INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Hemanth Muddappa set National record at Taneja air strip: 10th Vroom Drag event

    Hemanth Muddappa set National record at Taneja air strip: 10th Vroom Drag event

    Bengaluru, 19 May 2024: Indian drag star Hemanth Muddappa, a 12-time National champion, was in his elements once again becoming the fastest quarter-miler in India as he broke the record at the 10th edition of the Vroom Drag meet, on way to a grand triple in the Bikes Open event which is held along with the Round 1 of the fmsci Indian National 4w Drag Championship at the Taneja air strip, near Hosur on Sunday.

    Muddappa of Mantra Racing set a time of 09.264seconds in the Super Sport 4stroke 1051 to 1650cc class to break the previous record of 9.298sec set at the same Taneja track by Jordanian Fahim Zahrani in 2023. The Bengaluru-based champion put the 2016 Suzuki Hayabusa built by Mantra Racing to good use touching top speeds of 270kph. Foreign riders are allowed in the Open events by fmsci, the Indian federation. Hemanth also broke his own record in the Super sport 851 to 1050cc class with a 9.415sec run that erased the 9.480sec, he set at Amby Valley in 2024 astride a BMW S1000RR.

    He won the ‘Unrestricted 551cc and above’ class to complete the grand treble as he brought the Indian flag to the mast once again with two records on the final day of the event. Muddappa’s next outing will be at the Drag Nationals at Chennai.

    Provisional Results (Vroom Bikes Open):

    D2: 4s Super Sport 4stroke 1051cc to 1650cc: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (09.264 seconds); 2. Alimon Saidalvi (09.815); 3. Faraz Ahmed (09.879).

    E3: Unrestricted 551cc and above: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (09.372); 2. Ataulla Baig (09.647); 3. Aymaan Baig (09.734).

    D1: Super Sport 4stroke 851 to 1050cc: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (09.415); 2. Niranjan R Kumar (10.404); 3. Saurabh Parab (10.471).

  • Abdul Waheed Tanveer of TVS Racing wins Round 2: 2w Rally Nationals

    Abdul Waheed Tanveer of TVS Racing wins Round 2: 2w Rally Nationals

    Chikkamagaluru, 5 May 2024: In a battle between Petronas TVS Racing teammates, Abdul Waheed Tanveer hogged the limelight taking full honours ahead of Samuel Jacob in the Superbike Pro-Expert class of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Rally Championship for 2-wheelers 2024 here on Sunday.

    The Round 2 of the Rally Nationals was well organised by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) around the coffee estates.

    Samuel Jacob of Udupi, who won the first round in Nashik, fell short by about 39 seconds and Rajendra RE, a multiple champion, came behind in third in the four-bike field completed by lady driver Aishwarya Pissay in fourth.

    In the Superbike Expert class, Asad Khan of Chikkamagaluru, who came third in the first round upped the game and defeated fancied Nataraj R, a former TVS rider who is now supported by VM Sports Foundation. GS Amogh Nag, also from Bengaluru, finished third.

    Bengaluru Yogesh P, astride a Hero Impulse won the Super Sport 165cc Group B class while Hero Motosports T Arun of Hassan won the Super Sport 260cc Group B class. Raigad’s Rajesh Naranjan Swami, astride a KTM Duke 390 won the Super Sport 400cc class while the Super Sport 550cc class was won by Mohammed Zaheer of Bengaluru on a Royal Enfield Himalayan.

    Karthik Naidu of Petronas TVS Racing, a former champion, who missed the podium in the first round, came back with a bang winning the Scooter class while Satara’s Tanika Shanbagh won the Ladies class again, beating Tanaya Singh of Pune. Shivam Thakur of Kullu won the Super Sport upto 450cc Gourp D class while Ashwin Anantha Raju of Bengaluru became the Star of Karnataka, a non-championship class for local riders.

    The back-to-back third round will be held next Sunday (12 May 2024) at Tribal Adventure Café, Devanahalli, near Bengaluru.

    Provisional Final Results: (#Bike number) (All privateers unless mentioned)

    Class 1: Superbike Pro-Expert Group A:

    1. #82 Abdul Waheed Tanveer (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (1hour, 0min, 42.944seconds);

    2. #3 Samuel Jacob (Udupi, Petronas TVS Racing) (1:01:21.958);

    3. #1 Rajendra RE (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (1:02:14.855);

    4. #11 Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (1:13:07.787).

    Class 2 Superbike Expert Group A:

    1. #20 Asad Khan (Chikkamagaluru) (1:03:38.687);

    2. #16 Nataraj R (Bengaluru) 1:03:41.818);

    3. #13 GS Amogh Nag (Bengaluru) (1:06:53.696);

    Class 3 Super Sport 165cc Group B:

    1. #30 Yogesh P (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (1:08:08.356);

    2. #68 Abdul Reheman (Shivamogga, Hero Impuse) (1:09:57.565);

    3. #77 Chalass K Bose (Kottayam, Hero Impulse) (1:10:12.007).

