INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Diljith TS bags 2 titles; Deepak Ravikumar is FLGB 2023 champion

    Diljith TS bags 2 titles; Deepak Ravikumar is FLGB 2023 champion

    Chennai, 17 Dec 2023: On a day over-run with emotions, Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar and Bengaluru youngster Chetan Surnineni won the titles in the showpiece MRF Formula 2000 and 1600 categories, respectively, as the curtains came down on the fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2023 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.

    Also picking up the National titles in their respective categories were Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts, Indian Touring Cars), Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Diljith TS (DTS Racing, Super Stock and Formula LGB 1300).

    The Championship battle in the MRF Formula 2000 went right down to the wire. Sandeep Kumar did just enough to pick up crucial points and pip Kolkata’s Arya Singh by just three points to claim the championship. Incidentally, both the MRF F2000 races were won by Bengaluru’s Aditya Swaminathan.

    Likewise, Chetan Surineni won Race-1 and finished second in Race-2 behind Viswas Vijayaraj to claim the championship in the MRF F1600 category.

    For 48-year-old Meiyappan, who made a comeback to racing after a break of 20 years last season, it was an emotional moment. Needing just five points going into Round 4, he finished Race-1 in fourth and Race-2 in third to seal the title with a tally of 171 points. Meanwhile, Chennai’s 41-year-old Ritesh Rai (Arka Motorsports) scored a double in the ITC category in front of his family to cap a memorable weekend as he finished second in the championship, ahead of Mumbai’s Biren Pitawalla (Team N1 Racing).

    “I am totally exhausted but very satisfied to win my first-ever National championship. I missed the qualifying session yesterday as I was racing in Dubai (Porsche Cup) and returned home early this morning. After a two-hour sleep, I was at the track for the races. The feeling is still to sink in as I am just too tired mentally,” said Meiyappan.

    Another Chennai driver, Deepak Ravikumar edged out his Performance Racing team-mate Akkineni Anand Prasad for the title in the IJTC class by winning both the races today for a double while 30-year-old Diljith, who had effectively sealed the championship with a round to spare, only confirmed the title in the Super Stock category.

    However, Diljith had to fight hard for the Formula LGB 1300 crown that was decided only on conclusion of the final race in this class. He finished second in Race-1 behind team-mate Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore) and third in Race-2 to annex the title. The Race-2 was won by 16-year-old Bengaluru schoolboy Dhruvh Goswami (MSport) from pole position in the reverse grid.

    The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F2000 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (15:59.086); 2. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (15:59.657); 3. Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) (16:09.957). Race-3: 1. Aditya Swaminathan (15:54.237); 2. Jaden Rahman Pariat (15:54.507); 3. Arya Singh (16:00.352).

    MRF Formula 1600 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Chetan Sureneni (Bengaluru) (17:12.071); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore) (17:16.562); 3. Aman Nagdev (Noida) (17:19.278). Race-3: 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (16:39.489); 2. Chetan Surineni (16:39.738); 3. Veer Sheth (Mumbai) (16:47.179).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Arka Motorsports) (15:01.439); 2. Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (15:08.362); 3. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts) (15:08.858). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Ritesh Rai (22:08.620); 2. Biren Pithawalla (22:12.222); 3. Gurunath Meiyappan (Chennai, Race Concepts) (22:23.804).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (15:27.357); 2. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (15:31.118); 3. Haktim Shabbir Jamnagarwala Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (15:37.365). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (22:34.641); 2. Akkineni Anand Prasad (22:37.484); 3. Haktim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (22:37.919).

    Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai, Pvt.) (16:37.212); 2. Dilijith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (16:37.615); 3. Justin Singh (Gurgram, Redline Racing) (16: 40.756); Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Dilijith TS (23:40.218); 2. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai, Pvt.) (23.41.591); 3. Jarshan Anand (Chennai, DB Motorsport) (23:54.807).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (14:53.894); 2. Diljith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (14:54.251); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) (15:10.025). Race-2: 1. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (25:18.849); 2. Abhay M (Bengaluru, MSport) (25:19.081); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (25:23.650).

  • Cooper Webster is first Indian F4 champion; Rishon wins a race

    Cooper Webster is first Indian F4 champion; Rishon wins a race

    Irungattukottai (Tamil Nadu), 17 Dec 2023: Cooper Webster has added to Australia’s growing list of international titles after securing the Indian F4 Championship on the weekend.
     
    In what has been a highly-impressive 2023 campaign for Webster, the Victorian managed to wrap up the Indian championship midway through the final round of the season at the Madras International Circuit, near Chennai, adding to his runner-up GB4 Championship finish earlier in the year.
     
    Webster didn’t need to do much to win the title having built up a solid lead in the previous four rounds, but the 20-year-old chose to finish on a high and started off with a perfect outing on Saturday with pole position in both qualifying sessions.
     
    Webster then converted his pole position to a Race 1 victory thanks to a dominant performance where he led from lights to flag and crossed the line 11 seconds ahead of Akshay Bohra.
     
