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Category: Indians Abroad
News about Indians racing in different motorsports events abroad
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Zhou takes a fighting victory; Jehan Daruvala 6th
Sakhir, 28 March 2021: UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou used all of his experience to take a hard-earned first Feature Race win from pole in Sakhir, but it wasn’t as simple as lights-to-flag. Initially tumbling down the order at the start, Zhou scythed his way back through the field, beating Carlin’s Dan Ticktum and Hitech Grand Prix’s Liam Lawson.
Indian racer Jehan Daruvala, who began on P6 managed to score 8 points from his sixth place in the Feature race and is currently in third position at the end of Round 1.
Starting on the hard tyre, Zhou couldn’t compete with those on the softs around him and fell out of the top 10, before a Safety Car gave the order a shake-up. Ticktum, Lawson and Richard Verschoor all benefitted, but the Chinese driver was imperious and won at a canter.
Verschoor – who briefly led the race – finished fourth and just missed out on a podium, after the MP Motorsport driver lost a late battle with tyre degradation.
DAMS’ Marcus Armstrong claimed an impressive eight scalps on his way to fifth, beating Jehan Daruvala and Robert Shwartzman, the latter doing well to fight back after an early drive-through penalty.
Théo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovich finished eighth and ninth, ahead of HWA RACELAB’s Matteo Nannini, who took his first points in F2.
AS IT HAPPENED
After an intense late battle in Sprint Race 2, Zhou and Lundgaard reignited their fight at the start from the front row. Pounding off into a whirlwind of sand, Lundgaard got the better of his Alpine Academy rival at Turn 1, fighting against the gust and taking the inside line to come out in first place.
Having already lost P1, Zhou – who started on the hard compound – was then in a scrap for second with his Virtuosi teammate Drugovich, who eventually hauled himself ahead of the Chinese driver.
An early Safety Car brought a halt to the action after Roy Nissany was clipped by Shwarztman and forced to retire. Shwartzman survived the scrap but was handed a drive-through penalty.
Zhou lost another place at the restart and fell to fourth behind the in-form Oscar Piastri, who was still buoyant from his debut win in Sprint Race 2. The PREMA racer was far from finished, continuing his sparkling debut weekend with a fifth overtake, this time on Drugovich, braking late to take P2 at Turn 1.
Lundgaard complained of a “strange balance” on team radio, as Piastri started to reel him in too. Drugovich joined the battle and the trio went three-wide at the first corner, with the PREMA eventually coming out in P1.
Having lost first, Lundgaard opted to ditch the soft Pirellis on Lap 14 and jumped into the pits for a set of hards, returning 13th. Drugovich decided his softs had had enough as well one lap later, pitting for fresh boots and returning further back in 12th.
Piastri opted against a change, before his team sensed an opportunity when Gianluca Petecof retired. PREMA called in the Australian for fresh rubber just ahead of a Virtual Safety Car, and returned him in fourth place, with track position.
In the end, a full Safety Car was required and this shook up the order, with Armstrong leading Piastri and Verschoor. Though, the Kiwi dropped right down at the restart, with Verschoor dramatically taking the lead on the soft compound.
Also on the soft, Zhou had tussled his way back through and managed to nip past Piastri on the first corner of Lap 23 to put just one place between him and his first Feature Race win. In the background, Ticktum fired ahead of Lawson for fourth.
Lundgaard had lucked out in the Safety Car period, getting stuck down in 10th at the restart, before being handed a 5s time penalty for a SC infringement, along with a handful of drivers, including Drugovich, who was running seventh.
Verschoor was desperately trying to defend the lead from Zhou, but the Virtuosi man used all of his experience to take the better track position and drag himself in front.
The Dutchman’s attention switched straight to the dazzling red PREMA of Piastri in third, but thankfully for him, the Australian was busy defending from Ticktum. Their battle came to a heart-breaking conclusion, with the two coming together at Turn 2, spinning Piastri off the road and out of the race. Ticktum got away unscathed and a VSC brought the drama to a stop.
Racing resumed with two laps to go and Ticktum jumped Verschoor, who also lost third to Lawson and fell off the podium. Meanwhile, Zhou kept it calm out in front to run home as the winner.
Zhou now leads the Drivers’ Championship with 41 points, ahead of Lawson on 30 and Daruvala on 28. Piastri is fourth with 21 and Ticktum fifth with 19. In the Teams’ title fight, Carlin are first with 47 points, ahead of Virtuosi on 43 and PREMA on 37. Hitech are fourth on 30 points, ahead of ART on 24.
KEY QUOTE – GUANYU ZHOU (UNI-VIRTUOSI)
“My first Feature Race win and a great comeback from yesterday. Amazing. Today was a bit messy, especially towards the end. I saw the Safety Car coming out and thought ‘no, not again.’
“Richard (Verschoor) had a clean pit stop and I had to do everything on track. It felt good to come through the field – congrats to the whole team, we fully deserved it.”