    Classs 4: Super Sport 260 Group B:

    1. #37 T Arun (Hassan, Hero Motosports) (1:02:11.006);

    2. #72 Imran Pasha (Mysore, TVS) (1:03:05.941);

    3. #8 Karan Kumar (Coimbatore, Hero Motosports) (1:04:14.670).

    Class 5: Super Sport 400cc Group B:

    1. #42 Rajesh Narajan Swami (Raigad, KTM Duke 390) (01:07:06.384);

    2. #74 Anish Shetty (Bengaluru, KTM Duke 390) (01:07:46.151);

    3. #47 Akhand Pratap Singh (Rorkee, Uttarakhand, KTM Duke 390) (01:10:51.754).

    Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B:

    1. #103 Mohammed Zaheer (Bengaluru, RE Himalayan) (01:10:01.851);

    2. #4 Arun Joy (Ernakulam, RE Himalayan) (01:10:43.403);

    3. #10 Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru, RE Himalayan) (01:10:57.792);

    Class 7: Scooters up to 210cc Group B:

    1. #23 Karthik Naidu (Bengaluru, TVS NTorq) (01:12:38.434);

    2 #54 Syed Asif Ali (Bengaluru, TVS NTorq) (01:12:54.945);

    3. #70 Goutham N (Bengaluru, TVS) (01:21:25.074).

    Class 8: Women’s Class Group B:

    1. #24 Tanika Shanbhagh (Satara, Hero MotoSports, Xpulse) (01:14:19.223);

    2. #49 Tanaya Singh (Pune, Hero Xpulse) (01:16:58.905);

    3. #83 Bani Dabholkar (Goa, Hero Xpulse) (01:43:38.422).

    Class 9: Super Stock up to 450cc Group D:

    1. #94 Shivam Thakur (Kullu, Hero XPulse) (01:09:31.223);

    2. #85 Mohammed Arshad (Thrissur, TVS Apache) (01:12:00.621);

    3. #66 Pradeep C (Bengaluru, Hero XPulse) (01:12:50.367).

    Class 10 Star of Karnataka:

    1. #29 Ashwin Anantha Raju (Bengaluru, Hero XPulse) (01:13:34.656);

    2. #61 Abrar Ahmed (Mysuru, Hero XPulse) (01:14:15.004);

    3. #98 Madhusudhan Suresh (Shivamogga, Hero XPulse) (01:14:57.575).

    Overall: (top-10 riders)

    1. #82 Abdul Waheed Tanveer (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (1hour, 0min, 42.944seconds);

    2. #3 Samuel Jacob (Udupi, Petronas TVS Racing) (1:01:21.958);

    3. #37 T Arun (Hassan, Hero Motosports) (1:02:11.006);

    4. #1 Rajendra RE (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (1:02:14.855);

    5. #72 Imran Pasha (Mysore, TVS) (1:03:05.941);

    6. #20 Asad Khan (Chikkamagaluru) (1:03:38.687);

    7. #16 Nataraj R (Bengaluru) 1:03:41.818);

    8. #8 Karan Kumar (Coimbatore, Hero Motosports) (1:04:14.670).

    9. #40 Sachin I D (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing, RTR 200) (01:04:31.980);

    10. #27 Banteilang Jyrwa (Shillong, Petronas TVS Racing, RTR 200) (01:05:26.714).

    Top in Ladies class

    Overall 35. #11 Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing, RTR450) (1:13:07.787).

  • Samuel Jacob begins 2024 campaign on a winning note; Tanika tops Ladies class

    Samuel Jacob begins 2024 campaign on a winning note; Tanika tops Ladies class

    Nashik, 7 April 2024: Samuel Sajan Jacob of Petronas TVS Racing began the season on a winning note snatching the Overall victory from teammate Rajendra RE in the MRF Rally of Nashik, the first round of the MRF Mogrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheelers here on Sunday.

    “I am feeling really happy wining the first round of Indian National Rally Championship. A winning beginning after a long break is always welcome and I thanks all the Petronas TVS Racing team for all the support and specially for the wonderful bike. I have trained very hard for this win and am happy to get the overall victory. The stages were full of tarmac, yes for about 60 per cent of the terrain and the rest is broken tarmac and I like it as it was a fast track,” said Jacob after the rally.

    Samuel Jacob with the Overall trophy in Nashik.