    On Sunday morning, Webster dropped to third in the second race, as 2023 Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific and Oceania Selection Programme participant Rishon Rajeev of Bengaluru picked up his first race win of the year.
     
    The Australian didn’t have to wait very long to get back onto the top step of the podium though after another solid outing in the event’s third race saw him record his eighth win of the year and seal the title with an unassailable lead.
     
    Rajeev did manage to get a minor consolation prize of a podium in the final race, as Webster finished couple of places behind in fifth – ultimately ending the year with 282.5 points – more than 60 points ahead of the second placed Rajeev on the standings.  
     
    The Aussie also managed to clock up the fastest lap in three of the four races in the final round, taking his total to seven fastest laps for the season, while also scoring five pole positions.
     
    A Motorsports Australia post said: In addition to Webster, young driver Jack Taylor continued his first ever open wheel season with three top 10 finishes out of four races – his best result being the final race of the year where he finished seventh.
     
    In addition to his impressive seventh place finish, Taylor also finished eighth and ninth respectively throughout the round, while being forced to retire in the round’s second race.

  • Hemanth Muddappa fastest rider; Shahrukh bags a triple

    Hemanth Muddappa fastest rider; Shahrukh bags a triple

    Bengaluru, 26 Nov. 2023: Ten-time National champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing bagged a grand triple in the top-two premier classes of the 9th edition of the Vroom Drag meet, an fmsci-licensed event at the Taneja Aerospace strip, near here, on Sunday. The event was held for both cars and bikes but only the bike details are reported here. The 8th edition was also held here in Feb 2023.

    Shweta Chithrode keeps the women in motorsport flag flying.

    Another Mantra rider, Shahrukh Hikmat Ali Khan of Mumbai also won a triple winning the E2, C4 and B2 classes while two lady riders, Shweta Chithrode and Sarah Khan excelled in their classes taking a podium each.

    Organised by Vroom Motorsports, Speed, the High Performance Petrol by Bharat Petroleum presented Vroom Drag Meet was powered by Hero MotoCorp, Electric performance partner Ultraviolette, Safety Car Partner Lexus Bangalore, and was supported by School of India. The pulsating weekend showcased 600 entries, with more than 280 participants. A crowd of over 10,000 witnessed the high-octane event, one of top drag meets in the country.

    Bengaluru’s Muddappa, the Drag King of India, also clocked the fastest time of the event winning the 1051 to 1650cc class astride a Suzuki Hayabusa beating Shweta Chithrode, a lady rider, who competed on equal footing with men and did a creditable job. Mujahid Pasha came third. Muddappa congratulated Shweta on her good run. Muddappa also won the 851 to 1050cc class beating Sugan Prasad by a huge margin. Khaja Awais Ahmed came third.

    Hemanth Muddappa also won the 551cc and above class to make it a grand triple. Alimon Saidalvi from Mumbai won the 1651 and above class with a timing of 10.184sec as a lone warrior.

    Hemanth Muddappa (centre) bagged a triple. INDIAinF1 photo courtesy Muddappa.

    “By God’s grace, I am very happy that I dominated all the three classes I took part in and to top it got the fastest time of the event too. My hearty thanks are to Team Mantra Racing and all credit to Sharan Jayram and the whole team for tirelessly working as always,” said Hemanth Muddappa.

    “I am thrilled to get my first podium in the D2 class. From a journey of 11.545s to 9.980s in just a year, it’s been a rollercoaster. Achieving my goal to stand on the podium among men in the Busa class exceeded my expectations,” said a visibly pleased Shweta, the fastest female rider of the event.

    Zubair Ali Jung won the F2 Naked Open while Aiyaz topped the 4stroke upto 500cc beating Mubarak Pasha and Sara Khan of Mumbai, another lady rider, took a third place.

    Alimon Saidalvi, who won the premier class, 1651 cc and above class.

    Baba Blaze, also from Mantra Racing, astride a Kawasaki Ninja 6R, won the 551 to 850cc class defeating Altaf Khan and Mirza Jahangir to second and third respectively.

    “Congratulations to Hemanth and Sharan, take a bow guys! An awesome weekend of drag racing for the Mantra team with all the machines entered securing a P1,” said Pratap Jayaram, the legend and creator of many a speed machine.

    C6 winner S Nishanth, centre, Annish, 2nd and Mohsin Shareef, 3rd, right. Mohsin also won the A2 class at the Vroom 9th Edition on Nov 26 at Taneja airstrip, Hosur.

