INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • HK Pradeep bags top honours in MRF Supercross Round 1

    Bangalore 15 May 2011: Team TVS Racing put up a spirited fight at the first leg of the MRF National Supercross Championship despite suffering a setback even before the first round of the competition. The initial leg, held at Bangalore today, did not see participation of Team TVS Racing’s flamboyant lead rider C S Santosh who had crashed on his Apache RTR 250 fx motorcycle during the practice rounds. A sombre TVS Team however took up the challenge and finished the day in style by taking podium positions in every race in which they participated. H K Pradeep who was adjudged the best rider of the day after winning the Class I Foreign Open – Group A 250 cc – 500 cc race.

    It was excitement from the word go. The first race of the day, Foreign Open Group A 250cc – 500 cc saw privateer C D Jinan from Kerala taking the lead initially in the first lap. But his glory was short lived as he fell while negotiating a sharp curve towards the middle of the first lap giving competitor privateer Veer Patel from Vadodara the chance to snatch the lead, followed closely by HK Pradeep in second place and Aravind K P in third place, both from Team TVS Racing. But as fate would have it, Veer Patel’s motorcycle stalled in lap 5 giving H K Pradeep and Aravind K P the opening to move into first and second place. Aravind K P then engaged in a closely fought endeavour to take the lead and win the race. Veer Patel came in third.

    In second moto however, Aravind overcame a slow start to finish ahead of privateer Veer Patel, but was not able to get the better of team mate H K Pradeep who finished first. Both Veer Patel and Aravind K P overtook C D Jinan in the first turn itself and continued until the end of the race finishing in second and third positions respectively. In all 11 riders participated in each of the motos.

    Team TVS Racing excelled in the Class III Indian Experts Group C up to 260 cc race as well, winning not only one, two and three but also four five and six. The only perceivable competition came from that of privateer CD Jinan, who was placed third at the end of the second lap. But in his enthusiasm to push his machine to the limits, he fell in lap 3 giving TVS riders just the room they were looking for. Both motors of Class III Indian Experst Group B upto 260 cc was again dominated by Team TVS Racing riders with teammates Aravind KP and Pradeep HK finishing first and second and fellow team mate Pramod Joshua finishing a distant third. The Class II Novice Group C upto 260cc was won by privateer Anil Kumar from Bangalore, while Basheer Ahmed of Team TVS Racing and Privateer Syed Dastagiri of Shimoga stood second and third respectively.

    The locals impressed in a closely run race with almost nine to ten riders jostling for space around corners to overtake one another. Madhu S took top honours winning the race, followed by Shabaz Khan.

    The next leg of the championship will take place in Comibatore next Sunday, 22nd May 2011

    Class 1: Foreign Open Group A 250 CC – 500 CC Moto – I (11, Riders, 10 Laps)
    PositionRiderTeamIAravind KPTVS RacingIIH K PradeepTVS RacingIIIVeer PatelVadodara
    Class 1: Foreign Open Group A 250 CC – 500 CC Moto – I (11, Riders, 10 Laps)
    PositionRiderTeamIH K PradeepTVS RacingIIAravind K PTVS RacingIIIVeer PatelVadodara
    Class 1: Foreign Open Group A 250 CC – 500 CC – Combined Results
    PositionRiderTeamIH K PradeepTVS RacingIIAravind K PTVS RacingIIIVeer PatelVadodara
    Class 3: Indian Experts Group B Up To 260CC (11 Riders, 6 Laps) Moto – I
    PositionRiderTeamIArvind K PTVS RacingIIH K PradeepTVS RacingIIIPramod JoshuaTVS Racing
    Class 3: Indian Experts Group B Up To 260CC (11 Riders, 6 Laps) Moto – II
    PositionRiderTeamIAravind K PTVS RacingIIH K PradeepTVS RacingIIIPramod JoshuaTVS Racing
    Class 3: Indian Experts Group B, Up To 260CC – Combined Results
    PositionRiderTeamIArvind K PTVS RacingIIH K PradeepTVS RacingIIIPramod JoshuaTVS Racing
    Class 2: Novice Group C, Up To 260CC (33 Riders, 5 Laps)
    PositionRiderTeamIAnil KumarBangaloreIIBasheer AhmedTVS RacingIIISyed DastagiriShimoga
    Class 4: Locals Group B Up To 260CC (25 Riders, 5 Laps)
    PositionRiderTeamIMadhu SBangaloreIIVinod LBangaloreIIIShabaz KhanBangalore
    Class 5: Indian Experts Group C Up To 260CC (14 Riders, 6 Laps)
    PositionRiderTeamIPramod JoshuaTVS RacingIINatarajTVS RacingIIIMohammed AzgharTVS Racing
    Class 6: Private Experts, Group C, Up To 260CC (26 Riders, 5 Laps)
    PositionRiderTeamIMadhu SBangaloreIIVinod LBangaloreIIIAdnan AhmedMangalore
    Class 7: Private Foreign Open, Group A, Up To 250CC / 500CC (14 Riders, 8 Laps)
    PositionRiderTeamICD JinanKeralaIIZain KhanMumbaiIIIAllan SequieraGoa

