Chennai, 5 March 2014: 2013 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) winner and MRF driver Gaurav Gill on Thurs
File photo of MRF team, winners of 2013 APRC title. An Adrenna Communications photo
day confirmed that he and co-driver Glenn Macneall will defend their title with the Team MRF ŠKODA Fabia S2000 for the 2014 championship. Gill became the first Indian to win the prestigious APRC title and more importantly won it using MRF Tyres, adding yet another title to the leading Indian tyre manufacturer.
Team MRF Skoda will field two teams again with European Rally Championship winners Jan Kopecky and Pavel Dresler in the other car, an Adrenna Communications release said here on Thursday.
Gill was the first Indian to win the overall title but it was Sanjay Takale who won his class to become the first Indian APRC winner in any class.
Team MRF will be hoping to continue on their near perfect season last year, where they won five of the six APRC rounds throughout the season and totally dominated the championship. Team MRF will also be gunning for their third successive title after winning in 2012 with Chris Atkinson and 2013 with Gaurav Gill.
MRF is no stranger to APRC after being regular participants for over a decade. MRF is the only Indian Tyre manufacturer who develops rally tyres that are used internationally. The MRF R&D team work closely with the drivers to develop tyres for the different terrains and conditions. The MRF Tyres are prepared for all surfaces and conditions.
Mr. Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, commented, “We are thrilled to be defending our APRC title with Gaurav and Glenn. Having Jan and Pavel in the other Team MRF Skoda car further strengthens our intention and commitment to the sport. APRC has been a great platform for MRF to showcase how our tyres are adaptable to different conditions. The R&D team work really hard to ensure we give our drivers the best possible tyres to extract maximum from all terrains. Rallies take place on all surfaces and in all conditions from asphalt to gravel to dirt surfaces and it is our job to ensure that the tyres are competitive in all conditions. We are excited to continue our great relationship with Skoda and looking forward to the upcoming season. ”
Enroute to his 2013 APRC title, Gill took victories in the New Calendonian and Japanese rounds of the championship, while finishing second in New Zealand and China. His team-mate Esapekka Lappi, in his first APRC campaign, won three times, in China, New Zealand and Australia, but non-finishes in the other three events put him out of the championship running.
Gaurav Gill, who became the first Indian to win an FIA Championship was excited to defend his title. He commented“Firstly I would like to thank MRF and Skoda for their continuous commitment and support. We had a great season where we created history last year but now our focus is squarely on this year. I will be working much closer with the MRF R&D team as well to ensure we have the best possible tyres. These guys are capable of developing tyres to match the best in the world and together we hope to achieve this. We will not rest on our laurels and will continue to push to ensure that we are fighting for the title again.”
In 2014 six events make-up the championship starting in New Zealand in April with the fast and smooth roads at Rally of Whangarei. A month later is the tropical island paradise and rough roads of New Caledonia followed by Australia’s Sunshine Coast and the International Rally of Queensland. The APRC then heads to Asia to the very hot and humid Malaysian Rally based in Johor Bahru. Japan is next and the fast forestry and public roads of Rally Hokkaido, followed by the championship finale in the bamboo forests and mountains of Zhejiang province, China.
It will be big challenge for the European Rally Champion Jan Kopecký, known to be more of a tarmac specialist, and will have to adapt to the challenges of gravel surfaces. He commented, “It will be something special for me – new rallies, new territories and lot of them real exotic ones, and most importantly it will be completely different racing conditions. It will be great, I’m looking forward to working together with my co-driver Pavel Dresler. We had a fantastic season in 2013 and we look to continue that form with Team MRF Skoda this year as well. We have a good car, great team and perfect team-mate! And I hope Gaurav will give us lot good tips as well“.
2014 APRC Calendar
Round 1 – April 11-13: Rally of Whangarei – New Zealand
Round 2 – May 16-18: Rally de Nouvelle – New Caledonia
Round 3 – June 20-22: Rally of Queensland – Australia
Round 4 – August 15-17: Rally of Malaysia
Round 5 – September 26-28: Rally of Hokkaido – Japan
Sergio Perez who topped the time sheets in Bahrain on Thursday. A Sahara Force India photoBahrain: After a four-day hiatus Formula One returned to the Bahrain International Circuit today to begin its final pre-season group test before shipping out to Australia and the first grand prix of the 2014 season. Force India’s Sergio Pérez recorded the fastest lap of the day, though few teams seemed to be searching for outright pace. Headline times were several seconds slower than those recorded at the circuit last week. Instead, the day saw the front runners largely focussing on long-run pace and – as is now expected at the last test of the winter – fitting aerodynamic parts closer to a race-specification than those seen previously.
