INDIA in F1

Category: Karting

JK Tyre Rotax Max Indian Karting Nationals

  • Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

    Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

    Bengaluru, 29 October 2020: Coimbatore’s Suriya Varathan, Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair and Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar are poised for a royal battle in the final two rounds of the Meco-FMSCI National Karting Championship X30 Classes over two days beginning from Saturday here at Meco Kartopia track.

    The Junior Class seems to have one hero in the making, what with the domination Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva had last-week-end sweeping all the eight races in the two rounds for an overwhelming 80 points. If he continues his wonted form, sure will bag the championship. Citymate Rohaan Madesh followed him past the chequered flag in each of the races to have 56 points in his kitty. He will need to do one better than Ruhaan in all the remaining races to earn the chance of annexing the crown. A tough task for the jovial karter, who is fun to watch.

    Suriya Varathan has a compelling lead in the Senior class, having amassed 70 points in the first two rounds held last Saturday-Sunday. He had won three out of the four races in Round 1 and two out of the four in Round 2 to be in the best position to claim this year’s championship.

    The championship is the third national-level sporting event organised in the country since the COVID-induced lockdowns in March after the Drag Nationals and 2-w Sprint Rally Nationals. All sanitising and social distancing norms are being followed to ensure the well-being of the young racers.

    Arjun Nair managed two second-places in Round 1 and two first-places in Round 2 to have 55 points in his kitty. He and Nirmal Umashankar (51 points) will need a massive change in fortunes to topple Suriya from the perch in the last two rounds.

    In the Cadet Class too, another Bengaluru lad, Ishaan Madesh, enjoys a handy 9-point lead over Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh. Ishaan won all 4 races in Round 1 but had a disastrous start in Round, getting a DNF in Race 1 and a sixth-place finish in Race 2 before regaining his winning touch.

  • Ruhaan Alva hogs limelight winning everything at stake

    Ruhaan Alva hogs limelight winning everything at stake

    Bengaluru, 18 October 2020: Ruhaan Alva, the defending champion from Bengaluru, began the season with a bang winning all the 8 races in the Junior Class of the X30 Karting Nationals. He capped a spectacular run on the weekend with a stunning record, capturing everything that came his way. With two rounds at stake, he not only took the pole position in both the rounds but also won all the eight races with best fastest lap times to boot, in all of them. No track in India has seen such domination in recent years, where a single driver has won everything at stake to complete a clean sweep.

    Ishaan Madesh in the Cadet section and Suriya Varathan in Senior Class also had a good weekend, but neither could display the domination and control that Ruhaan Alva showcased. Alva proved his mastery even after starting at the back, in the reverse grid Race 2, on both days and powered to the top of the podium to leave no doubt of his new-found form despite a Corona-induced haitus from racing.

    With COVID 19 delaying the start of the season, Meco FMSCI National Karting Championship X30 Class began the event under strict safety precautions and two rounds were hosted to complete the crowded season. So an unusual card of four races was on the menu for Saturday as part of Round 1 and four more races in Round 2 were also completed for all the three classes — the Cadets, Juniors and Seniors.

    Ruhaan Alva dominates the week-end Karting Nationals at Meco Kartopia on Oct 17 & 18.

    Ruhaan bagged a whopping 80 points and opened up a 24-point lead after two of the five rounds. His compatriot in Junior Class, Rohaan Madesh is in second place with 56 points after finishing second to Ruhaan in all the eight races. He crossed the flag ahead of Ruhaan in the third race in Round 2, but was penalised one `position’ for an infringement and was rightfully relegated to second again. Jaden Rahman Pariat of Guwahati is third on the points table with 44 points.

    Young Aashi Hanspal of Mumbai, who recently returned from France being adjudged as a promising talent in the FIA Girls on Track event, took a surprise third place in Race 2 on Sunday in the second round.  The `only girl’ in Junior class, and the baby of the grid at 13 years, she utilised the Reverse-grid position well, to take her first podium of the season as the drivers behind her were busy fighting themselves.

    1st Ishaan Madesh Centre, 2nd Anshul Sai, left, and 3rd placed Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran win Round 1 Race 2 on Saturday.

    In the Cadet Class, playful Ishaan Madesh of Bengaluru dominated the proceedings on Saturday winning all the four races and clocking best laps in two races. He, however, let go the grip with a DNF (did not finish) in the first race on Sunday and lost Race 2 too. But he bounced back winning the last two races of Round 2 to take the championship lead in Cadet Class with 63 points. Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh, who began with two, second places and a third on the podium on Saturday in Round 1, upped his game and won two races on Sunday to take the second spot in the standings with 54 points. Anshul Sai of Bengaluru is in third place with 43 points. Anshul who began well on Saturday had two DNF on Sunday that hampered his campaign.

