INDIA in F1

Category: Indians Abroad

News about Indians racing in different motorsports events abroad

  • Jehan Daruvala impressive in the post-season testing: Tops timesheets in the afternoon

    Jehan Daruvala impressive in the post-season testing: Tops timesheets in the afternoon

    GP3 Series – Test 4.
    Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
    Friday 30 November 2018.
    Jehan Daruvala (IND, Campos Racing)
    Photo: Zak Mauger / GP3 Series Media Service.
    ref: Digital Image

    Abu Dhabi, 30 Nov 2018: Jehan Dharuvala performed well in the post-season test as he topped the afternoon session after being in the top-two quickest drivers in the morning. The Indian driver was the quickest man at the Yas Marina Circuit seting a laptime in the afternoon session in a 1:54.753 with Campos Racing. Niko Kari set a time of 1:54.683 at the wheel of a Trident in Day 2 morning session of the 2018 post-season tests.

    Day 2 opened at 9am local time and Logan Sargeant led the rest of the pack out of the pitlane as soon as it went green. The American driver who spent Day 1 with MP Motorsport moved to Trident this Friday and set the early pace.
    The studious morning session saw Kari and Daruvala swap positions at the top of the timesheet with the Indian driver drawing first blood in a 1:55.102. The Finn improved further and dipped under 1m55s, but Daruvala went even quicker in a 1:54.689 to retake P1.
    With one hour and thirty minutes left on the clock, Kari reclaimed the top spot with a laptime 6 thousandths better than Daruvala’s. When the flag dropped, Kari, Daruvala and Sargeant completed the top 3 ahead of Alex Peroni, Linus Lundqvist, Richard Verschoor, Christian Lundgaard, Yuki Tsunoda, Maximilian Fewtrell and Devlin DeFrancesco.
    The former Force India Academy driver, Daruvala was back at the top of the timesheet in the early stages of the afternoon session, but the battle for P1 raged again as Kari went quickest with a laptime of 1:55.888.
    Most of the session was dedicated to long runs and we had to wait until the final half hour to see Daruvala retake the top spot in a 1:55.325. DeFrancesco was able to improve on the Indian’s best to go top, but with five minutes left on the clock Daruvala went even quicker to end the session P1. Verschoor and Lundqvist also moved up to second and third respectively in the dying minutes. Piastri, DeFrancesco, Tsunoda, Sargeant, Kari, Lorenzo Colombo and Peroni rounded the top 10.
    The GP3 Series will run one final day tomorrow.
    2018 Post-season testing – Day 2: morning session classification
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    TIME
    LAP
    1
    Niko Kari
    Trident
    1:54.683
    19
    2
    Jehan Daruvala
    Campos Racing
    1:54.689
    29
    3
    Logan Sargeant
    Trident
    1:54.983
    30
    4
    Alex Peroni
    Campos Racing
    1:55.245
    17
    5
    Linus Lundqvist
    Campos Racing
    1:55.345
    29
    6
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    1:55.379
    22
    7
    Christian Lundgaard
    ART Grand Prix
    1:55.535
    25
    8
    Yuki Tsunoda
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:55.676
    25
    9
    Maximilian Fewtrell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:55.688
    23
    10
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    Trident
    1:55.694
    28
    11
    Olli Caldwell
    Trident
    1:55.829
    28
    12
    Ben Hingeley
    Charouz Racing System
    1:55.896
    29
    13
    Oscar Piastri
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:55.975
    25
    14
    Felipe Drugovich
    ART Grand Prix
    1:56.070
    22
    15
    Lorenzo Colombo
    MP Motorsport
    1:56.323
    27
    16
    Robert Schwartzman
    Charouz Racing System
    1:56.413
    28
    17
    Ye Yifei
    MP Motorsport
    1:56.900
    30
    18
    Fabio Scherer
    Charouz Racing System
    1:56.924
    29
    19
    Enaam Ehmad
    ART Grand Prix
    1:57.359
    29
    20
    Federico Malvestiti
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:57.627
    37
    2018 Post-season testing – Day 2: afternoon session classification
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    TIME
    LAP
    1
    Jehan Daruvala
    Campos Racing
    1:54.753
    29
    2
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    1:54.799
    36
    3
    Linus Lundqvist
    Campos Racing
    1:55.041
    26
    4
    Oscar Piastri
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:55.085
    22
    5
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    Trident
    1:55.089
    26
    6
    Yuki Tsunoda
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:55.177
    29
    7
    Logan Sargeant
    Trident
    1:55.274
    28
    8
    Niko Kari
    Trident
    1:55.359
    25
    9
    Lorenzo Colombo
    MP Motorsport
    1:55.495
    27
    10
    Alex Peroni
    Campos Racing
    1:55.608
    19
    11
    Ben Hingeley
    Charouz Racing System
    1:55.665
    28
    12
    Miximilian Fewtrell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:55.733
    32
    13
    Robert Schwartzman
    Charouz Racing System
    1:55.801
    30
    14
    Ye Yifei
    MP Motorsport
    1:55.826
    19
    15
    Olli Caldwell
    Trident
    1:55.971
    21
    16
    Fabio Scherer
    Charouz Racing System
    1:56.129
    32
    17
    Christian Lundgaard
    ART Grand Prix
    1:56.313
    33
    18
    Felipe Drugovich
    ART Grand Prix
    1:56.414
    31
    19
    Federico Malvestiti
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:56.734
    31
    20
    Enaam Ahmed
    ART Grand Prix
    1:56.800
    31
  • Hubert crowned GP3 champion even as Pulcini wins; Jehan Daruwala suffers setback, finishes 19th

