INDIA in F1

Author: INDIAinF1 Desk

  • Kush Maini eager to begin Indian campaign in F3

    Kush Maini eager to begin Indian campaign in F3

    Rotterdam, 17 March 2022: Young Indian racer Kush Maini has signed with MP Motorsport for his debut season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, release said on Feb 22. Joining the Dutch outfit for FIA F3 will allow the 21-year-old from Bengaluru to showcase his talent during Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends.

    Maini supported by JK Racing lines up with MP after competing in the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA last year as well as finishing second in the British F3 Championship in 2020, and will now be able to prove his worth at the FIA F3 level. At MP, the Indian driver will team up with Alexander Smolyar from Russia and Caio Collet from Brazil. Kush Maini is the younger brother of former FIA F2 and F3 driver Arjun Maini, who has since competed in the ELMS and the DTM.

    “I’m excited to join MP Motorsport for my first year in FIA F3”, said Maini. “In 2021, MP proved to be race winners and in the final standings they were the only FIA F3 team to have two rookies finish in the top-ten. This shows their ability to coach rookie drivers on their way to immediately performing well in the series. I can’t wait to get going for pre-season testing and the first round at Bahrain,” the Bengaluru racer said earlier in February.

    “I’m pleased to welcome Kush to our FIA F3 team”, said MP

    Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman.

    “In the past few years, Kush has proved himself extremely well at regional F3 levels, now it’s time for him to step up to FIA F3. I’m sure he will mix well with Alex and Caio, and we will do our best to help him shine during each of the nine race weekends coming up in the championship.”

    After a karting career that kicked off in 2011 with the Indian national title at Rotax Micromax level, followed by accomplishments such as second in the 2013 WSK Euro Series at 60 Mini level, fourth in the 2014 CIK-FIA World KF Junior Championship and fourth in the 2015 KF Junior WSK Champions Cup, Maini debuted in single-seaters in 2016, taking his first podium in the Italian F4 Championship. Subsequently dovetailing Italian F4 with selected ADAC F4 rounds took him to eighth in the 2017 Italian series. In 2018 and 2020, Maini raced to third and then second in British F3, while taking sixth in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup. In 2021, the Indian youngster combined the Asian F3 championship with an LMP2 drive in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

  • Indonesia to launch MotoGP with season-opener Pertamina GP

    Indonesia to launch MotoGP with season-opener Pertamina GP

    Lombok (Indonesia), 17 March, 2022 : Track action at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia is just around the corner but first on the agenda for Qatar race winner Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), and reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was the Pre-Event Press Conference.

    Indian fans can tune in to EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD to catch all the live action from the 2022 MotoGP championship, with the MotoGP 2022 – Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia Qualifying Race scheduled from 10:00 Hrs (10:00 am IST) onwards on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

    Will Quartararo and Yamaha be more competitive in Indonesia?

    Quartararo’s title defence got off to a disappointing start with a P9 at the season opener, but the Frenchman sounds positive that his season can kickstart in Indonesia. He was second fastest behind Pol Espargaro at the pre-season test, but knows that doesn’t really mean anything ahead of the Grand Prix.

    Quartararo: “I think what suits better is to have shorter straights, then testing. I made my time attack in the last minutes of the third day, Pol was already in the box and in the morning it was much more difficult I felt. Let’s see. We have all of Friday and Saturday to understand. Let’s see how the forecast is, but what is sure I will do my best to be there and fight where we feel we can fight.”

    Marc Marquez aiming to build on a “solid weekend” in Qatar

    A fifth place finish at the Lusail International Circuit was a good start to 2022 for Marc Marquez. It was a solid foundation to build from at the start of the season and heading to Indonesia, the eight-time World Champion’s aim is to improve on the result picked up a couple of weekends ago.

    Marc Marquez: “In Qatar it was a solid weekend. Nothing really special but we were there, not too far from the top positions, that was my target. Of course, I tried, I tried to be on the podium and to follow Enea when he overtook me but it was not the day, not the time. Let’s see, our target this weekend is to improve the result from Qatar, and then in Argentina, improve the result from here.

    “Step by step, I’m feeling good. 22 laps in a row, it was the best feeling I had during the last two years. Let’s see how we can approach this weekend. As you say, Pol was one of the fastest ones in the Test so he will be one of the guys this weekend. Enea, Fabio and Brad are also there. Many new faces, but they are riding fast.”

