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Author: David Bodapati
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Arjun Maini starts with a podium in Gold Cup
By Darshan Chokhani
Imola, 5 April 2022: Arjun Maini started his 2022 GT World Challenge Europe series’ Endurance Cup campaign for Haupt Racing Team alongside teammates Hubert Haupt and Florian Scholze. The first round in Imola was held last weekend, withthe Indian racing in the Gold Cup class where the trio are driving the #5 Mercedes-AMG GT3 machine.
In a large field of 52 cars competing in the Endurance Cup championship, Maini and co, kick-started their week-end finishing 22nd and 46th overall in the two practice sessions which put them third and 10th respectively, in the Gold Cup category.
Moving on to Qualifying, each driver had 15 minutes time in Q1, Q2 and Q3. The final race start position is then calculated on the basis of the average of their best times. The Q1 session saw them finish 41st overall and ninth in category, whereas in Q2 they were 31st overall and sixth.
Finally in Q3, they ended up 18th overall and fifth in category. The average of the three sessions’ times saw them finish 32nd overall and seventh in their category for the first race. The Sunday’s three hour race saw a steady start from the HRT outfit to be 30th overall in the first half hour.
They stayed away from the melee and crucially jumped to fourth in the Gold Cup class. Even though they dropped by two places overall in the next one hour, they managed to claw back in the next hour to enter the last half hour in 22nd overall with Maini driving.
All this while, the trio kept their nose clean as Maini was involved in a close fight for the final place in the Gold Cup class podium. Despite losing a place in the overall rankings to be 23rd, the team eventually ended up third in the Gold Cup category to secure a podium finish to open the 2022 season.
“I think overall it was a good weekend for us, with strong points” said Maini. “In qualifying, we had traffic and so we couldn’t optimise it, so I am glad we made it up in the race. But still, as a team we want more and we worked really hard towards it. So, yeah, we can definitely be championship contenders and onward to Paul Ricard where we can fight for the win. I am looking forward to it after a great start to the season.”
With only the first round in the books, therefore Haupt Racing Team sits third in the Gold Cup category’s teams’ standings with 15 points. Likewise, the trio of Maini, Haupt and Scholze are third in the drivers’ standings. The next Endurance Cup event will be held in Paul Ricard on June 3-5 weekend, but before that Maini will be in action in DTM with HRT on April 28-30 weekend.
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Aleix Espargaro takes pole in his 200th start: MotoGP
Termas de Rio (Argentina), 2 April 2022: Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) is the toast of Noale as the number 41 made history for Aprilia at the Gran Premio Michelin® de la República Argentina, taking the factory’s first pole position in the MotoGP™ era thanks to a 1:37.688. It’s the Spaniard’s first pole position since the 2015 Catalan GP and third overall, each of which has been taken on a different motorcycle, which creates another first in the MotoGP™ era. Add to that, Sunday marks the number 41’s 200th premier class start.
Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) will started second and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) third, with plenty of shake ups on super Saturday at Termas de Rio Hondo.
Q1
Some of those shake ups were clear from the roll call in Q1, including Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and winner last time out, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Ultimately it was a Honda 1-2 moving through, with Pol Espargaro fastest from Nakagami and plenty looking for a Sunday comeback. There is, however, a much longer Warm Up to work with…
Q2
Q2 then burst into life, at east for 10 of the 12 riders as Pol Espargaro sat patiently in his box, and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) encountered an issue when trying to fire up his number one GSX-RR. There was frantic action inside the box to swap the tyres onto his second bike, but thankfully, Mir didn’t lose too much time.Martin went P1 early doors. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) grabbed P2 before the Australian tucked the front at Turn 1, rider ok, but it meant the yellow flags were out. Next up Aleix Espargaro went 0.3s clear at the summit to lay down a real gauntlet in Q2, with Quartararo P3 at the end of the first efforts behind Martin. Miller was P4, Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) P5 and Marini P6, before Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) pounced up to provisional P5.
So could anyone bridge the 0.3s gap for Aleix Espargaro in the final five minutes? Quartararo was certainly trying but came across Miller, who was on an out-lap, at Turn 7. That lap was then gone for a frustrated reigning World Champion, but there was movement elsewhere as Martin pulled out a beauty to go provisional pole.
Aleix Espargaro wasn’t done yet, however. The Aprilia rider was 0.2s under at the third split, and kept the red sectors rolling to the line for a momentous first pole position for Aprilia in the MotoGP™ era, beating Martin by over a tenth. Marini snuck onto the front row late on, Pol Espargaro made gains and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) adds a little more history for Noale in fifth.
The Grid
Aprilia head the grid for the first time ever, ahead of Martin on the hunt for his first points of the year and Marini enjoying an impressive second premier class start.Pol Espargaro impressed with P4 after coming through Q1, and the Spaniard edged out compatriot Maverick Viñales by less than a tenth – so that’s P5 for Top Gun and his best qualifying result in Aprilia Racing colours. It’s also the first time with two Aprilias in the top five on the premier class grid.