    In the Senior Section, Coimbatore karter Suriya Varathan had a profitable outing on Saturday winning three races on Saturday and also adding the Best Laps in all four but lost focus after winning the first two races of Round 2 on Sunday. The last two races were won by Arjun Nair of Bengaluru. Bengaluru’s defending champion Nirmal Umashankar was patchy and could only win one race on Saturday.

    The next two rounds will also be held at Meco Kartopia here on October 31 and Nov 1.

    Results: Round 1: Junior Class (12 laps) Race 1: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:36.227); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:39.747); 3. Jaden Rahman Pariat (11:48.361);  Best lap: Ruhaan 57.580. Race 2: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:40.570); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:43.087); 3. Shaurya Kapani (11:49.363). Best Lap: 57.383 Ruhaan. Race 3: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:39.191); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:41.374); 3. Akshat Misra (11:48.949). Best Lap: 56.972 Ruhaan. Race 4: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:45.406); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:50.615); 3. Jaden Rahman Pariat (11:54.798);  Best lap: Ruhaan 57.002.

    X30 Senior Class Round 2 winners: 1st Suriya Varathan (centere), 2nd Arjun Nair (left) and 3rd placed Bala Prasath.

    Cadet Class (10 laps) Race 1: 1. Ishaan Madesh (11:36.706); 2. Anshul Sai (11:58.830); 3. Arafath Sheikh (11:51.725); Best lap: 1:04.429 Ishaan. Race 2 RS: 1. Ishaan Madesh (11: 11.775); 2. Anshul Sai (11:12.837); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh (11:14.324). Best lap: 1:04.048 Ishaan. Race 3: 1. Ishaan Madesh (11:19.345); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (11:19.950); 3. Anshul Sai (11:29.673). Best Lap: 1:03.876 Sai Shiva. Race 4: 1. Ishaan Madesh (11:05.993); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (11:09.081); 3. Anshul Sai (11:16.708). Best Lap: 1:03.758 Sai Shiva.

    Senior Class (15 laps) Race 1: 1. Suriya Varathan (15:01.599); 2. Arjun Nair (15:05.600); 3. Nirmal Umashankar (15:06.159); Best lap: 57.378 Suriya. Race 2: 1. Nirmal Umashankar (14:37.769); 2. Suriya Varathan (14:37.966); 2. Arjun Nair (14:47.191). Best Lap: 57.133 Suriya. Race 3: 1. Suriya Varathan (14:41.394); 2. Arjun Nair (14:44.667); 3. Nirmal Umashankar (14:46.459); Best lap: 56.831 Suriya. Race 4: 1. Suriya Varathan (15:28.993); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (15:32.566); 3. Bala Prasath (15:39.072). Best lap: 56.870 Suriya.

    Round 2: Juniors (12 laps) Race 1: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:39.890); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:43.109); 3. Akshat Misra (11:50.005). Best Lap: 57.272 Ruhaan. Race 2: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:58.604); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:59.664); 3. Aashi Hanspal (12:06.751). Best Lap: 57.328 Ruhaan. Race 3: 1. Ruhaan Alva (12:02.304); 2. Rohaan Madesh (12:01.535); 3. Akshat Misra (12:03.573). Best Lap: 57.241 Ruhaan. (Rohaan Madesh who crossed the flag first suffered a one-place penalty and demoted to 2nd). Race 4: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:44.482); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:48.781); 3. Akshat Misra (11:51.003). Best Lap: 57.116 Ruhaan.

    Cadet Class (10 laps) Race 1: 1.Sai Shiva Makesh (10:57.625); 2. Anshul Sai (11:01.838); 3. Arafath Sheikh (11:14.044); Best lap: 1:03.744 Anshul Sai. (Ishaan DNF); Race 2: 1. Anshul Sai (11:54.878); 2. Nikhilesh Raju (11:59.906); 3. Arafath Sheikh (11:59.935); Best lap: 1:03.274 Ishaan Madesh. Race 3: 1.Ishaan Madesh (12:01.738); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (12:17.876); 3. Arafath Sheikh (12:20.502); Best lap: 1:02.994 Ishaan. Race 4: 1.Ishaan Madesh (10:48.817); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (11:00.117); 3. Arafath Sheikh (11:02.871); Best lap: 1:02.530 Ishaan.

    Senior Class (15 laps) Race 1: 1. Suriya Varathan (15:01.248); 2. Bala Prasath (15:04.538); 3. Arjun Nair (15:08.948); Best Lap: 57.023 Suriya. Race 2: 1. Suriya Varathan (14:38.708); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (14:39.918); 3. Bala Prasath (14:43.481). Best lap: 57.248 Bala Prasath. Race 3: 1. Arjun Nair (15:16.340);  2. Nirmal Umashankar (15:17.224); 3. Suriya Varathan (15:18.131); Best Lap: 56.902 Nirmal. Race 4: 1. Arjun Nair (14:44.123);  2. Suriya Varathan (14:44.563); 3. Bala Prasath (14:46.868). Best Lap: 56.903 Arjun Nair. Penalty: 10-sec added for Nirmal for Jump start.