    “I expect a tight race” – is the test anything to go by this weekend?

    Fastest at the Official Mandalika MotoGP™ Test in February was Qatar podium finisher Pol Espargaro, but he and his fellow competitors aren’t taking too much from the test in predicting what might happen this weekend. Testing is completely different to a Grand Prix weekend, and with changes such as the resurfacing and a new Michelin tyre compound, there’s plenty of unknowns to deal with ahead of the race on Sunday afternoon.

    Pol Espargaro: “It was good in pre-season here I enjoy this place. It was not easy to handle three days of testing here but I was not the only fast guy here: Enea was very fast, Marc was very fast, Fabio was very fast. Ducatis were not super fast, the factory guys, but sure they’re going to be there after solving the problems in Qatar. I expect a tight race, everyone is going to be there and hopefully we can be there as well, the same as Qatar, and fight for something great.”

    Brad Binder: “The Test was pretty good for us a few weeks ago. From the first few laps we had a pretty good feeling and as the weekend went on we tried a few different things; some good, some not so good. In general, our pace wasn’t bad at all and when I went to do a time attack, I was able to do quite a good lap time. I feel strong and good coming into this weekend and want to take it one day at a time, one session at a time, and Sunday give my all and see where we end up.”

    About Eurosport India:

    Eurosport India is the go-to destination for passionate sports fans in India. Unlocking the power of sport through world-class content from the world’s greatest sporting events, Eurosport India provides the Indian audience with an unrivalled premium sports offering. As the Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, Discovery is bringing Eurosport to discovery+, the real-life direct-to-consumer streaming service, starting in a range of international markets during 2021. Firmly established as the number one sport destination in Europe and the Home of Cycling, Grand Slam Tennis and Winter Sport, Eurosport channels – Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2 – reach 246 million cumulative subscribers across 75 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Eurosport Events specializes in the management and promotion of international sporting events. 

  • Jehan Daruvala enters one more F2 season with eyes set firmly on Formula 1

    Jehan Daruvala enters one more F2 season with eyes set firmly on Formula 1

    Mumbai, 17 March 2022: Indian F1 hopeful Jehan Daruvala heads into this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain round of the Formula 2 championship with his sights set on battling for the win.

    The 23-year-old from Mumbai has a strong record of success at the Sakhir desert track, winning his first Formula 2 race at the venue in 2020 in his debut season before following it up with a podium there last year.

    Driving for reigning champions Prema Racing this season and having set the second-fastest time of pre-season testing at the same venue, Jehan heads into the weekend as one of the favourites.

    Prema have won in Bahrain in three of the last five seasons.  

    A win would mark the perfect start to a season in which Jehan is hoping to become the first Indian to win the Formula 2 title. 

    Jehan said, “I can’t wait to go racing again. Getting some time off at the end of last year was good and I’m now raring to get the season underway. Bahrain is where I took my first Formula 2 win, it’s a track that suits my driving style and I’m pretty sure we can do well there again. The competition will be tough but we came away in a strong position from testing, I’m feeling at home with the team and we go into the weekend confident that we can get some big results.”

    Jehan will hit the track on Friday, March 18th for practice and qualifying. The weekend’s Sprint race will be held on Saturday, March 19th, with the main Feature race scheduled for Sunday, March 20th, before the start of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix 

    Jehan, who is also part of the Red Bull Junior Team, is heading into his third season in Formula 2, the feeder-series that sits below F1 on the single-seater ladder.

    He raced for Carlin in the last two seasons but has made the move to Prema Racing this year.

    The Italian racing powerhouse is the most successful outfit in Formula 2, having delivered three of the series’ five drivers’ champions, including Ferrari Formula 1 race winner Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael.

    Jehan, who finished third in the Formula 3 standings while racing for Prema in 2019, is looking to emulate this duo and follow Australian Oscar Piastri as the squad’s third straight Formula 2 champion.

    He is eyeing a step up to F1 in 2023, which would make him only the third Indian to compete in motorsport’s top tier.

