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Author: David Bodapati
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Kush Maini describes F1 test with Alpine as ‘a dream come true’
Bengaluru, 19 June 2024: Kush Maini says he loved every single second of his Formula 1 test with Alpine, driving their 2022-spec A522 in Spielberg earlier this month as part of their young driver test programme.
This was the Invicta Racing driver’s second test for the French outfit – having previously driven their 2021 car last year – but this was his first time in the current generation of ground effect cars.
It’s an occasion he will remember forever as when he reflected on the day, he admitted it was all yet to sink in.
“It was like a dream come true for me, something I’ve been working towards for a very long time,” Maini said. “To have been given the opportunity by Alpine is a dream come true and I really enjoyed every single second of it.
Gautam Maini hugs his son Kush, after the F1 test. Photo courtesy Gautam Maini .in “The car ran faultlessly through the day, we gathered loads of mileage and loads of data, so it’s still slowly sinking in that we drove in F1 but it’s just a very cool feeling.”
Kush Maini in action. Getty Images Talking through the preparations before getting into the car, Maini said: “F1 is very complex compared to a Formula 2 car, so there are lot more procedures to learn, a lot more things to keep in mind.
“So, I did seven days with Alpine on the sim, working with my engineer in the test as well so that I can get familiar with the whole team. Then we basically ran to our run plan in the sim so it’s basically doing it again in real life, so you feel a bit more comfortable.
“It can be a bit overwhelming at the start because there are so many things you have to think about, so it’s very important that those prep days with the team, they got me up to speed very quick and made me feel really comfortable.”
Maini also recalled his first push lap of the test with the immediate level of grip on offer a bit surprise to him, as well as the forces in the high-speed sections.
“It’s just so quick, so much grip,” said Maini. “It’s almost like the car is designed so well that everything works so well that whatever you want the car to do, it does, especially in the high speed.
“You almost think it’s impossible to take so much speed through a corner but then you finish the corner, and you are like I could have taken more speed. It’s trying to go quicker and quicker and quicker because the car can take it, it’s almost like the car is capable of doing anything.”
With the new Formula 2 car introduced this season to be more in line with the current generation of F1 machinery, Maini also explained how that helped him get up to speed quickly during the test.
He says the two cars have obvious differences but also some similarities, even giving a verdict on which is tougher to drive.
“I think obviously it is very different but the F2 car is very fast in the straights,” said Maini. “In the braking there is a lot more force that goes into your body, a lot more Gs in the F1 but I think the brake pedal in some ways can be a bit similar.
“Obviously, no power steering in the F2 car so the car is a bit trickier to drive than F1, so in that way it prepares you well. So, I feel I was quick straight away, so from the F2 car whatever I could take into the F1 car gave me confidence to get up to speed really quick.
“The F1 car is designed really well, and it’s designed to how you want it so it’s going to be easier and you’re going to feel more comfortable pushing it.”
Maini was speaking after jumping out of the simulator as part of his preparations for Barcelona, and while he is still on a high from the test, he is hoping that it will be the start of him getting his Formula 2 season back on track after a tough couple of rounds.
“The high is great but I am currently ninth in the Championship in F2 and it’s definitely not where we should be,” he said. “The last two rounds have been very tough, but the team and I have found out what happened and why we were off the pace.
“So, my whole focus is to get my season back on track and start putting in some solid results to get some solid points in the bag, that’s my only goal right now. I’m sure we can do it, I’m just coming off sim prep with the team, it’s nice to see everyone again.
“I’m feeling good but after a bad few weekends it’s tough to have a long break because you just want to get back, so happy that there is a back-to-back race. Three weekends on the trot, let’s see what we can do.”
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Sarthak Chavan wins a double; Shunted out in other race by teammate
Chennai, June 16: It was a day of the “double” at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday as the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 concluded with the new generation of riders emerging to displace the old guard.
Teenager Sarthak Chavan (Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open), schoolgirl Rakshitha Dave (Girls, Stock 165cc), Abdul Basim (Novice, Stock 165cc), and Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Novice, Stock 301-400cc) won both races this weekend in their respective National Championship categories. Barring Pune’s Sarthak, the other three riders are from Chennai.
Sarthak Chavan, the 17-year-old prodigy, established himself as the top gun in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open class, winning both races over the weekend in an emphatic manner. Following home in P2 in both races was another 17-year-old, Chiranth Vishwanath from Bengaluru, who just couldn’t match Sarthak’s pace. The duo dominated both races leaving the rest to scrap for the other podium spot.
Sarthak, however, missed a possible win, despite starting P7 on the grid, in the other premier category, the Pro-Stock 165cc, when he crashed again after tangling with Chiranth when the two were fighting for 1-2 positions. The Pune youngster had crashed in Race-1 on Saturday when leading.
Though both Sarthak and Chiranth recovered to rejoin the race, veteran TVS Racing team-mates Jagan Kumar, KY Ahamed and Deepak Ravikumar made the best of the free space in front to finish in that order. For Jagan, a multiple National champion, it was his first win of the season after a barren 2023.
Chennai schoolgirl, 15-year-old Rakshitha Dave completed a fine double in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category. Having won Race-1 on Saturday, she extended her domination with a sweeping win in Race-2 today, virtually unchallenged.
Similarly, another Chennai teenager Abdul Basim (Rockers Racing) achieved a clean sweep in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category, winning Race-2 today with as much ease as in the previous outing on Saturday.
