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Category: Non-F1
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Slideways Industries team dominates INAC Round 1 & Time Attack at Pune
Pune, 21 April 2023: Experienced rally driver from Team Slideways Industries, Maharashtra, Aniruddha Rangnekar won the Overall honours taking home the coveted “Fastest Driver” award in the first round of the 8-round fmsci* Indian National Autocross Championship (INAC) here on April 1 and 2.
At the Nanoli Speedway round in Pune, Slideways Industries, one of the largest teams in Maharashtra and one of the oldest teams in India, bagged 15 trophies and is the West Zone qualifier including in the Time Attack. All the zonal qualifiers will compete for the National Champion tag at the Grand Finale to be held in December. The finals are likely to be in Bengaluru once again but the venue is yet to be confirmed. The 15 trophies include the victories in the Support event.
Sponsored by Pune-based Pinnacle Group, Slideways, a household name in Indian Motorsport, won multiple National championships over the years. Supported by JK Tyre and Gaurav Gill Advanced Driving Academy (GGADA) in their preparations, the team put on a stellar show at the event. And Aniruddha Rangnekar, one of the founding members of the team, and currently the co-driver for Gaurav Gill in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), the longer version of rallying, taking the top honours is a bonus. Just like INRC, INAC is one of the dozen National Championships of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) the governing body for the sport in India.
While the team has been a regular over at INRC, they are now also exploring other forms of motorsport. Trained and mentored by Arjun Awardee, the three-time Asia Pacific and seven-time National rally champion, Gaurav Gill, the team is growing from strength to strength. Since its inception in 2010, the Slideways Industries rally cars have been built by Coimbatore-based Chettinad Sporting, one of the leading Motorsport tuning houses in India led by Thiagarajan and Roshan, the driver-navigator pair in late nineties. The rally cars run on a 1.6-litre engine that has been upgraded according to the Sporting Regulations of the championship. Running on specially-designed 15-inch JK Rally tyres, the drivers acclaim the excellent grip on varied surfaces.
Shivani Parmar, one of the few female drivers in the National championship also had a good outing, winning in one category against experienced drivers and bagged a couple of other podiums in different classes. The biggest surprise of the weekend came in the form of rookies, Priyanandana Varma and Aditya Vikram Bose, who are fresh graduates from GGADA, bagging a class win and a couple of podiums over the weekend.
“Winning is a great feeling, but doing so on home turf is even more special,” said Aniruddha, who set the fastest time in the INAC, won as many as three categories and bagged multiple other podiums in Round 1. “It’s sad that we don’t have a round of INRC in Maharashtra anymore, but this is the closest we can get and we are glad to have taken home so many trophies from the weekend” added Shivani. Nashik used to be a regular round of the INRC for many years, until the clubs ran out of tracks where closed-road time Special Stages can be held.
“Being a rookie and entering the first event is always nerve-racking but the support from Slideways and GGADA made this event much easier for us,” said Bose, who bagged two podium finishes. “Training with Gaurav Gill and his team of experienced coaches has transformed my driving. It has not only made me a faster driver but safer and smarter too,” said a delighted Priyanandana Varma who won a class, apart from two other top-3 finishes.
*fmsci took a decision to write its short form in small letters a few years back.
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Sheena and Trupti, felicitated for exploits at Rally Jameel, Saudi Arabia
Chennai, 11 April 2023: It was a surprise, but a pleasant welcome when Sheena Sabharwal and co-pilot Trupti Gupta got a call from fmsci that they were selected to take part in the Rally Jameel, an all-woman TSD rally in the desert sands of Saudi Arabia. Thus began the exploits of IndiGals, one of the two teams from India that took part in Rally Jameel in March.
Sheena and Trupti were honoured at the fmsci Annual Awards Ceremony and were handed over their trophies here on Tuesday.
A homemaker from Pune with two teenage daughters, Trupti began her motorsport sojourn with the Times Women’s Drive from Pune to Goa in 2017 and the next year she met her driver Sheena Sabharwal, an architect, at the Malwa TSD car rally in Indore, their first rally together. And Rally Jameel is the first international debut for the Pune pair. “Learning and growing with each rally and pushing boundaries every time, our aim was to get higher with every step,” said Sheena.
The rally was organised by Bakhashab Motorsports Development and the two Indians were sponsored by the official partners, Abdul Latif Jameel, an Automotive Company, which provided a rally-prepared new 4×4 Toyota Fortuner.
Sheena Sabharwal, left, and Tripti Gupta, right, with fmsci President Akbar Ebrahim, 2nd from right, and Vice-President Gautham Shanthappa at the Annual Awards Ceremony at Trident Hotel, Chennai on Tuesday, 11 April 2023. Photo: Trupti Overwhelming Op to make their international debut
“We were overwhelmed with the opportunity. I never thought of doing an International car rally that too in Saudi Arabia. I had never heard of places like Alu La or Hail. I only had a sketchy idea of what was going to come our way. With determination and trust we took the leap,” said Trupti. “We were nervous but willing to learn. But sharing the stage with professional women including some who had Dakar titles under their belt was an exciting experience,” felt Sheena. “Representing our country is always an honour and pride and it gives us a sense of responsibility. We enjoyed the experience thoroughly,” echoed both of them in tandem.
