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Author: David Bodapati
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Arjun Rao Aroor wins in style to clinch 1600 INRC title
Chikmagalur, 21 Dec 2013: Dark horse Arjun Rao Aroor and co-driver Satish Rajagopal won the INRC 2013 season finale winning the Coffee Day Rally to clinch the championship in the 1600cc class. It was day to celebrate for Volkswagen, as Polo R2 rally cars dominated the overall class and the 1600 category. The fifth and final round of the Indian National Rally Championship ended here on Sunday in the rally stages at the coffee estates.
Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik have already sealed teh 2013 championship in the last round at K1000 in Bengaluru.
Sirish Chandran and Hrishikesh Thackersey, also driving Polo rally cars, came second and third to make a clean sweep in the INRC 1600 category for Volkswagen-powered cars. Rohan Pawar, also driving Volkswagen Polo, won the Junior INRC category (JINRC).
Arjun also won the 1600 category brushing aside the challenge from Vikram Devadasan and also topped overall in this round. Sirish Chandran also finished second in 1600 and came overall third.
With this victory, Arjun clinched the 2013 INRC 1600cc title. Hrishikesh Thackersey followed Sirish in INRC 1600 on the podium in third spot. While Sirish was the first reason for Slideways Industries to celebrate, Rohan Pawar won in the Junior INRC category to give the Volkswagen customer team a second reason to celebrate.
Karamjit Singh, driving Volkswagen Motorsport India developed, Polo R2, was the fastest till SS9 and was leading overall. However, a mechanical failure forced him and co-driver Jagdev Singh to opt for a retirement on SS10. Their car broke down and stood across the route forcing the organizers to cancel the SS10. Results till SS9 were taken as the final results.
Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, said: “Volkswagen cars cruised to victories with Arjun Rao showing top notch performance and clinching a win overall while Rohan won the JINRC. Sirish made a mark by finishing second in 1600 and third overall. We are extremely delighted with our Customer Sport competitors’ performance and we hope to go even bigger the next season. I would like to specially congratulate Arjun on winning the title in a Polo rally car.”
Earlier, the Coffee Day Rally saw a visit by FIA Observer Nanthan from Malaysia and Murray Brown from New Zealand who examined the logistics. The Chikmagalur Rally is under scrutiny as a candidate and would host a round for 2014 Asia Pacific Rally Championship, if all goes well.
Earlier on Dec 19, Venkatesh, Director, Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts said that the Coffee Day Rally has become a tradition and people from all over the country visit to watch the rally cars in action. “This year, Coffee Day Rally, for the first time, will run in four Coffee Day estates spread over 2,500 acres. This year more than 7,000 spectators are expected,” he added.
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Esteban Gutiérrez completes Sauber line-up for 2014; Sergey Sirotkin is test driver
Hinwil, 21 Dec 2013: The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce that Esteban Gutiérrez will stay on for the 2014 season, completing the driver line-up together with Adrian Sutil.
The Mexican first tested with the team at Jerez in late 2009. The following year the talented youngster was signed as ‘affiliated driver’, and 2013 saw him in his debut season as a Formula One driver finishing 16th as the best rookie in the drivers’ championship.
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal:
“We are pleased Esteban will drive for us in 2014, because we believe he is a talented young racing driver. Last season he experienced first hand how hard it can be for a rookie to step into Formula One. Nevertheless, throughout the season he improved significantly in qualifying as well as in the races and finished the year as the best rookie in the drivers’ championship. Often the results didn’t fully reflect his performances. I am confident Esteban will be able to use his experiences to gain results, and this will be helped by the fact he is very well acquainted with every member of the race team.”
Esteban Gutiérrez:
“I am happy to be able to continue as a driver for the Sauber F1 Team. It was a steep learning curve last season, but by working closely with the team I was able to improve continuously. It will be my fourth year with the team, the second as a racing driver, and I feel comfortable in taking the next step. The technical challenges in 2014 will be massive. Therefore it will be even more important to know well the people you are working with. I will do my very best to improve even more and support the team the best way I can.”Sergey Sirotkin becomes test driver for the Sauber F1 Team
The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce Sergey Sirotkin as its test driver for the 2014 season.
