INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • FMSCI announces ambitious 8-round INRC for 2013

    Chennai, 19 Dec 2012: After a challenging couple of seasons, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) seeks to re-invigorate the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) with the announcement of an exciting eight-round championship set to take off in March. In what has been a purple patch for Indian motorsport overall, the FMSCI looks set to create a bigger and better season of rallying in 2013. The announcement was made on 19th Dec 2012.

    The truncated 2012 INRC saw only two rounds and Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkota managed to earn more points in the 2000N class after a penalty for delay in getting the car out of service cost young Karna Kadur his first National title. Though one is not sure if the two events would be considered for the National championship title, on record Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik (in pic)

    Amittrajit Ghosh and co driver Ashwin Naik at the Coffee Day Rally in Chikmagalur. File photo by Anand Philar

    were the toppers after winning the Chikmagalur Coffee Day Rally.

    The new season will also see the re-introduction of Tarmac stages with two rallies, one in Nashik and also September’s Cochin Rally running on sealed surfaces. The INRC will comprise of two major classes: the Group N 1601-200cc cars and another class for cars upto 1600cc. The FMSCI homologation of new machinery this year will also mark the entry of Maruti SX4 and Volkswagen Polo to the national rallying arena for the first time.

    Vicky Chandhok, President of the FMSCI was looking forward to a positive year ahead and said, “There’s no hiding from the fact that 2012’s INRC didn’t go to plan but all the clubs involved are putting in a solid effort to ensure we come back strong with heightened preparation for 2013. It’s also good to see more manufacturer interest and we look forward to seeing some new cars on the dirt in 2013.”

    With an eye on identifying and further developing young rallying talent in the country, the Junior Indian National Rally Championship (JINRC) returns once again with drivers under 27 years of age eligible to contest for the Championship in Group N cars under 1600cc.

    The Indian Rally Championship (IRC) is also set to return and is open to foreign participation in homologated Group N4 cars. The series for 2013 has received plenty of interest from Asia Zone drivers and will see drivers from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka battle it out for the silverware.

    The INRC kicks off with the MMSC’s historic South India Rally in Chennai on the 22nd of March 2013.

                          IRC/INRC Calendar for 2013



     

    Round 1: 22-24 March: MMSC Chennai (Gravel)



    Round 2: 12-14 April: Northern Motorsports, Bhuj (Gravel)



    Round 3: 17-20 May: Kolkata , RRPM (Gravel)



    Round 4: 07-09 June: WISA, Nashik (Tarmac)

(TBC)

    Round 5: 19-21 July : CASC, Coimbatore (Gravel) 



    Round 6: 20-22 September: KASC , Cochin (Tarmac) (TBC)

    Round 7: 25-27 October:  K1000, KMSC Bangalore (Gravel) 



    Round 8: 29 Nov -01 Dec: MSCC, Chikmagalur (Gravel)  

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  • Rally of Maharashtra cancelled; 2-round INRC reduced to a farce

    Bangalore, 19 Dec 2012: The Rally of Maharashtra, which was supposed to be the final round of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) is now cancelled. Thus the National Championship was reduced to a `farce’ with only two rounds deciding the Championship winner.

    Earlier, the second round to be held at Coorg was washed out due to heavy rains and the organisers were forced to cancel the event.

    According to an earlier decision, the rally was to be held at Ahmednagar to be run on gravel stages but the organisers could not get the necessary permissions from the land owners and the local villagers. So the host association decided to buy time and explored the possibility of running it as a tarmac rally in Nashik in January 2013. However, the drivers and teams did not agree for the change as it would require a new set of tyres, suspensions and brakes.

    The cancellation means that even the revised four-round championship comprising Bangalore, Coorg, Chikmagalur and Ahmednagar could not be completed and only two rounds are held. Thus, the champions are declared on the basis of the two rallies: K1000 and Coffee Day.

    “The proposed third round of INRC 2012, the Rally of Maharashtra, could not be held on the scheduled date as the organisers did not get the required permissions from the land owners for the route of some of the gravel stages,” FMSCI Chief Executive Rajan Syal said in a statement.

    “WISA, the organisers, then explored the alternative to run it as a tarmac event in first week of January 2013. But many of the competitors said that it will require a new set of tarmac tyres, suspensions and brakes, and due to the  holiday season, they may not get the parts in time
    and thereby will not be in a position to participate.”

    “Taking into account the feedback of all concerned, we are left with no option but to close the INRC 2012 and declare the Championship results at the end of the Coffee Day Rally of Chikmagalur,” Syal’s statement read.

    After the end of Chikmagalur Rally, Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik topped the championship table with 51 points. Lohitt Urs and co-driver Sujith Kumar are placed second with 45 points followed by Karna Kadur and Somonnita Ghosh at 38.