Pérez finished nine-tenths of a second quicker than Valtteri Bottas, though the Finn recorded the highest mileage of the day, with 128 laps for Williams. Kimi Räikkönen for Ferrari was third quickest, Nico Rosberg fourth for Mercedes and Adrian Sutil fifth for Sauber. McLaren’ Kevin Magnussen was sixth fastest. He completed 109 laps, joining Pérez (105) and Bottas in three figures. That was seventy laps more than seventh-fastest Daniel Ricciardo managed for Red Bull – he did, however, had the consolation of being the fastest of the Renault-engined cars. Eighth on the timesheet was Marussia’s Max Chilton who was followed by Daniil Kvyat for Toro Rosso, Pastor Maldonado for Lotus and Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi.
Bottas was the first man out on track, leaving the garage almost immediately the pitlane exit light turned green, though all 11 teams were lapping within the first half-hour. The first time of the day was set by Ricciardo, with a 1:40.262. The Australian dropped that to 1:38.642 moments later, over a second faster than the RB10 managed at the previous test.
If that were a reassuring start for one Renault team, the opposite was true at another as Caterham caused the first red flag of the day, with Kobayashi pulling his smoking car over 40 minutes into the session.
Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg gave the timesheet a familiar shape when he went fastest an hour and a half after the start with a lap of 1:37.722. That stood as the benchmark for an hour before Pérez took a second out of it with a lap of 1:36.051. He then improved to 1:35.290 as the lunch break approached.
“We really needed a good day to start this week and today we had it,” said Pérez. “We managed to do a lot of laps, try several different compounds and mappings, and it’s been a fantastic day in terms of learning about the car. Tomorrow is my last day in the car before the season starts so hopefully we can have another solid day to be in good shape for Melbourne.”
In a change to the timetable for the previous test, a half-hour break was scheduled for 1300, compensated with an extra half hour on track at the end of the day. The change was for the benefit of the track marshals rather than the teams – though some had a busy lunch break as Pastor Maldonado stopped out on track a few minutes before the interval. Lotus had been trialling a new exhaust system and later revealed this to be the source of the breakdown. They did not run again during the day.
After lunch Kvyat caused another red flag, stopping the Toro Rosso at Turn Two but there was happier news from the other Italian team. An unspecified glitch had restricted Raikkonen to just 12 laps in the morning but Ferrari were able to resolve the issue and allow the Finn a full afternoon of running – though it was he who brought the session to a slightly premature conclusion, stopping out on track a few minutes before the scheduled close.
Things were going the other way at Red Bull. Ricciardo completed 32 laps in the morning but failed to build on that, spending much of the afternoon in the garage as the team suffered a problem with its exhaust. Ricciardo added a further seven laps at the end of the day – but with Red Bull wanting a significant increase in track time this week, it was not the ideal start to proceedings.
“We sent Daniel out for a long-ish run, but we had to abort about five laps in, as we noticed some issues on the sensors,” explained race engineering co-ordinator Andy Damerum. “We brought him in, had a look at the car and discovered that we had a problem with the exhaust. So we had a long afternoon in the garage, but we did manage to get Daniel back out at the end of the session, which was good. We have some work to do overnight but hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to run in a similar style to this morning.”
Testing continues tomorrow and will run until Sunday.
2014 second Bahrain test day one – unofficial times
1 Sergio Pérez Force India 1m35.290s 105laps
2 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1m36.184s +0.894s 128laps
3 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1m36.432s +1.142s 54laps
4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m36.624s +1.334s 89laps
5 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1m37.700s +2.410s 89laps
6 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1m37.825s +2.535s 109laps
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1m37.908s +2.618s 39laps
8 Max Chilton Marussia 1m38.610s +3.320s 44laps
9 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1m39.242s +3.952s 56laps
10 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1m40.599s +5.309s 31laps
11 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1m42.285s +6.995s 19laps
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Dubai, 12 Jan 2014: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok got his year off to a brilliant start with a 3rd place finish in the SP2 class victory at the Dubai 24hours. Chandhok, driving the Dubai 24hours for the second time in his career, drove for the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN, which suffered mechanical issues through the night, costing the team a chance at victory.
