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Author: David Bodapati
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Petronas TVS Racing talent Aishwarya Pissay, eyes her 6th straight National title
Nashik, 4 Feb 2023: PETRONAS TVS Racing factory rider, Aishwarya Pissay, the only FIM World Cupper from India is all set for the final round of the MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Rally Championship (INRC-2w) 2022 .
The Bengaluru racing star, is eyeing her record sixth consecutive National Rally crown when action begins after a gap of over two months with the Rally of Nashik, the sixth and final round of the GodSpeed Racing’s MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Racing Championship – 2W 2022 here on Sunday.
The 2019 FIM Bajas World Cup champion in the Ladies class, after her brief stint in the ‘Big Boss Kannada’, was back in November to do what she loves the most – biking, and won the fifth round in Pune to set-up a grand finale. Later, the final round here was put off and the multiple-National title holder, Aishwarya Pissay is leading the championship table in her class, despite missing a round earlier, and is raring to go to defend her title once again. She has put in over a month’s training on her reliable TVS TR 200R, including on tarmac sessions, and is ready for the final hurrah.
Supported by PETRONAS TVS Racing, Aishwarya, who is also backed by Micro Labs, IIFL and Surana College, won the first round in Chikkamagaluru by a mile after which the 27-year-old missed the second round. Pissay then came back strongly to reclaim the title-lead with splendid victories in the next three rounds in Coimbatore, Bengaluru, and Pune respectively.
“I am eagerly waiting to get back into competitive racing. The terrain will be broken tarmac and very technical. I have trained hard during this long break on my much-accomplished TVS TR 200R that is based on the TVS Apache RTR 200. I thoroughly enjoyed riding the motorcycle, all thanks to which I am going strong into the last race of the season. I will be giving my 100 per cent to win one more National title,” said the talented Bengaluru rider.
The MRF Rally of Nashik will have a 17.5-Km Special Stage (SS) run thrice from Nandgaon Kolikharwal, all in forward direction, for a combined competitive distance of over 52.5 km, mostly broken tarmac. Along with a transport section of about 70 km, the total rally distance will be 122.5 km. The ceremonial flag-off from Amboli Holiday Home, Opp Amboli Dam, Tal Trimbakeshwar will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday while the Special stages will be held on Sunday.
The six-round MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Rally Championship for two-wheelers (INRC-2w)2022 promoted by GodSpeed Racing is one of the 12 Nationals conducted in various motorsports disciplines by FMSCI.
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Champions 2022 – Sai Sanjay: MRF Formula 2000 class
Chennai, 2 Feb 2023: Young racing talent Sai Sanjay dished out dominating performance in the top category for the fastest Formula cars in India to be crowned the National champion in the MRF Formula 2000 class, in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022, at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.
Sai Sanjay, the 20-year-old from Salem, won his maiden National title in his debut season in the premier open-wheel Formula category. He notched up three race wins, and displayed mature driving skills and consistent performance throughout the season that got him eight podium places. He garnered 201 points from the 12-race, four-round Nationals and won with a race to spare beating second-placed Ryan Mohamed by (165) 36 points.
“I am very excited and the moment feels surreal. It’s an honour to be crowned the Indian National Champion of the fastest national car racing series in India. We’ve had a great season, the pace was consistently there and the hard work of my team, mechs, finally paid off. Thanks to JA Motorsport and MRF Racing for giving us an opportunity to race in these cars,” Sai Sanjay said.
A Mechatronics student at VIT Chennai, Sai, made his motorsports debut in 2015 and after gaining some international exposure racing in the karting championships in the UAE and also became the Rotax Senior Max UAE vice-champion in 2018. He made the switch to formula cars the same year and raced in the LGB Formula 1300 and MRF 1600 championships. He also has experienced racing the well-known Volkswagen Polo Cup in 2021. All along, he notched up many podiums and dished out many fastest laps and made the switch to faster Formula cars for a successful winning debut in the top class of the country. Sai is currently a part of NK Racing Academy and is being mentored by India’s first Formula 1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan.
“Coaching by Aditya Patel and Armaan Ebrahim during the season also helped polish my skills,” he added. And the restart of the MRF Formula 2000 class after two years of pandemic, gave a huge opportunity for the consistent performer.
