INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Spa is a happy hunting ground for Force India: Mallya

    Spa, 22 Aug 2017: Sahara Force India returns from its summer break and looks ahead to the Belgian Grand Prix.

    Vijay Mallya: “Spa is always a special weekend for Formula One. It’s one of the greatest circuits in the world and a marvellous venue to appreciate the best drivers in the fastest cars. It’s been a happy hunting ground for this team too and I’d like to think we have a good chance of adding some more memories this weekend.

    “We’re over the half-way point of the season now and feeling upbeat about the remaining nine races. Along with Spa, there are some other tracks coming up that should allow us to show the speed of the VJM10. We are pushing hard with the development of this car and there are some further steps we will introduce over the next few events.

    “Our consistency has been our strength this year. We’ve scored points in ten of the eleven races so far and had double points finishes in nine of those races. I’m proud of the team for this achievement and it shows that all our hard work is paying off. We’ve still got our sights on the podium for this year and if the opportunity arises I believe we are ready to take it.”

     

    Sergio: “I’m feeling fresh and relaxed after the summer break and really looking forward to getting back to racing. I had a very nice break with my family, but now I can’t wait to be back on track.

    “Belgium is the one of the best circuits to experience an F1 car. I love the high-speed layout, the history of the place and you get to meet some very passionate fans there. It’s just a great weekend and there is also the question mark over the weather. It nearly always rains at least one of the days.

    “Pouhon is one of my favourite corners of the year. It’s so quick and satisfying when you get it just right. The 2017 cars will feel extra special through this part of the lap, as well as through Eau Rouge.

    “As we begin the second part of the season, I want to improve on what we have done so far. We have been competitive, but we also lost a few chances to score more points than we did. Hopefully we will make up for those lost points in the races to come.”

    Esteban: “I had a great summer holiday in the south of Spain. My batteries are fully recharged and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car. It’s now a year for me as a Formula One driver and the time has gone by really quickly. So I’m no longer a rookie!

    “Spa is where I made my debut last year. It’s a great track, but it’s not necessarily one of my favourites. There are some special corners, especially through sector two, which has a nice rhythm. It’s a circuit where you have to be totally at one with the car because you need to be really committed through the high-speed corners.

    “Spa is usually a good track for racing because it’s easier to overtake there compared to some other tracks. There’s also the famous Spa weather which brings unpredictability. I don’t mind if it rains because it could bring some more opportunities our way.

    “I think we can be competitive this weekend regardless of whether it’s dry or wet. The layout of the track should suit our car quite well. Everybody loves driving through Eau Rouge and it’s certainly the most famous part of the lap. In these cars it will be an amazing experience. Maybe the first lap of the race will be a bit of a challenge, but after that I think we should be able to take it easily flat.”

    Sahara Force India’s Chief Race Engineer, Tom McCullough, analyses the challenges of Spa-Francorchamps.

    “Spa is an iconic circuit and a great test for Formula One machinery, even more so this season. It’s the longest lap of the season with a mix of slow and quick corners, long straights and elevation changes: finding the right setup is always a challenge. There are some unique corners, like the Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex with its rapid compression and decompression, which will be asking a lot from the driver, the car and the tyres. There are also many long and fast corners putting big loads through the tyres: it will be important to understand how the compounds on offer, the three softest of the range, work in these conditions. Usually, races in Spa are very entertaining: there are many overtaking opportunities, mistakes are easily punished and the weather can play a big part. It often rains and the extended nature of the circuit means you could be driving on a completely soaked track in one sector and on bone dry tarmac in another. Choosing the right strategy and being ready to adapt to the changing circumstances is crucial.”

    eom/Sahara Force India Press Release

  • Tanak, Jarveoja take 2nd WRC win: Rallye Deutschland

    Ford Fiesta WRC drivers Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja claimed their second FIA World Rally Championship victory today when they took the top step of the podium on Rallye Deutschland. The Estonians led from the first full day of competition on Friday to take their first Tarmac win on an event their M-Sport team had yet to conquer. Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger held off Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia for second position, a fine result for the Norwegians on their third event with Citroën and first on asphalt for the French manufacturer.

    “It’s a great feeling!” said Tänak. “The start to the rally went perfectly. After that it was just about controlling our lead. Winning our first Tarmac event feels cool. With 25 points here I don’t see any reason why we can’t fight for the Championship. We will keep fighting; we need to keep winning if we’re going to win the Championship.”

    In the race for the title, Ogier had hoped for better but with Thierry Neuville retiring yesterday and failing to score any Power Stage points, the Frenchman now has a 17 point advantage over the Belgian with three rounds remaining. Ott Tänak maintains third but still with a chance of fighting for the title. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, M-Sport’s double podium sees it take an impressive 64 point advantage over Hyundai who had a more than disappointing weekend in Germany.

    Today’s route was by far the shortest and covered two identical loops of two stages covering 51.94 competitive kilometres. In confident mood, Tänak was able to control his pace through the closing stages and never looked challenged before ultimately taking the win by 16.4 seconds. Mikkelsen nevertheless kept the pressure on the Estonian and fended off Ogier to take Citroën’s second podium of the season after Kris Meeke’s victory in Mexico. With both Ogier and Neuville making mistakes earlier in the event, Ogier adopted a more cautious approach after his Championship rival retired yesterday and the Frenchman set his sights on maintaining position and scoring as many points in the Power Stage as possible. He picked up two additional points.

    Behind the leading trio, Juho Hänninen managed to climb to fourth; the Finn overhauled Elfyn Evans in the day’s opener when the Welshman overshot a junction and stalled. Evans’ woes continued with probably not the best tyre choice and he was passed by Craig Breen in the final stage, the Irish driver closing the gap in the penultimate stage with fastest time and powering ahead in the final one, dropping Evans to sixth. Jari-Matti Latvala salvaged some extra points for third in the Power Stage, adding to his tally for seventh overall. Hayden Paddon was the lead Hyundai driver in eighth and while team-mate Dani Sordo finished way down the order, the Spaniard took some consolation from maximum points in the Power Stage. Germany’s Armin Kremer finished ninth in his first outing in a 2017 spec WRC car.