Chandhok, driving the No. 126 Nissan 370Z Nismo joined Nissan GT Academy winners James Moffat, Tor Graves and Ashley Oldfield in Asia’s leading endurance race, a press release from Adrenna Communications said. The No. 126 car was fighting with the RJN sister car for the win when the team suffered issues into the night, costing them more than 2 hours in the pits. The team was at one point 16 laps behind the leader and managed to unlap themselves 5 times but was too late.
Chandhok rued the bad luck but was happy to start the season with a podium finish. He commented, “This is a great start to the year for me and I would like to thank the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN for this opportunity. It was a crazy race and at one point we looked fast enough for the win. You need luck in a 24 hour race and we didn’t get our share of the luck but we fought back and took a podium finish. It’s a shame we had a few problems as we were matching the pace of the sister car at the start of the race. The podium is a massive reward for the RJN boys so it was good to get it for them”
Chandhok was invited to join the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN. The academy takes people who are good at video games and, in a matter of months, turns them into professional drivers. Over 765,000 people participated in last year’s Academy, held through a special free demo made using technology of the new Gran Turismo®6 game. A record 42 gamers gathered at the final selection round this year to compete in the process of turning them from virtual to real racers.
Chandhok added “This is a fantastic program initiated by the Nissan GT Academy where gamers have a chance to race in the real world. It was interesting to work with the graduates in a cost-effective program which can take a young kid from his couch to the highest levels of racing with Nissan at Le Mans. This event has been an education for me, learning about GT Academy. I have only seen it from the outside before and have read about it in magazines. I hope it will launch in India soon. It’s good to see these guys getting the opportunities that people like me didn’t have. They have been given a golden opportunity and they need to make the most of it.”
Chennai, 7 Dec 2013: The FIA (Federation International Automobile) General Assembly and FIA Prize Giving Gala took place in Paris, France this week with India featured prominently at the event. The FIA General Assembly announced that it has removed the MAI (Motorsport Association of India) from any membership and association with the FIA and consequently removed from its rolls. This was just passed unanimously on the floor based on a recommendation by the World Motor Sport Council. This makes the FMSCI, governing body of Motorsports in India, the sole approved representative for the FIA in India.
In other news FMSCI Chairman Dr. Vijay Mallya, who became the first ever Indian to sit on the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), we re-elected after he was personally handpicked by FIA President Jean Todt. 14 members were elected out of a total of 24 who stood for the elections.
The annual FIA Prize-Giving Gala took place last night and the winners and champions from around the world were honoured including Formula One Champion Sebastian Vettel, World Rally Champion (WRC) Sebastian Ogier, World Karting Champion Max Verstappen, and India’s very Gaurav Gill, the 2013 Asia Pacific Rally Championship, along with many others. Global Manufacturer’s including Volkswagen Motorsport (WRC), Audi AG (World Endurance Champion), Honda (World Touring Car Champion) were also honoured.
FMSCI President Vicky Chandhok, who was present in Paris, commented, “This is a great week for Indian motorsport. Every year we are getting a bigger with regard to our involvement with the FIA. Being recognized as the only representative in India by the FIA has been long time coming and we are thrilled with the decision. Dr. Vijay Mallya being re-elected to the WMSC is proof of India being recognized as an important voice in the world of motorsports. And finally to see Gaurav Gill with the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Sebastian Ogier, Allen McNish being honoured together is a great sight for Indian motorsport.”
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L to R Vicky Chandhok, Gaurav Gill, Jean Todt at the FIA gala in Paris on Friday. An FIA/Adrenna photo
Paris, 6 Dec 2013: As the annual FIA Prize-Giving Gala honoured winners and champions from around the world for the year 2013, Gaurav Gill became the only Indian in the champions’ list. He won the Asia Pacific Rally Championship along with New Zealander Glenn Macneall.
