INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Arjun Balu to rely on pure talent and skill to defend title

    Arjun Balu to rely on pure talent and skill to defend title

    Chennai, 9 Feb. 2022: Veteran gentleman of motorsports Arjun Balu is raring to go and is looking to defend his National title in the prestigeous Indian Touring Cars class as four-wheeler competitors in other classes too are gunning for titles in the MRF MMSC fmsci National Car Racing Championship 2021, the fourth and final round to be held, near here, at the MMRT from February 11 to 13.

    Despite myraid ugly tactics on the track, Arjun Balu won the National Championship last year after narrowly losing to similar tactics a year earlier in 2019. This year too, the gentle giant, withstood such dirty tricks to let his driving and skill talk on the track.

    Drivers drive to win! But in ITC class a few of the “team drivers” have been driving to prevent a leading driver from winning. The class has seen some dirty driving in the last few years.

    Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar of Performance Racing has sealed the National title in the Super Stock Class with a round to spare as he took an unbeatable lead after five wins from six starts. The championship in two other saloon cars classes – the Indian Touring Cars and Indian Junior Touring Cars – is still wide open. In the MRF 1600cc Class, Chirag Ghorpade will be looking to halt the advancing Shahan Ali Mohsin.

    These youngsters, have made a mark in the premier MRF Formula 1600 category and title fight narrowed to these two teenagers. Bengaluru’s Chirag has 153 points (2 wins) and Shahan Ali Mohsin from Agra has rallied brilliantly after a bad weekend to garner 140 points with 4 wins. The two are best-placed to win the championship. However, Rishon Rajeev (110), also from Bengaluru, has an outside chance alond with Coimbatore’s K Suriyavarathan (105, one win). These two cannot be discounted since a maximum of 75 points are available from three races and it all depends on the day’s form besides other conditions.

    Experienced Coimbatore driver Arjun Balu of Race Concepts, a private team will be fighting with VW factory-supported drivers. Balu heads the table in the ITC class and leads Rayo Racing’s Jeet Jhabakh by 18.5 points with a maximum of 25 points to be had from the double-header. Another Coimbatore racer, Charen Chandran is ahead of Chennai’s Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala of Performance Racing by 13.5 points in the Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC) class going into the final round.

    In the Formula LGB 1300 category, the race for the title is poised on a knife-edge. Two Momentum Motorsport team-mates, Tijil Rao (85) from Bengaluru, Deepak Ravikumar (72), head the championship table, ahead of Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing, 64), Ruhaan Alva (MSport, 59) from Bengaluru, and Kolkata racer Arya Singh (DTS Racing, 58), all having a realistic shot at the title with a maximum of 50 points to be won.

    Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar and Fahad Kutty from Mumbai currently head the points table in the Volkswagen Polo and MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) categories, both of which are triple-headers.

    Ajit Thomas, President of promoters Madras Motor Sports Club, said: “Due to the Covid-19 situation, we could not offer five rounds to the four-wheeler competitions, but the action thus far has been quite exciting with close races. Given the pandemic, it is still heartening that the response has been fairly good with many youngsters, after graduating from karting, are already making their presence felt at this level. And surely, the concluding round this weekend will throw up its share of excitement and surprises. We also salute our sponsors, MRF Tyres, for their unstinted support to the championship.”

    There will be live streaming of the races on Facebook and the MMSC website.

  • Bike racing stalwart Rajini Krishnan wins historic 10th National title

    Bike racing stalwart Rajini Krishnan wins historic 10th National title

    Irungattukottai (near Chennai), 5 Feb. 2022: Current Indian two-wheeler racing stalwart Rajini Krishnan scripted a piece of historic masterclass to create a milestone in the annals of Indian National Motorcylce Championship by winning a rare TENTH NATIONAL title on the concluding day of another season, of the MRF MMSC fmsci Motorcycle Racing Nationals at the 3.7-km MMRT track, here on Saturday.

    The 41-year old, Chennai-born star’s first National crown in 10 years. The last came in 2012, which was his 9th title after his debut crown in 2003. Rajini started his RACR, a racing academy in 2017 and with a focus to attract attention to his new venture, he realised he had to ride again. And what a success, as he struggled and overcame all odds, to win a National Championship again at the age of 41 years, almost winning his final race starting from P12.