  • FMSCI elects Vicky Chandhok as President

    Chennai, 21 Dec 2010: At the 37th AGM of the FMSCI chaired by Dr. Vijay Mallya yesterday in Chennai, Mr. Vicky Chandhok, past President of the FMSCI from 2003 – 05, was elected President once again by the council in attendance, with Mr. Shrikant Karani being elected as Vice President. 2011 looks to be one of the most promising years in Indian Motorsport history with the inaugural Indian GP taking place in Noida in October.


    Vicky Chandhok will take over as President from Mr. KD Madan. Chandhok is no stranger to Indian motorsport and has been instrumental in bringing the first Formula One Grand Prix to India. Shrikant Karani, who has been involved in motorsport for over three decades, is Vice President of the FIM Asia has played a key role in promoting 2-wheeler racing in the country.


    On his appointment as President for a second time, Mr. Chandhok commented, “Firstly I must thank the outgoing President KD Madan for his crucial role promoting the sport in the country. He has been an inspiration to the association and been instrumental in setting up management systems for FMSCI clubs and in particular, the Doctrine of Internal Management to add credibility to the Clubs in India. While it is indeed heartening to have the support of my peers at the FMSCI, there is a lot of work to be done to improve the infrastructure of the sport in the country. I have always been pushing for the sport to grow at the grass root level before all else. We’ve had our team doing just that with Rallying, Motocross and Go-Karting respectively and we will look to carry this into all segments from the next year on. We will have a renewed focus on rallying in India and will work hard to ensure it is up to international standards. We are keen to push all forms of racing in India and I will work closely with my new team to ensure we achieve this. It is promising also, to see our two officials, Anand Sashidharan and Roop Kumar, on the official list of the FIM Commission”.

    While this year itself has been a tremendous boost to motorsport, 2011 will see the sport grow even further with a total of 9 National Championships, the latest additions being the National Motocross Championship to be run by the Goa Motorsports Academy and the National Drag Racing Championship promoted by Spitfire Motorsport in Coimbatore; the largest number of events Indian motorsport will have witnessed. The Indian National Rallying Championship, with the help of promoter IMG Sports, will aim to get its vigour back with rallies around the country. In addition special events like RAIDS and other endurance events will also be an area of focus for the FMSCI.

    “With the first Indian Grand Prix also in the mix, it promises to be India’s biggest year thus far in motorsport and I look forward to carrying my vision on karting, racing, rallying and grass root level motorsport and meeting global standards in India. Having already conducted our first marshals training program, the FMSCI will look to bring in experienced stewards from Europe to oversee events bring further developments on the safety and administrative fronts as well. With motorsport still in a relatively nascent stage in comparison to our European counterparts, it’s important to identify our shortcomings, accept them and only then can we look forward and build a stronger base for the rising stars from the Indian motorsport fraternity.” , Chandhok signed off.

    The President addressed the need to have active interactions with auto manufacturers, both 2 and 4 wheelers to encourage them to use the platform of motorsport, to meet as many of the event organisers, not just of championship event but also to help conduct the sport at the grass root level.

    FMSCI Chairman Dr Vijay Mallya, who chaired the AGM said “The Auto Industry in India is on the move as is our country and we are seeing a complete transformation largely driven by young Indians. Indian Motorsport should not be left behind and we should do whatever it takes our sport forward in the fast lane. With the F1 GP coming to India for the first time as well as the FIA General Assembly and the FIA Annual Awards ceremony to be held in New Delhi next December , it is an ideal opportunity for us to tap and showcase motorsports to attract more Corporates and sponsors.”

