INDIA in F1

Author: INDIAinF1 Desk

  • Abdul Tanveer triumphs at Rally of Chikmagalur; Sarath Mohan tops among privateers in Overall 6th

    Abdul Tanveer triumphs at Rally of Chikmagalur; Sarath Mohan tops among privateers in Overall 6th

    By David Bodapati

    Chikkamagaluru, 15 May 2022: Defending champion Abdul Wahid Tanveer of Petronas TVS Racing team emerged victorious to open his title defence in style while three other riders, Imran Pasha, Sarath Mohan and Tanika Shanbagh hogged the limelight with stellar performance, in the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Rally Championship – 2W 2022, popularly known as INRC for 2-wheelers, held at the ‘Coffee Land’ here on Sunday.

    TVS rider Imran Pasha, astride a humble TVS Apache RTR 200, proved that the bike can roar like a tiger if the rider calls the shots. Pasha punched above his weight skilfully negotiating the tricky corners with controlled aggression, and finished a creditable fifth in the overall standings beating many other bikes in the higher classes.

    Tanveer beat his teammate Samuel Jacob by more than a minute. Samuel lost about 18 seconds in SS3 and 15 seconds in SS7, that pushed him back but he had the consolation of beating the champion today in two stages, SS2 and SS6, even if only by a small margin. The 2019 National champion Rajendra hit a tree in the very first stage and later managed to cut the deficit but missed the podium. “It is a great feeling to sit on the new bike. It is very powerful and the I am very happy with the going. I lost some time after the fall in SS3 but I will come back stronger next Sunday,” said Samuel.

    Sarath Mohan, top Privateer

    Sarath Mohan of Malappuram hogs the limelight as top Privateer taking overall fifth and first in his class. An INDIAinF1 photo

    Likewise, Sarath Mohan was the man of the moment. Riding with a mission, astride a Husqvarna FE450, he took the Overall honours as the top Privateer on Sunday. It was a stunning result for the Kerala stalwart, who overcame a life-threatening injury, suffered at the very same event last year is SS5. Last year, chasing in the shadows, he missed a hidden rock and was hurt, badly damaging his liver, just before the flying finish of  SS5 and later was forced to withdraw from the remaining rounds. He took over three months to complete the treatment and rehab and thus took the first round easy testing himself and his bike. He also won his class comfortably beating his nearest rival and state-mate Sinan Francis by nearly two minutes in the Super Bike Expert Group A Class 1A. “I had a new machine and the tyres are also new. Coming back from injury I did not want to stress myself and so managed the pace judiciously. Basically, I was testing my bike and with upgrades coming for next Sunday, I am looking forward to Mangalore. We have good competition but I am confident,” said Sarath Mohan from Mallapuram, who missed the title narrowly last year after taking three wins in the first three rounds.

    Amidst all this, there is one lady who was missing from the line-up in the Ladies class. The young lady from Satara, Tanika Shanbagh, decided to skip the ladies tag and promoted herself to Group A SuperBike Expert Class 1A, and just missed a podium but kept the ‘Women in Motorsport’ flag flying. Competing with men on equal footing, astride a Husqvarna TE350, Tanika came fourth in her class and 15th overall among 76 bikes, missing the podium by about 24.5 seconds, quite an achievement on debut in this class. A versatile rider who takes part in Supercross and Sprint Nationals, she recovered from an injury and is hoping to hone her skills abroad soon. “I am planning to take part in international rallies. So I wanted to gain some experience on the bike,” said the Satara rider.

    Tanika Shanbagh, astride a Husqvarna TE350, shows her skills racing with the big boys, in the Rally of Chikmagalur on Sunday.

    Set amidst the picturesque private coffee estates on closed dirt roads, the eight Special Stages were run on Sunday and the Service Park, on the foothills of Sahayadri mountain ranges, presented a refreshing start to the year with mist-filled mountains forming a pleasant background that was truly a “Seven-th Heaven”. Organised professionally by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) with trained marshals and experienced officials taking care of the safety aspects and running of the event, promoted by GodSpeed Racing, the two-wheeler Rally went on well without a hitch. The successful first round begins the 2w Rally Nationals, which is one of the prime competitions among the 13 fmsci Nationals for different motorsports disciplines. The calendar with nine National Championship titles at stake has six rounds and the next round is in Mangaluru on May 22.

    Of the 93 entries, 88 bikes took the start after the scrutiny, and 76 finished the course of about 56-km of Special Stages. The two physical stages were run four times each in the same direction on the dirt roads amidst the coffee estates of Vasanthacool and Thippanahalli. The Prize Distribution (PD) was held at around 6.45 pm as it took time to add the road penalties, which did not affect any of the top rankings.

    Coming back to Sunday’s action in other classes, Kottayam’s Chalass K Bose had a facile win in Class 2 Super Sport 130 Group B beating Bengaluru’s Anoop Manjappa by 1min 44 seconds. Local rider Dilip Raj managed to finish the rally and completed the podium in third while three other riders in the class suffered DNF (Did not finish).

    Shamim Khan of Petronas TVS Racing team, wins Scooter class on Sunday.

    Another local rider Francis PV won the Super Sport 165cc Group B ahead of Sasi Kumar of Coimbatore and Shabuddin Sayad of Goa. In the Super Sport upto 260cc  class, Sachin D came second in the class and seventh overall. Adnaan Ahmed of Mangaluru was third in the class and 9th overall.

    The current champion in Super Sport upto 550cc class, Mohammed Zaheer who shifted to upto 400cc class won the class astride a KTM Adventure and stalwart of 2-wheeler rallying Venu Ramesh Kumar achieved one more podium in his chequered career. The experienced rider, who is an epitome of fitness logged in more points than Vinit Sharma, whose road penalty pushed him down to third. Another experienced rider Naresh VS won his class on a Royal Enfield Himalayan. Two Kochi riders Arun Joy and Jeemon Anthony finished in that order behind him.

    The only World champion in Indian motorsports, Aishwarya Pissay, astride a brand new RTR 200 began her quest for sixth consecutive National Rally title on a winning note as she faced no challenge from the seven other ladies, among whom Apoorva of Mangaluru proved the best among the rest with talented Fazeela from Ernakulam taking third. Both of them are on a Hero Impulse.

    The Service Park at 7 Heaven Resort in Chikkamagaluru for Round1 2022.

    While Aishwarya’s win is taken for granted, second-placed Apoorva, 25 years, was thrilled with her ride and the podium. “I first took part in Sprint, which is a miniature version of the Rally. National Rally is a completely different experience. In 2019, I made my motorsports debut in Sprint Nationals. It went pretty well and I got trophies home in all the rounds. Due to COVID and lack of enough funds I took a break for two years, and stepped up into INRC exactly six months back in Round 3 at Puttur and it was a deadly round. But I managed to finish and was placed 4th in the ladies category. Later, I got a third place in both the rounds I took part. I worked extremely hard for three months, to get my bike fixed and here I am taking a 2nd place. I am so happy and hope to do much better in the coming round.” Apoorva, a mechanical engineer supported by Motul, was on a Hero Impulse tuned by Yogish of Team KAT Racing.