    (Ed Note: The event concluded on 18th Oct but the report is published only on 24th Oct, 2020)

  • Jamie Shah, Shaurya Kapani win IndiKarting Clash of Karts; Rahul wins pro title: Ajmera IndiKarting

    Jamie Shah, Shaurya Kapani win IndiKarting Clash of Karts; Rahul wins pro title: Ajmera IndiKarting

    Winners all: The winners of the Ajmera IndiKarting that concluded on the outskirts of Mumbai on Sunday. Photo IndiKarting

    Mumbai, 15 Jan 2020: Jamie Shaw & Shaurya Kapani both from Mumbai, dominated proceedings in the Pro Senior & Junior categories, at the Ajmera IndiKarting Clash of Karts which concluded on Sunday. The event was a resounding success with over 650 registrations translating into 204 entries from across the country, in India’s largest karting event. The culmination of the 3 round, Clash of Pros Season 2 saw Rahul Deshpande win the Pro Senior while Shaurya Kapani won the Pro Junior.

    Qualifying on pole in the Pro Senior, Jamie Shaw got off to an excellent start. He pulled away to win Race 1 comfortably. Rahul Deshpande was second, just ahead of Danesh Banajee. Race 2 start order is based on the entire results of Race 1 being reversed. Jah Wadia started on pole & held the lead for a while. Jamie Shaw however proved to be in excellent form. He made his way through the entire field & managed to take his second consecutive victory, once again ahead of Rahul & Danesh. Race 3 proved to be the most exciting. Danesh made a good start from third to move ahead of Rahul. He soon overtook Jamie to move into the lead. Rahul moved upto 2nd and he and Danesh were nose to tail for close to 20 laps. Danesh drove an excellent defensive race to win race 3, followed by Rahul & Jamie.

    Raiden Samervel grabbed pole by a mere 5 hundreths of a second, ahead of Veer Sheth in the Pro Junior. He went on to win Race 1 ahead of Shaurya Kapani & Veer. The reverse grid Race 2, saw Shaurya notch an excellent victory ahead of Nirvaan Chandna & Hoshmand Elavia. Race 3 saw Veer Sheth start third & make his way up to win ahead of Shaurya & Raiden.

    Sawan Sathyanarayan from Bengaluru won the Open & Amateur categories. Mumbai lads Ojas Surve & Sasvat Jain followed him in the Open category, while Chandan Hegde & Ojas were second & third in the Amateur Category.

    Ayan Jussawalla (DPYA High School) triumphed in the Inter-School Category ahead of Advaith Jampa (Tridha School) & Aditya Patnaik (Delhi Public School). Sasvat Jain (Indian School of Design & Innovation) took top honours in the Inter-College category. Tej Patel (Podar International School) & Raghav Vaishnav (Jai Hind College) were second & third. Chintan Shah (Deltron Electricals) won the Corporate Category ahead of Mark Shaw (Shawman Software) and Aashwath Chowta (Afwah Media Consultants).

    Isha Sharma from Belgaum was the winner of the Women’s category ahead of Aashi Hanspal & Maariyah Sheikh. Jamie Shaw beat Aman Singh Bhui & Kiran Pardeshi in the Veteran category, while Sawan S finished ahead of Chintan Shah & Prashant Sonpar in the Master category. Raghav Vaishnav triumphed in the Senior Plus category with Paarth Damani & Adil Shah completing the podium.

    Fahad Kutty won the Pro Senior Plus category ahead of Mihir Patel & Raghav Vaishnav. Members of the media also participated in a special category for themselves, with Gaurav Davare of ZigWheels winning the race ahead of Saurabh Gamare (Exhibit Magazine). Rajesh Dsouza (Zee TV) was third.

    The event was also the culmination of the 2nd season of the 3 round Clash of Pros. Rahul Deshpande was the overall winner of the Pro Senior category with a total of 63 points ahead of Jamie Shaw with 54 points. Danesh Banajee who missed the 2nd round due to a rib injury was third with 52 points. Shaurya Kapani was the overall winner in the Pro Junior with 28 points. He was followed by Veer Sheth on 61 points, while Raiden Samervel with 51 points was third.

    The prestigious Akshay Patil Memorial Trophy was awarded to Veer Sheth.

    It has been a fantastic event with so many newcomers trying the sport for the first time. 204 entries was tough to handle but everything went smoothly. A huge thanks to the Ajmera group, due to whom, we have this fantastic facility in Mumbai” said Rayomand Banajee, founder IndiKarting.

