Your basket is currently empty!
Category: National Championship
The event counts as the National Championship recognised by FMSCI, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, the governing body of motorsports in India, and the ASN recognised by FIA and FIM.
-
Bengaluru to host Autocross Nationals season opener on June 11 & 12
Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: The fmsci Indian National Autocross Championship (INAC), one of the most popular motorsports disciplines, will make a grand re-entry into the domestic calendar after a four-year break with an eight-round Nationals spread across all the zones in the country, concluding with the two-round extravaganza in the Grand finals in November.
Bangalore Motor Sports (BMS), who successfully bid the event have roped in the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, which is expected to promote the profile of the championship as a sponsor along with SIDVIN, a known name in motosports, to take the Nationals to the next level. Startline Motorsports and Rare Rabit, a clothing brand, are also supporting the Nationals. The 2018 Autocross was last Nationals and the finals were held in Vijayawada (AP) in January 2019. BMS will promote the championship for three years until 2024 and INAC will be one of the 13 motorsports Nationals of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci), the National governing body for Motorsports in India.
The opening round will be held in Bengaluru on June 11 and 12. There will be eight other rounds including two rounds in Delhi and a round each in Dimapur (Assam), Goa and Thrissur (Kerala). The finals will be in South India.
“Autocross is a popular format that is patronised by motorspots fans, offficials and drivers with a lot of enthusiasm and we are all set to make the event truly National by taking the championship to all corners of the country. We are making elaborate arrangements with technical support from Chetan Shivram Motorsports and our team consisting of trained Marshals and knowledgeable officials are working hard to provide the best facilities for the participants,” said Umesh Pandey, the Promoter.
All the rounds will be run on a track which is approximately 1-km for a minimum of four laps with different classes of the National championship and support classes, including a Ladies Class, spread over two days. “It is truly a spectator event with the crowd able to enjoy the action from a vantage point and just today we got clearance to add the Ladies class too as a non-championship class, like in Sprint Nationals,” added Pandey.
Calendar – Indian Autocross National Championship (INAC) 2022
# Round Venue Dates – 2022 1 Round 1 Bengaluru June 11 & 12 2 Round 2 Delhi September 3 & 4 3 Round 3 Delhi September 3 & 4 4 Round 4 Mumbai October 15 & 16 5 Round 5 Chikkamagaluru October 22 & 23 6 Round 6 Kolkata October 29 & 30 7 Round 7 Dimapur (Assam) November 5 & 6 8 Round 8 Goa November 12 & 13 9 Round 9 Thrissur (Kerala) November 19 & 20 10 Grand Finals South India (Venue to be decided) November 26 & 27 -
Rugved Barguje wins a double, claims ‘Rider of the Day’ award
Pune, 7 May 2022: Talented youngster Rugved Barguje of Petronas TVS Racing was in flowing form as he conquered both the motos to win the ‘Rider of Day’ trophy in the second round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Supercross Championship 2022 here on Saturday.
In a huge achievement, popular privateer Arun D of Hassan achieved a double astride an Impulse. He won the prestigious Indian Experts class beating celebrated factory rider and former National champion Nataraj R and his teammate Sachin D of TVS Racing took third place. He won the Private Experts class too beating Shailesh Kumar and Yogesh P came third. All the riders were on Impulse bikes.
Promoted by GodSpeed Racing with TVS Racing, Servo, Sidvin and FXR as sponsors, the Supercross Nationals are back with a bang in Nashik last Sunday attracting huge crowd after a two-year haitus due to COVID19. Pune too welcomed the popular sport with huge crowds gracing the artificial gallery for vantage spot and watched the riding daredevils in action. The daring feats, stunning jumps and the fast bikes did not disappoint them. The Freestyle Motocross riders and their stunts were a bonus for an evening of entertainment as many turned up with families.
CD Jinan, who dominated the proceedings in the first round, had to play second fiddle to the local hero Rugved Barguje, who took the championship lead in the top Foreign Experts class, (the SX1 Group A upto 500cc bikes) from the Kerala master. Barguje, inherited the biking skills and talent from his father, Dhyaneswar, the senior Barguje, who was popular as Bala in his hey days. He also has brothers who raced bikes but with today’s riding it was Rugved, who hogged all the limelight with a dominating show. He took the hole shot in the first moto and by the end of the first lap, the 22-year old opened up a huge gap of over 20 bike-lengths and never looked back, making the victory look so cool.
In the second moto too, Barguje was ahead into the first corner, a low right, but was boxed in by TK Prajwal, who took the hole shot and CD Jinan, who sneaked into second. Not the one to easily give up, the youngster launched an all out attack from the third position and near the third corner he sensed the chance and launched himself with clever use of the berm and overtook both Prajwal and Jinan, to regain the lead. Thereon, he shrewdly managed his lead, controlling his pace and jumps, and extended the gap for another comfortable win. With a straight back and balanced approach, hitting the whoops with his rear tyre at the same spot, Barguje seems to have gained the extra time managing the ten whoops to his advantage.
