Your basket is currently empty!
Category: Indians Abroad
News about Indians racing in different motorsports events abroad
-
Jehan Daruvala raring to go: F3 at Monza
Monza 5 Sept 2019: The Formula 3 paddock reunites this week at Monza in Italy for the seventh round of the season. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the F2 community, the teams and the drivers will race for Anthoine Hubert to honour the talented young Frenchman whom we all miss dearly.PREMA Racing will welcome the opportunity to celebrate a well-earned Teams’ Championship title on home soil in Monza after another mammoth points haul at Spa-Francorchamps. Jake Hughes of HWA RACELAB had set the pace in practice, but Jehan Daruvala bagged his first pole position of the season in the afternoon’s qualifying session. The Indian was forced to settle for third however, behind PREMA teammate Robert Shwartzman and Trident’s Pedro Piquet who took his maiden F3 victory in Race 1. PREMA’s Marcus Armstrong led from lights to flag on a sombre Sunday for the New Zealander’s second victory in as many rounds.With the Teams’ title wrapped up, Shwartzman (152 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship, with Daruvala (129) 23 points behind in second place. Hitech Grand Prix’s Jüri Vips (122) is third, preventing a PREMA 1 2 3, with Armstrong (119) 3 points behind him. PREMA (400) are deserved victors of the Teams’ Championship, 217 points ahead of Hitech (183). ART Grand Prix (170) are third.Monza hosts Round 7 of the championship, a historically fast circuit with long straights and some of the most famous corners in motorsport in front of traditionally passionate Italian support. The teams and drivers will need to manage their Pirelli soft compound tyres carefully amid the low downforce turns, hard braking, and rapid acceleration. 30 cars fighting wheel-to-wheel in the braking zones should provide quite the show!Warm-Up // Pedro Piquet – Trident“Monza is one of the classic tracks on the calendar, with the fastest average and top speeds. It’s very difficult and in terms of racing; it’s one of the best circuits because the low downforce set-up also means you don’t get as much dirty air and you can battle on the long straights. Because we run a low downforce set-up you can slide a lot or lock the tyres under braking in high-speed corners, so you need to be really good in managing that.“There could be lots of battles in the braking zones. There will be a lot of cars side-by-side into the corners because the advantage you have on the car in front is not that big. One of the things I like is that the DRS is not quite as effective. You really need to work hard for the overtake. When you open the DRS you obviously gain on the car in front but it’s not a lot. I’m really excited for it and I hope we can have a good weekend.“Because the circuit has a lot of straights, people may think it’s easier on the tyres but it’s not really. You’re sliding a lot and, with the low downforce on the car, if you start to slide then the tyres are done, so you need to take care of them.“We always push for a competitive weekend. You have two races and you have to perform well in both. If you have the pace and you start well, fight for Race 1, if not try to get into a decent position so you can fight for Race 2. You need to be there, in the top 6, which helps a lot in the weekend, so that’s the aim.”Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of F1 and Car Racing“After an extremely difficult weekend in Spa, following the tragic passing of Anthoine Hubert, we move on to Monza. Our home circuit is also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, which accurately describes the track characteristics. Finding the right compromise with grip despite the low downforce levels is always a challenge, as well as managing the compounds against the considerable stresses that are imposed on them by this historic circuit. Another difficulty will be balancing the set-up of the car in different weather conditions, as at this time of year both hot and cool temperatures are possible, which clearly affects how the front and rear work together.”Season Stats1 PREMA Racing are champions! The Italian outfit clinched the FIA Formula 3 championship after Race 2 at Spa-Francorchamps.400 PREMA have 400 points, 217 more than second-placed Hitech Grand Prix with only 206 points available.23 The gap between championship leader Robert Shwartzman and second-placed Jehan Daruvala at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.8 Trident’s Pedro Piquet was the eighth different driver to have stood on the top step of the podium this season.NoteworthyChristian Lundgaard has led more laps (44) than any other driver on the grid this season. Marcus Armstrong is second with 43 laps led.Between their three drivers, Teams’ Championship winners PREMA Racing have taken 3 pole positions, 6 wins, 18 podiums, 5 front-row starts, 5 fastest laps, and have led for 109 laps from a possible 250.All six rounds so far have seen saw a different driver qualify for pole position; Robert Shwartzman in Barcelona, Jake Hughes in Le Castellet, Armstrong in Spielberg, Jüri Vips in Silverstone, Lundgaard in Budapest and Jehan Daruvala in Spa.Despite sitting fourth in the championship behind Shwartzman and Daruvala, Armstrong has as many wins, as many pole positions as his teammates, and he has set more fastest laps, taken more bonus points and has lead more laps then them.PREMA Racing’s points haul from Belgium last time out (74) was their highest since Round 2 (82).Trident’s Devlin Defrancesco and Carlin Buzz Racing’s Logan Sargeant will both serve five-place grid penalties in Monza after both drivers were involved in separate collisions in Belgium.Round 7 of the championship is the first time we will see Pirelli’s soft compound tyre since Round 3 in Spielberg.Local times: (GMT+2)FridayFree Practice: 09.35 – 10.20Qualifying: 17.50 – 18.20SaturdayRace 1: 10.30 (22 laps)Press conference: 11.30SundayRace 2: 09.30 (22 laps) -
Achintya 3rd in solo rounds; Khyati, Sahil join him as India gets 4th in Team Championship: AAGC
Indians (left), who got the 4th place in the Team Championship share the podium with other winners. An AAGC photo Bengaluru, 3 Sept 2019: The Indian team comprising of Achintya Mehrotra, Sahil Khanna, and Khyati Mody won the fourth place in the Team Championship at the second round of the Asia Auto Gymkhana Championship at South Korea on August 31 and September 1. Mehrotra also won a bronze medal in the solo rounds.