Quartararo cut a slightly frustrated figure at the end of qualifying, and the Frenchman will start from P6, locking out the second row. Still, as MotoGP™ returns to Termas for the first time since 2019, it’s his best at the venue – and 22 places higher than one of the toughest weekends of his career in Moto2™ before that…
Rins and Mir go two-by-two for Suzuki on Saturday, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) completing the third row of the grid. Nakagami rounds out the top ten as he returns to the fold, although the Japanese rider didn’t technically miss any track action after his delayed arrival to Argentina..
Miller wasn’t able to improve on his best time after his Turn 1 tumble, and the Australian finished P11. To add a little insult to timesheet injury however, for riding slowly on the racing line and disturbing Quartararo’s lap, the Australian has also been handed a three-place grid penalty.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was made to rue a mistake at Turn 7 that cost him a lap that was set to take him onto – at least – the front two rows, and the South African had to settle for P12 that becomes P11 after Miller’s penalty.
Behind them await the likes of Bastianini and Bagnaia, with plenty to race for on Sunday. The extended Warm Up gives the premier class another 40 minutes of track time, but then it’s time to go racing as the lights go out at 15:00 (GMT -3) at the Argentinean GP. Don’t miss it!
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F is for Fan Zone Friday: MotoGP fans meet the riders in Argentina
As we wait for action to begin on track, there was plenty happening off-track ahead of super Saturday
2 April 2022: There may have been schedule changes at the Gran Premio Michelin de la Republica Argentina, but there was no stopping the off-track action on Friday. One of the headline acts was the Fan Zone, located just down from the paddock, with the stage there welcoming the majority of the MotoGP grid to greet the crowd… and was there a crowd!
The action began with an acrobatic air show before the first riders headed for the stage, with Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) up first. Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) was then joined on stage by rookie teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio before fans headed for the pit lane walk.
In the afternoon, 2021 Champion Fabio Quartararo and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Franco Morbidelli got the action rolling again, followed by Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia. 2020 Champion Joan Mir and Team Suzuki Ecstar teammate Alex Rins headed out at 14:30, before Tech3 duo Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, and Pramac’s Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin.
The star-studded party continued with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira, before impressive Moto3™ rookie Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) repped for South America and headed out to say hi to the legions of Brazilian fans who’ve crossed the border to come to Termas. Factory Aprilia duo Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro were next up, before Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi closed the show in style – on stage at least, with more aero fun and another free style show keeping fans entertained afterwards, too.
Riders get to swing in with a round of golf…
A veritable gaggle of riders headed for Termas de Rio Hondo golf club for a round on Friday, joined by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. Reigning Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) headed out, with marked improvements made to his game since his last high profile shot at it in Assen, along with Championship leader Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio, Pecco Bagnaia, his Ducati Lenovo teammate Jack Miller, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) and Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing). Who won? We’re not actually sure, but Sam Lowes would be the betting person’s guess…
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Ajgar Ali and Md Musthafa new TSD National champs: JK Tyre INRRC
Darjeeling, 28 March 2022: Sk Ajgar Ali and navigator Md Musthafa were crowned the National champions winning the TSD Rally Championship which made a grand entry in its new avatar as JK Tyre Indian National Regulatory Run Championship (INRRC) 2021. The delayed 2021 Championship which is truly a National event that criss-crossed the country with 17 venues holding the regional rounds, the three-day grand finale produced vintage stuff that was organised by JustSportz MPL to get going the TSD Nationals, that is the gateway to bigger motorsports events for any speed enthusiast.
The duo of Sk Aniruddha and Raj Kumar Mundra finished second, while the driver-navigator team of Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta came third in the Nationals.
The INRRC Ladies Cup was lifted by the Pune team of Sheena Sabharwal (driver) and Trupti Gupta (navigator) while the Gurgaon-Mumbai team of Jasmeet Kaur and Jyothi Iyengar came second. The third position in this category went to the mother-daughter pair of Nilasha and Ipsita Das from Kolkata.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Sukhna-headquartered 33 Corps, Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich and his wife Saswati Aich, 123 Mountain Brigade Commander Vikas Batra and his wife Pallavi Batra, former Darjeeling MLA Amar Singh Rai, Darjeeling Municipality chairman Ritesh Portel and JK’s Head of Training Ajoy Shah gave away the prizes.
Apart from the three winners of the JK INRRC 2021, trophies were also awarded to three winners of the INRRC Adventure category, Himalayan Drive 8 Ladies Cup and the winners of the six zonal qualifying rounds.
The first prize in the INRRC Adventure category was bagged by Jit Mitra and K Dinky Varghese while the second prize went to the team of Abhijit Singh and navigator Ibrahim Ali Shaikh. The third position was bagged by Nishan Choudhury and co-driver Chandrasish Roy.
JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 8 (HD8), which was the Grand Finale of INRRC 2021 started from Siliguri on March 24 and culminated in Darjeeling in the evening of March 26. A total of 24 teams, including seven all-ladies team, took part in this event.
Several big names in this format of motorsports locked horns in the bid for the coveted crown. The 24 teams had reached the finals after going through gruelling qualifying rounds at the six zonal levels in Northeast, East, North, West, Central and South India.
The competitors had to navigate through some very tough terrains, including dirt tracks, river beds and hilly terrain. The river beds on the first two legs of the rally proved to be especially challenging with many vehicles getting bogged down in the sand, gravel and rocks leading to seeking assistance of the recovery team to be pulled out.
