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Category: Indians Abroad
News about Indians racing in different motorsports events abroad
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Jehan Daruvala qualifies P10, will start on pole for Saturday’s Sprint
Spa Francorchamps (Belgium), 28 July 2023: Oliver Bearman didn’t waste a second from the get-go as he stormed to his third pole position of his rookie season. A torrential downpour mid-session meant the field had one shot at pole and the Briton put it all together with a 2:05.736 as the rain began to fall. Meanwhile, Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala secured the all-important 10th Place and will be starting on Pole for the reverse-grid Sprint Race on Saturday. Kush Maini, the other Indian could not finish in the classification.
“Rain started coming down on the very first push lap in quali, so we practically qualified in the order in which we left the pit lane. P10 that is and its reverse grid pole tomorrow,” said Daruvala in a tweet after the qualification session.
Prema Racing took their first 1-2 Qualifying result of the season as Championship leader Frederik Vesti claimed his spot on the front row. ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins secured another top three start in third.
Starting out on a drying track and with the forecast predicting heavy rain, the field were out of the pits as soon as possible. Before anyone could complete a timed lap, the Red Flag was deployed three minutes into the session after Joshua Mason found the gravel trap at Turn 9.
It was a race against time once green flag conditions resumed, with all-bar Kush Maini opting to gamble on the slicks.
Having been advised by his team to finish every lap possible as he led the field back onto the track, Vesti skirted his way around the narrow dry line to clock in a 2:06.199. Carving out a path for his teammate behind, Bearman took full advantage, going fastest by 0.463s.
The PREMA duo were in the right place at the right time as rain began to fall heavily in Sector 3, leaving those behind with little hope of beating the Briton’s lap.
Clocking in two purple sectors on his next lap, Bearman continued to go quicker. However, with conditions in the final sector too wet to improve, the Ferrari Academy junior’s job was done. The field headed into the pits to wait out the final 20 minutes of running, as the expected downpour arrived in earnest.
Martins’ sole effort managed to slot the Frenchman into third for his fourth-consecutive top three start ahead of Rodin Carlin’s Zane Maloney and Théo Pourchaire. Dennis Hauger popped himself up into sixth ahead of Ralph Boschung, Enzo Fittipaldi, and Richard Verschoor.
After securing the all-important P10 spot, Jehan Daruvala will line up on pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race. Lights go out at 13:45 local time.
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Mumbai’s 11-year-old Hamza takes 2nd in Asia’s X30 at Sepang
Sepang (Malaysia), June 27, 2023: Eleven-year-old Indian kart racer Hamza Balasinorwala impressed with his racing skills as he fought his way to a second place in the 4th Round of the IAME Asia Series, Asia’s most prestigious X30 Championship, in Sepang, on Sunday.
An international podium is a rare thing for an Indian and after quite a while an Indian youngster has a podium in an Asian Championship,” said Rayo Banajee, a celebrated racer who has groomed many an youngster both in karting and road racing. He now runs the Volkswagen team in the Indian National Racing Championship.
The Grade 6 student of Podar International School, Mumbai improved with every practice session but was hit by bad luck in the crucial qualifying round to take the twelfth position on the Cadet class grid.
As if that was not enough, Hamza suffered another setback in Heat 1, pulling out of the race – eventually won by Esteban Freihuber from the Philippines — in the first lap itself.
Undeterred, the Rayo Racing prodigy made a strong comeback in Heat 2, overtaking several experienced racers from around Asia to finish an impressive fourth. Singapore’s Aaron Mehta won this race, ahead of Thai racer Kamolphu Anuchatkul and Freihuber.
Hamza’s resilience continued in the pre-finals, where he expertly manoeuvred through the field from a 10th-place starting position, to finish an admirable fifth place. Mehta notched up his second consecutive win while Anuchatkul and Freihuber once again took the other two places on the podium.
As the finishing order of the pre-final decides the start order for the final, the Indian began from fifth on the grid. Getting off to a good start, Hamza soon found his way past Singapore’s Maximilian Schilling only to be passed by another Singaporean — Michael Lederer.
Hamza exhibited exceptional skill, maintaining a consistent and impressive pace throughout and went along with Lederer up the field. The duo got past Freihuber, Mehta and Anuchatkul.
Lederer eventually took the win 2 seconds ahead of Hamza. The Indian racer’s fantastic effort saw him seal the second position, ahead of Freihuber of Philippines.
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Team MRF Tyres takes a dominant win on Rally Liepaja
Liepaja (Latvia), 19 June 2023: Team MRF Tyres has dominated the The Rally Liepaja, the fourth round of the 2023 FIA European Rally Championship with a double podium for MRF Tyres here on Sunday.
