Spa-Francorrchamps (Belgium), 6 May 2012: Round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit saw Indian racing star Karun Chandhok’s JRM Racing deliver another strong performance and an impressive result by finishing fourth in the LMP1 Privateers category, and eighth overall in the FIAWEC at the iconic 6-hours of Spa. The achievement was made even more rewarding as the team had to overcome a series of challenges during the build- up to the event, says a Release.
Karun Chandhok at Spa Francorchamps helps JRM finish 8th in the FIA World Endurance Championship on Sunday. Photo JRM
With the onset of rain on Saturday morning and, with six-hours of competition ahead of them, the team was comfortable that good progress could be made during the race. However, the relentless rain had made levels of grip even more unpredictable than normal and, whilst the exit of Eau Rouge posed no problems on the first of the formation laps for Chandhok, he suddenly found himself on the grass on the second. The car then clipped a barrier, with the impact severely damaging the car’s bodywork and rear suspension.
Fortunately, Chandhok was able to nurse the car back to the pits, where the team set about repairing the damage before the start of the race. After a supreme effort, the HPD was ready to go in time for the green light, although Chandhok had to start from the pit lane and, in keeping with the regulations, was required to wait a full lap before being allowed to exit onto the track. He then set about the task ahead and, lap-by-lap, scythed his way past slower cars and, after the first hour and his first pit stop, was sixth of the Privateer LMP1 runners.
After a tough race at one of his favourite circuits, Chandhok commented, “I think I gave the boys a bit too much work to do today. It’s been a tough weekend for everybody in the team and the guys have done a fantastic job to get the car ready in time. I couldn’t be a mechanic, that’s for sure. Even though there were some issues to resolve earlier in the week, the car was very good today and you can tell there’s definitely more to come.”
JRM Racing arrived at Spa earlier this week, intending to use the first two practice sessions on Thursday to set up the car for the unique characteristics of the Belgium track. An issue with the brakes meant the only time available for the team to dial in the settings was during Friday morning’s one-hour practice session. Karun Chandhok drove the 20-minute qualifying stint in the afternoon and was able to put the car a strong eighth on the grid.
With the rain slowly retreating and the track drying out, the initial set of wet tyres were swapped for slicks, which saw the lap times improve further. But then, after a further 40-minutes, contact was made with another car as he went to overtake it on the entrance to the ‘Bus stop’, the incident damaging a front wing. The next scheduled pit stop saw the affected parts replaced and, after a storming stint that lasted two-hours and 45-minutes, Chandhok came into the pits to swap with David Brabham.
Following a Safety Car period due to another competitor going off the road at the same point that Chandhok did earlier – but this time in a big way – Brabham them proceeded to deliver one of his customary solid performances, the car getting quicker as the laps clicked past. And, after nearly two hours and with one-hour and 20-minutes of the race left, he came in to hand over to Peter Dumbreck.
Continuing as his team-mates had left off and, just before the five-hour mark, Dumbreck caught and passed the first of the LMP1 category cars to put JRM fifth of the Privateers. And, even though the power-steering ECU was changed at the final scheduled pit stop with 50-minutes to go, the position was held.
JRM’s HPD continued to circulate for the remainder of the race without issue – and Dumbreck even gained another place in the closing stages – to provide the team with it’s second strong finish of the season and a final position of fourth in the LMP1 Privateers class.
Team Manager and Head of Engineering Nigel Stepney commented, “We’ve had two races and twice we’ve started from the pit lane, so it would be nice to start one from the grid! It’s been a tough week for the team and there’s been lot of effort from everyone. This season, every event is a learning exercise and that was certainly the case for this one. We will leave Spa with a lot more data than we had before, which is important, bearing in mind our next race is Le Mans.”
Team Principal James Rumsey is optimistic of a better showing in Le Mans after a hard weekend for the team. He said,“This really has been a team-building weekend and I’m pleased the car has run so well in the race. The lads have done a mega-job, especially to get the car ready in time after the off on the way to the grid. Of course, it would have been better not to have started from the pit lane and then have to fight our way through the field again. Perhaps it will be third time lucky for Le Mans!”
The team now prepares for the big one: the 24-hours of Le Mans, which takes place on 16th & 17th June.
