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Category: Endurance Racing
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CEAT ISRL rider auction for Season 2 begins in October
Pune, 2 Sept. 2024: The CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) Season 2 has attracted an impressive 145 riders with an array of glittering stars including a couple of world champions for the Indian biking extravaganza.
The riders from the USA, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, South Africa, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, besides the champions from India will be thrilling the spectators and fans alike for second season. The registration of Indian-origin riders has increased compared to Season 1 that combines seasoned champions and promising new talent.
Eeshan Lokhande, Co-founder & Director of the CEAT ISRL, said: “The response to Season two has been phenomenal. We are witnessing a new era in Indian motorsports, where the CEAT ISRL is not just a platform for international talent but also a catalyst for the growth of Supercross in India. Our goal is to elevate the sport further and deliver a season that is bigger, bolder, and faster, captivating fans around the world.”
Season 2 will see the return of fan favorites like 9x Australian Champion Matt Moss, Reid Taylor, MxON World Champion Jordi Tixier, and Asia Motocross Champion Thanarat Penjan. New faces include AMA Pro Motocross Champion Mike Alessi, French Supercross Champion Greg Aranda, French Motocross Champion Maxime Desprey and Australian Motocross Champion Luke Clout. Indian talent is equally well-represented, with riders like 3x Indian Supercross Champion Rugved Barguje, Indian Supercross Champions Shlok Ghorpade, and Ikshan Shanbhag ready to make their mark once again.
Matt Moss, 9x Australian Champion said: “Season 1 was a fantastic experience for me, both on and off the track. Traveling to India was definitely a cultural shock, but in the best possible way, the people were amazing, and the hospitality was second to none. The racing itself was really competitive and enjoyable. As we head into Season 2, I’m confident that any small issues from the first season will be ironed out, making it even better. I’m especially excited to see the increased competition with more riders from the USA, France, and Australia joining in. I can’t wait to get back out there and see what Season 2 has in store!”
Mike Alessi, AMA Pro Motocross Champion said: “I’m thrilled to be heading to India for the CEAT ISRL. I watched Season 1, and I was really impressed with what I saw. I’m eager to come over this year, put on a great show for the fans, and just have an all-around amazing time. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!”
Rugved Barguje, 3x Indian Supercross Champion, said: “Reflecting on Season 1 of the CEAT ISRL, it was beyond anything I expected—riding on a proper Supercross track in India was a dream come true. Despite battling a thumb injury, the adrenaline and excitement kept me pushing through the races. For Season 2, I’m fully recovered and in better shape, with my eyes set on securing a podium finish. It’s going to be an exciting season, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Jordi Tixier, MxON World Champion, said: “Season 1 was absolutely amazing; it really exceeded all my expectations. The races, the championship, the track, and especially the people made it a memorable experience. Meeting the Indian fans was a true highlight. I’m super excited for Season 2—more races, more battles on the track, and the chance to meet even more fans. The upcoming auction should be really exciting, especially with new riders joining in. I’m looking forward to another great season and can’t wait to be back in India soon!”
The rider auction is scheduled for October and the teams will have the opportunity to bid on the world’s best Supercross talent. The CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League continues to provide a world-class platform for both emerging and seasoned riders. With multiple rounds scheduled across various cities in India, the upcoming season is poised to deliver thrilling action.
About Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL):
The Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) is the world’s first franchise-based Supercross league. This groundbreaking initiative is set to revolutionize the way sports are perceived in India, creating a global spectacle that will captivate spectators like never before. ISRL brings together athletes from around the world to compete in various formats and categories.
About the Founders:
Team Supercross India (SXI), the parent company of the Indian Supercross Racing League, is at the helm of this groundbreaking initiative. Led by former international racers Veer Patel (a two-time national SX Champion), Eeshan Lokhande, and Aashwin Lokhande, SXI has meticulously conceptualized and delivered a league that is set to redefine Supercross racing on a global scale.
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Maini finishes NLS race in Top 10; suffers DNF in 24 Hours of Spa
NLS:
With a solid performance, the two DTM drivers Lucas Auer (AUT) and Arjun Maini (IND), as well as Jordan Love (AUS) achieved a strong 6th place overall in the blue and yellow BILSTEIN Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Haupt Racing Team at the “ROWE 6-Stunden ADAC Ruhr-Pokal Rennen”.