Team MRF Tyres drivers Martins Sesks and Renars Francis won the rally by over 41 seconds, taking seven stage wins from the nine stages completed.
They took maximum points, winning an incredibly tight Powerstage by 0.005 seconds to end the weekend on a high.
The Lativan duo, in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, had the rally in control from the outset. They also set the fastest time in qualifying and then made it look easy on the stages.
However, the Latvian roads demanded total confidence and precision from the team, car and from MRF Tyres, and they delivered with aplomb.
With top speeds on the stages topping 120kmph on the loose gravel roads MRF Tyres and Sesks were in absolute control.
The success for MRF Tyres continued with Mads Ostberg and Patrik Barth as they finished third for the MRF Tyres Dealer Team in their Citroen C3 Rally2.
The Norwegian team set competitive times throughout the rally to take their second podium of the season.Team MRF Tyres saw an additional two cars inside the top 10 with Spanish duo of Efren Llarena and Sara Fernandez coming home in ninth ahead of Italians Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton.
With two wins in a row, Sesks and Renars close in on the title lead and sit in second in the Driver’s standings.
Furthermore, Team MRF Tyres has extended its lead at the top of the Team’s Championship.
The next round of the FIA European Rally Championship is the Rally Sweden, taking the crews to a new gravel round in the Scandanvian summer.
Martin Sesks, Winner, said: “What in incredible rally! I must thank my team and MRF Tyres for giving me such a fantastic car. The tyres were amazing throughout the weekend and really allowed me to push. To win at home once again was amazing. There were so many fans lining the stages! I am looking forward to the next round in Sweden.”
Co-driver Efren Llarena said: “We are finding the speed we need this year. The MRF Tyres have been brilliant and we are looking forward to getting back out and really proving our pace. I would like to congratulate Martins, Renars on their victory and also to Mads and Patrik for their podium on MRF Tyres!”
Simone Campedelli of Team MRF Tyres said: “This is a challenging rally! The roads are so fast and challenging and you earn every point in this Championship. I am really happy to have a clean rally and the MRF Tyres car has been great. Let’s look forward to Sweden and congratulations to Team MRF Tyres and Martins, Renars for their win!”
Overall results for MRF Tyres drivers1. Sesks/Francis (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)
3. Ostberg/Barth (Citroen C3 Rally 2) +1:04.0
9. Llarena/Fernandez (Skoda Fabia2 Rally evo) +2:18.3
10. Capedelli/Canton (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +2:27.4
13. Mabellini/Lenzi (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) 3:01.0
16. Radstrom/Johansson (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +4:00.7 -
Kush Maini highest ranked rookie as he garners 8 valuable points: F2
Monaco, 28 May 2023: Indian racing star Kush Maini of Campos Racing who garnered eight valuable points in the Feature Race finishing sixth is currently standing fourth in the FIA F2 championship ans the Indian champion is the highest ranked Rookie. Meanwhile, compatriot Jehan Daruvala, who came 2nd in the Sprint Race earlier on Saturday took eight points and remain on 40 as he failed to get into points on Sunday in the Feature race and is behind Kush Maini, who has 49 points.
Kush Maini got lucky with the safety car period and finished sixth after a poor starting position. Jehan Daruvala came 13th.
Vesti wins Feature Race
Frederik Vesti claimed a commanding Feature Race victory in Monte Carlo and the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with it. The Prema Racing driver led every lap of Sunday’s event after a Safety Car and Red Flag to take his second victory of the 2023 season.
Théo Pourchaire crossed the line second after teammate Victor Martins was handed a mid-race drive-through penalty. Zane Maloney rounded out the podium in third position for Rodin Carlin, his second podium of the year.
AS IT HAPPENED
Vesti maintained the lead from lights out, but Pourchaire had to defend third from a fast-starting Jack Doohan into Turn 1. Isack Hadjar squeezed his way past Jehan Daruvala for P9 on the way up the hill to make up a place in the initial phase.
Starting on the option tyres, Oliver Bearman made great progress in the first few corners from 16th on the grid. A move at the Turn 6 hairpin earned him 13th position from Clément Novalak and he wasn’t done there. Into Turn 12, a dive to the inside of Amaury Cordeel gave him P12 on a busy opening lap for the PREMA Racing man.
Daruvala was the first from the top 10 to make their mandatory stop, swapping supersofts for softs and rejoining in 16th place. Juan Manuel Correa also pitted, releasing Bearman who had been cooped up behind the Van Amersfoort Racing #23.
Iwasa and Hadjar were in from P8 and P9 on Lap 13 for their stops, while Bearman pitted on Lap 15 and rejoined the circuit ahead of Iwasa. The DAMS was right on his gearbox though and into the Turn 5 hairpin, the Japanese driver dived to the inside to make a crucial pass.
