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Author: David Bodapati
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We learned a lot today: Nico Hulkenberg, Sahara Force India
Sahara Force India completed a solid day of practice in Sepang in preparation for Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix.Nico Hulkenberg VJM07-04FP1: 1:41.642 P8 19 lapsFP2: 1:40.691 P10 34 lapsNico: “I think we can be satisfied with what we learned today. We worked through the programme and there were no big issues on my side. Of course, the hot weather here means conditions are tough and we found that tyre management during the long run was quite challenging. It’s even more difficult this year because there is more wheelspin with these engines and the rear degradation is quite high. We collected the usual data for the tyres and the set-up, and I think there is still room for improvement. I need some more grip and we need to tweak the balance before final practice.”Sergio Perez VJM07-02FP1: No time P20 2 lapsFP2: 1:41.671 P16 25 lapsSergio: “Not an easy day because I missed most of the morning session and that has limited my running on the hard compound. In the afternoon we tried to improve the car, as well as learning about the tyres, but I still feel we need to make a big step tonight to be ready for qualifying. The tyre performance gap between the hard and the medium compound is not that big, but we suffered with high degradation on both tyres.”Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer“Apart from some lost track time for Sergio this morning, which resulted from a fuel system issue, our preparation for the Malaysian Grand Prix has gone largely to plan. We met our mileage target for the tyres and signed off the cooling solutions we have in place for this weekend. The long run performance looks competitive, although coping with the high tyre degradation will be critical come Sunday afternoon.”
Sergio Perez in Sepang on Friday. A Sahara Force India photo eom/Sahara Force India Press Release
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Hamilton tops time sheets in FP1
Sepang, 28 March 2014: It was hot and humid and nothing unusual about it. And as predicted, the rain did arrive. And in Malaysia, when it rains, it does not simply rain. It pours!!!
And talking about predictions, our website predicted Hamilton to win this week-end and it is no big deal. the logic is Rosberg won the first race in Australia and with Mercedes domination, a foregone conclusion, and the initial glitch covered up, Lewis Hamilton has his best chance to chalk a winning route for the season.
And true to the expectations, the former world champion went quickest in the opening practice session ahead of Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and the second Mercedes of Nico Rosberg to top the time sheets in the first session today.
Hamilton’s timesheet-topping lap came roughly an hour into the session his time of 1:40.691 being good enough to see off Raikkonen, who finished 0.152s down on the Briton. Raikkonen, who looked to have overcome some of the handling problems that hampered his race weekend in Melbourne two weeks again, finished three tenths of a second clear of Rosberg.
Early in the session Rosberg had a nervous moment, locking up on entry into the pitlane and lack of grip on the dirty and dusty track was a problem for many during the session, including Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who spun in Turn 8 and Hamilton, who went off at Turn 11 in the session’s closing stages.
The high heat and humidity in Sepang had been predicted to cause problems for F1’s power units and a number of team’s encountered reliability problems in the morning session.
Kevin Magnussen lost power in his McLaren at the pitlane entrance, while Lotus again suffered major problems, with Romain Grosjean stopping on track after just two laps with a problem with his MGU-H. Team-mate Pastor Maldonado, meanwhile, spent most of the session in the garage and then on his first lap out his Lotus expired in a pall of smoke. Sergio Perez too hit trouble, the Force India driver completing just an installation lap during the session.
With Rosberg third, the morning’s fourth-fastest time went to McLaren’s Jenson Button, with team-matre Magnussen fifth. Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne was sixth with a lap seven tenths off Hamilton’s pace. World champion Sebastian Vettel finish in seventh place, a futher tenth of a second back. The top ten order was rounded out by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and the Williams pairing of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas.
2014 Malaysian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1 Result
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:40.691 19 laps
2 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:40.843 0.152 20 laps
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:41.028 0.337 19 laps
4 Jenson Button McLaren 1:41.111 0.420 20 laps
5 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:41.274 0.583 18 laps
6 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:41.402 0.711 15 laps
7 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:41.523 0.832 9 laps
8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:41.642 0.951 19 laps
9 Felipe Massa Williams 1:41.686 0.995 23 laps
10 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:41.830 1.139 22 laps
11 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:41.923 1.232 14 laps
12 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:42.117 1.426 20 laps
13 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1:42.365 1.674 21 laps
14 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 1:42.869 2.178 21 laps
15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:42.904 2.213 23 laps
16 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 1:43.825 3.134 18 laps
17 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:45.775 5.084 24 laps
18 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1:46.911 6.220 10 laps
19 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:51.180 10.489 5 laps
20 Sergio Perez Force India No time 2 laps
21 Pastor Maldonado Lotus No time 2 laps
22 Romain Grosjean Lotus No time 4 laps
Hamilton at Sepang on Friday after the first Free Practice session. A Mercedes AMG Petronas photo -
Sport can be a very big inspiration: Sebastian Vettel
Vettel with Laureus Sportsman of the Year award on 26 March 2014 at KL. Photo by Laureus Academy KUALA LUMPUR, 26 March 2014: “Sport can be a very, very big inspiration,” said Sebastian Vettel after receiving the Laureus World Sportsman of the year at a glittering awards ceremony where scores of sporting greats assembled and three of the most exciting young sports stars of their generation, who have proved world-beaters despite their age, have been honoured at the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards here on Wednesday.