“I thank my family for being the biggest and best support in this huge journey. I will continue to push limits and try reaching new heights,” he concluded and had a special word of thanks for Rajarajan, the race mechanic, for pushing and encouraging him. Sai will continue in the Formula races and hopes to go racing abroad in pursuit of his dreams.
In the other championship classes, Viswas Vijayraj won the LGB F1300 National title while veteran Arjun Balu bagged the ITC crown, his 11th National title. Ritesh Rai (Super Stock) and Akkineni Anand Prasad (IJTC) were the other National champions.
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Indian karting star Jaden Pariat to race in British F4 for 2023
Bengaluru, 31 Jan 2023: A 14-year-old karter, sat in shock and disbelief in a corner, away from everyone and tried to let the disappointment sink in as he just lost the Championship by a whisker after a fierce fight in the last race and intense battle throughout the season. But just after about 8 minutes, Jaden Pariat got up, consoled himself and put up a composed self and went in search of his arch-rival Rohaan Madesh, to whom he just lost the title. Finding him in the parking lot, he congratulated him and his mother.
This ‘gentleman’ quality at such a young age has made Jaden Pariat, a class apart. His aggressive driving and inherent talent shaped his skills and urge for speed and despite lack of experience, he became vice-champion in the Junior class (X30 2021) and made his presence felt. The flamboyant youngster from North East studied in a Boarding school in Delhi and raced in Bengaluru. Racing blood is in his genes. His father, Atikur Rehman who took part in Indian National Racing Championship (This reporter witnessed his creditable overall 2nd in K1000 1997 with co-driver Sanjeev Shah) in late nineties, brought him a buggy, after seeing the interest of his son, and the young Jaden used to drive around in the the farm near their Tea estates back home. After cutting his racing teeth at Meco Kartopia in 2020, and dabbling with open-wheel Formula cars at Chennai and Coimbatore for a few rounds, Jaden moved to international events in just 18 months, taking part in the last two rounds of the British F4. Now he signed up for a full season.
Multi-faceted talent
Jaden was also a skilled football player and has played for the Delhi team in the Under-14 Subroto Cup against Uzbekistan. He is a multi-faceted talent, with a flair for drama and dance and was a member of the Model United Nations, where he won an award in debate. He also used to play basketball and badminton besides being a good swimmer but motorsports, now, leaves him no time, for any of these childhood pass-times. The love for driving, which he first tasted “first hand” having laid his hands on the steering wheel, sitting on the lap of his dad’s long road trips from their business headquarters Guwahati, to ‘Pariat home’ in Laitkor Peak, Shillong, has taken over. Having entered the tough ‘grooming zone’, in Europe, at the right age, this talented racer is bound to go places if nurtured properly.
Jaden joins Phinsys by Argenti
Jaden Pariat, file photo by Jakob Ebrey Jaden will join leading UK single-seater team Phinsys by Argenti, for his first full F4 British Championship season in 2023, info received here from Torque said on Tuesday. This makes it, two Indians in the British F4 this season. Another Indian-origin driver, Bengaluru-born Singaporean Dion Gowda, will be racing with Carlin team.
An excited Jaden took to social media and announced his 2023 British F4 campaign. “After driving the F4 British Championship for the last two rounds of the 2022 season it only made sense to return to new British F4 season. The amount I learned on and off track during those two rounds of the championship was really incredible. With the level of teams and drivers on the grid and the technicality of the circuits in the calendar, it makes for one of the best driver development and experience gaining championships in the world,” he said.
Full F4 season in EnglandAfter turning 16 years of age last week, he is set to move from his native Shillong in India to take up full time residence in the UK, focusing on building his international racing profile after an impressive debut weekend podium appearance last season. “We chose Phinsys by Argenti as the team have had a great few years in the championship, bagging nine wins and multiple podiums. Michael’s vision to support and develop drivers in their first steps into single seaters was also very fitting to our needs. I am super excited for the upcoming season and look forward to what we can achieve together,” added Jaden.