Enzo Fittipaldi’s race came to an end on Lap 19, with the Rodin Carlin pulling to the side of the track at Turn 12, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. The VSC was withdrawn on Lap 21 to get back to racing with Vesti leading Martins by 5.2s.
That advantage was swiftly wiped away after Doohan hit the barriers at Turn 4 on Lap 22, resulting in a Safety Car. That brought the leaders in for their mandatory stops. Vesti rejoined in the lead with Martins second and Pourchaire third. Maloney managed to narrowly avoid Doohan’s stricken car on the racing line and made his mandatory stop along with Verschoor in fourth and fifth places.
Dennis Hauger was a big winner, making his mandatory stop and serving a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage on the opening lap by cutting the track. The Norwegian rejoined in P6. Kush Maini, Roman Stanek, Jak Crawford and Iwasa completed the top 10 just as the Red Flag was thrown on Lap 24 in order to complete barrier repairs.
The race got back underway with a rolling restart entering Lap 27 as Vesti held the lead from the pair of battling ARTs behind. That battle was changed entirely after Martins was assigned a drive-through penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags behind the Safety Car. He was in to serve the sanction on Lap 31, coming back out in P8.
Following the Red Flag, the race went to time and Vesti completed Lap 33 to win the Monte Carlo Feature Race by 2.5s from Pourchaire.
Maloney finished a lonely third on the road ahead of Richard Verschoor in fourth, with Hauger an impressive fifth having started from 17th on the grid. Maini secured more points in P6 ahead of Stanek, who made up 15 places for Trident. Martins, Crawford and Iwasa in rounded out the top 10.
KEY QUOTE – Frederik Vesti, PREMA Racing
“P1 in the Feature Race in Monaco. What a day this is and what a weekend, pole position as well which is nice! We are leading the Championship as well, which is also nice. I want to thank Mercedes and PREMA for the support, the car is mega. Now, it’s time to keep pushing, we have a race weekend already next week in Barcelona. Let’s continue the form and continue pushing.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Vesti’s victory moves him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship, rising to 89 points. Pourchaire stays within touching distance, now on 84 points in second. Iwasa falls to third having led the standings ahead of the Feature Race. The DAMS driver now has 69 points. Kush Maini remains as the highest-placed rookie so far this year, climbing to 49 points, one ahead of Dennis Hauger who is now fifth.
PREMA Racing extends its lead in the Teams’ Standings, now on 130 points. ART Grand Prix moves up to second with 108 points while DAMS is now third on 103.
UP NEXT
FIA Formula 2 returns right away with Round 7 from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain from 2-4 June.
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Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala takes 2nd place at Monaco again: F2
Monaco (Monte Carlo), 27 May 2023: Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala of Mumbai secured another well-deserved podium in the Sprint Race of the FIA Formula 2 World Championship here on Saturday.
“The pace was good all race but it’s very difficult to overtake here in Monaco. I had a tyre pressure issue after the last safety car restart so happy to bring it home,” said Jehan Daruvala, the Mumbai native.
Ayumu Iwasa got his Championship fight back on track with Sprint Race victory on the streets of Monte Carlo. The DAMS driver inherited the lead of the race early on and never let it go, managing two Safety Car restarts to take the win by over six seconds.
Marshals congratulate Jehan Daruvala for his P2 on 27 May 2023 at Monaco. Jehan Daruvala shadowed the DAMS driver throughout the 30 laps but couldn’t make a move for victory, while Jak Crawford held off Richard Verschoor for the final podium position.
AS IT HAPPENED
Isack Hadjar got the launch he needed to retain the lead at Turn 1 ahead of Iwasa and Daruvala. It was a clean opening lap until Turn 10. Whilst battling with Amaury Cordeel, Kush Maini was pitched into a spin after contact with Clément Novalak from behind, blocking the track and several drivers behind him.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed as a result, but Roy Nissany and Ralph Boschung were out after getting caught up in the incident, unable to get going again. Novalak was later handed a 10-second time penalty. The full Safety Car was deployed on Lap 2 in order to remove the stricken cars.
Back to racing conditions on Lap 6 and Hadjar kept the lead initially but into Turn 1, the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver slowed with a mechanical issue, handing the lead to Iwasa. The DAMS man quickly moved two seconds clear of Daruvala after two laps out in front, while Hadjar was forced into early retirement.
Jehan Daruvala, left, poses with the winner after taking a 2nd place in Monaco Sprint. Twitter photo of MP Motorsport. At the halfway stage, the MP Motorsport driver was within touching distance of the race leader, 0.7s back but well within DRS range. The top two had dropped Crawford by seven seconds as the American kept Richard Verschoor at bay in the fight for the final podium place.