    Stats and Facts

    • Circuit length: 5.412 km
    • First race: 2017
    • Jehan’s Bahrain debut: 2020
    • Wins: 1 (2020)
    • Podiums: 2 (2020, 2021)
    • Jehan 2021 result: 2nd (Sprint 1), 4th (Sprint 2), 6th (Feature)
    • Prema pole positions: 1 (2017)
    • Prema wins: 3 (2017, 2020, 2021)

    Weekend Schedule

    Free practice: Friday, March 18th at 1505 IST

    Qualifying: Friday, March 18th at 2155 IST

    Sprint race: Saturday, March 19th at 2210 IST

    Feature race: Sunday, March 20th at 1610 IST

    About Jehan Daruvala

    Jehan Daruvala is a racing driver from Mumbai, India. He began karting at the age of 10 in 2009. Two years later, he was picked up as one of the three winners of Force India’s ‘One From a Billion’ talent hunt. In 2013, he became the first Asian to win the British KF3 karting championship. A proven winner, Jehan has won in every category he has competed in. He is currently racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, which is a feeder series to Formula 1 and takes place on the same weekends. Already a multiple winner in the category, Jehan’s goal for the 2022 season is to claim the title which would boost his chances of becoming only the third Indian on the Formula One grid.

  • Indian company Tata Communications returns to Formula 1


    Formula 1 and Tata Communications today are delighted to announce a multi-year strategic collaboration, with Tata Communications returning to the sport as the Official Broadcast Connectivity Provider of Formula 1, to deliver and enhance a world-class, technologically advanced experience for fans globally.

    Tata Communications will empower Formula 1 with global end-to-end managed network services for video contribution, thereby transforming the motorsports experience. For this, the company will facilitate the transfer of more than 100 video feeds and over 250 audio channels to be transmitted between the Grand Prix venue and F1’s Media & Technology Centre in the UK every race weekend in under 200 milliseconds, enabling F1 to broadcast to over 500m fans in 180+ territories globally.

    Tata Communications’ industry-recognised and built-for-media connectivity solutions will enable Formula 1 to transform the broadcast content production worldwide while continuing to support the sport’s drive for agility and sustainability. Following the introduction of Formula 1’s remote broadcast operations in 2020, Tata Communications has allowed reduction in the organisation’s travelling freight by 34%.

    Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1, said:

    “We are delighted to welcome Tata Communications back as a partner following previous successes in our partnerships. They have been an integral part of our growth journey over the last decade, and we completely trust their expertise and abilities to deliver what we need for our fans. This trust has been built over many years of working together, pushing forward advancements in technology in sport – on and off the track. Tata Communications’ connectivity continues to support F1’s drive for agility and sustainability with remote production introduced in 2020 – part of our aim to be Net-Zero Carbon by 2030. We are excited to grow together in the future and share the incredible journey Formula 1 is on.”

    Amur S Lakshminarayanan, MD and CEO, Tata Communications, said:

    “As businesses evolve to a digital-first model, I believe the sporting world also has a great opportunity to leverage technology for delivering innovative and exhilarating experiences to motorsports enthusiasts. And, Formula 1 is at the core of all things speed, action and thrill. We are delighted to renew our relationship and empower Formula 1’s tomorrow, today!”

  • Gaurav Gill wins 7th K1000 title; 300th rally cap for Musa Sherif

    Gaurav Gill wins 7th K1000 title; 300th rally cap for Musa Sherif

    Bengaluru, 13 March 2022: A damaged windscreen, electrical and turbo issues besides brake failure did not stop Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif from winning the 45th Karnataka-1000 Rally, the second round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor, on Sunday near the town of Gubbi, about 100 Kms from Bengaluru.

    Delhi-based Gill, the seven-times National champion and thrice winner of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally titles, exercised all his experience and driving skills to bring the Mahindra XUV 300 back to the Parc Ferme, something he couldn’t in the first round at Coimbatore last month. In the process, the Arjuna Award winner successfully countered a strong challenge from Younus Ilyas (Anirudha Ranganekar) of Race Concepts who finished Overall second, about 15 seconds behind, while Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) was placed third.

    It was Gill’s seventh K-1000 title while for Sherif, from Kasargod, it was a memorable victory that marked his 300th Rally milestone.

