INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Vinales wins; Heartbreak for Rossi fans

    Vinales wins; Heartbreak for Rossi fans

    Le Mans, 21 May 2017: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales delivered a stunning performance at the Grand Prix de France, taking his third victory of the season and the 500th Grand Prix win for Yamaha. Teammate Valentino Rossi also rode a brilliant race at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit and had the crowds on their feet as he stormed to the front, but an unfortunate crash on the last lap meant an end to his challenge.

    Repsol Honda adds: Today Dani Pedrosa scored his third consecutive podium finish after starting the French GP fr

    Maverick Vinales celebrates after winning at Le Mans on Sunday. A Movistar Yamaha image

    om the 13th spot on the grid and making a great comeback to finish third  in front of over 104,000 spectators, a new record for the Le Mans event. The last time Dani was in the top three for three consecutive races was in 2014 (Catalunya, Assen, Sachsenring). He is now third on the list of most career podium finishes with 147, behind Agostini (159) and Rossi (224).

    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales came out fighting, dominating the MotoGP field to take a sensational victory at the Grand Prix de France, sealing Yamaha‘s 500th Grand Prix win. Valentino Rossi also showed a blistering pace in the French sunshine at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit. He was scrapping with his teammate in an epic podium battle for the win, but suffered an unlucky fall on the last lap.

    Viñales was strong right from the beginning of the 28-lap French round. Starting from pole, he flew off the line to take the holeshot and slotted into second as he dived into turn 3, behind Johann Zarco. The Spaniard was on the case, shadowed by his teammate. With 22 laps Viñales made a textbook move on the satellite Yamaha rookie to take over the lead.

    Now at the front, the Spaniard put the hammer down. He did everything in his power to escape from Zarco. He managed his pace to perfection and made sure he held on to his P1 position until he got in a fierce battle with a rapidly approaching Rossi, but the number 25 rider held firm. He was leading on the last lap, when the Doctor crashed out of the race, allowing him to bring his YZR-M1 over the finish line, 3.134s ahead of his closest rival.

    Teammate Rossi had a good start from second on the grid and put his Yamaha in fourth position behind Marc Marquez after the first couple of corners, only to pass the Spaniard a few turns later. With Viñales in front of him, the Movistar Yamaha men rode in tandem as they chased the leader of the race.

    Outbraking himself with 16 laps to go, the Italian lost some time, which left him within the grasp of Marquez. The Doctor responded quickly to the situation and upped his pace as the Spaniard crashed out of the race, allowing Rossi to focus on the battle in front. With five laps to go, he overtook Zarco for second place, making it a perfect Movistar Yamaha 1-2, but the nine-time World Champion was hungry for more.

    He planned an attack on Viñales on lap 26 and had the fans cheer when he hit the front, but it wasn‘t to last. His teammate slipped back past him as the scrap continued and with the pace as hot as today‘s, a small mistake from Rossi on the last lap prohibited him from reaching the finish line after a hard-fought battle.

    Viñales‘ first place earns him 25 points. This puts him on 85 points and in the lead in the championship standings, 23 points ahead of Rossi in third place. The 500th Grand Prix win also sees the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Teamhold the lead in the Team standings by 21 points, with a total of 147 points, whilst Yamaha remains the top manufacturer in the Constructor’s Championship by a 13 point margin, with 108 points.

    The MotoGP paddock will next hit the Gran Premio d’Italia at the Autodromo del Mugello in two weeks‘ time.

    Massimo Meregalli

    Today it looked like we were going to have a dream scenario with a Yamaha 1-2-3, but unfortunately it wasn‘t to be. Still, we take great pride in this Grand Prix weekend’s performances. Yamaha has reached the 500th Grand Prix milestone, which is a very special occasion, and the manner in which it was done further underlines how successful Yamaha is in Grand Prix racing. Maverick‘s incredible focus, dedication and speed prevailed in a tension-filled race, leading to his third Grand Prix victory of the season. For sure it would be nice to have had Vale on the podium, but the tiny mistake on the last lap robbed him of that moment. Even so, it‘s been a proud day for the ’Yamaha family‘: the way Vale fought today made the French Grand Prix a great show and made it a race to remember. We hope many more exciting races like today‘s are in our future as we continue to strive for top results over the rest of the season.

