INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • New items in Sahara Force India online shop

    SFI merchandise photo by Sahara Force India team
    SFI merchandise photo by Sahara Force India team
    A new online E-shop, allowing Sahara Force India fans to purchase the team’s official merchandise, is now live on the Sahara Force India website.
    The launch of the online shop coincides with the unveiling of a new range of official replica teamwear and accessories, allowing fans to own similar items of clothing as those worn by Paul Di Resta, Adrian Sutil and the team during race weekends.
    The new online shop brings together for the first time the entire range of officially licensed Sahara Force India products, including Chatham Marine shoes, TW Steel Watches and Memento Memorabilia.
    The latest release of official teamwear, in particular, will allow fans to purchase perfect replica items such as the official team polo shirt, lightweight jacket and raincoat.
    Sahara Force India Formula One Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, welcomed the launch of the new online shop: “The team’s increasing success on the track is helping bring more and more fans to our ranks so it’s great to be able to offer them the opportunity to purchase a full range of items in the colours of Sahara Force India and incorporating the team’s logo. Whether it is showing their passion with a t-shirt, making a fashion statement with a watch, or owning some race-used memorabilia, there is something for every fan in our new online shop.”
    The new Sahara Force India online shop can be reached via the official team website, or by clicking on this link: http://www.forceindiaf1.com/shop

    ends

  • Arjun Balu, Leela win ITC races

    Chennai, 23 June 2013: Japanese driver Yudai Jinkawa won Race 2 of the MRF 1600 race in Round 2 of the MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship ahead of Sudarshan Rao and championship leader Ashwin Sundar. The Indian Touring Car races were closely contested with championship contenders N. Leelakrishnan and Arjun Balu winning races 1 & 2 respectively. In other action S. Narendran capped off a strong weekend by winning both races of the Formula LGB4 & Swift. Earlier in the day Gokul Krishna won his first race in the India Junior Touring Car championship ahead of Charen Chandran and race 1 winner Mihir Dharkar, a press release said.

    Race 1 of the day saw the Indian Touring Cars in action with Arjun Narendran on pole ahead of local favourite Arjun Balu. Both got off the line really well and had a great battle in the first half of the race with Leelakrishnan right behind them. The leaders then collided sending both drivers backwards and Leelakrishnan getting past both of them. Leelakrishnan went on to win the race with Ramnarayan in second and Arjun Balu fighting back to finish in third place.

    Race 2 of the day was the Formula LGB4 & Swift with S. Narendran on pole. Narendran won from start to finish with Jigar Muni in second place and Sudanand D in third place. There was no difference in the second race of the Formula LGB4 & Swift with the drivers finishing in the same order and making it two out of two for Narendran.

    The Indian Junior Touring Cars were next up with Gokul Krishna and Charen Chandran starting on the front row. The main battle was behind them with wheel banging between Mihir Dharkar and Feroze Khan. Feroze got past Mihir to finish in 3rd place but was given a 20 second penalty for an incident and finally ended up in 11th place. Gokul withstood pressure from both Charen and Feroze to win his first race in the IJTC.

    In race 2 of the ITC championship, Arjun Narendran started on pole ahead of Arjun Balu. Arjun Balu had a great start and went into the lead with Arjun Narendran passing Ramnarayan on lap 3. From there on it was a close battle between the two Arjun’s. It was as close as it could get on the last lap with Arjun Balu just winning by 0.048secs ahead of Arjun Narendran to record one of the closest ever finishes in the ITC history.

    The main attraction of the day were the MRF 1600 and it was another exciting race. Ashwin Sundar, starting last fought his way up to 3rd place after a last lap move on Goutam Parekh. In front Yudai Jinkawa had a brilliant start and cruised to victory with second place finisher Sudarshan Rao not getting close enough to challenge him. Vikash Anand drove well to finish in 4th place with 15yr old Tarun Reddy finishing in 5th place after damaging his front wing with a crash with Ashwin Sundar. Ashwin Sundar continues to lead the championship.

    The next round of the MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship will take place in Chennai on July 27-28.

    ends

  • Karun qualifies in seventh at Le Mans for Murphy

    Le Mans (France), 21 June 2013: : Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok and his team Murphy Prototypes qualified in an impressive 7th position at the La Sarthe circuit in the LMP2 category in the Le Mans 24 hours. Chandhok’s team Murphy Prototypes set a time of 3:41.569 and will start in 15th place overall, and 7th in their category. The trio of Brendon Hartley, Mark Patterson and Karun Chandhok will drive the iconic Le Mans 24 hours race in the LMP2 Nissan V8-powered Oreca 03 with Murphy Prototypes. The second qualifying session was wet which resulted in Murphy Prototypes not venturing out at all.

    The third and final qualifying session started on a damp but drying track. There were as many as 9 red flags which disrupted running for all drivers. This resulted in the track coming alive in the last 30 minutes with all cars looking to improve their time. Hartley ran in the qualifying session as he had not got any meaningful running the entire week. He finally managed to get a new set of tyres to run in qualifying.