Khyati Mody has represented the country in motorsports abroad and returned successfully from this outing in South Korea. She was selected to the Indian team as a female driver, along with Delhi’s Achintya Mehrotra and Sahil Khanna.
In Asian Gymkhana, the top four nations in the Team championship will be awarded prizes on the podium. India finished fourth in the first round too.
Indians Khyati Mody (left) Achintya Mehrotra and Sahil Khanna take a selfie with other teams at AAGC in South Korea. FB @Achintya Earlier, Khyati was selected to be a part of Team India squad during the trial rounds in Banglore in June along with others. Shivani Pruthvi participated in the first round and Khyati replaced her for this round due to her non-availability.
“Just a week before South Korea round I got a call from the Federation that one of the team members is not available and I was selected for this round. I was thrilled and anxious since there was barely any time to get any training,” said Khyati.
Her other two teammates in the Indian squad, Achintya Mehrotra and Sahil Khanna, have registered themselves to do a basic BMW course in South Korea prior to the round and they suggested her too. But unfortunately, the slots were full. However, before booking her flight ticket she checked the availability and was lucky that one slot opened up. She booked it immediately but needed an International driving license to attend this course. Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) assisted her and arranged the permit.
The Indian Team. In Mumbai, it is difficult to find tracks to practice handbrake turns but Ajmera Indi Karting in Wadala was happy to lend her the karting track for her practice. Rayo Racing head Rayomand Banerjee and AAGC committee personal Harshit Merchant helped her in guiding her towards refining her skill in the few hour’s practice that could be managed in the last 2-3 days prior to her flight.
“I procured the driving suit in the last minute and flew down to South Korea and along with my teammates held the Tricolour during the opening ceremony. It was a feeling that is beyond words to express. At that moment I just felt that we are carrying the dreams of all Indian motorsports lovers. Along with Achintya and Sahil, we gave our best and managed to get the 4th place despite much tough opposition from better-placed countries,” added Khyati.
“I missed the individual podium by 0.07 second which was heart-breaking but I am happy to have won fourth place in the team trophy along with my teammates. They have been my biggest strength and support system in South Korea and assisted me when I needed them the most. I did not even have a team India T-shirt. Sahil Khanna was kind enough to let me borrow his spare T-shirt. It’s been an emotional roller-coaster and I am glad I was part of the Indian team,” she concluded.
-
Aishwarya Pissay makes history as she wins FIM Bajas World Cup in women’s class
Aishwarya Pissay receiving the World Cup on Sunday. Photos courtesy FIM Bengaluru, 11 August 2019: Aishwarya Pissay, the 23-year old from Bengaluru, created history by annexing the FIM Bajas World Cup in the Women’s category after the fourth and final round of the championship, at Varpalota (Hungary), on Sunday. She became the first Indian ever to win a World title in Motorsport. Aishwarya also finished second in the FIM Junior category on the conclusion of the four-round Championship.
Aishwarya, who won the first round in Dubai and was placed third (Portugal), fifth (Spain) and fourth (Hungary) in the subsequent outings, finished with a tally of 65 points, just four ahead of Portugal’s Rita Vieira in the final Overall standings for Women. She was placed second in the Junior category with 46 points, behind championship winner Tomas de Gavardo (60) of Chile.
