INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Rajini Krishnan on verge of record 11th National title

    Rajini Krishnan on verge of record 11th National title

    Chennai, October 1: KY Ahamed of Petronas TVS Racing completed a hat-trick of wins in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category, but veteran Rajini Krishnan moved within one point of clinching the title after a third-place finish in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championshp 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.

    Later, Petronas TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar notched his second win of the season in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category, but not before surviving a hectic scramble in the last lap. Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu edged out championship leader Mathana Kumar (Pacer Yamaha) for second place to narrow the points deficit to 14 with one more race to be run on the morrow.

    In the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open race, pole-sitter Ahamed led a 1-2 finish for his team with Deepak Ravikumar in tow, while Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1), starting from P4, struggled with a clutch pedal issue, but used his vast experience to good effect and managed to scramble to third position. The result means that defending champion Rajini needs just one point from tomorrow’s concluding race to seal his 11th career National title. Ahamed trails the champion by 25 points with Ravikumar in third, a further eight behind.

    Earlier, Coimbatore’s Rohan Ramesh fashioned a 1-2 for Axor Sparks Racing in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category ahead of Kayan Zubin Patel (Mumbai) with Vignesh Goud, a privateer from Hyderabad in third. Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa, also of Axor Sparks Racing, came in fourth, but he has effectively clinched the title in this category as he leads by 54 points going into tomorrow’s Race-2.

    In the Rookie class of the Petronas Racing One-Make Championship organised by MMSC, Bengaluru’s Chiranth Vishwanath posted his ninth win in as many races as did Mumbai youngster Raheesh Mudassar Khatri in the Novice (CBR 150) category of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup.

     Provisional results (all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-1): 1. KY Ahamed (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11min, 20.954secs        ); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:21.029); 3. Rajini Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (11:22.050).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-1): 1. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:50.902); 2. Rajiv Sethu (Chennai, Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (11:51.067); 3. Mathana Kumar (Tiruchirapalli, Pacer Yamaha) (11:51.308).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-1): 1. Rohan Ramesh (Coimbatore, Axor Sparks Racing) (13:00.141); 2. Kayan Zubin Patel (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing) (13:02.912); 3. P Vignesh Goud (Hyderabad, Pvt.) (13:04.091).

    Support race (Stock 301-400cc, Novice): 1. Ashwin R (Race Abilities) (12:31.762); 2. Naresh Shobha Kaname (Pvt) (12:37.897); 3. Jayanth Prathipati (Pvt) (12:39.376).

    Qualifying (best lap, top 3): Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (Chennai, Alpha Racing) (02:08.446); 2. Jagruti Penkar (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing) (02:08.399); 3. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Pacer Yamaha) (02:09.858).

    Petronas TVS One-Make Championship: Girls (Apache RTR 200) 5 laps: 1. Nithila Das (Bengaluru) (10:59.765); 2. Ananya Awasthi (Chennai) (11:22.981); 3. Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru) (11:33.456).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200, Race-1): 1. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (12:46.968); 2. Jinendra K Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:56.733); 3. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai) (13:15.111).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: NSF 250 Open (Race-1): 1. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune) (11:15.886); 2. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (11:16.828); 3. Shyam Sundar (Chennai) (11:17.075).

    Novice (CBR 150, Race-1): 1. Raheesh Mudassar Khatri (Mumbai) (12:58.554); 2. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:06.690); 3. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (13:06.845).

    Support Race – Honda Hornet 2.0: 1. G Balaji (Chennai) 13:37.031); 2. Kayan Zubin Patel (Mumbai) (13:46.308); 3. T Ramakrishnana (Valliyor) (13:46.649).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the Madras International Circuit (earlier MMRT), in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC installed Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Sarvesh grabs pole in Novice class; Ahamed sets the pace

    Sarvesh grabs pole in Novice class; Ahamed sets the pace

    Chennai, 9 Sept 2022: Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing), with five wins this season, warmed up for the weekend’s double-header by grabbing pole position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 commenced at the Madras International Circuit, here on Friday.

    Leading the championship in the Novice category, 23-year old Balappa came up with a hot lap of 02mins, 08.591secs in the qualifying session in blazing afternoon sunshine. Filling up the front row were Mumbai’s Kayan Zubin Patel (Axor Sparks Racing, 02:08.616) and Bengaluru’s 12-year old Shreyas Hareesh (Rockers Racing, 02:08.839).

    Meanwhile, Petronas TVS Racing’s KY Ahamed was the quickest in both the premier categories, the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open and the Pro-Stock 165cc Open during the free practice sessions earlier in the day.

    Ahamed clocked a blistering best lap of 01min, 52.889secs in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category, to nose ahead of veteran Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate1, 01:52.918) who leads the points table going into the weekend and is seeking his 11th National title.

    Later, Ahamed was again in top form, clocking a flying lap of 01:57.379 in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open class, ahead of Pacer Yamaha’s Prabhu Arunagiri (01:58.344), while points table topper Mathana Kumar (Pacer Yamaha) was the seventh quickest in 01:58.740. Less than a second covered the top eight, thus holding out a promise of an intriguing qualifying session on the morrow and the race to follow.

    The results (Qualifying, top 3, Best lap):

    National Championship – Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Sarvesh Balappa (Huballi, Axor Sparks Racing) (02mins, 08.591); 2. Kayan Zubin Patel (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing) (02:08.616); 3. Shreyas Hareesh (Bengaluru, 02:08.839).

    Petronas TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RR 310): 1. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (01:54.897); 2. Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad) (01:55.058); 3. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (01:56.327).

    Girls (Apache RTR200): 1. Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru) (02:11.772); 2. Nithila Das (Bengaluru) (02:13.958); 3. Saimah Ajaz Baig (Pune) (02:15.353).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – Novice (CBR 150): 1. Raheesh Mudassar Khatri (Mumbai) (02:07.011); 2. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (02:08.642); 3. Shyam Babu (Chennai) (02:09.200).

