INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport wishes Michael Schumacher all the very best

    Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport wishes Michael Schumacher all the very best

    File photo of Michael Schumacher courtesy Mercedes AMG Petronas

    On 3 January 1969, a boy named Michael Schumacher was born in the small town of Hürth, Germany – a boy, who would go on to become the most successful Formula One driver of all times. For his 50th birthday, the entire team of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport tips their hat to Michael Schumacher and wishes him all the very best! 

    Very few names are so synonymous with Formula One as that of Michael Schumacher. With 91 race wins and seven FIA Formula One Drivers’ World Championships, he is an absolute icon of the sport who has dominated the series like no one else.

    “Michael has had a tremendous impact on Formula One,” said Toto Wolff. “Not only did he set an incredible record – a record that is yet to be beaten – but he also shaped and changed the sport forever. As a driver, Michael took Formula One to a whole new level with his attention to detail and his technical knowledge. He did everything with great determination, from his engineering debriefs to his physical training, and was always searching for new ways to improve his on-track performance.”

    Michael took some of his first steps as a professional racing driver with Mercedes when he joined the brand’s junior programme in 1990, racing in Group C sports cars and DTM. Together with Karl Wendlinger, he won the last race of the season in sports car racing- Michael’s first and only victory with Mercedes. He moved to Formula One in the following year, racing for Jordan before joining Benetton with whom he went on to win the Drivers’ World Championship in 1994 and 1995. One year later, Michael switched to Ferrari, where he laid the foundations for one of the most successful eras in Formula One. He stayed with the team from Maranello for a decade and won five consecutive Drivers’ (2000-2004) and six consecutive Constructors’ (1999-2004) Championships with the Scuderia.

    Michael retired from Formula One after the 2006 campaign; however, when Mercedes re-joined Formula One as a works team in 2010, he made his return to the series as a driver. Working with the team in Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart, Michael played an important role in developing the long-term capabilities of the team that were the foundation of our future success in F1.

    “I remember when I first met Michael back in 2012, it was on a flight from Zürich to Singapore,” said Toto. “He was sitting next to me and asked me if I was up for a game of backgammon. I think that I’m a decent backgammon player, but he absolutely crushed me in the first two rounds because I was so star-struck. Once I was over that, my game improved, and we ended up playing and talking for the entire flight. We had a really good and honest conversation and when we landed it felt like I had known him for much longer than I actually did.”

    At that point, Michael only had a handful of races with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport left before he retired from Formula One at the end of 2012. He never won an F1 race in a Mercedes, but he played an important role in the success the team would enjoy in subsequent years.

    “Michael is one of the founding fathers of the success we have had in the last five years,” said Toto. “There is no other driver like him and his vast experience contributed tremendously in the development of our team. He played a crucial role when we re-joined F1 and was one of the people who laid the foundation for our future success. We’re extremely grateful for everything he did for us. Today, we all tip our hats to you – happy birthday, Michael!”

  • 2018 Champions and fmsci Awards list: Karthikeyan Sr gets Life-time award

    2018 Champions

    GR Karthikeyan of Coimbatore, a father figure in Indian motorsports and father of India’s first F1 driver Narayan Karthikeyan, deservedly won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his immeasurable part in the Indian motorsport.

    The fmsci Annual Awards for the year 2018 took place in Taj Palace, Mumbai on 25th February 2019d where 61 motorsports athletes from different motorsport disciplines who became champions were felicitated by Jean Todt, president of the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile). The fmsci awards were also presented.

    Raghul Rangasamy, a double champion in road racing, won the ‘Upcoming Motorsports Person of the Year’ award for his brilliant performance in 2018. He won the JK Tyre LGB Formula 4 title and the MRF FF 1600 category.

    Here is a list of all FMSCI Champions and the awards felicitated at the 2018 FMSCI Annual Awards:

    1. JK Tyres FMSCI National Racing Championship Euro JK 18:

    Euro JK 18 Champion: Karthik Tharani

    LGB Formula 4: Raghul Rangasamy

    LGB Formula 4 Team: MSport

    LGB Formula 4 Rookie Driver: Sohil Shah

    2. MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship (NRC)

    MRF FF 1600: Raghul Rangasamy

    FLGB 1300: Sohil Shah

    FLGB 1300 Team: Msport

    Super Stock K: Srinivas Teja

    Super Stock Team: Performance Racing

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: AS Prabhu

    Indian Junior Touring Cars Team: Arka Motorsports

    Indian Touring Cars (ITC): Ashish Ramaswamy

    Indian Touring Cars Team: Arka Motorsports

    3. FMSCI Indian National Autocross Championship

    Stock (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc ):Sahil Khanna

    Stock (2-wheel drive Over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Samrat Yadav

    Stock (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc): Arjun Rao

    Open (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc): Abhishek Mishra

    Open (2-wheel drive, over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Dean Mascarenhas

    Open (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc): Arjun Rao;

    Open, Unrestricted: Abhishek Mishra;

    Driver (Ladies): Bani Yadav

    4. MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship

    Open Stock Body: Vivek Ramachander

    Open Altered Body: Jayant V

    Touring Cars: Kasha Sai

    Unrestricted Class: Vivek Ramachander

    5. MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC)

    Overall INRC (Diver): Gaurav Gill

    Overall INRC (Co-Driver): Musa Sherif

    Team: INRC Mahindra Adventure;

    INRC 1 Driver: Gaurav Gill;

    INRC 1 Co-Driver : Musa Sherif;

    INRC 1 Team : Mahindra Adventure;

    INRC 2 Driver :Karna Kadur;

    INRC 2 Co-Driver: Nikhil V Pai;

    INRC 2 Team: Arka Motorsports;

    Driver (INRC 3): Aroor Vikram Rao;

    Co-Driver (INRC 3): Somayya A.G;

    Team INRC 3: Falkon Motorsports

    6. Meco Motor Sports FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship

    Micro Max: Ishaan Madesh;