About JRM
After winning the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship with Nissan, The British-based JRM Racing will partner with Honda Performance Developments to enter the brand new FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP1 class. JRM Racing will enter a single LMP1 Honda Performance Development ARX-03a powered by a specially designed and tested 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. The ARX-03a is currently hailed as the most competitive petrol Le Mans Prototype around.
Spa-Francorrchamps (Belgium) 5 May 2012: In qualifying for round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship, driving JRM Racing’s Honda Performance Development ARX-03a, Indian racing star Karun Chandhok set the eighth-fastest time for the 6-hours of Spa – amid an overall grid of 41 cars.
Chandhok enjoyed his first ever qualifying session in Sportscar racing at Spa and is confident of a better showing in the race. He commented, “The car ran well, even though we were trying different set-ups during the practice sessions and qualifying, which had an effect on our pace. I feel there’s more to come and, with a good clean run tomorrow, I see no reason why we won’t be able to improve on our start position.”
Having arrived at the ionic Belgium circuit earlier this week, the team prepared the car for it’s first competitive outing since the opening round of the championship at Sebring in March. With three practice sessions – two on Thursday and one today (Friday) – the intention was to build on the car’s proven performance on its first outing and set up the car specifically for Spa’s unique layout.
Although running well in the first of the 1.5-hour practice sessions, with David Brabham and Chandhok behind the wheel, the car developed a braking issue that caused the rear wheels to lock momentarily. Deciding that fixing the problem would be more important than continued running, the team opted not to complete the second-session.
But with everything working 100%, Peter Dumbreck took the car out for the third and final practice period this morning, with Chandhok finishing off the driving in readiness for his qualifying stint. Having ran perfectly for the full-hour, all that was left for the team to do was hone the car’s set up and, although eighth fastest in the 20-minute qualifying session was a step in the right direction, the team knows there is still more to come for the race tomorrow.
Team Manager and Head of Engineering Nigel Stepney commented, “The problems in practice meant we didn’t do all we wanted in terms of set-ups, so to start eighth is very promising. Six hours of running at Spa is a long time and, if we can make a few more improvements, then we should be on target for another good run. Of course, at this track the weather can also play a part, which could certainly shake things up.”
Team Principal James Rumsey is looking to finish higher than their start position after the team is confident of the changes made to car. He said,“Even with the reduced running time so far, we have been able to gather a great deal of information and data, which is not only good for Spa, but Le Mans too – which is valuable, as it’s the most important race of the year and the next round of the championship. However, we have a six-hour race tomorrow, and a lot can happen in that amount of time and we therefore have every opportunity of getting a good result.”
Following a half-hour warm-up session tomorrow morning, the six-hour race gets the green light at 14.30 CEST (13.30 GMT). The race can be watched live at: www.fiawec.com
Karun Chandhok puts JRM in 8th place at Spa for the second round in the World Endurance Championship. The race is on Sunday. Photo JRM team.
Mumbai: Indian men recurve archers today created a major upset today when they beat favorites South Korea to storm into the final of the World Cup at Antalya, Turkey, said a mail from Olympic Gold Quest.
Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai (both supported by OGQ) and Jayanta Talukdar were in red hot form for Team India and shot brilliantly to get better of the hugely experienced Korean Team in the semis. Going into the final 6 arrows, India was trailing by 1 point, but all 3 Indian archers held their nerves to clinch the tie by 1 point and win 225-224.
L-R: Archers Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai and Jayanta Talukdar at the CWG 2010 men's team event in New Delhi. Photo: OGQ
Team India had finished an impressive fifth in the qualifying round on Wednesday. Earlier today, they started their campaign against Mexico in the Round of 16 and beat them by 217-215 points. In the quarterfinals they beat Netherlands 216-215 to set up the semi-final clash with the Koreans. Now India will take on Great Britain in the finals on Sunday.
OGQ has funded the training of Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Rai under the renowned Korean coach Lim Chae Wong. OGQ has also provided them the support of peak performance trainer Vaibhav Agashe and physiotherapist Dr. Nikhil Latey, Head, Sports Science and Rehabilitation at OGQ.
Wish our archers good luck for the final on Sunday.
Bangalore, 29 April 2012: The opening event of the inaugural edition of the AOM Indian National Autocross Championship has received a tremendous response with 98 entries and top drivers from across the country with many established rally stars will showcase their skills at the Palace grounds here on Sunday.
