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Category: MRF CHALLENGE
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David Schumacher to race in MRF Challenge Round 2 at Bahrain
David Schumacher in Sakhir Bahrain on Wednesday. Photos by Anand Philar Sakhir (Bahrain), 11 Dec 2019: David Schumacher, son of former F1 driver Ralf, is the latest addition to India’s only FIA-approved international series, the MRF Challenge which moves to the Bahrain International Circuit here with a total of four races spread over two days – December 13 and 14.
The 18-year old David Schumacher from Germany, has been in tremendous form in the past year, having emerged Rookie Champion with eight wins in his category while finishing ninth Overall in the 2018 Formula 4 ADAC Championship, followed by fourth Overall with four wins in the 2019 Formula 3 Regional European Championship.
David Schumacher is the latest among high-profile drivers who have utilised the MRF Challenge, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, as a stepping stone to further their racing careers. Mick Schumacher, Harrison Newey, son of Formula 1 designer ace Adrian Newey, Formula 1 test driver with Alfa Romeo Racing Tatiana Calderon and last season’s winner Jamie Chadwick, who is also the champion of the inaugural W Series this year, are some of the big names to have participated in the MRF Challenge, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club.
David Schumacher said: “I am really excited to race with the MRF Challenge in Bahrain. The series is a good platform to race in the winter break. I am looking forward to get the chance to do my first race in Bahrain and to prepare for the season 2020.”
Looking ahead to Round 2, Mr Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Ltd., said: “At the outset, we would like to welcome David Schumacher to MRF Challenge. He follows his cousin, Mick, son of multiple F1 champion Michael Schumacher, and who participated in the championship couple of seasons ago and is now looking to break into F1. David joins other teenagers from Europe and the United States who showcased their talent in the first round at Dubai last month with some very competitive racing. I am sure, these youngsters are looking forward to racing at the iconic Bahrain F1 circuit in Sakhir.”
File photo of MRF Challenge race. The first round of the MRF Challenge last month in Dubai, comprising five races saw Belgian teenager Michelangelo Amendola dominating with three wins, besides topping the qualifying session and posting three fastest laps to pocket 119 points. The other two races were won by veteran Australian Dylan Young and 16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy. Trailing Amendola on the points table is British teenager Joshua Mason (77), ahead of Young (65).
Interestingly, 16-year old Japanese-American Reece Ushijima, though failing to win and placed seventh in the championship behind Valdemar Erikson (Denmark), Sunderamoorthy and Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi, showed impressive pace by posting two fastest laps in his debut single-seater season, and would be the one to watch here in Bahrain.
Danish youngster Largim Ali is currently eighth in the championship after finishing fourth in two races while Chennai-based Chetan Korada, India’s lone entry, brings up the rear, having picked up points in all the five outings in Dubai.
Another new entrant for Round 2 is 20-year old Brent Viscaal from the Netherlands who took part in the FIA F3 Championship this year after having finished runner-up in the 2018 Euroformula Open Championship.
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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Indian-origin Yuven Sundaramoorthy of US notches up maiden win; Amendola, Young share the other 2
Yuven Sundaramoorthy (29) trailing Joshua Mason (21) before winning the final race on Saturday. Photos: Anand Philar Dubai, 23 Nov 2019: Michelangelo Amendola from Belgium completed a dream week with three wins out of five races as the first round of the FIA-approved MRF Challenge international series concluded at the Dubai Autodrome, here today. Also notching wins were Australia’s Dylan Young and Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy, for both of whom it was their maiden success in the championship.
The 17-year old Amendola dominated the entire round, being quickest in Free Practice and qualifying sessions before winning both the races yesterday and another today besides finishing second in the other two outings, to give himself a great start in the championship stakes.
Young, 30, in his seventh appearance in the MRF Challenge, finally got the monkey off his back by notching his first win in the championship, while 16-year old debutant Sundaramoorthy, whose family roots are entrenched in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, reaped rewards for his persistence.
Young had to work hard for his maiden success. Quick at the start to take the lead, the affable Aussie hung on gamely to hold off pole-sitter Amendola by putting in some solid laps when it mattered. The Belgian had another poor start from pole position and dropped to third behind Young and Joshua Mason (Great Britain) before easing past the British driver in the second lap to catch up with the Aussie. However, Amendola was unable to get past the experienced Young who went on to win.
