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Category: Indians Abroad
News about Indians racing in different motorsports events abroad
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Zhou takes F2 pole; Jehan to start P6
Spielberg (Austria), 3 July 2020: Uni Virtuosi Racing’s Guanyu Zhou, the Renault Junior, set the tone for the inaugural F2 race here, taking the pole position ahead of Felipe Drugovich of MP Motorsport but the Feature Race on Saturday will tell if the Chinese can translate his one-lap pace to race win.
The Indian ace, the 21-year old Jehan Daruvala, will start on P6 for the Feature race behind C Illot, C Lundgaard and Mich Schumacher who finished from P3 to P5, in that order. “P6 is a positive start to my first FIA F2 race and I am really looking forward to the feature race tomorrow because the pace for the front row is definitely there but I could not do the second run because of yellow and red flags,” said the Mumbai-born after the qualifier.
Zhou, the Renault junior is hoping to buck the trend become China’s first F1 driver. Having finished 2019 as F2’s leading rookie, but the season offers a new machine with wider tyres and is anybody’s guess.
The Mumbai-born Indian Jehan who started to fight with Zhou in the initial stages was in the top-3 till the end but finally had to settle for P6 clocking 1:15:028 as yellow flags prevented the last lap push.
Guanyu Zhou got his title challenge off to the perfect start in Spielberg, sealing his second pole position in FIA Formula 2 with a stunning Qualifying performance around the Red Bull Ring.
Zhou celebrates after taking F2 pole in Spielberg on Friday. An FIA F2 image Behind the Renault junior, there will be a surprise front-row start for rookie Felipe Drugovich, who has enjoyed a superb start to life with MP Motorsport, already qualifying higher in F2 than he did in Formula 3 last season. British outfit UNI-Virtuosi appear to be the team to beat in Austria, with Zhou’s teammate Callum Ilott completing the top three.
Free Practice pacesetter Yuki Tsunoda picked up from where he left off at the start of this afternoon’s session, setting the early pace around the Red Bull Ring. The Carlin driver’s position at the top was short-lived though, as he was soon pipped by his teammate, Jehan Daruvala, and Zhou.
Further back, Giuliano Alesi pushed the limits of the circuit too far and spun off the track, which forced him back to the pits and put his Qualifying session on hold, although he would later return. Zhou had no such issues, taking the time under 1m 15s to climb above Daruvala and into P1.
The field dived into the pits for fresh soft tyres, but their subsequent return to the track was only fleeting, as Marino Sato spun onto the gravel for the second time today and brought out a red flag.
Drugovich had shown potential in Free Practice with a P6 finish, but improved even more in Qualifying to squeeze in a fast lap just ahead of the red flag, which fired him to third.
Just five minutes remained when the lights went green and Christian Lundgaard saw a challenge on Zhou fall just short, with the ART man’s time only good enough for P2. Despite holding onto first, the Chinese racer raised his game, setting two purple sectors to improve his laptime and further cement P1.
Drugovich continued to surprise in the MP Motorsport machine and fired ahead of Lundgaard for second, followed closely by Zhou’s teammate Ilott, whose own tour of the Red Bull Ring took him third.
Jehan Daruvala on way to P6 on Friday. Photo Jehan Daruvala Time remained for one more lap, and each of Louis Deletraz, Jack Aitken and Tsunoda had all posted purple first sectors, only to be thwarted by a yellow flag when Nikita Mazepin spun out.
That left Zhou to ease his way back to the pits and claim the first pole of 2020 ahead of Drugovich and Ilott. Lundgaard and Mick Schumacher took fourth and fifth, ahead of Daruvala, Luca Ghiotto, Robert Shwartzman, Dan Ticktum and Delétraz.
Zhou will be looking for his maiden victory in F2 when the lights go out in the Feature Race tomorrow, at 4.45pm (local time).
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Jehan Daruvala excited to make F2 debut with Carlin
Spielberg (Austria), 30 June 2020: India’s top racing driver Jehan Daruvala, who was signed up by the Red Bull team last February for their Junior programme is excited to begin the 2020 season as he makes his Formula 2 debut after a successful F3 in 2019. The first round will be held along with the first Formula 1 race of the season, the Rolex Grosser Preis Von Osterreich, here this weekend.
“It’s race week and it has been a long wait for everyone and I’m really excited to get my debut season in the FIA F2 championship this week in Austria,” tweeted the Indian ace, who is billed as the best chance to be the next Indian F1 driver.
