INDIA in F1

Category: General

  • Loeb beats Vettel to be crowned Champion of Champions: RoC

    Loeb beats Vettel to be crowned Champion of Champions: RoC

    • Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb has thrilled the fans braving heavy snow at Sweden’s Pite Havsbad by winning the Race Of Champions trophy for a record-equalling fourth time.
    • Loeb prevailed after defeating four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel by three heats to one in the Grand Final to take the ROC 2022 title ahead of a field featuring some of motorsport’s greatest ever drivers.
    • ‘Mr Le Mans’ Tom Kristensen and Sweden’s DTM and Rallycross ace Mattias Ekström reached the semi-finals at the first ever ROC event held on ice.
    • Yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup winners for Team Norway Petter and Oliver Solberg couldn’t repeat their heroics today, both knocked out by Loeb.
    • Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson exited in the quarter-finals while double F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen lost in the Round of 16.

    Baltic Sea (Sweden) 6 Feb. 2022: France’s world rally legend Sébastien Loeb put in a stunning performance to eclipse 17 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the 2022 Race Of Champions – on a day of non-stop action on the frozen Baltic Sea at Sweden’s Pite Havsbad, just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle.

    Following Team Norway’s triumph in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup, all cooperation went out of the window today. The individual Race Of Champions pitted some of the world’s greatest drivers head-to-head on ROC’s iconic parallel track, purpose built on ice for the first time. After an unprecedented tidal surge saw yesterday’s racing take place on just the inner half of the track, today the drivers could let rip on the full circuit featuring ROC’s famous crossover bridge.

    On an afternoon of heavy snow at Pite Havsbad, the Race Of Champions saw greats of global motorsport battling it out for glory in a mix of identical machinery – including the FIA RX2e electric rallycross car, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, off-road Polaris RZR PRO XP and the 100% fossil-free biofuel powered SuperCar Lites.

    In front of packed crowds of Swedish fans braving the cold, the best-of-five Grand Final boiled down to a duel between a pair of true legends: nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb and four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

    After a thrilling finale as both drivers pushed to the limit in the blizzard, Loeb saw off his German rival by three heats to one to be crowned ROC Champion of Champions for the fourth time. He thus equals the all-time record set by Didier Auriol, his partner for Team France in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup.

    Loeb said: “It’s been a long time since I was last at the Race Of Champions, so I’m happy to find out that at 47 years of age I still have the pace! This adds to my good start to the season: second in the Dakar Rally, first in Monte Carlo and now a victory here at ROC. It wasn’t easy for us to go up against all the Swedish and Norwegian guys because they are more used to these conditions. I also knew it would be tough adapting between the Porsche, buggy and rallycross cars. But after I made it through against Petter Solberg I got more confidence with each run. It was a nice fight with Seb in the final and I had a good feeling – except for when I completely lost control of the car in the third heat! Now here we are, and it’s great to equal Didier’s record of four ROC Champion of Champions titles.

    “We also need to congratulate the Fredrik Johnsson and the ROC organisers who have done a great job all week in difficult circumstances. They had to deal with a practice track that sailed off towards Finland, a snowstorm during practice and a rising sea. But everyone kept up a great mood and a positive attitude, with no stress, always finding solutions. And they found it.”

    Vettel added: “Sébastien was just too fast today. The conditions were tricky out there and it was getting more and more slippery, which I guess is normal for snow and ice! I don’t have that much experience so it was a struggle to adapt; in my day job getting sideways is what we try to avoid. But I felt I was improving every time I drove. That’s a good sign, but also a sign that I still have a lot to learn. Yesterday was a short day because I let Team Germany down and we went out very quickly, but today I could get more into the groove. I knew the final was a big stretch and I maybe pushed too hard, but I knew I had to go for it to be close to Seb. l made mistakes here and there, so in these conditions I have a bit of catching up to do…

    “We’ve missed two years of the Race Of Champions so it’s great to be back and to have a sense of normality. I’ve really enjoyed coming here on a different surface too, and it’s special to be on Fredrik’s home soil. It’s great to have the fans back too and I’m impressed to see so many people in the crowds. I don’t know how they can stand the cold and the wind in their face, but they seemed happy and up for it! Now I hope we can come back to Sweden again.”