    He took an unwarranted risk of going for a winning-end to his campaigan, and reached P2, but suffered a crash in the last lap. He was quick on his heels to pick-up his bike and rejoin the race to get on to the podium, lighting up the final few moments, but not before his fans skipped a beat or two, and the the fifth and final round of the Madras Motor Sports Club promoted Nationals came to a grand end.

    Castrol Power1 Ultimate in the hands of a Powerful champion as Rajini Krishnan celebrates with a new T-shirt that proclaims his 1`0 National title in a span of two decades from 2003 (his debut) to 2022, his 10th National title. Photo by Anand Philar

    Another biking stalwart, Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing, had assured himself of the National title, his 10th, on Friday, after finishing third in the Pro-Stock 165cc category. In the second race today, he cruised to fourth. KY Ahamed led a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing with Deepak Ravikumar second, while Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) came in third. Thus, the final round proved to be a good outing for the motorsport connossieur providing an op to witness two biking legends create history winning their 10th title each.

    2021 Bike Racing Champions: from left: Ajith Thomas, President, Madras Motor Sport Club (MMSC), Alwin Sundar (Novice Stock 165cc class), Jagan Kumar (Pro-stock 165), Ryhana Bee (Girls stock 165cc), Rajini Krishnan (Pro-Stock 301-400cc) and Vicky Chandhok, Vice-President MMSC at Madras Motorsports Race Track (MMRT) on 5 Feb. 2022.

    Rajini Krishnan finished third in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category. Also annexing the National Championship title was 19-year old Chennai collegian Alwin Sundar of AS (Anand-Sindy) Motorsports in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category despite finishing second behind Allwin Xavier of Sparks Racing. He thus completed a triple crown.

    In the Girls category, Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate), also from Chennai, marked her comeback season after a year’s absence in 2020 due to injury, by winning her fifth consecutive race. She had sealed the championship after Round 4, but ensured that she closed the season on a winning note. She swept all the rounds and kept her slate clean, a rare achievement on the track with high competition.

    Rajini Krishnan, who needed just four points to annex the championship going into the final round, had a roller-coaster weekend, marked by crashes in both the races. In the first outing yesterday, he crashed before finishing 12th, and earned no point (only the first ten riders score points).

    In the second race on Saturday, (Sunday’s races were advanced to Saturday due to COVID travel restrictions) starting from P12, he moved to second but hit an oil patch on the last lap. However, he jumped back on to the bike, to finish third behind Rahil Shetty of Gusto Racing and Anish Damodara Shetty of Race Concepts, to earn 15 valuable points. However, he needed just 4 points and an eight-place finish. Anish Shetty crossed the finish line first, but he dropped to second following a five-second penalty for an infringement, elevating Rahil to the top step of the podium.

    Rajini, who had made his National Championship debut in 2003, topped the leaderboard with 183 points and six wins, followed by Anish Shetty (164) and Rahil Shetty (156).

    Elsewhere, youngster Sarthak Chavan from Pune, dominated the NSF 250R category in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup with a double which followed four consecutive wins over the previous two rounds. However, he finished second in the championship, seven points behind Chennai youngster Kavin Quintal who had won the first four races of the season.

    Kozhikode’s Amarnath Menon took the title in the Open (Apache RR310) category of the TVS One-Make Championship with four wins from 10 starts.

    Provisional results (all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”14″ gal_title=”2021 Indian Bike Nationals Final day 5Feb2022″]

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rahil Shetty (Gusto Racing, Hyderabad) (15mins, 12.661secs); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (15:17.595); 3. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate, Chennai) (15:31.119). National champion: Rajini Krishnan. Team championship: TVS Racing. Manufacturer championship: KTM.

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:41.370); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:41.461); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (15:42.251). National champion: Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai). Team championship: TVS Racing. Manufacturer championship: TVS.

    Novice (Stock 165cc) (Race-3): 1. Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing, Thrissur) (12:53.797); 2. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports, Chennai) (12:54.438); 3. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Sparks Racing, Kolhapur) (13:03.099). National champion: Alwin Sundar. Team Championship: Sparks Racing.

    Girls (Stock 165cc) 5 laps: 1. Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate, Chennai) (10:53.980); 2. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (10:55.735); 3. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Chennai) (11:04.284). National champion: Ryhana Bee. Team Championship: RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate.

