INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Poleman Bottas retires with a rare engine issue for Mercedes

    Poleman Bottas retires with a rare engine issue for Mercedes

    Lewis Hamilton took a record-equalling 91st career victory, putting him on par with Michael Schumacher as Max Verstappen finished second and Daniel Ricciardo achieved his and Renault’s first podium of the season at F1 returned to the classic Nurburgring track.

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    London, 12 Oct 2020: Valtteri Bottas took pole position, out qualifying Lewis Hamilton for the first time in 5 races as Mercedes locked out the front row. Max Verstappen started P3 and Red Bull teammate Alex Albon lined up in P5, split by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in P4. Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo in P6 & Esteban Ocon in P7. McLaren too started with both cars in the top 10, Lando Norris in P8 and Carlos Sainz in P10. Sandwiched between them was Racing Points’s Sergio Perez in P9. His ‘new’ teammate, super-sub Nico Hulkenberg qualified in P20 as he filled in for an unwell Lance Stroll. Sebastian Vettel lined up in P11 ahead of the two AlphaTauri’s of Pierre Gasly in 12th and Daniil Kvyat in 13th. Antonio Giovinazzi made it to Q2 for the first time this season as he started in P14, 5 places ahead of his veteran teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen breaking the record of most starts by a driver in F1. Haas’ and Williams lined up in a two-by-two formation with Kevin Magnussen P15, Romain Grosjean P16, George Russell P17 and Nicholas Latifi P18.

    Cold temperatures and no running on Friday due to fog cover, tyre wear and strategies were unpredictable. Pirelli predicted the one stop from soft to medium tyres as the fastest strategy.

    Hamilton got a great start and pulled alongside pole sitter Bottas. Bottas was able to maintain his lead coming into turn 2 as Hamilton settled for P2. Behind Leclerc still maintained P4 but Albon lost out to Ricciardo. As the pack settled , Bottas had a 1.5s lead over Hamilton with Verstappen another 1.5s behind.

    By lap 8 Albon pitted for medium tyres as he badly flat spotted his starting set of tyres. Ricciardo overtook Leclerc on lap 9, using his superior pace of the Renault car against the Ferrari. Dark clouds also started to appear on the horizon with few droplets making their way onto the track. Leclerc flat spotted his tyres and had to pit on lap 11, meanwhile, his teammate Vettel spun during breaking at turn 1 as he tried to avoid Giovinazzi.

    Hamilton was 1.2s behind Bottas. Bottas made a decisive mistake on lap 13, locking right-front tyre and going wide into turn 1, allowing Hamilton to take the lead. By lap 14 Hamilton already had 2s lead over Bottas as he was forced to pit for medium tyres due to flat spotting his tyre into turn 1. Bottas emerged in P4 behind Ricciardo but quickly overtook him to settle into P3.

    Lewis Hamilton, right, pats Valtteri Bottas for taking the pole in the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, Saturday – LAT Images for Mercedes

    Lap 15 saw Russell get punted off by Raikkonen which resulted in a puncture for the Englishman. He was unable to make it to the pits and eventually retired. This saw a VSC come out, giving a faster pit stop to the cars who were yet to pit. This played well in the hands of Hamilton and Verstappen as Bottas had already pitted. Ricciardo pitted too, coming out behind Norris, Perez, Sainz and Ocon.

    Unfortunately, Bottas’s bad luck continued as in lap 19 he reported a power loss and had to retire the car, the first retirement for Mercedes in 2020. Ocon retired on lap 23 due to a hydraulic failure and Alex Albon retired on lap 25, again a power unit problem. Meanwhile, Norris too reported a loss of power in his McLaren but continued on. After Norris, Perez and Sainz pitted, Ricciardo was running comfortably in P3.

    By lap 40 Hamilton had a lead of around 10s over Verstappen. Ricciardo was running in P3 as he was being caught quickly by Perez in his fresher tyres. Sainz had made his way to P5 and Norris was in P6 still struggling to overcome the power loss..

    Norris’s car shut down on lap 45, bringing out the safety car as the top 6 cars pitted for soft tyres. Everyone struggled to keep temperatures behind the safety car. Hamilton and Verstappen seen complaining about the pace of the safety car on radio. Safety car ended on lap 50 as Hamilton made a quick getaway. Verstappen struggled for grip as Ricciardo challenged him for P2. Behind Hulkenberg after starting last, had made his way up to P8 and was challenging Leclerc for P7, who was overtaken by Gasly for P6.

    At the chequered flag, Hamilton won the 91st race of his career and equalled Schumacher. Verstappen finished P2 and Ricciardo got a well deserved podium in P3- his first since Monaco 2018. Perez finished in P4, Sainz in P5 and Gasly in P6, another good drive after starting outside of the points. Leclerc managed to hold off Hulkenberg for P7. Hulkenberg was driver of the day as without any practice he managed to get points in P8. Haas’s Grosjean got his first points of the season in P9 and Giovinazzi completed the top 10. Vettel finished where he started in P11 ahead of ex-teammate Raikkonen in P12 . Magnussen finished P13, Latifi in P14 and Kvyat in P15.