    To reach the Grand Final Loeb and Vettel had to see off a field featuring 18 of the world’s greatest drivers. Because the track conditions on snow and ice can change quickly depending on the weather, ROC’s traditional group stage did not take place. Instead this year’s Race Of Champions used a straight knockout system with the field split into two halves: one featured the international racing drivers while the other had the rally experts and those with more experience of off-road driving.

    At the best-of-three semi-final stage Vettel beat nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen 2-0 to take bragging rights in the racing drivers’ half of the draw, though the Dane was hampered by a mechanical problem in the first heat.

    On the rally side, Loeb finished on top of the pile having brought an end to a spirited run by double DTM Champion and FIA World Rallycross Champion Mattias Ekström, who was the last Swedish driver standing in front of his home fans. The match went to a deciding third heat, won by the Frenchman.

    The quarter-finals, which were decided over two heats, saw many big names bite the dust – not least seven-time NASCAR Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson, who lost to Kristensen. IndyCar’s youngest ever race winner Colton Herta was the other racing driver who went out, beaten by Vettel on countback of fastest times after a 1-1 tie.

    On the rally side Loeb saw off rising WRC star Oliver Solberg after a match in which one of their races finished in a dead heat, to the nearest thousandth of a second. The other driver exiting at this stage was four-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, who lost to Ekström despite winning their first race heat by just one hundredth of a second.

    The Round of 16 was another graveyard for motorsport’s superstars. In the racing half of the draw, double F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen went out at the hands of Johnson while his long-time McLaren F1 team-mate David Coulthard was defeated by Kristensen. Double W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick and this year’s W Series runner-up Emma Kimilainen also left the competition at this stage, beaten by Herta and Vettel respectively.

    The rally side of the draw was just as brutal. FIA World Rally and World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg couldn’t find a way past Loeb so there was to be no repeat of yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup glory. His fellow World Rallycross Champion Timmy Hansen had to accept defeat by Kristoffersson after crashing out, while four-time ROC Champion of Champions Didier Auriol fell to Ekström. Mexico’s reigning ROC Champion of Champions Benito Guerra was another of the early casualties after being beaten by Oliver Solberg.

    Kicking off the afternoon’s action, four of the racing drivers were matched up in pairs for two Round 1 play-offs. Germany’s FIA F2 and F3 Champion Mick Schumacher was defeated by Chadwick while four-time Indy 500 Winner Helio Castroneves also had to bid an early goodbye after falling to Herta. The Brazilian ace was later seen relaxing in style in the ROC Drivers’ Lounge after declaring he and snow ‘don’t mix’.

    Ahead of the main action, the home fans were given a treat as four sporting legends took place in a celebrity race in the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The field featured tennis great Jonas Björkman plus Olympic skiing gold medallists Ingemar Stenmark, Anja Pärson and Aksel Lund Svindal, who was the only Norwegian taking on three Swedes on their home turf. In the end it was Lund Svindal who came out on top, beating Stenmark in the final by just 0.8 seconds. The skiing great thus added to his home country’s amazing run of success here this weekend following Petter and Oliver Solberg’s triumph for Team Norway in the ROC Nations Cup yesterday.

    This year’s Race Of Champions has raised over 1 million SEK (€100,000) towards a selection of worthwhile charities. The key recipients have included German children’s charity Kinderlachen, the Zelmerlöw and Björkman Foundation’s school in Kenya, the ICM (institute for advanced research on brain and spinal cord injuries in Paris) plus a range of the drivers’ other favourite charities.

    Today’s action at Pite Havsbad marks the end of ROC Sweden for 2022. We hope you enjoyed this festival of motor sport and entertainment on the snow and ice, and we look forward to welcoming you back for our next event.

  • Akbar Ebrahim, first Indian to head the International Karting governing body

    Akbar Ebrahim, first Indian to head the International Karting governing body

    Bengaluru, 3 Feb 2022: President of the Indian Motorsports Federation, fmsci, Akbar Ebrahim gained entry into the prestigious World Council of the FIA, according to news received here from the governing body of world motorsports, on Thursday.

    The former Indian Rally and Racing champion, is currently the head of Indian motorsports, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci). He is now appointed as the head of CIK, which is the governing body karting all over the world under FIA.

    Ebrahim, popularly known as ‘Akku’, among his close associates will be sitting on the World Motor Sports Council which was earlier represented by Gautham Singhania, following the travel restrictions imposed on the elected member Vijay Mallya.

    He is the first Indian ever to be elevated to this prestigious position, said an fmsci release.

