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Author: INDIAinF1 Desk
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McLaren and Coca-Cola announce Formula 1 partnership for remainder of 2018 season
Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. Photo: McLaren Woking, 18 October 2018: McLaren Racing and Coca-Cola today announced a new partnership that will see the companies collaborate for the remainder of the 2018 Formula 1 season.
The partnership will see the iconic Coca-Cola brand carried on a Formula 1 car for the first time as part of the McLaren Racing livery, and continues its rich history of sports sponsorship, including motorsport.
Coca-Cola and its sub-brands will be represented on the two McLaren race cars as well as the team’s race drivers, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, and McLaren test driver Lando Norris. Activation will focus on sub-brands Dasani Sparkling and SmartWater at the USA, Brazilian and season-ending Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.
Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing, said: “Coca-Cola has a rich history of sponsorship and a record of innovative activations and we are honoured the company has chosen to partner with McLaren to explore opportunities in Formula 1. Formula 1 as a sport is changing, as are we as a team, and we’re looking forward to introducing Coca-Cola to the potential that our team and fantastic, global sport represents.”
Ricardo Fort, Vice President, Sports Partnerships, Coca-Cola, said: “We are looking forward to this activation with McLaren, both our companies are innovators, and we are both looking to further connect with youth. This partnership will guide us to what our customers, markets and consumers are craving from this high octane passion.”
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Marquez vs Dovi: who will shine brightest in Motul Grand Prix of Japan?
Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso…..another royal battle in the offing. Photo: MotoGp Motegi, 18 October 2018: The Motul Grand Prix of Japan could be a Championship clinching weekend for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and joining him in the pre-event Press Conference was closest rival Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and home hero Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) to preview Round 16.
With a 77-point lead in the overall standings, Marquez has his first match point of the season at the Twin Ring Motegi: the home of Honda and a venue he’s sealed the title at previously in 2014 and 2016. The number 93 isn’t wanting to put any extra pressure on himself though and is treating this race like any other weekend.
“Here we have our first match point but the target is the same as every other weekend, start well in FP1 and try and be ready to fight for the victory. After Warm Up we’ll see whether we can fight – let’s not forget these guys are very strong in Motegi, so no stress and no panic.”
Marquez vs Dovi….hot battle. Photo: MotoGP “These guys” was an indication to the rider sat immediately to his right – Dovizioso. The two were embroiled in an unforgettable battle in Motegi last season and it’s one Marquez remembers like it was yesterday. Is a repeat on the cards? “Those kinds of battles are in my mind like they happened yesterday! It was nice but a difficult race with a lot of water but a great battle. He beat me on the back straight and braked later, he was already in front and I tried at the last corner but it was too much. He made a great move in that race but this year on Sunday it looks like it will be dry, and it could be different…”
‘DesmoDovi’ will be hoping the outcome won’t be different from that particular battle as he aims to put Honda’s title celebrations on hold. And in addition to his Spanish colleague, Dovi is treating the Japanese GP as he would any other weekend: not thinking about the Championship and simply just trying to win the race.
“Let’s try and win the race and make Marc have to wait for the celebrations,” commented the Ducati rider. “I think, unfortunately, I’ve been racing not thinking about the championship for a long time because the gap is so big. Here is just another race and we want to win, come back to victory and it could be a good track for us.”
It certainly seems like Motegi’s 2018 mixture is a recipe for another potential Marquez vs Dovizioso classic. Despite the weather looking like it will have a part to play on Friday and potentially Saturday, Sunday’s weather forecast is predicting a dry race for both riders to go into full attack mode.
Will it be magnificent seven for Marquez or delight for Dovi? Thankfully, we don’t have long to find out. Watch both riders join the rest of the premier class field as they take to the Twin Ring Motegi for FP1 on Friday morning.