For the record, the Indians finished Rally Jameel in 7th place in their category and 11th Overall. “It was three days of racing over 1600 km. About 550 km is the timed speed stage. Navigating and locating approximately 200 waypoints is a stunning experience as we did not have any saddle time or experience of navigating this kind of rally,” added Trupti. They began with a few hiccups ending the first leg on Day 1 in 26th position and improving to 14th on Day 2. They switched up gears and picked up the tempo for a creditable 7th on Day 3 as they ended the third leg, and went on to finish with a bang taking a creditable podium place (Leg 4) on the fourth and final day with a second position.
“Navigation was amazing. It was tough with new instruments and a new set of apps to understand and roll out. The whole point system was completely different from the TSD formats in India. I had to figure out our key abilities and then use them to score in places that made our positions better. The rally began as an unknown world to me as I never sailed in the desert before. I was happy and pleased with the positive ratings that helped me push my pilot Sheena to the finish line. In the end, finishing all the Specials without a puncture was satisfying,” Trupti narrated.
Sheena, left and Trupti speak after they were honoured by the fmsci at the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday in Chennai. With a lot of variation in terrain that consisted of rocks, sand patches, different speed controls in stages, and very different road regulations and speed limits in the liaison section, it was a challenging event. The vehicles with left-hand drive added to the challenge forcing a major change in orientation for the Indian drivers. That brought out the focus and concentration of the navigator, who had to keep a constant vigil on the driver to provide timely alerts to be on the track. “By habit, I am more of a shift-stick driver. An automatic car was comparatively easier on the road but the whole dynamics with it work differently on off-road sections. We needed some time and understanding of the vehicle on the Special Stages. Getting to know the 4×4 shifts as per the requirement and delivering was a new and enjoyable experience,” said Sheena.
The duo was careful with the air pressures, constantly deflating and inflating as per the change in terrain. Monitoring any tyre damage in the timed stages and keeping track of major losses in time with a new navigation system was too much to handle. But co-driver Trupti adapted as fast as she could with Sheena handling the vehicle admirably.
Winning debut at TSD Nationals
The lady drivers from Pune made a winning debut in the fmsci Nationals in 2021 clinching the Ladies’ title after a slew of privately- organised TSD rallies. They qualified for the 2022 finals in Siliguri for the Himalayan Drive, where they did well topping the round but finishing runners-up in the Nationals. Nevertheless, they managed to get the call from the Federation in February for the Jameel Rally. Another ladies’ team of Jessie and Jyothi, which did well in 2021, was nominated as the second team.
Background of Rally Jameel
After a call by King Salman Al Saud to recognize women’s right to drive cars in Saudi Arabia, in September 2017 as per Vision 2030, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors and Abdullah Bathashab Est., the leading motorsports developers in Saudi Arabi, started the Rally Jameel.
And today dozens of Saudi women participate in the rallies and several women from around the world completed the second edition of Rally Jameel successfully. “If you love what you do, success will follow you,” was how Trupti ended the interview with INDIAinF1.com.
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fmsci honours 2022 Indian National champions
Chennai, 11 April 2023: After successful conduct of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship earlier this year in Hyderabad, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India is hopeful that the FIM MotoGP World Championship will be held as scheduled at the Buddh International Circuit in September.
List of all the awardees honoured by fmsci is here!
Delivering the keynote address during the Annual Awards function of the FMSCI, here on Tuesday, when it honoured 118 National champions of the 2022 season across various formats of the sport, president Akbar Ebrahim said: “Last year, we had announced that MotoGP will be coming to India and I am informed by the Indian promoters and FIM that work is in progress, and all are hopeful that event will be held as planned.”
INRC double overall champion Karna Kadur, left, along with fmsci Commission chairman Farooq Commissariat and experienced co-driver Nikhil Vittal Pai after receiving the Indian National Rally Championship Overall winners award at Trident hotel in Chennai on Tuesday. fmsci councillor and former INRC driver Vicky Chandhok (left) applauds the 11-time National champion (including3 fissme Cup titles) after presenting him the award for 2022 Indian Touring Cars National title. All photos by Anand Philar The FMSCI, besides felicitating the 2022 season National champions, presented special awards to Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda who won the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific final round in Chennai, and Shriya Lohia (Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh) who represented India and finished fifth overall at the FIA Girls On Track event in Paris, France.
Ebrahim, recounting various milestones of the FMSCI which is celebrating its Golden Jubilee, revealed that Hyderabad produced India’s first FIA Grade 2 and FIA Formula E street Circuit.