    Mercedes looked under threat from Red Bull during qualifying and interestingly all other teams closed up to Mercedes compared to their average gap in season. It maybe because there was no Friday running, therefore, Mercedes could not find the set up sweet spot and struggled a bit with tyres. They still managed to get a front row lockout and were never really challenged for the victory in the race. Hamilton yet again rewrote history by equalling Schumacher’s tally of wins. Red Bull looked to have made gains as they brought new front wing endplates which has improved the balance of the car. It may be an anomaly, but they were closer to Mercedes than they have been in previous races. Ferrari brought new barge boards and floor which has improved the performance of the car, especially in the hands of Leclerc as he qualified P4. Race pace still remains to be poor as both Leclerc and Vettel fell backwards during the Grand Prix.

    Renault have been on the rise since the Belgian GP, this time resulting in a well deserved podium for Ricciardo. He has finished in the top 5 in the last 5 races which shows Renault has made gains in both qualifying and race pace. They may even be ahead of McLaren in terms of car performance, remains to be seen for the last third of the season. McLaren were unable to find the setup sweet spot- similar to Mercedes, therefore, had poor a qualifying. Race was much better as both Norris and Sainz were able to hold on to their positions without being challenged. Racing Point have made gains, especially since Mugello GP when they introduced an extensive side pod bodywork update. They seem to be on par with Renault during the race.

    AlphaTauri are now 13 points behind Ferrari as the battle for 6th place in the constructors heats up. Their qualifying performances are not to behold but they always manage to get one of their cars in the points, this time Gasly in P6. Their race pace has been their strong pony this year and could overtake Ferrari if this trend continues. Alfa Romeo has looked like a much improved car since Mugello as Giovinazzi got into Q2 and finished in the points. Haas too seem to have solved their balance issues for this race, though, remains to be seen if this is the case for rest of the season. Williams has shown encouraging race pace and Russell thought he could have achieved points had he not been taken out by Raikkonen. This upward trajectory of Williams may soon enough see them on par or even ahead of Haas and Alfa Romeo.

  • Akbar Ebrahim elected as FMSCI president again; Farooq Ahmed new VP

    Chennai, 12 October 2020: Former racer and ex-FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim was unanimously elected as the president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) at the Annual General Meeting of held 2020 via Video Conference. Farooq Ahmed of Chikmagalur Motor Sports Club will be the new Vice-President replacing Shivu Shivappa for a term of two years.

    Akbar Ebrahim

    The FMSCI is the National Governing body of Motor Sports in India. It is a member of the World Governing body of Motor Sports the FIA the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile and the FIM the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.

    The FMSCI has more than 50 affiliated units across the country with more than 1200 registered athletes but unlike other federations, only the council members elect the office-members as per the FMSCI Constitution. The council consists of 10 members who are: 1) Akbar Ebrahim, Meco Motor Sports Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 2) Bharat Vivek Chandhok, Madras Motor Sports Club, Chennai 3) Farokh Commissariat, Indian Automotive Racing Club Ltd., Mumbai 4) Farooq Ahmed, Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Chikmagalur 5) Prithiviraj J., Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, Coimbatore, Member of The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) 6) Raj Kapoor, Northern Motorsports, Noida 7) Sanjay Sharma, Performance Cars Racing Trust, Delhi 8) Shivu Shivappa, Karnataka Motor Sports Club, Bengaluru 9) Ms Sita Raina, Calcutta Motor Sports Club, Kolkata 10) Tamal Ghosal, Just Sportz Management Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata.

    Farooq Ahmed file photo, addressing media in front of a Coffee Day Cafe in Chikmagalur in 2018. An FB image courtesy @motorsportsclubofckm 

    Akbar Ebrahim said: “I would like to thank the General Body Members, Outgoing President & Vice President, Current councillors and New councillors of the FMSCI for their unanimous support in mandating me as the President for another term in office. I would also like to congratulate Mr Farooq Ahmed on his election as Vice President which was unanimous and with no contest.”

    “Going forward, it is, without doubt, going to be a very challenging and tough year given the unprecedented pandemic situation the whole world is facing. I am sure that the FMSCI will collectively rise to the occasion and manage the situation to the best of its ability. I am also sure that in the coming days, weeks and months, the sport will start to flourish and bring back the smiles on each and every one of us who are passionate about the sport,” Ebrahim added. 
    `The outgoing President J Prithviral said: `I place on record my gratitude and thanks to the entire Motorsport fraternity for the support during my tenure as President. Motorsport was also affected because of Covid- 19, things are looking brighter now and trust we will be in top gear soon.” 

  • Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record

    Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record

    Chennai, 10 October 2020: Defending champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing, astride a Suzuki Hayabusa broke the National Drag Record, setting a new mark of 7.783 seconds beating his own record over the 302- metre MMRT Drag Strip. The Madras Motor Sports Club kick-started the domestic 2020 motorsport season by successfully conducting the first round of the MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship in a secure bio-bubble environment at the MMRT circuit here on Sunday.

    The 30-year Bengaluru-based Coorgi, a three time National champion, touched a top speed of 222.49 kmph despite the third fastest reaction time of 1.658 sec at the start, to began the season on a winning note. He broke his own National record of 7.976 which he set in the round two last year on 6 October and equalled in the Championship winning last round in December. The bike was tuned by Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru. Muddappa won the National championship consecutively in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

    While Mudappa expectedly topped the time charts, clocking a blistering time for the sprint in the Super Sport 4-stroke Above 1051cc class, he could only come second in the 851 to 1050cc class as Mohammed Riyaz of Hyderabad won the dash. Rulex Rockers Racing team’s Bharatraj and Mohammed Rafiq notched a double apiece in their respective categories. Defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the girls category on Saturday.