The first time a Formula One World Champion was awarded the Laureus Sportsman of the Year was in 2002 and it was none other than the great Michael Schumacher and `your’s truly’ remembers reporting an F1 race live for the first time. And yes, I had the privilege of doing an interview with Michael that year to become the first Indian journalist to do so. At this time of celebrations here, the whole India in F1 team remembers Michael Schumaker and his family in our prayers.
Michael went on to win the award again in 2004 and now after 10 years, it is Vettel followed in the foot steps off his hero.
For the record, Vettel, the youngest four-time Formula One world champion in history at 26, was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, US swimmer Missy Franklin, at 18, became the youngest ever winner of the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, while Spain’s Marc Márquez received the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award, after winning the World MotoGP Championship at just 20 years and 266 days.
Evergreen David Coulthard was the first to arrive while Sahara Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg was the next. Lewis Hamiltoon and Laureus ambassador Nico Roseberg were also present after their Meet the fans event at the twin towers which drew a huge response. Felipe Massa drew a hug applause and that was it from the F1 world while Mick Doohan is a Laureus hero himself and the award to Marc Marquez made it two heroes from the motorsports world tonight. However, the Red Bull team missed the Team of the Year Award with football giants Bayern Munich taking the honours.
There was double delight for both Germany and Spain when the Awards were announced. Bayern Munich joined Vettel as winners, taking the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, while tennis maestro Rafael Nadalreceived the Laureus Comeback Award to celebrate, with Márquez, a wonderful night for Spanish sport.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since its inception, Laureus has raised €60 million for projects which have improved the lives of millions of young people.
Sebastian Vettel’s success was particularly satisfying for the young German racer, who had been nominated five times for a Laureus Award, before finally winning. His fourth straight World Championship in 2013 saw him join motor racing legends Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost, who all won at least four times, but he did it more quickly than them – at just 26 years and 116 days.
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Missy Franklin was the sensation of the World Championships in Barcelona, becoming the first woman swimmer in history to win six gold medals at a single World Championships – three individual and three relay – at the age of just 18. She continues to refuse prize money and endorsements so that she can maintain her amateur status in college.
Bayern Munich were presented with the Laureus World Team of the Year Award after becoming the first football club to complete the treble of UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup. Six of their players were nominated for the FIFA Player of the Year Award: Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Spain’s Marc Márquez was presented with the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award after becoming the youngest ever MotoGP world champion, at 20 years 266 days. He also made history by becoming the youngest winner of a Grand Prix, in Austin in April, at 20 years 63 days.
It was Márquez’ first Laureus Award, but his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal secured his third Laureus Statuette, when he won the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, returning after a seven-month absence because of injury to win the French Open and US Open Grand Slam titles and regain his No 1 world ranking.
France’s Marie Bochet, aged 19, won the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award after becoming the first athlete to complete a Grand Slam of all five events at one Alpine Skiing World Championships.
Britain’s BMX star Jamie Bestwick, now based in the United States, won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award after becoming the only athlete in X Games history to win eight straight gold medals, two more than legends such as Tony Hawk and Shaun White.
The Laureus World Sports Academy presented two additional discretionary Awards. The Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was won by the Afghanistan Cricket Team, who qualified for the Cricket World Cup for the first time in their history, and the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to Magic Bus, the sports-based community project in India.
The Awards Ceremony was held at the Istana Budaya, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was hosted by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Oscar and Grammy winner Jamie Foxx performed to the star-studded audience.
German actor Daniel Brühl, who played Niki Lauda in the film Rush, was present along with Chinese supermodel and actress Du Juan.
(with inputs from Laureus release)
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Magic Bus, India, Vettel, the heroes at Laureus Awards Gala at KL
File photo German Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing in Singapore by FIA. Vettel won the Laureus Sportsman of the year award in KL on Wednesday. LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD AWARD PROVES
JUST THE TICKET FOR SPACIE’S MAGIC BUS
- Sports-based project is transforming the lives of young children in India
- Magic Bus a strategic partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
- ‘This is a magical moment for the Magic Bus’ – says Matthew Spacie
- Global TV audience watches Laureus Awards Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR, March 26, 2014 – The great success achieved by Magic Bus, an innovative project that is transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of underprivileged children in India, has been recognised at the Laureus World Sports Awards with the presentation of the Laureus Sport for Good Award.Magic Bus, founded by Englishman Matthew Spacie and based in Mumbai, aims to take children out of poverty through a programme of mentoring and coaching. Since 2001, the Magic Bus programme has grown to embrace over 300,000 children in 12 states each week and Spacie’s ambition now is to reach out to one million children by 2016.
Magic Bus, which has received funding from Laureus since its inauguration and which has been a strategic partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation for five years, is the product of Spacie’s fascination for India which began when, as a 17-year-old taking a break from academic studies, he worked in the Howrah leprosy centre near Kolkata.
Later, while playing rugby for Bombay Gymkhana Club, Spacie sought to use the offer of involvement in the game to improve the prospects of young boys living on the streets and in slums
Magic Bus, which now looks after both boys and girls, was born out of that initiative and Spacie has plans to extend the idea, centred around sports-based activities and a solid contingent of volunteers, to other countries.