Unlike 2019, F3 teammates Robert Shwartzman and Marcus Armstrong, Jehan Daruvala didn’t come up through the ranks at PREMA Racing and into F3, but he did stand out to them when they were looking at their options for 2019 and they wanted him to be a part of their project.
He repaid their faith in him tenfold, winning two of the opening four races and quickly establishing himself as a title challenger.
While he would eventually falter to the dominant Shwartzman and finish third in the Championship, he had earned his shot at F2. He has been given a chance by his former European F3 team Carlin, while also being snapped up by the Red Bull Driver Academy.
Excels at testing
Earlier in March, Daruvala excelled in the pre-season testing. “At the end of the day it’s a race car, so you push it to the limit.” Jehan Daruvala is in no doubt as to how he’ll approach his maiden FIA Formula 2 race, and after a dazzling display in pre-season testing, who can blame him?
Stepping up from Formula 3, the Carlin rookie was a surprise package in the testing stint in Sakhir in March. The Indian made his first ever appearance in F2 machinery around the Bahrain International Circuit, but you’d not have guessed it.
Finishing third on Day 1 and first on Day 2, Daruvala found instant harmony with the car, and the new 18-inch Pirelli tyres.
“It feels very good, I am quite happy with how things went,” an elated Daruvala said on that day. “It took me some time to get used to the turbo and stuff during the first morning, but once you find the limit, it feels good.
Divine Leveller
“I think that it’s going to be a big learning curve with the new rims, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
The new tyres could play the role of divine leveller in F2 this season, putting rookies on more of an even playing field with the experienced drivers in the paddock. Daruvala appreciates this more than most, having never previously driven on the old ones in F2 – the Indian was forced to sit out the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi due to a training injury.
“It does change some characteristics,” he explained. “It’s a bit easier to lock tyres and harder on traction. I obviously hadn’t driven the car before, but that is what the engineers are telling me,” he told F2 webstie in March.
“It is new for everyone though, so hopefully the rookies have less of a disadvantage. We had a lot of driving over the three days, so there was time to learn and get ready for Round 1.”
The 21-year-old finished third in F3 last season with Team Champions PREMA Racing, forming a prolific partnership with Italians. He notched two wins and seven podiums, narrowly missing out on the title in final round.
For 2020, he is back with his old European F3 team, Carlin, and has also been snapped up by the Red Bull Driver Academy, who had kept a keen eye on his progression with PREMA last year.
Not normally one for sentiment, the Indian admitted that this particular deal, felt a little different. “I am not really an emotional kind of guy,” he said. “But, that is probably the most happy and emotional I have been, when I finally made it official and signed with them. I am very proud to run under their sponsorship and logos and I hope to do well for them this year.”
“I worked with Carlin before as well and I have similar engineers, so I am very happy to join them and hopefully we can enjoy a good successful season together.”
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FIA F2 races to begin in July; Indian ace Jehan Daruvala, raring to go
Paris, 2 June 2020: Top Indian racer Jehan Daruvala, who was signed by Red Bull team in February for their Junior Programme is raring to go as the FIA F2 season begins in July with the first race to be held at Austria.
Following Formula 1’s announcement of their opening eight races of the revised 2020 calendar, FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 are pleased to confirm that their 2020 season will also start on July 03-05 at the Red Bull Ring and will continue alongside F1 in the succeeding seven rounds.
The Indian prodigy, billed as the next-best bet for an Indian in F1, saw Red Bull Racing Formula One Team sign him up which means, Jehan will race for Carlin team, alongside fellow Red Bull Junior Yuki Tsunoda, in his maiden F2 season.
The Red Bull Junior program has been instrumental in producing some of the world’s best F1 racers over the years including, four-time World F1 Champion – Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, and many others. The selection into the Red Bull program is a huge recognition for the young Indian who has consistently performed well at the top of every series he has participated in, culminating in a fantastic season last year where he finished 3rd in the FIA F3 championship. Importantly, in the last ten years, all Red Bull Racing F1 & AlphaTauri F1 (earlier Torro Rosso) racers have come from the Red Bull Junior Program.
Both the F2 and F3 championships were planned to start their 2020 campaign at Sakhir, Bahrain on 20-22 March, but was put on hold due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, F2 and F3 have monitored the situation alongside Formula 1 who has been working closely with promoters, authorities in Europe and the FIA to put in place a revised calendar that allows a return to racing in a safe way for the visited communities and the paddocks.