    Eric Camilli rounded off the top 10 and also won the FIA WRC 2 Championship category in a Fiesta R5. He headed asphalt ace Jan Kopecky by nearly a minute. Pontus Tidemand’s third position was enough to secure the Swede an unassailable lead in the category and he and Skoda provisionally take the title with three rounds remaining*. In the FIA Junior WRC Championship, local driver Julius Tannert took a dream win by an enormous margin after his rivals hit problems. Nil Solans, second in the category, looks on course to win the title on the final round of their Championship in Spain, but the Spaniard claimed the FIA WRC 3 Championship title here in Germany*.

    The FIA World Rally Championship contenders now take a break before returning to action for Rally España (5-8 October).

     

    Rallye Deutschland – Final unofficial results (subject to scrutineering)

    1.   Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 57min 31.7sec
    2.   Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 57min 48.1sec
    3.   Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 58min 02.1sec
    4.   Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindström Toyota Yaris WRC 2hr 59min 20.9sec
    5.   Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroën C3 WRC 2hr 59min 33.2sec
    6.   Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 2hr 59min 35.1sec
    7.   Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 01min 29.9sec
    8.   Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 WRC 3hr 02min 04.1sec
    9.   Armin Kremer / Pirmin Winklhofer Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 07min 51.1sec
    10. Eric Camilli / Benjamin Veillas Ford Fiesta R5 3hr 08min 16.0sec

     

    * Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA

  • It is not over until it is over: Tanak

    Present:
    1st – Ott Tänak, M-Sport World Rally Team
    1st – Martin Järveoja, M-Sport World Rally Team
    2nd – Andreas Mikkelsen, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
    2nd – Anders Jæger, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
    3rd – Sébastien Ogier, M-Sport World Rally Team
    3rd – Julien Ingrassia, M-Sport World Rally Team
    Malcolm Wilson, Team Principal, M-Sport World Rally Team

    Q:
    Ott, it is your second WRC victory, it is a win on tarmac at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland which M-Sport has never won before. How do feel?
    OT:
    It has been a great weekend and it is a great feeling. It was a tricky event which started in a very difficult way with extreme weather conditions and a lot of dirt on the road. We took a brave tyre decision which everybody on the team fought me for, but it worked out very well. The tyre decision decided the whole rally I would say.

    Q:
    Most of the rally was basically mistake-free for you?
    OT:
    The conditions were improving a lot after the rain. There was much more grip and it was much more enjoyable to drive.

    Q:
    We have seen a very confident Ott Tänak. Is this because you got your first WRC win already out your way? Did you feel less pressure?
    OT:
    For sure it is helping a bit. But the most important thing was the first drive through the long Panzerplatte stage where I managed to keep up with Seb [Ogier]. So I felt a bit more comfortable. He was pretty fast there before. But after this we managed to keep the pace up.

    Q:
    We thought you were going for more bonus points in the Power Stage. Was that going through your mind?
    OT:
    Not really. We are in this position in the championship where we need to collect all the points and it was very important to get these points. So I had to be smart this time. Let’s get some more experience so we can also start to push in these situations, but this time we needed to be safe.

    Q:
    How do you feel about your chances in the 2017 Championship?
    OT:
    It is never over before it is over. We managed to get closer to the two guys in front of us. It is three rallies to go and the gap is not too big, so let’s see what happens. We try to do our best job and it will be interesting at the end of the season.

    Q:
    Martin, the victory here is probably one of the best 30th birthday presents that you can get. How does it feel?
    MJ:
    The feeling is great. Thank you, Ott, for this present. It is always difficult to win on tarmac rallies with all these pace notes and especially so on Friday with the challenging weather conditions. In the end it was a perfect weekend for us.

    Q:
    The conditions on Friday were tough. How did you make it through there?
    MJ:
    We made a good tyre choice. That was the key to our win here in Germany.

    Q:
    Andreas, brilliant result on tarmac here in Germany. You must be feeling good with P2?
    AM:
    I feel great. When I saw the weather forecast coming into the rally I was sure I would not have a chance. Starting so far back on day one was really a challenge. But luckily I really enjoy the vineyard stages. By now I feel at home on these stages. So I pushed really, really hard because we knew that the weather would be better on day two and three. Our objective was to stay close to Ott which we did. The other days were also a challenge with small mistakes but I finally mastered the long Panzerplatte so our preparations paid off. So we are really happy to deliver this second place – for us but also for Citroën.

    Q:
    How much did you feel the pressure from Ogier sitting in P3?
    AM:
    Last year we were leading the rally going into the Panzerplatte stage. Then we lost 14 and 16 seconds on each run through. I knew that when he was four seconds behind me going into Panzerplatte I knew I needed to go for it because he was so much faster. But we managed to take some time out of Seb and this was the deciding moment.

    Q:
    This was an important result for Citroën but also for you. You said that Germany was your final event for Citroën. Do you have an update on whether you will appear in one of the remaining events this season?
    AM:
    I hope to do all the events. The important thing for me now is to find a place where we can fight for the championship next year. If this is for Citroën or not, I don’t know. But I have done three rallies with them and I enjoyed them. So let’s see if there are some more.

    Q:
    Anders, a tough weekend but a great result for you as well?
    AJ:
    We were excited for this event, considering our last tarmac event was Spain last year. Germany is not an easy tarmac rally. To be able to perform on this level in difficult conditions like on Friday and then to continue doing it is a confirmation for us that we are where we think we are. And to give Citroën a second place here we have to thank the team for a perfect car throughout this event. We are for sure very satisfied with this result.

    Q:
    It all worked out with the route note crews during the rally?
    AJ:
    Of course, when you start way back in the field like we did here, it is sometimes hard to really trust the information that you get from the crews because so many cars have already been through the stages. But they did an amazing job which is important to succeed in a rally like this.

    Q:
    Sébastien, how did you feel when you knew that your closest rival for the Championship, Thierry Neuville, had to retire for the day yesterday?
    SO:
    It changed a little bit at this point. We were aiming for more this weekend but we had a difficult start on Friday. It started with a wrong tyre choice in the afternoon. But when you are in a close fight for the championship like we were with Thierry it is difficult to take these rain tyres that we have never used before and don’t have any experience with. It is easier when you are a bit further back in the standings where you can try something, but for us we did not dare to make the choice at this point. In the end it cost us some time. I also struggled a bit with the car. But after that it was an okay weekend. But when Thierry stopped we did not want to take all the risk anymore. Ott did not leave any space for a comeback. He was strong and consistent at the top. We were not so far behind Andreas as well, but he was also fast. But we decided not to take any risks for three more points. At the end it was a good weekend. We are leading the championship again by 17 points. That’s the positive of the weekend for us.