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Piastri takes superb maiden win; Jehan Daruvala misses podium
Sakhir, 26 March 2021: Reigning Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri became the second rookie winner in as many races this season, completing a superb last-lap overtake on UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou, to win a frenetic Sprint Race 2 in Sakhir. The Chinese driver also fell foul to a last gasp move from Christian Lundgaard, dropping to third on an all-Alpine Academy podium. Jehan Daruvala finished P4. He will now start the Feature Race at P6 on Sunday at 16.20hours.
It initially looked as though Zhou was set to pull off his second win in Formula 2, after boldly starting on softs, before two late Safety Cars turned the race on its head and allowed a number of the field to switch to soft Pirellis themselves. Zhou was then left to struggle to the line on heavily degraded tyres, just about holding on to third.
Piastri and Lundgaard were amongst those to change rubber, taking advantage of a late problem for Jüri Vips, who dropped out of contention, having previously looked to be Zhou’s biggest threat. Meanwhile, Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala just missed out on a second podium of Round 1, taking fourth.
The superb late battle took away from some incredible performances in behind as Richard Verschoor finished fifth, having started 22nd, and Théo Pourchaire sealed sixth, having started 19th.
Marino Sato and Matteo Nannini both started out of the top ten but finished in eight and ninth, behind David Beckmann.
AS IT HAPPENED
After his Qualifying disqualification, Vips said he just wanted to keep things clean in the second race of the day. Starting from reverse grid pole, the Hitech racer managed to do that at the start, darting into the distance with Lirim Zendeli in tow, as those behind them got tangled up.
Robert Shwartzman and Dan Ticktum were the unlucky pairing. The duo came to blows in their attempts to rise up the order and were both out of the race by the end of Turn 1.
All of the excitement brought out a Safety Car, meaning that Vips needed to nail a second getaway. The Hitech racer shrugged off the challenge and scrambled back off into the distance. Zendeli’s restart wasn’t quite as strong and it cost him P2, as Zhou launched down the side of him and into second.
The Virtuosi racer was on a mission, homing in on Vips and coolly dispatching of the Hitech racer in the same lap to steal first. Meanwhile, things went from bad to worse for Zendeli, as he was clipped by Lundgaard and suffered a puncture. The ART racer was handed a 10s-time penalty for the offence, which he served in the pits in the latter stages of the race.
Having lost the lead, Vips then found himself in a battle with his race-winning teammate Liam Lawson, who had climbed an incredible seven places to third. Keeping an eye on their battle was Felipe Drugovich, who’d put on a brilliant recovery himself, rising 12 places to fourth.
Rivalling the Brazilian for most positions gained were Marcus Armstrong and Pourchaire, the Kiwi climbing 13 places to P7 and the Frenchman up to ninth from 19th.
Lundgaard began to gain on Drugovich in fourth, which prompted the Virtuosi man to step up his chase of Lawson, sparking a three-way brawl that ended with Lawson facing the wrong way and out of the race. The Safety Car returned to clear up the mess, triggering a mass exodus of the track as a handful of drivers all dived into the pits to swap the hard Pirellis for a set of softs.
Zhou wasn’t amongst those to pit and still held the lead when the Safety Car headed back in, followed by Drugovich, Armstrong and Bent Viscaal, with the latter trio still on the hards. All four had Vips breathing down their necks from P5 on fresh soft.
All four went on the defensive at the restart and Viscaal very briefly snuck into second, but the Dutchman was too early on the breaks at Turn 1 and fell back down to P5. Vips dove into P2 at the exit and was followed through by Piastri, another who had swapped boots.
Things didn’t calm down, as a third Safety Car was required when Alessio Deledda stopped on track and retired. Nursing heavily degraded hards, Zhou’s chances of holding onto first seemed slim, yet he just about clung on at the restart, as Vips was too busy defending from Piastri.
The Australian was handed a straight shot of Zhou when Vips slowed and plummeted out of the top 10 – or so he thought. Lundgaard appeared and threw himself into the all-Alpine junior battle for P1.
The Alpine trio went three wide on the final lap and Piastri just about edged ahead, before Lundgaard daringly launched down the outside, though the move wouldn’t stick, as ART man over pushed and ran wide.
Lundgaard recovered and held onto second on track, although he didn’t appear on the podium. He had served his time penalty in the latter stages of the race, and with much happening in the pitlane and on the track, the FIA needed time to confirm whether the Dane had taken his time penalty in a proper manner. The confirmation came after the podium ceremony, and since the ART driver served it correctly, his P2 result was reinstated.
Piastri now leads the Drivers’ Championship on 21 points, with Daruvala one point behind in second. Lundgaard and Zhou are tied in third on 16 points, with Lawson in fifth. PREMA lead the Teams’ standings on 29 points, ahead of Carlin on 21 and ART on 20. Virtuosi are fourth with 16 and Hitech fifth with 15
KEY QUOTE – OSCAR PIASTRI (PREMA RACING)
“The second race in Bahrain and it was a crazy one. We came out on top, so I want to give a massive thanks to PREMA. It was the right strategy call from the team to go onto softs.