Gaurav Gill (2nd from left) receiving the APRC trophy at the FIA prize-giving ceremony in Paris on Friday. An FIA photo
The annual FIA Prize-Giving Gala, held in Paris, France, took place this evening and the following winners and champions from around the world were honoured:
FIA Formula One World Championship
The Bernie Ecclestone Trophy
Formula One Promotional Trophies
FIA World Rally Championship
FIA World Endurance Championship
FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers
FIA World Endurance Cup for GT Manufacturers
FIA Personality of the Year
FIA World Touring Car Championship
CIK-FIA World KZ Championship
CIK-FIA World KF Championship
FIA Moment of the Year
FIA WRC 2 Championship
FIA WRC 3 Championship
FIA Junior WRC Championship
FIA World Cup For Cross Country Rally
FIA Middle East Rally Championship
FIA African Rally Championship
FIA European Rally Championship
FIA Codasur Rally Championship
FIA Nacam Rally Championship
FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
FIA European Formula 3 Championship
FIA Masters Historic Formula One
Championship
FIA World Land Speed Records
FIA Outstanding Official
FIA Founding Members Heritage Cup
Champion Driver: Sebastian Vettel (DEU)
Champion Constructor: Red Bull Racing (AUT)
Winner: DMSB (DEU)
Winning Promoter: Brazilian Grand Prix (BRA)
Winning TV: Sky Sports (GBR)
Sakhir (Bahrain) 30 Nov 2013: Cypriot driver Tio Ellinas struck back in fine fashion to beat championship leader Arthur Pic in Race 3 of Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. The two championship contenders traded place 5 times in the first two laps before Ellinas finally pulled away to win his first race of the weekend. Sam Dejonghe passed Race 1 winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook on the last lap to take the final step of the podium.
Earlier, Renault sponsored driver Arthur Pic pulled off a brilliant move around the outside of 4 cars into the first corner of lap 1 and went on to win Race 2 of Round 2. Pic crossed the chequered flag to comfortably finish ahead of Tio Ellinas and Harry Tincknell.
In Race 3,
Winners pose with Vinoo Mammen (left) and Arun Mammen., From left on podium Pic, Ellinas, Dejonghe. An Adrenna Photo
Ellinas started on pole after setting the second fastest time in qualifying. Both Ellinas and Pic had great starts but it was Pic who took lead as they crossed turn 1. Both drivers were side-by-side for the next three corners before Ellinas took the lead into turn 4. They were still together as Pic took the lead again. The first 2 laps had both drivers battling for the lead before Ellinas took the lead on lap 3. Behind them Dejonghe had a great start from 7th on the grid and passed Sam Brabham and Shinya Michimi to move into 4th place. Svendsen-Cook in third place caught Pic and started to put pressure on him. Ellinas continued to pull away while Pic, Svendsen-Cook and Dejonghe battled for second place. Svendsen-Cook tried to get past Pic on the last lap but could not make the move stick, letting Dejonghe make a move on the last lap and get past to take the final podium spot. Sam Brabham, son of Le Mans legend David Brabham, finished in a brilliant 5th place in only
Yudai Jinkawa, female driver Carmen Jorda and Australian Dylan Young had their own battle taking place as they fought for 8th position. Behind them the three Indian drivers were fighting their own battle for a top ten finish. Vikash Anand and Parth Ghorpade both collided forcing Ghorpade to retire. Raj Bharath finished in a creditable 12th position after missing out on practice and qualifying due to mechanical problems.
Race winner Tio Ellinas was thrilled to win after starting on pole for 2 of the 3 races. He commented, “It is great to win my first race of the season after being so close in the last few races. I had a great battle with Arthur and all credit to him as the racing between us is always clean and fair. Once I got past him I was able to pull away and hold a considerable lead. The car has been quick all weekend and I finally got to show what we are capable of. We are half way through the championship and it is building up really well.”
Second place man Arthur Pic commented, “I had a good start and the first few laps with Tio were great. I could not hold him off and he passed me on lap 3. I am very happy with the weekend as I have taken a good haul of points this weekend. The Bahrain circuit is very nice and challenging just like the Indian circuit.”
Third place finisher Sam Dejonghe got on the podium after a scary roll in yesterday’s Race 1. He commented, “To get on the podium is a great after yesterday’s crash. I had a good start and managed to pass both Brabham and Michimi. I was close with Rupert and got past him when he tried a move on Pic. The car has been quick and am looking forward to the next race.”
Sakhir (Bahrain), 29 Nov 2013: British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook took his second consecutive win as he won Race 1 of Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. Starting third on the grid, Svensen-Cook got a brilliant start to pass both pole-sitter Tio Ellinas and Arthur Pic around the outside into the first corner on lap 1. Svendsen-Cook led from then on but was pushed all the way to the chequered flag with both Pic and Ellinas right on his tail till the chequered flag.
