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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.
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FMSCI statement: Rally de Vizag, INRC 4w season
As expected, the Federation of Motors Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) released a Statement on the INRC 4w 2021 fiasco as the season failed to take off. However, it absolves itself and appears to have blamed only the Promoter for all the ills and the circumstances leaving the Drivers in the lurch. However, it has to be seen how much money would the Clubs receive to host the remaining three rounds.
It is also clear that the privateers, drivers and teams, will not get any compensation as expected and demanded by the Promoter. Only solace for the Factory team drivers, as JK Tyre is likely to compensate the 8 or 9 drivers who are in Yellow colours. With not many in the Red colours, virtually all the other 45 will have to fend for themselves.
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INRC 4w 2021 season curtailed to 3 rounds
By David Bodapati, Indian Rally Historian (Check-out INRC Hall of Fame)
Bengaluru, 23 Dec 2021: Many a rally lover might feel sad that there was no National rally in India in the year 2021, thanks to the second wave of Carona. But there appears to be a much worse killer virus that has been doing the rounds and, haunting the sport. However, the good news is that the fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four-wheelers for the year 2021 will begin in the New Year (2022) but it will be restricted to three rounds. The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs (fmsci) in India is preparing to put out a “Statement” on the eve of Christmas, according to reliable sources.
As already announced by the “erstwhile” Promoter, the season was scheduled to begin with the first round in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, from Dec 16 to 19 but the local city police chief, an IAS officer, played spoilsport and the lack of Police Permission to run on the “street roads” adjacent to the Bay of Bengal beaches forced the organisers to abruptly call off the rally, leaving all the 54 drivers who landed in the “City of Destiny’ on a forced vacation around the picturesque beaches, but with no joy.
Vizag is a cosmopolitan city, with a culture similar to Bengaluru and unlike Hyderabad and Vijayawada, a commercial hub, the port city is a popular tourist destination. The planned stages were supposed to be held on the Vizag-Bheemli beach road, which saw many Hill Climbs and TSDs, that have been running here for over three decades, one of the main organisers two decades back being Kalinga Naval base. But with most of the riders and drivers moving to Cities, the local organisers became inactive. Near the beach road, there also existed an fmsci-approved Karting track that hosted the 2012 Nationals final round of Rotax Max event. It was washed away by the cyclone in 2017 and rendered useless as the tarmac became bumpy.
Coming back to INRC, the remaining three rounds, the K1000 in January, the Rally of Coimbatore in February and the South India Rally in March are expected to take place on the same dates which were announced earlier and confirmed by the the Federation (FMSCI) calendar on Dec 21. Former Federation Presidents Bharath Vivek Chandhok of MMSC, Prithiviraj of CASC and current Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) President Gautam Shantappa, an F1 Marshal, confirmed that the clubs are ready to host the three rounds as scheduled. KMSC appears to be ready with the SR, as the route for this year’s rally is expected to be the same one that was prepared for last year’s K1000 (but not held). Supplementary Regulations are usually released one month before the event to facilitate smooth logistics for the participants. So the SR should be out in a day or two, if everything goes well.
However, the finances are an issue but the Rally Commission for four-wheelers which met on Dec 22 seems to have addressed the issue. The clubs are likely to get Rs.8 lakhs each from the Federation, from the money that was paid by the Promoter to the Federation as INRC bidding fees. The Promoter has paid Rs.75 lakhs for the three-year contract which began in 2019, but the Federation exteneded the rights for one more year for all the Promoters of all the 12 National championships due to COVID 19. There is no clarity on how it works for those who have bid for five years like Madras Motor Sport Club, which is the promoter for three Nationals. The clubs are expected to fend for themselves and look for sponsors to raise the remaining money to organise one round of the Rally Nationals. Conservative estimates, experts feel, put the cost at around Rs.20 lakh to run one round of rally, while a decently-run rally with minimum facilities for all the participants and other stakeholders needs an amount of about Rs.30 lakhs, a former RallyCom member said.
The cureent Rally commission is headed by chairman Farokh Commissariat. There are rumours that the Promoter has resigned after Rally de Vizag failed to take off while some claim that the Federation has used the termination clause. Either way, the INRC will be without a Promoter for 2021. The worst-ever Calendar year in the three-decade INRC history was the two-round 2012 season. Most of the years had five rounds while nine rounds were hosted in 1995 and 1996. Leelakrishnan, Gaurav Gill, Naren Kumar and Hari Singh and navigators Musa Sherif, Farooq Ahmed, Ram Kumar, are some of the most decorated stalwarts in INRC 33-year history. Many unsung heroes too had their occasional glory but suffered team orders or reasons beyond their control.
Driver-friendly news?
Whatever may be the situation, the good news is that the Promoter recommended to FMSCI that each participant who registered for Vizag rally be paid a compensation of Rs.1.5 lakh from the Rs.50 lakh which he claimed is with the Federation as the 2021 season is yet to start. It is a simple logic that all the monies a Sports Federation earns must be pumped back into the sport. It is time for all the stakeholders to realise that, ultimately it is the Sportpersons, who keep the sport alive. Not the Federation, not the organisers, not the former sportspersons, not the Media, et al. Will the Drivers and teams get back the money they spent on Rally de Vizag is a million-dollar question. All the drivers know and organisers know these answers.
TIME TO RESPECT THE RIDERS AND DRIVERS! They have been taken for granted for too long. Only when this simple issue is sorted out, one will know who are the sinners, who are the saviours of Motorsports in India!
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Abdul Tanveer crowned overall National Champion 2021: 2w Rally
TVS Racing wins four top glamorous classes of the 2021 National Rally Championship for two-wheelers in a dominant fashion at the final round in Nashik. For many years now, the Premier Racing Team in the country has been winning the Overall Championship and National titles in multiple categories. Defending champions Samuel Jacob and Aishwarya Pissay won the National titles in their respective classes with a round to spare while Pavan BK too won the Super Sport 165cc Group B with a huge margin in the penultimate round itself. However, it is World Cupper Miss Pissay, who dominated the season like no other, winning 150 out of 150 points.
