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Category: Domestic
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Double for Sohil Shah; Karthik Tharani banned for a race: Car Racing Nationals
MRF F1600 race winners (L to R) – Nayan Chattjerjee (Mumbai), Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) who won a double and Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) on Sunday. Photos by Anand Philar Chennai, 21 July 2019: Bengaluru schoolboy Sohil Shah completed a fine double in the premier MRF F1600 category as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship drew to a close at the MMRT, here today.
Elsewhere, VW Motorsport’s Ishaan Dodhiwala from Hyderabad notched his maiden win in the Indian Touring Cars class after his team-mate Karthik Tharani was disqualified for a couple of infringementse.
Ishaan Dodhiwala The stewards subsequently banned for one race, while Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) chalked up his third win of the season in the Super Stock category.
Other winners of the day were Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) in the Formula LGB 1300 race and Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay who took the honours in the Volkswagen Ameo Class.
Sohil Shah, who scored a double in the MRF F1600 category on Sunday. The saloon car race was fiery with Tharani being disqualified for his violations. The Stewards subsequently slapped a one-race ban which will take effect for the next round of the championship scheduled for August 16-18. Consequent to the disqualification, team-mate Dodhiwala was declared winner followed by Nikanth Ram (ARKA Motorsports) and Arjun Balu (Race Concepts).
The Stewards, following the post-ITC race hearing with Tharani, ruled: “The competitor was called to give the explanation as to why he ignored the ‘drive through’ penalty board for five laps and ignored the ‘black flag’ for the remaining three laps of the race.
“In view of the fact that the competitor is a highly experienced driver and he is also a driver-trainer, the Stewards were of the opinion that exemplary sanctions should be imposed on this driver and a sentence of not being permitted a start in the next race of this championship (One race only).”Ireland’s Lucca Allen completed a double by winning both the Formula 4 SEA races to make up for disappointing outings in yesterday’s double-header.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F1600 (Race-3): 1. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (13mins, 28.460secs); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (13:34.321); 3. Manav Sharma (Faridabad) (13:34.945). Race-4: 1. Sohil Shah (13:25.572); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (13:27.330); 3. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (13:30.166).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Ishaan Dodhiwala (VW, Hyderabad) (15:41.905); 2.Nikanth Ram (Arka Motorsports, Coimbatore) (15:42.130); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:51.488).
Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:27.646); 2. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (16:28.805); 3.R Rajashekar (Race Concepts) (16:41.742).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2, 7 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (17:43.357); 2. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (17:43.957); 3. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (17:46.458).
Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-2): 1. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (15:49.972); 2. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (15:52.896); 3. Avik Anwar (Bangladesh) (15:53.007).
Formula 4 SEA (Race-3, 11 laps): 1. Lucca Allen (Ireland) (21:16.050); 2. Shihab Al Habsi (Oman) (21:16.480); 3. Muizz Musyaffa (Malaysia) (21:19.262). Race-4 (13 laps): 1. Allen (21:29.615); 2. Al Habsi (21:31.570); 3. Elias Sappanen (Finland) (21:34.061).
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Night races after evaluation tests: Chandhok
Chennai, 21 July 2019: Confirming that night races, the first in India, at the MMRT circuit here were definitely on, Vicky Chandhok, the Chairman of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship and vice-president of MMSC, said the club has earmarked funds to install floodlights at the FIA certified Grade 2 track.
Vickey Chandhok addressing media at MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar Speaking to the Media here today on the sidelines of the third round of the National car racing championship, Chandhok said: “A very professional lighting expert has given us a quote of Rs.16 Crores do up the lights just like the Singapore circuit. But we are going for low lighting just like they have at Le Mans. We are planning to install basic lighting that can help the Marshals and Officials see the incidents on track so that they make sure that `no one is injured’. Safety is one aspect which I and everyone at the Club, are very particular,”
To this end, the MMSC has scheduled a “test run” on August 7 between 6 pm and 11 pm to evaluate the possibility of full-fledged night races in the near future, he affirmed.
Chandhok, the former president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India, said the Club planned to upgrade many facilities at the MMRT and was keen on taking the green path. On the anvil is a Solar Park to support their needs while a huge compost pit would come up soon.
“In the long-run, we would like to host a lot of Endurance races and we are also planning to upgrade the track to support racing in the anti-clockwise direction which needs about 56 changes to the track,’’ the veteran administrator who brought F1 to India, said.