He also announced plans to promote the sport at grassroots level. “We want to take the sport to the masses. We will also be conducting training programmes for Stewards and Marshals to ensure events are run adhering to all safety requirements. Only the accredited officials will supervise all motorsport events in India. At the moment, there are 2,500 FMSCI license holders and we would like to increase the number to 20,000.”
“It is the 50th year of the FMSCI and we owe it to the five founders. We overcame all the challenges because of the passion and dedication of all stakeholders involved in the sport. The FIA and FIM now take India seriously and our country is spoken of highly in various international forums.”
Ebrahim congratulated MRF Tyres for winning the prestigious European Rally Championship (ERC) title. “Indian drivers are now participating in various international events from Karting to Rallying to racing and fighting for podium positions,” he concluded.
The FMSCI Council Members, various Commission heads, promoters and sponsors were also present at the function.
About the FMSCI
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) was founded in the year 1971 and was registered as a Private Limited Non-Profit Company in 1973. It became affiliated to Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in 1979 and to the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) in 1986. Fifteen years after its inception, the FMSCI was recognised by the Government of India as the sole authority to control and conduct Motor Sport events in India. It is also recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). The FMSCI is the affiliated National Sporting Authority (ASN) of the International federations for 4-wheeler and National Motorcycle Federations (FMN) of the 2-wheeler motorsports viz. the FIA, headquartered at Paris, and the FIM, headquartered at Switzerland. It is also a part of the FIA Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK or CIK-FIA) which is the primary international sanctioning body for Karting. The FMSCI has a wide, pan-India base of affiliated member clubs totalling 48 currently.
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Visit www.INDIANmotorsports.in for all Indian National Rally Championship 2023 articles
Here is a list of articles and reports that were published for the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2023, starting with the Blueband Sports South India Rally (SIR) organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) at the Madras International Circuit (MIC) from March 17 to 19. The International rally returned to MIC after a year for the qualifying round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), in the form of the second round of the Asia Rally Cup that was held concurrently with 18 cars taking part.
Top drivers including Arjuna Awardee and rally legend from India, Gaurav Gill of JK Tyre fame along with Mana Pornsiricherd and Thanyaphat Meenil from Thailand were the star attractions of the APRC Asia leg. Gill was taking the services of experienced navigator Aniruddha Rangnekar for the first time. Defending INRC champion and winner of the last year’s Asia Cup Rally in India, Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai led a field of stars, in the Indian Championship along with Amittrajit Ghosh, (with co-driver Ashwin Naik) who is returning from a break from England, and Dr Speed, the one and only Bikku Babu from Kerala, now settled in US, co-driven by Milen George Cherian, and aggressive driver Dean Mascarenhas (Gagan Karumbaiah) from Mangaluru, 2019 champs and brothers Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, reigning champions in their classes, Maninder Singh Prince, Samrat Yadav and Rahul Kanthraj, were the others stalwarts of the INRC who took part in the 46th edition of SIR.
Many talented youngsters like Jahaan Singh Gill, Arjun Rajiv, a graduate from karting also joined the fray along with six ladies led by FIA Rally Star cup champion from the Asia Pacific region Pragathi Gowda who had Trisha Alonkar as co-driver. Bengaluru-based Vizag driver Renuka Gajendra who paired with Dilip Sharan’s wife Angela James is the only other team which had both ladies in the car. Nikeetaa Takkale, the niece of Sanjay Takale, former APRC Production Cars champion, Shivani Parmar of Mumbai, co-driver Deeksha Balakrishna, were the other two ladies that represented ‘Women in Motorsports’.
A total of 66 cars took part along with three cars which took part only in APRC Asia round. Fifteen of the cars took part in both APRC round and INRC to make it 63 cars in INRC, an attractive number of entries but it not a record as many INRC rounds have seen more number of entries in the earlier years.
With sponsors JK Tyre pulling out in the last minute former champion in his class, Fabid Ahmer, opted out citing lack of time to put the things together. Other notable drivers missing were talented lady drivers Athira Murali (lack of sponsors), and Dr. Shivani Pruthvi (busy with post-graduate medical studies for MD).
The list of articles published for INRC in this website can be read here: (Compilation in process)
- Gaurva Gill begins favourite; 18 in fray for FIA-APRC (Asia Rally Cup).
- Vamcy Merla to back FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship India round: Asia Rally Cup.
- Gaurav Gill tops Super Special Stage; Karna heads INRC; Pragathi stuns the field for 7th.
- Aroor Arjun Rao sparkles in rain, leads INRC; Gaurav Gill extends lead in APRC Asia Cup.
- Gaurav Gill wins FIA-APRC (Asia Rally Cup) round.