The TVS Racing’s Bengaluru rider, emerged victorious in the four-round cross country rally based on the total points, with her victory in the first round in Dubai standing her in good stead. In the fourth round in Hungary, the second-placed Vieira Rita, could only finish third for 15 points and thus Aishwarya who finished fourth managed to keep her lead and won the World Cup Baja in the women’s category gaining 13 points for her 4th. Romero Font Rosa won the Hungarian round in this class and Garcia Alvarez Sara finished second.After 805km, including 588km on competitive selective sections around Várpalota and Lake Balaton, the Hungarian Baja rounded off the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Bajas World Cup. For the record, Adam Tomicek (Husqvarna) claimed his maiden motorcycle victory, the Pole finishing ahead of Stefan Svitko (KTM) and Maciej Giemza (Husqvarna), while Juraj Varja (Yamaha) took the laurels in the quad category from Aleksandr Maksimov (Yamaha).
The 23-year-old Aishwarya is sponsored by TVS, Sidvin, Mountain Dew, Scott Motorsports India, K&N, Cult Sport and BigRock Dirt Park. Before the start of the final round she was leading the women’s category by seven points, after having won in Dubai, finished third in Portugal and fifth in Spain.
A proud moment for Team TVS Sherco’s Aishwarya Pissay from India as she stands on the top step of the podium at FIM Bajas Women’s World Cup on Sunday. An FIM image An ecstatic Aishwarya, said after the podium ceremonies: “It’s absolutely overwhelming. I am out of words. After what happened last year, my first international season, when I crashed in Spain Baja and suffered career-threatening injuries, to come out and win the championship, is a great feeling.
“It was a tough phase of my life, but I believed in myself and was determined to get back on the bike which I did after nearly six months. So, winning the World Cup is huge for me and I will look to better my performance having gained this experience. I also hope I will be able to get more sponsors on board and eventually realise my dream of participating in and finishing the Dakar Rally (considered World’s most difficult cross-country race). In any case, I will pursue that dream no matter what.”
Reflecting on her Hungarian Baja performance, Aishwarya said: “Without a doubt, the Hungarian Baja was one of my best races though I didn’t win. It wasn’t an easy race. Given the nature of the terrain, it was more of endurance than just pace. I was riding a smaller bike (250cc) as against the 450cc bikes other girls were on. So, there was always a difference of 20-25 minutes between me and the other riders.
Aishwary’a medals! “Also, I was wrongly given a road penalty for early check-in which wasn’t my fault. All these factors added to my time. On the positive side, I was happy that I was closing the gap between me and other riders in front of me. I was able to get within seven minutes of Rita (Vieira) and that gave me the confidence. However, it was more about finishing the race and I was focussed on that.”
Aishwarya is scheduled to return to Bengaluru in the early hours of Wednesday, August 14, via Qatar.
On July 30, Miss Pissay finished fifth in the FIM women’s category and 24th Overall in the FIM bike category of the Baja Espana Aragon, the penultimate round of the World Cup.
Earlier in Round 2 at Portugal, Aishwarya took a podium in the women’s category finished third in March. She also topped the women’s category in the first round in Dubai on March 9.
The Hungarian Baja comprised of five Special Stages totalling 588.26 km besides 205.66 of Liaison section. The competitors were flagged-off late on Thursday for SS-1 (7.18 Kms) near to this former mining town.
Miss Pissay has topped many events in India in the women’s category which included Raid De Himalaya 2017, Dakshin Dare for two years in 2016 and 2017. She also won the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) in 2017 and 2018 but before that her focus was on racing and she won the TVS Apache Ladies One Make Championship 2017 and then the top honours in the MRF MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2017, when the women’s category was recognised as a national event by FMSCI, the Indian federation for the sport.
-
Aishwarya gunning for FIM World Cup title: Hungarian Baja
Aishwarya Pissay file photo: INDIAinF1 Bengaluru, 9 August 2019: India’s Aishwarya Pissay will be seeking to win the FIM Bajas World Cup as she begins her campaign in the Hungarian Baja, the fourth and final round of the championship, at Varpalota (Hungary), on Saturday.
Bengaluru-based 23-year old Aishwarya, sponsored by TVS, Sidvin, Mountain Dew, Scott Motorsports India, K&N, Cult Sport and BigRock Dirt Park, is leading the women’s category by seven points, after having won in Dubai, finished third in Portugal and fifth in Spain.
On July 30, Miss Pissay finished fifth in the FIM women’s category and 24th Overall in the FIM bike category of the Baja Espana Aragon, the penultimate round of the World Cup,
Aishwarya’s bike being prepared for the Round in Aragon. A file photo courtesy Miss Pissay Earlier in Round 2 at Portugal, Aishwarya took a podium in the women’s category finished third in March. She also topped the women’s category in the first round in Dubai on March 9.