    Hubert crowned GP3 champion even as Pulcini wins; Jehan Daruwala suffers setback, finishes 19th

    Anthoine Hubert came third but it was enough to seal the GP3 championship on Saturday. at Yas Marina
    Photo: GP3 Series

    Abu Dabhi, 24 Nov 2018: Leonardo Pulcini claimed his second victory of the season in fine style in this afternoon’s Race 1 at Yas Marina Circuit, fighting off an early challenge before powering all the way to the flag for a popular win, but most eyes were focussed a little further back as Anthoine Hubert did everything he needed to claim the final GP3 Series drivers’ title before easing off at the end to finish on the podium behind David Beckmann.

    Meanwhile, Indian ace Jehan Daruwala of MP Motorsport suffered a setback finishing 19th with only Joey Mawson behind him.
    Temperatures were soaring as the lights went out, with poleman and title challenger Nikita Mazepin unable to match Pulcini’s glorious getaway: the Russian cut straight across to cover the challenge, and although Hubert made a strong start he was in no position to risk a move at turn 1 and fell into line behind the front row starters but ahead of Callum Ilott, who mugged teammate Jake Hughes at the first corner, Beckmann and Ryan Tveter.
    Pulcini knew he had an advantage, and he played it almost immediately: the Italian outdragged Mazepin on the long back straight for the lead, with Beckmann copying the move on Hughes for P5. The Russian was not finished though, knowing that he needed victory to keep his title hopes alive, and he pushed Pulcini before outbraking for the lead at the marina on lap 4, but a slightly wide line at the hotel complex on the next lap allowed the Italian back into P1.
    Mazepin tried the marina move once again on lap 6, but Pulcini was alert to the danger: the Russian went too deep and ran off, but in his hurry to restart the battle he missed the bollard around which he needed to rejoin the track, and the subsequent 10 second time penalty effectively ended his title run.
    If the move meant that the front-runners could focus on preserving their cars and tyres, further back there was more action to be had: Beckmann run through Ilott at the marina for P4 on lap 9, while Giuliano Alesi started his progression up the points by claiming Tveter’s scalp behind him, while a lap later Hughes repaid his teammate by outbraking Ilott for P5. Beckmann and Hughes squabbled over P4 for a few laps before the German could finally pull away and focus on the target ahead in the closing laps.
    With the title in his pocket Hubert had no reason to fight too hard for P3, particularly as it was coming back to him at the end of the race, and gave way to Beckmann at the marina chicane on the final lap, but up front Pulcini was greeted by the flag some 8.6 seconds ahead of the German and the 2018 GP3 Champion, with Ilott hanging on for 4th and Mazepin, who was 2nd on the road before his penalty, was handed P5 ahead of a charging Alesi, who mugged Hughes on the penultimate lap, with Juan Manuel Correa surviving a late squabble for P8 and tomorrow’s pole with Simo Laaksonen and Tatiana Calderon.
    Race 1 Provisional Classification
    Position
    Driver
    Team
    Gap
    1
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Campos Racing
    2
    David Beckmann
    Trident
    8.631
    3
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    10.360
    4
    Callum Ilott
    ART Grand Prix
    11.156
    5
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    11.481
    6
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    12.701
    7
    Jake Hughes
    ART Grand Prix
    16.729
    8
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Jenzer Motorsport
    17.110
    9
    Simo Laaksonen
    Campos Racing
    17.512
    10
    Tatiana Calderón
    Jenzer Motorsport
    17.804
    11
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    18.479
    12
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    20.350
    13
    Jannes Fittje
    Jenzer Motorsport
    21.523
    14
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    22.728
    15
    Gabriel Aubry
    Arden International
    24.169
    16
    Sacha Fenestraz
    Arden International
    26.043
    17
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    MP Motorsport
    28.055
    18
    Diego Menchaca
    Campos Racing
    32.591
    19
    Jehan Daruvala
    MP Motorsport
    39.718
    20
    Joey Mawson
    Arden International
    69.610
  • Indian drag racers `Sonu’ SS Sokhi, Amit Sharma backed by Elite Octane excel at global stage

