INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • TVS Racing bags awards for 11 championships

    TVS Racing bags awards for 11 championships

    New Delhi, 3 February 2017: TVS Racing has concluded a highly successful year winning 11 championships across all forms of two-wheeler motorsport events – Supercross, Rallies and Road racing.

    The winners were honoured at the annual award ceremony organised here by Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). In the Supercross and Rally categories, TVS Racing riders Abdul Wahind Tanveer won three championships this year while R. Nataraj won two championships.

    In the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship, 5th time champion K. Jagan retained his crown.

    TVS Motor Company won the award for being the best manufacturer of the year in the Super Sport Indian category upto 165cc. The list of championships won by the TVS Racing team is appended below for reference with the details of the recipient.

    MRF Mogrip FMSCI National supercross Championship 2016

    • Group A  – Foreign motorcycles upto 500cc 4 stroke riding RTR 300 FX (Rider: Abdul Wahid Tanveer)
    • HK Pradeep, TVS Racing, receiving the award from 2w Commission chairman Sujit Kumar on 3 Feb 2017 at Hyderabad. A TVS image

      Group B – Indian Motorcycles upto 260cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 180 (Rider: R. Nataraj)

    • Group C – Indian motorcycles  upto 260cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 180 (Rider: R. Nataraj)

    MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2016

    • National Rally Champion team (TVS Racing)
    • National Rally Champion (Rider :Abdul Wahid)
    • Super Bike – Pro Expert – Motorcycles upto 600cc 4 stroke riding RTR 450 FX (Rider: Abdul Wahid Tanveer)
    • Super Sport Indian – Indian Motorcycles upto 165cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 165 (Rider: R E Rajendra)
    • Indian Scooters upto 210cc 4 stroke riding Wego (Rider: Syed Asif Ali)

    MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2016

    • Best manufacturer in the Super Sport Indian upto 165cc category (TVS Motor Company Ltd)
    • Best team in the Super Sport Indian upto 165cc category (TVS Racing)
    • Super Sport Indian upto 165cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 160 (Rider: K. Jagan)
     ends/TVS Racing press release

  • Movistar Yamaha wraps up pre-season testing

    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP has wrapped up the first official IRTA test of the 2017 season today at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi have spent the three days working through various testing items to further develop their YZR-M1s and secured first and sixth place respectively in the overall standings.

    Sepang (Malaysia), 1st February 2017  : Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi have completed their testing programme at the Sepang International Circuit today. This third and last day was the toughest for the riders as they rode back-to-back stints in hot temperatures to make up for lost time due to yesterday’s damp track conditions.

    Though the focus of the team was still solely on improving the technical aspects, the Spaniard and Italian took first and fifth place respectively in today’s time sheets and first and sixth in the overall 2017 Sepang MotoGP Official Test results.

    This morning Viñales showed once again that his riding style matches perfectly with the YZR-M1‘s nimble character. He dropped various hot laps before posting his fastest time of the day, a 1’59.368s on lap 40, to slot into first place in the rankings. With a margin of 0.138s ahead of his closest rival, he comfortably held his position until the end of the session after shifting his attention to the last details of his bike’s setting.

    A few spots of rain in the afternoon had the young rider sit in the pit box before he could resume his testing programme. As soon as the conditions improved Viñales had his final go on the YZR-M1 and had enough minutes left to end the test with a time attack. Though unable to beat his own best lap, he is leaving the Sepang track feeling confident, having completed 72 laps today.

    Rossi also didn’t let any time go to waste on the last opportunity of testing in Malaysia. He filled his morning session with evaluating a new tyre for Michelin and building on his findings from the previous testing days.

    Similar to teammate Viñales, the Doctor was eager to start his afternoon session as soon as track conditions allowed. His fastest lap from the morning was a 2’00.125s, putting him in eleventh place, 0.756s from the top, but the Doctor had a trick up his sleeve. Once he got back out on track he fully committed to improving his position in the rankings and set the fourth fastest time, a 1’59.589s, 0.221s from first, on lap 50 of 62. He ended the test day in fifth place as the pace quickened in the final minutes.

    The team will now return to Europe whilst the engineers return to Japan to process the data and take their 2017 MotoGP preparation another step further. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will regroup in Phillip Island from Feb 15th – 17th for the second pre-season test of 2017,

    eom/Movistar Yamaha press release

  • Ducati riders take to Sepang for pre-season testing

    Sepang, 30 Jan 2017: The first day of IRTA testing at Sepang concluded this afternoon, as the rain, which began to fall on the Malaysian circuit at around 4 pm, made it impossible to improve times anymore. As a result the session came to an end with Casey Stoner, present at the circuit as test-rider, at the top of the timesheets with a time of 1’59.680 while Andrea Dovizioso was just behind in second with a time of 1’59.797. Jorge Lorenzo, making his debut in factory Ducati Team colours, was in seventeenth place with a time of 2’01.349.

