INDIA in F1

Category: India In F1

  • Desert Queen Laia Sanz completes Stage 4

    Desert Queen Laia Sanz completes Stage 4

    xpected, the competitors who faltered in yesterday’s stage did their best to try and place themselves back into contention. Joan Barreda is a specialist in such scenarios, especially on fast courses on which his scorching pace over great distances enables him to dish out some serious damage. The Honda rider’s 26th career Dakar stage win also catapulted him to second place overall, fifteen seconds behind Xavier De Soultrait. The car special was just as closely fought, as Al-Attiyah took his fourth win since the start in Jeddah, but by such a slim margin (11 seconds) over Stéphane Peterhansel that their duel at the top of the general standings remained essentially unchanged. Sébastien Loeb also made capital out of the road to Riyadh by claiming fourth place in both the special and the overall, while Mathieu Serradori ran into trouble and finished seventh, 51 minutes back, and Yazeed Al-Rajhi plummeted down the general standings. In the quad category, Manuel Andújar claimed his maiden Dakar stage win as fellow Argentinian and 2019 champion Nicolás Cavigliasso took command of the general standings. Aron Domżała won stage 4 in the lightweight vehicle category without threatening the overall leader of his teammate at Can-Am, Francisco “Chaleco” López. Finally, the Dmitry Sotnikov festival continued in the truck category while Czech Martin Macík capitalised on Siarhei Viazovich’s setback to move up to second place, 26 minutes behind the leading Kamaz.

    Performance of the day

    KTM announced the signing of Daniel Sanders in late September, just before he entered the Andalucía Rally. The Australian went on to start the 43rd Dakar on the right foot with a podium place in the prologue. Fast-forward a few days and even an eleventh-hour crash and a small time loss in the final kilometres could not stop him from posting the third fastest time in today’s 337 km special to Riyadh. It is a remarkable performance for a biker who learned the ropes in the world of enduro and is only taking part in his second rally raid. The KTM rider, sitting 14 minutes behind Xavier De Soultrait in the general standings as the best rookie so far, is inching closer to his maiden stage win. Fellow Aussie Toby Price came in third in his first Dakar in 2015… Six years later, we could be about to witness the rise of a new Australian prodigy uncovered by the team from Mattighofen.

    A crushing blow

    The Dakar has been a mixed bag for Yazeed Al-Rajhi since the start of the second edition of the Dakar in his country. The Toyota driver, who came in 44th on Tuesday after finishing third in the prologue, suffered a mechanical at km 30 and had to wait for his support crew. Although he eventually managed to resume the journey towards Riyadh after almost three hours, the driver who finished fourth in 2020 will end the day almost 5 hours behind Peterhansel in the general standings, postponing his dreams of a Dakar victory on home turf for at least a year.

    Stat of the day: 395 m

    At the average speed of 129.63 km/h set by Nasser Al-Attiyah, the winner of the car stage to Riyadh, his 11-second margin over Stéphane Peterhansel is tantamount to 395 m —just under the length of a running track— after 337 kilometres of racing.

    The makings of a Classic

    The 4×4 Toyota HDJ 80 is a true Dakar classic. The Merino Bros bought one that took part in the 1993 edition. The younger of the two brothers, Julián José, had taken part in the previous five editions on a motorbike, finishing three of them. This time round, he has gone for a more “old-timey” challenge.

    Quote of the day

    Stéphane Peterhansel: “It’s just one relentless attack after another“

    The overall leader is having to dig really deep to defend his lead over Nasser Al-Attiyah.

    “We’re not marking one another, it’s just one relentless attack after another, and in the end we finished in the same time! Apart from a small navigation error near the finish, I don’t think I can push much harder. To stay in contention, we need to go all out. So far, so good, as we aren’t making too many mistakes. In the old times, 50% of all contenders would be knocked out of the race by driving mistakes or technical issues, but it’s become far less common, so you just have to hold on.“

    esert Queen Laia Sanz completes Stage 4 without any hiccups

    Laia Sanz has delivered another super-consistent ride through a fast and physically tough 337-kilometer special to complete stage four of the 2021 Dakar Rally. Gaining confidence as the rally continues, with four positive days of racing onboard her GASGAS RC 450F Rally now under her belt, Laia now looks ahead to a technically demanding stage five and what may well be the toughest challenge of the rally so far.

    • Laia safely completes longest stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally
    • GASGAS RC 450F faultless after completing four days of racing
    • Mixed terrain on stage five expected to be the toughest stage of the event

    Laia Sanz:“It was a really fast stage today, which I don’t normally like too much. But I felt ok, pretty good really. Staying safe was my priority today. I just rode my own stage and tried to do the best I could while also being safe and looking after my bike. I did make one small mistake close to the end of the stage but nothing major, so I’m happy. My bike was great, I’m really happy with the set-up we have, I just need some more stages to continue improving my feeling and confidence. Tomorrow will be a tough one again, but I’m looking forward and feeling better and better each day.”

    The fast and rocky terrain of stage four required patience and skill despite the higher speeds. Laia’s cautious approach ensured that she remained out of trouble and completed the stage successfully with her GASGAS performing brilliantly. A single navigational error that caught out many riders in the final kilometers of the stage was her only error of the day, with Sanz going on to place 27th. Completing the special just under 20 minutes down on stage winner Joan Barreda is a positive step forwards and extends her gap over the next-placed rider to over 30 minutes.

    Another tough day lies ahead for Laia as the special for day five of the 2021 Dakar Rally is expected to be as technically demanding as it is long. The 662-kilometer stage will feature a 456-kilometer timed section that will be made up of a wide variety of terrain including stony tracks and an area of soft dunes. Accurate navigation will be essential.

    Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2021, stage 4
    1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 2:46:50
    2. Daniel Sanders (KTM) 2:52:59
    3. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 2:53:12
    27. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 3:06:38

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 4)
    1. Xavier de Soultrait (Husqvarna) 15:00:25
    2. Joan Barreda (Honda) 15:00:40
    3. Ross Branch (Yamaha) 15:05:49
    30. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 16:19:57

  • National Champions 2020: All 9 motorsports disciplines

    National Champions 2020: All 9 motorsports disciplines

    As on 26 Feb 2021

    FMSCI Indian National Championships – 2020

    1. MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship

    2. JK Tyre  FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship

    3. FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship

    4. MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

    5. MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Supercross Championship

    6. MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Rally Championship 2W

    7. MMS FMSCI National Karting Championship

    8. MMS Indian National Karting X30 Championship

    9. MMSC FMSCI Indian National 2W Drag Championship

    10. FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2020

    1. National Racing Championship (NRC): 2W Champions for 2020

    1. Pro-Stock 301-400cc – Rider: KY Ahamed (Chennai, TVS Racing). Team: TVS Racing. Manufacturer: TVS.

    2. Pro-Stock 165cc Open – Rider: Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing). Team: TVS Racing. Manufacturer: TVS.

    3. Novice (Stock 165cc) – Rider: Mohan Babu (Chennai, Privateer). Team: Sparks Racing. Manufacturer: Yamaha

    4. Girls (Stock 165cc) – Rider: Anne Jennifer (Chennai, Sparks Racing). Team: Gusto Racing. Manufacturer: Yamaha.

    2. JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2020

    LGB Formula 4: 1. Champ: Sandeep Kumar, Dark Don Racing –66 points;

    2. Ashwin Datta, Dark Don Racing –63 points;

    3. Vishnu Prasad, MSport –54 points

    Novice Cup: 1. Champion: Amir Sayed, Msport – 120 points;

    2. Dhruvin Gajjar, DTS Racing –49 points;

    3. Aman Chaudhary, DTS Racing –46 points.

    Ladies Class: 1. Champion: Anushriya Gulati, Ahura Racing;

    2. Mira Erda; 3. Phoebe Nongrum.

    Rookie Class: 1. Champion: Anushriya Gulati, Ahura Racing, 77 points.

    3. Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for 4-wheelers

    1. 1. Gaurav Gill; 2. Karna Kadur; 3. Fabid Ahmer.

    2.Co-Drivers: 1. Musa Sherif; 2. Nikhil Pai; 3. Eldo Chacko.

    3. INRC2: 1. Sahil Khanna 78; 2. Dean Mascarenhas 77; 3. Rahul Kantharaj 62;

    4. Co-drivers: 1. Vidit Jain 83; 2. Shruptha Padival 77; 3. Vivek Bhatt 66;

    5. INRC2 Team: 1. Snap Racing; (Sahil Khanna 117; Lakshay 24) Total=141;

    6. INRC3: 1. Fabid Ahmer 98; 2. Aditya Thakur 90; 3. Maninder Singh Prince 86;

    7.Co-drivers: 1. Eldo Chacko 98; 2. Virender Kashyap 90; 3. Vinay Kumar Padmashali 86;

    8. INRC3 Team: 1. Snap Racing; (Maninder 77; Amer Beg 7; Arjun Rao 7) Total =91.

    9. INRC4: 1. Vaibhav Marathe 68; 2. Mujeeb Rehman 65; 3. Rohit Iyer 55;

    10. Co-drivers: 1. Suhan MK (68); 2. Goutham CP (65); 3. Manjunath (62);

    4. National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2020

    1. Indian Touring Cars: Driver – Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts, 151 points). Team – FB Motorsport (262)

    2. Super Stock: Driver – Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram, Performance Racing, 154). Team – Race Concepts (289).

    3. MRF Saloon Car Series: Diljith TS (Thrissur, 113).

    4. Formula LGB 1300: Driver – Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, 122). Team – Momentum Motorsport (215).

    6. MRF MoGrip National Rally Championship for 2W

    1. Overall champion: Samuel Jacob

    8. Indian National X30 Karting Championship

    1. Senior Class: Surya Varathan, Coimbatore
    2. Junior Class: Ruhaan Alva, Bengaluru
    3. Cadet Class: Ishaan Madesh, Bengaluru

    9. Indian National Drag Championship 2w 2020:

    1. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing, Above 1051cc and 851-1050cc);

    2. Aiyaz (Pvt, 361-550cc and 131-165cc);

    3. J Bharath Raj (Rulexx Rockers Racing, Up to 165cc, 226-360cc);

    4. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Girls).

    4. 2-Stroke: Aiyaz (131-165cc); Mohammed Rafiq (2S, Up to 130cc).

    10. FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2020

    PROMOTER = Motorsport INC

    1. Group A Upto 800cc Class:

    1. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) KTM-EXC450 = 101 points

    2. Sarath Mohan, Suzuki RMX450z, Mallapuram = 80 points

    3. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Suzuki ?, = tied on 76 points

    3. Badal S Doshi (Pune) Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Suzuki RMX450z, = tied on 76 points

    2. Group B 131cc to 165cc:

     1. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) Hero Impulse  = 130;

    2. Ishan Chandra (Mangalore) Hero Impulse = 122;

    3. Vinay Prasad = 84.

    3. Group B 261cc to 400cc Class:

    1. Sudeep Kottary (Mangalore) Duke 390 = 150;

    2. Sajeesh Reghunathan = 104;

    3. Uday Ganguli = 84.

    4. Group B Upto 130cc Class:

    1. Noldin Thomas (Ernakulam) Yamaha-YBX = 116;

    2. Rakesh Kumar V =115;

    3. Durgesh =93.

    5. Group B 166cc to 260cc Class:

    1. Sachin D (Bengaluru) TVS Apache = 150;

    2. Yuvakumar = 90;

    3. Sanjay Somashekar = 87.

    6. Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) Hero Impulse = 136;

    2. Tanika Shanbhag (Satara) Hero Impulse = 119;

    3. Dimpy A = 79.

    7. Bullet Class:

    1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) Himalayan = 125;

    2. Devaraj Venkatesh Himalayan = 11;

    3. Sarath Kumar = 81.

    8. Scooter Class:

    1. Karthik Naidu (Bengaluru) TVS N-Torq = 143;

    2. Pinkesh Thakkar (Pune) Aprilla-SR125 = 105;

    3. Goutham N = 90.

  • George Russell sets the pace on Friday: Sakhir Grand Prix

    George Russell sets the pace on Friday: Sakhir Grand Prix

    Sakhir, 4 Nov 2020: George Russell continued the set the pace for Formula 1’s Sakhir Grand Prix as he edged Max Verstappen by just over a tenth of a second to take top spot in Free Practice 2. Racing Point’s Sergio Pérez finished third, while Russells new Mercedes’ team-mate Valtteri Bottas only finished in P11 after having a succession of laps deleted for track limits infringements. 

