INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Braving broken ribs Harith Noah conquers Stage 9

    Braving broken ribs Harith Noah conquers Stage 9

    By David Bodapati

    Wadi Ad Dawasir (Saudi Arabia), 11 Jan. 2022: Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Racing Factory team finished the tough Stage 9 in 31st position on the 11th day of the 44th Dakar Rally here on Tuesday before realising that he has broken ribs suffered on Sunday. The lone crusader from India, however, moved closer to the coveted goal of finishing his fourth Dakar Rally with a general ranking to 27th place among 130-plus. Noah crossed the chequered flag in 31st place but a late penalty of 15minutes saw him slip to 44th an hour after the stage closed.

    For the performance of the other INDIAN Team, HERO MotoSports, read the report here.

    Early into the timed stages, Noah, had issues with the rear brake, but still began well in the first 40 kms towards the first check point and stood at 16th place. Later on, he managed to nurture his bike with the handicap of having only the front brake and fell behind by about 12 minutes to the leader. But the ace rally-raid athlete completed the 200-km mark despite the obstacles, and lost a few positions. But later, he pushed with determination and recovered from 34th position to finish the stage at P31. Negotiating 491 km of sands, dunes and rocky terrain with the loss of rear brakes and painful ribs is a testimony to the courage and bravery of a professional motorsports endurance athlete.

    His final time of 2hours, 46minutes, and 55seconds saw him move ahead in the general classification and improve by a place from yesterday’s 26th position before the penalty. The Stage was won by R Brabec of Monster Energy Honda from USA. Noah clocked a total time 32:37:42 after 10 days of gruelling sands. Today, Noah did a loop around Wadi ad-Dawasir where he faced mountains, followed by the tracks around the canyons. Although there were less sand sections, Noah managed to recover towards the end that required strong navigational skills, which is his forte, despite the pain.

    Harith Noah conquers another stage full of sands and rocks. A flying rock also injured his ribs but the gritty TVS Factory rider slugged on with three stages to for the finish on Jan 14. Photo by Sherco Factory Team for Editoril Use Only

    Competing in RallyGP, the premier class of the Moto section, Harith Noah, is placed 23rd in this elite class. “Today was not an ideal day. I had a technical issue, a few kilometres into the timed stage. A stone hit it and I lost the rear brakes. I only had the front and it was not easy, but I tried to manage. I came to know that I broke two ribs on Stage 7 when a rock flew from another rider in the front and hit my chest when I was passing. It was hurting a lot and I got to know this morning. Now, I have to do a medical check,” said the TVS product after the stage.

    “But that doesn’t change anything. I finished safe and sound and it is a long stage tomorrow with no dunes, so it is going to be fun,” concluded Noah.

    Sherco TVS Racing’s teammater of Naoh, Rui Goncalves had a decent stage and completed it without any big errors. He finished two places down from where he started in P16 while Lorenzo Santolino was P25. Lorenzo Santolino remains the lead rider for TVS in P7 overall general ranking with Goncalves in P26 overall behind Harith Noah in P25.

    Hero MotoSports, the other Indian team in Dakar, had a decent day. Lead rider Joaquim Rodrigues dropped a few places by the time he reached the first waypoint but improved on every section from there on and finsihed 11th in the stage and 15th overall in general classification. Hero teammate Aaron Mare finished 17th overall after his 21st in Stage 9.

    Stage 10 on Wednesday offers a different terrain on the way to Bisha, with a rich variety of landscape and is considered to have one of the fastest timed stages in Dakar.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 9) Provisional Classification:

    1. #11 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Chile) (Monster Energy Honda) 02H, 29’30”;

    2. #1 Kevin Benavides (Argentina) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 02H, 30’56”; +01′ 26″;

    3. #2 Ricky Brabec (USA) (Monster Energy Honda) 02H, 31′ 17″; + 01’47”;

    31. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 2H 46’55”; +00H 17’25”; Plus 15′ penalty.

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 9)

    1. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 30H 14’ 03”;

    2. #3 Sam Sunderland (Britain) (Gas Gas Factory) 30H; 16′ 15″; +02′ 12″;

    3. #42 Adrian van Beveren (France) (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally); 30H 17’ 59”;+3′ 56″;

    25. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 32H, 37’ 42”; +2H 23’ 39”. +15′ penalty (in Stage 9).