A MILESTONE AWAITS CAL CRUTCHLOW
Crutchlow….on verge of history. Photo: MotoGP Honda rider can become the first Briton to reach the milestone in premier class history with a top five result in Japan. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) can etch his name into the MotoGP™ history books again at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan this weekend, with a top five finish in Motegi enough to see him become the first British rider to reach 1000 premier class points in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Currently on 989 points, the Isle of Man resident has been a prominent figure in the MotoGP™ paddock since joining Tech 3 in 2011 from WorldSBK and has since managed to notch up three wins – his maiden GP victory at Brno in 2016 the first from a British rider in 35 years.
In total, Crutchlow has scored 15 podiums during his eight years and he’s aiming to get another one under his belt at the Twin Ring Motegi to strengthen his position as Independent Team Championship leader:
“Of course, Motegi is one of the most important races of the calendar because it’s Honda HRC’s home race and we are all keen to get a good result. As I said before, I expected a better result in Thailand, but at the same time I am happy to lead the independent rider classification.
“The Motegi circuit suits my riding style more then Buriram so the aim to finish in the top 5 and hopefully get on the podium, although the battle up in the front group is very hard. We will see, for sure the Japanese crowd will be awesome as always and we’ll do our best to give them a great show on Sunday. It’s also Taka’s home race and I hope he can make a good race for his family and fans.”
THE LITTLE SAMURAI’S LAST JAPANESE JOUST
Dani Pedrosa. Photo: Honda Racing After announcing his retirement earlier in the season, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) aka the ‘Little Samurai’ will take part in his last race on Japanese soil at this weekend’s Motul Grand Prix of Japan.
The three-time World Champion was present in the pre-event Press Conference and reflected on his time spent in a country he’s become closely connected to: “We’ve already been to two of Honda’s places; the office and the factory and you can see all the Japanese people are so supportive, so it’s an important race. I’ve always had a good welcome here.”
In addition to a warm welcome off track, Pedrosa had enjoyed success on track at the Twin Ring Motegi. Five wins across all classes – the last coming in 2015 – and a total of 10 podiums gives the 33-year-old hope of a successful weekend, despite also being dished some bad luck at the venue in years gone by.
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Marc Marquez on the cusp of MotoGP title at Motegi Twin Ring Circuit, Japan, this weekend
File photo of Marc Marquez in action. Photo – Honda Racing Corporation Motegi, 15 October 2018: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has done it before and wrapped up the title on the home turf of manufacturer Honda, and in 2018 he has chance to do it again in the Motul Grand Prix of Japan at the Motegi Twin Ring circuit here this weekend. If he scores points and finishes ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and if he doesn’t concede more than two points to Dovizioso and 24 to Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Marquez is Champion and takes his seventh crown. The hard-braking behemoth of the Twin Ring could decide everything.
The mission for Dovizioso is clear, then. He has to be ahead of Marquez and the best case scenario is to win. He has good form at the venue including two poles – 2010 and 2014 – and two podiums, one of which was a win, last season. And who could forget the stunning showdown in the rain as Marquez and Dovizioso dueled it out? The Italian certainly won’t, nor the fact that he won it in style. Despite the Spaniard fighting back last time out, Dovi remains ahead in their last lap showdowns.
Valentino Rossi. Photo: Yamaha MotoGP So what of Valentino Rossi? The Italian remains third by virtue of consistency and consistently getting the best from the package, despite some struggles for Yamaha of late. He needs to go big to play a big part in the title decider, but like most venues, he’s a former winner at Motegi – that’s a given. Could Thailand have been a turning point for Yamaha too? Both Rossi, who came fourth at Buriram, and teammate Maverick Viñales, who locked out the podium, had much improved pace there – and that despite the hot temperatures and high tyre wear. They’ll hope to be a force to be reckoned with as it’s their home race and also the home track of arch rivals Honda – something also true of Hamamatsu factory Suzuki and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone.