    Red Bull Racing driver Verstappen led the way in the opening phase of running with a lap of 55.043s set on medium tyres but then as the half way point in the session approached the field retreated to the pit lane to prepare for the move to soft tyres for their qualifying simulation runs. 

    Pérez was the first to show his hand and he used red-banded tyres to go quickest with a lap of a 54.866s. 

    Mercedes’ driver then followed the Mexican out on track and Bottas looked to have usurped the Racing Point driver with lap of 54.506s, but was swiftly deleted as the Finn ran wide at Turn 8 and feel foul of track limits. 

    Russell then crossed the line in 54.713 and his time remained the benchmark until the flag. The Finn made more attempts at making the most of the soft tyres, but he had two more lap times deleted and was forced to settle for 11th from an earlier time set on hard tyres.

    Verstappen, though, was able to put together a good lap and he dislodged Pérez from P2 with a lap of 54.841 that left him o.128 off Russell. The Dutch driver was less than happy with his RB16, however, complaining frequently about understeer. 

    Fourth place in the session went to Esteban Ocon, with Albon fifth in the second Red Bull. Daniil Kvyat finished sixth for AlphaTauri ahead of Stroll, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly. The top ten order was rounded out by Carlos Sainz.

    Further back it wasd tough session for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc missed the entire session with a half shaft problem, while Sebastian Vettel finished in in P16 and suffered two spins during the session, the second of which saw his spin lose control in Turn 5 and spin into the path of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen who was forced to brake hard to avoid the German. 

    2020 FIA Formula 1 Sakhir Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 George Russell Mercedes 54.713 48 233.121
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 54.841 0.128 43 232.577
    3 Sergio Pérez Racing Point/Mercedes 54.866 0.153 52 232.471
    4 Esteban Ocon Renault 54.940 0.227 50 232.158
    5 Alexander Albon Red Bull/Honda 55.036 0.323 42 231.753
    6 Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri/Honda 55.068 0.355 58 231.619
    7 Lance Stroll Racing Point/Mercedes 55.104 0.391 44 231.467
    8 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 55.124 0.411 47 231.383
    9 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 55.133 0.420 48 231.346
    10 Carlos Sainz McLaren/Renault 55.258 0.545 39 230.822
    11 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 55.321 0.608 52 230.559
    12 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 55.484 0.771 54 229.882
    13 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 55.533 0.820 57 229.679
    14 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 55.738 1.025 49 228.834
    15 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 55.784 1.071 52 228.646
    16 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 55.830 1.117 43 228.457
    17 Lando Norris McLaren/Renault 56.031 1.318 14 227.638
    18 Pietro Fittipaldi Haas/Ferrari 56.110 1.397 56 227.317
    19 Jack Aitken Williams/Mercedes 56.260 1.547 58 226.711
    20 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 2 

  • Arjun Balu finally gets a National title for Race Concepts in their 6th year

    Arjun Balu finally gets a National title for Race Concepts in their 6th year

    Chennai, 29 Nov 2020: The Gentleman of Indian Motorsports, and one of the best talent India has produced, Arjun Balu of Coimbatore was crowned National champion in the ribbon event, the Indian Touring Class in the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

    His team Race Concepts, which started six years ago, got all the monkeys off their back and won the championship fair and square and the Joel Joseph-led team, which had many talented drivers had to put up with some `off-the-track-excursion’ tactics by many a veteran driver. In the first few years, it was Deepak Chinnappa, turning out in Race Concepts Eneo colours, who was shunted out in Coimbatore and the `tactics’ went on in different ways to deny the talented and hard-working outfit, points in the title race and Arjun Balu too, a decent winner in many rounds of the Indian National Rally Championship, lost the title by a narrow margin the last two years, despite his best efforts and for reasons which are not in his control. This reporter has watched all the races of Race Concepts in the first five years before missing this year’s rounds due to Covid-induced restrictions on media and spectators as per government guidelines.

    “This is our first championship win in six years. It has been a long and difficult journey with many ups and downs, but eventually, we clinched the title. I owe it to all the members of the Race Concepts team that worked long and hard to get us here,” said Joel Joseph.

    From left: Raghul Rangasamy (Super Stock), Arjun Balu (Indian Touring Cars) and Tijil Rao (Formula LGB 1300) who were crowned the 2020 National Champions at Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) on Nov 29. All photos by Anand Philar

    A hugely relieved Balu, after sealing the championship with a race to spare, said: “After winning Race-1, I knew I needed just seven points from Race-2 to clinch the championship. So, I held the position through the 10 laps for P2. This championship win is most special and most satisfying for me. The previous two seasons, I missed the title by a whisker (to Ashish Ramaswamy and Dhruv Mohite) despite enjoying big leads early on. This title is also a tribute to Joel Joseph and his Race Concepts team which worked so hard, sparing no effort to make sure I get a competitive car.” A gentleman racer as humble as ever!

    Also clinching the drivers’ titles in their respective categories were Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy of Performance Racing (Super Stock), 17-year old Bengaluru collegian Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsport (Formula LGB 1300) and Thrissur’s Diljith TS (MRF Saloon Car series).

    Tijil Rao, number 12 blue car, in action before clinching the title in FLGB1300 title.

    Balu, who was runner-up in the previous two seasons, endured a difficult, rain-affected weekend and did just enough to pick up crucial points by winning Race-1 and finishing second in Race-2 before retiring in Race-3 after a shunt. Dhruv Mohite of FB Motorsport won a double to help his team take the team championship.

    Meanwhile, Rangasamy made up for a non-finish in Race-1 by surging to win in the next two outings for the title. In contrast, young Tijil Rao went without a win this weekend, but three podium finishes in the four races ensured him the crown.

    The 2020 season was drastically impacted by the pandemic and was reduced to three rounds instead of the scheduled five. The first round was held in February and the remaining two this month behind closed doors while following the Covid-19 protocols.

    Dilijith, the champion in the MRF Saloon Car Series for 2020.

    The results (Provisional):

    Indian Touring Cars: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15mins, 31.003secs); 2. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorspor) (15:35.528); 3. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (15:42.847). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Mohite (19:34.316); 2. Balu (19:36.706); 3.D’Souza (19:37.940). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Mohite (15:49.069); 2. D’Souza (15:49.378); 3. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (16:31.373).