  • Shreyas wins last race; After a triple victory, Jinendra crashes in Race 4

    Shreyas wins last race; After a triple victory, Jinendra crashes in Race 4

    Bengaluru, 28 August 2022: Kolhapur’s Jinendra Kiran Sangave won three of the four races while local lad Shreyas Hareesh topped the other in the two-day FIM MiniGP World Series India 2022 rounds which concluded at the Meco Kartopia circuit here on Sunday.

    Hyderabad as venue for Rounds 2 and 3, was shifted to Bengaluru due to rains. Rounds 4 and 5 will also be held at Meco Kartopia on September 3 and 4. Each round comprises two races. The series is restricted to riders in the age-group of 10-14 years on single-make Ohvale mini bikes.

    Jinendra, 13, who had won a double in Round-1 here last month, repeated the feat in Round-2 winning both the races on Saturday with Shreyas Hareesh and Chennai’s Nandanan Mahendran finishing second and third, respectively. The riders finished in the same order in the first race of Round-3 held on Sunday, but in the next outing later in the day, Jinendra crashed in the very first lap, but managed to rejoin to finish third behind Shreyas and Nandanan.

    Nithila Das, topped among the girls, finishing in the top-5.

    After three rounds, Jinendra leads the series with 141 points, ahead of Shreyas (125), Nandanan (94) and Kochi’s Muhammed Zain Correya (64).

    The results (all 15 laps):

    The dominant trio – Jinendra Sangave (centre, winner of three races), flanked by Shreyas Hareesh (left, who won one race) and Nandanan Mahendran, who finished on podium in all four races, in Rounds 2 and 3 of the FIM MiniGP World Series India 2022 held at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru on August 27 and 28 respectively.

    Round-2: Race-1: 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (16mins, 09.931secs); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (Bengaluru) (16:13.057); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (Chennai) (16:28.164). Race-2: 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (16mins, 07.864); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (16:07.949); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (16:32.601).

    Qualifying (top 4): 1. Jinendra Sangave (01:04.572); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (01:04.646); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (01:05.503); 4. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (01:06.868).

    Round-3: Race-1: 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (16:30.852); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (16:31.104); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (16:35.155). Race-2: Shreyas Hareesh (16:07.031); 2. Nandanan Mahendran (16:15.289); 3. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (16:17.996).

    Qualifying (top 4): 1. Jinendra Sangave (01:03.585); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (01:03.705); 3. Nandanan Mahendran (01:04.239); 4. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (01:05.853).

    About FIM MiniGP World Series India Series

    The FIM MiniGP World Series India, comprising a total of 10 races spread over five rounds, is part of the global programme run across 15 countries, and initiated by the FIM, the World governing body for two-wheeler racing, in conjunction with Dorna Sports, promoters of the FIM MotoGP.

    The FIM launched the MiniGP Series in 2021, as part of the Road To MotoGP programme, aiming to create an equal platform for young riders around the World to begin their motorcycle racing careers. All riders compete on equal Ohvale GP-0 160 machinery (Mini bikes), manufactured in Italy, while Pirelli is the official single tyre supplier for all the FIM MiniGP World Series.

    The top two riders based on points at the conclusion of the India series will represent the country in the FIM MiniGP World Series finals to be held in Valencia, Spain, in November.

    Main Sponsors: Vidiem, Ohvale India and RMS Motorsport. Helmets: MT

    Support partners: Tech & Tantra (organiser); AJ Customs (design & graphic); Garage77 (technical support).

    Series Sponsors: Pirelli, Motul, Dell’Orto. Series supported by: FIM, Fmsci, DornaSports, Road to MotoGP

  • TVS’ Rajendra wins K1000; Sarath Mohan, top privateer

    TVS’ Rajendra wins K1000; Sarath Mohan, top privateer

    Bengaluru, 14 Aug 2022: Former National champion  Rajendra RE of Petronas TVS Racing notched up a hard-fought second consecutive victory beating teammate and defending champion Abdul Wahid Tanveer in the K1000 2-wheeler rally, the fourth round of the GodSpeed Racing fmsci MRF Mogrip National 2w Rally Championship 2022 organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club here at the Tribal Adventure Cafe on Sunday.

    While Tanveer began the season with a victory at Chikmagaluru, Rajendra bounced back with a fine victory at Coimbatore in Round 3, and with this K1000 win, he took a narrow 1-point lead on the championship table with two rounds to go. All the TVS riders missed Round 2 due to new technical regulations.

    Rajendra, the Shivamogga talent, started cautiously as some parts of the Special Stages remained slushy but still clocked the fastest times in all the six Special Stages. However, despite having about 8-second lead, he threw caution to winds and clocked a blistering 7min, 12.207sec in the final Special Stage to make over 12 seconds that left Tanveer clueless. Nataraj, finished a distant third. Samuel Jacob and Imran Pasha (SS 260cc) completed the top-5 sweep for TVS.

    Sarath Mohan and Naresh VS are the only riders who have won all the four rounds, thus far, and are well on their way to National Championship honours.

    All-win streak continues: Sarath Mohan sweeps all rounds in Superbike Expert class

    Kerala’s Sarath Mohan, astride a Husqvarna FE450, became the top privateer, taking sixth place in the overall standings, behind Petronas TVS Racing team, who once again made a clean sweep of all the top five places. Sarath, the 25-year talent from Mallapuram, won the Superbike Expert Class 1A beating state mate Sinan Francis (KTM 450) of Kochi by a huge margin. In fact, his big lead helped him overcome the time he lost going off-route due to a missing ‘bunting’ in the stages and a road penalty later. Still he was fastest in all the stages. “I missed the route and lost about two minutes in the Banana farms. But I am quite happy to continue my winning streak,” said the talented rider, who aims to shift to longer cross-country rallies abroad by 2024. Mithun Gopal of Thiruvananthapuram, on a Suzuki RM450, won the bronze to make the class an all-Kerala affair.

