INDIA in F1

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.

  • Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 30 October 2020: Reigning champion Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru, continued his winning streak in Race 1 for a stunning ninth consecutive race and marched towards retaining his National Champion tag despite a reverse-grid hiccup in the second race, in the third round of the Meco Motorsports fmsci National Karting Championship X-30 races at Meco Kartopia here on Friday.

    Another fun-loving Bangalore kid, Ishaan Madesh had the best outing today clinching a double in the Cadet section to keep his championship lead with 83 points to Sai Shiva’s 67. Eleven-year-old Ishaan was streets ahead as he left the field behind and won with a huge margin of over 13-seconds in Race 1 and went on clinch Race 2, too. Anshul Sai of Pune came second in Race 1 followed by Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh, who took second in Race 2 ahead of Arafath Sheikh, also of Pune. Ishaan who had a DNF in the previous round did make amends and won both the races.

    After topping the official practice session, in Race 1, Ruhaan brushed aside the challenge of Rohaan Madesh beating him by a convincing 3.2-second margin to take another first. Rishon Rajeev completed the podium, a fraction of a second behind, to make it an all-Bengaluru podium.

    In Race 2, Ruhaan was well on course to clinch the issue but his streak of victories was broken in Race 2 due to an unforeseen incident. After the reverse-grid start, he patiently overtook one by one and got to the top and everything looked rosy as he took the lead. But in the last lap, the driver in 2nd place, tried an overambitious move into the fourth corner (C4) and locked-up, and smashed sideways straight into Ruhaan, taking both out in the process. Ruhaan, later managed to finish 6th and retrieved 3 useful points to still lead the Championship by 23 points. Ruhaan has 93 to Rohaan’s 70. But for the incident,  he still showed his talent and kart control and driving skills to bag the `Fastest Laps’ in all the 10 races, till now in Rounds 1, 2 and 3. Six more Races, two in Round 3 and four in Round 4, will decide the title this weekend.

    In the Senior Section, strong contender Suriya Varathan and defending champion Nirmal Umashankar split the two races. Suriya won the first race beating Nirmal Umashankar, who took a comfortable win in Race 2. Raaj Bakhru came third ahead of Shravanthika Lakshmi S of Coimbatore, who came fourth beating three more boys. Bala Prasath finished the podium in Race 2. Arjun Nair, who was second in the title race after two rounds, did not take part today.

    Raaj Bakhru winning the third place in the Senior Class Race 1 has some significance. The 12th class student of Business Management from Mumbai is making his debut in National karting and taking a podium in the first race, and driving a kart only for the third time, is some achievement.

    Results: Round 3 (Unofficial classification): Friday:

    Seniors (15 laps): Race 1: 1. Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14:29.774); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 14:30.541); 3. Raaj Bakhru (14:52.117); Race 2: 1. Nirmal Umashankar (14:31.502); 2. Suriya Varathan (14:32.963); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:40.012).

    Juniors (12 laps): Race 1: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:47.773); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:50.976); 3. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (11:51.216); Race 2: 1. Jaden Rahmat Pariat (Guwahati) (11:37.626); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:38.446); 3. Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai) (11:38.595);

    Cadet (10 laps): Race 1: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:54.561) 2. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (11:07.963); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:15.020); Race 2: 1. Ishaan Madesh (10:28.977); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (10:31.106); 3. Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:46.403);

    Editor’s note: Updated Oct 31 at 9.30 am correcting typo Ruhaan’s lead to 23 points.

  • Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

    Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Ruhaan Alva hogs limelight winning everything at stake

    Ruhaan Alva hogs limelight winning everything at stake

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Vishwas, Badal Doshi share honours in top-class: Sprint Nationals

    Vishwas, Badal Doshi share honours in top-class: Sprint Nationals

    Bengaluru, 18 October 2020: Local star Vishwas SD and Badal Doshi of Mumbai shared the honours in the first two rounds in the top-class, while it was another Bengaluru biker Suhail Ahmed, who hogged the limelight with a grand double in both the rounds in the Motorsport Inc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2020 which began the season conducting the first two rounds in the Kanakapura forests on Saturday and Sunday.

    The Indian National Rally Sprint Championship (INRSC), is one of the first National events, after the Drag Nationals, to restart the calendar with the support of Hero MotoSports and Red Bull under a strict bio-bubble taking all the safety precautions as per Corona guidelines.