    Ahmer topped in the INRC-2 category while the Himachal combination of Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap, Overall winners in Coimbatore, last month, took the honours in the INRC-3 category, and Mumbai’s daughter-mother pairing of Shivani and Vani Parmar won in the INRC-4 class. The Junior INRC category had just two finishers with Coimbatore’s Raghuram Saminathan (Bharath SM, Bengaluru) winning ahead of Shivani Pruthvi from Davangere (Ruthvik Praveen, Tiptur).

    “Undoubtedly, today’s win is very satisfying considering the difficult weekend we had and the non-finish in the Coimbatore round. We had electrical problems, a damaged windscreen when the bonnet flew open in the very first Stage. So, we lost a bit of time as we had to stop and lock the bonnet. Then, in the last Stage, I had to negotiate the last six-seven Kms without brakes which again cost us time. But in the end, I am happy we finished the Rally and won,” said Gill.

    Chandigarh’s Samrat Yadav (M Chandrashekar, Bengaluru) emerged champion in the non-championship FMSCI Gypsy Challenge category.

    Of the 53 entrants, 31 completed the two-day Rally. The final day’s proceedings were delayed due to interruptions of SS-8 following mishaps.

    Classification (Provisional):

    Overall / INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill (Delhi) / Musa Sherif (Kasargod) (01hr, 38mins, 37.800secs); 2. Younus Ilyas (Kollam) / Anirudha Ranganekar (Pune) (Race Concepts) (01:038:53.200); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (01:43:50:900).

    INRC-2: 1. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (01:43:50:900); 2. Sahil Khanna (Gurugram) / Harish KN (Bengaluru) (01:46:21.600); 3. Lakshay Veer Dabas (Delhi) / Arjun Dheerendra (Bengaluru) (01:51:33.100).

    INRC-3: 1. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) (Chettinad Sporting) (01:46:29.700); 2. Kuber Sharma / Karan Aukta (both Himachal) (01:47:21.200); 3. Sanampreet Sekhon (Chandigarh) / Suhan Kabeer (Kodagu) (01:48:05.300).

    INRC-4: 1. Shivani Parmar / Vani Parmar (both Mumbai) (02:14:56.700); Deepak Chandra / CG Raghuram (both Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (02:16:01.500); 3. Prakhyat Shirole /Arjun SSB (both Bengaluru, Ammyfield Rallying) (02:17:19.000).

    Junior INRC (2 finishers): 1. Raghuram Saminathan (Coimbatore) / Bharath SM (Bengaluru) (02:02:07.300); 2. Shivani Pruthvi (Davangere) / Ruthvik Praveen (Tiptur) (02:14:23.800).

    FMSCI Gypsy Challenge: 1. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / M Chandrashekar (Bengaluru) (01:49:49.000); 2. Rupender Sheoran (Gurugram) / Mohit Malik (Faridabad) (01:57:01.300); 3. Venkatapathy Mettuchetty / Santosh Kumar Selvaraj (both Coimbatore) (01:59:41.500).

  • Verstappen quickest on final day: Pre-season Bahrain test

    Verstappen quickest on final day: Pre-season Bahrain test

    Sakhir, 12 March 2022: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time of the three days of running in Sakhir as Formula 1 pre-season testing came to an end at the Bahrain International Circuit. 

    Verstappen, driving in the afternoon after team-mate Sergio Pérez topped the morning session, completed 53 laps at the wheel of an updated RB18 featuring revised sidepods. 

    The World Champion didn’t appear for most of the first hours of the later session but when he did he gradually began to work his way to the best time of the three days overall as he cycled through various tyre compounds. He set a 1:32.645 on C3 medium tyres and later moved to the softest C5 rubber to set his best lap of 1:31.720.

    That put him almost seven tenths of a second  ahead of second placed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver’s best lap was delivered on the C4 compound. He did try the C5 tyres but despite setting a purple middle sector he flagged late in the lap and was slower. 

    Third place in the session went to Alpine’s Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard left his best to the end of the session fitting C4 tyres in the final five minutes of the session to set personal bests in each sector to stand as one of just two drivers to get within a second of Verstappen’s time. George Russell was fourth with a time of 1:32.759 that left him 1.039 behind Verstappen and the new Mercedes recruit looked to be battling the mishandling car throughout the lap. 

