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Category: MRF CHALLENGE
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MRF Tyres mourns the death of Craig Breen, the 33-year Irish driver
Croatia, 13 April 2023: Popular and beloved Irish Rally driver Craig Breen died on 13 April 2023 at the age of 33 after a crash driving his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 rally car in a testing session for the 2023 Croatia Rally.
The front left wheel of his car collided with a pole on a road between Stari Golubovec and Lobour at 4.10 pm IST (12.40 pm local time) fatally injuring Breen. Breen’s co-driver James Fulton was uninjured.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem: “On behalf of the FIA, I wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Craig Breen following his passing during a private testing accident in Croatia. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and the entire Rally community at this difficult time.”
MRF Tyres Motorsports handle, with motorsports head Madhusudhan Rheinus, said: “MRF Tyres will always remember the start you gave us to our ERC journey. Rest in peace Craig (Breen), you will be missed.”
Craig Breen and Paul Nagle take 2nd place on Saturday in Liepaja rally. An MRF image file photo of 3July2022 “The crash is being investigated by the team and the Croatian authorities, with the police confirming a fatal accident on that stretch of road at 12.40 pm local time,” said a dirtfish.com post.
INDIAinF1.com received a statement from Hyundai team as it prepared for the next week’s Croatia rally. It offered condolences to the family.
Statement from Hyundai Motorsport
April 13, 2023 – Hyundai Motorsport is deeply saddened to confirm that driver Craig Breen today lost his life following an accident during the pre-event test for Croatia Rally.
Co-driver James Fulton was unharmed in the incident that occurred just after midday local time.
Hyundai Motorsport sends its sincerest condolences to Craig’s family, friends and his many fans.
Hyundai Motorsport will make no further comment at this time.MRF and Craig Breen
MRF and Craig Breen are associated for last year’s ERC campaign where MRF won the Overall Championship. You can watch Craig Breen here.
(Hear from Team #MRFTyres driver (late) Craig Breen after he took three stage wins in December 2022, a superb Sunday action of Rajd Polski at Rally Poland. It was the first FIA ERC gravel stage win for MRF Tyres. MRF also took second in Leg 2, proving the pace of the Indian-based company’s tyres.
MRF sends condolences to the family and friends of Craig Breen. We are shocked and deeply disturbed by the incident, said an MRF official. May his soul Rest In Peace (RIP), the official added.
A group of rally enthusiasts tweeted:
“Can’t believe it! This just isn’t right – you were a legend of a human being and a driver. The sport is poorer without you. RIP Craig and my wishes are with all your family at this devastating time,” said Hayden Paddon, the Kiwin who recently won the Otago Rally for the 10th time, on Facebook.
Daniel Raissar, a rally fan, raised serious questions: “Basically no one is talking about the safety of the cars, it didn’t look like an unsurvivable shunt. The plastic body and plexy glass don’t offer enough protection around the safety shell. There are very strong materials used in IndyCar windshields and metal does bend but doesn’t get penetrated so easily on impact. One can only speculate why saving weight decisions were taken at the top, WRC2 cars beating rally1 would not have been good marketing,” he said.
“It is a very sad, sad loss for the whole rally community. Time for FIA to look seriously in the mirror,” he concluded.
Rest in peace Craig.
Condolences to the family and friends.
Carlos Sainz: “Very sad to hear about Craig’s death. All my condolences to his family and friends. Today’s a sad day for the rally family.”
About Craig Breen
Craig was the son of Ray Breen, a national champion in Irish rallying. He bega Karting in 1999 in Ireland. He began rallying in 2007, combining it with karting commitments in Europe in 2008.
In 2009 he made the full-time switch to rallying, competing in the Irish, British and International Fiesta Sporting Trophies, winning all three championships. He also went on to win the Fiesta Sport Trophy International Shootout and was award a twelve-month contract with M-Sport. For his achievements, Breen has crowned Young Irish Rally Driver of the Year and received the Billy Coleman Award.
In 2010 he debuted the Ford Fiesta $2000 in both British Rally Championship and the Irish Tarmac Championship. He took his first BRC victory on the 2010 Ulster Rally and went on to finish 2nd overall in the ITC. He also finished 17th overall in the car at the 2010 Rally Finland and 12th overall at Wales Rally GB.
In 2011, Breen competed in the WRC Academy driving a Ford Fiesta R2. He won his first WRC event at the Rallye Deutschland and his win at Wales Rally GB made him the inaugural WRC Academy Cup champion. Breen at the 2012 Rally Finland.
For 2012, Breen progressed to the S-WRC championship driving a Ford Fiesta S2000. He won the opening round at Monte Carlo and led the championship after the second round in Sweden.
In June 2012, Breen’s co-driver Gareth Roberts was killed in an accident during the Targa Florio Rally, the fifth round of the 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
In Rally de Catalunya, in November, he won the Super 2000 world championship. At the end of the rally, a very emotional Breen declared “I’m a kid, I can’t believe I’ve done this.”
In 2013, Breen and Co-driver Paul Nagle were signed by Peugeot to lead their ERC campaign called ‘Peugeot Rally Academy’. Breen was successful, achieving five podium places during the season, and eventually finishing 3rd overall, missing out on the runner-up spot by only four points. Midway through the season, Nagle left the team to help out Volkswagen’s Andreas Mikkelson in the WRC from the Rajd Polski onwards, Belgian Lara Vanneste became Breen’s co-driver.