    Defending champion Karthik Naidu of TVS crashed out, but Shamim Khan, the new TVS recruit kept the TVS record intact in the Scooter class riding a TVS NTorq and Bengaluru’s experienced Subrahmanya took the second ahead of Pinkesh Thakkar from Bhopal, who put Aprilia on the podium.

    Round 1 Results (Provisional):

    Class 1: Super Bike Pro-Expert Group A:

    1.Abdul Waheed Tanveer, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:53:43.222;

    2. Samuel Jacob, Udupi (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:54:44.301;

    3. R Nataraj, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:55: 10.124;

    4. Rajendra RE, Shivamogga (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:55:58.757;

    5. Yuva Kumar, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 00: 59:41.569.

    Class 1A: Super Bike Expert Group A:

    1. Sarath Mohan, Mallapuram (Privateer – Husqvarna FE450) 00:59:02.054;

    2. Francis Sinan, Kochi (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:00:56.457;

    3. Asad Khan, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. – TVS Apache RTR 180) 01:02:39.042;

    4. Tanika Shanbagh, Satara, (Pvt. – Husqvarna TE 350) 01:03:03.558;

    5. Jatin Jain, Nagpur, (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:03:41.640;

    6. T Vijay Kumar, Bengaluru (Pvt. – Yamaha WR250) 1:11:44.321.

    Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B:

    1. Chalass K Bose, Kottayam, (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:07:46.442;

    2. Anoop Manjappa, Bengaluru (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:09:30.363;

    3. Dilip Raj, Chikkamagaluru (Honda 130) 01:13:03.470;

    (Vinoth Kumar, Raj Baharath DNF in SS1; Hemanth Gowda DNF in SS4).

    Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B:

    1. Francis PV, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:02:56.041;

    2. Sasi Kumar K, Coimbatore (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:03:13.749;

    3. Shabuddin Sayed, Goa (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:05:48.865;

    4. Goutham Rao, Bengaluru, (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:06:38.803;

    5. Akhil Joy, Kochi (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:06:57.347;

    (15 out of 17 riders finished the rally; Varun Kumar DNF in SS7; Rakesh Kumar DNF in SS6).

    Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B:

    1. Imran Pasha, Mysore (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 00:57:01.920;

    2.  Sachin D, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 00:59:20.859;

    3. Adnaan Ahamed, Mangaluru (Pvt. -Hero Xpulse) 01:00:07.333;

    4. Karan Kumar M, Coimbatore (Pvt. – Hero Xpulse) 01:00:10.553;

    5. Sathyaraj Arumugam, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 01:01:37.069.

    (All 13 riders in class 4 completed the Rally)

    Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B:

    1. Mohammed Zaheer, Bengaluru (Pvt. KTM Adventure) 01:04:32.605;

    2. Venu Ramesh Kumar, Coimbatore (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:07:19.650;

    3. Vinit Sharma, Indore (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:07:23.407 (including 1:10sec Road Penalty);

    4. Hansraj Saikia, Guwahati (Pvt. KTM Duke) 01:08:17.727;

    5. Ashwin Ananta Raju, Bengaluru (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:08:24.593 (including 1 min Road Penalty).

    (six of seven riders finished Class 5; Defending champion Sajeesh Reghunathan did not take part)

    Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B:

    1. Naresh VS, Bengaluru (Pvt. Royal Enfield Himalayan) 01:04:24.549;

    2. Arun Joy, Kochi (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:04:42.497;

    3. Jeemon Anthony, Kochi (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01: 05: 53.568;

    4. Sharath Kumar Sathyanarayan, Bengaluru (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01: 06: 05.058;

    5. Abhijeet Sarkar, Bengaluru (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:15:17.745;

    6. Vijay Kumar M, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. RE Bullet) 01:20:04.794.

    (All six finished the rally; Defending champ Mohammed Zaheer shifted to Class 5)

    Class 7: Ladies Class Group B:

    1. Aishwarya Pissay, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 01:07:23.684;

    2. Apoorva B, Mangaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:04.632;

    3. Fazeela U, Ernakulam (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:22.040;

    4. Ryhana Bee, Chennai (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:28.240;

    5. Sameera Dahiya, Bengaluru (Pvt. Hero Xpulse 200) 01:26:07.110;

    (Seven ladies out of eight completed the rally; Jeena Joy DNF in SS1; Tanika took part in Class 1A)

    Class 8: S0 to S3 Scooter 210cc Group B:

    1. Shamim Khan, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – TVS NTorq) 01:05:45.013;

    2. Subramanya T, Bengaluru (Pvt. – TVS NTorq) 01:07:18.269;

    3. Pinkesh Thakkar, Bhopal, (Aprilia JB Racing -Aprilia SR150) 01: 07:46.080;

    4. Goutham N, Bengaluru (Pvt. – TVS NTorq) 01:11:25.922;

    5. Venkatesh Shetty, Mumbai (Pvt. – Aprilia SR150) 01: 13:07.809.

    (Six out of 10 riders completed the rally; Defending champ Karthik Naidu and Ninganna M DNF in SS1; Elango pulled out SS7 and Asif Sayed Ali DNF in SS8)

    Disclosure: This motorsports reporter, David Bodapati, has been provided accommodation by the organisers, the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur.

    The comments about the organisation are personal but based on different indicators developed by Motorsports Journalists Federation of India for assessing organisational capacity like basic amenities for riders, trained marshals and experience of officials, timing equipment and management, safety measures, etc.

    Edited on 18May2022 correcting the Overall placing in the headline.

  • Bastianini switches on ‘beast mode’, flies closer to title lead

    Bastianini switches on ‘beast mode’, flies closer to title lead

    The Gresini rider takes a stunning third win of the season, with an all-Italian bike lock-out on the rostrum

    Le Mans, 15 May 2022: For the third time this season, Enea Bastianini has engaged Beast Mode. Another 25-point haul at the SHARK Grand Prix de France sees the Gresini Racing rider move to within eight points of the top of the Championship, take another Independent Team win and make quite a statement. After he and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had escaped to make it a duel for supremacy at Le Mans, the Beast struck for the lead and it wasn’t long after that that Pecco slid out of contention.. rider ok, but points haul taking a dent.

    Enea Bastianini: “I’m really happy about this race, because it was also unexpected because the weekend started really complicated for me, with three crashes, a lot for me. Every time I’m consistent, but here it was really difficult. But in the race, I saw that my pace was really nice, like the group that was in front of me. At the end, when I saw Pecco very close, I understand, ‘Okay, now you have to stay behind.’ At the end, I tried to overtake him in the second corner to make Pecco a little bit nervous. In the end, he went long and I won this race. It’s all for my team because they work a lot at this Grand Prix to give me the best bike and it’s incredible, the job they did.”

    Meanwhile, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) maintained it as a Borgo Panigale 1-2, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro making it three premier class rostrums on the spin for the Noale factory for the first time ever – just denying home hero and reigning Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). 

    The atmosphere in the circuit hit fever pitch as riders revved up for the start of Round 7, and it was Miller who got the perfect launch from the line to take the holeshot ahead of Bastianini, who pushed his way through from the second row. Bagnaia was in third with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins and Joan Mir split by Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in P5. A poor start from Aleix Espargaro saw him drop to seventh, while Quartararo also went backwards, the Frenchman initially swallowed up by a number of riders before  starting to make progress forward.