Jaden began his motorsport career in 2020, competing in the Meco FMSCI X30 National Karting Championship, becoming the first Indian karting rookie to gain a podium on his debut race. Returning for his second season, the youngster finished runner up, alongside parallel campaigns in MRF Challenge FLGB 1300 and the JK Tyre Championship.
In 2022, after testing MRF 1600 and F2000 machinery in India, Jaden travelled to the UK to sample the Tatuus T-421 and completed the final two rounds of the F4 British Championship at iconic venues Silverstone and Brands Hatch.
Stunning international debut podiumGaining silverware to commemorate his first international race weekend, the then 15-year-old impressed with a highest finish of seventh overall and second of the Rookies at Silverstone, a clear showing of his natural talent and potential.
Last year saw Pariat testing in the Tatuus T-421, which resulted in him competing in the last two race weekends of the 2022 ROKiT British F4 Championship. His best result from the six races was a very credible seventh place and second in the Rookies at Silverstone Round 26.
Pariat is the third driver to sign for Argenti’s 2023 campaign, joining Isaac Barashi and Patrick Heuzenroeder. Since joining the Championship in 2020, Argenti has claimed nine race victories, most recently with drivers Aiden Neate, and Daniel Guinchard.
Having competed in fewer than three race meetings, Jaden will be eligible for the Rookie Cup in addition to the Drivers’ Championship, giving the young racer further opportunities to fight for podiums in an ultra-competitive grid.
Michael Meadows, Team Principle, Phinsys by Argenti
“Having tested Jaden last year, we were impressed with his performance but also his ability to learn and take on information. As a rookie this is a hugely important factor as they make the transition to F4.
“The team are very much looking forward to working with Jaden, helping him develop as a driver and achieving strong results in the F4 British Championship.”
Jaden will be joining teammates with the Northamptonshire outfit, Argenti, having celebrated nine race victories and multiple podium appearances since joining the F4 British Championship in 2020.Donington Park, Leicestershire hosts the season opener on 22-23 April, 2023.
Want to go racing abroad?
Torque Motorsport is a marketing agency based in the heart of the UK’s ‘motorsport valley’, in Silverstone, just a stone’s throw from the home of the BRDC and British Grand Prix.
It works with teams, drivers, championships, organising bodies, suppliers, sponsors, and more, providing a range of services, including PR, video, social media, web design and hosting, guest management, and livery design.Editor’s note: Drivers or parents who are looking to go abroad can contact Torque Motorsports.
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Sohil wins but Sai Sanjay on course for title; Diana back on podium in Saloon cars’ race
Chennai, Sat, 28 Jan, 2023: For the second-day running, Bengaluru’s Sohil Shah became the fastest driver of the day as he roared to a big win, his second of the season, in the premier MRF Formula 2000 category in the fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit here on Saturday.
Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) who hardly played a false note while orchestrating a massive victory, his fourth of the season, in the top-end Indian Touring Cars category.
Nellore’s Viswas Vijayraj (DTS Racing) also notched a fluent lights-to-flag win in the Formula LGB 1300 race to move within eight points of championship leader Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) from Mamallapuram who took the second spot ahead of Kolkata’s Arya Singh (Momentum Motorsports).
The win notwithstanding Sohil, 21, will not be fighting for the title as he missed the first two rounds of the championship. Sohil is the only driver to dip under the one minute, 32-sec mark in the compact field driving the F2000 machine, the fastest formula car in India. The Indian Racing League driver missed five races from the first two rounds.Salem’s Sai Sanjay finished second behind Shah. Divy Nandan, a late starter from Gurugram, who made his racing debut in the karting Nationals a couple of seasons ago under the tutelage of Narain Karthikeyan, has worked hard not only to shed a huge amount of weight to become fighting fit but improved his racing skills admirably to take a podium again, finishing third. Earlier, Divy also got himself a birthday gift with a maiden win on Jan 7 in Round 2, two days after he turned 20. Sai Sanjay’s 34-point lead means, a fifth-place in both the remaining races is enough for the Salem lad, even if second-placed Mohamed Ryan wins the last two races. With his parents watching the race, Sai did a commendable job once again with a cool head, knowing that Shah’s win will not deter his chances. Chennai’s Ryan finished fourth in today’s race.