    Chandhok, who is supported by JK Tyre and Tag Heuer, is looking forward to a one-day break before the race starts on Saturday evening. He commented, “The morning session was a complete washout and it made no sense to do any laps. With the weather and so many red flags I could not get any running today but will be back in the car for warm-up tomorrow. We are starting in a reasonably good position and will have to push very hard to get a good result. The atmosphere here is unbelievable and I can’t wait to get going on Saturday. I am a little more experienced after racing last year but conditions are a lot more unpredictable this year so should be an interesting race. ”
    Brendon Hartley was happy to get a run finally even though there were some problems to iron out before the race. He said, “We could have been much better, but it’s qualifying for a 24-hour race. We had some kind of issue with the steering rack – Karun commented on it yesterday and that made it very tricky in the beginning. We are in P7  so it’s not a big deal but with such a long race tomorrow we have little issue to fix, but we’re in good shape.”

    Team Principal Greg Murphy felt the LMP2 category will be one of the most closely contested this weekend and felt the team could have got more running time. He commented, “We were pretty disappointed to be honest, every time we went for a lap we got traffic, we got red flags… I’m sure it’s a common story up and down the pitlane, but yeah, we really struggled. We had a lot more pace in the car, than we showed today. But seventh position, I think Starworks when they won it last year started in 11th, so we’re reasonable happy, 24 hours to go, we’re here to fight and we’re here to win so I think we have some good speed in the car. We had a problem with all the red flags and stuff, we didn’t get a rhythm, and I feel a little bit for Karun he had very little running, but he’s such a good driver it’s not going to be a problem.”

    ends

  • Ogier-Ingrassia dominate Rally Sardinia for 5th WRC win

    Sardinia, 22 June 2013: Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) won the rally in Sardinia in their Polo R WRC with a lead of 1m 16.8s over their closest competitor, Thierry Neuville (Ford).

    At the halfway point of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Volkswagen dominates the proceedings with its fifth win in seven rallies. The Volkswagen team has also comfortably extended its lead in this, the most prestigious motorsport world championship after Formula 1.

    The two Frenchmen have therefore extended their lead in the driver/co-driver rankings to 64 points. Their Volkswagen team colleagues Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) demonstrated an impressive final spurt to likewise make it onto the podium, finishing in third place, in spite of having dropped back to twelfth place due to a flat tyre during the first stage. This puts the two Finns in second place in the driver/co-driver world championship rankings. They also played a major part in enabling Volkswagen’s 315 hp four-wheel drives to further extend the car make’s lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

    Andreas Mikkelsen, who celebrated his 24th birthday on theSaturday of the rally in Sardinia, again missed out on a good result together with his co-driver Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) – on the third from last stage of the rally, they were instructed by the team to take all available risks in order to secure fourth place overall, but a slip-up then cost them this ranking. Mikkelsen/Markkula veered off the track on a slow corner and caused only light damage to the suspension – but then had to retire from the rally early.

    Volkswagen put on a strong team performance in the seventh of 13 events in the WRC season, in front of Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, the member of the Board of Management for the Volkswagen brand who is responsible for development. “It was a great success for the whole of the team and being there to see it was a fantastic experience,” said Dr Hackenberg. “This was actually my last rally as the head of development at Volkswagen, but I will no doubt visit a few more rallies some time. I have put a lot of heart and soul into this project and that doesn’t simply evaporate when you move to pastures new.”

    The driver factor: outstanding performances from Ogier and Latvala

    13 fastest times in 16 special stages, seven of which were scored by Sébastien Ogier and six by Jari-Matti Latvala – once again, Volkswagen was able to put its faith in strong drivers in Rally Italy. One of them was in the lead right from the start, while the other one compellingly continued to gain ground – Ogier and Latvala acclimatised perfectly to the tough conditions in Sardinia. Consistency and speed were also the order of the day, with the overall leader Ogier dominating the front position in the WRC pack from the very first stage on Friday and refusing to forfeit it all the way to the finishing line on Saturday. The key to the 29-year-old Frenchman’s fourth win of the season was his clever driving style that went easy on his tyres, which placed him among the top three drivers no less than 14 times in the 16 special stages. His team colleague Jari-Matti Latvala was absolutely on a par with him, himself achieving 14 recorded times that were among the top three. Incidentally, even with his damaged tyre, which cost him 1m 56.4s, Latvala was still only 1m 48.0s behind Ogier after driving 304.50 timed kilometres.

    Unfailing teamwork: mechanics a huge support to Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen

    With just two days of rallying in Sardinia, making this the most compact WRC event of the year, the whole team needed to put in a good performance. The Volkswagen team provided the three pairs of drivers with major support during the rally’s six services, with their meticulous and reliable work meaning that Ogier, Latvala und Mikkelsen were working with the perfect materials at all times. On the Saturday, Sébastien Ogier’s mechanics sent the Polo R WRC out on the final four special stages with a subframe that had been replaced just to be on the safe side together with power steering. This involved some incredible work, with two mechanics replacing the component in just eight minutes.