    A wild first lap came to a close with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) aggressively lunging up the inside of both Quartararo and Nakagami to move into P7, and it was all go everywhere. Not least for home hero Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), who was having an equally difficult start to the GP just behind, locked in a battle mid-pack with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and the two making contact at Turn 6. The RC16 lost a front wing as a result.

    The manic start continued back at the front, with Bagania and Rins both picking off Bastianini to drop him out of the podium places. Rins’ ambitions would come crashing to a halt at the beginning of the third lap though, with the Suzuki off track at Turn 2, through the gravel and back on at Turn 4. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his machine upright as it returned to the tarmac, temporarily rejoining but retiring soon after.

    As a result, it was a Ducati one-two-three with the factory riders building up a gap out front, Miller ahead. Bagnaia was through on Lap 4 though, and the race began to settle slightly as riders found their groove. Just back of that fight, Mir led Aleix Espargaro, Quartararo and Marc Marquez.

    By Lap 12, Bastinain was past Miller, the Gresini rider going through on the Aussie at Garage Vert. Soon after, there was some change just behind them too, with Mir hitting the deck and tumbling through the gravel at Turn 14. That allowed Aleix Espargaro and Quartararo to gain a position each, but they were still 1.1s away from Miller in third. There was also disappointment for Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) as he recorded a fourth DNF of the year after a Turn 9 fall.

    On Lap 17, the fight for victory sparked into life as Bastianini began to swarm all over the back of Bagnaia out front, the GP21 locked on for a few laps to heap on some pressure. The Beast then made his first move at the Dunlop Chicane and the two went wheel-to-wheel up until Turn 6, with Bagnaia posting a classy riposte. The fight wasn’t over though, with Bastianini forcing an error from his Ducati counterpart at Garage Vert as Pecco ran it wide and dropped to P2. That left a second between them and in an effort to reel Bastianini back in, Bagnaia pushed it too hard around the final corner and slid into the gravel, and out of the race. Rider ok, but on a long, lonely walk back down pitlane.

    From there, Bastianini just had to keep it steady to bring home his third victory of the year, while Miller was comfortable in second. Attentions switched the remaining podium place, with home fans willing on World Champion Quartararo in the closing laps. He closed and closed and closed but he could never quite get close enough to the Aprilia ahead, with Aleix Espargaro denying the fairytale French ending but continued the Noale dream.

    Zarco made moves to get back towards the front, coming home fifth despite that tougher start. Marquez rounded out the top six, while Nakagami put in a very solid seventh place finish. Despite missing a wing from the early stages, Binder claimed P8, while his factory teammate Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) recorded a DNF.

    Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales both claimed top 10 results in encouraging performances.

    That’s a wrap on the French GP and it was certainly a race to remember, with the crowd an incredible protagonist too. Next up for MotoGP™ is the Tuscan beauty of Mugello, where we’re sure to see even more twists and turns in this fascinating World Championship… join us then in two weeks!

    MotoGP Podium:
    1 Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – Ducati – 41’34.613
    2 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +2.718
    3 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +4.182
  • Masia brings the last corner magic at Le Mans: Moto3

    Masia brings the last corner magic at Le Mans: Moto3

    The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider takes a fourth podium in a row and another victory, fending off Sasaki on the last lap

    Le Mans, 15 May 2022: In typical barnstorming Moto3 fashion, fans were out of their seats for a grandstand finish as a restarted race went down to the wire at the SHARK Grand Prix de France. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jaume Masia earned victory after a thrilling final corner move past Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) while Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) stole the final podium place with another dramatic final corner past poleman Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing). It’s the first time Masia has taken four podiums in a row and it moves him up to second in the standings, 17 off leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team).

    The threat of rain loomed large over Le Mans on Sunday but initially, Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) got a brilliant launch from the line to take the holeshot going into the Dunlop Curve, but the Red Flag soon came out as rain hit the final sector. There had been seven different fallers, including GASGAS Aspar duo Garcia and Guevara, Sasaki, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Riccardo Rossi (SI58 Squadra Corse), but riders all ok and all able to make the restart.

    With a new race distance of 14 laps set, it was always going to be a tight affair with the sun shining again, and so it proved. In a carbon copy of the first race start, Moreira managed to push himself into the lead from the second row while a superb effort from Championship leader Garcia saw him move up into the podium places behind then-closest challenger Foggia. Behind them, there was lots of chopping and changing as Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) battled with Migno and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) throughout the first lap.

    The race began to settle somewhat by the time the third lap rolled around, while Masia was finding his groove, picking off Suzuki at Garage Vert before getting the better of Foggia on the next lap at the Turn 3 chicane. The Italian tried to return the favour one lap later, but the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider fended him off. The race had lost Scott Ogden by this stage, with the VisionTrack rookie crashing out at La Chappelle, rider ok.

    Behind Masia, Garcia had moved up to second after getting past the Leopard Hondas, while Öncü in P4 had entered the podium conversation. All the chopping and changing brought the leader of the second group, Sasaki, into contention too.

    Back at the front, Foggia pushed himself back into second at the expense of Garcia. The GASGAS man tried to respond into the chicane, but it went awry and he was forced wide, costing him his drive out of the corner and dropping him to sixth overall. That gave Masia a couple tenths of breathing space out front, but it didn’t last long as he was soon reeled in by Foggia and Sasaki at S Bleu with just over three laps to go.

    Coming into the endgame, Foggia led Sasaki ahead of Masia with Suzuki, Garcia and Guevara just behind. However, a move at Garage Vert returned Masia to P2. Coming over the line for the penultimate time, it was anybody’s race. The Dunlop Chicane is always a popular overtaking spot, and Masia lined up a successful attempt for the lead.

    La Musee is another hot spot for overtaking, and that’s where Sasaki picked off Foggia, relegating the poleman to third. Having bided his time all race, the Japanese rider looked like he would steal the win with just two corners to go, taking the lead on the flick back left at S Bleu. The drama was still far from over, with Masia producing a sensational last corner lunge up the inside to take the win, while Guevara had done something similar to Foggia to deny the pre-season Championship favourite a podium.

    Behind that podium shuffle, Suzuki finished fifth ahead of Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing Pruestel GP), with Garcia recording a P7 finish. Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) ended the day eighth, ahead of Öncü with Migno rounding out the top 10.

    Holgado, John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing), Rossi, Moreira after a Long Lap and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) are the other points scorers in France.

    That’s a wrap at Le Mans, now the field heads for Mugello and a very different challenge. Join us again in two weeks for more!

    1 Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo)– KTM – 24’04.119
    2 Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max)– Husqvarna – +0.150
    3 Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team)– GASGAS – +0.220

    FULL RESULTS

    Jaume Masia: “It’s amazing, no? It’s incredible, I don’t know what is happening, honestly. I’m enjoying it a lot. It was not easy to manage the situation after the rain, but it’s always amazing to be here. I just want to say thanks. We are really, really strong, I feel really, really good. Maybe we are not the fastest, but we can manage really well. Today, Le Mans repaid me for what happened last year, when I broke my wrist here. So, victory and the first row in qualifying is amazing. I really want to come back stronger, I want to go to Mugello because I like the track a lot. I just want to say thanks to all the people, all my team. We’re going to keep pushing really hard and just really thanks to everybody.”