    Super Stock: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (16:41.042); 2. Vineet Abhiram (Race Concepts) (17:02.885); 3. Sridhar Nagaraj (Race Concepts) (17:24.841). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (20:27.517); 2. Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) (20:28.739); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (20:43.616). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Rangasamy (16:33.837); 2. Alisha (16:50.086); 3. Sridhar Nagaraj (16:52.214).

    MRF Saloon Car Series: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Sreeram Sridhar (Chennai) (17:30.244); 2. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (17:31.226); 3. Chandresh Tolia (Mumbai) (17:42.636). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (19:35.644); 2. Diljith (19:38.741); Sreeram (19:42.939). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (17:24.875); 2. Korada (17:26.241); 3. Diljith (17:27.661).

    Formula LGB 1300: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (15:30.277); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) (15:30.408); 3. Prithveen Rajan (Joba Racing) (15:30.588). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Prithveen Rajan (Joba Racing); 2. Mohamed Ryan (M Sport); 3. Tijil Rao. Race-3 (8 laps): 1. A Balaprasath (M Sport) (15:23.138); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (M Sport) (15:29.350); 3. Ryan (15:29.724). Race-4 (7 laps): Viswas Vijayaraj (15:26.300); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (15:27.162); 3. Tijil Rao (15:28.427).

    National Champions:

    Indian Touring Cars: Driver – Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts, 151 points). Team – FB Motorsport (262)

    Super Stock: Driver – Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram, Performance Racing, 154). Team – Race Concepts (289).

    MRF Saloon Car Series: Diljith TS (Thrissur, 113).

    Formula LGB 1300: Driver – Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, 122). Team – Momentum Motorsport (215).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Craig Breen takes on new challenge to test MRF tyres: Rally Islas Canarias to ERC

    Craig Breen takes on new challenge to test MRF tyres: Rally Islas Canarias to ERC

    It is the final round of the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship with the Rally Islas Canarias. The event is on tarmac but the roads are very different to what we saw last time out in Hungary. It is the final round of Team MRF Tyres’ inaugural season in the FIA ERC and we talked to our driver, Craig Breen on what to expect this weekend.

    Team MRF Tyres: Craig, you have completed the pre event test for Rally Islas Canarias. First of all, how did it go? And what have you aimed to learn from this test?

    Craig Breen: This is the first time we’ve really tested in conditions quite like this. Really, it is probably the most abrasive tarmac we’ve had and at this time of year it is strangely warm still. So, it’s been interesting and we’ve tried a lot of different things. We’ve obviously been doing a bit more development on the tyre side. We have also been trying to develop the car to make it a bit more agile, a bit more racy for these roads, compared to the roads we found a lot earlier this year.

    Team MRF Tyres: We have tarmac again this weekend but, a very different tarmac to what we saw last time out and in Hungary. What are some of the differences in how you make time on this on these roads?

    Craig Breen: Honestly, it’s very difficult to make any time on these roads. In Hungary, Fafe, and other rallies like that you can, you can stick your neck out in some narrow places, some tricky, some tricky parts where the grip is changing a little bit and there you can make a difference. But here, it’s just like a racetrack. And the grip is very consistent from start to end. You just have to try and be as smooth and efficient as possible. Try not to overheat the tyre. It’s a difficult rally in that respect. I am looking forward to it.

    Team MRF Tyres: What are your expectations, this is still the first year for MRF and the development of the tyre?

    Craig Breen: I think this  honestly is going to be one of the more difficult rallies, given the specifics of what we’ve seen in the past and how a lot of other tyre manufacturers have struggled here in the past to get the package right. Even with years and years of experience, it’s been difficult. So coming for the first time it’s going to be hard to get it right out of the box. But it’s definitely going to be a learning experience. I think what we’re seeing in testing, we’ve got a tyre that definitely works. It definitely gives us a starting point to work on these types of roads. Let’s hope that we improve with every stage that goes by and we can take a lot of data.

    Team MRF Tyres: We have 17 stages, some 200 kilometers, the weather is going to be a lot warmer than we’ve seen in previous rallies. So how do you manage and maintain and plan for a rally like that?

    Craig Breen: When you’re in the rally you have to try and manage the tyres. You have to be smooth and as efficient as possible. Try not to over think things too much. We have to try and set up the car to cope with the conditions as best we can. We have to be able to manage the tyres as best as we can. The surface here is very abrasive. However, once the event starts, we will push to do our best!

    Team MRF Tyres: Finally, we see another spectacular lineup here in the FIA ERC. What’s it like, running here in Europe for the final time this year against such a great field?

    Craig Breen: It is a great way!  it’s got good entries for the end of the year. I think a lot of people have been looking forward to this event. So it’s going to be nice, looking forward to it and we will have a good weekend. 

    Team MRF Tyres: Thanks, Craig. Best of luck. Craig Breen: Thank-you.

  • Zarco tames the rollercoaster as MotoGP™ meets Portimão

    Zarco tames the rollercoaster as MotoGP™ meets Portimão

    The Frenchman tops the timesheets from Viñales and Aleix Espargaro after a flying start – almost literally – on Friday

    Portimao, 20 Nov 2020: Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) is now the owner of the fastest ever two-wheel lap of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, the Frenchman putting in a 1:39.417 to top Day 1 of the Grande Premio MEO de Portugal. Second went the way of Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as he ended the day just over a tenth off, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) impressing to put the Noale factory in third by the end of play.

    FP1
    The day began with the home hero on top as Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) set the pace in the extended 70-minute FP1 session with the fastest-ever Algarve International Circuit two-wheel lap: a 1:40.122. Portugal’s first premier class winner had close company, however, heading Viñales by 0.040. Aleix Espargaro completed the top three as Aprilia got off to a solid start.

    It was Oliveira who led the opening stages, before Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) took over at the summit with the Hondas of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) sitting P3 and P4 with 50 minutes to go, before Viñales slotted into P3.

    The Yamaha man then took over at the top with a 1:41.427 and with a fitting 36 minutes left on the clock, 2020 World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) showed some early cards to take second. It was close from the off, eight tenths covering the top 14 with just under half an hour left.

    Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) was the next man to take over, before Quartararo then became the first rider to dip into the 1:40s with a 1:40.877. Improvements were being fired in across the board late on though, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) leapfrogging Aleix Espargaro for third too.