    Team (Micro Max ): Peregrine Racing;

    Junior Max Shahan Ali Mohsin;

    Team (Junior Max) Msport;

    Senior Max: Debarun Banerjee;

    Team (Senior Max): MSport

    7. MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

    Rider (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Satyanarayana Raju; (Sandeep)

    Team (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Gusto Racing

    India; Manufacturer: (Pro Stock 301-400 cc KTM);

    Rider (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): Jagan Kumar;

    Team (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS Racing;

    Manufacturer (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS;

    Rider (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Anish D Shetty;

    Team( Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda Ten10 Racing;

    Manufacturer (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda;

    Rider (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Ann Jenifer;

    Team (Stock upto 165 cc Girls ): Sparks Racing;

    Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Yamaha;

    Rider (Stock upto 165 cc): Karthik Mateti;

    Team (Stock upto 165 cc): Sparks Racing;

    Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc): Yamaha

    8. MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship

    Rider (2 Stroke upto 130 cc): Hussain Khan;

    Rider (2 Stroke 131 to 165cc): Hussain Khan;

    Rider (4 Stroke upto 165 cc): Aravind Ganesh;

    Rider (4 Stroke 166 to 225 cc): Harshil Thakur;

    Rider (4 Stroke 226 to 360 cc): Shankar Guru;

    Rider(4 Stroke 361 to 550 cc): R Ashwin Kumar;

    Rider( 4 Stroke 851 to 1050 cc): Hemant Mudappa;

    Rider( 4 Stroke 1051 & above): Hemant Mudappa;

    Rider (4 Stroke Unrestricted): Hemant Mudappa;

    Team: Mantra Racing

    8. MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Supercross Championship

    Rider (Group A SX1 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Harith Noah;

    Rider (Group C 2/4 Stroke: 260 cc Novice) Imran Pasha;

    Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke:260 cc Indian Expert): Imran Pasha;

    Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke 260 cc Expert): Jagdeesh Kumar;

    Rider (Group A SX2 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Saijith ES;

    Rider( Junior SX 1 2/4 Stroke 250 cc): Yuvraj Kondedeshmukh;

    Rider (Junior SX 2 2/4 Stroke 250 cc) Sarthak Chavan

    9. MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Rally Championship (INRC 2w)

    Overall R Nataraj;

    Rider (Super Bike Pro Expert Group A Rider): R Nataraj;

    Rider (Super Bike Expert Group A Rider): Jatin Jain;

    Rider (Super Sport 130 cc Group B Rider): Rakesh Kumar V;

    Rider (Super Sport 165 cc Group B Rider ): Imran Pasha J;

    Rider (Super Sport 260 cc Group B Rider) Rajendra R.E.;

    Rider (Super Sport 400 cc Group B Rider ): Venu Ramesh Kumar;

    Rider( Super Sport 550 cc Group B Rider): Vinit Sharma;

    (Rider Scooters Group B Rider): Pinkesh Thakkar;

    Rider( Ladies Class): Aishwarya P.M.

    FMSCI AWARDS

    2018 Outstanding Achievement In World Motorsport: Abhilash PG: Winner APRC2 Cup for Drivers;

    Abdul Wahid: 2nd Overall in category of Rally of Morocco, a FIM Cross Country World Championship Event;

    Armaan Ebrahim: Podium in Lamborgini Super Trofeo Asia;

    Anindith Reddy K: Podium in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia;

    Amittrajit Ghosh: Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Driver;

    Ashwin Naik: Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Co-Driver;

    Jehan Daruvala: Several Podiums in FIA Euro F3 Championship;

    Karthik Matei: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing (Indonesia Round);

    Musa Sherif: Winner APRC 2 Cup for Co-Drivers;

    Malsawndawngliana: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing India Round.

    Mira Erda; Sneha Sharma; Shriya Lohia: Outstanding Women in Motorsports.

    GR Karthikeyan of Coimbatore, a father figure in Indian motorsports and father of India’s first F1 driver Narayan Karthikeyan, deservedly won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his immeasurable part in the Indian motorsport.

    The fmsci Annual Awards for the year 2018 took place in Taj Palace, Mumbai on 25th February 2019d where 61 motorsports athletes from different motorsport disciplines who became champions were felicitated by Jean Todt, president of the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile). The fmsci awards were also presented.

    Raghul Rangasamy, a double champion in road racing, won the ‘Upcoming Motorsports Person of the Year’ award for his brilliant performance in 2018. He won the JK Tyre LGB Formula 4 title and the MRF FF 1600 category.

    Here is a list of all FMSCI Champions and the awards felicitated at the 2018 FMSCI Annual Awards:

    1. JK Tyres FMSCI National Racing Championship Euro JK 18:

    Euro JK 18 Champion: Karthik Tharani

    LGB Formula 4: Raghul Rangasamy

    LGB Formula 4 Team: MSport

    LGB Formula 4 Rookie Driver: Sohil Shah

    2. MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship (NRC)

    MRF FF 1600: Raghul Rangasamy

    FLGB 1300: Sohil Shah

    FLGB 1300 Team: Msport

    Super Stock K: Srinivas Teja

    Super Stock Team: Performance Racing

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: AS Prabhu

    Indian Junior Touring Cars Team: Arka Motorsports

    Indian Touring Cars (ITC): Ashish Ramaswamy

    Indian Touring Cars Team: Arka Motorsports

    3. FMSCI Indian National Autocross Championship

    Stock (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc ):Sahil Khanna

    Stock (2-wheel drive Over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Samrat Yadav

    Stock (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc): Arjun Rao

    Open (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc): Abhishek Mishra

    Open (2-wheel drive, over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Dean Mascarenhas

    Open (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc): Arjun Rao;

    Open, Unrestricted: Abhishek Mishra;