    Casey Stoner (Ducati Test Team #27) – 32 laps – 1’59.680 (1st)
    “Today was positive and the best thing about it was that we got a lot of dry track time. It’s been hanging in the balance really with the weather because the track takes so long to dry and if it rains at all within twelve hours, you’re going to get very little track time. It’s great that we got out there straightaway this morning and started putting in some good laps, reconfirming what we felt earlier in the week. We got a lot of comparisons done today so it was really good to get a feeling and direction with the bike. We still have a lot more work to do, it was disappointing that it rained but hopefully on Wednesday when we come back on track we can pick up where we left off and move this bike further forward, especially in the chassis area.”

    Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 29 laps – 1’59.797 (2nd)
    “The first day of testing in 2017 went pretty well and I am pleased because we showed good pace right from the start, using the same bike as Valencia and without needing to make any particular changes. Without the wings we had to adapt to the bike, and we still have a lot of fine-tuning work to do, both with the electronics and on the set-up, because the bike behaves differently, but in any case we are maintaining a good competitive level and it’s always important to start off with this sort of confirmation. Starting off on the right foot helps us continue with the development, and if you add to this the fact that I set my quickest time on a medium tyre, then we have to be satisfied.”

    Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 45 laps – 2’01.349 (17th)
    “At this circuit I noticed a bigger difference between my Ducati and the bike that I have ridden for the last nine years. Now we have to do two things to be quicker: the first is to gradually adapt the bike to the way I like it, and the second and more important, is to know how to do that and understand how to be quicker. I still need some more time for that, more than I hoped for, but in any case it’s still too early to come to conclusions. It’s only a question of time and laps on the track, so we will work in this direction. The important thing is that the other Ducati bikes were very quick, and this means that the bike has a lot of potential.”

     eom/Ducati website racing news
  • Repsol Honda’s Marquez, Pedrosa in action at Sepang

    Repsol Honda’s Marquez, Pedrosa in action at Sepang

    Sepang, 30 Jan 2017: Good weather conditions (max temperature: 31° C air, 42° ground) favoured day one of the first MotoGP pre-season test in Sepang, Malaysia, until rain began falling at 4 p.m.

    The track had opened at 10 a.m., and Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa headed out 15 minutes later to get to work defining the setup of the RC213V, trying different engine configurations and spending also time testing new Michelin tyres. The afternoon downpour also gave Marc and Dani the opportunity to complete a few laps with a wet configuration.

    Their best lap times for the day were 2’00.738 on lap 25 of 56 for Marquez (ninth) and 2’00.970 on lap 25 of 44 for Pedrosa (13th). Testing will continue for two more days.

    Marc Marquez said: The  feeling today wasn’t so bad considering that the first day after the holiday break is always a bit demanding for the rider and the team! We’ve been testing two bikes with different engine configurations, but we mainly concentrated on one, playing with electronics, geometry, setup and so on. We gathered a lot of information, and now we’ll keep working. We also decided to make the best of the situation when the rain arrived and did some laps in the wet, but we look forward to continuing testing in the dry tomorrow to better understand and exploit the potential of our bike.

    Dani Pedrosa said: “Today I basically got reacquainted with riding my bike, with the track and the tyres, and I also rode for the first time on the new asphalt here at Sepang. We’ve started working on the bike as we have two different engine configurations to test. We mainly worked with one bike. We also had the chance to ride in the wet on that bike, and we got good information. Hopefully it won’t rain tomorrow, and I think we’ll be able to go more deep in the testing than we were  today.”

    eom/Repsol Honda Press Release

    Marc Marquez in actioin on Day 1 of Sepang testing. A Repsol Honda image
  • Mick Schumacher, Harrison Newey share honours; Maiden win for Nayan in MRF 1600 race

    Mick Schumacher, Harrison Newey share honours; Maiden win for Nayan in MRF 1600 race

    From left: Mawson, Schumcher, Newey. Image by MRF

    Greater Noida, 29 Jan 2017: Mick Schumacher took another commanding win in Round 3 of the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Buddh International Circuit ahead of Joey Mawson and Harrison Newey here on Sunday. Nayan Chatterjee put in an inspired effort to hold off Anindith Reddy to win his maiden race of the MRF 1600 series.