    In the Foreign Bikes category, Group A Upto 800cc Class first round, Vishwas SD took the honours but it was Badal S Doshi who claimed the victory in Round 2 and Sinan Francis, who came second in Round 1, stuck his ground pushing Vishwas to third on Sunday.

    The INRSC’s complicated class, the Group B upto 260cc, had 20entries, and the Mysore youngster Imran Pasha won both the rounds and clocked the fastest time in the first round winning the Star of Karnataka in 4 min 28.43 seconds covering the 6.5km Special Stage in forward direction, astride his TVS Apache.

    Suhail Ahmed who won the Bullet Class and the upto 400cc Group B Class, in both the rounds, becoming the top-achiever of the week-end.

    Ishaan Chandra from Mangalore, riding a Hero Impulse, claimed a double winning both the rounds `upto 165 CC’ category.

     “We have made elaborate arrangements for the safety of the riders and others taking part in the event and all the precautionary measures for COVID-19 were in place,” said Jaidas Menon, of Motorsport Inc, the Promoter. “Hero MotoSports are also encouraging the Xpulse riders with special prizes at the end of the Championship,” added Menon, who took the responsibility to make sure that Sprint Nationals is held this year.

    Vishwas SD who won the first round Foreign Bikes category on in action on Saturday. INDIAinF1 Photo by Prasanth Sukumaran.

    Defending champion in Group A, Badal Doshi from Mumbai said: “I was looking forward to participate and win this year’s INRSC, and winning one round is a good beginning. I am glad the season finally, started.”

    The third and fourth rounds will be held in Devanahalli area on November 21 and 22.

    Final Results (provisional): 2020 Round 1: (119 entries)

    Group A Upto 800cc Class: 1. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Suzuki, (04:40.82); 2. Badal S Doshi (Mumbai) KTM-500 EXCF (04:48.27); 3. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) KTM-EXC450 (04:52.66).

    Group B 131cc to 165cc: 1. Ishan Chandra (Mangalore) Hero Impulse (04:47.96); 2. Mohammed Zaheer (Bengaluru) Hero Impulse (4:57.43); 3. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) Hero Impulse (4:58.54).

    Group B 261cc to 400cc Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) KTM-390 (05:00.77); 2. Sudeep Kottary (Mangalore) Duke 390 (05:07.20); 3. Vikram K (Coimbatore) KTM-90 (05:17.20).

    Group B Upto 130cc Class: 1. Noldin Thomas (Ernakulam) Yamaha-YBX (05:28.36); 2. Varun Kumar A (Bengaluru) Yamaha-YBX (05:32.14); 3. Vikram Shekar (Coimbatore) Yamaha YBX (05:32.14).

    Group B 166cc to 260cc Class: 1. Imran Pasha (Mysore) TVS Apache (04:28.43); 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru) TVS Apache (04:35.44); 3. Samuel Jacob (Udupi) TVS Apache (04:51.63).

    Bullet Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:55.68); 2. Mohammed Zaheer (Bengaluru) Himalayan (05:07.77); 3. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Himalayan (05:18.48).

    Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) Hero Impulse (05:36.74); 2. Arpitha VM (Mangalore) Honda-Stunner (06:16.78); 3. Tanika Shanbhag (Satara) Hero Impulse (06:21.79).

    Scooter Class: 1. Karthik Naidu (Bengaluru) TVS N-Torq (05:20.88); 2. Pinkesh Thakkar (Pune) Aprilla-SR125 (05:29.01); 3. Venkatesh Shetty (Mumbai) Aprilla-SR150 (05:43.68).

    Star of Karnataka: 1. Imran Pasha (Mysore) TVS Apache (04:29.57); 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru) TVS Apache (04:41.02); 3. Sanjay Somashekar (Bengaluru) Hero Xpulse (04:59.35).

    2020 Round 2: (117 entries):

    Group A Upto 800cc Class: 1. Badal S Doshi (Mumbai) KTM-500 EXCF (04:10.19); 2. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) KTM-EXC450 (04:14.57); 3. Vishwas SD (Bangalore) Suzuki, (04:23.16).

