INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Supercross Nationals: Jinan reclaims title-lead with a grand double

    Supercross Nationals: Jinan reclaims title-lead with a grand double

    Coimbatore, 19 June 2022: Evergreen rider from Kerala, CD Jinan of Petronas TVS Racing captured both the motos in the Feature event to reclaim the Championship lead in the third round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Supercross Championship 2022 at the CODISSIA ground which attracted over 15,000 crowd, here on Sunday. TVS hoisted their flag winning all the podium places in both the motos and Jinan bagged the Rider of the Day honours.

    Jinan won Moto1 of the prestigious SX1 Foreign Open class in the morning and backed it up winning Moto2 too, making clever use of the Joker lane and put paid to the hopes of youngster Rugved Burguje, who got boxed and tipped over a berm midway through the 8-lap Moto2.

    However, the Pune champion quickly recovered and joined back to take the final place on the podium redeeming some valuable points. But it was Jinan’s day as the 46-year old multiple National champion bagged a grand double on his factory-prepared TVS RTR 300on a track that saw the return of Jokerlane this year. The Kerala star began on the left side and was found wanting as Barguje took the hole shot in the second Moto but after the initial dilly-dally, he took the lead and later had an easy outing with Barguje suffering a fall. Making the most of the fight between the table-toppers, Prajwal Vishwanath, the talented youngster bagged a creditable second place to pool in good points with a double podium. Prajwal earlier came third behind Satara’s Ikshaan Shanbagh who exhibited fine riding skills in the first moto.

    “With the nature of the track prompted me to be careful and was very cautious. I managed to take the lead and later on I just had to bring the bike home,” said the veteran rider. Earlier in the morning, the current championship leader Barguje could only finish fourth and that paved the way for Jinan to take back the lead which he enjoyed after the first round.

    Another youngster from Pune, fresh from 2w Road Racing last week, Sarthak Chavan, also clinched a grand double in the SX2 class while another Pune talent Akshat Hupale, continued his dominance in the Junior SX2, winning both the races.

    Petronas TVS Racing made a clean sweep of the Indian Experts class with Imran Pasha taking a fine victory beating teammate from Mizoram Banteilang J while Nataraj R, also from TVS, had to be content with a third place. In Class 4 for Locals, Karankumar M won with Asaruddin S in second followed by Shailesh Kumar in third.

    Promoters GodSpeed Racing pulled off another successful round with a huge crowd witnessing the popular event and seven-time National champion Shyam Kothari who spread out a technical track for the Coimbatore round was immensely happy. “Supercross remains ever popular and the crowds today are a testimony. Safety is our first priority and we are happy to finish another successful round,” he concluded.

    Provisional Results – Round 3:

    Class 1: SX1 Moto1: 1. CD Jinan (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 2. Ikshaan Shanbagh (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 3. Prajwal V (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300).

    Class 1: SX1 Moto2: 1. CD Jinan (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 2. Prajwal V (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300); 3. Rugved Barguje (Petronas TVS Racing-RTR300).

    Class 2: SX2 Moto1: 1. Sarthak Chavan (KX250F- Pune); 2. Shlok Ghorpade (KTM150- Satara); 3. Jinendra Sangave (KX250F- Ichalakaranji);.

    Class 2: SX2 Moto2: 1. Sarthak Chavan (KX250F- Pune); 2. Jinendra Sangave (KX250F- Ichalakaranji); 3. Ajay Srinivas (KX250F- Bengaluru).

    Class 3: Novice Upto 260cc: 1. Jinendra Sangave (TVS Racing – RTR200); 2. Sachin D (TVS Racing – RTR 200); 3. Arun T (Impulse – Privateer/ Hassan).

    Class 4: Locals: 1. Karan Kumar M; 2. Asaruddin S; 3. Sailesh Kumar (All on Impulse from Coimbatore).

    Class 5: Indian Experts: 1. Imran Pasha; 2. Banteilang J; 3. Nataraj R (All from TVS on RTR 200).

    Class 6: Private Experts: 1. Karan Kumar M (Cbe); 2. Arun T (Hassan); 3. Asaruddin (Cbe). All on Impulse.

    Class 7: Junior SX1 Moto1: 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune); 2. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara); 3. Jinendra Sangave (Ichalakaranji).

    Class 7: Junior SX1 Moto2: 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune); 2. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara); 3. Jinendra Sangave (Ichalakaranji).

    Class 8: Junior SX2 Moto1: 1. Akshat Hupale (KTM85 -Pune); 2. Yash Shinde (KTM85 -Pune);  3. Sujan J (KTM65-  Coimbatore).

    Class 8: Junior SX2 Moto2: 1. Akshat Hupale (KTM85 -Pune); 2. Aleena Shaikh (Husqvarna -Bengaluru); 3. Agastya (KTM65 – Bengaluru).

  • 2022 2w Road Racing National attracts over 200 bikers

    2022 2w Road Racing National attracts over 200 bikers

    Coimbatore, 9 June 2022: The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship returns to the refurbished Kari Motor Speedway here after a three-year interval for the Rolon Round which commences on Friday, June 10.

    The five-round 2022 championship, like the previous edition, promises to be another thriller as the country’s top riders, several of them with international credentials, and two-wheeler manufacturers like TVS, Honda, KTM and Yamaha, vie for honours. The number of entries, as in the previous seasons, has crossed the 200-mark.

    The weekend card includes the National Championship comprising four categories – Pro-Stock 301-400cc and 165cc, Novice (Stock 165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) – while Petronas TVS One-Make Championship (301-400cc Open, Rookie, Girls and Media) and Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R, CBR 150 and Hornet 2.0) are also part of the programme. A new addition is the Stock 301-400cc category which will be run as a support race.

    The overall response from the riders has been overwhelming. The promoters, Madras Motor Sports Club, celebrating their 70th anniversary, closed the entries for the Novice (Stock 165cc) category within five days after opening.

    MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “It is great to be back at the Kari Motor Speedway after a three-year break due to the pandemic. We are overwhelmed by the tremendous response for the Rolon Round this weekend that should dish out high quality and exciting races. While we welcome and thank the riders and manufacturers for their participation, MMSC remains grateful to MRF Tyres for their continued involvement in the championship.”

    The two Pro-Stock categories will headline the weekend card as both grids are brimming with riders with proven credentials and international experience. Topping the line-ups are Rajini Krishnan (301-400cc, RACR Castrol Power) and Jagan Kumar (165cc, Petronas TVS Racing). Both notched their 10th National titles last season.

    Similarly, Ryhana Bee, who has moved to the Pacer Yamaha team, would be the rider to beat in the Girls section. She clinched the title last year, winning all five rounds.

    The Novice category (under-23), which boasts of a massive grid of 32 riders selected from 35 entrants, will throw up a new champion who, though, will have to earn the title considering the highly competitive field comprising riders who are keen to annex their maiden National crown.