Looking ahead to the event, Aishwarya said: “Going into the Hungarian Baja, I am hopeful of performing better than in the previous round since the World Cup is at stake. It will not be easy as I have to negotiate nearly 590 Kms of Special Stages, but I am up to the challenge. After the last round in Spain, I stayed back to train. So, I have done pretty much all I can in terms of preparations. My focus here would be on performing well and the results will follow.”
After four rounds of the FIM World Cup, Aishwarya has 52 points, followed by Portugal’s Rita Vieira (45) and Spaniard Sara Garcia Alvarez (36). The trio, along with two other women riders, will be going head-to-head in what promises to be an exciting battle.
The Hungarian Baja comprises five Special Stages totalling 588.26 Kms besides 205.66 of Liaison section. The competitors will be flagged-off late tonight for SS-1 (7.18 Kms) near to this former mining town before heading out to complete the remainder of the course over the weekend.
Miss Pissay has topped many events in India in the women’s category which included Raid De Himalaya 2017, Dakshin Dare for two years in 2016 and 2017. She also won the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) in 2017 and 2018 but before that her focus was on racing and she won the TVS Apache Ladies One Make Championship 2017 before bagging the MRF MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2017, when the women’s category was recognised as a national event by FMSCI, the Indian federation for the sport.
-
Campos Racing’s Arjun Maini to continue at F2 Round 8: Hungarian GP weekend
Twitter @ArjunMaini Budapest, 1 August 2019: The FIA Formula 2 Championship heads for the heat of the Hungarian summer for Round 8, as the F1 paddock moves to Budapest following the excitement of Great Britain.
Indian racer Arjun Maini, who signed up with Campos Racing for two races only, will continue for the third race with the Spanish team and will take part in the F2 during the F1 weekend.There was plenty for the home fans to celebrate at Silverstone with British outfit UNI-Virtuosi Racing setting the pace for the majority of the weekend. Luca Ghiotto was the man to catch in free practice, and the Italian continued his pace in qualifying before teammate Guanyu Zhou went fastest to take pole and lockout the front row for the Norfolk-based team. Ghiotto edged ahead of the Chinese rookie in the opening lap before battling to take the first F2 Feature Race win of his career. Campos Racing’s Jack Aitken continued to give the British crowd reasons to be cheerful, pulling off audacious overtakes on championship leader Nyck de Vries and then Louis Delétraz to take the lead and secure his second victory of the season to rapturous applause.De Vries (170 points) is still out in front in the Drivers’ Championship, but second-placed Nicholas Latifi (139) has closed the gap slightly to 31 points. Ghiotto (122) has leapfrogged Sérgio Sette Câmara (121) into third position by a single point. DAMS (260) are top of the Teams’ Championship though a solid weekend for UNI-Virtuosi Racing (227) have seen them narrow the gap to 33 points. French outfit ART Grand Prix are currently third with 176 points.The Hungaroring hosts Round 8 of the championship, a technical track that tests both cars and drivers. With an average temperature of 28 degrees, strategy will prove a decisive factor in the warm weather and Pirelli are supplying the medium and soft tyre compounds. As we’ve seen all season, the racing on track should be just as hot in another incredible weekend of F2 action!Warm Up // Nobuharu Matsushita – Carlin“I really like the Hungaroring because it’s a really technical track. It’s not all about the high-speed corners, it’s also technically difficult, and so it’s really hard to try and put everything together during one lap. It’s a challenging track to drive.“There’s not one specific corner that provides more of a challenge than any other. Every single corner is difficult. I guess that makes the whole circuit a specific challenge when compared to other tracks.“Tyre degradation also plays a key role and you have to look after your tyres if you are going to survive until the end of the race. That all adds to the difficulty. I’d say the best place to overtake is in Turn 1. You have to be really smooth in Sector 3 to follow the guy in front, making sure you don’t make a mistake in the last corner, and then you can use the DRS to help you get past into the first corner. There are other places to overtake but that’s the easiest place to get a move done.“I’ve won twice in Hungary and have had some of the best experiences of my career there at this level. I also did F1 testing there in 2017 with Sauber. I remember it was really hot, but it is a good memory! I’m really looking forward to going back and racing and I would really like to win there again.”Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of F1 and Car Racing“This the last round before the summer break but the FIA F2 Championship is already entering its closing stages, which provides even more pressure to obtain a strong result in Hungary. It’s a type of track that many of the drivers will be familiar with from their karting days: very tight and narrow, with the tyres constantly working. As a result, managing the compounds in the hot conditions will be vitally important, with an accent on strategy as well because it’s very tricky to overtake. It’s also going to be one of the most important qualifying sessions of the year: finding a gap on what’s often a crowded circuit will be essential as well.”Season Stats