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All set for Red Bull Showrun: David Coulthard raises the curtain for media in Mumbai
Mumbai, 11 March 2023: The exciting gala programme of the Red Bull Showrun has come to India again. And it’s time for motorsports fans in India to steer their attention back on the streets of Mumbai. The acclaimed Red Bull Formula 1 car would be on display and the former F1 driver David Coulthard, will take you on a course of delight and fun as he attempts one more run in India following his 2009 first show and the high-altitude show in the Himalayas a few years later by the Red Bull team.
“There is a lot of change in India since my last visit in 2009, the city has grown big and Formula 1 continues to grow in popularity and Red Bull happens to be very successful with the sport and very successful in India and even during the dominant period for Lewis (Hamilton) and Mercedes, Red Bull car was able to put in strong performances,” said Coulthard.
“Make sure not to blink, and soak in the whiff of burnt rubber as a mean machine from a decorated team whizzes past you,” said a Red Bull quote and for Do’s and Don’ts tomorrow visit the Red Bull page here.
Multiple race-winner and veritable legend David Coulthard is all set to bring the adrenaline-pumping roar of his engine to the Maximum City. The only team to have won the Indian Grand Prix returns to India after famously conquering the world’s highest motorable road at Khardung-la, dazzling Mumbaikars at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and delighting Delhi with some slick moves at the iconic Rajpath boulevard. Be there to witness it live. The curtains were off at a Press Conference attended by the Photo Editor and adviser of this site, Srinivasa Krishnan in Mumbai today.
David Coulthard speaking to the media at Mubai on Saturday. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan exclusively for for INDIAinF1.com Our own Suhail Chandhok, put the spotlight on David Coulthard. The run will be on:
Date: 12th March, 10am onwards (gates open at 8am)
Venue: Bandra Bandstand, Mumbai
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Indian star Profile: Ashish Raorane, rally-raid/Dakar
This is a profile story written by David Bodapati after Ashish Raorane successfully completed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge to qualify for Dakar 2024, pending technical fulfillments.
Abu Dhabi, 4 March 2023: Ace Indian motorsports athlete Ashish Raorane, braving a severe muscle injury, finished Rally2 category in a creditable 11th place in the 7-day gruelling Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (ADDC), the second round of the FIM World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) here on Friday, and qualified for Dakar 2024.
The rigorous Desert Challenge saw some of the Dakar veterans racing across a route spanning 1,915kms of the demanding and treacherous terrain amidst the sprawling sand dunes.
Competing with some of the biggest names in motorsports, the 41-year -old Pune rider, conquered the international cross-country rally astride a KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica to seal his entry for the Dakar 2024.
Pumping in painkillers, the former marine engineer successfully completed the final day’s Stage 5 for an Overall P20 among 49 participants and came 11th in his class. He clocked a total time of 25:09.05.
“I am delighted and happy that the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is in the bag. Going in I knew this was a tough and very physically-demanding rally and I am happy to have persevered despite the multiple challenges,” said Raorane, who is supported by Rynox Gears, Dosmoto Design, Motousher, Bigbadbikes and LazyAssBikers.
Riders are required to complete at least one FIM-sanctioned World Championship race or other rally that falls under the “Road to Dakar” label and completing ADDC clears the road for Raorane’s Dakar 2024 participation.
“I am delighted and happy that the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is in the bag. Going in I knew this was a tough and very physically-demanding rally and I am happy to have persevered despite the multiple challenges,” said Raorane, who is supported by Rynox Gears, Dosmoto Design, Motousher, Bigbadbikes and LazyAssBikers.
“The meaningful experience gained each day will go a long way in the upcoming rallies as well as our Dakar 2024 campaign and the result has certainly boosted my confidence. Thank you to all the fans and supporters for the messages over the last week, they really kept me going,” said the KTM rider, who gets technical support from Slipstream Performance, the Indian tuners from Pune. To give back to motorsports, he also founded Off-Piste Racing and trains bikers for cross-country rallying.
The #34 team ‘Xraids Experience’ rider went through a harrowing time, but with great determination, Raorane came back strongly every day, to complete the daunting rally. He suffered the fuel-range anxiety with a lost front fuel tank in Stage 1 at around the 204-kms mark and also saw the air bag deployed during a hard landing in the ‘empty quarter’ and ended the day’s competitive section with fumes in the rear fuel tank.
The next day in Stage 2, was another big challenge spotting the drop-offs. The Indian was caught out coming off a dune crest and “the earth below suddenly vanished”.
The worst was on Stage 3 on March 1 and it looked as though the rally ended in disappointment, when Raorane suffered a massive crash and ruptured his right bicep muscle but carried on for another 160kms, undaunted. Despite extreme pain, he managed to finish the day’s competitive section. Later, Raorane recovered and after doctor’s clearance, he came back next day stronger and despite a painful arm, completed the last two days where he also overcame another minor fall and malfunctioning of his Roadbook roll.