    The two One-Make Championships by Honda and TVS have never failed to produce close races in all their categories in the seasons gone by and it is unlikely to be any different this year.

    While Friday is set aside for Free Practice and a few qualifying sessions, 20 races will be gone through over the next two days.

    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.

  • Privateer Adnaan Ahamed claims overall honours; Faseela wins Ladies class

    Privateer Adnaan Ahamed claims overall honours; Faseela wins Ladies class

    Puttur (Karnataka), 22 May 2022: On a dramatic day of slush and action, it was a glorious day for the unsung riders as local hero Adnaan Ahamed hoisted the flag high for privateers by clinching a well-deserved Overall victory at Rally de Mangaluru, the second round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Rally Championship 2W 2022 here on Sunday. Hero MotoSports’ Yuva Kumar and Sathyaraj Arumugam took the second and third place behind Ahmed, in that order.

    All the ten bikes of Petronas TVS Racing team did not take the start for Round 2 on Sunday morning. Though issues of fuel pipe during the scrutiny are said to have led to the withdrawal of TVS factory team riders, an official version is awaited.

    Sarath Mohan of Malappuram won the Group A Super Bike Expert class with a commanding lead once again to lead the championship table with two victories beating his state-mate Francis Sinan, who had to play second fiddle once again while Asad Khan of Chikkamagaluru came third ahead of another good performance by young lady rider Tanika Shanbagh, who stood overall 11th.

    In the Super Sport 130cc class, Anoop Manjappa stepped up gear in wet conditions and pushed aside the challenge from Round 1 winner, Chalass Bose of Kottayam who was fastest in three stages but the lost ground in SS6. Chalass began with a bang clocking the best time in SS1, as the two Honda Stunners played cat-and-mouse race winning a stage each but Anoop took a decisive lead in SS6 and never looked back. Sudarshan of Chikkamagalur came third astride a Yamaha Gladiator.

    Pinkesh Thakkar, who won the Scooter class on Sunday in Puttur.

    In Super Sport 165cc Class, defending champion Ajin Abraham of Kottayam, who missed the first round due to professional obligations took a comfortable win with a lead of over one and a half minute over Chikkamagaluru’s Francis PV, who won the first round. Sasi Kumar from Coimbatore, also on a Hero Impulse, finished third.

    VS Naresh from Bengaluru put his Himalayan on the top winning the Royal Enfield class ahead of Arun Joy from Kochi and Abhijeet Sarkar of Bengaluru.

    Fazeela from Ernakulam, found the moment ideal to display her talent and skills to claim the Ladies Class with Mangaluru’s Apoorva taking the second spot once again. The 2021 Sprint champion, Deeksha Srivastava, despite losing ground in one of the stages, completed her maiden podium in the Rally Nationals.

    Hansraj Saikia from Guwahati, who came all the way from Guwahati provided the North-East flavour to the Nationals winning the Super Sport 400cc Group B class with ease and grace despite a road penalty as plenty of lead over Amogh Nag of Bengaluru. Astride a KTM Duke, Saikia, was looking to gain the much-needed experience, but the victory was a sweet bonus. Vinit Sharma of Indore also made it to the podium.

    And it was also a day to celebrate for experienced Pinkesh Thakkar, who put Aprilia on a winning pedestal. With an entry as Aprilia JB Racing, he won the class astride his SR150 while Bengaluru’s Goutham N took second and Muzaffar Ali of Pune came third.

    Round 2 Results (Provisional):

    Overall:

    1. Adnan Ahmed, Mangaluru (Privateer – Hero Xpulse) 00:53:43.222;

    2. Sathyaraj Arumugam, Coimbatore (Hero MotoSports – Hero Xpulse) 00:58:11.981;

    3. Yuva Kumar, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 00: 58:47.042;

    4. Sarath Mohan, Malappuram (Pvt. Husqvarna FE450) 00:58:51.904;

    5. Karan Kumar, Coimbatore (Privateer – Hero Xpulse) 00:59:24.532;

    6. Sinan Francis, Kochi (Privateer – KTM 450EXCF) 00:59:24.532.

    Class 1A: Super Bike Expert Group A:

    1. Sarath Mohan, Malappuram (Privateer – Husqvarna FE450) 00:58:51.904;

    2. Sinan Francis, Kochi (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:00:35.064;

    3. Asad Khan, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. – TVS Apache RTR 180) 01:04:32.645;

    4. Tanika Shanbagh, Satara, (Pvt. – Husqvarna TE 350) 01:05:48.979;

    5. Jatin Jain, Nagpur, (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:06:36.170;

    Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B:

    1. Anoop Manjappa, Bengaluru (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:11:52.473;

    2. Chalass K Bose, Kottayam, (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:13:49.259;

    3. Sudarshan B, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. Yamaha Gladiator) 01:14:51.156;

    4. Dilip Raj, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. Honda 130) 01:20:32.129;

    5. Vinoth Kumar S, Erode (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:32:05.188;

    Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B:

    1. Ajin Abraham, Kottayam (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:06:02.886;

    2. Francis PV, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:07:37.329;

    3. Sasi Kumar K, Coimbatore (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:07:46.535;

    4. Shabuddin Sayed, Goa (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:09:08.627;

    5. Goutham Rao, Bengaluru, (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:10:22.771;

    Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B:

    1. Adnaan Ahamed, Mangaluru (Pvt. – Hero Xpulse) 00:58:11.981;

    2. Sathyaraj Arumugam, Coimbatore (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 00:58:47.042;

    3. Yuva Kumar, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 00:58:49.314;

    4. Karan Kumar, Coimbatore (Pvt. Hero Xpulse) 00:59:24.532;

    5. Arun T, Tumkur (Pvt. Hero Xpulse) 01:01:48.671.

    (Only 9 of the 13 riders completed the Rally)

    Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B:

    1. Hansraj Saikia, Guwahati (Pvt. KTM Duke) 01:11:51.153; (Including 1 min road penalty)

    2. Amogh Nag, Bengaluru (Pvt. – KTM 390) 01:15:02.719; (including 2 min road penalty)

    3. Vinit Sharma, Indore (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:19:29.197;

    4. Ashwin Anantha Raju, Bengaluru (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:20:39.219;

    (Four of the six riders finished in this class)

    Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B:

    1. Naresh VS, Bengaluru (Pvt. Royal Enfield Himalayan) 01:13:16.106;

    2. Arun Joy, Kochi (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:17:28.691;

    3. Abhijeet Sarkar, Bengaluru (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:45:56.651; (Including 1min 10sec Road Penalty);

    (Only three of the four bikes finished in this class)

    Class 7: Ladies Class Group B:

    1. Fazeela U, Ernakulam (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:26:51.367;

    2. Apoorva B, Mangaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:36:41.442;

    3. Deeksha Srivastava, Pune (Pvt. Hero Impulse); 02:55:49.970 (Including 9min road penalty);

    (Priyanka Dutta DNF in SS4; Only three bikes of the four that started finished; Aishwarya did not start)