One unknown quantity who could have a big say in the weekend is Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team). Crashing out at Aragon and left riding through the pain barrier on Friday in Thailand, the ‘Spartan’ was on the pace – until a monster highside in FP2 put paid to his weekend at Buriram. It was caused by a mechanical problem and Lorenzo, classed fit to race, nevertheless chose to sit the weekend out. He’ll be back at Motegi, however, and he has quite a CV at the Japanese venue, including three wins. As does Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who crashed out in Thailand.
Andrea Dovizioso. Photo: Ducati The fight for top Independent Team rider continues to rage just behind Lorenzo in the standings. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) has 128 points, Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) 126 and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) 123 – so it remains incredibly close and every weekend is pivotal, with Motegi no different.
The same is true in the battle for Rookie of the Year as last time out Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) closed on Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and it’s just five points between the two, but at Motegi, eyes will be on a different rookie.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) is one of the home heroes who will be on track and the Japanese rookie has had some good pace of late – and then suffered bad luck on race day. He’ll want to put on a good show at his home race and the home race of HRC, but he won’t be alone in flying the flag. Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will be another Japanese rider on the grid as he wildcards, giving the home crowd a rookie and a veteran to cheer for.
The Motul Grand Prix of Japan has everything hanging in the balance. Marquez is on the cusp of yet more history and, again, it’s Andrea Dovizioso the key man in his way. Find out if Motegi hosts another incredible showdown on Sunday 21st October when the lights go out at 14:00 (GMT +2) local time.
Championship Standings
1 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 271 points
2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI 194
3 – Valentino Rossi (ITA) YAMAHA 172
4 – Maverick Viñales (SPA) YAMAHA 146
5 – Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) DUCATI 130 -
Kush Maini secures an impressive third position in the BRDC British F3 Driver’s Championship
A proud moment for Kush Maini. Silverstone, 15 October 2018: BRDC British F3 Series rookie, Kush Maini weathered the literal storm at the Silverstone race circuit over the weekend to complete his season in third position in the championship. Debuting at the BRDC F3 Championship this season, Kush secured the third spot with a total of 366 points that consisted of eight podiums, including a win at Rockingham.
In the last race for the season, the JK Racing-supported driver from Bengaluru could manage only 15th during the weekend’s qualifying session due to set up related issues, but showed great race craft during the weekend’s first race to make up five places and eventually finish 10th.
Due to extremely poor weather conditions, Sunday saw limited running with Race 2 being halted after two laps behind the safety car and Race 3 called off due to poor visibility.
With the weekend adding 20 points to his standings, Kush closed his season third behind Linus Lundqvist who finished as Championship Winner and Nicolai Kjaergaard who took second place in the Championship, both of whom had prior experience racing in the UK.
The 2018 season was a season of firsts for Kush who displayed tremendous pace and consistently finished on the podium during the season which commenced on March 31 at Oulton Park and ended on October 14 at Silverstone Circuit, after eight triple header events for a total of 24 races. This year’s Championship saw 25 drivers from 14 countries take part in the races, with Kush finishing as the top Indian driver in the standings.Speaking on his season Kush said: “I’m happy to have finished third in the championship and also especially happy about my performances during the first half of the season which were a little stronger compared to the latter. I am grateful for a strong debut season and look forward to a strong 2019 season backed by the generous support of my partners, family and well-wishers.”
Kush now heads into the off-season where he will evaluate his plans for 2019.
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Ashwin Datta consolidates position; double for Chittesh Mandody
File photo of Kolhapur’s Chittesh Mandody, who won both the LGB Formula 4 races on Sunday. Coimbatore, 14 October 2018: Chennai’s Ashwin Datta moved a step closer to his maiden Euro JK title in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship as a dramatic Round 3, replete with ups, downs and upsets, concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.
Ashwin (74 points after R3 ), who was just two points ahead of Nayan Chatterjee (66 after R3) as the action began on Saturday, made the most of Nayan’s DNF to widen his lead. But Chennai’s Karthik Tharani (68 after R3) won the next two races to come back into the equation.