    Bengaluru’s Naresh VS conquered the Royal Enfield Class 6 astride a Himalayan. Naresh was fastest in all the six stages taking a healthy five-minute lead before his nearest rival Mahesh Kumar suffered a 1min, 40-sec road penalty. Sajeer Ismail from Ernakulam came third.

    Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay, the 2019 World Cup Baja winner, took back the championship lead in the Ladies class with a facile victory. With Aishwarya missing Round 2, Fazeela of Ernakulam, took the title lead after Round 3, but today she lost over six minutes in the very first Special STage and had to be content with a fourth place. Bengaluru’s Sameera Dahiya came second on an Impulse and Deeksha Shrivasta, the reigning Sprint champion, finished third.

    Imran Pasha of Mysore won the Supersport 260cc Group B class comfortably despite easing off in the last stages where teammate Banteilang Jyrwa clocked the fastest times. However, the TVS talent and former champion did a creditable job taking the overall fifth position on his RTR200 punching above his weight to beat more powerful bikes. Mangalore’s Adnaan Ahmed who won Round 2 at home, finished third.

    Bengaluru’s Anoop Manjappa on a Stunner defeated Chalass Bose (Kottayam) despite a 1min 10sec penalty in the Supersport 130cc class. Chikkamagaluru rider Sudarshan B on a Gladiator finished third. However, Bose, the Kottayam rider, leads the table by a narrow six-points by virtue of his two wins and two second places while Anoop, has two wins and a second and could only finish fourth in Coimbatore, losing precious points.

    But Gidyun Benjamin, who clocked fastest times in all the six stages, lost to Sasi Kumar K in the Supersport 165cc Group B class due to a road penalty of 2min 50seconds. Varun Kumar came third. Sasi Kumar, breathes easy as he now tops the table with 83 points as, Francis PV, the table topper going into Round 4, had a terrible crash and suffered a leg fracture.

    Mumbai’s Russel Jossy on a KTM 390 clocked fastest times on all the stages except SS4 but his nearest rival Amog Nag lost over 4min Liaison penalty and just managed to beat veteran Venu Ramesh Kumar by about 11 seconds. Coimbatore’s Venu, a regular in the rally scene for over a decade bagged another podium and still leads the Supersport 400cc Group B championship standings going into the final two rounds. Assam’s Hansraj Saikia, who came fifth, is second behind Venu in the standings.

    Sanjay Somasekhar won the Superstock Group D upto 450cc class beating Naveen Somasekhar, also of Bengaluru while C Pradeep took the third place.

    Pinkesh Thakkar of Aprilia JB Racing topped the standings winning the Scooter class while BK Pawan won the Star of K1000 title.

    Of the 87 entries, a total of 76 bikes finished the rally while 10 “Did Not Finish” (DNF) and one rider Harish Eranty could not take the start on time.

    Provisional Results (Ro 4 K1000):

    Class 1: Superbike Pro-Expert:

    1. Rajendra RE (Petronas TVS Racing; Shimoga) RTR 450; 51:21.156;

    2. Abdul Waheed Tanveer  (Petronas TVS Racing; Bengaluru) RTR 450;  51:41.457;

    3.  R Nataraj (Petronas TVS Racing; Mysore) RTR 450;  53:00.815;

    4. Samuel Jacob (Petronas TVS Racing; Udupi) RTR 200;  53:04.462;

    5. Imran Pasha (Petronas TVS Racing – Mysore) RTR 200; 55:55:636;

    6. Sarath Mohan (Pvt- Mallapuram) Husqvarna;  57: 03.707;

    Class 1A:

    1. Sarath Mohan (Pvt- Mallapuram) Husqvarna;  57: 03.707;

    2. Sinan Francis (Pvt- Vennala/Kerala) KTM 450; 01:00:36.723;

    3. Mithun Gopal (Pvt- Trivandrum ) Suzuki RM450; 01:13:42.547;

    Class 2:

    1.  Anoop Manjappa (Pvt – Bengaluru) Stunner; 01:06:44.802; (including 1min, 10sec penalty);

    2.  Chalass K Bose (Pvt – Kottayam) Stunner; 01:07:21.388;

    2.  Sudharshan B (Pvt. Chikkamagaluru) Gladiator 01:09: 01.048; (including 1min, 20sec Penalty);

    Class 3:

    1. Sasi Kumar (Pvt -Coimbatore) Impulse; 01:00:11:700;

    2. Gidyun Benjamin (Pvt – ) 01:01:02. 528; (including 2min, 50sec penalty);  

    3.  Varun Kumar (Pvt. – Bengaluru) Impulse; 01:02:47:117;

    Class 4:

    1. Imran Pasha (Petronas TVS Racing – Mysore) RTR 200; 55:55:636;

    2. Banteilang Jerwa (TVS -Shillong) Xpulse; 57:51.299;

    3. Adnan Ahmed (Pvt -Mangaluru) Xpulse; 58:34.018; (incl. 1.30sec penalty)

    Class 5:

    1. Russel Jossy (Pvt – Mumbai) KTM390; 01:02: 06.696; (20sec penalty);

    2. Amogh Nag (Pvt – Bengaluru) KTM390; 01:07:28.620; (4min, 10sec penalty);

    3.  Venu Ramesh Kumar (Pvt – Coimbatore) KTM390; 01:07:39.403;

    Class 6:

    1. Naresh VS (Pvt – Bengaluru) Royal Enfield; 01:02:32.481;

    2. Mahesh Kumar (Pvt – Kochi) Royal Enfield; 01:09:26.454;

    3. Shajeer Ishmail (Pvt – Ernakulam) Royal Enfield; 01:10:14.099;

    Class 7:

    1. Aishwarya Pissay (Petronas TVS Racing – Bengaluru) RTR 200; 01:07:24.068;

    2. Sameera Dahiya (Pvt – Bengaluru) Xpulse; 01:24:17.364;

    3. Deeksha Srivastava (Pvt – Pune) Impulse; 01:31:13.909;

    4. Fazeela (Pvt – Ernakulam) Impulse; 01:45:09.443;

    Class 8:

    1. Pinkesh Thakkar (Aprilia JB Racing)Aprilia; 01:06:27:709;

    2.  Karthik Naidu (Petronas TVS Racing –Bengaluru) NTorq; 01:06:29:973;

    3. Subramanya T (Pvt – Bhopal) NTorq; 01:06:46:747;

    Class 9

    1. Sanjay Somashekar (Pvt – Bengaluru) Xpulse; 01:00:25:746;

    2. Naveen Somashekar (Pvt – Bengaluru) Xpulse; 01:06:14:891;

    3. C Pradeep (PRN Motorsports – Bengaluru) Xpulse; 01:06:37:032;

    Class 10: Star of K1000

    1. BK Pawan (Pvt.- Bengaluru) Xpulse;  01:03:47.017;

    2.  Gowtham Rao R (Pvt. Bengaluru) Impulse; 01:04:02.918;

    3. L Bharath (Pvt. Bengaluru) Impulse; 01:10:27.572.

  • Abdul Tanveer, Rajendra renew battles; Aishwarya, Sarath raring to go

    Abdul Tanveer, Rajendra renew battles; Aishwarya, Sarath raring to go

    Bengaluru, 12 August 2022: Defending champion Abdul Wahid Tanveer, who is leading the table will renew his battle with Petronas TVS Racing teammate Rajendra RE, in the iconic K1000 rally, the fourth round of the fmsci MRF MoGrip National Rally Championship for two-wheelers which begins at Tribal Adventure Cafe, near Devanahalli, near here on Saturday.

    With the championship throwing three different winners from the first three rounds, Tanveer has taken the Overall lead with 43 points followed by 2019 champion Rajendra on 37 points while Samuel Jacob of Mangalore, also from TVS is in third position with 33 points. Sarath Mohan is leading the Superbikes Expert class while Aishwarya Pissay, also from TVS, is way ahead in the Ladies class and is gunning for her sixth straight National title.

    Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC), with the support of sponsors MRF, have made sure that all arrangements are in place, including a technically-challenging terrain. Promoted by GodSpeed Racing, the premier two-wheeler round of the Indian Rally Nationals, has attracted 87 entries from all over the country. “KMSC is the oldest motorsports club in India hosting the Indian National Rally Championship for over 45 years and we are glad to bring back its more popular cousin, the K1000 two-wheeler National rally. All the safety protocols are in place and KMSC wishes the very best to all the riders for a safe and successful rally. We have also re-introduced the Star of Karnataka for the benefit of local riders,” said Gautham, President of KMSC.

    “Due to rains, the terrain has become more challenging and with the season at the mid-way stage the competition is at its peak and we are expecting a thrilling rally,” said 7-time National champion, Shyam Kothari of GodSpeed Racing, the Promoters.

    Petronas TVS Factory Racing team have dominated all the classes they have taken part and two of its leading lights former champion Rajendra RE of Shivamogga and defending champion Abdul Wahid Tanveer of Mysore will be the strong contenders for overall lead along with Mangaluru privateer Adnaan Ahmed. With no time to fix the fuel pumps as per new regulations, TVS opted out of the back-to-back second round in Mangaluru, which was won by Adnaan Ahmed.

    Kerala privateer Sarath Mohan has dominated the Superbikes Expert class. The Mallapuram rider who missed the last year’s title due to an injury, is back with a bang winning all the rounds. Chalass K Bose, Imran Pasha, Naresh VS, Pinkesh Thakkar and veteran Venu Ramesh are the other riders to watch in their classes.

    Sarath Mohan, who is leading the Superbikes Expert class after three rounds.

    Meanwhile, the star attraction of the event will be the only World Cup winner from India in motorsports, Aishwarya Pissay, who is on a quest for sixth consecutive National title in Ladies class. The 2019 FIM WC Bajas winner, is fresh from her exploits in Baja Aragon Spain. Talented Fazeela of Kochi, who is leading the table, will be another lady rider to watch out for.

    On Sunday, the riders will cover a total distance of 154 kms which includes six Special Stages comprising 57 kms of competitive rally distance on dirt tracks at the Tribal Adventure Cafe, near Devanahalli. The ceremonial flag-off will be on Saturday. The Championship will conclude with two back-to-back rounds in Pune and Nashik in November.

    The results are being presented Live by Zeitmesser India. Watch the race through live results here:

    MRF Mogrip fmsci National Rally Championship 2w – 2022 Round 4 – K1000 – Zeitmesser India Presents Live Results. click here.

  • Rajini, Jagan bounce back; Jennifer, Samrul win

    Rajini, Jagan bounce back; Jennifer, Samrul win

    Chennai, 7 August 2022: Veterans Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1) and Jagan Kumar (Petronas TVS Racing) bounced back in style with superb victories to provide a fitting climax to the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.

    Also notching impressive wins on the day were Hyderabad’s Md Samrul Zubair (Race’ists Motorcycle Club) in the Novice (Stock 165) category after starting 21st on the grid and local rider, Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing), the former champion, in the Girls (Stock 165cc) class.

    Rajini, chasing his 11th National title, shrugged off a third place finish yesterday to win handily in the next outing today in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category to stretch his championship lead to 51 points.

    Rajini’s two decades of racing experience was very much in evidence as he paced himself brilliantly and bided his time starting from P3 before making his move while keeping in mind the track condition which initially was damp following spots of light drizzle before the start. He also dealt with close attention from the Petronas TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and Race-1 winner KY Ahamed with panache to notch his fifth win in sixth starts. “I did not really push because of the track conditions, and later eased off just a bit,” said Rajini who now leads Ravikumar by 51 points in the championship standings.

    In contrast, last year’s champion Jagan Kumar, who missed the previous round owing to a wrist injury he suffered in the Rolon Round at Coimbatore in June, and still nursing a painful right wrist, recorded his first win of the season in the other premier category, the Pro-Stock 165cc Open, to end a drought that stretched to 10 months and 12 races.