    Q:
    What was your approach for the extra points on the Power Stage? Did you go for them or were you cautious there as well?
    SO:
    I saw that Thierry would not take so many points there so I did not have to go all crazy but some drivers were pushing hard at the same time. Once again, you have to take a lot of risks to get the max points. But still I wanted to get some points. Our two points are counting at the end of the season and maybe they will be the important ones.

    Q:
    You said that you wanted to have your future decided before the end of September. We have a little season break now so what will be happening in the next six weeks for you?
    SO:
    I am sure we will know much more in Spain. It would be great for M-Sport to get the full support again. What the team has achieved so far this year is amazing. It has a good lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship as a private team. It would be good to see their efforts rewarded.

    Q:
    So if the team got the manufacturer funding you would stay?
    SO:
    Yes, I always mentioned it. It is never easy to switch teams every year. I needed some time this year to get used to the team and the car. This always takes some time. If I could continue and build on what we did this year, I am sure we would be strong. But I also think that we would need a little bit more support to be where I want to be.

    Q:
    Julien, three rallies to go this season. It is a close fight for the championship but this is also very motivating for everyone, isn’t it?
    JI:
    I hope fans will also follow the rest of the championship as it gets more and more exciting. Everybody will come back motivated from the six-week break that is upon us. But speaking for us, we are determined to come strong for the final push.

    Q:
    Malcolm, you are leading in the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships, how do you feel about it?
    MW:
    Very, very happy as you can imagine. We did not think that we would achieve this kind of result prior to the event. But all the guys have done a fantastic job, particularly on Friday under difficult conditions. No real mistakes, stayed out of trouble, I could not ask for more from these guys. It has been a fantastic weekend for us.

    Q:
    How do you feel about the Manufacturers’ Championship in particular, because it was a big gain this weekend?
    MW:
    Finland turned out better than we expected, so that was a bonus. Getting this result was a real positive. Historically, we have been in this position before and ended up losing it. There are only three events left but we will try to do everything we possibly can to try and secure both championships.

    Q:
    It is the first victory for M-Sport in Germany, how about this?
    MW:
    All the boxes are ticked. Now I can retire!

    Q:
    Success in the WRC, but also success in the WRC 2 with Eric Camilli taking a win as well, so this has been good for the brand?
    MW:
    Eric had a great rally and he is really showing the promise that we all know he has got. He is really a solid professional driver. This win will further lift his confidence so hopefully Eric can go on to better things as well.

    Q:
    What will be going on during the upcoming six week break to keep that fantastic line-up of drivers that you have?
    MW:
    The results tell you that we have a great driver line-up. I would really love to retain all the guys. Whether this is achievable, I genuinely don’t know. If it was all in my power, that is what I would definitely like to be doing.
    FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP (event winner)

    Present:
    1st – Eric Camilli, M-Sport World Rally Team
    1st – Benjamin Veillas, M-Sport World Rally Team

    Q:
    Eric, it’s fantastic to see you on the top step of the podium of the FIA WRC 2 Championship on what has been such a tough weekend in Germany. How are you feeling right now?
    EC:
    Thank you, I’m feeling good of course. It’s an incredible weekend for us. We did what we needed to do. For us, it was very important to win here, especially on tarmac. We’ve done a good job this weekend, as well as the team. It was not an easy weekend for them and for us. We started with a problem but the mechanics were very, very efficient and professional. That’s why we were able to avoid a penalty because of the clutch, to continue the rally, to come back and to be able to fight. Thanks to all of them.

    Q:
    As you say, you had a clutch issue on Friday morning and brought the car back to service. Lots of mechanics were working really hard to change the clutch in time.
    EC:
    We were 100 percent sure that we would receive a penalty. On the last minute, we decided to not change it and try. We lost only 30 seconds. Later, when the car was okay again, we did the maximum to attack on Mittelmosel in the afternoon. After Kopecký had the puncture, it would have been very easy to have a puncture in Panzerplatte. We tried to avoid that and maybe we were just a little bit lucky compared to them.

    Q:
    Kopecký dropped over a minute behind you. Was it difficult to stay concentrated?
    EC:
    Yes, of course. With a one minute lead, you can say it’s easy to win. But in fact, it’s not. When you are in the car you can as well have a puncture. You can make a mistake or something else can happen. You don’t know. So, you need to stay focused, concentrated, as we did this morning.

    Q:
    Were you feeling a little bit nervous with your first win in WRC 2 on the cards here in Germany?
    EC:
    No pressure, to be honest, I was free. Because since this year in Mexico, okay we finished second after we had a big battle. In Sardinia we won the category, Finland went well, Poland as well. We were free and just wanted to win and finish the race correctly.

    Q:
    What happens now for the rest of the season? What can you tell us about 2018?
    EC:
    The next rally we’ll do is Spain. We don’t score points there but we’ll do Rally GB and score points there. We need to prepare for these two events and after that we’ll see.

    Q:
    Benjamin, congratulations to you, too. How was it from the co-driver’s seat? Stressful?
    BV:
    Stressful, maybe, yes – also on Friday morning honestly. I was focusing on my job.

    Q:
    How tough is a co-driver’s job here in Germany? Tougher on the Friday in the vineyard stages or is it generally tough all weekend?
    BV:
    No, all the weekend.

    Q:
    I know you had some mechanical issues on Friday. Were there any big moments out there that Eric hasn’t told us about?
    BV:
    Yes, sure. But I’m feeling very happy right now.
    FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP (Championship winner*)

    Present:
    1st – Pontus Tidemand, Škoda Motorsport
    1st – Jonas Andersson, Škoda Motorsport

    Q:
    Welcome to the 2017 FIA WRC 2 Champions, Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson. Pontus, this must be such a good feeling for you. You’ve had a really successful year and you rounded it off early with a championship win already. How does it feel?
    PT:
    Thank you! For sure it feels good. This is special for us and the team. We have worked very hard and also the team has worked very hard, prepared very well before every rally. They’ve been putting all efforts there to take this title. That we managed to do it with one rally to go is very good.