    IndiKarting open class race in progress on Sunday. Photo Ajmera IndiKarting

    Results – Pro Senior –

    Race 1 – 1. Jamie Shaw. 2. Rahul Deshpande. 3. Danesh Banajee

    Race 2 – 1. Jamie Shaw. 2. Rahul Deshpande. 3. Danesh Banajee

    Race 3 – 1. Danesh Banajee. 2. Rahul Deshpande. 3. Jamie Shaw

    Pro Junior –

    Race 1 – 1. Raiden Samervel 2. Shaurya Kapani 3. Veer Sheth

    Race 2 – 1. Shaurya Kapani. 2. Nirvaan Chandna. 3. Hoshmand Elavia

    Race 3 – 1. Veer Sheth. 2. Shaurya Kapani. 3. Raiden Samervel

    Pro Senior Plus –  1. Fahad Kutty. 2. Mihir Patel. 3. Raghav Vaishnav.

    Open – 1. Sawan Sathyanarayan. 2. Ojas Surve. 3. Sasvat Jain

    Inter School – 1. Ayaan Jussawalla (DPYA High School) 2. Advaith Jampa (Tridha School) 3. Aditya Patnaik (Delhi Public School)

    Amatuer – 1. Sawan Sathyanarayan. 2. Chandan Hegde. 3. Ojas Surve

    Inter College – 1. Sasvat Jain (Indian School of Design & Innovation) 2. Tej Patel (Podar International School). 3. Raghav Vaishnav (Jai Hind College)

    Women – 1. Isha Sharma. 2. Aashi Hanspal. 3. Maariyah Sheikh

    Corporate – 1. Chintan Shah (Deltron Electricals) 2. Mark Shaw (Shawman Software) 3. Aashwath Chowta (Afwah Media Consultants)

    Senior Plus – 1. Raghav Vaishnav. 2. Paarth Damani. 3. Adil Shah

    Master – 1. Sawan Sathyanarayan 2. Chintan Shah. 3. Prashant Sonpar

    Veteran – 1. Jamie Shaw. 2. Aman Singh Bhui. 3. Kiran Pardeshi

    Media – 1. Gaurav (ZigWheels) 2. Saurabh Gamare (Exhibit Magazine) 3. Rajesh Dsouza (Zee TV)

    Clash of Pros (Overall after 3 rounds)

    Pro Senior – 1. Rahul Deshpande (63 points) 2. Jamie Shaw (54 points). 3. Danesh Banajee (52 points)

    Pro Junior – 1. Shaurya Kapani (78 points) 2. Veer Sheth (61 points). 3. Raiden Samervel (51 points)

    Pro Senior Plus – 1. Raghav Vaishnav (19 points) 2. Fahad Kutty (17 points) 3. Mihir Patel (13 points)

  • Shaurya Kapani, Sarvesh stars of the day in Pro-Junior class: Ajmera IndiKarting 2nd Edition

    Shaurya Kapani, Sarvesh stars of the day in Pro-Junior class: Ajmera IndiKarting 2nd Edition

    Winners all: The second edition of the Ajmera IndiKarting winners in Mumbai on Wednesday. An INDIAinF1 photo

    Mumbai, 18 Dec 2019: The 2nd edition of the FMSCI approved, Ajmera IndiKarting Clash of Pros, was a spectacular affair of top level racing from some of the best racers in the region across 2 categories – Pro junior and Pro Senior. Shaurya Kapani was on top of the standings at the end of the day after winning 2 of the 3 races in the Pro Junior. Sarvesh Bode with a win and second place, took top honours in the Pro Senior category.

    Qualifying was a close affair in both categories. Veer Sheth clocked 25.42 seconds, ahead Shaurya Kapani (25.44 seconds). Raiden Samervel and Nirvaan Chandna who recently made the move up into the Juniors were right behind posting laptimes of 25.46 and 25.63 seconds.

    9 drivers in the Pro Senior clocked within 1 second. Tej Patel lapped the 400 meter Ajmera IndiKarting circuit in an impressive 25.87 seconds to bag pole position, a mere hundredth of a second, ahead of the highly rated Aaroh Ravindra (25.88 seconds) and Sarvesh Bode (25.91 seconds).

    The Pro Junior Race 1 – Saw an exciting battle for the lead between Veer Sheth and Shaurya Kapani. Both racers with international experience under their belt, enthralled the crowd with multiple overtakes. Eventually Veer won the race ahead of Shaurya. Raiden Samervel came in third.

    Tej had a good start in the Pro Senior Race 1. Behind him, Sarvesh and Aaroh were nose to tail, while Rahul Deshpande was under pressure from Jamie Shaw. Their karts touched and Jamie hit the barriers forcing him to retire. Tej won comfortably, followed by Sarvesh and Aaroh.

    Race 2 in both categories started as a complete reverse grid of the entire field, based on the result of Race 1. In the Pro Junior, Nikhil Hariharn started on pole, followed by Aashi Hanspal – the only girl in the event. Shaurya made his way up the field and went on to win. Ashay Kadam started third, and drove fantastically to finish second ahead of Hoshmand Elavia.