    Maverick Vinales

    Keeping up with Johann in the early laps of the race was hard, he was really fast and with the full tank we were not so strong as him. He was exiting from the corners really good and really fast. Then his tyre started to drop a little bit and our tyre started to work good on the rear, and lap by lap I was feeling better. Until the end, in the last lap, I gave everything I had here in the French GP and, honestly, I’m so happy and so pleased. The team was working on an incredible level this weekend, I hope we can continue like that. For sure the tyres were working really good here, we hope we can work like this also in Mugello.

    Valentino Rossi

    It was a great shame, because for my team it was the best weekend of the season, where I was more competitive on the track, also in the wet, but especially in the race. For sure, for me this could have been the best result of the season. It was very difficult because the pace was always very high, but at the end I felt comfortable on the bike, I had a good feeling, so I tried to attack. Unfortunately, on the last lap I made a mistake in turn 6 and I fell back a little, so Maverick could overtake me. I knew I had another chance, because we were very close and I tried to remain there, because in sector 4 I was good. Sincerely, what happened during the crash, we don’t understand. Usually you have to pay attention to the front, but I lost the rear when I crashed. Anyway, I made a mistake, and it’s like this. It is a great shame to go back home with zero points. First of all, I’m very sorry for missing out on the probable victory and also for losing the lead in the championship, because I lost points. For me, it still has been a good weekend, I was strong. Now we have to start thinking about the next race track, I hope to ride there like I did this weekend. We hope to continue like this.

    eom/Yamaha press release

  • Ogier-Ingrassia take lead with a day to go: WRC

    Ogier-Ingrassia take lead with a day to go: WRC

    M-Sport’s Ecoboost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC continues to lead at Rally de Portugal, but it’s all change at the top with Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia taking over the reins.

    The four-time World Championships hold a 16.8 second advantage over championship rivals Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul going into tomorrow’s final 42.93 kilometres.

    A brush with the scenery for both Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans may have dropped them down the order, but the Fiesta’s proven strength and performance ensures that all three crews remain inside the overall top-six.

    Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

    “Sébastien has had a fantastic day. He and Julien have delivered a faultless drive and it’s great to see them challenging for another victory with the Fiesta – hopefully we can make it stick tomorrow.

    “It was disappointing to lose Ott from the battle, but he was lucky to get away with what he did and he had a good fight back this afternoon to get up to fourth. If we can maintain those results we’ll be very happy tomorrow afternoon.

    “We’ll certainly be keeping our fingers crossed, but there’s still a lot of pressure. Anything can happen and you just have to look at how many different leaders we’ve had to see just how close it is out there.

    “It’s been an incredible rally and let’s hope that we deliver a great end to it for M-Sport.”

    Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia lead the way at Rally de Portugal after delivering a faultless drive behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta WRC.

    Never out of the top-two on individual stage times, the Frenchmen posted the fastest time through three of the day’s six stages to establish a 16.8 seconds advantage at the head of the standings.

    With just four stages remaining, Ogier and Ingrassia are now tantalisingly close to securing a fifth Rally de Portugal victory – and their first in the north.

    Stage performances:

    SS10: 1st
    SS11: 2nd (+5.2)
    SS12: 1st
    SS13: 2nd (+1.0)
    SS14: 1st
    SS15: 2nd (+6.2)

    Sébastien Ogier (1st) said:

    “I’m very happy with how my day went. It’s been a very long time since I‘ve been able to do this kind of performance – having always been first or second into the stages. I think I did the same kind of driving as yesterday but the road position is quite different and I’m very pleased with the gap that we have managed to build.

    “For sure the rally is not over yet and we still need to finish the job. With 16 seconds you can never relax completely so we need to continue in the same way – keeping the same speed and staying clear of trouble.

    “We have some beautiful stages still to drive tomorrow and I really love Fafe – it’s fantastic. For sure we still have to push because no one is going to back off. We still need to give it all we have and the Power Stage is always important for those extra points.

    “I’m really looking forward to this last day and hoping to bring home another good result for the team and the championship.”