Enzo Fittipaldi proved that overtaking was a possibility in Monte Carlo, passing Cordeel on Lap 22 into Turn 1 with DRS assistance. The Belgian’s day was quickly made worse after contact with Juan Manuel Correa left the Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver in the barriers, requiring another Safety Car.
Iwasa got the field back underway entering Lap 24, opting to go ahead of the penultimate corner and establishing breathing room to Daruvala behind. He launched into a three second lead by the end of the lap.
The DAMS was six seconds clear entering the final tour and brought it home for his third race win of the season. Daruvala stayed second ahead of Crawford despite Verschoor’s best efforts to find a route past from fourth.
Zane Maloney finished fifth for Rodin Carlin ahead of Jack Doohan in sixth. The ART Grand Prix pair followed in the final points paying positions with Victor Martins heading home Théo Pourchaire in seventh and eighth places respectively.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Iwasa’s win moves him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship on 68 points, two ahead of Théo Pourchaire in second. Frederik Vesti is third on 64 points heading into Sunday’s Feature Race, starting from pole position. Oliver Bearman and Kush Maini remain fourth and fifth, still on 41 points apiece. And Jehan Daruvala with this podium is just a point behind compatriot Maini in Sixth position with 40 points.
In the Teams’ Standings, PREMA Racing still leads with 105 points, but DAMS close the gap, climbing to 102 points in second. ART Grand Prix remains third with 85 points.
UP NEXT
The Formula 2 Monte Carlo Feature Race gets underway on Sunday at 09:40 local time. Frederik Vesti starts from pole alongside Martins with Pourchaire going from third.
Thoughts from Iwasa, Daruvala and Crawford
FIA Formula 2: Many congratulations to the top three finishers of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race here in Monte Carlo. In third place, Jak Crawford for Hitech Pulse-Eight, in second place Jehan Daruvala for MP Motorsport and taking his third win of the 2023 season, our winner Ayumu Iwasa for DAMS. Ayu, what an impressive race by you, well done. After the tough weekend you had out in Baku how important was it to bounce back with a win here?
Ayumu Iwasa: I think it’s quite a positive, unfortunately I missed a result again in Qualifying yesterday even though I had the speed that’s why I could take the P1 in Free Practice yesterday. I think this is the minimum recovery as a driver. Anyway I’m quite happy about this result and speed in the race. I think this will be quite positive for tomorrow’s race.
FIA Formula 2: How good was the car today?
Iwasa: Actually it was quite ok, it was quite similar to Qualifying and Free Practice. The driving was not so difficult I was just trying to manage the speed and pace and the tyre. The pace wasn’t perfect, but also not too bad so I should try to analyse a bit my driving today because I was missing the pace a little bit in the middle of the race. I think tha’s the only point from today’s race.
FIA Formula 2: You say you were missing a little bit of pace in the middle of the race but do you think you could have challenged and maybe overtake Isack Hadjar had he not had to retire after that first Safety Car?
Iwasa: Honestly, it’s really difficult to say because we didn’t run that many laps before the Safety Car so it’s difficult to know. It should have been difficult because it’s Monaco, maybe the pace was a little bit better than him, but maybe the overtake would have been a bit more difficult.
FIA Formula 2: Very well done to you. Jehan let’s come to you now. You were second at the Sprint Race in Monaco last year, second in the Sprint Race again this year. Great consistency by you. How does this podium compare to last year?
Jehan Daruvala: I would say it’s a bit better, in a way it was more challenging, especially in the middle of the race. Of course it’s very difficult to overtake, so my goal was just to put as much pressure as I could on Ayu but he didn’t make any mistakes. After the Safety Car I got a bit of scare because I had a puncture warning on my dash so I was taking it really easy because I didn’t want to have a slow puncture and put it in the wall so I was breaking really early everywhere which is why he opened a four or five seconds gap within a couple of laps so by then I just decided to bring it home.
FIA Formula 2: What did you learn today that will help you in the Feature Race?
Daruvala: I think I learnt that when I get a bit too close for too many laps the car balance has changes quite a lot and it does get difficult. Apart from that we can take a lot of positives from today’s race. I felt like we had good pace, even though I wasn’t over driving. Of course I was pushing close to the limits but it was nothing out of control and the car was always good and we had good pace.
FIA Formula 2: Well done. Jak coming to you now, high pressure race, Richard Verschoor never very far from your gearbox. How tough was it from your point of view?
Jak Crawford: It was really tough, I actually had the same issue as Jehan at the beginning of the race. I was also taking it easy the first two laps because I had a puncture warning. After that I pushed a lot and distroyed the tyres a bit and after that it became really difficult and Richard was quite quick, especially in Sector 2, in Turn 10 he was quite close but I was just quick enough in the right places to keep him behind.