  • Fernandez takes first win since 2019 in France: Moto2

    Fernandez takes first win since 2019 in France: Moto2

    Le Mans, 15 May 2022: Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez has broken a drought of almost three years with victory at the SHARK Grand Prix de France, with he and teammate Pedro Acosta pulling clear in the early laps before the rookie crashed out the lead on Lap 11. Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) finished second for another impressive podium, fending off Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing). World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) limited the damage to his title hopes, finishing eighth despite starting 18th on the grid.

    Acosta converted his first Moto2™ pole position into the early race lead while Fernandez slotted into second, one up on where he had qualified. Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) was third initially before being passed by Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors Speed Up) on Lap 2, then Canet was into the podium places when he got by Lopez on Lap 5 at Turn 3.

    By then, the top two had a margin over the rest of three seconds and growing. Still, Fernandez was keeping in touch with Acosta, thanks in part to a big wobble for the latter exiting Raccordement on Lap 5. A lap later, Lopez and Arenas were down in the gravel together, however, as the Aspar rider tried to go through a diminishing gap at Musee.

    Meanwhile at the front, the pole-sitter had just started to put the hammer down when he lost the front through La Chapelle, rider ok but his hopes of a breakthrough Moto2™ victory dashed. That elevated Fernandez to the lead and Canet to second, but the man with the bowtie was coming under pressure from Beaubier and Chantra.

    When Beaubier ran just a little wide at Musee on Lap 14, Chantra pinched third, then put a move on Canet a lap later. In doing so, he made room for the American to also go past Canet and reclaim third, but Canet turned the tables on Lap 18, passing Beaubier from a long way back at the Turn 3/Turn 4 chicane and making it stick.

    As Fernandez continued to enjoy a margin of six to seven seconds over the rest, second-placed then Chantra outbraked himself at Garage Vert on Lap 18 and had to let his bike run wide. Not only did he cede position to Canet and Beaubier, the Thai rider had cost himself a full second of time, handing a free kick to his rivals in the battle for the podium.

    Next it was Beaubier who invited some pressure when he ran wide at La Chapelle on the third-last lap, and Chantra made the pass a lap later as they ran through Turn 13. Meanwhile, Vietti was finally into the top 10, despite running through the gravel at Garage Vert earlier in the race.

    Up ahead, Fernandez eased off in the closing laps and cruised to victory by an official margin of 3.746 seconds. The win is his first since the 2019 San Marino Grand Prix, and his first altogether for Red Bull KTM Ajo. A further 0.882 seconds behind Canet, who gained a little breathing space in second, was Chantra in third, with Beaubier a career-best fourth despite losing out on that first podium.

    Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) prevailed in a late battle with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as they finished fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Vietti, Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), and stand in Stefano Manzi (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team).

    Arenas managed to remount after his incident with Lopez but could only get back to 19th, missing out on the points. His Inde GASGAS Aspar team-mate Jake Dixon, who did not get away well from the middle of the front row, also pressed on after an early crash from eighth position, but finished even further back in 21st spot. Among those who did not make the chequered flag at all were Lopez and title contender Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team).

    Arbolino and Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) went down in synchronised fashion at La Chapelle on Lap 2, although without contact, and that capped off a difficult day for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. Before the race had started, it was down to one bike due as Sam Lowes was declared unfit after reporting neck pain and the onset of dizziness after Warm Up. He’d had a nasty highside in Q2.

    In the World Championship, Vietti has moved to 108 points, second-placed Ogura is a slightly closer 16 points behind, and Fernandez has climbed to fifth. That’s it for another intriguing weekend of Moto2™. Join us next time when Round 8, the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, unfolds at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in two weeks!

    Moto2 Podium:

    1 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 40’31.726
    2 Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) – Kalex – +3.746
    3 Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +4.628

    FULL RESULTS

    Augusto Fernandez: “It feels very good to be back here. It’s been a long two-and-a-half years, waiting for this moment again. Already at the beginning of the season, I was feeling good, so we just had to let the moment come. In the end, this weekend I felt very good from Friday, so we kept the momentum all weekend and we finally did it. The pace at the beginning was so, so, so high. Pedro did an awesome first part of the race, he was pushing a lot, but his moment will come. So, congrats to him for the first half of the race, it was amazing. Then, it was a hard race to manage the distance. When you are alone there, to manage the lap times and the distances, it’s even harder than fighting in a group, so I’m very happy. I want to thank all my family, my dad, my mum, and my brother, and, well, all my friends, everyone… my team… everyone!”
  • Max Verstappen passes both Ferraris to win inaugural Miami GP

    Max Verstappen passes both Ferraris to win inaugural Miami GP

    Miami (USA), 8 May 2022 (3am 9 May IST): Max Verstappen passed the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to win the inaugural Miami Grand Prix despite a late Safety Car that saw championship leader Leclerc put the defending champion under intense pressure in the closing stages of a thrilling race at the new Miami International Autodrome.

    Verstappen’s third win of the season was set-up at the race start. Polesitter Leclerc made a good getaway to take the lead but Verstappen, on the clean side of the grid in P3, also got away well. As the field raced towards Turn 1, the Dutchman drew alongside second-placed Sainz, and taking a wide line into the first corner he held his line and his nerve to pass the Spaniard.

    Pérez held fourth place behind Sainz while Valtteri Bottas claimed P5 for Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly took sixth. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton dropped back after locking up into Turn 1 behind Pérez and after he banged wheels with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso who made a good start to briefly rise to seventh. Hamilton recovered quickly and when DRS was enabled he passed Alonso and then on lap six moved past Gasly to rise to sixth. 

    At the front, Verstappen shadowed Leclerc through the opening phase of the race and on lap eight he closed right up to the Ferrari down the long back straight. He couldn’t make the move stick into Turn 17 but as they crossed the line to begin the next tour, Verstappen got DRS again and swept past the championship leader into Turn 1 to take the lead. 

    The Dutch driver quickly began to build a gap to the Ferrari driver and when Leclerc locked his front right midway through lap 12, the Dutchman’s advantage extended to 2.5s. 

    Behind the leaders on lap 15, Sainz still led Pérez with the Ferrari driver 1.8s ahead of the Red Bull. On lap 18 Pérez began to close in on Sainz and at the start of lap 20 he edged toward DRS range of the Spaniard but suddenly the Mexican’s pace flagged and at the end of lap 20 he had dropped four seconds to the Ferrari. 

    He radioed his pit wall to report a loss of power and after being told to switch a sensor he was told to carry on. He continued to lose time, however, and on lap 23 he was eight seconds behind Sainz. 

    Behind the top four, Bottas held fifth but as cars behind him made their first pit stops, Mercedes’ George Russell, who had started on hard tyres, rose to sixth ahead of team-mate Hamilton who had made his first tyre change. 