    Behind Russell, Valtteri Bottas was fifth for Alfa Romeo. The Finn used C3 Pirelli tyres to set a best time of 1:32.985 but his running early when he stopped outside the Turn 8 due to a gearbox issue. 

    AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda took fifth place as the Italian squad closed out a solid test phase. The Japanese driver, who completed 57 laps, finished two hundredths of a second behind Bottas, while team-mate Pierre Gasly logged 91 laps on the team’s final day.

    After setting the fastest lap of the morning, Sergio Pérez was left with seventh place at the close of running, five hundredths of a second ahead of Haas’s Mick Schumacher, who briefly brought out the red flags in the afternoon after he spun.

    Lando Norris ended the day in ninth place for McLaren and after taking over from Lance Stroll at Aston Martin, Sebastian Vettel finished with the day’s 10th quickest time.


    Formula 1 2022 Pre-Season Test, Bahrain – Day Three
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull RB18 Red Bull 53 1:31.720 
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari F1-75 Ferrari 51 1:32.415 0.695
    3 Fernando Alonso Alpine A522 122 1:32.698 0.978
    4 George Russell Mercedes W13 71 1:32.759 1.039
    5 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo C42 68 1:32.985 1.265
    6 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri AT03 57 1:33.002 1.282
    7 Sergio Pérez Red Bull RB18 43 1:33.105 1.385
    8 Mick Schumacher Haas VF-22 57 1:33.151 1.431
    9  Lando Norris McLaren MCL36 90 1:32.191 1.471
    10 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin AMR22 46 1:33.821 2.101
    11 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo C42 82 1:33.959 2.239
    12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri AT03 91 1:34.865 3.145
    13 Carlos Sainz Ferrari F1-75 Ferrari 68 1:34.905 3.185
    14 Alex Albon Williams FW44 18 1:35.171 3.451
    15 Nicholas Latifi Williams FW44 124 1:35.634 3.914
    16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR22 53 1:36.029 4.309
    17 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W13 78 1:36.217 4.497
    18 Kevin Magnussen Haas VF-22 38 1:38.616 6.896

  • Llarena-Fernández of MRF Tyres win Spanish Rally Round 1

    Llarena-Fernández of MRF Tyres win Spanish Rally Round 1

    Madrid, 6 March 2022: It was a successful start to the year for Team MRF Tyres in the Spanish Rally Championship with Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández winning the Rally Tierras Altas de Lorca.

    The opening round of the ‘Supercampeonato de España de Rallyes’ saw a star studded field and many crews competed on MRF Tyres.

    The rally took place on gravel over eight stages and 105.84 competitive kilometres and Llarena/Fernández were immediately competitive in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo.

    The moved into the lead by the halfway point in the rally and then controlled the event with two stage wins to win the event by 23.6 seconds.

    The outright win is a valuable boost as MRF Tyres prepares for the opening round of the FIA European Rally Championship next weekend.

    Competitors on MRF Tyres also won in other categories.

    Delbin García and Diago Cruz Ares won the Beca Júnior R2 RFEdA class in their Peugeot 208 Rally4, taking the class win by over a minute from their nearest competitor.

    It was a double success in the N5 category with Oriol Gómez Marco and José Murado González winning the category in their Nissan Micra N5.

    Their MRF Tyres counterparts of Marcos Canedo López and Miguel Ángel Vilas Martínez took third in their Peugeot 208 N5.

    In total there were 11 entrants running on MRF Tyres in the opening round of Spanish Rally Championship and with the outstanding results, it demonstrates the pace of the tyre and proves the development work achieved over the past two years.

    Team MRF Tyres now turns its attention to the first round of the FIA European Rally Championship with the Rally Serras de Fafe – Felgueiras – Cabreira e Botica or the Fafe Rally.

    Three drivers will compete for the win on MRF Tyres with Llarena/Fernández looking for another win. Norbert Herczig and Igor Bacigál join the team with Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton returning for another campaign.

  • Raipur to host National Supercross and scintillating stunts

    Raipur to host National Supercross and scintillating stunts

    Raipur (Chhattisgarh), 4 March 2021: Top Indian motorcycle racing talent is all set to descend in the Capital city to promote adventure sports and tourism as the much-awaited National Dirt Supercross Bike Racing Tournament organised by Chhattisgarh Motor Sports Association kicks off at the Budhapara Outdoor Stadium here on Saturday.