    Results for Quarter Mile (Taneja Airstrip, Hosur):

    1. D3 1651cc and Above: 1. Alimon Saidalvi 10.184;

    2. D1 851 to 1050cc: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing) 9.637; 2. Sugan Prasad SP 10.063; 3. Khaja Awais Ahmed 10.125;

    3. D2 1051 to 1650cc: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing) 9.564; 2. Shweta Chithrode 9.980; 3. Mujahid Pasha 10.012;

    4. F1 Wheelie Class for Indian/ Superbikes: NOT HELD due to High Winds for safety reasons.

    5. F2 Naked Open: 1. Zubair Ali Jung 10.882; 2. Aamir 11.007; 3. Junaid 11.286;

    6. F3 4Stroke Open upto 500cc: 1. Aiyaz 12.526; 2. Mubarak Pasha Rem 12.801; 3. Sara Khan 13.214;

    7. F4 2Stroke Jawa Yezdi Open: 1. Yacoob Shafiek 15.559; 2. Suprit S Kumar 17.392; 3. Abdul Hafeez 18.611;

    8. E1 Upto 395cc: 1. Salman Khan A 12.303; 2. Sumit Salvi 12.589; 3. Attaulla Baig 12/624’

    9. E2 396 to 550cc: 1. Shahrukh Khan 12.028; Aymaan Baig 12.369; 3. Aiyaz 12.471;

    10. E3 551cc and Above: 1. Hemanth Muddappa 9.743; 2. Sugan Prasad SP 9.974; 3. Mujahid Pasha 10.072;

    11. C1 Upto 165cc: 1. Mustafa Siraj Khan 14.975; 2. Faraaz Akhter 15.287; 3. Sunil Kumar 15.473;

    12. C2: 166 to 225cc: 1. Balasubramanian 14.347; 2. Badhusha 14.874; 3. Aiyaz 15.013;

    13. C3 226 to 360cc: 1. Shankar Guru Arumugam 13.308; 2. Mohammed Arfath 13.399; 3. Mohammed Fazal 13.765;

    14. C4 361 to 550cc: 1. Shahrukh Khan 12.286; 2. Aiyaz 12.515; 3. Ayman Baig 12.685;

    15. C5 551 to 850cc: 1. Baba Blaze (Mantra Racing) 10.668; 2. Altaf Khan 11.443; 3. Mirza Jahangir Baig 11.583;

    16. C6 551 to 750cc: 1.  S Nishanth 13.151; 2. Annish 14.478; 3. Mohsin Shareef 15.176;

    17. C7 751cc: 1. Chiranth Kumar 11.051; 2. Tasmai PC 11.333; 3. Vishwajeet 11.899;

    17. B1 Upto 130cc: 1. Aravind 14.137; 2. Mohammed Rafiq 14.242; 3. Abdul Shaikh Gi 14.300;

     18. B2 131 to 165cc: 1. Shahrukh Khan 13.490; 2. Mohammed Rafiq 13.658; 3. Shashi Kiran V 13.681;

    19. B3 350cc and Above:  1. Salman Khan A 11.979; 2. Attaulla Baig 12.203; 3. Shahrukh Khan 13.210;

    20. A4 161cc and Above: 1. Santosh 17.419; 2. Prashanth 17.815; 3. Sadiq Pasha 18.669;

    21. EV1 Electric Vehicle Open: 1. Shuheb A 18.756; 2. Shashi Kiran V 18.937; 3. Aamir Suheal 19.125;

    22. EX1 Electric Vehicle: 1. Iqhlas Ameen 15.311; 2. Mohammed Afaqh Ameen 15.467;

    22. A3 111 to 160cc: 1. Aiyaz 22.247; 2. David Babu 23.256; 3. Abrar Pasha 1:20.388;

    23. A2 81 to 110cc: 1. Mohsin Shareef 20.898; 2. Mohammed Hidayath 23.002; 3. Daulath Khan 25.621;

    24. A1 upto 80cc: 1. Daulath Khan 31.049; 2. Javeed 35.190;

  • Jahaan Singh Gill leads 2nd with 19 points at Asia Cup segment, APRC final round

    Jahaan Singh Gill leads 2nd with 19 points at Asia Cup segment, APRC final round

    Danau Toba (Indonesia), 23 Nov. 2023: Championship leader and three-time winner, Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill will be missing from the line-up at the the Danau Toba Rally, which acts as final round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship 2023 (APRC) Asia Cup but India will have a strong presence with Team JK Motorsports fielding three Subarus. The 19-car field will also have Sanjay Takkale, the first Indian to win any APRC title,being a production winner in the past. The event simultaneously run along with the local INRC will be run here from November 24 to 26.

    Will championship leader Gill missing in the line-up, and third-placed Amittrajit Ghosh of India, staying away for want of a car, Thailand’s Pornsiricherd Mana will lead the table with 24 points but India’s Jahaan Singh Gill with 19 points, has the best chance to turn the tables on the Thai veteran and stake claim for his maiden APRC Asia Cup title.

    Considered as one of the toughest rallies on the circuit, the Danau Toba Rally will run on gravel and cover a distance of 433 kms, with 150.35 kms earmarked for 11 special stages and one super special stage.