    At the end of lap 24 Leclerc made his first visit to the pit lane and after taking on hard tyres he rejoined in fourth place, eight seconds behind Pérez. Verstappen pitted at the end of lap 26 and in a 2.4s stop he took on hard tyres and emerged in P2, seven seconds behind new leader Sainz. 

    At the end of lap 27 Sainz made his way into the pit lane with Pérez also turning towards the pit lane behind him. Sainz’s crew had a problem with their driver’s front right in a slow 5.4s stop and Pérez closed to within five seconds of Sainz. The Mexican was still nursing a drop in power, however, and he once again began to drop back from the Ferrari man.

    Verstappen, meanwhile, now led Leclerc by almost eight seconds with Sainz a further 10s back in third. Behind fourth-placed Pérez, Russell, still in need of a first pit stop, now held fifth ahead of Bottas and Hamilton.

    On lap 41, the shape of the race changed. Pierre Gasly went wide through two corners and after drifting off track slowly rejoined. However, he failed to see Lando Norris behind and the two made contact. The McLaren driver’s right rear tyre punctured and after spinning luridly he came to a halt in the middle of track. After a brief VSC the physical Safety Car was deployed. 

    Verstappen and Leclerc stayed on track behind the SC but Red Bull pitted Pérez and he was able to take on fresh medium tyres and rejoin ahead of Bottas to hold fourth ahead of Hamilton and Russell who benefited from a free stop to bolt on a set of medium tyres.

    The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 46 Verstappen controlled the restart well to hold the lead. Pérez, on new mediums, attacked Sainz. He couldn’t make the move stick, however, and he had to settle back into fourth to plot another assault. 

    When DRS enabled Pérez shadowed the Spaniards again and on lap 52 he attacked again into Turn 1. But he went too deep into the corner and Sainz eased his way past the locked up Mexican to stay in third. 

    The battle for the lead was just as intense. Leclerc closed in on the Dutchman and with the aid of DRS made repeated attacks. But, with better straight-line speed, Verstappen was able to keep the Ferrari at bay and on lap 53 he began to pull away slightly from his title rival. On lap 54 Verstappen broke DRS and his eventual victory was sealed. 

    The Dutch driver took his third win of the season, and the point for fastest lap, almost four seconds ahead of Leclerc, while Sainz managed to hold off Pérez to take his ninth career podium with third place. 

    Behind Pérez, Russell passed Hamilton in the closing stages to take fifth place ahead of Hamilton and Bottas who made a mistake late on that allowed the Mercedes cars to pass. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon benefited from a free stop under the Safety Car to rise from the back of the grid to eighth at the flag ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso and the final point went to Williams’ Alex Albon.

    2022 FIA Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix – Race
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 57 1:34’24.258 
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 57 1:34’28.044 3.786
    3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 57 1:34’32.487 8.229
    4 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 57 1:34’34.896 10.638
    5 George Russell Mercedes 57 1:34’42.840 18.582
    6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 57 1:34’45.626 21.368
    7 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 57 1:34’49.331 25.073
    8 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 57 1:34’52.644 28.386
    9 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 57 1:34’56.386 32.128
    10 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 57 1:34’56.623 32.365
    11 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:35’00.160 35.902
    12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:35’01.284 37.026
    13 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 57 1:35’04.404 40.146
    14 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 57 1:35’14.194 49.936
    15 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 57 1:35’37.563 1’13.305
    16 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 56 – 1 lap
    17 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 54 – Collision
         Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 45 – Accident damage
         Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 39 – Collision
         Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 6 – Retirement

  • Charles Leclerc takes pole as Ferrari lockout front row

    Charles Leclerc takes pole as Ferrari lockout front row

    Miami, 7 May 2022 (3am 8 May – IST): Formula 1 points leader Charles Leclerc took his third pole position of the season as Carlos Sainz claimed second place to hand Ferrari a front-row lockout in qualifying for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Defending world champion Max Verstappen will line up in third place on the grid alongside Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez.

    Early in Q1 Verstappen, who was still getting to grips with the new Miami International Autodrome after completing just 15 laps on a disrupted Friday, took top spot with a lap of 1:30.235 and he was quickly joined at the top of the order by Pérez who opened with a lap that left him half a second off his team-mate’s pace.

    However, with just over seven minutes left in the session, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc vaulted to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:29.474, with team-mate Carlos Sainz in P2, sixth tenths behind the Monegasque driver. Behind them the McLarens of Daniel Riccirado and Lando Norris took third and fourth respectively. 

    Verstappen was on another push lap, however, and when he next crossed the line he jumped up to P2, 0.362 behind Leclerc. Pérez then moved up to fourth behind Sainz thanks to a lap of 1:30.246. 

    With two minutes to go Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was the biggest potential casualty of the session, with the seven-time champion lying in 18th place. However, despite traffic in the early part of his lap, the Briton rose to fifth as the chequered flag came out. 

    At the top of the order Pérez went for another lap at the end of the session, and as Leclerc claimed P1 ahead of Verstappen, the Mexican improved to third place ahead of Sainz with a lap of 1:30.55. 

    There would be no place in the second segment though for Haas’ Kavin Magnussen, the Dane being eliminated in 16thplace ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and the Williams cars of Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon didn’t take part in the session having damaged his chassis in a crash in the final practice session. 

    Verstappen again took top spot at the end of the first runs of Q2 with a lap of 1:29.202, 0.471s ahead of Pértez who was in turn five hundredths of a second ahead of Sainz, with Leclerc in fourth. 

    With just under six minutes left in the segment, Leclerc rose to P1 with a lap of 1:29.130. That put him seven hundredths of a second ahead of Max and half a second ahead of third-placed Sergio. 

    In the final runs of the segment, Norris jumped from the elimination zone to split the Bulls and take third place and Pérez went through to Q3 in fourth ahead of Sainz. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas progressed in sixth place ahead of Hamilton and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Alpha Tauri also made it to the final top-10 shootout, with Yuki Tsunoda in P9 ahead of team-mate Pierre Gasly. 

    Eliminated at the end of the middle segment were Alpine’s 11th-placed Fernando Alonso followed by Mercedes’ George Russell, the second Aston Martin of Sebastian Vettel, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Haas’ Mick Schumacher. 

    In the opening runs of Q3, Verstappen took provisional pole with a lap of 1:29.991. That put him just over six hundredths of a second ahead of Leclerc with Sainz third. Pérez slotted into fourth place.

    But in the final runs it was Leclerc who found the most pace and the Ferrari driver took his third pole position of the season with a lap of 1:28.796. Sainz looked like he might challenge for his maiden pole as he went quicker than his team-mate in the opening two sectors. The Spanish driver took too much out of his tyres though and when he crossed the line he found himself in P2 just under two hundredths of a second off P1. Verstappen made a mistake in Turn 6 that compromised his final attempt. He backed out of the lap and had to settle for third place on the grid. 

    Behind them Bottas slotted into fourth place, but Checo was finding more time and the Mexican’s final lap of 1:29.036 put him next to Max on row two ahead of the Finn. Hamilton meanwhile took sixth for Mercedes ahead of Gasly, Norris, Tsunoda and Stroll. 