Behind him it was the Satara youngster, Ikshaan, son of another former racing star, Shanbhag, who clinched a creditable second place in the second moto. Jinan, had a forgettable week-end as he fell in the second moto and injured his leg. But the rider running 50, puts to shame many youngsters with his fitness mantra. He got up and finished the moto, and only during the podium ceremony one could notice a slight limp. Jinan got a third in the other moto and kept himself at a striking distance in the title race. Watchout for the master blaster in the remaining rounds.
“I am so thrilled. It is definitely a very big feeling to win in the home town. The effort and hard work I put in for the past two months had paid off. Now I got the championship lead and with more rounds to go, my focus is to be consistent and I will take it round by round,” said a beaming Rugved Barguje to INDIAinF1 from Pune.
Coimbatore’s Manikandan K won the SX2 ahead of Bhumik Lalwani of Mount Abu and first round winner Ajay Srinivas of Bengaluru. Shillong’s rising star Banteilang Jerwa of TVS Racing, astride a RTR 200 won the Novice class again to take the championship lead. Teammate Sachin D came second ahead of Arun T. Jinendra Sangave of Kolhapur pocketed the Locals class while Shlok Ghorpade won the Junior SX1. Another home-town talent Akshat Hupale bagged the Junior SX2 and is leading the championship after two rounds.
Results: Round 2 – 2022 (provisional):
Rider of the Day: Rugved Barguje (Pune)
1. Class 1 SX 1 (A&B) Group A Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (Foreign Experts Class) (2 motos):
1. #9 Rugved Barguje (Pune); TVS RTR 300;
2. #36 Ikshan Shanbhag (Satara) TVS RTR 300;
3. #50 CD Jinnan (Thrissur); TVS RTR 300;
2. Class 2 SX 2 (A&B) Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (2 motos):
1. # Manikandan K (Coimbatore) KX250;
2. # Bhumik Lalwani (Mount Abu); KX250;
3. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru); KX250;
3. Class 3 NOVICE Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
1. #27 Banteilang Jerwa (TVS Racing – Shillong, Meghalaya) TVS RTR 200;
2. #40 Sachin D (Petronas TVS Racing) (Bengaluru); TVS RTR 200;
3. #73 Arun T (Hassan); Impulse;
4. Class 4 LOCALS Group B: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
1. #90 Jinendra S (Kolhapur) TVS RTR 200;
2. # Rajesh Swami, Impulse;
3. #6 Russel Jossy (Goa) Impulse;
5. Class 5 INDIAN EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
1. #73 Arun T (Impulse) (Hassan); Impulse;
2. # Nataraj R (Petronas TVS Racing – Bengaluru) TVS RTR 200;
3. #40 Sachin D (Petronas TVS Racing- Bengaluru) TVS RTR 200;
6. Class 6 PRIVATE EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
1. #73 Arun T (Impulse) (Hassan);
2. # Shailesh Kumar; Impulse;
3. # Yogesh P () Impulse;
7. Class 7 JR SX 1 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 250CC (2 motos):
1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara) KTM 150;
2. #97 Jinendra Sangave (Kolhapur) KX250;
3. #52 Srujan J () KX100;
8. Class 8 JR SX 2 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 100CC (for riders under-12 years):
1. #34 Akshat Hupale (Pune) KTM SX85;
2. #5 Bhairav C () Husqvarna;
3. # Srujan J () KTM SX65;
Official results from GodSpeed Racing -
CD Jinan crowned Rider of the Day at Supercross Round 1
Nashik, 1 May 2022: Supercross stalwart from Kerala who had thrilled the fans for over two decades, CD Jinan of Petronas TVS Racing, continues to showcase his exhilarating skills and talent, astride an RTR 300 as he won “the Best Rider” tag once again. On a hot Sunday with searing temparatures, he had mixed results but came out on top in a hard-fought Group A SX1 Foreign Experts Class 1 with a win and a podium to garner higher points than teammate and young challenger Rugved Barguje in the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Supercross Championship 2022 here on Sunday.
Another feature event, the Indian Experts Group C Class 5, saw TVS champion, Sachin D clinch the issue for his team, Petronas TVS Racing, which dominated the proceedings once again with multiple wins and podiums for their riders.
Missing the hole-shot in the first Moto, the six-time National Supercross champion, CD Jinnan, had to be content with a second place which was won by youngster Rugved Barguje of Pune, who defended well. Jinan, despite his initial issues on the track, fought tooth and nail and did overtake Barguje in the penultimate lap but the youngster quickly regained the position with a clever pass and held on till the chequered flag for a deserving win. However, Moto 2 saw the veteran Jinnan restore the order as Barguje suffered a fall in the early stages in a reversal of fortunes, and could only recover to take a fourth. Though he missed the podium, he vowed to come back and his senior TVS mate took the honours in the Round 1.
Meanwhile, Sachin D, who is coming back from an injury, showed that he is back in form winning the honours in the Class 5 Indian Experts Group C Upto 260cc category ahead of Asaruddin and Karan Kumar. Sachin, a soft-spoken maestro, is a different rider on the track when he is on attack-mode, but his soft nature costed him many a victory. Last season saw him do all that he is known for on the track but the Sprint National champion 2020 saw his hard-fought title elude him due to off-track decisions. He is not the one to crib, for he prefers his bike to do the talking and he is back in the news with a well-deserved victory that launches his 2022 Supercross season. Watch out for his skilled antics on the track.