    Group B 131cc to 165cc: 1. Ishan Chandra (Mangalore) Hero Impulse (04:19.66); 2. Abrar Ahmed  (Mysore) Hero Impulse (4:25.96); 3. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) Hero Impulse (4:30.26).

    Group B 261cc to 400cc Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) KTM-390 (04:15.55); 2. Sudeep Kottary (Mangalore) Duke 390 (04:15.84); 3. Vikram K (Coimbatore) KTM-390 (04:45.47).

    Group B Upto 130cc Class: 1. Rakesh Kumar V (Bengaluru) Yamaha YBX (04:51.19); 2. Durgesh J (Mysore) Honda Stunner (04:51.96); 3. Noldin Thomas (Ernakulam) Yamaha-YBX (04:57.34).

    Group B 166cc to 260cc Class: 1. Imran Pasha (Mysore) TVS Apache (04:14.83); 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru) TVS Apache (04:15.81); 3. Samuel Jacob (Udupi) TVS Apache (04:21.90).

    Bullet Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:30.12); 2. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:36.15); 3. Devaraj Venkatewh (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:37.22).

    Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) Hero Impulse (05:10.24); 2. Tanika Shanbhag (Satara) Hero Impulse (05:14.55); 3.Arpitha VM (Mangalore) Honda-Stunner (05:24.99).

    Scooter Class: 1. Karthik Naidu (Bengaluru) TVS N-Torq (04:57.84); 2. Goutham N (Bengaluru) TVS N-Torq (05:10.60); 3. Amarendra Sathe (Pune) Aprilla-SR150 (05:13.41).

    Star of Karnataka: 1. Anish Shetty (Hubli ) Hero Impulse (04:20.16); 2. Samuel Jacob (Udupi) TVS Apache (04:20.66); 3. Ishan Chandra (Chikmagalur) Hero Impulse (04:24.84).

  • Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record

    Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record

    Chennai, 10 October 2020: Defending champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing, astride a Suzuki Hayabusa broke the National Drag Record, setting a new mark of 7.783 seconds beating his own record over the 302- metre MMRT Drag Strip. The Madras Motor Sports Club kick-started the domestic 2020 motorsport season by successfully conducting the first round of the MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship in a secure bio-bubble environment at the MMRT circuit here on Sunday.

    The 30-year Bengaluru-based Coorgi, a three time National champion, touched a top speed of 222.49 kmph despite the third fastest reaction time of 1.658 sec at the start, to began the season on a winning note. He broke his own National record of 7.976 which he set in the round two last year on 6 October and equalled in the Championship winning last round in December. The bike was tuned by Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru. Muddappa won the National championship consecutively in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

    While Mudappa expectedly topped the time charts, clocking a blistering time for the sprint in the Super Sport 4-stroke Above 1051cc class, he could only come second in the 851 to 1050cc class as Mohammed Riyaz of Hyderabad won the dash. Rulex Rockers Racing team’s Bharatraj and Mohammed Rafiq notched a double apiece in their respective categories. Defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the girls category on Saturday.

    “I have been eagerly waiting to get back on track and am keeping myself fit. I was confident of clocking the best time, but beating the track record again is a bonus. I look forward to a consistent season to retain my National title,” said the Coorgi, who is primarily into civil contracts and also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’. He is based in Bengaluru. 

    Sporting activity came to a grinding halt in March and since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship hosted the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.

    Managing some 116 entries besides a host of officials, volunteers and employees, the MMSC went to great lengths to strictly implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and protocols as mandated by Government guidelines designed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. In view of the restrictions, no spectator or guest was permitted entry to the venue, while each competitor was allowed only one helper or mechanic, and the races were spread over two days (Saturday and Sunday) so as to limit the size of the congregation to under 100.

    MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “Following weeks of preparations and working on the SOPs as dictated by the government guidelines, it was great to go racing again after a break of seven months. Though we had to make do without a sponsor, we spared no expense to create a secure bio-bubble at the track. Of course, as per sporting regulations, we had a fully-equipped Medical team to deal with any emergency.

    “As much as the sport mattered to us, we gave top priority to health of all involved in the event. The strict protocols, followed by all at the venue, involved temperature checks, frequent hand sanitization and physical distancing. We also restricted entry to only essential persons, besides competitors.”