  • Hero MotoSport Team Rally continues solid run at Dakar 2022

    Hero MotoSport Team Rally continues solid run at Dakar 2022

    Wadi Ad Dawasir (Saudi Arabia), 10 Jan. 2022: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, delivered yet another impressive performance in the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2022. 

    Both Joaquim Rodrigues and Aaron Maré put up a strong performance in a fast stage, bagging the seventh and 19th positions in the stage rankings of the RallyGP class.

    Since winning Stage 3, JRod has been consistently finishing in the top 10 positions and his strong finish today places him at the 14th position in the overall RallyGP class rankings. Aaron enjoyed riding on his Hero 450 Rally, especially in the long dune sections on Monday. His performance puts him in 16th place in the overall RallyGP class rankings.

    Stage 8 which started off with sandy dunes, quickly moved to narrow tracks full of stones and then wet stretches, before heading into a constant web of valleys and wadis. Finding the right path from one valley to another was unusually difficult in the day’s 400 km special section.

    Starting the last leg of the race, Stage 9 will be a 490 km loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir, featuring mountains and tracks that wind their way around canyons. Although there will be lesser sand than earlier, this short stage is still presumed to be a difficult one.

    Joaquim Rodrigues

    “I had another good stage. It was really fast, but it was a good race. The Hero Rally 450 has been performing at its best, and I’m happy with my performance as well. We’ve been posting consistent results, and I hope we can keep it up till the end of the race.”

    Aaron Maré

    “The stage started really well, and I enjoyed riding in the dunes till about refuel. After refuel, the tracks became quite fast and windy, though I enjoyed that as well because it wasn’t as rocky as the previous stages. I also felt a lot more comfortable with the navigation, and finished without making any mistakes. I’m happy with my consistent performance, and hoping for a better result ahead.”

    Provisional Stage 8 Rankings – RallyGP class:

    1.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         03h 48m 02s

    2.           Pablo Quintanilla                      Monster Energy Honda                        + 02m 53s

    3.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 04m 11s

    4.           Ricky Brabec                               Monster Energy Honda                        + 06m 44s

    7.           Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 09m 58s

    19.        Aaron Maré                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 20m 17s

    Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 8 – RallyGP class:

    1.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         27h 38m 42s

    2.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 03m 45s

    3.           Adrien van Beveren                 Monster Energy Yamaha                     + 04m 43s

    4.           Pablo Quintanilla                      Monster Energy Honda                        + 05m 30s

    14.        Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 58m 05s

    16.        Aaron Maré                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 01h 11m 46s            

    Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 8 – All classes:

    1.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         27h 38m 42s

    2.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 03m 45s

    3.           Adrien van Beveren                 Monster Energy Yamaha                     + 04m 43s

    4.           Pablo Quintanilla                      Monster Energy Honda                        + 05m 30s

    15.        Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 58m 05s

    17.        Aaron Maré                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 01h 11m 46s

  • TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Noah posts 26th rank with resilience

    TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Noah posts 26th rank with resilience

    Wadi Ad Dawasir(Saudi Arabia), 10 Jan, 2022: TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Naoh pocketed another stage as he showed enough resilience after initial hiccups and conquered Stage 8 in his inimitable style pushing hard towards the end as he gained two more positions in the overall ranking. The Kerala ace is sitting pretty at 26th position in the general rankings after finishing 26thon Monday. The stage was won by Sam Sunderland of Great Britain. Noah clocked 4 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds to complete the timed special of almost 400 km.

    Hero MotoSport, the other Indian team in the fray, had a good stage too. Read the Report here.

    Sherco Rally team video only for Editorial use. @ShercoRallyFactory

    Watch the Day’s highlights here: Stage 8, Jan 10, 2022.

    Starting at 22ndat 8 a.m. (IST) today and treading a cautious path for the first 86 km in the long liaisons, and action-packed dunes, the 5-time Indian National Supercross champion saw the trek to southern Saudi Arabia and its tough sands, drag on and lost about 10 places. Undaunted, he progressed later on, even as the minds and bodies of the competitors were put to a hard test. Noah, attacked the next 200 kms of the special, and by waypoint 6, he moved up and further improved thereafter as he jumped from one valley to another. Eventually, the landscapes changed and the tough negotiator ended up the day in a respectable 26th in the stage after traversing a distance of 820 km, that got him an overall 26th, two places better than the previous day.