    While Petronas TVS Racing riders bagged three classes, with Imran Pasha (Supersport 260 Group B) and Syed Asif Ali (Scooters) also winning their classes, the lady rider from Satara, Tanika Shanbagh, kept the flag flying for Hero Motosports. Apart from winning the Ladies class, the two-time National champion finished Overall 30 in the field of 90 bikes. The TVS riders, however, swept the top class winning all the podium places in the Superbike Pro-Expert Group A with multiple national champion Aishwarya Pissay finishing fourth after the boys.

    The first round of the bike Nationals organised by AW Events and promoted by Godspeed Racing attracted 90 entries and 85 bikes finished the rally with five logging a DNF which included Arjun Joy and Karthik Naidu. Zeitmesser provided the live timings to the thousandth of a second.

    Former champion R Nataraj of Bengaluru won the Superbike Expert Group A Class 2 defeating compatriot Amogh Nag while Asad Khan of Chikkamagaluru finished third.

    Shivamogga’s Abdul Reheman won the Supersport 165cc Group B class while Rajesh Narajan Swamy won the Supersport 400cc class. Bengaluru’s Suhail Ahmed won the SS 550cc class and Arshad Muhammed of Thrissur won the 450cc Group D class. Amarendra Sathe of Pune won the Star of Karnataka local class.

    VS Naresh took a podium in the Supersport 550 Group B class on Sunday.

    Provisional Final Results: (#Bike number) (All privateers unless mentioned)

    Class 1: Superbike Pro-Expert Group A:

    1. #2 Samuel Jacob (Udupi, Petronas TVS Racing) (25 minutes, 03.831 seconds);

    2. #3 Rajendra RE (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:12.092);

    3. #1 Abdul Waheed Tanveer (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:32.225);

    4. #4 Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) 29:41.198.

    Class 2 Superbike Expert Group A:

    1. #5 Nataraj R (Bengaluru) (26:53.905);

    2. #6 GS Amogh Nag (Bengaluru) (27:43.780);

    3. #7 Asad Khan (Chikkamagaluru) (27:51.600).

    Class 3 Supersport 165cc Group B:

    1. #15 Abdul Reheman (Shivamogga) (29:29.776);

    2. #14 Bharat L (Bengaluru) (29:31.202);

    3. #89 Arshad Ali AT (Kannur) (29:41.877).

    Classs 4: Supersport 260 Group B:

    1. #26 Imran Pasha (Mysore, TVS) (26:07.655);

    2. #30 T Arun (Hassan, Hero Motosports) (26:34.469);

    3. #29 Yuva Kumar (Bengaluru, Hero Motosports) 26:45.720.

    Class 5: Supersport 400cc Group B:

    1. #42 Rajesh Narajan Swami (Pen) (28:03.998);

    2. #45 Anish Shetty (Bengaluru) (28:58.518);

    3. #41 Akhand Pratap Singh (Rorkee) (29:29.648).

    Class 6: Supersport 550 Group B:

    1. #52 Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) (28:44.853);

    2. #47 Naresh VS (Bengaluru) (29:40.304);

    3. #48 Darshan Chaure (Nashik) (30:52.412);

    Class 7: Scooters up to 210cc Group B:

    1. #56 Syed Asif Ali (Bengaluru, TVS) (29:59.732);

    2. #59 Venkatesh Shetty (Mumbai, Aprilia SR 150) (32:11.799);

    3. #60 Goutham N (Bengaluru) (32:27.604).

    Class 8: Women’s Class Group B:

    1. #62 Tanika Shanbhagh (Hero MotoSports, Satara) (30:11.762);

    2. #65 Somyya Chaudhary A (New Delhi) (31:31.733);

    3. #64 Remya Ravi (Thiruvananthapuram) (35:10.889).

    Class 9: Super Stock up to 450cc Group D:

    1. #69 Arshad Muhammed (Thrissur) (29:53.709);

    2. #72 Udayakumar M (Coimbatore) (30:15.197);

    3. #68 Shivam Thakur (Kullu) (30:30.249).

    Class 10 Star of Karnataka:

    1. #85 Amarendra Sathe (Pune) (31:59.690);

    2. #83 Lokesh Anik Bhosale (Pune) (32:29.292);

    3. #84 Kishore Jadhav (Pune) (32:36.992).

    Overall: (top-10 riders)

    1. #2 Samuel Jacob (Udupi, Petronas TVS Racing) (25 minutes, 03.831 seconds);

    2. #3 Rajendra RE (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:12.092);

    3. #1 Abdul Waheed Tanveer (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (25:32.225);

    4. #26 Imran Pasha (Mysore, TVS) (26:07.655);

    5. #30 T Arun (Hassan, Hero Motosports) (26:34.469);

    6. #29 Yuva Kumar (Bengaluru, Hero Motosports) 26:45.720.