The final race of the weekend, however, saw a totally new set of winners, with Nirmal Uma Shankar, Brayan Perera and Yash Aradhya claiming the podium places. Ashwin finished fourth, though, ahead of his key competitors to be 6 points ahead of the field.
The LGB Formula 4 too proved to be topsy-turvy but Vishnu Prasad (59) managed to keep his nose barely ahead despite not having the best of weekends with Chittesh Mandody (Avalanche) scoring a fine double.
Delhi’s Rohit Khanna seemed to be cruising ahead after winning the first race on Day 1 and starting Day 2 with another victory. However, a series of incidents led to a number of protests, that saw him being penalized by 20 seconds and slip down from No. 1 to 13.
In the final race, Rohit just couldn’t recover his poise and ended up with a DNF. Vishnu too had a poor race, finishing ninth and without a point. Raghul Rangasamy is now on the second place on the Championship table with 57 points.
The other Chennai star Joseph Mathew too had an eventful race, beating Malsawmdawngliana literally at the post. Joseph began cautiously, allowing his rival from Aizawl to take the lead. He overtook him at the halfway stage only to see Malsawmdawngliana streak past him in the final lap.
Just as victory seemed in Malsawmdawngliana’s grasp, Joseph outwitted him, winning by a wafer-thin margin of 0.087 seconds. This is Joseph’s sixth straight victory in the three rounds and puts him firmly in line for another title.
The JK Tyre Novice Cup too saw a dramatic turn of events, which led to Surya Varathan claiming the championship and Tijil Rao taking the second place.
Hashim EKP, who had won all three races over the weekend to move ahead, was disqualified as he had contravened the competition norms.
The results (Provisional):
Euro JK 18 – Race 3: 1. Karthik Tharani (15:37.117); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (15:38.043); 3. Ashwin Datta (15:40.886). Race 4: 1. Nirmal Uma Shankar (15:42.818); 2 Brayan Perera (15:46.014); 3. Yash Aradhya (15:47.130).
Formula LGB 4 – Race 2: 1. Chittesh Mandody (Avalanche; 18:47.313); 2. Sarosh Hataria (Dark Don; 18:47.409); 3. Sohil Shah (MSport; 18:47.957). Race 3: 1. Chittesh Mandody (20:11.953); 2. Sarosh Hataria (20:12.040); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:13.676).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Joseph Mathew (14:02.704); 2. Malsawmdawngliana (14:02.791); 3. Syed Muzamil Ali (14:13.359).
JK Tyre Novice Cup: 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum; 18:40.030); 2. K Surya Varathan (MSport; 18:40.342); 3. Jamwal Digveshar (Prudent; 18:56.462).
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Ashwin Datta stays ahead in JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship on a day of crashes
Chennai’s Ashwin Datta in action on Saturday in JK Tyre National Racing Championship. Coimbatore, 13 October 2018: On a day of thrills and crashes, Ashwin Datta made the most of his good fortune to hang on to his Euro JK 2018 lead in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.
Joseph Mathew too continued his stunning run in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, winning his fifth straight race to widen his Championship lead further. The LGB Formula 4, however, saw a mini upset, with Delhi’s Rohit Khanna (Dark Don Racing) pulling off a stunning victory.
Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee started the day on a high note in the Euro JK 2018, claiming the pole position in a tight qualifying session. He turned out to be just 0.316 seconds faster than the field but looked set to give Ashwin a mighty fight.
But he was a tad slow off the mark in Race 1, and Karthik Tharani shot past him before the first turn itself. As if that was not enough, Nayan and Tharani got caught in a tangle midway through the race, forcing both of them off the tarmac.
Tharani managed to recover, but Nayan failed to finish, losing valuable points. Ashwin Datta took advantage of the situation to streak ahead into the lead. He began from P3 but came into his own soon, clocking the fastest lap time of 1:01.422.