    Indian drag racers `Sonu’ SS Sokhi, Amit Sharma backed by Elite Octane excel at global stage

    Hyderabad duo excels at world finals in the ManCup Motorcycle drag races in the US. An Elite Octane Inc. image

    By David Bodapati

    Bangalore, 24 Nov 2018: Touching speeds of over 240 kmph, Indian riders Sonu Sundeep Singh Sokhi and Amit Sharma excelled with top-class performance without much seat-time on powerful machines, and still managed to bring unprecedented laurels for the country in the Manufacturers Cup, presented by Vance & Hines, popularly known as Man Cup Motorcycle Drag Race held at South Georgia Motorsports Park from November 16 to 18 in Valdosta of Georgia in America.

    Roy Johnson from Farmville, Virginia (US) won the event and Stanley Russell of Georgia, US, came thousandth of a second ahead of Sonu. As is the wont, the drag racing’s ruthless differences in demoting ranks, the inexperienced Indian still was worth every millisecond in gold. Sonu clocked 9.503 seconds to the tie of the top-two at 9.502.

    Due to the weather conditions changing, everyone picked up a few seconds and Sonu clocked 9.2sec in his final run which was war quicker than the category index.
    Amit was no less in another tough category. “It is indeed an amazing performance by the two fastest Indians. Sundeep Singh Sokhi’s performance was just brilliant. It is certainly not an easy task and that too in the very first experience at this level. Amit was no less by any means when he represented in another tough category with an index of 8.90 sec with a strong field of 64 racers. Undaunted, he was blisteringly quick. It’s been a dream start and Elite Octane looks forward to extending such platforms for creating many more great moments in future with the support of Rickey Gadson Drag Racing School. From Valley Run (Aamby Valley City, India) to World Finals in the USA – it has truly been an amazing journey,” revealed Rongom Tagore Mukerji, Director, Elite Octane Inc.
    The Indian rider, an expert drag racer but without much international exposure, still topped the speeds touching a speed of 243.445 kmph which no one could reach in the world finals but had to settle for a third. Still it was a great achievement and the credit should also go to the team behind him which persisted and put everything together despite the extreme odds in a country, which does not give the importance it deserves for Drag Racing, which became a part of National Racing Championship only a couple of years back after Akbar Ebrahim took over the mantle of FMSCI, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India, the governing body of Motorsports in the country.
    Sonu (centre), celebrates. A High Octane image

    Run along with the 42nd annual Mann Hill Garage event, the Hyderabad duo representing India in their first-ever World Finals put in an extremely good show with Sokhi qualifying third out of 35 bikes in the Street Fighter class and made it to the eight-bike final.

    Meanwhile, another superlative performance from Amit Sharma saw him clock India’s fastest drag racing time-slip of a stunning 8.87 seconds, but could only manage to the last-16 stage astride a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14Rs in the Seasoned Racers class which had 64 in the fray.

    Supported by Elite Octane, the South Indian duo was fortunate to train at the Rickey Gadson Drag School which offers a drag-prepped surface that sprays a custom-formulated resin that acts as glue for tyres to offer phenomenal grip and the safety that comes with the package. Multiple World Drag champion Rickey Gadson was impressed by the Indians’ skills at the Valley Run at Amby Valley. before saying okay to recruit them.

    High Octane, the team behind the success of Sonu Sundeep Singh Sokhi and Amit Sharma have saluted the “Fastest Indians” for their commitment and dedication to the World’s Fastest Sport.