    On a combined grid, 63 competitive, including 18 APRC cars, will take part in the Indonesian National Rally Championship and for the Asia Cup honours. India’s well-known promoter of motorsport JK Tyre together with Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation fielded three drivers under the yellow colours namely Jahaan Singh Gill from Chandigarh with co-driver Suraj Prasad, Coorg lad Suhem Kabeer with co-driver PVS Murthy and Lokesh Gowda from Mysore with co-driver Ashwin Naik of Mangaluru.

    Jahaan Singh Gill who has just sealed his Junior INRC title in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) will be driving the N11 Subaru and Suhem Kabeer and Lokesh Gowda will be behind the wheels of N12 Subaru. These four-wheel drives producing over 300bhp, are certain to spice up things over the weekend on the tricky wet surface that the rally will offer.

    The competitors had their initial brush with conditions when they tested their cars for the first time on the challenging turf. Greeted with rains, it was a new experience for them as they are used to two wheel drives back in India and it was their first outing behind the wheels of four-wheel drive cars.

    Talking post the official testing session, Jahaan who has just in the last weekend sealed his Championship title back home in the JINRC and is also leading in INRC 3 category is expected to carry forward the momentum in his maiden international outing said, “We are looking forward to this rally because it is something different which we had never experienced before. Thanks to JK Tyre & Vamcy Merla for this opportunity to drive in the finals of APRC.”

    “We tested the car and realised it’s a totally different ball game. These cars are much faster than what we drive back home. Braking and acceleration usage is limited as these cars don’t turn with steering input but use throttle in the corners unlike our two-wheel drive cars where we brake much later. As of now our main aim is to get used to the car and focus on completing the rally more than anything else,” he further added.  

    Sharing the same sentiment, Suhem Kabeer from Bangalore said, “Stepping onto the international stage is a thrilling challenge and a new road to conquer. We are happy with the progress so far and will give it our best shot during the weekend.”

    Lokesh, making his comeback into rallying after a break, knows the challenges that lie ahead but is confident of using all his experience and making it count. His seasoned co-driver Ashwin Naik has helped him get upto paces with the car and said, “It is a new learning for all of us and we want to make the most of it and have a good weekend with an aim to strive for the podium.”

    The rally will officially start on Friday, November 24, followed by Leg 1 on Saturday and Leg 2 on Sunday. The prize giving ceremony will be on Sunday.

  • Harkrishan-Kunal duo emerges overall winners at Robusta Rally: INRC Ro5

    Harkrishan-Kunal duo emerges overall winners at Robusta Rally: INRC Ro5

    Kodagu, 19 Nov. 2023: Displaying controlled aggression Delhi’s Harkrishan Wadia, along with Himachal’s Kunal Kashyap, of Arka Motorsports bagged their maiden overall victory as they emerged triumphant in the Blueband Robusta Rally of Kodagu, the fifth Round of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four-wheelers here on Sunday.

    The penultimate round organised by Robusta Adventure and Sports Academy, and promoted by Blueband Sports, offered a tough terrain, like the last rally in Hyderabad, with only one INRC spec car finishing in the top-10. With top guns faltering once again, like in Hyderabad, Wadia and Kashyap, unfurled their magic in a lower spec INRC2 Volkswagen Polo 1.6 to win the Overall honours in an INRC event. They also won their class, INRC2. Aroor Vikram Rao and co-driver Somayya, who were third overnight finished a creditable Overall second with young Jahaan Singh Gill and co-driver Suraj Keshav Prasad taking overall third.

    “We are over the moon. This is our first overall victory and first INRC2 win. And our first stage wins, too. We are thankful to everyone who helped us in this journey. Especially, my father, who’s always been my No.1 supporter. Thanks to the whole team at Arka but for whom this sweet victory would not have been possible. They gave us the perfect car throughout the weekend. And Phil bhaiyya (Philippos Matthai) who’s helped improve my driving massively,” said a visibly delighed Wadia.

    Chandigarh’s Jahaan Gill also won the INRC3 class while local star Abhin Rai and co-driver Aravind Dheerendra of Ammyfied Rallying won the INRC4 class. Privateers Mitchu Ganapathy of Gonikoppa and co-driver Venu Ramesh Kumar of Coimbatore won the Gypsy class.

    A total of 23 cars of the 60 failed to finish the course (DNF). Of the 60 that took the start on Day 1 (Leg 1) only 52 finished and of the 52 cars that took the start on Day 2 (Leg 2) 15 cars logged DNF. Sixty one cars entered the fray but one car did not start the raly.

    “We congratulate the winners of Robusta Rally, Coorg. We have received tremendous feedback on the course and the overall experience from the participants. We are grateful for the opportunity to organise and bring back the pride of motorsport back to Coorg,” said Somanna JJ, Founder Partner, Robusta Adventure and Sports Academy.