Abdul Wahid Tanveer wins 2w National Rally Championship
Abdul Tanveer, the Overall Champion, for 2021. Nashik, 19 Dec. 2021: Mysore’s Abdul Wahid Tanveer of TVS Racing was crowned the National champion in the GodSpeed MRF Mogrip fmsci National Rally Championship 2021 for two-wheelers which concluded with the sixth and final round held here on the picturesque foothills of Sahayadri mountain ranges on Sunday Dec. 19, with a consistent show finishing all the six rallies.
Champions All
Abdul Wahid Tanveer, Asad Khan, Ajin Abraham, Pavan BK, Samuel Jacob, Sajeesh Reghunathan, Mohammed Zaheer, Karthik and Aishwarya were the National champions for 2021 in their respective classes from Class 1 for Super Bikes Pro-Expert to Class 8 Ladies category.
Profiles of these 2021 champions will be published soon.
Aishwarya’s stunning Record
Champions All: The triumphant TVS team at Nashik on Dec 19. Photo from TVS Meanwhile, 2019 World Cup Baja winner, the only world champion in motorsports from India, Aishwarya Pissay, astride a TVS RTR200, continued her winning spree as she made a clean sweep of all the rounds and added one more National title to her glittering career.
The Bengaluru rider who made her rally debut in the last round of 2016 season, decided to do both road racing and rallying from 2017 and promptly won both the Nationals. The 2021 title is her fifth consecutive National championship victory in Ladies Class. For record she has 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 INRC titles and 2021 National Rally Championship title. Apart from these five Nationals she is also the maiden National champion in Road Racing when the ladies class was accorded National status in 2017. She won the inaugural MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Ladies Class in 2017.
The rider supported by Hyperice and Scott, had a blemishless year and young Tanika Shanbagh was the only rider who put up a semblance of a fight but the Kannadiga from Satara, who was bothered by an injury to her leg. But Tanika bravely put up a fight, and deservedly finished second. She did clock some fast times, especially in the slush and muddy terrain, which vanquished many a rider. The talented rider, is focussed and her race craft and hardwork, with experience will surely take her places as she got her fundamentals right. Taking part in different rounds, 10 ladies entries, speak well for the Women in Motorsports, with Sprint Ladies champion 2021, Deeksha joining for the last round in Nashik. Apoorva B, despite taking part in only three rallies finished third in the championship.
Consistent Tanveer is champ
Astride a TVS RTR450, Tanveer, who joined TVS Racing in 2014, won only the third and fourth rounds, but finished all the other rounds in second place for valuable points and defeated teammate and 2019 champion Rajendra RE by a comfortable margin of 22 points. Rajendra, who began with a bang winning the opening round in Hampi, appeared to have taken a decisive lead winning Round 2 too, but the treacherous terrain and the slush killed his hope as he logged a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the next two rounds that virtually put paid to his hopes. The victory at the last round here is only a consolation as Tanveer proved that he could ride in any terrain. The old adage, for finishing first, first you have to finish the rally, proved true as Rajendra’s three wins went in vain.
Tanveer, popular as Tanni in the TVS garage, made his international debut in 2017. He took part in the PanAfrica Rally 2018 at Morocco from September 8 to 15 for a creditable overall eighth position on debut. Moreover, he bagged the first place in Enduro Class in one of the stages and went on to do well in Morocco rally next year in 2019 winning the laurels for the country in his class.
TVS brilliance continues – Samuel retains his class
Samuel Jacob, Group B 260cc Class Champioin for 2021 Defending overall champion, Samuel Shajan Jacob won the championship in the Group B 260cc class for the second year in a row, riding an Apache RTR200. The Udupi rider who joined TVS in 2018 has a Masters in Logistics and Supply Management and thus is a thinking rider, aware of his strengths. Though he lost to teammate Tanveer in overall class, he enjoyed a dominant run this season, with five wins in six rounds and excelled with brilliant riding skills and consistent performance, especially in the wet rounds. Just 28, he celebrated his birthday with a deserving win on Dec 4 with a victory in a tricky round.
Samuel Jacob in action, all photos courtesy TVS Karthik keeps up the tempo till end
Karthik Naidu clinched his maiden title, winning in the scooter class with a rally spec TVS Ntorq 125. He won the title by a margin of just 11sec, with the title coming down to the last loop of the rally. Though the Ntorqs dominated, the class he found some thrilling competition which brought alive the championship and kept it open till the end. It is the NTorq which stood him in good stead in all the obstacles he came across.
Karthik Naidu, the scooter champion in action. Karthik Naidu B Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing, said, “It has been an incredible season for the TVS Racing team at the 2021 INRC. I am thrilled with the performance of all the TVS Racing riders, and their hard work and dedication have paid off.Abdul Wahid Tanveer was consistent and flawless and won overall & Group A 450cc category championship. Samuel Jacob worked hard to put up a good show throughout the season and won the Group B 260cc class championship.Aishwarya completely dominated the ladies’ class of the season with six straight wins, and it is her 5th consecutive national title. Karthik N also put up a staller show andemerged as champion in scooters class.
“I would like to thank all the TVS Racing team crew for their relentless work and immense efforts in keeping the motorcycles and scooters at its best form.”
“Not just the pandemic, the rains too created havoc. But we managed to complete the Championship on time and we are the only fourth Nationals after Karting and Sprint to finsih all rounds successfuly. Now it is Supercross in full swing,” said Shyam Kothari, a 7-time former National champion in three different disciplines of motorsports and the man behind the whole show. A biker known for his spectacular jumps he is the man behind the show for two Nationals, the MRF Mogrip rally and Supercross, promoting under GodSpeed Racing. The Supercross Nationals will begin next month from Indore.