Reflecting on his success, Young said: “It was a good race and the car felt really good. I got a good start which set it all up. Once I got the lead, I just put my head down and controlled the race from thereon. I am over the moon with this first win in MRF Challenge and will certainly have a few beers with the boys tonight!”
In Race 4 that had a reverse grid, pole-sitter Eriksen was quickly passed by Mason and Sundaramoorthy in the very first lap. The trio held positions until the sixth lap even as behind them, Amendola, who started from fifth, moved up a spot while Young dropped from sixth to seventh. The Belgian made another move to pass Eriksen into third spot. Up the road, Mason came under increasing pressure from Sundaramoorthy. In the ninth lap, Mason spun, allowing Sundaramoorthy, Amendola and Eriksen to get ahead and finish in that order.
“It feels good to win the race especially after the crash yesterday in the previous race. Today, the race went very well. Josh (Mason) drove amazingly and all I could do was to put pressure on him, hoping to force him into a mistake as I was not close enough to pass. I feel great to have scored my first-ever win in the F2000 category,” said Sundaramoorthy.
Dylan Young, Race 5 winner Michelangelo Amendola flanked by 3rd-placed Yuven Sundaramoorthy (right) and Dylan Young on Saturday. The fifth and last race of the Dubai round was a comfortable outing for Amendola once he fought off his rivals at the start before going into a virtual cruise control mode for a comfortable win ahead of Mason and Young. “It’s been a great week and yeah, feels good to win three of the five races. That was my target coming here to Dubai. I had to fend off others early in the last race, but after that, it was fairly comfortable as I opened up a good lead,” said Amendola who was followed home by Mason and Young.
The lone Indian entrant, Chetan Korada, showed some improvement in his pace to pick up some points though he could not offer any serious challenge to the front-runners.
The second round of the championship will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit on December 12-14 before moving on to the grand finale in Chennai in February next year.
The results (all 10 laps):
Race-3: 1. Dylan Young (Australia); 2. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium); 3. Joshua Mason (Great Britain).
Race-4: 1. Yuven Sundaramoorthy (USA); 2. Amendola; 3. Valdemar Eriksen (Denmark).
Race-5: 1. Amendola; 2. Mason; 3. Young.
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Double delight for Michelangelo Amendola: MRF Challenge
Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF, (left) with Race-1 2nd-placed Joshua Mason (2nd from left), winner Michelangelo Amendola and Dylan Young (right) who came third, on Friday. Photos Anand Philar Dubai, 22 Nov 2019: Belgian teenager Michelangelo Amendola came up with two brilliant drives to win both the races of the day in the eighth edition of the FIA- approved MRF Challenge international series at the Dubai Autodrome on Friday.
The 17-year old Amendola displayed rare character to win both races from difficult positions. In the first race that he started form pole, he dropped to third after a wheel-spin as the lights went off before taking a win and in the next race, he made places from sixth on the reverse grid to take the checkered flag despite stalling his car at Turn-1 in the very first lap.
The race was marked by a Safety Car period following a collision between Aussie Dylan Young and Indian-American Yuven Sunderamoorthy in the first lap.
The Belgian youngster, despite the Turn-1 incident, put his head down and managed to carve his way through the field before passing leader Joshua Mason, the 17-year old from Great Britain on the final lap while Jordanian teenager Manaf Hijjawi came in third.
“I am happy to win both races today. In the morning, I lost places at the start due to a wheel-spin as I did not let go of the clutch, and then had to fight my way into the lead. In the second race, I started sixth on the reverse grid, stalled my car after someone made contact from behind at Turn-1 in the first lap. Luckily, I managed to start the car and then made places to win,” said a delighted Amendola.
In the first race, Amendola, was slowly off the blocks due to wheel-spin and fell behind as Mason and Young led the pack into Turn-1. Mason opened up a sizeable lead before tyre wear slowed him down while Young caught up with him, but could not pass. Meanwhile, Amendola recovered quickly and in the latter half of the race, got a jump on both the front-runners leaving Mason and Young scrap for the minor podium spots.
Behind the trio, the midfield witnessed close battles while India’s Chetan Korada finished ninth and last after a spin in the eighth lap even as he was putting in consistent laps. But in the second race, the Chennai-based Korada was running fourth, but conceded the advantage to finish seventh.Earlier, in the qualifying session, Amendola came up with a late charge to grab pole position ahead of Mason, who briefly led the time sheets, and Young.