Young talent Jinendra Sangave of Kolhapur won the Locals class ahead of Pinkesh Thakkar and Russell Jossy finished third. Jinendra, the rider to look out for, took part in four races astride a Kawasaki KX250 in the SX2 and also raced in the Junior SX1 on a TVS RTR 200. Apart from the victory, the teen talent also had two second-place finishes in Junior SX and SX2, where he was punching above his weight with some seniors.
Ajay Srinivas of Bengaluru won SX2 moto while Arun D of Hassan in Karnataka, a popular rider with fans, won the Private Experts class. Banteilang Jarwa of Meghalaya, who represents the motorsports dreams of the North East, made up for his fall in the higher class to clinch the honours in the Novice Group C class.
Young and upcoming talent Akshat Hupale found his wonted form and showcased glimpses of his talent conquering the Junior SX2, the lowest age-group competition for riders below 14 years. He the rider to count on a dull day. He displays a cool mind and exhibits good riding skills, be his corner negotiation or sudden acceleration… If groomed well, this boy has the ability and talent to go places.
Shyam Kothari, the head of GodSpeed Racing, the promoter said: “I am very happy to welcome all the riders to the MRF National Supercross after the COVID-induced two-year break. The response is overwhelming with 105 entries in eight different classes and everybody is raring to go. We had a 650-metre long track with 23 double jumps, a table top and the usual terrain but this Nashik track is technical that provided challenging races and some keen battles. It was nice to see the galleries full with fans and families and I wish all the riders, all the best for the season with Round 2 in Pune coming up next Sunday.”
With the delayed calendar of 2021 completing only in March 2022, the fmsci Nationals are back on track once again with COVID19 travel restrictions coming to an end. The pandemic which ruined the schedule of many a National championship saw that no Supercross event was held for two years, 2020 and 2021. Supercross is one of the 13 Nationals of the Federation of Motorsports Clubs in India (fmsci) which is popular and attracts a huge fan following with the largest and most-impressive crowds adoring the riders. The skills of these riders and their feats are held at stadiums and open grounds that were brought closer to the spectators and fans with well-made tracks that provide all the exciting obstacles like double jumps, rumblers, bumps and amplifies the fun for the fan with an easy view from the galleries. Behind all this is the Promoter GodSpeed Racing, which is headed by none other than Shyam Kothari, a 7-time National champion in three different motorsports disciplines – 2w Rally, racing and motocross. The event sponsored by Title rights holder MRF gets support from SIDVIN and others.
The fmsci 2022 season began with the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for 4-wheelers organised by MMSC at Chennai in April and this is the second Nationals which finished the Round 1 and a back-to-back second round happening in Pune on May 8. Next Sunday will witness Chikkamagalur hosting the INRC for two-wheelers with another back-to-back round in Mangalore the following Sunday, also promoted by GodSpeed.
Results: Round 1 – 2022 (provisional – Unofficial):
Rider of the Day: CD Jinnan
1. Class 1 SX 1 (A&B) Group A Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (Foreign Experts Class) (2 motos):
Day’s Winners (on points):
Overall:
1. #50 CD Jinnan (Thrissur);
2. #9 Rugved Barguje (Pune);
3. #2 Mahesh VM ()’
Moto 1
1. #9 Rugved Barguje (TVS RTR 300) (Pune);
2. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);
3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);
Moto 2
1. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);
2. #37 Prajwal Vishwanath (TVS RTR 200 – Bengaluru)
3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);
2. Class 2 SX 2 (A&B) Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (2 motos):
1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);
2. #97 Jinendra Sangave (Kolhapur);
3. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);
Moto 2:
1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);
2. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);
3. #30 Bumik Lalwani (
3. Class 3 NOVICE Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
1. #27 Banteilang Jerwa (TVS Racing – Shillong, Meghalaya);
2. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);
3. #73 Arun T (Hassan);
4. Class 4 LOCALS Group B: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
1. #90 Jinendra S;
2. #99 Pinesh Thakkar;
3. #6 Russel Jossy;
5. Class 5 INDIAN EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
Moto 1
1. #40 Sachin D (Petronas TVS Racing) (Bengaluru);
2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);
3. #8 Karan Kumar M (Coimbatore);
Moto 2 (Results awaited)
6. Class 6 PRIVATE EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:
1. #73 Arun T (Impulse) (Hassan);
2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);
3. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);
7. Class 7 JR SX 1 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 250CC (2 motos):
1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara) 40 points;
2. #97 Jinendra Sangave 34;
3. #47 Anastya Pol (Bengaluru) 28 ;
4. #52 Srujan 28 points
Moto 1
1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara);
2. #97 Jinendra Sangave 34;
3. #52 Srujan J.