    Driver (Ladies): Bani Yadav

    4. MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship

    Open Stock Body: Vivek Ramachander

    Open Altered Body: Jayant V

    Touring Cars: Kasha Sai

    Unrestricted Class: Vivek Ramachander

    5. MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC)

    Overall INRC (Diver): Gaurav Gill

    Overall INRC (Co-Driver): Musa Sherif

    Team: INRC Mahindra Adventure;

    INRC 1 Driver: Gaurav Gill;

    INRC 1 Co-Driver : Musa Sherif;

    INRC 1 Team : Mahindra Adventure;

    INRC 2 Driver :Karna Kadur;

    INRC 2 Co-Driver: Nikhil V Pai;

    INRC 2 Team: Arka Motorsports;

    Driver (INRC 3): Aroor Vikram Rao;

    Co-Driver (INRC 3): Somayya A.G;

    Team INRC 3: Falkon Motorsports

    6. Meco Motor Sports FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship

    Micro Max: Ishaan Madesh;

    Team (Micro Max ): Peregrine Racing;

    Junior Max Shahan Ali Mohsin;

    Team (Junior Max) Msport;

    Senior Max: Debarun Banerjee;

    Team (Senior Max): MSport

    7. MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

    Rider (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Satyanarayana Raju; (Sandeep)

    Team (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Gusto Racing

    India; Manufacturer: (Pro Stock 301-400 cc KTM);

    Rider (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): Jagan Kumar;

    Team (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS Racing;

    Manufacturer (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS;

    Rider (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Anish D Shetty;

    Team( Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda Ten10 Racing;

    Manufacturer (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda;

    Rider (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Ann Jenifer;

    Team (Stock upto 165 cc Girls ): Sparks Racing;

    Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Yamaha;

    Rider (Stock upto 165 cc): Karthik Mateti;

    Team (Stock upto 165 cc): Sparks Racing;

    Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc): Yamaha

    8. MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship

    Rider (2 Stroke upto 130 cc): Hussain Khan;

    Rider (2 Stroke 131 to 165cc): Hussain Khan;

    Rider (4 Stroke upto 165 cc): Aravind Ganesh;

    Rider (4 Stroke 166 to 225 cc): Harshil Thakur;

    Rider (4 Stroke 226 to 360 cc): Shankar Guru;

    Rider(4 Stroke 361 to 550 cc): R Ashwin Kumar;

    Rider( 4 Stroke 851 to 1050 cc): Hemant Mudappa;

    Rider( 4 Stroke 1051 & above): Hemant Mudappa;

    Rider (4 Stroke Unrestricted): Hemant Mudappa;

    Team: Mantra Racing

    8. MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Supercross Championship

    Rider (Group A SX1 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Harith Noah;

    Rider (Group C 2/4 Stroke: 260 cc Novice) Imran Pasha;

    Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke:260 cc Indian Expert): Imran Pasha;

    Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke 260 cc Expert): Jagdeesh Kumar;

    Rider (Group A SX2 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Saijith ES;

    Rider( Junior SX 1 2/4 Stroke 250 cc): Yuvraj Kondedeshmukh;

    Rider (Junior SX 2 2/4 Stroke 250 cc) Sarthak Chavan

    9. MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Rally Championship (INRC 2w)

    Overall R Nataraj;

    Rider (Super Bike Pro Expert Group A Rider): R Nataraj;

    Rider (Super Bike Expert Group A Rider): Jatin Jain;

    Rider (Super Sport 130 cc Group B Rider): Rakesh Kumar V;

    Rider (Super Sport 165 cc Group B Rider ): Imran Pasha J;

    Rider (Super Sport 260 cc Group B Rider) Rajendra R.E.;

    Rider (Super Sport 400 cc Group B Rider ): Venu Ramesh Kumar;

    Rider( Super Sport 550 cc Group B Rider): Vinit Sharma;

    (Rider Scooters Group B Rider): Pinkesh Thakkar;

    Rider( Ladies Class): Aishwarya P.M.

    FMSCI AWARDS

    2018 Outstanding Achievement In World Motorsport: Abhilash PG: Winner APRC2 Cup for Drivers;

    Abdul Wahid: 2nd Overall in category of Rally of Morocco, a FIM Cross Country World Championship Event;

    Armaan Ebrahim: Podium in Lamborgini Super Trofeo Asia;

    Anindith Reddy K: Podium in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia;

    Amittrajit Ghosh: Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Driver;

    Ashwin Naik: Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Co-Driver;

    Jehan Daruvala: Several Podiums in FIA Euro F3 Championship;

    Karthik Matei: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing (Indonesia Round);

    Musa Sherif: Winner APRC 2 Cup for Co-Drivers;

    Malsawndawngliana: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing India Round.

    Mira Erda; Sneha Sharma; Shriya Lohia: Outstanding Women in Motorsports.

  • MOCA claims JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury

    Dambuk (Arunachal Pradesh), 18 Dec 2018: The Manabhum Off-Roaders Club of Arunachal (MOCA) displayed strategic acumen and nerves of steel to claim the JK Tyre Orange 4X4 Fury title here on Tuesday.

    Going into the fourth and final day, with just 5 points separating them and defending champions Gerrari Off-Roaders, the local favourites won the day’s first and played it safe in the second to post their biggest victory on the national stage.

    The MOCA team, led by drivers Aditya Mei and Chow Ujjal Namshum and guided by co-drivers Chow Sujeewan Choutang and Chow Ingieng Mein, went all out in the Camp the River Stage to collect 100 points.

    Their main challengers, the Gerrari Off-Roaders, finished third for 90 points but suffered a big blow when they were penalised 30 penalty points for breaking a bunting.

    The team Chandigarh, powered by Gurmeet Singh (with Gurpratap Sandhu as navigator) and Kabir Waraich (with Yuvraj Singh Tiwana), gave it their best shot but that one mistake proved to be their undoing.

    They won the final Dambuk River stage to collect 100 points but the battle had already been lost. They, however, had the consolation of winning the first runners-up trophy and Rs 1.5 lakh.