For Maini and Love it was their first race in a GT3 car on the Nordschleife and for Auer it was his first outing for the Haupt Racing Team, drawing attention with a lap time of 7:52.848 in qualifying – and this despite the fact that his last NLS start was 2 years ago.
The likeable Austrian then started the race from 6th place and completed consistent stints – just like his teammates. For the new HRT driver trio, however, the priority was to collect race kilometers on the Nordschleife but also finish the race. All three drivers fulfilled this task with brilliance and showed strong performance, battling within the top 10 for the entire race, which lasted 43 laps.
Lucas Auer, Haupt Racing Team #6: “The Nordschleife is brutal. You really have a lot to manage – but it was great fun and we can be really happy with the result.”
Arjun Maini, Haupt Racing Team #6: “After my first lap with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the Nordschleife I had a big smile on my face. It was really fun and we did quite well.”
Jordan Love, Haupt Racing Team #6: “My first race in a GT3 car on the Nordschleife was just great. I learned so much and kept learning with each lap that went by. Thanks to the Haupt Racing Team for this opportunity. I couldn’t be happier.”
Ulrich Fritz, Managing Director Haupt Racing Team: “We decided to use the 6-hour race to give the drivers the opportunity to develop and gain race kilometers on the Nordschleife. All three drivers absolutely met our expectations and showed a solid performance to build on.”
24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps:
It was Maini’s first time in 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with Haupt Racing Team in the #5 Mercedes GT3 alongside Hubert Haupt, Gabriele Piana and Florian Scholze in the Gold class category.
The final qualifying saw them end up 39th in the overall standings, while they were fifth in the Gold Cup. It was a steady start for the team initially and by the end of the fourth hour, they were in the lead of their category.
They kept the lead until the sixth hour but a crash by the end of the seventh hour ended their race early from the lead of the race.
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Arjun Maini gets ready for 24-hours of Spa; Kush gears up for Budapest F3
Belgium/Hungary, 28 July 2022: Arjun and Kush Maini will once again be representing India on the world stage as the brothers get ready to compete in the 24 Hours of Spa and the FIA Formula 3 Championship respectively this weekend.
Arjun’s race will take place this weekend, July 29-31, at the historic Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Belgium with the 24-year-old racing his HRT Mercedes AMG GT3 in the car number 5 in the Gold-Cup category. The 24 Hours of Spa is considered the most important endurance event on the GT3 calendar with several prominent racers from around the world lining up on the grid.
Arjun will share his driving duties alongside HRT team owner Hubert Haupt as well as German driver Florian Scholze and Italian Gabriel Piana. There will be several prominent manufactures alongside Mercedes who will also be entering the event, with the likes of Audi, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini and Aston Martin on the grid as well.
“I’m excited to take part in my first ever 24 Hours of Spa,” Arjun Maini commented.
“To race at such a historic race circuit at such an iconic event is a real privilege and I’m hoping we as a team can secure a strong result.”
“The race won’t be easy and I’ll have to draw on all my DTM experience to make the most of the pace of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and while the format of the event is drastically different to the sprint races I’m used to, I’m still hoping I can leverage my familiarity with the car and the experience that I have from the 24 hours of Lemans to do the best job possible for the team.”
Kush who drives car number 12 on the other hand will compete at Budapest as FIA F3 Championship which reconvenes for the sixth round of the championship. Maini, who is backed by Mumbai Falcons, Omega Seiki and JK Racing, has displayed great pace in the series so far and has been unfortunate to not secure his first podium in the championship.
With 30 of the world’s best junior racers all vying for glory, competing in the F3 championship is no mean feat, with Maini aware of the challenges which lie ahead.
“While the end result maybe lacking, I’m confident in my ability to end the season strongly,” Kush Maini stated.
“The MP Motorsports team have done a great job so far of providing me with a car that is capable of racing at the front and with a bit more luck I’m sure we’d have secured a podium finish by now.”