    “I have been eagerly waiting to get back on track and am keeping myself fit. I was confident of clocking the best time, but beating the track record again is a bonus. I look forward to a consistent season to retain my National title,” said the Coorgi, who is primarily into civil contracts and also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’. He is based in Bengaluru. 

    Sporting activity came to a grinding halt in March and since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship hosted the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.

    Managing some 116 entries besides a host of officials, volunteers and employees, the MMSC went to great lengths to strictly implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and protocols as mandated by Government guidelines designed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. In view of the restrictions, no spectator or guest was permitted entry to the venue, while each competitor was allowed only one helper or mechanic, and the races were spread over two days (Saturday and Sunday) so as to limit the size of the congregation to under 100.

    MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “Following weeks of preparations and working on the SOPs as dictated by the government guidelines, it was great to go racing again after a break of seven months. Though we had to make do without a sponsor, we spared no expense to create a secure bio-bubble at the track. Of course, as per sporting regulations, we had a fully-equipped Medical team to deal with any emergency.

    “As much as the sport mattered to us, we gave top priority to health of all involved in the event. The strict protocols, followed by all at the venue, involved temperature checks, frequent hand sanitization and physical distancing. We also restricted entry to only essential persons, besides competitors.”

    The results: 4-Stroke Super Sport:

    Champion in the Above 1051cc class Hemant Muddappa (centre) flanked by second-placed Hafizulla Khan (left) and third-placed Harish Naik. An MMSC image

    Above 1051cc: 1. Hemant Mudappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.783secs); 2. Hafizulla Khan (Bengaluru) (08.374); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.721).

    851-1050cc: 1. Mohammed Riyaz (Hyderabad) (07.922); 2. Hemant Mudappa (08.162); 3. Sugan Prasad (Bengaluru) (08.382).

    361-550cc: 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (12.256); 2. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (12.350); 3. Karthik Mateti (Telangana) (12.518).

    226-360cc: 1. J Bharatraj (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.805); 2. Vivek Pillai (Team Alisha Abdullah, Chennai) (13.104); 3. P Yogeswaran (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (13.137).

    Up to 165cc: 1. Bharatraj J (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.580); 2. PM Soorya (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.656); 3. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (15.039).

    Saturday: Novice (Girls, Stock up to 165cc): 1. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (16.512); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (16.642); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Chennai) (16.781).

    2-Stroke Super Sport 131-165cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (12.843); 2. Manoj Kumar S (13.228); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.253).

    Up to 130cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (13.381); 2. R Madhan Kumar (13.584); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.954).

  • Hamilton equals Schumi’s record with 91st win

    Hamilton equals Schumi’s record with 91st win

    Lewis Hamilton took his 91st career victory with a dominant drive to the flag in the Eifel Grand Prix that puts him level with Michael Schumacher on Formula 1’s list of all-time winners. In cold and tricky conditions at the Nurburgring the Briton passed team-mate and early race leader Valtteri on lap 12 and thereafter drove faultlessly to finish ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo who scored the French marque’s first podium finish since 2011. 

    When the lights went out at the start, Verstappen held his starting place but when pole position man and early race leader Valtteri Bottas dropped out of the race with a technical issue Verstappen climbed to second place behind Hamilton and thereafter drove a composed race to the flag. 

    It was a more painful day for Alex Albon, however, with the Thai driver forced out of the race after 23 laps by stone damage to a radiator.

    At the race start Hamilton made a better getaway than team-mate Bottas but as the pair headed into Turn 1, the Finn tried to hang on around the outside, a move that sent both Mercedes cars wide. Verstappen closed in but Hamilton and Bottas were swiftly back on track, with Bottas somehow squeezing through Turn 2 ahead of his team-mate. 

    Behind them Alex made a sluggish start from P5 on the grid and as he went into Turn 2 he was passed by Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo. The Thai driver tried to fight back but locked up into Turn 3 and lost ground to the Australian who quickly began to chase down Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. 

    The race settled briefly, but on lap 12, under pressure from Hamilton Bottas locked up and went wide into Turn 1 and the championship leader seized the chance to power past his team-mate and take the lead. Bottas then pitted and took on a new set of medium tyres. 

    Within moments of the lead changing hands, the complexion of the race changed again. George Russell was involved in a collision with Kimi Raikkonen when the Alfa Romeo driver braked too late into Turn 1 and lost and bounced the Williams off track. 

    Russell tried to limp back to the pit lane but the damage was too great and he was forced to stop at the side of the track. The brought out the VSC and during the caution Hamilton and Verstappen pitted, with both taking on medium compound tyres. 

    At the front Hamilton was now firmly in control of the race and at two-thirds distance the Mercedes driver was a little over nine seconds ahead of Verstappen who was now a massive one minute ahead of Ricciardo 

    However, what seemed like a foregone conclusion was briefly spiced up on lap 43 when Lando Norris pulled over at the side of the track, his McLaren finally succumbing to electrical issues that had plagued it for most of the race. 

    The Safety Car was deployed and that sparked a rush to the pitlane. Both Hamilton and Verstappen took on soft tyres under the SC, with Ricciardo also pitting for the red-banded rubber. 

    When the SC left the track, Hamilton held his lead but Verstappen, who had suffered a small lock-up in the final corners, was almost mugged by Ricciardo as they went into Turn 1. The Dutch driver recovered, however, and swiftly slammed the door on his former team-mate to reating second place. Ricciardo held third ahead of Pérez and Sainz but behind them Pierre Gasly completed a brave move past Leclerc to claim sixth place.