    ”I am aware that this is a huge responsibility and I shall strive to the best of my ability to do justice to the position, the CIK, the FIA and the global karting community,” Ebrahim said in a release.

    ”As a team, we will focus on further strengthening the top end of the karting pyramid and at the same time will lay a lot of emphasis on broad basing the sport at all regional, national and grass root levels.”The Commission Internationale de Karting ( CIK ) is the international sanctioning body for kart racing and consists of 37 members across the globe.

    UK’s John Ryan has also been nominated as the vice-president of the Commission. Many others were nominated to different other commissions. No other Indian names were considered. Aditya Patel’s name was doing the rounds for one of the Commissions but in the end his name did not appear in the final list. Earlier, Vicky Chandhok was in the Truck Racing Commission.

    The newly-elected President of the governing body of the International motorsports, Federation Internationale Automobile (FIA), Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who chaired the World Council meeting said: “A new era has begun for the FIA, through the creation of a governance framework founded on openness and global diversity. This is a key pillar of our strategy and I warmly thank the World Councils’ Members, who have approved the changes. Responsibility and authority of World Councils, which emanate from our Members, will be increased. A more effective oversight model will be designed, stakeholders’ priorities will be aligned, and a responsibly profitable FIA operation will be ensured. To reach these objectives, the Federation’s governing bodies and administration will work closely together to make the FIA the global voice of motor sport and mobility.”

  • Shriya Lohia gets PM Bal Puraskar award for excellence in sport

    Shriya Lohia gets PM Bal Puraskar award for excellence in sport

    New Delhi, 24 Jan 2022: Karting girl Shriya Lohia of Himachal Pradesh made the motorsports world proud by winning the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) award and interacted with the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi via video conference on Monday, the National Girl Child day on Jan 24.

    Shriya, the 13-year old, became the second motorsports athlete to get the award, after Yash Aradhya got the award last year. She is the only motorsports athlete among the eight sportspersons awarded today along with 28 in other disciplines. The youngster is from Sundarnagar of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh and is a regular at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru for the last five years, where the National Karting Championships are held. Shriya was the “Outstanding Woman of the Year 2018”, awarded by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) in her early career along with two other senior girls Mira Erda and Sneha Sharma. Shriya made her debut in 2018 as a 9-year old 5th class girl at Kartopia. She went on to win the fmsci award for a second year in 2019. Though many feel, that it is a long road ahead for Women in Motorsports, the Federation in tune with the international federation, FIA, and the Government of India, of late, have been recognising women, as part of the overall motorsports fraternity. Only recently, motorsports athletes started finding their names in the National awards starting with an Arjuna Award for rally driver Gaurav Gill.

    The Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about her today. On his official Twitter handle, he said: “The young and talented ShriyaLohia is an International Motorsports Karting Racer! She has won several national trophies and represented the country in international racing. Proud of her achievements. Congratulations to her for receiving the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.” He tweeted with the following graphic at 8pm on Monday.

    A keen learner, who always competed with boys, with mixed results, she finally honed her skills attending trainings in Malaysia and also competed in Italy. Her big day came when she won a race in the JK Tyre X-30 Karting Nationals on 13th July 2019 in her Class VI. In the same year, the Indira National School student, finished first in the FIA Girls on Track, also in Bengaluru. Now in a Delhi school, she used to frequent the Garden City, Pune and Hyderbad to take part in karting events. Shriya expressed her interest recently to move back to her ancestral home in Sundarnagar, local Himachal paper quoted her saying.

    Twenty nine children have been conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar this Year, selected from all regions of the country for their exceptional achievements in Innovation (7), Social Service (4), Scholastic (1), Sports (8), Art & Culture (6) and Bravery (3) categories.  There are 15 Boys and 14 Girls among the awardees belonging to 21 States and UTs.

    In view of the unprecedented circumstances emerging due to COVID-19 situation in the country, it was not possible to organise a physical ceremony at New Delhi. In order to felicitate and motivate the exceptional works of children, a function was held virtually on the occasion of National Girl Child Day today and also as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Awardees of PMRBP 2021 and 2022 along with their parents and concerned District Magistrate of their respective district joined the event from their district Head Quarters. 

    During the function, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave digital certificates to the 61 winners of PMRBP 2021 and 2022 using a Block Chain-driven technology developed by IIT Kanpur under the National Blockchain Project.  The digital certificates are stored on digital wallets installed on the mobile devices of the recipients. The digital certificates issued using the blockchain driven technology are unforgeable, globally verifiable, selectively disclosable and sensitive to user content. Block Chain Technology is being used for the first time for giving certificates to the awardees.