Later, another Chennai rider, Kaushik Subbaiah Ganesan also notched a double in the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) class with another fine ride starting from pole position.
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: Shyam Sundar (Chennai) came up with a fine ride to win the NSF 250R race after starting from P4 on the grid. He cut through the front-runners to top the six-lapper with Mohsin Paramban (Mallappuram) yet again finishing second, but ahead of yesterday’s Race-1 winner, Rakshith Dave (Chennai).
TVS One-Make Championship: Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) enjoyed a fruitful weekend as he won both the races in the Apache RR 310 category. Having won Saturday’s Race-1, Senthilkumar displayed relentless pace in topping today’s Race-2 ahead of two Chennai riders, Manoj Yesuadian and Jayanth P.
Bengaluru’s Harshith V Bogar continued to dominate the Rookie category as he finished the weekend with a double by winning Race-2 today on the back of his triumph in the previous outing on Saturday. CS Kedarnath (Tirupati) scrambled to second place while Saranjith KM (Thrissur) finished third.
Earlier, Pune’s Sarthak topped the TVS Electric RTE race quite comfortably with his arch-rival Chiranth Vishwanath finishing second and Chennai’s Alwyn Sundar third.
The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune,TVS Racing) (11mins, 16.788secs); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:17.567); 3. Alwyn Sundar A (Chennai, Gusto Racing) (11:27.870).
Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2):1. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:10.176); 2. Ahamad KY (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:18.302); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:18.611).
Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-2: 1. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (13:02.075); 2. Kamal Navas (Chennai, One Racing) (13:08.162); 3. Abhinav G (Coimbatore, Chandra LGE Racing team) (13:08.772).
Girls (Stock 165cc) Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Rakshitha S Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power 1 Ultimate) (10:58.378); 2. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Motul Sparks Racing) (11:01.284); 3. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:02.400).
Novice (Stock 301-400cc) Race-2: 1. Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power 1 Ultimate) (12:21.760); 2. Aldrin Babu (Chalakudy, RACR Castrol Power 1 Ultimate) (12:28.689); 3. Varun Patil (Bengaluru, Pvt.) (12:29.355).
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: NSF 250 R (Race-2) (3 laps): 1. Shyam Sundar (Chennai) (05:46.716); 2. Mohsin Paramban (Mallapuram) (05:47.106); 3. Rakshit S Dave (Chennai) (05: 47.806).
TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR 310): 1. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (11:52.043); 2. Manoj Yesuadian (Chennai) (11:55.840); 3.Jayanth P (Chennai) (11:58.264).
Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race 2: 1. Harshit V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:26.291); 2. CS Kedarnadh (Tirupati) (13:26.499); 3. Saranjith KM (Thrissur) (13:41.518).
TVS Electric RTE (4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (07:26.459); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (07:28377); 3. Alwyn Sundar A (Chennai) (07:34.190).
Media (Apache RTR 200) (5 laps): 1. Karan Mathur (Gurugram, Auto X) (11:31.475); 2. Praveen Kumar (Chennai, Rev Nitro) (11:31.869); 3. Akash Bhadra (Mumbai, Topgear) (11:34.008).
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Ahamed beats mentor Jagan in a photo-finish; Dave twins hog limelight
Chennai, 15 June 2024: Two sets of siblings from Chennai hogged the limelight by winning four of the nine races on Saturday at the Madras International Circuit to light up the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024.
The 15-year-old Dave twins, Rakshith and Rakshitha took the honours in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R) and the National Championship Girls (Stock 165cc) races. It was a maiden win for both of them, in their respective categories.
Two other siblings, 28-year-old KY Ahamed (Pro-Stock 165cc Open) and his 17-year-old brother Abdul Basim (Novice 165cc), also won a race apiece to set off celebrations in both families.
Elsewhere, Sarthak Chavan, the 17-year-old from Pune, led a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing along with Bengaluru’s Chiranth Vishwanath, also 17, in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category. The race was cut to four laps from scheduled six after a red flag stoppage following a Turn-3 crash (riders ok) and Sarthak, starting from pole, virtually destroyed the field on restart. Chiranth came in second, ahead of Hyderabad’s Sairahil Pillarisetty (Gusto Racing).
Sarthak, however, had a disastrous outing in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race as he crashed when in the lead. On his exit, Sathak’s two TVS Racing team-mates, KY Ahamed and multiple National champion Jagan Kumar, were involved in a tight finish. Ahamed pipped his mentor Jagan in a photo-finish with another TVS Racing ace, Deepak Ravikumar, who had started the race from the pit lane, completing the podium. Chiranth, who was running second, also crashed, but resumed to finish fourth.
Also finishing on top step of the podium was Chennai’s Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) who won as he pleased in the Novice 301-400cc class that gained National championship status from this season.
Earlier, pole-sitter Abdul Basim, held off a strong challenge from Mysuru’s Tasmai Cariappa (Motul Sparks Racing) who led briefly in the penultimate lap but conceded the advantage. Basim went on to win with Tasmai and Coimbatore’s Abhinav G (Chandra LGE Racing) finishing second and third, respectively.
Rakshitha Dave, starting from P2, moved in front by Turn-2, deftly avoiding any jostling that was happening behind her, and enjoyed a trouble-free run for a commanding win. Another Chennai rider, Jagathishee Kumaresan (One Racing) and Ryhana Bee (Motul Sparks Racing) settled for second and third spots, respectively, while pole-sitter Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing) came in a disappointing fourth.