    With two minutes to go, the goalposts were moved by Viñales once again, Oliveira and Aleix Espargaro then taking second and third respectively. Lorenzo Savadori, who has experience in Portimão from his superbike days, then made it two Aprilias in the top three as the Italian went P2.

    On his final flying lap though, Oliveira returned to the summit and made it a Portuguese number one in Portuguese FP1. Viñales ended the morning in second ahead of Aleix Espargaro and an impressive showing from Savadori, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the top five ahead of Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Mir, Quartararo, Nakagami and Bradl, the German rider locking out the top 10.

    FP2
    All the times tumbled in the afternoon, although some shuffles were more drastic than others. Before many laps were ridden in anger though, the first MotoGP™ crash of the weekend came courtesy of Rins. The Team Suzuki Ecstar rider was down at Turn 8, the Spaniard perfectly ok but that not an ideal start to the afternoon.

    Aleix Espargaro led the early stages with a 1:40.969, less than a second away from Oliveira’s FP1 pace, before Zarco got down to a 1:40.723 to sit top with just under an hour to go thanks to his best time of the weekend. Bradl, as he had in the opening session, then went fastest. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) and Iker Lecuona’s replacement Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Tech3) were the other riders to have already gone quicker in FP2 with 50 minutes to go, but the shuffle only continued from there on.

    By 11 minutes to go, just 0.8 seconds split the leading 18 riders. The final push began as Miller launched himself to P1 with a 1:39.895, Nakagami and Mir making moves as well, with the top four covered by less than a tenth as the clock counted down.

    Zarco then struck to take to the top. The Frenchman went a tenth and a half faster than the field before Miller improved again to cut that gap, Bradl got back up to P3, and then Viñales wrestled back top spot with a 1:39.664. That didn’t last long though as Zarco took back over by nearly a quarter of a second, the Frenchman stamping some authority on the timesheets.

    It was a scintillating end to the session and by the end of the final charge for the top, Zarco held on and everyone had improved. Viñales and Aleix Espargaro were second and third as they had been in FP1, however, with Quartararo moving up to fourth overall.

    Brad Binder jumped up from P20 to complete a top five split by 0.280 seconds, ahead of the reigning World Champion as Mir finished P6 on Day 1. He was just 0.009 seconds ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) though, with Pol Espargaro, Miller and Morbidelli completing the top 10.

    Bradl missed out by just 0.021 despite his impressive showing, with Nakagami and Oliveira shuffled down to P11 and P12 respectively by the end of play. 

    They will be joining Rins – who ended Friday in P17 – as some of the most eager to get back out in FP3 to try and move up the order. More track time will likely mean more shuffles though, so there’s plenty time left yet! Tune in for FP3 at 9:55 local time (GMT) to see who’s heading through, before qualifying will then decide the grid from 14:10.

    Click here for combined timesheets

    1 Johann Zarco* – Esponsorama Racing – Ducati – 1:39.417
    2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +0.119
    3 Aleix Espargaro* – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia – +0.228
    4 Fabio Quartararo* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.275
    5 Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM – +0.280
    *Independent Team rider

  • K-1000 winners from 1975: KMSC Hall of fame

    K-1000 winners from 1975: KMSC Hall of fame

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 16 November 2020: Karnataka is rich in its motorsport history. The state is not only home to many champions of the past but is a cradle of talent and contributed to the Indian motorsport history with many activities. K-1000 rally, the flagship event of the State is a popular and vibrant stage rally that is being organised from 1975. In 1988, it officially joined the calendar of the Indian National Rally Drivers and Co-drivers’ Championship and later, the Nationals were rechristened as Indian National Rally Championship under its current format. K-1000 for the first time shifted to the European Special Stage format in 1996 before which, the rallies were hardcore long-distance endurance events covering many states and usually more than 1000-mile long, and hence the name Karnataka-1000. It is one of the few events that were organised and run successfully by hardcore and passionate motorsports lovers and ran regularly. Some of the other rallies that had multiple editions are the Popular Rally in Kerala, the South India Rally in Chennai, the Charminar Challenge or the Deccan rally and the Coffee Day rally.

    INDIAinF1.com has put together all the winners of the K-1000 from 1975, a compilation first undertaken in 2009 by the late Bharat Raj and Annabelle Manwaring, the promoters of INRC from 2009 to 2011. The last 11 years were added and some gaps were filled. The IMG-PSP duo also sourced historic images of Indian rallying and specially of K-1000 from many sources, with the major contribution coming from the Father of Indian Motorsport Photography, the late George Francis. A poster was released to commemorate the 35th K-1000 celebrations as KMSC completed 35 long years of dedicated service to motorsports, then. Now the club is getting ready to host both the 2w and 4w K-1000 rally once again for the 45th year.

    Here is a list of the all the winners of K-1000, a jewel in the pride of Indian Rallying. Each round’s report will be added shortly. Or you can check the reports at INRC: Winners’ Hall of Fame here. Currently the list contains only the 4-wheel winners and the 2-w biker champions’ list is work in progress and will be updated soon.

    Multiple Asia Pacific Rally champion Gaurav Gill tops the table with six K-1000 wins followed by 7-time INRC champion N Leelakrishnan who bagged the K-1000 five times followed by Naren Kumar, who won it for three times, along with Ravi Gupta, who also had three wins, but it appears he may have navigated for the inaugural edition winner DR Sivaram in 1980, for his second K1000 trophy. Kiran Mody, too had won the K1000 three times.