    The Pro Senior Race 2 started with Jamie on pole, followed by Paarth Damani, Neville Tata and Aashwath Chowta. Jamie quickly zoomed away to a comfortable lead. Behind him however, there was total chaos as quicker racers from behind had to contend with racers in front who refused to give up position. They defended aggressively and this proved to be a recipe for disaster. Multiple incidents followed and many racers crashed heavily. Jah Wadia who was unlucky in race 1 where he faced engine trouble, was unlucky a second time as he crashed just a few laps from the end. A few moments early Alyraza Beig and Aashwath crashed out. Jamie won, ahead of Rahul and Aaroh.

    Shaurya won Race 3 of the Pro Junior, followed by Veer and Raiden.  The Senior race 3 was a fantastic display of fierce but clean competition. Five racers were locked in a battle for the lead for over half the race. Eventually Sarvesh triumphed ahead of Rahul and Aaroh.

    The Pro Senior Plus category for heavier racers, was won by Raghav Vaishnav followed by Alyraza Beig and Parth Damani.

    “It was fantastic to see such close racing. Both the Seniors and Juniors were within hundredths of a second and that speaks volumes of the level of competition. It was also good to see so many new faces. The future looks bright and I hope that many of these racers will soon compete internationally” said 8 Time champion and promoter of IndiKarting, Rayomand Banajee.

    The next round will be conducted on January 11 and 12 with qualifying commencing from Dec 24.

  • Sawan Satyanarayanan, Ashi Hanspal, and Jashmehar Jubbal hog limelight: Sodi Kart Sprint

    Sawan Satyanarayanan, Ashi Hanspal, and Jashmehar Jubbal hog limelight: Sodi Kart Sprint

    Girls Class- 1st Aashi Hanspal (centre), 2nd Muskaan Jubbal (left) and 3rd Kadambari at Hyderabad on Sunday.

    Hyderabad, 18 Nov 2019: Bengaluru’s Sawan Satyanarayanan, Mumbai’s Ashi Hanspal and Delhi’s Jashmehar Jubbal stole the honours in Round 2 of the Sodi Kart Sprint of the JK Tyre FMSCI Naional Karting Championship 2019, winning their respective categories in Hyderabad late on Sunday.

    Sawan Satyanarayanan came up with a power-packed performance to claim the Senior Category title, taking just 9:13.764 minutes to complete the 12 laps. Adheet Prashar of Hyderabad finished second (9:16.366) while Ashwin M Nair of Cochin clocked 9:17.070 to take the last place on the podium.

    All three have qualifies for the final round of the championship to be held in Chennai in the third week of December.

    Senior Class winners: 1st Sawan Satyanarayanan (centre), 2nd Adheet Prashar and 3rd Ashwin M Nair (right).

    Akshay Hoover, Hari Gopal Nayak and Pramil Singh, who finished with fourth, fifth and sixth, were also handed drives in the finals.

    In the Girls’ Class, Ashi Hanspal reigned supreme, posting a time of 10:57.406 minutes to finish the race. Muskan Jubbal finished second (10:57.839) while the third place went to Kadambari of Nagpur (11:04.767).

    Delhi’s Jashmehar Jubbal took the top honours in the Junior Category, with a time of 9:29.538 minutes while Agnishwar Verma of Chennai took the second place (9:32.888) and Vulli Gopal of Hyderabad the third (9:35.136). Apart from these three (Jubbal had qualified in the opening round itself, Rahul Reddy, Aadithya Raja, Jasmeh Singh Dingra and Muskan Jubbal booked a ticket for the finals.

    Junior Class winners: 1st Jasmehar Jubbal (centre) flanked by 2nd placed Agnishwar Verma (left) and 3rd placed Vulli Gopal.

  • Shahan Ali Mohsin impressive at Rotax Final in Italy

    Shahan Ali Mohsin impressive at Rotax Final in Italy

    Shahan Ali Mohsin in action in Italy on Sunday. Photo for INDIAinF1

    Sarno (Italy), 27 October 2019: Shahan Ali Mohsin once again impressed with his performance in the 2019 Rotax Grand Final in Sarno, Italy, last Sunday but missed the final by a whisker, with two retirements hurting him. Representing India, the youngster from Agra raced in the Senior category, at the world stage after winning the 2019 Indian National Karting Championship.

    The week-long competition had 76 racers from around the globe competing in the Senior category, where Shahan qualified in the Top-10 and became the first Indian to do so in a Rotax Grand Final. Racing for Dan Holland Racing from England, Shahan qualified 10th overall in his #317 kart after finishing sixth in his group.

    Holding Indian flag is always a matter of huge pride, says Shahan.

    Heat 1 saw Shahan running well before a contact with another kart resulted in an axle bend, forcing him to retire from the race. However, it was a mighty comeback in Heat 2, where he finished fourth after running at second for a few laps, the best for an Indian in the Rotax Grand  Finals again. The Indian was only 0.043 of a second behind the third-placed finisher.