The results: Race-1 (10 laps): 1. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium); 2. Joshua Mason (Great Britain); 3. Dylan Young (Australia). Race-2: 1. Amendola; 2. Mason; 3. Manaf Hijjawi (Jordan).
Qualifying (top 4): 1. Amendola (01:58.409); 2. Mason (01:58.499); 3. Young (01:58.518); 4. Largim Ali (Denmark) (01:58.527).
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Belgian Amendola dominates practice sessions; Chetan Korada 9th: MRF Challenge
Michelangel Amendola (Belgium) who topped both the Free Practice sessions on Thursday. Photo by Anand Philar Dubai, 21 Nov 2019: Belgium’s 17-year old Michelangelo Amendola set the early pace by dominating both the free practice sessions as the eighth season of the International MRF Challenge commenced at the Dubai Autodrome, here today.
Amendola, who had finished fifth overall in the 2018-19 championship, topped the time sheets in the first of the two Free Practice sessions by clocking one minute, 58.551 seconds and followed it up with a 01:58.806 in the next outing.
Finishing second behind Amendola in the red-flag interrupted FP1 were two other 17-year olds, Great Britain’s Joshua Mason (01:59.882) and Yuven Sundaramoorthy from the United States (01:59.912).
Amendola continued his consistent run in FP2 with a best of 01:58.806 which he set barely minutes from the close of the session ahead of Sundaramoorthy (01:59.524), who has some experience of driving two-litre cars having taken part in F2000 races in the US and Australian veteran Dylan Young (01:59.618) who shrugged off a spin in FP1 that led to the red flag as the marshals removed his car stranded in one of the corners.
The lone Indian in the fray, Chetan Korada struggled in both the sessions, finishing last in the nine-car field. “I had some issues with the car today, but hopefully, I will be able to do better tomorrow’s qualifying session,” said the 33-year old Chennai-based Korada.
Amendola was pleased as punch with his performance today. “It went pretty well considering that I was driving after a long time. To be honest, the last time I drove was in Chennai in February (2018-19 season), so I had no preparations. I only did a lot of physical and mental training. However, it felt like home, getting back into the car!” said Almendola.
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MRF Challenge to begin in Dubai on Nov 21; Season finale at MMRT in Feb 2020
File photos of MRF Challenge action in 2019. Photos by Anand Philar Dubai, 19 Nov 2019: The MRF Challenge, India’s only FIA-approved international championship and one of Asia’s premier single-seater competitions, conveniently slotted in the winter months, and now in its eighth season, will kick-start here at the Dubai Autodrome on Thursday, November 21.
The MRF Challenge 2018-19, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club, will comprise 15 races spread over three rounds to be run in Dubai (Nov 21-23), Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain (Dec 12-14) and the MMRT, Chennai (Feb 14-16, 2020).
Over the years, the MRF Challenge has featured quite a few high-profile racers like Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher; Harrison Newey, son of Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey; Manuel Maldonado, cousin of former Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado; female Formula 1 test driver with Alfa Romeo Racing Tatiana Calderon; last season’s champion Jamie Chadwick, who is also the first-ever champion of the W Series and the first-ever female driver to win an international race at Bahrain International Circuit.
The Formula 2000 car, prepared by Coimbatore-based Jayem Automotives, is powered by 2-litre Mountune Duratec engine producing 230 BHP while almost matching Formula 3 in speed and power. The car boasts of a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox equipped with Integrated dash and paddle-shift system.
Mr. Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Tyres said: “It has been an exciting journey for us as we present the eighth edition of the MRF Challenge. We provide identical cars to all the drivers and so, the key differentiating factor is the driving ability. It has also been our constant endeavour to develop the car which is now among the fastest single-seaters in Asia. The MRF Challenge also offers us rich data that in turn helps us to develop further the slicks and wet tyres that are specially manufactured for this championship.
“We have positioned the MRF Challenge in the winter months between November and February to enable drivers to keep themselves race-fit during the off-season. We thus look forward to another season of exciting races.”
Chennai-based Chetan Korada, who turned 33 on November 14, is the lone Indian on the grid that includes teenagers from Europe and Australian veteran Dylan Young who has been a regular fixture in MRF Challenge.
Looking ahead to the season, Korada said: “This will be my second international season, also with MRF Challenge. My approach this year would be completely different. Last year was all about learning the car. I didn’t take part in the National championship this year, but did four days of testing in Malaysia in the summer. I have been studying the data, as to where I can improve. I am continuing with MRF Challenge as they have been very supportive.