    Q:
    You came into this event trying really hard not to think that you could win the championship title. Has it been quite a pressure-filled event for you?
    PT:
    Yes, on Friday it was going quite well in the fight for the first position. But early on Saturday we had a puncture and lost almost one minute. We lost contact to the top two. Then we changed strategy and tried to enjoy, drive and not to feel the pressure too much.

    Q:
    You tried to enjoy – did you manage to enjoy it?
    PT:
    Yes, for sure. There’s some nice stages and a lot of spectators. The car was very well, good and easy to drive. Then we had fun to drive it, yes.

    Q:
    When you got to the final stage today, knowing that when you reached the end of the Power Stage you would be champion, were there butterflies in your tummy? Were you a little bit nervous?
    PT:
    Maybe a little bit extra.
    JA:
    Yes!
    PT:
    We were listening to every sound in the car. Maybe a little bit, but it was okay.

    Q:
    So, what happens for the rest of the season? What’s next for Pontus Tidemand?
    PT:
    For sure, Rally GB and also some testing. We don’t know yet about Rally Spain.

    Q:
    Will you remain in WRC 2 and defend your title? Or will you be moving on to other things?
    PT:
    I Iive in the moment. No idea.

    Q:
    What would you like to do, Pontus?
    PT:
    What do you think?

    Q:
    A nice World Rally Car would be good, right?
    PT:
    Yes, that would be good. Soon, it should be time to take this step up. We will see. We’ll just keep working hard and need to get the chance.

    Q:
    Congratulations to you, Jonas, on the WRC 2 co-driver championship title. How do you feel?
    JA:
    Very, very good. Thank you. It’s been a pleasure the whole year. We’ve done six events so far and got four wins, one second place and now a third place here to secure the title win with one rally to go. It’s been an amazing year. I’m very, very happy for the both of us and for the team. The rest of the season: we’ll see how many rounds we can do. But then we can go really flat out.

    Q:
    There are absolutely no worries. You can do what you want in the remaining rounds.
    JA:
    Yes, that’s very nice. We’ll see. Like you said, we will do Rally GB. Hopefully, maybe, one event more.

    Q:
    Any little mistake can be punished quite hard. What about you – where you feeling any pressure at all this weekend?
    JA:
    Like we said, on Friday none of us really thought much about the championship. We just said before the rally that we wanted to go out and enjoy. We like the rally and just wanted to set some good times. On Saturday, when we had the puncture and dropped down to third place, then you start to think a bit more and start to go a little bit more onto the safe side. Then it all becomes a little bit more difficult because you don’t use the car properly and probably don’t concentrate 100 percent. Then you feel the pressure. Overall, for the weekend, it’s been very good, actually.
    FIA JUNIOR WRC / WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP (event winner)

    Present:
    1st – Julius Tannert, ADAC Sachsen E.V.
    1st – Jürgen Heigl, ADAC Sachsen E.V.

    Q:
    Julius, you’ve won with a 12-minute lead. You must be feeling good right now.
    JT:
    It’s a really good feeling to be here. To win the Junior WRC at your home event here in Germany is really unbelievable for me. We’ve said it before but it’s really hard against these strong competitors. We made less mistakes than the others. We secured the first place and we’re really happy about it.

    Q:
    Against three tarmac specialists it was always going to be very difficult. At the end of the day, did a little home advantage play its part?
    JT:
    For sure, we knew some stages. But as you just said, they are tarmac specialists who know the stages also from last year. They pushed really hard and it was hard for us to go the same speed. But in the end, we got first place and that’s great.

    Q:
    How did it go for you in terms of moments and mistakes?
    JT:
    Well, it started on Thursday with this stage in the city. We had a small moment when we touched the wall. Also in the vineyards, we had to reverse two times and the feeling was not so good. We lost a lot of time on Friday. And then on Saturday morning everything changed and went well for us. On the last one and a half days we secured the first position and took no further risks.

    Q:
    So many drivers say that you can lose focus when you’re not in a battle. You didn’t?
    JT:
    It was really hard, especially today. The stages look easy but they aren’t. To make no mistake is quite hard. If you’re not pushing and fighting for every second it is easy to make a mistake. This would have been a big drama if we had crashed on the last stage. I was a bit nervous at the start but in the end, everything went well.

    Q:
    Jürgen, were you a little bit nervous going into that final stage today, knowing that you could take the win?
    JH:
    Absolutely!

    Q:
    How difficult was it from a co-driver’s perspective to get everything on point this weekend?
    JH:
    It was really difficult because of the conditions, with the rain. But we are here now – we have won. That’s good.

    Q:
    Did you celebrate a little bit in the car when you crossed the finish line?
    JH:
    Maybe! But tomorrow I have to go to the Barum Rally.

    Q:
    You’re competing at Barum as well?
    JH:
    Just me.
    JT:
    I rent out my co-driver to others! I have to save some money for Spain!
    FIA WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP (Championship winner*) 

    Present:
    1st – Nil Solans
    1st – Miguel Ibanez

    Q:
    Nil, congratulations on the FIA WRC 3 Championship win. We were waiting to see if it would be a Junior WRC Championship as well – but you picked up WRC 3. How are you feeling right now?
    NS:
    It was difficult. On Friday we went off. It was my fault. In one corner we were too late. Well, we are WRC 3 Champions. But that’s not the main championship that we want to win. We wanted to take points for both championships but we still have to concentrate and fight in Spain. We maybe need to change something on the car to be fast in Spain and win the championship.

    Q:
    You’ve had such a dominant season so far but here it was a bit tougher. We saw you make a mistake. Is that because of the pressure?
    NS:
    This time I was thinking more about to not do mistakes, winning the championship, and didn’t go as fast. In the wet stages I didn’t feel comfortable. I went too late while trying to play it safe. It’s a bit strange but we crashed. Luckily, the team could repair the car and everything was fine for the next day. We are still here, in second place. Everyone makes mistakes. It was a tricky event, really difficult. It’s our first time here in wet conditions. I think we learned something for next year.

    Q:
    When we go to Spain, your home event, you just have to win four stages to win the Junior WRC title. Is that correct?
    NS:
    Yes, let’s see if we can get these few stages. We know that we are fast. But we’ve seen what happened in the last rallies. It’s strange because in the first split times we’re always in front and then we start to lose much time. Maybe it’s the car, maybe us – we don’t know. We have to work.