8. Class 8 JR SX 2 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 100CC (for riders under-12 years):
Moto1 (Results awaited)
Moto2
1. #34 Akshat Hupale (KTM SX85 – Pune);
2. #17 Aleena Shaikh (Husqvarna) Bengaluru;
3. #5 Bhairav C;
-
Ajgar Ali and Md Musthafa new TSD National champs: JK Tyre INRRC
Darjeeling, 28 March 2022: Sk Ajgar Ali and navigator Md Musthafa were crowned the National champions winning the TSD Rally Championship which made a grand entry in its new avatar as JK Tyre Indian National Regulatory Run Championship (INRRC) 2021. The delayed 2021 Championship which is truly a National event that criss-crossed the country with 17 venues holding the regional rounds, the three-day grand finale produced vintage stuff that was organised by JustSportz MPL to get going the TSD Nationals, that is the gateway to bigger motorsports events for any speed enthusiast.
The duo of Sk Aniruddha and Raj Kumar Mundra finished second, while the driver-navigator team of Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta came third in the Nationals.
The INRRC Ladies Cup was lifted by the Pune team of Sheena Sabharwal (driver) and Trupti Gupta (navigator) while the Gurgaon-Mumbai team of Jasmeet Kaur and Jyothi Iyengar came second. The third position in this category went to the mother-daughter pair of Nilasha and Ipsita Das from Kolkata.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Sukhna-headquartered 33 Corps, Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich and his wife Saswati Aich, 123 Mountain Brigade Commander Vikas Batra and his wife Pallavi Batra, former Darjeeling MLA Amar Singh Rai, Darjeeling Municipality chairman Ritesh Portel and JK’s Head of Training Ajoy Shah gave away the prizes.
Apart from the three winners of the JK INRRC 2021, trophies were also awarded to three winners of the INRRC Adventure category, Himalayan Drive 8 Ladies Cup and the winners of the six zonal qualifying rounds.
The first prize in the INRRC Adventure category was bagged by Jit Mitra and K Dinky Varghese while the second prize went to the team of Abhijit Singh and navigator Ibrahim Ali Shaikh. The third position was bagged by Nishan Choudhury and co-driver Chandrasish Roy.
JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 8 (HD8), which was the Grand Finale of INRRC 2021 started from Siliguri on March 24 and culminated in Darjeeling in the evening of March 26. A total of 24 teams, including seven all-ladies team, took part in this event.
Several big names in this format of motorsports locked horns in the bid for the coveted crown. The 24 teams had reached the finals after going through gruelling qualifying rounds at the six zonal levels in Northeast, East, North, West, Central and South India.
The competitors had to navigate through some very tough terrains, including dirt tracks, river beds and hilly terrain. The river beds on the first two legs of the rally proved to be especially challenging with many vehicles getting bogged down in the sand, gravel and rocks leading to seeking assistance of the recovery team to be pulled out.
-
Lightening strikes twice at Madras Race Track as Hemanth Muddappa does a Houdini: Drag National
Chennai, 27 February 2022: Lightening strikes twice at the iconic Madras Race Track’s drag strip of 302-km. Aptly nicknamed LightningR1, Hemanth Muddapa broke his own records in style and set two new circuit records along with a golden double, Bengaluru’s speed maestro of Mantra Racing annexed his ninth National title, and fifth consecutive, on Sunday at the MMSC-owned track, which hosted the third and final round of the fmsci Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2021. Amit Arora, the General Manager (Sport) said that it is an all-time record at the circuit.
Champions list and photo gallery of all classes shot by commissioned photographer Praveen Jayakaran.
Astride a Suzuki Hayabusa, Mudappa was the quickest in the Above 1050cc (Super Sport) category while setting a National record of 7.749 seconds over the 300-metre run. Mudappa was on a BMW S1000 R while winning the 851-1050cc (Super Sport) in a record time for 7.755seconds, also over 300 metres. In the process, he overcame his arch-rivals and fellow-Bengalureans Hafizullah Khan and Mohd Riyaz. The old record in the top 1051cc and above class stands in his name, achieved on 11 October 2020.
Mudappa’s exploits also helped his team, Mantra Racing, Bengaluru, to clinch the team championship crown in both the categories.
“I am very happy. We are on a mission to improve our performance every time we go out and race. Getting every bit out of the bike is a huge achievement and it is a team success. Clipping almost two-tenths is a very, very big achievement in drag racing. I have also worked on my fitness which also helped me a lot,” said Mudappa
Meanwhile, Aiyaz (Bengaluru), Bharat Raj (Rockers Racing, Chennai), Kevin Kannan (RACR Castrol Power 1, Chennai), Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Chennai), Mohd Rafiq (Bengaluru) and R Madhan Kumar (Chennai) also won the National titles in their respective categories.
4-Stroke Above 1050cc Super Sport: 1. Hemanth Mudappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.749secs – National Record); 2. Hafizullah Khan (Bengaluru) (08:301); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.315). National champion: Hemanth Mudappa. Champion Team: Mantra Racing, Bengaluru.
4S 851-1050cc Super Sport: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.555 – National Record); 2. Tajamul Hussain (Hyderabad) (07.966); 3. Mohd Riyaz (Benaluru) (08.135). National Champion: Hemanth Mudappa. Champion Team: Mantra Racing, Bengaluru.
4S 361-550cc Super Sport Indian: 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (12.265); 2. Thulasi Ram (Bengaluru) (12.411); 3. Zuheeb Ahmed (Bengaluru) (12.463). National Champion: Aiyaz. Champion Team: Speed Up Racing, Chennai.