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR310) Race-1: 1. Jagadeesh N (Bengaluru) (11:46.912); 2. Navaneeth Kumar S (Puducherry) (11:48.365); 3. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (11:49.054). Race-2: 1. Amarnath Menon (11:50.667); 2. Ananthraj P (Chennai) (11:50.961); 3. Manoj Yesuadiyan (Chennai) (11:51.838). Champion: Amarnath Menon.

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200) (Race-2): 1. Chiranth Viswanath (Bengaluru) (12:48.129); 2. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:48.443); 3. Shreyas Hareesh Cooparam (Bengaluru) (12:48.457). Race-3: 1. Chiranth Viswanath (12:42.924); 2. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (12:43.614); 3. KR Tamizhinian (Chennai) (12:44.221). Champion: Jinendra Kiran Sangave.

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (14:45.513); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (14:54.015); 3. Mohsin Paramban (Valancherry) (14:55.452). Champion: Kavin Quintal.

    CBR 150 (Race-2): 1. Theopaul Leander (Chennai) (17:13.251); 2. Siddesh Sawant (Uttur) (17:13.492); 3. Raheesh Khatri (Mumbai) (17:14.100). Race-3: 1. Theopaul Leander (13:03.492); 2. Siddesh Sawant (13:04.026); 3. Vivek Gaurav (Patna) (13:04.517). Champion: Prakash Kamat (Bokaro Steel City).

    Hornet 2.0 (Support class, Race-3): 1. G Balaji (Chennai) (13:33.889); 2. Udayi Prakash (Coimbatore) (13:34.521); 3. Shankar Guru (Chennai) (13:38.138). Champion: Kevin Kannan (Chennai).

    TVS Media (Apache RTR 200, 5 laps): 1. Soham Thakur (11:46.045); 2. Manaal Mahatme (12:15.099); 3. Ajinkya Lad (12:16.537). Champion: Soham Thakur.

    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 MMRT circuit 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 purchased 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.

  • Jagan Kumar of TVS wins historic 10th Indian National title: Bike racing

    Jagan Kumar of TVS wins historic 10th Indian National title: Bike racing

    Chennai, 4 Feb 2022: Road Racing champion and the most-decorated rider from the stables of TVS Racing, Jagan Kumar, 33, made a stunning statement in style conquering his tenth National crown with a race to spare in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    From cycling house to house as a newspaper boy to grabbing regular headlines in all the newspapers winning astride his TVS machine year after year, the humble genius achieved a racing milestone in the history of Indian motorsports. With a handsome lead in the championship table, he just needed 10 points and a third in the premier Pro-Stock 165cc race was more than enough as he fetched 15 points. TVS Racing teammates, the mechs, and all in the camp, were ready to receive him with brand new No.1 T-shirts that proclaimed and celebrated Jagan’s success.

    Earlier, Bengaluru-based Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts), astride a KTM 390, shrugged off a hip injury that he suffered after a high-speed crash in the qualifying session a couple of hours earlier, to win a thrilling race in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category that headlines the championship.

    Also hogging the limelight on the day was Thrissur’s Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing) who won both the races in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category to move to third spot on the championship leaderboard. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports), with two second-place finishes today, took a 16-point lead over another Thrissur rider Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing) to head the championship standings in this category with one more race to be run tomorrow (Saturday).  

    Keeping the title in sight, 33-year old Jagan rode a conservative race and was content to finish third behind winner and team-mate KY Ahamed who broke the Honda hearts by passing race leader Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) entering the start-finish straight on the final lap.

    An ecstatic Jagan, said: “The No.10 title was always my goal. In fact, after I won title No.5, I said I would like to double it, but people laughed. Anyway, I am extremely happy to have sealed the championship and it has been a long and difficult journey for me. Today, I did not really push in the race as I wanted to pick up the points I needed for the championship.”

    Jagan, who had started the season with a hat-trick of wins, moved to 174 points, well clear of Rajiv Sethu (134), Deepak Ravikumar (128) and Ahamed (124) with just one more race to be run tomorrow (Saturday) and a maximum of 25 points on offer.  