    Sokhi a picture of concentration before the start: Photo courtesy Elite Octane Inc.

    “All odds were against the duo, as the Indian riders never raced on a Drag Prepped Surface, and had not been used to the Power of the machines which they could lay their hands on, for only two days of training under Rickey Gadson Drag School.

    “That’s a tough ask for anyone to perform with such seasoned racers. But they did it in style and beat the best in the World and earned their respect on a world stage,” said Mukerji.

    The social media was abuzz as the drag giants did the country proud and hashtag #GlobalPlatform showcasing their achievements in the Man Cup achievement was all over. The High Octane team can be followed on twitter  @TheValleyRun ‏and FB @EliteOctane . Other Twitter tags that ran during the event include #WorldFinals #IndianDragRacers #worldisyourplayground #EliteOctane #RickeyGadson #ManCup #DragRacing #rgdrs

    There were over 800 participants from and racers who have more than 20 years of experience competed from all over the world.

    Amit Sharma becomes the `Fastest Indian Rider’ in India’s drag racing history when he stopped the clock at 8.87sec in his class. He earned his way to the last-16 in a seasoned racers class of 64 entries.

    Elite Octane’s initiative has opened a doorway for India Racers to perform at the highest level in the “World Fastest Sport – Drag Racing”. The initiate which started at `The Valley Run 2017′ at Amby Valley saw multiple world champion Rickey Gadson’s hosted the first-ever Rickey Gadson Drag Racing School in India. The two Indian Racers were selected from this very group by the 11-time World Champion. “The journey from Valley Run to World Finals has been incredible and we certainly see a bright future ahead for Indian Racers,” said Rongom Tagore. Both Sonu and Amit were on Kawasaki ZX14R  which were provided by Rickey Gadson.

    You can watch the video here.

    Street Fighter Class details:

    Street Fighter is the street-bike index class contested at AMA Dragbike National events and is considered the entry point into index racing. Most bikes compete with either big displacement normal-aspirated motors to nitrous or turbocharged machines with a D.O.T street tire without the aid of wheelie bars.

    All compete with a heads-up, pro-tree start. Street Fighter is run on qualified 64 bike field, based on a standard of 9.50/6.10 index. Standard safety is a requirement. During qualifying, runs quicker than the 9.50/6.10 index will be placed at the bottom of the qualifying sheet. During eliminations, runs quicker than the standard disqualify the rider under Handicap “break-out” procedures. All entries must be self-starting. No starter carts or bump starts permitted.

    Updated with quote on 25Nov2018 at 1015am

  • Russell flies to pole in dramatic qualifying; Arjun Maini to start at the back of the grid

    Championship leader grabs pole in Abu Dhabi
    Abu Dhabi, 23 Nov 2018: George Russell has put one hand on the trophy by claiming a fifth pole position at this evening’s FIA Formula 2 Championship qualifying session to extend his lead over title rival Alexander Albon to 41 points with just 44 left to claim this weekend, with the Briton flying on his second run to grab the top spot ahead of Nyck de Vries and Nicholas Latifi.
    The Briton stopped the clocks with a lap of 1:49.251 with a minute remaining in the session, while Albon had a wide ride over the kerbs in the final sector of the lap, destroying any chance he had of getting one over his rival ahead of tomorrow’s feature race.
    The temperatures remained up as the sun dropped down ahead of the session, and with the lights blazing overhead the teams concentrated on making the final preparations until the circuit opened for business. Russell was the 2nd driver on track and was clearly keen to stamp his authority on the session: Carlin pair Lando Norris and Sergio Sette Câmara briefly alternated the lead before Russell claimed the top spot for himself, with Albon and Artem Markelov slotting onto the timesheets just behind him.
    Nyck de Vries and Latifi emerged for their first runs just as their rivals were returning to the pits, and both men put the clear track to good use, with first the Canadian and then the Dutchman annexing the top spot, although de Vries made it clear to his team that he didn’t think his lap was good enough to hold on as he returned for fresh tyres. It was a point that was soon to be proven correct.
    With six minutes remaining everyone was back on track and looking to find the time they left on track last time around: Russell’s sectors went green and then purple before holding on the final sector to claim provisional pole, with de Vries and Latifi improving as well but both being unable to usurp the ART driver, and when Albon had a ragged final sector after a trip across the kerbs Russell’s pole was secure.
    Behind the top three Artem Markelov made a tremendous improvement on free practice to claim a second row start ahead of Jack Aitken, Louis Deletraz, Norris, Albon, Tadasuke Makino and Sette Câmara: tomorrow’s feature race promises even more fireworks with the title potentially to be secured.
    Provisional Qualifying Classification
    Position
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:49.251
    10
    2
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:49.541
    8
    3
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:49.647
    9
    4
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:49.869
    9
    5
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:49.946
    10
    6
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:50.038
    9
    7
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:50.059
    10
    8
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:50.155
    10
    9
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:50.180
    9
    10
    Sergio Sette Câmara
    Carlin
    1:50.187
    10
    11
    Niko Kari
    MP Motorsport
    1:50.375
    10
    12
    Roberto Merhi
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:50.513
    10
    13
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:50.522
    9
    14
    Daniel Ticktum
    BWT Arden
    1:50.580
    10
    15
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:50.812
    10
    16
    Alessio Lorandi
    Trident
    1:50.855
    10
    17
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:50.892
    10
    18
    Dorian Boccolacci
    MP Motorsport
    1:51.037
    10
    19
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:51.048
    9
    20
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:51.597
    10