4S 226-360cc Super Sport Indian: 1. Mohammed Shakir (Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.450); 2. Bharat Raj (Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.549); 3. Shankar Guru (Chennai) (12.763). National Champion: Bharat Raj. Champion Team: Rockers Racing, Chennai.
4S Up to 165cc Super Sport Indian: 1. Mohan Babu (Rockers Racing, Chennai) (13.644); 2. Kevin Kannan (RACR Castrol Power 1, Chennai) (13.847); 3. Yogeswaran P (Chennai) (14.738). National Champion: Kevin Kannan. Champion Team: RACR Castrol Power 1.
4S Girls (Up to 165cc): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (16.383); 2. Jagruti Penkar (Pune) (16.414); Soundari Ananthraj (Chennai) (16.493). National Champion: Lani Zena Fernandez. Champion Team: Speed Up Racing, Chennai.
2-Stroke (Up to 165cc): 1. Abdul Shaikh (Bengaluru) (12.868); 2. Mohd Rafiq (Bengaluru) (12.879); 3. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (13.002). National Champion: Mohd Rafiq.
2S Up to 130cc: 1. R Madhan Kumar (Chennai) (13.426); 2. Goutham K (Bengaluru) (13.682); 3. Mujahid Pasha (Bengaluru) (13.703). National Champion: R Madhan Kumar.
-
Vishnu Prasad, Ruhaan Alva crowned National Champions
Coimbatore, 27 Feb 2022: Multiple-national champion Vishnu Prasad regained the LGB Formula 4, the coveted JK Tyre National Racing Championship for 2021 while Ruhaan Alva clinched the Novice Cup title in the 24th JK Tyre fmsci National Racing Championship 2021, which concluded with Round 4 at Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.
Anish Shetty won the 2021 Championship in the maiden JK Tyre present Royal Enfield Continental cup which made its debut along with the JK Tyre 4-wheeler National Racing Championship this year. The delayed 2021 championship calendar was completed only today due to COVID.
In the LGB Formula 4 category, Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad beat Sandeep Kumar, also from Chennai, as the later trailing by two points coming into the final round, crashed out and it hurt his championship. Sandeep recently won the Polo Cup National title.
In a keenly-contested race, the top-four drivers were in the title-hunt with just seven points separating them. Young-gun from Kolkata Arya Singh won the final race beating Ashwin Datta and Vishnu finish to second and third respectively.
Earlier in the first race, Vishnu, the Championship leader in the Feature event, led the race and his closest contender Sandeep crashed out pushing for the title. Meanwhile, Diljith TS, fought back and managed to stave off a fighting Mira Erda to 2nd. Thus, the Championship went go down to the wire with the final race deciding the champion.
In the Continental GT Cup, too, the top-two riders having just seven points between them for the Championship title. Anish D Shetty won the maiden Championship title which presented by JK Tyre along it four-wheeler National Racing Championship. The top-three riders, Meka Vidhuraj, Allwin Xavier and Anish engaged in a tight fight but Anish took the lead after a few laps but could not sustain it. Both Meka and Allwin managed to exploit corners and overtook Anish, to finish first and second in that order.
Leading the table with 98 points in the Novice Cup, Ruhaan Alva was declared the Championship Winner for 2021. On Sunday, Jaden R Pariat scored back-to-back wins. The two karting boys, who were friends off the track had a good day. Ruhaan, the senior of the two, is a gifted driver who tuned his racecraft in Europe before winning National karting championships in India. Jaden, from Guwahati, has shifted from a Delhi school to Bengaluru to improve his racing skills and graduated to open-seat cars this years after just a couple of seasons in karting where he was nurtured by teammate Ruhaan.
Elated with his Championship title, Ruhaan said, “It’s been a tough fight with the competition constantly improving. COVID has had a big impact on my preparation but am happy to finish on the top. My ultimate aim is to get into F1.”
Equally ecstatic with his performance on the last day of the season, Jaden said, “The start was a tough moment so I just focused. With the winner’s cup in hand, I look forward to race in F4 now.”
National Championship Winners for 2021 (provisional standings)
NOVICE CLASS
1. Ruhaan Alva, 98 points, National Champion
2. Jaden R Pariat, 80;
3. Neym Rizvi, 49.
Team Champion: Msport, 202 points
LGB Formula 4
1. Vishnu Prasad, 70 points (National Champion)
2. Diljith TS, 59 points
Joint 3rd: Arya Singh & Sandeep Kumar- 55 points each,
Team Champion: Dark Don Racing- 167 points
Support Class: JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup
Overall Championship Standings (provisional):
1. Anish D Shetty, 64 points – Champion;
2. Allwin Xavier, 61 points;
3. Anfal Akdhar, 40 points.
Day 2 Provisional Results:
JK Tyre Novice Cup (Race 2):
Jaden R Pariat (MSport) – 15:41.357
Aadithya Parasuram (Hasten Performance) – 15:46. 318
Neym Rizmi (MSport) – 15:46.513
Race 3:
Jaden R Pariat – 17:59.256
Ruhaan Alva – 18:01.576
Aadithya Parasuram – 18:02.166
LGB Formula 4 (Race 2)
1. Vishnu Prasad (MSport) -22:44.206
2. Diljith TS (Dark Don Racing) -22:46.755
3. Balaprasath (Msport) – 22:51.546
Race 3 (timings not available due to technical issue)
1. Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) –
2. Ashwin Datta (Dark Don Racing) –
3. Vishnu Prasad (MSport) –
Continental Cup: Race 2:
1. Allwin Xavier (17:28.877)
2. Meka Vidhuraj -17:31.885
3. Anish Shetty (time not available).
Note: This report was uploaded on 1 March 2022.