We currently expect the events will take place without fans, with the hope to have them included in future rounds later this year. The opening calendar will include holding two consecutive events at the same circuit one week apart (Spielberg and Silverstone) as well as a number of back to back events.
As stated by F1 in their announcement, the health and safety of all involved will continue to be priority number one. A robust and detailed plan with strict procedures put in place by Formula 1 and the FIA to ensure the events have the highest level of safety will also apply to the F2 and F3 community and paddock.
The rest of the 2020 F2 and F3 calendar will be revealed at a later date.
F2 and F3 CEO Bruno Michel: “First of all, I would like to thank Formula 1TM and the FIA for making this revised opening calendar possible in such difficult circumstances. I am very pleased to confirm that F2 and F3 will be able to race alongside F1 in the first eight events.
“It is unfortunate that currently we don’t expect fan attendance in these opening events, but we are however glad that we are able to bring them the entertainment of our racing in the safest way possible.
“We will also follow the very detailed safety plan put in place by Formula 1 and the FIA as our priority is to make sure no risks are taken.
“Our 2020 season will continue beyond Monza. We will announce the second part of our calendar as soon as possible.”
S.No. Revised* 2020 F2 & F3 Dates Venue 1 03-05 July Spielberg, Austria 2 10-12 July Spielberg, Austria 3 17-19 July Budapest, Hungary 4 31 July – 02 August Silverstone, Great Britain 5 07-09 August Silverstone, Great Britain 6 14-16 August Barcelona, Spain 7 28-30 August Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium 8 04-06 September Monza, Italy *FIA Approved Calendar
File photo: Jehan Daruvala with the trophy for third place in an F3 Race 1 in Sept. 2019. Photo by -
Jehan Daruvala focuses on long runs, clocks 76 laps
“`Yas Marina (Bahrain), 3 March 2020: Yesterday, was my first day but I am getting more and more comfortable in the care. I am very pleased to be linked up with the team. I am very happy. It is one of the best moments of my career to have this opportunity to be associated with such a good Formula 1 team,” said Jehan Daruvala on Monday, the second day of testing.
On the final day on Tuesday, rookies may have ruled days one and two of pre-season testing, but it was experience which took the plaudits on the final day, as Luca Ghiotto claimed the fastest time overall. The Hitech Grand Prix racer beat out Felipe Drugovich and Jack Aitken for top spot, ahead of the new season.
Jehan logs 71 laps on final day of testing. Photo by FIAF2 Jehan Daruvala picked up from where he left off on the final day, beginning the session at the top of the timesheets, touring around the increasingly warm track at 1:43.428. Giuliano Alesi and Yuki Tsunoda were the men closest to the Indian.
The morning was heavily focused on long-runs and race simulations ahead of the season opener here later this month, with the majority of drivers all posting upwards of 30 laps.
The leaderboard wouldn’t change as the penultimate session came to a close. Daruvala finished on top with the time he set early on in the morning. Alesi and Tsunoda followed behind him in the order, with Artem Markelov and Louis Deletraz completing the top five.
With the sun beginning to set on the Sakhir desert, the drivers fed back onto the circuit for the final session and Robert Shwartzman immediately posted the fastest time of the day, to take an early lead with 1:43.028.
The Russian was pipped by his teammate just moments later, as Mick Schumacher took us below 1m 42s for the first time on Day 3. This sparked a two-way battled between the duo to go fastest, with Shwartzman briefly usurping the German, before Schumacher once again went top.
2019 race winners Ghiotto and Aitken had shown sparks of quality throughout testing but were yet to truly dominate. At the halfway mark, the duo punched in quick times to take P1 and P2 in the standings, with the Italian setting the fastest time overall in testing.
Rookie Drugovich nipped in-between the two of them to take second fastest, with Schumacher and Nobuharu Matsushita taking fourth and fifth. Nikita Mazepin, Shwartzman, Deletraz, Sean Gelael and Callum Ilott completed the top ten.
The next time we hit the track will be for the opening race of the 2020 campaign here in Bahrain. With two new faces and one returning favourite topping the times across the three days, the season is set to be as competitive and as compelling as ever.