“Also, a lucky charm has come into my life now with the birth of my daughter two months ago. So, overall, I am feeling good and hope to put in much better performances this season.”
The final list of drivers confirmed for the championship will be announced on completion of documentation process.
ABOUT MRF TYRESMotorsports 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. The development of MRF Power House – a modern motorsports facility has been a boon to the Indian drivers, who wished to compete and test themselves against international standards. The centre is a testament to the commitment of MRF to raising the bar of Indian motorsports.
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 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 FIA-CIK 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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14-year Shahan Ali Mohsin youngest to start MRF F1600 race
Shahan Ali Mohsin on the grid as he becomes the youngest to take part in MRF 1600 races at Chennai on Feb 10. Image Shahan Media. Chennai, 12 Feb 2019: Shahan Ali Mohsin entered in his first-ever single-seater competition this past weekend, where he became the youngest at the age of 14-years, to race in FMSCI Indian National Championship’s MRF Tyres-backed MRF F1600 race.
With the 2019 series to start later in the year, an invitational round was held as a support event to the international MRF Challenge (F2000) series where plenty of international drivers were racing at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai.
The race weekend gave Shahan a valuable insight as he made his single-seater debut.Shahan was up against some of the experienced campaigners in the Indian racing scene in the F1600, which is equivalent to Europe’s Formula Renault and Formula 4 level. The idea for the weekend was to gain experience and understand the nuances of a single-seater car.
He started off the weekend with the two practice sessions and a qualifying. The initial running was devoted to getting used to the new machine as he went into qualifying with more knowledge and qualified ninth overall ahead of the three races.
The Race 1 ended up on a short note when while battling with another car on Lap 2, Shahan spun out and was forced to retire, thereby having an anti-climatic end on his single-seater debut race. The Race 2 was more like it as he finished eighth in the 10 laps.
Shahan Ali Mohsin He finished eighth again in Race 3 as he maintained a consistent 1m41s lap time, which was a stark improvement from the practice session. Overall, it was a fun and learning first weekend for Shahan, which wouldn’t be possible without the help of Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel.
“It was an amazing experience in the MRF F1600 series,” says Shahan. “Not only my first time in the Formula 1600 car but also my first competitive single-seater run. I am elated with the conversion from karting to single-seater, which isn’t an easy task as you feel so-so different on the track in a single-seater car than a kart”.
“It was a weekend of learning and I managed to adapt well with help of my coaches Armaan Ebrahim and Aditiya Patel. It took some laps to get used to the steering wheel and also the power of the car especially in the corners. My lap times got better over the weekend which was the aim and I hope to get stronger by the end of the season.”
Following his extensive karting career where he has won five titles in all, Shahan has stepped up to single-seater racing and will compete in the full MRF F1600 championship going forward in 2019 and will also race in the Euro JK (Formula BMW) series which is backed by JK Tyre Motorsport.
In addition, Shahan intends to race in selected kart events in India as well. With the Indian National Karting Championship only starting in June, the decision on whether to continue racing full-time in karts hasn’t been taken yet.
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Jamie Chadwick becomes first female driver to win MRF Challenge
Jamie Chadwick celebrates after winning the MRF Challenge championship in Chennai on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar Chennai, 10 Feb 2019: Jamie Chadwick from Bath, England, scripted history in the MRF Challenge by becoming the first female driver to annex the championship in seven seasons as she finished the third and final round of the international series with a triple crown, including two back-to-back wins, at the MMRT, here on Sunday.
Chadwick, 20, who had won three of the five races in the previous round in Bahrain, survived a long day and 58 laps, by winning two while Finland’s Patrick Pasma took the honours in the other as the MRF Challenge 2018-19 drew to a close.
While Chadwick ended the championship with 280 points, including two bonus points for the fastest lap in the last race, Belgium’s Max Defourny who came into the final round here with an 18-point advantage, failed to consolidate and ended up with 243 points. Pasma took the third spot in the championship with 186 points, ahead of German Andreas Estner (181).
An elated Chadwick said: “It (winning the championship) hasn’t sunk in yet. I would like to thank my team too and am happy that everything came together this weekend. In the last race, I made some mistakes which cost me a bit of the lead, but I quickly composed myself and made sure I won.
“I came into MRF Challenge for some experience and exposure, and not to win the championship. But after winning three races in Bahrain, I realised I was in with a chance and so went for it this weekend.”