    Q:
    Miguel, has this been the toughest weekend for a co-driver?
    MI:
    This weekend it was very, very difficult. Three different types of stages, very bumpy and wet. One small mistake and then you’re out.

    Q:
    Are looking forward to your home event in Spain?
    MI:
    Yes, it’s our home. I think this year it’s possible to win the rally and to win a lot of stages.
    * Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA

    \eom/FIA press release

  • Lando Norris gets season’s 7th win: GP3

    Zandvoort, 20 Aug 2017: British driver Lando Norris (Carlin), who is supported by the McLaren Formula 1 team, scored his seventh win of the season in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. Second place went to Ferdinand Habsburg (Carlin), German Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam) finished third. Norris, who was also the best rookie in the field, extended his lead in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings to eleven points from his nearest rival Günther.  Indian racer Jehan Daruvala finished 13th.

    Lando Norris took the lead at the start and already returned from the opening lap with a margin of almost one second. From the very beginning, Ferdinand Habsburg was in second place, followed by Maximilian Günther, Guanyu Zhou (Prema Powerteam) and Callum Ilott (Prema Powerteam). Jake Hughes (Hitech Grand Prix) was in sixth place, but soon saw Ilott in front of him pull away. Behind the Brit, who had scored a podium finish in the second race at Zandvoort, a group of ten drivers, Hughes included, assembled.

    On lap eleven, Callum Ilott headed into the pits to have the front wing of his car replaced and rejoined the race in last place. Thus, Jake Hughes moved up into fifth position, but at that time already was ten seconds down on Guanyu Zhou, who was fourth.

    Out in front, Lando Norris had established a lead of over five seconds on his team-mate Ferdinand Habsburg. For a long time, the Austrian was unable to pull away from his rival Maximilian Günther, but his margin was always sufficient to avoid any danger. Thus, first to fourth position were already taken early: Lando Norris went on to win from Ferdinand Habsburg, Maximilian Günther and Guanyu Zhou.

    The battles for positions in the midfield were a little closer, Nikita Mazepin (Hitech Grand Prix) repeatedly tried to overtake his team-mate Ralf Aron (Hitech Grand Prix). The Estonian, who temporarily also put Harrison Newey (Van Amersfoort Racing) under pressure, managed to keep the Russian at bay. With five minutes remaining, Pedro Piquet (Van Amersfoort Racing) tried to overtake Jake Hughes on the outside at Tarzan corner, but the Hitech driver successfully defended his position. Meanwhile, Nikita Mazepin had to slot in behind rookie driver Joey Mawson and lost his ninth place to the Australian. Mazepin wanted to counter, but didn’t succeed. Thus, the finish order from fifth place onwards was: Jake Hughes from Pedro Piquet, Harrison Newey, Ralf Aron, Joey Mawson and Nikita Mazepin.

    Lando Norris (Carlin): “There is not too much to say about this race. My start was fairly good, so that I didn’t have to defend my first place in the first corner. I am happy that my starts here at Zandvoort worked out so well. Apart from that, I almost went off the track once because, I believe, the wind had turned and I made a mistake. But it went well and I am happy with my second win of this weekend.”

    Ferdinand Habsburg (Carlin): “In the first two races of the weekend, my pace wasn’t great, but we looked at the data and the videos and managed to make a significant improvement. After a few laps, it went really well and in sector two, which was my main problem, I was really fast. This year, we have made a good step ahead. I started rather at the back, but now, I am on the podium for the third time already. Driving in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship is fun. I would love to benefit from what I have learned and then be a contender for the title next season.”

    Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam): “This weekend wasn’t what I had expected. Eventually, we have two podium finishes, but I wanted more. For me, this race wasn’t too exciting, because overtaking is nearly impossible here. Thus, third place was the maximum I could achieve.”

    eom/FIA press release

  • Double delight for Anindith, Arjun: FMSCI Racing Nationals

    Double delight for Anindith, Arjun: FMSCI Racing Nationals

    Chennai, 20 Aug 2017: Winning both the races today, Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy extended his domination in the MRF FF1600 class while Arjun Narendran, the Coimbatore-based defending champion in the Indian Touring Cars category also completed a double as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT track on Sunday.

    With the fifth and concluding round to be run on September 16-17, Reddy, who leads Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar by 29 points, is well placed in the championship whose winner earns a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States later this year.

    It was smooth sailing for Reddy in both the races today as he put in a flawless performance to destroy the opposition as he more than made up for a disappointing outing on Saturday when he finished fifth after being forced to pit early in the race for repairs on the nose cone.

    Similarly, Narendran of Red Rooster Performance, with the two wins this weekend, narrowed the leeway to just seven points after championship leader Bengaluru’s Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts) dropped crucial points with a non-finish in Saturday’s first race and third place finish in the next outing today. Narendran won both races virtually unchallenged, after the initial jostling for track positions.

    “I had a good weekend. The car felt great, no problems at all. I am happy that my campaign is back on track with the two wins this weekend after the sort of start I had to the season when I failed to score a win in two rounds,” said Narendran.

    Mikhail Merchant from Mumbai (Team Game Over) also scored a double in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category as did Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Super Stock class.

    In the Esteem Cup, Mumbai’s Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) consolidated his position at the top of the leaderboard with three podium finishes on the weekend while Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy, who won two races in the triple-header, completed a fine double.

    Delhi’s Karminder Singh stamped his authority in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup by winning both the races today to enjoy a lead of 104 points going into the concluding round next month when the remaining three races are to be run.

    The results (Provisional):

    MRF FF1600 – Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (14: 57.509); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (15: 01.399); 3. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (15:15.305). Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Anindith Reddy (14: 58.193); 2. Sandeep Kumar (14: 58.410); 3. Chetan Korada (15:10.826).

    Indian Touring Cars – Race 2 (15 laps): 1.Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Performance) (16:52.608); 2. Ashish Ramaswamy (Red Rooster Performance) (16:58.568); 3. Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts) (17: 08.741).