“At MMSC, we have always set the standards. But we will be very conscious of safety. On August 7, we have night testing and once the evaluation process goes through, we will decide if we need more lighting and we will definitely have night races starting with saloon cars,’’ he added.
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Ashwin Datta leads podium sweep for Momentum Motorsports; Arjun Balu, Vishnu, Nayan win
Chennai, 20 July 2019: Chennai young gun Ashwin Datta spearheaded a momentous podium sweep for his team Momentum Motorsports in the highly competitive Formula LGB 1300 category, holding off two Bengaluru schoolboys while Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) and local challenger Vishnu Prasad won a race apiece in the premium MRF F1600 class on Day Two of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here today.Also in the limelight was Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) who shrugged off a poor qualifying session where he finished fifth, and won the popular Indian Touring Cars race with a measure of comfort, while Chennai’s RP Rajarajan took the honours in the Super Stock category after a tough fight and Pune lad Pratik Sonawane topped in the Volkswagen Ameo Class race.
Datta, 20, who was runner-up to Sohil Shah in the LGB 1300 championship last season, overcame a sluggish start when he dropped from second to third before recovering to grab the lead and chalk up his second win of the season. Finishing second and third behind him, respectively, were two Bengaluru schoolboys, Tijil Rao (16), who had started from pole position and Chirag Ghorpade, only 14.
In the first MRF F1600 race, Chatterjee benefitted from a drive-through penalty for pole-sitter Sohil Shah from Bengaluru for jump start and once in front, he opened up a comfortable lead to win from Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar and Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath. Sohil Shah, who posted the fastest lap of the race, eventually was placed ninth. In the next race, Vishnu Prasad, starting fourth on the grid, rocketed off the blocks to take the lead in the first lap itself and then hung on to win ahead of two other Chennai drivers, Sandeep Kumar and Raghul Rangasamy.Ace drdiver Arjun Balu from Coimbatore after winning the ITC Race on Saturday. Earlier, Balu, who had a poor qualifying session due to a technical hitch with his car, was not to be denied when the eight-lap race got underway. Some four corners before the end of the first lap, the Coimbatore star jumped four positions to take the lead and never looked back.
Behind him, after the initial jostling for track positions, Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsport) seemed content to hold his second spot behind Balu while further back, Nikanth Ram (ARKA Motorsports) won a tight battle with another VW factory driver Ishaan Dodhiwala, to complete the podium.
Meanwhile, Oman’s Shihab Al Habsi and Finn Elias Seppanen shared the top honours in the two Formula 4 SEA races.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (13mins, 31.977secs); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (13:34.309); 3. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (13:34.805). Race-2: 1. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (13:34.363); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (13:35.140); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13:35.732).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:22.141); 2. Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsports) (15:31.209); 3. Nikanth Ram (Arka Motorsports) (15:38.667).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (16:23.257); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:25.808); 3. Sudanand Daniel (Race Concepts) (16:27.363).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (15:23.678); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) (15:25.447); 3. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports) (15:33.840).
Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-1): 1. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (15:36.937); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (15:41.501); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (15:45.786).
Formula 4 SEA (Race-1, 11 laps): 1. Shihab Al Habsi (Oman) (20:40.847); 2. Elias Seppanen (Finland) (20:43.526); 3. Alister Yoong (Malaysia) (20:44.174). Race-2 (12 laps): 1. Seppanen (19:57.398); 2. Young (19:57.948); 3. Al Habsi (19:58.826).
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Bengaluru teenagers Sohil Shah, Tijil Rao take pole; Pratik qualifies quickest in VW Ameo Class
Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao, who qualified for pole position in the Formula LGB 1300 category on Friday. Photos by Anand Philar Chennai, 19 July 2019: Bengaluru teenagers Sohil Shah and Tijil Rao took pole positions in the MRF F1600 and Formula LGB 1300 categories, respectively, to set alight the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here today.
Meanwhile, Pune’s Pratik Sonawane qualified for the pole position in the Volkswagen Ameo Class (One-Make Championship) and Coimbatore ace Arjun Balu, driving a Race Concepts-prepared Honda VTec, put the hammer down by emerging the fastest in the two practice sessions in the saloon cars category.