At the start of the race, both Ellinas and Pic started well and were side-by-side on the run-up to the first corner. As Ellinas and Pic squeezed each other, Svendsen-Cook took the lead by going around the outside of both of them. Pic then got a run on Svendsen-Cook as they approached turn 4 but could not make a
From left: Arthur Pic, Svendsen Cook and Tio Ellinas at Bahrain on Friday. An Adrenna photo
move stick and ended up losing out to Ellinas, who overtook him into turn 4. Ellinas and Pic continued to battle as Svendsen-Cook pulled away at the front. Meanwhile, Harry Tincknell started charging through the field after dropping back to 8th place and was soon up to 4th position. The safety car had to come out on lap 2 as Sam Dejonghe was punted into a roll. With the car upside down Marshalls rushed to the car as the driver walked away unhurt.
At the safety car re-start Svendsen-Cook led as Ellinas was busy holding off Pic. Ellinas made a mistake in the last corner of lap 4 which helped Pic jump him into the first corner. Pic set the fastest lap of the race as he started catching Svendsen-Cook. With two laps to go Ellinas joined the fight with the top three being separated by less than a second. Svendsen-Cook managed to hold off both Pic and Ellinas to win the race. Tincknell finished in 4th place ahead of Shinya Michimi and Yudai Jinkawa, who will start on pole position for tomorrow’s reverse-grid race. Brazilian driver Renan Guerra had finished in 5th but received a 30 second penalty.
Race winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook was thrilled to take his second victory in a row. He commented, “It feels absolutely great to win again in the series. This has done wonders for my confidence and my pace is really good. I saw Pic and Ellinas battling and I decided to go around the outside of turn 1. After that I just had to keep them behind and even though they were quick I managed to hold on for the win. Tomorrow will be tougher but I am sure I can get a good result.”
Second place man Arthur Pic commented, “I had a good start in comparison with Tio but not as good as Rupert. Tio and me were side-by-side but he was fair and left me enough room. My first lap was not so good as I dropped back to 3rd place. After the safety car I got past Tio when he made a mistake. I was catching Rupert but made a mistake as well. I am not sure if I could have passed him but would have definitely tried. The pace was really good today so hopefully I can push for the win tomorrow.”
Third place finisher Tio Ellinas was felt he should have finished higher up after securing a double pole yesterday. He commented, “I did not get a good start and lost out to Rupert and Arthur into turn 1. I managed to get past Arthur in turn 4 before the safety car came out. After that I made a mistake on the last corner and Arthur got past me again. I think the top 3 were so similar on pace that we could not overtake without the other one making a mistake. I will have a fresh set of tyres tomorrow so Race 3&4 should be a lot better and I will fight for the win.”
Indian drivers Parth Ghorpade and Raj Bharath finished in 13th & 14th place while Vikash Anand retired at the start with a mechanical problem. Bharath, driving in the series for the first time started 19th and fought his way up to 14th position.
Race 2 of the day was cancelled due the bad light and will take place in the following round.
Sakhir (Bahrain), 28 Nov 2013: Championship contender Tio Ellinas secured pole position for Race 1 & 3 at Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. Renault sponsored driver Arthur Pic, who currently leads the championship, will start second ahead of British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook. Earlier in the day, Sam Dejonghe and Arthur Pic were fastest in the Free Practice sessions 1& 2. The FIA sanctioned MRF Challenge will serve as one of the main support races for the FIA World Endurance Championship round.
In the 30 minute qualifying session, Japanese driver Shinya Michimi was the first to set a competitive time and went to top of the time sheets with a 2:04:610. Pic came out next and went faster by three-tenths to go fastest, but that was soon eclipsed by Svendsen-Cook, who did a 2:03:551. Ellinas kept his run late and set a 2:02:983 to go provisional pole. His next lap was even faster as he became the first man to dip under the 2:03:00 mark to set a 2:02:960 and cement his pole position. As he set the second fastest lap as well in the qualifying session, he will start Race 3 from the front of the grid. Pic and Svendsen-Cook will start in second and third place again for Race 3.
Pole sitter Tio Ellinas was thrilled to be on pole after finding the perfect balance in practice. He commented, “It was a good session for me. We used the practice sessions to find the right balance and it worked well in qualifying. I did my fastest laps in succession and am confident going into to the race tomorrow. Getting pole here is very important so I will try to use this to my advantage at the start.”