“Nevertheless, it is important for me to keep pushing to ensure that result comes and I’m working as hard as ever to ensure I finish the season strongly.”
“I’m also grateful to the support I have received from my sponsors Omega Seiki and JK Racing and am Proud of my association with the Mumbai Falcons whose Livery is carried on my car from the Silverstone race onwards.”
Kush’s race in Budapest will take place on the final weekend of July, alongside F1 races between the 29-31and can be viewed live in India on the Star Sports Select 2 and HD channel.
Arjun’s Race on Saturday starts at 8 pm IST and can be seen Live at the https://www.gt-world-challenge-europe.com/ website.
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Aishwarya Pissay, only woman in FIM WC Baja Aragon
Teruel (Spain) 21 July 2022: Petronas TVS Factory Racing’s star Aishwarya Pissay, the only World Cup winner from India in motorsports, is all set to re-launch her international campaign with the Baja Aragon, the fourth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup to be held here from Friday.
Come July, the beautiful region of Aragón gets busy and Aishwarya Pissay, the Indian pride, is the only woman in the FIM field and being a World Cup Baja winner, adds to the competitive nature of the event as she arrived in Teruel on Tuesday. After her accident in Jordan Baja in March 2021, the talented rider, a product of TVS, worked hard on rehabilitation and bagged another National title in the last one year, before plunging into high-performance training abroad for about 90 days this year, under her acclaimed mentor Michael Metge and his team.
On Friday, more than 70 motorcycle and quad riders will take the start of the race, including 18 motorcycles and eight quads competing for points in the FIM Bajas World Cup. Pissay will be part of Team Sherco TVS which registered four riders. Lorenzo Santolino, who was third last year, Rui Gonçalves, Harith Noah and Aishwarya Pissay, the winner of 2019 World Cup Baja winner, make up the Sherco-TVS team.
For the 26-year old Bengaluru lass, a five-time Indian National rally champion, who became the first Indian woman to make her international debut at Baja Spain in 2018 at the age of 22 years, this will be her third Baja Aragon Spain. The Indian rider supported by Scott, Ultrahuman, IIFL and Micro Labs, looks to turn the tables astride a Sherco 450 Enduro, the same bike that she trained hard in France and Spain fine-tuning her physical fitness and riding skills. “It was a high-performance training not just focussing on physical fitness and mental conditioning but identifying and fine-tuning certain riding skills and consistently learning the terrain and the art of Road Book. Staying focussed and calm are some other interesting aspects that I enjoyed,” said Aishwarya, who continues to get support from Surana College, her alma mater.
“I have learnt a lot in the training sessions abroad under Metge and to be able to utilise these skills and continue learning is my goal. I am not looking at World Cup right now but my focus is on the Baja for the next three days. I will take it event by event,” said the 26-year old, who rose like a phoenix after the life-threatening accident at the same Baja on the last day in 2018. “Every incident has taught me lessons and made me stronger. Now I am well-prepared and ready for the event,” the confident TVS talent, said ahead of the grueling event.
Administrative and technical checks will take place in Teruel on Friday while the six-km Prologue will be run from 5pm (8.30 pm IST) in order to determine the starting order for the first selective section the next day.
On Saturday, July 23rd, riders will tackle two selective sections and a third on Sunday morning for a total of 435 competitive kilometres and 342km of liaison, the transport section.
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Aishwarya Pissay, Harith Noah set for FIM Baja Aragon
Teruel, 21 July 2022: Fastest rider at Dakar from India, Harith Noah and the only World Cup winner from Indian motorsports, Aishwarya Pissay, relaunch their international campaign after an year and are all set for the FIM Baja Spain Aragón, the fourth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup beginning here on Friday.
The 38th edition of Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL will see two of the top Indian Cross-Country enduro riders in Harith Noah and Aishwarya Pissay. While Kerala’s Harith Noah is the fastest from India at the Dakar, Aishwarya Pissay is the only Indian to win a World Cup in motorsports, men or women. Noah became the third Indian to finish Dakar after CS Santosh and KP Arvind, both from Bengaluru.
Read the preview and archives of Aishwarya Pissay here.
Dakar star Harith Noah exploits can be found here.
