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Author: David Bodapati
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Bumper grid For ROKiT British F4 2023 Season Opener: Jaden Pariat
Donington Park (Leicestershire, UK), 19 April 2023: Changes for British F4 2023 include a complete grid reversal for race two which should ensure plenty of overtaking action. Also new is that the fastest time set in qualifying sets the pole position for race three. The weekend’s first race order is determined by the second-fastest time set in qualifying.
Who are the ones to watch? Jack Sherwood (Chris Dittmann Racing), Isaac Barashi and Jaden Pariat (Phinsys by Argenti), and James Higgins (Fortec Motorsport) return after their tasters at the end of 2022, with winter testing to help them prepare for their full 2023 campaigns. Rodin Carlin’s Louis Sharp has every chance of being a front-runner; the New Zealander finished fourth overall last year, with 12 podiums including two wins, despite being too young to compete in the first event of the year. Daniel Guinchard performed well in the Rookie class at Donington and has a year of experience and a race win under his belt before moving to CDR for 2023.
New for 2023 includes Deagen Fairclough, ROKiT Racing Star esports winner. As 2022 British Kart champion and double World Finals winner, Gabriel Stilp arrives at Hitech Pulse-Eight with a strong pedigree. Fellow Hitech Pulse-Eight team-mate Will Macintyre is used to success, graduating to British F4 as Ginetta Junior Rookie Champion. Virtuosi’s Kai Daryanani chose yet another route to British F4, moving from karts to a UAE winter campaign in preparation. The full entry list will be revealed on Thursday.
Donington Park’s National circuit layout is the drivers’ first chance to make their mark with the fantastic atmosphere of the TOCA paddock and crowds to spur them on. Among others, the Rookie Cup was won in 2015 by Dan Ticktum, now an NIO 33 Formula E driver, and Dennis Hauger (2018) who clinched his first Formula 2 win in Australia this month. Five rookies are set to compete for 2023 honours: Rodin Carlin’s Josh Irfan, Gustav Jonsson (CDR), Isaac Barashi (Argenti), Douwe Dedecker (Virtuosi), and Gabriel Stilp.
It’s about more than drivers – teams compete too. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Alex Dunne sealed the 2022 Drivers’ title, but it was Carlin that took the Teams’ Championship. Seven teams are battling for Teams Championship honours in 2023, all seasoned single-seater teams involved in pathways into or from British Formula 4. The highest two scoring entries per team count towards the Teams’ Championship points.
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MRF Tyres mourns the death of Craig Breen, the 33-year Irish driver
Croatia, 13 April 2023: Popular and beloved Irish Rally driver Craig Breen died on 13 April 2023 at the age of 33 after a crash driving his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 rally car in a testing session for the 2023 Croatia Rally.
The front left wheel of his car collided with a pole on a road between Stari Golubovec and Lobour at 4.10 pm IST (12.40 pm local time) fatally injuring Breen. Breen’s co-driver James Fulton was uninjured.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem: “On behalf of the FIA, I wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Craig Breen following his passing during a private testing accident in Croatia. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and the entire Rally community at this difficult time.”
MRF Tyres Motorsports handle, with motorsports head Madhusudhan Rheinus, said: “MRF Tyres will always remember the start you gave us to our ERC journey. Rest in peace Craig (Breen), you will be missed.”
Craig Breen and Paul Nagle take 2nd place on Saturday in Liepaja rally. An MRF image file photo of 3July2022 “The crash is being investigated by the team and the Croatian authorities, with the police confirming a fatal accident on that stretch of road at 12.40 pm local time,” said a dirtfish.com post.
INDIAinF1.com received a statement from Hyundai team as it prepared for the next week’s Croatia rally. It offered condolences to the family.
Statement from Hyundai Motorsport
April 13, 2023 – Hyundai Motorsport is deeply saddened to confirm that driver Craig Breen today lost his life following an accident during the pre-event test for Croatia Rally.
Co-driver James Fulton was unharmed in the incident that occurred just after midday local time.
Hyundai Motorsport sends its sincerest condolences to Craig’s family, friends and his many fans.
Hyundai Motorsport will make no further comment at this time.MRF and Craig Breen
MRF and Craig Breen are associated for last year’s ERC campaign where MRF won the Overall Championship. You can watch Craig Breen here.