    In Race 2, Newey struck back to take his first win of the weekend as Schumacher crashed out. Ralf Aron and Joey Mawson finished in that order. Mawson continues to lead the championship on 211 points.

    Starting on pole position, Schumacher got the perfect start to lead into the first corner, with front-row starter Newey once again losing out at the start, this time to Joey Mawson. Newey briefly got past Mawson down the main straight only for the Australian to take the position back going into corner 4. As Mawson and Newey continued to battle, Schumacher pulled away at the front. Schumacher crossed the finish line in 1st place, taking his 2nd win in 3 races. Mawson fended off Newey to finish in 2nd place. Drugovich finished in a lonely 4th place, ahead of Rinus Van Kalmthout, Juri Vips and Pedro Cardoso.

    Race 4, the second race of the day provided all the action.  Newey made a perfect start to lead the race, as there was a big battle behind between Aron, Mawson and Schumacher for second place. Schumacher tried to pass Mawson but both drivers collided, dropping Mawson to 8th. Schumacher closed in on Aron and both went wide coming out of turn 3, allowing Drugovich to go past. As Schumacher was passing Aron, he clipped Drugovich who had turned into turn 4. Both Schumacher and Drugovich retired on the spot, bringing out the safety car in the process. The race finished under safety car with Newey winning ahead of Aron and Mawson. Behind them Cardoso finished in 4th place, ahead of Schramm and Van Kalmthout.

    Mick Schumacher was happy to continue his impressive form at the BIC. He commented, “I had a good start and with both these guys (Newey and Mawson) battling behind me I had the chance to pull away. It is a shame about the last race but am pretty happy about the entire weekend.”

    Harrison Newey commented, “I have had trouble with my starts the entire weekend so it was good to finally have a good start. I have had the pace in all the races but tough to overtake here. This is a good way to end the weekend”

    In the second race of the MRF 1600 championship, reverse grid pole sitter Alex Bora held on to the lead at the start only to lose out to Chatterjee in the opening lap. Reddy passed Bora and started to close in on Chatterjee and on lap 4 got past him to take the lead. The next two laps saw an intense battle ensue with both drivers trading places at the front. With 3 laps to go Chatterjee took the lead and stayed in front to take his first victory in the championship. Reddy finished in 2nd place with Race 1 winner Ananth Shanmugam recovering well to finish in a creditable 3rd place. Anshul Shah finished in 4th place ahead of Bora and Arya Singh.

    Provisioinal Results: MRF Challenge 2016, Round 3, Race 3: 1. Mick Schumacher (22:22.305); 2. Joey Mawson (22:26.311); 3. Harrison Newey (22:27.580).

    Race 4: 1. Harrison Newey (30:30.323); 2. Ralf Aron (30:31. 155); 3. Joey Mawson (30: 31.549).

    MRF 1600, Round 1, Race 2: 1. Nayan Chatterjee (17: 21.448); 2. Anindith Reddy (17: 24.780); 3. Ananth Shanmugam (17: 27.097).

     

    eom/david/MRF press release/Edited and revised with correct Race 4 result on 31 Jan 2017 at 10am

  • Rossi, Vinales delight fans in Philippines

    Rossi, Vinales delight fans in Philippines

    Yamaha event in Manila. Image courtesy Movistar Yamaha Motorsports

    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team‘s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales continued their ’media tour‘ with a short but rewarding stop-over in the Philippines. Despite the shortness of the visit the riders were determined to make the most of their time. They met up with the media and Yamaha dealers and also found time in between to entertain their fans in a special race activity.

    Manila, 28 Jan 2017: Just a few days after their visit to Indonesia, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales reunited in Quezon City, near Manila, for a dealer event and a special outdoor racing activity, the ‘Yamaha GP’, organised by Yamaha Motor Philippines Inc. (YMPH).

    The teammates were enthusiastically greeted by the Filipino fans upon arrival at Manila Airport on January 27th. The locals were excited to welcome back Rossi, who visited the Philippines before in 2014, and keen on giving Viñales an unforgettable taste of all their country has to offer, as it was his first time visiting.

    The riders started the next day with a press conference at the Robinsons Novaliches Trade Hall together with Yamaha Motor Company’s General Manager Motorsports Division, Kouichi Tsuji, and President of Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc., Toru Osugi. This was followed by a photoshoot and then it was time for action. Eager to take part in the ’Yamaha GP‘, the riders headed outside in their leathers where two Yamaha SNIPER 150 MXi stood waiting. Rossi and Viñales entertained the crowd by doing a few laps on a small ’track‘ created in the parking lot and were joined by YMPH‘s riders afterwards for a group photo.