After receiving his Award from Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Spacie said: “Fifteen years ago the Magic Bus was started because outside my office there were 15 street boys who one day decided that they wanted to change their journey in life.
“It is now an organisation which has 300,000 children every single week attending our programme on this amazing journey from childhood all the way to livelihood and out of poverty.
“It is a great tribute to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation that they see the longevity of partnerships like Magic Bus which shape the destiny of so many young people. This Award is really for the tens of thousands of young people in our programme who graduate every year and who have decided to shape their own future.
“Thank you very much to the Academy. This is a magical moment for the Magic Bus.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since its inception, Laureus has raised €60 million for projects which have improved the lives of millions of young people.
The Awards Ceremony was held at the Istana Budaya, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was hosted by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Oscar and Grammy winner Jamie Foxx performed to the star-studded audience. German actor Daniel Brühl, who played Niki Lauda in the film Rush, was present along with Chinese supermodel and actress Du Juan.
The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present were: Giacomo Agostini, Bobby Charlton, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Deng Yaping, Kapil Dev, Mick Doohan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tony Hawk, Michael Johnson, Franz Klammer, Edwin Moses (Chairman), Ilie Nastase, Alexey Nemov, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Mark Spitz, Daley Thompson and Steve Waugh.
Other sports guests included:
Vitor Baia, Robert Baker, Kenny Belaey, Jamie Bestwick, Marie Bochet, Ronald de Boer, Annabelle Bond, Daniel Brühl, Bob Burnquist, Eric Cantona, Fabio Capello, Dan Carter, Lee Chong Wei, David Coulthard, Johan Cruyff, Nicol David, Deng Yaping, Du Juan, Paulo Ferreira, Nacho Figueras, Emerson Fittipaldi, Missy Franklin, Maya Gabeira, Stephanie Gilmore, Ruud Gullit, Lewis Hamilton, Raphael Holzdeppe, Nico Hülkenberg , Philip Köster, Michael Laudrup, Tegla Loroupe, Steve McManaman, Marc Márquez, Felipe Massa, Gaizka Mendieta, Luis Milla, Hidetoshi Nakata, Antonis Nikopolidis, Sophie Pascoe, Nico Rosberg, Sarah Louise Rung, Axel Schulz, Jimmy Spithill, Angelika Timanina, Sebastian Vettel.Among other guests present were Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia; YB Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, Malaysia Minister for Youth and Sports; YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri, Malaysia Minister of Tourism and Culture.
The Awards were announced in seven categories. The winners are:
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Sebastian Vettel
Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Missy Franklin
Laureus World Team of the Year: Bayern Munich
Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Marc Márquez
Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Rafael Nadal
Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Marie Bochet
Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Jamie BestwickThere were two additional Awards: the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was presented to the Afghanistan Cricket Team and the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to Magic Bus, the sports-based community project in India.
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Order restored as Marquez takes season’s first pole; Espargaro 9th
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has secured the first pole of the season while Alvaro Bautista of Go & Fun Honda Gresini was second with Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith completing the first row at the Losail circuit in Qatar on Saturday night (IST).
Meanshile, after three practices on top of the time sheets, Aleix Espargaro confirmed that he is a very fast rider also in the qualifying session. Unfortunately two crashes prevented him to finish in the front row, which was close at hand. Thus order was restored with pre-season favourite Marquez taking the pole.
After crashing on turn 2, while he was third in the time sheets, Aleix went back on track with the second machine and he was 1 tenth faster than the pole when he crashed for the second time, loosing the front. Fortunately the crashes were without consequences for the Spanish rider, who will take the start of the Qatar GP from the third row.
The reigning world champion in this class, Marquez
After dominating from Thursday, Aleix Espargaro missed pole and qualifies 9th. An NGM Forward Racing photo clocked a time of 1’54.507, marking his 10th MotoGP career pole, from 19 starts in the class. Teammate Dani Pedrosa, despite being just 0.196s from Marc with 1’54.703, will start from the second row in 6th position, a Repsol Honda Team release said.
It was an exciting session with fastest times being traded between several riders. Marc, who is still suffering from the injury that sidelined him from the last two Winter tests, took provisional pole on his first exit in Q2 before securing it with a faster time on his final lap of his second exit. He’s now found a setup he is happy with and will work on fine tuning it in tomorrow’s warmup session.
Dani was also happy with his pace after making positive setup changes in FP4 and will be looking for one of his trademark starts in tomorrow’s 22 lap race, that will begin at 22h00 local time.