    Anish Shetty suffered a hit on the right side of the hip after a highspeed high-side crash during the qualifying session, but managed to scramble from a P3 start to the front after a battle with front-running pole-sitter Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing). Also in the mix was Rahil Shetty (Gusto Racing). As the six-lap race progressed, Ahamed made two places to tuck in behind Anish Shetty and Rahil as the trio crossed the finish line in that order.

    “It was a tough race to win especially after my crash earlier in the day. In the qualifying a couple of hours before the race, I had a high-side crash on the back sweep on just my second hot lap. I must have been doing about 135-140Kmph. I landed on the right side of the hip. Luckily, I didn’t suffer any other injuries, but the team did a fantastic job in getting the bike ready for the race. I had a twitch on the right side and so I couldn’t lean much on the right-hand turns,” said Anish who thus moved within 22 points of leader Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) for whom it was a disastrous outing as he crashed in the second lap and finished without a point in12th.  

    Provisional results (all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (11mins,19.140secs); 2. Ahmed KY (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:19.332); 3. Rahil Shetty (Gusto Racing, Hyderabad) (11:19.636).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. KY Ahmed (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:45.710); 2. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda, Chennai) (11:45.953); 3. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:48.726).

    Novice (Stock 165cc – Race 1): 1. Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing, Thrissur) (12:54.639); 2. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports, Chennai) (12:54.845); 3. Samrul Zubair (Raceists, Hyderabad) (13:03.969). Race-2: 1. Allwin Xavier (12:57.130); 2. Alwin Sundar (12:57.484); 3. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Sparks Racing, Kolhapur) (13:02.255).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Girls (Apache RTR 200) 5 laps: . Deepika Reddy (Hyderabad) (11:15.788); 2. Rakshita Dave (Chennai) (11:15.948); 3. Adlin Seles (Chennai) (11:18.401).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200, Race-1): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:52.657); 2. Chiranth Viswanath (Bengaluru) (12:52.784); 3. Abdul Bhasim (Chennai) (12:52.877).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250 Open (Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (07:26.094); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (07:32.266); 3. Mohsin Paramban (Valancherry) (07:34.544).

    CBR 150 (Race-1): 1. Vivek Gaurav (13:04.401); 2 Siddesh Sawant (13:06.114); 3. Raheesh Khatri (13:06.157).

    Hornet 2.0 (Support class, Race-1): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (13:25.983); 2. G Balaji (Chennai) (13:26.336); 3. Ajai Xavier (Nagerkoil) (13:31.652).

    Race-2: 1. G Balaji (13:29.763); 2. Ajai Xavier (13:37.493); 3. Prabhu V (Chennai) (13:43.956).

  • KY Ahamed leads front row sweep for TVS Racing

    KY Ahamed leads front row sweep for TVS Racing

    Chennai, 3 Feb 2022: KY Ahamed led a front-row lockout for TVS Racing as he took pole position in the premier Pro-Stock 165cc Open category as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 commenced at the MMRT, here on Thursday.

    Ahamed clocked 01 minute, 54.353 seconds while his team-mates Deepak Ravikumar (01:54.988) and championship leader Jagan Kumar (01:55.179) filled the front row. Incidentally, Jagan, a nine-times National champion, needs a total of 10 points in this weekend’s double-header to seal the title.

    Pacer Yamaha team, making a comeback to the championship after a dozen years, had two of their riders, Prabhu Arunagiri (P4) and Mithun Kumar (P6) in the second row along with Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu qualified P5.

    Earlier, Sparks Racing’s Allwin Xavier, a 22-year old engineering student from Thrissur, who is currently placed third on the leaderboard, grabbed the pole position, clocking 02:07.266.

    Championship co-leader Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) from Chennai (02:07.466) was second while Mysuru rider, Varun Nanjundegowda (Sparks Racing), completed the front row on the grid for tomorrow’s first of three races, with a hot lap of 02:08.474. Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing), also from Thrissur, who is tied on points with Alwin Sundar, will start from P9, some two seconds off the pace.

    In the Girls (Stock 165cc) category, Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing) from Puducherry qualified for pole position ahead of Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) who has already clinched the title in this category, and last year’s champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing).

    Lani Zena Fernandez (No.97), who qualified for pole position in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category on Feb 03, 2022. Photo by Anand Philar

    Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts), currently placed second in the championship behind veteran Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate), posted the quickest time during the free practice session in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category, with a best lap of 01:50.614secs. TVS Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar (01:51.175) was the second quickest, ahead of Rajini (01:51.638).