    The cash prize of Rs.1,00,000/- was given to the awardees of PMRBP 2022 which was transferred online to the respective accounts of winners during the programme by the Hon’ble PM.

    The Hon’ble Prime Minister interacted virtually with the winners of PMRBP 2022. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smt Smriti Zubin Irani and Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State were among those present on the occasion.

    Interacting with Kumari Tarushi Gaur from Chandigarh, the Prime Minister enquired about her opinion on the balance between sports and studies. The Prime Minister asked why Tarushi idolises Boxer Mary Kom. She informed the Prime Minister that she likes her because of her commitment to excellence and balance that she strikes as a sportsperson and as a mother. The Prime Minister said that the government is committed to providing all the facilities to the sportspersons and creating a mindset of winning at every level.

    Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted that these awards become all the more significant in the light of the fact that they have been conferred during the important period when the country is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. He said this is the time to draw energy from the past and dedicate oneself to achieving great results in the coming 25 years of the Amrit Kaal. He also greeted the daughters of the country on the National Girl Child Day. The Prime Minister remembered the glorious history of the Freedom Struggle and the contribution of Birbala Kanaklata Barua, Khudiram Bose and Rani Gaidinilu. “These fighters had made the country’s freedom the mission of their lives at a very young age and had dedicated themselves to it” the Prime Minister noted.

    The Prime Minister said that in any sector, policies and initiatives are keeping youth at the centre. He cited initiatives like Start Up India, Stand Up India, Digital India, Make in India along with Jan Andolan of Aatmnirbhar India and creation of modern infrastructure. This, he said, is in sync with the speed of the youth of India who are leading this new epoch both in India and outside. The Prime Minister underlined the growing prowess of India in the innovation and start-up sphere. He conveyed the nation’s pride in the fact of major global companies being led by Indian young CEOs. “Today we feel proud when we see the youth of India excelling in the world of startups. Today we feel proud when we see that the youth of India are innovating, taking the country forward”, the Prime Minister said.

    The Prime Minister said in areas where daughters were not even allowed earlier, daughters are doing wonders in them today. This is the new India, which does not hold back from innovating, courage and determination are the hallmarks of India today.

    Minister Smriti Irani also tweeted about Shriya and said: Resident of Himachal Pradesh, Shriya started her journey as motorsports karting racer at the age of 9 years. She is the only girl in her age category to compete in the national championships. Shriya is awarded PMRBP 2022 in the field of Sports. #BetiBharatKi

  • Happy birthday, Schumy! A trip down memory lane

    Happy birthday, Schumy! A trip down memory lane

    By Bodapati David

    Happy Birthday, Dad! Says Mick Schumacher on social media.

    Red heart
    Days like these were important to my growing passion for Motorsport, and still affect it to this day. I am grateful for all the experiences you have given me and I’m excited to be making new ones in the future, Mick Schumacher on Twitter.

    Bengaluru, 4 Jan 2022: It is exactly 20 years since I first met Michael Schumacher. He was then at his peak, the God of Motorsports, when I ment him at Sepang during the Formula 1 World Championship race in the F1 calendar, hosted by Malaysia. That year, I was deputed by my employer The New Indian Express to cover the hockey World Cup that was also held in Kuala Lumpur. That was the infamous year, where a National hockey coach was sacked midway through the tournament.

    Sensing that a World Cup is a big assignment for which I have worked for over eight years, I readily agreed but secretly planned another big assignment, the F1. In the last minute, Indian Express told me that they would bear only half the cost. With only a week left, that left me in a frenetic search for the resources to plan and arrange the logistics. Fortunately, everything fell in place. But the sudden change of plan, also helped me to stay back for a week and travel to Sepang and cover the Formula 1 race, my maiden FIA World Championship. I have visited for at least 12 F1 races since then. It was late Nazir Hoosein, who helped me fill in the accreditation form and submit it before the last date, a month earlier.