  • Grosjean crowned 2012 Champion of Champions

    • France’s Romain Grosjean lifts the Race Of Champions trophy after a Grand Final victory over Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen
    • Grand prix veterans Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard make it as far as the semi-finals
    • 2012 F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel knocked out in the quarter-finals for the second year in a row

    Bangkok, 16 Dec 2012:French Formula 1 star Romain Grosjean put in a stunning performance to eclipse 15 fellow superstars of motorsport and win the Race Of Champions on an evening of thrills at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium. However, the Frenchman is yet to secure a seat for the Formula One drive in 2013.

    Romain Grosjean (France) wins Champion of Champions in the Race of Champions 2012 at Bangkok on 16 Dec. Photo RoC

    India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok won the Asia crown on Friday but lost in the Nations Cup on Saturday to Germany’s Schumacher and Vettel.

    Following Team Germany’s victory over Team France in last night’s ROC Nations Cup, the Race Of Champions pitted many of the biggest names in motorsport against each other in head-to-head combat in a variety of different cars.

    In the end Grosjean overcame Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen in the best-of-three Grand Final to become Champion of Champions for the first time. Kristensen, who also reached the final last year, was chasing his own first individual Race Of Champions title at the 12th attempt. But he was thwarted by the young Frenchman, who won both heats to seal glory.

    Grosjean said: “That’s what I’d call a crazy day! It got a bit tough in the group stages but I managed to make it through. Then I had to face Sebastian Vettel in the quarter-final before Michael Schumacher in the semi-final – the two Germans who beat us in yesterday’s ROC Nations Cup final. Then I had the final with Tom. We’ve had a good history at this event and I’ve raced him before so it was good to face him in the final. I got a bit of extra luck to be in the right car at the right time but it felt good.

    “It’s been a tough end to the F1 season but I finally got back on the podium yesterday, and now this! It’s great to get this win before I head off for a holiday. Thanks to everyone in Thailand because the welcome has been fantastic.”

    Beaten finalist Kristensen has competed in 12 Race Of Champions events, more than anyone else in the field. The 45-year-old Dane nonetheless hopes to be back for more.

    “This was the 25th year of the race and Romain is a deserving winner,” said Kristensen. “He had a very good Sunday – and I’m getting closer every year! It was a small gap between us in each of the heats and I made small mistakes but that’s the challenge of the Race Of Champions: to jump into different cars. Earlier I had a pretty fun run in the Audi against Ogier. I believe that was the fastest lap of the weekend so that’s what I’ll take away. Even though I’m a bit more than 25 years old like Romain, it shows I’m still pretty fast if I’m in a good car. This has been the warmest Race Of Champions I have competed in – both literally and thanks to the people who welcomed us and enjoyed having us here. I’m still young so maybe one day I’ll get the chance to win it!”

    Michael Schumacher seemed to be continuing where he left off last night as he went undefeated until the semi-final stage. There he came up against an inspired Grosjean and his quest for the individual ROC title faltered again. Schumacher’s fellow F1 old-timer David Coulthard was beaten by Kristensen in the other semi-final.

    After sharing in Schumacher’s success last night, 2012 F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel was eliminated in the individual quarter-finals for the second year in a row, also by Grosjean. Facing a tight battle, Vettel made a mistake and hit the barrier hard.

    Another big scalp at the quarter-final stage was last year’s Champion of Champions Sébastien Ogier, beaten by Kristensen in a reverse of the result of last year’s Grand Final. Coulthard defeated China’s Ho-Pin Tung while Schumacher overcame 500cc MotoGP legend Mick Doohan in the other quarter-finals.

    To start the evening the drivers were split into four groups of four, battling for the right to line up in the knockout stages.

    Reigning champion Ogier began in dominant fashion, taking three wins out of three in Group A. Coulthard also progressed thanks to his two wins against V8 Supercar king Jamie Whincup and Production World Rally Champion Benito Guerra. Whincup beat Guerra but neither driver made it any further.

    Tung was the surprise package of Group B. After falling to an initial defeat against touring car great Andy Priaulx, the Chinese driver recovered to top the group, beating Kristensen and home favourite Nattavude Charoensukawattana. The Thai prompted one of the night’s biggest cheers when he defeated Priaulx, meaning the last quarter-final berth was decided by a shootout between Kristensen and Priaulx. That went to the Dane when a mechanical problem sent Priaulx into the barriers.

    Vettel made a predictably strong start, romping to three wins out of three including a victory over 2012 MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo. Group C also included another legend of two wheels in Doohan, who defeated Lorenzo in their heat. The Thai crowd went wild as Tin Sritrai beat Lorenzo and crossed the line ahead of Doohan, only to miss out on qualification due to a time penalty.

    Schumacher and Grosjean both progressed comfortably from Group D – but it was the German who came out on top this time to keep his undefeated record intact with three wins to Grosjean’s two. 2012 IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay took a single victory against Kazuya Ohshima, Japan’s qualifier from ROC Asia, but it wasn’t enough to keep the American in the competition.

