November 2026. Both earlier rounds in this season ran roughly a month behind their announced dates, so that date could still move.