    Final Provisional Results:

    Jahaan Singh Gill and Suraj Keshav Prasad win INRC3. INDIAinF1 photo

    Overall: 1. Harkrishan Wadia/ Kunal Kashyap (Arka Motorsports) (1min, 45min, 07.2seconds); 2. Aroor Vikram Rao/ AG Somayya (Chettinad Sporting) (01:46:35.8); 3.Jahaan Singh Gill/ Suraj Keshav Prasad (Snap Racing) (01:46:51.3).

    INRC2: 1. Harkrishan Wadia/ Kunal Kashyap (Arka Motorsports) (1:45:07.2); 2. Aroor Vikram Rao/ AG Somayya (Chettinad Sporting) (01:46:35.8); 3. Jacob KJ/ Shanmuga SN (Arka MS) (01:47:27.8).

    INRC3: 1. Jahaan Singh Gill/ Suraj Keshav Prasad (Snap Racing) (01:46:51.3); 2. Sheshank Jamwal/ Aseem Sharma (Arka Motorsports) (01:48:25.4); 3. Daraious Shroff/ Shahid Salman (Chettinad Sporting) (01:48:32.8).

    INRC4: 1. Abhin Rai/ Aravind Dheerendra (Ammyfied Rallying) (01:52:28.0); 2. Vivek Ruthuparna/ Athreya Kousgi (Snap Racing) (01:56:15.4); 3. Sefeekudheel/ Arun V (pvt.) (02:11:09.2).

    Gypsy: 1. Michu Ganapathy/ Venu Ramesh Kumar (Pvt.) (02:03:30.5): 2. Abhishek Gowda/ Dheeraj Manae (pvt.) (02:04:09.7); 3. Jayanth Somanathan /R Rajashekar (pvt.) (02:04:13.0).

    Ladies: 1. Anushriya Gulati/ Sherwin Dalmeida (Dark Don Racing) (01:55:20.8); 2. Shivani Parmar/ Arjun Dheerendra (Chettinad) (01:56:21.5); 3. Pragathi Gowda/ Trisha Alonkar (AART Motorsports) (02:00:06.3).

    Junior INRC: 1. Jahaan Singh Gill/ Suraj Keshav Prasad (Snap Racing) (01:46:51.3); 2. . Abhin Rai/ Aravind Dheerendra (Ammyfied Rallying) (01:52:28.0); 3. Vivek Ruthuparna/ Athreya Kousgi (Snap Racing) (01:56:15.4)

  • Harkrishan, Kunal duo takes lead after Day 1 at Rally Robusta: INRC Ro5

    Harkrishan, Kunal duo takes lead after Day 1 at Rally Robusta: INRC Ro5

    Kodagu, 18 Nov. 2023: Delhi driver Harkrishan Wadia, along with Himachal’s Kunal Kashyap did a splendid job to take the overall lead in the Round 5 of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship at the end of Day 1 at the Special Stages near here on Saturday. The Blueband Robusta Rally of Kodagu, organised by Robusta Adventure and Sports Academy, offered a tricky and tough terrain that saw 21 cars, of the 61 that started, fail to finish the course on Day 1.

    Arka Motorsports’ Harkrishan (co-driver Kashyap), driving an INRC2 spec Volkswagen Polo 1.6 did a commendable job to finish the tough Anandpura and Polibetta competitive stages after Day 1. The duo also topped their INRC2 class. Talented Jahaan Singh Gill of Chandigarh with Bengaluru co-driver Suraj Keshav Prasad of Snap Racing came overall second and topped the INRC3 class after six Special Stages on Saturday. The Mangaluru-Bengaluru pair of Aroor Vikram RAo and co-driver AG Somayya of Chettinad Sporting were placed overall third with six more stages to go on Sunday.

    “The day was full of adrenaline. The stages were fast and flowing but down to narrow and bumpy at places from time to time. I thank Arka Motorsport for giving us the perfect car even after the damages at Hyderabad rally. The strategy for Sunday is to do nothing different but follow up on today’s pace. keep the car on road and drive fast,” said Wadia after a tough day.

    Vikram Rao and Sahil Khanna (co-driver Harish KN) are following Wadia in INRC2 class while Jahaan Singh Gill is also leading his INRC3 class with Daraious Shroff (co-driver Shahid Salman) and Sheshank Jamwal (Harish KN) trailing him in that order. Abin Rai and Aravind Dheerendra of Ammyfied Rallying were leading INRC4 class while Darshan Nachappa and co-driver Abhinav Ganapathy topped the Gypsy class on Day 1.

    Provisional Results after Day 1:

    Overall: 1. Harkrishan Wadia/ Kunal Kashyap (Arka Motorsports) (1min, 0min, 55.7seconds); 2. Jahaan Singh Gill/ Suraj Keshav Prasad (Snap Racing) (01:01:27.5); 3. Aroor Vikram Rao/ AG Somayya (Chettinad Sporting) (01:01:47.0).

    INRC2: 1. Harkrishan Wadia/ Kunal Kashyap (Arka Motorsports) (1min, 0min, 55.7seconds); 2. Aroor Vikram Rao/ AG Somayya (Chettinad Sporting) (01:01:47.0); 3. Sahil Khanna/ Harish KN Gowda(Snap Racing) (01:02:41.8).