    Class 8: S0 to S3 Scooter 210cc Group B:

    1. Pinkesh Thakkar, Bhopal, (Aprilia JB Racing -Aprilia SR150) 01: 25:32.419;

    2. Goutham N, Bengaluru (Pvt. – TVS NTorq) 01:26:27.179;

    3. Muzaffar Ali, Pune (Pvt. – Aprilia SR150) 01:34:03.878.

    (3 of the 4 bikes that started finished; 4 TVS riders ‘Did Not Start’ (DNS) Subramanya T. DNF in SS3;)

    Class 9:

    1. Suchith Kumar Reddy, Bengaluru (Pvt. Hero Xpulse 200) 01:17:22.079; (Incl. 2min road penalty);

    2. Vivek Vijayan, Bengaluru (Pvt. Hero Xpulse 200) 01:23:41.466; (Incl. 1min road penalty);

    3. Safwan Hussain, Mangaluru (Pvt. Hero Xpulse 200) 01:33:29.871; (Incl. 1min40sec road penalty);

    4. Siddartha Wodeyar, Bengaluru (Pvt. Hero Xpulse 200) 01:37:03.253;

    Eom/provisional results from MRF Live Timing.

  • Aishwarya Pissay begins quest for sixth National Rally title with a victory

    Aishwarya Pissay begins quest for sixth National Rally title with a victory

    Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: Petronas TVS Racing factory rider Aishwarya Pissay, the only Indian female World champion in motorsports, began her quest for a record sixth consecutive National Rally Championship crown on a winning note astride her rally-tuned TVS Apache RTR 200. Pissay conquered the Rally of Chikmagalur – the first round of the MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship (INRC) for two-wheelers on Sunday.

    According to a press release said here on Friday, the 2019 FIM World Cup Champion in the Ladies class, put in a commanding performance that saw her win the 56-km first round. She clocked 1 hour 7 min 23.684 seconds to win the first round with the fastest timing in all the eight Special Stages (SS).  While winning this class, she finished 32nd overall among 88 riders, including 79 men.

    The TVS Racing talent who made a clean sweep of all the six rounds for her fifth National title in the Ladies class of the two-wheeler Rally Nationals last year, is eager to get back to bigger cross-country events, as she recovers from a major injury from last year’s Jordan Rally.

    Aishwarya Pissay poses with her TVS Apache RTR 200.

    The disciplined motorsports athlete from PETRONAS TVS Racing, co-sponsored by Ultrahuman, IIFL, Micro Labs and Surana College, who bounced back into form, said, “ I am happy with our victory at the first round. The bike is lean and powerful. I thoroughly enjoyed riding my TVS Apache RTR 200 through the beautiful coffee estates and look forward to more of it.  I have trained hard for the Nationals including a trip to France under acclaimed mentor Michael Metge. I look forward to learning more from each one of these races and my immediate goal is to bring home the sixth National title.”

    The 26-year-old from Bengaluru rose like a phoenix from a life-threatening injury before her World crown and silenced her critics with creditable deeds on the track with a highly successful 2021.

    The versatile rider, who began her biking career in late 2016, vaulted into the record books with a Road Racing National title, the TVS One Make Championship and several cross-country rally championships at Madras Motor Racetrack and cross country rallies in 2017. Due to her exhilarating performance at the TVS One Make Championship and her achievements in rallies, her talent was noticed by PETRONAS TVS Racing after which she was inducted into India’s first factory racing team’s stable. Thereon, she started tasting success in the Rally Nationals and never looked back after winning five Rally Nationals in a row for the Hosur-based team. Looking forward to the second round in Mangalore on May 22, she is determined and is gearing up to use the Nationals as a pedestal to jump-start her international activity once again.

    The second round of two-wheeler Rally Nationals organised by Ace Events will have two Special Stages and will run three times each.  For a Special Stage rally distance of 54.12 km and with a liaison section, the total rally distance will be over 90 km.  The terrain is all gravel and rains can make it more challenging like last year.

  • Bengaluru to host Autocross Nationals season opener on June 11 & 12

    Bengaluru to host Autocross Nationals season opener on June 11 & 12

    Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: The fmsci Indian National Autocross Championship (INAC), one of the most popular motorsports disciplines, will make a grand re-entry into the domestic calendar after a four-year break with an eight-round Nationals spread across all the zones in the country, concluding with the two-round extravaganza in the Grand finals in November.

    Bangalore Motor Sports (BMS), who successfully bid the event have roped in the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, which is expected to promote the profile of the championship as a sponsor along with SIDVIN, a known name in motosports, to take the Nationals to the next level. Startline Motorsports and Rare Rabit, a clothing brand, are also supporting the Nationals. The 2018 Autocross was last Nationals and the finals were held in Vijayawada (AP) in January 2019. BMS will promote the championship for three years until 2024 and INAC will be one of the 13 motorsports Nationals of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci), the National governing body for Motorsports in India.

    The opening round will be held in Bengaluru on June 11 and 12. There will be eight other rounds including two rounds in Delhi and a round each in Dimapur (Assam), Goa and Thrissur (Kerala). The finals will be in South India.

    “Autocross is a popular format that is patronised by motorspots fans, offficials and drivers with a lot of enthusiasm and we are all set to make the event truly National by taking the championship to all corners of the country. We are making elaborate arrangements with technical support from Chetan Shivram Motorsports and our team consisting of trained Marshals and knowledgeable officials are working hard to provide the best facilities for the participants,” said Umesh Pandey, the Promoter.

    All the rounds will be run on a track which is approximately 1-km for a minimum of four laps with different classes of the National championship and support classes, including a Ladies Class, spread over two days. “It is truly a spectator event with the crowd able to enjoy the action from a vantage point and just today we got clearance to add the Ladies class too as a non-championship class, like in Sprint Nationals,” added Pandey.

    Calendar – Indian Autocross National Championship (INAC) 2022

    #RoundVenueDates – 2022
    1Round 1BengaluruJune 11 & 12
    2Round 2DelhiSeptember 3 & 4
    3Round 3DelhiSeptember 3 & 4
    4Round 4MumbaiOctober 15 & 16
    5Round 5ChikkamagaluruOctober 22 & 23
    6Round 6KolkataOctober 29 & 30
    7Round 7Dimapur (Assam)November 5 & 6
    8Round 8GoaNovember 12 & 13
    9Round 9Thrissur (Kerala)November 19 & 20
    10Grand FinalsSouth India (Venue to be decided)November 26 & 27
  • Abdul Tanveer triumphs at Rally of Chikmagalur; Sarath Mohan tops among privateers in Overall 6th

    Abdul Tanveer triumphs at Rally of Chikmagalur; Sarath Mohan tops among privateers in Overall 6th

    By David Bodapati

    Chikkamagaluru, 15 May 2022: Defending champion Abdul Wahid Tanveer of Petronas TVS Racing team emerged victorious to open his title defence in style while three other riders, Imran Pasha, Sarath Mohan and Tanika Shanbagh hogged the limelight with stellar performance, in the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Rally Championship – 2W 2022, popularly known as INRC for 2-wheelers, held at the ‘Coffee Land’ here on Sunday.