Breen won his first ERC rally at the 2014 Acropolis Rally in Greece, driving a Peugeot 208 T16.
Breen and co-driver Scott Martin won the 2015 Circuit of Ireland Rally which had been a long-time ambition of Craig’s especially as this would be the 20th anniversary of his Rally Idol’s Tarmac Championship Win, that being Frank Meagher.
He did a part-time campaign with the Citroen Total World Rally Team in 2016, achieving his maiden Special Stage win and an emotional first podium finish with third place at the 2016 Rally Finland. He improved the result in 2018 by finishing second at the 2018 Rally Sweden.
In October 2021, it was announced that Breen would join M-Sport World Rally Team as their lead driver for the 2022 season. He joined Adrien Fourmax Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith in completing all 13 rounds.
Before the 2022 Rally Catalunya, James Fulton became Breen’s new co-driver after his long-time co-driver Paul Nagle announced his retirement. With Breen’s move from M-Sport to Hyundai Shell Mobis Mobis WRT is confirmed for the 2023 World Rally Championship… –Source Wikipedia
We stand with the family of Craig Breen, TEAM MRF TYRES and all the Rally Family in this hour of grief.
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MotoGP test: Ducati carries the pace into 2022 season?
Ducati return to the top of the timesheets as Pecco pulls clear, but there’s plenty more to see in pitlane on Day 2
Jerez, 19 Nov 2021: Less than half a second away from the all-time Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto lap record, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has ended the two-day Official 2022 MotoGP™ Jerez Test top of the timesheets, as could somewhat be expected based on the Italian’s recent form. Pecco’s 1:36.872 saw him beat Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) to the overall top by four tenths, with 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) third. But the timesheets were far from the whole story…
Straight out of the blocks on Friday, riding a 2022 prototype – the newer engine, front fairing, air intake and more – Bagnaia went just 0.3s shy of Maverick Viñales’ all-time lap record, seemingly a sign that Ducati have gone into 2022 testing carrying the momentum they ended the season with.
With regards to the engine, a big talking point across all factories for the Jerez Test and beyond, Ducati won’t be deciding their spec until the Mandalika Test in February. As well as the front fairing and air intake, the next biggest difference seen on the factory Ducatis has been the new, much long exhaust. Both Pecco and teammate Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) were using it on Day 1 and Day 2, it will be interesting to see whether it makes an appearance at the Sepang and Mandalika Tests next year.
And the end of both days, Pecco finished 0.4s clear after a further 42 laps on Day 2, adding to his 68 on Thursday, and was very pleased with the work done in Jerez. Johann Zarco’s (Pramac Racing) opening day time sees the Frenchman sit P4 on the combined timesheets, the second quickest Ducati, and he completed another 65 laps on Day 2. After 78 already put in on Thursday, Zarco was one of the busiest riders at the Jerez Test in terms of laps.
Miller and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) were busy testing 2022 parts across the two days, the Australian was P9 on Friday and P10 overall, with Martin down in P18 on both. Luca Marini (VR46 Racing Team) is the other rider in the Desmosedici ranks who will be on the latest spec machinery in 2022, and the Italian was 14th on the timesheets after clocking 56 laps on Day 2. Former teammate Enea Bastianini (Team Gresini Racing MotoGP) ended the couple of days in P5 overall as the two-time premier class podium finisher got to grips with his GP21.
Ducati have two rookies in their ranks for 2022, both riding GP21s, and the fastest rookie across the two days was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Team Gresini Racing MotoGP). The Italian was an impressive 1.6s down on Bagnaia having completed 45 laps on Day 2, seeing the 2021 Jerez Moto2™ race winner lap 93 times in total. Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Racing Team) finished 2.4s away from good friend Bagnaia after two days on the bike, a cracking effort from the Italian, who got 115 laps in the bank ahead of testing continuing next year.
As has been well documented, Honda have a brand-new bike for 2022. It’s the only machine at the test that looks completely new, with every other manufacturer having variations and adaptations from what we saw in 2021. Engine, chassis, aero, air intake, exhaust position… you name it. HRC have been working tirelessly to bring a new-look RC213V to the grid, and on first look, things are seemingly going well.
Marc Marquez’ (Repsol Honda Team) absence from the Jerez Test was bad news but the presence of Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) was very good news, the number 44 back despite his Turn 13 highside in Valencia. On Day 1, Pol Espargaro admitted that he was – unsurprisingly – riding with some pain in his ribs and wrist, with Nakagami and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) doing all the work on the new bike on Thursday. LCR boss Lucio Cecchinello also said that at one stage, there were six bikes in the LCR garage for Nakagami and Marquez.
However, on Day 2, Pol Espargaro got his hands on the 2022 prototype. Pitlane reporter Simon Crafar confirmed that the Spaniard now has better rear grip, and the number 44 also tried different aero packages with the new bike. Nakagami was second quickest overall and seventh on Friday, with Pol Espargaro setting his best time of the test on the new bike to take fourth on Friday and seventh overall. Alex Marquez also went quicker on Day 2 as all three Honda riders head into the winter with a very good idea of what the 2022 bike needs to be faster. Overall, it seems it was a positive test for HRC.