(Hear from Team #MRFTyres driver (late) Craig Breen after he took three stage wins in December 2022, a superb Sunday action of Rajd Polski at Rally Poland. It was the first FIA ERC gravel stage win for MRF Tyres. MRF also took second in Leg 2, proving the pace of the Indian-based company’s tyres.
MRF sends condolences to the family and friends of Craig Breen. We are shocked and deeply disturbed by the incident, said an MRF official. May his soul Rest In Peace (RIP), the official added.
A group of rally enthusiasts tweeted:
“Can’t believe it! This just isn’t right – you were a legend of a human being and a driver. The sport is poorer without you. RIP Craig and my wishes are with all your family at this devastating time,” said Hayden Paddon, the Kiwin who recently won the Otago Rally for the 10th time, on Facebook.
Daniel Raissar, a rally fan, raised serious questions: “Basically no one is talking about the safety of the cars, it didn’t look like an unsurvivable shunt. The plastic body and plexy glass don’t offer enough protection around the safety shell. There are very strong materials used in IndyCar windshields and metal does bend but doesn’t get penetrated so easily on impact. One can only speculate why saving weight decisions were taken at the top, WRC2 cars beating rally1 would not have been good marketing,” he said.
“It is a very sad, sad loss for the whole rally community. Time for FIA to look seriously in the mirror,” he concluded.
Rest in peace Craig.
Condolences to the family and friends.
Carlos Sainz: “Very sad to hear about Craig’s death. All my condolences to his family and friends. Today’s a sad day for the rally family.”
About Craig Breen
Craig was the son of Ray Breen, a national champion in Irish rallying. He bega Karting in 1999 in Ireland. He began rallying in 2007, combining it with karting commitments in Europe in 2008.
In 2009 he made the full-time switch to rallying, competing in the Irish, British and International Fiesta Sporting Trophies, winning all three championships. He also went on to win the Fiesta Sport Trophy International Shootout and was award a twelve-month contract with M-Sport. For his achievements, Breen has crowned Young Irish Rally Driver of the Year and received the Billy Coleman Award.
In 2010 he debuted the Ford Fiesta $2000 in both British Rally Championship and the Irish Tarmac Championship. He took his first BRC victory on the 2010 Ulster Rally and went on to finish 2nd overall in the ITC. He also finished 17th overall in the car at the 2010 Rally Finland and 12th overall at Wales Rally GB.
In 2011, Breen competed in the WRC Academy driving a Ford Fiesta R2. He won his first WRC event at the Rallye Deutschland and his win at Wales Rally GB made him the inaugural WRC Academy Cup champion. Breen at the 2012 Rally Finland.
For 2012, Breen progressed to the S-WRC championship driving a Ford Fiesta S2000. He won the opening round at Monte Carlo and led the championship after the second round in Sweden.
In June 2012, Breen’s co-driver Gareth Roberts was killed in an accident during the Targa Florio Rally, the fifth round of the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
In Rally de Catalunya, in November, he won the Super 2000 world championship. At the end of the rally, a very emotional Breen declared “I’m a kid, I can’t believe I’ve done this.”
In 2013, Breen and Co-driver Paul Nagle were signed by Peugeot to lead their ERC campaign called ‘Peugeot Rally Academy’. Breen was successful, achieving five podium places during the season, and eventually finishing 3rd overall, missing out on the runner-up spot by only four points. Midway through the season, Nagle left the team to help out Volkswagen’s Andreas Mikkelson in the WRC from the Rajd Polski onwards, Belgian Lara Vanneste became Breen’s co-driver.
Breen won his first ERC rally at the 2014 Acropolis Rally in Greece, driving a Peugeot 208 T16.
Breen and co-driver Scott Martin won the 2015 Circuit of Ireland Rally which had been a long-time ambition of Craig’s especially as this would be the 20th anniversary of his Rally Idol’s Tarmac Championship Win, that being Frank Meagher.
He did a part-time campaign with the Citroen Total World Rally Team in 2016, achieving his maiden Special Stage win and an emotional first podium finish with third place at the 2016 Rally Finland. He improved the result in 2018 by finishing second at the 2018 Rally Sweden.
In October 2021, it was announced that Breen would join M-Sport World Rally Team as their lead driver for the 2022 season. He joined Adrien Fourmax Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith in completing all 13 rounds.
Before the 2022 Rally Catalunya, James Fulton became Breen’s new co-driver after his long-time co-driver Paul Nagle announced his retirement. With Breen’s move from M-Sport to Hyundai Shell Mobis Mobis WRT is confirmed for the 2023 World Rally Championship… –Source Wikipedia
We stand with the family of Craig Breen, TEAM MRF TYRES and all the Rally Family in this hour of grief.