2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Pre-season tests, Day 3, morning session
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 Nikita Mazepin Hitech Grand Prix 1:43.825 19 2 Luca Ghiotto Hitech Grand Prix 1:43.830 29 3 Artem Markelov BWT HWA RACELAB 1:43.882 23 4 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:43.978 31 5 Jack Aitken Campos Racing 1:43.986 36 6 Giuliano Alesi BWT HWA RACELAB 1:44.987 32 7 Marino Sato Trident 1:45.251 37 8 Callum Ilott UNI-Virtuosi 1:45.578 29 9 Felipe Drugovich MP Motorsport 1:45.636 29 10 Guilherme Samaia Campos Racing 1:45.867 28 11 Louis Deletraz Charouz Racing System 1:46.997 39 12 Mick Schumacher PREMA Racing 1:47.231 38 13 Pedro Piquet Charouz Racing System 1:47.242 41 14 Nobuharu Matsushita MP Motorsport 1:47.573 37 15 Sean Gelael DAMS 1:47.590 43 16 Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 1:47.601 33 17 Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:48.003 38 18 Dan Ticktum DAMS 1:48.036 37 19 Marcus Armstrong ART Grand Prix 1:48.852 42 20 Yuki Tsunoda Carlin 1:48.857 45 21 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:48.938 45 22 Roy Nissany Trident 1:49.207 35 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Pre-season tests, Day 3, afternoon session
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 Luca Ghiotto Hitech Grand Prix 1:41.252 31 2 Felipe Drugovich MP Motorsport 1:41.324 27 3 Jack Aitken Campos Racing 1:41.568 30 4 Mick Schumacher PREMA Racing 1:41.611 31 5 Nobuharu Matsushita MP Motorsport 1:41.612 26 6 Nikita Mazepin Hitech Grand Prix 1:41.634 29 7 Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:41.655 33 8 Louis Deletraz Charouz Racing System 1:41.864 18 9 Sean Gelael DAMS 1:41.911 27 10 Callum Ilott UNI-Virtuosi 1:41.943 29 11 Pedro Piquet Charouz Racing System 1:42.097 20 12 Dan Ticktum DAMS 1:42.140 27 13 Guilherme Samaia Campos Racing 1:42.399 36 14 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:42.448 36 15 Roy Nissany Trident 1:42.878 20 16 Marino Sato Trident 1:43.922 15 17 Yuki Tsunoda Carlin 1:44.496 32 18 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:44.653 31 19 Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 1:44.679 23 20 Artem Markelov BWT HWA RACELAB 1:45.552 40 21 Giuliano Alesi BWT HWA RACELAB 1:45.675 46 22 Marcus Armstrong ART Grand Prix 1:48.577 3 -
Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala fastest on Day 2: F2 Testing
Sakhir (Bahrain) 2 March 2020: A rookie driver went fastest for the second day running of pre-season testing at Sakhir, Bahrain, as Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala beat out the experience of 2019’s best debutant, Guanyu Zhou, and fellow F3 graduate, Pedro Piquet, for top spot in the standings.
File photo of Jehan Daruvala with Prema Racing in 2019. Photo Prema Racing The field were fast out of the shutters in the first session of the day, with all bar Jack Aitken getting out there in the opening 15 minutes. Of those, it was Zhou who went fastest, testing the water on a sandy track with a tour of 1:46.041.
There was red flag period as Nikita Mazepin stopped on track, before order resumed and Callum Ilott replaced his teammate at the top of the chart. The Briton was swiftly pipped by Artem Markelov, as the Russian took the times below 1m 44s for the first time. Shortly after, he was joined in the top two by his new teammate Giuliano Alesi, as newcomers HWA RACELAB started to find their feet.
Impetus switched to longer runs and garage work for the next hour, as Markelov remained untouched at the top of the order. Aitken and Luca Ghiotto both enjoyed spells propping up the Russian, with similar times, while undertaking more than 100 laps between the three of them.
There was a late flurry of laptimes as the session drew to a close, with Mazepin roaring round in 1:43.825 to take the morning’s fastest lap with less than 10 minutes to go. Ghiotto got within 0.005s of his tour, ahead of Markelov, who only missed out himself by 0.057s. Mazepin picked up from where he left off as the cars returned to the windy circuit for the afternoon session, with the sun setting on the Sakhir desert. The Russian took less than half an hour to beat the fastest time from the morning, as they dropped below 1m 42s for the first time on Day 2. He was backed up by the continually impressive Daruvala, thriving with Carlin on just his second day in F2 machinery.
Robert Shwartzman had been quiet in the opening day and a half of testing, but made his maiden appearance in the top three of times early during the afternoon, as he began to get to grips with his PREMA.
The rookies were running the show at this point, as teammates Daruvala and Yuki Tsunoda jumped to first and second on their 10th tour of the track this afternoon. Experience made a comeback though, as Aitken, Ghiotto and Sean Gelael stole the top three places in one fell swoop, by slashing the times to below 1m 42s for the first time in testing.