Later, Balu was in a league of his own as he built up a commanding lead of about six car lengths by the third corner itself and halfway into the first of the 10 laps extended his lead, after starting from pole position to make up for a disappointing third round a week back, where he scored a second (18) and zero points from the two races that saw his 39-point lead dwarf to 8 points. Behind him, Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports), also from Coimbatore, came in second, but remained 14 points adrift of Balu in the championship standings with two races to go on the final day on Sunday. In third was Rayo Racing’s Sandeep Kumar, the lawyer from Chennai, the reigning Polo Cup champion. However, the ITC race is under review after post-race scrutiny,but the 10-time National champion came out unscathed from the Stewards meeting to retain full points.
Chennai racers dominated the Indian Junior Touring Cars category with Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts) finishing ahead of Performance Racing pair of Akkineni Anand Prasad and Deepak Ravikumar. Consequently, Anand Prasad extended his championship lead to 22 points ahead of team-mate Raja Rajan.
Another Chennai driver, Ritesh Rai (Performance Racing) came through untroubled in the Super Stock category with Narendran S (Redline Racing) and Diljith TS (DTS Racing) following home in that order. Rai, thus, opened up a commanding 38-point lead over Narendran on the leaderboard.
Ritesh Rai and Avik Anwar from Dhaka, Bangladesh recorded their maiden win each in the Volkswagen Polo Cup double-header today. After winning the first race, Ritesh sat out the second that was won by Anwar, who has raced in the UAE and Malaysia, and is in his second season here. The win took Anwar (79 points) to third place in the championship behind Pratik Sonawane (89) and Raaj Bakhru (83) with two more races to be run on Sunday.
Later, Gurugram’s Justin Singh scored his fifth win of the season in the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) category that gave him a 23-point advantage with just one more race to be run on Sunday and a maximum of 25 points on offer. But the highlight of the race is the return of “Racing Queen”, after a disappointing third round. The lady driver from Pune, who has been giving a tough fight to all the men, and to Justin at the top, all through the season, finished a creditable second. The lady cut her teeth in karting and later earned a free drive in the JK Nationals in an open-wheel formula car, before a stint in the polo cup in 2021. Starting on P2, she maintained a close distance with the leader and even pelted a best lap (02:02.021) mid-way through to reduce the gap from 0.7 ,to 0.5 seconds, (about a car’s length in actual distance) but decided to play safe to salvage a podium and deservedly took second, beating a handful of male drivers to promote FIA “Women in Motorsports” concept at the domestic level. Among other ladies, Sravanthika Lakshmi, another graduate from karting did well, and both the ladies were given Special prizes for finishing first the second among women.
Sunday will be the last day of the National Championship with all the title-fight for all the five National classes going to the wire. The champions will be decided in Indian Touring Cars class, Indian Junior touring Cars, Super Stock and the Formula classes MRF Formula 2000 and Formula LGB 1300. Apart from these, two one-make, non-championship classes for the VW Polo Cup and MRF Saloon class.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F2000 (Race-1): 1. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (12min, 31.381sec); 2. Sai Sanjay T (Salem) (12:36.091); 3. Divy Nandan (Gurugram) (12:39.156).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts) (18:53.861); 2. Arjun Narendran (Coimbatore, Arka Motorsports) (18:57.871); 3. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai, Rayo Racing) (19:13.150).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Gurunath Meiyappan (Chennai, Race Concepts) (19:37.194); 2. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:38.495); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:44.652).
Super Stock (Race-1, 9 laps): 1. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:00.108); 2. Narendran (Chennai, Redline Racing) (19:09.762); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (19:10.429).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Viswas Vijayraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (15:06.216); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram, MSport) (15:13.825); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata, Momentum Motorsports) (15:13.984).
Volkswagen Polo Cup (Race-1): 1. Ritesh Rai (Chennai) (15:49.646); 2. Pratik Sonawane (Mumbai) (15:52.970); 3. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (15: 53.869). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Avik Anwar (Dhaka, Bangladesh) (19:51.961); 2. Prashanth Tharani Singh (Chennai) (19:54.052); 3. Munjal Savla (Mumbai) (19:55.725).
MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios – Race-1): 1. Justin Singh (Gurugram) (16:29.741); 2. Diana Pundole (Pune) (16:30.531); 3. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai) (16:36.259).
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British Touring cars champ, takes a fun-drive on a Virtus, gives a thumbs up to MIC
Chennai, January 28: Three times British Touring Cars champion Matt Neal labelled the Madras International Circuit as unique in the sense that he has never driven on a race track like the one here and rated it seven on a scale of 10.
On a business trip to India, Neal, 56, visited the MIC on invitation today during the final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 and even drove a few laps in the Volkswagen Virtus of the Indian Touring Cars category.
Branding the track as “very technical and challenging” given its mix of tight and fast corners besides a couple of fast straights, Neal opined that the circuit is an excellent platform for those cutting their racing teeth.
“I have never driven on a track like this (the MIC) and it was quite enjoyable. I did about five-six laps. It has a character that is unique in its own way, like other tracks around the World. The track has a very fast corner at Turn-1, a few mid-speed corners and some tight sections like the ‘S’ leading up to the bridge. Yes, I would say the track is very technical and challenging,” he said.
The grass run-off areas add to the personality of the track, but you got to respect the limits,” said Neal, a six-times BTCC Independents champion between 1993-2006.
“To be honest, I would rate this track about seven on a scale of 10. You could have more variety with fast corners, but it has its own challenges and personality. Definitely in the top half. It is great for motorsport in India as well,” Neal said.
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Jehan Daruvala joins MP Motorsport for 2023: F2
The 24-year-old will partner former Prema team mate Dennis Hauger
Jehan will combine his F2 campaign with his role as Mahindra Racing’s Formula E reserve
Mumbai, 23 Jan 2023: India’s Jehan Daruvala will race for reigning Formula 2 champions MP Motorsport of Netherlands, as he returns to the Formula One feeder series in 2023.
The 24-year-old, an established front-runner in the category, will drive alongside Norwegian Dennis Hauger, his Prema Racing team mate from last year.
Jehan will combine his F2 campaign with his Formula E role with Indian manufacturer Mahindra Racing, who announced him as their reserve driver in November.
Jehan, a four-time Formula 2 winner, got his first taste of MP Motorsport machinery in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi in November last year. He was immediately on the pace, setting the second-quickest time on the second day of the three-day test, and also gelled well with the team’s mechanics and engineers.
Jehan said, “I’m extremely excited to be racing for MP Motorsport. The team has progressed tremendously and impressed the entire F2 field with their performances last year. They showed consistent front-running pace, wrapped up both the drivers’ and team’s titles and go into the 2023 season as the team to beat. I am confident Dennis and I can build on that success and lead the team to more race wins, podiums and, hopefully, championship glory in 2023.”
MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman said, “At MP, we are delighted to welcome Jehan to our FIA F2 team. He has been a consistent frontrunner right from his debut in the category, taking wins in every F2 season he has competed in. His experience will be of great value to the team, so we are very much aiming for a repeat of last year’s form.”
Headquartered in the Netherlands, MP Motorsport last year became only the second team in Formula 2 history to achieve the title double. The outfit chalked up five races wins with championship winner Felipe Drugovich and also scored seven further podiums.
Jehan made his single-seater motorsport debut in 2015 in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Championship series. The Indian has won in every category he has raced in and finished third in the 2019 FIA F3 championship. He made the step up to F2 in 2020 and has raced to four wins and 15 podiums. Last year, he successfully completed three Formula One test sessions with former champions McLaren, making him eligible for a Formula One superlicence. Jehan has also been signed up by Mahindra Racing to serve as the Indian manufacturer’s Formula E reserve driver.
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Sohil Shah takes pole position: Car Racing Nationals
Chennai, 20 Jan 2023: Sohil Shah, the 21-year old from Bengaluru, qualified for pole position in the MRF Formula 2000 category as the third and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 commenced at the Madras International Circuit here on Friday.
In the only other qualifying session, for Volkswagen Polo Cup, Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar, the defending champion, grabbed the pole position to complete a fine day as he was also quickest in the free practice session for the touring cars category (Indian Touring Cars), earlier in the day.