    The results: 4-Stroke Super Sport:

    Champion in the Above 1051cc class Hemant Muddappa (centre) flanked by second-placed Hafizulla Khan (left) and third-placed Harish Naik. An MMSC image

    Above 1051cc: 1. Hemant Mudappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.783secs); 2. Hafizulla Khan (Bengaluru) (08.374); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.721).

    851-1050cc: 1. Mohammed Riyaz (Hyderabad) (07.922); 2. Hemant Mudappa (08.162); 3. Sugan Prasad (Bengaluru) (08.382).

    361-550cc: 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (12.256); 2. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (12.350); 3. Karthik Mateti (Telangana) (12.518).

    226-360cc: 1. J Bharatraj (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.805); 2. Vivek Pillai (Team Alisha Abdullah, Chennai) (13.104); 3. P Yogeswaran (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (13.137).

    Up to 165cc: 1. Bharatraj J (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.580); 2. PM Soorya (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.656); 3. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (15.039).

    Saturday: Novice (Girls, Stock up to 165cc): 1. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (16.512); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (16.642); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Chennai) (16.781).

    2-Stroke Super Sport 131-165cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (12.843); 2. Manoj Kumar S (13.228); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.253).

    Up to 130cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (13.381); 2. R Madhan Kumar (13.584); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.954).

  • Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals

    Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals

    Chennai, 10 October 2020: Touching a top speed of over 118 kmph, defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Championship Madras Motor Sports Club drag strip here on Saturday as Indian Motorsports began after a gap of 7 months due to COVID 19.

    The Chennai girl won the four-stroke Upto 165cc Stock Class, the only class for girls, beating the challenge of Ann Jennifer and experienced Alisha Abdullah. The Team Pro-Speed Racing lass did a splendid job despite being a bit slow off the blocks with a reaction time of 0.907 and shot into the top spot clocking stunning 16.512 seconds.

    AS Ann Jennifer took the second place timing 16.642 though she had a better reaction time of 0.574 at the start. Alisha Abdullah, who had the best start among the 10 riders, reacting at 0.377 seconds, coiuld only complete the podium in 16.781 seconds.

    “I was very nervous at the beginning of the session but I had good fitness level which helped me to focus in the race. It is a long gap because of the pandemic which affected us with lack of practice and also lack of sponsors. But today, I concentrated on winning the race and I believed in myself and my vision,” said the 2019 champion, who was astride Yamaha v3 R15 tuned by Srinivasan.

    “Yes, of course, it is a overwhelming moment for me to take the first win of the season and I hope to maintain the same momentum in the upcoming rounds,” concluded Jessica.

  • Drag champ Hemanth Mudappa raring to go as Motorsport resumes in India

    Drag champ Hemanth Mudappa raring to go as Motorsport resumes in India

    Chennai, 9 October 2020: Hemanth Mudappa won a hat-trick of National titles on 30 December last year. The time when Corona Virus started its havoc, but it was not until two months later, did the sporting world take a beating and Indian motorsports too came to a grinding halt. Since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship will be the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.

    The first round of the fmsci MMSC Indian National Drag Championship will take place at the drag strip of the Madras Motor Race Track here on Sunday. Hemanth Mudappa, a triple champion, winning the crown in 2017, 2018 and 2019, is raring to go and the Mantra Racing rider is eagerly waiting for the action to start.

    The 30-year-old Bengaluru-based rider, who set-up a new National record on way to his triple crown, will take part in the SuperSport 851-1050cc class on a BMW S1000rr and in the 1050cc and above class astride a Suzuki Hayabusa tuned by champion architect Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru.

    “It is a long time and we are all eager to get back on the track. I am feeling good and look forward to another good season. My thanks to Mantra racing and all my sponsors, supporters and fans,” said Mudappa.

    Off the track, the Coorgi, is primarily into civil contracts and he is also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’ and is based in Bengaluru. And not to forget, he is a fitness freak and physical fitness is his top priority, which he advocates for all.

    Among the 11 National championships in the Indian Motorsports calendar, the Madras Motorsports Club promoted Drag Racing will begin this Sunday followed by Karting and Racing championship. The flag-ship Indian National Rally Championship is scheduled to start in December.