“I am very happy to score my first-ever win in the National championship. I had a good start today and a trouble-free run after going into the lead early in the first lap. The bike too performed very well,” said a delighted Rakshitha.
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: Rakshith Dave reigned supreme in the NSF 250R race after initial battle with the more experienced Mohsin Paramban (Mallapuram) with Bengaluru’s AS James finishing third. It was Rakshith’s first-ever win in this class. Incidentally, Rakshith’s twin sister, Rakshitha made her debut in this class and finished 13th.
TVS One-Make Championship: Coimbatore’s Senthilkumar C took the honours in the truncated Open (Apache RR 310) race that was reduced to three laps from six due to a red flag stoppage following an on-track incident. Jayanth Pratipathi (Chennai) came in second, ahead of Nagercoil’s Ajai Xavier M.
Harshith V Bogar from Bengaluru notched a dominating win in the Rookie category with second-placed Saranjith KM (Thrissur) finishing some 10 seconds behind. Vijayawada’s Akarsh Jangam was a distant third.
Mumbai’s Sarah Khan won the Girls (RTR 200) race untroubled from Pune’s Saimah Ajaz Baig and Aisvarya V (Coimbatore).
The results (Provisional, all 6 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (7mins, 36.007secs); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (07:39.254); 3. Sairahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad, Gusto Racing India) (07:41.470).
Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-1): 1. Ahamed KY (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:04.178); 2. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:04.192); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:14.569).
Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-1: 1. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (12:55.808); 2. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:56.136); 3. Abhinav G (Coimbatore, Chandra LGE Racing team) (13:04.554).
Girls (Stock 165cc) Race-1 (5 laps): 1. Rakshitha Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (10:58.183); 2. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:03.012); 3. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Motul Sparks Racing) (11:03.150).
Novice (Stock 301-400cc) Race-1: 1. Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power 1 Ultimate) (12:17.257); 2. Lokesh V (Bengaluru, Pvt.) (12:23.458); 3. Varun Nanjundegowda (Mysuru, Gusto Racing India) (12:27.927).
Idemitsu Honda India Cup (NSF 250R) Race-1: 1. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (11:12.157); 2. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (11:16.226); 3. AS James (Bengaluru) (11:16.669)
TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR 310) Race-1 (3 laps): 1. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (05:56.457); 2. Jayanth Pratipathi (Chennai) (05:59.277); 3. Ajai Xavier (Nagercoil) (06:02.953).
Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race-1: 1. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:43.666); 2. Saranjith KM (Thrissur) (13:53.770); 3. Akarsh Jangam (Vijayawada) (14:07.100).
Girls (Apache RTR 200) Race-1 (5 laps): 1. Sarah Khan (Mumbai) (11:19.075); 2. Saimah Ajaz Baig (Pune) (11:21.156); 3. Aisvariya V (Coimbatore) (11:23.221).
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Two-wheeler Racing Nationals to begin from Friday at MIC, sans Amit Arora
Chennai, 12 June 2024: There is plenty of hot action in store with 19 races scheduled for the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 at the Madras International Circuit, Irungattukottai, near here, from June 13 to 16. The event attracted over 100 entries from across India, representing 16 teams.
However, this the first event after General Manager (Operations) of Madras Motor Sports Club, the promoters, has left the club. Amit Arora, parted ways with MMSC as of May 30. He has been at the helm of affairs for over a decade and has been the trusted lieutenant of the club.
Coming back to the event, the two Pro-Stock classes – 301-400cc Open and 165cc Open – will yet again headline the card, while pitching the country’s top riders on TVS, Honda, Yamaha and KTM machines against one another.
Further down the grid are the Novice categories for Stock bikes –165cc (under-23), Girls (165cc) and 301-400cc which have attracted a sizable number of entries.
Also part of the programme are the two One-Make Championships (OMC) organized by the promoters Madras Motor Sports Club – TVS (Open, Rookie, Girls and Media), showcasing the RR 310 and Apache RTR 200 bikes, and the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup which will witness the super-quick NSF 250R machines. TVS also have one race for their Electric RTE bikes.
As in the previous years, both TVS and Honda conducted a series of trials across India to shortlist the riders for their respective categories with emphasis on youth and talent. Based on their performance, select riders have been sent to participate at the Asian level.
Meanwhile, the 301-400cc Novice category has been upgraded to National Championship status after hitherto being a support event.
In another initiative, the number of races in the National championship Girls category has been increased from the existing five to 10 with a double-header in each of the five rounds.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “We are extremely pleased to have received well over 100 entries for the two-wheeler National Racing Championship which will commence this weekend. We extend a warm welcome to the competitors, our long-time sponsors MRF Tyres, the manufacturers and the Media for the 2024 season which, we are certain, will dish out its share of wheel-to-wheel racing, given the very competitive grids. The Championship has been a stepping stone for aspiring young riders who have competed in international races and won accolades. We are hopeful that the new season will throw up fresh talent.”
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Geoffrey gets double podium on debut at Qatar Superstock 600
Chennai, 3 June 2024: Geoffrey Emmanuel, the 19-year-old from Chennai, marked his debut in the Qatar Superstock 600 championship with a double podium as he finished third in both the races held at the Lusail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend.