Shwartzman managed to squeeze his way back into that three as he continued to show what he is capable of in an F2 car. Sergey Sirotkin (ART) then came to the fore, as the session entered its final half hour; the Russian nudged ahead of Zhou in the standings, going just 0.075s quicker.
The script was yet again re-written in the very final moments, when Daruvala thundered around the track to set the fastest time and further solidify his growing confidence. The Indian racer set 1:41.260 on his final tour, before diving into the garage to cap off a successful day’s work.
Zhou, Piquet and Mick Schumacher also all set fast laps on their final tour of the Bahrain International circuit, to complete the top four places, pushing Sirotkin down to fifth. Aitken, Ilott, Nobuharu Matsushita, Felipe Drugovich and Shwartzman completed the top ten.
FIA Formula 2 Championship 2020 – Pre-season testing, Day 2, morning session
DRIVER TEAM LAPTIME LAPS 1 Nikita Mazepin Hitech Grand Prix 1:43.825 19 2 Luca Ghiotto Hitech Grand Prix 1:43.830 29 3 Artem Markelov BWT HWA RACELAB 1:43.882 23 4 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:43.978 31 5 Jack Aitken Campos Racing 1:43.986 36 6 Giuliano Alesi BWT HWA RACELAB 1:44.987 32 7 Marino Sato Trident 1:45.251 37 8 Callum Ilott UNI-Virtuosi 1:45.578 29 9 Felipe Drugovich MP Motorsport 1:45.636 29 10 Guilherme Samaia Campos Racing 1:45.867 28 11 Louis Deletraz Charouz Racing System 1:46.997 39 12 Mick Schumacher PREMA Racing 1:47.231 38 13 Pedro Piquet Charouz Racing System 1:47.242 41 14 Nobuharu Matsushita MP Motorsport 1:47.573 37 15 Sean Gelael DAMS 1:47.590 43 16 Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 1:47.601 33 17 Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:48.003 38 18 Dan Ticktum DAMS 1:48.036 37 19 Marcus Armstrong ART Grand Prix 1:48.852 42 20 Yuki Tsunoda Carlin 1:48.857 45 21 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:48.938 45 22 Roy Nissany Trident 1:49.207 35 FIA Formula 2 Championship 2020 – Pre-season testing, Day 2, afternoon session
Driver Team Lap time LAPS 1 Jehan Daruvala Carlin 1:41.260 23 2 Guanyu Zhou UNI-Virtuosi 1:41.377 29 3 Pedro Piquet Charouz Racing System 1:41.491 24 4 Mick Schumacher PREMA Racing 1:41.531 33 5 Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 1:41.602 31 6 Jack Aitken Campos Racing 1:41.706 21 7 Callum Ilott UNI-Virtuosi 1:41.758 25 8 Nobuharu Matsushita MP Motorsport 1:41.784 15 9 Felipe Drugovich MP Motorsport 1:41.807 20 10 Robert Shwartzman PREMA Racing 1:41.972 29 11 Dan Ticktum DAMS 1:41.976 24 12 Sean Gelael DAMS 1:42.069 20 13 Marcus Armstrong ART Grand Prix 1:42.098 25 14 Luca Ghiotto Hitech Grand Prix 1:42.156 27 15 Roy Nissany Trident 1:42.355 20 16 Yuki Tsunoda Carlin 1:42.393 23 17 Nikita Mazepin Hitech Grand Prix 1:42.557 23 -
Red Bull Racing F1 signs Jehan Daruvala to Junior Programme
Mumbai, 22 Feb 2020: In a huge boost to Indian Motorsport, Red Bull Racing Formula One Team have signed up Jehan Daruvala for their Red Bull Junior Program, paving the way for the country’s big racing hope to compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Jehan Daruvala, A Red Bull F1 team image Jehan, who has taken giant strides in the sport since his debut in 2009 as a 10-year-old kid, will race for Carlin, alongside fellow Red Bull Junior Yuki Tsunoda, in his maiden F2 season; it was announced on Friday. His first race is in the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 21st.
The Red Bull Junior program has been instrumental in producing some of the world’s best F1 racers over the years including, four-time World F1 Champion – Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, and many others. The selection into the Red Bull program is a huge recognition for the young Indian who has consistently performed well at the top of every series he has participated in, culminating in a fantastic season last year where he finished 3rd in the FIA F3 championship.
