Andrea Dovizioso stuns Marc Marquez at the last corner in the Austrian GP on Sunday. A MotoGP image
Spielberg, 11 August 2019: Do not adjust your set: that was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) slicing past Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) at the final corner as the Italian turned the tables on the reigning Champion, the hunted turning hunter to keep Ducati’s 100% winning record at the Red Bull Ring intact. After all-out war in Austria, ‘DesmoDovi’ became the first repeat winner since the venue’s return to the calendar in 2016, with the gloves coming off early as a vintage Dovi vs Marquez duel lit up the Red Bull Ring. The Italian has won most of them, but in Spielberg he didn’t play defence. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completed the podium after another impressive ride from the rookie, equalling Yamaha’s best result at the track.
Polesitter Marquez was lightning off the start but so was Dovizioso as the two pre-race favourites headed into Turn 1 already locked together, despite Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) heading in slightly hot and almost clipping the number 4 Ducati ahead of him. But all’s well that ends well and this was just the beginning, with the Italian and Spaniard even making slight contact on the run into Turn 3 at 300km/h. Marquez was on the inside and Dovi on the outside, but the number 93 went in hot and ran wide, the Ducati then also forced to sit up. That let Quartararo sweep through to lead, with Miller and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins then also pouncing on the exit and Marquez having another wobble as he gassed it to try and slot back into the pack.
Dovizioso was behind Marquez after the shuffle, but he was back past into Turn 4 as Quartararo started putting the hammer down in the lead. The Frenchman was 0.5 ahead onto Lap 2, but Dovizioso and Marquez started to make up ground as they recovered from a frantic opening lap. Dovi was soon back up to second, with Miller holding off Marquez – for the time being – and fast-starting Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) not far off, ‘The Doctor’ climbing his way up to fifth from P10 in the opening exchanges and initially in the battle for the podium.
Before long, Marquez had dispatched Miller and the top three started to edge away from the number 43, Rossi and Rins. Then on Lap 7, Quartararo was under serious attack: Dovizioso blasted past into the lead, before Marquez shot past the Yamaha moments later. The two were back in front, and the duel was just getting started.
The pin wasn’t yet pulled, however, with the top five remaining within a second and a half before heartbreak struck for Miller as the Australian slid out at Turn 9. Just metres ahead on track, Marquez struck for the lead at the final corner, too, and then the duo started to pull clear. Not by a massive margin each lap, but Quartararo couldn’t match the pace of the Ducati and Honda as another almighty Austrian battle started to take shape.
Marquez threatened to stretch away but the gap didn’t rise above 0.4 seconds, with the number 93 strong in the first half of the lap and Dovizioso the stronger in the second part. The laps ticked by and there was nothing between them, Dovizioso shadowing the reigning Champion. Then, out of nowhere, a move was made with nine to go. Dovizioso powered alongside Marquez, and the number 93 even looked across at the Italian heading into Turn 1. But the Ducati made the pass stick and it was now the 2017 Austrian GP winner in control.
Tensions were bubbling to boiling point for the next five laps, with Marquez trailing Dovi by 0.1, 0.2. The question was not if, but when and where. Then, with three to go, we found out. Turn 7 was the unlikely location as Marquez stuck it underneath Dovizioso to take back the lead, and it settled back into strategic chess until Turn 1 on the penultimate lap as the number 04 went for it. Could he make it stick? Not quite, Dovizioso running wide and Marquez straight back through.
Onto the last lap, there was nothing separating the leaders and again, Dovi went for it at Turn 1 but ran wide, so it was Marquez who led going down into Turn 3. The Italian was close but not close enough around the final lap, and it started to look like the Borgo Panigale factory’s stranglehold on the Red Bull Ring could be under threat. But it was far from over as down to the last sector, with the two glued together once again as the Ducati powered up the hill out of Turn 8. He was close, but no pass came at Turn 9. It was going down to the wire.
Heading into the last corner, the Ducati pulled out from behind the Honda as Dovizioso pulled a Marquez – pushing his machine into the gap and on the verge of creating space rather than using it. It was roles reversed from 2017 as the Italian lunged down the inside, keeping it perfectly pinned to deny Marquez and power towards the line ahead for his second win of the season. With no chance to strike back, Marquez was forced to settle for second.
Behind the duel, Quartararo took the chequered flag in a lonely third to claim his third MotoGP™ rostrum and bank another huge haul of points in his impressive 2019, coming home top rookie, top Independent Team rider and top Yamaha – equalling the Iwata factory’s best result at the track from 2016.