    Grosjean’s triumph marks the end of the 2012 Race Of Champions. We hope you’ve enjoyed it and we look forward to seeing you next year for ROC 2013. Keep up with the news by signing up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

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  • Team Germany win 6th RoC Nations Cup

    • Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel stormed to their sixth consecutive ROC Nations Cup title for Team Germany in Bangkok
    • The German duo defeated Team France’s Romain Grosjean and Sébastien Ogier by two heats to nil in the Grand Final
    • Team All Stars (Jorge Lorenzo and Tom Kristensen) and Team Australia (Jamie Whincup and Mick Doohan) reached the semi-finals

    Bangkok, 15 Dec 2012: Team Germany’s Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel added to their incredible run of success by winning their sixth consecutive ROC Nations Cup title in Bangkok.

    On another hot evening in the Thai capital, legends from many of the world’s biggest motor sport series teamed up in pairs to battle for national pride. They raced a mix of cars – including the Audi R8 LMS, VW Scirocco, Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo and the Toyota GT86 – on a purpose-built parallel track at the Rajamangala Stadium.

    Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher (2nd and 3rd from left) won the Nations Cup at the Race of Champions in Bangkok on Saturday 15 Dec 2012. Photo RoC

    To cap off a busy night of action, Schumacher and Vettel prevailed in the Grand Final against Team France’s Sébastien Ogier and Romain Grosjean. First Schumacher defeated Grosjean then Vettel beat rally ace Ogier in the ‘battle of the Sebs’.

    The result meant that the German duo took an incredible ten wins out of ten on the night, matching their combined total of F1 world championships. They have now extended their record of ROC Nations Cup titles to six in a row too.

    Schumacher said: “This is a historic day. It was already very special to win five times in a row but this new record just feels great. The Race Of Champions is a nice event with a nice set-up, there are great guys here and tough competition. We were pretty scared of the guys on Team France but in the end they lost time in the final heats so we were lucky to be consistent the whole way through.”

    Vettel added: “Even Michael hasn’t managed six titles in a row before so this is something special. Six years is a long time and now we can look back and know we’ve won for the last six years. We all love coming here as it’s a special event. It’s a privilege and an honour to race with these guys. There’s one thing that connects us all, which is racing. Now I can look forward to tomorrow and hopefully stay in the competition as long as possible. I’ve tried that for the last five years and haven’t succeeded yet so it would be nice to put my name on that trophy too.”

    Beaten finalists Team France also had a fine evening, topping their group before defeating Team All Stars (Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen and MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo) by two heats to nil in the semi-final.

    Grosjean admitted: “We knew going up against Team Germany was the toughest moment of the evening. But we fought as well as we could with what we had in our hands. Last year we reached the semi-final, this year the final. Now the next step is to be on the top of the podium. They want to go for seven next year but we want to go for our first one in the future. For now it’s great to have brought the blue, white and red flag to the final.”

    Reigning individual Champion of Champions Ogier said: “First I want to congratulate Team Germany because six victories in a row is a great result. We tried our best but they were very strong. We will try to do better next time. First I will do my best to retain the individual Race Of Champions title tomorrow but I know it will be tough.”

    In the semi-finals Team Germany beat Team Australia’s Jamie Whincup and Mick Doohan by two heats to nil. They had earlier sailed through their Group B with six wins out of six to kick off their perfect night. Team Australia joined them in the semi-finals with three victories: two for Whincup, one for Doohan.

    Following their triumph in yesterday’s ROC Asia, Team India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok failed to make it beyond the group stages this time. They took a win apiece but it wasn’t enough against the might of Germany and Australia.

    Host nation Team Thailand (Nattavude Charoensukawattana and Tin Sritrai) fought hard but they were unable to progress beyond the group stages. Sritrai nonetheless gave the home fans something to cheer with victory over Doohan.

    Earlier in the evening, Team France (four wins) and Team All Stars (three wins) both progressed through the round-robin Group A to line up a best-of-three semi-final. Lorenzo memorably proved his two-wheeled skill extends to four wheels by defeating touring car great Andy Priaulx in one of the heats.

    Team Americas were unlucky to miss out on qualification on countback of fastest times as they also ended up with three wins courtesy of Benito Guerra (2) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (1). Team Great Britain (Priaulx and David Coulthard) missed a semi-final spot after both fell foul of penalties for touching the barriers – though they still took one win each.

    There is plenty more action to come in Bangkok on Sunday as the drivers will put their friendships aside and go it alone in the individual Race Of Champions.

    Coverage of tomorrow’s finale will be available on television all over the world. Stations showing ROC live include SAT1 in Germany, Motors TV around Europe, Al Jazeera in the Middle East, Fox in Latin America and Brazil, Speed TV in Australia, the Sony Entertainment Network in India, PPTV and Euro Soccer channel in China, Super Sport in Africa plus many more. Please check local listings for exact details of broadcast times.