FIA Formula 2: After what happened to your teammate did you have any reliability concerns?
Crawford: For me, no I didn’t have any concerns. I’m sorry for him, but I wasn’t worried.
FIA Formula 2: Jak this is your third podium in Formula 2, it feels like you’ve got your feet firmly under the F2 table. Do you feel fully confident in these cars now?
Crawford: I feel up to speed, obviously the Qualifying has been decent this year, that’s why we have had three podiums in the last three Sprint Races. Obviously we need to improve on the race pace on my side and fight for the Feature Race which is where the big points are.
FIA Formula 2: Very well done to all three of you.
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With virtually no seat time, Geoffrey Emmanuel performs admirably: JuniorGP
Valencia (Spain), May 22: Talented Indian racer and a pioneer in his own right, Geoffrey Emmanuel, amazingly adapted to the well-known circuit, despite taking part in a competitive race here for the first time and came out trumps finishing the race, which in itself is a big success as he is the first and lone torch-bearer for India, paving way for others in the FIM World Championship JuniorGP here on Sunday. He made an amazing comeback after his injury in the last round.
The hard-working Emmanuel, son of Indian racing star of yesteryears, Emmanuel Jebaraj, put in a stunning show to improve his performance and finished a creditable P19 and P25 in the second round in the double-header, considering the experience and access to seat time of his competitors, at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the popular venue.
Geoffrey, the 18-year old from Chennai, representing the famous Cuna De Campeones team, made a good beginning on his KTM in the season-opener in Portugal a fortnight back, and despite suffering injuries following a crash, made a valiant effort to be within 3.6 seconds of the leaders over the weekend.
Having qualified 26th on the 27-bike grid, Geoffrey, who is sponsored by Fairstreet Sports, Vidiem, Vamcy Merla and Gusto Racing, put in a determined performance to take P25.
In the second race later in the day, Geoffrey fought hard to finish 19th. Considering the amount of opportunities that he had in India and the experience and seat time enjoyed by his rivals, finishing the race is a good progress. But the Indian is soon adapting to the weather and new conditions and achieved his target of completing the race with aplomb. “It is a good learning experience. I am here to test myself and work hard. I am glad that I got a good team and am able to understand and learn from the professional set-up here,” said Emmanuel, who dreams of racing MotoGP one day.
He felt that his learning at this level continues and after two rounds of the seven-round championship, he grew stronger but realises that he has a long road ahead of him. He is keen to make a mark in the JuniorGP which is a feeder series for the FIM Moto3 World Championship and is considered to be among the most-competitive junior championships in the World. The fact that he is the first and only Indian to get till here makes him a pioneer. “I am aware of the gigantic task ahead of me. But I am willing to work hard and I am sure the way we are working, we will be there soon,” he said confidently to INDIAinF1.com.
Emmanuel added: “Both the races were difficult but I was able to fight with the riders. The two races helped me to figure out the areas where I need to work on and come back stronger for the next round.”
Fairstreet Sports, the promoter who is bringing MotoGP to India, Vidiem, who sponsored and brought the MiniGP to India for the first time in 2022, have backed the young prospect. Vamcy Merla, the maverick former promoter of Indian National Rally Championship, and the founder of VM Sports Foundation, the heir torch-bearer of Andhra Pradesh’s Kalyani Group, has also pitched in to help Emmanuel blossom into an international rider.
And it is Gusto Racing India, but for whom, the young rider would not have made it to the foreign land. His dad, the architect of many a youngster taking to the sport in India, runs Gusto. “If not for my dad, I would not have been where I am,” he told this writer once at the MMSC hospitality. This writer has also spotted Jebaraj waiting patiently for Valentino Rossi, at the Sepang a few summers back, and the technically-sound rider of his day, was so disappointed that the legendary rider soon disappeared out of the motorhome where the Indian maestro was waiting. But the delight and joy that one cannot mistake in his jubilant face once he met the legend, made “yours humbly” realise that JEBARAJ breaths MotoGP day-in and day-out.
The third round of the championship is scheduled to be held in Jerez, Spain, from June 2 to 4, and by the time seven rounds are done, we would have an Indian pioneer. The hardworking youngster has the skills, talent and the commitment to go places, and if nurtured properly, can get the break at the right time.
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Martins Sesks-Renars Francis of Team MRF Tyres win: Rally Poland
Orlen (Poland), 22 May 2023: Mārtiṇš Sesks charged to his second victory in the FIA European Rally Championship after he fended off and then pulled clear of title leader Hayden Paddon to win ORLEN 79th Rally Poland on Sunday (May 21).
MRF release:
Team MRF Tyres took a dominant victory in the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship with Martins Sesks and Renars Francis putting on a master class in the ORLEN Rally of Poland.