The new Yamaha chassis seen on Day 1 sported some modifications on Friday, and despite testing that and a new fairing, as well as continuing on engine testing, Quartararo said he struggled to find any clear positive step: the laptime with the bike was too similar to the older spec. He’s searching for better power, less wheelie and more rear grip for next year. He was second on Friday and third overall, as Nakagami slots into second on the combined Thursday-Friday timesheets.
Quartararo’s teammate Franco Morbidelli also had a new front fairing, with the same ‘wings’ but a different, more smoothly rounded fairing. The side fairing was also different, likely to aid cooling – seemingly a similar goal to Suzuki.
Andrea Dovizioso (WithU RNF Yamaha MotoGP) is now on the 2022 Yamaha, but not quite the same as the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP line-up. The Italian was positive about his riding in the afternoon although said it wasn’t yet instinctive, and reported the new bike has better braking, enabling the riders to brake harder, and a bit more power but the same DNA.
Teammate Darryn Binder, barring an out lap crash that slowed progress somewhat, was positive about his test too. The South African rookie started working on different tyres, electronics and traction control as he settles in.
The word on the street from Suzuki was almost singular up and down pitlane: their 2022 engine is reportedly decided, although Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was more coy in his debrief. The 2020 Champion said a huge focus was on electronics with that new engine, and work continued on the chassis side.
There were also some aero updates on show on Day 2, as promised, with different side fairings breaking cover for Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), although Mir said he’d also tried them on Day 1. A new swingarm was put through some more paces too.
Rins ended the day in third after 59 laps, and sixth overall. Mir was sixth on Friday after 73 laps, and ninth overall. Test rider Sylvain Guintoli added another 56 to the Hamamatsu lap count on Friday too.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team) was once again the fastest Aprilia, slotting into fifth on Day 2 and P8 overall. He was trying a new fuel tank cover, and working on body position to be more comfortable. 82 laps later, and having tried a chassis different to that of the Valencia GP, the number 12 said they had a clear direction. Viñales also said the new exhaust spotted at Aprilia was a similar feeling, which he also said was a positive after it was test back-to-back with the previous version.
Viñales’ teammate Aleix Espargaro put in another 55 laps on Friday too, and aero remained on show at Aprilia overall. Test rider Lorenzo Savadori had another new-look set of ‘wings’ that were different again, making it three aero packages on show from Noale. Their overall 2022 package will reportedly only be finalised at the Mandalika test.
Both Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were back out on a new aero package, but slightly different to the one seen on Day 1. The two both spent a lot of time on it, and MotoGP™ Legend and KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa was also back out – and also using the aero.
The Austrian factory were the most publicly coy of all. “Positives and negatives” were reported from both Brad Binder and Oliveira, and they’re expecting more to test at Sepang. Binder was 11th on Friday and 13th overall, with Oliveira 14th on Friday and 16th overall.
On rookie watch at Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, Raul Fernandez retained the upper hand on newly-crowned Moto2™ World Champion Remy Gardner… by just 0.037. Diggia pipped both to fastest rookie honours by the end of the test, with Fernandez 0.163 off the Italian. The number 25 ended the test in 20th on both Friday and overall, and the number 87 in P22 on both too.
That’s a wrap on the first glimpse of next season… but we’re not going anywhere! Keep up to date on everything happening over winter break and 2022 pre-season
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Team MRF Tyres on the pace but focussing on data as FIA ERC returns to Portugal
Two cars for Team MRF Tyres with Dani Sordo/Cándido Carerra and Simone Campedelli/Tania Canton in Fafe
Fafe (Portugal), 30 Sept. 2021: Team MRF Tyres is ready to take on the final gravel round of the FIA European Rally Championship season with the Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras taking place on the legendary roads of northern Portugal.
The rally, which features the famous and spectacular Fafe jump, is the sixth of eight rounds for the 2021 FIA ERC season and Team MRF Tyres will compete at the front with two cars.
Coming to Fafe on the back of a second place finish at the Azores Rallye is Dani Sordo with Cándido Carrera in the Hyundai i20 R5.
The Spanish pairing completed an intense day of testing in preparation for the event with data and development remaining as the key objective in Portugal.
However, with one rally under their belts, the team expects to be able to maximise the data opportunities and to challenge for top stage times.
Alongside Sordo/Carrera in Team MRF Tyres colours are Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton.
Campedelli and Canton are driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo for their third outing on the FIA ERC season, switching from a Volkswagen Polo R5 they used in Italy and Poland.Campedelli comes to Fafe off the back on several podiums finishes in the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel.
Team MRF Tyres has enjoyed a successful run over the previous weeks including a double podium in the Italian Rally Championship Gravel, a podium at the Azores Rallye and winning the Finnish Rally Championship with Emil Lindholm.
The challenge at Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras cannot be underestimated.
There are 32 Rally2 cars gunning for outright victory in the FIA ERC and they will compete on 16 stages over 197.04 competitive kilometres.
The action gets underway on Friday with qualifying and the road order selection before the competition heats up on Saturday with eight stages and 113.22 km against the clock.
Sunday will see eight more stages including the legendary Fafe jump on SS12 and the final stage of the rally, SS16. Known as the Lameirinha stage, the jump will make for an exciting conclusion to the rally and day’s 83.82km of rallying.
Fans will be able to follow all stages on FIA ERC radio live and will be able to watch SS2 and SS6 (Saturday) and SS12 and SS16 (Sunday) live on the FIA ERC Facebook or YouTube streams.