    The following clubs were elected to the council for the forthcoming year:

    • MMSC (Madras Motor Sports Club)
    • CASC (Coimbatore Auto Sports Club)
    • KMSC (Karnataka Motor Sports Club)
    • Sportscraft , Mumbai
    • Sportstrek, Pune
    • BMSC (Bengal Motor Sports Club)
    • HMSA (Himalayan Motor Sports Association)
    • Spitfire Motorsports Pvt Ltd, Coimbatore

  • Indian Motorsports Marshals Club formed to train Marshals for Indian GP

    Chennai, 21 Dec 2010: The Indian Motorsport Marshals Club (IMMC) has been formed as a national-level organization to provide race officials and marshals to manage the first-ever Indian F1 GP at the Jaypee Circuit, Noida, Delhi on 30th October 2011. Under the auspices of the Federation of Motorsport Sports Club of India (FMSCI) and the international FIA Institute of Motor Safety, the IMMC have just completed the first-level training programme to ensure the F1 Grand Prix (GP) in 2011 is a real sporting success.

    Marshalls willing to sign up can do so with the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle), www.immc.in that has been created for this, to volunteer to work at the first-ever F1 GP in India. These marshals will then go through a selection and training programme to ensure the best quality marshals. The MSA will provide support throughout 2011 up to an including the GP itself.

    Founding members of the Marshals Club. Adrenna photo

    This training is part of a thorough on-going programme of support and development provided by the Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports Association of the UK (MSA). Two trainers, Sue Sanders and Ian Watson have spent the last 4 days this week, working with senior motorsports officials of this country who will on to undertake training of new and existing marshals across the country.

    Sanders said “The people we have worked with have been so enthusiastic; it’s been a real pleasure to work with them. They seem to be very passionate about motorsports and we are looking forward to helping out in any way possible”.

    Ian Watson commented “There are certain individuals within the group who are very experienced and they’ve proven throughout the week their intention and determination to deliver very high quality training for all marshals.”

    The MSA Training Team will be back to provide further support in the build up to the event and some of the senior officials might also visit at least one other F1 GP for intensive hands-on tracks-side training at all levels including the conclusion of the Train-The-Trainers Course. As a result of the formation of the IMMC, the FMSCI will soon have a large pool of licensed marshals to officiate at all the FMSCI events around the country on a need be basis, thereby adding further improvements to the administration of the sport.

  • Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif win Misty Meadows Rally

    Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif win Misty Meadows Rally

    By David Bodapati

    Kuttikkanam, 19 Dec 2010: Reigning National champion and speed demon Gaurav Gill of Team MRF overcame the jinx of `Triple S’ on his favourite tarmac surface to comfortably win the Misty Meadows Rally of Kerala, but Naren Kumar of Red Rooster Racing despite finishing third kept his lead in the Speed Indian National Racing Championship standings as the Fifth round came to a close at the winding ghat roads of the mountains of Sahyadri near here on Sunday.

    Naren Kumar with co-driver Ram Kumar, the six-time National winners, made sure that they are perched at the top though they lost the rally to Gaurav Gill (co-driver Mussa Sherif). Red Rooster Racing also saw that they bagged second, third and fourth places while MRF had to be content with the top slot. Gill made sure that he controlled his speed and finished the Super Special Special (SSS) which was his nemesis in two of the earlier rounds.

    Gaurav Gill, left, and co-driver Musa Sherif with the trophies after winning the Misty Meadows rally on Sunday. An INDIAinF1 image
    Gaurav Gill, left, and co-driver Musa Sherif with the trophies after winning the Misty Meadows rally on Sunday. An INDIAinF1 image

    However, the heros of the day were Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkota and his Red Rooster teammate Vikram Mathias, the only drivers to go under two minutes in the spectator friendly Super Special Stage. Ghosh along with co-driver (Ashwin Naik) was faster by one-hundredth of a second than Vikram (PV Srinivasa Murthy) but for a change the MRF speedster, Gill, managed to win the rally without any last minute hiccups in the Super Special.

    With this win Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) earned 15 points to add to Nashik’s 16 and jumped to third place in the standings with 31 points, while Naren Kumar (Ram) added 8 points to his 30 to keep the lead in the points table with 38 points. Vikram Mathias (PVS Murthy) kept their second position overall with 33 points as he added 5 points (4th place) here. Amittraji Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) and Arjun Rao Aroor (Srikanth Gowda) with 29 and 26 points stay at a striking distance behind the leaders.

    The `Triple S’ held at Hill View (Special Stage 1 near Vegamon) provided a fitting finale to the enchanting Misty Meadows Rally of Kerala with a few hundreds of spectators thronging to the Super Special stage for some seat-edged thrill and excitement. Three of the spectators got a `ride of their life’ when the champion driers give them a joy ride after the Rally.