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“Why not a win?”: Thursday talking points in Texas
Austin, Thursday, 13 April 2023: From Termas we’ve landed in Texas and boy howdy is it great to be back! Two press conferences kicked us off on Thursday, the first comprising Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), and the second Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoData RNF MotoGP).
Here are some key quotes:
MARCO BEZZECCHI
How special is it leading the championship for the first time?
MARCO BEZZECCHI: “Yeah, it was a particular week for me at home. It was a very nice feeling to come back and to see all the love from my family, friends, and all fans at home. It was something that I didn’t expect honestly but it was fantastic. I feel good, and I feel happy but I also know it’s already time to race again so I also feel concentrated.”
How many times did you watch that Termas race?
“Many. I think more than 20. As soon as I had some time I put it on the TV, and when I ate whenever I was at home. It was fantastic!”
What’s the message from the camp right now?
Marco Bezzecchi at the Thursday MotoGP Press Conference. MotoGP image “Well, definitely to keep my feet on the ground because Matt, my dad, and everyone in the team is saying this to me, but it’s also what I think. We were already in this same way of thinking. To think about the championship, honestly, it’s very early so I’m not thinking about the championship I’m just enjoying the victory and in the end I arrive here how I arrived in Argentina, just being myself and trying to be fast.”
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA
We saw how frustrated you were in Termas after losing the lead and 20 points, but what did you learn?
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA: “I understood that in the wet everything slips more than in the dry. We were looking with the team about what could have caused the crash and the truth is that there is no explanation. It’s difficult to explain, but in any case, we have to think about this weekend and focus on what we have to do.
“This is not the time to think about the championship. It’s good not to take too many risks, but at that moment I was second and it was the first time I felt so competitive in the wet. I wasn’t thinking about staying calm or waiting, I just wanted to open a gap to Alex Marquez who was behind, but without taking too many risks. I didn’t do anything different, but I crashed.
“Now we move on. We are in Austin, I love this circuit and I love this country. It’s one of the most demanding circuits, but we are ready.”
Where can the strengths of the Ducati help you at COTA?
Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati at the Thursday MotoGP press meet. Photo MotoGP “I think in the first sector, well, in the first two sectors we can be more competitive because the engine is more agile and it helps to line up better in sectors one and two. Last year I had problems, I was losing time under braking and that is something I will have to improve, but I think this year’s bike will help us.”
What do you like most about Austin and the United States?
“I love the atmosphere in America, it’s more relaxed. I love being here, going out, having a hamburger… I love walking around here. I’ve met a lot of people from the paddock around Austin, I think we all love it here.”
Could Marco Bezzecchi be a title contender?
“I think we all recognise Marco’s talent and speed, but it’s too early to be a title contender now. We are only in the third race, I don’t want to put my name on it either… we have to keep calm. There is plenty of time, but for sure Bezzecchi will be very competitive for the whole season and if I have to choose a rival I prefer it to be from Valentino’s Academy.”
On the absence of Marc and Enea:
“Honestly, Marc was one of the guys to beat here this year and Enea too, but it’s difficult to know because the level of the Honda’s is not the same as it was years ago and we have all moved on and grown. For Marc, it might have been more complicated to be competitive, but for sure he would have been there to fight, his way of interpreting this circuit is incredible. So is Enea. We have two fewer contenders, but the level of the other riders is very high.”
JOHANN ZARCO
How do you assess your start to 2023?
JOHANN ZARCO: “I’m pretty happy overall with the two races. For me, the sprint race is good to prepare for Sunday, and I’ve always been well prepared for the Sunday and the big result came twice. I’m happy about it. Clearly, the conditions in Termas were almost my conditions to perform easier compared to the dry. I expected to win but Marco was too fast at the beginning and in the end, I had to recover the time that I lost. But being third at the beginning of the third weekend is a pleasure, and it’s a sign that many things are possible. I’m happy, and as Marco said everything is so early so we need to get focused on the weekend and try to get a good feeling. It’s a tough track here. I was fast last year but not very consistent. If I can find a good pace I can wish for good things.”
Have you got any ideas on how to be more competitive in the opening laps?