    Tickets are still available for this weekend’s action. For a live results feed and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates atwww.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

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  • Narain, Karun triumph in Race of Champions-Asia

    Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok took Team India to glory in the first ever ROC Asia competition in Bangkok tonight

    The Indian driver pairing defeated Toyota Team Gazoo Japan’s Kazuya Ohshima and Takuto Iguchi in the final

    Bangkok, 14 Dec 2012: Team India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok are celebrating tonight after they took glory in the inaugural ROC Asia competition, the first night of action of the 2012 Race Of Champions weekend.

    On a hot evening at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok joined forces for Team India as both made their ROC debuts. The Indian duo topped the group stage with four wins out of six to go into the final as favourites.

    There they faced Toyota Team Gazoo Japan, who were represented by Kazuya Ohshima and Takuto Iguchi, who were both class winners in this year’s Nürburgring 24-Hour race. In the end the Indian duo prevailed, both winning their heats to take the title.

    Chandhok said: “That was a really good night and it was obviously very nice to end up on top. It wasn’t as straightforward as we would have hoped as we both had our favourite cars and we ended up driving the opposite ones to what we wanted. But it worked out well in the end. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed our first experience of competing here. In the end I think we beat everyone fair and square. That’s what the Race Of Champions all about – same cars, same track, same conditions. It’s a bit of history for Team India to win the first ROC Asia. That’s obviously very special. Now we start from scratch again tomorrow.”

    Karthikeyan added: “This is the first time at the Race Of Champions for both myself and Karun and I’ve really enjoyed this event so far. It’s a unique format and it’s pretty tight and narrow out there. So it was a challenge to put a precise lap together in any of the cars. But it’s just about getting the best out of each car. You need to adapt very quickly without any mistakes as you need a clean lap. We’re happy to come out on top, now we can look forward to the rest of the event. We’re up for the challenge and we’ll take on the world tomorrow!”

    The performance earns Team India a place in tomorrow’s ROC Nations Cup along with Team Thailand, who qualify as host nation. The home team were unlucky not to make it through to the final after they took three wins in the group stage, the same as finalists Toyota Team Gazoo Japan. 2010 Supercar Thailand Champ Nattavude Charoensukawattana and touring car ace Tin Sritrai both thrilled their home crowd with victories but they missed out on the countback of the fastest times.

    Team China paired F1 test driver Ho-Pin Tung with rally ace Han Han, better known as the world’s most widely-read blogger. The Chinese pair already had Race Of Champions experience as they competed in the 2009 event at Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium, getting as far as the semi-finals of the ROC Nations Cup. But there was no repeat this time as they were knocked out despite taking one win apiece.

    Friday’s action began with ROC Thailand, a four-way battle between drivers from the host country. The competition started with a group stage involving Charoensukawattana, Sritrai, Nattapon Horthongkum and drift guru Sak ‘Kiki’ Nana.

    Charoensukawattana and Sritrai progressed to the final, with 49-year-old Bangkok resident Charoensukawattana coming out on top. Those results earned both finalists the honour of representing Team Thailand in ROC Asia along with Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s individual Race Of Champions.

    Charoensukawattana said: “It was a great race today and I would like to thank all my fans because their support was powerful. My experience helped but what was most important was that I didn’t make any mistakes. This is the first time we’ve had this event in Thailand and I hope it will come back next year too. If I have another opportunity next year I will definitely come here again.”

    ROC 2012 continues in Bangkok for the rest of the weekend with a dazzling line-up of motor sport stars including Formula 1 world champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel plus MotoGP world champions Mick Doohan and Jorge Lorenzo.

    Coverage of Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s Race Of Champions will be available on television all over the world. Stations showing ROC live include SAT1 in Germany, Motors TV throughout Europe, Al Jazeera in the Middle East, Fox in Latin America and Brazil, Speed TV in Australia, the Sony Entertainment Network in India, PPTV and Euro Soccer channel in China, Super Sport in Africa plus many more. Please check local listings for exact details of broadcast times.

    Tickets are still available for this weekend’s action. For a live results feed and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates atwww.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

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    Karun Chandhok (lef) and Narain Karthikeyan after winning on Friday in the Race of Champions in Bangkok. Photo RoC

  • Narain, Karun ready for Race of Champions

    • Drivers from all over Asia have assembled in Bangkok ahead of Friday’s ROC Asia and ROC Thailand
    • The two most populous nations on Earth are represented by India’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok plus China’s Ho-Pin Tung and Han Han
    • The racing begins with a four-way shootout between the host nation’s finest drivers to decide who will represent Team Thailand
      Many of Asia’s finest drivers have gathered at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium for ROC Asia and ROC Thailand, the opening events of this weekend’s ROC 2012 on Friday December 14.The Race Of Champions, which is being staged for the 25th consecutive year in 2012, brings together the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s main disciplines – including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans, MotoGP, IndyCar and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.

      A dazzling line-up of international superstars including multiple F1 world champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel plus multiple MotoGP world champions Mick Doohan and Jorge Lorenzo will compete in Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s individual Race Of Champions. The on-track action begins on Friday with ROC Thailand and ROC Asia.