    Jean Todt, was then the manager of Ferrari. For over a week, I have been tailing him and requesting for an interview of Michael Schumacher. I was, at that time, not actually a fan of Michael. I was a blue-eyed boy learning motorsports… grown up guzzling draught beer on the streets of downtown Bangalore, with a liking for one particular pub called Guzzlers Inn, with I frequented with veterans for every F1 screening. So as a McLaren fan, it was a bit tough to do an interview of Michael but I was armed with all the questions from the die-hard Indian tifosi, who all pooled their questions, including my Resident Editor back home, and one naughty motorsports fan, James, fondly known as Kimi in the newsroom. All the questions landed in my inbox. I could not take a print out but jotted them down, and as I was going to the circuit on Monday, a friend and colleague, who was with me at Centre Point hotel, where all the hockey journalists shacked up, asked me a favour. So Sandeep gave me a colourful book, the programme book of F1 which cost about 60 ringett, if I remember correctly. And a sketch pen! He insised that I should get Michael Schumacher autograph.

    For one week, religiously, I carried the book and the pen, but alas there was no interview. Finally, on Friday, Jean Todt, my saviour then, agreed ! And said, I could go around the ‘pen’ and catch him. It is an area where Michael would come after the practice session and give bites to all TV crew, mostly German. I was the only print media guy looking lost. For print guys had no access to that area unless they have that special wrist band. But I did make it to the first place available, thanks to Ferrari support. We waited, waited and waited. The 45 minutes was like a year. And finally the real God descended. I was trying to squeeze in, to get his view. But had no chance with all the bullish cameraman who bulldozed me. One by one, I tried to jump the queue, using all the tricks in the book. After I skipped, hopped and stood still… Schumy noticed and pointed a place near the pole, at the end of the square shaped temporary structure. I went and humbly stood there, another 25 minutes passed.

    And then he came. The God said: Are you the one from INDIA?

    Shocked and scared: I nodded my head weakly. Then came a booming voice again.

    TWO QUESTIONS! Later, I was grateful, it was only two questions. As I could not recollect any.

    In all the confusion, I dropped the felt pen. My first priority was an autograph. Then suddenly my resident editor appeared in my vision rather threateningly!. I forgot all the questions, but quickly reconciled and remembered the one, he sent.

    After so many wins, what makes you focus and race again… I blurted out. He smiled patted me and answered briefly…

    I was in a trance. Did not know what happened later. But I saw him bending down taking the felt pen and signing autograph in the book. And yes, it was only one question but back in the safety of the hotel, I reeled out 1000 words and hurray, it was a Page 1 story the next day in Bangalore, and many other Indian Express editions.

    Memoreis are vivid. I became his fan instantly. And followed his exploits ever since, till that fateful day… Sporting Gods live for ever, in our hearts!

    PS: For the Original interview read Indian Express, which was published in 19 editions all over the country way back in 2002. Unwittingly, I also became the first Indian to interview Schumacher. Later, many more journalists did interview him in his second stint even as F1 came to India for three years.

    Will try to get the link here soon.

  • fmsci Indian Motorsports Champions Lists: Yearwise

    This article is work in progress: All the Indian champions in Motorsports over the years will be listed here. Watch out this space!

    2021: List of fmsci Indian Motorsports Champions for year 2021 *TO BE Completed. Only four Nationals are completed. Year extended till 31 March 2022 by fmsci.

    2021 List of fmsci Indian Motorsports Champions for year 2021

    2020: List of fmsci Indian Motorsports Champions for year 2020

    2018: List of fmsci Champions and fmsci AWARDS

  • FMSCI statement: Rally de Vizag, INRC 4w season

    FMSCI statement: Rally de Vizag, INRC 4w season

    As expected, the Federation of Motors Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) released a Statement on the INRC 4w 2021 fiasco as the season failed to take off. However, it absolves itself and appears to have blamed only the Promoter for all the ills and the circumstances leaving the Drivers in the lurch. However, it has to be seen how much money would the Clubs receive to host the remaining three rounds.

    It is also clear that the privateers, drivers and teams, will not get any compensation as expected and demanded by the Promoter. Only solace for the Factory team drivers, as JK Tyre is likely to compensate the 8 or 9 drivers who are in Yellow colours. With not many in the Red colours, virtually all the other 45 will have to fend for themselves.

    Read Yesterday’s article here.

  • fmsci Council members profiles: Just Sportz, Kolkata

    fmsci Council members profiles: Just Sportz, Kolkata

    Bengaluru, 24 Dec 2021: There are 12 Council members currently in the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) elected for a two-year term at the fmsci Annual General Meeting held on 12th October 2020 through Video conference. This Indian Motorsports website is starting to publish the profiles of the Council members starting with lesser-known members.