Final audited Results: (To be added)
Champions: 2021 National* Rally Championship (two-wheeler)
Class 1: Super Bike Pro-Expert Group A: Abdul Waheed Tanvir 122 points;
Class 1A: Super Bike Expert Group A: Asad Khan, 94;
Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B: Ajin Abraham 110;
Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B: Pavan BK 136; (Won with 1 round to spare)
Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B: Samuel Jacob 143; (Won with 1 round to spare)
Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B: Sajeesh Reghunathan 133
Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B: Mohammed Zaheer 129;
Class 7: S0 to S3 Scooter 210 Group B: Karthik 122;
Class 8: Ladies Class Group B: Aishwarya Pissay 125 (Won with 1 round to spare);
*Note: Till 2020 the Championship nomen clature was Indian National Rally Championship for 2w. From 2021 it is changed to National Rally Championship by FMSCI, the governing body for sport in India.
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Double for Arjun Balu, Charen Chandran; Ghorpade wins
Chennai, 12 Dec.2021: Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) and Chirag Ghorpade, the schoolboy from Bengaluru, lit up the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 with dominating performances in their respective categories on a rain-marred Sunday at the MMRT here.
Chirag, who had won the first race in the MRF F1600 category on Saturday, topped the third today of the triple-header after local teenager Dillon Zacharaiah took the honours in the second outing for his maiden win in this class.
Balu, the 47-year old ace from Coimbatore, brought into play all his vast experience to complete a double in the premier Indian Touring Cars class after starting from P3 (reverse grid) in a “wet race” following a bout of heavy showers in the afternoon. Having won the first race yesterday, Balu, started behind two Rayo Racing polos of Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakah and, played a waiting game before getting a jump on the two Hyderabad drivers for another brilliant win.
Earlier, Dillon, 18, drove a fine race starting from P2 on the reverse grid, to notch his maiden win in this class from a fast finishing Suriyavarathan (Coimbatore) and Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore).
Late in the evening, with light fast fading, Ghorpade scored a lights-to-flag win to complete a double, in a race that was reduced to six laps from the scheduled eight. Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin, who finished second, was later docked a 10-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane which pushed him to sixth. The penalty moved Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj to second place and Ashwin Datta (Chennai) to third.
Reflecting on his double and scoring his third win in four starts, Balu said: “A very special drive today. The odds were against me with two VW Polo cars in front and the conditions very tricky. But I had the confidence that I could pass both the cars and I thought I read the track conditions very well. Yes, a textbook drive it was.”
Also achieving a double was Coimbatore’s private entrant Charen Chandran who won both the races in the Super Stock category while Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) from Bengaluru ended Deepak Ravikumar’s (Performance Racing) winning streak in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class by winning Race-2 today.
Salem’s Sai Sanjay and Ritesh Rai (Chennai) won a race apiece in the Volkswagen Polo category double-header after surviving tight finishes.
The seasoned Chennai driver Raghul Rangasamy (Quest Motorsport) took the honours in the Formula LGB 1300 race from P5 start ahead of Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) and Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) from Nellore.
Mumbai’s Fahad Kutty completed a profitable weekend as he won two of the three races and finished on podium in the other in the MRF Saloon Cars category.
The day’s programme was delayed due to bursts of rains overnight and this morning, but the track dried up quickly later in bright sunshine. The post-lunch session too was affected by sudden showers leading to some races being declared as “wet race”.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F1600 (Race-2): 1. Dillon Zacharaiah (Chennai) (16mins, 37.473secs); 2. Suriyavarathan (Coimbatore) (16:37.844); 3. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore) (16:38.344). Race-3 (6 laps): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (10:37.982); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore) (10:45.318); 3. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (10:45.995).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (17:00.366); 2. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (17:09.508); 3. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (17:09.774).
Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (18:32.647); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (18:33.644); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (18:50.454).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Charen Chandran (Pvt, Coimbatore) (18:03.480); 2. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (18:07.131); 3. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (18:11.507).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport, Chennai) (19:34.504); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (19:36.053); 3. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing, Nellore) (19:40.848).
Volkswagen Polo (Race-1): 1. Sai Sanjay TS (Salem) (16:45.578); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (16:46.427); 3. Sourav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (16:53.278). Race-2: 1. Ritesh Rai (Chennai) (16:57.162); 2. Avik Anwar (Bangladesh) (16:57.729); 3. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (16:58.533).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios – Race 3, 4 laps): 1. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (12:11.978); 2. Jamie Shaw (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (12:16.327); 3. Jai Prashant Venkat (Red Line Racing, Coimbatore) (12:16.595).
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INRC 2w Coimbatore Round 5 class-wise Results
Coimbatore, 12 Dec 2021: Following are the Class-wise results of the fifth and penultimate round of the MRF fmsci Mogrip National Rally Championship for two wheelers 2021 here on Sunday.