    In the 2000N category, Ovion Racing’s Chikmagalur-Bangalore pair of Girijashankar Joshy and Chndramouli M showed controlled aggression in the Super Special Stage to climb to the top of the National Standings ahead of staunch rivals Sujay Suresh and co-driver Bharath SM, who took the second position. Sirish Chandran (Nikhil Pai) of team Overdrive was third.

    In the 1600cc class, Bangalore pair of Rahul Kantharaj and co-driver Vivek Y Bhat won the Rally ahead of Shailendra Hegde / Shiraj Ahmed and Ranjit Gopinath and Suresh Babu finished third. Thus, Rahul and Vivek took a narrow lead in the Championship with 45 points while Shilendra and Shiraj could garner only 44 points for second in the table.

    In the 1400 cc class, with local stars Dr Bikku Babu (Vinod Gowda) and Bonnie Thomas (Jeevarathinam) out of the rally, Byram Godraj (Anjay Kapadia) edged out Bangalore brothers Balram CG and Raghuram CG to take the top honours. Anirudha Ranganathan and Halley Prabhakar finished third.

    However, the other local favourite Elias Thomas Paarel (Thomas Phillip) will be on the podium as he is placed third behind the formidable Army teams in the Gypsy class. Amrinder Brar (co-driver Nilesh) sealed the issue with a comfortable win and virtually won the championship in the Gypsy class taking an unbeatable lead with only one round to go. Shakti Bajaj and Dharmesh were second.

    Venkatapathy MR with co-driver Santosh Kumar won the the Rally Star Cup over championship leaders Phalguna Urs and Anoop Kumar who finished second here. Harikesav N and Somayya are third.

    The Rally of Kerala, is organized by Pas-Sear Adventures under the aegis of FMSCI with Bharat Petroleum as the principal sponsors and is promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion (PSP).

    Provisional Unaudited Results – Final:

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Team MRF) 1 hour 14 minutes 37.8 secs; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh /Ashwin Naik (Red Rooster Racing) 1: 15: 03.0 secs; 3. Naren Kumar/ Ram Kumar D (Red Rooster Racing) 1: 15: 52.8 secs.

    2000 N+ class: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Team MRF) 1 hour 14 minutes 37.8 secs; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh /Ashwin Naik (Red Rooster Racing) 1: 15: 03.0 secs; 3. Naren Kumar/ Ram Kumar D (Red Rooster Racing) 1: 15: 52.8 secs.

    2000N class: 1. Girijashankar Joshy/ Chandramouli M (Team Ovion) 1:21: 47.7; 2. Sujay Suresh/ Bharath SM 1: 21: 51.1; 3. Sirish Chandran/ Nikhil Pai (Team Overdrive) 1: 27: 01.7;

    1600 cc class: 1. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Y Bhat (Privateer) 1: 26: 56.1; 2. Shailendra Hegde /Shiraj Ahmed 1: 30: 24.0; 3. Ranjit Gopinath/ Suresh Babu 1: 30: 46.1;

    1400 cc class: 1. Byram Godrej/ Anjay Kapadia 1: 28: 42.6; 2. Balram CG/ Raghuram CG 1: 29:16.1; 3. Aniruddha Ranganathan/ Halley Prabhakar 1: 34: 32.0;

    Rally Star Cup: 1. Venkatapathy MR/ Santosh Kumar S 1: 29: 03.7; 2. Phalguna V Urs/ Anoop Kumar 1: 29: 39.0; 3. Harikeshav N/ Somayya AG 1: 31: 26.7;

    Gypsy class: 1. Amrinder Brar/ Nilesh (Army Adventure Wing) 1: 30: 29.7; 2. Shakti Bajaj/ Dharmesh Sinha (AAW) 1: 33: 26.4; 3. Elias Thomas Paarel/ Thomas Phillip 1: 36: 15.9;

    ends/ Note: Updated from the archives of old website

  • CS Santosh blazes away to National Supercross title

    Team TVS Racing finishes 1st and 2nd overall in MRF National Supercross Championship

    Pune, 13 Dec 2010: In a fitting finish to the MRF Supercross National Championship, team TVS Racing, which is celebrating its 25th year of racing asserted its supremacy on the race track sweeping the first and second championship positions.

    The final race of the championship which was held in Pune saw Team TVS Racing’s star rider C S Santosh, not only finish the race with finesse but also steal the thunder by being crowned best rider of the day.