      The two most populous nations on Earth will be in the hunt for glory as Team India and Team China join Toyota Team Gazoo Japan and hosts Team Thailand in the line-up for ROC Asia. The four-way competition will seek to find Asia’s fastest nation, with the winners going on to race against the best drivers in the world in the ROC Nations Cup on Saturday.

      Formula 1’s Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok will join forces for Team India as they make their ROC debuts. Team China will partner F1 test driver Ho-Pin Tung with rally ace Han Han, better known as the world’s most widely-read blogger. The Chinese pair already have Race Of Champions experience as they both competed in the 2009 event at Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium, getting as far as the semi-finals of the ROC Nations Cup. Toyota Team Gazoo Japan will be represented by Kazuya Ohshima and Takuto Iguchi, rising stars from the Land of the Rising Sun.

      ROC Asia will be preceded on Friday by a four-way battle between drivers from the host country for the ROC Thailand crown. Sak ‘Kiki’ Nana, Tin Sritrai, Nattavude Charoensukawattana and Nattapon Horthongkum will compete in a round-robin group stage, with the two most successful drivers going on to face each other in the final. The two finalists will have the honour of representing Team Thailand in ROC Asia and Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup.

      Ahead of Friday’s events the drivers faced the media at the Rajamangala Stadium. Here is a selection of their quotes:

      Karun Chandhok (Team India) 

      “It’s amazing to have this much excitement about a motor sport event so close to home. So I’m very happy to be here and thank you to Fredrik Johnsson and his team for the invitation. It’s going to be a fun weekend and it’s nice to catch up with some familiar faces from the past. Narain and I just had a look at the stadium and the first thing that strikes us is how small it is. It’s quite different from driving at a grand prix circuit. It’s fantastic that motor sport is moving towards Asia and being here this weekend is another illustration of that. Motor sport has grown very quickly in India in the last few years too and hopefully one day we can have the Race Of Champions in India as well.”

      Narain Karthikeyan (Team India) 

      “It’s really nice to be in Thailand for the Race Of Champions. This is the first time that Karun and I have competed at a ROC event and it looks very interesting. To represent your country is always very good and Thailand is not too far away for us. I’m glad we got the invitation and we’ll try to do the best we can. Seeing the videos, it’s going to be the people who make the least mistakes who succeed, so you have to drive very precisely. There’s no margin for error.”

      Ho-Pin Tung (Team China) 

      “I’m very excited to be back at the Race Of Champions. People in China still ask us about our experiences at ROC 2009 in Beijing and I’ve heard there are Chinese fans travelling across to Thailand. So I’m very proud and I hope to give them a good show. I have a great team-mate in Han Han who is not only a great racing driver but a big celebrity in China. So it will put extra pressure on me to raise my game. Of course we’re all racing drivers and we all want to win. So even if we’re going to race against the greatest names in motor sport we’ll try hard to beat all of them…

      Kazuya Ohshima (Toyota Team Gazoo Japan) 

      “This is the first time that Japan has had a team at the Race Of Champions and we’re very happy to be here. There are a lot of very nice cars and I’m really looking forward to driving them. Team China, Team India and Team Thailand all look very strong, but we will try our hardest and we are confident we can do well. Japan has a lot of good racing drivers so I will try to make no mistakes otherwise I cannot go back to Japan!”

      Sak ‘Kiki’ Nana (ROC Thailand)

      “I’m really proud to have the Race Of Champions in Thailand and all four of us in ROC Thailand are very proud to be representing our country. We don’t have much experience in the Race Of Champions way of driving, especially with all the different cars. So that will be brand new for us and I don’t want to say too much yet as I’m still a bit nervous. But we’ll push hard, do our best and see what happens.”

      Tickets are still available for this weekend’s action. For a live results feed and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, @raceofchampions on Twitter or Race Of Champions on Facebook.

    Courtesy www.racer.com

    Some of the champions for the 25th annual Race Of Champions:

    • Michael Schumacher, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
    • Sebastian Vettel, three-time Formula 1 World Champion
    • Jorge Lorenzo, two-time MotoGP World Champion
    • Mick Doohan, five-time 500cc MotoGP World Champion
    • Jamie Whincup, four-time V8 Supercar Champion
    • David Coulthard, 13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner
    • Tom Kristensen, eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
    • Andy Priaulx, three-time World Touring Car Champion
    • Benito Guerra Jr., FIA’s Production World Rally Champion
    • Romain Grosjean, GP2 Series champion
    • Sebastien Ogier, World Rally Championship driver and 2011 ROC “Champion of Champions”
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    Indian Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan (left) and Karun Chandhok hold the Indian Tricolour as they team up as Team India for the Race of Champiions in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo RoC.

  • Ghorpade crowned Formula Pilota Asian champion

    Sepang (Malaysia), 8 Dec 2012: Young Indian racer Parth Ghorpade has became the first Indian to win the Formula Pilota Asian Championship when he won Race 2 at Round 6 of the 2012 Formula Pilota Championship in Sepang, Malaysia. With this win he finished 1st in the Asian Category and 3rd overall in the Championship behind Antonio Giovinazzi and Dan Wells. Parth had earlier finished 5th in Race 1 and had to retire in Race 3.