    Competing in RallyGP, the premier class of the Moto section in the 44th Dakar Rally, Harith Noah, who had a tough first week due to extreme cold conditions and a couple of falls, has come into his own and looking forward to the last four stages.

    Astride a Sherco 450 SEF Rally Shoranur rider said: “I enjoyed the stage for the second day running and I am getting into my rhythm. It was a long and tough day but I like tricky navigation like this stage. I am still in the race and glad to fighting another stage tommorrow.”

    Noah’s teammate at Sherco Rally Factory team Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino is in overall 7th place while other Sherco rider Rui Goncalves of Portugal is a position behind Noah in 27th. Meanwhile, Hero MotoSports, the other Indian two-wheeler manufacturer in the 140-plus Moto field, saw their lead rider Joaquim Rodrigues from Portugal in Overall 15th place while Aaron Mare of South Africa is place 17th in the General overall ranking.

    Sherco story:

    It was the second long day in this 2022 Dakar. The special was 395 km with a 435 km link that the riders had to race today on some difficult and fast terrain. All of them gave 100% in the dunes and on the fast tracks towards Wadi Ad Dawasir, and at the same time keeping a close eye on the roadbook. This evening they brought the motorcycles back to the bivouac in perfect condition, a luxury after such a day. 
     Lorenzo Santolino started 5th this morning and was the author of some outstanding navigation on a particularly tricky special, between dunes and fast tracks. Following the prerace instructions, he actually backed off a little to preserve his motorcycle he did give up some time at the finish. He finished 20th today and is in 7th place in the general classification. ¡Vamos Santo!

    Rui Goncalves had a good special. He finished 14th for the day, he is still fighting to move up in the general classification, he did manage to move up 3 places. He is now right behind Harith Noah in 27th place.

    After his great performance yesterday, Harith Noah really switched to rally mode. He rode clean and consistent and finished the day in 26th place. He is also in this position in the general classification. The top 20 is getting closer!


    After a perfect day yesterday, our 3 riders faced a very complicated program today. Lorenzo lost a few minutes overall, but the days go by and are not the same every day in the Dakar. Our riders followed the instructions of the team manager David Casteu, the riders and mechanics know how to preserve and maintain the machines perfectly. And they still have all 3 bikes in the race. Everyone in the Sherco camp is at the dawn of the second week of racing which still has some great stages in store.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 8) Provisional Classification:

    1. #3 Sam Sunderland (Britain) (Gas Gas Factory) 03Hours 48min 02seconds;

    2. #7 Pablo Quintanilla (Chile) (Monster Energy Honda); 03H 50’ 55”; +02’ 53”;

    3. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing); 03H 52′ 13″; +4′ 11″;

    26. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 4H 12’30”; +00H 24’28”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 8)

    1. #3 Sam Sunderland (Britain) (Gas Gas Factory) 27Hours 38min 42seconds;

    2. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 27H 42’ 27”; +03’ 45”;

    3. #42 Adrian van Beveren (France) (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally); 27H 43’ 25”;+4′ 43″;

    26. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 29H, 50’ 47”; +2H 12’ 05”.

  • Splendid show by Harith Noah helps him conquer tricky stage

    Splendid show by Harith Noah helps him conquer tricky stage

    Al Dawadimi (Saudi Arabia), 9 Jan. 2022: TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Noah put in a splendid performance bouncing back after the rest day to post a stunning 23rd as he finished the ardous Stage 7 successfully in the Moto section of the 44th Dakar Rally here on Sunday.

    After the rest day, the Ace international rider from India, Noah, began on an aggressive note and shot into the top-16 after the first 50kms negotiating rough terrain and long stretches of dunes before the second WayPoint. Despite having to ride back losing about 10km, to log at a missed WayPoint, he displayed enough racecraft and continued his stunning pace to advance admirably as he finished the long 402-km timed Special in top-25. The Kerala Sports Science graduate thus improved his standing in the Overall general ranking to 27th place after eight days of racing in the sands. Today’s challenging 700-km stage, including liaison distance, comprised a mixture of seemingly endless dunes followed by more tricky-to-navigate canyons and riverbeds and the 28-year TVS rider negotiated with ease and grace as he found the stage interesting and to his liking.