      K-1000 Winners from 1975   
    No.YearDatesThe man…MachineSurface 
    11975 DR Sivaram, D Vinod Sivappa, Feroze Asgar Ali & Shivprasad, BangaloreAmbassador 1850 km of mixed roads… gravel, kutcha, tarmac 
    21976 Ravi Gupta, Devendra Gupta, BangaloreFIAT  
    31977 Undecided   
    41978 Dayanand Mandre, Jagadish Reddy, HyderabadFIAT  
    51979 Kiran Mody, Dr Rajesh Kakkadia, HyderabadFIAT  
    61980 DR Sivaram, Kiran Mody, Bangalore/HyderabadFIAT  
    71981 Arindam Ghosh, Saswati Ghosh, Sk Yeasin Ali, Nani Chanda, KolkotaFIAT  
    81982 BM Ravi, Noel Gojar, BangaloreFIAT  
    91983 Uday Eswaran, Dr Ravi Prakash, BangaloreFIAT  
    101984 Kiran Mody, Damaraju Kumar Rao (DK Rao), HyderabadDolphin  
    111985 Mohammed Harris, Deepak, UAESUBARU*  
    121986 Subash Goel, Rajan Siyal, ChennaiFIAT  
    131987AugKamlesh Patel, KD Madan, Chennai118 NE  
    141988 Kamlesh Patel, KD Madan, Chennai118 NE  
    151989 Harish Samtani, Rajiv Chaudhary, ChennaiMaruti Gypsy  
    161990 Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, CoimbatoreMaruti Gypsy  
    171991 Aug 12-13Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, CoimbatoreMaruti Gypsy Gravel 
    181992 Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, CoimbatoreMaruti Gypsy  
    191993 Aug 14-15VInyl Varghese, Anil Devaraj, Team Paarel, KeralaMaruti Gypsy  
    201994 Leelakrishnan, Farooq Ahmed, Coimbatore/ChikmagalurMaruti Gypsy  
    211995Aug 12-14Naren Kumar, MK Chander, CoimbatoreEsteem, Group N  
    221996K1000 AshphaltSamir Thaper, Koka Rao, Chandigarh /HyderabadEsteemIndia Mines 
    231997The Club K1000Hari Singh, GS Mann, DelhiEsteem  
    24199824th Castrol K1000Leelakrishnan, Farooq Ahmed,
    Coimbatore/Chikmagalur    		Esteem  
    25199925th K1000Hari Singh, GS Mann, DelhiEsteem  
    262000MAI 26th K1000TSD Rally – Not part of the National Championship round.   
    272001 Aug 10-12Karandeep Singh, Jaidas MenonBaleno  
    282002 Oct 11-13Naren Kumar, Doraikumar Ramkumar, CoimbatoreHonda City Asphalt 
    292003 Nov 14-16Karandip Singh, Jaidas Menon, Chandigarh/Bng Honda city Gravel 
    302004 Aug 6-8Naren Kumar, Doraikumar Ramkumar, CoimbatoreBaleno Asphalt 
    312005 Aug 12-14Naren Kumar, D Ramkumar, CoimbatoreBaleno Asphalt 
    322006 Aug 11-13Gaurav Gill, Farooq Ahmed, Delhi/ChikmagalurCedia Gravel 
    332007 Aug 17-19Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/ Mangalore (Kasargod)Cedia Asphalt 
    342008 Aug 8-10Vikram Mathias, Srinivasa Murthy, Masinagudi (Karnataka)Cedia Asphalt 
    352009Aug 21-23Arjun Balu, Sujith Kumar BS, Coimbatore/ BengaluruCediaGravel 
    362010Dec 3 -5Arjun Rao Aroor, Satish Rajagopal, KarnatakaCediaGravel 
    372011Aug 19-21Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodCediaGravel 
    382012Sept 21-23Lohitt V Urs, Sujith Kumar BS, Mysore/ Bengaluru, PrivateersCediaGravel 
    392013Nov 9-10Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
    402014Nov 21-23Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
    412015Nov 20-22Pallath Ganesh Abhilash, Anoop Kumar, Kerala/BangaloreLancer Evo 8Gravel 
    422016Dec 17 -18Amittrajit Ghosh, Ashwin Naik, Kolkata/ MangaloreMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
    432017Jan 19-21, 2018Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
     2018NOT HELDPromoters RRPM did not include the event in the Natioinal INRC calendar   
    442019Nov 22-24Chetan Shivaram, Dilip Sharan, BengaluruVW Polo, Team AksharaGravel 
    452020 -held 2021 JanFeb 13-14, 2021Cancelled Gravel 
    *Corrected from BMW to Subaru, thanks to Zuhin, the 2012 IRC winner
  • Double for Raghul, Tijil Rao; Jeet, Keith share ITC wins in 2 races

    Double for Raghul, Tijil Rao; Jeet, Keith share ITC wins in 2 races

    Irungattukottai (Sriperumbudur, TN) 8 Nov 2020: Championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts had a gear-box failure but notched up two podium places even as FB Motorsport had its finest day yet with Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh and Keith D’Souza from Goa, both driving the Volkswagen Polo, taking victories in the two premier Indian Touring Cars races as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, about 130km from Chennai here on Sunday. Spectators and media were not allowed due to the government COVID 19 safety regulations and the event was held in a bio-bubble.

    Also in the limelight was Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy of Performance Racing, who won both the races on Sunday, in the Super Stock category. Bengaluru lad Tijil Rao, also of Momentum Motorsport, completed a double in the Formula LGB 1300 class by winning the day’s first of the two races in addition to the one he won on Saturday. Viswas Vijayaraj of DTS Racing took the honours in the second of Sunday’s Formula LGB race.

    Chennai’s Chetan Korada and Chandresh Tolia from Mumbai won a race apiece in the Toyota Etios MRF Saloon Car series.

    Super Stock Race 2 winner Raghul Rangasamy flanked by 2nd placed Alisha Abdullah, left, and Vineet Abhiram, 3rd, ( at right) at MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Jeet Jhabakh, a 28-year old automotive businessman from Hyderabad, a former Volkswagen Ameo and Vento Cup champion, enjoyed a trouble-free run once race leader, Arjun Balu of Race Concepts, dropped out of contention with a gearbox issue. Jhabakh managed to nose ahead of teammate Dhruv Mohite following a brief contact, and gradually extended the lead for a comfortable win, his first of the season. He, like Mohite, have missed the opening round in February. Mohite came in second and Balu managed a distant third for some valuable points.

    “It was a good race for me after I got in front. Not sure what happened with Arjun’s (Balu) car, but I passed him and Dhruv to get in front. I am really happy for this win,” said Jhabakh.

    Balu started fourth on the reverse grid, but cut through to the front in the very first lap and looked set for another win when the gearbox played up. “In the third lap, I found the car weaving on the straight and I realised something was wrong. So, I let others pass me and in the final three laps, I shifted to fifth gear and stayed there as I wanted to finish and pick up points,” said Balu, who collected 15 points for his third-place to continue to lead the table.