CATEGORY WISE PROVISIONAL STAGE TIMINGS
CLASS 1 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 2 RAJENDRA R E TVS RACING RTR 450 HOSUR 15:10.738 11:26.468 15:00.468 11:39.750 – – 00:53:17.424 – 00:53:17.424 2 1 ABDUL WAHEED TANVEER TVS RACING RTR 450 HOSUR 15:15.714 11:30.964 15:32.726 11:28.070 – – 00:53:47.474 – 00:53:47.474 3 3 R NATARAJ TVS RACING RTR 450 HOSUR 15:49.984 11:59.636 15:58.992 12:07.878 – – 00:55:56.490 – 00:55:56.490 4 4 ADHAAN AHAMED PRIVATEER KTM 250 MANGALORE 16:36.078 12:48.105 16:35.046 12:45.910 – – 00:58:45.139 – 00:58:45.139 5 5 GOUTHAM RAO R PRIVATEER RTR 200 BANGALORE 18:55.472 14:06.437 18:54.066 14:34.007 – – 01:06:29.982 – 01:06:29.982 CLASS 1A RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 6 ASAD KHAN PRIVATEER RMX 450 CHIKMAGALUR 16:30.746 12:30.082 16:50.980 12:42.691 – – 00:58:34.499 – 00:58:34.499 2 10 SINAN PRIVATEER KTM 450 KERALA 17:09.300 12:51.632 17:14.332 13:06.085 – – 01:00:21.349 – 01:00:21.349 3 7 JATIN JAIN PRIVATEER KTM 450 NAGPUR 17:26.890 13:08.450 17:24.830 12:58.210 – – 01:00:58.380 – 01:00:58.380 4 9 AMAN PAWDE PRIVATEER KTM 450 NAGPUR 17:01.636 15:32.054 16:54.468 12:41.542 – – 01:02:09.700 – 01:02:09.700 CLASS 2 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 48 AJIN ABRAHAM PRIVATEER STUNNER KOTTAYAM 18:16.675 14:02.945 18:11.128 21:23.988 – – 01:11:54.736 – 01:11:54.736 2 49 CHALASS K BOSE PRIVATEER STUNNER KERALA DNF – – – – – – – – 3 51 AZEEB MUHAMMED PRIVATEER STUNNER KOTTAYAM DNF – – – – – – – – 4 50 NITESH POOJARY PRIVATEER STUNNER MANGALORE 18:43.539 14:29.757 DNF – – – – – – CLASS 3 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 27 PAVAN BK PRIVATEER IMPULSE BANGALORE 17:41.453 13:27.023 17:15.687 13:15.042 – – 01:01:39.205 – 01:01:39.205 2 28 PRAVITH P PRIVATEER IMPULSE KERALA 17:51.000 13:32.492 17:47.207 15:12.097 – – 01:04:22.796 – 01:04:22.796 3 30 BHARATH L PRIVATEER IMPULSE BANGALORE 19:04.582 14:24.425 19:19.417 14:40.894 – – 01:07:29.318 – 01:07:29.318 4 29 HARI KUMAR PRIVATEER IMPULSE TRIVANDRUM 20:07.332 15:08.414 19:45.761 15:04.425 – – 01:10:05.932 – 01:10:05.932 5 31 AKHIL ARUMUGAM PRIVATEER IMPULSE COIMBATORE 19:56.960 15:32.894 19:45.710 15:05.015 – – 01:10:20.579 – 01:10:20.579 6 33 BINU JOHN PRIVATEER IMPULSE KERALA 20:51.386 15:29.996 20:37.199 15:38.355 – – 01:12:36.936 – 01:12:36.936 7 32 MOHAMMED NIYAS PRIVATEER IMPULSE TRIVANDRUM 21:58.449 16:11.812 20:35.812 15:52.167 – – 01:14:38.240 – 01:14:38.240 8 25 SASI KUMAR K PRIVATEER IMPULSE COIMBATORE DNF – – – – – – – – CLASS 4 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 11 SAMUEL JACOB TVS RACING RTR 200 HOSUR 15:47.578 12:03.746 15:58.417 12:15.699 – – 00:56:05.440 – 00:56:05.440 2 12 IMRAN PASHA TVS RACING RTR 200 HOSUR 15:54.187 12:19.335 16:08.171 12:23.976 – – 00:56:45.669 – 00:56:45.669 3 14 SACHIN D TVS RACING RTR 200 HOSUR 16:25.230 12:44.070 16:16.230 12:26.410 – – 00:57:51.940 – 00:57:51.940 4 15 TRINESH V PRIVATEER RTR 200 BANGALORE 18:06.875 13:22.785 17:26.921 13:14.640 – – 01:02:11.221 – 01:02:11.221 5 18 ANAND JAYAKRISHNAN PRIVATEER XPULSE TRIVANDRUM 18:16.769 13:47.042 17:51.726 13:50.652 – – 01:03:46.189 – 01:03:46.189 6 16 MOHAMMED IRSHAD PRIVATEER XPULSE TRIVANDRUM 18:59.320 14:42.199 19:13.160 14:21.753 – – 01:07:16.432 – 01:07:16.432 CLASS 5 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 19 SAJEESH REGHANATHAN PRIVATEER KTM 390 BANGALORE 17:14.539 13:21.359 17:08.351 12:54.828 – – 01:00:39.077 – 01:00:39.077 2 20 V VENU RAMESH KUMAR PRIVATEER KTM 390 COIMBATORE 17:35.109 13:19.597 17:28.351 13:24.394 – – 01:01:47.451 – 01:01:47.451 3 22 AAKASH AITHAL PRIVATEER KTM ADVENTURE PUTTUR 18:36.636 13:49.390 18:14.496 13:52.742 – – 01:04:33.264 – 01:04:33.264 4 23 MANIKANDAN PRIVATEER KTM 390 COIMBATORE 19:11.113 13:55.835 18:14.554 