-
Shahan Ali Mohsin emerges champ in MRF F1600 Arjun Balu, Tijil Rao retain titles
Chennai, February 13: Agra teenager Shahan Ali Mohsin won the biggest prize of his blossoming career in the senior section as he annexed the title in the premier MRF F1600 category to finish the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 on a high at the MMRT, here on Sunday.
Also annexing the National titles in their respective categories were Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) in the Formula LGB 1300, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore in the Indian Touring Cars, Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing) in Super Stock, Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing), also from Chennai, in Indian Junior Touring Cars, Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) in Volkswagen Polo and Mumbai’s Fahad Kutty (Redline Racing) in MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios).
Shahan, 17, survived a roller-coaster season that included a DNF (did not finish), to win the championship. In the final race which he went in with a two-point advantage, Shahan came in second behind Bengaluru’s Rishon Rajeev, who thus completed a double, but crucially, ahead of another Bengalurean Chirag Ghorpade.
The result meant that Shahan, winner of the Asian Karting championship in 2016, finished on 194 points and four wins, while Chirag ended second on 189 (2 wins) and Rishon (172, 2 wins) was placed third in the championship.
The 2021 National Car racing champions (Left to Right): Sandeep Kumar (Volkswagen Polo), Fahad Kutty (MRF Saloon Cars), Arjun Balu (Indian Touring Cars), Shahan Ali Mohsin (MRF F1600), Tijil Rao (Formula LGB 1300), Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Deepak Ravikumar (Super Stock) along with FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim (extreme left) and MMSC Vice-president Vicky Chandhok (extreme right). Earlier, defending champion Coimbatore’s 47-year old Arjun Balu, who made his racing debut in 1992, ended the season on an emphatic note by completing a double to take his tally to six wins in eight starts to win the championship in the ITC category. It was his 10th National title. In the final race today, Balu, starting third on the reverse grid behind the Rayo Racing pair from Hyderabad, Ishaan Dodhiwala and Jeet Jhabakh, bided his time before easing his way to the front for a commanding win. The Coimbatore veteran’s searing pace was evident as he clocked a best lap of one minute, 50.076 seconds in the eighth of the 10-lap race.
Meanwhile, two second place finishes proved sufficient for Chennai’s Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala to claim the title in the IJTC category, though, following a protest, the final outcome is awaited.
The title in the Super Stock class was already pocketed by Deepak Ravikumar on conclusion of the third round last month. He finished this weekend with a second place and a win, his sixth of the season.
Tijil Rao, the 18-year old from Bengaluru, played it smart and safe to finish second in a race that was red-flagged twice and the number of laps reduced to seven. Prior to that, last year’s winner Tijil displayed amazing pace to move from P12 at the start on the reverse grid to P1 before tucking himself just behind the front-runners to avoid close racing. The experienced Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) won the race ahead of Tijil and Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport).
The results (all 10 laps unless mentioned):
MRF Formula 1600 (Race-2): 1. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (19mins,11.167secs); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (19:13.495); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (19:15.714). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (16:36.017); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (16:36.781); 3. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (16:37.188). National champion: Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (19:03.534); 2. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (19:07.781); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (19:12.281). National champion: Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (19:51.297); 2. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (20:34.450); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing, Chennai) (20:34.620). National champion (Provisional): Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing).
Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (20:11.966); 2. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (20:31.732); 3. Suprej Venkat (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (20:47.678). National champion: Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2, 7 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport, Chennai) (13:36.695); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (13:37.163); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (13:41.072). National champion: Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru). Team Championship: Momentum Motorsport.
Volkswagen Polo (Race-2): 1. Avik Anwar (Bangladesh) (22:45.394); 2. Sourav Bandopadhyay (Thane) (22:45.790); 3. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (22:46.397). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Anmol Singh Sahil (Ghaziabad) (15:49.022); 2. Oshan Kothadiya (Pune) (15:55.239); 3. Sai Sanjay TS (Salem) (15:55.929). National Champion: Sandeep Kumar (Chennai).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) Race-3: 1. Fahad Kutty (Redline Racing, Mumbai) (16:44.973); 2. Anand Prasad (Redline Racing, Chennai) (16:45.559); 3. Justin Singh (Redline Racing, New Delhi) (16:50.139). National champion: Fahad Kutty (Redline Racing, Mumbai).