    The Race Concepts team then got to work and changed the gearbox in little over 30 minutes, but attracting a five-position grid penalty for Balu for the next race for which the Coimbatore ace had qualified on pole.

    From left: 2nd placed Arjun Balu, winner Keith D’Souza and 3rd Jeet Jhabakh, in the ITC class Race 3 on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar

    In the next outing, it was Keith D’Souza all the way as he made the best of a strong start to win comfortably from Balu, who made three places, and Jhabakh.

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (19mins, 11.577secs); 2. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (19:14.720); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (21:12.781).

    ITC Race-3: 1. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsport) (15:22.987); 2. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:28.096); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (15:30.188).

    Super Stock (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (20:08.258); 2. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (20:30.072); 3. Vineet Abhiram (Race Concepts) (20:52.326).

    SS Race-3: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:10.165); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:10.728); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (16:32.717).

    MRF Saloon Car Series (Toyota Etios) (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (21:14.775); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (21:15.945); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (19:12.377+1 lap).

    Toyota Race-3: 1. Chandresh Tolia (Mumbai) (17:18.519); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (17:19.306); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (17:28.532).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-3): 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) (15:13.237); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (15:13.806); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (15:19.854).

    FLGB 1300 Race-4 (10 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (20:26.904); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (20:28.587); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (20:29.120).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Frederick wins; Kush Maini keeps himself at a striking distance

    Frederick wins; Kush Maini keeps himself at a striking distance

    The 2020 BRDC British F3 Championship race goes down to the final two contests of the season on Sunday, with Carlin’s Kaylen Frederick and Hitech GP’s Kush Maini set to battle it out to become the latest winner of one of motorsport’s most prestigious titles. 

    We’ll update this story throughout Sunday to keep you informed on all the championship permutations.

    State of play before Sunday

    Frederick holds a 24 point lead at the top of the standings heading into the final two races, and simply needs to outscore Maini by 11 points in the reverse grid race two on Sunday morning to become champion one race early. 

    Frederick starts race two from 17th on the grid, while Maini will line-up directly in front of him in 15th. That actually means that Frederick can score more points in the race, owing to BRDC British F3’s race two points system, which awards points for places gained compared to starting positions. Frederick can score 36 points in race two and 71 overall on Sunday, while Maini can only score 34 in race two, and 69 in total across the day.

    Maini must still be within 34 points of Frederick after race two to be in with a chance of winning the title. If he is 35 points or more behind, Frederick wins the title in race two as the American has eight wins compared to Maini’s three victories across the season, with 35 points available in the final race of the year (race three).

    Here’s how Frederick can win the title in race two, which is due to start at 09.20 on Sunday morning:

    • If Frederick wins, he earns 36 points and Maini will need to finish third to be within 35 points of the leader going into the final round. If Maini is fourth or lower with a Frederick win, the American is champion
    • If Frederick finishes second, Maini needs to finish fourth or higher
    • If Frederick finishes third, Maini needs to finish sixth or higher
    • If Frederick finishes fourth, Maini needs to finish seventh or higher
    • If Frederick finishes fifth, Maini needs to finish ninth or higher
    • If Frederick finishes sixth, Maini needs to finish 10th or higher
    • If Frederick finishes seventh, Maini needs to finish 11th or higher
    • If Frederick finishes eighth, Maini needs to finish 12th or higher
    • If Frederick finishes ninth, Maini needs to finish 13th or higher
    • If Frederick finishes 10th, Maini needs to finish 14th or higher
    • If Frederick finishes 11th, Maini needs to finish 15th or higher
    • If Frederick finished 12th or lower, the championship fight goes to the last race

    Earlier report

    Silverstone, 7 Nov 2020: Carlin’s Kaylen Frederick enjoyed a near-perfect day at Silverstone today (Saturday) after claiming a double pole position and then victory in race one to move 24 points clear in the championship battle. 

    The title fight will go down to the wire though after Hitech GP’s Kush Maini finished third. The duo is now the only drivers still able to win the championship and will battle it out in the final two races of the year tomorrow to become the first driver from their respective countries to become a British F3 champion. 

    Qualifying
    Frederick secured his sixth and seventh qualifying pole positions of the season earlier this morning, and in doing so secured the £1,000 Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup end of the year prize for the drivers with the most pole positions throughout the season.

    In a tight session, Frederick was just 0.041s quicker than title rival Maini, with the pair locking out the front row not just for race one, but also for the final contest of the year on Sunday too, setting up a battle royale for championship honours, with the grid for that race decided by each driver’s second-fastest qualifying times.

    Roberto Faria was third quickest for both grids, his best British F3 result so far, with Ayrton Simmons powering JHR Developments up to the second row.

    Race one  
    Frederick converted pole into the lead on the run down to Copse on lap one, moving across the track on the approach to the first turn to fend off Maini. That allowed Simmons to blast around the outside of the Indian driver to move into second place with Maini having to settle for third.

    Frederick pulled away at around a second a lap but saw his lead wiped out on lap six when the safety car was deployed following a collision between Ulysse De Pauw and Reece Ushijima. De Pauw had been running in fourth place and set to remain in championship contention going into tomorrow, but the collision forced him out of the race and the title fight.

    The safety car pitted at the end of lap eight, with Frederick pulling away once more to claim his eighth win of the season, with Simmons and Maini completing the podium. Frederick now holds a 24 point lead in the championship standings, with a maximum of 69 points available for Maini tomorrow.

    Louis Foster (Double R) and Nazim Azman (Carlin) also entered the event in championship contention, but fifth and 11th place finishes respectively weren’t enough to keep either in the title battle.

    Race one winner Frederick said: “It was pretty good, I didn’t have the best start but I defended well and then put in some really quick times afterwards. I don’t know how big the gap was before the safety car but we had a solid margin.

    “I was trying to take care of the tyres and making sure they were there at the end so we could keep putting in the quick times. I then got a good safety car restart and then just put in one more quick lap at the end and that was pretty much it. So I’m really pleased.”

    BRDC British F3 Championship, Silverstone qualifying top-six (race one grid)
    1. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin 1m54.354s
    2. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, +0.041s
    3. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +0.127s
    4. Ayrton Simmons, JHR Developments, +0.226s
    5. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +0.410s
    6. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +0.502s

    Click here for full result.