    Competing with the elite in the RallyGP class, the top rider from India, who is the lone crusader flying the Tricolour, suffered a couple of crashes and injured his shoulder badly during the second fall in Stage 5, but carried the injury bravely and with grit moved ahead steadily.

    The 5-time Indian National Supercross champion said: “I enjoyed the stage despite being a cold day, which I am not used to. It was a long and tough day with challenging navigation and tricky dunes, but I like difficult navigation. I was alone all day and was pushing myself all the way.” With sights firmly trained on the finishline in Jeddah on January 14, Noah concluded “I hope there will be more days like this and today was fun.”

    Astride a Sherco 450 SEF Rally, the Indian spent months in preparation for the the gruelling rally that is considered as mecca of cross-country endurance rallying and captured another stage which saw four more of the 140+ riders suffer casualty.

    Five more stages are left in the 12-stage 7200-km cross country rally, the first leg of the new World Cross Country rally championship.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 7) Provisional Classification:

    1. #11 Jose Ignacio Cornejo F (Chile) (Monster Energy Honda). 03H 28’ 46”;

    2. #1 Kevin Benavides (Argentina) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing); 03H 29’ 30” +00’ 44”.

    3. #88 Joan Barreda Bort (Spain) (Monster Energy Honda); 03H 31’ 37”; +2’ 51”;

    23. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 3H 51’10” +00H 22’24”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 7)

    1. #42 Adrian van Beveren (France) (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team); 23H 45’ 02”;

    2. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 23H 50’ 14”; +05’12”;

    3. #1 Kevin Benavides (Argentina) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing); 23H 50’ 25”; +05’ 23”.

    27. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 25H, 38’ 17”; +1H 53’ 15”.

  • Ryhana regains title; Prabhu Arunagiri shines for Pacer Yamaha

    Ryhana regains title; Prabhu Arunagiri shines for Pacer Yamaha

    Chennai, 8 Jan. 2022: Indian National champion in 2018, Ryhana Bee of RACR, regained the National title in the Girls category after a two-year lapse here on Saturday with one race to spare as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 concluded at the MMRT. The Chennai girl, lost the title in the inaugural year to Aishwarya Pissay before the championship was granted National status by fmsci in the 2016 Honda one make championship. The year 2017 saw for the first time a National championship for women in Road Racing in India.

    Among the rides of the day was by 29-year old Prabhu Arunagiri from Chennai who scripted a maiden win for Pacer Yamaha, a team returning to the National Championship after a 12-year break, in Race-2 of the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category, holding off a quality field. The race was red-flagged and reduced to five laps from eight following a lap-1 incident, but it did not stop Prabhu from winning with leader Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) crashing in the penultimate lap.

    Earlier in the day, Prabhu, who has been in and out of racing in the past few years, finished fourth in Race-1 that was won by Deepak Ravikumar who delivered a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing ahead of defending champion Jagan Kumar while Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) came in third. The two podium finishes saw Jagan moving to 159 points in championship standings followed by Ravikumar (118) and Sethu (116).

    Meanwhile, Chennai ace Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate) took decisive steps towards winning the championship in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category by picking up 50 valuable points. The 41-year old international finished second behind Thailand’s Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing), but with the foreigner ineligible for any points, Rajini picked up 25. He followed it up with a fine win in Race-2 on wearing tyres while Malahuan, who had a jump-start, faded out of contention.

    After four rounds, Rajini has a tally of 168 points, ahead of Bengalurean Anish Damodara Shetty of Race Concepts (121) who finished third and second in the double-header. With one more round left in the championship and a maximum of 50 points up for grabs, Rajini has one had on the trophy with a 47-point lead.

    Ryhana, 24, who sat out the 2020 season owing to injuries after winning the championship in 2019, staged a remarkable recovery to catch up with early leader and defending champion Ann Jennifer before making a decisive pass on the last lap for a merited fourth consecutive victory. It took Ryhana’s tally to 100, way ahead of second-placed Mumbai’s Jagruti Kiran Penkar (Sparks Racing, 57 points) with just one more race remaining and which is scheduled to be run in the concluding round in February.

    The day began with local collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) winning Novice (Stock 165cc) race as he fought his way through the field after losing position early in the six-lapper which he started from pole position. The win, his fourth of the season, drew Sundar level with leader Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing) from Thrissur, both on 128 points.

    Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan chalked up a fine double in the NSF 250 category of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, defeating championship leader Kavin Quintal in both races.