Repsol Honda team quotes: Marc Marquez – 1st – 1’54.507
“I’m really happy and this pole position is a special one for me, because after coming back from injury it gives me a boost in confidence. In any case, we know that tomorrow is the day that counts and it’s in the race that points are decided, so we have to be very focused. It is going to be a very tough for me physically, because I don’t have much strength in my leg and I have to compensate with my right arm. We are happy with how today went and seem to have found a good setup, with just a few details still to refine in tomorrow’s warmup. It will be difficult, because many riders have pace within a tenth of each other, but we shall try to have a good race”
Dani Pedrosa – 6th – 1’54.703
“The qualifying session was really closely contested today – especially in the final laps. Looking at things objectively, we have a good pace and were able to set a fast lap in the session, even though in the end we qualified sixth by a really narrow margin. We’re going to continue to be positive about things, believe in the work that we have been doing here so far this weekend, and tomorrow we’ll give everything that we have to do well at the first race of the season”
Qualifying time provided by Repsol Honda TeamQualifying position
1 Marc Marquez 1’54.507 ESP HONDA Repsol Honda Team 2 Alvaro Bautista 1’54.564 ESP HONDA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 3 Bradley Smith 1’54.601 GBR YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 4 Andrea Dovizioso 1’54.644 ITA DUCATI Ducati Team 5 Jorge Lorenzo 1’54.661 ESP YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing 6 Dani Pedrosa 1’54.703 ESP HONDA Repsol Honda Team 7 Stefan Bradl 1’54.871 GER HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP 8 Cal Crutchlow 1’54.888 GBR DUCATI Ducati Team 9 Aleix Espargaro 1’54.986 ESP FORWARD YAMAHA NGM Forward Racing 10 Valentino Rossi 1’55.096 ITA YAMAHA Yamaha Factory Racing 11 Andrea Iannone 1’55.127 ITA DUCATI Pramac Racing 12 Pol Espargaro 1’55.152 ESP YAMAHA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 13 Nicky Hayden 1’55.894 USA HONDA Drive M7 Aspar 14 Colin Edwards 1’56.042 USA FORWARD YAMAHA NGM Forward Racing 15 Hiroshi Aoyama 1’56.479 JPN HONDA Drive M7 Aspar 16 Scott Redding 1’56.555 GBR HONDA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 17 Yonny Hernandez 1’56.648 COL DUCATI Pramac Racing 18 Karel Abraham 1’56.715 CZE HONDA Cardion AB Motoracing 19 Hector Barbera 1’57.006 ESP AVINTIA Avintia Racing 20 Danilo Petrucci 1’57.513 ITA ART IodaRacing Project 21 Broc Parkes 1’57.574 AUS PBM Paul Bird Motorsport 22 Mike De Meglio 1’57.667 FRA AVINTIA Avintia Racing 23 Michael Laverty 1’58.254 WAL PBM Paul Bird Motorsport ends -
Bharat Raj, Shrikant Karani to fight FMSCI presidential elections
Bangalore, 22 Dec 2013: Bharat Raj, Chairman of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club, has emerged as a strong contender for the post of the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India with Vicky Chandhok forced to step down from the coveted post after two successful terms in office. The greatest achievement during his tenure, is perhaps, the arrival of Formula One to the Indian shores. The elections are scheduled to be held in Chennai on Dec 23 and the results are expected to be announced on 8 Jan 2014 due to Madras High Court, which ordered the results to be kept in abeyance (in a sealed cover) before going for Christmas holidays.
Bharat Raj, however, is expected to face a tough challenge from veteran motorsporst administrator and organiser Shrikant Karani of Sportscraft, Mumbai. Karani filed an injunction against the elections contending against an FMSCI ruling which prohibited him from contesting elections as Sportscraft is a profit-making body.
The elections held today were for the five council berths. The council in turn elects the President and other office-bearers. If the Hon. Court probibits Shrikant Karani, Bharat Raj is likely to elected unanimously as President of the Federation. The other scenario, where the Court allows his nomination, the nine-member Council will elect the President.
Meanwhile, though Vicky Chandhok sent a subtle hint welcoming the incoming team in his annual news letter and later through his announcement that he would be stepping down paving the way for newcomers, experts feel that it is a strategic move to keep himself out of harm’s way as the International Federation of Motorsports (FIA) has now become a member of International Olympic Association (IOA) and the Indian Federation, an ASN (official member country) of FIA, has to follow the rules and regulations of the National Olympic Association which states that no office-bearer can continue for a third successive term.
With the Formula One race in India ruled out for 2014 due to scheduling problems, Chandhok, found it is right time to take a sabbatical from the helm. However, the veteran administrator who was the son of Indhu Chandhok, one of the founders of FMSCI and father of Karun Chandhok, the second F1 driver from India, is expected to represent India in the international fora in some honorary capacity, what with his savvy skills to take forward the motorsport in the country.
An announcement on Dec 23 said: “After a second extended term of being FMSCI President, Vicky Chandhok today confirmed that he will not be standing for re-election for the upcoming year.”
Chandhok, along with the Jaypee Group and other FMSCI council members including Vijay Mallya, played a key role in bringing Formula One to India and was helped by the great urge of FIA and the wish of ring master Bernie Ecclestone who thought that, the F1 bandwagon visiting India and the Asian country being on the regular calendar of F1 would benefit the sport more than India gaining from it. But the tax problems and other bureaucratic red tape were also named as reasons from removing India from the 2014 calendar. F1 is expected to return to the country in 2015 as JP group has a contract with the commercial rights holders of F1.
After an earlier stint of 3 years at the helm of the Federation from 2005 to 2007, Chandhok was elected to the Presidency again in 2010. The last 4 years have seen a big boost in Indian motorsport, not just with the Formula One Indian Grand Prix but also with domestic motorsport in general. Auto manufacturer support has increased with involvement in car and bike championships as well as the Indian National Rally Championship. Under his aegis, the first ever Indian National Times Speed Distance Rally Championship was also launched.