    TVS rider Imran Pasha, astride a humble TVS Apache RTR 200, proved that the bike can roar like a tiger if the rider calls the shots. Pasha punched above his weight skilfully negotiating the tricky corners with controlled aggression, and finished a creditable fifth in the overall standings beating many other bikes in the higher classes.

    Tanveer beat his teammate Samuel Jacob by more than a minute. Samuel lost about 18 seconds in SS3 and 15 seconds in SS7, that pushed him back but he had the consolation of beating the champion today in two stages, SS2 and SS6, even if only by a small margin. The 2019 National champion Rajendra hit a tree in the very first stage and later managed to cut the deficit but missed the podium. “It is a great feeling to sit on the new bike. It is very powerful and the I am very happy with the going. I lost some time after the fall in SS3 but I will come back stronger next Sunday,” said Samuel.

    Sarath Mohan, top Privateer

    Sarath Mohan of Malappuram hogs the limelight as top Privateer taking overall fifth and first in his class. An INDIAinF1 photo

    Likewise, Sarath Mohan was the man of the moment. Riding with a mission, astride a Husqvarna FE450, he took the Overall honours as the top Privateer on Sunday. It was a stunning result for the Kerala stalwart, who overcame a life-threatening injury, suffered at the very same event last year is SS5. Last year, chasing in the shadows, he missed a hidden rock and was hurt, badly damaging his liver, just before the flying finish of  SS5 and later was forced to withdraw from the remaining rounds. He took over three months to complete the treatment and rehab and thus took the first round easy testing himself and his bike. He also won his class comfortably beating his nearest rival and state-mate Sinan Francis by nearly two minutes in the Super Bike Expert Group A Class 1A. “I had a new machine and the tyres are also new. Coming back from injury I did not want to stress myself and so managed the pace judiciously. Basically, I was testing my bike and with upgrades coming for next Sunday, I am looking forward to Mangalore. We have good competition but I am confident,” said Sarath Mohan from Mallapuram, who missed the title narrowly last year after taking three wins in the first three rounds.

    Amidst all this, there is one lady who was missing from the line-up in the Ladies class. The young lady from Satara, Tanika Shanbagh, decided to skip the ladies tag and promoted herself to Group A SuperBike Expert Class 1A, and just missed a podium but kept the ‘Women in Motorsport’ flag flying. Competing with men on equal footing, astride a Husqvarna TE350, Tanika came fourth in her class and 15th overall among 76 bikes, missing the podium by about 24.5 seconds, quite an achievement on debut in this class. A versatile rider who takes part in Supercross and Sprint Nationals, she recovered from an injury and is hoping to hone her skills abroad soon. “I am planning to take part in international rallies. So I wanted to gain some experience on the bike,” said the Satara rider.

    Tanika Shanbagh, astride a Husqvarna TE350, shows her skills racing with the big boys, in the Rally of Chikmagalur on Sunday.

    Set amidst the picturesque private coffee estates on closed dirt roads, the eight Special Stages were run on Sunday and the Service Park, on the foothills of Sahayadri mountain ranges, presented a refreshing start to the year with mist-filled mountains forming a pleasant background that was truly a “Seven-th Heaven”. Organised professionally by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) with trained marshals and experienced officials taking care of the safety aspects and running of the event, promoted by GodSpeed Racing, the two-wheeler Rally went on well without a hitch. The successful first round begins the 2w Rally Nationals, which is one of the prime competitions among the 13 fmsci Nationals for different motorsports disciplines. The calendar with nine National Championship titles at stake has six rounds and the next round is in Mangaluru on May 22.

    Of the 93 entries, 88 bikes took the start after the scrutiny, and 76 finished the course of about 56-km of Special Stages. The two physical stages were run four times each in the same direction on the dirt roads amidst the coffee estates of Vasanthacool and Thippanahalli. The Prize Distribution (PD) was held at around 6.45 pm as it took time to add the road penalties, which did not affect any of the top rankings.

    Coming back to Sunday’s action in other classes, Kottayam’s Chalass K Bose had a facile win in Class 2 Super Sport 130 Group B beating Bengaluru’s Anoop Manjappa by 1min 44 seconds. Local rider Dilip Raj managed to finish the rally and completed the podium in third while three other riders in the class suffered DNF (Did not finish).

    Shamim Khan of Petronas TVS Racing team, wins Scooter class on Sunday.

    Another local rider Francis PV won the Super Sport 165cc Group B ahead of Sasi Kumar of Coimbatore and Shabuddin Sayad of Goa. In the Super Sport upto 260cc  class, Sachin D came second in the class and seventh overall. Adnaan Ahmed of Mangaluru was third in the class and 9th overall.

    The current champion in Super Sport upto 550cc class, Mohammed Zaheer who shifted to upto 400cc class won the class astride a KTM Adventure and stalwart of 2-wheeler rallying Venu Ramesh Kumar achieved one more podium in his chequered career. The experienced rider, who is an epitome of fitness logged in more points than Vinit Sharma, whose road penalty pushed him down to third. Another experienced rider Naresh VS won his class on a Royal Enfield Himalayan. Two Kochi riders Arun Joy and Jeemon Anthony finished in that order behind him.

    The only World champion in Indian motorsports, Aishwarya Pissay, astride a brand new RTR 200 began her quest for sixth consecutive National Rally title on a winning note as she faced no challenge from the seven other ladies, among whom Apoorva of Mangaluru proved the best among the rest with talented Fazeela from Ernakulam taking third. Both of them are on a Hero Impulse.

    The Service Park at 7 Heaven Resort in Chikkamagaluru for Round1 2022.

    While Aishwarya’s win is taken for granted, second-placed Apoorva, 25 years, was thrilled with her ride and the podium. “I first took part in Sprint, which is a miniature version of the Rally. National Rally is a completely different experience. In 2019, I made my motorsports debut in Sprint Nationals. It went pretty well and I got trophies home in all the rounds. Due to COVID and lack of enough funds I took a break for two years, and stepped up into INRC exactly six months back in Round 3 at Puttur and it was a deadly round. But I managed to finish and was placed 4th in the ladies category. Later, I got a third place in both the rounds I took part. I worked extremely hard for three months, to get my bike fixed and here I am taking a 2nd place. I am so happy and hope to do much better in the coming round.” Apoorva, a mechanical engineer supported by Motul, was on a Hero Impulse tuned by Yogish of Team KAT Racing.

    Defending champion Karthik Naidu of TVS crashed out, but Shamim Khan, the new TVS recruit kept the TVS record intact in the Scooter class riding a TVS NTorq and Bengaluru’s experienced Subrahmanya took the second ahead of Pinkesh Thakkar from Bhopal, who put Aprilia on the podium.