    Intense heat: challenging conditions in Sardinia

    Rally Italy once again made huge demands of the drivers, with the extreme temperatures on the one hand and very narrow tracks lined with natural rocks on the other. A combination of gravel and a loose layer of sand on top made the first time of driving the eight special stages, each of which was driven twice, a highly slippery affair. These conditions meant the drivers had to use all their concentration and skills to use their tyres wisely. Even the slightest of errors could have brought things to an end for a driver at any time or could have cost them some precious time.

    The Power Stage advantage: bonus points for Volkswagen drivers

    For the fifth time out of six occasions so far, ‘Mr Power Stage’ Sébastien Ogier and Volkswagen achieved the fastest time in the Power Stage, during which bonus points are awarded to the top three drivers. His team colleague Jari-Matti Latvala likewise picked up some bonus points by finishing third in the 22.25-kilometre stage. This means a unique run of success for Volkswagen continues, with the brand having achieved all of the fastest times in the Power Stages contested in 2013.

    Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships: Ogier, Ingrassia and Volkswagen in the lead

    Volkswagen picked up a maximum amount of points in Sardinia, while the current overall leader Sébastien Ogier extended his lead in the drivers’ rankings, with his co-driver Julien Ingrassia doing the same in the corresponding co-driver rankings. The pair now have a lead of 64 points over their team colleagues Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila, who are ranked second. Volkswagen is also at the top of the Manufacturers’ Championship thanks to its two strong duos and was able to extend its lead over the defending champions Citroën to 46 points as a result of Rally Italy.

    Statements, day 2, Rally Italy
    Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7
    “Third place is a fantastic result overall – but we could have done better. The flat tyre in the first stage was nobody’s fault but our own – we should have been more observant during the recce and should have had that spot of the track in our pace notes. Losing two minutes as a result was disappointing at first. But on the other hand, it also gave us the opportunity to attack without any pressure and to challenge our competitors. Our speed was very good throughout the rally, and that’s what allowed us to grapple our way back up from twelfth to third place. The team played a big part in that too, so thanks for that, guys. I really felt at home in the Polo R WRC and will tackle my home rally in Finland filled with confidence.”

    Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #8
    “It feels fantastic to be back on top of the podium again! I was really beginning to miss that feeling after the last two rallies. I’m simply delighted – the team did a fantastic job and the Polo ran like a dream all weekend. We now have a very comfortable lead in the Drivers’ Championship rankings. The rally was incredibly demanding physically, due to the high temperatures, and it sometimes got as hot as 45 degrees in the cockpit. On the second day in particular, you came close to your limits and you easily lost three to four litres of fluid. So I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to our team members who look after us and to the physiotherapy team, who did a great job of taking care of us. The heat really takes it out on the tyres and the car too. My tyre-friendly driving style was no doubt one of the reasons for my victory. I was especially pleased to once again win the Power Stage. I had a tough fight on my hands there with Thierry Neuville, who was incredibly fast during that stage, as he was throughout the rally.”

    Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
    “I’m extremely disappointed, of course, because we got off to a very good start in Rally Italy and I think we put in a good performance. That is, until our slip-up today. We wanted to go in for the kill and clinch fourth place. In the afternoon session, I had already made good eight seconds on Dani Sordo in the first of the four remaining stages. I only needed around twelve more seconds to pass him, so we went for broke in the following stage too. But then I braked too late on a slow corner and we slid and hit a tree stump, which tore off our tie rod. So that was the end of that. I had hoped for a slightly different outcome on my birthday. But I think we were again able to gain a lot of important experience during this rally.”

    Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
    “What more could we ask for? Rally Italy was a resounding success for Volkswagen and marks another milestone in our first season in the World Rally Championship. If somebody had said ahead of the season that we would be leading in all three championship categories and that we would win five out of the seven events in the first half of the season, we most certainly wouldn’t have believed them. Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala delivered nothing but top performances here in Italy. The same goes for Andreas Mikkelsen too, even though he had to retire just before the end of the rally. He was endeavouring to turn our instructions into deeds by going all out to take fourth place, and had a bit of bad luck in the process. But that certainly doesn’t remotely detract from his achievements as far as the team is concerned. I am proud of all three drivers. They have really earned their summer break. All the same, we are already looking forward to the next rally in Finland at the end of July.”
    And then there was …
    … the dual role of ‘FX’. Volkswagen’s Technical Project Manager for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), François-Xavier Demaison – or ‘FX’ for short –, not only has overall technical responsibility for all three of the Polo R WRC vehicles; he is also acting as the vehicle engineer for Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila in Italy. Fabrice van Ertvelde, who has worked with the Finnish pair in the rallies already gone and who will also be working with them during the six WRC rallies still to come, had a very good reason not to be there in Italy: he and his girlfriend are expecting the birth of their child this weekend. Van Ertvelde is a veritable old hand at Volkswagen: he was the engineer for Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz during Volkswagen’s very first win in the Dakar Rally back in 2009.
    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).
    Rally Italy – results
    Friday.
    21 June 2013    		 km #7
    Latvala/
    Anttila    		 #8
    Ogier/
    Ingrassia    		 #9
    Mikkelsen/
    Markkula
    SS 01 Monte Lerno 1 31.08 P12
    (+ 1m 56.4s)    		 P01 P07
    (+ 29.5s)
    SS 02 Castelsardo 1 14.00 P01 P02
    (+ 2.2s)    		 P07
    (+ 14.0s)
    SS 03 Tergu–Osilo 1 14.93 P02
    (+ 0.3s)    		 P01 P07
    (+ 14.4s)
    SS 04 Castelsardo 2 14.00 P04
    (+ 2.2s)    		 P02
    (+ 1.4s)    		 P05
    (+ 4.3s)
    SS 05 Tergu–Osilo 2 14.93 P03
    (+ 1.4s)    		 P02
    (+ 0.2s)    		 P06
    (+ 8.4s)
    SS 06 Monte Lerno 2 31.08 P02
    (+ 4.3s)    		 P01 P07
    (+ 21.0s)
    SS 07 Gallura 1 13.55 P01 P02
    (+ 10.9s)    		 P07
    (+ 18.8s)
    SS 08 Gallura 2 13.55 P01 P03
    (+ 5.9s)    		 P06
    (+ 25.6s)
    Overall classification P05
    (+ 1m 44.0s)    		 P01 P06
    (+ 1m 55.4s)
    Saturday.
    22 June 2013    		 km #7
    Latvala/
    Anttila    		 #8
    Ogier/
    Ingrassia    		 #9
    Mikkelsen/
    Markkula
    SS 09 Monte Olia 1 19.27 P03
    (+ 5.4s)    		 P04
    (+ 6.1s)    		 P05
    (+ 18.3s)
    SS 10 Terranova 1 14.82 P03
    (+ 3.3s)    		 P01 P05
    (+ 7.2s)
    SS 11 Monti di Alà 1 22.25 P02
    (+ 6.5s)    		 P01 P04
    (+ 13.7s)
    SS 12 Coiluna–
    Loelle 1    		 22.35 P01 P02
    (+ 2.1s)    		 P03
    (+ 5.7s)
    SS 13 Monte Olia 2 19.27 P01 P04
    (+ 2.9s)    		 P02
    (+ 0.2s)
    SS 14 Terranova 2 14.82 P03
    (+ 1.4s)    		 P01 DNF
    SS 15 Monti di Alà 2 22.25 P03
    (+ 4.5s)    		 P01
    SS 16 Coiluna–
    Loelle 2    		 22.35 P01 P03
    (+ 6.4s)
    Overall classification P03
    (+ 1m 48.0s)    		 P01 DNF
    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
    Rally Italy – final result
    1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 3h 22m 57.9s
    2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford + 1m 16.8s
    3 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 1m 48.0s
    4 Daniel Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (E/E), Citroën + 3m 19.2s
    5 Martin Prokop/Michal Ernst (CZ/CZ), Ford + 8m 34.1s
    6 Elfyn Evans/Giovanni Bernacchini (GB/I), Ford + 11m 51.8s
    7 Michal Kościuszko/Maciej Szczepaniak (PL/PL), Ford + 11m 52.7s
    8 Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S), Ford + 13m 21.5s
    9 Robert Kubica/Maciek Baran (PL/PL), Citroën + 16m 47.6s
    10 Khalid Al Qassimi/Martin Scott (UAE/GB), Citroën + 17m 19.9s
    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
    Rally Italy – result power stage
    1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 13m 03.6s
    2 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Ford + 1.0s
    3 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen + 4.5s
    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), points standings
    Drivers’ classification
    Points
    1 Sébastien Ogier 154
    2 Jari-Matti Latvala 90
    3 Thierry Neuville 70
    4 Sébastien Loeb 68
    5 Mikko Hirvonen 61
    6 Daniel Sordo 59
    7 Mads Østberg 50
    8 Martin Prokop 37
    9 Evgeny Novikov 31
    10 Nasser Al-Attiyah 30
    11 Andreas Mikkelsen 25
    Manufacturers classification
    Points
    1 Volkswagen Motorsport 220
    2 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT 174
    3 Qatar WRT 89
    4 Qatar M-Sport WRT 89
    5 Jipocar Czech National Team 39
    6 Abu Dhabi Citroën Total WRT 33
    7 Volkswagen Motorsport II 26
    8 Lotos WRC Team 20

  • Mercedes F1 team banned from Young Drivers’ test

    Brackley, 21 June 2013: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team was reprimanded and banned by the International Tribunal of FIA, the world governing body of the sport to participate in the Young Drivers’ test to be held in July.