Riding a Kawasaki ZX-6, Geoffrey Emmanuel managed to quickly adapt to the bike and learn the track. He showed blistering speed from the beginning and managed to finish third in both the races in the Trophy category (first-timers).
Geoffrey, backed by CEAT tyres and Sidvin Energy Engineering, is also taking part in the Junior World Championship, but decided to try the superbike, leading to his participation in the QSTK 600 championship. He missed the first round of the Qatar championship as the dates clashed with the Junior Worlds.
Reviewing his Lusail performance, Geoffrey said: “The weekend’s double-header was a great experience and another steep learning curve for me. It took a while to learn the track and get used to the superbike, but I managed to adapt myself. I generated good pace in both the races and was very happy to come away with a double podium. Looking ahead, I hope to carry forward the momentum in the championship.”
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Karna Kadur-Musa Sherif duo clinches Rally of Maharashtra in style: INRC Round 2
Nashik, 2 June 2024: Bengaluru’s Karna Kadur, a two-time Overall National champion, along with experienced co-driver Musa Sherif, switched up gears and annexed the Rally of Maharashtra in style, as the second round of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship for four-wheelers successfully concluded here on Sunday.
With seven-time National co-driver champion Musa Sherif calling the pace notes, Karna Kadur, trailing in third place by a good two minutes on Saturday, focussed on consistency and gained advantage with skilful driving to win the Overall honours on Sunday. Overnight leaderd, Fabid Ahmer and co-driver Milen George of Chettinad Sporting, lost over five minutes in Special Stage 9 which pushed them down to overall 8th place in the final standings.
Karna Kadur, left, and Musa Sherif of Arka Motorsports, after winning the Rally of Maharashtra in Nashik on Sunday. INDIAinF1 photo by arrangement Kolkata-Mangaluru pair of Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, a former two-time National champions, also managed to secure a well-deserved second place ahead of young guns Arnav Pratap Singh and Rohit N. Apart from a noteworthy Overall third, the New Delhi-Bengaluru duo from SNAP Racing topped their Class, INRC3.
Kerala’s Fabid Ahmer and George Milen of Chettinad Sporting won the INRC2 class while talented lady driver Pragathi Gowda came second. Pragathi roped in co-driver Sujith Kumar BS, a veteran multiple National champion and sports administrator, who sat for stand-alone rally. Pragathi’s regular navigator, Trisha Alonkar, is recovering after a surgery. Privateers Shaik Hussain Pasha and co-driver Roshan Claver Crasta won the Classic class while Arnav Pratap Singh also bagged the Junior INRC. Nikeeta Takkale of Pune and co-driver Shivani Parmar of Mumbai won the Ladies class while Baljinder Singh Dhillon and Goutham CP clinched the Gypsy Challenge.
The four stages today were completed by 11 O’clock and provided enough challenges for the drivers on the tarmac roads which were broken and narrow at many places. Of the 53 cars, 13 logged DNF.
From left: Premnath K Promoter presenting trophy to Karna Kadur while Ashwin Pandit, right, CoC and founder of WISA presenting trophy to Musa Sherif, co-driver. Provisional Unaudited Overall classification (final)
1. #3 Karna Kadur/ Musa Sherif (Arka Motorsports) 01hours, 47 minutes; 52.9seconds;
2. #11 Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (AART) 01:49:08.0;
3. #43 Arnav Pratap Singh/ Rohit N (SNAP Racing) 01:49:29.2;
4. #5 Jeet Jabhakh/ V Sekar (Chettinad Sporting) 01:49:45.5;
5. #17 Daraius Shroff /Arjun Dheerendra (Chettinad Sporting) 01:49:53.6;
6. #21 Dean Mascarenhas/ Gagan Karubaiah (DB Motorsport) 01:50:08.7;
7. #40 Abhin Rai/ Moideen Jasher (IDR) 01:50:14.9;
8. #29 Fabid Ahmer/ George Milen (Chettinad Sporting) 01:51:10.7;
9. #49 Nikhil J/ Arvind Dheerendra (Pvt.) 01:54:23.5;
10. #23 Pragathi Gowda/ Sujith BS (Chettinad Sporting) 1:59:32.1;
INRC 2
1. #29 Fabid Ahmer/ George Milen (Chettinad Sporting) 01:51:10.7;
2. #23 Pragathi Gowda /Sujith Kumar BS (Chettinad Sporting) 01:59:32.1;
3. #16 Yashas M Nayaka/ Sudhindra BG (Pvt.) 01:59:40.5;
Pragathi Gowda and co-driver Sujith Kumar in action at Nashik. Photo courtesy Sujith FB INRC3
Arnav Pratap Singh and co-driver Rohit N, who won INRC3 in action. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan 1. #43 Arnav Pratap Singh/ Rohit N (SNAP Racing) 01:49:29.2;
2. #5 Jeet Jabhakh/ V Sekar (Chettinad Sporting) 01:49:45.5;
3. #17 Daraius Shroff /Arjun Dheerendra (Chettinad Sporting) 01:49:53.6;
Gypsy Challenge
1 #45 Baljinder Singh Dhillon/ Goutham CP (Pvt.) 01:58:12.3;
2. #52 Dr Akarsh Sundar/ Ravi Kumar (A & A Motorsports) 01:59:07.7;
3. #37 Sachin Singh/ Prakash M(Pvt.) 02:04:25.5;
Classic
1. #55 Shaik Hussain Pasha/ Roshan Claver Crasta (Pvt.) 02:27:50.9;
2. #45 Aneeshnath S/ Amitha Aneesh (A&A Motorsports) 02:42:22.5;
Junior INRC
1. #43 Arnav Pratap Singh/ Rohit N (SNAP Racing) 01:49:29.2;
2. #40 Abhin Rai/ Moideen Jasher (IDR) 01:50:14.9;
3. #42 Nikeeta Takkale/ Shivani Parmar (Pvt.) 02:00.17.5;
Ladies Class
1. #42 Nikeeta Takkale/ Shivani Parmar (Pvt.) 02:00.07.5;
2. #34 Phoebe Nongrum/ Rahul Sancheti (SNAP Racing) 02:05:24.4;
3. #14 Harshitha Gowda/ M Srivatsa (A & A Motorsports) 02:19:26.7;
eom
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Bagnaia resists Marquez to claim first Sprint spoils since 2023: MotoGP
Barcelona, 1 June 2024: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is a Tissot Sprint winner for the first time since the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix! The reigning Champion redeemed his last lap crash a week ago in Barcelona to put in a stunning performance on Saturday at the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo, taking off in the lead and then holding Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) at bay over a tense final few laps. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) completed the Sprint podium fresh from the news he’ll be in orange next season.
Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), meanwhile, crashed out in the latter stages – and after a tangle with Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team).
Bagnaia got an almighty launch from second to take the holeshot, heading down into San Donato with metres to spare. Teammate Bastianini also launched it like a rocket to take the inside line and move into P2, denying polesitter Martin. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) shot up from P13 on the grid to challenge in the top five, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) losing out to the South African and Marc Marquez.
Binder vs Marquez was the first big move, with the #93 attacking the KTM next time round down the main straight. He just found room on the right, tight as anything, and just kept it into Turn 1. The Gresini then set off after the top three – but drama was already brewing up ahead.
Bagnaia held the lead as Martin barreled back past Bastianini, but the Beast went for the move at Turn 1, heading slightly deep. Martin took the cutback and there was contact, with then Bastianini sliding out of his home Sprint. Incident: under investigation by the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards, alongside another that saw Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) collide.
The result was no further action regarding either incident, which was certainly positive for the #89’s hopes of taking some key points, as he now had Marc Marquez to deal with – and Bagnaia was starting to disappear up the road just as Acosta was starting to home in.
With four to go, there was yet more drama though, and at the front. This time alone, but once again for Martin. The #89 had passed Marquez then been passed back, and he was holding a fairly secure third just ahead of Acosta. But round San Donato the front said no more and the Championship leader slid off onto the sidelines.
That left a familiar chess match at the front: Bagnaia vs Marquez. Next time around too, the #93 took a huge chunk out of the lead, and it was down to seven tenths with two to go. But the reigning Champion found a response in the third sector of the penultimate lap, and with that the deal was done. One more lap to right the wrong of the Barcelona Sprint – and with a second in hand. It was 1.469 as he crossed the line, and Marquez had put down his own burst of speed to leave Acosta a further two and a half seconds in arrears.
Taking his first Saturday victory since the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix is a big statement as Bagnaia cuts the gap to 27 points at the top of the Championship. He also once again escapes Marc Marquez, but the #93 once again banks some points, stays consistent, and this time starts Sunday ahead of the reigning Champion too. For Acosta, a podium is a nice dovetail to a day that also saw him confirmed as a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider for 2025.
Martin, meanwhile, will be ruing his mistake, having not made too many at all so far in 2024. But 27 points remains sizeable as he looks to hit back on Sunday.
Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) equals his best result of the season so far, taking his second P4 in a Sprint after doing the same in Jerez, with Viñales completing the top five after getting past Binder. The South African held off Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), who completed the points in that order n a close-fought battle. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) completed the top ten, just a tenth ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
The dust settles on another dramatic Sprint, with Martin failing to score on Saturday for the first time ever since the format was introduced. Can he flip the form book on Sunday and come out swinging to gain some ground in the Grand Prix? Can Marquez take Ducati’s 93rd win? Or, despite that three-place grid penalty, can Bagnaia make it three Mugello wins in a row and complete a second double in two years? All will be revealed on Sunday at 14:00 (UTC +2), so don’t miss it!
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Fabid Ahmer steals the lead on Day 2: INRC Round 2, Nashik
Nashik, 1 June 2024: Ace Kerala driver Fabid Ahmer and co-driver Milen George of Chettinad Sporting, shod on MRF Tyres, stormed to the front after a tough day that saw Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill and defending champion Aroor Arjun Rao suffer casualties in the Rally of Maharashtra, the second round of the Blueband fmsci Indian National Rally Championship here on Saturday.
Fabid Ahmer, a talented driver, who lost course in the last couple of years due to mechanical failures and punctures, is back on track with a measured performance in Red colours, to take the Overall lead on Day 1. The Kerala duo also topped their class INRC2. With a healthy lead of over one minute, Fabid, who narrowly missed the national championship, a couple of years back, looks good to challenge the title this year.
Aroor Arjun Rao was fastest in the first stage of the Day (SS2) but soon he went out. Then Fabid Ahmer was fastest in three stages today. While Harkrishan Wadi set the fastest time in SS5, the fourth stage today, Amittrajit Ghosh, topped the timesheets in the last stage of the day.