170 The number of points championship leader Nyck De Vries currently has so far this season, exactly the same number as reigning champion George Russell had at this stage last season. Russell was also driving for ART Grand Prix.31 The points gap between Drivers’ Championship leader De Vries and second-placed Nicholas Latifi (139) at the top of the standings.4 Only four drivers have been classified finishers in every race so far this season; De Vries,Latifi, Jack Aitken and Anthoine Hubert.5 Excluding DNF’s, the lowest Sérgio Sette Câmara has finished in a Feature Race this season is fifth.NoteworthyThe F2 race lap record at the Hungaroring is 1:29.121, set by Antonio Fuoco with PREMA Racing in 2017Guanyu Zhou became the first Chinese pole sitter in the history of F2 when he earned his very first pole position at Silverstone. The Chinese driver also became the first rookie of the season to earn pole position for a Feature RaceIf Carlin qualify on pole position for Saturday’s Feature Race, they will become the first team in the history of F2 to claim Feature Race pole at the Hungaroring in two consecutive yearsIf Nyck De Vries wins this weekend he will match Artem Markelov for the record highest number of wins in the modern era of FIA Formula 2. A win in both races would see the Dutchman surpass the RussianDe Vries has finished on the podium at least once in every round of 2019 except one – the season opener in Sakhir back in MarchEvery driver that has won a Budapest feature race at this level and then gone on to win the championship in the same year has also gone on to race in Formula 1. Nico Hulkenberg did it in 2009, Pastor Maldonado in 2010, Romain Grosjean in 2011 and then Pierre Gasly in 2016Ralph Boschung, who competed in the first five rounds of the 2019 F2 Championship with Trident, returns to the F2 paddock with the Italian outfit this weekend. The Swiss driver has already scored three championship points this termThe Feature Race at the Hungaroring will take place on Saturday morning as opposed to Saturday afternoonData (GMT+2)Friday
Free Practice: 13.00 – 13.45
Qualifying: 16.55 – 17.25
Press conference: 19.00SaturdayFeature race: 10.10 (37 laps)
Press conference: 11.30SundaySprint race: 11.25 (28 laps)
Press conference: 12.30 -
Aishwarya finishes 5th; leads women’s World Cup standings: Baja Aragon
Aishwarya Pissay Aragon (Spain), 30 July 2019: India’s Aishwarya Pissay of Team Sherco TVS finished fifth in the FIM women’s category and 24th Overall in the FIM bike category of the Baja Espana Aragon, the penultimate round of the FIM Bajas World Cup, here on Sunday.
Bengaluru-based Aishwarya, sponsored by TVS, Sidvin, Mountain Dew, Scott Motorsports India, K&N, Cult Sport and BigRock Dirt Park, picked up 11 points after completing the 827-km course. It helped her maintain the top position on the women’s World Cup leaderboard.
Earlier in Round 2 at Portugal, Aishwarya took a podium in the women’s category finished third in March. She also topped the women’s category in the first round in Dubai on March 9.
Going into the final round in Hungary scheduled for Aug 10-11, the 24-year old enjoys a seven-point lead over Portugal’s Rita Vieira (45 points) with Spaniard Sara Garcia Alvarez (36) in the third spot. Aishwarya is also placed second in the Junior category, trailing Chilean Tomas de Gavardo by 19 points.
Aishwarya Pissay in action at Baja Aragon on Sunday. A TVS Racing image “Baja Aragon was the scene of my big crash last year that put me out of action for over six months. So, I was determined to shrug off those bitter memories and complete the course, which I did. It was a very technical course and I lost a lot of time in the process. I definitely need to train more in order to get faster in the technical sections. But I’m happy with my progress from last year and crossing finish line on a strong note.
Aishwarya’s file photo: Twitter @MissPissay “More importantly, I managed to maintain my lead in the World Cup standings. To prepare for the last round in Hungary, I am staying back in Spain for training so that I can perform better and win the World Cup,” said Aishwarya.
The first stage began on Friday at 10.30 am for bikes. On Saturday, another two special stages with a total distance of more than 500 kilometers were run as the bikes started early at 6.30 am before the cars took off at 7 am.
The total distance of the timed stages was just over 500 kilometers, as the best drivers and riders in the different categories joined the long list of winners in the golden book of Baja Espana Aragon.