    The results (Provisional – all six laps unless mentioned):

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open) Race-1: 1. Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing, Thailand) (11mins, 18.244secs); 2. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate, Chennai) (11:18.657); 3. Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (11:18.921). Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Rajini Krishnan (15:04.127); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (15:04.297); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:04.454).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Open) Race-1: 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:48.162); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:48.484); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Idumitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (11:50.454). Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha, Chennai) (09:57.247); 2. Rajiv Sethu (09:57.505); 3. Jagan Kumar (09:57.655).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsport, Chennai) (13:03.215); 2. Sarvesh Balappa (Sparks Racing, Hubbali) (13:05.798); 3. Anfal Akthar (Rockstar Racing, Thrissur) (13:05.856).

    Girls (Stock 165cc) 5 laps: 1. Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate, Chennai) (11:02.702); 2. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Chennai) (11:02.886); 3. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (11:03.512).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250 (Race-1): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (11:11.037); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (11:14.091); 3. Geoffrey Revinen Emmanuel (Chennai) (11:15.060). Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (14:47.030); 2. Kavin Quintal (14:47.277); 3. Geoffrey Revinen Emmanuel (14:59.460).

    Novice (CBR 150): 1. Prakash Kamat (Bokaro Steel City) (13:04.485); 2. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (13:04.735); 3.Vivek Gaurav (Patna) (13:06.764).

    Hornet 2.0 (Support race): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (13:29.346); 2. Ajay Xavier (Nagarkoil) (13:29.437); 3. Prabhu V (Chennai) (13:29.655).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RR 310) Race-1: 1. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (11:46.925); 2. Jagadeesh N (Bengaluru) (11:47.761); 3. Manoj Yesudian (Chennai) (11:47.899). Race-2: 1. Manoj Yesudian (11:47.967); 2. Ananthraj P (Chennai) (11:48.088); 3. Amarnath Menon (11:49.172).

    Rookie (RTR 200): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:55.139); 2. Chiranth Viswanath (Bengaluru) (12:55.220); 3. Shreyas Copparam Hareesh (Bengaluru) (12:56.356).

  • Harith Noah overcomes tough terrain and painful shoulder to finish Overall 28th

    Harith Noah overcomes tough terrain and painful shoulder to finish Overall 28th

    Riyadh, January 7, 2022: Brave display by TVSRacing Factory rider and 5-time Indian National champion Harith Noah saw him overcame a dangerous terrain and a painful shoulder to tread successfully at the half-way stage of the 44th Dakar Rally, for a creditable overall ranking of 28th position on Friday.

    The lone rider representing India, managed to reign in sands of the world’s toughest cross-country rally finishing 35th in the 702-km Stage 6 on Friday. Daniel Sanders won the stage today and Sam Sunderland is leading the Overall ranking after six stages.

    Many experienced riders had a tough time towards the later part of Stage 5 before a section was cancelled on Thursday, after it saw many crashes. On Friday, the stage was run in the reverse direction and it appeared to be worse with many parts of the route turning treacherous. The promoters then had to call it off and reduce the stage distance after 101-km point. Thus the 28-year Kerala star, despite the tricky terrain finished 35th in the stage today, and with many other falling behind he improved his Overall general ranking to 28th place from the 31st rank on Thursday.  

    The only rider representing India in 2022 Dakar Rally, Noah, is determined to use Saturday to give some rest to his injured shoulder. “The terrain was demanding and dangerous at certain places and with my shoulder pain becoming worse, it is a big relief that I successfully completed the stage. I should be back to normal after the rest day tomorrow and looking forward to give my best,” said the Sherco TVS Factory team rider, who became the fastest at Dakar in 2021.

    The bike and quad special has been halted at the first neutralisation area after 101 km. The deterioration of the tracks due to the passage of the cars and trucks yesterday, combined with recent heavy rain means that the route is impassable. The classification for stage 6 was established at the 101 km mark.

    Noah’s teammate at Sherco TVS Factory team Lorenzo Santolino is in Overall 6th position after Stage 6 while Rui Goncalves is placed 32ndnd. Hero MotoSports Rally Team’s Joaquim Rodriques is placed Overall 18th in the General Ranking with Hero compatriot South African Aran Mare slipped to 16thth.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 5) Provisional Classification:

    1. #4 Daniel Sanders (Austria) (Gas Gas Factory Racing).51’ 43”;

    2. #3 Sam Suntherland (Great Britain) (Gas Gas Factory Racing); 54’09”;02’26”.