Just behind him, Rossi had been caught by teammate Maverick Viñales and Suzuki rider Rins as the trio battled for fourth, with Rossi ultimately able to pull a tenth or two clear of Viñales as three Yamahas sat in the top five at a tougher track for them. Rins, meanwhile, was only 0.021 off the number 12, the number 42 running it close and only just fended off.
Behind the Yamaha train, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) took P7 and a big haul of points after a much more positive weekend, finishing just ahead of fellow rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3). The Portuguese rider finished as the best KTM on the Austrian factory’s home turf, taking a sensational P8 and some serious scalps.
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) will be disappointed with P9 on a Ducati-friendly circuit, with compatriot Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completing the top 10 ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and the second KTM of Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), meanwhile, crashed out of contention on Lap 2 at Turn 3, the British rider hitting the back of Tito Rabat’s Reale Avinita Racing Ducati after the Spaniard had to take avoiding action after a problem for Pol Espargaro’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) bike.
The 2019 Austrian GP will live long in the memory after another breathtaking Dovizioso vs Marquez battle, and it’s the Italians who emerge victorious again. Can they repeat the feat in Silverstone next time out? Two weeks will tell us.
Andrea Dovizioso: “I think this is my best victory, for many reasons…we didn’t have Marc’s speed, we had to make a good strategy, we had to fight aggressively in the first few laps and the last four…and we’re struggling a lot to fight for the Championship so this gives us a lot of energy for the future. And the work in the practice paid off in the race because at the end I had more grip, giving me the possibility to fight until the last corner.
“To win in this battle at the last corner in the opposite way to normal is so exciting, so nice…and when you have your friends there after the first corner, seeing them go crazy, screaming, it’s so nice!”
Chetan Shivaram and Dilip Sharan of Team Akshara win the overall title in the Rally of Coimbatore. Photo by Venu Ramesh
Coimbatore, 11 August 2019: Brothers Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan of Team Akshara, played a cautious game and focussed on keeping the car on track with a safety-first approach, to chalk-out a deserving win in the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), promoted Champions Yacht Club, at the Windmill farms of Kethanur, near here on Sunday.
Chetan painted the town yellow in his stock Volkswagen Polo prepared by FRK Racing and supported by Ideal Racing and displayed controlled aggression with his brother Sharan calling the notes. The focussed Bengaluru duo weathered a sustained challenge from Race Concepts’ Younus Ilyas and Harish Gowda, the INRC Sprint champions and won by a narrow margin of 4.6 seconds. Further behind, the talented youngster from Kerala Arakkal Fabid Ahmer, with co-driver Sanath Gopalan, also in a Polo prepared by Chettinad Sporting came third for Team Champions. Fabid who was trailing 5th overnight also won the second place in the INRC 3 class.
Chetan Shivaram and Dilip Sharan on the podium. Photo. Chetan’s FB post
Nurturing their four-second lead was made easy as overnight second-placed privateer Suhem Kabeer and co-driver Jeevarathinam clocked 14min, 43.10sec and lost time in the 6th stage to Chetan’s 8:21.30, as they got stuck in the slush but behind them Younus Ilyas (Harish) of Race Concepts who were running third, started reducing the 19-second gap. Chetan Shivaram, however, managed to cling on to the lead and not only won the overall title but also topped the INRC 3 category. Despite losing six minutes or so, Suhem held on to the third place in INRC 2 class but lost the overall podium finishing 15th. Younus was ahead in two of the three stages but that was not enough as they settled for overall second place.
But Younus and Harish had the consolation bagging the title in the INRC 2 category. For the record, it was the doctor from Kerala, Bikku Babu, along with co-driver Milen George who won all the three stages today with top-notch driving. But the experienced Kerala duo found it too difficult to make up the time, over an hour, which they lost in SS5 on Saturday.
Vaibhav Marate and Arjun Balachandran’s Honda City flying through windmill stages. Photo Prabhu Kethanur
But the highlight of the day was the drive from talented youngster from Mangalore Dean Mascarenhas, who fielded his VW Polo as a privateer along with navigator Shruptha Padival. The duo who are leading the championship coming into Round 2, lost a lot of time on Saturday but made tremendous progress jumping 32 places to finish overall 10th and had the bonus of a second place in the INRC 2 category.