    It will all Four stroke and the classes to be run will be, the  upto 165cc SS Indian, 226 to 365 SS Indian, 361 TO 550 SS Indian, 851 to 1050 SS and Above 1051 Super Sport.

    For girls, upto 165cc four stroke Novice class, two stroke upto 130cc Super Sport and two stroke 131 to 165cc Super Sport.

    Other National champions in different class expected to take part are girls’ champion Nivetha Jessica, Bengaluru’s Aiyaz, the Nationial Champion in the 361-550cc Supersport Indian class and Chennai challenger Yogeshwaran, who became a champion gaining enough points in the 226-360 Supersport Indian category without a big win beating fellow-Chennai rider AS Alexander. Bengaluru’s Mohammed Rafiq who became champion in both the 2-Stroke categories (up to 130cc and 131-165cc) will also be there. However, it will be Hafeez Khan and Harish Naik, who are once again expected to fight it out with Mudappa for the top honours.

    The current drag record stands at 7.976 seconds. Mudappa equalled the record he had set in the 2019 second round in October erasing his own earlier record.

  • South India Rally postponed to June 21

    South India Rally postponed to June 21

    Chennai, 15 March 2020: Organisers the Madras Motor Sports Club announced on Sunday that the South India Rally, scheduled for March 20 to 22 is postponed to June 19 to 21 in view of the escalation in the COVID-19 virus situation across the country, according to the Chairman of the event, Vicky Chandhok.

    The South India Rally also doubles up as a round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and the first round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (4-wheelers). Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI) has advised all concerned to take note of the government advisory and put off events till May-end.

    Chandhok, who is also the president of Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) Working Group, said: “After much discussion internally, and following the lockdown in various States and territories across India, besides travel advisories and restrictions on public assembly, we have decided to postpone South India Rally to June 19-21.

    Chikmagalur Coffee Day INRC rally run along with APRC. A file photo of 2017 by Anand Philar

    “We were confident of running the event on schedule as we had put in place all measures and infrastructure complying with Government of India’s health advisories to provide a safe environment to all the stakeholders. However, developments in the past couple of days forced us to rethink and decide on postponing South India Rally,” said Chandhok in a statement.

  • Double for Arjun Balu, Rithvik Thomas in saloon cars; Amendola wins MRF Challenge title

    Double for Arjun Balu, Rithvik Thomas in saloon cars; Amendola wins MRF Challenge title

    Yuven Sundaramoorthy, winner of Race-4 in MRF Challeng on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 16 Feb 2020: Belgium’s Michelangelo Amendola did not win any of the three races run today, but picked up sufficient points from two third-place finishes and a sixth, to emerge the new champion in the FIA-approved MRF Challenge which concluded at the MMRT, here today.

    Earlier,16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy, with family roots in Madurai, gave the crowd plenty to cheer about by winning one race while British teenager Louis Foster and Australia’s Dylan Young took the honours in the other two races of the day.

    A third place finish in Race-5 today ensured the 18-year Amendola the title in his third attempt as he opened up an unassailable 34-point lead over his nearest rival Young, going into the last race of the day. Amendola finished with 247 points, including five wins over three rounds, to Young’s 223 (3 wins) while Britain’s Joshua Mason (176) was placed third in the championship.

    Meanwhile, Race Concepts drivers, Arjun Balu from Coimbatore and Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas notched a double each in the Indian Touring Cars and the Super Stock categories, respectively, of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship (Round-1).

    Rejoicing his championship success with his immediate family, Amendola, who had scored a double yesterday, said: “I am absolutely delighted that I finally won the MRF Challenge championship in my third season. Last season, I finished fourth in the championship and in 2017, I was sixth. So, I was determined to win the title this time. Now that I have won it, I am looking at a few options, but all depends on budgets and sponsorship. Motor racing is not very popular in Belgium, but I am hopeful.”

    The day began with Foster capitalising on a Turn-2 incident on Lap-1 that led to a brief Safety Car period, moving from third to first. Foster then hung on to finish ahead of Sundaramoorthy with Amendola in third place. Young’s championship hopes virtually ended when he lost two spots to come in sixth.

    In the next race, Sundaramoorthy, starting on pole on the reverse grid, was off to a good start and though he lost a bit going into Turn 10, he managed to hold off Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi for his second win of the season with Young trailing home in third place.