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Advait Deodhar to join new Italian team: EuroNASCAR2
London, 1 April 2022: With a new season of racing just around the corner, Advait Deodhar will join the Italian team- NOT ONLY MOTORSPORT in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship driving the #90 Chevrolet Camaro.
The Indian has one aim and that’s to go for the EuroNASCAR 2 title.Deodhar made his way into EuroNASCAR 2 through the regularity based Club Challenge and made his competitive racing breakthrough at Brands Hatch in the 2021 season. The 32-year-old from Mumbai (based in London) scored his maiden NASCAR win to become the first Indian to park his car in Victory Lane in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
File photo of Advait Deodhar who brought first laurels for India in a NASCAR Series with well-deserved win. 2022, the London-based Mumbaikar will be going all-out for the title. “I’m very happy to be back in EuroNASCAR. I have a lot of unfinished business from last year, unfortunately.” said Deodhar, who went through a difficult 2021. “It started off well but then I had a personal tragedy in my life and due to that, my head was not in the right space. I was expecting from the year to win the championship but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The plan was to step up to the next division this year, but I’ve got unfinished business in EuroNASCAR 2. I want to give it another shot and aim for the title and nothing less! I’m training very hard in the gym and with the simulator.
I’m moving to Not Only Motorsport for the season and am excited to see what this year has to offer. The team had a strong package in 2021, and the drivers always had a setup they were confident with.
The team is passionate and hungry to win and this is why I believe it’s the right move for me!”Not Only Motorsport is a relatively young team in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, having joined the Championship in 2020. However, team owner Luca Giovanelli is a successful race engineer who spent many years in the Ferrari GT division and has engineered 5 Le Mans class victories! In 2021, the Italian organization scored its maiden EuroNASCAR 2 win in Belgium in the #90 Chevrolet – the car Deodhar will take over in the 2022 season.
With all his experience, the Indian is poised to take Not Only Motorsport to the next level.
The 2022 NWES season will kick off on May 13-14 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.
All qualifying sessions and races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s social media profiles – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch – and on Motorsport.tv.Advait Deodhar will be gunning for NASCAR glory once again in 2022! NASCAR friend, Norbert Walchehofer no more
DF1 Racing announced today the passing of Norbert Walchhofer. The team’s Head of Motorsport died at the age of 69 and left a huge hole in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series family. Walchhofer left his wife Gudrun Strouhal, with whom he joined EuroNASCAR in 2014 with their DF1 Racing team, becoming a constant presence in the NWES paddock for the last 8 years.
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Karna Kadur wins APRC round on international debut; Nikhil Pai drives Polo magic again
Chennai, 27 March 2022: Gentle giant Karna Kadur, who brings back glorious memories of Team Kadur, along with experienced co-driver Nikhil Pai, a stalwart with ‘Tulips’ and ‘pace-notes’, made a scintillating debut in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and brought Arka Motorsports team a solid victory in the first round of the APRC Asia Cup 2022. The duo thus qualified for the APRC finals to be held in Australia later this year where the winners of other rounds will join to decide the APRC title. In 2016, the pair brought the first National title for Volkswagen in the annals of Indian National Rally Championship (INRC).
The Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) pulled off yet another miracle in bringing APRC to India, albeit in a new regional format of APRC Asia Cup. After a brief hiatus of two years (2020 & 2021) thanks to COVID, APRC made a comeback but in its regional avatar as Asia Cup and Pacific Cup, held separately in their own regions. All winners and ranked teams selected by ASNs from these regional events, will join the grand finale at Australia in November to vie for the APRC title. MMSC successfully completed the 44th South India Rally, a leg of the APRC (Asia Cup) and the third and final round of the delayed and depleted National championship, INRC.
Three-time APRC champion, Gaurav Gill, who came second here, has already registered for the APRC 2022 and will be taking part in a Japan rally for prep and will proceed to display his talent at the finale Down Under. As per the current rules, a penalty of 10 minutes plus the fastest stage time will be added to any car which did not finish a particular stage. However, Younus Ilyas of Race Concepts who did well till the fag end, may have lost a third place in APRC, for not having parked the car in Park Ferme on time.
Karna Kadur, who got the first overall National INRC Championship title for Volkswagen Polo, winning the coveted title in 2016 has a record of sorts winning many a National title in different classes. But the APRC round win, has its own charm. Ably partnered by Nikhil Pai, one of the senior-most of the current navigators, Polo tasted its first victory in the Indian shores in 2013 when Sirish Chandran won a round in INRC. Later, he also stood with Karna Kadur to fulfill a dream of winning their first overall National title (2016), also in a polo; and now the duo did it again bringing their first international win at home behind the steering wheel of a Polo. Gifted with a clarity in thought and clear vision, Pai, at 50, looks forward to another fruitful season. “With the 2022 season starting early, we have no time to rest. I am looking forward to a great year ahead,” said Pai.