    3. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 54’19” +02’36”.

    35. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 1H02’02” +10’19”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 6)

    1. #3 Sam Suntherland (Great Britain) (Gas Gas Factory Racing); 19H55’59”.

    2. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 19H58’38”. +02’39”.

    3. #4 Daniel Sanders (Austria) (Gas Gas Factory Racing). 20H01’34”; +05’35”.

    28. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 21H, 47’ 07”. +1H 51’08”.

  • Aditi Krishnan wins TVS girls race; Rakshitha clinches title

    Aditi Krishnan wins TVS girls race; Rakshitha clinches title

    Chennai, 7 Jan. 2022: Aditi Krishnan of Bengaluru won by a comfortable margin beating Adlin Seles of Chennai in the Apache RTR 200 race for girls, the only race that was completed at the Madras Motor Sports Track here on Friday. The day’s menu also had 10 qualifying sessions for different classes. There will be no races on Sunday due to the weekend curfew and 13 more races will be completed on Saturday.

    The 16-year old 11th class student of Delhi Public School is trained by Apex Racing Academy. Chennai girl Rakshitha Dave who came fourth took home enough points to clinch the One-make championship with a round to spare garnering an unbeatable 87 points.

    Meanwhile, the feature class saw experienced speedmaster Rajini Krishnan of RACR Castrol Power team, deliver a stunning lap to grab the pole position in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open) category in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    Astride a Yamaha, Rajini came up with a late burst to post a best lap of one minute, 50.612secs, to pip Thailand’s Vorapong Malahuan (01:50.703), a TVS Racing import who of course is not counted for the championship. Another TVS Racing star, Deepak Ravikumar (01:50.880) filled the front row of the grid.

    Rajini Krishnan, who qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open) category on Saturday, 8 Jan 2022 at MMRT. Photo By Anand Philar

    The day witnessed hectic action as 21 sessions (practice, qualifying and one race) were completed. In view of the total lockdown on Sunday announced by the State government, the schedule was revised to ensure that the fourth round concludes a day earlier, on Saturday. The number of races were also reduced from original 18 to 14. The balance four races will be run during the fifth round in February.

    Earlier, TVS Racing team locked the front row in the Pro-Stock 165cc (Open) category with Chennai trio of Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.577) clinching pole position while KY Ahamed (01:55.783) and defending champion Jagan Kumar (01:56.361) completed the top three. Their arch-rival, Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) was fourth quickest (01:57.207) after being forced to curtail his practice session in the morning due to a glitch in his bike.

    Meanwhile, 19-year old local collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) qualified for pole position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category with a top lap of two minutes, 08.621 seconds ahead of Sparks Racing pair of Sarvesh Balappa from Hubballi and Thrissur’s Allwin Xavier while championship leader Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing), also from Thrissur, will start from P4.

    Last year’s champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing), lying seventh in the championship, made a strong statement by taking the pole position in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category, clocking a best lap of 02 minutes, 10.427 seconds. Behind her were championship leader Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power) and Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing).

    Elsewhere, Pune’s Sarthak Chavan snatched the pole position in the NSF 250 class of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup while Prakash Kamath from Bokaro Steel City qualified for the top spot in the Novice (CBR 150) class.

    In the TVS One-Make Championship, Navaneeth Kumar (Puducherry) and Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) topped their respective qualifying sessions in the Open (RR310) and Rookie (RTR 200) categories, respectively.

    Later, in the only race of the day, Bengaluru’s Aditi Krishnan, starting from pole position, topped the Girls race in the TVS One-Make Championship, ahead of Adlin Seles (Chennai) and Deepika Reddy (Hyderabad).

    The results (Provisional):

    Qualifying (Best laps­):

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open): 1. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power, Chennai) (01min, 50.612secs); 2. Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing, Thailand) (01:50.703); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:50.880).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Open): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:55.577); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:55.783); 3. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:56.361).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports, Chennai) (02:08.621); 2. Sarvesh Balappa (Sparks Racing, Hubballi) (02:09.106); 3. Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing, Thrissur) (02:10.185).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Chennai) (02:10.427); 2. Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power, Chennai) (02:10.581); 3. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (02:12.004).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250: 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (01:50.063); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (01:51.351); 3. Mohsin Paramban (Mallapuram) (01:51.526).