    It was a close fight again in Heat 3 where he was seventh, only 0.100s behind the sixth-placed driver. His fantastic run though came to a sad end in Pre-Final by the tiniest of margins. He was well on-course to make it into the Final, where the Top-36 make the cut from the 72 finalists.

    Couple of contacts damaged his steering column and tie rod which forced him to retire on Lap 11. He missed the Final by just two points in the end, with the two retirements making the difference. It was mighty close but luck wasn’t with him. He was well received by his fellow competitors though.

    “I felt a lot of emotions as I carried the Indian flag, which is always a matter of pride for me when I represent India. Taking part in the Rotax Max Grand Finals, which is recognised as Olympics of Karting on a weekend where everyone is celebrating Diwali put me on a high,” said Shahan. “It was another superb experience and every time I feel better prepared for the future.

    “One drawback is not competing the full year but the urge to excel is even bigger in Finals when you have so many experienced racers together eyeing for the world No.1 tag. Racing with the best drivers of the world is always full of excitement and it was also a great chance for learning for me.

    Shahan during heats.

    “I’ll say, of all the Finals I have attended, this year it was different as I felt prepared right from the word `go’. The conditions were superb as the usual adjustment took time. We managed to improve every session and also set a benchmark for other Indians with best results in qualifying and heats.

    “The only downer is the two retirements, especially in the Pre-Final which hampered my chance in the Final as I was set to make it in with the points in the two Heats. Anyways, it was a full weekend and now it is all about preparing for 2020 for another year of racing.”

    “I would like to thank Mr Akbar Ebrahim and Meco Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to race in this event and thanks a lot to my team Dan Holland Racing, UK for the technical support,” Shahan concluded.

     

  • JK Tyre X30 Karting Nationals: Nirmal, Ruhaan, Ishaan crowned National champions

    JK Tyre X30 Karting Nationals: Nirmal, Ruhaan, Ishaan crowned National champions

    (L-R) The JK Tyre FMSCI National Karting X30 Class winners-Ruhaan Alva (Junior Class), Nirmal Umashankar (Senior Class) and Ishaan Madesh (Cadet Class) in Bengaluru on Saturday. JK Tyre photo

    Bengaluru, 7 Sept 2019: Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva capped off his spectacular run in the X-30 Junior class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship to emerge the 2019 champions here on Saturday. Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar and Bengaluru Ishaan Madesh became the National Champions in the Senior and Cadet classes in the last round itself.

    Nirmal, a regular on the JKNRC, collected a total of 23 points in the fifth and final round to amass 160 points to win the Senior category by a mile. Bengaluru’s Aditya Swaminathan (101 points) is the first runner up in the National Championship in Senior category followed by Delhi’s Debarun Banerjee (81) .
     
    It was an eventful start to the weekend, with a carnival-like atmosphere prevailing at the Meco Kartopia. Even as X-30 class was running its final course and the JK Tyre FMSCI National Karting Championship – Sodi Junior & Sodi Senior class’ qualifying rounds began, all eyes were on the `Girls on Track’ programme that attracted racing enthusiasts from across the country.
     

    Ruhaan Alva on way to winning the National Championship in the last round. Photo Shajahan

    Apart from girls from New Delhi, Chennai and Coimbatore, there were four from Nepal too. A handful of 8-year-olds too turned up to get initiated into motorsports along with teenagers and women in their twenties and thirties.

     
    They went through the entire drill of starting on racing simulators before eventually competing in the go-karting slaloms. In between, they underwent a batak reflex test and a basic pit-stop to be set for proper racing.
     
    Meanwhile, local boy Ruhaan Alwa underlined his supremacy in the Junior Category by sealing the title in the first race of the fifth round itself. He returned with a tally of 164 points to be crowned as the National Champion in the Junior class. 
     
    City-mate Arjun S Nair (134 points) is the runner-up in the National Championship and Chennai’s Ryan Mohammed collected a total of 24 points to take the third position in the National Championship with a total of 91 points.
     
    In the Cadet Category, it was Bengaluru’s Ishaan Madhesh who maintained his vice-like grip on the top of the table, winning three more races to accumulate 36 points win with a grand sum of 189 points. Shriya Lohia, a 11-year-old driver from Pune, picked up 27 points to end on the second spot with 134 points. While Ishaan was outstanding and became the National Champion in Cadet class winning all the races, it was a creditable show by Shriya Lohia, who beat many of the boys to stand first runner-up in the National Championship.  
     
    Another Pune driver Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran finished third with a modest total of 117 points.
    Final poinst tally: (top 3) Cadet Category- 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bangalore) 189 points; 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) 134 points; 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) 117 points
     
    Junior Category- 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bangalore) 164 points; 2. Arjun Nair (Bangalore) 134 points; 3. Ryan Mohammed (Chennai) 91 points.
     