“It’s a way to ride the bike. It seems the way I ride it at the end of the race when the others have less grip, I’ve got an advantage, but when the tyres are pretty fresh I miss a few tenths. But when everybody is fast around you, it’s also very tough to fight. The starts have been much better than last year and this is useful even if I could not fight very well at the beginning of the race I didn’t lose time at the start and at the first corners. It’s small things, we cannot say that we have to change anything. We are always talking about feeling and trying to get his pure feeling that will help me to do whatever I want when I want.”
ALEX MARQUEZ
ALEX MARQUEZ: “I’m so happy with the level we’re showing, it’s much better than what I imagined before starting the season with Ducati and Gresini but we also need to be realistic, we’re not on the level of the best Ducati riders in the dry so we need to keep working, we are in constant progression going up and that’s good, but we need to be realistic and go step-by-step. Starting like this is really good for the team and also for me because I’m coming from two difficult years, especially the last one, so to start like this for my confidence and motivation is really good. We’re not on the level of the best Ducat riders but we need to do as we have until now, try to get points, and try to be there for the Championship. We have a lot of races and Sprints ahead, so we need to focus on those points and not take any 0s. To be there will be important this year. Every weekend it’ll be important for us to take steps forward.”
The Marquez name is no stranger to the top step… could this be a chance to win?
Alex Marquez, at the MotoGP press conference. A MotoGP image “If Marc comes to Austin, you know you only had half a chance to win. Without Marc here, maybe it becomes 85%! I don’t know, it’s a new track with this bike for me. I don’t know how it’ll come to us. We have quite clear ideas of what we need to improve, so we’ll try to do our best again and have a solid weekend. Why not win? But it’s not our objective at the moment, we need to be realistic. Our position is between 4th and 7th more or less, but if we have the chance to take a podium or try and win, for sure we’ll try, but realistic for the moment it’s 4th to 8th.”
JACK MILLER
It feels like this has the making of a first big result here for you with KTM, do you get that vibe?
JACK MILLER: “Yeah for sure, I love coming back here to COTA. It’s definitely one of the Grand Prix that I look forward to most on the calendar, probably one of my favourites. The track is so different from everywhere else that we race. It has its positive points and its different points which are nice. I’m looking forward to it, I think with this KTM I’m excited to see what we can do around this track because the points that I’m finding myself strong on the bike generally play into the parts of this track. We’ll see what we can do this weekend, hopefully, we can get a decent crowd for both Saturday and Sunday and put on a decent show.”
Is your front-end confidence with the KTM going to help at COTA, and where?
“Yeah, I think we’ve managed to improve the braking performance of the bike, the decelerating performance. I think going into this Grand Prix this is one of the key factors you need with corners like corner 1, and whatever it is before the back straight, and then after the back straight, and the last corner as well. I think having a decent bike that’s performing well on the brakes is going to be key, also the way the bike changes direction is really precise and it’s giving me good feedback through the handlebars in terms of wanting the change direction so I think sectors 1 and 2 will definitely be pretty nice on this thing.”
FABIO QUARTARARO
Your position at the moment doesn’t feel like a true reflection of your potential or speed this season, is that how you see it?
FABIO QUARTARARO: “Our potential in the wet in Argentina was great, the pace in the Sprint wasn’t the best but we’re not so far. Qualifying is the point we need to work on, and it’ll be key this weekend to have a great qualifying.”
What’s missing in the M1 this year so far to make it feel like your bike?
“It’s not so much, but everything is so tight that if you’re not 100% confident on the bike it’s still difficult. Portugal wasn’t too bad, but we had a test just before. We had to figure out in Argentina the conditions, every time we were going on track we were changing something and it was getting better and better. So hopefully we can find our base on this track, and especially in qualifying make a step forward.”
On Toprak: “That’s not my thing… of course, it was a great opportunity for him to try the bike for two days, but I’ve never really talked to him about this test. Then the future of Yamaha, it’s not in my hands, we’ll see who my teammate is next year, it could be Franco or someone else.”Can you explain to us about your injury and recovery?
MIGUEL OLIVEIRA: “Yeah well, the injury was just a tendon that was a little bit damaged, a couple of tendons in the hip. So basically the problem was that I couldn’t open my leg and swing my leg over the bike without pain so the traveling to Argentina was very long. I was in a lot of pain for three days, it was pretty tough but I had to take the decision to rest. It’s a shame that the first couple of races were back-to-back otherwise I think I could’ve raced the following weekend as we are doing now. From everything that happened Sunday, I’m very grateful for not having any major injuries out of that.”