    BRDC British F3 Championship, Silverstone GP race one top-six:
    1. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, 10 laps
    2. Ayrton Simmons, JHR Developments, +2.608s
    3. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, +3.834s
    4. Roberto Faria, Fortec Motorsports, +4.857s
    5. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, +6.127s
    6. Oliver Clarke, Hillspeed, +6.260s

    Click here for full result.

    BRDC British F3 Championship, top-six standings after race 22 of 24:
    1. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, 455pts
    2. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, 431pts
    3. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, 378pts
    4. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, 372pts
    5. Nazim Azman, Carlin, 341pts
    6. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, 298pts

    Click here for full standings

    For more championship information visit www.britishf3.com.  

    -Ends-

  • Miller fastest, six factories in the top six on a tricky Friday in Valencia

    Miller fastest, six factories in the top six on a tricky Friday in Valencia

    A full house of MotoGP manufacturers, a pitlane start for Viñales and Independent Team riders locking out the top four made for an intriguing Day 1

    Fastest in the morning and fastest in the afternoon: Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) is the master of Day 1 at the Gran Premio de Europa. A wet morning followed by a drying Circuit Ricardo Tormo saw the Australian set the best time of a 1:32.528 to take to the top, 0.092 ahead of second fastest Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was two tenths off Miller in FP2 to take third, fastest of the top six in the title fight. Friday also saw all six manufacturers represented in the top six, and the top four all hailed from Independent Teams.

    Some drama hit for title challenger Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) though. The Spaniard will have to start the race from pitlane on Sunday, five seconds after the green light at pit exit, for an engine allocation infringement.

    FP1
    Miller was the fastest man in a rain-soaked start to the GP, heading Morbidelli by half a second by the end of FP1. Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) was third quickest, ahead of Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who completed the top five despite a crash.

    Of the other top six title challengers, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) ended FP1 in P9 just ahead of Viñales in P10. Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins was in P13, whereas Championship leader and his teammate Joan Mir. The man second in the standings, Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), was last on the timesheets after a tougher morning.

    Throughout the session, many eyes were on Garrett Gerloff (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as the American headed out on track for the first time subbing for Valentino Rossi on Day 1. The performance was exemplary, the WorldSBK podium finisher ending the session in P16 – right ahead of Championship leader Mir and only a second and a half off the top.

    Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) crashed unhurt at Turn 2. 

    FP2
    With the rain halting for the time being in Valencia, a few of the riders headed straight out on slicks. A dry line had appeared by the end of the Moto3™ session but there were still plenty of ominous-looking clouds hovering over the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, despite track temperatures holding at a steady 20 degrees Celsius.

    On his first flying lap, Championship leader Mir set the fastest lap of the weekend – a 1:41.581, four tenths faster than Miller’s FP1 time in the wet. But the number 36 then had a moment on his second flying lap and that proved good warning that the track was still very treacherous, and the stakes high. The riders were pushing though and the red sector times were everywhere, vital track time on slick tyres ahead of what could be a wet FP3 – so crucial for an automatic place in Q2.

    Despite the slight scare though, Mir was still setting the pace early doors – before Miller set a 1:37.029 to go top. From there the Championship leader was bumped down and further down to find himself in P16 with 28 minutes to go, such were the improving conditions. Meanwhile Bagnaia was feeling no ill effects from his Turn 2 crash this morning to slot into P2 midway through FP2, making it a Pramac Racing 1-2, before Gerloff stole a little more limelight.

    The American enjoyed an incredible FP1 and it only continued in the afternoon. In the mixed conditions, he shot up to P5 with just under 20 minutes to go – continuing the impressive display at a track he’s never raced before. With the news that Rossi will be able to compete in the rest of the weekend confirmed on Friday, Gerloff most certainly made the most of the two sessions he was on the bike.

    Meanwhile, Alex Rins had taken over at the top from Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) as the rain held off. Mir then shot up to P3 as the riders headed out on soft tyres in a pretty important final 12 minutes, with rain potentially disrupting FP3 on Saturday morning. The times were being made to count and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took over in P1 with a 1:33.229 as Miller moved back into P2, but then Pol Espargaro upped the ante even further with a 1:32.952. That was the benchmark with eight minutes to go.

    Morbidelli and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) then took turns as nearest challenger, and drama hit for Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) as he crashed at the final corner – completing the lap at a brisk jog, back into pitlane on foot. Unfortunately, the effort to get back was in vain as his second bike wasn’t ready to head out for the final couple of minutes.

    In those final couple of minutes, rather crucially, Championship leader Mir was P12. His teammate Rins popped up into P8, before Mir then went P6 just before the chequered flag came out to get back into that all-important top ten. Quartararo was still lingering in P17, but that changed on his final lap as the Frenchman shot up to P6 – and Morbidelli took over at the top. It wasn’t over yet, however, as Miller then produced a late time attack masterpiece to claim P1 for the second time on Friday. Finally, Aleix Espargaro demoted Morbidelli and slotted his Aprilia into second – which also dropped Mir down to 11th. For the moment…

    Behind the top three, Nakagami holds P4 overall as the Japanese rider finishes less than a tenth ahead of Pol Espargaro, with Rins’ P6 that final glorious piece to make it six manufacturers inside the top six on the combined timesheets. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) landed a last lap good enough to put the South African P7 too, the rookie finishing just ahead of Dovizioso and Quartararo. The two title contenders are joined by Championship leader Mir in the top 10 after all, however, with a lap cancelled for Crutchlow due to a yellow flag infringement and that dropping the British rider to P12. Viñales splits Mir and the Brit, P11 overall, but the number 12 knows he has to start from pitlane.

    Gerloff eventually finished P19 at the end of his only day’s work this weekend, but the American was just 1.5 seconds off Miller to add quite an accomplishment to his CV. Valentino Rossi returns to his YZR-M1 for Saturday and Sunday in Valencia, having now returned the required two negative test results for Covid-19.

    That’s it from Friday! Will the weather change again? Is Q2 set? How will Rossi go as he returns? Tune in for FP3 at 10:55 local time (GMT+2), before qualifying will then decide the grid from 14:50!

    1 Jack Miller* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – 1:32.528
    2 Aleix Espargaro* – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia – +0.092
    3 Franco Morbidelli* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.276
    4 Takaaki Nakagami* – LCR Honda Idemitsu – Honda – +0.338
    5 Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM – +0.424
    *Independent Team rider