Petronas TVS Racing’s Harith Noah will begin his 11th year with the factory team. He successfully completed his third Dakar becoming the only rider from India to fly the Tricolour at the the 44th Dakar Rally, the prestigious annual cross-country endurance rally-raid race which concluded in Jeddah on January 14 earlier this year. He also set the fastest stage time by a rider from India, 18th in Stage 11, beating his own record set in 2021 (20). He is the third rider from India to complete Dakar after CS Santosh and KP Aravind, both from Bengaluru.
On Friday, more than 70 motorcycle and quad riders will take the start of the race, including 18 motorcycles and eight quads competing for points in the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Team Sherco is registered with four riders who are aiming for the podium: Lorenzo Santolino 3rd las year, Rui Gonçalves, Harith Noah and Pissay Aishwarya, the only woman in the FIM field, make up the team.
David Casteu, sporting director of Team Sherco, also has a “Team Casteu” team manager’s cap on and is supporting four private riders with crucial assistance.
There are three riders aiming to take the top step of the podium in the Junior category: the young Pole Konrad Dabrowski, Neels Theric – whose father won one of the first editions of the Baja Spain Aragón – and Kevin Giroud, who rides a quad. Dabrowski (KTM Duust Rally) is currently leading the Junior category and holds second overall in the FIM Bajas World Cup with 50 points behind Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi.
In the Veteran category, seven riders will take the start: Klyver, Gaits, Howe, Grignac, Argoud, Lardon and Vingut.
Eight competitors will line up in the quad section and they include Alexandre Giroud, winner of the 2022 Dakar, the Spaniard Toni Vingut and the Saudi rider Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi.
Administrative and technical checks will take place in Teruel on Friday, July 22nd from 08.00hrs to 13.30hrs and the six-kilometre Prologue will be played out from 17.00hrs in order to determine the starting order for the first selective section the next day
On Saturday, July 23rd, riders will tackle two selective sections and a third on Sunday morning for a total of 435 competitive kilometres and 342km of liaison.
The 38th edition of the Baja España Aragón-Trofeo AVATEL will once again be a record-breaking event in its ninth consecutive year in Teruel. 165 crews will line up for the start in the car category of the rally that counts towards the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas. Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, reigning champion of the Baja Aragón, will be one of the main favourites.
The Qatari will be joined by Yazeed Al-Rajhi in a Toyota Hilux, who is second overall in the World Cup behind Czech Miroslav Zapletal. A good result for the Saudi in Teruel would allow him to take the lead in the championship.
Other big names to start in this Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL include
Dutchman Erik Van Loon and Argentinean Fernando Álvarez. Host country Spain will be represented by a huge contingent, spearheaded by Jesús Calleja, Félix Macías, José Antonio Ramos and Daniel Alonso. The latter two are the first two classified in the Spanish Cross-Country Rally Championship.
The 38th edition of the Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL will see the first
participation of a WRC driver. Dani Sordo joins the populous field to take on yet another challenge in his sporting career. The Spaniard, who has announced hisretirement from the World Rally Championship at the end of the year, has decided totry his hand at cross-country rallies, with his current WRC co-driver, the Galician Cándido Carrera, on his side.Note: Courtesy FIM communications and Baja Aragon official site.
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Arjun Maini and HRT suffer DNF in GTWE’s Paul Ricard round
Arjun Maini continued his 2022 GT World Challenge Europe series’ Endurance Cup campaign for Haupt Racing Team alongside teammates Hubert Haupt and Florian Scholze. The second round took place at Paul Ricard last weekend, with the Indian racing in the Gold Cup class where the trio drove the #5 Mercedes-AMG GT3 machine.
The practice session saw them finish 27th overall and third in Gold Cup, while the Pre-Qualifying session saw them finish sixth overall and first in class. Moving on to Qualifying, as known, each of the three drivers had 15 minutes time in Q1, Q2 and Q3.
The final race start position is then calculated on the basis of the average of their best times. The Q1 saw them finish 18th overall and first in Gold Cup, while in Q2, they were 27th overall and third in class and in Q3, they finished 44th overall and ninth in category.