Sergey joined the team in August 2013 and has been gaining more and more insight into Formula One since then. He has spent several days at the factory in Hinwil and has been working with the engineers. In late September he drove a demo-run at the new track in Sochi, which will host the Russian Grand Prix in 2014. In October he tested a 2009 Ferrari at Fiorano. The Sauber F1 Team’s aim is to prepare Sergey for his debut in Formula One.
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal:
“We have been working with Sergey since August, and he has been able to gain more and more insight into Formula One. Now he is taking the next step towards the top level of motorsport in his new role as a test driver. Our experience of him is as a very focused, calm and talented driver. Now we will continue to support him, including obtaining his super license. Our goal remains to prepare him for a debut in Formula One.”
Sergey Sirotkin:
“It’s a big chance for me to become the test driver for the Sauber F1 Team. I will work hard to improve myself and to extract the maximum out of this opportunity. Formula One is very complex, so it is important to get an opportunity like this. My main focus next year, however, will be the World Series by Renault, which is very competitive. This will give me the chance to prepare even better in order to be ready for the next big step.” -
Akash Dingare wins title in Yamaha one-make Championship
Chennai, 15 Dec 2013: Despite finishing second Akash Dingare was crowned champion in the Yamaha One-Make championship of the Indian National Motorcycle Championship at Irrungattukottai, near here, on Sunday where India’s leading motorcycle riders were in action in 10 races at the final round of the 2013 season.
In the YZF R15 Novice category of Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship, it was a battle between Mizoram rider Lal Rindika and Akash Dingare for the third time this week. Lal Rindika managed to hold off Dingare by three tenths of a second for the win but Dingare did enough to be crowned champion.
Race 2 of the day saw Sumit Lucas Toppo continue his perfect weekend after taking yet another win in CBR 150cc open category in the Honda MMSC One Make Championship. He was followed home by Vivek Mani in second place with Ananth Raj finishing in third place.
In the Group D 165cc Novice class, Balaji U took his first win when Akash Dingare was excluded from the final result. Naresh Babu finished in second place with A Muralidharan finishing in third place.
K Rajni reigned supreme once again in the 165CC Group C category after a race long battle with A Prabhu. It was a three-way battle for third place with K Jagan beating Deepak R and Dinesh Kumar to take the final step on the podium.
The TVS MMSC One Make Championship with the TVS Apache RTR 180 Novice was up next. Lal Rindika won his 5th consecutive race ahead of S Kannan. Amit Richard took yet another podium as he finished in third place.
K Rajni took his second win of the day when he won the Honda MMSC One Make Championship race with the CBR 250cc bikes. Champion Sarath Kumar was forced to retire from the lead after two laps. Dinesh Kumar finished in second place with A Prabhu in third.
KY Ahamed took the top step of the podium once again with a win in theGroup D 130cc Novice category. After a race long battle with S Kannan, Ahamed held on to the lead to win by a close margin. C Akash finished in a lonely third place.
The Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship in YZF R15 Open categoryprovided the most entertaining race of the day with the top three riders finishing within half a second of each other. In a thrilling finish Ananth Raj beat M Sudhakar by three thousands of a second to win the race. Third place finisher Arun Muthukrishnan fought them all the way, finishing just behind the leaders.
In the Honda CBF Stunner Novice category, Meka Vidhuraj won convincingly ahead of Akash Dingare. Mithun Kumar finished in a distant third position after fighting for the lead in the opening laps.
The Apache RTR 180 open category, which is part of the TVS MMSC One Make Championship, was a tight race with SK Prakash winning. The battle behind him was extremely close with 5 riders finishing within 1 second of each other. Ananth Raj and Vivek Mani were side-by-side as they crossed the line in second and third place. Vivek Mani took third in the final race of the season.