    Novice (CBR 150): 1. Prakash Kamath (Bokaro Steel City) (02:08.830); 2. Vivek Gaurav (Patna) (02:08.935); 3. Raheesh Khatri (Mumbai) (02:09.384).

    Hornet 2.0 (Support event): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (02:11.709); 2. Alwin Sundar (Thrissur) (02:11.912); 3. Ullas Santrupt Nanda (Bengaluru) (02:12.036).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RR 310): 1. Navaneeth Kumar (Puducherry) (01:56.008); 2. Ananthraj P (Chennai) (01:56.346); 3. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (01:56.569).

    Rookie (RTR 200): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (02:07.478); 2. Shreyas Copparam Hareesh (Bengaluru) (02:08.471); 3. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (02:08.870).

    Girls Race (RTR 200) 5 laps: 1. Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru) (11:22.919); 2. Adlin Seles (Chennai) (11:33.144); 3. Deepika Reddy (Hyderabad) (11:33.354).

  • Harith Noah, finishes Stage 5 in 28th position for an Overall 30th rank

    Harith Noah, finishes Stage 5 in 28th position for an Overall 30th rank

    Riyadh, January 6, 2022: The only rider representing India in 2022 Dakar Rally, Harith Noah, of TVS Racing factory team, completed Stage 5 with grit and determination despite a painful shoulder in a respectable 28th position on Thursday for an Overall rank of 30, one position better than the previous day. D Petrucci of Italy won the stage.

    Noah’s teammate at Sherco TVS Factory team Lorenzo Santolino is in Overall 5th position after Stage 5 while Rui Goncalves is placed 33rd. Hero MotoSports Rally Team’s Joaquim Rodriques is placed Overall 20th in the General Ranking with Hero compatriot South African Aran Mare in a creditable 8th.

    He finished in 28th among a field of over 140 riders in Moto section. Taking part in the top RallyGP class which has about 25 elite riders, the Kerala ace survived a crash in Stage 4 yesterday but after a brief treatment took the start of the 560-km stage with a Special Section distance of 346km, with a section that crossed the paths of both FIM and FIA vehicles. Tomorrow, the same stage will be run in the reverse direction. The five-time Indian National Super Cross champion, astride a Sherco 450 SEF rally-prepared machine, clocked 3hours, 41min, 05seconds.

    “It took some time in the morning before I settled down as I had a crash yesterday. But after two waypoints, I got into my rhythm and the pace was good. I managed to make a couple of positions and happy to finish the day and be in the race for tomorrow.” said Harith Noah.

    The 12-stage 2022 Dakar Rally, being held in the sandy dunes of Saudi Arabia for the third year will conclude on January 14, 2022. The riders will have a rest day on Saturday, Jan 8.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 5) Provisional Classification:

    1. D Petrucci (Ita) (Tech 3 KTM) 03H 23’ 46”;

    2. R Branch (BWA) (Monster Energy) +00’ 02”;

    3. K Cornejo Flo… (CHL) (Monster Energy) +00’ 05”.

    28. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) +17’19”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 4)

    1. S. Sunderland (Gas Gas Factory) 19H 1’ 50”;

    2. M. Walkner (Red Bull KTM) +02’ 29”;

    3. A Van Beveren (Monster Energy) +05’ 59”;

    30. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 1H 43’ 15”.

  • Round 4 of National 2-Wheeler Racing Championship from Friday

    Chennai, January 5: Country’s top two-wheeler manufacturers – TVS, Honda, KTM and Yamaha – and racers congregate at the iconic MMRT circuit after a three-month break for the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 commencing on Friday, January 7, with over 100 entries in the fray.

    It being the penultimate round of the 2021 championship that spilled into the New Year due to the pandemic, the focus would be on the points leaders in various categories who will be looking to consolidate their respective positions. However, if the previous three rounds are any guide, then the competition is expected to be as fierce and close, thus providing for plenty of excitement.

    Promoters Madras Motor Sports Club, in their 70th year, have scheduled a card of 18 races with Covid-19 safety protocols in place, besides practice and qualifying sessions spread over three days that promise another dose of high octane action.

    Multiple National champions Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Racing) and Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) head the championship stakes in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc and 165cc categories, respectively, with three wins apiece, though neither can afford to relax despite enjoying sizeable leads in the points table.