    Provisional results (Qualifying – best laps):

    Pro-Stock 165cc: 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01min, 54.353secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:54.988); 3. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:55.179).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing, Thrissur) (02:07.266); 2. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports, Chennai) (02:07.466); 3. Varun Nanjundegowda (Sparks Racing, Mysuru) (02:08.474).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (02:10.011); 2. Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate, Chennai) (02:10.213); 3. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Chennai) (02:11.052).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RR 310): 1. Ami Van (Auroville) (01:56.505); 2. Jagadeesh N (Bengaluru) (01:56.724); 3. Navaneeth Kumar (Puducherry) (01:56.836).

    Girls (Apache RTR 200): 1. Deepika Reddy (Hyderabad) (02:12.895); 2. Rakishitha Dave (Chennai) (02:15.137); 3. Adlin Seles (Chennai) (02:15.206).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – CBR 150: 1. Prakash Kamat (Bokaro Steel City) (02:08.265); 2. Vivek Gaurav (Patna) (02:08.559); 3. Theopaul Leander (Chennai) (02:09.128)

    Hornet 2.0 (Support class): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (02:11.712); 2. G Balaji (Chennai) (02:13.053); 3. Shankar Guru (Chennai) (02:14.264).

  • National 2W Championship poised for a grand climax

    National 2W Championship poised for a grand climax

    Chennai, 1 Feb 2022: The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 reaches its grand climax this weekend when the fifth and final round, comprising 23 races, will be held at the MMRT over three days from Thursday, February 3.

    Promoters Madras Motor Sports Club, now in their 70th year, have scheduled a massive card that also includes 10 free practice and 11 qualifying sessions, besides the four races held over from previous round. Thus, it makes for a mega, action-packed weekend that will also herald freshly-crowned National champions for the 2021 season which spilled into 2022 due to Covid-19-related delays. As in the previous rounds, the number of entries has far exceeded 100 with country’s top manufacturers – Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM – also in the mix.

    While Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate) has already sealed the title in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category with a round to spare after winning all four out of four races for an unbeatable lead, two veterans, Rajini Krishnan, 41, and Jagan Kumar, 32, have one hand on the big trophy.

    Multiple National champion Rajini (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate Racing), needs a mere four points from the double-header to seal the championship in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category where he has won six races from eight starts. Likewise, Jagan (TVS Racing), who has won three races from eight starts, is 10 points shy of claiming the title in the Pro-Stock 165cc category, and if he does so, it will be his 10th cumulative National crown since his first in 2009.

    In contrast, the situation in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category, has two riders, Thrissur’s Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing, two wins) and local youngster Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports, four wins) tied on 128 points. However, with three more races, including one held over from previous round, and a maximum of 75 points at stake, the National title in this category is up for grabs.

    The card also includes one-make championships organized by the MMSC – the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup which has two categories in NSF 250 and CBR 150 besides a support class, the Hornet 2.0, and the TVS which comprises four classes in Open (Apache RR 310), Rookie, Girls and Media (all RTR 200) classes. The titles in all these categories is still to be decided, except in TVS Girls where local teenager Rakshita Dave has clinched the crown with a round to spare.

    “The 2021 season has been long and challenging, but now, we are into the final round this weekend that should witness tough battles for championship positions. We have had some exciting races through the season with increasing number of young aspirants taking part in the championship. Through the challenging times, our sponsors, MRF Tyres, have stood by us, as also the other stakeholders like the riders, manufacturers and of course, the Media who have consistently extended us generous coverage. We remain indebted to all of them,” said MMSC president Ajit Thomas.

    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 MMRT circuit 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 purchased 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.

  • Shriya Lohia gets PM Bal Puraskar award for excellence in sport

    Shriya Lohia gets PM Bal Puraskar award for excellence in sport

    New Delhi, 24 Jan 2022: Karting girl Shriya Lohia of Himachal Pradesh made the motorsports world proud by winning the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) award and interacted with the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi via video conference on Monday, the National Girl Child day on Jan 24.