While many started today to get leg points, 17 cars failed to finish among the 57 that took the start on Saturday. Pre-event favourites Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif of Team Mahindra Adventure once again suffered for want of dependable machine and finished 44th in line with teammates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik who were 43rd. Karna Kadur and Nikhil Pai of Arka Motorsports too had a forgettable event finishing 50th overall.
Younus Ilyas and Harish Gowda pose during the Rally of Coimbatore. Photo: FB
In the SUV Challenge, Team Champions swept the podium winning all the top-three places. Lokesh Gowda and co-driver Sudhindra BG won the support class while Gagan Karumbaiah and Thimmu Uddapanda pair came second followed by veteran Sanjay Agarwal and Smitha N.
The next round of the championship will move to Jodhpur in Rajasthan from Septemeber 20 to 22. Kochi, Bengaluru, and Chikkamagaluru will host the last three rounds respectively in November and December.
Gagan Karumbaiah and co-driver Thimmu Uddapanda who won the SUV Challenge cruising on Saturday stages. Photo: Venu Ramesh
Championship leader surpasses Mick Doohan to take MotoGP pole number 59, a Yamaha and Ducati join him on the front row in Austria
Front row L-R: Quartararo, Marquez and Dovizioso. A MotoGP image
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) claimed premier class pole position number 59 to surpass MotoGP™ Legend Mick Doohan’s record as the Championship leader was in formidable form in Q2 at the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich to head Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) on the front row.
Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was the fastest rider after the first flying laps at the Red Bull Ring, with the Spaniard doing his first stint on the medium tyres. They were clearly working for Viñales though as he went nearly four-tenths quicker than the field on his second fast lap, with teammate Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Quartararo all exchanging the second position as Viñales’ advantage was chopped.
But, surprise surprise, a Repsol Honda was taking the bull by the horns. Marquez has been the man to beat all weekend in Austria and soon enough, the number 93 was back at the summit. Marquez’ time was 0.269 better than Viñales’ as the reigning Champion sat on provisional pole after the first set of flying laps.
Just seven-tenths covered the top 12 as the riders came out on fresh Michelin rubber for their second qualifying stints, with Viñales switching to a soft rear tyre this time. And ‘Top Gun’ went quicker to cut Marquez’ advantage to 0.164 as Dovizioso then ramped up his pace to slot himself onto the provisional front row behind the two Spaniards. The red sectors were lighting up and that was for one man: Marquez. The Spaniard had Doohan’s premier class pole record well in his sights, and he also had a 1:22 on his radar. Marquez came round to complete his lap, however, it wouldn’t be the 1:22 he was aiming for. No matter, a 1:23.027 was the fastest ever lap we’ve seen around the Red Bull Ring as the relentless 26-year-old went 0.496 better than anyone else.
The front row wasn’t quite decided there though. Dovizioso was able to improve his time to dip 0.008 ahead of Viñales and on his final qualifying lap, rookie revelation Quartararo beat the pair of them to stick his M1 on the front row for the sixth time in 2019. The Frenchman was overjoyed with another quality Saturday display, but Marquez’ gap to the rest still stood at over four-tenths.
Dovizioso will be hoping to use Ducati’s launch control to get underneath both Marquez and Quartararo into Turn 1 on Sunday, while Viñales will be hoping he can get a good launch from the front of row two. Sitting alongside the Yamaha in fifth is Q1 graduate Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), the reigning Moto2™ World Champion had a cracking Q2 to claim his best MotoGP™ grid slot – can ‘Pecco’ mix it at the front on Sunday from P5? Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) continued his solid weekend to set the sixth-fastest time in Q2, the Japanese rider was just 0.017 off Bagnaia to claim his best Q2 result as three different manufacturers line up on the first and second rows in Austria.
The same happens on the third row, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins leads Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Q1’s fastest man Crutchlow in seventh, eighth and ninth respectively, with P10 going the way of Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). Behind ‘The Doctor’, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro will launch from P11 to try and claim a good result for the Austrian team on home soil, while a late crash for Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) at Turn 4 ended a disappointing Q2 for the Italian – P12 for ‘Petrux’, rider ok.
Can anyone beat a superlative Marquez on Sunday afternoon? Well, he’s qualified on pole twice in Austria before and has yet to win, so all is not lost for the chasing pack. Dovizioso looks set to be his closest rival, so will Ducati keep up their 100% Red Bull Ring record? A cagey encounter awaits and you don’t want to miss it. 14:00 local time (GMT+2) is when you need to tune in!