An adventure travel rider, Raorane had claimed a podium on debut in the Indian National Racing Championship (INRC) round at Nashik in 2015 and soon took to cross-country rallies like a duck to water. He took part in the almighty Raid de Himalaya and many other bigger national and international events including polished him into a high-performance Rally Raid athlete that laid the seed for his Dakar dream, the mother of all rallies.
After pioneer CS Santosh, KP Arvind and Harith Noah completed Dakar, Raorane, became the fourth Indian to complete in Dakar Experience class in 2021. The dream continues next January, at Dakar 2024.
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Subir Roy & Nirav Mehta champs; Aparna-Lalitha claim maiden title: TSD Nationals
Bengaluru, 26 Feb 2023: Subir Roy and co-driver Nirav Mehta of Kolkata were crowned the National champions for 2022 winning the Overall honours in the finals of the ProSports FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 2022 (INTSDRC) while Bengaluru pair from IT sector, Aparna Pathak and Lalitha Gowda, clinched their maiden National title in the Ladies Class here on Sunday.
The National Championship is run as part of Southern Safari. The Nationals is promoted by PROSPORTS and the Grand finale is organized by Karnataka Motor Sports Club.
Another Bengaluru pair Harish and navigator Chandrashekar won the INTSDRC2 class while Aritra Chakraborthy and navigator Soham Pal from Kolkata won the Novice class National title. With the completion of the TSD Nationals, FMSCI has successfully completed 12 Nationals for the year 2022.
Veteran pair, Subir and Nirav hit jackpot
Subhir Roy (left) and Neerav Mehta after receiving the National Championship Overall winners award for 2022 in Bengaluru on Sunday. Subir Roy and Nirav were rallying together for 12 years now and the 59-year Subir, who made his debut in the local Kavi Guru rally at Kolkata in 2002, is a veteran of many events including some cross-country rallies like the Desert Storm, Dakshin Dare and the Himalayan rally. He has also participated in the Indo-ASEAN Rally organized by the Ministry of Defence. From 2016, he has been taking part in the TSD Nationals with consistent podium finishes but the title has been eluding the duo. Finally, the Kolkata duo laid their hands on the National Championship in a Volkswagen Polo 1.6 with 12 zeros and managed 24 secret TCs and difficult Time Controls to pip defending champions, compatriots Ajgar Ali and Mustafa, on a tie-breaker. The result shows the tough competition for a TSD rally where navigation plays a crucial role with or without a ‘tabulating’ meter.
“It was a pleasure to win the National title. Nirav and I stood on the podium many times in the 12 years we were together, but this is special. I want to give many thanks to the Karnataka Motorsports Club and CoC Sujith for organizing such a technical and transparent rally with great hospitality. I thank my family and all my supporters,” said Subir Roy, in his hour of glory.
Maiden title for Aparna & Lalitha as they dominate ladies class
Aparna Pathak and Lalitha Gowda, the two lady drivers from Bengaluru are a well-known team in TSD scene.
Though no one in their families is into motorsports, a chance drive in the Times Women’s Drive in 2018 saw Aparna get hooked to the rallies and she found Lalitha, who began her career with the Mumbai to Lavasa TSD rally in 2009 in Mumbai, as her navigator. The pair won many rallies and partnered together for a number of podiums after coming together for the Rally of Chikkamagalur in 2019. They made their debut in the TSD Nationals in 2021 at Siliguri and clinched their maiden title this year. They also become the inaugural Ladies Class National winners.
Aparna Pathak (left) and Lalitha Gowda after receiving the National Championship winners award (Ladies Class) from Sujith Kumar BS, Head of PROSPORTS, the Promoters. “We feel very delighted to win the first INTSDRC women’s championship. It was a very close competition and all the teams have given their best. The route was extremely scenic and well-planned. It gave a glimpse of the rich landscape of Karnataka from dams to coffee estates, and the green cover,” said Aparna Pathak.
“We would like to thank FMSCI, Women in Motorsports (WIM), all the motorsport clubs for organising qualifying rounds and bringing the national-level championship back. A special thanks to ProSports and KMSC for the exciting grand finale,” echoed Lalitha and Aparna together.
Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) has changed the nomen clature of the TSD Championship and went back to the old, INTSDRC for 2022. Last year, the name was Indian National Regularity Run, which was sponsored by JK Tyre and was held in 17 qualifying venues. However, FIM Asia Vice-President and multiple National TSD Champion navigator Sujit Kumar BS, did all the hard work behind the screens as Promoter ProSports salvaged the dying Nationals by accepting to conduct the delayed Nationals. They took up the responsibility and successfully completed the three zonal qualifying rounds in South, East, and West and the finals.
With a thrust on improving the opportunities for women through Women in Motorsport concept, the Federation, for the first time provided the status of a National Championship to the Ladies Class. The other Championship were the Ladies Class was given the National status this year is Sprint (2w).