    Statement from  Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 

    The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team acknowledges and accepts the Decision of the FIA International Tribunal published on Friday.

    The Decision of the International Tribunal confirmed that the team acted in good faith regarding the Pirelli Tests, never intended to obtain any unfair sporting advantage and had no reason to believe that approval for the Pirelli Tests had not been given.

    Mercedes accepts the proportionate penalties of a reprimand and suspension from the forthcoming Young Driver Test that have been decided upon by the Tribunal.

    Mercedes would like to once again restate its firm belief in proper due process and commend the FIA for the principle of an independent disciplinary body.

    The team would furthermore like to thank the International Tribunal and its President for the fair hearing it received yesterday.

    In the best interests of the sport, the team does not intend to avail itself of any right to appeal the Decision.

    Mercedes looks forward to working with the FIA and its fellow competitors to establish a more rigorous procedure for testing in the future, particularly to support the appointed tyre supplier.

    We now wish to bring this matter to a close and focus on the forthcoming British and German Grands Prix, both of which are important home races for the team.

    Statement by FIA

    The FIA duly notes the decision handed down today by the FIA International Tribunal against Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Pirelli Tyres.

    This decision follows (i) the disciplinary proceedings instigated by the FIA, on the basis in particular of the report by the Stewards of the Monaco Grand Prix, forwarded to the FIA following the two protests made by Scuderia Ferrari Team and Red Bull Racing respectively, and (ii) the hearing that took place yesterday before the International Tribunal with the participation of all the parties concerned.

    The FIA wishes that lessons are learnt from this case and from the decision handed down. To this end, the FIA will make sure, in association with all F1 teams, that its control of the testings is strengthened.

    It is recalled that the notification of the FIA International Tribunal’s decision opens to each of the parties concerned the possibility of bringing an appeal against this decision before the FIA International Court of Appeal within 7 days.

    ends

  • Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila fastest

    A perfect start: Volkswagen has got itself into an excellent position for Rally Italy. In the qualifying session for the seventh event of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season, the three pairs of Volkswagen drivers all earned themselves the right to choose a good starting position in the start of the rally on Friday. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), who recently scored a victory in Rally Greece, achieved the fastest time in the qualifying session and elected to start the rally last, in 13th place. The current overall leaders Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) recorded the third best time and chose to start the rally from position eleven. Their team colleagues Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) qualified in eighth place and will compete from position six on Friday.

    The starting positions in the field of World Rally Cars are a key success factor in Rally Italy in Sardinia. A layer of sand on top of the gravel means that the driving conditions will be slippery at the start of the special stages. But once this sand has been ‘swept away’, the vehicles’ grip improves tremendously. Volkswagen is now in an excellent position in Rally Italy, thanks to the results of the qualifying session and the driver pairs’ starting position choices.

    Statements, Rally Italy qualification 

    Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7
    “I’m obviously very happy with having achieved the fastest time, which gives us a great position to start from. I had a good feeling about the qualifying session, having already tried out the soft tyres in the morning. Choosing to start as the last World Rally Car in our Polo R WRC wasn’t remotely difficult, considering the hot and dry weather conditions. Tomorrow, we will have to try to always stay on the clean part of the course. The tracks are very narrow and there are lots of large rocks and boulders scattered along the sides. We still have our sights set on making it onto the winners’ rostrum – but we’ll have to see how things shape up in the rally, because this is a very tough one for the drivers and co-drivers, as well as for the vehicles and tyres.”

    Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #8
    “I’m pretty happy with the qualifying session. I had aimed to finish among the top three, and I managed to do this. Being the first to hit the gravel tracks here in Sardinia is never easy because you will always lose a little time. So it was important to be fast in the qualifying session, to be able to choose a starting position at the back of the field. Congratulations to Jari-Matti Latvala, who did a great job. As far as the rest of the rally is concerned, we will have to be very focused, because the narrow gravel tracks don’t leave any scope for errors. There’s one thing that’s definitely just right – the Polo is driving nicely. And hopefully my luck will return.”

    Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
    “I could have done a lot better than eighth place. I chose to use hard tyres in the practice session, and didn’t switch to soft tyres until we came to the qualifying session. I didn’t think there would be such a big difference, but the car really did feel different when running on soft tyres. And then I nearly stalled the engine in a hairpin bend. I didn’t lose much time as a result of that, but it was enough to drop back a few positions in this tight field of competitors. All the same, it doesn’t look too bad for tomorrow. We’ll just have to see what we can get out of our starting position.”

    Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
    “With a stony substratum and a soft, sandy top layer, being able to start from the back is hugely important here in Italy. So we are obviously very happy with positions one, three and eight in the qualifying session. All three pairs of drivers and co-drivers delivered top performances at the right time today. Jari-Matti Latvala’s fastest time was the icing on the cake, and Sébastien Ogier is right up there at the front too, in this incredibly close field. Both of them have good starting positions for the rally tomorrowthat will allow them to follow a clear line in the special stages. Today, Andreas Mikkelsen found out just how tight things are at the top and what difference a minor error can make – something tiny knocked him back a few places. But his starting position is still good. All in all, we put on a solid team performance today.”