Sohil Shah, who qualified for pole position in the MRF F1600 class on Friday. Sohil Shah, 18, came up with his best lap of one minute, 39.218 seconds, much quicker than his timings in the two Free Practice sessions earlier in the day. Less than one second covered the top eight qualifiers, indicating a close fight in all the four races scheduled for this weekend. In second spot was Nayan Chatterjee, followed by Manav Sharma and Nirmal Umashankar.
Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports), 16, put in a fine performance in the Formula LGB 1300 class with a hot lap of 01:53.523, nearly a second quicker than his best in the practice sessions earlier today. With the top-five qualifiers separated by less than a second, Tijil led a 1-2-3-4 sweep for Momentum Motorsports as Ashwin Datta, Chirag Ghorpade and Deepak Ravikumar were placed second, third and fourth, respectively, ahead of Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing).
Balu, 44, who made a comeback to racing last year after a long break, scorched the track to top the timesheets in both the practice sessions as he was two seconds quicker than championship leader in the Indian Touring Cars class, Karthik Tharani, who was piloting a factory-prepared Volkswagen Vento. Tharani had scored a double in the Coimbatore round triple-header while Balu was placed third in two races and fifth in another.
Arjun Balu, quickest in the saloon car class “We had turbo issues in the previous round in Coimbatore and it reflected in our performance. For this round, we have put a new turbo and everything seems to be fine. However, race is another matter, but I am happy where we are at this moment. I could have probably gone faster today but for the traffic as the ITC cars are running on the same grid as the Super Stock. So, it was a bit difficult to find clean air in front,” said Balu.
The VW camp admitted that the Ventos were off the pace as compared to Balu. “We are having a few issues and so, this weekend is a washout for us as we are very much off the pace. However, I will be happy if we could take at least two other podium spots,” said Sirish Vissa, head of Volkswagen Motorsport India.
In the FIA Formula 4 South-East Asia series, Oman’s Shihab Al Habsi topped the practice session with a flying lap of 01:37.862 while the three Indians in the fray, Yash Aradhya, Mira Erda and Sneha Sharma were fifth, seventh and eighth fastest, respectively.
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Full grid for MRF Formula 1600 as MMRT gears up to host 14 races: Racing Nationals
File photo of MRF 1600s in action at MMRT in 2018. Photo by Anand Philar Chennai, 18 July 2019: With a clutch of innovative initiatives on the horizon, the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship gets underway, featuring 14 races, at the MMRT here on Friday.
The programme includes races in the two single-seater categories, the MRF F1600 and the Formula LGB 1300, besides the popular saloon cars which figure in both the premium Indian Touring Cars class and the Super Stock class, besides the Volkswagen Ameo Class which has been accorded National Championship status this year. The four Formula 4 SEA races will also run concurrently.
Even as the National Championship season is in full swing, the promoters Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) are planning to initiate a slew of long-term plans that include night racing, the first of its kind in India.
Taking an overview of this weekend’s races, Chairman of the Championship Vicky Chandhok said: “We are offering a racing menu with a variety this weekend. Beginning with the junior level Formula LGB 1300 leading up to the MRF F1600 which is the first step towards Formula racing, besides of course the saloon cars. We will see a galaxy of foreign and Indian racers this unique weekend when MMSC hosts both international and National racing championship at our very own circuit. So, plenty of action for sure.
“Going forward, we at the MMSC, in keeping with our efforts to move with the changing times, plan to introduce night events with racing under lights. With a view to evaluating the possibilities of night racing, we have planned a test session on Wednesday, August 7, from 18:00 hrs. to 23:00 hrs Primarily, this first session will be only for saloons with mandatory headlights. Depending on the testing, we will expand it to the 1300cc single-seater cars as well. Further, for the next round (August 16-18), we plan to run the races in the anti-clockwise direction. The response, thus far, has been tremendous.”
The MRF F1600, a proven platform for young aspirants looking to break into the international arena, will be running to the full grid with four races scheduled, while the Formula LGB 1300, an excellent option for those graduating to single-seater racing, has again attracted 20-plus entries.
The two categories in the saloon cars, ITC and Super Stock, will be run on the combined grid, and as in the previous round in Coimbatore last month, competition is expected to fierce with the factory-supported turbo-powered Volkswagen Vento cars likely to extend their domination.