    The deserving champions picked up the glittering winners’ trophy as well Rs 2.5 lakh for their efforts. The second runners-up team from Bangalore, BODA, were richer by Rs 1 lakh.

    “We stuck to our overall strategy of avoiding penalty points at any cost,” MOCA’s Aditya Mei said, shortly after winning the title. “We worked well as a team which was perhaps easy because we are all from the same family,” he added.

    The eldest cousin of the foursome, Chow Ujjal Namshum, conceded that they were tense on the eve of the final run but quite confident of doing something special. “Once we picked up a handy lead after the day’s first stage, we knew we had to do,” he said.

    Incidentally, the winners who are planters by profession and took up the sport as a hobby, are all cousins. They began competing in 2012 just for fun before it became their calling in 2015. They now aim to participate in the Rain Forest Challenge.

    Result: 1. MOCA (Aditya Mei & Chow Sujeewan Choutang and Chow Ujjal Namshum & Chow Ingieng Mein);2. Gerrari Off-Roaders (Gurmeet Singh & Gurpratap Sandhu and Kabir Waraich & Yuvraj Singh Tiwana); 3. BODA (Madhusudhan Reddy & ER Rohit and Sidhartha Santosh & Yanren Jamio).

  • 19th Chander Memorial TSD Rally 2018 in Coimbatore

    Coimbatore, 18 Dec 2018: It is motorsport time once again in Coimbatore. One of the eagerly-awaited events of Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC), the 19th Chander Memorial Rally 2018, for 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers is all set Sunday, the 23rd December. The rally is being held continuously for 18 years without a break, a record in Indian Motorsport. Run in memory of Chander, who lived for motorsports. His family had been the primary sponsors every year to keep his memory alive among motorsport enthusiasts by conducting this event during the month he passed away.

    The 19th MK Chander Memorial Rally 2018 organised by Coimbatore Auto Sports Club is sponsored by MK Chander Memorial Trust, SGA Cars and ENI Lubricants. The Club which is organising motorsport events for several decades is rated as one of the best and active clubs in the country.

    The event will be flagged-off  by Sujit Kumar, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Coimbatore City from the PSG Institute of Management, Avinashi Road, Peelamedu, Coimbatore on 23rd December 2018, at 8.30 AM.

    The Prize Distribution function will be held on the same day evening at 7.00 PM at Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club, Race Course, Coimbatore – 641 018. The prizes will be given by  K Periaiah. IPS, Inspector General of Police, West Zone, Coimbatore.

    The late MK Chander (Born 13 Nov, 1965 & Expired 19 Dec, 1999) had an illustrious rallying career spanning over 14 years.  He started his rallying career in 1985 as a rider and then switched over to navigation in 1987.  He has navigated over 100 rallies both in 2 Wheelers and 4 Wheelers categories and has secured podium places in more than 60 rallies. He has been an inspiration to many youngsters and represented famous teams like TVS SUZUKI, MRF and JK TYRES.

    This rally which is run on Time, Speed & Distance (TSD) format is dedicated to his achievements in Motor Sports. This year’s event covers a distance of approximately 120km which will pass through Sulur, Kalangal, Selakarachal, Lakshminaickenpalayam, Akkanaickenpalayam, Periyakuyli, Chettipalayam. Speed is not the criteria for this event, but the accuracy of driving the vehicle maintaining the given speed and to follow the roadmap correctly will determine the winner. The average speed will be varying from 15 Kmph to 45 Kmph based on the safety and road conditions.

    There will be secret checkpoints en route to monitor the speeds of the contestants.  Every second is liable for penalty whether they are running late or early.  This event will be full of fun and enjoyment for the participants.  We expect 30 cars and 25 two-wheelers to take part in this event.

    This year we have OPEN and NOVICE classes and a separate class for ALL LADIES and will have enhanced and attractive prize money along with 41 trophies in all for the winners in the various categories.

    National Champion Drivers and Navigators Karthik Maruti, Sankar Anand and other prominent competitors like Ganesh, Nagaraj, N. Murugan, M.K.Mustafa, Raghu,  have confirmed their participation.

    The event is organised by J Prithiviraj  (Hony. Secretary,  CASC  & President of FMSCI),  K Chandra Sekaran,  G Vijayakumar,  A Ramaswamy, Sathishkumar,  and by  MK Chander Memorial Trust.

  • Gaurav Gill wins Popular Rally in Kochi to bag his sixth INRC title

    Gaurav Gill wins Popular Rally in Kochi to bag his sixth INRC title

    The 2018 MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship winners Gaurav Gill, left, with his trusted navigator Musa Sherif, in Kochi Sunday. An INDIAinF1 image

    Kochi, 16 Dec 2018: Speed maestro Gaurav Gill was at his fast and furious best as he drove a matured race on the broken tarmac in the picturesque plantations of Kerala to conquer his sixth Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) title here on Sunday.

    Gill who won his first INRC in 2007 and added more titles in 2009, 2011 when the rallies were professionally organised by late Bharat Raj of KMSC along with Annabelle on the IMG and PSP banner, before winning the 2014 and 2017 titles.

    The three-time APRC champion was at his imperious best along with his long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, winning seven stages in the Popular Rally, the fifth and final round of the MRF FMSCI INRC 2018, to win the title.

    One would look for a Gill, who goes for an aggressive start and wins all the stages with the impeccable record! The very fact that he let go a couple of stages and allowed his speeding mind to be controlled, is a sign of maturity which he has been displaying for quite some time now. In Chikkamagaluru, the previous round, too, he did not quite get the applause that was usually reserved for him for many years past, in the Super Special Stage. But now he is no more the showman! The Gaurav Gill you see as a pilot in the world Rally Championship is a matured magician! There may not be any pleasing visible drifts or dashing straights in the short Indian stages, but he cleverly knocks off several seconds from his rivals with clean lines and judicious driving. He was the best, but there was nothing much to fly around in the dust anymore! Sheer speeds, best times!