Some of the famous Indian National Championships are the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), the Indian National Racing Championship (NRC) and the Indian National Karting championship of the 7 championships. The Indian National Drag Racing championship made a debut last year and this year it would be Indian National Autocross championship, thanks to the interest taken by promoters and organisers.
Autorcross is a miniature version of the rally, where the spectators can enjoy watching the cars rally from a vantage point at one place without moving around for a fraction of the action during a rally.
There are six categories in which participants can drive to gather points. The driver who gets most number of points, overall in the six events to be held across the country this year, will be champion. Many have entered in more than one category, of the six classes that are based on cubic capacity of the engines while a seventh category is only for women.
Like the famous Australian Autocross, the event will see two drivers starting at the same time and competing against each other. They start from two different points and criss cross each other with the wooden bridge acting as a highlight with each driver going over it once and under it to complete the cross-over. However, the best-timed particpant will be on the leaderboard. Points are given to the first ten. The two lanes of the track measure to about 900 metres a lap and will be run twice. After the qualifying to determine the starting order, the Autocross proper will be held on Sunday afternoon and Monday.
The recce on Saturday was a bit delayed but nevertheless entertaining. With both the organisers and participants racing against the clock, to get the cross-over bridge ready, it was an anxious wait, worth it in the end.
Mysore maestro Lohitt Urs, who quit MRF to prove his stuff in INRC last year, Rahul Kanthraj, the jovial tactician, Vikram Devadasen, the technical hero and the evergreen Chetan Shivaram with the pompous Babban Khan will be some stars to watch.
Two cars will race against each other at a time over two laps on a circuit that is a mix of tight corners and fast sections that should test the driver and also the tuner of the car. The autocross has a unique, dirt and tarmac mix as the sections will see a run on both the hard and rough terrains providing a challenge for the tyre performance.
The first place gets 25 points and the one who finishes 10th, one point, just as in Formula One.
Calendar: The six rounds of the Indian National Autocross Championship will take place in Bangalore, Kochi (May 26-27), Coimbatore (July 14-15), Chennai (Sep 15-16) and Mumbai (Nov 3-4) and Bangalore on Dec 8-9.
It’s official: The Federation of Motorsports Clubs in India, the official ASN of FIA, the international federation, has granted a national status to the National Autocross Championship. It would be run under the aegis of Federation Internationale de l’Automabile (FIA) and subject to regulations laid down the international federation. So the FIA Sporting Code and FIA General Prescriptions (GP for Rally) and the FMSCI Autocross Championship Regulations will be under force.
Tarmac Queen returns: Navaz Sandhu, a star of yesteryears, who was dubbed as Tarmac Queen for her prohibitive speeds on hard surface, has successfully conducted as the clerk of the course, the two new rallies in Jodhpur and Orissa in the last two years for Indian National Rally Championship. She will be back, in the drivers’ seat, as she confirmed for the opening leg in Bangalore.
Safety first: Safety of the spectators, participants and everyone is of prime importance.As per theFederation guidelines, organisers have taken strong measures to barricade the entire circuit for spectator safety. Trauma care ambulances and fire engines are all in place, standing by for any emergency that all motorsports events throw up.
Rock your way: Two decades and going strong. Parikrama, will be there to rock the speedsters. The promoters and organisers saw it fit to provide a wholesome entertainment for the motorsport fans. And there you rock. The INAC Rock Hammer Competition is around. Several rock bands are expected to get an opportunity to showcase their talents and to perform alongside the everlasting Parikrama, Palace Grounds will ROCK on Sunday.
The BIG BOYS, we call them PANDHIS: The Bangalore Pandhis are a familiar name in the motoring circles. They don the stunning machines you and me dream of. The Harley Davidsons. Its not just a machine. It is a beast. The BIG BOYS will be here to entertain and show off. The Promoters Wynnsport, made sure that the Harley Davidson Club, showcase at least 25 bikes of their members.
Acrobatics: There will also be an Adventure Zone, complete with rappelling and games as well as an acrobatic show by the group Lakshya of Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bi Karega fame.