    7. #5 Nataraj R (Bengaluru) (26:53.905);

    8. #27 Sachin D (Bengaluru, TVS) 926:56.007);

    9. #32 Banteilang Jyrwa (TVS) (26:56.905);

    10. #28 Sabarish R (Coimbatore) (27:32.179).

  • Raheesh Khatri to race in British Talent Cup

    Raheesh Khatri to race in British Talent Cup

    Bengaluru, 4 April 2024: Indian Honda racer Raheesh Khatri will take part in the 2024 season of the British Talent Cup which begins on April 18. Raheesh joins the prestigious British Talent Cup, competing against 30 top racers from the UK, USA and New Zealand, according to news received here.

    The 2024 R&G British Talent Cup season begins with a thrilling opener as Navarra, Spain, debuts on the calendar on April 20 with the first Round 1 after a test on April 18 and 19. Spanning eight rounds and 18 races, the season includes two weekends with three BTC races each: the season opener and the grand finale at Donington.

    Wilson Racing, a British team, announces the signing of Raheesh Khatri for the British Talent Cup. From starting his journey at the age of 4 to becoming India’s youngest motocross racer at the age of 6 and setting records in drag racing, earning him the title of the ‘Holeshot King’. Raheesh has consistently showcased his exceptional skills on the track. With many trophies to his name, including winning the 2022 Honda India Talent Cup, Raheesh showcased his skills as a racer.

    In the upcoming 2024 season, Raheesh will be representing Wilson Racing, a team with over 39 years of experience in the racing scene under the leadership of Gary. Riding the Honda NSF250R, the moto3 machine, Raheesh will embark on a thrilling journey in the British Talent Cup, with Round 1 scheduled in Spain on April 20 and 21 followed by 7 rounds in the UK.

    Despite his international commitments, Raheesh remains committed to his roots in India. Alongside the British Talent Cup, he will also compete in the Honda Racing India Talent Cup 2024, consisting of 5 rounds in India.

    Raheesh Khatri’s strategic plan includes the Asia Talent Cup, European Talent Cup, and ultimately aiming to become the first Indian to race in the prestigious RedBull Rookies Cup. His ultimate dream is to become the first Indian to win the MotoGP Championship.

    This signing with Wilson Racing marks a new chapter in Raheesh Khatri’s racing career.

  • Harith Noah overcomes a nasty fall to finish P12

    Harith Noah overcomes a nasty fall to finish P12

    Grandola (Portugal), 3 April 2024: Ace Indian rider and Dakar 2024 Rally2 winner, Harith Noah of Kerala, managed a tough day and overcame a nasty fall to finish Day 1 in the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal stage 1 successfully on Wednesday. Despite the fall and a technical issue, the Sherco TVS Rally Factory team rider finished overall 12th and 5th in Rally2 class.

    “A technical problem in the prologue followed by a crash in stage 1, but I am healthy and ready for tomorrow. Although in terms of km it wasn’t much, it felt like a long day separated into the prologue, first part of stage 1 and second part. A lot of water puddle and very wet areas made it difficult. Learned a lot and feel a little more calm for tomorrow…,” said Noah after the 100km first stage.

    Jatin Jain the other Indian also completed the tough Day 1 after he struggled with his bike and finished Overall 55 and P32 in Rally2 class.

    After setting the fastest time in the morning Prologue, Tosha Schareina (Honda) claimed victory in the inaugural stage of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, just ahead of compatriot Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco). António Maio (Yamaha) will head into the second day as the leading Portuguese contender.

    Tosha Schairena leads Day 1
    Tosha Schairena, a rider for Honda’s official team led by Ruben Faria, made a triumphant return to competition and kicked off the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in stellar fashion. The Valencia-based rider admitted, “The start was quite tough, with the sandy sections where I encountered quite a few difficulties. Then, the terrain hardened, and I pushed harder. Despite some minor errors, overall things went well, and the strategy of starting further back proved to be correct.”

    Also familiar with the course characteristics, compatriot Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) was one of the standouts of the day, finishing the stage in second position, just ahead of American Honda rider Skyler Howes.

    António Maio (Yamaha) showcased an impressive performance, being the fourth fastest of the stage and the best among the Portuguese riders, with the GNR (National Republican Guard) soldier stating, “The course was a bit different from what I was expecting, but it was enjoyable. I didn’t make any navigation errors, and it was important to finish the first day with good sensations.”

    Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) secured the fifth position, ahead of Sebastien Bühler (Hero). The Portuguese-German, residing in the village of Relíquias, approximately 80 km from Grândola, expressed satisfaction at the end of the first 100 timed kilometers: “I enjoyed the course quite a lot, and the only issue I had was having to backtrack two or three times to ‘fetch’ the waypoints. But it was a good stage to start.”