    Earlier, many a time, he lost Championships and Titles, within a few metres off the finish. Take for example the two SSS casualties in 2010 which cost him the title. Those Nashik days are beyond him now.

    Going into this iconic rally in the scenic backdrop of Kerala on equal terms with teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (official table credits Gill with a one-point lead at 62) Ghosh’s 61), who had never been any match, the Master sealed the issue with a comfortable drive.

    Gill began slowly, finishing second in the first two stages before he came into his own. Guided by local boy Musa, he quickly got a feel of the terrain and unleashed his magic to win the next five stages with convincing authority. It was controlled aggression at  display.

    “It was a difficult year for us, especially towards the end due to mechanical issues which were beyond our control,” Gill was humble in his victory. “Kochi was the most difficult, with narrow roads which were fast and had broken tarmac too. We had to push extra hard to stay ahead of the others,” he added.

    Amittrajit Ghosh, who had jumped into the championship lead after Gill had a mechanical failure in Arunachal Pradesh, never really had any chance due to the N-1 rule which allows the competitors to discard one round. Ghosh, along with Ashwin Naik, just couldn’t manage the win that would have mattered.

    Here in Kochi, the Kolkata driver was beaten by a couple of other drivers from lower classes. It was, however, good enough to give him the second position in the overall championship.

    “It was a great year for us compared to last season. The championship just gets more and more competitive, which is great for the sport,” Amittrajit said. “The beginning of the season was really good but we hit issues from Chikmagalur and were really hit by the lack of pre-event testing and wrong set up choices in Kochi,” he said.

    INRC 2 competitor, Arka Motorsports’ Karna Kadur with co-driver Nikhil V Pai finished third to take the third place behind the Mahindra Adventure duo in the championship.

    Kadur, however, had the consolation of winning the INRC 2 title which he had wrapped up in the previous round itself along with Nikhil Pai.

    POPULAR RALLY RESULTS –

    OVERALL – INRC 

    1 Gaurav Gill | Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure; 01:29:58.9)

    2 Younus Ilyas | Harish KN (Race Concepts Motorsport;  01:30:33.1)

    3 Karna Kadur | Nikhil V Pai (Arka Motorsports; 01:30:54.4)

    INRC 1 

    1 Gaurav Gill | Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure; 01:29:58.9)

    2 Sirish Chandran | A A Ragnekar (Privateers; 01:31:17.1)

    3 Amittrajit Ghosh | Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure; 01:31:51.6)

    INRC 2 

    1 Younus Ilyas | Harish KN (Race Concepts Motorsport; 01:30:33.1)

    2 Karna Kadur | Nikhil Vittal Pai (Arka Motorsports; 01:30:54.4)

    3 Phalguna Urs | Srikanth GM (Snap Racing; 01:33:00.4)

    INRC 3

    1 Dean Mascarenhas | Shruptha Padival (Team Champions; 01:33:07.9)

    2 Fabid Ahmer | Sanat G (Chettinad Sporting; 01:34:47.4)

    3 Darius N Shroff | Shahid Salman (01:35:20.6)

    FMSCI 2WD CUP

    1 Vikram Gowda | Sudhundra B.G (Privateers; 01:39:08.9)

    2 Suraj Thomas | Sob  (Privateers; 01:40:57.8)

    3 Lanusanen Pongener | Amrith (Privateers; 01:41:33.4)

  • Team TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar clinches 7th Natioinal title: Super Sport 165cc

    Team TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar clinches 7th Natioinal title: Super Sport 165cc

    Champions all: Anish Shetty, Sathyanaryana Raju, Jagan Kumar, Karthik Mateti and Ann Jennifer. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 16 Dec 2018: Nursing severe wrist pain, Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) managed to finish sixth in the concluding race, but the eight points he scored were sufficient for him to clinch his seventh National title even as Rajiv Sethu led a podium sweep for Honda Ten10 Racing as the curtains came down on the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

    Jagan, who had crashed heavily in the first race yesterday after making contact with team-mate Ahamed Arif, was unable to generate his usual pace and was content to pick up the points he required to seal the championship with 158 points. Ahead of him, Sethu was in a race of his own to win comfortably from team-mates Sarath Kumar and Mathana Kumar to finish second in the championship behind Jagan with 145 points. While Jagan ended the season with two wins, Sethu won four races, but two non-finishes in Round 3, cost him precious points. Mathana (130) ended up third in the championship in this category.

    Earlier, Hyderabad’s Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) rode a smart race and finish third to take the championship with 159 points in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category. Another Hyderabad rider, Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) won from Prabhu Arnuagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) who finished second in the championship with 147 points ahead of Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing, 142).

    Karthik-Mateti-No.-72-from-Hyderabad-winner-of-the-Stock-165cc-race on Sunday.

    Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing), a 19-year old Commerce student from Hyderabad, emerged champion in the Stock 165cc category by scoring his third win in five races to finish the season with 111 points, well clear of team-mate Aditya Rao Immaneni (70). Incidentally, 13-year old schoolboy from Chennai Kavin Samar Quintal (Team RACR), became the youngest rider this season to win championship points as he finished ninth.

    In one of the closest-finishes of the season, Bengaluru-based Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) pipped TVS Racing’s Kannan Subramaniam by three-thousandth of a second in the Pro-Stock 165cc race as the duo crossed the line locked together.  Shetty had already sealed the championship in this category and ended his season on a successful note.

    The results (Provisional):

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (all 8 laps unless mentioned) – Super Sport 165cc (Race 2): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (15mins, 41.626secs); 2. Sarath Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (15:47.183); 3. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (15:47.683). Final rider standings: 1. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, 158 points); 2. Rajiv Sethu (145); 3. Mathana Kumar (130). Team championship: TVS Racing. Manufacturer championship: TVS.