This year there were 20 qualifiers and the Finals were held in Bengaluru. “The Club”, on Mysore road near Rajarajeswari Nagar, an old venue which saw, the start and end of, many a National rally in their halcyon days, was once again the venue where the ceremonial start was held. After the flag-off on Friday, the 700-Km rally went to Hassan on Saturday and the novel night stage was introduced after many years again and it went through the coffee estates in a loop nearby Hassan on Saturday night. On the second leg on Sunday, the participants went through scenic routes and picturesque locales passing through Virajpet and returned to Bengaluru, where the Prize Giving was held at “the Club” again.
The 40 undisclosed Time Controls (TC) were placed strategically, and many provided surprises to make the rally a thrilling experience. The route was set by experienced Sujith and Bhaskar of Karnataka Motor Sports Club, who organized the Southern Safari, the name given to the final round of the TSD Nationals.
Novice class National Champions Harish and Chandrashekar with the Chief Guest. Clerk of the Course and multiple former National TSD champion Sujith Kumar said: “The popular TSD Nationals received huge response in all the three zones and 20 finalists fought for honours in the Grand Finale which ran from Bengaluru to Hassan and back to the Garden City. We are happy to keep the TSD culture alive as it is the entry-level gateway to bigger things in motorsports.”
The Nationals sponsored by Annapoorneshwari Developers, Maithri Estates, Sidvin, Vamcy Merla and Vammudi Vijay offered a total Prize money was about Rs. 2.3 lakhs and four National titles.
INTSDRC is one of the 12 National Championships conducted by fmsci in different motorsports disciplines, for both 2-wheelers, four-wheelers and Karting. Gymkhana, Dirt Track, four-wheeler Drag and Sprint Nationals were not held this year.
Final Results: (Car # number)
1. INTSDRC: 1. #4 Subhir Roy and Neerav Mehta (Penalty time: 00:01min, 33seconds); 2. #10 Ajgar Ali & Mustafa (01.33); 3. #6 Ganesh Moorthy & T Nagarajan (02.26); (Tie broken by number of zero TCs: Subir 12; Ajgar 9)
2. INTSDRC-2: 1. #18 Harish & Chandrashekar (02.03); 2. #8 Anil Abbas & Amal Abbas (02.22); 3. #9 Aparna Pathak & Lalitha Gowda (02.32);
3. INTSDRC –WOMEN: 1. #9 Aparna Pathak & Lalitha Gowda (02.32); 2. #11 Sheena Sabarwal & Trupti Gupta (03.38); 3. #14 Gitika Pant & Neena Jain (04.03);
4. INTSDRC- NOVICE: 1. #24 Aritra Chakraborthy & Soham Pal (27.17); (Lone finisher).
Fmsci Indian National Champions (TSD):
- INTSDRC: Subhir Roy and Neerav Mehta;
- INTSDRC-2: Harish & Chandrashekar;
- INTSDRC –WOMEN: Aparna Pathak & Lalitha Gowda;
- INTSDRC- NOVICE: Aritra Chakraborthy & Soham Pal.
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Rajendra claims 8th Nationals; Samuel Jacob fastest rider: Sprint Nationals
Bengaluru, 26 Feb 2023: Multiple National champion and ace rally rider Rajendra RE clinched the Open Class to claim his 8th National title, while his teammate Samuel Jacob became the National Champion in the other feature class and also bagged the ‘fastest rider’ tag in the finals f the Motorsports Inc fmsci Indian National Rally Sprint Championship for the year 2022 conducted along with Indian Dirt Fest, that concluded here on Sunday.
But it was the talented first year student of B.Com in DG College of Commerce, Satara, Tanika Shanbagh, astride a Hero Xpulse 200 in Hero MotoSports colours, who stopped the TVS juggernaut winning the Ladies Class with ease and grace. It was her maiden National championship title win. She became the first Ladies Sprint champion as the Class got the fmsci National Championship status only this year (2022). Last year, she dared a risky entry but her injured ankle did not allow her to push. Her teammate Karan Kumar, added one more title for Hero MotoSports, winning the Group D upto 260cc class. Imran Pasha and Karthik made it four titles for the riders from TVS stable after Rajendra and Samuel Jacob.
Maiden National title for Tanika Shanbagh as she wins
the Sprint Nationals in Bengaluru on Saturday. INDIAinF1 picAnother star rider, Samuel Shajan Jacob, 29, who has a Masters in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, also knows a bit about sprockets and chains. He won the National title in the Group A upto 600cc class to add fourth National title to his exploits, and became the fastest rider of the Sprint Finals clocking a blistering 6min, 06.41sec ahead of Rajendra and Nataraj in the Group A class, which was dominated by Petronas TVS Racing riders. Born in Udupi the genial giant, won the longer INRC 2w Championship Overall title in 2020 along with his Group B class title, which he retained in 2021 for his third crown. Today, it is his fourth National title and maiden Sprint title in his class Group A upto 600cc class.