    Shriya, the 13-year old, became the second motorsports athlete to get the award, after Yash Aradhya got the award last year. She is the only motorsports athlete among the eight sportspersons awarded today along with 28 in other disciplines. The youngster is from Sundarnagar of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh and is a regular at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru for the last five years, where the National Karting Championships are held. Shriya was the “Outstanding Woman of the Year 2018”, awarded by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) in her early career along with two other senior girls Mira Erda and Sneha Sharma. Shriya made her debut in 2018 as a 9-year old 5th class girl at Kartopia. She went on to win the fmsci award for a second year in 2019. Though many feel, that it is a long road ahead for Women in Motorsports, the Federation in tune with the international federation, FIA, and the Government of India, of late, have been recognising women, as part of the overall motorsports fraternity. Only recently, motorsports athletes started finding their names in the National awards starting with an Arjuna Award for rally driver Gaurav Gill.

    The Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about her today. On his official Twitter handle, he said: “The young and talented ShriyaLohia is an International Motorsports Karting Racer! She has won several national trophies and represented the country in international racing. Proud of her achievements. Congratulations to her for receiving the Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.” He tweeted with the following graphic at 8pm on Monday.

    A keen learner, who always competed with boys, with mixed results, she finally honed her skills attending trainings in Malaysia and also competed in Italy. Her big day came when she won a race in the JK Tyre X-30 Karting Nationals on 13th July 2019 in her Class VI. In the same year, the Indira National School student, finished first in the FIA Girls on Track, also in Bengaluru. Now in a Delhi school, she used to frequent the Garden City, Pune and Hyderbad to take part in karting events. Shriya expressed her interest recently to move back to her ancestral home in Sundarnagar, local Himachal paper quoted her saying.

    Twenty nine children have been conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar this Year, selected from all regions of the country for their exceptional achievements in Innovation (7), Social Service (4), Scholastic (1), Sports (8), Art & Culture (6) and Bravery (3) categories.  There are 15 Boys and 14 Girls among the awardees belonging to 21 States and UTs.

    In view of the unprecedented circumstances emerging due to COVID-19 situation in the country, it was not possible to organise a physical ceremony at New Delhi. In order to felicitate and motivate the exceptional works of children, a function was held virtually on the occasion of National Girl Child Day today and also as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Awardees of PMRBP 2021 and 2022 along with their parents and concerned District Magistrate of their respective district joined the event from their district Head Quarters. 

    During the function, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave digital certificates to the 61 winners of PMRBP 2021 and 2022 using a Block Chain-driven technology developed by IIT Kanpur under the National Blockchain Project.  The digital certificates are stored on digital wallets installed on the mobile devices of the recipients. The digital certificates issued using the blockchain driven technology are unforgeable, globally verifiable, selectively disclosable and sensitive to user content. Block Chain Technology is being used for the first time for giving certificates to the awardees.

    The cash prize of Rs.1,00,000/- was given to the awardees of PMRBP 2022 which was transferred online to the respective accounts of winners during the programme by the Hon’ble PM.

    The Hon’ble Prime Minister interacted virtually with the winners of PMRBP 2022. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smt Smriti Zubin Irani and Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State were among those present on the occasion.

    Interacting with Kumari Tarushi Gaur from Chandigarh, the Prime Minister enquired about her opinion on the balance between sports and studies. The Prime Minister asked why Tarushi idolises Boxer Mary Kom. She informed the Prime Minister that she likes her because of her commitment to excellence and balance that she strikes as a sportsperson and as a mother. The Prime Minister said that the government is committed to providing all the facilities to the sportspersons and creating a mindset of winning at every level.

    Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted that these awards become all the more significant in the light of the fact that they have been conferred during the important period when the country is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. He said this is the time to draw energy from the past and dedicate oneself to achieving great results in the coming 25 years of the Amrit Kaal. He also greeted the daughters of the country on the National Girl Child Day. The Prime Minister remembered the glorious history of the Freedom Struggle and the contribution of Birbala Kanaklata Barua, Khudiram Bose and Rani Gaidinilu. “These fighters had made the country’s freedom the mission of their lives at a very young age and had dedicated themselves to it” the Prime Minister noted.