Born in Bengaluru, 33 summers ago, Karna Kadur caught the eye of theIndian motorsports connoisseurs as he displayed immense talent and skill in his teens and twenties and continued his momentum but lack of sponsors meant that his potential is yet to fully blossom. He won the Rally Star Cup, a baby of MAI, in his debut in 2009 and went on to win many other National titles, with Group N victory in 2012 being another major haul. He not only won the Overall National title in 2016 but notched overall wins in 2017 and 2018, the year where he graduated to INRC2 and pocketed the National title on debut in the class.
In 2020, the duo were planning to break through into international circuit, but the pandemic, and lack of proper commitment from the sponsors halted their plans. It is a pity that such a talented pair had to slog and always fight with shoe-string budgets for lack of “backing and budget” as Karna put it. Nevertheless, the APRC participation and Asia Cup win will be a moment to cherish for some time, and hopefully bring-in some well-deserved sponsosrs.
But there is no time to relax. “We get only two days off, then we are back to work with early 2022 calendar. We will work hard and hopefully put down a plan to go the for the APRC finale,” said Karna Kadur after his victory podium. Karna, is adept at road racing too and has excelled in the racing Nationals and also became a driver coach and mentor. He was first selected for Red Rooster team in 2010 after his brilliant show in his debut year in 2009.
Nikhil Pai, is a sound engineer by profession. Everything he plans is sound and safe. A meticulous planner and systematic executor, his hardwork and attention to detail can match few in the field. He has been a consistent and safe co-driver calling pace notes for many different drivers in a career spanning three decades. He made his international debut in 2012, in Rally Sarangala in Sri Lanka and called the notes for former Indian National Champion Lohit Urs in the Malaysian National Championship in 2013. “But this is my first victory in an International event. It is a long time coming and I am thrilled right now. A big shout out to my team, sponsors and all the mechs and yes, we have done it,” said Pai.
Karna Kadur and Nikhil Pai will be back to Chennai for South India Rally on April 22, the first round of INRC 2022.
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SIR APRC/INRC live timing
44TH SOUTH INDIA RALLY the third and final round of the 2021 Indian National Rally Championship will decide the APRC 2022 first round winner and the National Champion for INRC 2021. Follow the Live timing here:
http://vgonext.com/ControlCenter/PLI.aspx?Key=c6680d53-0a46-49ff-9be4-60ad8a8a91f6http://vgonext.com/ControlCenter/PLI.aspx?Key=c6680d53-0a46-49ff-9be4-60ad8a8a91f6
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Nasser Al-Attiyah, Konrad extend thier lead: Qatar Baja
Losail (Qatar), 25 March 2022: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Polish junior rider Konrad Dabrowski extended their leads in the car and motorcycle categories after the second section of a gruelling Qatar International Baja on Friday.
Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel started the day from 10th position on the road and quickly began to overtake their rivals to win stage two (122.73km). The latest Toyota GR DKR Hilux never missed a beat and the Qatari was able to shadow Toyota team-mate Yazeed Al-Rajhi to the finish of the second of the FIA’s two stages to extend his outright lead to 3min 52.6sec.
“It was a good run and we didn’t have any problems except for one flat tyre,” said Al-Attiyah. “For the second stage we didn’t really need to push because there were a lot of stones and we wanted to save everything for tomorrow. I am not surprised with the pace of Yazeed. Now we will try and do our best tomorrow.”
Al-Rajhi and co-driver Michael Orr opened the road for much of the second 124.86km stage, after passing Ahmed Al-Kuwari around 15km after the start, and their pace and performance was rewarded with the stage win and a comfortable second place in the rankings. Fellow Saudi Yasir Seaidan lost his way on several occasions in the third Toyota and held a distant third overall.
Al-Rajhi said: “It was a good day for us. First stage we were unlucky. We have a puncture after the start, after 10km, and I catch Yasir (Seaidan) and I follow for around 70km with the dust and more dust. We lost together, me and Yasir, in one place because we took a different road and then we see Nasser and we followed him. But we lost some time. On the second stage we push and Michael did a great job. Qatar is very difficult navigation and we did it very well to win the stage. We are not too far away but we need to push a little bit tomorrow.”
Dabrowski began the day with a lead of 1min 57.2sec in the motorcycle race and the Pole rode for much of the FIM’s 247.59km second stage with Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Great Britain’s Maki Rees-Stavros. The trio were close together in the desert up to the refuel and then the leading duo dropped the Briton after he made a navigational error and they continued their duel for supremacy.
Dabrowski began to edge away from his rival and eventually crossed the finish line 1min 26.7sec in front of the Emirati to lead the motorcycle category by 3min 23.9sec.
“I am quite happy and surprised at the same time,” admitted Dabrowski. “At the beginning of the stage I had a crash in the mud. I was surprised by a pile of mud on the ground. It looked the same everywhere. I had a few issues on the way and had to repair. The GPS fell off and my handlebars were bent. I even had to scroll the road book with my hand. Many stories today but, at the end, I managed to pull away from the guys and win again. Stavros wanted to lead and then he made a navigation mistake. I went my own and pulled away from Al-Balooshi and then ended up with the win.”
Second-placed Al-Balooshi said: “Very tough. Very difficult navigation. I caught Konrad at the beginning but I selected the wrong tyre set for Qatar. This was the only option available. When I caught Konrad, I stayed the first half of the stage together. For me, that was good enough to win. But we went behind the car tracks in the second half. There were a lot of tracks, he made a big gap and my tyres were worn out and I had no traction. Congratulations to him. Tomorrow, we will give it our all and see what we can do.”