  • Arjun Maini 16th as Russell sets the pace in FP1: FIA Formula 2

    Russell sets the pace in Abu Dhabi
    Abu Dhabi, 23 Nov 2018: Top Indian driver Arjun Maini suffered a set back as he could clock only 16th fastest in the Free Practice 1 even as George Russell got his championship-deciding weekend under way in fine style by topping this afternoon’s FIA Formula 2 Championship free practice with a lap of 1:51.720, grabbing P1 by over a tenth from Antonio Fuoco and Luca Ghiotto, while title rival Alexander Albon kept his powder dry by coming home in P9, almost a second behind the 2019 Williams F1 driver.
    The Indian driver who is returning to top competition after a long break put in 17 laps on Friday.
    The session got underway with the expected blue skies and soaring temperatures, with Lando Norris and Fuoco the first drivers to set representative times to top the timesheets. The Italian held P1 for the first quarter hour before being usurped by Russell, who looked unruffled as he grabbed the top spot while further back Albon had a slightly wayward moment at the marina complex and decided that discretion was the better part of valour, returning to the pitlane soon afterwards.
    And with that, the grid concentrated on their long run pace ahead of the penultimate race tomorrow, with little to concern the timekeepers: Roberto Merhi had a small moment over the kerbs while Artem Markelov explored the limits of tyre adhesion all around the circuit in an otherwise quiet session.
    Nirei Fukuzumi was best of the rest behind the top 3 but ahead of Nyck De Vries, Merhi, Louis Deletraz, Norris, Albon and Markelov as they returned to the paddock to scour the data in an effort to go faster still in this evening’s qualifying session.
    Free Practice Times
    Driver
    Team
    Laptime
    Laps
    1
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:51.720
    19
    2
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:51.884
    18
    3
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:52.315
    20
    4
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:52.323
    15
    5
    Nyck De Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:52.386
    16
    6
    Roberto Merhi
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:52.395
    19
    7
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:52.518
    17
    8
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:52.611
    18
    9
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:52.655
    17
    10
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:52.940
    16
    11
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:53.012
    18
    12
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:53.037
    18
    13
    Alessio Lorandi
    Trident
    1:53.216
    18
    14
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:53.360
    17
    15
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:53.398
    16
    16
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:53.483
    17
    17
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:53.507
    18
    18
    Niko Kari
    MP Motorsport
    1:53.605
    18
    19
    Dorian Boccolacci
    MP Motorsport
    1:53.875
    17
    20
    Daniel Ticktum
    BWT Arden
    1:54.317
    18
  • Rookie Jehan Daruvala just 0.2 seconds off top-2 pace in GP3; Alesi leads FP1 in Abu Dhabi

    Rookie Jehan Daruvala just 0.2 seconds off top-2 pace in GP3; Alesi leads FP1 in Abu Dhabi

    Frenchman Alesi fastest in free practice
    File photo of Jehan Daruvala; INDIAinF1

    Abu Dhabi, 23 Nov 2018: Indian star Jehan Daruvala, touted as the best bet for the future of Indian racing, made an impressive debut showing the pace straight away in Free Practice 1. He was just 0.2 seconds off the pace of two drivers ahead of him as he finished fourth fastest on Friday.