    1. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) 3:15:24.6
    2. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai 120 Coupe WRC) +16.8
    3. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti (Hyundai 120 Coupe WRC) +51.3
    4. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC) +1:29.6
    5. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +1:32.4
    6. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +3:01.8
    7. Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindstrom (Toyota Yaris WRC) +3:29.8
    8. Mads Østberg / Ola Fløene (Ford Fiesta WRC) +5:16.6
    9. Jari-Matti Latvala / Mikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +5:32.7
    10. Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jaeger (Skoda Fabia R5) +7:06.6

    eom/M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta press release

    Ogier and Ingrassia take lead on the penultimate day at the Rally of Portugal. An M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta image
  • Buemi win Paris ePrix; Grassi crashes out

    Buemi win Paris ePrix; Grassi crashes out

    Sebastian Beumi wins at Paris ePrix as rival Grassi (not in picutre) crashes out on Saturday. An FIA image

    Swiss driver extends his points lead in the centre of Paris while title rival di Grassi crashes out

    Paris, 20 May 2017: 

    The FIA Formula E Championship returned to Paris for a second ePrix around the iconic streets of Les Invalides today, 20 May, and it was points-leader Sebastien Buemi who secured a fifth victory of the season for the Renault e.dams squad.

    Buemi had taken pole position earlier in the day, and fended off the challenge of Jean-Eric Vergne who drew alongside the pole-sitter on the run down to turn one. After this initial challenge, Vergne’s Techeetah car came under attack from DS Virgin Racing’s Jose Maria Lopez, giving Buemi just enough breathing space to manage the gap.

    The opening stages of the race were high-pressure and close-quarters, with the top 14 drivers within just ten seconds of each other after five tours of Les Invalides. Behind the top three, Mahindra’s Nick Heidfeld repeated the rapid start he made a week ago during the Monaco ePrix, making up ground and challenging the front-runners.

    Having qualified down in 14th place, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport’s Lucas di Grassi had a lot work to do to try and score vital championship points. He didn’t make progress early on, however, and was battling for 15th with Andretti Formula E’s Antonio Felix da Costa. As the two were swapping places on the narrow city streets, contact was made at turn eight and both cars spun into the run-off area. While di Grassi was able to continue, it was the end of da Costa’s race, and as the marshals recovered his stricken car there was a Full Course Yellow period, prompting almost all the drivers to dive into the pits and make their mandatory stop and car change.

    Brazilian driver di Grassi was then hit with a drive through penalty for not respecting the minimum pit stop time, which dropped him to last place on the circuit.

    There was another disruption on lap 30 with a safety car deployment, as Vergne, who had been matching Buemi’s pace throughout the middle phase of the race, crashed into the barriers on the exit of turn 14 as he tried to close the gap.

    The Frenchman’s retirement promoted Mahindra Racing’s Heidfeld to a podium position, and he crossed the line in third for the second consecutive race. It was also a strong race for Heidfeld’s stablemate Felix Rosenqvist, whose fourth-placed finish brought the team its strongest points haul to date.

    Nico Prost was the highest-placed French driver in fifth, rounding out a strong showing for Renault e.dams who now lead the team standings by an impressive 75 points.

    Andretti’s Robin Frijns enjoyed his best result of the season in sixth, while Nelson Piquet Jr was seventh having benefitted from last-lap heartache for Daniel Abt who was forced to retire with mechanical issues after having made up a lot of places from his starting position.

    Tom Dillman gave the French fans more to cheers about with an impressive Formula E debut in eighth, with Mitch Evans and Stephane Sarrazin rounding out the top ten.

    For the second year running, the ePrix ended behind the safety car, as an attempt at setting the fastest lap ended in the barriers for Lucas di Grassi, who after this weekend now has a 43-point deficit to Buemi.

    Sebastien Buemi said: “The most important thing for me was to pull away after the grid positon we got. You know when the brakes are cold, the first few corners are a bit of a guess for everyone and Jean-Eric Vergne was very aggressive and tried to pass me, so I tried to delay the braking as late as I could, just to stay ahead. I consumed maybe a little bit more energy than I was expecting to use, just to make up a little gap. I lost a bit of time in the Full Course Yellow and obviously in the restart when he [JEV] crashed I was having a nice time as he was putting me under pressure. Then we had the Safety Car and Jose [Maria Lopez] had a great race today, he was really, really quick and I had to push quite hard at the end of the race just to make sure I could build up a bit of a gap.”