    And there the order settled. After dismissing Ricciardo’s re-start challenge, Verstappen steadily opened a gap to Ricciardo, as ahead Hamilton eked out a small margin back to the Red Bull driver. 

    The only tussle remaining was the one for fastest lap. On lap 58 Hamilton powered to a purple time of 1:28.145, but as if to prove the point that the Bulls had closed in over the weekend, Verstappen found an extra reserve of pace on the final lap of the race to edge the Mercedes driver by six thousandths of a second. 

    Behind the top two, Ricciardo took his first podium finish since his win with Red Bull Racing in Monaco 2018, while Sergio Pérez took fourth for Racing Point. Fifth place went to McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard finishing just ahead of Gasly and Leclerc. Racing Point supersub Hulkenberg finished in an impressive eight place after starting 20th and the final two points places went to Haas’s Romain Grosjean and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi.

    2020 FIA Formula 1 Eifel Grand Prix – Race
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 60 1:35’49.641 
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 60 1:35’54.111 4.470
    3 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 60 1:36’04.254 14.613
    4 Sergio Pérez Racing Point/Mercedes 60 1:36’05.711 16.070
    5 Carlos Sainz McLaren/Renault 60 1:36’11.546 21.905
    6 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 60 1:36’12.407 22.766
    7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 60 1:36’20.455 30.814
    8 Nico Hülkenberg Racing Point/Mercedes 60 1:36’22.237 32.596
    9 Romain Grosjean Haas/Ferrari 60 1:36’28.722 39.081
    10 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 60 1:36’29.676 40.035
    11 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 60 1:36’30.451 40.810
    12 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 60 1:36’31.117 41.476
    13 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 60 1:36’39.226 49.585
    14 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 60 1:36’44.090 54.449
    15 Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri/Honda 60 1:36’45.229 55.588
    Lando Norris McLaren/Renault 42 1:06’15.551 Power Unit
    Alexander Albon Red Bull/Honda 23 36’51.535 Power Unit
    Esteban Ocon Renault 22 35’10.341 Hydraulics
    Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 18 28’59.777 Power Unit
    George Russell Williams/Mercedes 12 19’37.453 Collision

  • Petrucci wins a wet race; Alex Marquez arrives with a 2nd from P18

    Petrucci wins a wet race; Alex Marquez arrives with a 2nd from P18

    Le Mans, 11 October 2020: Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) is a wet weather master, but until now the Italian was always the bridesmaid in the rain. But no longer, as the number 9 put in a stunner in the Shark Helmets Grand Prox de France to take his second premier class win and first in the wet. It’s Ducati’s first victory at the Sarthe circuit too, with Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) marking his own first in second place as the rookie took a stunning maiden premier class podium – from 18th on the grid. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing completed the rostrum in another impressive ride in the wet, pipping Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) as the Italian was forced to settle for fourth – but far outscored his key title rivals.

    Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) took the holeshot, the Australian characteristically quick off the line, with Crutchlow swooping through trying to take the long way round. Polesitter Quartararo lost out as he dropped behind Miller, Petrucci and Dovizioso, but he was quick to try and fend off an attack from Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). He did initially, but the drama early on Lap 1 turned more heads: Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) skittled out, sending two crucial title contenders wide and dropping them right down the field: Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).

    Back at the front though, it was Petrucci who’d taken over in the lead, the Italian looking comfortable ahead of compatriot and teammate Dovizioso as they got through on early leader Miller. The three had a couple of seconds in hand ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), who had sliced his way through on Pol Espargaro to take over in the chase to catch the podium fight, but the Suzuki man was on a charge as Quartararo slipped backwards, Viñales continued his charge forwards and Mir remained relegated to outside the points as the latter two tried to recover from their early run off.

    Pol Espargaro had Crutchlow for company, but soon there was another machine on the scene. Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda team) was showing incredible pace as the Spaniard caught and passed Crutchlow, and then he was homing in on Pol Espargaro – with fastest lap after fastest lap. And then all hell broke loose…

    Rins, after catching the front group, had a nibble or two at Miller, before a few laps later the Suzuki man threw everything up the inside in a multi-buy for the lead – right after Dovizioso had taken over at the front. Dovi was shuffled back, contact ricocheted through the group and it was Petrucci who managed to emerge ahead, Rins second and Miller slotting back into third after running off and holding up his hand to give the advantage back.

    And then there was more: a puff of smoke from the rear of Miller’s Ducati saw the Aussie forced to sit up and he was suddenly out with a mechanical – and then Rins suddenly slid out of contention. That shot of sudden drama left Petrucci with a couple of seconds in hand at the front, Dovizioso in second and Alex Marquez now up into third as the impressive rookie had sliced through on Pol Espargaro. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was close behind too, with the podium far from decided.

    The gap to Petrucci was coming down, butMarquez was also right on Dovi. And sure enough, the number 73 picked his moment to perfection and sliced through – then immediately starting to make a gap back and catch Petrucci. The laps were running out, but the rookie was on an almighty charge.

    Pol Espargaro struck to take third from Dovizioso soon after, before the Italian found himself in a battle with Miguel Oliveira as well. Onto the last lap just ahead though, it was 1.2 seconds from Petrucci back to Marquez, the rookie taking a good chunk of tenths off but the time ticking down. And the number 9 in the leading was holding firm, perfectly poised on the way to a second Grand Prix win…

    Ultimately, the Italian wouldn’t be caught as he crossed the line for Ducati’s first win at Le Mans, his second premier class win and a huge boost of confidence after a difficult season. Alex Marquez kept it upright to get the incredible return for his stunning pace – having only ridden in the wet on Friday – with Pol Espargaro holding Dovizioso at bay.