    INRC3: 1. Jahaan Singh Gill/ Suraj Keshav Prasad (Snap Racing) (01:01:27.5); 2. Daraious Shroff/ Shahid Salman (Chettinad Sporting) (01:02:51.8); 3. Sheshank Jamwal/ Ashish Sharma (Arka Motorsports) (01:03:08.2);

    INRC4: 1. Abhin Rai/ Aravind Dheerendra (Ammyfied Rallying) (01:04:52.4); 2. Vivek Ruthuparna/ Athreya Kousgi (Snap Racing) (01:05:34.7); 3. Prajwal HM/ Vinay SM (Pvt.) (1:12:19.2).

    Gypsy: 1. Darshan Nachappa/ Abhinav Ganapathy (Ammyfied) (01:10:14.6); 2. Sanjay Agarwal/ Phalguna Raghavendra (pvt) (01:11:28.6); 3. Michu Ganapathy/ Venu Ramesh Kumar (Pvt.) (01:11:40.3).

    Ladies: 1. Anushriya Gulati/ Sherwin Dalmeida (Dark Don Racing) (01:06:22.8); 2. Nikeetaa Takkale/ Raghuram Saminathan (Snap Racing) (01:06:52.9); 3. Shivani Parmar/ Arjun Dheerendra (Chettinad) (01:07:45.7).

    Junior INRC: 1. Jahaan Singh Gill/ Suraj Keshav Prasad (Snap Racing) (01:01:27.5); 2. . Abhin Rai/ Aravind Dheerendra (Ammyfied Rallying) (01:04:52.4); 3. Vivek Ruthuparna/ Athreya Kousgi (Snap Racing) (01:05:34.7).

  • KJ Jacob and Shanmuga triumph at Rally of Hyderabad; Big guns topple

    KJ Jacob and Shanmuga triumph at Rally of Hyderabad; Big guns topple

    Hyderabad, 29 October 2023: KJ Jacob and co-driver Shanmuga SN bagged their maiden big victory as they became the Overall winners of the Rally of Hyderabad, the fourth round of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2023 at Sanghi Nagar, near Ramoji Film City, here on Sunday.

    Thrissur’s KJ Jacob, who made his debut in the INRC in 2015 at K1000 rally in Bengaluru, took his first Overall victory. Ably assisted by co-driver Shanmuga of Bengaluru, the duo driving an INRC2 spec Volkswagen Polo 1.6 punched above their weight. Hyderabad’s tough terrain and, the longest special stage among the current rally venues in, India, proved daunting as the top-three in both the INRC1 and INRC2 and many overnight leaders, fell by the way side in the final stage. Of the eight premier class cars, driven by top guns in the country, only Younus Ilyas finished the punishing course.

    Vishakh Balachandran and Anil Abbas and young turk Arjun Rajiv and Rohit Gowda, both driving the lower INRC3 spec Polo 1.6 cars finished Overall second and third. Jacob and Shanmugha also won the INRC2 class while Vishakh and Anil took the INRC3 victory.

    Vivek Ruthuparna and co-driver Athreya Kousgi won the INRC4 while talented Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar bagged the Ladies class. Baljinder Singh Dhillon and Goutham CP won the Gypsy class.

    Revised Provisional Results: Overall: 1. Jacob KJ, Thrissur /Shanmugh, Bengaluru, Team Arka Motorsports (1hour, 54minutes, 29.2seconds); 2. Vishakh Balachandran/ Anil Abbas (1:55:18.0); 3. Arjun Rajiv/ Rohit Gowda (1:55:28.7);

    INRC2: 1.Jacob KJ/ Shanmugha SN, (1:54:29.2); 2. Ritesh Guttedar / Suraj M (1:57:01.2); 3. Chetan Shivram/ Shiv Prakash (1:58:02.9).

    INRC3: 1. Vishakh Balachandran, Thrissur/ Anil Abbas, Ernakulam (1:55:18.0); 2. Arjun Raj:iv/ Rohit Gowda (1:55:28.7); 3. Jason Saldanha/ Thimmu Uddapanda (1:56:04.7).

    INRC4: 1. Vivek Ruthuparna, Chikkamagaluru/ Athreya Kousgi, Mumbai (2:11:07.5); 2. Safeekuddin/ Arun V (2:21.41.8);

    Ladies: 1.Pragathi Gowda/ Trisha Alonka (Both Bengaluru) (1:58.07.5); 2. Nikeetaa Takkale/ Raghuram Saminathan (2:11:45.3).

    Junior INRC: 1. Arjun Rajiv; 2. Jahaan Singh Gill; 3. Vivek Ruthuparna.

    Gypsy (non championship):1. Baljinder Singh Dhillon/ Goutham CP (2:16:23.5); 2. Sanjay Lal/ V Sekar (2:17:10.7); 3. Abhishek Gowda/ Dhiraj Manae (2:18:01.6).