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race 2): 1. Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) (15:29.004); 2. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (15:29.197); 3. Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing India) (15:32.809). Final rider standings: 1. Sathyanarayana Raju (159 points); 2. Prabhu Arunagiri (147); 3. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing, 142). Team championship: Gusto Racing. Manufacturer championship: KTM.

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2): 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:12.523); 2. Kannan Subramaniam (TVS Racing) (16:12.520); 3. Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (16:14.942). Final rider standings: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (181 points); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing, 123); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing, 118 points). Team championship: Honda Ten10 Racing. Manufacturer championship: Honda.

    Stock 165cc (4 laps): Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (08:41.788); 2. Venkatesan I (Pvt) (08:42.661); 3. Anand Rajendran (Pvt) (08:46.975). Final rider standings: 1. Karthik Mateti (111 points); 2. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Sparks Racing, 70); 3. Anand Rajendran (50). Team championship: Sparks Racing. Manufacturer championship: Yamaha.

    ONE-MAKE CHAMPIONSHIP – Honda Talent Cup (CBR 250) Race-2: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Bengaluru) (16:36.267); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (16:36.474); 3.Aravind Balakrishnan (Chennai) (16:36.567). Final rider standings: 1. Abhishek Vasudev (171); 2. Anish Damodar Shetty (165); 3. Senthil Kumar (Chennai, 140).

    CBR 150 (Race 2, 6 laps): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (13:25.633); 2.Anandhu KK (Chennai) (13:27.569); 3. Varoon S (Chennai) (13:47.180). Race-3: 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (13:10.101); 2. Kritik Vasan Habib (Gadag) (13:14.564); 3. Anandhu KK (13:16.475). Final rider standings: 1. Mohamed Mikail (233 points); 2. Anandhu KK (151); 3. Kritik Vasan Habib (133).

    TVS Girls (Race 2, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Chennai) (11:57.962); 2. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (12:02.281); Elakiya Lee (Chennai) (12:13.653). Final rider standings: 1. Ann Jennifer (111 points); 2. Ryhana Bee (104); 3. Elakiya Lee (52).

    TVS Apache RR 310 Open (Race 2): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (15:32.651); 2. Kannan K (Chennai) (15:34.875); 3. Amarnath Menon K (Calicut) (15:34.881). Final rider standings: 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, 176 points); 2. Vivek Pillai (Chennai, 137); 3. Yashas RL (Bengaluru, 136.

    Support event – Alisha Abdullah Inter-College Star Race (Race-3, 6 laps): 1. Mervin Kirani (Trichy) (12:47.854); R Vijay Shekar (Chennai) (13:12.758); 3. Reuben Rocky (Kochi) (13:33.948).

  • Anish Shetty, Ann Jennifer emerge National champions

    Chennai, 15 Dec 2018: On a day of drama, marked by crashes leading to unexpected turnarounds, Bengaluru’s Anish Damodara Shetty and local girl Ann Jennifer emerged champions in the Pro-Stock 165cc and Girls (Stock 165cc) categories, respectively, as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship dished out edge-of-the-seat excitement at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    The penultimate day of the 2018 racing season saw Deepak Ravikumar of TVS Racing, running third in the last of the six laps, clinching his maiden win in the premier Super Sport 165cc class after championship leaders and his team-mates, Jagan Kumar and Ahamed Arif crashed out after coming together at Turn-1 on the third lap. Earlier in the race, pole-sitter Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) lost ground when the “clip-on” on the handlebar gave away in the second lap, but he still managed to finish third while team-mate Mathana Kumar got up from a fall, following contact with Sarath Kumar, also of Honda Ten10 Racing, two corners before the finish to come in second behind Ravikumar.

    Despite the crash, Jagan, eyeing his seventh consecutive National title, continues to lead the championship with 148 points with Ahamed second (128), followed by Sethu (120) and Mathana Kumar (115) with the second and last race to be run tomorrow (Sunday).

    Amidst all this action, Ann Jennifer was pushed to the limits by her Sparks Racing team-mate Ryhana Bee who even briefly led before yielding ground in the last lap. Jennifer thus clinched her fourth win in five races to seal the championship in her category.

    Meanwhile, Anish Shetty, a techie and part-time gym trainer from Bengaluru, showed remarkable patience to win the Pro-Stock 165cc race by overtaking three front-runners on the last lap. It was 23-year old Shetty’s fourth win and took his tally to 156, way ahead of second-placed Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) who remained on 115 after crashing out in the race. Shetty, thus, pouched the championship in this category, with one more race to be run tomorrow.

    Later, Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) won a tight race in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category to take a 14-point lead over team-mate Amarnath Menon in the championship stakes. Raju leads with 144 points to Menon’s 130 while Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah), who finished third in the race today despite starting from pole position, is on 129 going into Sunday’s race of the double-header. Another Hyderabad rider, Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) came in second behind Raju in a close finish.

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

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Super Sport 165cc (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11mins, 54.648secs); 2. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:39.132); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (13:07.859).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing India) (11:32.361); 2.Rahil PIllarishetty (Sparks Racing) (11:32.647); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (11:32.741).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Bengaluru) (12:13.060); 2. Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (12:14.279); 3. Kannan Subramaniam (TVS Racing) (12:14.662).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (11:19.207); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:19.362); 3. Nivetha Kumar (Pvt) (11:38.435).

    Stock 165cc (Heat-1, 5 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (10:55.058); 2. Anand Rajendran (Pvt) (10:55.086); 3. Venkatesan I (Pvt) (10:55.270).

    ONE-MAKE CHAMPIONSHIP – TVS Apache RR 310 (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (11:44.741); 2. Peddu Sriharsha (Hyderabad) (11:46.800); 3. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (11:46.961).

    TVS 200 (Novice, Race-1): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (13:54.912); 2. Anand Rajendran (Chennai) (13:56.833); 3. Alexander AS (Chennai) (13:57.024). Race-2: 1.Anand Rajendran (Chennai) 13:56.527; 2. Alexander AS (Chennai) (14:07.923); 3.Anish Samson (Bengaluru) (14:11.845).