    Saloon Cars – Super Stock (Race 2, 12 laps): 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (14:30.913); 2. Varun V Anekar (Race Concepts) (14: 31.640); 3. Bala Vijay B (Performance Racing) (14: 49.918). Race 3 (12 laps): 1. Varun V Anekar (14:25.775); 2. RP Rajarajan (14:37.434); 3. Bala Vijay B (14:40.081).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 2, 12 laps): 1. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) (15:27.157); 2.  Hisham EKP (DTS Racing) (14:27.335+1 lap); 3. Kamlesh Parmer (Team N1) (14:28.859+1 lap). Race 3 (12 laps): 1. Mikhail Merchant (15:20.098); 2. Hisham EKP (14:17.583+1 lap); 3. Prabu AS (Red Rooster Performance) (14:28.191+1 lap).

    Esteem Cup (Race 2, 12 laps): 1. Narendran Sankaran (RAD Racing) (14: 19.391); 2. Sidharth Balakrishnan (Red Rooster Performance) (14: 24.264); 3. Anant Pithawala (Team N1) (14:25.896). Race 3 (12 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (14:15.558); 2. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) (14:22.634); 3. Narendran Sankaran (RAD Racing) (14:29.254).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup – Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Karminder Singh (Delhi) (17:05.639); 2. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (17:19.305); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (17:20.487). Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Karminder Singh (17:06.047); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (17:08.962); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (17:15.446).

    Top honours for Tharani, Jayant in Drag races

    Chennai, August 20: Local racer Karthik Tharani, driving the Volkswagen Ameo, and V Jayant in a Maruti Esteem, topped in the Unrestricted and Indian Open categories, respectively, in the third round of the MMSC fmsci Indian Drag Racing Championship at the MMRT track, here on Sunday.

    Tharani clocked 14.130 seconds while V Jayant, piloting the Maruti Esteem, was the fastest with a timing of 14.049.

     

    The results (Provisional):

    Unrestricted: 1. Karthik Tharani (Volkswagen Ameo) (14.130secs); 2. D Vidyaprakash (Maruti Zen) (14.210); 3. Siddharth Singh Jhala (Maruti Zen) (14.210). Esteem Cup: 1. Fahad Kutty (Team Game Over) (16.394); 2. Imran Majid (Game Over) (16.478).

    Indian Open: 1. V Jayant (Maruti Esteem, 14.049); 2. D Vidyaprakash (Maruti Zen, 14.345); 3. Siddharth Singh Jhala (Maruti Zen, 14.760).

    Indian Touring Cars: 1. Sivaramakrishnan (Maruti Esteem, 15.845); 2. Tharun Kumar (Maruti Zen, 15.957).

    Super Stock: 1. Imran Majid (Game Over, Honda City) (16.410); 2. Swajit (Team N1, Honda City) (16.498); 3. Kashif Kapadia (Game Over) (Honda City) (16.550).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Kamlesh Parmar (Honda Jazz) (17.718); 2. Imran Majid (Team Game Over, Honda Brio) (18.014); 3. Kashif Kapadia (Game Over, Honda Brio) (18.177).

    MMSC Support Races – Pro-Stock (Petrol, Up to 1150cc): Fahad Kutty (Team Game Over) (16.737); 2. Arjun Zaveri (Game Over, Maruti Zen) (16.771); 3. Mohammed Ali (Game Over, Maruti Zen) (17.122). 1151-1650cc: 1. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over, Honda City) (16.463); 2. Fahad Kutty (Game Over, Honda City) (16.499); 3. Swajit (Team N1, Honda City) (16.752). Petrol (2051-3060cc combined): 1. V Jayant (Maruti Esteem, 14.613); 2. Kasha Sai (Honda Accord, 17.014); 3. Sanjay Madhavan (Mazda Miata, 18.960).

    Pro-Stock (Diesel, 1151-1450cc): 1. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over, Ford Figo) (17.995); 2. Uday Nerulkar (Game Over, Hyundai Getz) (18.384); 3. Arjun Zaveri (Team Game Over, Ford Figo) (18.475). 1651-2051cc: 1. Vivek Ramachander (Skoda Laura) (15.010); 2. Rayomand Banajee (Volkswagen Vento) (17.575).

    eom/AP Media Comm. release

  • Narendran capitalises on Chinnappa mechanical failure: fmsci Nationals

    Chennai, 19 August 2017: The expected intense battles in the two premium classes did not materialize as Sandeep Kumar and Arjun Narendran cruised to comfortable victories in the MRF F1600 and the Indian Touring Cars categories, respectively, in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT track on Saturday.

    In contrast, competition was at its fiercest in other categories. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) topped the saloon car race after an initial blip, while Bengaluru schoolboy Yash Aradhya, only 14, and Pune’s 18-year old engineering student Aanjan Patodia, both of Team Momentum Motorsports, fought tooth and nail to win a race apiece in both the categories (Open and Rookie) of the double-header Formula LGB 1300.

    In the other categories of the saloon cars, Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) and Hashim EKP (DTS Racing) emerged comfortable winners in the Super Stock and Indian Junior Touring Cars, respectively.

    Sourav Bandyopadhyay from Mumbai pulled off a fine win in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup, pushing championship leader Karminder Singh (Delhi) to second place while Sandeep Kumar completed the podium.

    The MRF FF1600 race turned out to be disappointing especially after pole-sitter and championship leader Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) pitted at the end of Lap 1 to repair a damaged nose cone following a contact with Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar at the start of the race.

    Reddy, on rejoining the race, finished a lap down in fifth while Sandeep won untroubled leaving Chennai’s Chetan Korada and Kolkata schoolboy Arya Singh to scrap for the other two podium spots.

    The spotlight was also on the Indian Touring Cars where Coimbatore-based defending champion Arjun Narendran and Bengaluru’s Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts), the championship leader, were expected to repeat their Round 3 battle which, however, fizzled out. Chinnappa packed up when the timing belt snapped at the end of the first of the 15 laps.

    It left the field wide open for Narendran to exploit with his nearest challenger and team-mate Ashish Ramaswamy from Bengaluru struggling with a car bleeding power. With five others too retiring, Narendran cruised home to victory ahead of Ramaswamy. The win, his second in a row, took Narendran (119 points) within striking distance of Chinnappa (136).

    The results (Provisional – all 15 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF FF1600 (Race 1): 1. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (15mins, 01.880secs); 2. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (15:10.711); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (15:11.709).