    2022 FIA Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix – Qualifying
    1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.796
    2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:28.986 0.190
    3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:28.991 0.195
    4 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:29.036 0.240
    5 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:29.475 0.679
    6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.625 0.829
    7 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1:29.690 0.894
    8 Lando Norris McLaren 1:29.750 0.954
    9 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:29.932 1.136
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:30.676 1.880
    11 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1:30.160 1.364
    12 George Russell Mercedes 1:30.173 1.377
    13 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 1:30.214 1.418
    14 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 1:30.310 1.514
    15 Mick Schumacher Haas 1:30.423 1.627
    16 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:30.975 2.179
    17 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:31.020 2.224
    18 Alex Albon Williams 1:31.266 2.470
    19 Nicholas Latifi Williams 1:31.325 2.529
    20 Esteban Ocon Alpine

  • CD Jinan crowned Rider of the Day at Supercross Round 1

    CD Jinan crowned Rider of the Day at Supercross Round 1

    Nashik, 1 May 2022: Supercross stalwart from Kerala who had thrilled the fans for over two decades, CD Jinan of Petronas TVS Racing, continues to showcase his exhilarating skills and talent, astride an RTR 300 as he won “the Best Rider” tag once again. On a hot Sunday with searing temparatures, he had mixed results but came out on top in a hard-fought Group A SX1 Foreign Experts Class 1 with a win and a podium to garner higher points than teammate and young challenger Rugved Barguje in the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Supercross Championship 2022 here on Sunday.

    Another feature event, the Indian Experts Group C Class 5, saw TVS champion, Sachin D clinch the issue for his team, Petronas TVS Racing, which dominated the proceedings once again with multiple wins and podiums for their riders.

    Missing the hole-shot in the first Moto, the six-time National Supercross champion, CD Jinnan, had to be content with a second place which was won by youngster Rugved Barguje of Pune, who defended well. Jinan, despite his initial issues on the track, fought tooth and nail and did overtake Barguje in the penultimate lap but the youngster quickly regained the position with a clever pass and held on till the chequered flag for a deserving win. However, Moto 2 saw the veteran Jinnan restore the order as Barguje suffered a fall in the early stages in a reversal of fortunes, and could only recover to take a fourth. Though he missed the podium, he vowed to come back and his senior TVS mate took the honours in the Round 1.

    Meanwhile, Sachin D, who is coming back from an injury, showed that he is back in form winning the honours in the Class 5 Indian Experts Group C Upto 260cc category ahead of Asaruddin and Karan Kumar. Sachin, a soft-spoken maestro, is a different rider on the track when he is on attack-mode, but his soft nature costed him many a victory. Last season saw him do all that he is known for on the track but the Sprint National champion 2020 saw his hard-fought title elude him due to off-track decisions. He is not the one to crib, for he prefers his bike to do the talking and he is back in the news with a well-deserved victory that launches his 2022 Supercross season. Watch out for his skilled antics on the track.

    Young talent Jinendra Sangave of Kolhapur won the Locals class ahead of Pinkesh Thakkar and Russell Jossy finished third. Jinendra, the rider to look out for, took part in four races astride a Kawasaki KX250 in the SX2 and also raced in the Junior SX1 on a TVS RTR 200. Apart from the victory, the teen talent also had two second-place finishes in Junior SX and SX2, where he was punching above his weight with some seniors.

    Ajay Srinivas of Bengaluru won SX2 moto while Arun D of Hassan in Karnataka, a popular rider with fans, won the Private Experts class. Banteilang Jarwa of Meghalaya, who represents the motorsports dreams of the North East, made up for his fall in the higher class to clinch the honours in the Novice Group C class.

    Young and upcoming talent Akshat Hupale found his wonted form and showcased glimpses of his talent conquering the Junior SX2, the lowest age-group competition for riders below 14 years. He the rider to count on a dull day. He displays a cool mind and exhibits good riding skills, be his corner negotiation or sudden acceleration… If groomed well, this boy has the ability and talent to go places.

    Shyam Kothari, the head of GodSpeed Racing, the promoter said: “I am very happy to welcome all the riders to the MRF National Supercross after the COVID-induced two-year break. The response is overwhelming with 105 entries in eight different classes and everybody is raring to go. We had a 650-metre long track with 23 double jumps, a table top and the usual terrain but this Nashik track is technical that provided challenging races and some keen battles. It was nice to see the galleries full with fans and families and I wish all the riders, all the best for the season with Round 2 in Pune coming up next Sunday.”

    With the delayed calendar of 2021 completing only in March 2022, the fmsci Nationals are back on track once again with COVID19 travel restrictions coming to an end. The pandemic which ruined the schedule of many a National championship saw that no Supercross event was held for two years, 2020 and 2021. Supercross is one of the 13 Nationals of the Federation of Motorsports Clubs in India (fmsci) which is popular and attracts a huge fan following with the largest and most-impressive crowds adoring the riders. The skills of these riders and their feats are held at stadiums and open grounds that were brought closer to the spectators and fans with well-made tracks that provide all the exciting obstacles like double jumps, rumblers, bumps and amplifies the fun for the fan with an easy view from the galleries. Behind all this is the Promoter GodSpeed Racing, which is headed by none other than Shyam Kothari, a 7-time National champion in three different motorsports disciplines – 2w Rally, racing and motocross. The event sponsored by Title rights holder MRF gets support from SIDVIN and others.

    The fmsci 2022 season began with the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for 4-wheelers organised by MMSC at Chennai in April and this is the second Nationals which finished the Round 1 and a back-to-back second round happening in Pune on May 8. Next Sunday will witness Chikkamagalur hosting the INRC for two-wheelers with another back-to-back round in Mangalore the following Sunday, also promoted by GodSpeed.

    Results: Round 1 – 2022 (provisional – Unofficial):

    Rider of the Day: CD Jinnan

    1. Class 1 SX 1 (A&B) Group A Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (Foreign Experts Class) (2 motos):

    Day’s Winners (on points):

    Overall:

    1. #50 CD Jinnan (Thrissur);

    2. #9 Rugved Barguje (Pune);

    3. #2 Mahesh VM ()’

    Moto 1

    1. #9 Rugved Barguje (TVS RTR 300) (Pune);

    2. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);

    3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);

    Moto 2

    1. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);

    2. #37 Prajwal Vishwanath (TVS RTR 200 – Bengaluru)

    3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);

    2. Class 2 SX 2 (A&B) Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (2 motos):

    1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);

    2. #97 Jinendra Sangave (Kolhapur);

    3. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);

    Moto 2:

    1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);

    2. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);

    3. #30 Bumik Lalwani (

    3. Class 3 NOVICE Group C:  Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    1. #27 Banteilang Jerwa (TVS Racing – Shillong, Meghalaya);

    2. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);

    3. #73 Arun T (Hassan);

    4. Class 4 LOCALS Group B: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    1. #90 Jinendra S;

    2. #99 Pinesh Thakkar;

    3. #6 Russel Jossy;

    5. Class 5 INDIAN EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    Moto 1

    1. #40 Sachin D (Petronas TVS Racing) (Bengaluru);

    2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);

    3. #8 Karan Kumar M (Coimbatore);

    Moto 2 (Results awaited)

    6. Class 6 PRIVATE EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    1. #73 Arun T (Impulse) (Hassan);

    2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);

    3. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);

    7. Class 7 JR SX 1 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 250CC (2 motos):

    1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara) 40 points;

    2. #97  Jinendra Sangave 34;

    3. #47 Anastya Pol  (Bengaluru) 28 ;

    4. #52 Srujan 28 points

    Moto 1

    1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara);

    2. #97  Jinendra Sangave 34;

    3. #52 Srujan J.