“I am just riding the high at the minute, second race, first win. We struggled a bit at the beginning, but I couldn’t be happier with the result and we will go again tomorrow.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Zhou will line up on pole ahead of Lundgaard in the Feature Race on Sunday at 4.20pm Indian time (13.50am local time).
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Liam Lawson holds off Jehan Daruvala for maiden F2 win
Sakhir, 27 March 2021: Hitech Grand Prix’s Liam Lawson drove like a seasoned pro on his Formula 2 debut, brushing off a stern challenge from second year Jehan Daruvala to take the opening win of season in Sprint Race 1 at Sakhir. Charouz Racing System rookie David Beckmann hung onto third to complete a youthful podium.
Scampering ahead of Théo Pourchaire at the start, Lawson spent the majority of the race in a to-and-fro with his former Formula 3 rival, before seeing the ART Grand Prix driver retire. This handed the Kiwi a more experienced challenger, as Daruvala – up from fifth – lined up behind him. However, the Carlin driver had no answer to his Red Bull academy teammates’ defensive masterclass and was forced to settle for second.
Impressively leaping from 11th to fifth at the start, Robert Shwarztman had a podium in his sights when Pourchaire retired and handed him fourth, but the PREMA’s attack was stalled by his teammate, Oscar Piastri. The reigning F3 champion had jumped ahead of Christian Lundgaard and kept Shwartzman occupied in the closing laps, before eventually settling for fifth.
UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou – who will begin Sunday’s Feature Race on pole – got his weekend off to a solid start, rising to seventh, ahead of Dan Ticktum. MP Motorsport’s Lirim Zendeli and Lawson’s Hitech teammate, Jüri Vips, completed the top 10.
AS IT HAPPENED
Lawson nailed his first race start in F2, launching from third to first off the line and making the most of a sluggish getaway from Pourchaire. The reverse polesitter briefly dropped down to third at the first corner, but managed to claw his way back ahead of Beckmann and into P2.
Title-favourite Shwarztman endured a difficult return to the track on Friday, as mechanical troubles left him unable to set a laptime in the second run of Qualifying and had him starting back in 11th. Determined to make amends, the Russian gallantly flung his PREMA up to fifth inside of the opening lap.
A daring move from Ticktum failed to come off in the opening lap as the Carlin driver attempted a double overtake down the inside of Felipe Drugovich and Richard Verschoor, but clipped the back of the MP Motorsport and spun it backwards.
Ticktum somehow got away unscathed, but Drugovich was caught up in the collision and suffered damage. The Brazilian was forced into the pits for repairs and plummeted to last. Ticktum was later handed a 5s penalty for his troubles and fell to P8.
Two further retirements in the opening five laps decreased the field to 19, as Marcus Armstrong pulled over onto the gravel with mechanical issues. The Kiwi’s retirement also spelled the end for Ralph Boschung, who tagged the back of the slowing DAMS and spun off.
Pourchaire was keeping up with Lawson at the front, remaining within 2s of the Hitech driver, but Beckmann was struggling to hold on to third behind him. He locked up and momentarily went skidding off track, flinging dirt into the pathway of those immediately behind him.
The Charouz managed to return to the track, but the mistake cost him precious grip and handed an opportunity to Daruvala behind him. The Carlin took a hit of DRS and passed the German around the outside of Turn 4.
The Red Bull junior was then handed another position as Pourchaire lost power and fell out of the points. The Frenchman attempted to keep his ART going, but eventually conceded his race was run and pulled over.
Daruvala’s experience was beginning to show. The Carlin racer’s tyres were in better shape than Lawson’s and he had eaten into the gap between the two of them. With two laps to go, Lawson was just about clinging on. Their battle continued into the final lap, but Daruvala just couldn’t find any way past and crossed the line in second.
There was little change behind them, though Piastri had managed to tussle ahead of Lundgaard for fifth place, directly behind his teammate Shwartzman. The Australian started to harry the back of the PREMA and chanced his arm with a brave move down the left, but was forced to back off as he ran out of space, allowing Shwartzman to hold onto fourth. The duo’s battle allowed Beckmann to retain the final podium spot.
THE KEY QUOTE – LIAM LAWSON (HITECH GRAND PRIX)
“That was pretty awesome. Starting third, I had a pretty good start and led from that moment onwards. I had massive pressure from Jehan (Daruvala) towards the end of the race and learned a lot. I’m excited to get into the night race later today.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Lawson’s Hitech teammate Vips will start from reverse grid pole, ahead of MP’s Zendeli later today in Sprint Race 2 at 10.40pm IST (7.40pm local time).
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Zhou takes pole; Jehan Daruvala to start on P7
Sakhir, 26 March 2021: Guanyu Zhou took the first pole position of the season for the second year in a row, going fastest in Sakhir to take the first points of the new campaign during a dramatic final few minutes of the Formula 2 World Championship Race 1 qualifying session. The UNI-Virtuosi man stole first from ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard by 0.003s on his final tour of the Bahrain International Circuit, with his teammate Felipe Drugovich finishing third.
Lundgaard didn’t make the top 10 in Free Practice, but was straight on the pace in Qualifying, putting in two purple first sectors to leap to the top of the time screen with an early benchmark of 1:43.628.