    And then there was …

    … a rally trip into the past. Jari-Matti Latvala will be getting behind the wheel of a historic Audi for the Rally Estonia. The vehicle belonging to the Volkswagen Group brand Audi made its debut at Rally Monte Carlo in 1981. Are there parallels with the premiere of the Polo R WRC this season? Just like the original quattro, the Polo R WRC recorded the fastest time in its very first special stage. Any other similarities? The 1981 Audi and the 2013 Polo R WRC both won the second rally, in Sweden. And as is the case with Volkswagen, the two Audi vehicles were driven by a French pair and a Finnish pair. For Latvala, competing in the Audi quattro is something of a dream come true: “I’ve never driven a first-generation four-wheel drive before. I have always wanted to compare a vehicle like this one with a modern-day World Rally Car such as the Polo – and now I have the opportunity to do just that.”
    FIA World Rally Championship (WRC),
    Rally Italy – TV broadcast
    Western Europe
    Andorra (Canal +); Austria (LAOLA1.tv, ORF, ServusTV); Belgium (RTBF); Denmark (VIASAT); Finland (MTV3, YLE Sport); France (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21, TF1); Germany (Sport1, RTL, n-tv, LAOLA1.tv, ServusTV); Greece (OTE); Ireland (Setanta); Italy (RAI, Canale Italia, Sportitalia); Monaco (Canal +, France TV, Léquipe 21, TF1); Netherlands (RTL 7); Norway (VIASAT); Portugal (Sport TV, RTP); Spain (Canal +); Sweden (SVT); Wales (S4C)
    Eastern Europe
    Czech Republic (Czech TV, Sport 5); Poland (TVP, TV4, TV6); Romania (Dolce Sport); Russia (Auto Plus); Slovakia (Czech TV, Sport 5); Ukraine (First Automotive Channel)
    Asia Pacific
    Malaysia (Astro); Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam (ESPN Star); Japan (J Sports); New Zealand (Sky Sports); Australia (Speed TV); Thailand (Truevision)
    North and Latin America
    Argentina (Channel 12); Brazil (ESPN); Latin America (Fox Sports)
    International
    Worldwide (Reuters, SNTV)

  • GSK, McLaren announce winners of schools’ challenge

    GSK and McLaren announce winners of schools’ challenge to inspire next generation of scientists as survey shows only 8% of students planning a career in science

    WOKING, 20 June 2013: Teams of students from across the UK competed today to be crowned champions of a joint initiative between GSK and McLaren Group, designed to encourage the next generation of scientists. The initiative, named Scientists in Sport, is based on a survey that found that young people are not seeing the connection between school science lessons and future career opportunities. The survey of over 400 11-16 year olds showed that fewer than 1 in 20 young people pay full attention to their teachers in science lessons and that only 1 in 25 are definitely thinking about a career in science.

    Waldegrave School from Twickenham beat nearly 100 schools from across the country to win the national final of this year’s Fast Forward Challenge, an exciting competition which supports the Scientists in Sport initiative. In keeping with the aim of bringing science, technology, engineering and maths to life through sport, competition entrants were asked to design a test to help Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 drivers improve their performance.

    Students who took part in the Scientists in Sport online survey about young people’s perceptions of science said they would like the opportunity to interact with people who have a career in science as part of a classroom activity.  When presented with a list of science-based careers, over three quarters of students felt that developing a life-saving drug to help people live longer made science seem more interesting. Over half of students surveyed were interested in using cutting-edge technologies to develop equipment to help sports people. 

    At the final, held at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, students from six shortlisted schools presented the tests they had designed to help improve McLaren drivers’ reaction times and concentration, to a panel of judges including: Clayton Green, Human Performance Manager at McLaren; James Wilding, young engineer on GSK’s Future Leaders Programme, and Kerry O’Callaghan, Head of Global Brand Communications at GSK.

    Patrick Vallance, President of R&D at GSK, said: “As a science-led organisation our ongoing success relies on continuous innovation and that is led by the next generation of scientists and engineers. It’s important that young people can make the connection between the science they learn in school and  the job opportunities they may have in the future – that could be developing the next vaccine to help save children’s lives, or helping a Formula 1TM team like McLaren win races. Through the Scientists in Sport programme we hope to open young people’s eyes to the careers that science can offer.”

    Martin Whitmarsh, CEO of the McLaren Group said: “It’s a genuine concern that young people still do not view science as their career of choice. The young people of today are the innovators and creative thinkers of tomorrow and we will all rely on them to address major international challenges. As a technology company, we at McLaren feel a responsibility to help improve the perception of scientific careers and are proud to partner with GSK in the Fast Forward Challenge. All the finalists came up with highly innovative approaches and performed well under pressure. There is a wealth of talent in our schools; we now need to inspire bright young people to take up science and to excel.”   