The Bengaluru rider, who turned 24 last fortnight (Aug 14) started her international career in 2018 at the same event and became a professional rally-raid rider as she gave up road racing. Her debut at the first major event last year saw her injure herself critically at the same event but she bounced back with a strong mind and undertook serious training for over four months before the event. She has been practicing for over 5 hours a day including her physical fitness and mental strength and had taken part in Dubai International Baja and Portugal Baja this year.
She has topped many events in India in the women’s category which included Raid De Himalaya 2017, Dakshin Dare for two years in 2016 and 2017. She also won the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) in 2017 and 2018 but before that her focus was on racing and she won the TVS Apache Ladies One Make Championship 2017 before bagging the MRF MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2017, when the women’s category was recognised as a national event by FMSCI, the Indian federation for the sport.
-
Raiden, Nirvaan take top-2 slots in Novice class at Sepang
Sepang, 26 July 2019: Indian kart racers from Team Rayo Racing, Raiden Samervel, and Nirvaan Chandna put up a fine show bagging first and second in the Novice Category of the fourth round of the AutoInc Asia Max Challenge 2019 at Sepang, Malaysia, last Sunday. Both teenagers participated in the Micro Max category and finished 12th and 13th overall, respectively.Qualifying saw Timofey Mikhaylov grab overall pole position with a lap time of 55.141 seconds. Thirteen-year-old Nirvaan posted a lap time of 56.623 seconds, to emerge quickest in the Novice category. Teammate Raiden was a mere 7 hundredths of a second behind, with a lap time of 56.696, second out of the six novices on the grid.
The Heat 1 saw the two Indians start eleventh and twelfth and in a relatively straight forward race, Raiden managed to get ahead to finish ninth, one second ahead of Nirvaan in tenth.
Heat 2 proved to be a big setback for the weekend. The duo started well, with Nirvaan managing to move ahead. Unfortunately, he made contact with another racer ahead, launching his kart into the air and he landed in the path of Raiden. The two collided & fell right down the order to last & eventually finished at the tail end.
The finals had all racers start on the basis of their Pre Final result, which saw Raiden start eleventh, while Nirvaan started fourteenth. The very close & competitive mid grid meant that there was little the duo could do to move up the order. Although Raiden improved his lap time marginally he finished twelfth, 1.3 seconds ahead of Nirvaan in thirteenth. In the novice category, the duo was first and second, ahead of Eason.“It was unfortunate that the incident in heat 2 played an important role, in them not being able to produce a good result in the final. I would have been happier if they could have translated their pace from practice into the races. However, considering that it is only their second race weekend at this level and that they outperformed all other novices, it is a credible performance.” said Steve Hodges, Technical Director of Rayo Racing, who accompanied the racers to Malaysia.
Action1 “Racing at the Asian Rotax at the 1.2km Sepang circuit in Malaysia was very exciting. I was up against the best and it was a great learning experience. Winning the Novice Category was a moment I will never forget!” said 12-year-old Raiden Samervel.
Nirvaan Chandna added “The race weekend was a good learning experience, especially driving on the Sepang international kart circuit, which is quite a fast track. Racing against so many racers from around Asia also taught me a lot. I intend to work harder and do better.”
“The two racers have been training hard. This exposure is good for them & I am confident there is a lot more to come from both racers” said Rayomand Banajee of Rayo Racing.
-
Home win for Jack Aitken; Arjun Maini 13th: F2
Louis Delétraz (Carlin), Jack Aitken (Campos Racing), Nyck De Vries (ART Grand Prix), the F2 Sprint winners on Sunday. An FIA F2 image Silverstone, 14 July 2019: Jack Aitken gave British racing fans a reason to cheer at Silverstone, clawing his way from fourth on the grid for a first home win in the F2 Sprint Race. The Campos driver achieved his best finish since Azerbaijan, crossing the line ahead of Carlin’s Louis Delétraz and ART Grand Prix’s Nyck De Vries. Indian racer Arjun Maini, also of Campos Racing, finished 13th while the other Indian on the grid Mahaveer Raghunathan of MP Motorsport ended at the last.
