INDIA in F1

Category: Domestic

  • Jr Schumy beats Harry Newey to go fastest at MMRT

    Chennai, 17 Feb 2017: Mick Schumacher struck back in Free Practice 2 to go fastest ahead of Harrison Newey at Round 4 of the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai. He was fastest overall and ahead of Newey and championship leader Joey Mawson in Free Practice 2. In the opening practice session of the weekend Newey had beaten Schumacher and championship leader Joey Mawson. Mawson currently leads the championship by 27 points over Newey with Schumacher a further 40 points behind. Raghul Rangasamy and Sandeep Kumar topping FP1 and FP1 in the MRF 1600 championship.

    In the opening practice session of the weekend the drivers took their time as they familiarized themselves in one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar. Newey was the first to set a competitive time as he did a 1:33.249. Brazilian driver Felipe Drugovich was quick to respond and did a 1:32.398 to go on top. Meanwhile Schumacher continued to make steady progress and jumped to the top of the charts. Newey struck back to do an impressive lap of 1:31.799. Schumacher was close behind with a 1.31.813 with Mawson a further tenth behind. Drogovich ended up in 4th place ahead of Australian driver Dylan Young. Behind them was Juri Vips, Daniel Ticktum and Ralf Aron.

    Free practice 2 saw the top drivers wasting no time in getting up to speed and Newey was one of the front runners to go fastest with a 1:31.883. The three title protagonists traded fastest laps through session with Mawson, Newey and Schumacher all being on top at some point through the session. It was Schumacher who finally finished on top with a 1:30.861. Newey finished in 2nd place ahead of Mawson. Vips finished in 4th place ahead of Red Bull junior driver Dan Ticktum, British driver impressing on his first visit to the circuit. It is very close at the top with 4 drivers within three tenth off a second of each other.

    The MRF 1600 was also in action with Raghul Rangasamy setting the fastest time in FP1. He set a 1:40.401 to be comfortably ahead of Sandeep Kumar and 2015 champion Karthik Tharani. Anindith Reddy was in 4th place ahead of a returning Siddharth Trivellore. In FP2 it was Sandeep who set the fastest lap on his final lap to just beat Raghul. Sandeep did a 1:39.787 to beat his closest rival by 0.024seconds. Behind them was Tharani, Anindith and Chetan Korada.

    Qualifying and Races 1&2 will take place on Saturday, February 18, with Races 3&4 taking place on Sunday, February 19. All the action will be streamed live this weekend and can be seen at www.mrfracing.in

    eom/MRF press release

  • Mawson, Newey, Schumacher in frame for title: MRF Challenge

    Mawson, Newey, Schumacher in frame for title: MRF Challenge

    Chennai, 16 Feb 2017: There is plenty of high octane action on cards as the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship kicks off at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here this weekend along with the grand finale of MRF Challenge (Formula 2000) which boasts of a highly competitive grid containing young guns from abroad, some of them boasting rich racing pedigree.

    In all, 10 races have been scheduled over Saturday and Sunday after Friday’s free practice sessions. Much of the attention will be on the four MRF Challenge races where Australian Joey Mawson (211 points), Harrison Newey of the UK

    File photo of MRF Challenge in progress. Image by Anand Philar.

    (184) and German Mick Schumacher (171) are locked in a three-way battle for the championship. The MRF Challenge returns to Chennai after previous rounds in Bahrain, Dubai and Greater Noida (Buddh International Circuit).

    One of the highpoints of the weekend will be the presence of MRF brand ambassador Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar who is expected to do a few laps of the circuit in a twin-seater racing car on Sunday.

    The MRF Challenge is being run concurrently with the National Racing Championship that includes MRF F1600, a revamped Formula LGB 1300 and the Saloon cars which comprise the Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock while the Esteem Cup will be making its debut, but not counting towards the National championship. The high-end Indian Touring Cars will be joining the championship in the next round to be run in March.

    The entry-level Formula LGB 1300 which also has a Rookie class provides an option for youngsters moving up from karting to open-wheel racing. The Rookie class is part of MMSC’s continuing efforts to attract fresh and young talent, especially among students and the initiative has met with an encouraging response with 22 entries.

    Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “Now that we have the single-seater category in place as a platform for talent to move up the ladder, we decided to focus on saloon cars in our effort to encourage participation of more car manufacturers in the National Championship in keeping with MMSC’s vision.

    “With this in mind, we have thrown open the Super Stock to all comers and not just restricted to the Maruti Esteem.

    “The production of Esteem cars has been stopped, but considering that many have already invested in this make, we decided to have a separate Cup for this make. We hope that this move will see bigger grids and more manufacturers coming aboard.”

    The MRF F1600, where the champion at the end of the season will be eligible to participate in the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States, is no doubt the flagship of the National championship with a very competitive grid.

    The first round in Noida last month saw Bengaluru’s Ananth Shanmugam and Nayan Chatterjee from Mumbai winning a race apiece. The two share the top spot with 40 points apiece, ahead of 2015 Volkswagen Vento Cup champion Anindith Reddy (36) from Hyderabad. The grid also has 2016 Vento Cup champion Ishaan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) who is in his first single-seater season and managed just six points in the previous round.

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • FMSCI awards 2016: Gaurav Gill awarded

    FMSCI awards 2016: Gaurav Gill awarded

    FMSCI has a long history and has firmly established the concept of motor sport in India, spreading the passion far and wide. It has discovered many talented racers and helped them make a name for themselves. Every year FMSCI conducts an Annual Awards Function to acknowledge and celebrate such champions.

    “There is enormous possibility in India for the enhancement of racing culture,” said FIA President Jean Todt at this year’s event. “It is a fascinating country to race in. But to develop motor sports road safety should also be given utmost priority.”

    Among the many prize winners at the event were Gaurav Gill (FIA APRC Rally Champion 2016), who was awarded the coveted Motor Sport Person of the Year award. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to B. Vijayakumar while D. Vidyaprakash was celebrated with a presentation for his 50 years in motor sport. Indian motor sport’s most outstanding women, such as Bani Yadav, Sneha Sharma, Aishwarya Pissay , Mira Erda and Shruthi Nagarajan were also honoured with the Outstanding Women in Motor Sport Award.

    Akbar Ebrahim, President of FMSCI added that Indian races need more international participants which would be of help to the Indian drivers. “Indian motor sport is on a good platform,” he said. “Our job right now is to ensure that we are stable here. We need to make motor sport more vibrant”.

    “I hope that sooner or later India can soon add to its motor sport calendar and a host a big city FIA Formula E race,” added Todt. 

  • TVS Racing bags awards for 11 championships

    TVS Racing bags awards for 11 championships

    New Delhi, 3 February 2017: TVS Racing has concluded a highly successful year winning 11 championships across all forms of two-wheeler motorsport events – Supercross, Rallies and Road racing.

    The winners were honoured at the annual award ceremony organised here by Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). In the Supercross and Rally categories, TVS Racing riders Abdul Wahind Tanveer won three championships this year while R. Nataraj won two championships.

    In the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship, 5th time champion K. Jagan retained his crown.

    TVS Motor Company won the award for being the best manufacturer of the year in the Super Sport Indian category upto 165cc. The list of championships won by the TVS Racing team is appended below for reference with the details of the recipient.

    MRF Mogrip FMSCI National supercross Championship 2016

    • Group A  – Foreign motorcycles upto 500cc 4 stroke riding RTR 300 FX (Rider: Abdul Wahid Tanveer)

    • HK Pradeep, TVS Racing, receiving the award from 2w Commission chairman Sujit Kumar on 3 Feb 2017 at Hyderabad. A TVS image

      Group B – Indian Motorcycles upto 260cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 180 (Rider: R. Nataraj)

    • Group C – Indian motorcycles  upto 260cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 180 (Rider: R. Nataraj)

    MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2016

    • National Rally Champion team (TVS Racing)
    • National Rally Champion (Rider :Abdul Wahid)
    • Super Bike – Pro Expert – Motorcycles upto 600cc 4 stroke riding RTR 450 FX (Rider: Abdul Wahid Tanveer)
    • Super Sport Indian – Indian Motorcycles upto 165cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 165 (Rider: R E Rajendra)
    • Indian Scooters upto 210cc 4 stroke riding Wego (Rider: Syed Asif Ali)

    MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2016

    • Best manufacturer in the Super Sport Indian upto 165cc category (TVS Motor Company Ltd)
    • Best team in the Super Sport Indian upto 165cc category (TVS Racing)
    • Super Sport Indian upto 165cc 4 stroke riding Apache RTR 160 (Rider: K. Jagan)
     ends/TVS Racing press release
  • Mick Schumacher, Harrison Newey share honours; Maiden win for Nayan in MRF 1600 race

    Mick Schumacher, Harrison Newey share honours; Maiden win for Nayan in MRF 1600 race

    From left: Mawson, Schumcher, Newey. Image by MRF

    Greater Noida, 29 Jan 2017: Mick Schumacher took another commanding win in Round 3 of the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Buddh International Circuit ahead of Joey Mawson and Harrison Newey here on Sunday. Nayan Chatterjee put in an inspired effort to hold off Anindith Reddy to win his maiden race of the MRF 1600 series.

    In Race 2, Newey struck back to take his first win of the weekend as Schumacher crashed out. Ralf Aron and Joey Mawson finished in that order. Mawson continues to lead the championship on 211 points.

    Starting on pole position, Schumacher got the perfect start to lead into the first corner, with front-row starter Newey once again losing out at the start, this time to Joey Mawson. Newey briefly got past Mawson down the main straight only for the Australian to take the position back going into corner 4. As Mawson and Newey continued to battle, Schumacher pulled away at the front. Schumacher crossed the finish line in 1st place, taking his 2nd win in 3 races. Mawson fended off Newey to finish in 2nd place. Drugovich finished in a lonely 4th place, ahead of Rinus Van Kalmthout, Juri Vips and Pedro Cardoso.

    Race 4, the second race of the day provided all the action.  Newey made a perfect start to lead the race, as there was a big battle behind between Aron, Mawson and Schumacher for second place. Schumacher tried to pass Mawson but both drivers collided, dropping Mawson to 8th. Schumacher closed in on Aron and both went wide coming out of turn 3, allowing Drugovich to go past. As Schumacher was passing Aron, he clipped Drugovich who had turned into turn 4. Both Schumacher and Drugovich retired on the spot, bringing out the safety car in the process. The race finished under safety car with Newey winning ahead of Aron and Mawson. Behind them Cardoso finished in 4th place, ahead of Schramm and Van Kalmthout.

    Mick Schumacher was happy to continue his impressive form at the BIC. He commented, “I had a good start and with both these guys (Newey and Mawson) battling behind me I had the chance to pull away. It is a shame about the last race but am pretty happy about the entire weekend.”

    Harrison Newey commented, “I have had trouble with my starts the entire weekend so it was good to finally have a good start. I have had the pace in all the races but tough to overtake here. This is a good way to end the weekend”

    In the second race of the MRF 1600 championship, reverse grid pole sitter Alex Bora held on to the lead at the start only to lose out to Chatterjee in the opening lap. Reddy passed Bora and started to close in on Chatterjee and on lap 4 got past him to take the lead. The next two laps saw an intense battle ensue with both drivers trading places at the front. With 3 laps to go Chatterjee took the lead and stayed in front to take his first victory in the championship. Reddy finished in 2nd place with Race 1 winner Ananth Shanmugam recovering well to finish in a creditable 3rd place. Anshul Shah finished in 4th place ahead of Bora and Arya Singh.

    Provisioinal Results: MRF Challenge 2016, Round 3, Race 3: 1. Mick Schumacher (22:22.305); 2. Joey Mawson (22:26.311); 3. Harrison Newey (22:27.580).

    Race 4: 1. Harrison Newey (30:30.323); 2. Ralf Aron (30:31. 155); 3. Joey Mawson (30: 31.549).

    MRF 1600, Round 1, Race 2: 1. Nayan Chatterjee (17: 21.448); 2. Anindith Reddy (17: 24.780); 3. Ananth Shanmugam (17: 27.097).