    Here is the Profile of Just Sportz, as per their Website.

    The current council members who were unanimously elected to Managing Committee of fmsci on 12 October 2020. The next AGM was held in Dec. 2021 but the proceedings are not yet in Public Domain, neither the Annual Report or the Audit report as of date.

    Six individuals with varied backgrounds but one common passion, MOTOR SPORTS, put their heads together to create JUST SPORTZ MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, a company which will promote JUST SPORTS!

    THE PASSIONATE SIX

    • SANJAY MAHESHWARI: A Chartered Accountant working as the CFO of a Hospitality company in Gurgaon. A very keen karter who has also organized numerous karting events at various levels. Involved in motor rallies as a participant and as an official.
    • SIDDHARTHA S. BOSE: A Chartered Shipbroker by profession, managing one of India’s largest shipping agency companies. A Past District Governor of Rotary International, currently a Member of Rotary International’s India National Polio Plus Committee and Treasurer of Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Involved in motor sports since 1977 and a Senior Steward of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India [FMSCI].
    • SUBROTO KARR: Also a commerce graduate running his own business. An active Scout till recently. Represented both school and college in cricket and football and later involved in the administration of cricket clubs. A keen rallyist since 1996 and now involved in the organization of domestic and international motor sports events.
    • SUCHANDAN DAS: A commerce graduate running his own business. An ace marksman having bagged medals at the National level. Involved with motor sports for a long time, having successfully participated in motor rallies and thereafter as an organizer of both local and international events.
    • SUSOBHAN SARKAR: A science graduate with multiple business interests. Played table tennis and badminton as a student. Now actively involved as an organizer of numerous motor sports events at both the domestic and international level.
    • TAMAL GHOSAL: A graduate engineer with a First Class First in MBA to boot involved in real estate and infrastructure development. Successfully participated in various motor rallies and karting events on a pan-India basis and now involved as an organizer of similar events both locally and in the international arena. A Senior Steward of FMSCI and also a Sporting Steward and COC license holder of the racing commission and motor cross commission of FIM, the world body for two wheeler events.

    THE ROAD AHEAD
    Just Sportz will thrive to set a true example of Team work and deliver flawless ON TIME professionally managed event. Like minded people always make a difference to the alliance.

    It is but natural that the emphasis will be on MOTOR SPORTS

    Motor rallies of various kinds [in the city, in the state, in the country and across international borders] – Time Speed Distance [TSD], Stage Rallies, Motor cross, Gymkhanas, Drag races, Special events for ladies and the entire family. We hope to make the Car Rally for the Blind an annual event.

    As our name suggests, JUST SPORTZ MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED will give due attention to the promotion of other disciplines. Be it cricket, football, hockey, swimming, cycling, marathon ….you name it. Even LUDO if you please!

    BUILDING PASSIONS
    With the intention of involving more people in the exiting world of sports, JUST SPORTZ MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED is setting up the JUST SPORTZ ACADEMY.

    Membership in JUST SPORTZ ACADEMY will be of TWO categories – Life and Annual.Membership benefits:

    • Active association in our events
    • Participation in development & training programmes
    • Arranging and organizing workshops
    • Enjoying all other benefits of Just Sportz Academy

    JUST SPORTZ MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED has started it’s journey that will be further enhanced with a continuous process of COMMITTED EXCELENCE, TRANSPARENCY and TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP. Benchmarks that make an organization stay AHEAD!

    Editor’s Note: This profile is published as it is from the original source without any changes or editing except the intro para.

  • Mohammed Ben Sulayem from UAE elected President of FIA for four years

    Mohammed Ben Sulayem from UAE elected President of FIA for four years

    Paris, 17 Dec 2021: Former Rally driver Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been elected President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) following the FIA Annual General Assembly gathered here on Friday with overwhelming majority. 

    Ben Sulayem received 61,62% of the votes from FIA Member Clubs to Britain’s Graham Stoker’s 36,62% and abstenstions were 1,76%, and will therefore succeed Frenchman Jean Todt, who was President since 2009 and served the maximum three terms possible.

    Mohammed Ben Sulayem, 60, from United Arab Emirates, President of the Emirates Motorsports Organisation (EMSO) since 2005, was FIA World Motor Sport Council Vice-President for Middle East. He was 14-time FIA Middle East Rally Champion, winning 61 international events from 1983 to 2002. He campaigned under the banner “FIA for Members”, committing to double motor sport participation worldwide, strengthen diversity and inclusion and be a leading opinion-former on sustainable mobility.