    Meanwhile, Giuliano Alesi has set the pace for the final round of the 2018 GP3 Series by grabbing the top spot in this morning’s free practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit with a time of 1:55.676, going purple in all 3 sectors late in the session for a lap which was 0.892s faster than teammate David Beckmann and Gabriel Aubry, who both set the same best time earlier in the day.
    The session opened to the expected blue skies and building heat so familiar to everyone at the circuit, with most of the runners heading out when the lights went green but ART and Trident holding fire for a while: Beckmann was the last driver on track at the 15 minute mark just as ART annexed the top 3, with series leader Anthoine Hubert leading the way ahead of Callum Ilott and Nikita Mazepin.
    Hubert went quicker still next time round, laying down a marker for his title intentions, while Beckmann slotted in a tenth behind him to show that his late season form was continuing. With most of the field having a wealth of experience at the circuit there was little in the way of off-track activity, although Alesi briefly slowed half an hour in before getting underway once more.
    Leonardo Pulcini was also determined to show that his recent good form reflected his true ability by setting the pace with 15 minutes remaining, setting a new target for his rivals. Hubert improved but not by enough, while Mazepin ran well wide before regaining the track at the Viceroy section. All eyes were on Aubry as he was setting purple sectors, but just ahead of him Beckman claimed the top spot with a concise and flowing lap, while the Frenchman ran wide at the final corner to match the German’s time to the thousandth, with rookie Jehan Daruvala slotting just 0.02 behind the pair.
    With 2 minutes remaining Alesi struck, setting the pace in every sector to bring home a lap that smashed his rivals dreams: Beckmann improved on the first sector but was well off in the second, and the session was done. Behind the top 4 Joey Mawson was the only other driver within a second of Alesi, finishing ahead of Sacha Fenestraz, Pulcini, Hubert, Richard Verschoor, Ryan Tveter, Jake Hughes and Mazepin as they returned to the paddock to plan their qualifying strategies.
    Free Practice Times
    Driver
    Team
    Laptime
    Laps
    1
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:55.676
    18
    2
    David Beckmann
    Trident
    1:56.568
    12
    3
    Gabriel Aubry
    Arden International
    1:56.568
    18
    4
    Jehan Daruvala
    MP Motorsport
    1:56.589
    20
    5
    Joey Mawson
    Arden International
    1:56.655
    17
    6
    Sacha Fenestraz
    Arden International
    1:57.053
    18
    7
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Campos Racing
    1:57.116
    16
    8
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    1:57.170
    16
    9
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    MP Motorsport
    1:57.170
    18
    10
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    1:57.259
    18
    11
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    1:57.277
    15
    12
    Jake Hughes
    ART Grand Prix
    1:57.311
    17
    13
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    1:57.393
    16
    14
    Juan-Manuel Correa
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:57.453
    17
    15
    Diego Menchaca
    Campos Racing
    1:57.579
    18
    16
    Simo Laaksonen
    Campos Racing
    1:57.588
    17
    17
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    1:57.727
    15
    18
    Tatiana Calderon
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:57.826
    18
    19
    Callum Ilott
    ART Grand Prix
    1:57.847
    16
    20
    Jannes Fittje
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:58.579
    17
  • Jehan Daruvala to make GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi driving for MP Motorsport

    Jehan Daruvala to make GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi driving for MP Motorsport

    Jehan Daruvala….all set for GP3 debut in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

    Mumbai, 21 November 2018: Jehan Daruvala will race MP Motorsport’s third GP3 car in the last round of the GP3 series, in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Formula 3 race winner Daruvala from Mumbai, will debut in the highly acclaimed GP3 series with Dutch team, MP Motorsports. Jehan who last year became the first Indian to win a race in the highly competitive FIA F3 European Championship, completed the 2018 season with 1 win, 1 pole, 1 fastest lap and 5 podiums in total.

    GP3 is considered an important stepping stone to F1. Current Mercedes F1 racer, Valteri Bottas and 2019 Ferrari F1 racer, Charles Leclerc are just some of the F1 stars who have graduated via GP3. This weekend the GP3 series will serve as a support race, to the F1 season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

    MP Motorsport also currently fields a team in the Formula 2 championship and currently lie 4th in the GP3 series. Jehan will partner Dutchman Richard Verschoor and Canadian Devlin Defrancesco.