In Race 2, with the reverse grid for the top six coming into play, young Yash Aradhya started on pole. Yash made the most of the opportunity to build a sizable lead, but he slipped out of contention due to another minor collision.
Karthik Tharani jumped at the chance to win the race while Nayan Chatterjee, racing in a hit car, finished third to keep his Championship hopes alive.
Joseph Mathew reigned supreme in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup once again, claiming another facile victory. He was followed home by Malsawmdawngliana and Sachin Chaudhary.
Rohit Khanna of Delhi made the most of his smart run in the LGB Formula 4 qualifying to win the race. It was a close race, with Sandeep Kumar finishing second just 0.285 seconds behind.
Raghul Rangasamy claimed the third place while championship leader Vishnu Prasad had to be content with the fourth place.
The results (Provisional):
Euro JK 18 – Race 1: 1. Ashwin Datta (15:38.306); 2. Karthik Tharani (15:42.598); 3. Brayan Perera (15:42.829). Race 2: 1. Karthik Tharani; 2. Nirmal Uma Shankar; 3. Nayan Chatterjee.
Formula LGB 4: 1. Rohit Khanna (Dark Don Racing; 23:28.307); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don; 23:28.592); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 23:29.337).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Joseph Mathew (12:36.577); 2. Malsawmdawngliana (12:41.202); 3. Sachin Chaudhary (12:44.210).
JK Tyre Novice Cup (under investigation): 1. Hasim EKP (19:09.525); 2. Kunal Maini (19:14.166); 3. Tijil Rao (19:26.560).
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Arindam Saikia, Nataraj Revanna emerge champs in Raid de Himalaya 2018
Nataraj Revanna of TVS Racing, the fastest competitor in Raid de Himalaya 2018 Leh, 13 October 2018: Arindam Saikia of Team Polaris and Nataraj Revanna of Team TVS were crowned the undisputed champions in the 20th Raid de Himalaya here on Saturday. Arindam, who jumped ahead on Day 2, hung on to his lead tenaciously for the next two days to claim the Xtreme 4×4 category. He logged a total penalty of 6.32.49 hours.
Nataraj, on the other hand, has been in a class if his own among the bikers, and easily won in the Moto Xtreme. He, in fact, proved to be the fastest competitor in the entire field, with total penalty of 4 hours, 58 minutes, 52 seconds.
The iconic Raid started from Kargil on October 10 and concluded today, with the competitors coping with extreme cold and demanding terrain across Kargil, Zanskar and Ladakh.
The 2015 Raid winner Captain AVS Gill, in his Grand Vitara, finished 10.53 minutes behind to take the second position. Himanshu Arora of Haree Rallying, driving a Gypsy, took the third place. Amitrajit Ghosh of Team Mahindra made a major comeback to claim the fourth place.
With Nataraj comprehensively beating the field, the others had to settle for the remaining honours. His teammate Imran Pasha finished with a total penalty of 5:15:21 hours to take the second place. Vishwas SD finished third while Jatin Jain was fourth.
Vijay Parmar, President Himalayan Motorsport, pointed out that these were all provisional results as the final audit was still in progress.
“Raid 2018 was very difficult. We kept facing bad weather at every turn. For the first time, we encountered temperatures as low as -16 degrees. Wind chill was well over -20 degrees, making the going really tough for the bikers,” Parmar said.
Raid de Himalaya, considered among the top ten toughest motorsport rallies of the world, is organized by Shimla-based Himalayan Motorsport, India’s premier motorsport club.
Remarkably, both the amputees in fray, Vinod Rawat of Mumbai and Ashok Munne of Nagpur, finished the Raid successfully, even finishing second and third in the Group D category, featuring stock bikes with no modifications. Vishal Das of Kolkata was the winner.
Parmar said reducing the Raid de Himalaya format to four days kept the competition alive till the end. “The Raid has usually been six days long. By Day Four, the likely winners usually emerge and it’s just a question of holding on to your lead after that,” Parmar said.