Bahrain, 19 April 2012 (Caterham Racing News): After an encouraging start to the season in Malaysia, where Caterham Racing collected ten championship points, the entire GP2 family is now in the Middle East for the double-header races in Bahrain. This means as part of a busy fortnight the series will race alongside the Formula One Grand Prix for the first weekend and then conduct two more races one week later at the only GP2 stand-alone event of the 2012 season.
Located at Sakhir, 30 km south-west of the island’s capital Manama, the Bahrain International Circuit boasts 50,000 grandstand seats and provides spectators with an excellent view point of the 5.412km track. The circuit features 15 turns, four straights, 18m change in elevation and at least three genuine overtaking opportunities.
The local dusty environment can severely reduce grip on track and increase tyre degradation and, combined with the expected hot temperatures, the demanding conditions will test the drivers’ physical fitness to the limit.
Caterham Racing Team Manager Phill Spencer: “Bahrain is a fantastic modern facility and we are looking forward to racing here. We have had a couple of weeks at home to regroup since Malaysia but since all our equipment arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday, straight from Malaysia, the guys have been very busy preparing the cars. After our performances in Malaysia we are quietly confident we can go out over the next two weekends and be competitive. Both Giedo and Rodolfo are keen to get out and race and our main objective is to get both cars in the points, so I am looking forward to seeing what unfolds.”
Rodolfo Gonzalez “We had a bit of bad luck in Malaysia but we did manage to take away some positives. We had strong race pace and it looks like we are pretty easy on the tyres which should play into our hands here in Bahrain. I have arrived in Bahrain feeling relaxed and confident I can keep building on the job I did in Malaysia. We need to make a couple of changes in our strategy and setup to get the best out of the car here, but overall I am looking forward to doing as good a job as I can at what is definitely a really good venue. I like the track here – there is a lot of hard braking where you must be careful not to go off line as the sand that sweeps across the track can ruin your tyres, but as long as we are smart I am confident we can do a good job and collect some points.”
Giedo van der Garde “I have come here straight from Shanghai after a positive FP1 session with Caterham F1 Team. It was really good to be back in the F1 car and both the team and I were happy with how it went, but now we are in Bahrain and it’s back to business with Caterham Racing in GP2. Our result in race two in Malaysia was good and we have already made some big developments with the car so I am very encouraged by that. As always, qualifying will be very important here. My aim is to be in the top four and hopefully from there we can win the race. I imagine the track will be very dusty and dirty to begin with so this is something to consider but overall it is a nice track and one I like competing on. The middle section is quite technical which is good from a driving perspective, so I am looking forward to getting out there and racing.”
Caterham F1 team logo
Caterham Racing Chief Engineer Humphrey Corbett: “We have arrived in Bahrain feeling quite confident about the races ahead. We haven’t been here for a while but both drivers know the circuit and we have quite a bit of experience of this track right across the team. I am happy with how the cars have developed and we have a good strong base set up to work with. With two quite long straights here we have a question mark over the level of down force we will use – it will probably be slightly less than what we have run in the past but we will look at that in more detail over the first weekend and see where we need to be. Overall I’m looking forward to both weekends – after our performances in Malaysia I am confident we can get both drivers up there in qualifying and give them the best shot at finishing in the points which has to be the aim for both race weekends.”
Oulton Park, Cheshire (UK), 9 April 2012: Indian racer from the port city of Vizag, overcame his inexperience and all odds as he displayed brilliant driving skills to stand on the podium with his teammate, in the inaugural race of the 2012 British GT championship which lived up to its fast-paced, closely competitive racing reputation here on Monday. The Indian driver Sailesh Bolisetti took the second spot on the podium in his Series debut.
The stage for the cracking race was set early in the day as drivers made their way to a very wet Oulton Park circuit in the morning, with the rain showing no signs of abating.
Luckily though, the first practice session on Friday was also held under similar conditions, which gave Sailesh an opportunity to get some wet-weather running under his belt.
“I thought that I’d much rather prefer a completely dry weekend, but with the race conditions it was turned out well that we had some experience in similar conditions.
“The lines, grip level and tyre characteristics are completely different”, he added.
By the virtue of setting the pace in first qualifying session for the Lotus Sport UK team, Sailesh was set to take the wheel in the opening stint in one-hour long first race.