Q2 results:
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – 1:23.027
2. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) + 0.434
3. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) + 0.488
4. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.496
5. Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) + 0.625
6. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) + 0.642
7. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.654
8. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) + 0.661
9. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) + 0.727
10. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) + 0.790
11. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 0.839
12. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) + 0.937
Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing keeps his unbeaten record in the Micro Max Championship and leads the table. Photo FB @SharithaDivakar
Bengaluru, 10 August 2019: Ten-year-old local schoolboy Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing kept his slate clean winning all the four races to retain his place at the top of the leaderboard in the Micro Max category after final and pre-final races of Round 3 & 4 in the JK Tyre fmsci Indian National Rotax Karting Championship 2019 at Meco Kartopia here on Saturday.
Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin of MSport and Bengaluru’s Rishon of Birel Art won three races each in the Senior Max and Junior Max categories, respectively but both lost the top spot in the pre-final on Friday. While Shahan leads the Senior Max table with 351 points, Mohamed Ryan is still ahead with 322 points in the Junior Max category, thanks to his three 5th place finishes along with a sixth.
On Podium from left: Ruhaan (2nd), Rishon (1st) and Mihir Avalakki (3rd). Birel Art won 12 of the 13 podium places in two rounds in the Junior Max category.
Ishaan, a student of Vidya Shilp Academy in Bengaluru, and the youngest of the two Madesh brothers, won both the Final and Pre-Final races of Round 3 on Friday and went on to win both the races on Saturday to complete a clean sweep and retained his position at the top with 356 points with an unbeaten record. His teammate Jagrat Detroja could only take third places in all the four races but is second in the championship standings with 330 points ahead of Anshul Sai Kumar (317) who failed to get a podium in the two rounds this weekend.
Rishon lost some points coming second to Mihir Avalakki in the Pre=Final race in Round 3 on Friday. Mihir came second in two other races while Ruhaan Alva took a second and two third places on the podium in the Junior Max category.
In the Senior Max class, Vishnu Prasad who won the Pre-Final in Round 3 on Friday, took the second place in the final but could not make it to the podium in Round 4 on Saturday. Yash Aradhya and Manav Sharma shared the minor spoils.
Ishaan Madesh (centre) keeps his unbeaten record intact. An INDIAinF1 photo
Provisional Unaudited Results: Round 4:
Senior Max Final (18 laps): 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport, Agra) (16:42.810); 2. Yash Aradhya (MSport, Bengaluru) (16:43.229); 3. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing, Faridabad) (16:46.895). Best lap: Shahan 55.349. Pre-Final (15 laps): 1. 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport, Agra) (13:58.934); 2. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing, Faridabad) (14:03.310); 3. Yash Aradhya (MSport, Bengaluru) (14:06.307). Best lap: Shahan 55.555.
Chetan Shivaram (left) and Dilip Sharan who took the lead after Day 1. An INDIAinF1 image
Coimbatore, 10 August 2019: On a day full of surprises, INRC 3’s Chetan Shivram of Akshara Racing jumped into the early lead in the Rally of Coimbatore, Round 2 of the Champions Yacht Club FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, here on Saturday. The overnight rains made the terrain at the Kethanur Windmill farms in Palladam very slushy and only 33 cars of the 58 that started finished the day.
Chetan and his brother co-driver Dilip Sharan were most comfortable in the treacherous terrain, marked by slushy conditions and loose sand, posting a total time of 1:05:32.900 hours to complete Day 1’s five stages to be ahead of a record field.
Suhem Kabeer (with Jeevarathinam) and Younus Ilyas (Harish Gowda) were hot on the tail of the leader, taking the second and third positions by the end of the day. The two JK Tyre drivers, both INRC 2 contenders, were in their elements, with Suhem showing consistency in all the stages while Younus won the last two stages to climb into the top three.
Hot favourite Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) of Mahindra Adventure gets stuck in the INRC on Day 1, Saturday at Coimbatore. An INDIAinF1 image by Prabhu Kethanur
Hot favourite Mahindra Adventure’s Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) began on a positive note, scoring the fastest times in the first three stages before he picked up a puncture in SS 4 and had to eventually pull out with a malfunction.
Even Karna Kadur and Nikhil Pai of Arka Motorsports and comeback boy Vikram Mathias, along with co-driver Sujith Kumar of Race Concepts had a rough day, falling out of contention after the third stage. Round 1 winner Dean Mascarenhas managed to finish but a very poor second stage that got his car stuck in slush hurt him badly, sliding him to the 20th position.