    Oliveira ended up with his hands full in the fight for fifth, and some late race pace from home hero Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) saw the Frenchman mug the Portuguese rider to end the race as top Independent Team rider in fifth. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) took seventh and was the second Honda home as Cal Crutchlow crashed out, with Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) in P8. And then came the three who begun the race on top in the title fight…

    Fabio Quartararo won the tight, tight tussle for ninth as the Frenchman managed to fend off 2021 teammate Viñales late on, but it was a three-way scrap to the absolute last as Viñales then also managed to beat Mir to the line by almost nothing. The result? Quartararo extends his Championship lead to ten points ahead of Mir, and Dovizioso leapfrogs Viñales into third overall…

    Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the next man over the line in P12 after a tougher first race in the wet for the South African, with Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) taking P13. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was 14th, was Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) completing the points and those classified in France.

    That’s it from a dramatic Le Mans, and now we head for the very different MotorLand Aragon. Back to home turf for many and with some chances lost in France, the title fight remains incredibly tight – so don’t miss another dose of MotoGP™ next weekend!

  • Tom Kristensson wins Junior WRC Rally Sardinia

    Tom Kristensson wins Junior WRC Rally Sardinia

    • Tom Kristensson took a commanding victory on Rally d’Italia Sardinia bouncing back from retirement on Rally Estonia.
    • Fabrizio Zaldivar becomes the first every Paraguayan to take a podium in FIA Junior WRC, taking his best ever result with the second.
    • Martins Sesks and Sami Pajari were hampered by issues but clawed back 11 Wolf Stage Points out of an available 15 between them, with Sesks finishing third and Pajari fifth.

    Sardinia, 11 October 2020: Kristensson led from the start, opening a convincing 20-second lead on Pajari and 40 seconds Sesks who span on the tight and technical first stage.

    Sesks responded to win on SS2, taking 10 seconds out of Kristensson’s lead and moved into second as Pajari struggled.

    Stage four brought a lot drama, seeing Sesks, Ruairi Bell, and Enrico Oldrati retire for the day as Zaldivar kept his cool and found himself third at the conclusion of the opening loop.

    Bell’s pace was impressive, with his confidence building stage to stage until he sent his Fiesta Rally4 hurtling into a bale at some speed on the second pass of Erula-Tula at the end of the first loop. 

    Kristensson was handed the perfect opportunity to close the championship points gap seizing another stage win on SS5 as flying Finn Pajari responded on the final stage of the day to claim his second stage win of the rally. By this point Kristensson already had a significant lead over second-placed Pajari but the drama continued in the FIA Junior WRC Championship on Saturday. 

    Kristensson extended his lead through Saturday’s six stages with Pajari hitting trouble on the opening stage of the day after breaking a driveshaft over a jump.

    Pajari’s retirement saw Zaldivar climb to second with a healthy gap to Martins Sesks in third who was a cut above the rest in terms of stage times. The Rally Estonia winner began his opening streak of stage wins on SS7, signing off stages eight and nine in the same fashion with a puncture preventing the Latvian from winning every stage of the loop. He returned to form on Saturday’s final pair of stages delivering back to back stage wins.

    By the conclusion of Saturday Kristensson held almost a nine-minute lead and four stage wins.

    Briton Ruairi Bell posted a good haul of top-three stage times and even looked set for a stage win on stage 12 until a spin cost him that opportunity. Bell was holding fourth until the final stage of the rally, where he retired after breaking a driveshaft.

    Pajari hit back with blistering pace on Sunday, taking a pair of stage wins on the first passes of Cala Flumini and Sassari-Argientera. The penultimate stage was cancelled meaning a stage point wasn’t awarded for SS15 however Pajari was straight back on it on the final stage, grabbing another crucial stage point. Kristensson openly admitted to sticking to a safe and steady pace to secure 25 classification points for his fourth victory in FIA Junior WRC. 

    Sesks now leads the championship with 68 points as Kristensson has closed the gap down to just ten points and is now second with 58 as Pajari has slipped to third with 54 points.

    The fight is even closer when discounting the top three’s worst classification points, with Kristensson actually leading on 58 points, Sesks second with 53 and Pajari third on 44. 

    Wolf Stage Win points have massively closed the gap between the top three and there are 60.5 points available and everything to play for on Renties Ypres Rally Belgium, the FIA Junior WRC Championship finale on 19-22 November.

    Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Team Director, said: “Congratulations Tom and Joakim on a superbly driven rally with no mistakes, this was definitely redemption for them after retiring on Estonia and they are in a very strong championship position now. Fabrizio Zadlivar becomes the first ever Paraguayan to stand on the FIA Junior WRC podium which is a huge achievement for him and his country, he should be really proud. Martins and Sami, despite their issues delivered some incredible stage times yesterday and today. It’s evident they have a lot of motivation to do everything they can to win the championship which makes the prosect of the championship finale all the more exciting.”

    RALLY ESTONIA CLASSIFICATION
    1. Tom Kristensson / Joakim Sjöberg 3:07:49.1
    “We started very good, actually we started on a really high pace and went slower or safer from there! There have been many tough places on the rally, but we enjoyed it very much. There have been many twisty and nice places, this island is amazing, at the end the last day was about bringing the victory home and getting to the finish. I’m not 100% focussed on the championship still, I will focus on the next rally and push for a victory like here.”