    After lunch the pair took time to talk to the media before they had to pack their bags for the Sepang MotoGP Official Test, to be held from January 30th – February 1st. This test will be the first occasion for Rossi and Viñales to ride the 2017 Yamaha YZR-M1 in its new colours as they prepare for the coming season.

    Kouichi Tsuji, General Manager, Motorsports Division, said: “This stop in the Philippines, though short, was certainly meaningful, because we want to show that the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team and its riders value the passionate support of the fans. Experiencing the country‘s culture and being able to communicate face-to-face with its press and the fans plays a big part in understanding Yamaha‘s philosophy of Kando* and the ’human approach‘ that we hold so dear in our company. It was enjoyable for all to see the riders having fun on the Yamaha SNIPER 150 MXi and now that Rossi and Viñales have ’warmed their muscles‘ and felt the support of the fans, we can focus on the task ahead and fly to the test in Sepang with maximum motivation.”

    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi said: “This was my second time visiting the Philippines and I‘m even more impressed by the country, the culture and the atmosphere than the first time. The people are all very friendly so I enjoyed my stay here a lot. It was nice to meet the Filipino press and the fans again and put on a little show for them, riding the Yamaha SNIPER 150 MXi. It‘s not as big as my M1, but it‘s fast. Though we couldn‘t do a proper race, Maverick and I did a couple of laps with the fans watching and we had fun, but now it‘s time for serious work again. We will soon fly to Malaysia for the test in Sepang and start the season.”

    Maverick Vinales, the other Yamaha MotoGP rider said: “This was a new experience for me, I had never visited the Philippines before, so I‘m very happy that I‘ve had the chance now to get a quick first impression of the country. The people here are so friendly and they really put in an effort to make us feel welcome. The crowds at the “Yamaha GP” event were cheering very loudly during the press conference and it‘s great to see how passionate they are about motorsports. I also had a lot of fun on track today with Valentino, riding a Yamaha SNIPER 150 MXi. I enjoyed my time in Manila a lot so it‘s a shame that we have to leave already after just 24 hours, but I‘m also looking forward to riding my YZR-M1 again in Sepang in just a few days’ time.

     

    eom/david/Yamaha release

  • Exciting win for Jr Schumy; Mawson extends lead

    Exciting win for Jr Schumy; Mawson extends lead

    Greater Noida, 28 Jan 2017: Mick Schumacher won the opening race of Round 3 in the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Buddh International Circuit here on Saturday. Junior Schumacher beat Felipe Drugovich to second place while Harrison Newey came third.

    In Race 2, table leader Joey Mawson extended his lead with a convincing win in an action-packed race. Estonian driver Ralf Aron finished in 2nd ahead of Schumacher, who fought back from 8th on the grid.

    The opening race of the MRF 1600 championship saw pole sitter Ananth Shanmugam win ahead of Anindith Reddy and Nayan Chaterjee, an MRF press release said.

    Schumacher took his maiden pole in the championship after an intense battle with Newey. The 30-minute qualifying session saw Schumacher and Newey trade fastest laps before Schumacher did a 1:50.749 to seal the top spot, making it the fastest lap ever done by the F2000 at the BIC.

    Starting on pole, the German driver got the perfect getaway to lead into the first corner, with front-row starter Harrison Newey losing out to Felipe Drugovich going into Turn 1. Drugovich started to apply pressure on Schumacher but could never get close enough to attempt a pass. Behind him, Newey and Mawson was all over the rear of Drugovich but could not find a way past. Schumacher managed to control the pace at the front to take his third win of the season. Drugovich finished ahead of Newey and Mawson. Rinus van Kalmthout equalled his best result of the season finishing fifth, ahead of Kimi Schramm and Aron.

    In Race 2, Yoshiaki Katayama started on reverse grid pole position alongside Schramm. While all drivers had a clean start there was action at the third corner with Pavan Ravishankar colliding with Drugovich and bringing out the safety car in the process. When racing resumed, Mawson pounced on Schramm at the end of the long straight and took the lead. Schramm then lost a position to Aron and two laps later Schumacher and Newey also got by. Mawson pulled away at the front and comfortably took his second win of the season with Aron and Schumacher completing the podium. Newey finished in 4th with Schramm and Van Kalmthout rounding off the top 6.