    Jose Maria Lopez said: “You can see from the beginning of the year that we had a good car, but my experience was not enough to be competitive. But we worked hard in the race, it was a circuit I liked, the city and everything and I think that played a part as well.”

    Nick Heidfeld said: “The start in Monaco was about taking the outside line and just braking late, but here the car off the line was just fantastic – it was like a rocket! It was a lot closer here than in Monaco where I couldn’t keep up with the top two guys, but here I could. There were a couple of backmarkers who got between us as the restart and that meant unfortunately I could not get near them, but we had the same pace and more energy.”

    The FIA Formula E Championship will be racing again in three weeks’ time, with the double-header Berlin ePrix coming up on 10-11 June.

    eom/Fia press release

  • Yamaha takes the first row; Marquez P5

    Yamaha takes the first row; Marquez P5

    Maverick Vinales pole for French GP on Saturday. A Movistar Yamaha image

    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi showed a competitive pace on the second day of the Grand Prix de France, taking a superb first and second place respectively in today‘s qualifying session.

    Le Mans (France), 20 May 2017: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi went all out in an intense 15-minute qualifying session at the Le Mans Bugatti Grand Prix race circuit today, that saw the teammates secure the first two slots on the front row for tomorrow’s Grand Prix de France.

    Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa will start tomorrow’s French GP from the fifth and 13th places on the grid, respectively, despite both being quite fast during the course of the day.

    Marc’s progression in his work to find the best setup has been affected by the limited dry track time and by two small crashes, in FP4 and in QP2, though both incidents were without consequence, adds Repsol Honda release.

    According to a Movistar Yamaha Press Note, having topped FP4, Viñales stepped aboard his YZR-M1 with great confidence at the start of the qualifying session. As one of the last men to leave pit lane, he enjoyed some free track space and went directly on the attack. He took the top spot with his first flying lap, a 1’33.134s, before being pushed back to sixth place when the pace quickened.

    With more than seven and a half minutes to go, he came into the pits for a fresh set of rubber. Two minutes later the Spaniard was back on track, now in seventh place in the timings, and had just enough time left for three more hot laps. He put his mind to it and produced a strong 1‘32.146s for provisional pole, but further underlined his incredible speed with a 1‘31.994s on his next lap, that earned him his second pole position of the season.

    Rossi also flexed his muscles during the 15-minute shoot-out. He was quick to head out to make the most of the time available, but decided to let some chasing riders pass at the end of his first hot lap. He moved up to second place on his third attempt, before heading back to the box with six minutes remaining.

    The Italian continued his efforts one and a half minute later, setting another personal best lap that moved him up from fourth to second, despite having to avoid a crash from Jack Miller that happened right in front of him. The Doctor still had some time left for a final push, and improved his time to a 1’32.100s, to keep a strong hold on second place, ahead of Johann Zarco, who made it a full Yamaha front row.

    Valentino Rossi

    “I am so happy, because today was the first practice in the dry, so you never know. We modified the setting a bit, and that, together with this track and this asphalt, makes our bike work well. In the end it was a really good qualifying, I think on the first flying lap I was fast, but I reached Jack a bit too early, so I lost a bit of time. It’s a shame for missing out on the pole position, but starting from second place is OK for the race.”

    Maverick Vinales

    It was a tricky qualifying, because the track was not at its best, but anyway our bike is really good here. We knew we could do it, so I just tried to concentrate and push to the best of my ability and bring home the pole position. We have to be really careful with the weather, we also have to pay a lot of attention if we have a flag to flag, a wet race or even on the dry, we still have to improve. We have to work tonight and try to improve for tomorrow.”

    eom/Movistar Yamaha press release

  • Belagavi gets its first big Motorsport event

    Belagavi gets its first big Motorsport event

    File photo courtesy BMSA

    Belgaum, 19 May 2017: Belagavi’s first Super Dirt-Bike race, Karnataka Invitational Supercross 2017-Belagavi, jointly organised by Belgaum Moto Sports Association (BMSA) and Goa Moto Sport Association (GMSA) will be held here on Sunday. The gates are free and the organisers are expecting a crowd of over 20,000.