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Akash Dingare inches closer to title at Motorcycle Nationals
Chennai, 13 Dec 2013: The final round of the Indian National Motorcycle Championship got underway at the MMRT with India’s leading motorcycle rider’s in action. A total of 13 races took place with many action packed races. 10 riders from Nepal also took place in the one make championships with leading 2-wheeler manufacturers Honda, Yamaha and TVS Racing.
In the YZF R15 Novice category of the Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship. Akash Dingare inched a step closer to the title with a win over Lal Rindika. Championship contender A Muralidharan, who trailed by a point as they headed into the final round had to retire after 4 laps. Shreyas Shankar came third.
Race 2 of the day saw Sumit Lucas Toppo take the title with a close fought win in the CBR 150cc open category in the Honda MMSC One Make Championship. With the top separated by less than one second it was a thrilling race that saw many lead changes. Toppo managed to hold on in the end beating Ananth Raj and Arvind Ganesh. In the Group D 130cc Novice category, C Akash won ahead of KY Ahamed and S Kannan.
K Rajni and Deepak R had a terrific battle in the 165CC Group C category with the former just edging ahead. Both riders started well and were side-by-side for most of the race but Rajni managed to pull ahead on the final lap. K Jagan had to settle for third place after holding off Dinesh Kumar.
The TVS MMSC One Make Championship with the TVS Apache RTR 180 Novice was up next. Lal Rindika continued his excellent run with a 4th consecutive win that puts him in with a chance for the title as well. Championship leader KY Ahamed came in second but has his lead cut to 4 points. Pole sitter Amit Richard came in third place.
In the Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship in YZF R15 Open category, Mathana Kumar continued his fine run of form to close in on Championship leader Shyam Shankar with a dominating win. The battle for second was extremely close with Shyam Shankar, Ananth Raj and Abhishek all finishing within a second off each other.
In the Honda CBF Stunner Novice category, Amit Richard took his first win of the year after holding off Akash Dingare for the win. Mithun Kumar took the final step of the podium. Championship leader Meka Vidhuraj got a penalty and finished in 4th place.
In the Group D 165cc Novice class, Akash Dingare comfortably won ahead of Championship leader Meka Vidhuraj. GA Sunil took his first ever podium finish, albeit 20 seconds off the winner.
Race 9 of the day was the Honda MMSC One Make Championship with the CBR 250cc bikes. Sarath Kumar beat rival K Rajni in convincing fashion. Dinesh Kumar held off A Prabhu to finish third in a closely contested race.
In the Apache RTR 180 open category, which is part of the TVS MMSC One Make Championship, Mathana Kumar won a tight race ahead of Arvind Ganesh and Ananth Raj. For most of the race the top 4 riders were covered by less than a second.
The second YZF R15 Novice race in the Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship took place next with Mizoram rider Lal Rindika beating Akash Dingare by less than three tenths of a second at the finish line. Both riders swapped places many times before Rindika finished ahead. Amit Richard finished a distant third.
The penultimate race of the day saw Sumit Lucas Toppo winning yet again in the CBR 150cc open category in the Honda MMSC One Make Championship. Arun Muthukrishnan finished in second place ahead of D Dinesh.
The final race of the day saw KY Ahamed take the win in the Group D 130cc Novice category. After a race long battle with S Kannan, Ahamed took the lead on the last lap and held on for the win. E Saravanan secured third spot.
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Sauber F1 Team announces Adrian Sutil as its driver for 2014
Hinwil, 13 Dec 2013: The Sauber F1 Team is pleased to announce Adrian Sutil as one of its drivers in 2014. The German will embark on his seventh season in Formula One with the Swiss outfit, said a Press Release here on Friday.
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal:
“We are pleased, that we were able to sign Adrian, particularly as we have been wanting to work together with him for a while. Adrian had already visited the factory at the end of September to have a look at the infrastructure. Adrian is not only very fast, but also brings a lot of experience, which is very important looking at the new regulations for next year. We welcome Adrian to the Sauber F1 Team and look forward to a successful collaboration.”