The Latvian duo started the day with a lead of 8.2 seconds and proved untouchable throughout the day. They took a further four stage wins and pulled their lead out to almost 40 seconds in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 to take their first win of the season and the second of their career. Over the rally, Sesks and Francis averaged 115km/h on the fast and narrow roads that demanded grip and confidence.
Martins Sesks, winner, Team MRF Tyres, said “The Team MRF Tyres car was unbelievable this weekend. The MRF Tyres were just fantastic through the rally and gave me the confidence to push through! I am thrilled to take my second win in the FIA ERC and I would like to thank the team and everyone back in India for making this happen. Rally Poland was something special and I am looking forward to getting back to Latvia for the next round.”
The tyres had to contend with rocks being drawn onto the line, and the MRF Tyres stood the test of toughness that was demanded throughout the rally.
In total, there were six MRF Tyre cars that won points in this rally.
Efren Llarena, Denis Radstrom, Pontus Tidemand and Simone Campedelli were the other point scorers for team MRF Tyres. Team MRF Tyres continues to lead the Team Championship, while Sesks moves to second in the Driver’s Championship.
As it happened
The FIA ERC now moves to Rally Liepaja in Latvia for another fast gravel rally, one where Team MRF Tyres and Martins Sesks reigned supreme in 2022.
With Renars Francis co-driving his Team MRF Tyres-entered Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Sesks completed Saturday’s opening leg 8.2s ahead of Paddon.
Although Sesks initially appeared to be on the defensive when his BRC Racing Team rival won Sunday’s opening test to narrow the gap to 7.4s, it wasn’t long before the 23-year-old Latvian sprinted clear to win ahead of Paddon by 39.6s.
“It feels really special, doing it at home is one story in front of a home crowd, but doing it here in Poland is completely different, it shows the car, the team, the tyres, we’re all ready to fight,” said Sesks, who moves into second position in the provisional standings, 37 points behind early pacesetter Paddon. “It feels so good to be driving for such a good team with such a good car. It’s a pleasure and to be able to perform at such a high level it’s really good. Everyone wants to make a statement but in our minds we want to keep our heads down and just do our work.”
Paddon’s high-paced endeavour on SS9 came at a cost as he completed the stage with a damaged front-right tyre, which would have a major bearing on the outcome of the victory fight. With only one spare Pirelli on board his Hyundai i20 N Rally2, Paddon had to make a tough decision.
“We either kept pushing like we were doing but then you risk another puncture and you retire,” he said. “When you’re thinking about the championship and the points on offer it’s about playing the smart game and that’s the decision we had to make.”
After setting a succession of top three stage times, Michelin-equipped Miko Marczyk completed the podium on his home round of the ERC having won the event last year.
“I am very happy because probably our pace was better than last year when we won the rally,” said the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver. “If someone told me before the race I would finish between Hayden Paddon and Mads Østberg I would say for sure it’s perfect. The best guy won the rally.”
Josh McErlean (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) started Sunday’s action 1.5sec ahead of Mads Østberg in the battle for fourth, only for a high-speed spin 1.6km from the start of SS13 to drop him to seventh, poor reward following a strong performance from the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver. Østberg won the Power Stage on his way to finishing fourth in his MRF Tyres Dealer Team Citroën C3 Rally2.
Overnight set-up changes designed to stop Mikko Heikkilä having to “fight with the car” transformed the Finnish champion’s prospects as he moved up from eighth at the start of the day to fifth in the overall ranking aboard his Michelin-equipped Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Mathieu Franceschi completed the top six after his cautious approach to Sunday afternoon’s stages paid dividends for the young French driver, who marked his 24th birthday by scoring his first Power Stage points in fourth in another Michelin-shod Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Simone Tempestini followed McErlean home in eighth, while Erik Cais finished in a confidence-boosting ninth followed by European champion Efrén Llarena.
Filip Mareš scored ERC points for the second event running in 11th having lost more than 40s rolling on Saturday morning. Dennis Rådström finished 12th on his first ERC event aboard a Rally2 car with his GN Motorsport team-mate Pontus Tidemand placing 13th after a spin and reverse on SS14. Grzegorz Grzyb was next up in 14th closely followed by Simone Campedelli who hit back from going off into a field on SS14. British champion Osian Pryce placed 16th on his ERC debut.
Andrea Mabellini was eighth when he went off the road into haybales on SS13 and rolled. He eventually regained the road but retired shortly afterwards. The Italian had never driven on high-speed gravel stages in a Rally2 car making his late exit tough to take.
Jon Armstrong won the FIA ERC3 category in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 with Ola Nore taking spot in FIA ERC4 driving a Renault Clio Rally4. The Norwegian also won the FIA Junior ERC category, which attracted an impressive 16-car entry for the opening round of the championship’s 10th season and the first with Hankook as the official tyre supplier.