    Despite being the fastest in the stage, benefiting from experience on similar terrains around his hometown (Durban, South Africa), a penalty pushed Bradley Cox to seventh place. Nevertheless, the KTM rider emphasized, “I really enjoyed riding here. It’s tough but fun, even when we encountered a lot of mud.”

    Portuguese rider Bruno Santos (Husqvarna) finished eighth overall and first in the Rally2 class, while Argentine Manuel Andújar set the fastest time among the Quads, with a 6m39s advantage over Lithuanian Antanas Kanopkinas.

    A single selective sector contested south of Grândola, spanning 193.04 kilometers, is the challenge that teams face in tomorrow’s stage (Wednesday), the second of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. A course traversing the Alentejo cork oak forest, with some sandy sections.

  • Indians Harith Noah, Jatin Jain in fray; Hero Motosports’ Ross Branch leads RallyGP

    Indians Harith Noah, Jatin Jain in fray; Hero Motosports’ Ross Branch leads RallyGP

    Grandola (Portugal), 3 April 2024: Scrutineering for the inaugural edition of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal wound to a close in Grândola on Tuesday. The 55 vehicles in the W2RC field (out of 148 FIA/FIM vehicles in the race) were cleared to start the race on Wednesday morning.

    Among the 27 motorbikes and quads on the FIM start list, will be two Indians, Harith Noah of Sherco, the Rally2 class winner of 2024 Dakar and Jatin Jain, a Kove rider. Besides, the Indian manufacturer, Hero MotoSports, will have the leader of the Rally GP competition, Ross Branch, who will feel the heat from Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda), his closest pursuer at only 26 points back.

    Jatin Jain

    The popular Indian with the Supercross fraternity is a two-time National 2-wheeler rally champion in 2018 and 2019, and multiple times Supercross champion in different categories. Before this, he completed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the second round of the W2RC on his Kove 450 Rally Pro. The Nagpur rider made his international debut in 2020 in the Hispania rally in Spain with a creditable fifth place in his class, and also took part in the Abu Dhabi Baja in 2023. But despite his best preparations, the privateer could not raise the sponsorship to take part in Dakar 2024.

    Among the 28 FIA crews in the W2RC, Carlos Sainz (Mini JCW) holds the championship lead by just 9 points over Nasser Al Attiyah (Nasser Racing by Prodrive) and 12 over Guerlain Chicherit (Overdrive Racing).

    Tomorrow, in a historic first for the W2RC, the prologue and stage 1 will be held on the same day, taking the competitors from Grândola to Santiago do Cacém and back. There will be live coverage of the finish.

    The list of 169 entrants in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal includes competitors from 30 different nationalities, a fact that reveals the global nature of the Automóvel Club de Portugal event.

    As you might expect, the debut of the World Rally-Raid Championship in Portugal has attracted competitors from all over the world, who will be concentrating next week on Grândola and the trails of the Alentejo, Ribatejo and Spanish Extremadura.

    The impressive list of 169 entries for the car, motorcycle and quad races has competitors from 30 different countries: in addition to Portugal, also South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Czechia, Chile, Ecuador, Slovakia, Spain, United States of America, France, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Seychelles and Switzerland are represented.

    The pride of a nation

    In motorcycles, World Rally-Raid leader Ross Branch is one of Botswana’s rare representatives in motorsport at the highest level. Branch represents an Indian manufacturer, Hero, and bikers from that Asian giant are also starting to emerge, such as Harith Noah, an official Sherco rider, or Jatin Jain, who rides for a Chinese brand, Kove.

    The Sunshine After The Rain

    The route of the rally had to be tweaked due to the unseasonal rains that drenched its host regions last week, but its overall character remains very much the same. In the end, the FIM race will stretch for 1,735 km and its FIA counterpart for 1,866 km, with 1,039 km of specials for both. The start will be hectic!

    In a historic first for the W2RC, the prologue and stage 1 will be held on the same day. The first competitors will get the prologue going just 15 minutes after the sun peeks over the horizon. After that, they will set out to tame the 100 km special 1 before noon. The entire field will be brought together shortly before the finish line to provide live coverage of the last 3 km. The final sprint will be broadcast for the first time on Sport TV, the broadcaster of the premier sports events held in Portugal. Live footage with expert commentary will also be streamed on W2RC social media for the rest of the world. Tune in tomorrow at 3:25 pm (UTC+1) for the motorbike finish and 5 pm (UTC+1) for the car finish on YouTube W2RC or Facebook W2RC pages.

  • Gaurav Gill all set for return to APRC at Otago rally

    Gaurav Gill all set for return to APRC at Otago rally

    Internationally renowned rally driver, Gaurav Gill, will drive Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai i20 Rally2 in the upcoming Central Machine Hire Otago Rally on the weekend of April 12 -14.