A late wobble in the final sector meant the Dane’s benchmark was beatable, and Drugovich managed to find the extra bit of time to do just that. The UNI-Virtuosi racer was fastest in Free Practice on the hard tyre and appeared equally as comfortable on the softer compound, stealing P1 by three tenths.
Drugovich’s teammate Zhou started 2020 on pole and was looking for the same outcome one season on. The Alpine junior was the only driver without a time on the board when the field fed back into the pits for a change of rubber, having boldly requested to run in the gap. He didn’t disappoint, bettering his teammate’s lap by 0.022s to replace him in first place.
No sooner had the cars returned to the track, were they having to head back into the pits. The field had just completed their preparation lap when Robert Shwarztman came to a halt down the pit straight and brought out a red flag. The stranded PREMA was swiftly cleared off the track, but just five minutes remained to get a time on the board.
Knowing time was of the essence, Lundgaard flew back out of the traps and got to work regaining control of the session. The Dane gave posted three purple laps, and the nailed the tricky final corner that let him down before, to take first from Zhou.
Amongst the first to get another time on the board, Lundgaard headed back into the pits to await his fate, knowing his tyres were cooked. The ART Man watched on as Ticktum failed and ended up in fourth. The Briton set two green sectors, but got stuck in traffic around the final corner. Jüri Vips and Richard Verschoor both missed out as well, settling for fifth and sixth.
Zhou and Drugovich both beat the chequered flag to give themselves one last shot at beating Lundgaard’s provisional pole time of 1:42.851.
Setting a personal best first sector and a fastest overall second sector, Zhou’s final laptime was better than Lundgaard’s by the finest of margins, knocking off his Alpine academy teammate by three thousandths of a second. Meanwhile, Drugovich’s final tour wasn’t quite as strong and the Brazilian ended up in third, behind Lundgaard.
Further back, Jehan Daruvala managed to take seventh, ahead of reigning Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri, with Liam Lawson in ninth.
Finishing 10th on his debut, David Beckmann will start Sprint Race 1 from reverse grid pole on Saturday at 1.25pm (local time).
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Arjun Maini signs up for Mercedes team GetSpeed for DTM season
Bengaluru, 25 March 2021: Ace Indian racer Arjun Maini, who is announced as a Mercedes-AMG Driver, will race for the Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed in the upcoming 2021 DTM season at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which will consist of 8 Rounds with 16 races across Germany and rest of Europe.
The 23-year, a former Haas F1 Team Development Driver who is currently backed by JK Racing will compete in the series and will become the first Indian to compete in DTM full-time, adding to his burgeoning list of firsts for Indians in motorsport.
“I am absolutely delighted to be driving for Mercedes-AMG with Getspeed in DTM. My first real experience of the championship came in 2015 when I was competing in Formula 3 and we drove on the same weekend as DTM. The Atmosphere was something I had never experienced before. I feel privileged to finally live out one of my dreams. The series enjoys a fine reputation around the world and is the perfect opportunity for me to test myself against rapid GT3 drivers. The icing on the cake is obviously the fact that I will be racing in the championship with one of the best Car brands on the planet. Mercedes-AMG needs no introduction and I’m looking forward to what I hope will be a long and successful partnership,” Maini said.
Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India:
The Car Arjun Maini will be racing this season! “It’s a moment of immense pride and excitement for us at Mercedes-Benz India, that Arjun Maini is participating in the upcoming 2021 DTM season, driving the thrilling Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Mercedes-AMG Performance Team GetSpeed. He will be the first Indian to compete in the DTM and it is highly satisfying to see Indian racers making their impressive mark by competing against the very best of motorsports talents across the world. At the highest levels of internationally acclaimed motorsports events like the DTM, this accomplishment by Arjun is indeed inspiring for aspiring and budding motorsports talents in the country.”
GetSpeed Performance operates from the business park at the Nürburgring and will line up in the DTM in the 2021 season.
The venture into the DTM heralds a new chapter for GetSpeed. “This is the first time we have been able to focus exclusively on one driver in the car in a performance-oriented series,” says team Principal Adam Osieka. “This is a very pleasant situation, as we have previously always had to juggle the drivers’ different preferences in one car at endurance races. In the DTM, there is no need to make compromises. I am expecting exciting races and top-class motorsport.”
Maini started his racing career on the karting scene in 2006. He won the Indian junior championship in 2011 and took part in the ‘One from a Billion ‘Hunt, which was run by former Formula 1 team Force India. As the winner, he was given the opportunity to race karts in Europe. In 2013, he switched to single-seater racing, in which he enjoyed success in the F4 British Championship. He ended the season in second place, just three points behind teammate and current Formula 1 driver George Russell. 23-year-old Maini’s career took him, via the Formula 3 European Championship and the GP3 Series, into the FIA Formula 2 Championship, in which he drove in 2018 and 2019. In 2019/2020, he raced in the European Lemans Series and in the 24 Hours of lemans. In the Asian Le Mans Series, the team won the LMP2-at the 4-hour race in Shanghai, in Class.