     

    eom/david/MRF press release/Edited and revised with correct Race 4 result on 31 Jan 2017 at 10am

  • Exciting win for Jr Schumy; Mawson extends lead

    Exciting win for Jr Schumy; Mawson extends lead

    Greater Noida, 28 Jan 2017: Mick Schumacher won the opening race of Round 3 in the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Buddh International Circuit here on Saturday. Junior Schumacher beat Felipe Drugovich to second place while Harrison Newey came third.

    In Race 2, table leader Joey Mawson extended his lead with a convincing win in an action-packed race. Estonian driver Ralf Aron finished in 2nd ahead of Schumacher, who fought back from 8th on the grid.

    The opening race of the MRF 1600 championship saw pole sitter Ananth Shanmugam win ahead of Anindith Reddy and Nayan Chaterjee, an MRF press release said.

    Schumacher took his maiden pole in the championship after an intense battle with Newey. The 30-minute qualifying session saw Schumacher and Newey trade fastest laps before Schumacher did a 1:50.749 to seal the top spot, making it the fastest lap ever done by the F2000 at the BIC.

    Starting on pole, the German driver got the perfect getaway to lead into the first corner, with front-row starter Harrison Newey losing out to Felipe Drugovich going into Turn 1. Drugovich started to apply pressure on Schumacher but could never get close enough to attempt a pass. Behind him, Newey and Mawson was all over the rear of Drugovich but could not find a way past. Schumacher managed to control the pace at the front to take his third win of the season. Drugovich finished ahead of Newey and Mawson. Rinus van Kalmthout equalled his best result of the season finishing fifth, ahead of Kimi Schramm and Aron.

    In Race 2, Yoshiaki Katayama started on reverse grid pole position alongside Schramm. While all drivers had a clean start there was action at the third corner with Pavan Ravishankar colliding with Drugovich and bringing out the safety car in the process. When racing resumed, Mawson pounced on Schramm at the end of the long straight and took the lead. Schramm then lost a position to Aron and two laps later Schumacher and Newey also got by. Mawson pulled away at the front and comfortably took his second win of the season with Aron and Schumacher completing the podium. Newey finished in 4th with Schramm and Van Kalmthout rounding off the top 6.

    Mick Schumacher said: “I am very happy with the win. I had a reasonable start and then it was important to control the pace. The circuit is very technical and very enjoyable to race on. I hope to continue this form for the rest of the weekend.”

    In the opening race of the MRF 1600 championship, pole sitter Shanmugam had a dreadful start and dropped back to 3rd place with Reddy storming into the lead. Shanmugam first got past Nayan Chaterjee and then overtook Reddy was unchallenged then on to cross the finish line for a great win on debut. Reddy settled for 2nd place with Chaterjee taking third also on debut.

    Provisional Results: MRF Challenge 2016, Round 3, Race 1: 1. Mick Schumacher (22:33.728); 2. Felipe Drugovich (22: 35.421); 3. Harrison Newey (22: 36.193); 4. Joey Mawson (22: 37.754).

    Race 2: 1. Joey Mawson (24: 27.191); 2. Ralf Aron (24:35.276); 3. Mick Schumacher (24: 38.651);

    MRF 1600, Round 1, Race 1: 1. Ananth Shanmugam (16:56.919); 2. Anindith Reddy (17: 02.527); 3. Arya Singh (17:03.922).

     

    eom/david

     

     

    L to R Drugovich, Schumacher, Newey, Arun Mammen, MD, MRF Tyres. Image courtesy MRF

  • Jr Schumy fastest; Ananth sets pace in 1600 FP2

    Jr Schumy fastest; Ananth sets pace in 1600 FP2

    Greater Noida, 27 Jan 2017: Mick Schumacher struck back in Free Practice 2 to go fastest ahead of Harrison Newey at Round 3 of the MRF Challenge 2016 at the Buddh International Circuit here on Friday. He was faster than Newey and a returning Ralf Aron in Free Practice 2.

    In FP1, Newey beat Schumacher and championship leader Joey Mawson. The MRF 1600 championship got underway as Ananth Shanmugam topped both the practice sessions ahead of Anindith Reddy.