The ERC’s three-event tour of high-speed gravel events continues next month when Tet Rally Liepāja hosts the fourth round of the ERC season from June 16-18.
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Injured Jaden Pariat returns with rich experience: British F4
Snetterton (Norfolk, England), 22 May 2023: It was a disappointing end to a well-prepared week-end but Indian racing talent Jaden Pariat is high in spirits as he says, “there is much to learn and I have enjoyed the week-end despite not being able to get a result. It is racing and these things happen and it is disappointing but a rich experience,” he said philosophically, talking to INDIAinF1 from the venue, on Sunday.
Jaden Pariat headed to Snetterton in Norfolk at the weekend beginning May 19 for rounds seven, eight, and nine of the F4 British Championship that concluded on May 21, Sunday, but left without any official race results.
After a tight and fiercely-contested qualifying session on Saturday, the youngster from Northeast India was just one second off pole position around the three-mile circuit – the second longest on this season’s calendar.
The opening race began later that afternoon, but after just one lap Jaden was involved in an incident which damaged his car and put him into retirement. However, with a red flag then being shown the race was restarted a little later before again being red flagged for another incident. With damage to the barriers and time running out to complete the contest, the race was voided and instead will be added to the weekend at Donington Park in August.
Unfortunately for Jaden, he hurt his wrist during his contact and, though he was cleared at hospital, he wasn’t allowed to take part in Sunday’s races, meaning he recorded no official results across the weekend.
The teenager will return to the F4 British Championship with Phynsis by Argenti in two weeks’ time, over the weekend of June 3/4, at the UK’s fastest circuit, Thruxton in Hampshire.Jaden Pariat
Jaden Pariat before the injury at Snetterton “Saturday was unfortunate. The contact hurt my wrist which will stop me from doing any driving for a while. The race was going well and I was quite happy with the moves that I had made, it was just unfortunate to have had contact.
“I feel better and although the decision was maybe not we wanted, in the long term at least we’re sure we’ll be fit to race well. We will miss a few days of testing which will put me on the back foot, as during the season we don’t get many test days, so they are important.“I’m happy that I got to supprt the team from the outside and happy for the team’s results this weekend. We would have had a chance for the podium in the last race, but I’m looking forward to putting in lots of hard work so we can get back in the car as soon as possible and push at Thruxton!”
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JK Tyre-backed Ruhaan Alva grabs a superb 2nd: GB4 Championship
Silverstone, 9 May 2023: Indian Racing starRuhaan Alva grabbed his maiden podium in the GB4 single-seater championship last weekend with a second-place finish in the final race of the series’ second round at England’s iconic Silverstone race circuit.
The 16-year-old from Bengaluru, backed by the JK Tyre scholarship programme, crossed the line less than a second behind winner Harri Reynolds and Tom Mills finished third.
Ruhaan Alva, who drives for Fortec Motorsports team, took his rostrum result in the third race of the weekend. Starting from pole in the reverse grid race, he had a contact with Sid Smith, which robbed him of the momentum, and gave Reynolds a sniff at the lead.
The Bengaluru teenager defended robustly against Reynolds, going wheel-to-wheel with the Elite Motorsport racer, through the high-speed Maggots and Becketts complex of corners. But the young Indian ultimately had to concede as Reynolds swept past at Vale.
Ruhaan didn’t get a chance to make the place back as the safety car was deployed to clear away Sid Smith’s car, which had suffered a puncture from the start-line contact with Ruhaan and was left stranded at Copse. Thomas Lee had also spun off in his Evans GP car at Abbey.
The safety car came in, once the time limit on the race had run out. With no overtaking allowed, Reynolds went clear of the field and cruised to the flag followed by Ruhaan.
Ruhaan Alva said, “It’s really nice to be here. The qualifying didn’t go as planned and I had to settle for P11. I got caught up in traffic. Later, the rain and resultant spray resulted in a lot of lost time. My first podium of the season is a really good boost to my confidence and we know that if we keep working hard, we will be able to achieve consistent results.”
“Ideally it would have been P1 but Harri passed me and I just had to stick with him and hope that no one else caught me and started fighting me so then I could get a gap behind.
“Obviously I’d like to thank the big sponsors who helped me get here, my Dad, and it’s really great thing being an Indian driver being able to get podiums outside of India now,” Ruhaan concluded.
The GB4 Championship is an entry-level, one-make single seater championship aimed at giving young racers their first taste of slicks-and-wings machinery. Launched in September 2021, the series is currently in its second season and uses Tatuus F4-T014 cars, which are also raced in Italian, ADAC and Spanish F4 series.
About JK Tyre Motorsport
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.