You can follow Team MRF Tyres throughout the rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Quotes
Dani Sordo, Driver, Hyundai i20 R5
“I have a good feeling. We had a big test with MRF Tyres before the event. We have a lot of confidence as I have been here before and we had a good result. I am looking forward to it.”“The last rally, we had a better result than we expected but we need to be clever and have some luck to have a chance to get the victory.”
“We are working a lot on the tyres and getting the information which is the priority. At the same time, to get good results is a great bonus.”
Simone Campedelli, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
“We have a positive start to the season with the MRF Tyres as we have had podiums in Italy and I am looking forward to getting back on stage in Portugal for the FIA ERC.”“I have never been in Fafe before, but I have done my homework with MRF Tyres. We are concentrating on data and development, but we will try our maximum at the same time. There are many fast drivers so it will be a big challenge. I have been in the car before as I have tested with Skoda but the first time I have used it in a rally. We have tested before the rally to get to know it with MRF Tyres.”
“We have seen everything on that famous jump in Fafe. I think I will feel goosebumps as I remember this jump as a child watching videos of cars going over it. I was dreaming, as a child, to come to a rally driver and jump over it. You can think about it for a while but you have to remain focused!”
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Team MRF Tyres Champions in Finnish Rally Championship 2021
Kokkola (Finland) 26 Sept. 2021: Team MRF Tyres has taken victory in the Finnish Rally Championship (Ralli SM) and the SM KokUA 60-v Juhlaralli this weekend.
Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen dominated the final round of the season in Finland, with Lindholm and Team MRF Tyres taking a hard-fought championship.
Going into the final round, it was a winner-take-all scenario with the top three drivers separated by seven points, meaning it was going to be a great fight between Lindholm, Mikko Heikkilä and Teemu Asunmaa.
Team MRF Tyres was on the pace from the first of the ten-stage competition with Lindholm winning the Skriko stage.
It was a lead that he would build on through the first day to end the Saturday action in first place but with a lead of just 2.9 seconds.
The pressure was intense for the four Sunday stages, which featured 74km of action. The long stages meant that drivers would have to push and keep their concentration over a long period of time.
Ending the rally was a 22.88km Markby test meaning that the rally was wide open to the end.
Lindholm was supreme never relinquishing his lead in his quest to win the Championship.The Team MRF Tyres Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo was exceptional with the entire team operating without mistakes.
The 2021 Finnish Rally Championship was the first full season for Team MRF Tyres in Finland, one of the most competitive Championships in the world. Having to consider that Finland and rallying are almost synonymous and the best of the best compete here.
After starting the European Rally Championship in 2020, the team has expanded to rally in Finland and in Italy with great success.
To be able to rally at the front, winning rallies and now Championship’s against the best drivers, teams and suppliers in the world is a testament to the hard work and dedication of every member of Team MRF Tyres.
The Team has worked tirelessly to develop the tyres and create a product that can compete at the front day in-day out. This Championship success was made possible by that effort.
While Lindholm celebrates his Championship success, Team MRF Tyres will be back on stage next weekend in the FIA European Rally Championship’s Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras with Dani Sordo and Simone Campedelli at the wheel.
Quotes
Emil Lindholm, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo (Champion)“It is a great feeling. We’ve been waiting for this. I’m smiling all the time! It is a great reward for the work at Team MRF Tyres.”
“This year I’ve better understood what it takes as a rally sport. Knowing how to drive basic times is just not enough. After all, rally is also a tactical sport. Every result and stage time doesn’t just affect your drive but also the performance of others. I’ve learned to think of rally as a whole.”
“The Finnish Championship is the most respected one in the world of national rally series. In order to survive in Finland, a tyre manufacturer is required to know-how from a quite wide area: snow, ice and composition from different gravel roads. Tyres need to work in Finland in different circumstances. I have to say a big thanks and a big congratulations to Team MRF Tyres. I can say that MRF Tyres did great in meeting challenges.” -
Double for Arjun Balu, Rithvik Thomas in saloon cars; Amendola wins MRF Challenge title
Yuven Sundaramoorthy, winner of Race-4 in MRF Challeng on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar Chennai, 16 Feb 2020: Belgium’s Michelangelo Amendola did not win any of the three races run today, but picked up sufficient points from two third-place finishes and a sixth, to emerge the new champion in the FIA-approved MRF Challenge which concluded at the MMRT, here today.
Earlier,16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy, with family roots in Madurai, gave the crowd plenty to cheer about by winning one race while British teenager Louis Foster and Australia’s Dylan Young took the honours in the other two races of the day.
A third place finish in Race-5 today ensured the 18-year Amendola the title in his third attempt as he opened up an unassailable 34-point lead over his nearest rival Young, going into the last race of the day. Amendola finished with 247 points, including five wins over three rounds, to Young’s 223 (3 wins) while Britain’s Joshua Mason (176) was placed third in the championship.
Meanwhile, Race Concepts drivers, Arjun Balu from Coimbatore and Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas notched a double each in the Indian Touring Cars and the Super Stock categories, respectively, of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship (Round-1).
Rejoicing his championship success with his immediate family, Amendola, who had scored a double yesterday, said: “I am absolutely delighted that I finally won the MRF Challenge championship in my third season. Last season, I finished fourth in the championship and in 2017, I was sixth. So, I was determined to win the title this time. Now that I have won it, I am looking at a few options, but all depends on budgets and sponsorship. Motor racing is not very popular in Belgium, but I am hopeful.”