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Clean sweep by Ruhaan; Ishaan Madesh, Nirmal clinch title in their class with a round to spare
Winners all: The Round 4 winners of the X30 Karting Nationals at Meco Kartopia on Sunday Bengaluru, 14 July 2019: Ruhaan Alva and Ishaan Madesh stamped their authority in the X-30 Junior and Cadet classes respectively winning all the four races in the Round 4 while 17-year old Nirmal Umashanker found a late challenger in Abhirath Shetty of Bengaluru, who notched off two wins in the 4-race Round 4, but the Chennai lad came back to win the last race and won the maiden X30 Senior Class Championship for the year 2019 with a round to spare. While Ruhaan has to wait for the last round, Ishaan Madesh too has clinched the Cadet Class Championship title with a round to spare as he enjoys an unbeatable lead of over 40 points.
Ruhaan wins all 4 races in Junior Class Round 4 on Sunday. An INDIAinF1 photo by arrangement Nirmal, a 2nd-year mechanical engineering student, restored some pride winning two of the four races and bagged the inaugural Championship title winning the X-30 Senior Class with a huge unbeatable lead of 56 points going into Round four next month with 40 points on offer. He garnered 137 points with Debarun Banerjee of Delhi trailing in second place with only 81 points.
The JK Tyre National Karting Championship weekend which concluded at the 1.2km Meco Kartopia circuit, here on Sunday, saw four races each in the X-30 Round 3 and Round 4 that were held together in a three-day weekend from Friday.
Ruhaan wins all four races in Round 4 on Sunday. An INDIAinF1 image Ruhaan Alva, all of 13 years, won all the four races, with ease and grace as he maintained comfortable margins of lead in the Junior category while Ishaan, the younger of Madesh brothers, from Bengaluru continued his unbeaten run winning all the four races in the Cadet category.
The 10-year old Vidyashilp Academy student suffered a rare loss yesterday to Shriya Lohia of Pune but his dominance on the track goes hand in hand with the playful nature of a tiny-tot, all intact.
Ishaan Madesh on way to his victory in Race 4 on Sunday. Race 1 of all the three categories of Round 4 were held on Saturday. Sunday began with the Junior class and Ruhaan Alva took a commanding lead and was so relaxed with a comfortable lead that Arjun Nair and Ryan Mohammed were left fighting for the second place.
And Ruhaan, lost the sight of the fastest lap as he won by over four seconds but Arjun pipped Ryan for the second with Ryan forced to be content with the fastest lap.
Later in both the races, Ruhaan showed his mastery and won the races with the fastest lap to boot. Arjun Nair came second pushing MR Rishon to third in Race 3 while Rishon took the second spot edging out Arjun in Race 4.
Ishaan Madesh (centre) won all the four races in the Round 4 to lead the X-30 Cadet championship. Ishaan Madesh took to the track after the Junior race and he continued to win all the three races in the Cadet class. After a rare loss yesterday, he did well to control the proceedings and won Race1 beating Pune’s Sai Shiva while Raiden Samervel of Mumbai came third, far behind the top two.
However, it was the lone girl in the class, Shriya Lohia, who caught the eye, with her racing. She gave a tough fight to Ishaan in both Race 3 and 4 and also managed to bag the fastest laps. After the end of Round 4, Ishaan has 153 points and the second-place Shriya Lohia has 107. With four races and 40 points on offer in the last round, Ishaan virtually sealed the title for 2019 in the Cadet Class.
Today INDIAinF1 features the photograph of the Baby of the Round 4 Arafath Sheikh, the youngest driver on the grid, who displayed amazing guts to overtake three of his more popular and experienced mates before finishing sixth in Cadet Class Race 3. At just 7 years, the young karter has a bright future if groomed well and nurtured properly.
Baby of the Round, Arafath, in action on Sunday. Provisional Unaudited Results: X30 Round 4:
Senior Class: Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (14:26.347); 2. Abhirath Shetty (Bengaluru) (14.28.209); 3. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (14:28.588). Best Lap: Nirmal 55.322.
Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Abhirath Shetty (13:56.849); 2. Nirmal Umashanker (13:57.138); 3.Aditya Swaminathan (14:06.852). Best Lap: Nirmal 55.242.
Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (14:01.022); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:05.400); 3.Abhirath Shetty (14:08.818). Best Lap: Nirmal 55.252.