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the MMRT circuit in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC purchased Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
-
Arjun Balu sets National record for saloon cars on way to his10th National title
Chennai, 12 Feb. 2022: Celebrated racing driver Arjun Balu of Coimbatore, driving an amazing Race Concepts Honda City VTech tuned by Joel Joseph of Bengaluru lit up the Madras Race Track with a stunning Indian record in the Qualifying session and went on to post an easy victory to clinch his tenth Indian National title on the second day of the three-day fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmscil Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 at the renamed Madras Race Track, about 40 km from here, on Saturday.
It was a mixed day of skilled experience and youthful exuberance at the Madras Motor Sports Club promoted Car Racing Nationals as another teenager Suriya Varathan, also from Coimbatore notched up, a hard-fought victory with a display of his maturity as a driver and kept at bay an advancing Shahan Ali Mohsin. Meanwhile, championship leader Chirag Ghorpade finished third, losing three points of his lead to Mohsin. The later two are fighting for the MRF F1600 title with two races still remaining in the season on Sunday. Fahad Kutty also clinched the Saloon cars title in the one-make Toyota Etios series with a race to spare as his team Redline Racing dominated the day. The 18-year old Varathan is a former Karting National champion.
Thus, Balu, the experienced racing ace, dubbed as the ‘Gentleman of Indian Motorsports’ proved once again that one need not indulge in dirty racing to win a title. He may have lost many a deserving National Championship to such tactics in the past but the clean-and-safe driver whose dedication and sincerity stood him in good stead all these decades in sport, notched up his 10th National Championship crown winning the premier Indian Touring Cars (ITC) class Championship and the in the process the Arjun-Joel magic combination broke another National record for four-door cars. Amit Arora of Madras Motor Sports Club confirmed the circuit record set today by Arjun Balu in saloon cars during the qualifying session. Arjun timed the fastest lap 1min 49.023seconds.
Arjun Balu who made his motorsports debut in 1992, started in Indian National Rally Championship with a Gypsy in 1994 and matured into a multi-faceted motorsport personality bringing laurels both for the country and himself, in both racing and rallying.
Balu, the 47-year old defending champion, qualified for pole in the morning by setting a lap record of one minute, 49.023 seconds in a Honda City, chalked up his fifth win of the season beating his own circuit record of 1:49.860 set in Feb 2020.
On Saturday, another impressive drive came from Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) who won the Formula LGB 1300 race in style, ahead of two Momentum Motorsport rivals, championship leader Tijil Rao from Bengaluru and local ace Deepak Ravikumar. Teenager Tijil consolidated his position on the leaderboard and requires only 12 points from the last race to be run on Sunday, to clinch the title in this category.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s 38-year old Fahad Kutty (Redline Racing) recorded his fourth win of the season in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) category to seal the championship in this class. His team-mate Anand Prasad from Chennai, returning to active racing after a 14-year break, took the honours in the second race of the day.
Ghaziabad’s Anmol Singh Sahil roared to his second consecutive win in the Volkswagen Polo category, but Sandeep Kumar (Chennai), with a third place finish behind Pune’s Oshan Kothadiya, continues to lead the championship, enjoying a healthy 61-point advantage with two more races to be run on Sunday.
Varathan drove brilliantly in the eight-lap MRF F1600 race starting from pole despite being constantly harried by Agra youngster Shahan Ali Mohsin and Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghorpade. He not only survived the close attention but also a Safety Car period following an on-track incident, which left the drivers with a three-lap sprint to the finish. “I had won the first race of the season, but suffered a crash thereafter which shook my confidence. However, I had some good practice and test sessions in the car and managed to put it all together today,” said Varathan who is currently placed third in the championship behind Shahan Ali and Chirag Ghorpade.
Balu, on the other hand, left nothing to chance as he was quick off the line from pole and built up a massive lead for a comfortable win. “It is certainly great to win the championship. It has been a very challenging season as the team had to deal with a lot of issues. However, I am happy at the way the car performed for which I thank the entire Race Concepts team for working on it for long hours. And yes, the record lap in the qualies was as satisfying,” said Balu who moved to 79 points for an insurmountable lead over his nearest rival, Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh, with a maximum of 12.5 points on offer in the final race of the season.
Provisional results (all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF Formula 1600 (Race-1): 1. Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (17mins, 29.252secs); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (17:29.511); 3. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (17:30.188).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:16.979); 2. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:25.150); 3. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:26.345).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (15:50.484); 2. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:18.581); 3. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:25.152).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:13.456); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:13.947); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:15.609).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing, Nellore) (15:22.116); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports, Bengaluru) (15:22.553); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsports, Chennai) (15:23.275).
Volkswagen Polo (Race-1): 1. Anmol Singh Sahil (Ghaziabad) (15:58.466); 2. Oshan Kothadiya (Pune) (15:58.852); 3. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (15:59.430).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) Race-1: 1. Fahad Kutty (Redline Racing, Mumbai) (16:39.303); 2. Anand Prasad (Redline Racing, Chennai) (16:39.677); 3. Justin Singh (Redline Racing, Delhi) (16:46.523). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Anand Prasad (Redline Racing, Chennai) (20:59.670); 2. Angad Matharoo (Redline Racing, Chandigarh) (21:05.286); 3. Zahan Commissariat (Redline Racing, Mumbai) (21:08.907).