GetSpeed Performance has been a permanent fixture on the international GT3 scene since 2019. The racing outfit from Meuspath, near the Nürburgring, has its roots firmly in the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Since 2013, the team has enjoyed success in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Two years ago, the team switched to Mercedes-AMG and GetSpeed became an official Performance Team after just one year. As well as outings on the Nordschleife, the team has also contested races in the GT World Challenge Europe, International GT Open and the German GT4 Championship over the past two years.
The DTM will feature GT3 cars for the first time in 2021. A race weekend comprises two free practice sessions on the Friday, followed by a qualifying and a one-hour race – including a pit stop – on both the Saturday and the Sunday. The opening round of the season takes place from 18th to 20th June 2021 in Monza, Italy. The series then visits the Norisring (2nd to 4th July), Lausitzring (23rd to 25th July), Zolder (6th to 8th August), Nürburgring (20th to 22nd August), Red Bull Ring (3rd to 5th September) and Assen (17th to 19th September), before the Hockenheimring hosts the grand finale from 1st to 3rd October.
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Al- Balooshi leads the Bike category: Day 1, Jordan Baja
AQABA (Jordan), 19 March 2021: Erik van Loon and Yasir Seaidan were locked in a fascinating duel for supremacy after the first leg of the Jordan Baja, held over a challenging route across Wadi Rum’s majestic desert terrain on Friday.
The Dutchman and the Saudi were separated by just 26 seconds after two timed sections of 210.72km and 112.99km on this fourth round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
The Toyota Hilux and Mini John Cooper Works Rally drivers were closely matched throughout the entire opening selective with Van Loon leading through all the checkpoints and going on to win the first stage by 1min 27sec. Seaidan then clawed 61 seconds back in the shorter second desert sprint.
“Two beautiful stages, quite demanding and it was tough work behind the steering,” said Van Loon. “They were nice stages to drive and the road book was okay. The second stage we made a few small mistakes. We had to cross some bumpy stuff but the track went around it and we lost a little.
“The first one we win by one and a half (minutes) and we lose this one by one minute, so only half a minute between us. The problem now is that I have to start in front (Saturday). It is better when he is in front. We managed well – no punctures. Séb did a good job and the car was perfect and two amazing stages. I would love to see those more.”
Seaidan admitted that he lost his way in the second stage and sustained a flat tyre in each of the day’s tests.
“It was so difficult, navigation really hard and the stage was tricky and twisty,” said the Saudi. “The stage was beautiful but the time between the two stages was very short. I got lost for a few minutes but I really enjoy it.”
Frenchman Ronan Chabot was a comfortable, albeit distant, third overall in the second of the Overdrive Toyota Hiluxes.
“Beautiful, the country was beautiful,” said the Frenchman. “No problems, but I need to try and find the road. It was difficult for the navigation. We did not get lost. It was okay.”
Five drivers were battling it out for FIA T4 category honours and Qatar’s Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah was the early pacesetter before hitting fuel pump trouble late in the first stage and incurring massive time penalties. His issues paved the way for Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri to win the Wadi Rum section by 49 seconds from Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al-Saif.
Al-Saif then hit back to win the second stage to take a lead of 2min 46sec back to the night halt in Aqaba.
“Today went well, the second stage was good for us, but we were unfortunate in the first as we collect two punctures,” said Al-Saif. “I think my performance was good in the second stage. Meshari Al-Thefiri was in front of us and we passed him and made a comfortable margin. It will be important for tomorrow. The stage was very interesting, similar to Al-Ula and Tabuk, but with some differences. I plan to visit it as a tourist in future.”
Al-Thefiri added: “The stage is excellent generally. I got lost in some places where we were among the first to start, but we enjoyed it more than previous rounds. We treat the Baja as an exercise. Nasser (Al-Kuwari) did a good job and he surprised me with his superb attitude.”
Thomas Bell and Claude Fournier reached the finish in sixth and seventh overall and third and fourth in T4, while Saudi female driver Dania Akeel brought up the rear of the finishers in the FIA field in her Can-Am Maverick X3 entered in the FIA T3 category. She incurred six hours of time penalties for failing to complete all the opening stage.
Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi set the pace in the motorcycle category on his Husqvarna 450. The regional off-road riding instructor beat local rider Mohammed Abu Aisheh by 4min 47sec in the opening stage but his riding student redressed the balance in the second one and Al-Balooshi earned an overnight lead of 2min 30sec on this second round of the 2021 FIM Bajas World Cup.
“I’m a little bit rusty to do the navigation without the arrow,” said Al-Balooshi. “It has been a long time, like a year or so, but I am really happy. Me and Abdullah got together at the beginning and we rode together and then I don’t know what happened. I had a small tip-over and spend around three minutes stuck under the bike. It’s an amazing place. Abdullah was pushing me. If I win it is a victory, but if he wins it’s also a victory because this should be the aim of any coach. I’m proud of what he is doing.”
Abu Aisheh added: “For me it was a hard route today with more rocks and gravel. I am okay, no crash and difficult navigation but we finished second behind my coach. I am happy with this result.”
Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera was classified in third place and Jordan’s Talat Al-Shishane came home in fourth place.
Aishwarya Pissay was the first retirement in the two-wheel section: the Indian fell off her Husqvarna 450 and was taken to hospital for medical checks after sustaining arm injuries.
Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Khater, Jordan’s Zaid Jaber and Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet were awarded additional time penalties for failing to complete the longer Wadi Rum stage.
Hani Al-Noumesi continued the run of good form that saw him clinch the win in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province recently and led the quad category on his powerful Yamaha Raptor. But, like rivals Haitham Al-Tuwayjri and Faisal Al-Suwayh, he incurred hefty time penalties. Al-Tuwayjri only completed 20km of the opening test before the fuel line disconnected and sidelined his Yamaha.
The Saudi Arabian crew of Hamed Harbi and Waleed Al-Shegawi comfortably led the Jordan National Baja in a Yamaha YZR 1000 after five Jordanian and Palestinian rival teams were badly delayed in Wadi Rum.
The event is receiving support from sponsor Zain, the telecommunications provider.
Tomorrow (Saturday), the Jordan Baja concludes with a final selective section of 235.82km that loops through the southern desert and starts and finishes in Salhiyah.
Jordan Baja – standings after leg 1 (unofficial):
FIA
1. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hr 42min 20sec
2. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Alexey Kuzmich (RAF) Mini John Cooper World Rally 3hr 42min 46sec
3. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hr 54min 55sec
4. Saleh Al-Saif (SAU)/Oriol Vidal (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) 4hr 02min 11sec
5. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KUW)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) 4hr 04min 57sec
6. Thomas Bell (GBR)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) 4hr 10min 00sec
7. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) 4hr 26min 50sec
8. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 8hr 18min 58sec
9. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) 29hr 15min 00sec
Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) Husqvarna 450 5hr 34min 46sec
2. Abdullah Abu Aisheh (JOR) KTM 450 Rally Replica 5hr 37min 16sec
3. Abdulahim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC F450 6hr 06min 13sec
4. Talat Al-Shishane (JOR) KTM EXC 500 Enduro 6hr 12min 08sec
5. Amit Sadot (ISR) KTM 6hr 19min 45sec
6. Paulo Olivera (MOZ) Husqvarna 450 6hr 57min 56sec
7. Mohammed Al-Khater (SAU) KTM EXC 500 12hr 49min 00sec
8. Rotem Costa (ISR) KTM FR Rally Replica 16hr 08min 06sec
9. Salman Farhan (BRN) Husqvarna FE450 26hr 15min 27sec
10. Zaid Jaber (JOR) Husqvarna FE450 30hr 56min 00sec
11. Sarah Khuraibet (KUW) Yamaha WRF 450 F 31hr 33min 00sec
Quads
1. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 R 30hr 45min 00sec
2. Faisal Al-Suwayh (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450R 45hr 00min 00sec
3. Haitham Al-Tuwayjri (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450R 51hr 00min 00sec
Jordan National Baja:
1. Hamad Harbi (SAU)/Waleed Al-Shegawi (SAU) Yamaha YXZ 1000 3hr 30min 52sec
2. Ghaith Qubti (JOR)/Moath Al-Arja (JOR) Range Rover Classic 5hr 09min 56sec
3. Feras Al-Sallal (JOR)/Qais Khattab (JOR) Can-Am Maverick X3 6hr 07min 08sec
4. Haitham Al-Abbadi (JOR)/Saif Al-Abbadi (JOR) Range Rover Classic 6hr 17min 53sec
5. Juma Ferwan (PLE)/Mohamad El-Sana (PLE) Mitsubishi Pajero 7hr 26min 51sec
6. Hassan Al-Kaeid (PLE)/Yasser Al-Shek (PLE) Mitsubishi Pajero King 8hr 57min 28sec
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Flash: Aishwarya Pissay crashes with minor injuries, taken to hospital
Aqaba (Jordan), 19 March 2021: Ace Indian rider Aishwarya Pissay, backed by TVS Racing, suffered a minor crash in SS1 and was forced to retire from the Jordan Baja, the second round of the FIM World Cup Baja.
Pissay, who suffered minor injury to her hand, is taken to the hospital and is safe, sources said.
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TVS Racing’s Aishwarya Pissay sets sights on Jordan Baja
Aqaba (Jordan), 18 March 2021: TVS Racing Factory Rider Aishwarya Pissay is excited to take part in the Jordan Baja Rally which also doubles-up as the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup which will have 559 competitive kilometres in a total route of 859 km.
The ace Indian cross-country rallyist, Aishwarya Pissay said:“I had a tough first round in Dubai last month when my bike encountered technical issues. But I still managed to finish at 14th position overall. After the Dubai round, I stayed back in Dubai and trained for two weeks under the guidance of Mohammed Al-Balooshi. I have also worked on my fitness prior to the Rally.” Aishwarya, astride a Husqvarna, also finished third in the Ladies Class at the Dubai Baja last month which will count for the World Cup rankings and stayed back to train under Al-Balooshi, the 2019 Jordan Baja winner.