The day began with Foster capitalising on a Turn-2 incident on Lap-1 that led to a brief Safety Car period, moving from third to first. Foster then hung on to finish ahead of Sundaramoorthy with Amendola in third place. Young’s championship hopes virtually ended when he lost two spots to come in sixth.
In the next race, Sundaramoorthy, starting on pole on the reverse grid, was off to a good start and though he lost a bit going into Turn 10, he managed to hold off Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi for his second win of the season with Young trailing home in third place.
“It feels great to win here in Chennai, virtually my home race! But I made it difficult for myself by making a couple of mistakes early in the race, especially when I went in too hot in Turn-10, went sideways and lost a bunch of space. I am absolutely delighted to score my second win this season after Dubai,” said Sundaramoorthy who turns 17 on February 22.
Young, starting from reverse grid pole, also won the day’s last race untroubled, comfortably nursing his early lead to chalk up his third win of the season.
ARJUN BALU REIGNS SUPREME
Balu destroyed the combined 29-car saloon cars field for a grand double. The grid was a mix of ITC, Super Stock and the Volkswagen Ameo (support race) that took its final bow after three seasons to be replaced by the turbo-charged Polo in the next round this summer.
Balu, like in Race-1 yesterday, was simply unstoppable though he started today eighth on the combined reverse grid. Within two laps, he sliced his way past six cars and then pole-sitter D Vidyaprakash of Prime Racing (subsequently disqualified for “technical infringement”, to take the lead that kept stretching corner to corner.
“At the start, I was keen to get to the front and not get stuck in mid-grid. Once into the lead, I was able to extend the lead before I decided to ease off big time as there was no need to push any more. It was a fairly comfortable race for me, but again, thanks to Race Concepts for preparing such a great racing car,” said Balu.
The results:
MRF Challenge (all 15 laps unless mentioned) – Race-4: 1. Yuven Sundaramoorthy (USA) (22mins, 53.075secs); 2. Manaf Hijjawi (Jordan) (22:54.066); 3. Dylan Young (Australia) (23:03.255). Fastest Lap: Sundaramoorthy (01:30.323). Race-5: 1. Louis Foster (UK) (25:38.368); 2. Sundaramoorthy (25:41.064); 3. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (25:45.004). Fastest Lap: Foster (01:31.053). Race-6 (14 laps): 1. Young (21:33.558); 2. Valdemar Eriksen (Denmark) (21:34.874); 3. Amendola (21:36.464). Fastest Lap: Sundaramoorthy (01:31.080). Final Championship standings (top 3): 1. Amendola (247 points); 2. Young (223); 3. Joshua Mason (GBR, 176).
National Championship (12 laps) – Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (23:12.264); 2. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsports) (23:28.371); 3. Sunil Ranjith (Race Concepts) (+1 lap).
Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (24:13.207); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (24:20.261); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (24:51.419).
Support races – MRF F1600 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (20:17.408); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (20:18.087); 3. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (20:19.272). Race-3: 1. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (16:35.718); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (16:42.174); 3. Vishnu Prasad (16:42.437).
Volkswagen Ameo Super Race (Race-2, 12 laps): 1. Anmol Singh Sahil (Ghaziabad) (23:19.588); 2. Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (23:22.637); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (23:23.267).
ABOUT MRF TYRES
Motorsports in India is synonymous with MRF. In fact, the development and popularity of various forms of the sport could be directly attributed to the pioneering efforts of the company, be it racing, rallying, motocross or karting. To encourage motorsport enthusiasts MRF has spared no resources in offering World-class facilities. Being the largest promoters of motorsports in India, MRF has the added advantage of being able to use the racetrack to test the tyres. MRF also supplies tyres to various other championships in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
MRF is the only tyre company in India to have developed Formula car tyres, world- class rally tyres for tarmac and dirt, motocross tyres and also karting tyres. Today, the company caters to almost all segments of the tyre industry and is proud to be the manufacturer of the largest range of tyres. Heavy-duty truck and bus tyres, passenger car tyres, two-wheeler tyres and farm tyres are just some of the tyres that MRF manufactures.
The one thing that puts MRF head and shoulders above its competition is the fact that MRF is the only tyre company in India without any foreign technical collaboration. The company is where it is today, thanks mainly to its know-how and its ability to develop indigenous technology. With this technology, MRF now supplies original equipment tyres to multinational manufacturers such as Honda, Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, Mahindra, Tata, Volkswagen, Toyota, Suzuki and Ford. In total, MRF exports to more than 90 countries. MRF has been the undisputed leader in the tyre industry for more than three decades now, notwithstanding the competition from various multinational and Indian tyre brands.
Arjun Balu on way to a double in the ITC category on 16 Feb 2020 at MMRT, Chennai. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan for INDIAinF1 -
Grand double for Michelangelo Amendola; Manaf Hijjawi notches maiden single-seater win
Manaf Hijjawi (71), who scored his maiden win in the MRF Challenge on Saturday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan Chennai, 15 Feb 2020: Michelangelo Amendola, the 18-year old from Belgium, notched a fine double to consolidate his top position in the championship while Jordanian teenager Manaf Hijjawi scored the maiden single-seater win of his fledgling racing career as the MRF Challenge headed towards a grand climax at the MMRT, here today.
Amendola won the day’s first and third races to take his tally of wins to five from 12 starts while 18-year old Hijjawi, in just his first full season in single-seaters, took the honours in Race-2 to provide a twist to the championship stakes.