Chandhok said, “This is a difficult decision for me but after being President for 7 out of the last 9 years, and living and breathing Indian motorsport on a daily basis, it is time to pass the baton on. The federation has seen many wins over the past few years, including, most notably Formula 1 coming to India as well as the Asian Road Racing Championship for Bikes. There have been so many positive changes to Indian motorsport with the introduction of new championships, and I am glad to have played a pivotal role in making it happen. The first ever FMSCI Automobile Conclave has helped us in bringing more manufacturers into our various championships. From an international perspective, India has a much larger presence in world motorsport with 14 people joining international commissions and I’m glad that I have played a part in building these international relations with the FIA, FIM and CIK.”
The last 4 years have seen significant developments in the Indian motorsport arena. Karting and single-seater racing has given young Indian drivers the perfect platform to hone their skills before going to race internationally. The JK Tyre National Karting Championship continues to flourish and the introduction of the JK Racing India Series, MRF 16000 and MRF Challenge 2013 has helped prepare young drivers to face the challenges of international competition. Saloon car racing in India has established its own niche with the introduction of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup and the Toyota Etios Trophy. Rallying in India has recovered after a couple of difficult years and now has increased manufacture presence from car giants Volkswagen, Mahindra and Maruti.
Chandhok added, “Young drivers now have ample platforms to chart out their motorsport career starting from karting to F3 style cars. Rallying, a discipline where I personally spent many years competing, has now stabilised over the last 12 months. It has also been very heartening to see the support that organisers, promoters and competitors have extended to me personally, and the federation especially over the past couple of months. I have had a very passionate team of people to work with and none of our achievements would have been possible without the determination and hard work of the entire team.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity that I was given to improve Indian motorsport and I am confident that we can look forward to more successes in the future. There is a plenty of work to be done in supporting the Jaypee Group and Formula One Management, as well as the vehicle manufacturers to improve the sport in India. I will of course continue to be a member of the FMSCI managing council and look forward to lending my support to the new President and his team,” he added.
On the other side of the success, the new office-bearers will have to work that much harder not only to keep up the good work but also to bring in transparency and professionalism to the National body. Just like FIA, its parent body, the Indian Federation, guards its accounts and dealings in great secrecy. Time has come now to publish the audited reports and take responsibility by creating strong mechanisms for accountability.
(This article is edited on Dec 23 at 3pm)
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File photo of Vicky Chandhok with Bernie Ecclestone. An Adrenna Communications photo -
Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif thrill the crowds; Ghosh/ Naik win INRC title
Tumkur, 10 Nov 2013: Speed maestro Gaurav Gill and experienced navigator Musa Sherif topped the time sheets and cheered the crowds with their thrilling drifts and daring speed runs in the SUV class as Mahindra Adventure Rally team but all eyes were on reigning National champions Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik, who clocked steady timings. Sporting MRF colours, the duo clinched their second consecutive National title as the IMG 39th K-1000 rally, the fourth round of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), concluded near here on Sunday.
Driving a Mahindra XUV 50, the newly-crowned Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gill, has to be satisfied with the SUV Rally Championship title. He is not in contention for the INRC title as he entered a non-INRC class. Teammates Lohitt Urs and co-driver Bonnie Thomas finished second. Malaysian rally ace and former WRC (production) and APRC winner Karamjit Singh and co-driver Jagdev Singh, who set the best times after Gill in their factory-prepared Polo R2 won the Indian Rally Championship.
Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia in Group N 1600 class, Ghosh and Naik clocked 1hr, 34 mins and 46.6 seconds. Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhat, who were third overnight, took the second place pushing Prithvi Dominic and Pruthivi Sthal to third.
Ghosh will be out of country and will be missing the final round at Chikmaglur next month due to last-minute change in the dates. “I am very happy to clinch the championship here. We were under tremendous pressure but we managed to drive safely and clock steady times,” said the Kolkota rallyist, whose father Arindam Ghosh won the K-1000 in 1981.
Driving a Volkswagen Polo rally car in the INRC 1600cc class, championship leader Arjun Rao and co-driver Satish Rajagopal, who were trailing Phalguna Urs and Anoop Kumar by a narrow margin yesterday, managed to gain 17 seconds in SS 8 to pip them to second place. Sirish Chandran and co-driver Nikhil Pai of Slideways Industries, also in a Volkswagen Polo rally car, came third.
In the Junior INRC class, Suhem MK and navigator Jeevarathinam came first followed by Aroor Viram Rao and co-driver Somayya AG. Rohan Pawar and Arjun Mehta finished third while Championship leader Asad Khan and co-driver Zayne Asrar could manage only a sixth place.
Ten cars out of the 37 that took the starting flag failed to finish the rally. The fifth and final round of the INRC will be held at Chikmaglur on Dec 6, 7 and 8.
Provisional Results (unaudited):
INRC Overall / 2000cc: 1. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Cedia) 1hr, 34mins, 46.6 secs; 2. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt 1:36:39.2. 3. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (VW Polo) 01:37:36.0.
INRC / 2000cc: 1. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Cedia) 1hr, 34mins, 46.6 secs; 2. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt 1:36:39.2. 3. Pruthvi Dominic / Purthivi Sthal (Cedia) 1:45:45.1.
INRC 1600cc:1. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (VW Polo) 01:37:36.0; 2. Phalguna V Urs / Anoop Kumar DS (VW Polo) 01:37:37.4; 3. Sirish Chandran / Nikhil Pai (VW Polo, Slidways Industries) 01:37:45.1.