-
Agra teenager Shahan Ali Mohsin dominates practice sessions
Chennai, 11 Feb. 2022: Shahan Ali Mohsin, the 17-year old from Agra, eyeing the title in the MRF F1600 category, dominated both the Free Practice sessions to set early pace as the fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 got underway at the MMRT, here on Friday.
Trailing championship leader Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) by 13 points, Shahan posted a best lap of 01 minute, 39.541seconds in FP-1 and then bettered it with a 01:39.340 in the second session ahead of the triple-header to be run over the next two days.
Overall second quickest in this premier category was Bengaluru’s Rishon Rajeev in 01:39.378. The three races this weekend promise to be high on thrill and excitement as the top seven drivers were covered by less than a second in the two practice sessions.
Defending champion in the premier Indian Touring Cars category, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore, posted the fastest lap of 01:50.074 in the morning’s FP-1 and followed it up with a 01:50.762 in the second outing later in the day.
Also topping the time charts was Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) who clocked a best lap of 01:51.909 over two sessions in the Formula LGB 1300 where he heads the championship.
Chennai’s RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) was the quickest overall in the Super Stock category (01:57.643) as was Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class (01:56.868).
Pratik Sonawane from Pune, lying ninth in the championship and trailing leader Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) by 100 points, topped the combined practice sessions in the Volkswagen Polo category with a hot lap of 01:56.625. It bettered Sandeep Kumar’s best of 01:56.806 posted in FP-1.
Chennai’s Anand Prasad, returning to active racing after a break, was the quickest in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) category with a best lap of 02:03.423 which he clocked in FP-2 to improve on Delhi-based Justin Singh’s 02:04.932 in FP-1.
-
Chennai racer Sandeep Kumar raring to go: VW Polo Cup
Chennai, 10 Feb 2022: National racing champ Sandeep Kumar of Chennai has found his wonted form and is raring to go as he heads into the final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship 2021 beginning here on Friday in the Polo Cup which acquired National status this year.
With a healthy lead in the Volkswagen Polo Cup, which was conferred the status of National Championship this year, the former champion and karting talent, is eager to turn his consistent performance into championship title, with three races scheduled for the final round at the 3.7-km clock-wise MMRT tarmac.
Sandeep is a former Volkswagen Polo R Pro Cup champion and also the VW awardee for the German Scirocco R Cup for two years. After that fruitful racing experience with the elite in Europe, the steady racer returned to India and entered formula racing, taking part in both the Forumala and Saloon cars with many podium finishes and wins and went on to win the LGB Formula 4 National Championship 2020 before the pandemic slowed down sporting activity.
Sandeep Kumar in action in Round 2 last month at the MMRT. This year he is back in the VW Polo cup and is firmly focused on winning the Championship with the final round scheduled to take place in Irungattukottai, near here. He is leading the Polo Cup title-race with 280 points ahead of second-place Saurav Bandopadhyay, who is on 226 followed by Avik Anwar (223) in third. The title fight is wide open with 156 points on offer from the three races in the final round.
“This year’s car is an amazing and I am enjoying the powerful car built by Volkswagen Motorsports India. The championship being a one-make and equipment same for everyone, it had added to the challenge and motivates me. Being in the leading group, my focus is firmly trained on driving safely and I am banking on my skills and hard work to deliver the final weekend in the Volkswagen Polo Cup,” said the seasoned driver, who garnered important points in every round.
The Chennai Corporate advocate, who is knowledgeable about the rules of the sport, feels that consistency and clean driving is important than always trying to go for the kill. “Winning is not always a goal, depending on where I qualify and the package I have for the day, I visualise and set realistic objectives for the day. I take it race by race, but my focus is always on consistent and steady driving where I attack corners and make moves only when I am safe and sure,” said the racing ace, who made his motorsports debut at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore taking part in his first Rotax Max National karting championship in 2008.
Sandeep Kumar He finished the year as vice-champion. He not only remained the bridesmaid in karting but the year 2017 where he missed all the three championship titles he entered, changed his life. He became vice-champion despite fighting till the end in the MRF 1600, Formula LGB 4 and Vento Cup, that year. But the gritty driver, sat down made amends and improved his skills by dint of his hardwork and dedication which yielded results as he won the Formula LGB 4 championship in 2020. “It was a bad year and one of the lows in my career. But it also gave me a chance to review myself. I decided to make amends and acquired new skills. Now I make notes for every race, I visualise before the race with some quite moments for myself. I set the objectives taking all factors into consideration and focus on delivering my own targets. It has helped me break the block and I am in a much better position to for it,” revealed Sandeep, who loves his home track the MMRT near Chennai.
His ability to generate good pace and reliable race-craft got him good results in Round 1 and 2, as he proved steady and consistent. Despite slight hiccups in Round 3, he continued to log in crucial points after a tough qualifying and bad starting positions in the next three-race weekender where he climbed up the grid to rally back with podiums in all three races. “Overall, though I did not manage the top step, I was keen on getting steady points and three podiums from three races helped me garner enough points and save the championship lead. I am in an ideal and healthy position to go for the final dash and confident going into the final round,” concluded the karting mentor for many youngsters, who is also a popular Clerk of the Course for many Indian National Karting Championships and a practicing corporate lawyer from the Madras bar.