Rahul Kantharaj and co-driver Vivek Bhatt negotiate slushy terrain on Saturday. Photo: Venu Ramesh Kumar
“After continuous rainfall last night, it suddenly became sunny in the morning leading to the surface becoming really hard. There were stones all over the stages which made it difficult. I am obviously not happy with my current scenario but would say that I would take it as a learning experience and I will bounce back strong,” Gaurav said after the end of Day 1.
Interestingly, none of the 6 INRC entries managed to finish on the first day.
Right behind Suhem and Younus in the INRC 2 category was Ritesh Guttedar (& Lokaranjan H.J) of Team Champions, who is well-placed in the overall category too, finishing fourth.
Contract extension keeps the stunning Austrian venue on the calendar for at least a further five years
Dietrich Mateschitz (Left), CEO of Red Bull, with Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports. A Dorna Sports image
Spielberg, 10 August 2019: Dorna Sports is delighted to announce that the Red Bull Ring will remain on the MotoGP™ calendar until at least 2025. Previously confirmed until 2020, a contract extension secures the future of one of the most spectacular venues of the season from 2021-2025.
In 2016, motorcycle Grand Prix racing returned to Austria and the Red Bull Ring for the first time since 1997 and the event was voted the best Grand Prix of the year. Set in the hills of Styria, the incredible scenery and facilities make Spielberg a highlight of the season both on- and off-track – and MotoGP™ is now confirmed to return for at least another six Grands Prix.
Dietrich Mateschitz, CEO of Red Bull: “For me, MotoGP is the most attractive racing series in the world. It offers motorsport in its purest form. MotoGP has been coming to the Red Bull Ring for four years now and the excitement and enthusiasm for it remains unchanged. It’s our pleasure to welcome motorcycle Grand Prix racing for a further five years beyond 2020.
“Securing the experience for the fans on site at the racetrack, as well as for the viewers of ServusTV, the contract extension is our long-term commitment to this fascinating sport and an expression of personal appreciation for Carmelo Ezpeleta.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “It makes me very happy to announce that we will be returning to this track until at least 2025. I think everyone would agree it’s one of the most beautiful circuits in the world and it’s a pleasure for us to race here. Being KTM’s home track, it’s also an important weekend for our newest manufacturer and for Austrian motorsport. The facilities and organisation are excellent, the grandstands are packed and the atmosphere is really unique here in Spielberg – I look forward to many more years working together.”
Tune in for this year’s spectacular myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich this weekend, with the premier class going racing on Sunday 11th August at 14:00 local time (GMT +2).
Yamaha rider takes the fight to the reigning Champion, with Dovizioso completing the top three
Marc Marquez tops Friday times at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on Friday. A MotoGP image
Spielberg, 9 August 2019: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) ended Day 1 of the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich in P1 overall, but the reigning Champion was run close. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) got within just 0.066 of the number 93, with FP1’s fastest man, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), ending the day third overall. The Italian failed to improve his laptime due to a late tip off, but his FP1 fastest keeps him in P3 at the venue where he won in 2017.
Marquez came out the blocks all guns blazing at the start of FP2 as he sported a soft rear tyre, and immediately the number 93 was able to better his time from the morning session and went to the top of the combined standings, pushing FP1 pacesetter Dovizioso down to P2. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) was also going well in the opening stages of FP2 too, after the Italian had a quiet FP1 and lingered down in P14 ahead of the afternoon’s running.
As so often happens, however, it all came down to a frantic last 10 minutes. The day was sunny, hot and, potentially, quite different to what may greet the grid on Saturday – meaning it was weapons free in a bid to take a provisional place in Q2. Dovizioso was the first who looked under threat as he uncharacteristically crashed at Turn 3 just after setting a red first sector. Would he keep the place or could his rivals leap up the timesheets?
One of the big improvers was Takaaki Nakagami, the LCR Honda Idemitsu rider having finished FP1 in ninth and finding time in the afternoon. First Nakagami went to P5 overall but on the next lap, the Honda man shot to P3 on the combined times, second in FP2. Viñales, third fastest in FP1, was also ramping his pace up and sure enough, the Yamaha man went second quickest – just 0.066 behind Marquez’ early session time. Marquez, Viñales and Nakagami would remain the quickest of the session, with ‘DesmoDovi’ slotting into third overall.