    8. Class 8 JR SX 2 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 100CC (for riders under-12 years):

    Moto1 (Results awaited)

    Moto2

    1. #34 Akshat Hupale (KTM SX85 – Pune);

    2. #17 Aleena Shaikh (Husqvarna) Bengaluru;

    3. #5 Bhairav C;

  • Zarco tops the timesheets at Jerez in-season Test

    Zarco tops the timesheets at Jerez in-season Test

    Some new parts are revealed on Monday as the premier class head out for a one-day test

    Jerez, 2 May 2022: Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) ended the Official MotoGP™ Jerez Test at the summit of the timesheets despite a crash, the Frenchman putting in a speedy 1:37.136. There was plenty of important running at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto on Monday, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) finishing inside the top three but the test about much more than the lap times. 

    DUCATI
    Two-time 2022 race winner Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was able to have a play with Ducati’s GP22 front fairing, while Spanish GP race winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed his test schedule before midday – 24 laps in the bag for Pecco.

    Pacesetter Zarco lapped quicker than he did in Q2 to finish top of the pile by a tenth and a half, as the Frenchman pocketed 54 laps ahead of his upcoming home Grand Prix at Le Mans. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) was the second fastest Ducati rider on track, the Australian was P4 and completed 53 laps.

    Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was ninth on the timesheets as fellow GP22 rider Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) spent the test riding a GP21, working on his positioning on the bike and focusing on setup to find more consistency. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was 13th fastest and was able to lap 56 times, with fellow rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) clocking 64 laps. 

    KTM
    Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Brad Binder both tested a radically new exhaust, while the Portuguese rider was also working on setup. Binder was testing some geometry and front fork settings and finished the test second, with Oliveira 21st after lapping 65 times.

    Remy Gardner was the sole Tech3 KTM Factory Racing bike on track as Raul Fernandez recovers from the injury that saw him miss the Spanish GP. Gardner managed 44 laps but the Australian’s day ended with a crash at Turn 4, that resulted in him losing some skin off his left little finger and hurting his back. Thankfully there’s nothing broken. 

    YAMAHA
    The big news coming from the Iwata camp during Monday’s test was Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team Manager, Massimo Meregalli, confirming that Yamaha will have a new aero package at the Italian GP later this month.

    Quartararo was one of the busier riders on track as the Frenchman completed 78 laps before calling it a day, ending the test third quickest. Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) lapped 83 times, finishing P17, one place ahead of WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team’s Andrea Dovizioso. Rookie Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) crashed unhurt at Turn 7 before midday and was able to get 54 valuable laps in the bank. 

    HONDA
    Ahead of the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) explained that Honda’s test started in FP1 on Friday morning. All things considered, it was a fantastic weekend for the eight-time World Champion in Jerez, but the work continued on Monday. The number 93 was seen testing a 2021 aero package but was mainly focusing on setup, with three bikes on his side of the garage…

    Fellow Repsol Honda Team rider Pol Espargaro was lapping on very used Michelin medium tyres in the opening few hours after saying on Sunday that they need to create an environment that has as little grip as possible. The Spaniard was playing with geometry and completed a whopping 85 laps, setting the fifth fastest time in the process.

    It wasn’t the day Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) would have been hoping for as he flew back to Barcelona early after a heavy crash at Turn 1. The Japanese rider is experiencing pain in his left knee ligaments – the same he damaged after the Indonesian GP – and although scans revealed no fractures, Nakagami will undergo further scans in Barcelona in a further check up. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) suffered a mechanical problem towards the end of the day at Turn 1, but finished Monday’s test in P11 after lapping 80 times. 

    SUZUKI
    Team Suzuki Ecstar duo Joan Mir and Alex Rins were testing suspension items and swingarms, comparing them to the ones they’ve already tested. Mir finished P6 on the timesheets with a 1:37.756, Rins was P8 and just 0.024s off his teammate’s time. 

    APRILIA
    As their era without concessions begins, Aprilia Racing were working on suspension, electronics and swingarm settings with Spanish GP podium finisher Aleix Espargaro and teammate Maverick Viñales, both joined on track once again by Test Rider Lorenzo Savadori.

    Viñales suffered a crash at Turn 7 before lunch and then had a mechanical issue on the run into Turn 1 in the afternoon session. Savadori also encountered a mechanical issue with one of his RS-GP machines, an incident that brought out the red flags briefly in the afternoon. Viñales got a further 59 laps under his belt to continue his growth on the RS-GP, however, while teammate Espargaro ventured out for 46 laps, eventually ending the day P7 on the timesheets. 

    Has anyone found a step forward as Pecco’s race pace echoes in their recent memory? We’ll find out in just under two weeks – make sure to join us then for the SHARK Grand Prix de France.

    Top-3 at the in-season Test at Jerez:

    1 Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) – Ducati – 1:37.136
    2 Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) – KTM – +0.158
    3 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha – +0.368
  • Impeccable Bagnaia holds off Quartararo in Jerez showdown

    Impeccable Bagnaia holds off Quartararo in Jerez showdown

    Jerez (Cádiz, Spain), 1 May, 2022: It’s the showdown that has built all weekend long: Ducati Lenovo’s Francesco Bagnaia vs Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo. The pair were in a class of their own at the Red Bull Spanish Grand Prix with victory, despite incredible late pressure, going the way of Bagnaia as he officially announced himself as part of the title race. Quartararo was forced to settle for second but did take an outright lead in the World Championship. Meanwhile, in the fight for third, Aleix Espargaro broke clear in the final laps to end Aprilia’s MotoGP™ concessions after six long years.

    Indian fans can tune in to EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD to catch all the live action from the 2022 MotoGP championship, with the qualifying race in SHARK Grand Prix de France on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

    ELBOWS OUT FROM THE START

    As the lights went out in Jerez, the roars went up as the thousands of fans trackside celebrated their return to the grandstands after three years away. It was the poleman Bagnaia who launched himself into the lead, with Quartararo settling into second behind. Espargaro and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) were literally elbow-to-elbow off the line, with the Aprilia man diving under the eight-time World Champion into the opening corner only to run wide and allow the Honda man through to fifth. Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller was third on the opening lap, ahead of LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami.

    Marquez was aggressive again on the opening lap as he fired up the inside, and sat up, Nakagami to claim fourth. The Japanese rider, forced wide by Marquez, also saw Espargaro squeeze through. Seconds later Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin crashed out for the fourth time in six races and, on his 200th Grand Prix appearance, HRC’s Stefan Bradl also hit the deck at the final corner.