    Round 1 Results (Provisional):

    Class 1: Super Bike Pro-Expert Group A:

    1.Abdul Waheed Tanveer, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:53:43.222;

    2. Samuel Jacob, Udupi (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:54:44.301;

    3. R Nataraj, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:55: 10.124;

    4. Rajendra RE, Shivamogga (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:55:58.757;

    5. Yuva Kumar, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 00: 59:41.569.

    Class 1A: Super Bike Expert Group A:

    1. Sarath Mohan, Mallapuram (Privateer – Husqvarna FE450) 00:59:02.054;

    2. Francis Sinan, Kochi (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:00:56.457;

    3. Asad Khan, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. – TVS Apache RTR 180) 01:02:39.042;

    4. Tanika Shanbagh, Satara, (Pvt. – Husqvarna TE 350) 01:03:03.558;

    5. Jatin Jain, Nagpur, (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:03:41.640;

    6. T Vijay Kumar, Bengaluru (Pvt. – Yamaha WR250) 1:11:44.321.

    Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B:

    1. Chalass K Bose, Kottayam, (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:07:46.442;

    2. Anoop Manjappa, Bengaluru (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:09:30.363;

    3. Dilip Raj, Chikkamagaluru (Honda 130) 01:13:03.470;

    (Vinoth Kumar, Raj Baharath DNF in SS1; Hemanth Gowda DNF in SS4).

    Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B:

    1. Francis PV, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:02:56.041;

    2. Sasi Kumar K, Coimbatore (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:03:13.749;

    3. Shabuddin Sayed, Goa (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:05:48.865;

    4. Goutham Rao, Bengaluru, (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:06:38.803;

    5. Akhil Joy, Kochi (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:06:57.347;

    (15 out of 17 riders finished the rally; Varun Kumar DNF in SS7; Rakesh Kumar DNF in SS6).

    Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B:

    1. Imran Pasha, Mysore (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 00:57:01.920;

    2.  Sachin D, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 00:59:20.859;

    3. Adnaan Ahamed, Mangaluru (Pvt. -Hero Xpulse) 01:00:07.333;

    4. Karan Kumar M, Coimbatore (Pvt. – Hero Xpulse) 01:00:10.553;

    5. Sathyaraj Arumugam, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 01:01:37.069.

    (All 13 riders in class 4 completed the Rally)

    Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B:

    1. Mohammed Zaheer, Bengaluru (Pvt. KTM Adventure) 01:04:32.605;

    2. Venu Ramesh Kumar, Coimbatore (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:07:19.650;

    3. Vinit Sharma, Indore (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:07:23.407 (including 1:10sec Road Penalty);

    4. Hansraj Saikia, Guwahati (Pvt. KTM Duke) 01:08:17.727;

    5. Ashwin Ananta Raju, Bengaluru (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:08:24.593 (including 1 min Road Penalty).

    (six of seven riders finished Class 5; Defending champion Sajeesh Reghunathan did not take part)

    Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B:

    1. Naresh VS, Bengaluru (Pvt. Royal Enfield Himalayan) 01:04:24.549;

    2. Arun Joy, Kochi (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:04:42.497;

    3. Jeemon Anthony, Kochi (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01: 05: 53.568;

    4. Sharath Kumar Sathyanarayan, Bengaluru (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01: 06: 05.058;

    5. Abhijeet Sarkar, Bengaluru (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:15:17.745;

    6. Vijay Kumar M, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. RE Bullet) 01:20:04.794.

    (All six finished the rally; Defending champ Mohammed Zaheer shifted to Class 5)

    Class 7: Ladies Class Group B:

    1. Aishwarya Pissay, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 01:07:23.684;

    2. Apoorva B, Mangaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:04.632;

    3. Fazeela U, Ernakulam (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:22.040;

    4. Ryhana Bee, Chennai (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:28.240;

    5. Sameera Dahiya, Bengaluru (Pvt. Hero Xpulse 200) 01:26:07.110;

    (Seven ladies out of eight completed the rally; Jeena Joy DNF in SS1; Tanika took part in Class 1A)

    Class 8: S0 to S3 Scooter 210cc Group B:

    1. Shamim Khan, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – TVS NTorq) 01:05:45.013;

    2. Subramanya T, Bengaluru (Pvt. – TVS NTorq) 01:07:18.269;

    3. Pinkesh Thakkar, Bhopal, (Aprilia JB Racing -Aprilia SR150) 01: 07:46.080;

    4. Goutham N, Bengaluru (Pvt. – TVS NTorq) 01:11:25.922;

    5. Venkatesh Shetty, Mumbai (Pvt. – Aprilia SR150) 01: 13:07.809.

    (Six out of 10 riders completed the rally; Defending champ Karthik Naidu and Ninganna M DNF in SS1; Elango pulled out SS7 and Asif Sayed Ali DNF in SS8)

    Disclosure: This motorsports reporter, David Bodapati, has been provided accommodation by the organisers, the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur.

    The comments about the organisation are personal but based on different indicators developed by Motorsports Journalists Federation of India for assessing organisational capacity like basic amenities for riders, trained marshals and experience of officials, timing equipment and management, safety measures, etc.

    Edited on 18May2022 correcting the Overall placing in the headline.

  • Rally of Chikmagalur flagged off; Cream of Indian talent descends in coffee land

    Rally of Chikmagalur flagged off; Cream of Indian talent descends in coffee land

    Chikkamagaluru, 14 May 2022: The Rally of Chikmagalur organised by Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) was flagged off here on Saturday to kick-start the 2022 season with the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for two-wheelers promoted by GodSpeed Racing. Of the 93 entries, 88 will take the start on Sunday.

    Two-wheeler rally continues to be the most popular form of motorsports in India and the overwhelming response of 93 entries proves that bikers continue to call the shots. The 56-odd km dirt tracks comprising of two special stages that will be run four times in the same direction in the famed coffee estates will decide the winners in 9 classes. “The terrain is tricky but more or less similar to last year. But the wet surface due to recent rains poses challenges, the same as last year,” said a biker from Bengaluru. “Yes, it is slushy and we have to be careful in negotiating the tracks,” said Ryhana Bee, a National champion in 2W road racing. “Many will fall tomorrow, including me. The stages are challenging but we are up to it,” warned Deeksha Srivastava in jest, the Sprint Queen, who won the 2021 Sprint Nationals, is making her debut in INRC.

    The stages are short but are very technical, providing tricky terrain but with no rains on Saturday and forecast dry for Sunday, the Nationals is all set to ring in a new year. Coming to the defending champion, Abdul Wahid Tanveer, who will be spearheading the TVS campaign, he had some pretty cool answers to the two questions posed by INDIainF1.com. Your goals for 2022, your bike…

    When asked about his goals for 2022, Tanveer said: My goals are as simple as 1.2.3. One is to continue following my passion. Second one is to thoroughly enjoy myself while chasing my goals. And the third is to scale greater heights, but one step at a time… To shed some light on the bike, it is a lean, mean machine that is the epitome of strength and a rider’s dream. I am excited for this one!