Both Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti and Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah dropped out of contention and Qatar’s over-450cc class leader Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb and Dane Thomas Kongshøj rounded off the top five behind Rees-Stavros. Britain’s Robert Wallace, Qatar’s Sheikh Mohamed Al-Thani and Bahrain’s Salman Farhan hold sixth, seventh and eighth overall.
Andorra-based Ulsterman Kris Meeke sustained two flat tyres but praised his co-driver François Cazalet for guiding him to fourth in the car category and first in the T3 class for lightweight prototype machines.
“Actually enjoyed it,” said Meeke. “We had two punctures on the first stage and had to stop and change and that left us no spare wheels for the second one, so we really had to take it easy. It was tricky but we had to manage it. Top marks to François, my co-driver, he was on the money, clear and precise. It’s really tricky here. We picked the right roads but his instructions were very clear. I was following five or six cars on the second one so the bike tracks were not a distraction. I really enjoyed the day.”
Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Max Delfino came home in fifth overall and increased their lead in T4, despite two punctures for the brother of the Baja leader. Seventh-placed veteran Sadoon Al-Kuwari is the Qatari’s closest challenger in the T4 section after front suspension failure side-lined Camelia Liparoti’s Yamaha.
Dani Sordo’s desert debut in a Nasser Racing Can-Am was plagued by navigational delays. The WRC driver originally held sixth overall and second in T3 but he had missed three successive masked waypoints (15 minutes each) and a standard waypoint and was awarded 47 minutes in time penalties, pushing the Spaniard down to 14th place and eighth in T3.
“We are back, a long way back, we had a lot of problems,” said a clearly frustrated Sordo. “I just drive and follow. I am sorry but we were lost a lot.”
Ahmed Al-Kuwari opened the road this morning and avoided serious delays to hold sixth overall in his QMMF Team Can-Am, with team-mate Rashid Al-Muhannadi, Emirati Yasmeen Koloc and former FIA T2 World Champion Adel Abdulla rounding off the top 10 in their T3 machines.
Saudi Arabia’s Muneef Al-Shammeri (Nissan) topped the FIA T2 standings in 13th overall, while Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi held a comfortable lead in the FIM quad category. Qatar’s Abdullah Al-Khelaifi was the sole participant in the FIM SSV section.
Saudi Arabia’s Mishaal Al-Ghuneim snatched the stage win and the lead in the FIM National Baja from South Africa’s Jaco Anderson. Emirati rider Mohammed Meerza slipped to third place.
Al-Mashna and Hani Al-Shammeri were again fastest in the FIA National Baja and extended their lead to 11min 04.4sec.
Friday – as it happened
A strong wind greeted riders and drivers to their respective selective section starts, with the FIM category tackling the longer of the two sections (124.86km) to the west of Doha, while the cars crossed the slightly shorter 122.73km special. After a 20-minute neutralisation and refuel, riders headed straight into the second part, but the cars took a different route to their SS3 and started after a regrouping.
While the cars headed up the west coast, the bikes tackled a slightly more southerly stage through the western deserts to the east of Dukhan. Ahmed Al-Kuwari opened the road, ahead of Ahmad Al-Muhannadi and Adel Abdulla, with Sordo, Al-Rajhi, Meeke and Al-Attiyah running in sixth, eighth, ninth and 10th. The bikes started in the order in which they had finished the Qualifying Stage, with Dabrowski leading from Al-Balooshi and Rees-Stavros.
Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Abdulla lost some time early on with navigational errors, as overnight leader Al-Attiyah closed on the pack of Can-Ams ahead. The leading three bikes rode together through the early kilometres and dropped the chasing Al-Shatti and Abu Aishah, who were riding close together.
Al-Attiyah passed all his rivals except for Al-Kuwari and then was repassed by Al-Rajhi when he stopped for a short time with a puncture. But the Qatari was able to win the stage by 5min 14.8sec and led the rally by 5min 19.1sec. Meeke lost a little time midway through the special with a flat tyre of his own but recovered strongly to finish fourth overall, behind Seaidan, and managed to beat Sordo by 5min 06sec to take a T3 advantage of 5min 13.8sec into SS3.
Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah won the T4 special in his Can-Am, but Liparoti stopped with broken front left-suspension on the west coast, close to the beach at Dohat al Usanaid. Liparoti said: “I didn’t have an accident. The car felt out of control and then we stopped.”
Dabrowski, Al-Balooshi and Rees-Stavros rode together to the finish and entered a neutralisation section and the refuelling point before continuing on the track used by the cars in the morning.
Al-Rajhi and Al-Attiyah quickly overtook Ahmed Al-Kuwari to open the road on the third FIA stage and the pair caught the back-markers competing in the FIM National Baja. Seaidan lost further time searching for the correct track.
Dabrowski and Al-Balooshi dropped Rees-Savros and began to pull away after the latter made a navigational error. The Pole also edged clear of his Emirati rival but was forced to stop for a short time and the defending champion caught him again.