With three more races to be run tomorrow (Sunday) in this final round of India’s only FIA-approved international championship, Amendola leads the table with 209 points, followed by Australian Dylan Young (175) who had two podiums today, Britain’s Joshua Mason (160) and Hijjawi (130).
The Belgian youngster won both his races today from lights to flag, starting from pole, and dominated to leave the pack chasing his shadow. In the day’s first race, Amendola was off to a flier and after a couple of laps had none in his rear-view mirrors.
“It was a bit boring as there was nobody in front of me and none behind me, but the competition will get tougher with reverse grids and all that,” said Amendola. It was much the same in Race-3 that he won with over 10 seconds to spare. He was followed home by Young and Mason in Race-1, and Young and British teenager Louis Foster in Race-3.
For Hijjawi, it was a red-letter day as the Jordanian, having just graduated from karting, scored a significant win as a warm-up for his forthcoming full season in British Formula 3 championship. “It’s a great feeling to score my first-ever win in a single-seater. It was a tough race, but I managed to stay in front,” said an emotional Hajjawi who survived a close fight with a display of wonderful composure under pressure to shrug off challenge from Mason for a well-deserved win. Denmark’s Valdemar Eriksen completed the podium.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Earlier, Coimbatore’s Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) chalked up a fluent and emphatic win in the Indian Touring Cars class of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship (Round-1), not facing any worthwhile challenge through the 10-lap race. “I lost the boost in the very first lap and so, was very much off the pace compared to my qualifying timing. Fortunately, I managed to build sufficient lead and got home safely,” said Balu.
Balu’s team-mate from Bengaluru, Rithvik Thomas was placed first in the Super Stock class of the National championship.
Arjun Balu, winner of Saloon car race on 15 Feb 2020. Photo by Anand Philar The saloon car race had a combined 28-car grid of various categories – ITC, Super Stock and the support event Volkswagen Ameo Super Race. Thane’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay topped in the VW Ameo category.
The results (Provisional):
MRF Challenge (all 15 laps unless mentioned) – Race 1: 1. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (22mins, 58.236); 2. Dylan Young (Australia) (23:05.941); 3. Joshua Mason (GBR) (23:06.414). Fastest Lap: Amendola (01:31.071). Race-2: 1. Manaf Hajjawi (Jordan) (23:13.797); 2. Mason (23:14.474); 3. Valdemar Eriksen (Denmark) (23:17.576). Fastest Lap: Louis Foster (UK) (01:31.178). Race-3: 1. Amendola (22:57.347); 2. Young (23:07.540); 3. Louis Foster (UK) (23:07.958). Fastest Lap: Amendola (01:30.861).
National Championship (10 laps) – Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (19:18.024); 2. D Vidyaprakash (Prime Racing) (19:41.347); 3. Vishnu Prasad (Prime Racing) (19:55.112).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (20:11.569); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (20:19.452); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (20:31.940).
Support races (10 laps) – MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (16:38.930); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (16:40.163); 3. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (16:41.535).
Volkswagen Ameo Super Race (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (19:21.422); 2. Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (19:22.578); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (19:25.566).
Michelangelo Amendola (right) and Manaf Hijjawi. Photo Anand Philar -
Pole for Michelangelo Amendola; Arjun Balu quickest in saloon category
Michelangelo Amendola who qualified for pole position in MRF Challenge on Friday. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan Chennai, 14 Feb 2020: Belgium’s Michelangelo Amendola, the championship leader, picked up two crucial points by qualifying for pole position as the third and final round of the MRF Challenge got underway at the MMRT, here today. He saved his best for the last lap of the session when he posted his quickest timing.
The 17-year old Amendola, in his third MRF Challenge season, though felt that he could have gone even quicker, but was happy with the pole position which he secured with a timing of one minute, 30.856 seconds. Close behind him was Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi (01:31.128) while British teenager Joshua Mason was third quickest in 01:31.154. Behind the trio was Aussie veteran Dylan Young, who is second in the championship, trailing Amendola by 16 points, qualified fourth in 01:31.245.
Just one second covered the top seven, a clear indication of the closeness of the competition going into this weekend’s six races.
“It wasn’t the best qualifying session I had. But it was a long duration session (30 minutes), so we had the pace. Anyway, we got the pole position and that is two more points. But we still have a long way to go with three races tomorrow and three more on Sunday.
“There is still some work to be done on the car, we can be quicker, but we are halfway there. I did the Free Practice sessions on old tyres and also the first part of the qualifying. After switching to new tyres, I went quicker and took pole position on my last flying lap of the session,” said Amendola.
Arjun Balu, who qualified for pole position in the Indian Touring Cars class.Earlier, last year’s first runner-up Arjun Balu from Coimbatore, driving the Race Concepts-prepared Honda City Vtec, was in a league of his own while taking pole position in the Indian Touring Cars class of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship (Round-1), clocking one minute, 49.894 secs which was a considerable improvement on his last season’s best of 1:50.9.
Such was the veteran’s pace that he was over four seconds quicker than the next best in the ITC class, Goa’s Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsports) who piloted the Volkswagen Vento (01.54.001), while another Coimbatore veteran, the ageless Octagenarian D Vidyaprakash of Prime Racing (01:54.849) in an Esteem, was third fastest.