Your pace in Portimao should give you confidence with the Aprilia for the rest of the season.
“Yes, Portimao was indeed a track that maybe was better suited to my style and not the areas that I was struggling with the Aprilia which was straight braking. Here in Texas, I think I will struggle a bit more to adapt to this area where I’m not really comfortable yet, but I think we have the opportunity from tomorrow to start working on this and being able to get more comfortable with the bike. We have time, it’s a long season and I just want to restart my season here again and hopefully score points in both races which will be important.”
What are your expectations and hopes for the weekend?
“Well, I think I have to see you tomorrow. I need to discover the track with this bike. I don’t see any specific reason why the Aprilias cannot be competitive here so we just need to start and make progress through the practices and the weekend as time goes on and we get more time with the bike to be fast which is the main target.”
eom/david/14apr23
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Ruhaan makes a strong debut in GB4 with two P7 finishes in points
Oulton Park (UK), 8 April 2023: Indian racing star Ruhaan Alva made a strong debut, a Baptism by fire, in the British GB4 Championship finishing in the top 10 twice as he returns to racing in the European circuits at Cheshire’s Oulton Park where the Round 1 concluded on Sunday.
He did suffer an unfortunate mechanical issue that pulled him down in Race 2 but is confident to come back stronger. “I am eagerly looking forward to getting back in the car,” Ruhaan, who is sponsored by JK Tyre and backed by Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation, said.
A grid of 15 aspiring single-seater stars of the future assembled at Oulton Park for the start of the new GB4 season last weekend. Three different winners from the season opener suggest another wide-open season is in store, and you can watch all the action again here. Ruhaan Alva did a commendable job and showed enough pace which is expected to improve further as works with his engineers on the car set-up ahead of Round 2 in May. You can watch the Round 1 races here.
Ruhaan Alva The Bengaluru teenager started from P9 in his Tatuus F4 T014 #27 car and managed a creditable seventh in the first race after showing admirable pace in his very first race on debut in the GB4 series. Later, due to some issues he logged a DNF after his anti-fog seal broke and filled up his visor leading to a blind drive behind the safety car that caused contact with a car in front of him, and his race ended abruptly. However, the 16-year-old came back strongly in Race 3 on Sunday for another point finish in the top 10, taking seventh place again in the 15-car grid, 14 of them new for the season like Ruhaan. The Indian will take part in all 21 races over 7 weekends and will use this as a platform to get into bigger things like FIA Formula 3.
“It was a great experience with a lot of learning for me,” said Ruhaan after the race weekend. After initial hiccups in qualifying, he saw that despite an issue with the floor which was dragging on the ground, Ruhaan managed a decent lap to get a P9 position. In Race 1, he did launch nicely off the line and after a comfortable race, he was left with a bit of defending which he did admirably to keep the drivers behind him in check and took a creditable seventh among many racers who had a better saddle time and experience on the circuit.
Race 2, did not go according to expectations. It was raining heavily and most of the race ran behind the Safety Car. The anti-fog seal of Ruhaan’s helmet broke leading to the visor getting filled up with water which caused complete fogging. “I was driving blind under the safety car. The car in front of me braked hard, and I couldn’t see him,” revealed Ruhaan about the conditions that forced him to make a contact. It did damage his front wing and the Master Cylinder that holds the brake fluid resulting in an unfortunate DNF in Race 2.
Ruhaan Alva is in a relaxed mood at Oulton Park ahead of Round 1. The talented Indian karting champion, who graduated from Formula Cars, won the IRL league recently for his team. In Race 3, he was pretty confident and had fun racing, with a lot of battles on a drying track. The pace was decent but he got stuck behind a slower car in the initial stages which caused him to drop back a bit. Once he was able to pass the slower car, Ruhaan was able to climb up the order making two passes on the last lap and once again took a decent P7. “We had a few issues with the engine throughout the weekend and the team is working on it for the next round in the first week of May. I am confident to come back better equipped,” was the parting shot of Ruhaan, son of former Indian rally star Umakanth Alva.
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Sheena and Trupti, felicitated for exploits at Rally Jameel, Saudi Arabia
Chennai, 11 April 2023: It was a surprise, but a pleasant welcome when Sheena Sabharwal and co-pilot Trupti Gupta got a call from fmsci that they were selected to take part in the Rally Jameel, an all-woman TSD rally in the desert sands of Saudi Arabia. Thus began the exploits of IndiGals, one of the two teams from India that took part in Rally Jameel in March.