Junior Class: Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (13:55.994); 2. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (14:00.210); 3. Ryan Mohammed (Chennai) (14:00.341). Best Lap: Ryan 55.145.
Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (13:52.519); 2. Arjun S Nair (13: 54.422); 3. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (13:56.762). Best Lap: Ruhaan 55.228.
Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (13:52.325); 2. MR Rishon (13:55.129); 3. Arjun S Nair (13:58.400); Best Lap: Ruhaan 55.178.
Cadet Class: Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:16.885); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (11:17.245); 3. Raiden Samervel (Mumbai) (11:28.082). Best Lap: Ishaan 1:02.681.
Race 3 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (11:15.186); 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (11:15.499); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (11:21.476). Best Lap: Shriya 1:02.777.
Race 4 (10 lap): 1. Ishaan Madesh (10:34.220); 2. Shriya Lohia (10:35.078); 3. Raiden Samervel (10:45.089). Best Lap: Shriya 1:02.660.
ends
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Shriya Lohia takes a sensational win in JK Tyre National Karting Championship
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 13 July 2019: Lanky Shriya Lohia is a joy to watch. When she is running on to the track, or just tickling the boys on the track, the 11-year-old from Pune, shocked the boys in the X-30 Cadet Class winning Race 3 in the JK Tyre National Karting Championship at the Meco Kartopia, near Bagaluru here on Saturday.
The Class VI student of Indira National School took to karting like a duck to water. Within a short period, she has made amazing strides and her win today, in only the third round of the season, is a vibrant boost to the `Women in Motorsport’ campaign being taken up by all motorsports bodies. The youngster who suffered an unfortunate incident in the morning, showed her grit and perseverance to bounce back with vigour and stopped the juggernaut of Ishaan Madesh to win the third race in a time of 11min 13.233secs and defended well to keep at bay a marauding Pune mate Sai Siva, who had to settle for a third place.
“I am very happy to win the race. It is really nice to beat the boys. I want to win more,” said the upcoming talent, who enjoys her racing to the core.
Shriya wins Race 4 leading a bunch of boys in Bengaluru on Saturday. Her father, who spotted her love for karting after she fell in love with the track at Vadodara run by another Women in Motorsport ambassador Mira Erda. And there was no turning back. Due to lack of proper tracks in her home town, her parents make visits to Bengaluru and Hyderabad to provide her some practice time. She trains at Meco Motorsports. Her father Ritesh Lohia, an adventure sport lover himself, has provided all the support and if groomed properly, the youngster has the potential to shine in the man’s world.
Young Shreya Lohia, originally hailing from Himachal, announced her arrival winning the FMSCI award in the Outstanding Women in Motorsports category last year.
“At such a young age Shriya believes in her infinite potential. Going forward her only limitations may be, if any, which she may set upon herself. We are already in overdrive with our `Women in Motorsport’ programme, its such talent which keeps us motivated with their outstanding performances. We wish her good luck in all her forthcoming endeavors,” said Sanjay Sharma, Head of Motorsports, JK Tyre.
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Big day for Shriya Lohia, Double for Ruhaan; Nirmal bounces back: Karting Nationals
Ruhaan Alva on way to his Race 4 win on Saturday. Bengaluru, 13 July 2019: Chennai’s Nirmal Umashanker made a comeback with a win in Race 4 while young Ruhaan Alva notched up a double in the Junior Class and Ishaan Madesh took a victory in the Cadet Class on the Day 2 of the Round 3 JK Tyre National Karting Championship at the Meco Kartopia circuit, near here on Saturday.
Nirmal recovered from a forgettable Race 2 and returned to his winning ways taking a narrow win against Bala Prasath in Race 3 of the X-30 Senior Class and went on to beat him again in Race 4.
Shriya Lohia in a pensive mood. However, the highlight of the day is the sensational win by young Shriya Lohia, who stunned the boys to notch her maiden win in the Cadet Class of the National Championship. She won the race 4 beating Sai Siva Makesh Sankaran while championship leader Ishaan Madesh, who suffered a rare loss, finished third. Shriya is second on the championship table behind Ishaan.
Nirmal was shunted out of the race in the fifth corner of the very first lap by Bengaluru karter Paul Francis and he suffered his first loss of the season with no points to show. However, he bounced back in his typical style and recorded a win in the next race.