“I am absolutely ecstatic, though my car is still a work in progress. We were looking for improvement, but did not expect this (sub-1:50) to happen so quickly. Anyway, I am happy that we went quicker than last year when my best was a 1:50,” said Balu.
The results (Qualifying):
MRF F2000: 1. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (01min, 30.856secs); 2. Mannaf Hijjawi (Jordan) (01:31.128); 3. Joshua Mason (GBR) (01:31.154).
National Championship – Indian Touring Cars: 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (01:49.894); 2. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsports) (01:54.001); 3. D Vidyaprakash (Prime Racing) (01:54.849).
Super Stock: 1. A Balaprasath (Race Concepts) (01:59.220); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (01:59.962); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (02:00.338).
Support race: Volkswagen Ameo Super Race: 1. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (01:54.222); 2. Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (01:54.536); 3. Avik Anwar (01:54.817).
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MRF Challenge set for exciting finish; MRF MMSC National car racing season begins
File photo of MRF Challenge in action. Photo by Anand Philar Chennai, 13 Feb 2020: A clutch of hungry teenagers from across the globe, besides a couple of veterans, will be again going head-to-head as the third and final round of FIA-approved MRF Challenge, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, gets underway at the MMRT here on Friday, February 14, with a card of six races.
The weekend racing bouquet also includes the first round of MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship for saloon cars (ITC, IJTC and Super Stock) besides two support events, the MRF F1600 and Volkswagen Ameo Super Race. In all, 12 races have been scheduled for this weekend.
The previous two rounds witnessed thrilling battles while throwing up some exciting young talent like championship leader Belgium’s 17-year old Michaelangelo Amendola, Britain’s Joshua Mason, and first-timers in MRF Challenge Indian-American Yuven Sunderamoorthy, 16, who chalked up a fine win in Dubai, and Japanese-American Reece Ushijima who clocked two fastest laps, also in Dubai.
A newcomer to the MRF Challenge is England’s 16-year old Louis Foster who enjoyed a tremendous run in the British F4 Championship last year to finish third overall with six wins and 13 podiums. In 2018, he emerged “Champion Rookie” in the Ginetta Junior Championship with nine wins.
MRF Tyres Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Arun Mammen said: “We have had some exciting races in the previous two rounds in Dubai and Bahrain. Now, with the championship still wide open, we expect more of close and thrilling competition up and down the grid, here in the final round at Chennai. Over the years, MRF Challenge, India’s only FIA-approved Formula racing championship which is also one of the best in Asia, has thrown up a clutch of talented youngsters who have utilized the MRF Challenge, run in the off-season winter months, as a platform to achieve their racing goals, and it has been no different this season too with drivers from the United States, Europe and Australia lining up. MRF Tyres’ commitment to motorsports is evident by our strong presence in various championships across the globe, be it racing or rally.”
After two rounds, Amendola, with three wins in Dubai, is well-placed at the top with 143 points. He is followed by Australia’s 30-year old Dylan Young (127) who notched his first and only win so far in seven MRF Challenge seasons. Behind the pair is Mason (115) who notched four podium finishes in the Dubai round.
The top three title contenders, however, have to watch out for Danish teenager Valdemar Eriksen and Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi, tied on 87 points, but well clear of Ushijima and Sunderamoorthy who have 70 apiece. Denmark’s Largim Ali (43) and the lone Indian in fray and Chennai native, Chetan Korada (19) close out the grid.
With six races to be run, there are plenty of points on offer and it puts premium on consistency given the close competition.
ABOUT MRF TYRES
Motorsports in India is synonymous with MRF. In fact, the development and popularity of various forms of the sport could be directly attributed to the pioneering efforts of the company, be it racing, rallying, motocross or karting. To encourage motorsport enthusiasts MRF has spared no resources in offering World-class facilities. Being the largest promoters of motorsports in India, MRF has the added advantage of being able to use the racetrack to test the tyres. MRF also supplies tyres to various other championships in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
MRF is the only tyre company in India to have developed Formula car tyres, world- class rally tyres for tarmac and dirt, motocross tyres and also karting tyres. Today, the company caters to almost all segments of the tyre industry and is proud to be the manufacturer of the largest range of tyres. Heavy-duty truck and bus tyres, passenger car tyres, two-wheeler tyres and farm tyres are just some of the tyres that MRF manufactures.
The one thing that puts MRF head and shoulders above its competition is the fact that MRF is the only tyre company in India without any foreign technical collaboration. The company is where it is today, thanks mainly to its know-how and its ability to develop indigenous technology. With this technology, MRF now supplies original equipment tyres to multinational manufacturers such as Honda, Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, Mahindra, Tata, Volkswagen, Toyota, Suzuki and Ford. In total, MRF exports to more than 90 countries. MRF has been the undisputed leader in the tyre industry for more than three decades now, notwithstanding the competition from various multinational and Indian tyre brands.
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Dylan Young, Bent Viscaal share honours: MRF Challenge
Dylan Young on way to winning Race-4 at Bahrain on 4 Dec 2019. Photos by Anand Philar Sakhir (Bahrain), 14 Dec 2019: Dylan Young of Australia showcased his vast experience to chalk up a fluent win in the final race of the second round of MRF Challenge, a support-event for the FIA World Endurance Championship, at the Bahrain International Circuit, here today.