    The Prime Minister said that in any sector, policies and initiatives are keeping youth at the centre. He cited initiatives like Start Up India, Stand Up India, Digital India, Make in India along with Jan Andolan of Aatmnirbhar India and creation of modern infrastructure. This, he said, is in sync with the speed of the youth of India who are leading this new epoch both in India and outside. The Prime Minister underlined the growing prowess of India in the innovation and start-up sphere. He conveyed the nation’s pride in the fact of major global companies being led by Indian young CEOs. “Today we feel proud when we see the youth of India excelling in the world of startups. Today we feel proud when we see that the youth of India are innovating, taking the country forward”, the Prime Minister said.

    The Prime Minister said in areas where daughters were not even allowed earlier, daughters are doing wonders in them today. This is the new India, which does not hold back from innovating, courage and determination are the hallmarks of India today.

    Minister Smriti Irani also tweeted about Shriya and said: Resident of Himachal Pradesh, Shriya started her journey as motorsports karting racer at the age of 9 years. She is the only girl in her age category to compete in the national championships. Shriya is awarded PMRBP 2022 in the field of Sports. #BetiBharatKi

  • Sahan Ali cuts Chirag’s lead with commanding win; Ruhaan dominates F1300

    Sahan Ali cuts Chirag’s lead with commanding win; Ruhaan dominates F1300

    Chennai, 21 Jan 2022: Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin won a battle of the teenagers while Rayo Racing’s Ishaan Dodhiwala from Hyderabad avoided a first-corner incident to triumph as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 sparked to life at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    The day began with some commanding display by 15-year old Bengalurean, Ruhaan Alva of MSport, who showed good racecraft while comfortably pocketing the pole position and was the only car to go under 1min 51-sec mark. He set the pace beginning with a best Sector I time before the Red Flag and went on to post the fastest lap of the day in F1300. Meanwhile, Tijil Rao, who had clutch issues jumped into the pits without setting his best time.

    Later in the evening, the multiple-National karting champion, Ruhaan, won Race 1 with ease and grace leading from pole to flag in the Safety Car-interrupted race as he gave no chance to the Momentum Motorsports duo Deepak Ravikumar and Tijil Rao, who finished in that order. Tijil Rao, also from Bengaluru, however, made the most of the disadvantage in the morning, by zooming from 19th to podium in the 20-car field. Ruhaan logged the fastest lap, thus completing a triumphant treble on Friday. A pole, a win and the best lap.

    Shahan, 17, enjoyed a good start from pole position and went on to pip two 16-year old Bengalureans Chirag Ghorpade and Rishon Rajiv, for his third win of the season. The victory took the Agra teenager’s tally to 109 points in the championship, just 14 short of leader Chirag. The Agra racer too is a multiple Indian Karting champion, who switched over to the Formula cars. Amidst board exams, he took part in the last round and lost points in two races as he had a puncture and technical issues and was trailing by 21 points to Chirag. Thus the victory helped him reduce the margin and with two more races on Saturday in this round, the MRF 1600 class, is interestingly poised. Rishon Rajiv, the reigning Junior National Karting champ, too graduated to cars and did well to complete the podium. Shahan too completed a treble, a pole, a win, and the fastest lap.

    Earlier, in the Indian Touring Cars race, Dodhiwala steered clear of a Turn-1 incident involving championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts and Jeet Jhabakh of Rayo Racing to chalk up a fluent win, his first of the season. Balu and Jhabakh, who tried to pass taking the inside line, came together and went off the track while Dodhiwala slipped through into the lead. Balu recovered quickly and all but caught up with Dodhiwala before being forced to ease off due to rising engine temperature each time he pushed.

    Eventually, Dodhiwala, who came into this round as a replacement for absentee team-mate Anindith Reddy, won handily ahead of Balu who, however, continues to lead the championship table. The Stewards, after a post-race investigation, docked third-placed Jhabakh a 15-second penalty for “causing an avoidable collision”.

    It was a lights-to-flag victory for Ruhaan who fully capitalized on his pole position start and was never really challenged through the eight-lapper which was interrupted by a Safety Car period due to an on-track incident.

    Behind Ruhaan, who had missed the previous round due to an international karting commitment, raged a tight fight for the other podium spots. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) and Mohd Ryan (MSport), running second and third, spun off after a contact. It allowed Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport) to move into second position from fourth and defend his spot to the chequered flag, ahead of team-mate Tijil Rao, the teenager from Bengaluru who put in a great performance to move from P19 to P3. The victory took Ruhaan from eighth and fourth in the championship standings.