The ceremonial start of the Baja is scheduled for 9.30 pm (IST) on Thursday and the competitors will tackle two challenging sections of 211 kms and 116 kms on Friday and a further 237 kms through the deserts to the north of Aqaba on March 20, the final day on Saturday. Fifteen motorcycles and five quads will be at the start of the Jordan Baja, which will be held in the nearby deserts of Wadi Rum.
The 25-year Bengaluru-based Aishwarya, is supported by her title sponsor TVS Racing, and is co-sponsored by IIFL, Surana College, Micro Labs, SCOTT Sports, Puma, Sidvin, Big Bear Customs and GoPro India. She is one of the two female racers on the entry list, along with Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet.
Aishwarya Pissay finishes documentation on Thursday. Talking from Jordan, Aishwarya said: “I am very excited about the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup. This will be my first experience of racing in Jordan. But I am going in with a positive mindset and hoping for a good finish. Thanks to my sponsors I am well prepared and am able to fight with a clean state of mind. They have enabled me to travel and participate in the World Cup during these challenging times and but for them this Baja would not have been possible.”
Despite the ongoing global travel challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, 17 teams and competitors from 11 nations are participating at the event.
However, this year, the women riders have the liberty to chose only two rounds to qualify for the Final of the ten rounds for the year 2020’s FIM World Cup honours. Dutch rider Mirjam Pol is leading the points table after Round 1 with 25 points while Indian Aishwarya Pissay has 16 points and is third on the table. Margot Llobera Farre, the second ranked rider and Mirjam Pol are not taking part in Jordan Baja
Jordan is located on the eastern bank of the Jordan River and is rich in monuments, temples, tombs and archaeological sites, including the famous Nabataean capital of Petra in the south of the country and in close proximity to the Baja’s base in Aqaba on the Red Sea.
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Jordan all set to host new round of FIM Baja World Cup
Aqaba, 18 March 2021: The Ceremonial start of the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup takes place at 9.30 pm IST today in Jordan with 559 competitive kilometres in a total route of 859km.
Jordan is located on the eastern bank of the Jordan River and is rich in monuments, temples, tombs and archaeological sites, including the famous Nabataean capital of Petra in the south of the country and in close proximity to the Baja’s base in Aqaba on the Red Sea.
Mohammed Al-Balooshi.Fifteen motorcycles and five quads will be at the start of the Jordan Baja, which will be held in the nearby deserts of Wadi Rum.
Mohammed Al-Balooshi was third at the Dubai International Baja last month and was the winner of the 2019 Jordan Baja. The Emirati starts as the top seed on a Husqvarna.
He will have to defend his title against the Jordanian riders Abdullah Abu Aisheh (KTM), Zaid Jaber (KTM) and Tal’at Al-Shishane (KTM) and the likes of Portugal’s Paulo Oliveira (Husqvarna) and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Muaikil.Two female riders are also present and loyal to the FIM Bajas World Cup – Aishwarya Pissay (Husqvarna) and Sarah Khuraibet (Yamaha).
Aleksandr Maksimov in action in Qatar on a quad.Five Saudi quad riders, all on Yamahas, complete the list of participants – namely Hani Al-Noumesi, Haitham Al-Tuwayjiri, Sultan Al-Masoud, Faisal Al-Suwayh and Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi, a multiple winner of the Hail Rally.
The Jordan Baja will take place under strict Covid-19 protocols and begins with the ceremonial start in Aqaba on Thursday, March 18th at 19.00hrs.
Competitors will then tackle two different selective sections of 210.72km and 112.99km on Friday, March 19th and an additional 236.06km through the desert north of Aqaba on Saturday, March 20th.
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Programme
Tuesday, March 16th, 2021
•08:00 – 18:00: Service Park Open for Logistics Operations ONLYWednesday, March 17th, 2021
•08:00 – 18:00: COVID-19 Protocol Start, NO ACCESS to event without Negative test result (48 hours validity) in the Service Park entrance, in Remote Service Zone entrance.
•08:00: Service Pak Operational
•16:45: Competitors Briefing – Service Park (briefing notes will be posted on Sportity)Thursday, March 18th, 2021
•09:00 – 13:00: Administrative Checks – Rally HQ
•09:30 – 14:00: Technical Checks/Sealing/Marking at Scrutineering venue
•15:00: First Jury Meeting – Rally HQ
•19:00: Jordan Baja Ceremonial Start – Aqaba CityFriday, March 19th, 2021
•06:15: Issue Road book LEG 1/Sections 1 & 2 – Rally HQ Rally
•07:00: Start of LEG 1 – Aqaba Service Park
•18:07: Finish LEG 1
•19:30: Publication of the Start List for LEG 2Saturday, March 20th, 2021
•06:45: Issue Road book LEG 2/Sections 3 – Rally HQ Rally
•07:30: Start of LEG 2 – Aqaba Service Park
•12:45: Finish of LEG 2 -
Aishwarya Pissay excited as she prepares for Jordan Baja
Aqaba (Jordan), 17 March 2021: Indian star cross-country rally rider Aishwarya Pissay will take part in the FIM Bajas World Cup Round 2 that is being run along with the Jordan Baja which gets underway in Aqaba on Thursday evening. That will see Jordan Motorsport host its first international motor sporting event since September 2019.