    Kay Penly, teacher at Waldegrave School, said: “We’re delighted to have won the national final and the whole school is extremely proud of the team. The competition has been great for science at our school. It has inspired our students to think differently about science as they have been able to apply the things they learn in the classroom to something as big and exciting as Formula 1 racing.”

    Waldegrave School will receive £1000 worth of science equipment and the chance to have their test carried out by a member of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driving team. All finalists were given an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the McLaren Technology Centre, which is not usually open to the public, and the chance to quiz some of the scientists and engineers responsible for the innovation behind a Formula 1 TM racing team.

    Ends

  • New investors to strengthen Lotus F1 team

    Enstone, 18 June 2013: Lotus F1 Team has new part-owners as of today, with Infinity Racing Partners Limited (Infinity Racing) acquiring a 35% minority stake in the team. Infinity Racing joins Genii Capital, who retain a controlling stake in the team, with Gerard Lopez continuing as Chairman, a press release said.

    Infinity Racing is an investment consortium whose special purpose vehicle is comprised of private investors that include an American hedge fund manager, an Abu Dhabi-based multinational business group and royal family interests of a major oil producing nation.

    Lotus F1 Team was previously 100% owned by an investment vehicle of Genii Capital – a global investment management and financial advisory firm headquartered in Luxembourg – which retains a controlling stake of 65% in the team.

    Gerard Lopez, co-founder of Genii Capital, will remain Chairman of Lotus F1 Team. Eric Lux, CEO of Genii Capital, will continue his role on the team’s Board of Directors.

    Gerard Lopez, Chairman, Lotus F1 Team:
    “Infinity Racing’s principals have exceptional expertise and a proven strong track record in developing and delivering high quality technologies. This partnership will enable us to increase Lotus F1 Team’s competitive advantage related to KERS technology as it becomes more central to Formula 1’s push for environmentally sound racing, while also making Lotus F1 Team more marketable as a brand, opening up additional major sponsorship opportunities.”

    Mansoor Ijaz, Chairman and Suhail Al Dhaheri, Vice Chairman, Infinity Racing:
    “Gerard Lopez, Eric Lux and the entire Genii Capital team are building Lotus F1 Team to make it a serious competitor at every race and a winner on a par with the top racing teams in Formula 1. The recent developments at Enstone and results of the Team’s high-quality drivers are testament to this. Patrick Louis, Chief Executive, and Eric Boullier, Team Principal, are continuing the time-honoured traditions of Lotus F1 Team and have re-established the Team as a competitive force in Formula 1. We are honoured to be part of the Team’s forward march to the No.1 ranking and proud of the team spirit, down-to-earth nature and performance-oriented results that characterise the experts at Enstone, who endeavour to make Lotus F1 Team a title challenger in Formula 1 today.”

    Eric Lux, CEO, Genii Capital:
    “Genii Capital is delighted to announce this partnership between Infinity Racing and Lotus F1 Team as we continue to grow and compete for podium places. Since Genii Capital took over control in December 2009, we have been focused on growing the value of the organisation and developing the infrastructure at its Enstone headquarters. As Lotus F1 Team results have continued to improve every year, we have been waiting for the right investor who will help make the jump to the top spot in the Constructors’ Championship. In Infinity Racing, we have found a partner with the right connections in addition to technological expertise and a global reach in major markets with key sponsors to achieve this goal. We look forward to working with Infinity Racing as we continue on this exciting journey.”

    ends

  • Chandhok excited about return to iconic Le Mans

    Le Mans (France), 18 June 2013:, Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok will return to the historic Le Mans 24 hours race this weekend at the La Sarthe circuit in the North of France. Chandhok will drive the iconic Le Mans 24 hours race in the LMP2 Nissan V8-powered Oreca 03 with Murphy Prototypes. The Le Mans 24 hours race, part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, is widely regarded as part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, along with the F1, a press release from Adrenna Communications said.

    Chandhok is the only Indian on the grid amongst 166 drivers this year. Last year he created history by becoming the first and only Indian to compete in and finish the race, when he finished in 6th place overall for JRM Racing. There will be 56 cars on the grid and this year LMP2 is the strongest class with 22 cars on the grid.

    Chandhok could not hide his excitement about returning to what he considers one of the best races ever.  He commented, “I’m very excited to be back at Le Mans! Racing here last year, and being the first Indian to compete in and finish the historic 24 hours was one of the highlights of my career. This race is certainly right up there in terms of the Monaco F1 GP in terms of prestige but in terms of getting a result it’s much harder I think. It’s such a long race and certainly feels like a very long 24 hours hoping that the car runs reliably.“

    The Murphy Prototypes team will consist of young New Zealander, Brendon Hartley, and the greatly-experienced endurance sports car campaigner, Mark Patterson, who placed 2nd in LMP2 at the Petit Le Mans 2011 and is boosted at La Sarthe by Karun, a former Lotus and Hispania F1 driver.