Adrian Sutil:
“I am very happy that we found common ground. Although I have known for a while where I wanted to go, in the end the negotiations took a bit longer than planned. However, now I will have all the more reason to celebrate during the Christmas season. I’ve been in contact with Monisha for a while and she always gave me the feeling my qualities are valued. After six good years driving for Force India, with a lot of highlights, it’s now time to embark on a new challenge. I am determined to do my part in order to have a successful future together with the Sauber F1 Team. The long and successful tradition in motorsport, combined with an impressive factory and one of the best wind tunnels in F1, have been fascinating me for a long time. Thank you to Peter Sauber and Monisha Kaltenborn for your trust in me.”The second driver for the 2014 season will be announced at a later date.
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Final round of Motorcycle Nationals in Chennai from Saturday
Chennai, 13 Dec 2013: The Madras Motor Race Trust will play host for the final round of the Indian National Motorcycle Championship from Saturday under the aegis of Federation of Motorsports Clubs in India.
According to a press release here on Friday, a total of 26 races are expected to take place with leading 2-wheeler manufacturers Honda, Yamaha and TVS Racing taking part. The promoters, MMSC, also confirmed that 10 riders from Nepal will take part in this weekend’s races.
In the Group D 165cc Novice class, Meka Vidhuraj leads the championship with 155 points. A Muralidharan and S Sahay are in second and third places respectively with 123 and 121 points each. All three riders won a race each in the last round.
In the Group D 130cc Novice category, KY Ahamed Is leading the championship with 158 points, with M Sethu Babu in second place with 107 points and R Venkatraman in third place with 83 points.
K Jagan was crowned champion in the 165CC Group C category in the last round after winning 5 out of the 8 races so far. Behind him the battle for second place is close with S Vivek Pillai and Sumit Lucas Toppo both tied on 94 points.
In the Honda CBF Stunner Novice category, championship favourite Meka Vidhuraj will have to work hard to ensure he takes the title with a 28 point lead. After winning the first five races on the trot Vidhuraj has struggled the last couple of races allowing R Venkataraman to close in with all to play for in the final round. Akash Dingare is in third place with 91 points.
Sumit Lucas Toppo is in sight of the Honda One Make Championship in the CBR 150cc open category. He has a 57 point lead over R Ramesh Kumar with 75 points still available.Ananth Raj lies in third place with 79 points.
The Honda One Make Championship with their CBR 250cc bikes sees former Moto3 rider Sarath Kumar in a comfortable lead over Rajni Krishnan. Rajni missed the last round as he was racing internationally. This has given Sarath a 39 point lead with two races remaining. Sumit Lucas Toppo is 3 points behind Rajni and will be looking to challenge India’s top two riders this weekend.
The Yamaha One Make Championship with the YZF R15 Novice category has Akash Dingare and Muralidharan fighting for the championship with 1 point separating the two. Mizoram rider Lal Rindika is in third place, albeit a further 24 points away.
In the Yamaha One Make Championship in YZF R15 Open category, early favourite Shyam Shankar continues to hold on to the lead after struggling in the last round. Mathana Kumar is in second place 9 points off the leader with M Sudhakar and P Ananth Raj fighting for third place in the championship.
The TVS One Make Championship with the third TVS Apache RTR 180 Novice will see a three-way battle for the title. KY Ahamed is leading the championship on 127 points with S Sahay on 116 points and Lal Rindika on 115 points. Lal Rindika stormed back into contention after winning all three races in the last round.
In the Apache RTR 180 open category, which is part of the TVS MMSC One Make Championship, Ananth Raj is in the lead with 147 points. S Prakash is second with 118 points followed by Mathana Kumar on 100 points.
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Sergio Perez joins Hulkenberg at Sahara Force India with multi-year deal
Silverstone, 12 Dec 2013: Sahara Force India is delighted to announce the signing of Sergio Perez as race driver for the team in 2014 and beyond, said a Sahara Force India press release here today.