    28 March 2024: Gill is a three-time Asia-Pacific Rally Champion and a seven-time Indian Rally Champion, with young Kiwi co-driver, Jared Hudson, calling the pacenotes for him.

    In Paddon’s hands, the Hyundai i20 Rally2 is the reigning Otago Rally winner and has not been beaten in New Zealand. It will be run in the Otago Rally by Paddon Rallysport.

    “I’ve been keen to compete in the Otago Rally for some time now, and am delighted to have this opportunity,” Gill said. “The roads will be fast this year, it’s going to be exciting.”

    Paddon Rallysport is a top-ranked team, the car is state of the art, and this gives me the opportunity to really give it everything.

    “The top Kiwis know these roads well and are in quality cars, it’s going to be a huge challenge. I can’t wait!” Gill will only contest the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) component of the rally and won’t be eligible for Brian Green Properties New Zealand Rally Championship honours. His entry is primarily being supported by JK Tyre Motorsport, with assistance from Vamcy Merla, who is also backing the Asia-Pacific section of the rally for the second year running.

    “I’m grateful for the support of JK Tyre Motorsport and Vamcy Merla, they’re doing a lot for the sport.”


    The Indian has competed in New Zealand before, but never in the South Island. He was a regular at the Rally of Whangarei during his successful APRC years, but his visit to Dunedin is another huge boost for the Otago Rally.


    “We are thrilled to receive Gill’s entry.  He’s a top-class driver with a huge track record in the APRC, and will be driving a state-of-the-art Rally2 Hyundai,” rally promotions manager, Roger Oakley, said.

    “This is a great boost to the event.  Along with Kris Meeke (Ireland) and Brandon Semenuk (USA), we now have top-level international drivers competing for the win in the APRC, Classic 2WD and Classic 4WD categories.


    Gill’s rivals for APRC honours in the Central Machine Hire Otago Rally include Ben Hunt (Skoda Fabia), Robbie Stokes (Ford Fiesta) and local star Emma Gilmour in a Citroen C3.

  • Kush Maini inherits third place in the F2 Sprint; Winner gets a penalty

    Kush Maini inherits third place in the F2 Sprint; Winner gets a penalty

    Melbourne, 23 March 2024: Indian racing star Kush Maini acquired a third place following a penalty to the ‘race winner’ and thus gained important points to move up to the third place in the F3 championship. The Bengaluru driver finished fourth in the race, but moved up after penalties were implemented. “Not the ideal way to get the podium, but we will take the extra point and the trophy,” said Kush Maini after the race.

    Following the conclusion of the Formula 2 Sprint Race in Melbourne, multiple drivers have received post-race penalties.

    Isack Hadjar has been handed a 10-second time penalty after the Campos Racing driver was found to have caused a collision with his teammate Josep María Martí and Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto at the start of the Race.

    The Stewards spoke to all three drivers involved and examined video evidence before determining that the Frenchman moved significantly to the right to get a run on the car on Roman Stanek in front of him without realizing that Martí had a significant portion of his car alongside him.

    This move caused Martí to move to the right to take avoiding action and as a result he made contact with Bortoleto leading to a second collision. The Stewards determined that Hadjar was predominantly to blame and handed him a 10-second time penalty.

    This means that Hadjar loses his victory and drops down to sixth, promoting Trident’s Stanek to P1. MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger takes P2, and Invicta Racing driver Kush Maini moves up to third. The Indian driver also moves up to third in the Drivers’ Championship as a result, now on 33 points.

    Moreover, Oliver Bearman has also been handed a 10-second time penalty for forcing PHM AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen off the track.

    After the Stewards heard from both drivers and examined all available video evidence, it showed that Bearman was alongside Duerksen at the apex and exit of Turn 4 and. While the PREMA Racing driver raced in a controlled manner, he did not leave a fair and acceptable width for Duerksen at the exit of the corner.

    This means Bearman drops from P8 to 15th in the classification, promoting ART Grand Prix driver Zak O’Sullivan up to eighth and giving him the final point in the Sprint Race.

    Finally, Jak Crawford has been handed a five-place grid penalty for tomorrow’s Feature Race after the Stewards found that he did not have the correct number of tyres to comply with the Sporting Regulations in relation to the Feature Race.

    The Stewards considered the matter extensively and having discussed the situation with a Technical Delegate, concluded that during Qualifying, Crawford rendered the left rear tyres of both “option” compound sets unusable for safety reasons.

    It was determined that it was not for reasons of force majeure and therefore Car 7 cannot comply with the regulations as a result. He will drop five places in the Feature Race as this is when the tyre is required to be used.