    Santosh finished the championship round with a total of 219 points, a difference of 45 points from his nearest rival and team mate, Aravind K P who ended the race with 169 points. The hierarchy of winners of the MRF Supercross Championship therefore stands as C S Santosh as the overall champion, followed by Aravind K P in second place and C D Jinan, in third place with 168 championship points.

    Though it was a matter of winning ten points in the Pune leg to sweep the championship, it was no easy task for C S Santosh, as both track and competition were equally fierce. Fellow team mate Aravind K P rode hard to hold on to the lead until the third lap in the first moto when he lost his balance allowing C S Santosh to capitalize and whiz past him to take final honours. Santosh finished off in signature style winning both motos to bag the championship.

    “Speed, performance and endurance is what it took Team TVS Racing to cross the finish line in the winning position on the race track. This is a special win for us as it coincides with our celebration of 25th year of racing. I give full credit to all our riders for their stunning performances this year. We are proud to have spotted and nurtured the talent in C S Santosh, who rides for us not only in India but abroad as well. Aravind K P has also proved to be an able competitor.” said Arvind Pangaonkar, Adivsor Racing, TVS Motor Company.

    Winning rider C S Santosh said that he was overwhelmed with his performance in Pune and it was a special feeling to win the championship in the silver jubilee year of TVS Racing. “Key skills that I picked up while training in the US and while riding abroad has helped me immensely” he said.

  • FMSCI nominees included in FIM Commissions

    Chennai, December 10, 2010: It was a proud day for Indian motorsports when the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Board of Directors approved, during its meeting held in Estoril on 2 December, the composition of the FIM Commissions which for the first time in the history of the FIM, includes two Indian officials nominated by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

    Anand Sashidharan and Roop Kumar Padhmanabhan, both from Chennai have the distinction of representing India and the FMSCI on the FIM Commissions. Anand Sashidharan has been appointed a member of the FIM International Judicial Commission while Roop Kumar Padmanabhan, was included in the FIM International Technical Commission (officials panel) for a 4 year term until 2014, according to the new statutes approved during the 2010 FIM Congress held in Macau (China).

    Rajan Syal, CEO of the FMSCI was proud of the appointment of FMSCI’s nominees and stated “This is a great day for Indian motorsports as for the first time ever there are two Indian officials included by the FIM. It also goes to show that India as a country is maturing in the motorsport arena. The FMSCI is committed to ensuring that India has a larger impact on a global scale and this is a big step for us. While Anand will be part of the judicial commission, Roop will be a part of the Technical commission I am confident that Anand and Roop will do an excellent job as FMSCI representatives for the FIM”.

    The FIM, founded in 1904, is the governing body for motorcycle sport and the global advocate for motorcycling. An independent association formed by 101 National Federations throughout the world, the FIM is recognised as the sole competent authority in motorcycle sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Among its 49 FIM World Championships the main events are MotoGP, Superbike, Endurance, Motocross, Supercross, Trial, Enduro, Cross-Country Rallies and Speedway. The FIM also deals with non-sporting matters such as leisure motorcycling, mobility, transport, road safety, public policy and the environment. The FIM was the first International Sporting Federation to enforce an Environmental Code in 1994.

  • Arjun Rao-Satish Rajagopal pair wins K1000 rally

    By Bodapati David

    Bangalore,  5 Dec 2010: Darkhorse Arjun Rao Aroor of Team MRF, with Satish Rajagopal navigating the Mitsubishi Cedia, won the K-1000 Rally, the fourth round of the Speed Indian National Rally Championship making a grand 1-2 finish for MRF as they displayed controlled aggression clocking the second-best time at the Super Special Stage here on Sunday.

    However, it was Lohit Urs (Srikanth Gowda), who stole the limelight today with a lightening run covering the of the 4.5km in a blazing 5 minute 59 seconds, the only car on the day to go under six minutes. He thrilled the audience with his driving and as his car drifted sideways towards the grand stand, the crowd gave him a thundering applause. The MRF driver who was unfortunate to go out of contention for top honours on Saturday, finished second and was followed by Red Rooster Racing’s Vikram Mathias and PV Srinivasa Murthy. Vikram who stalled his car during the first lap lost a lot of time but still provided seat-edged thrills for the spectators to clock 6 min 20 seconds.