13:41.390 – – 01:05:02.892 – 01:05:02.892 5 24 JAIDEEP JOSHI PRIVATEER KTM 390 COIMBATORE 18:37.777 14:04.453 20:49.472 14:51.632 – – 01:08:23.334 – 01:08:23.334 6 21 SRAVAN KUMAR PRIVATEER KTM 390 HYDERABAD 19:45.300 14:56.996 19:35.859 14:56.269 – – 01:09:14.424 – 01:09:14.424 CLASS 6 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 36 NARESH VS PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD BANGALORE 18:00.644 13:23.359 17:22.757 13:23.808 – – 01:02:10.568 – 01:02:10.568 2 34 MOHAMMED ZAHEER PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD BANGALORE 18:06.187 14:03.515 17:48.925 13:54.300 – – 01:03:52.927 – 01:03:52.927 3 39 JEEMON ANTONY PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD ERNAKULAM 18:14.835 13:45.300 18:05.933 13:58.378 – – 01:04:04.446 – 01:04:04.446 4 42 ARUN JOY PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD ERNAKULAM 18:14.988 14:03.390 18:15.277 14:05.191 – – 01:04:38.846 – 01:04:38.846 5 37 ABHIJEET SARKAR PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD GUWAHATI 20:45.242 15:27.589 20:09.347 15:10.214 – – 01:11:32.392 – 01:11:32.392 6 38 SREEKANTH KOMANA PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD KOCHI DNF – – – – – – – – 7 41 SAMUEL ABRAHAM PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD KERALA 18:05.878 DNF – – – – – – – 8 40 SHAJEER ISMAIL PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD KOCHI 19:47.125 15:01.687 19:49.046 DNF – – – – – CLASS 7 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 46 SYED ASIF ALI TVS RACING NTORQ HOSUR 18:13.437 13:51.535 17:57.628 13:43.871 – – 01:03:46.471 – 01:03:46.471 2 43 SHAMIM KHAN TVS RACING NTORQ HOSUR 18:25.042 13:52.855 17:58.347 13:42.480 – – 01:03:58.724 00:12:00 01:15:58.724 3 45 KARTHIK NAIDU TVS RACING NTORQ HOSUR 18:24.949 13:51.718 18:02.417 13:48.074 – – 01:04:07.158 – 01:04:07.158 4 47 ABIJITH SHETTY PRIVATEER NTORQ BANGALORE 19:26.128 14:37.476 19:56.609 DNF – – – – – CLASS 8 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 54 AISHWARYA PISSAY M TVS RACING RTR 200 HOSUR 18:06.839 13:52.468 18:10.839 14:01.128 – – 01:04:11.274 – 01:04:11.274 2 55 TANIKA SHANBAG PRIVATEER XPULSE SATARA 19:04.328 14:08.972 18:24.972 14:07.042 – – 01:05:45.314 – 01:05:45.314 3 56 APOORVA PRIVATEER IMPULSE MANGALORE 20:27.988 15:05.691 20:10.183 15:30.351 – – 01:11:14.213 – 01:11:14.213 CLASS 9 RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 57 KALI MOHAN TVS RACING RTR 200 HOSUR 17:10.625 12:54.132 16:54.429 12:52.699 – – 00:59:51.885 – 00:59:51.885 2 66 K.SARAVANAKUMAR PRIVATEER APACHE COIMBATORE 17:19.117 13:14.882 17:07.894 13:11.667 – – 01:00:53.560 – 01:00:53.560 3 58 VISHNU PRAKASH S PRIVATEER IMPULSE COIMBATORE 18:11.941 13:33.683 17:44.968 13:29.222 – – 01:02:59.814 – 01:02:59.814 4 59 SAM ISSAIAH PRIVATEER XPULSE COIMBATORE 18:09.660 13:39.523 18:07.734 14:20.839 – – 01:04:17.756 00:01:00 01:05:17.756 5 65 VIGNESH VENKATESH PRIVATEER XPULSE COIMBATORE 19:28.773 13:46.453 18:08.683 13:59.882 – – 01:05:23.791 – 01:05:23.791 6 61 THILAGA RAJA PRIVATEER IMPULSE ERODE 20:10.167 15:05.492 19:21.218 15:04.925 – – 01:09:41.802 – 01:09:41.802 7 60 J PRADEEP PRIVATEER XPULSE COIMBATORE 20:44.316 15:41.132 20:18.441 15:27.882 – – 01:12:11.771 – 01:12:11.771 8 63 RICARIUS VENCHASLAUS PRIVATEER IMPULSE COIMBATORE 18:13.511 13:51.789 18:19.167 24:10.078 – – 01:14:34.545 – 01:14:34.545 9 64 A KARTHIKEYAN PRIVATEER APACHE COIMBATORE DNS – – – – – – – – -
Flash: Rajendra wins INRC 2w Rally of Coimbatore
Coimbatore, 12 Dec 2021: Shimoga-born Rajendra RE, the 2019 champion, was back in his limelight winning the Rally of Coimbatore, the fifth leg of the MRF Mogrip National Racing Championship for two-wheelers 2021 which concluded at the windmill farms of Kethanoor here on Sunday.