The 23-year-old Mexican completes Sahara Force India’s 2014 line-up alongside Nico Hulkenberg and helps create one of the most exciting pairings on the grid.Team Principal Vijay Mallya, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Sergio to the team. He brings a healthy mix of youth and experience, and I’ve been very impressed with his recent performances. He already has several podium finishes to his name and being chosen by McLaren last year was a clear indication that he is a driver to watch for the future. We also recognise Sergio’s incredible talent and we are proud to have him in our team. He clearly has great speed and plenty of fire in his belly. Our job is to make sure he settles in quickly by creating the right atmosphere so that he can realise his potential. By pairing Sergio alongside Nico, we enter the new season with an extremely competitive line-up, which will go toward helping us achieve our goals for the new season.”After signing the deal Sergio Perez commented: “It’s great to announce my new team as Sahara Force India. Coming here was always my first choice and I’m really happy everything has now been confirmed. I want to say thank you to Vijay and the whole team for giving me the opportunity. This is a young team with a lot of determination and they’ve produced competitive cars for the last few years. It’s all change for next season with the new regulations, but I already have a good feeling about 2014. My plan now is to visit the factory and get to know everyone in the team.”eom
Peez (left) with Team Principal Vijay Mallya after the announcement. A Sahara Force India photo -
Chidanand-Sujith win pro-stock class; Moorthy-Nagarajan top expert class
Bangalore, 9 Dec 2013: MD Ganesh Moorthy along with navigator T Nagarajan drove a well-judged rally to take the top honours in the Pro-Expert class while Chidanand-Sujith pair won the stock category of the IMG TSD Rally, the 4th round of the Indian National TSD Rally Championship, organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) which was run along with the The Naveen Kanth Memorial Green Run here on Sunday. Babno Machaiah and Raja G Natarajan pair came second while championship leaders Karthick Maruthi and Sankar Anand finished third.
Ganesh, thus bulldozed himself to the second place bridging the gap in the Drivers’ championship standings to two points. Karthick Maruthi who came third is leading the table with 70 points while Ganesh now has 68 points. Babno Machaiah, who came second today is in third place with 61 points.
In the Pro-Stock class, favourites Chidananda Murthy and veteran navigator Sujith Kumar BS won with a huge margin in a Tata Indica to take a lead in the championship while Alfred Rayamond and Sugumaran came second in their Santro while Gopalakrishnan and Prakash steered their Esteem to a third place finish.
Amarnath GJ who was leading the Drivers’ championship before this legs with 40 points finished a poor seventh and is now pipped to second on the table. The 5th and final round will be held at Coimbatore on Dec 22.
Veteran rider, who took to cars in the recent years, switched to bikes once again and along with Jeevarathinam won the Naveen Memorial Green Run. In the cars section, Phalguna and Sekhar won the Pro-Expert class while Madhu Chandra and Kumar M topped the pro-Stock class.
Results (unaudited):
Pro-Expert class: 1. MD Ganesh Moorthy/ T Nagarajan (Mahindra Bolero) 00:50 seconds; 2. Babno Machaiah C/ Raja G Natarajan (Maruti Esteem) 00: 57; 3. KP Karthick Maruthi/ S Sankar Anand (Mahindra Scorpio) 01: 05.
Pro-Stock class: 1. Chidananda Murthy/ Sujith Kumar BS (Tata Indica) 01: 10; 2. Alfred Rayamond/ Suguraman (Hyundai Santro) 01:43; 3. S Gopalakrishnan/ M Prakash (Maruti Esteem) 02:06.
Naveen Memorial Green Run (Bikes): 1. V Venu Ramesh Kumar/ Jeevarathinam (Suzuki Fiero) 05:40; 2. Jathin Akash Kumar/ Arjun SSB (Honda Unicorn) 07:41; 3. Suresh Babu Vidivala/ Veer Kumar (Yamaha RX 135) 13:20.
Naveen Memorial Green Run (Cars – Pro Expert): 1. Phalguna/ Sekhar V (VW Polo) 01:48; 2. Shivam Garg/ Velmurgan (Maruti Alto) 03:45; 3. Manjunath BB/ Yohan Robin Kumar (Maruti Swift) 19:07.