    “It feels great to win here in Chennai, virtually my home race! But I made it difficult for myself by making a couple of mistakes early in the race, especially when I went in too hot in Turn-10, went sideways and lost a bunch of space. I am absolutely delighted to score my second win this season after Dubai,” said Sundaramoorthy who turns 17 on February 22.

    Young, starting from reverse grid pole, also won the day’s last race untroubled, comfortably nursing his early lead to chalk up his third win of the season.

    ARJUN BALU REIGNS SUPREME

    Balu destroyed the combined 29-car saloon cars field for a grand double. The grid was a mix of ITC, Super Stock and the Volkswagen Ameo (support race) that took its final bow after three seasons to be replaced by the turbo-charged Polo in the next round this summer.

    Balu, like in Race-1 yesterday, was simply unstoppable though he started today eighth on the combined reverse grid. Within two laps, he sliced his way past six cars and then pole-sitter D Vidyaprakash of Prime Racing (subsequently disqualified for “technical infringement”, to take the lead that kept stretching corner to corner.

    “At the start, I was keen to get to the front and not get stuck in mid-grid. Once into the lead, I was able to extend the lead before I decided to ease off big time as there was no need to push any more. It was a fairly comfortable race for me, but again, thanks to Race Concepts for preparing such a great racing car,” said Balu.

    The results:

    MRF Challenge (all 15 laps unless mentioned) – Race-4: 1. Yuven Sundaramoorthy (USA) (22mins, 53.075secs); 2. Manaf Hijjawi (Jordan) (22:54.066); 3. Dylan Young (Australia) (23:03.255). Fastest Lap: Sundaramoorthy (01:30.323). Race-5: 1. Louis Foster (UK) (25:38.368); 2. Sundaramoorthy (25:41.064); 3. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (25:45.004). Fastest Lap: Foster (01:31.053). Race-6 (14 laps): 1. Young (21:33.558); 2. Valdemar Eriksen (Denmark) (21:34.874); 3. Amendola (21:36.464). Fastest Lap: Sundaramoorthy (01:31.080). Final Championship standings (top 3): 1. Amendola (247 points); 2. Young (223); 3. Joshua Mason (GBR, 176).

    National Championship (12 laps) – Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (23:12.264); 2. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsports) (23:28.371); 3. Sunil Ranjith (Race Concepts) (+1 lap).

    Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (24:13.207); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (24:20.261); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (24:51.419).

    Support races – MRF F1600 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (20:17.408); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (20:18.087); 3. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (20:19.272). Race-3: 1. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (16:35.718); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (16:42.174); 3. Vishnu Prasad (16:42.437).

    Volkswagen Ameo Super Race (Race-2, 12 laps): 1. Anmol Singh Sahil (Ghaziabad) (23:19.588); 2. Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (23:22.637); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (23:23.267).

    ABOUT MRF TYRES

    Motorsports in India is synonymous with MRF. In fact, the development and popularity of various forms of the sport could be directly attributed to the pioneering efforts of the company, be it racing, rallying, motocross or karting. To encourage motorsport enthusiasts MRF has spared no resources in offering World-class facilities. Being the largest promoters of motorsports in India, MRF has the added advantage of being able to use the racetrack to test the tyres. MRF also supplies tyres to various other championships in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

    MRF is the only tyre company in India to have developed Formula car tyres, world- class rally tyres for tarmac and dirt, motocross tyres and also karting tyres. Today, the company caters to almost all segments of the tyre industry and is proud to be the manufacturer of the largest range of tyres. Heavy-duty truck and bus tyres, passenger car tyres, two-wheeler tyres and farm tyres are just some of the tyres that MRF manufactures.

    The one thing that puts MRF head and shoulders above its competition is the fact that MRF is the only tyre company in India without any foreign technical collaboration. The company is where it is today, thanks mainly to its know-how and its ability to develop indigenous technology. With this technology, MRF now supplies original equipment tyres to multinational manufacturers such as Honda, Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, Mahindra, Tata, Volkswagen, Toyota, Suzuki and Ford. In total, MRF exports to more than 90 countries. MRF has been the undisputed leader in the tyre industry for more than three decades now, notwithstanding the competition from various multinational and Indian tyre brands.