    Secretary, Chhattisgarh Motor Sports Association, Umesh Bansi said: “Top racing talent from all over the country will be here to take part in the National event. The practice sessions will start on Saturday at 1.30 pm. Some of the National champions and many talented Supercross riders will be seen in action as an event of this magnitude is being held in the State for the first time. “

    The tournament will be inaugurated on Sunday, the March 6th at 4 pm by the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. Riders from all over the country have arrived in Raipur and will race under the floodlight for the next two days. One hundred and fifty trucks of mud track was used to create a motocross track and a huge man-made landing area was put in place for the two Russian bike riders to showcase their throbbing freestyle motocross feats in the air.

    Russians at Raipur displaying their freestyle motocross stunts. Photo by Faisal Khan

    The supercross bike racing event will be followed by a freestyle motorsport event by international riders from Russia in which riders will be seen tossing several feet of bikes to perform acrobatics. Younger riders will be a special attraction

    Dirt bike rider just 11 years old and has so far competed in many championships, many young people including Alina Mansoor Shaikh, 12-year-old bike rider Anastaya and 9-year-old Yash Shinde, one of the country’s youngest dirt bike riders. Riders will participate in this bike racing taking place on 6th March.

    Association’s media in-charge Atul Srivastava told that there will be 10 rounds under foreign open competition, five in class two under Novice, six under Indian in class three and five cycles under Chhattisgarh in class four. Only residents will be able to participate. Each class will have at least half a dozen bike riders. If there are 10 bike riders in a class then five will be awarded and less than 10 the best performing rider will be declared the winner. At the same time, photographers will also be rewarded for the best photography.

    According to the technical rules in the competition, three groups A, B and C have been made for all the players participating in it. Players will have to get personal accident insurance of Rs 5 lakh. Participants will also have to bring a medical certificate from a Registered Medical Practitioner.

    Registration for participating in the Supercross bike racing event has already started. After registration, a trial and practice session will be held on March 5.
    On March 5, spectators can enjoy this event without any pass. On March 6, only invited people will be allowed to enter the venue.

    After the program, prize distribution will be done at 9.30 pm. Prize distribution program Chief Guest will be Honourable Chief Minister of Chhattisgrah Shri Bhupesh Baghel ji.

  • Gill terms new Coimbatore stages at twisty and tricky

    Coimbatore, 25 Feb 2022: Seven-time National champion Gaurav Gill feels that the new dirt terrain is challenging as it is very twisty and tricky despite some parts of flowing corners and fast stretches as he looks forward to the Rally of Coimbatore, the first round of the 3-round fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2021 which was flagged off here on Friday.

    Organised by the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC) with MRF as the associate sponsors, the 120-km stage rally has attracted 57 entries in the four National championship classes for INRC Overall championship, INRC2, INRC3 and INRC4 spec cars.

    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif will start as strong favourites as they look for the record-breaking eighth INRC National title with young guns Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai looking to upset the applecart of three-time APRC champion. The others in the 7-team INRC line-up are teammates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik also in a Mahindra SUV while experienced campaigners Arjun Rao and navigator Sathish Rajagopal (Baleno) along with Younus Iiyas and Aniruddha Ranganekar in a Cedia and newcomers, Arnav Pratap Singh and Suraj Keshav Prasad in a VW Polo 1.6.

    The INRC2 class spearheaded by 2020 champion Sahil Khanna, who have seven cars including Fabid Ahmer, who moved up after winning the INRC3 title last year. INRC3 has attracted a huge number of 23 cars and INRC4 category has 9 cars. The Gypsy Cup (11) and Junior INRC will be support classes. There will three all-ladies cars among the nine lady entries, as they will be competing on equal terms.

    Earlier, CASC President and Clerk of the Course (CoC) welcomed everyone to the new INRC season and said the club had found new stages which are smooth and fast. “The earlier windmill stages at Kethanoor had their own charm but are very harsh and hard on the drivers and cars. The new dirt stages are smooth but challenging and we hope the drivers will like them,” he said about the two 15-km physical stages, Black Thunder and SM Agro, which will be run twice in the forward direction on Saturday and twice each again, in the reverse direction on Sunday.