Aitken got the better of another British driver at the race start, as he joined Delétraz and De Vries in lunging ahead of reverse grid pole-sitter Callum Ilott who was slow off the line. The trio flung themselves down the right of the Ferrari Junior and dropped him to fourth at Turn 1.Delétraz made the best start of the three and headed the group going into Lap 2, as Aitken began to hone in on De Vries. The Brit unsettled the Championship leader and made his move, arrowing beautifully down the side of him, having taken a tow. The Dutchman briefly fought back, but bumped the back of the Campos car and handed over the position.This left the Championship leader in view of Ilott, who took a peak at the right of the ART machine, however, the Briton appeared just short of the pace required for an overtake and remained in behind.Feature Race winner Luca Ghiotto continued to display UNI-Virtuosi’s pace advantage at Silverstone, moving up to fifth with an overtake on Nicholas Latifi. The Italian had eyes on Ilott, but was unfortunately forced into a tyre change and returned from the pits at the back of the field, in an agonizing end to his weekend.Back at the front, Delétraz had held a near 3s lead over Aitken, but the Campos man was running quicker and twice set a faster lap as he began to eat into the air between them. The Renault test driver whittled it down to DRS range within two laps and the strain on the Carlin was too much for Delétraz.No sooner had the gap dropped beneath a second, had Aitken arrived in the shadow of the race leader, halving the time difference to under 0.5s. The 23-year-old looked up and glided down the side of Delétraz who was powerless to prevent the move.From there, the order remained unchanged, as Aitken kept his cool in front and held on ahead of Delétraz. De Vries completed the podium in third to salvage something from Round 7, ahead of Ilott, Latifi, Mick Schumacher, Nobuharu Matsushita and Guanyu Zhou.The drivers’ championship remains in the hands of De Vries, who leads Latifi by 31 points. Ghiotto is third on 122, ahead of Sérgio Sette Câmara on 121 and Jack Aitken on 113. DAMS top the teams’ championship on 260 points, with UNI-Virtuosi second on 227. ART Grand Prix sit third on 176, with Campos Racing fourth on 143 and Carlin fifth on 125.De Vries will aim to pick up speed again in Budapest at the end of July, when the F2 Championship returns to action at the Hungaroring.2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Round 7 Sprint Race classificationDRIVERTEAM1Jack AitkenCampos Racing2Louis DelétrazCarlin3Nyck De VriesART Grand Prix4Callum IlottSauber Junior Team by Charouz5Nicholas LatifiDAMS6Mick SchumacherPREMA Racing7Nobuharu MatsushitaCarlin8Guanyu ZhouUNI-Virtuosi Racing9Jordan KingMP Motorsport10Juan Manuel CorreaSauber Junior Team by Charouz11Anthoine HubertBWT Arden12Nikita MazepinART Grand Prix13Arjun MainiCampos Racing14Dorian BoccolacciTrident15Luca GhiottoUNI-Virtuosi Racing16Tatiana CalderonBWT Arden17Sérgio Sette CâmaraDAMS18Mahaveer RaghunathanMP MotorsportNOT CLASSIFIEDGiuliano AlesiTridentOVERALL FASTEST LAPJack Aitken (Campos Racing) – 1:39.993 on Lap 20FASTEST LAP ELIGIBLE FOR POINTSJack Aitken (Campos Racing) -
Pulcini wins Race 2; Jehan Daruwala suffers setback, slips to 2nd in the championship: F3
Silverstone, 14 July 2019: Leonardo Pulcini denied Championship leaders PREMA a win for the second round in a row, edging out Robert Shwartzman for his first taste of champagne this season, with a blistering drive in Race 2.Starting 7th on the reverse grid, Indian racer Jehan Daruvala did well and was fighting for the third position when he got into an incident and ended any chance of making it to the top-3 and ended last. After suffering this setback, the Indian prospect slipped back to 2nd in the championship behind his teammate. He took the lead in the first race after his 2nd on the podium.The Russian racer made a late charge through the field, but could only rise as high as second, coming unstuck against the dominant Italian who secured his team’s second victory at Silverstone. Reverse grid poleman Liam Lawson completed the top three to earn his first podium in FIA Formula 3.Lawson had gotten away cleanly at the start, with Pedro Piquet and Christian Lundgaard busy squabbling amongst themselves for P2. Pulcini made the best beginning of the lot, lunging ahead of Shwartzman midway through the first lap for 4th, while the Russian took air on the curb.It was not a strong start for the Russian who also caught the tail of Race 1 winner Jüri Vips and lost further momentum. Pulcini already had his eyes on a provisional podium spot but would need two attempts to race round Lundgaard, making the second one stick at the final turn.The Italian arrowed in on Lawson, but carefully calculated his move and patiently waited in the Kiwi’s shadow. The opportunity arose on lap 9 and he seared to the right of the MP Motorsport man and comfortably