Earlier, Pasma (Finland) had to work hard for his second win of the weekend in Race-3 which was briefly interrupted by a Safety Car period after Joshua Mason spun and blocked the track in the seventh lap. Pasma, starting from pole position, built up a comfortable, if not commanding lead, over Belgian Michelangelo Amendola before the pack bunched up behind the Safety Car. On re-strart, Pasma was harried all the way by Amendola, but managed to hang on and post his second win of the weekend. Finishing third behind Amendola was Swede Linus Lindqvist, the 2018 British F3 champion.
However, from the championship title perspective, the focus was on the battle between Chadwick and Defourny with the British youngster managing to finish ahead of the Belgian in fifth position. Defourny came in seventh which helped Chadwick to extend her lead by five points with two races remaining.
Chadwick expanded her championship lead over Defourny to 18 by winning Race-4 that was stopped and restarted following two incidents in the very first lap leading to retirement of three cars and the race distance reduced to 18 laps from scheduled 20. Chadwick had a fine start from P2 on the grid, moving past pole-sitter Jack Doohan (Australia) and then defended her position to chalk up her second win of the weekend. Defourny registered his best finish of the weekend by coming home fourth behind Chadwick, Amendola and Doohan.
In the final race of the championship, Chadwick was again off to a superb start, squeezing into the lead from third position, past pole-sitter Pasma and Defourny, even as the pack dived into Turn-1. With each lap, Chadwick increased her lead even as Defourny dropped down the order and eventually finished sixth. In the latter part of the race, Chadwick was closely pursued by Pasma and Amendola, but the British girl hung on to her advantage to chalk up her sixth win in 15 starts.
In the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship that was run concurrently, Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motor Sports) topped the Formula LGB 1300 class race while P Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) won in the Saloon car (Super Stock) category.
The results:
MRF Challenge (F2000): Race-3 (20 laps): 1. Patrick Pasma (Finland) (35mins, 35.212secs); 2. Michelangelo Amendola (Belguim) (35:35.569); 3. Linus Lindqvist (Sweden) (35:36.281). Race-4 (18 laps): 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (27:39.087); 2. Michaelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (27:40.106); 3. Jack Doohan (Australia) (27:46.896). Race-5 (20 laps): 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (30:46.505); 2. Patrick Pasma (Finland) (30:47.574); 3. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (30:48.164).
MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship – Formula LGB 1300 (Race-3, 10 laps): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motor Sports) (15:35.070); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motor Sports) (15:35.528); 3. K Suriya Varathan (M Sport) (15:36.030).
Saloon Cars (Super Stock – Race 2, 10 laps): 1. P Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) (20:26.602); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (20:34.767); 3. Joel Joseph (Race Concepts) (20:41.701).
Support Race – MRF F1600 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Lee Deegan (UK) (16:54.757); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (16:55.452); 3. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (16:55.654). Race-3 (10 laps): 1. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (16:40.939); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (16:49.098); 3. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (17:00.516).
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Brilliant win for Ashwin Datta; Jamie Chadwick takes narrow lead with a win: MRF Challenge
Jamie Chadwick (No.55), winner of Race-2 in MRF Challenge in action on Saturday. Chennai, 9 Feb 2019: Jamie Chadwick, one of only two female drivers on the grid, scored a fine win to move into the championship lead, just one point ahead of Max Defourny, in the third and final round of the MRF Challenge, at Irungattukottai, near here on Saturday. With three more races to be run on Sunday, Chadwick from UK, who has won four races in 12 starts, has 218 points to Belgian Defourny’s 217.
Chadwick, 20, starting Race-2 second on the reverse grid, had a brilliant start as she moved past pole-sitter Dylan Young of Australia and over the 20 laps, built up a sizeable lead for a deserving win, her fourth in 12 starts in the championship. Young finished second, almost a second behind Chadwick, while German Andreas Estner took the third spot.
For Defourny, 20, it has been a disappointing weekend thus far, having garnered just 10 points from two races today, having finished seventh and sixth.
“I had a good start today and went into the lead. I then managed to hold on to my advantage. In the context of the championship, every point matters to me. So, I am happy. Tomorrow, with three races to be run, it is going to be a long day and I hope I can collect the points,” said Chadwick.