    Elected for a four-year term, he appointed Carmelo Sanz de Barros as President of the Senate, Robert Reid as Deputy President for Sport and Tim Shearman as Deputy President for Mobility.

    Mohammed Ben Sulayem, new FIA President, said: “I am very honoured to have been elected FIA President at the conclusion of the Annual General Assembly in Paris today. I thank all the Member Clubs for their esteem and trust. I congratulate Graham for his campaign and his engagement to the Federation. I wish to express my infinite gratitude in the name of the FIA and that of its Members to Jean Todt for all that has been achieved over the past 12 years. I am committed to pursuing the important work and make motor sport and mobility take further steps forward.”

    Jean Todt, former FIA President, said: “A chapter has come to an end. We can be collectively satisfied of our achievements in motor sport and safe and sustainable mobility over the past 12 years. I would like to warmly thank my team, our administration and all our Member Clubs for their unwavering commitment, enthusiasm and resilience. I congratulate Mohammed on his election as FIA President and wish him, his team, and the Federation the best of success for the years to come.”

    The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading mobility organisations. Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit organisation. It brings together 245 Member Organisations from 146 countries on five continents. Its Member Clubs represent over 80 million road users and their families

  • Deeksha, a techie biker wins Sprint Nationals on debut

    Deeksha, a techie biker wins Sprint Nationals on debut

    Deeksha Srivastava is an off-roader from Pune. The 27-year techie, is born in a middle class family in Allahabad, UP. Daughter of a government employee and a home-maker, the bubbly youngster convinced both her reluctant parents, as she took up riding, considered as a male domain, back home, in those early days. But the Software Engineer at Nagarro is a self-made motorsports athlete taking part in the FMSCI Nationals for the first time and did prove her to parents that she is better than many boys and slowly they started supporting her. It is indeed an achievement winning the Ladies Class in the Indian National Rally Sprint Championship which concluded in Goa on December 5 as it is her first experience in an FMSCI event.

    The rally rider is a bike lover who owns KTM Duke 250 and acquired a Hero Impulse for her motorsports exploits. “I used to go for off road trails and some basic off-road level training at a company called Pro Dirt Adventure. I utilised all the resources they provided to max and trained myself hard for the rally. From basic body positioning to fast trails and other minor riding techniques, I used practice everything. For around three months, I trained myself before the rally apart from keeping myself physically fit,” said the rider who qualified from the West Zone in Belgaum, Karnataka for the Sprint Finals held in Goa from Dec 3 to 5.

    Excerpts from an interview:

    Deeksha

    As a child what were you interested in? Did you parents support your interest in bikes?

    I always had a thing for bikes when I was a kid. My friends used to call me a Nerd and Tom Boy. My parents didn’t like , that I am developing interest towards the things that boys do , like playing cricket, riding bike, going out to places. But later on as they saw, I proved my capabilities, have started paying my own bills and taking responsibilities as an elder daughter, they let me persue whatever I wish for.

    When did you first start riding?

    I was placed in a multi-national company in Pune in 2017 through college placement. That’s when I came to a metro city and saw the city-lights and its culture. While commuting to and fro on my work, I would often see some girls riding bikes. I also developed an urge to buy my own bike and a year later I bought a KTM Duke 250 in 2019. I used to go off road trails on duke with 70/30 tyres installed.

    Later, I bought a Hero Impulse when I started following rally life on social media and wanted to pursue it. I prepared for the rally for about three months. I also learnt the techniques, and would then go on technical and enduro trails to understand the judgement.

    Where did you qualify for the grand finals?

    The Sprint Nationals 2021 is my debut and my first official rally as an FMSCI registered rider. I qualified from the West Zone which was held in Belgaum on 30-31st October. I bagged the podium at first place in Round 7 and 8. And again winning the championship in INRSC 2021 finals is a huge turn over for me. The feeling can’t be explained in words. I was immensely pleased and felt very much overwhelmed.

    How did you feel going into the first day of the finals?

    The day before the final two rounds, it started raining in Goa on Friday night. We were staying at Morjim around 15kms from the race location, Arambole. I was concerned about it and was wondering if there will more slush forcing me to be slower or what if I had a crash or a fall… I will lose time, these were some of the thoughts I was pre-occupied with. But I prepared myself mentally for the worst scenario, and buckled up for next day with confidence.