    “I was fortunate enough to fly to France to be trained by a fabulous mentor, Michael Metge. We rode through the various terrains and really pushed our limits, but my favourite part was getting in touch with my inner strength. Thanks to my mentor who made the training eventful and really helpful,” that is how the champion concluded.

    Aishwarya Pissay, the 2019 FIM World Cupper, a Ladies World champion was lucky to test her bike today and meet some wild friends. She was trying to get some feel on the bike when she saw something zip past in front of her. Usually the culprit in speeding, at least on the track with full freedom in the world, she was surprised by the speed with which someone else crossed the road. But it is not a competitor. It is a four-legged creature full of beautiful horns. She spotted a spotted deer in the second Stage today. An antler… So what are your goals for 2022, we asked the same question as we did to Tanveer, and the only world champion in Indian motorsports said: “My goal for this year is to win the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for a sixth time. Along with that, I am looking forward to riding in a few international rallies like Andalucia, but they are yet to be confirmed. The Recce was good and I love the feel of the bike. Also, I have just completed one training abroad (France) and will undergo another round of training in June 2022. I am sure these trainings will be very useful for me and will help me give better performance in the 2022 INRC.” Aishwarya won the INRC 2w consecutively for five years from 2017, her debut season.

    Her closest rival is Tanika Shanbagh. A rider young and raring to go… But the young rider is not racing in Ladies class this year. She switched gears and is gong hammer and tongs, racing with big boys. She will be the lone lady in the top-six bikes that will be racing in Class 1A, the Indian Experts class. Daughter of former motorsports champion Shanbag, the rider from Satara, will be testing herself astride a Husqvarna TE350 as she prepares to jump start her international career. ”We are planning to take part in at least one international rally event this year and for that I want to get accustomed to the handling, and the speed of the bike. I also want to become faster on the bike,” a simple statement but very assertive. Watch out, this young talent if groomed properly can go places. Apart from the top guns, there are two riders one need to watch out for. Sarath Mohan and Sinan Francis.

  • Overwhelming response for INRC 2w Nationals: MSCC all set for season opener

    Overwhelming response for INRC 2w Nationals: MSCC all set for season opener

    By David Bodapati

    Chikkamagaluru, 13 May 2022: Overwhelming response from riders across India with nine ladies in the fray, makes Rally of Chikmagalur, the opening round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship  2W 2022 (INRC), a grand affair with the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) leaving no stone unturned as they prepare to kick-start the 2022 Rally Nationals for two-wheeler in the picturesque Coffee lands on the foothills of Sahayadri hills here on Saturday and Sunday.

    The recce will be on Saturday morning and the eight Special Stages will be run on Sunday.

    With a few new recruits, TVS will be gunning for glory again and will be the team to beat as they mount the challenge with a new nomenclature as Petronas TVS Racing, the colours which were recently revealed in the Supercross Nationals they dominated in Nashik and Pune.

    Hero has two riders, the stalwart in Yuva Kumar and Sathyaraj Arumugam while there will two more team entries. Jawa Automobiles fielded Hemanth Gowda and Bharath L while Aprilia JB Racing too has two entries Muzaffar Ali and Pinkesh Thakkar, the 2020 scooter champ, who will be astride an Aprilia this time around. Subrahmanya T too another experienced rider who made a team entry as Rebel Motorsports will join the field. The Scooter class will have mega clashes this season between the two giants.

    The 10-member team will be lead by Overall defending champion Abdul Wahid Tanveer and FIM 2019 World Cup champion Aishwarya Pissay, both of whom are raring to go after training abroad ahead of the season. The team also boasts of Karthik Naidu, the Scooter Champion 2021 and Samuel Jacob who won the 2021 title in the Super Sport 260cc Group B with a round to spare. Karthik won his maiden title by a narrow margin in the last round on his NTorq and is expected to have tough competition this year too.

    In response to INDIAinF1.com’s query, defending Overall champion Tanveer said: “My goals for 2022 are as simple as 1.2.3. One is to continue following my passion. Second is to thoroughly enjoy myself while chasing my goals. And third – to scale great heights, one step at a time. To shed some light on the bike, it is a lean, mean machine that is the epitome of strength and a rider’s dream. I am excited for this one!.”

    When asked about his training stint abroad: “I was fortunate enough to fly to France to be trained by a fabulous mentor, Michael Metge. We rode through the various terrains and really pushed our limits, but my favourite part was getting in touch with my inner strength. Thanks to my mentor who made the training eventful and really helpful.”

    This is the only rider who responded to INDIAinF1 request for a photo. It is Deeksha Srivastava, the Sprint Champion of 2021 posing at the Rally Hq &7Heaven in front of a bike. No this is not the bike she is going to ride. But she is a Hero, and will be astride an Impulse for Round 1. Photo credit: Deeksha S, Debut, Ladies Class, INRC 2w.

    But Samuel will be moving to the higher class, the Group A 450cc astride an RTR450. As a defending champion, though he lost the title to teammate Tanveer in 2021, he retained the championship in his class and he will be the one to watch out for as he moves to Group A.

    Apart from these four defending champions, Petronas TVS Racing team will be spearheaded by old-timers and former champions Rajendra RE, Nataraj and Imran Pasha and will have hardworking sprinter Sachin D, Shamim Khan and Asif Ali in the ten-riders that registered for Round 1. While Rajendra, the 2019 champion who began well winning at the first round in Hampi, he failed to recreate the magic as the season saw some treacherous terrain. Likewise, talented Sachin D was the receiving end despite some good show on the track as he lost the Sprint Nationals and will be looking to redeem his fortunes in the bigger Rally Nationals this year. Back in the fold as a factory rider will boost his confidence and the humble giant needs to switch gears and make his bike do the talking.

    Young Ajin Abraham, Asad Khan, Pavan BK, Sajeesh Reghunathan and Md Zaheer, the heavyweight are the privateers who put in all their efforts and money to get noticed once again. But Ajin, who is into a new career path, will begin his title defence only from Round 2, in a new class, the SS 165cc Gr B. As the defending champions in their classes, they are ones to watch out for. Experienced Jatin Jain, Francis Sinan, Suhail Ahmed will be the others who can upset the apple-cart of any star in their class. Amidst all these young and new there will be one guiding star, the Riders Representative, Venu Ramesh Kumar, full of two decades of experience in both 2w and 4w INRC. He will be riding in Class 5, the Super Sport 400cc Group B. Sinan, the double Sprint National champion in 2020 and 2021 will be looking to bag the Rally Nationals in SS550 GrB class on a KTM 450excf with State mate Sarath Mohan in the same class.