    UP NEXT

    The FIA Formula 2 Feature Race from Melbourne is set to get underway at 11:35 local time around Albert Park. Dennis Hauger starts from pole position for MP Motorsport.

  • Harkrishan-Kunal clinch the victory in APRC Asia Cup; claim INRC hattrick of wins

    Harkrishan-Kunal clinch the victory in APRC Asia Cup; claim INRC hattrick of wins

    Chennai, 17 March 2024: On a day of drama, Delhi’s Harkrishan Wadia (co-driver Kunal Kashyap, Himachal) of Arka Motorsports emerged champions in the 47th MMSC South India Rally, the first round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) Asia Cup round and the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) here on Sunday.

    Wadia and Kashyap, who won the last two rounds in the 2023 calendar, made it a hattrick of wins in the INRC and also won the prestigious APRC round even as several leading title contenders retired due to various issues with their vehicles.

    Wadia not only topped the round of AVT Gold Cup FIA APRC-Asia Cup but also the season-opener of the Blueband Fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2024 besides taking the P1 spot in the INRC 2 category for a triple crown.

    His main rivals in Asia Cup, SIDVIN-MRF Tyres sponsored Bengaluru pair of Pragathi Gowda and co-driver Trisha Alonkar, in a Subaru Impreza 4-wheel drive car whose windshield was shattered when hit by a stone thrown by a miscreant in the penultimate Stage, failed to finish as they ran out of fuel two Kms from the finish of the three-day event’s last stage.

    Consequently, second spot went to Hyderabad pair of Naveen Puligilla and co-driver Santosh Thomas with Coimbatore’s Ramcharan C (co-driver Jeevarathinam, Bengaluru) of Arka Motorsports completing the podium. Only three of the nine starters in the Asia Cup completed the event.

    Former World Rally champion (Production Cars), Karamjit Singh from Malaysia who is training Pragathi, was a shattered man. “We lost P2 in the Asia Cup. We are still figuring out how they ran out of fuel, but on the positive side, I am happy at the progress Pragathi made in the past one week. She was stepping up the pace Stage by Stage and getting comfortable with the car. She has a lot of talent and potential,” said Karamjit.

    In the National Championship, Wadia won the Overall and INRC 2 titles with overnight leader Himachal’s Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap (Chettinad Sporting) were docked a 30-second penalty for late check-in as they stopped to repair a damaged exhaust pipe after completing a Stage, and had to be content finishing second in INRC Overall and INRC 2 categories.

    Earlier, overnight leader in the Asia Cup, Aroor Arjun Rao (co-driver Satish Rajagopal) of Mandovi Racing, packed up after the day’s first Stage when he lost power steering. Also retiring was Day-1 leader Dean Mascarenhas (co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah) of DB Motorsport due to a fuel pump issue in the day’s penultimate Stage.

    Harkrishan, son of former Rally ace Anil Wadia, could barely stop smiling. “I pushed hard today as I had to make some time. The car was great and I am thankful to MRF Tyres for all the support. I made just one mistake when I overran a corner, but fortunately, it did not impact my position on the leaderboard. Overall, a good start to the season.”

    A dejected Thakur rued that he slipped to second after looking primed to win. “We had an exhaust issue. So, after SS-11, we stopped on the transport section to carry out some running repairs. It cost us time and we had to take a 30-second penalty for check-in at the next Time Control. We are extremely disappointed but hope to do better in the next round,” said Thakur.

    Kerala’s Vishak Balachandran (co-driver Anil Abbas), supported by MRF Tyres, took the honours in the INRC 3 while Shillong’s Phoebe Nongrum (co-driver Nash Ross, Hyderabad) of SNAP Racing, topped the Women INRC category with two front runners, Anushriya Gulati and Tarushi Vikram retired with mechanical problems. MRF Tyres-backed Arjun Rajiv from Bengaluru (co-driver Vinay Padmashali, Mysuru) of Chettinad Sporting drove well to clinch the title in the Junior INRC category.

    Delhi’s Baljinder Singh Dhillon (co-driver CP Gautam, Chikkamagaluru) emerged on top in the Fmsci Challenge Gypsy Cup.

    Of the 51 crews who started the Rally, 23 retired. The second round of the INRC is scheduled to be held in Nashik from May 31 to June 2.  

    Provisional final results:

    FIA APRC-Asia Rally Cup:

    1. Harkrishan Wadia (Delhi) / Kunal Kashyap (Himachal) (Arka Motorsports) (02Hrs, 04mins, 59.8secs); 2. Naveen Puligilla / Santosh Thomas (both Hyderabad) (Pvt.) (02:15:22.0); 3. Ramcharan C (Coimbatore) / Jeevarathinam (Bengaluru) (Arka Motorsports) (02:17:24.1).