A perfect rolling start later, Sailesh did well to hold the GT4 competition, while conditions went from bad to worse, with several cars going off around him.
“It was really treacherous, I could see cars going off and coming back all over the circuit. I was just focussing on keeping all wheels on the tarmac and keeping my nose out of trouble. But it was easier said than done since the bunched-up GT3 cars were throwing up an awful amount of spray and their taillights were all I had, to go on.”
Sailesh managed to keep things in one piece though, and the strategy was working well until the safety car was deployed in the 23rd minute after one of the GT3 cars stopped on the circuit.
The timing couldn’t have been worse as Sailesh was poised to hand over the car to his teammate Phil Glew at the time, with the mandatory pitstop window approaching.
The safety car period bunched up the car – which was good and bad in equal measures.
The GT4 competition was closer now, which meant Sailesh would have an opportunity to pass once the track went green again.
However, some of the GT3 cars had peeled off into the pitlane after the safety car was deployed and had re-joined at the back of the grid.
The fear was realised as the safety car came in and racing was resumed. The GT3 cars from the back of grid were jostling for position to move back through the field, bullying the slower GT4 cars out of the way. “We lost several crucial seconds getting out of the way and going off the racing line to let the GT3 cars pass. If it wasn’t for that we could have been fighting for the win.”
Sailesh finally came in after the half hour mark to hand the car over to his teammate, and some deft work by the Lotus Sport crew in the pitlane allowed the team to claw back some time.
Glew put his experience in extreme conditions to good use and proceeded to gain two places to give the team a second-placed finish.
Former BTCC driver and Lotus Sport UK team manager Gary Ayles was pleased with the rookie’s first outing saying: “Conditions couldn’t have been any difficult for a debutant, yet Sailesh showed great maturity and gave the car back to us in one piece – which isn’t what we can say about a lot of other experienced drivers today.”
Sailesh’s race engineer, Vic Lee also reiterated Ayles’ comments. “He did an extremely good job in his first race, didn’t make things difficult for us since conditions were plenty difficult anyways,” Lee said.
“At this point it is all about getting as much seat time as possible and staying out of trouble to finish. We’re on the podium for the first race of the season so things are looking quite promising,” he added.
Oulton Park (Cheshire, UK), 8 April 2012: Despite trying conditions, Indian Saloon car driver Sailesh Bolisetti put on a great showing on his first outing in the British GT championship here today. The series rookie displayed commendable driving maturity under trying conditions at the season-opening round at Oulton Park, according to a Press Release.
The characteristic British weather at the Cheshire circuit didn’t make things easy for the Indian as a wet first practice session ate into his track time and setup work pencilled in for the session earlier.
It was also the first time he was driving the
Sailesh in discussion with his race engineer during the British GT qualification in his debut race on Sunday. Photo courtesy Sailesh.
full track, having only tested on the shorter ‘Fosters’ layout last month.
“Certainly it wasn’t the start I was looking for in the morning, the track was soaking wet and the lines were completely different from the dry”, said Sailesh.
“At this early stage I would’ve much rather preferred a dry track to work with from start to finish.”
The track was still damp in the second free practice session but was deemed good for slicks.
The Indian driver then managed to make the most of his half hour session behind the wheel (one hour of practice being split between him and his teammate Phil Glew sharing the Lotus Evora GT4).
With conditions improving, Sailesh was able to get much closer to his experienced teammate’s benchmark.
“I was getting into the groove as the track dried up and the car was working well under those conditions.”
Buoyed by his progress, he was confident of his pace and looking forward to qualifying.
The British GT format includes two qualifying sessions, the results of each deciding grid position for the each of the two races.
Come qualifying, this time it was Sailesh who unconventionally took the wheel ahead of teammate Glew.
However, his relative inexperience came to the fore as he was unable to get the tyres and brakes into the operating window during the short 15-minute session.
“I was feeling a lot of vibration, and the car didn’t seem to have any grip. I wasn’t sure what was wrong, and was under pressure as I knew the clock was ticking.”
The team later discovered that Sailesh had not been able to get the brakes and tyres working since during all preceding sessions, it was teammate Glew who always took the wheel first, thereby leaving Sailesh alien to this aspect of car’s performance.