Second placed man Arthur Pic commented, “I am happy with second place on the grid. We used a set of old tyres so could not match Tio for pole position. I am close to Tio with regard to race pace and I think the start will be important as whoever leads into turn 1 will have the advantage for the race.”
The Indian challenge had a tough day with Parth Ghorpade and Raj Bharath both suffering from mechanical problems. While Parth suffered a drive-shaft failure in qualifying, Bharath managed to get in a total of 5 laps the whole day after his car gave trouble. Ghorpade will start from 13th on the grid with Bharath and Vikash Anand further back.
Sam Dejonghe was the fastest man in Free Practice 1 as the drivers spent time learning the circuit. He set a fastest time of 2:03:390 with Svendsen-Cook behind him with a 2:03:427. In Free Practice 2, Arthur Pic topped the time sheets with a 2:03:491 ahead of Japanese driver Shinya Michimi, who was half a second off his pace.
About MRF Challenge 2013
The four round calendar will include 14 races, and will see the leading single-seater racing category in India go international with two rounds to be held in Bahrain in November and December. The final round of the championship will be held in Chennai in February. MRF also confirmed a prize money of Rs. 6,500,000 for the winners of the Championship.
Tio Ellinas takes double pole at Bahrain on Thursday. An Adrenna photo
In its second year, the MRF Challenge 2013 will feature 18 MRF Formula 2000 race cars, which have been made in India by JA Motorsport based in Coimbatore, in collaboration with Dallara, world’s largest racing car manufacturer and also Jayem Automotives Ltd, which is a strategic partner for Tata Motors Ltd. The Formula 3 style car has been built by JA Motorsport in technical collaboration with Dallara, and is considered to be the fastest of its kind in Asia. The MRF Formula 2000 is powered by a 2.0 litre 210 BHP Renault Sport Engine and will have a Hewland 6-Speed sequential gearbox. The race car has also been crash tested to FIA F3 safety standards and will race with MRF ZLO slick and wet tyres.
Please go to www.mrfracing.in for information on Championship Standings.
MRF Challenge 2013 Calendar:
Round 1: October 25-27, 2013, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit (Formula One Support Race)
Round 2: November 28-30, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (World Endurance Championship Support Race)
Round 3: December 19-21, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (Gulf Racing Festival)
Round 4: February 14-16, 2013, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Trust
Chennai, 27 Nov 2013: Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 season will kick-off this weekend with the Indian based series heading to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. The FIA sanctioned MRF Challenge will continue to mix it with the elite in international motorsport as it will serve as one of the main support races for the FIA World Endurance Championship round. This will be the first time that an Indian series, which includes race cars made in India and run on Indian tyres, will race internationally. This weekend will see 4 races of the MRF Formula 2000 cars in action, India’s faster single-seater cars.
The MRF Challenge also announced the addition of young Indian driver Raj Bharath who will join the championship in Round 2 at Bahrain. He will join other Indian drivers Parth Ghorpade and Vikash Anand on the grid. The battle will resume with Formula Renault 3.5 driver Arthur Pic defending his championship lead against GP3 driver Tio Ellinas and British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook. The weekend will have 2 free practice sessions, one qualifying session and 4 races this weekend. Other races this weekend include the FIA WEC and the Porsche GT3 Cup.
Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, commented, “We had a great start to the season in India and now we move on to Bahrain for Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013. We are proud to be the first Indian tyre manufacturer to race our tyres internationally in a single-seater series. This is a huge step not only for us, but Indian motorsport as well. The circuit is challenging for drivers and we are confident of another action packed race this weekend.”
The MRF Challenge boasts some of the top upcoming drivers across the world with Formula Renault 3.5 driver Arthur Pic leading the charge. Both Pic and second placed Tio Ellinas were busy after Round 1 as they tested the GP2 car in Abu Dhabi. GP2 Series and Formula Renault 3.5 both serve as the top feeder series for Formula 1 and it is a great for the MRF Challenge to have drivers of this calibre competing here.
The Indian challenge will be boosted with the addition of young driver Raj Bharath joining the competition. Bharath had a successful year in the Formula Masters China Series with race wins, pole positions and podium finishes. Bharath and Parth Ghorpade are the only two Indians to race in internationally single-seater categories this year, along with MRF driver Narain Karthikeyan.