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Indian star Advait Deodhar 2nd in Challenger Trophy
Valencia (Spain) 7 May 2023: Valencia, 8 May 2023: Indian racing star Advait Deodhar secured a podium in the Challenger Trophy classification for bronze and silver drivers in the EuroNASCAR PRO, finishing second behind Riccardo Romagnoli. In the overall classification, the Euro-based Deodhar, finished P10 within points for a very impressive debut in the top class.
Kenko Miura came third and overall 11th. The Indian rounded out the top-10 positions. Provisionally, Lucas Lasserre exits the Spanish round of the championship as the championship leader with 71 points. Doubek is in second with 64 points with the aid of bonus points for most positions gained that he secured in Race 2, while Goossens sits in third with 63 points.
Advait Deodhar being interviewed by his manager Anish Gohil in Valencia. Advait Deodhar won the Elite Club championship in 2018 in his debut year and has been competing in EuroNASCAR since then. He took part in the NASCAR2 last year, made an impressive debut in elite Pro-Division at NASCAR Whelen European Series Round 1 here on Saturday.
One driver who stood out from the rest was Indian racing ace Advait Deodhar, who promoted himself to Elite Pro division this year, driving for Academy Motorsports team. Advait had virtually no practice time, going into the race weekend, which made his performance even more impressive.
The NASCAR Whelen European Series made its much-awaited return to Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, and it did not disappoint. The first round of the Elite Pro division saw some exhilarating racing and a mix of fortune for many drivers.
Deodhar salvages P16 in Race 1
Starting from P14 in Race 1 on Saturday, Advait had a decent start but was forced to go wide in Turn 1 and lost a few positions. However, he managed to gain back some places as the race progressed. His battle with Thomas in car number 46 was intense, and he eventually settled for P16.
“The qualifying time for Race 2 on Sunday was based on the quickest lap time from Race 1. Advait was determined to do better in Race 2, starting from P14 again. The start of the race was as expected, with drivers going all out to gain positions,” said Anish Gohil, his spotter.
“An incident in turn one forced half of the grid to go wide but Advait managed to move up to P12. With four laps remaining, another incident involving leading cars of Gimmy and Hezemans forced the safety car out again. Doing everything right at the restart, Advait managed to finish in P10, securing championship points of the season and a top 10 finish,” he added.
It was a step in the right direction for Advait, who will be looking to build on this performance going forward.
The next round of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is in the UK at Brands Hatch, which is Advait’s home race. Also it a memorable venue for the Indian, as he secured his first career win in NASCAR at the same venue.
Academy Motorsports have shown great pace at the track, and Advait and the team are determined to perform well at NASCAR GP UK. Overall, the first round of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was a fantastic event, with some great racing and performances from all drivers.
“Advait Deodhar’s debut in the Elite Pro division was a promising start, and we look forward to seeing him and Academy Motorsports in action again at Brands Hatch,” Gohil concluded.
In the overall classification, the Euro-based Deodhar, finished P10 within points. Kenko Miura came third and overall 11th. The Indian rounded out the top-10 positions. Provisionally, Lucas Lasserre exits the Spanish round of the championship as the championship leader with 71 points. Doubek is in second with 64 points with the aid of bonus points for most positions gained that he secured in Race 2, while Goossens sits in third with 63 points.
The Race report
The season opener of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season ended with a big bang and it was Lucas Lasserre who won EuroNASCAR PRO Round 2 in a tremendous battle against Martin Doubek. The Speedhouse Racing driver grabbed his first victory since 2018 and gave Speedhouse the team’s second win in EuroNASCAR PRO since its debut in 2017. The Frenchman took advantage from a clash between Gianmarco Ercoli and Liam Hezemans late in the race to take the lead and capture the checkered flag.
The owner, engineer and driver coach of Speedhouse didn’t plan to jump into the #64 Ford Mustang in 2023, but with the cockpit free, the Biarritz resident decided to take the wheel at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Lasserre has been involved in the series since its foundation in 2009 and is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. It took all his cleverness to put the #64 in Victory Lane: the Frenchman took the lead on restart – the second of the race – on lap 17, beating Vladimiros Tziortzis into turn 2 after the Cypriot had kept the lead in turn 1. Lasserre then defended first place and turned the NASCAR GP Spain into a huge party for Speedhouse.
On to Brands Hatch – June 17 and 18
The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will make its next stop on June 17-18 at Circuit Brands Hatch in the UK. Four action-packed races will highlight the 10th edition of the popular American SpeedFest at the Indy layout of the legendary race track close to London. Qualifying and all races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV services from all around the world.
Editor’s Note: With inputs from Official press release from EuroNASCAR /ANDRÉ WIEGOLD / REZA MAULANA / GIAN LUCA GUIGLIA