  • Diana Pundole creates history beating a strong field of male drivers: National Racing

    Diana Pundole creates history beating a strong field of male drivers: National Racing

    Chennai, 15 October 2023: Lady driver Diana Pundole from Pune created history in the annals of motor racing at the Madras International Circuit to become the first lady driver to win back to back races in the National Chamionships. “I have never seen a lady winning two races in one round, at least at the track here in a National Championship,” said Vicky Chandhok, former fmsci president and chairman of the meet.

    Competing on equal footing with male drivers, Diana Pundole won two races in the MRF Saloon Car category and became the first female driver to score a double in a single round in MMSC National four-wheeler racing championship.

    Aditya, Chetan score a double each

    Bengaluru’s Aditya Swaminathan and Chetan Surineni notched a double each in the MRF Formula 2000 and F1600 categories, respectively, as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2023 concluded at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.

    Aditya Swaminathan take pole on Saturday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Meanwhile, Chandigarh’s Angad Matharoo provisionally clinched the championship in the MRF Saloon Car (Toyota Etios) category with five wins from nine starts, besides two podium finishes this weekend, while Coimbatore’s Jai Prashanth Venkat was placed second followed by Mumbai’s Zahan Commissariat.

    Also scoring a double over the weekend were: Diana Pundole from Pune, Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) in Indian Junior Touring Cars and Diljith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) in Formula LGB 1300.

    Aditya Swaminathan, starting from pole, took the honours in Race-1 in the MRF F2000 category without much ado but had to fight hard for the win in the next after starting from P5 on the reverse grid. Championship leader Sandeep Kumar from Chennai salvaged his weekend by winning Race-3, edging out Kolkata’s Arya Singh in a close finish.

    Chetan Surineni won Race-1 and 3 in the MRF F1600 holding off Viswas Vijayaraj in both outings while Mumbai’s Veer Sheth topped Race-2.

    One of the big stories of the day was scripted by Biren Pithawalla (Team N1 Racing), a 42-year-old businessman from Mumbai, piloting a Honda Jazz. He put in a solid performance to win the premier Indian Touring Cars race, his second of the season after a stirring duel.

    Starting from P2 on the reverse grid, Biren overtook pole-sitter and his cousin Anant Pithawalla on Lap 2. With Anant holding off the pursuing cars, Biren made rapid ground to draw clear of the pack. Behind the pair, championship leader Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts), after surviving a contact with defending champion and team-mate Arjun Balu who then retired, caught up with Biren who gave a fine exhibition of defensive driving to take the chequered flag. Meiyappan finished second to stay on top of the leaderboard while Ritesh Rai (Arka Motorsports) came in third.

    “A very special win today, because I won on the track. I had “won” the first race in the previous round, but that was because of penalties to the guys who finished in front of me. So, this is very special and a culmination of nearly 12 years of hard work that my cousin Ananth Pithawalla and I had put in,” said Biren.

    Likewise, 28-year-old Diana Pundole, a mother of two, won Race-1 from lights to flag after opening a sizable lead in the early part of the 10-lapper to notch her maiden win in this category. In the next outing, she started from P5 on the reverse grid, but battled her way to the front and went on to achieve a double. Zahan Commissariat topped Race-3 following a time penalty to P1 finisher Matharoo.

    In the Formula LGB 1300 category, Diljith was virtually gifted the win in Race-1 as pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj, leading by the proverbial mile, went off the track at Turn-1, damaging the nose cone besides losing brakes. Yet, the Nellore youngster re-joined the race and managed to survive the final two laps to come in second behind Diljith who later easily won Race-2 for a double.  

    Provisional results (8 laps, unless mentioned):

    MRF Formula 2000 (Race-1): 1. Aditya Swaminathan (Chennai) (16min, 02.814sec); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (16:03.313); 3. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (16:08.561). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Aditya Swaminathan (Chennai) (16:13.886); 2. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (16:14.640); 3. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (16:15.805). Race-3: 1. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (13:08.364); 2. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (13:08.781); 3. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (13:09.123).

    MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (16:38.263); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore) (16:39.456); 3. Aman Nagdev (Noida) (14:59.154 + 1 lap). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Veer Sheth (Mumbai) (17:23.085); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore) (17:28.014); 3. Aman Nagdev (Noida) (17:28.489). Race-3: 1. Chetan Surineni (14:03.496); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (14:04.198); 3. Veer Sheth (14:04.474).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (19:11.946); 2. Gurunath Meiyappan (Chennai, Race Concepts) (19:12.401); 3. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Arka Motorsports) (19:16.193).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:35.754); 2. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:36.864); 3. Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:44.038).

    Super Stock (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Diljith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (20:56.057); 2. Manan Patel (Mumbai, Redline Racing) (19:11.463+1 lap); 3. Yokeshwaran K (Coimbatore, Momentum Motorsports) (19:38.091 + 1 lap).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Dilijith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (14:57.612); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (15:03.336); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Ahura Racing) (15:05.403). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Diljith (18:50.965); 2. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Momentum Motorsports) (19:00.080); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Mahabalipuram, MSPORT) (19:00.681).

    MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) Race-1: 1. Diana Pundole (Pune, Redline Racing) (16:31.113); 2. Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh, Redline Racing) (16:34.881); 3. Jai Prashanth Venkat (Coimbatore, Redline Racing) (16:35.729). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Diana Pundole (20:49.229); 2. Angad Matharoo (20:50.273); 3. Jai Prashanth Venkat (20:54.606). Race-3: 1. Zahan Commissariat (16:49.499); 2. Jai Prashanth Venkat (16:51.898) 3. Kalim Iqbal (Colombo) (16:52.247).

  • Sai Sanjay Makes Spectacular Debut in the UK GT4 Arena

    Sai Sanjay Makes Spectacular Debut in the UK GT4 Arena

    Snetterton (UK), 10 October 2023: Indian racing star Sai Sanjay made his international debut winning a race in the GT Cup Championship 300 finale here in the GTH class. During the weekend, Sai won two races and finished P2 in the second feature race. For his stellar performance, he was also awarded the ‘Driver of the Day’ in a grid of seasoned competitors.

    On Day 1, teammate, Davies, put the car on pole with a best timing of 1:55:744 and won the first Sprint race in 25:39.518. In the first Feature race of the weekend, Davies started as first driver and after the pit stop, Sai did a creditable job to keep the lead and finish the race with ease and grace. The Racelab pair clocked 51 minutes, 45.513 seconds in the 25-lap race. They clocked a best lap of 1:58.009.

    On Day 2, Sai, who hails from Salem, proved the pace in the #13 Racelab McLaren Artura by putting in a storming 3rd lap with a timing of 1:55:472 to qualify 1.4s ahead of Hart’s Morpheus Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 in Group GTH. Sai won the 13-lap second Sprint race of the weekend from pole-to-finish in 25:40.512 and with more than 30-second gap. The team managed a second place with a time of 51:31.167 in the Feature (Pit-Stop) race. Davies pulled well clear in the early stages for Racelab but due to an incident, the pair had to settle for a second. Competing in his first weekend in sportscars, the Indian showed that his Qualifying speed was no flash in the pan, pulling clear to take an emphatic team victory.

    “Competing in the UK for the first time in a GT4 car has been an exhilarating experience. I was elated to know that I would’ve been in the Top-5 of British GT Championship with my time in Qualifying. Looking ahead, I’m planning to explore the car more at Silverstone as we had very limited track time prior to the race weekend,” said Sai Sanjay.

    Jon Lancaster (Driver Coach) said: “It is an unbelievable start to his GT career. Sai adapted well making his transition from single seaters to GT cars. We had an open mind before the first test but just after five laps in Donnington, I was super excited. He has been very professional and his feedback about the car has been good. He’s been the fastest man all weekend and a very promising start indeed.”

    The 20-year Mechatronics student of VIT, Chennai was driving in the GTH category for the first time. The Indian National champion of 2022 in the MRF Formula 2000 car was encouraged and supported by mentor Aditya Patel, who was instrumental in Sai making his international debut in UK. He was coached by Jon Lancaster, a seasoned race driver and qualified instructor.

    The GT Cup Championship is one of the UK’s leading sports car categories, catering for all levels of driver ability and a huge range of gorgeous machinery. Sai Sanjay and Team Racelab are now gearing up for the test at Silverstone today.

  • INDIAinF1’s adviser Srinivasa Krishnan captures the visual feast at the historic Indian GP

    INDIAinF1’s adviser Srinivasa Krishnan captures the visual feast at the historic Indian GP

    New Delhi, 21 Sept. 2023: The Grand Prix of India is all set to unfold at the historic Buddh International Circuit, near here at Greater Noida, from Friday. But the Thursday action had enough colourful moments captured by the Photo Editor and Editorial adviser Srinivasa Krishnan. Here are a few of the images that capture the glimpses of the momentous Indian Grand Prix:

    Alex Espargaro

    Alex Espargaro of Aprilia Racing; Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Alex Marquez, on a track walk. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Brad Binder and Jack Miller on Wednesday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Brad Binder tries his hand at cricket. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Francesco Bagnaia on a track walk. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    General View of he BIC. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    BIC on Wednesday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Marc Marquez in rain, track walk. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Hervé Poncharal, Mathilde Poncharal, Tech3. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Jack Miller and cricket. India makes it happen and Photo Editor Srinivasa Krishnan captures it. BIC, Indian GP, Delhi
    Johann Zarco in rain, cycling… Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Safety car…. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Please note that one corner was demolished to get the homologation done and now the track has only 13 corners. From the original 16 for the F1 to 14, one was removed to make it 13 for the final run. There is also no long-lap penalty due to this cutting of the corner… Graphic courtesy Michelin.