“It isn’t something we could foresee – Sailesh had never driven an opening stint before so he wasn’t familiar with the procedures we normally undertake to get the car working”, Lotus Sport UK team manager Gary Ayles suggested.
“During the testing and even practice sessions, we had been focussing solely on his speed and maximising track time since the aim was to get him settled in at the earliest”, he added.
“So it isn’t a shortcoming, just lack of track time and inexperience, and he should be ok from now on.”
The short qualifying session was soon over and still struggling with the car as he crossed the line, Sailesh ended up fifth on the GT4 grid.
As per regulations, he will now start race one and hand over the car to his teammate during the mandatory pitstop window between the 20th and 40th minute.
In the second qualifying session, Glew went on to clinch pole position in the GT4 category, confirming the potential of the team’s Evora GT4.
“We know for sure that we have a strong package, and we have a long race ahead of us on Monday”, conceded Sailesh.
I am therefore aiming to move through the field quickly and finish as high as possible.”
“The circumstances were a bit unusual today, but there is something to learn from every experience – especially so early in my stint here”, he concluded.
The two one-hour races are scheduled on Monday April 9th.
Imola, 8 April 2012: The first Indian MotoGP driver Sarath Kumar, became the first Indian to earn International points finishing 7th after his teammate, Riccardo Moretti won the 125GP/Moto3 race of the year at the Italian Championship in Imola’s Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
“It is a moment of great pride and I the satisfaction of scoring my first points in an international championship is an amazing feeling,” said an elated Sarath Kumar. “I am thankful to all the encouragement and support given to me by the Mahindra team, my manager and the everyone at the Group,” he added.
Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and MD, Mahindra & Mahindra who was present teo witness the historic moment for India said: “We are ecstatic about our second consecutive win in the Italian Championship today. Riccardo Moretti has shown tremendous skill and expertise in negotiating the circuit under damp conditions. We are particularly proud of our fellow Indian Sarath Kumar for scoring his first-ever International points.” Incidentally, they are international points for an Indian rider for the first time.
After heavy rainfall, the Italian track was still wet for the 125/Moto3 race. Riccardo Moretti got a good start and had to fight immediately with Moto3 riders for the first overall position. At the end of the 10th lap Moretti got the chequered flag while his team-mate Kumar ended up with a fantastic 7th position.
At the end of this second race, Moretti maintained the leadership in the standings with 50 points while Kumar is currently ninth, thanks to the 9 points obtained on Sunday.
Next CIV race is scheduled for the 29th of April at Monza.
“It’s been a really tough race. My bike improved a lot compared to yesterday’s qualifying, but we were not still 100% with the set-up. My technicians were still impressive to allow me to win the second race in a row in the Italian Championship,” said a pleased Riccardo Moretti.
“I was involved in some hard fight straight after the start with some Moto3 riders and it’s been a good race, although the track conditions have made it all harder. I’m happy for the win and I want to thank Mahindra and all my team.”
125 GP- Italian Championship – Race : 1. Moretti (Mahindra); 2. Dalla Porta (Aprilia); 3. Mantovani (Aprilia); 4. Carpi (Aprilia); 5. Mazzola (Aprilia); 6. Arciero (Aprilia); 7. Kumar (Mahindra);
File picture with Anand Mahindra: Photo: Mahindra Racing
Oulton Park, Cheshire (United Kingdom) 4 April 2012: Indian saloon car racer Sailesh Bolisetti is all set to make his British GT debut with the Lotus Sport UK team here this weekend.
The seven-round 2012 season of the premier British Sportscar championship is shaping up to be one of the most-fiercely competitive in recent times, thanks to a strong 23-car grid featuring several manufacturer-backed entries.
Sailesh will be piloting the Lotus Evora in the GT4 category, amidst strong competition with the category comprising of cars like the Nissan 370Z, BMW M3, Aston Martin N24, Ginetta G50 and Mazda MX5 GT. However, he is well-prepared for the weekend which at best will be a trail by the fire – given the amount of experienced drivers on the grid, including his teammates.
Having got some track time in the Evora GT4 last month, the Vizag lad concedes that it is going to be a steep learning curve. “My first experience in the Evora was overwhelming; it was a completely different beast to anything else I had driven before.” Since he has exclusively raced front-wheel drive cars throughout his career, Sailesh had to make considerable changes to his driving style to adapt to the 360 bhp rear-drive race car. “Maybe it didn’t help that it was my first time in a rear-wheel drive, but after a few sessions I was reasonably comfortable with its behaviour and am looking forward to carry the momentum into my first race weekend”.