However, it was Shivamogga’s Rajendra, 37, who claimed the National title in the Premier Open Class upto 600cc clocking 06:06.70 beating Jacob from Udupi. Imran Pasha, also from TVS came third in the finals. Rajendra, who has 7 titles in two different classes in the longer 2w Rally Nationals including two overall titles in 2019 and 2022, it is the maiden title in Sprint Nationals, and his 8th title. (2014 & 2015 upto 165cc; 2016, 2017 & 2018 upto 260cc; 2019 & 2022 Group A overall) .
Bengaluru’s 26-year defending champion Pavan BK, clinched the title in the Group B 131cc to 165cc class with a hat-trick to boot. He has been dominating this class for sometime now, and would have clinched a National double in the next higher Gr.B 166 to 260cc class but a minor fall in the final corner prevented a possible podium. “Overall it was a flat out race and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I am so thrilled to make it a hattrick,” said Pavan, who came back from a mid-season injury with determination and hardwork. He has four National titles under his belt winning this class in 2020, 2021 and 2022, beside another title in the Group B 166 to 260cc class in 165cc in the 2w National Rally Championship, the longer format INRC.
Bengaluru’s Pavan BK on a hattrick as he admirably came back from an injury to retain his title in the Group B 131 to 165cc class in the Sprint National Final on Saturday. International rider and celebrated racing star Anish D Shetty took the Championship victory in Group B 261cc to 400cc class while Imran Pasha from TVS won the 166 to 260cc class. Durgesh (upto 130cc) and Karthik K (Scooter class) were the other National champions 2022 in their respective classes.
Jeemon Antony, the Kerala cop who speeds like a Bullet train. In the heavyweight Bullet class, 40-year Jeemon Antony won the Championship crown. The strong-willed but humble cop, always wears a smile on his face which does not show the two titanium rods that support his spine when he is on duty standing all the time policing the traffic in a Kerala city. Once on a crime beat, this Senior Civil Police Officer in Ernakulam stole the victory from big boys, Bruce Lee Naresh, Tribal Café fame Dev Venkatesh and India’s first Hero Dirt Track champ Asad Khan, but without a penny in sponsorship. Three cheers to this disciplined warrior, Jeemon Antony, who proved that life begins afresh at 40, with a maiden National Championship title. “I am very happy to finally win an Indian National title. It is a great moment after all the hardwork and months of bed rest and recovery,” said an elated Jeemon Antony. His bullet was tuned by Aneesh Anoop.
“The wide participation and close competition has shown that the Sprint Nationals popularity has increased with the successful zonal rounds. Despite time constraints we managed to finish the Nationals with the support of both riders and teams,’’ said former Indian National Rally Champion Jaidas Menon, the Clerk of the Course and the man behind Motorsports Inc, the Promoters.
After the regional rounds, the qualified riders competed in the grand finale and the winners here were declared National champions in the 10 classes in the delayed 2022 championship.
Indian National Champions 2022 (Sprint) (Provisional):
- Bullet Class: Jeemon Antony;
- Group A Upto 600cc: Samuel Jacob;
- Group B 131cc to 165cc: Pavan BK;
- Group B 166cc to 260cc: Imran Pasha;
- Group B 261cc to 400cc: Anish D Shetty (PRN Motorsport);
- Group B Upto 130cc: Durgesh J;
- Group D Upto 260cc: Karan Kumar (Hero MotoSports);
- Ladies Class: Tanika Shnbagh (Hero MotoSports);
- Open Class Upto 600cc: Rajendra RE;
- Scooter Class: Karthik K;
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Southern Safari, National TSD Championship finals flagged off
Bengaluru, 24 Feb 2023: Southern Safari, the grand finals of the 2022 fmsci Indian National TSD Rally Championship (INTSDRC) is flagged off at ‘The Club’ on Mysore Road and is set to provide a fitting finale with a long run of over 600Km for the two days. The final will run to Shivamogga on Leg 1 on Saturday and returns to conclude here on Sunday. The Prize Distribution will also be at The Club on Sunday evening.
Promoted by Pro Sports and organized by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC), the final of the National Championship offers National titles in the following four categories for both drivers and navigators (co-drivers): INTSDRC, INTSDRC2, INTSDRC – Women and INTSDRC – Novice.
Experienced drivers Sk Asgar Ali and Md Mustafa who topped the East Zone qualies will start as favourites along another former champions Ganesh Moorthy and T Nagarajan from South, but the latter duo trailed Maheshwaran N and P Muthuswamy in the points table in the Qualifiers. Other pairs to watch out for are INRC regulars Aeman Ahmed and Sagar M, and Kolkata pair of Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta. However, it is a winner-take all finale and each pair will be gunning for glory as the National titles are at stake.
The TSD Nationals being flagged off at ‘The Club’, Mysore Road on Friday.