Crowds watching the Rally of Maharashtra. INDIAinF1 photo Fast-improving Sardarji, Harkrishan Wadi and Kunal Kashyap of Arka Motorsports, who were threatening to topple the best, clocked the second best Overall time once again and will fight for the win till the end, with four more stages left on Sunday. Former Overall champions Karna Kadur, who had the privilege of the best navigator in the field, Musa Sherif, notched up a hard-fought Overall third placing with four stages still to go. Following Fabid, Harkrishan is trailing in second place in INRC 2 class and Ramcharan is in third place. If Ramcharan can retain his place on the last day tomorrow, it would be a good maiden result for him and experienced navigator Jeevarathinam.
Pragathi Gowda to trail behind Nikeetaa (not in pic) in Ladies Class. She had co-driver Sujith Kumar, who is making a comeback after several years. Her regular co-driver Trisha Alonkar recently underwent a surgery and is still recovering. Photo courtesy Sujith BS In INRC 3 class, Ajay Sankar and Nitharshan (Mandovi Racing) were leading the class. Hyderabad’s racing driver, who shifted to rallying recently, Jeet Jabhakh and co-driver V Sekar from Chettinad Sporting are placed second. Skilled youngster Arjun Rajiv is trailing in third behind. Along with Mysore’s Vinay Padmashali as co-driver, the Bengaluru driver needs to up the game tomorrow as the three are within 10 seconds. Arnav Paratp Singh, Abin Rai and Daraious Shroff are all behind them within 30 seconds..
Baljinder Singh Dhillon and co-driver Goutham CP topped the Gypsy class at the end of Day 2 followed by Dr Akarsh Sundar and Ravi Kumar. Privateer veteran Sanjay Agarwal and Dheeraj Manae are placed third after Leg 1. The Classic class saw only two finishers on the day.
A rare photo of three cars of a rally in one frame. INDIAinF1 image Of the 53 cars that took the start on Day 2 on Saturday, 23 cars suffered retirements. However, 17 will take the restart on the final day on Sunday. Gaurav Gill, Jehaan Gill, Aditya Thakur, Anushriya Gulati, Naveen Puligilla and Praveen Dwarakanath logged DNF (Did Not Finish). Chandan Gowda was out dut to MPL.
The Rally of Maharashtra run on tarmac and broken tarmac roads provided a completely virgin stages that were not run previously in the INRC which ran till 2016. The stages were run in Nashik and Palghar Districts, close to the areas of Jyotirlinga temple and Trimbakeshwar. These new stages offered extremely challenging terrain and put the crews and machines to the highest test. The scorching heat also exhausted the man and machines and high competition is set for Sunday.
A vantage point for spectators to watch cars perform from close quarters. Provisional Results: Overall: After Leg 1 (Day 2):
1. #29 Fabid Ahmer/ George Milen (Chettinad Sporting) 01hours, 07 minutes; 05.8seconds;
2. #69 Harkrishan Wadia/ Kunal Kashyap (Arka Motorsports) 01:08:08.8;
3. #3 Karna Kadur/ Musa Sherif (Arka Motorsports) 01:09:20.1;
4. #11 Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (AART) 01:09:55.6;
5. #36 Ajay Sankar/ Nitharshan (Mandovi Racing) 01:10:00.0;
6. #5 Jeet Jabhakh/ V Sekar (Chettinad Sporting) 01:10:09.8;
7. #7 Arjun Rajiv/ Vinay Padmashali (Chettinad Sporting) 01:10:13.8;
8. #43 Arnav Pratap Singh/ Rohit N (SNAP Racing) 01:10:38.4;
9. #40 Abhin Rai/ Moideen Jasher (IDR) 01:10:46.0;
10. #17 Daraius Shroff /Arjun Dheerendra (Chettinad Sporting) 01:11:05.0;
INRC 2
1. #29 Fabid Ahmer/ George Milen (Chettinad Sporting) 01: 07: 05.8;
2. #69 Harkrishan Wadia/ Kunal Kashyap (Arka Motorsports) 01:08:08.8;
3. #33 Ramcharan C/ Jeevarathinam (Pvt.) 01:15:09.0;
INRC3
1. #36 Ajay Sankar/ Nitharshan (Mandovi Racing) 01:10:00.0;
2. #5 Jeet Jabhakh/ V Sekar (Chettinad Sporting) 01:10:09.8;
3. #7 Arjun Rajiv/ Vinay Padmashali (Chettinad Sporting) 01:10:13.8;
Junior INRC
1. #36 Ajay Sankar/ Nitharshan (Mandovi Racing) 01:10:00.0;
2. #7 Arjun Rajiv/ Vinay Padmashali (Chettinad Sporting) 01:10:13.8;
3. #43 Arnav Pratap Singh/ Rohit N (SNAP Racing) 01:10:38.4;
Ladies Class
1. #42 Nikeeta Takkale/ Shivani Parmar (Pvt.) 01:16.33.7;
2. Pragathi Gowda /Sujith Kumar BS (Chettinad Sporting) 01:19:07.6;
3. Phoebe Nongrum/ Rahul Sancheti (SNAP Racing) 01:20:52.6
Gypsy Challenge
1. #45 Baljinder Singh Dhillon/ Goutham CP (Pvt.) 01:15:44.7;
2. #52 Dr Akarsh Sundar/ Ravi Kumar (A & A Motorsports) 01:15:48.4;
3. #37 Sanjay Agarwal / Dheeraj Manae (Pvt.) 01:16:11.9;
Classic
1. #55 Shaik Hussain Pasha/ Roshan Claver Crasta (Pvt.) 01:33:06.3;
2. #45 Aneeshnath S/ Amitha Aneesh (A&A Motorsports) 01:45:51.5;
(Note: Car number is given after position number)
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Gaurav Gill tops time-sheets on tarmac Super Special: INRC Nashik rally
Nashik, 31 May 2024: Arjuna Awardee and three-time APRC winner Gaurav Gill, along with co-driver Aniruddh Rangnekar topped the timesheets with a blistering run in the Super Special Stage in the Rally of Maharashtra, the second round of the Blueband fmsci Indian National Rally Championship here on Friday.