JINRC: 1. Suhem MK / J Jeevarathinam 1:40:49.7; 2. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG 1:42:45.6; 3. Rohan Pawar / Arjun Mehta 1:44:54.4.
SUV NRC:1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure Rally) 1:30:56.3; 2. Lohitt Urs / Bonnie Thomas (Mahindra Adventure Rally) 01:35:24.5.
IRC:1. Karamjit Singh / Jagdev Singh (VW Polo R2, Slideways Industries) 1:31:50.4; 2. Sumit Panjabi / Prakhyath Shirole (Cedia) 1:53:36.51.
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Vettel clinches fourth World title, thrills the Indian spectators
Greater Noida, 27 Oct 2013: The German giant was in ecstatic mood. He swirled his Red Bull thrice for the much-cheered `donuts’ and smoked the spot as the standing ovation from the crowd in the Grand Stand reached a high crescendo. The smoke slowly gave way and there it was the dreaded `finger’ up for the third time in India as Sebastian Vettel stood triumphant on the car. At he Buddh International Circuit here, he was on a roll again.
He came out of the car and after the antics on the top of the car,
Nico Rosberg of Mercedes AMG Petronas (left) and Romain Grosjean of Lotus lift Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull as he clinches his fourth World Driver’s title at BIC on Sunday. Photo by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team he bowed down and kissed the asphalt… to complete the `Vettel experience’ for the spectators.
“India, India,” he yelled and jumped in joy, punching in the air. The third consecutive title in India helped him become a `modern great’ in F1 history as he clinched a historic fourth consecutive Driver’s World Championship and became the youngest to do so. Only Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher had that record earlier. In all four drivers have won four titles.
The gloves flew over into the lower tier of the Grand Stand and the two lucky spectators fought for them. “Unbelievable Day,” “Yes, yes, we did it” where his words from the radio.
“I crossed the line, I was empty. I took ages thinking about something today,” he admitted. “It’s one of these moments you wish to say so many things but you can’t.
FIA plays spoilsport
For all the fun and frolic provided by the 26-year old maestro, the FIA found him breaking the rules for not going to the parc ferme directly after the win. By coming back to the grid and entertaining the crowd, Vettel was forced to cross the chequered flag twice and the Red Bull team was fined Euro 25,000.
Earlier, FIA fined Alonso and Webber in Singapore as Webber gave a lift to Alonso. Such comraderie an the antics provided by Vettel are the best bet to bring back crowds to the sport. But FIA and FoM, who are experts in squeezing every inch of pie from everyone involved in the sport, wasted no time making some quick buck.
That controversial win at Malaysia was his first this season Then he got nine victories till now, with three more races to go. And he won all the last six races… Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Korea, Japan and now India. This year he also had six fastest laps, three podiums and a total of 15 races where he finished in points. One DNF does not matter now.
Thus, Vettel won all the three races in India and also took pole in all the three years India hosted an F1 race. The FIA world championship round will not be there in India next year due to scheduling reasons and may return in 2015 as per the existing contract between FIA and JP group, that owns the Buddh International Circuit.
Mercedes AMG Petronas Nico Rosberg finished second while Frenchman Romain Grosjean came third after starting from 17th to complete the podium.
“The car was phenomenal today. It was phenomenal all season to be honest. I couldn’t ask for more,” he added. “I want to say a big thank you to the team, to all the people that were behind us. For sure it was not an easy season, even if people from the outside get the idea that we had it in our hands for quite a while, the last couple of races. But I think it was a difficult one, all in all.
Sebastian Vettel: Making donuts and celebrating his championship! Photo courtesy Infiniti “It was a very difficult one for me personally. To receive boos, even though you haven’t done anything wrong, to overcome that and to give the right answer on the track and finally get the acceptance that I think we’re all looking for as racing drivers… it makes me very proud to join people like Prost, Fangio and Michael.”
The German, starting from pole, held his lead at the start but, on fragile soft compound tyres pitted after just two laps. That dropped him to 17th but as others pitted and the back-markers were dismissed, Vettel flew through the field, and within 10 laps he was up to P6 and pressuring Sahara Force India’s Adrian Sutil.
At the front, with the other soft-tyre starters peeling off towards the pits for a change of tyres, Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber, who had opted to start on the more durable medium tyre, had taken the lead and was 14.5 seconds ahead of the German.
The battle, then, was between the two Red Bull drivers. Having passed Sutil and Daniel Ricciardo, who were on long opening stints and had not pitted, Vettel found himself lodged behind the similarly long-running Sergio Pérez, and Webber seemed to have the upper hand.
On lap 22, however, Vettel bustled past the Mexican and began to close the gap. Webber, recognising the threat pitted on lap 28, taking a set of soft tyres in the search of a burst of pace to maintain a gap. Vettel responded and made his second and final stop three laps later.
Webber did his best to make ground, but on lap 32 his soft tyres were gone and he made his final stop for mediums. He emerged in P4, 12.5 seconds adrift of the German on the same tyres and that was the victory decided.
Webber was still looking set for second place but just eight laps later he was out of the race, an alternator problem ending his afternoon early.