    Senior Category- 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 160 points; 2. Aditya Swaminathan (Bangalore) 101 points ; 3. Debarun Banerjee 81 points.
  • Shahan Ali Mohsin, youngest to win Sr National Karting title

    Shahan Ali Mohsin, youngest to win Sr National Karting title

    Shahan will represent India in the Grand Final at Sarno in Italy between October 19 to 26 where drivers from nearly 60 countries will participate

    Shahan Ali Mohsin displays caution with an eye on the title as the karters were forced to race on slicks as rain hits the last race of the National Championship. An INDIAinF1 image

    Bengaluru, 25 August 2019: Talented Agra racer, Shahan Ali Mohsin won the  JK Tyre fmsci Senior National Karting Championship and became the youngest to bag the senior crown as the Nationals concluded at Meco Kartopia on Satuday.

    In the fifth and final round, Shahan came third in the Pre-final race and went on to claim the second place in the Final in a wet race after the slight rain but the two podium places were enough as he went into the last round with a 12-point advantage.

    “First of all, it was a big relief to get over the line,” Shahan said sporting a smile, as ever. “Even though you have a handy lead, it is still that you need to finish the weekend. A small technical error and it can snatch away all your points. There is no doubt that I am extremely happy to become the youngest driver to win in the Senior category of the Indian National Karting championship.”

    Shahan, who also started to take part in the Formula racing this season, took part in the Round 2 of the MRF F1600 Championship at Chennai this month but had a mixed bad as he encountered rain for the first time in his single-seater career. But this week-end, he was back to his karting roots for the final round of 2019 JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Championship.

    Shahan with with the Championship Trophy in Senior Category.

    Shahan was the youngest to compete in the Senior category when he made his debut in the top category last year. The year helped him to learn the nitty-gritty at the senior level and now he is crowned as the youngest Indian National Karting champion in the Senior category. Juniors are allowed to compete in the senior category as per the guidelines set by the FIA and CIK, especially with regards to the age limit.

    It was a straightforward start to his weekend as he qualified on pole and won Heat 1 and Heat 2 but after the rains, he was cautious and the two podiums were enough for his to seal the championship.

    It was Shahan’s sixth championship win in four years. The Senior title of 2019 adds to his 2015 Indian National Cadets, 2016 Asian Cadets, 2016 Indian National Cadets, 2018 Indian National Junior, and 2018 Indian Junior X30 series.

    “It was a day of mixed weather as it started out to dry but the two races towards the end were under tricky conditions, with the finals being a crazy race where we were running on the slick tyres in wet conditions. It was all about bringing the kart home with enough points to seal the championship. A big thanks to my team MSport and JK Tyre without whom, this wasn’t possible.”

  • Flash: Ishaan Madesh, Mihir Avalakki, Shahan Ali crowned champs for 2019: Karting Nationals

    Bengaluru, 24 August 2019: Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing stole the limelight as the JK Tyre fmsci National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2019 concluded with the fifth round at the Meco Kartopia here on Saturday.
    Ishaan Madesh bagged the top honours in the Micro Max class and was declared the Champion for the year 2019. He also bagged three other special awards. Mohamed Ryan of MSport became the Junior Max Champion while Shahan Ali Mohsin of Agra was crowned champion in the Senior Max category.
    Ishaan and Shahan were declared the Best Driver of the Year in their respective classes while Mihir Avalakki of Bengaluru was adjudged as the Best Driver in the Junior Class. Anshul Sai Shivakumar won the Best New Comer of the Year while Amir Sayed bagged the Akbar Ebrahim Most Improved Karter of the year award.
    Champions:
    Micro Max Class:
    1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) – Micro Max Champion
    2. Jagrath Detroja (Peregrine Racing) – Micro Max Runner Up
    3. Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art India) – Micro Max Second Runner Up
    Junior Max:
    1. Mohamed Ryan (MSPORT) – Junior Max Champion
    2. Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) – Junior Max Runner Up
    3. Abhay M (Birel Art India) – Junior Max Second Runner Up
    Senior Max:
    1. Shahan Ali Moshin (MSPORT) – Senior Max Champion
    2. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing) – Senior Max Runner Up
    3. Amir Sayed (MSPORT) – Senior Max second Runner Up
    Team Championship:
    1. Micro Max Category – Peregrine Racing
    2. Junior Max Category – MSPORT
    3. Senior Max Category – MSPORT
    Special Awards:
    1. Maximum Number Of Wins – Ishaan Madesh
    2. Max Number of pole positions – Ishaan Madesh
    3. Best Driver of the Year – Micro Max : Ishaan Madesh
                                               Junior Max : Mihir Avalakki
                                                Senior Max : Shahan Ali Moshin
    4. Best New Comer of the year – Anshul Sai Shivakumar
    5. Akbar Ebrahim Most Improved Karter of the year – Amir Sayed
    Note: A detailed report will follow.
  • Ishaan Madesh remains unbeaten; Shahan Ali, Rishon shine: JK Tyre Karting Nationals

    Ishaan Madesh remains unbeaten; Shahan Ali, Rishon shine: JK Tyre Karting Nationals

    Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing keeps his unbeaten record in the Micro Max Championship and leads the table. Photo FB @SharithaDivakar

    Bengaluru, 10 August 2019:  Ten-year-old local schoolboy Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing kept his slate clean winning all the four races to retain his place at the top of the leaderboard in the Micro Max category after final and pre-final races of Round 3 & 4 in the JK Tyre fmsci Indian National Rotax Karting Championship 2019 at Meco Kartopia here on Saturday.

    Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin of MSport and Bengaluru’s Rishon of Birel Art won three races each in the Senior Max and Junior Max categories, respectively but both lost the top spot in the pre-final on Friday. While Shahan leads the Senior Max table with 351 points, Mohamed Ryan is still ahead with 322 points in the Junior Max category, thanks to his three 5th place finishes along with a sixth.

    On Podium from left: Ruhaan (2nd), Rishon (1st) and Mihir Avalakki (3rd). Birel Art won 12 of the 13 podium places in two rounds in the Junior Max category.

    Ishaan, a student of Vidya Shilp Academy in Bengaluru, and the youngest of the two Madesh brothers, won both the Final and Pre-Final races of Round 3 on Friday and went on to win both the races on Saturday to complete a clean sweep and retained his position at the top with 356 points with an unbeaten record. His teammate Jagrat Detroja could only take third places in all the four races but is second in the championship standings with 330 points ahead of Anshul Sai Kumar (317) who failed to get a podium in the two rounds this weekend.

    Rishon lost some points coming second to Mihir Avalakki in the Pre=Final race in Round 3 on Friday. Mihir came second in two other races while Ruhaan Alva took a second and two third places on the podium in the Junior Max category.

    In the Senior Max class, Vishnu Prasad who won the Pre-Final in Round 3 on Friday, took the second place in the final but could not make it to the podium in Round 4 on Saturday. Yash Aradhya and Manav Sharma shared the minor spoils.

    Ishaan Madesh (centre) keeps his unbeaten record intact. An INDIAinF1 photo

    Provisional Unaudited Results: Round 4:

    Senior Max Final (18 laps): 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport, Agra) (16:42.810); 2. Yash Aradhya (MSport, Bengaluru) (16:43.229); 3. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing, Faridabad) (16:46.895). Best lap: Shahan 55.349. Pre-Final (15 laps): 1. 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport, Agra) (13:58.934); 2. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing, Faridabad)  (14:03.310); 3. Yash Aradhya (MSport, Bengaluru) (14:06.307). Best lap: Shahan 55.555.

    Junior Max Final (15 laps): 1. Rishon (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (13: 56.109); 2. Ruhaan Alva (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (13:58.513); 3. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (13:58.650). Best lap: Mihir 55.214. Pre-Final (15 laps): 1. Rishon (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (13: 54.462); 2. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (13:55.251); 3. Ruhaan Alva (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (13:56.592). Best lap: Mihir 55.278.

    Micro Max Final (12 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (12:16.823); 2. Ranvir Singh (Birel Art, Pune) (12:19.106); 3. Jagrat Detroja (Peregrine Racing, Morbi) (12:28.624). Best lap: Ranvir 1:00.619. Pre-Final (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (10:13.062); 2. Ranvir Singh (Birel Art, Pune) (10:13.188); 3. Jagrat Detroja (Peregrine Racing, Morbi) (10:22.374).Best lap: Ishaan 1:00.539.

    Shahan Ali Mohsin (centre) wins three races in Round 3 & 4 at Meco Kartopia. An INDIAinF1 image

    Round 3: 

    Senior Max Final (18 laps): 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport, Agra) (17:10.686); 2. Vishnu Prasad (MSport, Chennai) (17:10.940); 3. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing, Faridabad) (17:11.267). Best lap: Vishnu 55.686. Pre-Final (15 laps): 1. Vishnu Prasad (MSport, Chennai) (14:24.349); 2. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing, Faridabad)  (14:26.656); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport, Agra) (14:27.219). Best lap: Manav 55.993.

    Junior Max Final (15 laps): 1. Rishon (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (14: 06.573); 2. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (14:07.052); 3. Ruhaan Alva (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (14:07.308). Best lap: Mihir 55.644. Pre-Final (15 laps): 1. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (14: 58.517); 2. Rishon (Birel Art, Bengaluru) (14:59.020); 3. Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (15:01.429). Best lap: Rishon 55.765.

    Micro Max Final (12 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (12:25.032); 2. Ranvir Singh (Birel Art, Pune) (12:25.417); 3. Jagrat Detroja (Peregrine Racing, Morbi) (12:36.178). Best lap: Ranvir 1:01.372. Pre-Final (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (10:16.907); 2. Ranvir Singh (Birel Art, Pune) (10:17.502); 3. Jagrat Detroja (Peregrine Racing, Morbi) (10:33.340). Best lap: Ranvir 1:00.949.