    For the first time in North Karnataka, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) approved event is taking place in Belagavi. National-level riders from across India are expected to take part. The Magadum SX race track has been designed and executed by the renowned track designer, Ashley Gomes.

    The race will be held behind GIT College, next to Dyan Prabodhan School, Sammed Nagar Udyambag, Belagavi from 3 pm. BMSA President Akshay Magadum, along with the team of Abhishek Magadum, Aditya Magadum, Shiv Mamadapur, Abhijeet Magadum, Vinay Magale, Suprit Magadum and Yatindra Deshpande have been working in coordination with GMSA President Ashley Gomes over a year to bring this event to Belagavi.

    BMA & GMSA plan to launch the Karnataka Invitational Supercross Championship in November this year once the permanent race track is ready at the same location.

    The races will be held in the following categories:

    • Group A, Sx1 upto 250cc 2 stroke & 450cc 4 stroke.
    • Group A, Sx2 upto 250cc 2 stroke & 450cc 4 stroke.
    • Group A, Sx3 upto 250cc 2 stroke & 450cc 4 stroke.
    • Junior 1, group A/B/C/D upto 125cc 2 stroke & 250cc 4 stroke (under 18 above 15).
    • Junior 2, group A/B/C/D upto 85cc 2 stroke & 150cc 4 stroke (under 15 above 12).
    • Junior 3, group A/B/C/D upto 65cc 2 stroke (under 12 above 7).
    • Group C, upto 250cc (2/4 stroke).
    • Group B, upto 250cc (2/4 stroke).
    • Enfield Class, upto 500cc.
    • Women’s Class, upto 450cc.

    The races will be held under the supervision and inspection of FMSCI Scrutineers and Stewards. This event is also being held under the International Sporting ode of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) the National Competition rules of FMSCI (NCR), & its appendices and the supplementary regulations. Online registrations are open at www.belgaummotosport.com or email to `gomessportsacademy@gmail.com’.

    For Details Contact Abhishek Magadum at 9886136886 or Shiv Mamadapur 9844435492.

     

    eom/BMSA press release

  • Formula E donates clean-charging infrastructure

    Formula E donates clean-charging infrastructure

    Paris, 18 May 2017: Following the second edition of the event around the architectural co

    Formula E class of 2016-17 line-up in Paris ahead of the GP. An FIA image

    mplex of Les Invalides, a short distance from the headquarters of the FIA, Formula E is donating a zero-emissions glycerine generator to boost charging infrastructure and leave a lasting legacy to the city of Paris.

    The Formula E concept was initiated by FIA President Jean Todt as a means to demonstrate the potential and drive the development of sustainable technologies, become a platform to increase global uptake of electric vehicles and contribute to the fight against climate change and inner-city air pollution.

    By welcoming the FIA Formula E Championship to the streets of Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo aims to increase public awareness of sustainable methods of transportation and promote car manufacturers’ continued investment in electric mobility and alternative energy solutions.

    This is in line with the vision of Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Formula E, who wants to make the switch to electric cars make sense for consumers – more efficient and more affordable.

    Formula E and event organisers have decided to donate a zero-emissions glycerine generator to Paris after the chequered flag falls on Saturday.

    The generators are based on standard production diesel engines that have been adapted with Aquafuel’s patented technology to run on glycerine. The fuel itself is a by-product of the bio-diesel production process, and it’s so clean you can drink it.

    The unit can be used as a fixed generator to provide electricity and heating to existing buildings – or as a mobile generator to provide power at events, or to power electric vehicle charging stations.

    The generator will be entirely automated and can be synchronised to the French grid to feedback any energy production surplus. It will be tailor-made for the needs of Paris, and will be delivered in August 2017.

    Anne Hidalgo would like to express her thanks to the FIA Formula E Championship for this generous donation, and reinforce the push that Paris is making in the transition to clean energy and the fight against climate change.

    eom/FIA press release

  • Ostberg, Neuville dead heat opens up Rally de Portugal: WRC

    Norway’s Mads Ostberg and Belgium’s Thierry Neuville could not be separated over the opening 3.36-kilometre stage of Rally Portugal, setting identical times of 2:36.6 seconds.