Behind the front pair, Nico Rosberg, who had started on the front row beside Vettel, put in a solid performance to claim second. The Mercedes driver cycled through a largely untroubled two-stop race and was in third place with nine laps to go behind a rapidly slowing Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn was attempting to make radical one-stop race work. The Lotus driver had started on soft tyres and took on a set of mediums on lap 7. Amazingly, he kept the same set for the next 51 laps, attempting to keep the tyres alive until the finish.
It was a forlorn task, however, and as the last 10 laps came into view, his pace flagged alarmingly. Rosberg swept past on lap 52 to claim second.
“The start was a bit difficult, dropping behind [Felipe] Massa. He was definitely a lot slower,” said Rosberg of his race. “I gave it a go on one lap then on one lap but I couldn’t make it happen and he passed me back on the exit. And then the team did a fantastic strategy. I managed to get by him like that and, yeah, second place, I’m pleased with that. The car was working well today. Important for us to have a normal weekend, so a lot of points and giving Ferrari a run for their money in the Constructors’ [Championship].”
Behind him Raikkonen’s woes weren’t over. Team-mate Romain Grosjean was enjoying a superb afternoon and having started 17th after a miscalculation in qualifying, the Frenchman had made a different one-stop strategy work beautifully to climb to fourth. He eventually passed Raikkonen on lap 56 and claimed his fifth podium finish of the year.
“I would not have bet a penny on me being on the podium today,” said Grosjean afterwards. “But the car came back how it was on Friday. The race pace was really there. We did a very brave strategy – as we did yesterday. I think it was not the time to go safe and it paid off. We’re back on the podium it’s quite amazing from where we started.”
The struggling Raikkonen was later passed by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and then the battling pair of Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez. The McLaren driver won their tussle to take a useful fifth place, ahead of the second Mercedes.
Raikkonen eventually settled for seventh place, having stopped at the end of lap 58 for a new set of softs. Behind him Paul Di Resta finished eighth, ahead of team-mate Adrian Sutil. The final point on offer was claimed by Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo.
Vettel’s victory also meant that Red Bull Racing provisionally sealed a fourth consecutive Formula One Constructors’ Championship with three races in hand.
2013 Indian Grand Prix – Race result
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 60 25
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 60 +29.8 secs 18
3 Romain Grosjean Lotus 60 +39.8 secs 15
4 Felipe Massa Ferrari 60 +41.6 secs 12
5 Sergio Perez McLaren 60 +43.8 secs 10
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 60 +52.4 secs 8
7 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 60 +67.9 secs 6
8 Paul di Resta Force India 60 +72.8 secs 4
9 Adrian Sutil Force India 60 +74.7 secs 2
10 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 60 +76.2 secs 1
11 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 60 +78.2 secs
12 Pastor Maldonado Williams 60 +78.9 secs
13 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 59 +1 Lap
14 Jenson Button McLaren 59 +1 Lap
15 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 59 +1 Lap
16 Valtteri Bottas Williams 59 +1 Lap
17 Max Chilton Marussia 58 +2 Lap
18 Jules Bianchi Marussia 58 +2 Lap
19 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 54 +6 Lap
Ret Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 39 +21 Laps
Ret Charles Pic Caterham 35 +25 Laps
Ret Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1 +59 LapsMeanwhile, Sahara Force India took a decisive step forward to retain their sixth place in the constructor’s standing with a double points finish ahead of Sauber who failed to score any points today.
Force India regains form at home race
Paul Di Resta finished in eighth place ahead of teammate Adrian Sutil in ninth.
After the race a delighted Paul said: “It’s great to score points here in India – the team’s home Grand Prix and a really important race for us. We took an aggressive strategy by pitting at the end of the first lap to change from softs to medium tyres – which was always the plan. After that we effectively split the race in two and I pitted again for my second set of medium tyres on lap 30. The other positive is that we’ve steadily improved the car over the last few weeks and I’m feeling more comfortable, so I think we can be optimistic of performing at a similar level in Abu Dhabi next week.”
Adrian Sutil who had to pit towards the end still got into points. He said: “The target was to score points so eighth and ninth places are a great result for us today. My one-stop strategy was the riskier approach and it was only during the race that we decided to go ahead with it. The medium tyres, which I started on, were performing really well and I realised that doing a one-stop race was possible. We thought that the soft tyres would only last around five laps, so I made sure I really looked after them, and in the end I managed just under twenty laps. After some difficult races recently, we showed everybody what we can achieve with some great teamwork today.”
Team Principal and Managing Director Vijay Mally was visibly happy: “Like everybody in the team I am delighted to see both Sahara Force Indias score points in our home race. That’s the goal we set ourselves ahead of the weekend and the six points scored are very important for strengthening our position in the Constructors’ Championship. The second half of the season has been challenging for us, but we showed today that we never give up and that all the recent hard work has paid off. I want to congratulate the engineers for making the right calls with the strategy, the drivers for their strong performances, and the mechanics for consistently quick pit stops. With just three races remaining this season, there is plenty to play for and we will go to Abu Dhabi determined to keep up this momentum.”