Ruhaan Alva of Birel Art team takes the flag to win Race 3 on Saturday. INDIAinF1 images by special arrangement Bala Prasath of Coimbatore who made the best use of the situation and defeated Bengaluru’s Aditya Swaminathan by a huge margin to take the victory in Race 2. Debarun Banerjee of Delhi came third in Race 2 and could only manage only fourth despite the fastest lap in Race 3 but that helped him garner some important points. Abhirath Shetty, also from the Garden City, finished second in the third race.
In the X-30 Junior Category, Bengaluru karter Ruhaan Alva won a grand double winning both the races on the day to make up for his loss on Friday. He beat compatriot MR Rishon with a comfortable margin in both the Races. Yesterday’s winner Arjun Nair had to be content with a third place in both Race 3 and Race 4. Ruhaan also clocked the fastest laps in both the races.
In the X-30 Cadet Class, younger of the Madesh brothers, Ishaan clocked 10min 32.461sec for the 10 laps of the 1.2km Meco Kartopia track to win Race 3. Raiden Samervel of Mumbai kept Pune’s racing girl Shriya Lohia in third place. Ishaan also clocked the fastest lap.
Races in Round 4 started on Saturday afternoon beginning with a major upset as Nirmal Umashanker suffered a loss once again. It is Bengaluru boy Abhirath Shetty who won the race followed by Debarun Banerjee in second and Bala Prasath in third.
In Race 1 of the Cadet Class, Ishaan Madesh, restored a bit of pride for himself as he outclassed Shriya Lohia to win the first race of Round 4 which is being simultaneously held along with Round 3 during the same weekend. Raiden Samervel of Mumbai, who came third, also clocked the best lap.
Provisiona Unaudited Results: X30 Round 3; Day 2
Senior Class: Race 2 (15 laps): 1. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:13.603); 2. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (14:20.355); 3. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) (14:20.548); Best Lap: Debarun 56.223.
Race 3 (4 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (3:48.310); 2. Abhirath Shetty (Bengaluru) (3:48.568); 3. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (3: 48.923). Best Lap: Debarun Banerjee (Delhi – 4th) 56.086.
Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (14:04.772); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:05.208); 3. Abhirath Shetty (Bengaluru) (14:08.291). Best Lap: Bala 55.962.
Junior Class: Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:24.139); 2. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (14:30.313); 3. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (14:32.497); Best lap: Ruhaan 55.683.
Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (14:01.202); 2. MR Rishon (14:03.976); 3. Arjun S Nair (14:12.511). Best lap: Ruhaan 55:755.
Cadet Class: Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:49.952); 2. Raiden Samervel (Mumbai) (11:59.316); 3. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (12:10.123). Best Lap: Ishaan 1:03.707.
Race 3 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:32.461); 2. Raiden Samervel (Mumbai) (10:38.363); 3. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (10:44.135). Best lap: Ishaan 1:02.719.
Race 4: (10 laps): 1. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (11:13.233); 2. Sai Siva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (11:13.448); 3. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:13.597). Best Lap: Ishaan 1:02.876.
Provisional Unaudited Results: X30 Round 4:
Senior Class: Race 1 (15 laps): 1. Abhirath Shetty (Bengaluru) (13:57.000); 2. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) (14:00.208); 3. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:05.199); Best Lap: 55.601.
Cadet Class: Race 1 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:30.192); 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (10:31.121); 3. Raiden Samervel (Mumbai) (10:33.515). Best Lap: Raiden 1:02.390.
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Nirmal Umashanker, Ishaan Madesh continue domination: X30 JK Tyre Karting Nationals Round 3
Nirmal Umashanker takes the chequered flag in the X30 Race 1 on Friday at Meco Kartopia. An INDIAinF1 image Bengaluru, 12 July 2019: Nirmal Umashanker of Chennai, who is leading the Championship table, notched up another comfortable win in the first race as the Round 3 of the X30 JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship 2019 began at the Meco Kartopia on the outskirts of Bengaluru here on Friday.
In a facile win, Nirmal Umashanker clocked 15 minutes, 44.209 seconds over 15 laps to beat Bala Prasath of Coimbatore who was way behind by over 10 seconds while MR Rishon finished third. Nirmal also recorded the fastest lap in his 6th lap clocking 55.680. Debarun Banerjee, who was second on the championship table, before Round 3 began, could not even complete even one lap.