    For both, it was a continuation of the impressive form that they showed at the last event in Argentina, where Ford driver Ostberg was among the front-runners before Hyundai’s Neuville ultimately came through to take his second win of the season.

    Both looked spectacular in their respective heats on the Lousada stage, with the event’s trademark large crowds creating an incredible atmosphere.

    New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon was just 0.1s behind in his Hyundai, while the other driver that impressed last time out, Elfyn Evans, was a further 0.3s back in his D-Mack-shod Ford Fiesta (Ostberg is also running D-Mack tyres in Portugal).

    Evans was followed by this morning’s fastest driver in Shakedown, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo (+0.5s), and championship leader, M-Sport’s Sébastien Ogier (+0.7s).

    Ostberg, who pipped Paddon in his heat by just a tenth of a second, was happy to have taken bragging rights in such a tight battle in front of so many fans.

    “It was a close one,” he said. “I saw after one lap it was close, so I pushed more on the second [lap]. A few small mistakes, but I’m happy with the time.”

    There were no notable problems for any of the WRC manufacturer drivers.

    In WRC2, Andreas Mikkelsen started off in the same way he finished his last event in the Skoda Fabia R5, setting a 2:40.4 – which was 1.6s faster than his nearest rival, Teemu Suninen.

    The rally proper commences tomorrow morning, with the second stage; the 26.7-kilometre Viana do Castelo. Crews will face a total of eight stages and approximately 150 competitive kilometres on Friday, culminating with two blasts through the streets of central Braga.

    eom/FIA press release

  • Title fight comes to Paris for back-to-back races; Mahindra 3rd in standings: Formula E

    Paris will host its second FIA Formula E Championship ePrix this weekend as the title fight comes to the streets around Invalides

    Paris, 17 May 2017: For the first time in its history, there will be back-to-back races in the FIA Formula E Championship, with the Paris ePrix coming this Saturday, 20 May, just seven days after a thrilling showdown in Monaco.

    The race on the famous city streets on the Côte d’Azur was in many ways analogous to the story of the title fight so far in this third season of Formula E. Renault e.dams driver Sebastien Buemi was in control throughout practice and qualifying, setting the fastest times across the board and ensuring he would be on pole once again in Monaco, having achieved the same feat the first time the championship visited two years before.

    In the race a thrilling battle developed between Buemi and the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport driver Lucas di Grassi who is his closest rival in the chase for championship honours. Buemi had pulled a strong gap in the opening stint, but as the race entered its final phase di Grassi closed right in on the reigning champion.

    With Buemi managing to keep just enough of a gap, he extended his points lead coming into the Paris event to 15 points. Behind the two front-runners, Nico Prost who sits third in the standings scored just two points in Monaco, however his two closest chasers – Jean-Eric Vergne and Sam Bird, who are fourth and fifth respectively – did not finish, meaning that the points gaps remained stable.

    Mahindra Racing had a strong showing in Monaco, with Nick Heidfeld making a return to the podium in third, while Felix Rosenqvist bounced back from a crash in practice to cross the line in sixth. Heidfeld has jumped up the order as a result of his rostrum finish, he’s now just ahead of his team-mate in sixth.

    Venturi’s Maro Engel enjoyed his best ePrix to date in Monaco. Having failed to finish a race since the opening round of the season in Hong Kong, the German driver enjoyed an impressive return to form at his team’s home race. He secured the second best time overall in the qualifying group stages, progressing to SuperPole for the second event in succession. He held on to his fifth-placed grid slot for the duration of the contest, bringing himself and Venturi ten points and closing the gap back up to Jaguar in the standings.

    Engel is, however, one of two drivers who will be substituted in Paris, the other being Loic Duval for Faraday Future Dragon Racing. They will be replaced by Tom Dillman and Mike Conway respectively.

    So close to the headquarters of the FIA, the Paris ePrix is a special race for the Federation, and there will plenty going on away from the track action. In particular, there will be a special FIA Smart Cities session featuring FIA President Jean Todt and the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. The concept of Smart Cities has become one of the most rapidly growing frameworks applied in all sectors of urban development, including transport and mobility systems, and this talk will focus on the critical area of road safety in urban environments.