The combined time saw them start 31st overall, but their race was short-lived as a Lap 1 incident had their steering wheel bent which forced them to retire from the 1000KM race at Paul Ricard straight up.
“For sure, it is quite disappointing,” said Maini. “I think we had a really strong position in the championship entering the race but to be honest it is part of racing. And it looked like quite an unlucky situation why we had the contact and damage.
“In the end, we couldn’t have done a lot to avoid it, and this is racing sometimes. There’s still a lot of points on offer in Spa and we can still recover this but of course this is going to have a dent on our championship charge,” summed up Maini.
With the second round in the books, the next Endurance Cup event will be held at Spa-Francorchamps on July 28-31 weekend, but before that Maini will be in action in DTM with HRT on July 2-3 weekend.
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Parth Ghorpade joins TS Corse to race in 2022 Le Mans Cup
Parth Ghorpade returns to racing in 2022 as he joins TS Corse to compete in Michelin Le Mans Cup.
Following his last run in 2019 in the Ultimate Cup Series, Ghorpade will mark his return to racing in 2022 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup with Italian outfit TS Corse in the LMP3 category.
Ghorpade will drive the #73 Duqueine M30 – D08 machine alongside Pietro Peccenini from Round 2 onward at Imola on May 14. The first round took place at Circuit Paul Ricard, with four more rounds to come.
Post the Imola weekend, the Le Mans double-header round will take place on June 9 and June 11, with Monza to follow on July 2, Spa-Francorchamps on September 24 and the finale at Algarve on October 15.
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Arjun Maini starts with a podium in Gold Cup
By Darshan Chokhani
Imola, 5 April 2022: Arjun Maini started his 2022 GT World Challenge Europe series’ Endurance Cup campaign for Haupt Racing Team alongside teammates Hubert Haupt and Florian Scholze. The first round in Imola was held last weekend, withthe Indian racing in the Gold Cup class where the trio are driving the #5 Mercedes-AMG GT3 machine.
In a large field of 52 cars competing in the Endurance Cup championship, Maini and co, kick-started their week-end finishing 22nd and 46th overall in the two practice sessions which put them third and 10th respectively, in the Gold Cup category.
Moving on to Qualifying, each driver had 15 minutes time in Q1, Q2 and Q3. The final race start position is then calculated on the basis of the average of their best times. The Q1 session saw them finish 41st overall and ninth in category, whereas in Q2 they were 31st overall and sixth.
Finally in Q3, they ended up 18th overall and fifth in category. The average of the three sessions’ times saw them finish 32nd overall and seventh in their category for the first race. The Sunday’s three hour race saw a steady start from the HRT outfit to be 30th overall in the first half hour.
They stayed away from the melee and crucially jumped to fourth in the Gold Cup class. Even though they dropped by two places overall in the next one hour, they managed to claw back in the next hour to enter the last half hour in 22nd overall with Maini driving.
All this while, the trio kept their nose clean as Maini was involved in a close fight for the final place in the Gold Cup class podium. Despite losing a place in the overall rankings to be 23rd, the team eventually ended up third in the Gold Cup category to secure a podium finish to open the 2022 season.
“I think overall it was a good weekend for us, with strong points” said Maini. “In qualifying, we had traffic and so we couldn’t optimise it, so I am glad we made it up in the race. But still, as a team we want more and we worked really hard towards it. So, yeah, we can definitely be championship contenders and onward to Paul Ricard where we can fight for the win. I am looking forward to it after a great start to the season.”
With only the first round in the books, therefore Haupt Racing Team sits third in the Gold Cup category’s teams’ standings with 15 points. Likewise, the trio of Maini, Haupt and Scholze are third in the drivers’ standings. The next Endurance Cup event will be held in Paul Ricard on June 3-5 weekend, but before that Maini will be in action in DTM with HRT on April 28-30 weekend.
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Arjun Maini raring to go at the Red Bull ring in Styria
Spielberg (Austria) 3 Sept. 2021: Mercedes-AMG driver Arjun Maini will enter the fifth round with confidence after his good performance at the Nürburgring, where he got into the points for the first time scoring two valuable points in the 2021 DTM Championship after suffering initial hiccups which are not under his control.