    In the opening session, Felipe Drugovich set a competitive 1 min 54.345 sec with 20 minutes remaining on the clock. Newey then began a string of fastest laps which saw him going fastest with a 1:53.012. With 5 minutes to go, he again went fastest to finish with a 1:52.340. Schumacher gradually went faster as the session went on and put in a time of 1:52.630 to slot into 2nd place ahead of Joey Mawson and Drugovich. Juri Vips and Pedro Cardoso rounded off the top 6.

    Mawson was one of the front runners in FP2 with a 1:53.883. Newey too was impressive as he went faster at 1:52.993. Then Schumacher looked comfortable as he navigated India’s only F1 circuit for the first time and dipped into the 51s with a time of 1:51.732 and it stayed on top. Newey was 2nd fastest with a 1:52.111 and Aron was 3rd fastest ahead of Mawson and Drugovich.

    As the MRF 1600 championship 2017 kicked off with Round 1, it was a straight fight between Shanmugam and Reddy. Reddy went fastest with a 2:07.427 only to be beaten by 0.069secs by Shanmugam in FP1. Arya Singh, Chetan Korada and Anshul Shah rounded off the top 5.

    In FP2, Shanmugam again topped the session ahead of Reddy. The chasing pack was also closer this time as Nayan Chaterjee finished 3rd, ahead of Arya Singh and Anshul Shah.

    Qualifying and Races 1 and 2 will take place on Saturday, January 28, while the last two races will be held on Sunday. Apart from Newey and Schumacher, this year the grid has German F4 Champion Joey Mawson, 2015 Italian F4 Champion and F3 race winner Ralf Aron, Japanese F3 Champion (National Class) Yoshiaki Katayama and Manuel Maldonado, cousin of former F1 race winner Pastor Maldonado.

    Results: MRF Challenge 2016: Round 3, Free Practice 1: Harrison Newey 1:52.340; Mick Schumacher 1:52.630; Joey Mawson 1:52.917; Felipe Drugovich 1:53.012; Juri Vips 1:53.218.

    FP 2: Mick Schumacher 1:51.732; Harrison Newey 1:52.111; Ralf Aron 1:52.615; Joey Mawson 1:52.621; Felipe Drugovich 1:52.635.

    MRF 1600, Round 1, Dubai, Free Practice 1: Ananth Shanmugam 2:07.358; Anindith Reddy 2: 07.427; Arya Singh 2: 11.055; Chetan Korada 2: 11.078; Anshul Shah 2:11.983.

    FP2: Ananth Shanmugam 2: 06.440; Anindith Reddy 2: 07.080; Arya Singh 2: 08.131; Chetan Korada 2: 08.146; Anshul Shah 2: 08.730.

    MRF Challenge 2016 Calendar:

    Round 1: November 17-19, 2016, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (WEC Support Race)

    Round 2: December 7-9, 2016, Dubai, Dubai Autodrome

    Round 3: January 27-29, 2016, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit

    Round 4: February 17-19, 2016, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Track

     

    eom/david

    Mick Schumacher sets the fastest time in FP2 on Friday at BIC. Image courtesy MRF

  • Meka Vidhuraj, Joseph Mathew win Gixxer titles

    Meka Vidhuraj, Joseph Mathew win Gixxer titles

    The lead bunch in the open class of the final race at MMRT on Sunday. Image by Suzuki

    Chennai, 22 January  2017: In a thrilling conclusion to the Suzuki Gixxer Cup 2016, Suzuki Motorcycle India hosted Round 5 of the one-make race at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai on Sunday as part of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2016.

    The Suzuki Gixxer Cup which began its second season in June and had a total of 10 races each in Gixxer Open and Gixxer Novice classes.

    The Open Category saw Aaron Gunawardena win Race 1 of the final round, cruising ahead of R Rajinikanth by over 2 seconds. Race 2 witnessed a nail-biting finish between Aaron, Rajinikanth and Vivian with Aaron overtaking on the last corner and clinching the win with 1/10th of a second ahead of R Rajinikanth.

    Moreover, it was a closely contested season, Meka Vidhuraj was crowned the Open Championship winner of the season by securing a commendable 176 points, 23 points ahead of R Rajinikanth, who took the runner-up trophy with 153 points and Vivian Gladwin won third place overall with 144 points.