    Both the overall Champion and Asian Champion will get the opportunity to join a 4 day evaluation at the Ferrari Driver Academy, which will include a F3 test, and a program of physical and psychological tests, along with a day of testing in the simulator. The Ferrari Driver Academy is aimed at evaluating young upcoming talents at both national and international levels and Parth will have the distinction of becoming the first Indian to be a part of it.

    Qualifying had been a disaster for his entire Eurasia team as they took the wrong direction on the set up for the wet session. As a result, the 4 Eurasia cars, despite taking the top 4 positions in the official practice session, were at the back in qualifying. The best Parth could manage was a P9 for Race 1 and P7 for Race 3. In Race 1, Parth finished in 5th place after starting P9 and also set 2nd fastest time which got him a P2 grid position for Race 2.

    In Race 2, Parth managed to overtake pole-sitter Giovinazzi into the first corner and started to pull away. On lap 3 it started to rain with all the cars on slick tyres and the track very slippery. On the  last lap as the conditions worsened, 7 cars went off the track with only 2 managing to rejoin. Parth managed to hold his nerve and pull off one of his best wins of the season, setting fastest lap of the race enroute. With this win Parth managed to seal the Asian title with one race to go. Parth was forced to retire from Race 3 with damage to his car.

    Parth, who is only in his 2nd year of single seater racing was delighted with his season. He commented, “I am thrilled to be the first ever Indian to win the Formula Pilota Asian Championship. The Eurasia Team have given me a great car all year to finish 3rd overall so a big thank you to all the hard work put in by everyone this year. After our worst qualifying of the year  we knew we had to take some risks to move up the grid. 5th in the first race was the best I could do. In the second race I got a great start and went into the lead with Antonio behind me. I managed to pull away but then it started raining and the track became very slippery with slick tyres. On the last lap it was really hard to keep the car on track but was determined to win this one. ”

    Parth has been doubling up on his racing as he has been taking part in the MRF Challenge 2012 as well. After a tough Round 1 he bounced back at Round 2 with 2 top 10 finishes. While Parth will turn his attention to the remaining rounds of MRF Challenge 2012, he is keenly looking forward to the Ferrari Driver Academy evaluation which will take place early next year.

    He continued, “The Ferrari Driver Academy evaluation program will be one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of. I am really looking forward to it and understanding the way they work. This will definitely be a unique opportunity so will savour it. Now I have a good break coming up before I return to the MRF Challenge 2012. A big thank you to all my sponsors and supporters, Karvy Group and Flameback Lodges, and most importantly my family for all their support.”

    19 year old Ghorpade is a five-time National Karting Champion, runner-up in the inaugural 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup India, and recently competed in the Renault F4 series in 2011, finishing in the top five multiple times. Parth was also one of 30 young drivers from 26 countries and the only Indian to be shortlisted for the prestigious FIA Institute Young Driver Academy last year.

    About Formula Pilota Championship

    Following the extremely successful Formula Abarth in Europe, a new series – Formula Pilota Championship was established in Asia in 2011. Also known as Formula Pilota China, the series managed to keep the Asian entry level formula up-to date with Europe and provided the exact same platform & race cars at a more affordable price.

    The 2011 season held 12 rounds (6 events) plus 1 FPC Final Master Race. The series gathered 8 teams & 26 drivers from 20 difference countries and regions. Having a strong connection with European motorsport has qualified FPC one of the best stepping stones for the young drivers to either move forward to the next level, or have a taste of single-seater right after graduation from Karting. The series has a great mix of young Asian, European and South American drivers and in 2011, FPC sent 2 young drivers (Champion & best Asian) to the Ferrari Drivers Academy (FDA) test.  In 2012 season, FPC will have 6 triple-rounds events and 1 invitational race, which will sure to bring more excitement to the competition. The series will travel to Shanghai, Zhuhai, Taiwan and Sepang.

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    Parth Ghorpade becomes Formula Pilota Asia Champion at Sepang on 8 Dec 2012. Photo Adrenna

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  • Karna Kadur-Somonnita gift Coffee Day Rally win to Ghosh-Naik due to `penalty’

    Karna Kadur-Somonnita gift Coffee Day Rally win to Ghosh-Naik due to `penalty’

    By David Bodapati

    Chikmagalur, 24 Nov 2012: Rising star of Bangalore Karna Kadur (co-driver Somonnita Ghosh) rallied brilliantly to clock the best time but failed to win as the duo was penalized 40 seconds for a delayed start after the last service break to gift the Coffee Day Rally to Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) as the third leg of the Indian National Rally Championship concluded at the special stages in Birur near here. Karna-Somonnita finished second.