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Ashwin, Vishnu start favourites for Round 3 of 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship
EURO JK 18 championship leader Chennai’s Ashwin Datta in action. Coimbatore, October 13: Round 3 of the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship will commence here today at the Kari Motor Speedway with the Chennai trio of Ashwin Datta, Vishnu Prasad and Joseph Matthew looking to consolidate their positions on the leaderboard.
Ashwin, who had surprised everyone with speed and guile this season, has managed to stay ahead of the pack with three podium finishes in the Euro JK 18 category with 51 points. He will be looking anxiously over this shoulder as he has a slender two-point lead.
Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee Nayan Chatterjee (49 points) was breathing fire in Round 2 and will be keen to carry that momentum forward to stake his claim for the championship in the final round next month.
“The championship has reached a very exciting stage, with anyone capable of winning in each of the championships,” Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Motorsports, said. “It is going to be an intense battle this weekend.”
In the LGB 4 category, MSport’s Vishnu was at his imperious best in the last round, winning two races and finishing second in one to gather a total of 28 points. With 50 points in the kitty from two rounds, he will look to widen the gap further at the top. Vishnu, however will be wary of his buddy and team-mate Raghul Rangasamy who is not too far behind him at 45 points.
In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, all eyes will be on 14-year-old Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsports, who annexed his maiden win to end the round with 13 points. He is currently third in the championship standings. Tijil’s team-mate Siddharth Mehdiratta is currently leading the standings with 16 points, just one ahead of but Viswas Vijayaraj.
Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad Defending champion Joseph Matthew of Chennai continues to rule the Suzuki Gixxer Cup. He is yet to drop a point in the championship and has four wins from as many starts for a total of 40 points. He will be the man to beat once again.
The top 3 after Round 2 – EURO JK 18: Ashwin Datta – 51 points; Nayan Chatterjee – 49 points; Brayan Perera – 43 points
LGB Formula 4: Vishnu Prasad (Msport) – 50 points; Raghul Rangasamy (Msport) – 45 points; Rohit Khanna – 37 points
NOVICE CUP: Siddharth Mehdiratta (Momentum Motorsports) – 16 points; Viswas Vijayraj (DTS Racing) – 15 points; Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) – 13 points.
JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup: Joseph Matthew – 40 points; Syed Muzzammil Ali – 30 points; Malsawmdawngliana – 21 points.
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FIA World Rally Championship: 14 rounds in 2019, season to begin in January; WRC 3 dropped
Paris, 13 October 2018: The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council which met here on Friday, approved a 14-round calendar for the World Rally Championship while dropping the WRC 3 category from the programme, while the total distance of Special Stages has been reduced from a maximum of 500 to a maximum of 350 Kms.The 2019 FIA World Rally Championship calendar is confirmed as follows:
27 January: Rally Monte Carlo
17 February: Rally Sweden
10 March: Rally Mexico
31 March: Rally France
28 April: Rally Argentina
12 May: Rally Chile
2 June: Rally Portugal
16 June: Rally Italy
4 August: Rally Finland
25 August *: Rally Germany
15 September: Rally Turkey
6 October *: Rally Great Britain
27 October *: Rally Spain
17 November *: Rally Australia
* Date subject to confirmation
DECISIONS IN A NUTSHELL
In order to give consistent identity to drivers and assist with promotion, Priority 1 drivers will be free to choose their permanent car number from 2019, except number 1, which will always be reserved for the reigning World Rally Champion.
As part of an overall cost reduction plan aimed at removing or reducing the cost of elements that do not add to the spectacle of the Championship, the number of test days will be reduced from 55 to 42 for WRC Manufacturer teams. The total distance of special stages has been reduced from a maximum of 500 to a maximum of 350 kilometres.