Behind Nakagami was a familiar face at the front: Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). The Frenchman was within a tenth of the Japanese rider ahead of him and finished the day in an impressive fifth overall, just ahead of a key rival: Jack Miller (Pramac Racing). The Australian flipped his formbook at the venue to complete the top six.
Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), meanwhile, had a stunning Friday. The Portuguese rookie built on his 10th place in FP1 to move up to seventh on the combined standings, fastest KTM on the Austrian factory’s home turf – just 0.018 off Miller and 0.004 ahead of Petrucci by the end of play. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was equally close in an incredibly tight gaggle of riders, 0.006 off Oliveira, and he moved up into ninth overall on his last flying lap despite finishing outside the top 10 in FP1.
The man who completed those who’ll be heading through to Q2 should the rain come down was Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who made it two KTMs in the top ten on home turf. And the Austrian factory achieved that at the expense of some key contenders: Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P11 by mere thousandths and will be hoping for a dry FP3 on Saturday to improve his time, and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was just behind the ‘Doctor’ looking for the same. Will the two be heading head to head in Q1?
See what Saturday brings, how the skies dawn and how the grid shuffles in FP3 at 9:55 (GMT+2), before qualifying then begins at 14:10 to decide the grid.
Bengaluru, 9 August 2019: India’s Aishwarya Pissay will be seeking to win the FIM Bajas World Cup as she begins her campaign in the Hungarian Baja, the fourth and final round of the championship, at Varpalota (Hungary), on Saturday.
Bengaluru-based 23-year old Aishwarya, sponsored by TVS, Sidvin, Mountain Dew, Scott Motorsports India, K&N, Cult Sport and BigRock Dirt Park, is leading the women’s category by seven points, after having won in Dubai, finished third in Portugal and fifth in Spain.
Looking ahead to the event, Aishwarya said: “Going into the Hungarian Baja, I am hopeful of performing better than in the previous round since the World Cup is at stake. It will not be easy as I have to negotiate nearly 590 Kms of Special Stages, but I am up to the challenge. After the last round in Spain, I stayed back to train. So, I have done pretty much all I can in terms of preparations. My focus here would be on performing well and the results will follow.”
After four rounds of the FIM World Cup, Aishwarya has 52 points, followed by Portugal’s Rita Vieira (45) and Spaniard Sara Garcia Alvarez (36). The trio, along with two other women riders, will be going head-to-head in what promises to be an exciting battle.
The Hungarian Baja comprises five Special Stages totalling 588.26 Kms besides 205.66 of Liaison section. The competitors will be flagged-off late tonight for SS-1 (7.18 Kms) near to this former mining town before heading out to complete the remainder of the course over the weekend.
Miss Pissay has topped many events in India in the women’s category which included Raid De Himalaya 2017, Dakshin Dare for two years in 2016 and 2017. She also won the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) in 2017 and 2018 but before that her focus was on racing and she won the TVS Apache Ladies One Make Championship 2017 before bagging the MRF MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2017, when the women’s category was recognised as a national event by FMSCI, the Indian federation for the sport.
Coimbatore, 9 August 2019: Multiple National champion and APRC winner Gaurav Gill and his trusted co-driver Musa Sherif, will start a firm favourites despite Dean Mascarenhas stealing a victory at the South India Rally with navigator Shrupta Padival in the season opener of Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) at Irungattukottai, as the second round starts at the rain-beaten windmill sections of Coimbatore from Saturday.
Round 1 winner Dean of Mangaluru will aim to consolidate his lead at the top of the leader-board, as the Rally of Coimbatore, the Round 2 of the Champions Yacht Club promoted National event begins under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) here over the weekend.
Dean, who beat a last-minute rush to get his car ready due to some unavoidable situation, heads his INRC 2 table (with co-driver Shruptha Padival) will, however, need to be at his best as he tackles a 65-strong field and slushy conditions out here. He will keep his eye firmly on INRC 3’s Fabid Ahmer (co-driver Sanath.G) of Team Champions, who showed great skill and composure to take the second overall place in the Chennai round.
Sporting the yellow colours, Dean will, however, be wary of his JK Tyre teammate Gaurav Gill, a three-time APRC champion. Gill and Musa Sherif spearhead Mahindra Adventure’s campaign and will be looking to make amends for missing out on the top podium place in the opening round.
Gill had shown remarkable recovery, after struggling with his car in the initial stages, to finish third. He comes into this round on the back of a thrilling win in the Dakshin Dare and will come out all guns blazing for his seventh INRC title.