    Jehan Daruvala

    “I’m pleased to welcome Jehan to our GP3 team for the final weekend in the series’ nine-year history before we move on to the all-new FIA F3 in 2019,” said MP’s team manager Sander Dorsman. “I’m sure Jehan will gel well with Richard and Devlin, and will help us wave goodbye to GP3 by going out on a high.”

    “After my 2017 test, it will be good to gain some more GP3 experience ahead of the 2019 season. I am thankful to MP for giving me this opportunity,” said Jehan. The Mumbai racer first proved his mettle in karts in India, winning the JK Tyre National Karting title in Micro Max. He went on to win the Malaysian Junior Yamaha Title. He then went on to become the first & only Indian to win the CIK FIA Asia Pacific KF3 Championship & subequently the British Superone Karting Championship.

    Having finished third in the 2014 CIK-FIA World Karting Championship, Jehan moved to single-seater racing the next year, finishing fifth in the 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series & runner up in the Toyota Racing Series 2016. In early 2017, he won the New Zealand Grand Prix (Toyota Racing Series). He then debuted in the FIA F3 European Championship  where he finished 6th in the championship, with a win, a pole and three podiums in total. In his second FIA F3 season in 2018, Jehan copied those results and added two more podiums and a fastest lap.

    Note: The FIA issued specs of the F3 2019 car on Nov 22, 2018.

  • Danial Frost, Max Defourny share honours on Day One in MRF Challenge

    Danial Frost, Max Defourny share honours on Day One in MRF Challenge

    Danial Frost, winner of Race-2 on Friday. Photo: Anand Philar

    Dubai, 16 Nov 2018: Danial Frost from Singapore and Belgian Max Defourny scored a race and a podium apiece to open their accounts in the first round of MRF Challenge at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Friday. Three more races are scheduled for tomorrow.

    Frost, 17, in his second season in the championship, thus notched his maiden win by topping Race-2 after having finished third in Race-1 that Defourny, 20, won from pole position.

    In Race-1, Frost made five places to come in third and in the next outing, climbed from fourth on the reverse grid to win. In contrast, Defourny dominated Race-1 with a lights-to-flag victory and in the next race, sliced his way through from sixth on the reverse grid to finish third behind pole-sitter Czech Republic’s Petr Ptacek who did well to hold off the Belgian over the last couple of laps.

    “I had a good start and made positions in the very first lap before taking the lead. Thereafter, I consolidated my track position and it was quite comfortable in the end,” said Frost.

    Earlier, Defourny put his pole position start to best use in Race-1 and was never seriously challenged even as he nursed his early lead though eschewing risk. Behind him, Jamie Chadwick, 20, who started second, slipped a bit, losing a couple of track positions, but recovered to regain her second spot while Frost drove well to finish third from eighth on the grid.

    India’s Chetan Korada, making his debut in the championship, was placed 10th and 12th in the two races. He started Race-1 from the pitlane following an engine change, but said he was pleased to improve his lap times while getting used to the car.

    After Race-1, Defourny said: “The race wasn’t too bad. Missed the fastest lap as I was trying to be a bit cautious on the tyres because it was the first race of the season. Was saving my tyres in the beginning and was expecting more track improvement as the race progressed. I opened a comfortable gap and did not want to make any mistakes, though I missed the fastest lap in the last two laps, wanting to save the tyres.”

    Earlier, the qualifying session in the morning gradually developed into a two-way battle between Defourny and Chadwick who was provisionally on pole with just a few minutes left on the clock with a 01:57.177. The 20-year old Belgian’s response was a 01:56.819 which eventually ensured him the pole position. Chadwick, also 20, then replied with her best lap of the session, 01:56.937, but had to be content with the second spot on the grid.

    “It was my first time out here and it was ok. We managed to get pole for Race 1 and Race 3. So we are positive. We had some issues with the gearbox leading to loss of speed, but we managed to sort it out. I already have two points for pole position and we hope to take as many points as possible from this round,” said Defourny.

    The results:

    Race-1 (10 laps): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Frost; 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic); 3. Defourny.

    Qualifying (30 minutes): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:56.819); 2. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:56.937); 3. Andreas Estner (Germany) (01:57.502); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:57.730).