Earlier, in Race-1, Pasma, starting from pole position, had a great start and after surviving strong challenge in the first lap, gradually pulled away to complete a comfortable win, his second in the championship. “I had a good start and managed to open a big gap. I am very happy that I scored my second win of the championship,” said 18-year old Pasma from Finland.Behind the leader, Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) also came through for second spot without being seriously challenged while 16-year old Jack Doohan (Australia), the son of former five-time World 500cc champion Mick Doohan, completed the podium with an impressive drive.
Championship leader Defourny finished a forlorn seventh, the same position he had started the race from, while his arch-rival Chadwick, did well to gain a spot to finish fifth and collect crucial points to narrow the leeway with the Belgian.
Ashwin Datta, who won Race-2 in Formula LGB 1300 category after starting from 11th position on Saturday. Photos by Anand PhilarMeanwhile, Chennai collegian, 20-year old Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motor Sports), pulled off a sensational win in the second race of the Formula LGB 1300 category of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship, after starting 11th on the grid. Off to a blistering start, Datta sliced his way into the lead by the end of the second of the 10-lap race and then held off a fighting Karthik Krishna (Hasten Performance) with K Suriya Varathan (M Sport) coming in third.
Race Concepts enjoyed a 1-2-3 finish in the Super Stock (Saloon cars) class with Rithvik Thomas finishing ahead of team-mates Joel Joseph and Prateek Benya.
The results:
MRF Challenge (F2000): Race-1 (20 laps): 1. Patrick Pasma (Finland) (30min, 42.140sec); 2. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (30:47.192); 3. Jack Doohan (Australia) (30:53.293). Race-2 (20 laps): 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (30:51.643); 2. Dylan Young (Australia) (30:52.669); 3. Andreas Estner (Germany) (30:53.260).
MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship – Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motor Sports) (20:04.219); 2. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motor Sports) (20:05.309); 3. K Suriya Varathan (M Sport) (20:06.090). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motor Sports) (19:50.799); 2. Karthik Krishna (Hasten Performance) (19:51.142); 3. K Suriya Varathan (M Sport) (19:51.332).
Saloon Cars (Super Stock – Race 1, 10 laps): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (20:33.163); 2. Joel Joseph (Race Concepts) (20:39.841); 3. Prateek Benya (Race Concepts) (20:59.922).
MRF F1600 (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (16:47.925); 2. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (16:57.206); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (16:57.719).
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Patrick Pasma grabs pole position in MRF Challenge; P1 for Tijil Rao in Formula LGB 1300
Patrick Pasma, takes pole position in MRF Challenge on Friday. Image by Anand Philar Chennai, 8 Feb 2019: Patrick Pasma, the 18-year old from Finland, upstaged the MRF Challenge field with a blistering lap of one minute, 30.559 seconds at the MMRT track here today, to grab the pole position ahead of tomorrow’s race.
Pasma, who is currently fifth in the championship having won just one race in 10 starts in the first round at Dubai in November last year, did well to shrug off two difficult free practice sessions, including a puncture in the first, to take P1 in the 30-minute qualifying run.
Pasma finished well ahead of championship front runners, Max Defourny from Belgium (01:31.119) and UK’s Jamie Chadwick (01:31.103), who slotted in mid-grid positions.
Finishing second behind Pasma was Belgian Michaelangelo Amendola (01:30.682) followed by last year’s British Formula 3 champion Linus Lundquist from Sweden (01:30.810) who had earlier topped both the Free Practice sessions, and Aussie teenager Jack Doohan (01:30.928).
Reflecting on his performance today, Pasma said: “It was alright, though it wasn’t perfect. In the first free practice we had a flat tyre, so it was really tricky. In the second free practice, we made a few changes and it was better. So, the pole position is a good base for tomorrow’s race.
“The track was really technical for us and you really have to be precise. There is no scope for any errors.”
Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee put in a hot lap of 01:40.346 to top the first of the two free practice sessions in the MRF F1600 category and carried forward the form into the second session which also he topped with a best of 01:39.744.
Rithvik Thomas of Race Concepts (Bengaluru) was the quickest among the Saloon cars (Super Stock) in the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship with a flying lap of two minutes, 02.116 seconds in the second of the two free practice sessions, while team-mate Joel Joseph topped the time sheets in the first, clocking a best of 02:02.396.
Former FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim dominated both the free practice sessions in the Indian Touring Cars category, stopping the clock at 01:57.880 and 01:57.077 in the two outings.