In the Junior Class, Arjun S Nair of Bengaluru timed 11:24.498 to win Race 1 defeating MR Rishon in a tough battle which saw all the top-3 racers fight till the end. Ruhaan Alva who clocked the best lap in 55.344 had to be content with the third place but garnered important championship points. Before the race, Ruhaan was leading the overall championship table. With 2 races to be run during the weekend, Arjun looks to keep his momentum and jump to the top slot but Ruhaan is ready to give a tough fight to keep his top standing.
Shravanthika Lakshmi #15, who started Juniors Race 2 on pole giving a tough fight to the boys. She finished 5th. In the Second race of the Junior Class, Shravanthika Lakshmi S of Coimbatore started on pole in the reverse grid and the only girl in this class, a 10th standard student, defended well against some of the national champion boys, but ultimately finished fifth. MR Rishon won the race while Ruhaan Alva finished second and Rohan Madesh came third. All the three are from Bengaluru and Ruhaan put in the fastest lap.
In the Cadet Class, Ishaan Madesh of Bengaluru, the championship leader began Round 3 with a bang, notching up one more win. He timed 10:30.420 for the 10 laps around the Meco Kartopia circuit keeping at bay the girl from Pune, Shriya Lohia, who was within a second but had to settle for a second in 10:31.283. Raiden Samervel from Mumbai took the third place. Ishaan also got the fastest lap at 1min 2.172sec.
Provisional Unaudited Results: X30 Round 3;
Senior Class: Race 1 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (15:44.209); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (15:54.237); 3. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (15:58.004); Best lap: Nirmal 00:55.680.
Junior Class: Race 1 (12 laps): 1. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (11:24.498); 2. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (11:25.310); 3. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:26.941). Best Lap: Ruhaan 00:55.344.
Race 2 (2 laps): 1. MR Rishon (2:26.691); 2. Ruhaan Alva (2:27.054); 3. Rohaan Mahadesh (Bengaluru) (2:31.581). Best lap: Ruhaan Alva – 1:02.922.
Cadet Class: Race 1 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:30.420); 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (10:31.283); 3. Raiden Samervel (Mumbai) (10:41.962). Best lap: Ishaan 01:02.172.
Note: RESULTS ARE NOT OFFICIAL.
The 3 classes:
a) X30 Cadet – Age group – 7-12 yrs
b) X30 Junior- Age group – 13-15yrs
c) X30 Senior- Age group – 16 and aboveGrid order for the four races:
RACE 1 – QUALIFYING FASTEST LAP
RACE 2 – RACE 1 – REVERSED TOP 6
RACE 3 – QUALIFYING 2nd FASTEST LAP
RACE 4 – FINISHING ORDER OF RACE 3Note: The JK Karting Nationals are eligible for anyone who possesses a valid National or International Karting License issued by the ASN (National Sporting Association – FMSCI) for the year 2019, and who has done at least one Training Program with an Academy registered with fmsci.
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Fresh winds blowing in Indian motor racing
By Anand Philar
It’s monsoon time with some fresh, cool air along with rains envigorating the Indian landscape. Something similar is happening in Indian motor racing with Volkswagen and Honda picking up the gauntlet to take the sport to the next level.
In the past month, VW made a stunning entry into the top-end Indian Touring Cars (ITC) class with the turbo-charged Vento in the National four-wheeler championship while Honda made history by introducing the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R in the two-wheeler racing segment.
VW Vento setting the standard in the Indian National Championship. Photos Anand Philar Last season, Volkswagen quietly introduced the Vento in the Turbo sub-class of the highly competitive and very popular ITC category. The intention then was to develop the Vento to be on pace with the pack before even competing.
“It’s still a work in progress. We are still at the development stage. Our first target is to get our cars on pace and maybe, if all goes well, compete in the 2019 season. At this time, there is still a lot of work to be done. We are collecting data and using it to improve the cars,” SirishVissa, head of Volkswagen Motorsport India had said then.
VW certainly burnt the midnight oil and the product of their endeavours was unveiled in the Round 2 of the MRFMMSCfmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore last month. The results were astonishing, to say the least.