Jehan had started the season on a strong note with a victory in the first round. A second consecutive victory and more podiums saw him briefly lead the F3 championship around the half way mark. He entered the last round at Sochi in Russia, with an outside chance at the title &minimum second almost assured. Unfortunately, his car did not start the formation lap of the last race. Forced to start from the pitlane, 29th and last, Jehan drove arguably one of the best races of the season. He charged through the field climbing up from 29th to 9th on track but unfortunately, lost the runner up spot by a mere 1 point.
Jehan began his career with a stellar record in Karting. Soon after attending a program in Mumbai, he started karting in 2009. He went on to win the Micro Max Rookie Cup & National Title in 2010, followed by the Malaysian Junior Yamaha Title in 2011. That was the year he was selected as a member of the Sahara Force India Junior Program. He went on to become the first Indian to win an FIA title in motorsport, when he won the 2012 CIK FIA Asia Pacific KF3 Championship. He was also the first Indian to win a title in Europe when he was crowned the British Super One KF3 Champion. In 2014, Jehan became the first and only Indian till date to step on the podium of an official FIA World Championship when he finished 3rd in the CIK FIA World Karting Championship.
Jehan stepped up to Formula Racing in 2015, earning multiple podiums in his maiden season in Formula Renault. In 2016 he was runner-up behind Lando Norris in the Toyota Racing Series. Jehan became the first Indian to win an official Grand Prix, when he won the 2017 New Zealand Grand Prix. He moved to the FIA F3 Eurpoean Championship in 2017 & 2018 earning 8 podiums besides finishing 2nd in the Rookie Championship with 26 rookie podiums in 2017.
“After an excellent year for me in FIA F3 in 2019, I hope to carry my form into my first year in F2 with the support of the Red Bull Junior Team and Carlin. There are many experienced F2 drivers and a number of strong rookiesmaking it an exciting grid this year – I’m looking forward to the challenge!” said Jehan.
Trevor Carlin, owner of Carlin Motorsport added “We are delighted to welcome Jehan back to the team for his third season with us. His performance last year in FIA F3 was extremely impressive and we really believe in him. There is no reason why he cannot make it all the way to the top. Without a doubt there will be a lot to learn – both for Jehan as a driver in a more powerful car and also for the team with the new 18-inch wheels but we have a great team ready to meet those challenges “
Jehan is the only Indian to –
– Be on the Podium of an FIA World Championship event in any form of motorsport
(He was 2nd runner up of the CIK FIA World Karting Championship)– Win a British Championship (Winner of the British Superone KF3 Championship
– Win an official ‘Grand Prix’ – Won the New Zealand Grand Prix in 2017
– To win an FIA Asian Championship (First Indian) (Only winner of the CIK FIA Asia Pacific KF3 Championship)
– Finish in the top 3 of an FIA Championship which is a feeder series to F1 ( 3rd in FIA F3 2019 )
– Earn Pole / Win a race / bag fastest lap in an FIA F3 Championship race
The 2020 FIA F2 season is going to be exciting for Indian Motorsport fans. The grid of 22 drivers has a mix of very experienced F2 drivers and some very fast rookies. The competitiveness of the series is seen from the fact that 13 of the 22 drivers are a part of the junior development program of F1 teams. It is the final frontier from where racers make their way into F1, driving at over 330 kmph on the same weekend as the F1 races.
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Kush Maini to race with 3-time Formula Renault Eurocup Champions R-ace GP
File photo of Kush Maini: INDIAinF1 Bengaluru, 12 Feb 2020: Ace Indian driver Kush Maini will continue in Formula Renault EuroCup Series 2020 and has signed up with R-ace GP.
Backed by JK Racing, Kush finished 2nd in the Rookie standings in 2019 and was 6th overall. He is looking to make a strong come back in 2020. His team R-ace GP have consistently won this Championship for the last 3 years.
The 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup is a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship features drivers competing in 1.8 litre Formula Renault single seat race cars that conform to the technical regulations for the championship. The 2020 season is the 30th Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season organized by the Renault Sport. The series is run over 10 weekends at 10 different Formula 1 circuits including Monaco and Abu Dhabi making it a very important and Competitive F1 Feeder series.
With a reasonable amount of experience on single seater racing at Europe over the last 4 years, Kush now feels ready to fight at the front of Championship.