    TVS Girls (Race-1): 1. Ann Jenifer AS (Chennai) (11:55.791); 2. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (12:01.809); 3. Elakiya R (Chennai) (12:25.938).

    Honda Talent Cup – CBR 250 (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (12:22.261); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (12:22.641); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Chennai) (12:29.805). CBR 150 (Novice, Race-1): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (13:06.889); 2. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (13:14.110); 3. Anandhu KK (Chennai) (13:15.080).

    Support Event – Alisha Abdullah Inter-College Star Race (Race-1): 1. David Ryan (Chennai) (12:41.492); 2. R Vijay Shekar (Chennai) (12:52.715); 3. Mervin Kiran (Trichy) (13:14.555). Race-2: 1. David Ryan (Chennai) (12:23.077); 2. R Vijay Shekar (Chennai) (12:23.678); 3. R Shiyam (Chennai) (12:54.380).

  • Podium For D’Ambrosio On His Debut With Mahindra Racing

    • Jerome D’Ambrosio finishes on the podium on his debut for Mahindra Racing, finishing in third position at the season opener in Saudi Arabia
    • Jerome leaves Riyadh in third place in the Driver’s Championship, with Mahindra Racing in third position in the Team standings after scoring 15 points
    • Felix Rosenqvist was forced to retire with a mechanical fault on his car on lap 8 of the race

    Riyadh, 15 Dec 2019 : The new era of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship got underway today with the 2018/19 season opener in Saudi Arabia marking the series’ first ever race in the Middle East plus the debut of the new Generation 2 cars.

    The SAUDIA Ad Diriyah E-Prix had a disrupted start to the day when unexpected heavy rain forced organisers to cancel Free Practice 1 and delay Free Practice 2. Due to the timing delay the qualifying format was then amended to two groups of 11 drivers, rather than the usual four groups, and Super Pole was called off. In the wet qualifying session, on a drying track, Jerome D’Ambrosio went out in Group A and set a fastest lap time of 1:19.077, securing a sixth place start. Felix Rosenqvist headed out in Group B but was unable to complete his qualifying lap, due to a mechanical failure on the car which resulted in an accident when he was on course for a top six time, and was forced to begin the race from 17thon the grid.

    Jerome was able to comfortably maintain position at the start and, on lap 21, overtook Sebastien Buemi to move up to fifth. A lap later Jean-Eric Vergne and Andre Lotterer were handed drive through penalties for technical infringements, pitting from first and second, which moved Jerome up into the top three behind Antonio Felix Da Costa and Jose Mario Lopez. On lap 23 Jerome overtook Lopez for second position and was running comfortably there until a safety car bunched up the pack. On lap 30, after the restart, reigning Champion Vergne overtook him, putting him P3, the position in which he took the chequered flag after 33 laps to secure his and Mahindra Racing’s first podium of the 2018/19 season.

    Unfortunately it was a different state of affairs for Felix. Despite an impressive start which saw him move up to 14th by the end of the first lap and then overtake Gary Paffett and Nelson Piquet Jr by lap 6, which saw him in reach of points, he was forced to retire the #94 on lap 8 after suffering the same technical issue that halted his qualifying run.

    The second round of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship will take place on 12 January 2019 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

    JEROME D’AMBROSIO, P3: “It’s an amazing way to start Season 5 and I think there are good days ahead of us if we keep working the way we do. I played it safe at the beginning to try to save some energy but stay close enough to fight for position. I’ve had a difficult couple of seasons so it’s great to start this new relationship with the team in this way. Going forward, we have to start fighting for the championship. There are some tough competitors out there as Formula E is becoming one of the most competitive championships in the world.”

    FELIX ROSENQVIST, DNF: “The car felt like it had a lot of speed but it was a bit tricky to drive; it wasn’t one of those days when you felt really confident but we didn’ have much practice so everything was a bit of a guess. Then we had a mechanical failure in qualifying which caused us to have a big shunt and in the race the same thing happened but I was able to park the car. I’m sad I couldn’t score any points for the team and it’s a shame as I think we could have had a really good result today but it was fun to be back and I’m really happy for Jerome and for Mahindra on the podium today.”

    DILBAGH GILL, TEAM PRINCIPAL: “I am absolutely thrilled for the whole team and Jerome- the perfect way to start a season is with a podium and this is the fourth season in a row that we have scored a podium in the season opener.I am really sorry that Felix suffered with a technical issue in both qualifying and the race as, without that, I am sure he would also have had a very good result this weekend. It’s a good start for us and we will enjoy this, although our attentions are now firmly focused on the next race in Marrakesh and improving – we want both of our cars at the front as we showed this weekend we have the pace.”

  • Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu grabs pole: SS165cc

    Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu grabs pole: SS165cc

    Chennai, 14 Dec 2018: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing snatched the pole position in the premier Super Sport 165cc category with a blistering 01:54.906 flying lap to set up an intriguing clash with his TVS Racing rivals as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    Sethu, lying a distant third in the championship behind the TVS Racing duo of leader Jagan Kumar and second-placed Ahamed Arif, put in three laps in the 10-minute qualifying session as he scorched the track, displaying impressive pace. Jagan (01:55.231) qualified second ahead of Ahamed (01:55.951) for tomorrow’s Race-1 of the double-header.

    Also grabbing pole position was Prabhu Arunagiri of Team Alisha Abdullah with a lap of 01:53.872 in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category where he is third on the leaderboard for this class with 114 points. Championship leader Satyanarayana Raju of Gusto Racing (119 points) qualified third behind Sparks Racing’s Rahil Pilarishetty (66). The other title contender, Amarnath Menon (118), also of Gusto Racing, and struggling for pace, will start fourth on the grid tomorrow.

    In the Girls section, leader Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing comfortably bagged the pole position (02:13.615), well ahead of Kalyani Potekar (Apex Racing Academy) and privateer Nivetha Kumar.