    Arjun Balu on way to a double in the ITC category (Feb 16)
    Arjun Balu on way to a double in the ITC category on 16 Feb 2020 at MMRT, Chennai. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan for INDIAinF1
  • Grand double for Michelangelo Amendola; Manaf Hijjawi notches maiden single-seater win

    Grand double for Michelangelo Amendola; Manaf Hijjawi notches maiden single-seater win

    Manaf Hijjawi (71), who scored his maiden win in the MRF Challenge on Saturday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Chennai, 15 Feb 2020: Michelangelo Amendola, the 18-year old from Belgium, notched a fine double to consolidate his top position in the championship while Jordanian teenager Manaf Hijjawi scored the maiden single-seater win of his fledgling racing career as the MRF Challenge headed towards a grand climax at the MMRT, here today.

    Amendola won the day’s first and third races to take his tally of wins to five from 12 starts while 18-year old Hijjawi, in just his first full season in single-seaters, took the honours in Race-2 to provide a twist to the championship stakes.

    With three more races to be run tomorrow (Sunday) in this final round of India’s only FIA-approved international championship, Amendola leads the table with 209 points, followed by Australian Dylan Young (175) who had two podiums today, Britain’s Joshua Mason (160) and Hijjawi (130).

    The Belgian youngster won both his races today from lights to flag, starting from pole, and dominated to leave the pack chasing his shadow. In the day’s first race, Amendola was off to a flier and after a couple of laps had none in his rear-view mirrors.

    “It was a bit boring as there was nobody in front of me and none behind me, but the competition will get tougher with reverse grids and all that,” said Amendola. It was much the same in Race-3 that he won with over 10 seconds to spare. He was followed home by Young and Mason in Race-1, and Young and British teenager Louis Foster in Race-3.

    For Hijjawi, it was a red-letter day as the Jordanian, having just graduated from karting, scored a significant win as a warm-up for his forthcoming full season in British Formula 3 championship. “It’s a great feeling to score my first-ever win in a single-seater. It was a tough race, but I managed to stay in front,” said an emotional Hajjawi who survived a close fight with a display of wonderful composure under pressure to shrug off challenge from Mason for a well-deserved win. Denmark’s Valdemar Eriksen completed the podium.

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

    Earlier, Coimbatore’s Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) chalked up a fluent and emphatic win in the Indian Touring Cars class of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship (Round-1), not facing any worthwhile challenge through the 10-lap race. “I lost the boost in the very first lap and so, was very much off the pace compared to my qualifying timing. Fortunately, I managed to build sufficient lead and got home safely,” said Balu.

    Balu’s team-mate from Bengaluru, Rithvik Thomas was placed first in the Super Stock class of the National championship.

    Arjun Balu, winner of Saloon car race on 15 Feb 2020. Photo by Anand Philar

    The saloon car race had a combined 28-car grid of various categories – ITC, Super Stock and the support event Volkswagen Ameo Super Race. Thane’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay topped in the VW Ameo category.

    The results (Provisional):

    MRF Challenge (all 15 laps unless mentioned) – Race 1: 1. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium) (22mins, 58.236); 2. Dylan Young (Australia) (23:05.941); 3. Joshua Mason (GBR) (23:06.414). Fastest Lap: Amendola (01:31.071). Race-2: 1. Manaf Hajjawi (Jordan) (23:13.797); 2. Mason (23:14.474); 3. Valdemar Eriksen (Denmark) (23:17.576). Fastest Lap: Louis Foster (UK) (01:31.178). Race-3: 1. Amendola (22:57.347); 2. Young (23:07.540); 3. Louis Foster (UK) (23:07.958). Fastest Lap: Amendola (01:30.861).

    National Championship (10 laps) – Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (19:18.024); 2. D Vidyaprakash (Prime Racing) (19:41.347); 3. Vishnu Prasad (Prime Racing) (19:55.112).

    Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (20:11.569); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (20:19.452); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (20:31.940).

    Support races (10 laps) – MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (16:38.930); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (16:40.163); 3. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (16:41.535).

    Volkswagen Ameo Super Race (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (19:21.422); 2. Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (19:22.578); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (19:25.566).

    Michelangelo Amendola (right) and Manaf Hijjawi. Photo Anand Philar