Despite opening the road, Al-Rajhi and Orr managed to snatch the stage win from Al-Attiyah and trim the Qatari’s advantage to 3min 52.6sec. Dabrowski also fended off Al-Balooshi to increase his advantage in the two-wheel category.
Saturday
Strong winds are forecast for the final day of the event and Baja officials will be hoping that doesn’t restrict the flying of safety helicopters.
All things being equal, both the FIM and FIA categories will tackle a stage of 200.39km towards the south of Qatar, with a liaison of 93.43km bringing the finishers back to the ceremonial podium at Lusail. The first bike will be into the stage at 08.15hrs, with the top car on track from 10.55hrs.
2022 Qatar International Baja – Positions after Friday (unofficial @ 15.55hrs):
FIA – Cars
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota GR DKR Hilux 2hr 21min 11.5sec
2. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Michael Orr (GBR) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 2hr 25min 04.1sec
3. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 2hr 48min 41.3sec
4. Kris Meeke (AND)/François Cazalet (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 2hr 50min 40.6sec
5. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Max Delfino (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T4) 3hr 04min 01.7sec
6. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Manuel Lucchese (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 12min 05.9sec
7. Sadoon Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick XRS T4) 3hr 18min 34.5sec
8. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T3) 3hr 21min 48.3sec
9. Yasmeen Koloc (ARE)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21 (T3) 3hr 29min 23.6sec
10. Adel Abdulla (QAT)/Hugo Magalhães (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 34min 38.8sec
11. Aliyyah Koloc (ARE)/Sebastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21 (T3) 3hr 36min 35.6sec
12. Khalid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Edward Lines (GBR) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T3) 3hr 46min 53.1sec
13. Muneef Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Tamer Hijazeen (SAU) Nissan Patrol 3hr 55min 58.1sec
14. Dani Sordo (ESP)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 56min 30.8sec
15. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Waleed Al-Shegawi (SAU) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 57min 52.4sec
16. Ahmad Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Mubarak Al-Khelaifi (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 59min 54.2sec
Abdullah Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Marc Sola (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) DNF SS3 – mechanical
Camelia Liparoti (SMR)/Xavier Garcia (ESP) Yamaha YXZ 1000R (T4) DNF SS2 – suspension
FIM – Bikes
1. Konrad Dabrowski (POL) Husqvarna FR450 3hr 49min 04.5sec
2. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) Husqvarna FR450 3hr 52min 28.4sec
3. Maki Rees-Stavros (GBR) KTM 450 EXC-F 4hr 04min 36.1sec
4. Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb (QAT) Beta RR 4hr 20min 06.1sec
5. Thomas Kongshøj (DNK) Husqvarna FR450 4hr 36min 07.1sec
6. Robert Wallace (GBR) KTM 450 Rally 4hr 38min 03.5sec
7. Sheikh Mohamed Al-Thani (QAT) Beta RR 4hr 44min 03.0sec
8. Salman Farhan (BHR) Husqvarna FE450 4hr 45min 33.0sec
9. Abdulla Al-Shatti (KWT) KTM 450 Rally Replica 4hr 46min 11.0sec
10. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM 450 4hr 54min 54.0sec, etc
FIM – Quads
1. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (SAU) Yamaha 700 CC 5hr 30min 02.9sec
2. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha 6hr 34min 55.5sec
3. Emiel Stuckens (BEL) Can-Am DS450 6hr 54min 27.0sec
FIM – SSV
1. Abdullah Al-Khelaifi (QAT)/Abdulaziz Al-Jabri (QAT) Yamaha YXZ 1000RR TBA
2022 Qatar National Baja – Positions after Friday (Unofficial):
Cars
1. Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Hani Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan Patrol 1hr 41min 14.7sec
2. Motab Saud Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Bader Al-Ajmi (SAU) Nissan Patrol 1hr 52min 19.1sec
3. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Pedro Santos (PRT) Jeep 2hr 32min 27.8sec
4. Salem Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Firas Al-Thefiri (KWT) Nissan Patrol 3hr 00min 35.1sec
5. Dhari Al-Dhafeeri (KWT)/Saffah Al-Dhafeeri (KWT) Can-Am Maverick X3 4hr 15min 02.7sec
Bikes
1. Mishaal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally 2hr 19min 52.4sec
2. Jaco Anderson (ZAF) KTM 500 EXC 2hr 24min 47.2sec
3. Mohammed Meerza (ARE) Husqvarna 2hr 41min 46.8sec
4. Bader Al-Bader (SAU) KTM EXC 500 2hr 41min 57.9sec
5. Ali Al-Ansari (QAT) KTM SXF 2hr 43min 06.1sec
6. Abdulrahman Al-Nasr (QAT) Yamaha 2hr 44min 03.1sec
7. Dom Arnoud (BEL) Suzuki LT-R450 2hr 45min 16.7sec, etc
Follow the race live:
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Qatar Baja gets underway with short qualies
LOSAIL (QATAR): The 2022 Qatar International Baja gets underway with a 9.20km Qualifying Stage on Thursday afternoon.
The outcome will determine the starting order for the first of two demanding selective sections on this second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup and round two of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Many of the leading drivers were able to carry out a shakedown in the desert close to Losail on Wednesday afternoon. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Yasir Seaidan dusted the cobwebs off their Toyota Hiluxes, with Al-Attiyah using the latest South African-built Toyota Gazoo Racing machine that won the Dakar Rally in January.