    Race 1 of the Novice Category was won by Joseph Mathew with a commendable margin of 10+ seconds and Vishal S coming in 2nd. Race 2 was more closely fought with Joseph Mathew’s winning lead cut down to 1 second by Amarnath Rajan in 2nd place. Joseph Mathew deservingly won the Novice Championship with a staggering total of 200 points. Amarnath Rajan was the Novice Championship Runner Up with 144 points, and Clinton Cordeiro got the Championship 2nd Runner Up at 73 points.

    Both Open and Novice Champions go home with Suzuki Gixxer SF and Suzuki Gixxer motorcycles respectively, while the winners of the 2nd and 3rd positions take cash prizes of Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 10,000 each.

    Provisional results: Novice (Race 1, 4 Laps): 1. Joseph P Mathew 9:11.643; 2. Vishal S 9:22.692; 3. Alexander AS 9:24:259; Best Lap: Amarnath Rajan 2:12:973 (100.6 kmph).

    Novice (Race 2, 4 Laps): 1. Joseph P Mathew 9:16.665; 2. Amarnath Rajan 9:17.967; 3. Alexander AS 9:19.629. Best Lap: Amarnath Rajan 2:13.338 (100.2 kmph).

    Open (Race 1, 6 Laps): 1. Aaron Gunawardena 14:01.800; 2. R Rajinikanth 14:04.201; 3. Meka Vidhuraj 14:08:988. Best Lap: Aaron Gunawardena 2:11.584 (101.6 kmph).

    Open (Race 2, 6 Laps): 1. Aaron Gunawardena 13:37.638; 2. R Rajinikanth 13:37.715; 3. Vivian Gladwin 13:38:097. Best Lap: R Rajinikanth 2:10:912 (102.1 kmph).

     

    eom/david

  • Success Mantra in Sports – a rare book on Sports Psychology by MN Viswanath

    Success Mantra in Sports – a rare book on Sports Psychology by MN Viswanath

    Bengaluru, 19 Jan 2017: The book, Success Mantra in Sports, written by sports psychologist MN Viswanath, was released by Arjuna Awardee Ashwini Nachappa at the Hockey Stadium here on Wednesday.

    “There is an urgent need for such a book not just for athletes, coaches and trainers but for all parents and students. How to handle fear, how to control our emotions, how to realise our inner potential… Be it music, be it arts, studies or sports. Every child needs such books to help train their minds,” felt star athlete Nachappa who beat PT Usha on her day, only after she underwent Sports Psychology training under Bupen Das which removed her `mental block’.

    “Some books entertain and some books teach. But we rarely come across books which serve both the purposes. With apt and meaningful real-life experiences, it’s a practical book with simple concepts, mind drills and ideas. The book teaches without sermonising and just flows as it makes you think,” opined renowned counsellor and founder of Banjara Academy Dr Ali Kwaja.

    Celebrated athlete Arjun Devaiah also spoke about how he struggled to come up as No.1 in the country in his event. “Having started my competitive athletics only in early twenties, I had to face a lot of negative comments. Some coaches even suggested it was time to retire and I was just starting my career. But I had the hunger to succeed and I was determined. With great focus and hard work, I did achieve my goal and represented the country but looking back I feel I would have tamed my career with lot more conviction and ease had I had the support of a sports psychologist,” he felt. “Hardwork, devotion, determination, dedication and other such words, concepts and ideas are all fine. But what one needs to do to succeed in sports is to implement these with discipline in everyday life. Only then one can achieve, what he dreams,” he concluded.

    The 376-page book addresses key mental aspects of sports in an easy and simple manner with a lot of anecdotes and narrates personal experiences from an impressive range of top national and international sportspersons. “Many years back, I found it difficult to find a professional psychological support for my table-tennis playing son,” revealed MN Viswanath, the author which prompted him to write the book. And after four years of research and hard work, the book fills the gap of a long-felt need.

    Celebrated Australian sports psychologist Dr Michelle Pain, in the foreword says that she is proud to have Success Mantra in Sports in her collection. “Vish is a keen teacher who wants to bring sports psychology concepts to the general public in India for a minimum cost and he had achieved it with this book. This book points to correct thoughts and actions anyone can put to good use that can lead to improved performances and enjoyment of sports,” she recommends.