    Jagan made the best of the situation that saw front-running and yesterday’s winner Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) crashing early in the eight-lap race and later, new leader Deepak Ravikumar, also of Petronas TVS Racing, retiring in the second-half of the race. Needing no second invitation, Jagan blasted past team-mate KY Ahamed and Pacer Yamaha’s Prabhu Arunagiri to victory. Arunagiri, who led briefly after Sethu’s exit, finished second ahead of Ahamed. Championship leader Mathana Kumar (Pacer Yamaha) came in fifth and enjoys a 28-point cushion over Sethu.

    Earlier, Md Samrul Zubair came up with a brilliant performance to win the Novice (Stock 165cc) category race which he started from P21. The race also ended a five-win streak of Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing) who finished ninth. However, Balappa remains at the top of the championship standings in this category with a 36-point lead over Bengaluru teenager Chiranth Vishwanath (Rookies Racing) who finished third behind Mumbai’s Kayan Zubin Patel (Axor Sparks Racing) in today’s race.

    Meanwhile, Ann Jennifer scored her second win of the season after the two front-runners, Ryhana Bee (Pacer Yamaha) and Lani Zena Fernandez (RACR Castrol Power1) crashed in consecutive laps at the same spot exiting the last corner. For much of the five-lap race, the battle raged in front between Ryhana and Lani, with Ann lying in third. However, with the two in front crashing but subsequently recovering to finish the race, it was a comfortable win for Ann who thus moved to the top of the championship standings in this category with 60 points.

    Others who maintained their unbeaten run were:

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – Sarthak Shrikant Chavan from Pune (NSF 250, 6 wins); Raheesh Mudassar Khatri from Mumbai (CBR 150, 6 wins).

    Petronas TVS One-Make Championship – Chiranth Vishwanath from Bengaluru (Rookie, 6 wins); Aditi Krishnan from Bengaluru (Girls, RTR200, 3 wins).

    The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rajini Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1) (15mins, 09.788secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (15:10.049); 3. KY Ahamed (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (15:11.842).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (15:50.649); 2. Prabhu Arunagiri (Chennai, Pacer Yamaha) (15:50.794); 3. KY Ahamed (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (15:51.092).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Md Samrul Zubair (Hyderabad, Race’ists Motorcycle Club) (13:06.841); 2. Kayan Zubin Patel (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing) (13:07.254); 3. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, Rookies Racing) (13:08.310).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer (Chennai, Alpha Racing) (11:00.636); 2. Jagathishree (Chennai, Pacer Yamaha) (11:02.138); 3. Jagruti Penkar (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing) (11:09.459).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250 Open (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune) (18:19.395); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (18:41.408); 3. Shyam Sundar (Chennai) (18:45.910).

    Novice (CBR 150, Race-2): 1. Raheesh Mudassar Khatri (Mumbai) (12:49.567); 2. Rajender Beedani (Jangaon) (12:49.849); 3. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:01.044).

    Support Race – Hornet 2.0 (Race-2): 1. Allwin Xavier (Chennai) (13:23.706); 2. Sudheer Sudhakar (New Delhi) (13:25.265); 3. G Balaji (Chennai) (13:25.293).

    Petronas TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR310, Race-1): 1. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (11:45.653); 2. Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad) (11:45.659); 3. P Anantharaj (Chennai) (11:47.459). Race-2: 1. Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad) (11:40.643); 2. Jagadeesh N (Bengaluru) (11:40.661); 3. P Ananthraj (Chennai) (11:42.608).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200, Race-2): 1. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (12:30.498); 2. Shreyas Hareesh (Bengaluru) (12:40.139); 3. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai) (12:40.250).

    Media (Apache RTR 200, 5 laps): 1. Karan Singh (Delhi) (11:53.563); 2. Ishan Lee (Pune) (11:54.038); 3. Mandar Sheela Sawant (Pune) (11:57.498).

  • Ahamed leads TVS 1-2 finish in top class; Rajiv Sethu puts Honda on top in 165cc class

    Ahamed leads TVS 1-2 finish in top class; Rajiv Sethu puts Honda on top in 165cc class

    Chennai, 6 Aug 2022: KY Ahamed led a 1-2 finish for Petronas TVS Racing while Rajiv Sethu of Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing, finally chalked up his first win of the season and Sarvesh Balappa his fifth in a row in their respective categories as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 sparked to life at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.

    KY Ahamed (No.33), winner of the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category race on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Ahamed scored a merited win in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category with team-mate Deepak Ravikumar in tow even as the unbeaten run of champion Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1) who had won the previous four races over two rounds, ended as he went off the track when in the lead due to mechanical issues, but managed to finish third.

    Ahamed, starting from P2 behind pole-sitter Ravikumar, made a decisive move in the last lap to get ahead for a deserving maiden victory of the season in this category. The results notwithstanding, Rajini Krishnan continues to lead the championship table following his four-in-a-row winning sequence over the previous two rounds, with a healthy 44-point advantage over Ravikumar with Ahamed a further 10 points behind, going into Race-2 on Sunday.

    Rajiv Sethu (No.8), winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc race, at MIC on Saturday.

    Later, in a heart-stopper Pro-Stock 165cc race, Rajiv Sethu fought and won a tense battle that kept the final outcome in suspense until the very finish where the lead Honda star held off Petronas TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and KY Ahamed even as leader and pole-sitter Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha) crashed in the dying moments of the six-lap race.

    Earlier, Sarvesh Balappa, a 23-year old mechanical student from Hubballi, and a late bloomer as a racer, chalked up his fifth win in a row in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category in a race that was reduced to four laps from scheduled six following multiple crashes in the very first lap. All riders in the crashes escaped with minor injuries.

    Sarvesh Balappa, who chalked up his fifth consecutive win in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category.