Arka Motorsport’s Rahul Kanthraj (along with Vivek Bhatt) is just a second off Gill in the overall standings and will also be a driver to look out for. He is currently second in the INRC 2 category.
Team Champions’ Arjun Rao (along with navigator Shanmuga Sundaram) will be another top driver who will look to maintain his good run in the championship. He is second in the INRC 3 category and will be keen to topple his teammate Fabid from the top spot.
The Rally of Coimbatore has attracted a record number of 65 teams, with Team Champions fielding as many as 25 teams, a record of sorts in the INRC.
The rally will span over two days covering a total distance of 141.09 kms, with 119.70 kms earmarked for eight special stages.
The three-day rally was flagged off on Thursday evening at Kethanur on the outskirts, where it be run around 120 kms at special stages on gravel and dirt tracks, Club Head Gautham Shantappa said earlier.
Four women teams are participating in the event. A woman contestant, Shivani from Davangere in Karnataka, who was present said women were receiving good encouragement to participate in such rallies.
The third round will be held in Rajasthan in September, followed by events in Kochi in November, Bengaluru in November and the sixth and final round in Chikkamagaluru in December, Gautham concluded.
Top riders pose for a photo after the Thursday press conference ahead of the MotoGP race on Sunday. A MotoGP image
Spielberg (Austria), 8 August 2019: The pre-event Press Conference got some tongues wagging ahead of the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) joined by key rival Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to talk everything from testing to rumours to races and a couple of things in between.
First to speak was Marquez, the man who has won at every track except this one. The Brno Test was on the agenda first, and then the weekend ahead…
“Yeah of course after Brno we have Monday test and little bit like every Monday test, everything worked well and the grip was amazing at the end of the day. This can be confusing but apart from that, we tried the important things in the morning and it was a good test for us. Now I’m looking forward to this Austrian GP, the Red Bull Ring; a circuit that I like, a layout that I like. It’s the only circuit I haven’t won at in the past, we will try to be ready again to fight for victory. I think all the competitors, not only Ducati but also Yamaha and Suzuki can be very very strong and lets see where we can fight on Sunday.”
The stats would suggest for the win. So as the number 93 continues to break records – he recently took his 50th premier class victory – does he look at the numbers?
“Of course the stats are important. Not the most important but for me the Championship is more important than the statistics but if you have good statistics it means you’re working in a good way. You are working, improving and yeah to see your name around or between these legends is amazing so I don’t want to think a lot about it, continue with the same mentally and ambition and enjoy it on track, this is the most important.”
Next up was Andrea Dovizioso, who won at the venue in 2017. Ducati have reigned since its return to the calendar and the Italian could be an early solid bet for the win – but Marquez DID finish ahead of him last year. Dovizioso first debriefed Brno, and then looked ahead at Austria.
“I’m happy. From the first practice the speed was there. Me and Marc did a really, really fast race. We pushed really hard for a lot of laps, so it was nice. The test was really good. The feeling with the bike was good. We tried some material which was interesting as it’s important to try new material to understand better the future. In the afternoon the grip increased a lot and there were a lot of fast riders, but we were focused on comparing with the old material. The feeling was good, I’m confident after Brno and we want to continue the victories of Ducati here. But we know how difficult it will be with Marc like he is and already last year he finished ahead of me. It’ll be hard to stop him but it’s our goal, we want to stop him.
“We have more points than last year and we can also have more points with the bad luck of Barcelona. The problem is that Marc has more points, so it’s difficult. We’re not too far away though, like Brno. We couldn’t finish the race with him unfortunately to make a battle, but we had a good pace so I’m happy.
Valentino Rossi, meanwhile, is also positive about Brno, although a little more tempered.
“In Brno was a bit better for me compared to the last races for sure. It’s not fantastic, we aren’t very happy for the sixth place but during the weekend I could ride the bike in a better way and we improved the balance, the setting, this is not so bad.”
And the test? “On the Monday we had something interesting to try, we had the first touch with the new prototype of the bike. Doesn’t change a lot, something different especially in the engine, some different settings. But it was good to start the work because it was just the first touch but we need time, it was good to see what was better and what was worse and we can work in a better way. In the end Monday was quite positive.”
Jack Miller was next on the mic. The Pramac Racing rider was back on the podium at Brno and it gives him a good springboard to try and move forward at the Red Bull Ring.