Kush is extremely excited to be part of the R-ace GP line up. “Really happy to announce that I will be racing with reigning champions R-ace GP in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2020. We have tested together in Abu Dhabi and in Europe and I am extremely comfortable and confident with the team. Very happy also to be continuing my partnership with JK Racing who have supported me for several years. Can’t wait to get started,” Maini said
Thibault De Merindol team principal of R-ace GP said: “I am extremely satisfied to be able to count on Kush’s performances to defend R-ace GP’s driver and team Formula Renault Eurocup titles. Respectively 6th and 2nd of the 2019 general and rookie classifications, Kush proved himself to be one of the men to watch in 2020. Already at work since November, I am pleased with Kush’s team integration and with our preparation in progress. I want to thank Kush and all his partners for their faith in R-ace GP and I am looking forward to a great season together.”
The car Kush Maini will be racing in 2020. -
Ashish Raorane completes Africa Eco Race against all odds
Ashish Raorane after crossing the finish line on Sunday. Photo courtesy Ashish Raorane team Dakar, 20 Jan 2020: The daring adventure of 38-year old professional Indian rally-raid rider, Ashish Raorane, ended in a dream finish as he completed the tough Africa Eco Race on Sunday. After completing the ninth stage in 54th overall position, the Indian took the restart and managed to rejoin the last stage, the famous beach stage, as the Africa Eco race allows a restart.
The non-factory rider is self-funded for almost all of the events he has taken part and is attempting the Africa Eco Race for the first time. The Pune-based marine engineer has caught the attention of Luminox last year by his rally-raid exploits and is supported for the rally by the Swiss watch brand. Ashish was greeted by his wife and a few others as he celebrated with the Indian flag at the finish line in Dakar. Ashish was supported by Nomadas Adventure Racing Team of Switzerland.
The last stage offered a real driving treat but had no effect on the general classifications this year. There was, therefore, good humour and spirit on the finish line, situated at the edge of the Erg at the village of Teverit, around 30km from Nouakchott in Mauritania. For the record, there was no suspense in the motorcycle category, as the YAMAHA of Alessandro BOTTURI left two minutes behind the KTM of Pal Anders ULLEVALSETER and quickly caught the Norwegian. As a result, 1min 59sec was added to the Italian’s lead and BOTTURI therefore wins this 12th edition of the AFRICA ECO RACE by 3min 59sec from ULLEVALSETER.
Coming back to the Indian’s rally, after doing a superb job in the first leg, Ashish caught up with the reality of his adventure with a bike that did not have enough capacity for fuel when compared to the advanced bikes, and paid the penalty after a navigation error in Stage 10. At the half-way mark, before the rest day Ashish rode to a stunning 17th Overall rank but the final week saw him nurture the fuel and reduce speeds. He was ranked 54th in the 9th stage before missing two stages as he ended taking almost 31 hours to reach the bivouac after he ran out of fuel. Ashish Raorane was classiefied 57th in bike category after the 12th and last stage, the Beach stage.
Ashish Raorane explained his tryst with the Africa Eco Race, that ran over 6,500 km, with 12 stages across Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal. The rally concluded on Sunday, Jan 19. Four days before the start of the rally, Ashish was in hospital after being down with dengue. But the rider in him took over and he started the rally against all medical advice but did a splendid job finishing with aplomb.
“It took me 31 hours to get back to the bivouac, and so I missed a couple of stages. The Africa Eco Race allows restarts and that’s a great thing. Of course I picked up a lot of penalties but at least I am not out of the race. So, eventually, I did get to the ride the famous Beach stage at the Lac Rose in Dakar and cross the finish line of the Africa Eco Race at P57,’’ said Ashish. The rally runs in the original route of Dakar when it was run in Africa.
“To say that the past weeks have been a roller coaster both physically and emotionally would be an understatement. I was in the hospital, four days before the race, wondering if I could make it to the start line and against all medical advice decided to go give it a shot,’’ he continued.
“Against all expectations, the race started out pretty well. Though, I was struggling physically after having spent 10 days in the hospital, going into the rest day, I had a good feeling on the bike,’’ he added. Ashish was ranked overall 17th before the rest day.
Mauritania, is where it started unraveling for the Indian rider. The Indian and his team realised that the fuel consumption on the bike in the soft Mauritanian sand was pretty high and that the rally-modified Enduro bike did not have the required fuel autonomy unlike a full-fledged cross-country rally-raid bike. He was astride a KTM 450 EXC, a 4-stroke enduro off-road bike, which has its limitations during long-distance riding on terrain full of piste unlike a KTM 450 Rally Replica which will cost a whopping Rs.23 lakh or so.