A total of 53 cars, including a guest driver in Daksh Gill, took the start in Triple S. There are six cars led by Gaurav Gill in the top INRC class. Western Indian Sports Association, popular as WISA, is conducting an INRC round after 2016. The outfit headed by Ashwin Pandit boasts of a dedicated team and is known to excel in good organisation and conduct of the rally both for the drivers and spectators.
The Delhi daredevil, Gill, has been going through a difficult period for want of a well-prepared machine, has recently partnered with a new co-driver in Pune’s Aniruddh Rangnekar and is raring to go in one of his favourite destinations on tarmac at the Nashik rally, which is held on picturesque foothills of Sahayadri hill ranges. Backed by JK Tyre, the seven-time INRC overall champion, Gill, showed glimpses of his prowess on tarmac clocking more than six seconds faster time than the nearest rival Mangalore’s Aroor Arjun Rao and co-driver Satish Rajagopal of Bengaluru, the defending champions. Rao and Rajagopal of Mandovi Racing team, did well to beat seasoned Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik to third, while INRC 3 driver Arnav Pratap Singh along with Rohit N came a stunning fourth in the Overall classification and first in his class, INRC 3.
Jason Saldanha and Thimmu Uddapanda topped the INRC 2 class and also came a creditable sixth in Overall classification after the 2.10km Super Special Stage. Pragathi Gowda in MRF colours, along with new co-driver Sujith Kumar BS came second in the INRC2 class. Trisha Alonkar, her regular navigator, who underwent a surgery recently is still under recovery and rehab. Delhi’s Philippos Matthai and PVS Murthy, also in MRF colours, were third today, but are expected to give a fight on the actual stages from tomorrow.
Defending champions Aroor Arjun Rao and Satish Rajagopal were second fastest in the Super Special Stage at Nashik on Friday. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan Arnav Pratap Singh and Rohit N were a creditable overall fourth and also topped their class INRC 3. Super Special Stage is a short 2.10km tarmac sprint that is designed to attract spectators. In INRC3, Arnav Pratap Singh and co-driver Rohit N came out triumphant setting the top time while another youngster Arjun Rajiv along with Vinay Padmashali were second. Venunath V and Arun V were third fastest in the Super Special.
Veteran Sanjay Agarwal and co-driver Dheeraj Manae clocked the top time in the Gypsy class.
Former champions Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap during SSS. Philippos Matthai and PVS Murthy, overall 8th in Triple S. Including a liaison distance of about 263 km, the total rally distance will be 384.35km. There will be three Special Stages namely, Amboli which is 5.96km long, Dandwal, 22.25km, the longest stage and Poshera stage of 9.31km. All the three stages will be run twice on Saturday. On Sunday, Amboli will be run twice and the two other stages will be run once each making it 10 special stages. This year, there will be no INRC 4 category but NR4 class is included. Since the wear and tear is expected to be negligible on a tarmac stage, Amboli will be run four times with special permission. That will make the rally meet the required distance of Special Stages.
As the real test begins tomorrow, another 118.52km of Special Stage distance needs to be conquered on Saturday and Sunday to claim the honours.
Pragathi Gowda and Sujith Kumar BS, who is sitting for injured Trisha Alonkar, did well in MRF Colours to take the 7th spot in Triple S. The times are only ornamental in nature as real battles start on Saturday. PHOTOS by Srinivasa Krishnan Dean Mascarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah during SSS. Provisional SSS Results: Overall:
1. #4 Gaurav Gill/Aniruddh Rangnekar 1min, 34.5seconds;
2. #1 Aroor Arjun Rao/Satish Kumar Rajagopal 1:40.7;
3. #11 Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik 1:42.3;
4. #43 Arnav Pratap Singh/ Rohit N 1:44.8;
5.#31 Younus Ilyas/ Nitin Jacob 1:44.9;
6. #9 Jason Saldanha/ Thimmu Uddapanda 1:45.9;
7. #23 Pragathi Gowda/ Sujith Kumar 1:46.0;
8. #64 Philippos Matthai/ PVS Murthy 1:46.8;
9. #7 Arjun Rajiv/ Vinay Padmashali 1:47.0;
10. #26 Jahaan Singh Gill/ Suraj Keshav Prasad 1:47.2;
INRC
1. #4 Gaurav Gill/Aniruddh Rangnekar 1min, 34.5seconds;
2. #1 Aroor Arjun Rao/Satish Kumar Rajagopal 1:40.7;
3. #11 Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik 1:42.3;
INRC 2
1. #9 Jason Saldanha/ Thimmu Uddapanda 1:45.9;
2. #23 Pragathi Gowda/ Sujith Kumar 1:46.0;
3. #64 Philippos Matthai/ PVS Murthy 1:46.8;
INRC3
1. #43 Arnav Pratap Singh/ Rohit N 1:44.8;
2. #7 Arjun Rajiv/ Vinay Padmashali 1:47.0;
3. #41 Venunath V/ Arun V 1:47.7;
Gypsy Challenge
1. #47 Sanjay Agarwal/ Dheeraj Manae 2:00.3;
2. #52 Dr Akarsh Sundar/ Ravi Kumar 2:03.4;
3. #45 Baljinder Singh Dhillon/ Goutham CP 2:04.5;
Classic
1. #44 Praveen Dwarakanath/ Kariappa KB 2:05.0;
2. #45 Aneeshnath S/ Amitha Aneesh 2:08.4;
3. #55 Shaik Hussain Pasha/ Roshan Claver Crasta 2:13.3;
ends
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Verstappen continues his winning run: F1
Imola, 19 May 2024: Max Verstappen withstood a determined late-race charge from Lando Norris to take his fifth victory of the season at the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc finishing third for Ferrari.