OVERALL PROVISIONAL/FINAL RESULTS
RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CLASS CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 2 RAJENDRA R E TVS RACING RTR 450 CLASS 1 HOSUR 15:10.738 11:26.468 15:00.468 11:39.750 – – 00:53:17.424 – 00:53:17.424 2 1 ABDUL WAHEED TANVEER TVS RACING RTR 450 CLASS 1 HOSUR 15:15.714 11:30.964 15:32.726 11:28.070 – – 00:53:47.474 – 00:53:47.474 3 3 R NATARAJ TVS RACING RTR 450 CLASS 1 HOSUR 15:49.984 11:59.636 15:58.992 12:07.878 – – 00:55:56.490 – 00:55:56.490 4 11 SAMUEL JACOB TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 4 HOSUR 15:47.578 12:03.746 15:58.417 12:15.699 – – 00:56:05.440 – 00:56:05.440 5 12 IMRAN PASHA TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 4 HOSUR 15:54.187 12:19.335 16:08.171 12:23.976 – – 00:56:45.669 – 00:56:45.669 6 14 SACHIN D TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 4 HOSUR 16:25.230 12:44.070 16:16.230 12:26.410 – – 00:57:51.940 – 00:57:51.940 7 6 ASAD KHAN PRIVATEER RMX 450 CLASS 1A CHIKMAGALUR 16:30.746 12:30.082 16:50.980 12:42.691 – – 00:58:34.499 – 00:58:34.499 8 4 ADHAAN AHAMED PRIVATEER KTM 250 CLASS 1 MANGALORE 16:36.078 12:48.105 16:35.046 12:45.910 – – 00:58:45.139 – 00:58:45.139 9 57 KALI MOHAN TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 9 HOSUR 17:10.625 12:54.132 16:54.429 12:52.699 – – 00:59:51.885 – 00:59:51.885 10 10 SINAN PRIVATEER KTM 450 CLASS 1A KERALA 17:09.300 12:51.632 17:14.332 13:06.085 – – 01:00:21.349 – 01:00:21.349 11 19 SAJEESH REGHANATHAN PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 BANGALORE 17:14.539 13:21.359 17:08.351 12:54.828 – – 01:00:39.077 – 01:00:39.077 12 66 K.SARAVANAKUMAR PRIVATEER APACHE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 17:19.117 13:14.882 17:07.894 13:11.667 – – 01:00:53.560 – 01:00:53.560 13 7 JATIN JAIN PRIVATEER KTM 450 CLASS 1A NAGPUR 17:26.890 13:08.450 17:24.830 12:58.210 – – 01:00:58.380 – 01:00:58.380 14 27 PAVAN BK PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 BANGALORE 17:41.453 13:27.023 17:15.687 13:15.042 – – 01:01:39.205 – 01:01:39.205 15 20 V VENU RAMESH KUMAR PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 COIMBATORE 17:35.109 13:19.597 17:28.351 13:24.394 – – 01:01:47.451 – 01:01:47.451 16 9 AMAN PAWDE PRIVATEER KTM 450 CLASS 1A NAGPUR 17:01.636 15:32.054 16:54.468 12:41.542 – – 01:02:09.700 – 01:02:09.700 17 36 NARESH VS PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 BANGALORE 18:00.644 13:23.359 17:22.757 13:23.808 – – 01:02:10.568 – 01:02:10.568 18 15 TRINESH V PRIVATEER RTR 200 CLASS 4 BANGALORE 18:06.875 13:22.785 17:26.921 13:14.640 – – 01:02:11.221 – 01:02:11.221 19 58 VISHNU PRAKASH S PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 18:11.941 13:33.683 17:44.968 13:29.222 – – 01:02:59.814 – 01:02:59.814 20 18 ANAND JAYAKRISHNAN PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 4 TRIVANDRUM 18:16.769 13:47.042 17:51.726 13:50.652 – – 01:03:46.189 – 01:03:46.189 21 46 SYED ASIF ALI TVS RACING NTORQ CLASS 7 HOSUR 18:13.437 13:51.535 17:57.628 13:43.871 – – 01:03:46.471 – 01:03:46.471 22 34 MOHAMMED ZAHEER PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 BANGALORE 18:06.187 14:03.515 17:48.925 13:54.300 – – 01:03:52.927 – 01:03:52.927 23 43 SHAMIM KHAN TVS RACING NTORQ CLASS 7 HOSUR 18:25.042 13:52.855 17:58.347 13:42.480 – – 01:03:58.724 00:12:00 01:15:58.724 24 39 JEEMON ANTONY PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 ERNAKULAM 18:14.835 13:45.300 18:05.933 13:58.378 – – 01:04:04.446 – 01:04:04.446 25 45 KARTHIK NAIDU TVS RACING NTORQ CLASS 7 HOSUR 18:24.949 13:51.718 18:02.417 13:48.074 – – 01:04:07.158 – 01:04:07.158 26 54 AISHWARYA PISSAY M TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 8 HOSUR 18:06.839 13:52.468 18:10.839 14:01.128 – – 01:04:11.274 – 01:04:11.274 27 59 SAM ISSAIAH PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 18:09.660 13:39.523 18:07.734 14:20.839 – – 01:04:17.756 00:01:00 01:05:17.756 28 28 PRAVITH P PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 KERALA 17:51.000 13:32.492 17:47.207 15:12.097 – – 01:04:22.796 – 01:04:22.796 29 22 AAKASH AITHAL PRIVATEER KTM ADVENTURE CLASS 5 PUTTUR 18:36.636 13:49.390 18:14.496 13:52.742 – – 01:04:33.264 – 01:04:33.264 30 42 ARUN JOY PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 ERNAKULAM 18:14.988 14:03.390 18:15.277 14:05.191 – – 01:04:38.846 – 01:04:38.846 31 23 MANIKANDAN PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 COIMBATORE 19:11.113 13:55.835 18:14.554 13:41.390 – – 01:05:02.892 – 01:05:02.892 32 65 VIGNESH VENKATESH PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 19:28.773 13:46.453 18:08.683 13:59.882 – – 01:05:23.791 – 01:05:23.791 33 55 TANIKA SHANBAG PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 8 SATARA 19:04.328 14:08.972 18:24.972 14:07.042 – – 01:05:45.314 – 01:05:45.314 34 5 GOUTHAM RAO R PRIVATEER RTR 200 CLASS 1 BANGALORE 18:55.472 14:06.437 18:54.066 14:34.007 – – 01:06:29.982 – 01:06:29.982 35 16 MOHAMMED IRSHAD PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 4 TRIVANDRUM 18:59.320 14:42.199 19:13.160 14:21.753 – – 01:07:16.432 – 01:07:16.432 36 30 BHARATH L PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 BANGALORE 19:04.582 14:24.425 19:19.417 14:40.894 – – 01:07:29.318 – 01:07:29.318 37 24 JAIDEEP JOSHI PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 COIMBATORE 18:37.777 14:04.453 20:49.472 14:51.632 – – 01:08:23.334 – 01:08:23.334 38 21 SRAVAN KUMAR PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 HYDERABAD 19:45.300 14:56.996 19:35.859 14:56.269 – – 01:09:14.424 – 01:09:14.424 39 61 THILAGA RAJA PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 9 ERODE 20:10.167 15:05.492 19:21.218 15:04.925 – – 01:09:41.802 – 01:09:41.802 40 29 HARI KUMAR PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 TRIVANDRUM 20:07.332 15:08.414 19:45.761 15:04.425 – – 01:10:05.932 – 01:10:05.932 41 31 AKHIL ARUMUGAM PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 COIMBATORE 19:56.960 15:32.894 19:45.710 15:05.015 – – 01:10:20.579 – 01:10:20.579 42 56 APOORVA PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 8 MANGALORE 20:27.988 15:05.691 20:10.183 15:30.351 – – 01:11:14.213 – 01:11:14.213 43 37 ABHIJEET SARKAR PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 GUWAHATI 20:45.242 15:27.589 20:09.347 15:10.214 – – 01:11:32.392 – 01:11:32.392 44 48 AJIN ABRAHAM PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 KOTTAYAM 18:16.675 14:02.945 18:11.128 21:23.988 – – 01:11:54.736 – 01:11:54.736 45 60 J PRADEEP PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 20:44.316 15:41.132 20:18.441 15:27.882 – – 01:12:11.771 – 01:12:11.771 46 33 BINU JOHN PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 KERALA 20:51.386 15:29.996 20:37.199 15:38.355 – – 01:12:36.936 – 01:12:36.936 47 63 RICARIUS VENCHASLAUS PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 18:13.511 13:51.789 18:19.167 24:10.078 – – 01:14:34.545 – 01:14:34.545 48 32 MOHAMMED NIYAS PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 TRIVANDRUM 21:58.449 16:11.812 20:35.812 15:52.167 – – 01:14:38.240 – 01:14:38.240 49 64 A KARTHIKEYAN PRIVATEER APACHE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE DNS – – – – – – – – 50 49 CHALASS K BOSE PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 KERALA DNF – – – – – – – – 51 51 AZEEB MUHAMMED PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 KOTTAYAM DNF – – – – – – – – 52 25 SASI KUMAR K PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 COIMBATORE DNF – – – – – – – – 53 38 SREEKANTH KOMANA PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 KOCHI DNF – – – – – – – – 54 41 SAMUEL ABRAHAM PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 KERALA 18:05.878 DNF – – – – – – – 55 50 NITESH POOJARY PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 MANGALORE 18:43.539 14:29.757 DNF – – – – – – 56 47 ABIJITH SHETTY PRIVATEER NTORQ CLASS 7 BANGALORE 19:26.128 14:37.476 19:56.609 DNF – – – – – 57 40 SHAJEER ISMAIL PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 KOCHI 19:47.125 15:01.687 19:49.046 DNF – – – – -
Maiden victory for Chirag Ghorpade in MRF F1600; Rishon day’s fastest driver
Chennai, 11 Dec. 2021: Sixteen-year-old 11th grade student of Bengaluru Chirag Ghorpade, drove a brilliant race to win his maiden race in the coveted MRF F1600 class in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
Ghorpade held off another 7-year old, Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin, for his maiden win in this category while Rishon Rajiv, 6, also from Bengaluru, finished third in the eight-lap race. Rishon became the fastest Driver of the day clocking 1:39.964. Ghorpade did a 39.8 on Thursday but was content in being consistent today and focused on his race victory. The trio was in a league of its own in a field that had quite a few experienced drivers.
“It was a tough race initially when Shahan caught up with me, but I realized that he was unable to narrow the gap any further and I managed to dictate the pace,” said Ghorpade who had earlier qualified for pole position.
Chirag Ghorpade after his maiden win in the MRF F1600 category (Dec 11) Photo: Anand Philar Meanwhile, Coimbatore veteran, defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), at 47, and in his 29th racing season, was in imperious form when easily winning the premier Indian Touring Cars race from pole position, while two Rayo Racing drivers from Hyderabad, Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh finished a distant second and third, respectively.
“Honestly, I was quite surprised by the pace of the car (Honda City) and by the end of the first lap, I was comfortably ahead. Thereafter, I decided to back off a bit and scaled down on my aggression. Yes, I am quite pleased with the performance,” Balu said.
Performance Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar from Chennai and Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) topped in the Super Stock and Indian Junior Touring Cars category, respectively.
Pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) from Vellore emerged a facile winner in the Formula LGB 1300 race that was marred by a red flag stoppage following a series of crashes, reducing it to just five laps.
Mumbai’s Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing) and Coimbatore’s A Balaprasath (Quest Motorsport) shared the top honours in the two MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) races. In the second race, a Delhi-born Punjabi from Gurgoan won his maiden podium taking a second place in his debut week-end in real motorsports as the sim-racer is racing for the first time at MMSC.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
The top three in MRF Saloon Cars race-2 – A Balaprasath (centre, winner), Justin Singht (left, second) and Fahad Kutty (third) at MMRT on 11 Dec 2021. Photo by Anand Philar MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (13mins, 32.919secs); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13:34.252); 3. Rishon Rajiv (Bengaluru) (13:35.164).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:19.312); 2. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:46.386); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:54.693).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:09.974); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:12.079); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:17.578).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:04.162); 2. Charen Chandran (Pvt, Coimbatore) (16:25.674); 3. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (15:30.132, 7 laps)
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing, Nellore) (11:14.406); 2. Arya Singh (DTS Racing, Kolkata) (11:15.966); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (11:20.775).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios – Race 1): 1. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:08.849); Jamie Shaw (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:09.332); 3. Chandresh Tolia (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:11.833);
Race 2: 1. A Balaprasath (Quest Motorsport, Coimbatore) (21:17.190); 2. Justin Singh (Quest Motorsport, Haryana) (21:17.925); 3. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (21:20.784).
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Chirag Ghorpade dominates the proceedings in F1600
Chennai, 10 Dec 2021: Sixteen-year Bengaluru schoolboy Chirag Ghorpade dominated the proceedings in the MRF F1600 class by posting a couple of stunning time to become the fasted driver of the day while defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore survived a dramatic spin and emerged the fastest among saloon cars as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT, here on Friday.