NB: Vettel’s championship title is provisional
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Rupert Svendsen-Cook wins MRF Challenge Race 2
Greater Noida, 27 Oct 2013: British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook managed to win Race 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida even after accidentally hitting the pit lane limiter in the final corner on the last lap. Sam Dejonghe took his first podium of the season as he fended off a charging Tio Ellinas to finish in 2nd position. Tio Ellinas with his double podium finish has taken the championship lead, a release from Adrenna said about the event conducted as support race before the Indian GP
From left: Dejonghe (2nd), Svendsen-Cook (winner), Ellinas (3rd) on the podium after winning the MRF Challenge 2013 Race 2 on Sunday at BIC. An MRF photo .
Sean Walkinshaw started on pole for the reverse-grid Race 2 along with Svendsen-Cook on the front row. Walkinshaw got bogged down at the start allowing a stream of cars past him as Svendsen-Cook went into the lead. Dejonghe moved into 2nd place with Yudai Jinkawa following him in 3rd place. Behind them Race 1 winner Arthur Pic was in 4th place with Tio Ellinas in 5th place. Pic tried to go around the outside of Jinkawa on lap 2 but ran wide, allowing Tio Ellinas to get past as well. Ellinas then pulled off a great overtaking move at Turn 6 to get past Jinkawa and move into 3rd place. Svendsen-Cook comfortably led with Dejonghe unable match his pace due to a throttle problem. Svendsen-Cook came into the final corner on the final lap and accidently hit the pit lane speed limiter, which resulted in him coasting across the finish line. Ellinas meanwhile closed in on Dejonghe on the last lap but was unable to get past as they crossed the finish side-by-side. Vikash Anand finished in a creditable 11th position while the other two Indians were unlucky with Ashwin Sundar and Parth Ghorpade both retiring.
Race winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook was excited to win after being contesting his last race over 18 months back. He commented, “Winning on my first race weekend in 18 months is amazing and I am really happy. Pressing the pit lane limiter on my last lap was scary but luckily I had built enough of a lead to finish ahead. I have not been happy with the car the whole weekend and have also been very rusty. The car felt much better today and I got a great start and after that it was all about maintaining the pace. The MRF team has been really supportive so a big thank you to them”
GP3 driver Tio Ellinas was ruing the time lost behind Jinkawa but was happy with another podium finish. He said, “My start was not so good but I managed to stay 5th. Arthur (Pic) went off track while trying to pass Jinkawa and after that we were side by side but I just got ahead. By the time I passed Jinkawa the gap to Sam (Dejonghe) was too big but I managed to catch him on the last lap. I tried my best but could not get past. I am very happy to be leading the championship after the first round and look forward to Bahrain now. “
Sam Dejonghe finished in 2nd place after struggling with a throttle problem for most of the race. He said “I started on new tyres and they took 3-4 laps to get up to maximum temperature. By the time I could start catching Rupert I had a problem with the throttle which forced me off couple of times. Tio (Ellinas) was closing in fast and was really close on the last lap. I just managed to hold him off. It feels great to be on the podium so look forward to racing at Bahrain. “
MRF Challenge 2013 Calendar:
Round 1: October 25-27, 2013, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit (Formula One Support Race)
Round 2: November 28-30, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (World Endurance Championship Support Race)
Round 3: December 19-21, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (Gulf Racing Festival)
Round 4: February 14-16, 2014, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Trust
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“Absurd” FIA rules may stop contested election, warns David Ward
Bangalore, 2 Oct 2013: David Ward has arrived as a whiff of fresh air on the suffocating FIA scene. Thanks to the lack of transparency, Formula One and FIA, the international Fedearation which controls Motorsports and F1 around the world, are closed to public scrutiny as far as financial arrangements are concerned.
The arrival of Jean Todt as President was hoped would benefit the sport and bring more monies to FIA, and consequently to the member ASNs around the world to develop and promote grassroots motorsports. But despite making efforts Jean Todt was not very successful, many experts feel. He made a lot of improvements, especially on road safety side but no one is sure how much the new Concorde Agreement will benefit the FIA.
Under these circumstance, the arrival of David Ward, as a presidential candidate to contest Jean Todt (trying for a second term) came as good news. But the absurd FIA rules may prevent his entry, even before the election process begins.
A press release from Ward:
David Ward, a candidate in the FIA 2013 Presidential election, has written to FIA Clubs warning that the FIA’s election rules could prevent any candidate from being eligible to challenge the incumbent Jean Todt. The letter reveals that in the North American region 11 out of 12 clubs (ACNs and ASNs) have already signed a support agreement for Jean Todt at an FIA meeting in Montevideo more than six months before the election began. This leaves just one club available to nominate a Vice President Sport to another candidate’s list – which is a requirement to be eligible in the Presidential election.In the letter to the club Presidents, David Ward writes:
“The absurd situation in which just one club in North America may determine whether or not there can be a challenger to Jean Todt risks turning the FIA election into a farce. It shows clearly the detrimental effect that the Montevideo support agreement is having on the 2013 election. If any of the signatories decide to provide a Vice President to a rival candidate they have no alternative but to face the embarrassment of breaking a commitment of support for Jean Todt that they made in his presence at the Montevideo meeting – an agreement which was then subject to a photo-call and a press announcement. This is why I am asking for the support letters to be recognised as a clear breach of the FIA’s rules and revoked in my complaint to the Ethics Committee”.
Download a copy of David Ward’s letter to the FIA clubs
For further information, please visit www.wardandteam2013.com
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File photo of David Ward by Ward and Team 2013.