After enduring a difficult start to his campaign, due in part to a series of o-track incidents, the Omega Seiki and JKTyre-backed Bengaluru driver finally broke his points-scoring duck with a stellar performance at the legendary Nürburgring race circuit.
Racing for the all-new GetSpeed DTM team, Arjun, the elder of the two Maini brothers, managed to bring his Mercedes GT3 racecar home in 10th at the conclusion of Race 1, in turn becoming the first Indian to score points in Germany’s apex racing championship.
“The last two races were fantastic and were an accurate reflection of my pace,” Maini said.
“I haven’t had the cleanest of weekends up until that point so it was good to finally have an incident-free weekend where I was able to bring home a solid amount of points. This marked GetSpeed’s first points in the series as well so it definitely was a memorable affair.
“Looking ahead I have fond memories of the Red Bull Ring and I hope I can build on my previous weekend and experience by bringing home some more points. The circuit’s undulations will be tricky to master but I’m confident about the preparation both the team and I have made in the lead up to this weekend,” he said about the circuit at Styria.After a few years’ absence, the DTM is making its comeback in Styria in 2021. The Red Bull Ring is located in Spielberg in the beautiful Murtal valley. The track is following the topography of the landscape, so that there is a lot of undulation. From the hotel located on the hill above the track, there is an unparalleled view, not only of the race track, but over the wide valley! The entire circuit facility is state-of-the-art and very nice, significantly contributing to the positive overall experience for visitors. Fascinating race cars are on display in the large welcome building, exclusive merchandise items can be purchased in the shop. Of course, in typical Styrian hospitality tradition, a wide variety of food is available, too, from tasty Leberkäse rolls via Wiener Schnitzel up a to delicious Kaiserschmarrn.
The weekend will get underway this Friday, August 3rd with the two practice sessions, with Qualifying 1 and Race 1 taking place on Saturday, August 4th, and Qualifying 2 and Race 2 concluding the weekend on Sunday, August 5th.
The full schedule can be viewed below and the qualifying sessions and races can be viewed live on Autocar India’s YouTube channel here.
Saturday Sept 4”
Qualy 1: 1.50 pm IST
Race `1: 5.00 pm IST
Sunday Sept 5th
Qualy 2: 1.50 pm IST
Race 2: 5.00 pm IST -
Arjun Maini delivers at Nurburgring to get 8 points: DTM
Nurburgring (Germany), 22 August 2021: Mercedes-AMG driver Arjun Maini finally got his DTM Championship going finishing both the races in points here on Saturday and Sunday. Starting on P12, Maini finished Race 1 in 10th to bag two points while he got 6 points in Race 2 after starting on P14 and finishing 13th.
Race 2 was won by Alex Albon of Alphatauri AF Corse while Kelvin van der Linde, the Championship leader at the half-way stage won Race 1.
Arjun Maini who clocked 1:27.996 in FP 1 after a very useful 27 laps was less than half a second off the pace of the fastest man Vincent Abri who clocked 1:27.480. In FP2, Maini did another 27 laps to better understand the circuit and the car and was again upto pace posting his best time of 1:27.620 which is just off 0.419 off the top car. He clocked 1:28.224 in Race 1 and was +52.788 after one pit stop in Race 2 (1:28.472).
A delighted Maini said: “I’m ecstatic with how the weekend went and it is nice to be back in points and I hope to steer clear and look forward to the second-half of the season.” After four rounds, Arjun Maini is in 15th place in the overall standings with 8 points ahead of Timo Glock of Rowe Racing.
The Bengaluru racing ace marked yet another milestone to become the first Indian to score points in the DTM Championship. Maini showed tremendous maturity by finishing 10th and a career-best seventh at the two races held at the legendary race circuit. After enduring a series of unfortunate incidents, the Mercedes-AMG star finally had a race weekend devoid of any on-track misfortune and he delivered a steady and measured drive to get valuable points.
Arjun Maini at Nurburgring on Sunday. Racing for the GetSpeed team, Maini struggled to put an Ideal lap manage P12 for Race 1 grid. The Indian made a tremendous getaway, making a few places, as the cars made their way around the first lap. However, an incident involving fellow Mercedes star Max Bukh brought out the Safety Car, which meant that the Indian had it to do all again. The restart saw Maini make up yet more positions with the Indian establishing himself in the top 10.