    Veteran coach and Dronacharya awardee Mr Lingappa, 93, was fecilitated on the occasion.

    For media queries or to get a copy of the book please contact Kiran Kumar, Media Hanger, at 98864 95757

    ends/david

  • Rajiv Sethu clinches Pro Stock championship

    Rajiv Sethu clinches Pro Stock championship

    From left: Poederooijen, winner of Super Sport Indian 300-400cc National Champion along with other National Championship winners, Rajiv Sethu (Pro Stock 165cc) and Jagan Kumar (Super Sport Indian 165cc). Image by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Chennai, 22 Jan 2017: Young Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing clinched the title in the Pro Stock 165cc category after scoring a grand double over the weekend in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.

    Locked in a tight tussle for the title with team-mate and championship leader Hari Krishnan Rajagopal going into the final round, Sethu, returning from a major hip injury, kept his wits about him to win both the races to clinch the title. Hari Krishnan was under pressure to stay in front and had a disastrous weekend as he failed to pick up any points.

    Also scoring a double in the National championship was Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing who continued his fine form while retaining title in the top-end Super Sport Indian 165cc class to finish the season with five wins from 10 starts.

    Jagan, though, had to work hard for his second win this weekend as he was pushed for much of the six-lapper until he managed to get his nose in front in the latter half to take the chequered flag before doing a lap of honour to celebrate his fifth National title in a row.

    Equally dominating was Auroville-based Spaniard Ami van Poederooijen of Rockstar Racing in the Super Sport Indian 300-400cc class as he completed a double for seven wins, six of them in a row. He had sealed the championship on Saturday after winning the first of the two races, but that did not stop him from further underlining his dominance by topping the second outing today.

    The concluding day’s proceedings witnessed its quota of close and exciting racing, especially in the MMSC One-Make Championships as Meka Vidhuraj (Suzuki Gixxer Cup Open), Joseph Mathew (Gixxer Cup Novice), Kannan Karnan (TVS Apache RTR200 Open), Yashas RL from Bengaluru, who won all the three races over the weekend (TVS Novice), Mathana Kumar (Honda CBR 250) and Anish Shetty from Hubballi (Honda CBR 150) clinched the titles in their respective categories.

    Provisional results: (All 6 laps unless mentioned)

    National Championship – Super Sport Indian (300-400cc): 1. Ami Van Poederooijen (Rockstar Racing) (12mins, 19.918secs); Amarnath Menon K (Rockstar Racing) (12:30.675); 3. Abhishek V (Rockstar Racing) (12:34.792).

    Super Sport Indian (165cc): 1. K Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (12:20.839); 2. S Kannan Subramaniam (TVS Racing) (12:20.878); 3. Harry Sylvester (TVS Racing) (12:21.161).

    Pro Stock 165cc: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:54.164); 2. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:54.986); 3. D Dinesh Kumar (RACR) (12:55.286).

    MMSC One-Make Championship – Honda CBR 250 (Open): 1. Hari Krishnan Rajagopal (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:44.938); 2. Mathana Kumar S (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:45.576); 3. Ananth Raj P (Pro Lap Racing) (12:48.902). CBR 150 Novice (4 laps): 1. Piyush Ranjan (Patna) (09:11.729); 2. Anish D Shetty (Hubballi) (09:11.765); 3. Soorya PM (Chennai) (09:12.070).

    TVS Apache RTR 200 (Open): 1. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (13:34.470); 2. Kannan Karnan (Chennai) (13:34.991); 3. Shyam Shankar (Chennai) (13:43.346). Novice (4 laps): 1. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (09:07.614); 2. Hari Prasath R (Chennai) (09:09.367); 3. Peddu Sriharsha (Chennai) (09:10.905).

    Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Open): 1. Aaron Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (13:37.638); 2. R Rajinikanth (Chennai) (13:37.715); 3. Vivian Gladwin (Kanpur) (13:38.097). Novice (4 laps): 1. Joseph Mathew (Chennai) (09:16.665); 2. Amarnath Rajan (Chennai) (09:17.987); 3. Alexander AS (Chennai) (09:19.629).