completed the move. His team urged him to build a 1s gap and then concentrate on his degrading rubber.The three PREMAs were locked in tussle for 5th, but Shwartzman put a stop to the fight with an overtake on Lundgaard at the exit of Chapel which wobbled the Dane and allowed Jehan Daruvala to follow on through.Having been stuck in 5th for the majority of the race, Shwartzman swiftly followed up his first move and blistered past Piquet for third, with his eyes locked on Lawson in P2. The overtake duly arrived around the outside of Stowe, completing an awesome couple of laps for the PREMA man and a remarkable turn-around.His charge ended there as Pulcini had managed to fire 4s ahead, with just two laps to go. Action continued further back when Piquet and Lawson went wheel-to-wheel: the Trident man edged ahead and looked to have nailed down the position, but the Kiwi regained the spot thanks to slick defending moves. Daruvala added his name to the fight for third and clipped the back of the Brazilian as he backed off, sending Piquet into a spin and ending his race.Pulcini held on come the chequered flag for his maiden win of the campaign, ahead of the resurgent Shwartzman and 17-year-old Lawson. Marcus Armstrong and Lundgaard completed the top five, followed by David Beckmann, Yuki Tsunoda and Fabio Scherer.Shwartzman’s podium finish hands him back the lead in the drivers’ championship on 114 points, 12 ahead of Daruvala. Vips is third on 92, ahead of Marcus Armstrong on 77 and Piquet on 43. PREMA Racing still lead the teams’ championship on 293 points, with Hitech Grand Prix second on 127. ART Grand Prix sit third with 92, followed by Trident on 58 and HWA RACELAB on 41.Action will resume at the end of July as the grid head to Hungary where Hitech will aim to continue their pursuit of PREMA Racing, who will be desperate to pick up the pace again at the Hungaroring.FIA Formula 3 Championship – Round 4 Race 2 classificationDRIVERTEAM1Leonardo PulciniHitech Grand Prix2Robert ShwartzmanPREMA Racing3Liam LawsonMP Motorsport4Marcus ArmstrongPREMA Racing5Christian LundgaardART Grand Prix6David BeckmannART Grand Prix7Yuki TsunodaJenzer Motorsport8Fabio SchererSauber Junior Team by Charouz9Lirim ZendeliSauber Junior Team by Charouz10Felipe DrugovichCarlin Buzz Racing11Ye YifeiHitech Grand Prix12Max FewtrellART Grand Prix13Juri VipsHitech Grand Prix14Logan SargeantCarlin Buzz Racing15Sebastian FernandezCampos Racing16Teppei NatoriCarlin Buzz Racing17Devlin DeFrancescoTrident18Raoul HymanSauber Junior Team by Charouz19Niko KariTrident20Bent ViscaalHWA RACELAB21Richard VerschoorMP Motorsport22Andreas EstnerJenzer Motorsport23Federico MalvestitiJenzer Motorsport24Simo LaaksonenMP Motorsport25Alessio DeleddaCampos Racing26Keyvan AndresHWA RACELAB27Pedro PiquetTrident28Jehan DaruvalaPREMA Racing -
Team India finishes 4th overall at Asian Gymkhana
The 3-member Team India who bagged the overall fourth place is at the far left on the podium. Photo from Shivani Pruthvi Yogyakarta (Indonesia), 13 July 2019: The three-member Indian team bagged a creditable overall fourth place in the first round of the Asia Auto Gymkhana championship 2019 which concluded here on Saturday.
Representing the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI), the Indians came out triumphant reaching the semifinals in the overall championship and took the podium for fourth place. The team consisting of Shivani Pruthvi of Davangere, Sahil Khanna, and Karan Malik (both Delhi) performed well against some strong teams from 11 countries and competed with 39 other drivers for top honours.
The Indian team at the gala closing ceremony on Saturday. The trio managed to come out on to the top-4 brushing aside a stiff challenge from other countries including some strong contingents from Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Korea, and the host country Indonesia.
All the competitors were on an identical race-prepared Toyota Agyas (aka Wigo in the Philippines) on multiple gymkhana course layouts in a knock-out format.
Sahil Khanna was placed fourth in the Solo overall category while the Indian team also managed to take the third place in the doubles category.
Shivani, a 21-year old from Davangere town in Karnataka, who became the first Indian woman to represent India in a Gymkhana event said: “I’m very lucky enough that I have got an opportunity to represent India. No other feeling in the world can match the thrill and pride of representing one’s country. Holding up the Tricolour high on foreign soil is a dream come true and I will cherish this forever.” Actually, this is the second time Shivani is representing the country abroad. As an active NCC cadet, she had an opportunity to go abroad to Singapore ICEP in 2014 and now motorsport has taken her to Indonesia.In September 2018, India’s Achintya Mehrotra won the Solo Championship during the AAGC 2018 held in Thane.
Edited on 14July2019: Corrected drivers age and place details.