The 30-year old Young, a regular in the MRF Challenge, while scoring his second win in the championship following his success in the first round at Dubai last month, ended the Bent Viscaal-David Schumacher domination. Viscaal, from the Netherlands, had won the first and third races while Germany’s Schumacher, son of former F1 driver Ralf, had taken the honours in Race-2 under lights late last night.
The results notwithstanding, championship leader Michelangelo Amendola of Belgium, who had won three of the five races in Dubai, maintained his top position on the leaderboard despite a poor run here in Bahrain when he finished no higher than sixth. He took his tally to 143 points, followed by Young (127) and Joshua Mason (Britain, 115). The title will be decided in Chennai which will host the final round at the MMRT on February 14-16 next year with a six-race card.
The last race of the round today saw Viscaal and pole-sitter Amendola colliding. Viscaal was forced into retirement while Amendola limped home in seventh.
Up ahead, Young shot off the blocks as the lights went out to pass Amendola and kept his position for a victory. Behind him, battles raged up and down the field with positions being swapped on almost every lap. Eventually, Schumacher, who had started fifth on the reverse grid, came in third behind Jordan’s Manaf Hijjawi who gained two spots to finish behind Young.
Earlier, it was a comfortable win, his second in three outings, for Viscaal in Race-3 as he slipped past pole-sitter Schumacher immediately after the start and then put in two back-to-back fastest laps to effectively seal his win. He then clocked the fastest lap of the race in Lap-5 to further extend his lead over Schumacher who had to be content with a second place finish.
Behind the duo, 16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy made good progress from P5 to P3 while Young who shot up from eighth to fourth eventually finished fifth behind Hijjawi who is in his first single-seater season.
Race-4 winner Dylan Young (centre) flanked by second-placed Manaf Hijjawi (left) and third-placed David Schumacher on 14 Dec 2019 “I had a pretty good start today and moved to P3, but couldn’t get past David (Schumacher). Overall, I am quite happy with my second podium of the championship. It’s been a good learning experience, especially racing with experienced F3 drivers. Everyone has been improving and so, the grid is getting more competitive,” said Sundaramoorthy who has his roots in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Late last night, in Race-2 that was run under lights and on reverse grid, Schumacher came out on top after having started fifth, in a hectic, nerve-wracking three-car finish as he took the chequered flag just ahead of Viscaal and Young. The trio went wheel-to-wheel to set up a thrilling finish with leader Young dropping two places in the last lap as first Viscaal and then Schumacher passing him. The two front-row starters, pole-sitter Reece Ushijima and Joshua Mason, eventually finished fifth and fourth, respectively, unable to match the pace of the top three.
The results (all 10 laps unless mentioned):
Race-2 (10 laps): 1. David Schumacher (Germany) (20mins, 24.266secs); 2. Bent Viscaal (Netherlands) (20:25.968); 3. Dylan Young (Australia) (20:25.994). Fastest Lap: Schumacher (02:00.732).
Race-3: 1. Viscaal (20:16.541); 2. Schumacher (20:17.306); 3. Yuven Sundaramoorthy (USA) (20:23.243). Fastest Lap: Viscaal (02:00.896).
Race-4: 1. Young (20:27.236); 2. Manaf Hijjawi (Jordan) (20:28.071); 3. Schumacher (20:29.810). Fastest Lap: Schumacher (02:01.302).
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Bent Viscaal, David Schumacher set early pace in Free Practice: MRF Challenge
David Schumacher during free practice. Photo by Anand Philar Sakhir (Bahrain), 12 Dec 2019: Debutants Bent Viscaal and David Schumacher set the early pace in Free Practice session as the second round of the MRF Challenge, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club and a support-event for FIA World Endurance Championship, got underway at the Bahrain International Circuit, here today.
Viscaal, the 20-year old from the Netherlands, fresh from his debut season in the Formula 3 championship, was the quickest in the first Free Practice session, clocking a best of two minutes, 01.191 seconds while Germany’s 18-year old Schumacher, son of former Formula 1 driver Ralf, was second best in 02:01.256, ahead of Denmark’s 16-year old Valdemar Eriksen (02:01.850).
In fact, the top five in the session, including fourth-placed Aussie Dylan Young (02:01.901) and championship leader Michelangelo Amendola from Belgium (02:01.915), winner of three races in the first round at Dubai last month, were covered by less than one second.
Viscaal, who was second Overall in 2018 Euroformula Open Championship, was quite pleased with his pace today, though he refrained from any predictions on his performance over the next two days when the qualifying and four races would be run.
“It went very well for me today. First time in MRF Challenge, first time in this car and learning the track. It’s been nearly two months since I drove a racing car. So, MRF Challenge will provide me with some winter mileage. The car is good and so also the tyres, I am really enjoying it here. I was quite happy with the pace, though you never know with quali (qualifying session) and races still to be run,” said Viscaal.
Schumacher said he enjoyed the outing. “New car, new tyres and it was quite fun to drive. It was one of the best cars I have driven in practice session. I was missing half-a-tenths in the quickest laps. The track is really difficult and the temperatures were quite high. This car is pretty easy to drive compared to others. I chose the MRF Challenge to learn the track for next season. This week, I want to win all the races of course!”
The top five were followed by 16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy (02:02.352), Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi (02:02.439), Japanese-American Reece Ushijima (02:02.507), Denmark’s Largim Ali (02:02.739), Britain Joshua Mason (02:03.146) and lone Indian entrant Chetan Korada (02:04.991).