Sohil, a former National karting champion, who sat out the previous five races over two rounds, carried his free practice form into the qualifying session where he put in a lap of one minute, 31.910 secs, to take P1 for tomorrow’s Race-1, ahead of Chennai’s Mohammed Ryan (01:32.062). Championship leader Sai Sanjay (01:32.404) from Salem qualified for P3.
Sandeep Kumar, 30, shaved almost a second off his practice session timing, with a lap of 01:55.729 in the qualifying run. Pune’s Pratik Sonawane, the 2019 VW Ameo Cup vice-champion, filled the front row clocking 01:56.376.
Earlier in the day during practice sessions, Chennai drivers hogged the limelight in the touring cars categories. Sandeep Kumar (Rayo Racing) was the quickest among Indian Touring Cars in a Volkswagen Virtus, clocking a best lap of 01:54.751. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Performance Racing, 01:55.286) topped in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class while team-mate Ritesh Rai (02:04.254) was the best in the Super Stock. Incidentally, championship leader in the ITC category, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore sat out the practice session due to engine issues.
In other practice sessions, Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (MSport, 01.51,696) headed the timesheet in the Formula LGB 1300 category, while Justin Singh from Gurugram (02:02.422) topped the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) field.
The results (qualifying – top 3):
MRF F2000: 1. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (1min, 31.910sec); 2. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) (01:32.062); 3. Sai Sanjay T (Salem) (01:32.404);
Volkswagen Polo Cup: 1. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (1:55.729); 2. Pratik Sonawane (Mumbai) (1;56.376); 3. Jeet Jabakh (Hyderabad) (1:56.630).
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Pole and podium for Mahindra in Mexico: Formula E
Mumbai / Banbury, January 15, 2023: Mahindra Racing started Season 9 of the FIA ABB Formula E Championship in stunning style this weekend as Lucas Di Grassi clinched the first pole position of the Gen3 era and finished third in a fantastic opening race in Mexico City.
Starting from pole, Lucas held the lead through two safety cars before dropping to second behind eventual winner, Jake Dennis. After a tense battle with Pascal Wehrlein, Lucas slipped to third, but held on to the lead of a five-car train that were right on his tail throughout the latter part of the race. He crossed the line third, grabbing the team’s first podium in 2023 and Lucas’ 40th podium in Formula E history.
Oliver Rowland had a more difficult race, struggling with the pace of the car and rear tyre degradation in qualifying, making it a mammoth task to even get into the points. He crossed the line P13 in the #8 Mahindra M9Electro.
Speaking after the race, CEO Frederic Bertrand said: “I think it’s been the dream weekend you could want as a Team Principle starting with a new team. We managed the weekend well so it’s very satisfying getting pole and being on the podium at the end. Ollie also came back into the game after a difficult qualifying, he had good pace towards the end. A mega result for the team but we need to make sure we can do this at the rest of the events. It’s a great achievement for Mahindra Racing but also all the partners who have worked so hard on creating the Gen3 car. ZF has done a great job on the powertrain and Tech Mahindra have supported us in the performance of the car. It’s great to see all our sponsors sharing this result with us.”
After getting his first pole and podium for Mahindra Racing, Lucas Di Grassi said: “What happened today was like a Mexican miracle. To be on pole and to be on the podium and going home with 18 points after a tough beginning to the season is a testimony to the hard work the team are putting in to make the car the best we can. I gave it my all today to try and make the team proud. I’m very happy to leave here with this result, it feels like a victory to us. But this is just the beginning. We need more consistent results and we have got to work hard for this.”
Commenting on his race, Oliver Rowland said: “It’s been a pretty tough weekend here in Mexico. I struggled quite a lot in practice and qualifying. We changed a lot for the race, which was a little bit better, but still not perfect. It’s disappointing to not score any points here, but hopefully we can learn from what happened this weekend. Obviously Lucas did a great job and got some good solid points for the team and hopefully we can move forward in Saudi.
This result marks a sensational start to Season 9 and the Gen3 era for the Indian-flagged, UK-based team. The aim is now to continue this run of form into the rest of the season with the next round taking place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in just two weeks’ time on 27-28 January.