    2. Fabrizio Zaldivar / Fernando Mussano +11:25.4
    “This is amazing! It has been a long weekend, on Friday we secured a very good position and on Saturday we got second position which was a big surprise. After that it was very long for me with many things to manage to not get a puncture or hit anything with the car. Finishing today with my first podium in FIA Junior WRC is amazing.”

    3. Martins Sesks / Renars Francis +29:56.2 
    “Well the weekend was such a big rollercoaster filled with ups and downs for sure, after the fourth stage it felt like a nightmare and then we had issues with the car. But we managed some good points and third place, it’s incredible.”

    4. Enrico Oldrati / Elia de Guio +37:01.1
    “For us it was an unlucky weekend, but this is rallying and we accept it. The first day we broke the steering arm and restarted the rally on Saturday, after that the rally was good for us as we tried to improve our pace notes and pace. I am super happy to finish, the car went well as well as the tyres.”

    5. Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen +58:14.7
    “The rally was really difficult so I needed to take the points that were available. We had some difficulties but mostly everyone did, it was really frustrating and sad to have them but there’s nothing we can do about it now. We tried to win the stages on Sunday to take all the stage points which worked out well in the end. I think that the three top guys have got a serious chance at winning the championship, maybe I am the weakest at the moment but you will never know.”

    6. Marco Pollara / Maurizio Messina +76:50.4
    “For me it wasn’t a good rally or week because I had a lot of problems but today I chose not to push because I wanted to make it across the finish.”

    RETIRED:
    Ruairi Bell / Darren Garrod
    Fabio Andolfi / Stefano Savoia

  • Dani Sordo-del Barrio win Rally Sardinia

    Dani Sordo-del Barrio win Rally Sardinia

    Sardinia, 11 October 2020: Hyundai driver Dani Sordo along with co-driver C del Barrio has taken back-to-back victories on Rally Italia Sardinia, winning this year’s event by 5.1 seconds, to repeat his victory on the same event last year. Sordo went in front on Friday and controlled his advantage all the way to the finish, winning five out of the 16 gravel stages in total.

    Although he had his lead reduced this morning, the Spaniard’s victory was assured after a nearly flawless run. Behind him, the runner-up spot was contested in an intense battle right down to the final six-kilometre Power Stage.

    Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier – the winner of six stages in Sardinia out of sixteen – regained strength from Saturday onwards, once he was running a bit lower down the order, hence being less affected by sweeping away loose gravel.

    The Frenchman fought a very close battle against Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, with the duo separated by only a tenth of a second after the first of three stages today. In the end, Neuville sealed the runner-up spot on the final stage: by just one second.

    Championship leader Elfyn Evans was most affected by the soft and sandy gravel of Sardinia though, running first on the road throughout Friday with his Toyota. He too could improve his pace from Saturday onwards to seal fourth, although nearly a minute behind the battle for the podium. Nevertheless, this was enough for the Welshman to retain the top spot in the championship standings.

    M-Sport Ford driver Teemu Suninen finished fifth – a disappointing result for the Finn after hos strong performance on Friday as he set the first fastest stage time and run in a strong second place for a long time. Unfortunately, mechanical problems on Saturday meant that he dropped down the order, eventually finishing in fifth place.

    The Finn was still the top Fiesta driver, after his team mates Esapekka Lappi and Gus Greensmith encountered problems of their own. Lappi was out on the first day, while Greensmith’s car switched itself off on the Power Stage before re-starting.

    Reigning World Champion Ott Tänak was sixth, having fought back from suspension problems on the opening day to win the Power Stage. Another Hyundai i20 WRC, driven by French privateer Pierre-Yves Loubet, was seventh – his first finish in a World Rally Car.

    The FIA WRC2 category was won by Toksport WRT’s Pontus Tidemand, who made steady progresses with his Škoda Fabia Evo to win the class after moving into the category lead on Friday afternoon. Hyundai Motorsport N’s Ole Christian Veiby finished 28.8s behind him,while Tidemand’s team-mate Eywind Brynildsen completed the class podium for manufacturer-backed competitors. 

    Finland’s Jari Huttunen claimed a second FIA WRC3 victory this year in the Rally2-specification i20, also finishing eighth overall. Kajetan Kajetanowicz is the class’ second and Marco Bulacia third.

    Tom Kristensson won the FIA Junior World Rally Championship classification in his Ford Fiesta R2T, by a considerable margin in front of Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zaldivar and Latvia’s Martin Sesks.

    2020 Rally Italia Sardegna – Final unofficial results:

    1. Dani Sordo (ESP) / Carlos Del Barrio (ESP)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 41min 37.5sec
    2. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 41min 42.6sec
    3. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 41min 43.6sec
    4. Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR)Toyota Yaris WRC2 hr 42min 39.8sec
    5. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC2 hr 43min 11.4sec
    6. Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 44min 05.0sec
    7. Pierre-Louis Loubet (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA)Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC2 hr 46min 21.3sec
    8. Jari Huttunen (FIN) / Mikko Lukka (FIN) FIA WRC3Hyundai NG i202 hr 50min 19.2sec
    9. K. Kajetanowicz (POL) / M. Szczepaniak (POL) FIA WRC3Škoda Fabia Evo2 hr 51min 40.4sec
    10. P. Tidemand (SWE) / P. Barth (SWE) FIA WRC2Škoda Fabia Evo2 hr 51min 58.4sec
  • Tom Kristensson takes convincing lead on Saturday: Junior WRC

    Tom Kristensson takes convincing lead on Saturday: Junior WRC

    • Tom Kristensson extended his lead through Saturday’s six stages on Rally d’Italia Sardegna while also increasing his stage win points tally.
    • Sami Pajari started the day in a short-lived second position, retiring on the opening stage of the day after breaking a driveshaft over a jump.
    • Fabrizio Zaldivar now sits second and is on the cusp of taking his best result in FIA Junior WRC to date with a healthy gap to Martins Sesks in third.