    How was the terrain and the recce?

    We reached the location in the morning and saw it was a little slushy and slippery. It was all red soil and so the rear tyres were slipping out. We needed to have ultimate control on the bike. We geared up around 11:30 for the Recce so that we can have a better idea of the track, the hurdles, sharp corners and the likes. I was making calculation in mind to visualise everything and to attain the fastest time.

    Saturday, the big day, how did it go?

    At around 2pm, I went for my lap, riding around 100 meters there was a tight right turn and it was deep dry slush where I took the bike smoothly and at a lesser speed. Throughout the race, my objective was to complete the race without having a fall or a crash. At many corners where it was slushy, I slowed down and lost some time on some of those corners. The track also had four MX (Motocross-type) jump bumps. As I did not have any experience on the MX jumps, I decided to go smooth over those bumps, and took a calculated risk losing some time. And in the end I felt good as things turned out and I was happy with my pace and my run. First day in the first of the two final rounds, I completed the lap in 16 minutes 00:771seconds and topped the Ladies category.

    And the final run for championship?

    Next day on Sunday, it was a sunny day. But we had to report early at around 8:30 am at the parc farme. The track was worse than the day before due to the mist and fog which made the red soil slippery. The rear tyre was washing out this time around. And it happened on the way to reach parc farme, too. The rally started at around 9 and I went for my lap at 9.29 am. I kept calculating in my mind as I started the race and knew that I needed to be fast in the corners and make some time. I tried to be on pace at every corner and did cut down my time, relatively to Saturday’s run. I also had a few jumps in between as there were two back-to-back table-top jumps midway on the track. And as I was proceeding there was a left tight turn, where my rear tyre slipped and I fell to the ground. Within a second I realised, it’s my only chance to have a go at the championship and hurriedly got up in less than 10 seconds, started the bike and shot ahead. I am glad that I completed the lap in 14:41:812 and stood third among the ladies. The two final round times were aggregated to decide the championship. I also had more points as I got overall 40 points, 25 for first on Saturday and 15 for third on Sunday. I won the championship by 4minutes 42 seconds.

    What next?

    This is my first rally and winning it is the best thing that happened in motorsports life. I am looking forward to more exploits and will take rallies seriously. There is much more to learn and there are more technicalities which needs to be practiced. I will continue to work on improving my riding skills.

    The petite champ, promised to be back in full throttle for the next rally. Watch out!

  • Williams Racing teams-up with 20th Century for The King’s Man movie

    Williams Racing teams-up with 20th Century for The King’s Man movie

    Leicester, 6 Dec 2021: To celebrate the upcoming release of “The King’s Man”, 20th Century Studios and MARV have teamed up with Williams Racing.

    The film, which lands exclusively in cinemas in the UK on 26 December 2021, is the third instalment in the hit Kingsman franchise directed by Matthew Vaughn.

    To launch the collaboration, a Williams Racing show car with special film branding is set to be unveiled at the World Premiere of “The King’s Man” in London’s Leicester Square on Monday 6 December 2021 and at the US Premiere in New York City on Monday 13th December.

    Matthew Vaughn, Director of “The King’s Man”, said: “I fell in love with Formula One back in the eighties and will never forget heroes like Mansell, Hill, Prost and Senna driving the Williams cars. Also indelible from those memories is the presence of Sir Frank Williams; the astonishing force behind the team whose quiet rage and will-to-win was as evident as his gentlemanly approach to racing. Kingsman is proud to announce the new partnership with Williams Racing and we look forward to the future collaboration of two like-minded British institutions who believe in shouting quietly and redefining gentleman drivers.”

    Following the premiere, the signature Kingsman style and flair will be brought to the Formula One Paddock at this weekend’s Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. George Russell and Nicholas Latifi will be on track in the FW43B, which will have a special The King’s Man logo displayed on the nose, chassis side and on the halo, for the season finale, with additional activations on race day to ensure George ends his final race for Williams Racing in style.

    James Bower, Commercial Director at Williams Racing, said: “We’re delighted to begin our collaboration with 20th Century Studios and MARV by celebrating the launch of their new film ‘The King’s Man’. At Williams Racing we proudly embrace our British heritage, both on and off track, and this is a brilliant opportunity to collaborate with, and support, British cinema.”

    “The King’s Man” releases in cinemas across the UK on 26 December.