Instagram Photo @Autotrack.ind.inThe INTSDRC2 class has seen Deep Dutta and Chandan Sen from Kolkata top the East Zone qualifying round while Rohit Kashyap and Sailendra Singh led from the West Zone event and Harish VS and M Chandrasekhar did well in the South Zone followed by Anil Abbas and Amal Abbas from Kerala while the Bengaluru ladies Aparna and Lalitha qualified third in INRC2 class and will fight in the ladies class too.
Aritra Chakraborty and Sanjit Chaudhuri in the Novice class from East and Nizar and Vinoth Kumar topped the South qualies. Two other teams also made it to the final in the Novice class.
SK Olivia and SK Prasad in the Ladies class have also qualified from the East Zone. Lt Col. Reena Jha and Kasish Malhotra Mehta, and Geetika Pant and Meena Jain are the other Ladies team who qualified from West Zone.
Well-know techie pair of Aparna Pathak and Lalitha Gowda, who qualified from South along with Sheena Sabrewal and Trupti Gupta, Jasmeet Kaur and Jyothi Iyengar will make up the other ladies finalists.
“The response was good for the regional rounds and the drivers dished out excellent performances that saw keen competition. All safety measures are in place and we did the final route inspection yesterday. Now all set for crowning new champions for 2022,” said Sujith Kumar BS, the man behind Prosports, the promoters of TSD Nationals. He is also the Vice-President of the FIM ASIA.
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MMSC honours National Champions, celebrates 70 years
Chennai, 19 Feb 2023: The Madras Motor Sports Club celebrated its 70th anniversary while also presenting trophies to the winners of the recently-concluded MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle and Car Racing Championships here at Hotel Taj on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, MMSC president Ajit Thomas offered salutations to long-time sponsor MRF Tyres for their support over the past decades and also the riders and drivers for their participation in large numbers in the National Championships.
Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Limited, who was the chief guest at today’s function, outlined the company’s involvement in motorsport since the 1980s and said: “With a pedigree for over four decades, the MRF Brand name in racing now competes and wins Globally. It is a matter of pride for India that MRF achieved yet another first – winning the 2022 European Rally Championship with tyres developed and manufactured in India. This is a firstfor any Asian Company that too in the home ground and backyard of MNCs.
“Today is the culmination of a hard-fought season which started at Coimbatore and the subsequent rounds at the Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur leading up to this afternoon’s function awarding the National Championships for both motorcycles and cars across various categories for the year 2022. The riders and the drivers have pushed their teams to extract every ounce of performance from their machines. It is also heartening to note that these Championships are enabling our riders and drivers to hone their skills and take it to International levels.”
Later, MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok, presented a brief history of MMSC and the famous Sholavaram races to the eventual shifting of its racing activities to the present MIC facility. He announced that a CIK-approved go-karting circuit is being built at the MIC and expected to be ready for competitions in August.
MMSC Secretary Manoj Dalal proposed a vote of thanks.
The National champions were presented with the trophies in the two road-racing National Championships for two and four-wheelers, promoted by Madras Motor Sports Club, along with one-make Support Races and Cups.
2-Wheeler Racing
MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc:
National Champion: Rajini Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1).
Team Champion: Petronas TVS Racing, Chennai. Manufacturer title: Yamaha
Pro-Stock 165cc:
National Champion: Mathana Kumar (Trichy, Pacer Yamaha)
Team Champion: Pacer Yamaha, Bengaluru. Manufacturer – Yamaha
Novice (Stock 165cc):
Rider – Sarvesh Balappa (Hubbali, Axor Sparks Racing). Team – Axor Sparks Racing, Chennai. Manufacturer – Yamaha.
Girls (Stock 165cc):
Rider – Jagruti Kiran Penkar (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing). Team – Alpha Racing. Manufacturer – Yamaha
Non-Championship one-make classes:
TVS Open (Apache RR 310):
Rider – Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad).
TVS Novice (Apache RTR 200):
Rider – Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru).
TVS Girls (Apache RTR 200):
Rider – Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru).
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – Open (NSF 250R):
Rider – Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune).
Novice (CBR 150):
Rider – Raheesh Mudassar Khatri (Mumbai).
4-WHEELER RACING
MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022
MRF Formula 2000:
Driver – Sai Sanjay (Salem).
Indian Touring Cars:
Driver – Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts). Team – Rayo Racing (Mumbai)
Indian Junior Touring Cars:
Driver – Akkineni Anand Prasad (Team Performance). Team – Team Performance Racing, Chennai
Super Stock:
Driver – Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Team Performance). Team – Redline Racing, Chennai.
Formula LGB 1300:
Driver – Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing). Team – DTS Racing.
Non-Championship classes
Volkswagen Polo Cup:
Driver – Pratik Sonawane (Mumbai).
MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios):
Driver – Justin Singh (Gurugram, Redline Racing). Team – Redline Racing, Chennai.