WRC star Dani Sordo and co-driver Xavier Panseri spent an enjoyable few hours with Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, his brother Khalifa, Mathieu Baumel, François Cazalet and friends driving Al-Attiyah’s personal Can-Ams through the dunes near Sealine beach, south of Doha, on Tuesday.
Sordo was impressed after his first couple of days in Qatar. The Spaniard is competing in a Nasser Racing-entered Can-Am Maverick on his first desert rally this weekend.
He said: “Honestly, it was an amazing experience yesterday with Nasser and all his team. It was really good. First of all, in the dunes, it was a little bit tough. Not to drive, because I was not fast. But the feeling when you go up and down in the dunes. It was something really new for me. It was even more complicated than I thought.
“I drive before this kind of buggies but just for fun, not the Can-Am. But the car has a nice feeling when it is normal corners and it is really good. When you go to the dunes and the co-driver tells you, you need to go up, it’s different. Of course, you never do something for nothing. I would like to know this discipline and, in the future, I would like to do a little bit more, you know.”
Four-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah said: “I say this is the last race before Ramadan. I am really happy to create teams for the next Dakar. Kris (Meeke) and Dani (Sordo) and my brother are the right people for the Nasser Racing Academy. We will have an extra two Can-Ams for female drivers. We also need to support them. I am quite happy to start with this project. It’s nice to see new people and new cars coming to compete.
“For me, I will do my best to get a good road position on the Qualifying Stage. The reason we are here in Qatar with Toyota is to continue the testing. This race was not in our programme. Kazakhstan was the plan but that race was cancelled. So we decided to come here and to test more things and get ready for the next race in Andalucia. I will also try and do some more testing before Andalucia.”
Kris Meeke arrived in Doha on Tuesday evening and will be taking part in his third event in Qatar, but this will be the Andorra-based Ulsterman’s first taste of Baja-style racing in the local desert.
He said: “I didn’t realise that I would be back in Qatar as quick, but Nasser called me last week and said there was an opportunity to do the Baja in T3 with a South Racing Can-Am. I thought, yes, why not. I’ve been here two times for the rally but the Baja is something different and something I would like to learn more. It’s more Dakar-orientated style of racing. I’m just excited to come again and try something new and a bit different. So many buggies here.”
“I have no idea really about the future. François (Cazalet) has been with the Red Bull Junior Team with the OT3. I called him last minute and he was able to come. Let’s see. I am working on some plans for the Dakar. But François has a seat with Cristina Gutierrez, so it’s just a one-off at the moment.”
Yasir Seaidan will drive the second of three Overdrive Racing-run Toyotas. The Saudi driver said: “I’ve been racing in Qatar already, maybe seven times. I started my first World Cup in T3 in 2012. It’s the most difficult rally for navigation and hard also for drivers, too much rocks and punctures. Drivers must be focused. It looks like you can drive fast but no – it’s very tricky!”
Meanwhile, the QMMF Team’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi confirmed that he had recruited the services of Szymon Gospodarczyk as his co-driver for the Baja. The Pole is better known as the regular navigator for fellow countryman Michal Goczal in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship. Abdullah Al-Kuwari will be partnered by the Spanish off-road rider Marc Sola.
Six FIA drivers and four leading FIM bikers attended the pre-event press conference at the Losail International Circuit on Wednesday evening.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Ahmed Al-Kuwari and Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani represented the host nation alongside Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi, the UAE’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Aliyyah Koloc, Kris Meeke, Dani Sordo, Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah, Polish junior rider Konrad Dabrowski and 2019 European Baja Champion Joanna Modrzewska.
The press conference took place in the presence of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai and Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad.
Tomorrow (Thursday), riders will tackle a Qualifying Stage of 9.20km, with the first bike on stage from 15.00hrs. The time set will be multiplied by a co-efficient of four to encourage each rider to race competitively. The first of the FIA cars will start the special at 16.00hrs.
2022 Qatar International Baja – leading entries (updated March 23rd):
FIA – T1
200. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota GR DKR Hilux
201. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Michael Orr (GBR) Toyota Hilux Overdrive
202. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive
204. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Pedro Santos (PRT) Jeep
205. Khalid Al-Feraihi (SAU)/Ali Mirza (ARE) Nissan Pick-Up
FIA – T3
300. Saleh Al-Saif (SAU)/TBA Can-Am Maverick X3 RR
301. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Manuel Lucchese (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3
302. Kris Meeke (AND)/François Cazalet (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3
303. Dani Sordo (ESP)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3
304. Aliyyah Koloc (ARE)/Sebastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21
305. Ahmed Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Mubarak Al-Khelaifi (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3
FIA – T4
401. Camelia Liparoti (SMR)/Xavier Garcia (ESP) Yamaha YXZ 1000R
402. Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Max Delfino (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS
403. Khalid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Nick Lines (NZL) Can-Am Maverick XRS
404. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick XRS
405. Sadoon Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick XRS
FIM – Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) Husqvarna FR450
2. Konrad Dabrowski (POL) Husqvarna FR450
3. Abdulla Al-Shatti (KWT) KTM 450 Rally Replica
4. Thomas Kongshøj (DNK) Husqvarna FR450
5. Martin Chalmers (AUS) Yamaha WR 450F
6. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM 450 EXC-F
7. Robert Wallace (GBR) KTM 450 Rally Replica
8. Michael Anderson (RSA) KTM 450 EXC-F
9. Kurt Burroughs (GBR) KTM Rally
10. Alex McInnes (GBR) Husqvarna FE450
FIM – Quads
101. Emiel Stuckens (BEL) Can-Am DS450
102. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (SAU) Yamaha 700 CC
103. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha
104. Faisal Al-Suwayh (SAU) Yamaha
105. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450
106. Sultan Al-Masoud (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450
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MMSC geares up for APRC, Asia Cup, INRC
Chennai, 23 March 2022: In what promises to be an action-packed weekend, the 44th South India Rally, which doubles up as a round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship 2022, and the final round of The FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor, will be held in Sriperumbudur, about 40 Kms from here, on March 25-27.
Organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, celebrating its 70th anniversary, the events will be anchored to the iconic MMRT circuit which will be the venue for start and finish of the event besides the Spectator Special Stage (tarmac) and the 12.9 Kms long Special Stage (dirt) bordering the race track. Another Special Stage (17.78 Kms), is located about 23 Kms from the MMRT. Both Stages will be run four times – twice in forward direction (Saturday) and twice in reverse direction (Sunday) while the Spectator Special Stage once on each day. On Friday, March 25, the competitors will do a reconnaissance of the Stages.
While four entries have been received for the APRC (Asia Cup) round, which returns to India after a four-year gap, the INRC has attracted 44. Three times APRC champion Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif), Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of Arka Motorsports, Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) and Younus Ilyas (Anirudha Ranganekar) of Race Concepts will take part in the APRC and also headline the INRC entry list.
In an initiative to encourage Indian participation in the APRC event, MMSC have offered subsidies in various forms – FIA-approved fuel tank casing; entry fee for the APRC segment, Rs 70,000/- to be returned as start money; Trophies for top three finishers irrespective of the class entered and placing in the INRC.
APRC Working Group chief and Chairman of South India Rally, Vicky Chandhok said: “The South India Rally is not just another rally but a part of the Indian Rallying Heritage. Running the 44th edition of the event speaks volumes of the standards of National rallying. We have worked hard to offer an event of value to all the stakeholders, and, on behalf of the organisers, the Madras Motor Sports Club, it gives me great pleasure in welcoming the rallying fraternity to the event.
“Further, the MMSC in its constant support to motorsport, has taken a decision for the FIA APRC South India Rally to encourage competitors and support them, by way of subsidies, in entering an International Event on home soil and the chance to earn a FIA trophy for their shelves.”
The FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim said: “It is a matter of pride and privilege that India is hosting a round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship after a gap of several years, and concurrently with the third and final round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor. All of us have been through some challenging times due to the pandemic and I am happy that the 2021 INRC got underway, though it spilled over into 2022. Once again, on behalf of the FMSCI, I thank our Associate Sponsor MRF Tyres, the competitors, the organizing clubs, officials and the Media for their support. To reiterate, we hope to put together a bigger INRC, with more rounds, in the season ahead.”
The competition in The FMSC-promoted INRC segment is expected to be fierce since titles in all categories are up for grabs. Aditya Singh Thakur (Virender Kashyap) of Chettinad Sporting leads the Overall standings with 54 points, just one ahead of Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G). Considering that a maximum of 40 points are on offer and the top five competitors, including seven times National champion Gill, are separated by just 16 points, the Overall championship is wide open.
The top two in other categories after two rounds are:
INRC-2: Fabid Ahmer (76) and Sahil Khanna (61); INRC-3: Aditya Singh Thakur (78) and Kuber Sharma (56); INRC-4: Deepak Chandra (61) and Mujeeb Rehman (44); Junior INRC: Raghunath Saminathan (78) and Shivani Pruthvi (60); FMSCI Gypsy Cup: Rupender Sheoran (71) and Venkatapathy MR (55).
Due to the unpredictability of the sport, as could be gauged from the results of the previous two rounds – the Rally of Coimbatore and the Karnataka-1000 – success is not guaranteed. The uncertainty factor, thus, makes this weekend’s action a pot-boiler.
About the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021
The Indian National Rally Championship 2021, promoted by The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor, comprises three rounds – Rally of Coimbatore (Feb 25-27), Karnataka-1000 (March 11-13) and the South India Rally (Chennai, March 25-27). The grid is segregated into five categories based on various specifications – the INRC, INRC-2, INRC-3, INRC-4 and Junior INRC (26 years and below, and without a win). Competitors are eligible for Overall classification and also separately in their respective categories. The top 15 finishers are eligible for points ranging from 30 to 1. The five quickest on each of the two days (Leg-1 and Leg-2) and in each category receive bonus points (5 to 1) in the respective Legs provided they complete the Rally. The maximum points that can be won in each round is 40. A stand-alone sixth category, the FMSCI Gypsy Challenge, restricted to Maruti Gypsy, and not eligible for championship points or classification, completes the grid.