    Thus, Arjun Rao Aroor pitchforked himself into contention for the Speed INRC title but even as Naren Kumar  leads the table with Vikram Mathias running close behind. “It was a fantastic day for me. I am at the crossed roads and  before this event I decided that I would prove all my critics wrong or else quit the sport. I am so glad, I won this rally,” said a visually pleased Arjun Aroor.

    Bangalore Brothers Balram CG and Raghuram CG came overall third, a stunning performance and finished first in their class, the 1400 cc with a timing of 2 hours 17 minutes 14.5 seconds.  Rattan Gangadhar and Nikuj finished second.

    The Rally Star Cup saw Kaushik H Shinde and Ninad A Mirajgaonkar win the K-1000 with a comfortable 39 second lead over Dr Dhirendra Kumar and Ravi Raidurg, who had to be content with a second position.

    The Army team of Amrinder Brar, with Himanshu as co-driver, virtually won the Speed INRC title in the Gypsy class with a fourth straight win while teammates Shakti Bajaj and Dharmesh Sinha came second followed by Harpreet Singh Sidhu and Hardevinder Brar.

    Though the Lankan team of Ahamed Farooque and Ashan E Silva, driving a Mitsubishi Evo 10, put on view the beast of a machine on Sunday in the Super Special Stage, they failed to finish the rally in the Open Class.

    After the triple S, Speed Master and ambassador for Bharat Petroleum, Narain Karthikeyan, entertained the audience with a quick lap. The first Indian to drive in Formula One said that he took part in simulator test for Force India after the last race in Abu Dhabi recently. Olympian and hockey legend MM Somaya was also present.

    Provisional Unaudited Final Results:

    Overall: 1. Arjun Rao Aroor/ Satish K Rajagopal (Team MRF) 1 hour 53 min 32.6 secs; 2. Lihitt V Urs/ Srikanth Gowda (MRF) 1: 53: 22.7 secs; 3. Balram CG/ Raghuram CG (privateers) 02: 17: 14.5 secs.

    2000 N+ class: 1. Arjun Rao Aroor/ Satish K Rajagopal (Team MRF) 1 hour 53 min 32.6 secs; 2. Lihitt V Urs/ Srikanth Gowda (MRF) 1: 53: 22.7 secs; 3. Vikram Mathias/ PV Srinivasa Murthy (Red Rooster Racing) 2: 17: 28.4.

    1400 cc class: Balram CG/ Raghuram CG (privateer) 02: 17: 14.5 secs; 2.Rattan N Gangadhar/ Nikunj GN (pvt) 2: 57: 02.3.

    Rally Star Cup: 1. Kaushik H Shinde/ Ninad A Mirajgaonkar (pvt) 2: 14: 15.8; 2. Dr Dhirendra Kumar/ Ravi Raidurg 2: 14: 54.0; 3. Aditya S /Kariappa KB (pvt) 2: 18: 00.4;

    Gypsy class: 1. Amrinder Brar/ Himanshu (Army Adventure Wing) 2: 09: 40.6; 2. Shakti Bajaj/ Dharmesh Sinha (AAW) 2: 14: 51.1; 3. Harpreet Singh Sidhu/ Hardevinder S Brar 2: 17: 14.5;

    Ends

  • Naren-Ram thrill crowds winning in the Rajasthan desert tracks

    By David Bodapati

    Jodhpur, 19 Sept 2010: Come-back king Naren Kumar, with veteran navigator Ram Kumar in tow, was in his elements as he thrilled the Sunday crowd with controlled aggression in the Super Special Stage but still kept his cool to finish the rally for a second successive victory in the Rally of Rajasthan, the third round of the Speed Indian National Rally Championship 2010 for cars to firmly entrench Team Red Rooster Racing on top of the leaderboard for manufacturers as the first rally in Rajasthan ended here with a sizeable crowd enjoying the daring feats of the drivers.

    The third round of the high-octane Speed INRC also helped the champion from Coimbatore to take the lead over former champion and Red Rooster teammate Vikram Mathias by three points. Naren who got 10 points for this victory will now have 27 points to Vikram’s 24. Red Rooster Racing’s Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) finished second but it was Lohit Urs and Srikanth Gowda of Team MRF who scorched the tracks at the Chamia Polo ground to set the fastest time in the `triple s’ to clock 1 min 53.2 seconds, a fraction of a second faster than second placed Ghosh.

    Regarded as the most prestigious event in Indian Motorsports, the 3rd round, Rally of Rajasthan, of Speed INRC was organized by Sportscraft under the aegis of FMSCI and is promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion.

    Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia in the 2000 cc N+ category, Naren Kumar and co-driver Ramkumar were not back in the contention for the National title after a disappointing start in the first event at Nashik. Teammate Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik too bagged valuable points to come back into striking distance.

    Sponsored by Bharat Petroleum’s SPEED brand, the Jodhpur round turned out to be a thriller with defending champion Gaurav Gill of Team MRF taking the Maharaja of Jodhpur on a joy ride around the circuit and then did his sliding drifts which sparked seat-edged excitement to the spectators today. Gill crashed out yesterday and could not officially compete today.

    Bangalore duo Rahul Kantharajj and Vivek Bhatt pipped arch rivals Shailendar Hegde and Sheeraz in the SSS today and took the honours in the 1600cc class while Vishal and Robinson finished third.

    However, it was Kerala pair Dr Bikku Babu and Bonnie Thomas who are unsung heroes as they not only won the 1400cc class but comprehensively defeated  higher-rated cars and drivers finishing overall 8 ahead of all 1600cc cars. Byram Godrey and Anjay Kapadia were second in 1400cc category.

    Venkatapathy MR and Santosh Kumar won the Rally Star Cup while Maj Amrinder Brar and Lt.Col Himanshu Parek from the Army Adventure Wing came out triumphant in the Gypsy class.

    Provisional Unaudited – Final Classification:

    Overall: 1. Naren Kumar / Co-driver Ram Kumar, Red Rooster Racing, 35:50.9; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik, Red Rooster Racing, 36:36.8; 3. Lohit Urs/ Srikanth Gowda, Team MRF, 37:12.9;

    Group 2000cc N+: 1. Naren Kumar / Co-driver Ram Kumar, Red Rooster Racing, 35:50.9; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik, Red Rooster Racing, 36:36.8; 3. Lohit Urs/ Srikanth Gowda, Team MRF, 37:12.9;

    Group 2000cc N: 1. Girijashankar Joshy / Chandramouli M, Ovion Racing, 40:10.9; 2. Sujay Suresh/ Bharath SM 41:23.1; Sirish Chandran/ Nikhil Pai Team Overdrive 42:05.1;

    Group 1600cc N: 1. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Bhatt privateer (pvt) 42:56.1; 2. Shailendar Hegde/ Sheraz Ahmed, pvt 43:30.6; 3. Vishal GA/ Robinson, pvt 48:04.6;

    Group 1400cc N: 1. Dr Bikku Babu/ Bonnie Thomas, pvt – Kerala, 41:49.0; 2. Byram Godrej/ Anjay Kapadia, pvt, 47:54.0; 3.Sanjay Sikand/ Koka Rahul Rao, 49:33.4;

    Group Rally Star Cup (RSC): 1. Venkatapathy MR/ Santtosh Kumar S, 44:52.0; 2. Harikesav N/Ashvin Nadig, pvt, 45:10.8; 3. Kaushik H Shinde/ Ninand A Mirajgaonkar, pvt, 47: 01.0;

    Group Gypsy: 1. Maj Amarinder S Brar/ Himanshu Pareek, pvt – Army Adventure Wing, 47:16.6; 2. Harpreet Singh Sidhu/ Sanjay B Gokhale, AA Wing, 48:16.5, 3. Sameer Pandey/ Honey Narula, Pvt, 48:32.5.

  • MAK K1000 INRC bike rally on Sunday

    Bangalore, 20 August 2010: Bangalore : The Karnataka-1000, the second round of the MAK Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for two-wheelers will be held Sunday at Siddhalaghatta, near here.

    After a successful season opener at Coimbatore, which saw a record entries of over 40 bikes, the Bangalore leg too is bound to provide exciting thrills as the ‘Big Daddies’ are set to make their mark in K-1000.

    “Some Bullet fans have approached us showing interest to rally these big bikes and we are expecting to make arrangements and five of these biggie would be seen in action,” said Praneeth Perumal, who set the technically daunting but fast track, about 140 km, from the city.

    The second of the five rounds of the MAK INRC for Motorcycles will be organised by the Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the governing body for the sport in the country.

    Riders from Team TVS Racing, who have dominated the two-wheeler section for long will continue to be strong contenders. Reigning National champion Arvind KP, along with the Pramod Joshua, who began the season with a bang, winning the Coimbatore leg, will be among the top contenders.

    The rally will have two Special Stages of 10.92 km and 8.95 km, and they will be run four times each in the same direction with service breaks in between. The total distance of Special Stage rallying will be 79.48 km.