Sirish Vissa, Head of Motorsport, Volkswagen India in a jubilant mood during a race weekend. Photo: Anand Philar The three Vento cars, driven by Karthik Tharani, Ishaan Dodhiwala, and Dhruv Shivaji Mohite, dominated the entire weekend, from practice to qualifying to the double-header race card. The Vento left the field in its wake and barring Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu, a former racing and rally champion in his Race Concepts-prepared Honda Vtec, the VW factory team faced the challenge from none other.
The June weekend was an eye-opener to the racing aficionados. Some of the competitors, mostly in their old faithful modified Maruti Esteem, that they had flogged for many years, conceded that the Vento, powered by a 1.8 litre TSi engine mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox, was the way forward. “It is time to pack up the Esteem and go with the Vento,” was the honest admission by veteran Vidyaprakash, one of the few survivors of the hoary Sholaravam past.
A joyous Vissa could hardly contain his emotions. “Honestly, the performances of our cars far exceeded our expectations. Last year, it was about getting on pace with the competition and during the off-season, we had worked long and hard on these cars, sorting out various issues, especially compensating for the weight factor. Winning both the races here in Coimbatore? Wow! But I can’t say how much of a game-changer this will be since I am not sure whether other competitors would switch to Vento in the foreseeable future,” he said.
In a way, it was a double-delight for VW as their Ameo Class, a one-make series had received National Championship status from the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the sport’s National governing body. Coupled with the showing of the Vento in the ITC, the excitement in the VW camp was palpable and understandable.
A HISTORIC MOMENT – HONDA UPS THE ANTE
Cut to the MMRT, a fortnight later, for the second round of the MRFMMSCfmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019. The motorsport wing of the Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI)showcased the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R imported from Japan that replaced the CBR 250 in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup One-Make Championship.
Md Mikail on a Honda NSF 250R during a race week-end at MMRT, Chennai. It was a landmark moment in the history of two-wheeler racing in India. The eight-bike grid comprised riders in the age-group of 12 to 19 years, all trained and primed over the past several months to become race ready.
In a conversation with me at the MMRT, Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice-President – Brand and Communications, HMSI Pvt Ltd, said: “As you are aware, two-wheeler racing at the global level is getting younger in terms of the riders. We thought we will invest in youngsters, in the preferred age-group of 12-18 years on a long-term programme. Eventually, we hope that at least one of the riders would make it to Moto3.
“We have gone to a great extent to train these youngsters in not just racing, but also help them develop as individuals. For this season, we shortlisted eight riders who were put through a rigorous training programme, and hopefully, the grid would get bigger in the seasons to come. We have other plans too for the coming season.”
Sarthak Chavan from Pune, youngest rider (Honda NSF 250R) on the track at just 12 years Back in 2015, Honda won the Moto3 constructor’s Championship with the NSF250R. The race bike, shoed with Dunlop tyres, is powered by a 249.3cc single cylinder liquid-cooled engine, putting out a maximum power of 47.6 HP at 13,000 rpm and 28 Nm of torque at 10,500 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.
These kids on the NSF 250R bikes rode fearlessly and their timings through the weekend were astounding. The top five boys were quicker than the fastest 400cc bike in the championship. Those in the know believe that the NSF 250R bikes can lower the timings even more, to maybe 1:45 or thereabouts, as against the weekend’s best of 1:48 for a hot lap.
The 84-Kgs NSF 250R is built for young teenagers who easily fit into the saddle. Among the youngest of the riders was Pune’s Sartak Srikant Chavan, just 12 years old, but who performed like he was born to ride. The grid also contained two “veterans” in 15-year old Md Mikail from Chennai and Kritik Habib, 19, from Gadag, Karnataka, both of whom had participated in the Thailand Talent Cup race recently. That experience reflected in their performance with Mikail winning the first of the two races, ahead of Habib.
Also, Honda made a welcome entry in the Pro-Stock 165cc with their race-spec CBR 150R, and much to their delight, Rajiv Sethu, their standard-bearer, won both the races. Sethu has come a long way and his recent performances in the Asia Road Racing Championship besides the Endurance race in Japan as part of the Honda team, have certainly boosted his confidence. In both National championship races over the weekend, Sethu defeated his nemesis and seven-times champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing).
Volkswagen and Honda deserve all the kudos for taking the initiative to give a leg-up to Indian motor racing. These are baby steps yet, but the signs are very positive. Hopefully, we can look forward to acche din!