    The Ladies Class will have nine entries with with TVS factory rider and defending champion Aishwarya Pissay leading the field with current Racing National champion Ryhana Bee from Chennai and Tanika Shanbhag from Satara being the regulars. This year the 2021 Sprint champion Deeksha Srivastava from Pune will be joining the hunt along with other talented riders, including Fazeela from Kerala, who will be a dark horse, who has the capacity to beat the stars on her day. “I have just completed one training abroad and will undergo another round of training in June 2022. I am sure these trainings will be very useful for me. I am looking forward to riding in a few international rallies (this year) which are yet to be confirmed,” said Aishwarya Pissay. Meanwhile, Tanika Shanbag just informed INDIAinF1.com that she would not be taking part in the Ladies Class but will be moving up to the prestigious Superbike Expert Group A, Class 1A with an eye to take part in International rallies for exposure. So it makes 8 lady entries and we wish Tanika all the best in her future endeavours. “I want to participate in at least one international rally this year and in preparation, I want to get accustomed to the handling and the speed of the bike. Becoming faster on it is the goal,” is what the speed maestro, Tanika, texted.

    Sarath Mohan from Mallapuram, who trains with Harith Noah, is another rider to watch out for. Last year he won the first three rounds in Class 6, the Super Sport 550 Group B before his unfortunate life-threatening accident which damaged his liver but the strong-willed rider is in form and back to mount his challenge. Watch this space for a special article on this Kerala talent.

    “All the arrangements are complete and the track is ready. We had some rains in the last few days but the forecast is bright and we are hoping for some good action. One stage which we did last year will not be there. We got a very good response with 93 entries and all safety aspects are taken care of with a team of trained volunteers and experienced officials,” said Abhijeeth Pai BH, the Clerk of the Course.

    There will be two Special Stages, Vasanthcool (8km) and Thippanahalli (6km) in the famed coffee estates. The two physical stages will be run four times in the same direction with slight changes in the tulip that ran last year and with one stage removed from the road book. The total Special Stage rallying distance is 56 km and with a transport of another 53.76 km, the total rally distance is 109.76 km.

    2021 Champions: fmsci Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheeler!

    Class 1: Super Bike Pro-Expert Group A: Abdul Waheed Tanvir 122 points;

    Class 1A: Super Bike Expert Group A: Asad Khan, 94;

    Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B: Ajin Abraham 110;

    Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B: Pavan BK 136; (Won with 1 round to spare)

    Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B: Samuel Jacob 143; (Won with 1 round to spare)

    Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B: Sajeesh Reghunathan 133

    Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B: Mohammed Zaheer 129;

    Class 7: S0 to S3 Scooter 210 Group B: Karthik 122;

     Class 8: Ladies Class Group B: Aishwarya Pissay 125 (Won with 1 round to spare);

  • CD Jinan crowned Rider of the Day at Supercross Round 1

    CD Jinan crowned Rider of the Day at Supercross Round 1

    Nashik, 1 May 2022: Supercross stalwart from Kerala who had thrilled the fans for over two decades, CD Jinan of Petronas TVS Racing, continues to showcase his exhilarating skills and talent, astride an RTR 300 as he won “the Best Rider” tag once again. On a hot Sunday with searing temparatures, he had mixed results but came out on top in a hard-fought Group A SX1 Foreign Experts Class 1 with a win and a podium to garner higher points than teammate and young challenger Rugved Barguje in the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Supercross Championship 2022 here on Sunday.

    Another feature event, the Indian Experts Group C Class 5, saw TVS champion, Sachin D clinch the issue for his team, Petronas TVS Racing, which dominated the proceedings once again with multiple wins and podiums for their riders.

    Missing the hole-shot in the first Moto, the six-time National Supercross champion, CD Jinnan, had to be content with a second place which was won by youngster Rugved Barguje of Pune, who defended well. Jinan, despite his initial issues on the track, fought tooth and nail and did overtake Barguje in the penultimate lap but the youngster quickly regained the position with a clever pass and held on till the chequered flag for a deserving win. However, Moto 2 saw the veteran Jinnan restore the order as Barguje suffered a fall in the early stages in a reversal of fortunes, and could only recover to take a fourth. Though he missed the podium, he vowed to come back and his senior TVS mate took the honours in the Round 1.

    Meanwhile, Sachin D, who is coming back from an injury, showed that he is back in form winning the honours in the Class 5 Indian Experts Group C Upto 260cc category ahead of Asaruddin and Karan Kumar. Sachin, a soft-spoken maestro, is a different rider on the track when he is on attack-mode, but his soft nature costed him many a victory. Last season saw him do all that he is known for on the track but the Sprint National champion 2020 saw his hard-fought title elude him due to off-track decisions. He is not the one to crib, for he prefers his bike to do the talking and he is back in the news with a well-deserved victory that launches his 2022 Supercross season. Watch out for his skilled antics on the track.

    Young talent Jinendra Sangave of Kolhapur won the Locals class ahead of Pinkesh Thakkar and Russell Jossy finished third. Jinendra, the rider to look out for, took part in four races astride a Kawasaki KX250 in the SX2 and also raced in the Junior SX1 on a TVS RTR 200. Apart from the victory, the teen talent also had two second-place finishes in Junior SX and SX2, where he was punching above his weight with some seniors.

    Ajay Srinivas of Bengaluru won SX2 moto while Arun D of Hassan in Karnataka, a popular rider with fans, won the Private Experts class. Banteilang Jarwa of Meghalaya, who represents the motorsports dreams of the North East, made up for his fall in the higher class to clinch the honours in the Novice Group C class.

    Young and upcoming talent Akshat Hupale found his wonted form and showcased glimpses of his talent conquering the Junior SX2, the lowest age-group competition for riders below 14 years. He the rider to count on a dull day. He displays a cool mind and exhibits good riding skills, be his corner negotiation or sudden acceleration… If groomed well, this boy has the ability and talent to go places.

    Shyam Kothari, the head of GodSpeed Racing, the promoter said: “I am very happy to welcome all the riders to the MRF National Supercross after the COVID-induced two-year break. The response is overwhelming with 105 entries in eight different classes and everybody is raring to go. We had a 650-metre long track with 23 double jumps, a table top and the usual terrain but this Nashik track is technical that provided challenging races and some keen battles. It was nice to see the galleries full with fans and families and I wish all the riders, all the best for the season with Round 2 in Pune coming up next Sunday.”

    With the delayed calendar of 2021 completing only in March 2022, the fmsci Nationals are back on track once again with COVID19 travel restrictions coming to an end. The pandemic which ruined the schedule of many a National championship saw that no Supercross event was held for two years, 2020 and 2021. Supercross is one of the 13 Nationals of the Federation of Motorsports Clubs in India (fmsci) which is popular and attracts a huge fan following with the largest and most-impressive crowds adoring the riders. The skills of these riders and their feats are held at stadiums and open grounds that were brought closer to the spectators and fans with well-made tracks that provide all the exciting obstacles like double jumps, rumblers, bumps and amplifies the fun for the fan with an easy view from the galleries. Behind all this is the Promoter GodSpeed Racing, which is headed by none other than Shyam Kothari, a 7-time National champion in three different motorsports disciplines – 2w Rally, racing and motocross. The event sponsored by Title rights holder MRF gets support from SIDVIN and others.