    With only the Nashik rally remaining, it may prove costly for Karna Kadur, as he lost a golden chance to be in the reckoning for his maiden National Championship. The prize distribution will be held at the ABC campus at 10.30 am on Sunday. There was an eerie silence at the team hotel, Planters Court, in the evening and the grapevine has it that the talented youngster suffered due to team orders. But it was all `hush-hush’ with no one willing to be quoted.

    Karna Kadur tops the Coffee Day Rally but loses win due a penalty. Photo by Anand Philar.

    The lone entry in the Indian Rally Championship for modified foreign cars, Zuhin A and seasoned Musa Sherif of Team Kajah Motorsports who thrilled the crowds yesterday in the Super Special Stage began well on Saturday setting a scorching pace in the University Stage to take a lead of over 40 seconds by SS3 but soon fell behind with a Turbo problem. They later retired in Special Stage 5 (SS5) with an electrical snap.

    In the INRC 2000cc class, Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) who were tied with Karna Kadur after three stages lost time in the next three but the penalty to Karna saw them clinch the issue. Vikram Devadasan and co-driver Somayya AG came third. Strong contenders Lohit Urs (co-driver Sujith Kumar) managed to run with a troublesome suspension and came fourth to keep themselves at a striking distance gaining some valuable championship points.

    Organised by Chikmagalur Motor Sports Club under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, the popular rally is sponsored by Café Coffee Day, The Serai Resorts, Amber Valley School and Way2Wealth.

    In the 1600cc class, Raghunandan K and co-driver Suraj K came first on a day which saw many casualities. Byram Godrej (Prajwal Pai) came second followed by Suhem MK (Jeevarathinam) in third. Sirish Chandran (co-driver Nikhil Pai) slipped and went down into a ditch in SS5.

    In the JINRC class, overnight leaders Karan AM (Shanmugha) ran all the stages with controlled aggression to clinch the rally. Asad Khan and Zayne Asrar came second while Samrat Yadav (Tushar Marwaha) came third.

    Of the 43 cars that started the day, 15 cars failed to finish.

    Provisional unaudited results:

    Indian Rally Championship: 1. Zuhin A / Musa Sherif (Team Kazah Motorsports) 38 minutes 36.4 seconds (DNF – retired in SS5)

    Indian National Rally Championship: 2000cc N: 1. Amittrajit Ghosh /Ashwin Naik 1: 21: 59.5;  2. Karna Kadur/ Sommonita Ghosh 1: 22: 08.3; 3. Vikram Devadasan/ Somayya AG 1: 22: 40.9:

    1600cc: 1. Raghunandan B/ Suraj K 1: 27: 45.5; 2. Byram Godrej/ Prajval Pai 1:28:58.8; 3. 3.Suhem MK/

    Jeevaratinam K 1: 29:08.8; 

    Junior INRC: 1. Karan AM/ Shanmugha SN; 2. Asad Khan CA/ Zayne Asrar; 3. Samrat Yadav/ Tushar Marwaha. (Timings to be released)  

    Note: The article is updated from old archives.

  • BIC to host Sidvin Festival of Speed from Nov 30

    New Delhi, 20 Nov 2012: As part of a big motorsport spectacle of domestic racing, the Sidvin Festival of Speed takes place at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from Nov 30 to Dec 2.

    The final of the JK Racing Asia Series, and Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2012 will also be held at the same time apart from the final rounds of the national racing championships, the ‘JK Tyre-Volkswagen Polo R Cup’ and the ‘JK Tyre National Racing Championship’.

    Close to 125 talented drivers from India and abroad will converge to display their skill at the event, which promises motorsport enthusiasts a veritable feast of nail-biting action, intense battles and unmatched moments of glory at one of the world’s best F1 circuits. The pulsating race weekend will include 14 races.

    Mohan Nagrajan of Sidvin, the sponsor, said: “We are proud to bring in the second edition of Sidvin Festival of Speed, the first was the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. We are proud to be associated with JK Tyre, MRF and Volkswagen who are the largest contributors to Indian Motorsport. This is a momentous occasion for Indian motorsport fans and competitors alike as many big events are being held at the same time and hope that this will herald a new era in Indian motorsports.”

    The weekend will see India’s top racing drivers competing for glory in the grand finale of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship that consists of the JK Tyre Volkswagen Polo-R Cup, LGB Formula 4, Indian Touring Cars, and Indian Junior Touring Cars championships. India’s top drivers have battled it out over five exciting rounds that took place on racetracks in Coimbatore and Chennai and will now gear up for the final face-off at the world’s second-fastest race track.

    The JK Tyre-Volkswagen Polo R Cup has proved to be a great stepping stone for the young drivers across the country since its inception. The Polo R Cup has given an opportunity to talented drivers from the previous seasons to represent India at in Germany at the Scirocco R Cup. The Polo R Cup is a one-make series that provides a platform wherein every competitor gets a fair chance to prove his/her mettle as each one of them gets an identical car and technical support. This brings out the real driving skills of the participants with no one getting any advantage over the other as far as the race machines are considered. The 2012 season witnessed the introduction of the all-new and faster TSI Race Polo with powerful 1.4 litre petrol engines. 20 of India’s best drivers including one International driver, Diego Duez from Mexico have been battling it out for the coveted title in the last five rounds of the season. With the top contenders in the championship standing marginally close to each other, the title battle has trickled down to the last round that is to be held at the Sidvin Festival of Speed at BIC.