    Indian Touring Cars – Race 1: 1.Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Performance) (16:50.960); 2. Ashish Ramaswamy (Red Rooster Performance) (17: 02.745); 3. C Raja Ram (Prime Racing) (17:26.277).

    Saloon Cars (Race 1) – Esteem: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (17:49.329); 2. Narendran (RAD Racing) (17: 51.486); 3. Ananth Pithawala (Team N1) (17: 59.385).

    Super Stock: 1. Varun V Anekar (Race Concepts) (18:12.176); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Quickshift Racing) (18:33.902); 3. Bala Vijay B (Performance Racing) (18:42.584).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Hisham EKP (DTS Racing) (18: 15.268); 2. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) (18:27.330); 3. Prabhu AS (Red Rooster Performance) (18:35.509).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race 1, 13 laps) – Open: 1. Yash Aradhya (Momentum Motorsports) (16:14.230); 2. Aanjan Patodia (Momentum Motorsports) (16:14.778); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (16:16.906). Rookie: 1. Yash Aradhya; 2. Aanjan Patodia; 3. Arya Singh.

    Race 2 (Open): Aanjan Patodia (Momentum Motorsports) (16:35.848); 2. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (16:40.056); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Wallace Sports) (16:48.463). Rookie: 1. Aanjan Patodia; 2. Arya Singh; 3. Yash Aradhya (Momentum Motorsports) (16:48.495).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race 1): 1. Sourav Bandyopadya (Mumbai) (16:05.858); 2.Karminder Singh (Delhi) (16:13.204); 3. A Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (16: 14.485).

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • Tanak takes lead: WRC Rally Deutschland

    Ott Tänak has turned a 4.1 second mid-leg deficit into a 5.7 second overnight advantage during the afternoon loop of stages on Rallye Deutschland. Despite a tricky afternoon during which many of the drivers have slid off the road, the Estonian included, he retakes the lead and heads Andreas Mikkelsen who took the surprise advantage this morning despite a poor starting position. Championship contenders Sébastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville have also swapped positions with Neuville now climbing to third when his rival spun in the final stage.

    After torrential rain during the mid-day service, crews headed back out to the same two vineyard stages this afternoon before returning to the super special stage. The repeated Mittelmosel stage was rain soaked and again the crews ran different configurations of tyres, but mostly on full wets. Tänak took the stage win, even though he went straight into a vineyard on a tight hairpin, and managed to overhaul Mikkelsen in the following test. He then got stuck on some mud in the final stage and struggled to get back on the road on the slick tyres but held on to his advantage after a very tricky day of competition. Mikkelsen, in only his third outing in the C3 WRC, has excelled and barely put a foot wrong, showing the true potential of the car on tarmac. Behind him, Neuville climbed from sixth to third during the afternoon; he had a spin in the first stage, struggled with wheel spin and braking and then also ran wide in the final stage but was able to take Ogier when the Frenchman spun and lost 20 seconds, dropping him down to fourth but only 2.4 seconds adrift.

    Elfyn Evans continues to hold fifth after a reasonably uneventful afternoon and the Welshman heads Juho Hänninen who is now the lead Toyota driver after Esapekka Lappi ended up in a wall with broken suspension and had to retire. Craig Breen struggled with confidence this afternoon and then spun into a field. Nevertheless he is seventh and within striking distance of Hänninen. Latvala has moved into eighth but is now nearly two minutes adrift of the lead after his engine woes of the morning. Hayden Paddon admitted to needing to regain his confidence tomorrow and the Kiwi is ninth with asphalt ace Jan Kopecky moving into the top 10 in his Škoda Fabia R5. The Czech driver heads the FIA WRC 2 Championship but is in a close battle with category leader Pontus Tidemand, the Swede only 5.8 seconds behind. The FIA Junior WRC Championship was a close-fought fight until series leader Nil Solans retired with suspension damage. With him out of the game today, his closest championship rival, Nicolas Ciamin, will be looking to capitalise and close the gap in the standings before they head to Spain for the final round of their series.

    Rallye Deutschland – Provisional results after Section 3

    1.   Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 07min 23.0sec
    2.   Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger Citroën C3 WRC 1hr 07min 28.7sec
    3.   Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 WRC 1hr 07min 51.2sec
    4.   Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 07min 53.6sec
    5.   Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 08min 15.1sec
    6.   Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindström Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 08min 37.7sec
    7.   Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroën C3 WRC 1hr 08min 47.5sec
    8.   Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 09min 17.7sec
    9.   Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall Hyundai i20 WRC 1hr 09min 52.5sec
    10. Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dresler Škoda Fabia R5 1hr 10min 59.2sec
  • Norris claims pole; Jehan starts on P13: F3 Race 1

    Norris claims pole; Jehan starts on P13: F3 Race 1

    Lando Norris (Carlin, 1m28.362s) was unbeatable in the first FIA Formula 3 European Championship qualifying at the 4.307 kilometres long Circuit Zandvoort: the McLaren junior driver secured his sixth pole position of the season.

    Indian driver Jehan Dharuwala of Carlin could clock only 1: 28.940 and will start Race 1 in P13.

    However, the rivals of the British talent followed closely. Team-mate Ferdinand Habsburg (Carlin, 1m28.374s) ended up in second place, only 0.012 seconds down on Norris while Joel Eriksson (Motopark, 1m28.442s) was classified third, 0.080 seconds down on Norris. Points’ leader Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam, 1m28.520s) claimed fourth place from Callum Ilott (Prema Powerteam, 1m28.521s) and Ralf Aron (Hitech Grand Prix, 1m28.644s). In total, the lap times of 16 drivers were within one second.

    Eight minutes into the session, Lando Norris got involved in the battle for the fastest time and soon after that, he already topped the time sheets. In the remainder of qualifying, the 17-year-old managed to improve his lap time more and more so that he eventually came out on top. Ferdinand Habsburg was happy with his second place, the best FIA Formula 3 European Championship qualifying result for the great-grandson of the last Austrian Emperor Karl I to date. Behind the Carlin duo, Joel Eriksson came third. In the drivers’ standings, he ranks only eight points behind Norris. The current FIA Formula 3 European Championship points’ leader Maximilian Günther will be starting from fourth place on the grid for the 19th race of the season in the junior category.