The results:
MRF Challenge (F2000): Qualifying – 1. Patrick Pasma (Finland) (01min, 30.559secs); 2. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (01:30.682); 3. Linus Lundquist (Sweden) (01:30.810).
Free Practice-1: 1. Linus Lundqvist (Sweden) (1:31.611); 2. Jamie Chadwick (UK) 1:31.662; 3. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:31.705). Free Practice-2: 1. Linus Lundqvist (Sweden) (01:31.871); 2. Patrick Pasma (Finland) (01:31.943); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:31.962).
MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship: MRF F1600 (Free Practice-1): 1. Nayan S Chatterjee (Mumbai) (01:40.346); 2. A. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (01:41.176); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (01:41.484). Free Practice-2: 1. Nayan S Chatterjee (Mumbai) (01:39.744); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (01:40.455); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (01:40.631).
Formula LGB 1300 (Qualifying): 1. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru) (01:53.714); 2. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (01:54.925); 3. K Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (01:54.993).
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Splendid double for Max Defourny; Andreas Estner, Patrick Pasma win a race each; MRF Challenge
Andreas Estner (No.11) edging past Jamie Chadwick (55) on way to winning Race-3. Photo: Aditya Bedre Dubai, 17 Nov 2018: Five races and four winners accurately reflected the highly competitive grid of MRF Challenge as Belgium’s 20-year old Max Defourny achieved a splendid double while Andreas Estner (Germany) and Patrick Pasma (Finland) won the previous two races of the day at the Dubai Autodrome here on Saturday.
For Defourny, the Round-1 of the MRF Challenge proved memorable as he won Race 1 and 5 apart from podium positions in the other three races. Defourny finished the Round 1 with 106 points, ahead of Great Britain’s Jamie Chadwick (78) and Singapore’s Danial Frost (70), winner of Race 2 yesterday. The MRF Challenge heads to Bahrain (Dec 6-8) for the next round before moving to Chennai (Feb 8-10) for the championship finale.
Max Defourny. Photo: Aditya Bedre Defourny could have done even better, but he messed up his pole-position start in Race-3 where he lost track position by Turn-1 itself in the very first lap, but recovered to finish third. “I think, I could have done better and won a couple of more races. I made a few mistakes, but more important was that I picked up points at the start of the championship. My win in Race 5 was far more satisfying than that in Race 1. I won more comfortably and on tyres that I had used in the previous four races,” said Defourny.
In the day’s first race, Andreas Estner, was off to a great start, moving from fourth to first as the pack dived into Turn-1, and, thereafter, literally won as he pleased as he left rest of the field, including pole-sitter Max Defourny, scrabbling for positions. While Estner disappeared into the distance, Britisher Jamie Chadwick slotted herself into P2 which she defended gamely against close attention from Defourny with the Belgian first dropping to fourth before tucking himself behind the British girl for the rest of the race.
Race-4 was all about Pasma who made capital of his reverse grid pole-position start to open up a sizeable lead. Behind him, Defourny set a scorching pace to move from fourth to second and bore down on Pasma. In a tense battle, the Finn defended well to win while Defourny picked up his fourth podium with a second-paced finish ahead of fellow-Belgian Michelangelo Amendola.
“The pole position gave me a lot of confidence and I managed to open up a good lead. In the last couple of laps, Max (Defourny) was close behind me, but I managed to survive,” said Pasma.
In the fifth and final race of Round 1, it was Defourny all the way after starting from pole position and with each of the 10 laps, he increased the lead for his second win of the week by nearly 10 seconds. Meanwhile, Chadwick, the only female competitor on the grid, came through a tough midfield battle to finish a deserving second ahead of Singapore’s Danial Frost, winner of Race 1 yesterday.
India’s Chetan Korada, though finishing way down the grid in all the five races, took some positives from the first round. “I am gradually getting used to the car and this is reflected in my ever-improving timings. I hope to have a better outing in Bahrain next month and hopefully, by the time we get to Chennai in February, I should be more competitive and fighting for mid-grid positions,” said the 32-year old Chennai-based driver competing with a prosthesis leg.
The results (all 10 laps):
Race-3: 1. Andreas Estner (Germany); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Defourny (01:57.038). Race-4: 1. Patrick Pasma (Finland); 2. Defourny; 3. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Max Defourny (01:58.729). Race-5: 1. Defourny; 2. Chadwick; 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Fastest Lap: Jamie Chadwick (01:59.402).