    Balappa, starting from P4 on the 33-rider grid, kept his wits amidst the chaotic first lap. On restart, the Hubballi rider made his way up the field and seized the lead which he defended with aplomb, even looking behind as he approached the finish line to take the chequered flag. Following him home in close formation were Bengaluru teenager Chiranth Vishwanath (Rookies Racing) and Aldrin Babu (RACR Castrol Power1) from Chalakudy while Mumbai’s Kayan Zubin Patel (Axor Sparks Racing), starting from pole, finished a distant sixth after suffering an off-track excursion and clutch issues.

    Meanwhile, former champion and Round-1 winner, Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing) qualified for pole position for Sunday’s race in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category, clocking a best lap of 02:09.11. Puducherry’s Lani Zena Fernandez (RACR Castrol Power1) was second best in 02:09.297, followed by defending champion and Round-2 winner Ryhana Bee of Pacer Yamaha (02:10.031).

    The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-1): 1. KY Ahamed (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11mins, 18.989secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:19.095); 3. Rajini Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1) (11:28.348).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Chennai, Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (11:48.625); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:48.900); 3. KY Ahamed (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:49.128).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Sarvesh Balappa (Hubballi, Axor Sparks Racing) (08:48.175); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, Rookies Racing) (08:48.414); 3. Aldrin Babu (Chalakudy, RACR Castrol Power1) (08:52.063).

    Support Race – Stock 301-400cc (Novice): 1. Jayanth Prathipati (Pvt, Hyderabad) (12:30.951); 2. Shazan Khan (Race Abilities, Bengaluru) (12:33.847); 3. Vivek M (Bengaluru) (Race Abilities, Bengaluru) (12:34.581).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250 Open (Race-1): 1. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune) (11:06.145); 2. Kavin Qunital (Chennai) (11:15.856); 3. Shyam Sundar (Chennai) (11:18.495).

    Novice (CBR 150, Race-1): 1. Raheesh Mudassar Khatri (Mumbai) (12:58.915); 2. Shyam Babu (Chennai) (13:02.234); 3. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (13:02.345).

    Support Race – Hornet 2.0 (Race-1): 1. Allwin Xavier (Chennai) (13:27.649); 2. G Balaji (Chennai) (13:28.030); 3. Romario John (Chennai) (13:30.665).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (Chennai, Alpha Racing) (02:09.111); 2. Lani Zena Fernandez (Puducherry, RACR Castrol Power1) (02:09.297); 3. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Pacer Yamaha) (02:10.031).

    Petronas TVS One-Make Championship – Rookie (Apache RTR 200, Race-1): 1. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (12:26.838); 2. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai) (12:48.315); 3. Tamizhinian KR (Chennai) (12:48.431).

    Girls (Apache RTR200) (5 laps): 1. Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru) (11:10.496); 2. Ananya Awasthi (Chennai) (11:20.938); 3. Nishitha (Chennai) (11:29.921).

  • Prabhu Arunagiri, Kayan Zubin top qualies;

    Prabhu Arunagiri, Kayan Zubin top qualies;

    Chennai, 5 Aug 2022: Pacer Yamaha’s Prabhu Arunagiri and Mumbai youngster Kayan Zubin Patel (Axor Sparks Racing) qualified for pole positions in Pro-Stock 165cc and Novice (Stock 165cc) categories, respectively, in the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 which commenced at the Madras International Circuit, here on Friday.

    Clocking a hot lap of one minute, 55.942secs, Arunagiri, a battle-scarred veteran, scored over fellow-Chennai riders, Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) and KY Ahamed (Petronas TVS Racing) with less than a second separating the trio.

    Arunagiri, who failed to pick up any points in the previous round last month and placed fifth on the leaderboard, had just enough pace to hold off his rivals that included the experienced Petronas TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and defending champion Jagan Kumar, who qualified P4 and P5. Mathana Kumar (Pacer Yamaha) who leads the championship in this category, could manage only P6.

    Kayan Zubin Patel, who qualified for pole position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category, at BIC on Friday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Kayan (02.08.016) edged out team-mate Varun Nanjundegowda (02:08.175) from Mysuru while Hyderabad’s Md Samrul Zuair qualified third in 02:08.665. Hubbali’s Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing), winner of all four races in the previous two rounds, was fourth in 02:08.705.

    Hailing from a family of Motocross specialists, Kayan switched to track racing a couple of seasons ago. “I used to participate in Autocross events like my dad and uncles, but switched track racing last season. It was hard work as I had shed weight. Last season, I was 120Kgs, but now, I am 85Kgs and want to reduce further,” said 21-year old Kayan who works in his family business.

    Earlier, KY Ahamed enjoyed a fine Free Practice session in the premier Pro-stock 301-400cc category which he topped with a blazing lap of 01:51.085, followed by his Petronas TVS Racing team-mate Deepak Ravikumar (01:51.366) and National champion Rajini Krishnan (01:52.746) of RACR Castrol Power1.

    Meanwhile, former champion Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing), winner in the first round, topped the Free Practice time sheet in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category, clocking a best lap of two minutes, 09.980secs, ahead of defending champion Ryhana Bee (Pacer Yamaha) who did 02:10.180, and Lani Zena Fernandez (02:11.357) of  RACR Castrol Power1. Championship leader, Aditi Krishnan (Winverve Apex Racing Academy) from Bengaluru was fifth fastest in 02:14.011.

    Ann Jennifer who set the fastest time in Free Practice in the Girls Stock 165cc National Championship on Friday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan

    The results (Qualifying – top 3, best laps):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 165cc Open: 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Chennai, Pacer Yamaha) (01min, 55.942secs); 2. Rajiv Sethu (Chennai, Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (01:55.947); 3. KY Ahamed (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (01:56.066).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Kayan Zubin Patel (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing) (02:08.016); 2. Varun Nanjunde Gowda (Mysuru, Axor Sparks Racing) (02:08.175); 3. Md Samrul Zubair (Hyderabad, Race’ists Motorcycle Club) (02:08.665).