    Paris is not only home to the FIA, but marks a home race for championship leaders Renault e.dams, while DS Virgin Racing can claim it as a home race thanks to French DS brand. No fewer than four drivers – Prost, Vergne, Dillman and Stephane Sarrazin will undoubtedly be spurred on by their home supporters on Saturday.

    Event Timetable

    SATURDAY, MAY 20

    08:00 – 08:45: PRACTICE 1

    10:00: Qualifying group lottery, Podium / Allianz eVillage

    10:30 – 11:00: PRACTICE 2

    12:00 – 12:06: QUALIFYING GROUP 1
    12:10 – 12:16: QUALIFYING GROUP 2
    12:20 – 12:26: QUALIFYING GROUP 3
    12:30 – 12:36: QUALIFYING GROUP 4
    12:45 – 13:00: SUPER POLE

    13:45 – 14:00: eRace, Gaming Zone / Allianz eVillage

    14:00 – 14:30: Autograph session, Gaming Zone / Allianz eVillage

    15:00 – 15:10: Driver parade

    16:00: Paris ePRIX (51 laps)

    17:05: Podium ceremony, Podium

    Championship standings

    Drivers’ Championship Teams’ Championship
    Driver Points Team Points
    1 Sebastien Buemi 104 Renault e.dams 152
    2 Lucas di Grassi 89 ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport 115
    3 Nicolas Prost 48 Mahindra Racing 60
    4 Jean-Eric Vergne 40 Techeetah 45
    5 Sam Bird 34 DS Virgin Racing 44
    6 Nick Heidfeld 32 NEXTEV NIO 42
    7 Felix Rosenqvist 28 Faraday Future Dragon Racing 19
    8 Nelson Piquet Jr. 27 Andretti Formula E 18
    9 Daniel Abt 26 Panasonic Jaguar Racing 17
    10 Oliver Turvey 15 Venturi Formula E 13

    Entry List

     N° TEAM CAR DRIVER
    2 DS Virgin Racing (GBR) DS Virgin DSV-02 Sam Bird (GBR)
    3 NEXTEV NIO (GBR) NextEV TCR Formula 002 Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA)
    4 Venturi Formula E Team (MCO) Venturi VM200-FE-02 Stéphane Sarrazin (FRA)
    5 Venturi Formula E Team (MCO) Venturi VM200-FE-02 Tom Dillmann (FRA)
    6 Faraday Future Dragon Racing (USA) Penske 701-EV Mike Conway (GBR)
    7 Faraday Future Dragon Racing (USA) Penske 701-EV Jérôme d’Ambrosio (BEL)
    8 Renault e.dams (FRA) Renault Z.E. 16 Nicolas Prost (FRA)
    9 Renault e.dams (FRA) Renault Z.E. 16 Sébastien Buemi (CHE)
    11 ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport (DEU) ABT Schaeffler FE02 Lucas di Grassi (BRA)
    19 Mahindra Racing (IND) Mahindra M3Electro Felix Rosenqvist (SWE)
    20 Panasonic Jaguar Racing (GBR) Jaguar I-Type 1 Mitch Evans (NZL)
    23 Mahindra Racing (IND) Mahindra M3Electro Nick Heidfeld (DEU)
    25 TECHEETAH (CHN) Renault Z.E. 16 Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA)
    27 Andretti Formula E (USA) Andretti ATEC-02 Robin Frijns (NED)
    28 Andretti Formula E (USA) Andretti ATEC-02 Antonio Felix da Costa (PRT)
    33 TECHEETAH (CHN) Renault Z.E. 16 Esteban Gutierrez (MEX)
    37 DS Virgin Racing (GBR) DS Virgin DSV-02 José Maria Lopez (ARG)
    47 Panasonic Jaguar Racing (GBR) Jaguar I-Type 1 Adam Carroll (GBR)
    66 ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport (DEU) ABT Schaeffler FE02 Daniel Abt (DEU)
    88 NEXTEV NIO (GBR) NextEV TCR Formula 002 Oliver Turvey (GBR).
  • MotoGP heads to Le Mans: A Michelin view

    MotoGP heads to Le Mans: A Michelin view

    Michelin will see its range of MotoGP™ tyres put through their paces on home soil as the championship heads to France and one of the world’s spiritual racing homes at Le Mans for the HJC Helmets Grand Prix de France.