After a strong start in which Verstappen took the lead from pole and then ruthlessly controlled the bulk of the race, it looked like a third Imola win in a row was a certainty. However in the final 10 laps, the Red Bull driver’s Hard tyres began to fade badly and Norris smelled blood. However, despite the gap falling to less than a second, Verstappen held on for a hard-won victory.
“The whole race I had to push flat out,” said Verstappen. “On the Medium tyres, we were quite strong. On the Hard tyres, it was just a bit more difficult to manage, and especially the last 10 or 15 laps, I had no grip anymore. I was really sliding a lot. I saw Lando closing in. So the last 10 laps it was just flat out. I couldn’t afford to make too many mistakes. Luckily, we didn’t and I’m super happy of course to win here today.”
When the lights went out at the start, Verstappen got away well to take the lead from pole as the field powered into the Tamburello chicane. Behind the top two Leclerc held third place ahead of the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
At the front, with clear air ahead, Verstappen began to pull away from Norris and with seven laps on the board the Dutchman was almost two-seconds clear of the McLaren and as the first stint evolved the Red Bull driver worked his way to a five-second lead over Norris.
At the end of lap 23, Norris made his sole pit stop of the race and after switching to Hard tyres, the McLaren emerged behind Sergio Pérez who was running a long opening stint on Hard tyres. However, with older rubber onboard, the Mexican couldn’t keep the Briton at bay and he surrendered the position at the start of the following lap.
Verstappen then made his pit stop and after a 2.6s switch to Hard tyres he rejoined in fourth place, behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. And as new leader Leclerc, second-placed team-mate Carlos Sainz and Hamilton cycled through the pit lane for their stops Verstappen once again took the lead, 6.3s ahead of Norris.
Behind the top two Leclerc was again third, but Piastri had undercut the late-stopping Sainz to steal fourth place. Pérez, meanwhile, was now in sixth place on starting Hard tyres and with his pace flagging he soon dropped back to eighth behind the Mercedes drivers.
At the end of lap 37 Pérez at last headed into the pits to move to Medium tyres and though he initially dropped back to his starting position of 11th, the pace advantage afforded his new Medium tyres allowed to swiftly reel in the drivers ahead.
On lap 39 he powered past the RB of Ricciardo and a lap later 40, with aid of DRS, breezed past Hülkenberg on the run to Tamburello. His next target was the second RB of Tsunoda and on lap 43 he again used DRS to steam past the Japanese driver on the pit straight to move up to P8.
At the front, things appeared to be going smoothly for Verstappen but with 10 laps remaining he came on team radio to complain that “my tyres don’t work” and over the following laps a 6.0s gap to Norris crumbled to four and then two seconds.
Despite the limitations, Verstappen stayed cool and though the gap dropped towards DRS range in the final three laps, the champion held on to take the chequered flag just 0.7s ahead of the McLaren.
With Norris second and Leclerc taking the final podium position, fourth place went to Oscar Piastri with the Australian driver finishing ahead of Sainz and the twin Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Pérez then crossed the line in P8 to take four points at the end of a good recovery from 11th place at the start. Ninth place went to Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the final point was claimed by Tsunoda.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 63 1:25’25.252
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 63 1:25’25.977 0.725
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 63 1:25’33.168 7.916
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 63 1:25’39.384 14.132
5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 63 1:25’47.577 22.325
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 63 1:26’00.356 35.104
7 George Russell Mercedes 63 1:26’12.406 47.154
8 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 63 1:26’20.028 54.776
9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 63 1:26’44.808 1’19.556
10 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 62 1:25’43.108 1 lap /17.856
11 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 62 1:25’50.529 1 lap /25.277
12 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 62 1:25’51.686 1 lap /26.434
13 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 62 1:25’52.913 1 lap /27.661
14 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 62 1:26’09.159 1 lap /43.907
15 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber/Ferrari 62 1:26’10.185 1 lap /44.933
16 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 62 1:26’14.967 1 lap /49.715
17 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 62 1:26’16.303 1 lap /51.051
18 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber/Ferrari 62 1:26’21.595 1 lap /56.343
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 62 1:26’40.376 1 lap /1’15.124
Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 51 1:13’07.729 Withdrew