Sheena and Trupti were honoured at the fmsci Annual Awards Ceremony and were handed over their trophies here on Tuesday.
A homemaker from Pune with two teenage daughters, Trupti began her motorsport sojourn with the Times Women’s Drive from Pune to Goa in 2017 and the next year she met her driver Sheena Sabharwal, an architect, at the Malwa TSD car rally in Indore, their first rally together. And Rally Jameel is the first international debut for the Pune pair. “Learning and growing with each rally and pushing boundaries every time, our aim was to get higher with every step,” said Sheena.
The rally was organised by Bakhashab Motorsports Development and the two Indians were sponsored by the official partners, Abdul Latif Jameel, an Automotive Company, which provided a rally-prepared new 4×4 Toyota Fortuner.
Sheena Sabharwal, left, and Tripti Gupta, right, with fmsci President Akbar Ebrahim, 2nd from right, and Vice-President Gautham Shanthappa at the Annual Awards Ceremony at Trident Hotel, Chennai on Tuesday, 11 April 2023. Photo: Trupti Overwhelming Op to make their international debut
“We were overwhelmed with the opportunity. I never thought of doing an International car rally that too in Saudi Arabia. I had never heard of places like Alu La or Hail. I only had a sketchy idea of what was going to come our way. With determination and trust we took the leap,” said Trupti. “We were nervous but willing to learn. But sharing the stage with professional women including some who had Dakar titles under their belt was an exciting experience,” felt Sheena. “Representing our country is always an honour and pride and it gives us a sense of responsibility. We enjoyed the experience thoroughly,” echoed both of them in tandem.
For the record, the Indians finished Rally Jameel in 7th place in their category and 11th Overall. “It was three days of racing over 1600 km. About 550 km is the timed speed stage. Navigating and locating approximately 200 waypoints is a stunning experience as we did not have any saddle time or experience of navigating this kind of rally,” added Trupti. They began with a few hiccups ending the first leg on Day 1 in 26th position and improving to 14th on Day 2. They switched up gears and picked up the tempo for a creditable 7th on Day 3 as they ended the third leg, and went on to finish with a bang taking a creditable podium place (Leg 4) on the fourth and final day with a second position.
“Navigation was amazing. It was tough with new instruments and a new set of apps to understand and roll out. The whole point system was completely different from the TSD formats in India. I had to figure out our key abilities and then use them to score in places that made our positions better. The rally began as an unknown world to me as I never sailed in the desert before. I was happy and pleased with the positive ratings that helped me push my pilot Sheena to the finish line. In the end, finishing all the Specials without a puncture was satisfying,” Trupti narrated.
Sheena, left and Trupti speak after they were honoured by the fmsci at the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday in Chennai. With a lot of variation in terrain that consisted of rocks, sand patches, different speed controls in stages, and very different road regulations and speed limits in the liaison section, it was a challenging event. The vehicles with left-hand drive added to the challenge forcing a major change in orientation for the Indian drivers. That brought out the focus and concentration of the navigator, who had to keep a constant vigil on the driver to provide timely alerts to be on the track. “By habit, I am more of a shift-stick driver. An automatic car was comparatively easier on the road but the whole dynamics with it work differently on off-road sections. We needed some time and understanding of the vehicle on the Special Stages. Getting to know the 4×4 shifts as per the requirement and delivering was a new and enjoyable experience,” said Sheena.
The duo was careful with the air pressures, constantly deflating and inflating as per the change in terrain. Monitoring any tyre damage in the timed stages and keeping track of major losses in time with a new navigation system was too much to handle. But co-driver Trupti adapted as fast as she could with Sheena handling the vehicle admirably.
Winning debut at TSD Nationals
The lady drivers from Pune made a winning debut in the fmsci Nationals in 2021 clinching the Ladies’ title after a slew of privately- organised TSD rallies. They qualified for the 2022 finals in Siliguri for the Himalayan Drive, where they did well topping the round but finishing runners-up in the Nationals. Nevertheless, they managed to get the call from the Federation in February for the Jameel Rally. Another ladies’ team of Jessie and Jyothi, which did well in 2021, was nominated as the second team.
Background of Rally Jameel
After a call by King Salman Al Saud to recognize women’s right to drive cars in Saudi Arabia, in September 2017 as per Vision 2030, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors and Abdullah Bathashab Est., the leading motorsports developers in Saudi Arabi, started the Rally Jameel.