TVS Racing-backed Aishwarya Pissay, who bagged a second place in her class in Round 1, had settled for a third place in the Ladies section at Dubai. With the regulations pooling all classes together for WC rankings, Aishwarya will get points only for her third place in the Ladies Class. However, this year, the riders have the liberty to chose the best two rounds they have taken part in the year’s 10 rounds, to qualify for the final round. The Bengaluru-based Aishwarya stayed back in Dubai for training for the Jordan Baja, after her podium finish at the opening World Cup round, the Dubai Baja.
Two female riders will line up against 13 male rivals in the motorcycle category: India’s Aishwarya Pissay and Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet will duel for FIM Women’s category glory on their respective Huqsvarna and Yamaha.
Bangalore-based Pissay, 25, hopes to challenge for the title in 2021 and retain her 2019 crown. The Bengaluru rider was the first Indian athlete to win a world title on a motorcycle, the FIM Bajas Women’s Championship 2019, and has already secured seven combined national titles in circuit racing and rallying. Her last National title, the 2w Indian National Rally Championship came on Jan 31, at Hampi last month.
“I’m excited about the second round of the FIM World Baja Rally Cup,” said TVS Racing-backed Pissay. “This will be my first time racing in Jordan. I’m going in with a positive mindset and hoping for a good finish without any technical difficulties.”
Three Jordanian riders will be hoping to challenge their international rivals for success in this weekend’s Jordan Baja, the new second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Talented young rider Abdullah Abu Aisheh is seeded at two behind Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi and has a superb chance of giving the Hashemite Kingdom a second outright victory in the Baja: Ata Al-Hmoud won the inaugural event on a Beta 390 when it ran as a candidate round for the FIA series in 2018.
Abu Aisheh is the national champion and trained in Dubai with Al-Balooshi before taking part in some desert races. He won the MX2 class in the Dubai Endurocross Championship and finished fourth overall in last month’s Dubai International Baja.
“I’m very excited to race the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup in my home country,” said Abu Aishah. “The terrain is fantastic and the route should be fast. Wadi Rum is one of the highly known tourist attractions in Jordan and what makes it a great setting for the Baja is the diverse and dynamic terrain.
“It changes very quickly from sand to rocky sections to dunes. It makes the Baja a fast and technical route. What makes it even better is the breathtaking landscape, so we get to race and enjoy a great view. I will participate with my KTM Rally Replica and I’m aiming for the win. It should be a very challenging race, but I’m confident in my abilities to achieve the result I have in mind. I look forward to it!”
Zaid Jaber and Tal’at Al-Shishane also ride a pair of KTMs and represent the host nation. Twenty-one-year-old Jaber is taking part in his first Baja. He started riding motorcycles when he was only five under the influence of his father Ammar.
“I started riding professionally a year ago,” said Jaber. “My goal is the 2024 or 2025 Dakar. I came here for training with Mohammed Al-Balooshi. I wanted to race in the first round of the World Cup, but I dislocated my shoulder during training for the Dubai Baja. I watched the race in the Al-Qudra desert and learned a lot. I realised that the time is important, but the rules are even more important and if you don’t do any mistakes you have a big chance to win. I’m still in recovery, but was back to riding one week ago.”
Two Jordanian crews are also aiming for the podium in a National Baja that runs behind the main event and includes a shorter second day’s action in the deserts to the north of Aqaba. Haitham and Saif Al-Abbadi and Ghaith Qubti and Moath Al-Arja have entered a pair of T2 Range Rovers and will compete against three Palestinian crews and competitors from Saudi Arabia.
Dania Akeel finished eighth in her rallying debut at the Sharqiyah International Baja two weeks ago and the Saudi girl will be tackling her first event outside Saudi Arabia with French navigator Stéphane Duplé.
Akeel is part of the new SHERO Rally Team by Duust and has entered the event in a Can-Am Maverick X3 in the FIA T3 section. She had been looking forward to competing against fellow Saudi female Mashael Al-Obaidan, but her Jordanian navigator Musa Djierian confirmed on Monday morning that unseen issues had forced them to withdraw their Can-Am entry.
Akeel will now compete in T3 against fellow Saudi driver Ibrahim Bin Salamah and his co-driver Adel Al-Muhaia.
Restrictions on travel have forced the Argentine duo of Orlando Terranova and Franco Caimi to withdraw their entry. Terranova competed in Jordan in 2019 and finished second overall in his quest for FIA Baja Drivers’ Championship honours. The Mendoza driver lists the Jordan Baja as one of his favourite events and vows to return next year to tackle the unique desert stages in Wadi Rum.
The Jordan Baja gets underway with a ceremonial start in Aqaba from 19.39hrs on Thursday evening.
Competitors will then tackle two challenging sections of 210.72km and 112.9km on Friday, March 19th and a further 236.06km through the deserts to the north of Aqaba on Saturday, March 20th.