    Only a handful of laps had been completed but the leading duo were already flexing their muscles, edging further and further clear of Miller. By Lap 5 it was 1.5 seconds and that gap just continued to grow. Meanwhile, the Australian was more concerned about hanging onto the final podium places with both Marquez and Espargaro applying increasing amounts of pressure on the factory Ducati man.

    Darryn Binder (WithU RNF Yamaha) crashed out at Turn 2, before a big moment in the World Championship fight took place. After a sluggish start, Alex Rins’ day got worse when the Team Suzuki Ecstar man was forced to straight-line his GSX-RR through the Turn 11 gravel trap after a big moment on the front end. Pramac Racing’s disaster day continued when Johann Zarco crashed out at Turn 5.

    WITHSTANDING PRESSURE

    Half-race distance had been completed with Bagnaia having eeked out an eight-tenth advantage. The Italian would maintain that gap up until the final three laps of the race. Quartararo sliced his lead in half and was starting to close in on the factory Ducati man. Could Quartararo steal Jerez victory away from Bagnaia late on? The pair were pushing to the absolute limit, now a mind-boggling 11 seconds clear of the rest.

    They started the final lap with Bagnaia holding an advantage of just half a second. It would require something special from the World Champion on the final lap. As they came through the fourth and final sector Quartararo was closing and closing, now just a quarter of a second away from the former Moto2™ World Champion. But Bagnaia stood firm, withstanding the almighty pressure, to take a vital victory in Jerez. A first for Bagnaia since the season-closing race in Valencia last year and a second for the Bologna factory in Andalucia in as many years. Quartararo’s third podium visit of the season saw him stretch out his Championship leader from nothing to eight points, however.

    PODIUM FIGHT IGNITES

    Much like the duel for victory, the scrap over third took its time to come to life but when it did, it was pulsating. There were five laps left when Marquez made an inch-perfect move up the inside of Miller at Turn 5. Espargaro behind knew he had to respond or risked seeing the Respol Honda clear off into the distance. And the Aprilia man had an answer on the same lap as he braked hard and late into the final corner. Through went the Spaniard but it would quickly get even better for him.

    Marquez was wide into the final corner and the front-end of his RC213V folded, before he somehow, in true Marc Marquez style, picked it up off of his elbow to continue on. Espargaro and Miller both swooped through to demote the eight-time World Champion to fifth. Espargaro checked out, quickly putting half a second into Miller but Marquez wasn’t done. The factory Honda man risked it all on the final lap to take fourth, diving up the inside of Miller at Turn 8 in spectacular style.

    Ahead of them, though, Espargaro was coming across the line to take a pivotal podium for the Noale factory. Not only does the Spaniard sit second in the standings, eight points adrift of Quartararo, but Aprilia officially lost their MotoGP™ concession status after six long, hard years. Behind Marquez and Miller in fourth and fifth was Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan, who drifted into late contention but couldn’t find a move on the men in front of them.

    FINAL FINISHERS

    Nakagami eventually came across the line in seventh, four seconds clear of Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) who claimed eighth. The erstwhile Championship leader picked off rookie Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing), who matched his best MotoGP™ result despite that in ninth. The final place inside the top ten went the way of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder.

    MotoGP™ Top 10:

    1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 25 laps

    2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.285

    3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 10.977

    4. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 12.676

    5. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 12.957

    6. Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) + 13.934

    7. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) + 14.929

    8. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 18.436

    9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 18.830

    10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 20.056

  • Jorge Lorenzo named MotoGP Legend

    Jorge Lorenzo named MotoGP Legend

    Jerez, 30 April 2022: Five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo is now a MotoGP Legend! The Spaniard was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto – where the final corner also bears his name – in a special ceremony on Saturday, honouring a long and successful career.

    Lorenzo made his 125cc World Championship debut at Jerez in 2002, and from there the rise began. For 2005 he moved into the 250cc class and then won his first World Championships with back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, taking more than half the victories on offer across the two seasons. He moved up to MotoGP for 2008, partnering Valentino Rossi at Yamaha, and took his first MotoGP victory only third time out.

    In 2009, he was runner up and the season also staged one of the races of the century as Rossi vs Lorenzo at the Catalan Grand Prix became one of the most memorable duels in MotoGP. In 2010, however, Lorenzo’s time had come and it was a near-perfect season as he was crowned MotoGP World Champion for the first time. 2011 went to key rival Casey Stoner before 2012 saw Lorenzo take the crown once more. 2013 and 2014 went to new rival Marc Marquez, before Lorenzo was crowned Champion again in 2015 after another Rossi vs Lorenzo showdown.

    Lorenzo 2002

    2016 was a final year with Yamaha before moving to Ducati for 2017, and after a first season with a few podiums, Lorenzo took three sublime victories for the Borgo Panigale factory in 2018. The season was then curtailed by injury and he switched to Repsol Honda for 2019. After a tougher year and more injury struggles, the five-time World Champion hung up his leathers at the end of the season.

    Over an incredible career, Lorenzo won 68 races and stood on the podium an incredible 152 times. He won two 250cc World Championships and was crowned MotoGP World Champion three times, as well as winning premier class races with two factories. Now, he is officially a MotoGP Legend!

    Lorenzo 2007

    Lorenzo joins a long list of greats that have been made MotoGP Legends that includes Valentino Rossi, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Geoff Duke, Wayne Gardner, Mike Hailwood, Daijiro Kato, Eddie Lawson, Anton Mang, Angel Nieto, Wayne Rainey, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Kenny Roberts,  Kenny Roberts Jr, Jarno Saarinen, Kevin Schwantz, Barry Sheene, Marco Simoncelli, Freddie Spencer, Casey Stoner, John Surtees, Carlo Ubbiali, Alex Crivillé, Franco Uncini, Marco Lucchinelli, Randy Mamola, Kork Ballington, Dani Pedrosa, Stefan Dörflinger, Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, and the late Nicky Hayden.

    Jorge Lorenzo: “I arrived here 20 years ago at this track to make my debut and I was still 14 on Friday. So, I went to watch at a few corners with a scooter and I saw the likes of Cecchinello, Ueda, Vincent, Pedrosa, Poggiali all riding. For me, they were heroes. And I saw them riding so aggressively and so fast, that I was wondering if someday I could arrive at that level. 

    “Now, I’m given the honour of becoming a MotoGP Legend from Dorna, from Carmelo, that have always treated me so well, and this means even more than the Championships I won. Because all of the MotoGP Legends are great Champions, but not all Champions can be named as Legends, so I’m very proud to be part of this amazing group, these names. I’m so lucky, so grateful to have the life I have thanks to MotoGP.”

    Lorenzo wins his first premier class in 2010 after finishing second in 2009. Title No.1.

    Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “Jorge has been something special for MotoGP. In my opinion, Jorge, first of all, is a fantastic person. He’s very emotional, he’s a friend, he’s a person who tried to do the maximum every time he did something, and he’s an incredible rider. For us, Jorge has been, in this generation, very, very special, who has allowed us to grow as we are growing. It’s a special moment for MotoGP and personally for me to say thanks to Jorge and to induct the 33rd Legend of MotoGP. He’s part of the most important riders in the history of MotoGP and I’m very proud to give him this award. Thank you, Jorge.”