    In the pre-event Press Conference, Gaurav Gill said: “It was a long break for all of us and it is good to be here as rallying is what we love to do. The terrain is not the typical Coimbatore stages. The dirt stages are slippery and it is difficult to generate traction in some parts of the stages. So it is important to keep the right momentum as it will be no walk in the park.”  Preparing the pace notes after the recce on Friday morning, his co-driver Musa Sherif, who is doing his 294th rally, agreed and said: “I had to do 95 pages of notes for the 60km.”

  • Chennai racer Sandeep Kumar raring to go: VW Polo Cup

    Chennai racer Sandeep Kumar raring to go: VW Polo Cup

    Chennai, 10 Feb 2022: National racing champ Sandeep Kumar of Chennai has found his wonted form and is raring to go as he heads into the final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship 2021 beginning here on Friday in the Polo Cup which acquired National status this year.

    With a healthy lead in the Volkswagen Polo Cup, which was conferred the status of National Championship this year, the former champion and karting talent, is eager to turn his consistent performance into championship title, with three races scheduled for the final round at the 3.7-km clock-wise MMRT tarmac.

    Sandeep is a former Volkswagen Polo R Pro Cup champion and also the VW awardee for the German Scirocco R Cup for two years. After that fruitful racing experience with the elite in Europe, the steady racer returned to India and entered formula racing, taking part in both the Forumala and Saloon cars with many podium finishes and wins and went on to win the LGB Formula 4 National Championship 2020 before the pandemic slowed down sporting activity.

    Sandeep Kumar in action in Round 2 last month at the MMRT.

    This year he is back in the VW Polo cup and is firmly focused on winning the Championship with the final round scheduled to take place in Irungattukottai, near here. He is leading the Polo Cup title-race with 280 points ahead of second-place Saurav Bandopadhyay, who is on 226 followed by Avik Anwar (223) in third. The title fight is wide open with 156 points on offer from the three races in the final round.

    “This year’s car is an amazing and I am enjoying the powerful car built by Volkswagen Motorsports India. The championship being a one-make and equipment same for everyone, it had added to the challenge and motivates me. Being in the leading group, my focus is firmly trained on driving safely and I am banking on my skills and hard work to deliver the final weekend in the Volkswagen Polo Cup,” said the seasoned driver, who garnered important points in every round.

    The Chennai Corporate advocate, who is knowledgeable about the rules of the sport, feels that consistency and clean driving is important than always trying to go for the kill. “Winning is not always a goal, depending on where I qualify and the package I have for the day, I visualise and set realistic objectives for the day. I take it race by race, but my focus is always on consistent and steady driving where I attack corners and make moves only when I am safe and sure,” said the racing ace, who made his motorsports debut at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore taking part in his first Rotax Max National karting championship in 2008.

    Sandeep Kumar

    He finished the year as vice-champion. He not only remained the bridesmaid in karting but the year 2017 where he missed all the three championship titles he entered, changed his life. He became vice-champion despite fighting till the end in the MRF 1600, Formula LGB 4 and Vento Cup, that year. But the gritty driver, sat down made amends and improved his skills by dint of his hardwork and dedication which yielded results as he won the Formula LGB 4 championship in 2020. “It was a bad year and one of the lows in my career. But it also gave me a chance to review myself. I decided to make amends and acquired new skills. Now I make notes for every race, I visualise before the race with some quite moments for myself. I set the objectives taking all factors into consideration and focus on delivering my own targets. It has helped me break the block and I am in a much better position to for it,” revealed Sandeep, who loves his home track the MMRT near Chennai.

    His ability to generate good pace and reliable race-craft got him good results in Round 1 and 2, as he proved steady and consistent. Despite slight hiccups in Round 3, he continued to log in crucial points after a tough qualifying and bad starting positions in the next three-race weekender where he climbed up the grid to rally back with podiums in all three races. “Overall, though I did not manage the top step, I was keen on getting steady points and three podiums from three races helped me garner enough points and save the championship lead. I am in an ideal and healthy position to go for the final dash and confident going into the final round,” concluded the karting mentor for many youngsters, who is also a popular Clerk of the Course for many Indian National Karting Championships and a practicing corporate lawyer from the Madras bar.