    Sesks went into the day fourth, but soon climbed to third following Pajari’s retirement on stage one where the Rally Estonia winner began his opening streak of stage wins, signing off stages two and three in the same fashion. The Latvian suffered a puncture on stage four, ending his mission to tick off every stage win of the loop and opted to bring the car home safely to service and hold his podium spot. He returned to form on the final pair of stages delivering back to back stage wins bringing his total stage win points to six for the rally which could prove crucial for the championship.

    Kristensson had a fairly uneventful, but crucially consistent day, delivering safe and competitive stage times to finish Saturday with almost a nine-minute lead and one stage win.
    Briton Ruairi Bell didn’t finish outside of the top-three on Saturday cementing his fourth position by building a comfortable three-minute gap to Enrico Oldrati. A stage win was on the cards on stage 12 until an untimely spin cost him that opportunity and ultimately meant he finished third. Should Bell maintain his position throughout the four remaining stages on Sunday, he will match his best finish in FIA Junior WRC yet.

    Zaldivar’s opening loop was less than ideal in terms of pace with the South American claiming he went for a poor setup choice. He was able to keep his Fiesta Rally4 on the road though and hold second position.

    Marco Pollara was able to get his rally back on track on Saturday, making it safely through every stage until SS12 where he broke his steering arm and retired. Pollara will restart the rally on Sunday for the final four stages of the rally.

    Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Team Director, said: “Today has delivered some interesting strategies and performances throughout the FIA Junior WRC field. Tom has delivered a level-headed performance and kept control of his lead as it is important for his championship hopes to take a good haul of classification points. Martins meanwhile has dominated in terms of stage wins today which in turn helps his championship campaign as all stage win points are counted towards the championship. It was a big shame for Sami and it is never easy to see a drive retire in such circumstances, I am looking forward to seeing what he will do tomorrow as it’s potentially damage limitation mode with four stage win points up for grabs.”

    Tom Kristensson, rally leader, said:“Well it’s a crazy situation at the moment with the results but for sure we are really happy to be in the lead. I could not imagine the rally could be so tough and we would perform as well as we could have done. We are really satisfied, and tomorrow will also be a tough day but we will just take the car to the end and take home the victory.”

  • Lorenzo podium for Sherco TVS team; Santosh finishes 23rd

    Lorenzo podium for Sherco TVS team; Santosh finishes 23rd

    Andalucia, 10 October 2020: Consistently fast on these Spanish pistes and navigating superbly, overall victory on the Andalucía Rally 2020 went to the Argentinian Kevin Benavides (Monster Energy Honda Rally). Second (at 7’42) was Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally), a remarkable comeback for the Frenchman after his big Dakar crash.Just seconds behind him in third (at 7’54) was an impressive Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco TVS Rally Factory), achieving his first major rally podium.

    Both the Indian rally riders, who took part in the rally finished the event. Hero’s CS Santosh finished a creditable 23rd while Harith Noah of Sherco TVS managed to complete the rally in 43rd place. Santosh’s teammate Joaquim Rodriques finished 11th.

    In the cars, the favorite going into this rally didn’t disappoint, with Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) taking a hard earned victory. Much to his surprise, Carlos Sainz (X-Raid Mini JCW) managed to get his 2-wheel drive buggy into second place 3’14 behind the winner, with Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive) third at 10’31.

    Holding the overall lead since the start of this Andalucía Rally 2020, Kevin Benavides was the man on form here in Spain, aboard his Monster Energy Honda, and delighted to take this victory in the run up to the Dakar. Commented the Argentinian: “Obviously we haven’t been doing a lot of racing since the Dakar but I have been training hard and working with a sports psychologist to maximize my performance. I live near Salta and the tracks there aren’t dissimilar to what we discovered here in Andalusia so that helps. I didn’t really have a strategy I just took each day at a time. The bike went really well and the team did a great job.”

    If Kevin Benavides started this morning with a relatively comfortable margin, the same couldn’t be said for second placed man overall Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally). Indeed, at km 152 his challenger for the second step on the podium Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco TVS Rally) was 3 seconds in the virtual lead. Said Adrien at the finish line: “After my crash on the Dakar, for the first time in my career, I wondered if I really wanted to continue racing. I thought about it a lot and in the end I decided to continue for myself, for my personal satisfaction. That’s not to say I’m not grateful to my team and my sponsors, but it was an important shift in mentality for me. So, to come back here and prove to myself that I am capable of running at the top of the pack is a grand satisfaction. Many thanks to David Castera and his team for making this race possible.”

    In third place, taking his first podium racing against the cream of rally-raid riders, was the Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco TVS Factory): “Yes, super happy to finish third here. Maybe, the fact that I am Spanish and we were racing on Spanish soil was good for me but it is nevertheless important for my confidence going into the Dakar. The team has been working hard to develop the bike and it went really well here, so many thanks to them.”