And today dozens of Saudi women participate in the rallies and several women from around the world completed the second edition of Rally Jameel successfully. “If you love what you do, success will follow you,” was how Trupti ended the interview with INDIAinF1.com.
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fmsci honours 2022 Indian National champions
Chennai, 11 April 2023: After successful conduct of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship earlier this year in Hyderabad, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India is hopeful that the FIM MotoGP World Championship will be held as scheduled at the Buddh International Circuit in September.
List of all the awardees honoured by fmsci is here!
Delivering the keynote address during the Annual Awards function of the FMSCI, here on Tuesday, when it honoured 118 National champions of the 2022 season across various formats of the sport, president Akbar Ebrahim said: “Last year, we had announced that MotoGP will be coming to India and I am informed by the Indian promoters and FIM that work is in progress, and all are hopeful that event will be held as planned.”
INRC double overall champion Karna Kadur, left, along with fmsci Commission chairman Farooq Commissariat and experienced co-driver Nikhil Vittal Pai after receiving the Indian National Rally Championship Overall winners award at Trident hotel in Chennai on Tuesday. fmsci councillor and former INRC driver Vicky Chandhok (left) applauds the 11-time National champion (including3 fissme Cup titles) after presenting him the award for 2022 Indian Touring Cars National title. All photos by Anand Philar The FMSCI, besides felicitating the 2022 season National champions, presented special awards to Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda who won the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific final round in Chennai, and Shriya Lohia (Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh) who represented India and finished fifth overall at the FIA Girls On Track event in Paris, France.
Ebrahim, recounting various milestones of the FMSCI which is celebrating its Golden Jubilee, revealed that Hyderabad produced India’s first FIA Grade 2 and FIA Formula E street Circuit.
He also announced plans to promote the sport at grassroots level. “We want to take the sport to the masses. We will also be conducting training programmes for Stewards and Marshals to ensure events are run adhering to all safety requirements. Only the accredited officials will supervise all motorsport events in India. At the moment, there are 2,500 FMSCI license holders and we would like to increase the number to 20,000.”
“It is the 50th year of the FMSCI and we owe it to the five founders. We overcame all the challenges because of the passion and dedication of all stakeholders involved in the sport. The FIA and FIM now take India seriously and our country is spoken of highly in various international forums.”
Ebrahim congratulated MRF Tyres for winning the prestigious European Rally Championship (ERC) title. “Indian drivers are now participating in various international events from Karting to Rallying to racing and fighting for podium positions,” he concluded.
The FMSCI Council Members, various Commission heads, promoters and sponsors were also present at the function.
About the FMSCI
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) was founded in the year 1971 and was registered as a Private Limited Non-Profit Company in 1973. It became affiliated to Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in 1979 and to the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) in 1986. Fifteen years after its inception, the FMSCI was recognised by the Government of India as the sole authority to control and conduct Motor Sport events in India. It is also recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). The FMSCI is the affiliated National Sporting Authority (ASN) of the International federations for 4-wheeler and National Motorcycle Federations (FMN) of the 2-wheeler motorsports viz. the FIA, headquartered at Paris, and the FIM, headquartered at Switzerland. It is also a part of the FIA Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK or CIK-FIA) which is the primary international sanctioning body for Karting. The FMSCI has a wide, pan-India base of affiliated member clubs totalling 48 currently.
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For Supercross Nationals: Visit INDIANmotorsports.in, follow the links here
- Hero MotoSports debut to challenge favourites Petronas TVS Racing
2. Petronas TVS mounts challenge for one more year of dominance with 9 champion riders
3. Jordi Grau Rodriques in India to launch Hero MotoSports Supercross campaign.
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Shifting to IndianMotorsports.in
INDIAinF1.com has a new home. Due to technical upgradation, our website is being re routed to a new URL www.INDIANmotorsports.in, kindly check it for all Indian domestic motorsports news along with the regular updates for Formula 1, MotoGP, WRC, World SBK (WSBK) and others.
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Visit www.INDIANmotorsports.in for all Indian National Rally Championship 2023 articles
Here is a list of articles and reports that were published for the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2023, starting with the Blueband Sports South India Rally (SIR) organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) at the Madras International Circuit (MIC) from March 17 to 19. The International rally returned to MIC after a year for the qualifying round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), in the form of the second round of the Asia Rally Cup that was held concurrently with 18 cars taking part.