The first stage in Mauritania confirmed this weakness. From there on, Ashish did manage his speed admirably to save the fuel. “On Stage 8 of the race, I made a navigation mistake early on going the wrong way, which further reduced my fuel autonomy. The stage was tough and, I was struggling through the dunes. At km 175 of the stage, the bike was buried in the dune. I was out of water and food, clutch issues crept up and I did not have enough fuel to reach the refueling point. I had to make one of the most-difficult decisions to call the PC course. Little did I know at the time that I would be spending the night in the dunes all alone but that is another long story, for another day,’’ the brave rider concluded.
Ashish Raorane with his wife at the finish lane of Africa Eco Race in Dakar on Sunday. Photo AER -
Harith Noah finishes Stage 9, a creditable 29th: Dakar Experience category
#83 Koitha Veettil Harith Noah of Sherco TVS, Sherco TVS Rally Factory team during the Stage 4 on January 8, 2020. Photo – DPPI Media Wadi al Dawasir (Saudi Arabia), 14 Jan 2020: The lone Indian rider left in Dakar Rally, Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team, did a creditable job finishing 29 in the 9th stage as the 42nd Dakar Rally resumed here on Tuesday after the cancellation of the Monday’s Stage 8, mourning the death of Paulo Goncalves of Hero MotoSports, the other Indian team which withdrew from this year’s rally as a mark of respect and mourning for team member who died due to cardiac arrest on Sunday following a crash.
The other Indian rider, the first from India to complete the Dakar, who was doing well in 35th place at the half-way stage will not be able to complete the rally due to the Team’s decision to withdraw.
Harith Noah, who could not start on Day 3, due to some technical issue with the bike, will not be eligible for an overall ranking and he is taking part to complete the rally in the new `Dakar Experience’ category that was included this year to allow those who have failed a stage to rejoin from the next day but without any ranking. Noah, however, did a splendid job clocking 4hours, 2minutes and 33 seconds for the 410-km Special Stage of the 886-km Stage 9 from Wadi al Dawasir Haradh.
The Rally was temporarily paused for all motorcycle class racers as a mark of respect to the deceased Portugese rider who tragically lost his life on Day 7.
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Indian rally-raid rider Ashish Raorane 17th overall after Stage 5: Africa Eco Race
Ashish Raorane during Stage 4 on Friday. Photo courtesy Africa Eco Race Smara, 11 Jan 2020: The 38-year old professionial Indian rally-raid rider, Ashish Raorane finished 14th in the fifth stage to improve his overall ranking to 17th in the 12th edition of the annual Africa Eco Race on Saturday. The rally runs in the original route of Dakar when it was run in Africa. The Africa Eco Race runs over 6,500km, with 12 stages across Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal. Seven more stages are left in the rally which runs till Jan 19.
It was a long stage of 474 km today. “The stage was super fast and I got lost about 40km before refuel. Had complicated bits thrown in and navigation was extremely tricky but fortunately spotted some vehicle dust which I could follow and recovered in time. Good day of racing, after 210 km of liaison, we are at the Dakhla beach for a well-deserved rest day,’’ said Ashish, the marine engineer from Pune.
You can watch the video clip on Ashish’s Instagram here.
Riding a KTM 450, he improved his ranking from Friday’s 23rd. He began with a 33rd after the first stage for an overall ranking of 33 but has been steadily improving his riding. After second stage, he managed to climb to 23rd and further improved two places after Stage 3. But a 27th place finish on Thursday saw him slide back to 23rd on Friday but today was a good day in office as he finished 14th improving his overall ranking to 17th
Ashish took part in the Indian National Rally Championship in Nashik in 2015 and also made his debut in the Raid-De-Himalaya astride a Triumph Tiger 800. Later, he took part in the Desert Storm (Yamaha 250) in 2016 and 2017 and also participated in the Pan Africa Rally in 2018, before the FIM Baja Word Championship in 2019, where he finished an overall 12th following his 7th place finish in the concluding Hungarian Baja as a privateer astride a KTM 450. After the Eco race this year, Ashish dreams to take part in the Dakar, the mother of all Rallies. Last year, the rally-raid rider attracted attention with his good performances to get sponsored by Swiss watch brand Luminox.
The Stage 5 drive towards the great Moroccan south was done at express speed on good tracks traced in the heart of rather monotonous desert landscapes. After an extremely vigilant run today, in terms of navigation with many parallel tracks, the participants conclude the first week of racing before tackling the now traditional well-deserved rest day, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Dakhla.