Naveen Memorial Green Run (Cars – Pro Stock): 1. Madhu Chandra/ Kumar M (Maruti Baleno) 07:28; 2. Sai Prasad/ Ganesh (Maruti Baleno) 33:22; 3. Raveendra/ Abarijathan (Maruti SX4) 38:52.
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Sujith Kumar (red shirt) and Chidanand (right) who won the Pro Stock class in the IMG Rally on Sunday. Photo courtesy Sujith. -
Winners of last race in Abu Dhabi will get double points in 2014: FIA
Paris, 9 Dec 2013: Following a meeting of the F1 Strategy Group and the Formula One Commission in Paris today, the following items have been unanimously approved:
• Cost cap
The principle of a global cost cap has been adopted. The limit will be applied from January 2015.
A working group will be established within the coming days comprising the FIA, representatives of the Commercial Rights Holder and Team representatives.
The objective of the working group will be to have regulations approved by the end of June 2014.
• Pirelli Tyre test – Bahrain, 17-19 December, 2013
The F1 Commission agreed to a change to the 2013 Sporting Regulations, on safety grounds, allowing the Formula One tyre supplier to carry out a three-day test in Bahrain from 17-19 December, 2013. All Formula One teams have been invited to take part in the test and six have accepted: Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Force India and Toro Rosso.
• Driver numbers
Drivers will be asked to choose their race number, between 2 and 99, for the duration of their career in the FIA Formula One World Championship. Number 1 will be reserved for the current World Champion, should he choose to use it.
If more than one driver choses the same number, priority will be given to the driver who finished highest in the previous year’s championship.
• New penalties
The principle of a five-second penalty for minor infringements was agreed. In what form such a penalty will be applied will be discussed with Formula One’s teams in order that a new regulation be introduced for 2014 season.
• Points for the last race
Double drivers’ and constructors’ points will be awarded at the final race of the Formula One season in order to maximise focus on the Championship until the end of the campaign.
These changes are immediately applicable, given the mandate assigned to the FIA President at the last World Motor Sport Council meeting, held on 4 December in Paris.
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FIA recognises FMSCI as sole representative in India
Chennai, 7 Dec 2013: The FIA (Federation International Automobile) General Assembly and FIA Prize Giving Gala took place in Paris, France this week with India featured prominently at the event. The FIA General Assembly announced that it has removed the MAI (Motorsport Association of India) from any membership and association with the FIA and consequently removed from its rolls. This was just passed unanimously on the floor based on a recommendation by the World Motor Sport Council. This makes the FMSCI, governing body of Motorsports in India, the sole approved representative for the FIA in India.
In other news FMSCI Chairman Dr. Vijay Mallya, who became the first ever Indian to sit on the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), we re-elected after he was personally handpicked by FIA President Jean Todt. 14 members were elected out of a total of 24 who stood for the elections.
The annual FIA Prize-Giving Gala took place last night and the winners and champions from around the world were honoured including Formula One Champion Sebastian Vettel, World Rally Champion (WRC) Sebastian Ogier, World Karting Champion Max Verstappen, and India’s very Gaurav Gill, the 2013 Asia Pacific Rally Championship, along with many others. Global Manufacturer’s including Volkswagen Motorsport (WRC), Audi AG (World Endurance Champion), Honda (World Touring Car Champion) were also honoured.
FMSCI President Vicky Chandhok, who was present in Paris, commented, “This is a great week for Indian motorsport. Every year we are getting a bigger with regard to our involvement with the FIA. Being recognized as the only representative in India by the FIA has been long time coming and we are thrilled with the decision. Dr. Vijay Mallya being re-elected to the WMSC is proof of India being recognized as an important voice in the world of motorsports. And finally to see Gaurav Gill with the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Sebastian Ogier, Allen McNish being honoured together is a great sight for Indian motorsport.”
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L to R Vicky Chandhok, Gaurav Gill, Jean Todt at the FIA gala in Paris on Friday. An FIA/Adrenna photo