Ghorpade, only 16, did 01 minute, 39.809 in the first practice session and went even quicker in the second, clocking 01:39.761. His arch-rival, Shahan Ali Mohsin, the teenager from Agra, who leads Ghorpade in the championship standings following his double in the first round, matched the timing with a 01:39.937 in the morning run, but was way off the pace in the second session due to gearbox issues and was placed ninth.
“I am quite happy with my lap times today, though I need to improve a bit in the first sector,” said Ghorpade.
Earlier, Balu topped both the practice sessions in the premier Indian Touring Cars class. He clocked a best lap of 01:51.680 in the first outing this morning and bettered it with a 01:51.308 in the afternoon despite a vicious spin that led to a brief red flag period.
Defending champion Arjun Balu (39), the quickest among saloon cars on Friday in Free Practice 10 Dec 2021 at Madras Motor Race Track. Photo by Anand Philar “We made some setup changes for the second practice session. There was far too much grip in the front and I spun, but am happy that I could still post a quick lap thereafter,” said Balu.
In the Formula LGB 1300 category, Viswas Vijayaraj from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, clocked 01:53.143 in the second practice session for the best lap. It improved on his 01:54.159 in the earlier outing which his DTS Racing team-mate from Kolkata, Arya Singh, topped (01:53.993).
Bangladesh’s Aiman Sadat (01:57.049) was the quickest in the Volkswagen Polo class as he topped both the practice sessions that promise close battles this weekend with half-a-dozen drivers covered by less than one second.
In the MRF Saloon Cars category (Toyota Etios) that has a grid of 21, Ahmedabad’s Akshay Gupta posted the best lap of 02:05.257 over two practice sessions.
The qualifying sessions for all categories followed by five races will be run on Saturday.
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.
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Chance for young guns, Sahan, Ruhaan to showcase their talent: MMSC races
Chennai, 8 Dec. 2021: After a break of close to three months, the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 will resume with Covid-19 safety protocols in place at the MMRT here on Friday, December 10, with a 12-race programme scheduled for the weekend and some 100 entrants in the fray across various categories.
Two young guns who stood out in the first round were teenagers Shahan Ali Mohsin from Agra and Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva, both products of the National karting championships. Shahan won two of the three races in the MRF F1600 category while Ruhaan (MSport) was adjudged “best rookie” in the Formula LGB 1300.
The MRF F1600 will headline the weekend card with a triple-header, while the Formula LGB 1300, the Saloon Cars (Indian Touring Cars, Super Stock, Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Volkswagen Polo will have two races apiece in the three-day event.
Of equal significance is the entry-level MRF Saloon Cars category, featuring Toyota Etios. Last season, it made a debut in the National championship, promoted by the Madras Motor Sports Club, with just six entries, but now boasts of a grid of 25 cars representing two teams – the Red Line Racing India and Quest Motorsports. The MRF Saloon Cars skipped the first round in September this year, and will offer nine races spread over three rounds. Vehicles in all categories will run on MRF tyres.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas, while welcoming the participants for the second round, said: “At the outset, we need to celebrate the fact that we are able to conduct the championship during this challenging period of the pandemic. It is even more heartening that despite current situation, an increasing number of youngsters are taking to motor racing if one were to go by the spike in entries with each round. The first round in September witnessed the emergence of young talent and we hope they will continue to the perform. Our thanks also to our sponsors, MRF Tyres for their active involvement in the championship.”
As usual, the highly competitive saloon car races are likely throw up some exciting finishes, notably in the premier Indian Touring Cars class where Race Concepts’ Arjun Balu from Coimbatore, the defending champion, will be again up against Rayo Racing pair of Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh (both Hyderabad).
The MMRT circuit stood up well to the recent record monsoon rains and looked to be in good trim to host the weekend’s programme.
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.
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Ruhaan looks to seal the title; Vishnu, Amir to fight it out in Formula LGB4
Coimbatore, 2 Dec 2021: Ruhaan Alva looks set to clinch the Rookie Championship in his maiden outing while Vishnu Prasad and Amir Sayed to continue the fight in the premier Formula LGB4 class in the penultimate round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship which gets underway at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam, near Coimbatore, on Saturday.
Championship leader Vishnu Prasad, after a strong first round show, was expected to call the shots in the second round held at the same venue late last month. But the MSport star from Chennai could not do much as his car lacked the power and the pace right through the races.
Amir Sayed of Kottayam cashed in on the chance quite early to score his maiden finish on top of the podium for his new team, Ahura Racing. It helped him a great deal in clinching crucial points and a climb up the championship table to the second position.
Despite a not so hot show, Vishnu continues to stay at the top with 25 points. Amir needs just a couple of points to rattle the leader and he may well come up with all guns blazing to do just that.
Sandeep Kumar, Arya Singh and T.S. Diljith of Dark Don Racing are also expected to give the duo a run for their money.
It’s a one horse race in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. MSport’s Ruhaan Alva, the young man from Bengaluru, is yet to find a challenger to his throne. He has stamped his class in both the rounds and is sitting pretty at the top of the table with 60 points.
His teammate Jaden Pariat, with 38 points, is far behind. But the youngster from Guwahati has come up with an improved show in every race. He may well try to go that extra mile to beat Ruhaan this weekend.
Anish Damodara Shetty of Hubli was the man in command in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. He was quite successful in handling the much-heavier bikes and his opponents on a fast flowing track this season. But Allwin Xavier (32pts) of Thrissur managed to topple Anish (30pts) with a top podium finish in the final race of the second round.
The latter is not going to allow the former to enjoy the position at the top for long. So, be prepared for a fight to the finish from the big boys.
The drivers and riders will go through the practice sessions on Friday followed by the qualifiers and the races the next two days.