The team was satisfied with Sailesh’s progress at the test, with his experienced teammate Phil Glew acting as the benchmark throughout. The weekend at Oulton Park comprises of two practice sessions, two qualifying sessions and two one-hour races. Harbouring the ambition to drive Le Mans-style endurance events, the format finds favour with the 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup India champion. “To me, long, endurance-style racing appeals more rather than 30-minute sprints. “In that sense, I think this is the right first step as the races are an hour long minimum, we have a couple of two-hour events and even a three-hour event on calendar later in the season.”
Despite being only in his second year of international racing, Sailesh is aiming to push hard from the get-go, even though the whole setup of the championship and machinery may take some time getting used to. “There is no time to waste really – I know the car reasonably well, and have the full support of my team behind me. So I’ll be pushing hard from the very first practice session.
“In endurance racing, if a driver doesn’t perform at a high-level, it ends up dragging the whole team down even if everyone else is doing their best. “I’m not planning to be that guy, so there is no option but to do my best. “We have a competitive car and most likely we’ll end up fighting for the GT4 championship – so there’s no way I can lag behind.”
The British GT points’ system is similar to the one employed in Formula 1 – 25 points to the winner all the way to a solitary point for the tenth placed finisher. Of course, points are allotted category-wise (for GT3 and GT4 for instance) even though the entire grid races concurrently – the norm in endurance racing.
One pit-stop is compulsory during the one-hour race, whereas the two and three hour races need a minimum of two and three stops respectively. The British GT championship is predominantly based in the UK, although there is one round at Germany’s infamous Nurburgring Circuit, coinciding with the legendary Nurburgring 24-hour weekend. For now though, Sailesh is focussed on the job at hand – the upcoming race weekend.
“Obviously I wish to perform at my best, despite my limited experience. But more importantly, I want to absorb as much information as possible from my team, including my experienced teammates. “There are no shortcuts to the learning curve, but I want to get through it as quickly and smoothly as possible.”
Shailesh Bolishetty will be driving a Lotus Evora (in Pic) – GT4
12 hours Sebring, Florida – FIA World Endurance Championship Round 1
Practice Session 1: 15th Position Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck: JRM HPD - 1m55.557s
Practice Session 2: 10th Position Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck: JRM HPD - 1m52.818s
Practice Session 3: 5th Position Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck: JRM HPD - 1m51.459s
Qualifying Session: 5th Position Brabham/Chandhok/Dumbreck: JRM HPD - 1m48.439s
March 17, 2012, Sebring, USA: Indian racing sensation Karun Chandhok’s JRM team continued their fine form in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) opening round at Sebring, USA after qualifying in 5th position for the iconic 12 Hour Race.
The Honda Performance Development (HPD ARX 3a) car has shown progress from the first testing session and continued that form into qualifying as well. A delighted Karun said, “The team is working really well as a unit and I’m glad I’ve been able to settle into the incredible world of Sportscars this quickly. It feels great to also be competing at the front end of such an elite field and be able to put in some consistently good times for the team. I’m looking forward to my first endurance race in the WEC and to be the first Indian to take the start-line at the iconic Sebring Raceway is definitely an honour”.
Team Principal, James Rumsey said, “JRM Racing is going into the first season of the FIA World Endurance Championship with a great team, a great car and three great drivers. All of them bring a wealth of experience – in different ways – which means they have a good mix of skills and knowledge between them.
We are delighted that Karun has joined us this year. He has settled into the team well and already proved he’s quick – even though driving sportscars is a completely new experience for him.
I’m sure that having three drivers of such good quality is going to make a big difference and give us an advantage over some of the other teams. Whatever happens, there’s no doubt we have an exciting season ahead us.”
About JRM
After winning the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship with Nissan, The British-based JRM Racing will partner with Honda Performance Developments to enter the brand new FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP1 class. JRM Racing will enter a single LMP1 Honda Performance Development ARX-03a powered by a specially designed and tested 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. The ARX-03a is currently hailed as the most competitive petrol Le Mans Prototype around.