    The fmsci 2022 season began with the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for 4-wheelers organised by MMSC at Chennai in April and this is the second Nationals which finished the Round 1 and a back-to-back second round happening in Pune on May 8. Next Sunday will witness Chikkamagalur hosting the INRC for two-wheelers with another back-to-back round in Mangalore the following Sunday, also promoted by GodSpeed.

    Results: Round 1 – 2022 (provisional – Unofficial):

    Rider of the Day: CD Jinnan

    1. Class 1 SX 1 (A&B) Group A Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (Foreign Experts Class) (2 motos):

    Day’s Winners (on points):

    Overall:

    1. #50 CD Jinnan (Thrissur);

    2. #9 Rugved Barguje (Pune);

    3. #2 Mahesh VM ()’

    Moto 1

    1. #9 Rugved Barguje (TVS RTR 300) (Pune);

    2. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);

    3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);

    Moto 2

    1. #50 CD Jinan (TVS RTR 300) (Kerala);

    2. #37 Prajwal Vishwanath (TVS RTR 200 – Bengaluru)

    3. #2 Mahesh VM (Kawasaki KX 250F);

    2. Class 2 SX 2 (A&B) Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 500CC (2 motos):

    1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);

    2. #97 Jinendra Sangave (Kolhapur);

    3. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);

    Moto 2:

    1. #12 Ajay Srinivas (Bengaluru);

    2. #93 Dwayne Johannes (Mumbai);

    3. #30 Bumik Lalwani (

    3. Class 3 NOVICE Group C:  Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    1. #27 Banteilang Jerwa (TVS Racing – Shillong, Meghalaya);

    2. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);

    3. #73 Arun T (Hassan);

    4. Class 4 LOCALS Group B: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    1. #90 Jinendra S;

    2. #99 Pinesh Thakkar;

    3. #6 Russel Jossy;

    5. Class 5 INDIAN EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    Moto 1

    1. #40 Sachin D (Petronas TVS Racing) (Bengaluru);

    2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);

    3. #8 Karan Kumar M (Coimbatore);

    Moto 2 (Results awaited)

    6. Class 6 PRIVATE EXPERTS Group C: Stroke 2/4 Upto 260CC:

    1. #73 Arun T (Impulse) (Hassan);

    2. #32 Asaruddin S (Coimbatore);

    3. #68 Abhi S Nath (Thrissur);

    7. Class 7 JR SX 1 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 250CC (2 motos):

    1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara) 40 points;

    2. #97  Jinendra Sangave 34;

    3. #47 Anastya Pol  (Bengaluru) 28 ;

    4. #52 Srujan 28 points

    Moto 1

    1. #33 Shlok Ghorpade (Satara);

    2. #97  Jinendra Sangave 34;

    3. #52 Srujan J.

    8. Class 8 JR SX 2 Group A: Stroke 2/4 Upto 100CC (for riders under-12 years):

    Moto1 (Results awaited)

    Moto2

    1. #34 Akshat Hupale (KTM SX85 – Pune);

    2. #17 Aleena Shaikh (Husqvarna) Bengaluru;

    3. #5 Bhairav C;

  • Karna Kadur keeps overnight lead; Gill suffers another let-down

    Karna Kadur keeps overnight lead; Gill suffers another let-down

    Chennai, 23 April 2022: Bengaluru pair of Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports) overcame teething issues to head the Overall standings on conclusion of Leg-1 in the MRF 45th South India Rally, the first round of the Blue Band Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2022, here today which also saw the early exit of seven times National champion Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) due to a mechanical problem.

    Going into the overnight parc ferme, Kadur, winner of the Asia Cup round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship at the same venue last month, led Mangaluru’s Dean Mascarenhas (co-driver Gangan Karumbaiah, Kodagu) by a mere 2.9 seconds.

    The two leaders were followed by Chettinad Sporting’s 2021 National champion Aditya Thakur (Virender Kashyap) from Himachal and Pallakkad’s Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) in the provisional Overall classification. With five more Stages to be run tomorrow, just 17.6 seconds separated the top four contenders, pointing to a thrilling finish on Sunday.

    After Gill’s retirement in the day’s second Stage, it was essentially a four-way battle for top honours, involving Kadur, Mascarenhas, Thakur and Ahmer. As the day progressed, Kadur and Mascarenhas stepped up the pace to pull away from the others. Kadur won three of the five Stages while Mascarenhas topped the other two.

    “It was not the best of the runs as we had issues in the morning in SS-2 and we lost some time. We lost the boost about 10kms into the Stage and we had to drive conservatively. After the service break, we had to play catch up. We made some time on the front-runners and we are happy to take the lead at the end of the first leg,” said Kadur.

    For Gill, his run of bad luck continued. “The drive shaft got twisted in SS-2, just a km before the finish, may be due to metal fatigue. But the car was handling good till then. We also tested a new set of tyres on all the cars and we were doing 3/10ths faster and the performance of JK Tyres was really good. We will try and get the car back into action tomorrow to collect maximum leg points for the championship,” said Gill who had to deal with similar issues last season too.

    Provisional classification (Leg-1):

    Overall / INRC: 1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (both Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (54mins, 40.700secs); 2. Dean Mascarenhas (Mangaluru) / Gagan Karumbaiah (Kodagu) (54:43.600); 3. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal, Chettinad Sporting) (54:53.400).

    INRC-2: 1. Mascarenhas / Karumbaiah (54:43.600); 2. Thakur / Kashyap (54:53.400); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Pallakkad) (54:58.300).

    INRC-3: 1. Jahaan Singh Gill (Chandigarh) / Suraj Keshava Prasad (Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (56:07.800); 2. Kuber Sharma / Kunal Kashyap (both Himachal) (56:57.800); 3. Daraius Neville Shroff (Delhi) / Arjun Dheerendra (Bengaluru, Slideways Industries) (57:05.300).

    INRC-4: 1. Prakhyat Shirole / Supreet S (both Bengaluru) (59:32.700); 2. Yeshwanth Padala (Hyderabad) / Bharath SM (Bengaluru) (01Hr, 01:08.900); 3. Deepak Chandra / GM Manjunath (both Bengaluru) (01:02:11.000).

    Junior INRC: 1. Jahaan Singh Gill / Suraj Keshava Prasad (56:07.800); 2. Shroff / Arjun Dheerendra (57:05.300); 3. Arnav Pratap Singh (Delhi) / Arjun SSB (Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (57:29.500).

    Fmsci Gypsy Cup: 1. Himamshu Arora (Delhi) / Vikram Thakur (Chandigarh) (01:01:49.300); 2. Sanjay Razdan (Srinagar) / Karan Aukta (Shimla) (01:02:42.900); 3. Darshan Nachappa (Bengaluru) / S Dinesh (Shivamogga