    Team owner Greg Murphy said “We are thrilled to have Karun onboard for Le Mans this year. Our front-running performances at the two European Le Mand rounds this year at Silverstone and Imola has shown we have the pace, and a great driver combination in Brendon and Mark, which is boosted still further with the addition of Karun Chandhok to the squad for Le Mans. With these three, our line-up is good enough to win. Karun brings an awful lot to the table. He’s a very professional driver with Formula One experience and very quick. So we have a very good blend between the three of them.“

    The circuit is 13.6 kilometres long with cars touching top speeds of 315km/h. The three drivers will share driving duties over the 24 hours. Practice & Qualifying will take place on Thursday night with for the drivers to get accustomed to driving at night.

    After their Nissan-Oreca ran at the head of the LMP2 field for five hours at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and with Chandhok placed sixth overall last year, hopes are running high in the team camp.

    Chandhok is encouraged by the competitiveness of the LMP2 category and the effort the team is putting in. He added, “Last year I was here with JRM in the LMP1 class, but the problem in LMP1 is that only the two manufacturer teams Audi and Toyota have a chance of winning. A privateer has no chance under the current regulations. In LMP2, you have a real chance of fighting for a class victory as every team is a privateer outfit. Its been interesting for me to drive the LMP2 car this year – the speed in the corners is pretty much the same as the LMP1 car and some times even faster as they are lighter, but the straight line speeds are a bit less. We’re still doing 315 kmh down the straights though so it’s pretty damn quick in the middle of the night on a narrow forest road!”

    “The team at Murphy Prototypes have been working very hard to get the car sorted – they were leading the race until 6am last year but had a suspension failure. This is such a hard race to get right – the reliability of the car is probably more critical than outright speed although you do need both. I have two good team-mates in Brendon Hartley, who I know from both our time as Red Bull F1 test drivers, and Mark Patterson from America who is a Le Mans rookie but is learning fast.“ commented Chandhok.

    This year’s Le Mans 24 hours race will mark the 90th anniversary of the race. The race distance is more than 5000 km, which is equal to about 16 F1 races. The Le Mans 24 hours boasts the world’s largest live audience for a sporting event with over 280,000 people.

    Chandhok was also quick to thank his long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer who made this all possible. He said, “Being the only Indian on the grid amongst 166 drivers is once again an honour and I have to really thank my long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer for their backing once again this year.”

    The race can be seen live at  – www.fiawec.com

    Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.

  • Mahindras’ Oliveira claims front row: Moto GP

    Circuit de Catalunya, 15 June 2013: Mahindra rider Miguel Oliveira claimed his second front-row start of the year for Sunday’s Catalunyan GP. Team-mate Efren Vazquez will start directly behind him, qualifying a best-yet sixth to put international motorcycle racing’s only Indian team in a strong position for tomorrow’s race.

    Rising teenage Portuguese star Oliveira is fresh from fourth place in Italy after challenging throughout. The more experienced Spaniard Vazquez is back after pulling out of that race, recovering from collar-bone surgery.

    Both are riding the first development version of the Mahindra MGP3O Moto3™ machine. Engine performance and aerodynamics have both been enhanced as development of the brand-new bike continues apace. The white-and-red streamliner is in only its sixth race.

    Today’s qualifying continues a positive trend for the Mahindra squad. Six months after the bike first hit the drawing board, shake-down tests proved speed and reliability; results have improved race by race. At the same time the first developments were undergoing thorough tests, before finding their way to the race-track at Catalunya.

    The result underlines Mahindra’s growing credibility and status in the paddock, and has further quickened interest in the machine from other teams, interested in the prospect of running the MGP3O in next year’s series.

    “We have the infrastructure for supplying the MGP3O to other Moto3 teams next year as per the Moto3 regulations for 2014,” explains Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia. “It’s quite an exciting time in the paddock because we are getting approaches from a number of teams interested in Mahindra and the possibility of using the MGP3O as their official bike next season. And it would be extremely satisfying to see more Mahindra MGP3Os on the grid. It would certainly make us proud.”

    Tomorrow’s race is the sixth of 17 rounds in the Moto3 championship.

    MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – Third place, 1’51.540

    After free practice we made some changes to the bike, and I was in a good group so I could get a good lap.Tomorrow will be difficult for sure – another big group fight, and tough over 23 laps. I have to be smart and conserve my strength. While the team has been doing a good job developing the bike, I am also developing myself. The first job tomorrow is to finish the race, we’ll have to wait and see what position it is.

    EFREN VAZQUEZ – Sixth place, 151.952

    I’m very happy and a little bit surprised: my collar-bone is still in eight parts. I have a little pain … but I am from Bilbao! I’ve been training at home, and I feel good that I can fight tomorrow. The team is improving all the time. At each race the bike and the performance get better. Having both on the front two rows is important to the team, and for our race results.

    Ends