Unfortunately, tyre wear issues hampered Maini’s progress and he was forced to nurse his car home to a 10th place race finish.
A wet Qualifying 2 session saw Maini take P14 as he was piloting his GT3 racecar for the first time in wet-weather conditions. Despite his best efforts, Maini failed to qualify inside the top 10 and had a mountain to climb during the second race but managed to get into points again..
The race ultimately proved to be a chaotic as it saw nine cars retire. it was a shrewd call from Maini’s GetSpeed racing team that proved to make the difference as an early and well-executed pit-stop saw Maini make up a host of positions over the duration of the race and eventually claim his best result in the gruelling German race series.
“It’s been a long timing coming and I’m happy to have finally scored my first points in DTM. Obviously, a lot of credit has to go to the team at GetSpeed, I think our pit-stop was the second-fastest of the weekend and if it wasn’t for their tireless effort, this result would not have been possible,” said Maini who is backed by Omega Seiki Mobility and JK.Tyre.
“In fact, I think sixth was a definite possibility. There was the incident with Mike Rockenfeller, that cost us a lot of time and by the end of the race, I was gaining on Lucas Auer who finished only a second ahead of me.
“Nonetheless I look forward to the next round at the Red Bull Ring and I hope this weekend proves to be an inflection point for the rest of the season.”
Arjun Maini, who shifted focus to endurance racing told this writer earlier that his love and passion for this long-format has been increasing by the day and he is really caught the endurance bug. “F1 is not my target anymore. I enjoy taking part in Endurance races and look forward to making it to the Le Mans.”
He started his DTM career with the first round in Monza where he finished 13th in Race 1 and 18th in Race 2. In Round 2 at lausitzring, he finished 14th after a good qualifying stint which put him on P6 but he suffered mechanical issues. In Race 2, he finished 12th starting from P9. The third at Circuit Zolder saw Arjun Maini suffer misfortune which was not in his hands as he had his first DNC after P15 in qualification and the car was so badly damaged and could not be readied for Race 2. And it took Round 4 in Nurburgring here to bring him back to racing and he delivered with points.
The next 2 races will be September 4 to 5 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Race 2 report:
Arjun Maini finished Race 2 in 13th after a penalty. Earlier, Alex Albon scored his maiden victory in DTM at the Nürburgring, the second win for Ferrari in history of the series. In an action-packed race, the Thai driver, who had started from pole position, stayed away from all the incidents and won in dominant fashion. Red Bull’s replacement Formula 1 driver is the sixth winner from eight DTM races held so far this season. In dry, good weather conditions, Spaniard Daniel Juncadella with the Mercedes-AMG of the GruppeM team and two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann with the Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW rounded out the podium.
After eight of 16 races, Kelvin van der Linde of the ABT Sportsline Audi team is the unofficial ‘half-time champion’ of the 2021 DTM, although, on Sunday, the South African failed to score points for the first time this year after a collision with Liam Lawson and Mike Rockenfeller in the chicane. With 129 points, Kelvin van der Linde is starting the second half of the season as the leader in the drivers’ standings. His margin over Maximilian Götz (96) decreased to 33 points. Third in the standings is now Wittmann (94), Albon (82) has moved up to fourth place.
Porsche, meanwhile, had bad luck during its DTM début. Like on Saturday, Michael Ammermüller didn’t make it to the finish with the 911 run by SSR Performance, but had clearly shown the potential with fourth place on the starting grid. 19-year-old Belgian Esteban Muth scored the best result of the season for Lamborghini so far with fifth place. Ex-Formula 1 driver Timo Glock finally scored his first championship points of the season with the ROWE Racing BMW.
“Today, that was a really good day for my team and for myself,” Albon said after becoming the first DTM race winner from Thailand. “The team has been working hard overnight and that paid off. Today, we have made a step forward, we want to carry over this momentum.” The Red Bull Ferrari combination by AF Corse is the first team to have won races with both its drivers, Albon and Lawson, this year.