    Support race (Stock 301-400cc): 1. Jayanth Prathipati (Hyderabad) (02:03.385); 2. Sandeep Gorai (Raganpur) (02:04.701); 3. Shazan Khan (Bengaluru) (02:04.869).

    Petronas TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR310): 1. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (01:54.827); 2. Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad) (01:54.870); 3. Manoj Yesuadiyan (Chennai) (01:55.216).

    Girls (Apache RTR200): 1. Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru) (02:13.521); 2. Ananya Awasthi (Chennai) (02:14.760); 3. Nishitha (Chennai) (02:15.850).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – Novice (CBR 150): 1. Raheesh Mudassar Khatri (Mumbai) (02:07.249); 2. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (02:07.987); 3. Rajender Beedani (Jangaon) (02:08.946).

  • Rajini Krishnan, Sarvesh Balappa keen to keep slate clean

    Rajini Krishnan, Sarvesh Balappa keen to keep slate clean

    Chennai, 4 August 2022: Experienced Indian racing ace Rajini Krishnan and Hubbali’s youngster Sarvesh Balappa who won all the four races in their respective classes will look to keep their slate clean as Round 3 begins here at the rechristened Madras International Circuit, which will open it newly-built Grand Stand for the Public for the first time. The facility could not be opened till now due Covid-19.

    The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022 enters its crucial phase this weekend with the front-runners on the leaderboard keen to consolidate their positions by achieving a fine balance between outright aggression and smart riding.

    While veteran Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1), bidding for his 11th National title, has dominated the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category with four wins from as many starts, the situation in the popular Pro-Stock 165cc class is intriguing, though Pacer Yamaha’s Mathana Kumar enjoys a 35-point advantage. His arch-rivals, Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing), and the Petronas TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and KY Ahamed, showed signs of resurgence in Round-2 last month after a washout in the season-opener at Coimbatore in June. Thus, the expectations are high of close battles this weekend.

    Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa (Axor Sparks Racing), with four wins out of four, is comfortably placed in the Novice category (Stock 165cc) that attracts a grid of some 40 riders. In the Girls category (Stock 165cc), just 10 points separate the top four – Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru, Winverve Apex Racing Academy), Ann Jennifer (Chennai, Axor Sparks Racing), Jagruti Penkar (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing) and last year’s champion Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Pacer Yamaha), in that order.

    The Petronas TVS One-Make Championship has seen some hectic action. In the Open category, there have been four different winners, while Bengaluru schoolboy Chiranth Vishwanath has won all four races in the Rookie class and Aditi Krishnan remains unbeaten after two outings in the Girls category.

    Pune teenager Sarthak Shrikant Chavan, with a clean sweep of all four races, heads the NSF 250R class in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup as also Mumbai’s Raheesh Mudassar Khatri in the Novice (CBR 150) category.

    The 20-race card will get rolling tomorrow (Friday) with Free Practice and qualifying sessions ahead of the races over the following two days which could see some exciting competition as was the case in the previous round last month.

    While almost 200 entrants fight it out on the track, promoters Madras Motor Sports Club have thrown open the 600-seater grandstand along the main straight to the public and fans. Spectators can avail of refreshments and snacks besides watching the live streaming of the races on several 55-inch television monitors in the stands.

    “The two rounds so far have witnessed some thrilling action and extremely close races, and this weekend, we are sure, it will be no different. We are hoping that the fans will turn out in good numbers to witness the action. We have opened the grandstand to the public for the first time since it was built in 2020, but could not be utilised due to the pandemic. A special award will be presented to a rider / team with the biggest cheering squad in the grandstand,” said MMSC vice-president Vicky Chandhok.

    On the track, the National Championship will see double-headers in the two premier Pro-stock categories – 301-400cc Open and 165cc Open – besides the Novice (Stock 165cc) class, while one race is slated for the Girls (Stock 165cc) and the Stock 301-400cc, introduced as a support event this season.

    The Petronas TVS One-Make Championship organised by MMSC – Open (Apache 310RR), and Rookie, Girls and Media (all Apache RTR200) – and the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R, Novice (CBR 150) and Hornet 2.0 (Support race) – make up rest of the weekend programme.

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the Madras International Circuit (earlier MMRT), in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC installed Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Gaurav Gill – Musa Sherif win Rally of Coimbatore: Blueband INRC Round 2

    Gaurav Gill – Musa Sherif win Rally of Coimbatore: Blueband INRC Round 2

    Coimbatore, 31 July 2022: King of Indian motorsports Gaurav Gill made a triumphant return to rallying winning the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2022 for four-wheelers, at the Kethanoor Windmill Farms here on Sunday.

    With experienced Musa Sherif as navigator, Gill, the 40-year Delhi daredevil in JK colours, who had over 90 second overnight lead, snubbed his urge for speed and brought home the Mahindra XUV 300, ahead of a marauding Karna Kadur (co-driver Nikhil Pai) to clinch the Round 2 and bagged full points. However, the Bengaluru duo, Karna and co-driver Nikhil, the MRF Tyres lead pair, who were fastest in all the four stages, finished second but retained their lead in the championship table after two rounds. Aroor Arjun Rao and co-driver Sathish Rajagopal finished third.

    Gaurav Gill, left, and Musa Sherif, who won the Rally of Coimbatore, the Round 2 of Bluband Sports INRC 2022 on Sunday. Photo from Musa Sherif

    Gaurav Gill, who left Arka Motorsports team after a long association, said on his Instagram handle: “It is a hot weekend here in Coimbatore with scorching temparature but the car was able to set the pace with the special JK Tyres and we finished where we belong, on top of the podium, and that too with a completely new team.”

    After the stages, Gill, rushed to the airport, as he had to leave for Finland to take part in the World Rally Championship. The Arjuna Awardee made a comeback to WRC2 after two years in June at the Kenya rally, where he showed tremendous pace winning a couple of stages but his car stopped with huge amounts of sand in the engine. He will be driving a Skoda Fabia R5 again in WRC2 class in Finland with shakedown on Friday. “I am rushing to Finland and hoping for a good outing in the WRC,” said Gill from the airport.