    Mick Schumacher said: “I am very happy with the win. I had a reasonable start and then it was important to control the pace. The circuit is very technical and very enjoyable to race on. I hope to continue this form for the rest of the weekend.”

    In the opening race of the MRF 1600 championship, pole sitter Shanmugam had a dreadful start and dropped back to 3rd place with Reddy storming into the lead. Shanmugam first got past Nayan Chaterjee and then overtook Reddy was unchallenged then on to cross the finish line for a great win on debut. Reddy settled for 2nd place with Chaterjee taking third also on debut.

    Provisional Results: MRF Challenge 2016, Round 3, Race 1: 1. Mick Schumacher (22:33.728); 2. Felipe Drugovich (22: 35.421); 3. Harrison Newey (22: 36.193); 4. Joey Mawson (22: 37.754).

    Race 2: 1. Joey Mawson (24: 27.191); 2. Ralf Aron (24:35.276); 3. Mick Schumacher (24: 38.651);

    MRF 1600, Round 1, Race 1: 1. Ananth Shanmugam (16:56.919); 2. Anindith Reddy (17: 02.527); 3. Arya Singh (17:03.922).

     

    eom/david

     

     

    L to R Drugovich, Schumacher, Newey, Arun Mammen, MD, MRF Tyres. Image courtesy MRF
  • Jr Schumy fastest; Ananth sets pace in 1600 FP2

    Jr Schumy fastest; Ananth sets pace in 1600 FP2

    Greater Noida, 27 Jan 2017: Mick Schumacher struck back in Free Practice 2 to go fastest ahead of Harrison Newey at Round 3 of the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Buddh International Circuit here on Friday. He was faster than Newey and a returning Ralf Aron in Free Practice 2.

    In FP1, Newey beat Schumacher and championship leader Joey Mawson. The MRF 1600 championship got underway as Ananth Shanmugam topped both the practice sessions ahead of Anindith Reddy.

    In the opening session, Felipe Drugovich set a competitive 1 min 54.345 sec with 20 minutes remaining on the clock. Newey then began a string of fastest laps which saw him going fastest with a 1:53.012. With 5 minutes to go, he again went fastest to finish with a 1:52.340. Schumacher gradually went faster as the session went on and put in a time of 1:52.630 to slot into 2nd place ahead of Joey Mawson and Drugovich. Juri Vips and Pedro Cardoso rounded off the top 6.

    Mawson was one of the front runners in FP2 with a 1:53.883. Newey too was impressive as he went faster at 1:52.993. Then Schumacher looked comfortable as he navigated India’s only F1 circuit for the first time and dipped into the 51s with a time of 1:51.732 and it stayed on top. Newey was 2nd fastest with a 1:52.111 and Aron was 3rd fastest ahead of Mawson and Drugovich.

    As the MRF 1600 championship 2017 kicked off with Round 1, it was a straight fight between Shanmugam and Reddy. Reddy went fastest with a 2:07.427 only to be beaten by 0.069secs by Shanmugam in FP1. Arya Singh, Chetan Korada and Anshul Shah rounded off the top 5.

    In FP2, Shanmugam again topped the session ahead of Reddy. The chasing pack was also closer this time as Nayan Chaterjee finished 3rd, ahead of Arya Singh and Anshul Shah.

    Qualifying and Races 1 and 2 will take place on Saturday, January 28, while the last two races will be held on Sunday. Apart from Newey and Schumacher, this year the grid has German F4 Champion Joey Mawson, 2015 Italian F4 Champion and F3 race winner Ralf Aron, Japanese F3 Champion (National Class) Yoshiaki Katayama and Manuel Maldonado, cousin of former F1 race winner Pastor Maldonado.

    Results: MRF Challenge 2016: Round 3, Free Practice 1: Harrison Newey 1:52.340; Mick Schumacher 1:52.630; Joey Mawson 1:52.917; Felipe Drugovich 1:53.012; Juri Vips 1:53.218.

    FP 2: Mick Schumacher 1:51.732; Harrison Newey 1:52.111; Ralf Aron 1:52.615; Joey Mawson 1:52.621; Felipe Drugovich 1:52.635.

    MRF 1600, Round 1, Dubai, Free Practice 1: Ananth Shanmugam 2:07.358; Anindith Reddy 2: 07.427; Arya Singh 2: 11.055; Chetan Korada 2: 11.078; Anshul Shah 2:11.983.