    How close everything was at the ex-Formula 1 circuit in the Dutch dunes is reflected by the gap of fifth-placed Callum Ilott, who was merely 0.001 seconds behind his team-mate Maximilian Günther. Ralf Aron (Hitech Grand Prix, 1m28.644s), David Beckmann (Motopark, 1m28.735s), Guanyu Zhou (Prema Powerteam, 1m28.762s), Mick Schumacher (Prema Powerteam, 1m28.766s) and Jake Hughes (Hitech Grand Prix, 1m28.824s) rounded out the top ten in qualifying.

    Lando Norris (Carlin): “It was a close fight for pole position with my team-mate, in which I eventually held the upper hand. For sure, we all assumed that we would be faster compared to free practice, but the track partly was very slippery. Thus, the improvements compared to free practice weren’t too big. I have to admit that I wasn’t certain whether my time would be enough for pole position. In the lap prior to my fastest time, I had quite some understeering in turn eight, but I was able to reduce the tyre temperature with a cool-down lap and then go faster again.”

    eom/FIA press release

  • Patodia, Rangasamy take pole: MRF Racing Nationals

    Chennai, 18 Aug 2017: Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) set a hot pace to grab overall pole position in the saloon cars category at the MMRT track here on Friday as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship commenced with qualifying and practice sessions.

    Rangasamy, hailing from the temple town of Mamallapuram near here, topped in the Esteem class, while Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) was the quickest in the Super Stock Category and Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1 Racing) from Mumbai topped the Indian Junior Touring Cars.

    Aanjan Patodia of Momentum Sports grabbed the pole position in the Formula LGB 1300 category, in both Open and Rookie classes while Mumbai’s Saurav Bhandopadhyay was the fastest in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup qualifying session.

    Earlier, Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy (58.149secs) warmed up nicely by being the quickest during practice session in the marquee MRF FF1600 category ahead of Kolkata schoolboy Arya Singh (58.643), ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.

    In the premier Indian Touring Cars class practice session, Ashish Ramaswamy (Red Rooster Performance) from Bengaluru clocked a best lap of 01:06.121, upstaging championship leader Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts) who did 01:06.501, ahead of defending champion Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Performance, 01:06.866). The qualifying round will be run on Saturday.

    The start of the day’s proceedings were delayed due to water puddles in some sections of the track following heavy overnight rains, forcing the organizers, with the consent of the competitors, to use the “short loop” (2.1Kms) instead of the regular full configuration.

    The results (Qualifying – provisional):

    Formula LGB 1300 (Open): 1. Aanjan Patodia (Momentum Sports) (01min, 04.675secs); 2. Yash Aradhya (Momentum Sports) (01:04.870); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Wallace Sports) (01:05.448). Rookie: 1. Patodia; 2. Aradhya; 3. Bala Prasath (DTS Racing) (01:05.238).

    Saloon cars – Esteem: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (01:09.472); 2. Narendran (RAD Racing) (01:09.789); 3. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) (01:10.013). Super Stock: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (01:10.475); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Quickshift Racing) (01:11.174); 3. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (01:11.736).  Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (01:12.418); 2. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) (01:13.917); 3. Prabhu AS (Red Rooster Performance) (01:14.586).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup: 1. Saurav Bhandopadhyay (Mumbai) (01:06.377); 2. Karminder Singh (Delhi) (01:06.457); 3. A Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (01:06.680).

    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 a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships 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.

    eom/AP Media Communications press release

  • Ducati’s Dovizioso wins MotoGP; Marquez 2nd, Rossi 7th

    Ducati’s Dovizioso wins MotoGP; Marquez 2nd, Rossi 7th

    Spielberg, 13 Aug 2017:  AndreaDovizioso of Ducati produced his best to win a thrilling MotoGP race that produced seat-edged excitement for the 90,400-odd fans at the Red Bull ring for the 11 round of the Motorcycle World Championship here on Sunday.

    Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa scored the third consecutive double podium finish and the sixth of the season out of 11 races as Marquez finished second and Pedrosa followed in third. Valentino Rossi, who was fourth at one point of time, had to settle for 7th as he made a costly mistake and went wide on one of the laps. Rossi’s teammate Maverick Vinales finished ahead of him in sixth.

    With pole-setter Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) slow off the blocks, Lorenzo got the hole-shot and led for the first 11-circulations of the 28-lap race around the 4,318m Austrian circuit, before Marquez took the lead on lap-12. The reigning champion tried to make a break, but was followed closely by Dovizioso, who was using the medium front and soft rear combination on his Ducati.

    After an epic battle with Dovizioso that lasted until the last corner, Marc was edged by the Italian at the finish line by just 0.176”. Teammate Pedrosa completed the podium, recovering from eighth on the grid to gain 16 valuable points in the standings.

    The two combatants then produced an incredible last few laps as they changed places numerous times. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) briefly joined in the fight at the front, but was unable to stay with Dovizioso and Marquez as the race continued, leaving the championship contenders to battle it out at the front. The two had different tyre compound choices from either end of the spectrum on the rear of their respective bikes, but grip, performance and durability never looked an issue for either man as they started the last-lap. Dovizioso led as the race approached the last corner, but Marquez made an audacious and exciting attempt to pass, using all the grip he could find and as much of the track as he could use, but he just couldn’t get the better of the Italian and Dovizioso crossed the line a mere one-tenth-of-a-second ahead of his rival – setting a new race duration record in the process. Marquez’s second place strengthened his championship lead, with Dovizioso now his closest rival, just 16-points behind.

    Starting the race from seventh on the grid, Rossi slotted into fifth place storming towards turn 1, and quickly fought his way to fourth past his teammate. He withstood the pressure Viñales put on him in the opening laps, as he chased the leading trio.

    The Doctor reached the back of Marc Marquez‘s bike on lap eight, bringing Zarco with him, but encountered a set-back. A block pass from the fellow Yamaha rider pushed the Italian back to sixth behind the chasing Dani Pedrosa. Running wide in turn 1, with 15 laps to go, Rossi soon fell back behind Viñales to seventh. He was eager to follow his teammate, but was unable to keep up a consistent pace in the high 1‘24s and low 1‘25s, and decided to focus on bringing home his bike in seventh place, 8.995s from first.

    eom/Team press releases with inputs from Miche

    Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA
    Ducati Team
    DUCATI
    MotoGP
    GP Austria 2017 (Circuit RedBull Ring)
    11-13.08.2017
    photo: MICHELIN

    lin