J Anand, Managing Director, JA Motorsports, strongly believes that it can only help young Indian drivers to compete with the best drivers from Europe. He commented, “Our objective was always to build an international series attracting the best drivers from across the globe. This also helps our young Indian drivers develop as they work and compete against a good line-up of drivers. Bahrain will be a new challenge for all the drivers and they are all very excited to be driving over here.”
About MRF Challenge 2013
The four round calendar will include 14 races, and will see the leading single-seater racing category in India go international with two rounds to be held in Bahrain in November and December. The final round of the championship will be held in Chennai in February. MRF also confirmed a prize money of Rs. 6,500,000 for the winners of the Championship.
In its second year, the MRF Challenge 2013 will feature 18 MRF Formula 2000 race cars, which have been made in India by JA Motorsport based in Coimbatore, in collaboration with Dallara, world’s largest racing car manufacturer and also Jayem Automotives Ltd, which is a strategic partner for Tata Motors Ltd. The Formula 3 style car has been built by JA Motorsport in technical collaboration with Dallara, and is considered to be the fastest of its kind in Asia. The MRF Formula 2000 is powered by a 2.0 litre 210 BHP Renault Sport Engine and will have a Hewland 6-Speed sequential gearbox. The race car has also been crash tested to FIA F3 safety standards and will race with MRF ZLO slick and wet tyres.
Please go to www.mrfracing.in for information on Championship Standings.
Three-time ROC ‘Champion of Champions’ Mattias Ekström will return to the Race Of Champions at Bangkok in December
The Swedish DTM driver has twice defeated F1 great Michael Schumacher in the ROC Grand Final (see picture)
Ekström joins a 2013 line-up that includes Schumacher, Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen, four-time V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup and new World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier
Triple ROC ‘Champion of Champions’ Mattias Ekström will make a return to the Race Of Champions at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on December 14-15.
The Swede has won two DTM championships for Audi in 2004 and 2007 and he still competes in the German touring car series. But he has also appeared in eight WRC rallies and raced in Nascar. This year Ekström has spread his wings yet further with a successful appearance in the legendary V8 Supercar race at Bathurst, even leading the field at one point. He also raced strongly in the X-Games in Munich and took second place on his European Rallycross debut in his home country.
Such a rare mix of driving skill makes Ekström a maestro at the Race Of Champions, where he has won the overall ‘Champion of Champions’ title no less than three times, all in different stadia. In 2006 Ekström beat home hero Sébastien Loeb in his own rally car at the Stade de France in Paris before twice defeating Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher in the Grand Final – first at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2007 then at Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium in 2009. If he can repeat the feat in Bangkok he will equal Didier Auriol’s all-time record of four ROC triumphs. Ekström has also partnered Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen to ROC Nations Cup glory for Team Scandinavia in 2005 and the duo will now be reunited in Bangkok.
Ekström said: “I have many happy memories from the Race Of Champions and I’m delighted to be back this year – and to be teaming up with Tom again. It’s always a pleasure to race against the world’s best drivers and I’ve had some strong results down the years. What helps me is that I’ve been lucky to race many good touring cars, sportscars and rally cars but everyone knows it is a unique event. You have two minutes to show what you can do – and if you do it spotlessly you go further. I once won a race by a thousandth of a second: with margins like that you also need luck.”
Race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “Mattias is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Race Of Champions. So it is great for us to have him back in the field – and he will again start as one of the favourites for success as he bids to equal ROC’s all-time record. He and Tom will make up a formidable partnership in the ROC Nations Cup too and we hope to see a big crowd cheering them all on in Bangkok.”
Held every year since 1988, the Race Of Champions brings together the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s main disciplines – including Formula 1, World Rally, Le Mans, MotoGP, Nascar, IndyCar, Touring Cars and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.
ROC 2013 will take place on a specially constructed tarmac track with two parallel lanes winding their way round Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium. Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled forSaturday 14 December, ahead of the individual Race Of Champions on Sunday 15 December.
ROC features stars from all over the world: along with Schumacher and Kristensen, four-time V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup and 2013 World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier have already signed up and the rest of the field will be announced in the run-up to December’s event.
Tickets are now available from www.raceofchampions.com where you can also find further information. Sign up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, Race Of Champions on Facebook or @raceofchampions and the hashtag #BangROC on Twitter.
Drivers already announced for the 2013 Race Of Champions:
Michael SCHUMACHER, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
Tom KRISTENSEN, nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, World Endurance Champion 2013