Mahindra Racing has a strong set of partners, including Official Powertrain Partner ZF and e-fluids partner Shell. Maurice Lacroix, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, continues as the Official Timekeeper.
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Racing stalwart KE Kumar succumbs to injuries
Chennai, 8 Jan 2023: K.E. Kumar, 59, a noted and well-respected racer, died at the hospital following a crash in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.
The incident occurred when Kumar’s car came in contact with that of a competitor during the saloon cars race this morning. The car slid across the track and landed on the roof after slamming into a fence.
The race was immediately stopped (red flag). Within minutes, Kumar was extricated from the wreckage and transferred into an ambulance before being shifted to a nearby hospital after a preliminary examination at the track’s Medical Centre. Despite the best efforts of the hospital’s doctors, he succumbed to injuries.
Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “It is a most unfortunate incident. Kumar was an experienced racer. I have known him for several decades as a friend and competitor. The MMSC and entire racing fraternity mourn his passing away and convey heartfelt condolences to his family.”
Chandhok added that the national governing body for the sport FMSCI and the organisers, MMSC, have launched an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, as a mark of respect to Kumar, who was a life member of MMSC, the remainder of the day’s schedule was cancelled.
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Divy Nandan, Sai Sanjay share honours in MRF F2000
Chennai, 7 Jan 2023: Gurugram’s Divy Nandan and Salem lad Sai Sanjay notched double podium apiece with a win and a third place in the two MRF F2000 races that headlined the opening day of the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit here on Saturday.
Divy Nandan, 20, who enjoyed a great start in the first race for a comfortable win, finished the day with a third-place finish in the next outing starting from P6. Sai Sanjay, also 20, made amends for a disappointing first race with a fine win in the next starting from P4.
Also tasting success today was Nellore’s 24-year old Viswas Vijayraj (DTS Racing) in the Formula LGB 1300 category, with a pole-to-flag effort.
Earlier, 10-times National champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) powered to another fluent win in the premier Indian Touring Cars category as he led a Coimbatore sweep of the podium spots, sparing over seven seconds to Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) while 77-year old D Vidya Prakash (Performance Racing), the oldest man in the championship, finished third.
The ITC along with Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock classes, was run in a combined grid of 27 cars that saw as many as four drivers penalized for jump start resulting in a couple of podium finishers getting demoted.
Local veteran Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts) took the honours in the IJTC class with Narendran S (Redline Racing), also from Chennai, topping the Super Stock category.
Meanwhile, Viswas Vijayaraj chalked up a dominating win from pole to flag in the Formula LGB 1300 category race, easily holding off second-placed Mamallapuram veteran Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) while local ace Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsports) came in third with a last-lap pass on Bengaluru youngster and team-mate Tijil Rao.
Justin Singh (Gurugram) and Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh) won a race apiece in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) category.
MRF F2000 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Divy Nandan (Gurugram) (12mins, 42.224secs); 2. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) (12:42.715); 3. Sai Sanjay T (Salem) (12:43.385).
Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Sai Sanjay T (16:01.632); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (16:03.564); 3. Divy Nandan (16:08.073).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts) (19:04.128); 2. Arjun Narendran (Coimbatore, Arka Motorsports) (19:11.427); 3. Vidya Prakash (Coimbatore) (20:07.604).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Gurunath Meiyyappan (Chennai, Race Concepts) (19:32.970); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:36.462); 3. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:52.477).
Super Stock (Race-1, 9 laps): 1. Narendran S (Chennai, Redline Racing) (19:07.337); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:07.867); 3. Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh, Pvt) (19:41.701).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (15:06.989); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mahabalipuram, MSport) (15:10.325); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Momentum Motorsports) (15:13.839).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios, Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Gurugram, Redline Racing) (16:34.046); 2. Diana Pundole (Pune, Redline Racing) (16:34.050); 3. Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh, Redline Racing) (16:58.560). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Mathroo (20:55.583); 2. Jai Prashanth Venkat (Coimbatore, Redline Racing) (21:13.776); 3. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai, Redline Racing) (21:14.940).