    Blueband Indian National Rally Championship:

    INRC Overall: 1. Harkrishan Wadia (Delhi) / Kunal Kashyap (Himachal) (Arka Motorsports) (02:04:59.8); 2. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) (Chettinad Sporting) (02:05:05.0); 3. Vishak Balachandran (Thiruvananthapuram) / Anil Abbas (Ernakulam) (Chettinad Sporting) (02:10:02.6).

    INRC 2: 1. Harkrishan Wadia / Kunal Kashyap (02:04:49.8); 2. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (02:05:05.0); 3. Naveen Puligilla / Santosh Thomas (02:15:22.0).

    INRC 3: 1. Vishak Balachandran / Anil Abbas (02:10:02.6); 2. Daraious Shroff (Mumbai) / Srikanth Gowda (Chikkamagaluru) (Chettinad Sporting) (02:10:48.1); 3. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / Arvind Dheerendra (Bengaluru) (Pvt.) (02:11:48.2).

    Junior INRC (2 finishers): 1. Arjun Rajiv (Bengaluru) / Vinay Padmashali (Mysuru) (Chettinad Sporting) (02:13:47.9); 2. Ajay Shankar (Kollam)/ S Nitharshan (Kallakurichi) (Mandovi Racing) (02:14:00.0).

    Women INRC (2 finishers): 1. Phoebe Nongrum (Shillong) / Nash Ross (Hyderabad) (Snap Racing) (02:28:27.4); 2. Harshitha Gowda (Bengaluru)/ Vignesh Mahalingam (Coimbatore) (Pvt.) (02:45:42.8).

    Fmsci Gypsy Challenge: 1. Baljinder Singh Dhillon (Delhi) / Goutham CP (Chikkamagaluru) (Pvt.) (02:21:51.9); 2. Dr Akarsh Sundar (Chikkamagaluru)/ Ravi Kumar (Bengaluru) (Pvt.) (02:24:45.7); 3. Jayanth Somanathan / R Rajashekar (Both Bengaluru) (Pvt.) (02:24:51.9).

  • Kelam coconut stage makes it tough for the drivers: A photo gallery

    Kelam coconut stage makes it tough for the drivers: A photo gallery

    As the Indian National Rally Championship enters its 37th year, the South India Rally provides the season opening thrills by adding another car-breaking stage Kelam, that provided colour to the images with coconut trees everywhere. The bright and beautuful gypsies had their day while many took it easy in the new stage that promises to be better next year.

    Here are some images from our celebrated motorsports photographers:

    Srinivasa Krishnan Insta: @srinivasakrishnan

    Adithya Thakur
    Anushriya Gulati. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Young turk Arjun Rajiv. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Defending champion Aroor Arjun Rao, who crashed out on Sunday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Veteran evergreen driver Sanjay Agarwal thrills the sparce crowd with a brilliant jump. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Photos by Samuel Rajkumar, www.AceImages.in

    Pre-event favourite Karna Kadur and Musa Sherif packed off on Day 2 due to gear box issues. Photo by Samuel Rajkumar
    Maninder Singh Prince, had his moments before lady luck deserted him. Photo by Samuel Rajkumar
    Dean Mascarenhas, who led the field after Day 1 displaying some stunning speed was hit with mechanical issues on Day 2. Photo by Samuel Rajkumar
    The Monster! The car built by APRC legend Possum Bourne and driven by World champion in Production cars Karamjit Singh of Malaysia, who is currently mentoring Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar in their Subaru Impreza #23 at MIC on Friday. Photo by Samuel Rajkumar

    Photos by Karan Ravi, the young motorsports photographer:

    Arnav Pratap Singh and Rohit flying in the track stage on Saturday. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Arjun Rajiv, the youngest driver in the INRC kicks up dust at the MIC track stage. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Asia Pacific Rally Championship Asia Cup leg comes to India again. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Blueband Sports, the Promoters’ branding at the Track stage
    Starting point for the Track stage. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Aroor Vikram Rao. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Harkrishan Wadia, who won back to back rallies towards the end of 2023 is going great guns. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Clean and calm driving from the Polo Cup racing champ from Hyderabad. He could not resist jumping into the rally car after he drove the Zero car faster than the rest, at the sanghi stages last year… He is now gunning for a podium in his class INRC3. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Refuelling station all set for action on Day 2. Photo by Karan Ravi
    Baljinder Singh Dhillon and Goutham CP, the Delhi-Chikkamagaluru combo in a gypsy running for a podium finish. Photo by Karan Ravi
    With JK Tyre pulling out of full-time sponsorship of Rally cars, Maninder Singh Prince remains the lone warrior flying the yellow colours. Photo by Karan Ravi