    FP2: Ananth Shanmugam 2: 06.440; Anindith Reddy 2: 07.080; Arya Singh 2: 08.131; Chetan Korada 2: 08.146; Anshul Shah 2: 08.730.

    MRF Challenge 2016 Calendar:

    Round 1: November 17-19, 2016, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (WEC Support Race)

    Round 2: December 7-9, 2016, Dubai, Dubai Autodrome

    Round 3: January 27-29, 2016, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit

    Round 4: February 17-19, 2016, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Track

     

    eom/david

    Mick Schumacher sets the fastest time in FP2 on Friday at BIC. Image courtesy MRF
  • Newey, Schumacher look to bounce back at BIC

    Newey, Schumacher look to bounce back at BIC

    File photo of MRF Challenge races courtesy MRF.

    Greater Noida, 25 Jan 2017: Round 3 of the MRF Challenge 2016 is back as the F2000 cars head back to the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) after a break of three years and the Australian driver Joey Mawson leads the championship after strong contender Harrison Newey and Mick Schumacher failed to finish in the last round at Dubai. MRF 1600 and Volkswagen Vento Cup will also be held on the week-end.

    Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, said: “BIC has always provided some great racing and we are thrilled to be back. The F2000 has made leaps and bounds since we last visited here and we are confident that fans will witness the fastest cars racing on this circuit since the F1 cars back in 2013. This weekend will also be a great learning for the young Indian drivers participating in the MRF 1600 Championship as they get a front row seat on how international drivers prepare for a race weekend and constantly improve as each session goes on.”

    Mawson currently has 141 points with Newey on 113 points. Brazilian driver Felipe Drugovich is in 3rd place on 105 points after a strong showing in the last Round in Dubai. Schumacher headed into the last Round in the lead of the championship but a double DNF seriously dented his title hopes, as he now finds himself 39 points behind the leader.

    This weekend will once again see the leading young drivers from across the globe competing against each other. 2015 Italian F4 Champion and F3 race winner Ralf Aron returns this weekend along with Japanese F3 Champion (National Class) Yoshiaki Katayama and Manuel Maldonado, cousin of former F1 race winner Pastor Maldonado.

    In its fifth year, the MRF Challenge will feature MRF Formula 2000 race cars, which have been made in India by Coimbatore based JA Motorsport. The Formula 3 style car has been built by JA Motorsport in technical collaboration with Dallara, and is considered to be the fastest of its kind in Asia. The new car is powered by a 2 litre Mountune Duratec engine with max power of 230 bhp and shod on MRF Z.L.O. tyres. The car will also feature advanced aerodynamics with underbody diffuser and a Hewland 6-speed sequential gearbox.

    Joining the MRF Challenge 2016 cars this weekend will be the MRF 1600 series. This will be the first round for the MRF 1600 championship and will feature 12 drivers on the grid. Leading the charge will be former Volkswagen Vento Cup winner Anindith Reddy, who will return for the second year. He will be joined by 2016 Volkswagen Vento Cup Champion Ishaan Dodhiwala, and young guns Nayan Chaterjee and Ananth Shanmugam.

    Free Practice 1&2 will take place on Friday, January 27. Qualifying and Races 1&2 will take place on Saturday, January 28, with Races 3&4 taking place on Sunday, January 29.

    MRF Challenge 2016 Calendar: Round 1: November 17-19, 2016, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (WEC Support Race); Round 2: December 7-9, 2016, Dubai, Dubai Autodrome; Round 3: January 27-29, 2016, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit; Round 4: February 17-19, 2016, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Track.

    eom/david/Murali press release

  • FIA welcomes Liberty Media

    Paris, 24 Jan 2017: In a statement released on Tuesday, FIA, said: “The world governing body of motor sport, the FIA wishes to thank the outgoing CEO of the Formula One Group, Bernie Ecclestone for more than 40 years of dedication to the FIA Formula One World Championship and as a member of both the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council.The FIA was responsible for creating Formula One when it established the first regulations for the category in 1946.”

    The Federation remains committed to regulating the FIA Formula One World Championship fairly, safely, and in the best interests of the sport – as it has strived to do since its inception 67 years ago.

    The FIA President, Jean Todt, congratulated the new owners of the Formula One Group, Liberty Media Corporation.

    “As Formula One’s governing body, the FIA would like to welcome the new CEO, Chase Carey and his entire team to the Championship.

    “The whole FIA organisation is looking forward to working closely together, with the common goal of improving and growing the sport further with the support of the highly recognised skills of Liberty Media Corporation in the media and sport domains.”

    eom