  • Gaurav Gill sets the pace to take lead in RC2 class: Kennards Hire Rally Australia

    Gaurav Gill sets the pace to take lead in RC2 class: Kennards Hire Rally Australia

    Gaurav Gill in action on Friday in Kennards Rally Australia. Photo: MRF Racing

    Coffs Harbour, 16 November 2018: Winning six of the day’s eight Special Stages, India’s Gaurav Gill and his Australia co-driver Glenn Macneall of MRF Tyres took a healthy lead of 33.6 seconds to top the RC2 (WRC2) class in the Kennards Hire Rally Australia, the concluding round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, here on Friday.

    Building on the hot pace he had shown in Thursday’s shakedown which he topped in the RC2 class, Gill enjoyed a fruitful outing today as he gradually shifted gears to end the day on a high to be placed 11th Overall, just behind the WRC cars!

    Gill, driving the M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta R5, finished the day with a combined time of 58mins, 32.7secs, while Alberto Heller from Chile and his Argentine co-driver Jose Dias, also in a Ford Fiesta R5, were second with 59:06.3 as the cars headed into the final service of the day.

    The Rally continues on Saturday, the longest day of the three-day event, when 10 more Special Stages over 133 Kms will be run.

    Gill during Shakedown. Photo: MRF Racing

    During Thursday’s Shakedown, Gill was the fastest in 03:08.0 which he clocked on his third attempt, improving five seconds overall during the session. “We had a couple of good runs in the car and the MRF Tyres worked well on this short stage.” Gill said. “Tomorrow looks like it will be dry so the work here today will be very important. The stages tomorrow will be tough and this is my first visit to the Coffs Harbour stages.”

    Following the morning’s shakedown, thousands of people packed into the  centre of Coffs Harbour for the ceremonial start and autograph sessions.

    While Gill has never rallied in the Coffs Harbour region before, his  success in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, combined with Macneall  being on home ground meant that the MRF Tyres Ford Fiesta R5 was popular  with the fans.

    “It was great to see so many people out here for the start of Rally Australia,” Gill said. “I have had a lot of success in previous rallies I have done in  Australia and I am looking forward to rallying in front of the  Australian fans again.”

  • Jamie Chadwick sets the pace in MRF Challenge

    Jamie Chadwick sets the pace in MRF Challenge

    Jamie Chadwick, who topped the free practice sessions on Thursday . Photo: Aditya Bedre.

    Dubai, 15 Nov 2018: Jamie Chadwick, the only female driver on the 12-car grid, put the marker down for the first round of the MRF Challenge championship by topping both the Free Practice sessions at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Thursday.

    Chadwick, 20, from Bath, England, came out on top in the two, 30-minute practice sessions, clocking a best of one minute, 59.218 in the first outing and 01:59.774 in the next around the 5.390 Kms circuit as she made her debut in the MRF Challenge on a high. She survived a tough battle with Czech Republic’s 16-year old Petr Ptaceck who was second fastest in both the sessions, clocking 01:59.581 (FP1)and 01:59.918 (FP2).

    Jamie Chadwick. Photo: Aditya Bedre

    Chadwick, who created history in 2015 when she became the first female and youngest winner of the British GT Championship, and Ptacek exchanged fastest laps in the closing minutes of FP-2. However, Chadwick went quicker on last flying lap to top the time charts. Less than a second separated the top eight drivers.

    “I learnt a lot today – new circuit, new car. I am happy with the way we ended up today in these conditions and I look forward to the races,” said Chadwick.

    In the first free practice session this morning, one second covered 10 of the 12 drivers, promising a close contest over the five races scheduled for the first round of the championship.

    Chadwick recorded her fastest lap of the session on her 14th and final lap as did the rest who all went quicker through the 30-minute practice. The top four, Chadwick, Ptacek, Defourny and Young, all posted sub-two-minute laps.

    For the lone Indian entry, Chetan Korada, 32, from Chennai, it was his first run at the Dubai Autodrome and he focused more on learning the tricky track with its blind crests leading into corners.

    Korada, who was 11th on the time sheets in both the sessions clocking his best laps of 02: 03.734 and 02:04.100, said: “It was my first run on this track and so, it was more about learning the circuit. However, with each lap, I managed to cut my timing. Overall, it was a reasonably good outing, all things considered. I hope to improve as we go along over the next couple of days.”

    The results (Free Practice):

    FP-1: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01min, 59.218secs); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.581); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:59.656); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:59.697).

    FP-2: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:59.774); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.918); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore) (02:00.115); 4. Andreas Estner (Germany) (02:00.276).