    Bengaluru-based Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing), enjoying a 16-point advantage, took the top spot on the front row in the Pro-Stock 165cc category with a lap of 01:59.630 while Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) and Soorya PM (TVS Racing) completed the front row of the grid.

    The results (Qualifying – National Championship):

    Super Sport 165cc: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01min, 54.906secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.231); 3. Ahamed Arif (TVS Racing) (01:55.951).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc: 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (01:53.872); 2. Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) (01:53.880); 3. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (01:54.411).

    Pro-Stock 165cc: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01:59.630); 2. Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (02:00.091); 3. Soorya PM (TVS Racing) (02:00.243).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (02:13.615); 2. Kalyani Potekar (Apex Racing Academy) (02:15.406); 3. Nivetha Kumar (Pvt) (02:16.555).

    Stock 165cc: 1. Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind) (02:08.638); 2. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (02:08.721); 3. Anand R (Chennai) (02:08.821).

    One-Make Championship – TVS Apache 200 (Novice): 1. Kathik Mateti (Hyderabad) (02:16.433); 2. Alexander AS (Chennai) (02:20.305); 3. Anand R (Chennai) (02:20.720).

    Honda Talent Cup – CBR 150 (Novice): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (02;07.829); 2. K Vasant Habib (Gadag) (02:09.132); 3. Anandhu KK (Chennai) (02:10.042). CBR 250: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (02:01.251); 2. Amit Richard Topno (Ranchi) (02:01.271); 3.Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (02:02.076).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors, and to this end, it has chalked out various progressive programmes. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2014, making it the only club which owns such a facility that has been further upgraded with international-standard Paddock, complete with VIP hospitality suites, 20 spacious garages and a separate Paddock on the western side with its own circuit. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships (2-wheelers) besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

  • Gill begins favourite as INRC returns to Kerala

    Gill begins favourite as INRC returns to Kerala

    INRC drivers pose with the trophies after the drivers’ briefing for the Popular Rally which begins on Friday at Kochi. INRC Photo

    Kochi, 13 Dec 2018: The 2018 MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship is set for an exciting winner-takes-all finish, with Kerala’s iconic Popular Rally, the fifth and final round of the championship, emerging as the stage for the grand showdown at Kuttikanam near Kottayam. The rally moves to the Special Stages in Kuttikanam after the Super Special Stage at Kochi.

    Mahindra Adventure’s two-time INRC champion Amittrajit Ghosh comes into the last round with the highest points (79) but will still start behind his teammate and three-time APRC champion Gaurav Gill due to the N-1 rule which allows the drivers to discard one round’s result.

    Gill, in fact, will not only begin on pole position but also as the favourite, given his aggressive style of driving. He has 62 points while Ghosh, with 61 points after the N-1 factor, will be right in his tail.

    Ghosh, the European Rally Championship driver, will also fancy his chances, especially two very good rounds in the INRC.

    Both will, however, be wary of Arka Motorsports’ Karna Kadur, who is not too far behind with 55 points after the N-1 factor. The former INRC champion is competing in the INRC 2 category but has shown the speed and desire to topple his fancied opponents. He can take his second title if he wins the Popular Rally and Gill finishes third or lower.

    The rally was flagged off by Shri. K. Padmakumar, IPS, Hon. Transport Commissioner, Govt. of Kerala, from Hotel Le Meridien, Kochi, today. It will unfold in 9 special stages on the smooth tarmac in the Mundakkayam-Kuttikanam sector in Idukki district on Saturday. Two more special stages will follow on Sunday, after which the rally drivers will head to Ernakulam for a Super Special Stage (SSS), at HMT Colony Road, Kalamassery.

    The trophy presentation to the winners of the Popular Rally 2018 and the champagne shower will be held at the SSS venue itself. The official podium ceremony will be held at Le Meridien later in the evening, before invited guests.

    “We have had a very good championship this year, with intense competition in all the key categories,” the promoter of the championship, RRPM’s Arindam Ghosh, said. “We are set for an exciting finish and I wish all the competitors a grand run,” he added.

    “I thank title sponsor MRF Tyres, main associate Mahindra Adventure and associates York & Arka Motorsports,” Arindam said, expressing his gratitude for their three-year association.

    Kerala is hosting the INRC for the first time since 2010 which is doubling up as the Popular Rally. It is in its 24th edition, having made a grand comeback last year after running it successfully for 22 years before a brief hiatus.

    “Popular Rally is a matter of great pride for us. We have created a great legacy and are determined to take it to greater heights,” John K. Paul, MD of the organisers Popular Vehicles & Services Ltd, said.

    Most of the country’s other top drivers, including Dean Mascarenhas, Vikram Rao and Rahul Kanthraj, will line up to get their hands on the silverware in various categories as the curtain comes down on the 2018 MRF FMSCI INRC.

    Kerala will be well represented too, led by Dr Bikku Babu, the National Autocross Champion, along with the rising stars and INRC regulars like Younus Ilyas, Jacob K J, Fabid Ahmer, Nibu Sayed and Noufal Sayed.

    For the first time in India, a Mobile App on Popular Rally will be launched to provide all rally related news, events, programme schedules etc. Developed by Appzoc, it can be downloaded free from the Google Play Store or the Apple Store and also through QR code scanning.

    Standings for the key categories: INRC Overall: Gaurav Gill / Musa Sheriff (Mahindra Adventure) 62 points; Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) 61 points; Karna Kadur / Nikhil V Pai (Arka Motorsports) 55 points

    INRC 1: Gaurav Gill / Musa Sheriff (Mahindra Adventure) 62 points; Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) 61 points;

    INRC 2: Karna Kadur / Nikhil V Pai (Arka Motorsports); Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Y Bhatt (Arka Motorsports); Jacob K.J / Shrikanth Gowda (Arka Motorsports)

    INRC 3: Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya A.G (Falkon Motorsports); Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (Chettinad Racing); Suhem Kabir / Jeevarahinam (Team Champions)