  • Naren Kumar, Ram Kumar duo put Red Rooster on top in home town

    By David Bodapati

    Coimbatore, 8 August 2010: Veteran war-horse and local pride Naren Kumar of Red Rooster Racing clinched the Speed Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Speed Indian National Rally Championship after he thrilled the spectators at the Super Special Stage with controlled aggression at the Ganga Naidu Charities Trust ground here on Sunday.

    With Ram Kumar navigating in the Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia, the Coimbatore duo turned the tide for Red Rooster Racing with a facile win. Teammates Vikram Mathias and co-driver PV Srinivas Murthy finishing second, ahead of Team MRF’s Arjun Balu (Sujith Kumar BS). However, it was Team MRF’s Lohit Urs (Srikanth Gowda) who stole the limelight in the two-lap 1.3km Super Special Stage (SSS), the last special stage with a timing of 1 min 53 secs while defending national champion Gaurav Gill stalled his Cedia in the second lap but not before the few hundreds had a taste of his stunning drifts on the first lap. Gill crashed out in the first leg on Saturay but came back today gunning for the leg points in vain.

    Team Ovion Racing’s Sujay Suresh and co-driver Bharath SM in a Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia won the 2000cc N category while the other Ovion team Girija Shankar Joshy  and co-drier Chandramouli suffered bad luck with a flat tyre twice in the day. Vikram Devadasan (Shivaprakash) finished second ahead of Chethan Shivaram and Roopesh Kholay, who took advantage of mechanical problems faced by Sirish Chandran (Nikhil V Pai) of Overdrive.

    In 1600cc N category, Shailendar Hegde (Sheraz Ahmed) brought home their Maruthi Baleno for a victory over the Kerala pair of Vishal GA and Robinson R George. The other team from Kochi, Ranjith Gopinath and Dileep R came third.

    Dr Bikku Babu and co-driver Bonnie Thomas won the 1400cc class while Phalguna Urs (Anoop Kumar) took home the Rally Star Cup. The Army Adventure Club duo of Maj Amrinder Brar and Himanshu Pareek pushed back Shakti Bajaj (Dharmesh Singh) to the second place and won the Gypsy class comfortably.

    Provisional un-audited Classification:

    Overall: 1. Naren Kumar / Co-driver Ram Kumar, Red Rooster Racing, 1:35:58.3; 2. Vikram Mathias / PV Srinivasa Murthy, Red Rooster Racing, 1:36:32.7; 3. Arjun Balu/ Sujit Kumar BS, Team MRF, 1:39:27.4;

    Group 2000cc N+: 1. Naren Kumar / Co-driver Ram Kumar, Red Rooster Racing, 1:35:58.3; 2. Vikram Mathias / PV Srinivasa Murthy, Red Rooster Racing, 1:36:32.7; 3. Arjun Balu/ Sujit Kumar BS, Team MRF, 1:39:27.4;

    Group 2000cc N: 1. Sujay Suresh / Bharath SM, Ovion Racing, 1: 46: 53.9 ; 2. Vikram Devadasen/ Shivaprakash E, privateers (pvt), 1:51: 21.5; 3. Chethan Shivaram/ Roopesh Kholay, 1: 54: 47.2;

    Group 1600cc N: 1. Shailendar Hegde/ Sheraz Ahmed, pvt, 1: 52:32.7;

    2. Vishal GA/ Robinson R George, pvt, 1: 52: 55.9; 3. Ranjith Gopinath/ Dileep R, pvt, 1: 54: 55.7;

    Group 1400cc N: 1. Dr Bikku Babu/ Bonnie Thomas, pvt-Kerala, 1: 49:59.0; 2. Byram Godrej/ Anjay Kapadia, pvt, 1: 50: 18.6; 3. Monish L /Jeevarathinam J, 1:58:43.9;

    Group Rally Star Cup (RSC): 1. Phalguna Urs/ Anoop Kumar, pvt, 1: 52:25.1; 2. Harikesav N/Ashvin Nadig, pvt, 1: 53:38.3; 3. Venkatapathy MR/ Santtosh Kumar S, 1: 55:16.9; 

    Group Gypsy: 1. Maj Amarinder S Brar/ Himanshu Pareek, pvt – Army Adventure Wing
    1: 53:34.6; 2. Shakti Bajaj/ Dharmesh Singh, pvt- Army AW, 1: 56: 22.2; 3. Harpreet Singh Sidhu/ Sanjay B Gokhale, 1: 56: 54.5.