    The situation is somewhat similar in the two other National championship categories. Thrissur’s Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing) enjoys a 10-point advantage in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category while local challenger Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power Racing) has a 30-point cushion in the Girls (Stock 165cc) class following an unbeaten run.

    Amarnath Menon from Kozhikode (Open, RTR 310), Kolhapur’s Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Rookie, RTR 200) and Chennai teenager Rakshita Dave (Girls, RTR 200) head the respective leaderboards in the TVS One-Make Championship organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club.

    The Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup has thrown up firm favourites after three rounds. Chennai teenager Kavin Quintal (NSF 250R), who is the only Indian selected for the Asia Talent Cup organized by Dorna Sports, and Prakash Kamath from Bokaro Steel City (CBR 150R) head their respective categories.

    Looking ahead to the weekend, MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “At the outset, MMSC wishes the motorsport fraternity and the Media a happy New Year. These are difficult and challenging times in view of the pandemic, but they have not dampened the enthusiasm of the competitors, the teams and the manufacturers, going by the number of entries. We remain indebted to them and also our sponsors MRF Tyres, for their whole-hearted support. And so, as before, we look forward to another weekend of keen competition.”

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the MMRT circuit in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC purchased Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Harith Noah survives a crash to retain finish 31st

    Harith Noah survives a crash to retain finish 31st

    Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), 5  Jan. 2022: TVS Racing factory team rider Harith Noah continued his exploits successfully finishing the long stage at the gruelling 2022 Dakar Rally here on Wednedsay. Taking part in the top RallyGP class in Moto section, the Kerala rider survived a crash and was in pain but finished 31st to retain his general ranking of 31.

    The hard sands were to his liking and Noah, began today’s Stage 4 aggressively but lost pace after the fall at around 300-km point where he hit his shoulder first. But recovered and finished in the tougher part to clock 4 hours, 34 minutes and 14 seconds.

    The Hero MotoSports Rally Team’s yesterday’s stage winner Joaquim Rodriques of Portugal slipped to 35th place today and his teammate South African Aaron Mare logged a penalty and finished the stage at 40th position. In the overall rankings, Aaron is in 15th place and JRod is at 19th.

    The 707-km stage, including liaison, from Al Qaisumah to Riyadh, was won by Joan Barreda Bort of Spain. Noah’s teammates from Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team came out in flying colours and challenged for stage podium through out the 11 WayPoints. The youngster among the two, Rui Goncalves, finished third while Lorenzo Santolino, followed him in fourth. Spaniard Santolino is now in Overall 5th place while Goncalves is lying in 38th place behind Noah (31st).

    Portuguese rider Rui Goncalves, who got his first stage podium in Dakar, said: “It was a long stage where you needed to stay focused and avoid mistakes. It went pretty well, I stayed positive throughout the stage. At first, I rode alongside Barreda and, after that, I spent most of the time with Quintanilla. They’re good companions, not least because I can learn a lot from them in my second Dakar.”

    “It was a longer stage with less sand today and to my liking as the sand was hard like in India. I had good pace till I had a crash where I landed on my shoulder. Later, I took easy as I was in pain and just managed to finish the stage. Xray and ultrasound revealed no damage and yes, I am game to race tomorrow again,” said Noah, the 28-year Sports Science graduate and a five-time Indian National champion.

    Astride a Sherco 450 SEF rally-prepared machine, the TVS rider from Kerala, shot into the top-16 after the first waypoint, gaining 13 places from his 29th position, but rode in pain after the fall and finished the course admirably and even managed to retain his position.

    Dakar Rally 2022

    Stage 4 Provisional Classification

    1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 4:06:06;

    2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 4:10:43 + 0:04:37;

    3. Rui Goncalves (Sherco) 4:14:05 + 0:07:59;

    4. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 4:15:02 + 0:08:56;

    5. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 4:16:01 + 0:09:55;

    6. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 4:16:21 + 0:10:15;

    31. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 4:34:14 + 0:27:08;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 4)

    1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 15:30:01;

    2. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 15:33:01 + 0:03:00;

    3. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 15:34:55 + 0:04:54;

    4. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 15:37:08 + 0:11:13;

    5. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 15:40:29 + 0:10:28;

    6. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 15:41:14 + 0:11:13;

    31. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 17:4:00 +01:33:59;