    In INRC 2, brothers Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, the 2019 overall champions from Bengaluru, nurtured their overnight lead for a comfortable victory ahead of Suhem Kabir and Jeevarathinam. Another Bengaluru pair Ritesh Guttedar and co-driver Lokaranjan came third. Defending champions Chettinad Sporting’s Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap of Himachal Pradesh logged a DNF on Sunday with mechanical problems.

    Karna Kadur and Nikhil Pai, collected enough points from second place in Round 2 to lead the Overall INRC championship table after two rounds.

    Promising talent Jahaan Singh Gill, the Delhi teenager, hoisted the JK flag high, to win the INRC 3 class. Mysore-Mangalore combo Syed Salman Ahmed and Rishab came second with two golden stars of yester years, Philippos Mathai and Kumar Ramaswamy taking a third place. Both are knowledgeable and popular motorsports aficionados.

    Defending champion Deepak Chandra and co-driver Mahesh Nandi won the INRC4 class beating the only opponent Ninu Mohan (Goutham) to second place.

    Jahaan and Suraj also won the Junior INRC class with Arnav Prathap Singh (co-driver Arjun SSB) taking second ahead of the top ladies pair Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar.

    Editor’s note dated 1 Aug 2022: The results have changed following the disqualification of Aroor Arjun Rao, Chetan Shivram and Jahaan Gill due to technicial infringements during post-event Scrutiny.

    Provisional final Classification after Sunday (Corrected after Scrutiny):

    Overall

    1. Gaurav Gill, Delhi /Musa Sherif, Kasargod, INRC (Privateer/Mahindra XUV 300) 1hour, 47 minutes, 37.300 seconds;

    2. Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai, both Bengaluru, INRC (Arka Motorsports/VW Polo 1.0) 1:48:06.200;

    3. Aroor Arjun Rao, Mangaluru / Sathish Rajagopal, Bengaluru, INRC
    (Mandovi Racing/ Maruti Baleno RS) 1: 49:52.800;

    4. Chetan Shivram/ Dilip Sharan, both Bengaluru, INRC2 (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6)
    1: 50:17.200;

    3. Younus Ilyas/ Milen George (Race Concepts/ Mitsubishi Cedia) 1:52:06.900;

    Jahaan Singh Gill, Chandigarh/ Suraj Keshava Prasad, Bengaluru (Pvt./ VW Polo 1.6) 1: 52:22.400;

    4. Syed Salman Ahmed, Mysore / BK Rishabh, Mangaluru (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 1:53:17.100;

    (34 of the 46 cars finished Day 2; 9 DNF, 1 MPL, 2 did not start)

    INRC

    1. Gaurav Gill, Delhi /Musa Sherif, Kasargod, INRC (Privateer/Mahindra XUV 300) 1hour, 47 minutes, 37.300 seconds;

    2. Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai, both Bengaluru, INRC (Arka Motorsports/VW Polo 1.0) 1:48:06.200;

    3. Aroor Arjun Rao, Mangaluru / Sathish Rajagopal, Bengaluru, INRC
    (Mandovi Racing/ Maruti Baleno RS) 1: 49:52.800;

    3. Younus Ilyas/ Milen George (Race Concepts/ Mitsubishi Cedia) 1:52:06.900;

    INRC2

    Chetan Shivram/ Dilip Sharan, both Bengaluru, INRC2 (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6)
    1: 50:17.200;

    1. Suhem Kabir, Virajpet / Jeevarathinam, Bengaluru (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 1:53:23.600;

    2. Ritesh Guttedar M / Lokaranjan HJ, Both Bengaluru (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 1:56:33.700;

    3. Aroor Vikram Rao/ Somayya, (Snap Racing/VW Polo), 1:56:37.400.

    (Only six of the 10 cars finished in INRC2)  

    INRC3

    1.Jahaan Singh Gill, Chandigarh/ Suraj Keshava Prasad, Bengaluru (Pvt./ VW Polo 1.6) 1: 52:22.400;

    1. Syed Salman Ahmed, Mysore / BK Rishabh, Mangaluru (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 1:53:17.100;

    2. Philippos Mathai, Delhi/ Kumar Ramaswamy, Coimbatore (Arka Motorsports)/VW Polo 1.6) 1:53:20.800;

    3. Chandan KM/Venu Ramesh Kumar (Arka Motorsports/VW Polo) 1:53:51.800.

    (20 out of 24 cars finished in INRC3)

    INRC4

    1. Deepak Chandra, /Mahesh Nandi, Both Bengaluru, (Pvt/Honda City) 02: 03:16.700;

    2. Ninu Mohan, Trivandrum / Goutham CP, (Pvt/Honda City) Chikmagalur, 02: 32:41.000;

    (Only two cars in this class, both finished)

    Non-Championship – fmsci Gypsy Challenge

    1. Samrat Yadav, Chandigarh/ Chandrashekar, Bengaluru, (Pvt) 1: 58:23.200;

    2. Sanjay Razdan, Gurugram/ Kiran Aukta, Shimla (Pvt) 2: 07:05.700;

    3. Dheeraj KV/ Pramod Raman, Both Bengaluru (Pvt). 02:08:10.100;

    (six cars out of 9 finished; one DNF, two MPL)

    Junior INRC

    1.Jahaan Singh Gill, Chandigarh/ Suraj Keshava Prasad, Bengaluru (Pvt./ VW Polo 1.6) 1: 52:22.400;

    1. Arnav Singh Pratap / Arjun SSB, Both Bengaluru, (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 1:54:34.500;

    2. Pragathi Gowda/ Trisha Alonkar Both Bengaluru (Arka Motorsports/ VW Polo 1.6) 1:55:14.600.

    3. Dr. Shivani Pruthvi/ Dr. Deepthi Pruthvi, both Davangere (Pvt/ Honda City VTec) 2:00:31.500