    Lorenzo Santolino in action on the final day. Photos by ODC

    Away from the podium there were noteworthy performances from the rookie Australian Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory) who showed right from the start that he had the speed, by finishing ex aequo with teammate Toby Price on the Super Special, and that he’d made spectacular progress with the navigation by winning today’s last stage, just 7 seconds ahead of his countryman Toby Price. Special mention also to Monster Energy Yamaha Rally’s new recruit Ross Branch who won a special and was in the hunt overall until he ran into problems on yesterday’s stage. Clearly, he has the right pace and the right attitude to achieve great things. 

    In Rally 2 victory went to multi world enduro champion David Knight (HT Rally) ahead of Czech freestyler Libor Podmol with Camille Chapeliere (KTM Baines Motos) third. Commented the big bloke from the Isle of Man: “The main thing here for me was to finish the race to validate my 2021 Dakar entry, so that’s mission accomplished. To win the Rally 2 class is obviously a big bonus. Having done this rally I’m actually looking forward to the Dakar more than before I started it. It’s a really interesting sport and you learn something every day. Today for example, over the second part, I calmed down a little and really concentrated on the navigation to avoid any penalties and I actually rode much better. But for sure when I get to Dakar it will be an even bigger learning curve.” Finally, in the Road to Dakar challenge victory goes to the Spaniard Tosha Schareina (450 HVA) with David Knight’s world enduro championship victories making him ineligible for the category. Tosha also wins the Enduro Cup category ahead of the Frenchman Matthieu Doveze (KTM) and another Spaniard Ruben Saldaña Goñi, also riding a 450 HVA.

    In the quads victory goes to Jerôme Connart ahead of fellow Frenchman Alexandre Giroud with the Pole Kamil Wisniewski third.

    In the cars, Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) might have come here to prepare for the next Dakar, but consummate competitor that he is, he also came to win. Job done for the popular driver who adds this first Andalucía Rally 2020 to his already very impressive tally. Al Attiyah: “I’m so happy to win here. Thank you to Toyota Gazoo Racing, thank you to Overdrive, really this was an amazing race for us. Not easy because everybody coming here to win and show that they are ready for the next Dakar. Thanks to the organization, ODC Events for putting on this rally and also to the region, Andalusia. The landscape is so beautiful.”

    If Nasser Al Attiyah came here with high hopes, his rival Carlos Sainz (Mini X-Raid JCW), by his own admission, really wasn’t expecting to achieve much in his  ‘unsuitably’ big 2 wheel drive buggy, that he opted to race so as to continue to develop it for the next Dakar. Sainz: “It was a good decision to come here, even with the 2 wheel drive, to get kilometres in the car. I’m happy with the result. If, before the rally, you asked me if I could take second overall with this car I would reply to you that it would be difficult. Given the time the organisers had to put this race together it was successful and I congratulate everybody involved.”

    Despite the disappointment of going out of contention for victory after yesterday’s 10 minute time penalty, Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive) was happy with his pace on the rally and even happier to be once again reunited with his co-driver Dirk Von Zitzewitz. Al Rajhi: “For sure I’m very happy. We enjoyed it and Dirk did a great job. It is very tricky driving here but we reached our target of having a good rhythm and good speed. Now we have the training to get ready for January.”

    Joaquim Rodriques of Hero Rally team finished 11th.

    In the T2 class for series, 4×4 Akira Miura (Land Cruiser Toyota AutoBody) wins in front of his teammate Ronald Basso with Cristina Giampaoli (4WD Jaton Racing).

    In T3 it is Mitch Guthrie (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team) ahead of his teammate Kevin Hansen with Jean Luc Pisson third (Zephyr PH Sport).

    In the SSV T4 class, it is Aron Domzala (Monster Energy Can-Am) ahead of his teammate Gerard Farrés with the Portuguese driver Rui Carneiro (MMP Can-Am T4) third and winner of the Road to Dakar challenge. Aron Domzala: “We were really nervous on the last part. We had a good lead and I think we have a win. In two and a half years in the car with Maciej, we did a lot of strong results but this is our first win together, so a special race for us. First time with the Monster Energy Can-Am, a great car and a great team – a great combination.”

  • Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals

    Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals

    Chennai, 10 October 2020: Touching a top speed of over 118 kmph, defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Championship Madras Motor Sports Club drag strip here on Saturday as Indian Motorsports began after a gap of 7 months due to COVID 19.

    The Chennai girl won the four-stroke Upto 165cc Stock Class, the only class for girls, beating the challenge of Ann Jennifer and experienced Alisha Abdullah. The Team Pro-Speed Racing lass did a splendid job despite being a bit slow off the blocks with a reaction time of 0.907 and shot into the top spot clocking stunning 16.512 seconds.

    AS Ann Jennifer took the second place timing 16.642 though she had a better reaction time of 0.574 at the start. Alisha Abdullah, who had the best start among the 10 riders, reacting at 0.377 seconds, coiuld only complete the podium in 16.781 seconds.

    “I was very nervous at the beginning of the session but I had good fitness level which helped me to focus in the race. It is a long gap because of the pandemic which affected us with lack of practice and also lack of sponsors. But today, I concentrated on winning the race and I believed in myself and my vision,” said the 2019 champion, who was astride Yamaha v3 R15 tuned by Srinivasan.

    “Yes, of course, it is a overwhelming moment for me to take the first win of the season and I hope to maintain the same momentum in the upcoming rounds,” concluded Jessica.