Top drivers including Arjuna Awardee and rally legend from India, Gaurav Gill of JK Tyre fame along with Mana Pornsiricherd and Thanyaphat Meenil from Thailand were the star attractions of the APRC Asia leg. Gill was taking the services of experienced navigator Aniruddha Rangnekar for the first time. Defending INRC champion and winner of the last year’s Asia Cup Rally in India, Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai led a field of stars, in the Indian Championship along with Amittrajit Ghosh, (with co-driver Ashwin Naik) who is returning from a break from England, and Dr Speed, the one and only Bikku Babu from Kerala, now settled in US, co-driven by Milen George Cherian, and aggressive driver Dean Mascarenhas (Gagan Karumbaiah) from Mangaluru, 2019 champs and brothers Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, reigning champions in their classes, Maninder Singh Prince, Samrat Yadav and Rahul Kanthraj, were the others stalwarts of the INRC who took part in the 46th edition of SIR.
Many talented youngsters like Jahaan Singh Gill, Arjun Rajiv, a graduate from karting also joined the fray along with six ladies led by FIA Rally Star cup champion from the Asia Pacific region Pragathi Gowda who had Trisha Alonkar as co-driver. Bengaluru-based Vizag driver Renuka Gajendra who paired with Dilip Sharan’s wife Angela James is the only other team which had both ladies in the car. Nikeetaa Takkale, the niece of Sanjay Takale, former APRC Production Cars champion, Shivani Parmar of Mumbai, co-driver Deeksha Balakrishna, were the other two ladies that represented ‘Women in Motorsports’.
A total of 66 cars took part along with three cars which took part only in APRC Asia round. Fifteen of the cars took part in both APRC round and INRC to make it 63 cars in INRC, an attractive number of entries but it not a record as many INRC rounds have seen more number of entries in the earlier years.
With sponsors JK Tyre pulling out in the last minute former champion in his class, Fabid Ahmer, opted out citing lack of time to put the things together. Other notable drivers missing were talented lady drivers Athira Murali (lack of sponsors), and Dr. Shivani Pruthvi (busy with post-graduate medical studies for MD).
The list of articles published for INRC in this website can be read here: (Compilation in process)
- Gaurva Gill begins favourite; 18 in fray for FIA-APRC (Asia Rally Cup).
- Vamcy Merla to back FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship India round: Asia Rally Cup.
- Gaurav Gill tops Super Special Stage; Karna heads INRC; Pragathi stuns the field for 7th.
- Aroor Arjun Rao sparkles in rain, leads INRC; Gaurav Gill extends lead in APRC Asia Cup.
- Gaurav Gill wins FIA-APRC (Asia Rally Cup) round.
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All set for Red Bull Showrun: David Coulthard raises the curtain for media in Mumbai
Mumbai, 11 March 2023: The exciting gala programme of the Red Bull Showrun has come to India again. And it’s time for motorsports fans in India to steer their attention back on the streets of Mumbai. The acclaimed Red Bull Formula 1 car would be on display and the former F1 driver David Coulthard, will take you on a course of delight and fun as he attempts one more run in India following his 2009 first show and the high-altitude show in the Himalayas a few years later by the Red Bull team.
“There is a lot of change in India since my last visit in 2009, the city has grown big and Formula 1 continues to grow in popularity and Red Bull happens to be very successful with the sport and very successful in India and even during the dominant period for Lewis (Hamilton) and Mercedes, Red Bull car was able to put in strong performances,” said Coulthard.
“Make sure not to blink, and soak in the whiff of burnt rubber as a mean machine from a decorated team whizzes past you,” said a Red Bull quote and for Do’s and Don’ts tomorrow visit the Red Bull page here.
Multiple race-winner and veritable legend David Coulthard is all set to bring the adrenaline-pumping roar of his engine to the Maximum City. The only team to have won the Indian Grand Prix returns to India after famously conquering the world’s highest motorable road at Khardung-la, dazzling Mumbaikars at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and delighting Delhi with some slick moves at the iconic Rajpath boulevard. Be there to witness it live. The curtains were off at a Press Conference attended by the Photo Editor and adviser of this site, Srinivasa Krishnan in Mumbai today.
David Coulthard speaking to the media at Mubai on Saturday. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan exclusively for for INDIAinF1.com Our own Suhail Chandhok, put the spotlight on David Coulthard. The run will be on:
Date: 12th March, 10am onwards (gates open at 8am)
Venue: Bandra Bandstand, Mumbai