From 2019, the support championships will be restructured to help increase the number of entrants in Manufacturer Championships, to boost the number of factory supported drivers and cars, and further encourage private competitors to the WRC 2 and Junior WRC Championships. Building on the success of the R5 car, a new WRC 2 Pro Championship for Drivers, Co-Drivers and Manufacturers will be created as a platform for registered R5 manufacturers.
The same specification R5 car will continue to be used in the FIA WRC 2 Championship. This championship will be solely for private entrants, with the intention being to attract more drivers from national and regional championships.
In order to continue supporting the progression of young talent in the sport, the format of the Junior WRC Championship will remain unchanged. The WRC 3 Championship will cease from 2019 although competitors in two-wheel drive cars are still eligible to enter events.
The Championships will therefore be as follows:
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers
FIA WRC 2 Pro Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers
FIA WRC 2 Championship for Drivers and Co-drivers
FIA Junior WRC Championship for Drivers, Co-drivers and Nations.– Source: fia.com
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FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting: 2019 Formula 1 season to commence on March 17
Paris, 13 October 2018: With no new additions, the 2018 Formula One season will again comprise 21 races, beginning with the Australian GP in Melbourne on the weekend of March 17 as per the calendar announced by the sport’s World governing body FIA following the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council here on Friday, hosted by FIA President Jean Todt and Deputy President for Sport Graham Stoker.Besides approving the calendar for Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship, the Council also approved MRF Challenge as one of the four international series, the others being Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, Asian Le Mans Series and the W Series.
The 2019 season calendar was approved as follows:
17 March: Australia, Melbourne
31 March: Bahrain, Sakhir
14 April: China, Shanghai
28 April: Azerbaijan, Baku
12 May: Spain, Barcelona
26 May: Monaco, Monaco
9 June: Canada, Montreal
23 June: France, Le Castellet
30 June: Austria, Spielberg
14 July: Great Britain, Silverstone
28 July: Germany, Hockenheim
4 August: Hungary, Budapest
1 September: Belgium, Spa
8 September: Italy, Monza
22 September: Singapore, Singapore
29 September: Russia, Sochi
13 October: Japan, Suzuka
27 October: Mexico, Mexico City
3 November: USA, Austin*
17 November: Brazil, São Paulo
1 December: Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina
* Subject to ASN approval
THE DECISIONS IN BRIEF
The Council approved changes to the 2019 Sporting Regulations including:
– Changes to the Safety Car regulations to ensure there is a consistent point at which drivers may overtake when the Safety Car returns to the pits. This will now be the same in all three types of restart
– The teams will now be responsible for initial scrutineering of their cars. Before the cars go on track for the first time, teams must declare conformity with all safety related matters
– The official end-of-race signal will now be a chequered light panel, although the chequered flag will still be shown
RELIEF FOR TEAM PERSONNEL
For 2020, the team personnel curfew – the amount of time for which all team personnel must be away from the track – will increase from eight to nine hours.
Formula 1 Strategy Group and Commission proposals concerning the 2019 Technical Regulations were agreed, including:
– Changes to the mirror regulations and also associated rear wing changes (height) for rear view visibility and safety (Articles 3.6 and 14.3)
– The on-board camera regulations will be modified to improve the TV spectacle (Article 21)
– Rear end-plate lights are to be added for safety (Article 14.5)
– Minor modifications to the halo fairing (Article 15.2.6) are to be made for safety reasons during a potential driver extraction.
– Source: fia.com
The 2018 season was a season of firsts for Kush who displayed tremendous pace and consistently finished on the podium during the season which commenced on March 31 at Oulton Park and ended on October 14 at Silverstone Circuit, after eight triple header events for a total of 24 races. This year’s Championship saw 25 drivers from 14 countries take part in the races, with Kush finishing as the top Indian driver in the standings.
Paris, 13 October 2018: The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council which met here on Friday, approved a 14-round calendar for the World Rally Championship while dropping the WRC 3 category from the programme, while the total distance of Special Stages has been reduced from a maximum of 500 to a maximum of 350 Kms.