    The 4,185m Bugatti Circuit is within the famous 24-hour track and uses a part of that legendary layout in conjunction with a purpose-built facility to create a circuit which features nine right-hand and five left-hand corners over its configuration. The stop-go design of the track makes it less stressful on tyres than some other circuits, with late braking and drivability two determining factors that need to be mastered to give a good lap. Michelin recently visited the circuit for a test to appraise the new asphalt that was laid earlier this year and a positive assessment led to valuable data being collected in preparation for this weekend’s event. The one-day test was used to evaluate the best compounds for the new surface and with this information Michelin has brought a series of tyres that will be suited to the track’s improved grip levels.

    The range for the Le Mans race will feature a soft, medium and hard front and rear MICHELIN Power Slick – as is the case at all races this season. These will all be identified with a white band, no band and yellow band respectively to donate the tyre compound being used. Although the circuit is not particularly hard on the tyres, the new surface provides a greater amount of grip and to cope with this, and the extra right-hand turns, the rear tyres – and the hard front compound – will be an asymmetric design with the right-hand shoulder having a harder compound. The MICHELIN Power Rain tyres in soft (blue band) and medium (no band) will be available for use if conditions dictate, which with the mixed weather that has struck MotoGP this season, and the expected climate at Le Mans, might very well be used at some point during the weekend.

    The famous French circuit has held a motorcycle Grand Prix since 1969, with the modern track being a stable fixture on the calendar since 2000. Situated just on the outskirts on the town of Le Mans, approximately 200km south-west of the country’s capital Paris, the circuit always attracts a lively and boisterous crowd that will certainly be taking a keen interest in France’s exploits on the track.

    Michelin will  begin the proceedings for its home race with the rest of the MotoGP paddock on Friday 19th May with two Free Practice sessions, followed by another Free Practice the following morning. Qualifying is on Saturday afternoon to decide grid positions for Sunday’s 28-lap race, which is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs BST, 12.00hrsGMT/UST).

    Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:

    “This is a very important weekend for us as the home Grand Prix always has a special meaning, as well as the added expectation. The French people are very partisan and will certainly be right behind us, so we must perform for them as well as all the Michelin personnel that will be trackside. We had a good test at Le Mans earlier this month to try the new surface and gather as much data as possible about which compounds we will use. This has enabled us to go back to Clermont-Ferrand and prepare a range of tyres that will give optimum performance around this famous circuit. The new asphalt will provide grip in the dry and as we found at the test – because it rained in the morning – it also has very impressive adhesion in the wet, which could prove important as the weather can certainly be changeable at Le Mans.”
  • Ruhaan misses another win by a whisker

    Ruhaan misses another win by a whisker

    Siena (Italy), 16 May 2017: Ruhaan Alva, a 10-year old schoolboy from Bengaluru, India, missed a second consecutive win in the 60cc class by a whisker and settled for second spot in the third round of the Italian Easykart Championship here on Sunday.

    In a thrilling 14-lap final, Ruhaan, supported by Italian kart manufacturer Birel Art, started second on the grid, but moved to the front of the 23-kart field on the second lap and held position despite close attention from his MLG Racing team-mate Lorenzo Patrese and Andrea Pirovano.

    The trio was bunched tight after 12 laps before Ruhaan was pushed wide on a right-hander which effectively cost him a possible victory as he had to rest content with second place at the finish behind a late-charging Daniele D’Urso who now heads the championship.

    The podium spot took Ruhaan to fourth in the championship with 48 points having missed the first round when he competed in the 60Mini category before opting for the for the more competitive higher class.

    Earlier, Ruhaan topped the pre-Final race starting from fifth as he led eight of the 11 laps to make up for a disappointing Heats outing when he finished fifth. The points from these two outings put him second on the grid for the Final.

    Ruhaan’s next outing in the championship is on June 10-11 in Lonato where the fourth round is scheduled to be held.

    eom/Press Release