“It was nice to be back on the box as it’d been a while since Texas. This one felt a little more special as nobody crashed around us, I had to fight for it right to the end. It was really nice to be back in the company of Marc and Dovi; and especially after Assen and Sachsenring where I struggled a lot. I had a good feeling going into there even though I hadn’t had the best luck there in the past. I’ve had some bad luck here too so I’m looking to turn it around.”
And the test? The Australian explains he had an update even before the Monday at Brno. “I feel the bike is in a good place, really comfortable after I had a chassis upgrade for the race in Brno. Did a check in the Test with a heap of tyres. The track is always ten times better on a Monday and there’s always a lot of Monday heroes trying to win the trophy of being top of the timesheets, so it was funny to watch that at the end.”
The Australian also addressed some of the rumours heading round about 2020 – explaining the situation from his side. “I thought we were waiting on paperwork but clearly that’s not the case, there might be something else behind it I don’t know yet. We’ll see once Jorge comes back from the Maldives or wherever he is now, and we’ll find out what I’m doing. At the minute, I’m just trying to do the best I can do, I’m not stressed. I feel if I keep riding like I am, I’ll be here next year and we’ll just see where.”
Next up was Crutchlow, who wasn’t far off the podium in Austria last season, but the Brit first rewound to Czechia.
“We know that starting at the front of the grid is always a lot easier. It was difficult to make up more places at Turn 1 because of the wet patches. I never had the balls of Jack or Marc in the qualifying on Saturday, I did put the slicks in but I couldn’t go any faster, I kept finding myself on the water. I need to qualify better, it’s as simple as that. The front two rows, I probably could have got a good start and been there at the start of the race. But as Valentino said in the last three or four years in Brno we’ve been battling together, I had to try and come across the gap, I never made it and I finished fifth its as simple as that. Hopefully we can have a better result this weekend and try for the rest of the year.”
And the test? Crutchlow explained his thoughts on that and his recent feeling with the 2019 Honda.
“First of all I think Honda are doing a good job. They’re bringing stuff for all the riders to try, I think me and Marc seem to be on a similar programme and Stefan maybe riding something else as well which is good because you get the information from all the riders. But in Brno I did try that chassis, I don’t know whether I will use it this weekend or not I’m not too sure, I don’t know of the feeling was good enough to use it or not. Over the last few races I felt better with our own bike, the standard bike we have this year, I see no reason why we can’t continue working with that bike. Even if we don’t feel fantastic with it, it seems I have not too bad pace with it at certain points. As I said I finished fourth last year so there’s no reason why we cant have a good weekend and get to the front.”
Finally, it was time for the hometown hero – after a fashion. Pol Espargaro has been a consistent scorer (a perfect record so far this season) for KTM and shown some impressive pace, and now, of course, it’s time to do that on the factory’s home turf.
“It’s been a great year. From the beginning we aren’t achieving the results of these guys alongside me but we tried to focus on being fast but also consistent. It’s the only way at the moment to be in a good position in the championship. There’s a lot of good riders and good bikes. I’ve been quite consistent, trying to do good sessions and then trying to be consistent in the race. Good starts, our bike is super-fast off the start so it allows us to do good first laps, and then set us up in a good position in the beginning to then fight against the guys trying to overtake me later in the race. Looking forward to this weekend. I’m looking for a little bit more. I couldn’t race here last year so I’m looking forward to it.
“To race here is special. Everyone sees the track and the atmosphere, it’s an incredible circuit. KTM’s base isn’t far from here. I know that all the stands will be full of orange, cheering for us. So, after watching it on TV last year and meeting a lot of people from the factory and to have in the stands people that work on my bike, it will be super nice, so I’m looking forward to it.
Fully fit this season as opposed to the heartbreak of sitting on the sidelines in 2018, he repeated the positivity of how the program is going for KTM, who’ve made huge leaps forward since their debut.
“We’re looking to have good races in normal conditions where everyone finishes. Where we can be fighting with top guys at the end of the race, which is difficult as the bikes are at very good level. We need to remember sometimes it’s just our second year and a half with a brand new bike. Already what we’re doing is pretty interesting. For sure I’m the first to want to fight for podiums and the championship but at the moment it isn’t possible, so we will continue working like we are because I don’t think we’re doing too bad.”
A podium and a front row have now been ticked off for the Austrian factory, but it’s the gap to the front they largely focus on…which makes even better reading. How will they fare this weekend on home turf? Find out on Sunday 11th August.