    The four-round race weekend of JK Racing Asia Series, the only ‘Junior’ Formula Racing Series in the world that provides a unique opportunity to the drivers to compete in front of the biggest names of the motorsport fraternity will decide who will be the next JK Racing Asia Series World Champion and signal the end of a historic 16-round season that saw the series making its maiden European sojourn with races at legendary circuits like Paul Ricard Circuit, Circuit de Spa Francorchamps, and the Silverstone Circuit. Penultimate rounds 11 and 12 of the JK Racing Asia Series took place alongside the 2012 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix last month at the Buddh International Circuit. As part of JK Tyre’s constant endeavour to promote talent and give them the best available opportunity to excel, seven young and competent Indian drivers got an invaluable opportunity to race on home turf in front of home crowds.

    The MRF Challenge 2012 returns to the Buddh International Circuit for theSidvin Festival of Speed, after its mega-successful debut in late October 2012 as a support race to the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix. The line-up of 18 Renault-sport powered Dallara racing single-seaters, purpose built for this series by Jayem Automotives Ltd of Coimbatore, will scorch the track with an unprecedented 4 races over the course of the weekend. With engines screaming at 7000 RPM and generating volumes of over 100 decibels each, the grid boast of a combined power output of almost 4,000 bhp! The competition is extremely stiff with drivers from all over the globe. The series points table is currently being led by returning 2011 MRF Champion, Jordan King, who was Vice-Champion in the Formula Renault NEC in 2012. He is followed closely by GP3 race winner (and son of ex-Formula 1 & IndyCar racer Derek Daly) Conor Daly, with reigning 2012 F2 Champion Luciano Bacheta a close third. The highest placed Indian driver is Parthiva Sureshwaren who is currently 9th in the points standings with 2 top-ten finishes in the two races so far. He is confident of advancing many places up the table with strong finishes in all 4 races this weekend.

    Apart from some serious racing, a lot of other interesting events has been planned for the motorsport enthusiasts. Audiences will get to see some amazing Stunt shows performed by India’s best race drivers on Volkswagen Cars. Also to keep the audience entertained is the Super Car Parade. Entry for the exciting event will be through invitations or through promotions by event partners. Coming on the heels of the recently concluded Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix, the event promises world-class action at a world-class circuit.

    File picutre: Allwyn Jebaz after his win in the YZF R15 Open Race 30Sep2012 Sidvin races. Adrenna photo

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  • McLaren Manufacturing Challenge in schools

    WOKING (SURREY, UK),  13 Nov 2012: Business Secretary Vince Cable helped present the 2012 McLaren Manufacturing Challenge trophy to this year’s winning school.

    The McLaren Manufacturing Challenge is an annual competition designed to raise the profile and help improve the image of high-tech manufacturing and engineering.

    According to a Press Release from McLaren Group,

    Winning team Reed's School with Vince Cable and Ron Dennis. A McLaren Group photo.

    Schools are challenged to come up with inventive designs for model cars that, just as in Formula 1, must comply with strict regulations, but be as fast as possible.  The cars can be as complicated and as ingenious as the teams like, but the challenge is simple – to cover a 10 metre track as quickly as possible, but without using any form of motor.

    Finalists teams are invited to spend an afternoon at the McLaren Technology Centre, where they get to see how a Formula 1 team operates and how McLaren designs its world leading super cars, before the big race begins.

    The McLaren Manufacturing Challenge forms part of the Government’s See Inside Manufacturing programme that aims to show young people that modern manufacturing is a high-tech industry and can offer fantastic career opportunities.

    The 2012 winning team, Reed’s School, was presented their trophy by the Business Secretary and Ron Dennis CBE, Executive Chairman of McLaren Group.

    Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Manufacturing is a highly-creative industry that offers rewarding and well paid careers. Working closely with leading businesses like McLaren through the See Inside Manufacturing programme, we are demonstrating to young people first-hand what jobs in manufacturing and engineering are like today.”

    Discussing the challenge, Ron Dennis CBE said: “As a country we are blessed with intelligent and creative young people who are capable of becoming world leaders in whichever field they choose. Sadly, in the past, too few have chosen engineering or manufacturing.  That’s why we run the McLaren Manufacturing Challenge and support the Government’s efforts to improve the image of industry.”

    He added: “Britain has produced some of the world’s most inspirational engineers, who took on enormous challenges and found ways to do things better. People like Stephenson, Brunel and Whittle have always inspired me and it’s about time we started to inspire the next generation.”

    This is the second year that the McLaren has run its Manufacturing Challenge, with double the number of schools taking part.

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