    Also chalking up victories today were Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar of Race Concepts (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar of Performance Racing (Super Stock) while Oshan Kothadiya from Pune drove a near-flawless race for his maiden win of the season in the Volkswagen Polo category.

    Haryana’s Justin Singh and Mumbai veteran Fahad Kutty, who started P11 on the reverse grid, won a race apiece, in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) category.

    For live streaming of the races, please follow the link https://youtu.be/0OithC0iLLo

    The results (provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13mins, 31.446secs); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (13:32.719); 3. Rishon Rajiv (Bengaluru) (13:33.917).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:26.029); 2. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:42.328); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (16:06.177, incl 15-second penalty).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:01.284); 2. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:13.396); 3. Charen Chandran (Pvt, Coimbatore) (16:29.012).

    Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:11.010); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:19.707); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:23.196).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport, Bengaluru) (19:08.955); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (19:14.841); 3. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (19:15.168).

    Volkswagen Polo (Race-1): 1. Oshan Kothadiya (Pune) (15:57.549); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (16:01.665); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (16:02.115).

    MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios – Race 1, 10 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Red Line Racing, Haryana) (16:47.458); 2. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (16:48.378); 3. Anand Prasad (Red Line Racing, Chennai) (16:49.775).

    Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (21:09.211); 2. Bala Prasath (Quest Motorsport, Coimbatore) (21:12.259); 3. Angad Matharoo (Red Line Racing, Chandigarh) (21:13.716).

  • Arjun Balu leads ITC; Chirag, Shahan to fight it out in MRF 1600

    Arjun Balu leads ITC; Chirag, Shahan to fight it out in MRF 1600

    Chennai, 18 Jan 2022: Coimbatatore ace and multi-faceted motorsport athlete, Arjun Balu, will be the cynosure of all eyes as he leads the championship with a slender 7-point even as a clutch of teenaged talent, will line-up on various grids in the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 commencing at the MMRT circuit near here on Thursday, with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

    Due to the Sunday lockdown in Tamil Nadu in the wake of the pandemic, the promoters, Madras Motor Sports Club, have rejigged the schedule for the programme to start a day earlier on Thursday, which will be devoted to practice sessions only, and conclude on Saturday afternoon with over 100 participants in fray at the Irangattukottai circuit near Sriperumbudur.

    A card of 13 races will be gone through with triple-headers each in the premier MRF F1600, Volkswagen Polo and the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) categories, while the popular saloon cars class (Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock) and the Formula LGB 1300 will have two races apiece.

    File photo of Saloon cars in action of 2021 Round 2 at MMRT.

    Due to the pandemic-induced delays, the 2021 championship has spilled into the current year, but the challenging conditions have not deterred the racing enthusiasts if the number of entries is any indication.

    If the second round in December was impacted by the monsoon rains, the going this week is expected to be fair in balmy winter sunshine.

    Teenagers Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) and Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) have dominated the MRF F1600 category with two wins each in six starts with the former heading the championship table with 105 points.

    In contrast, veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore showcased his vast experience in wet conditions in the second round to notch a double in the ITC category where he enjoys a seven-point advantage over Rayo Racing’s Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad). In third spot and five points adrift is another Hyderabad racer, Jeet Jhabakh, also of Rayo Racing.

    Privateer from Coimbatore, Charen Chandran, heads the IJTC category while the versatile local challenger Deepak Ravikumar tops two classes, the Super Stock for Performance Racing and Formula LGB 1300 for Momentum Motorsport.

    The Volkswagen Polo category, with 22 cars on the grid, is extremely competitive as the four races so far has produced as many different winners with Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar heading the points table though not having won a race.

    The experienced Fahad Kutty from Mumbai, with two wins in three starts, is comfortably perched on top in the MRF Saloon Cars category that boasts of 21 competitors.

    MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “We once again welcome the four-wheeler competitors have are attending the third round in good number. The championship has thrown up some exciting young talent which augurs well for the sport as also the continued support from our title sponsors MRF Tyres. We expect another round of close racing this week which should spread cheer among the racing aficionados.”

    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 MMRT circuit 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 purchased 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.

  • Ryhana regains title; Prabhu Arunagiri shines for Pacer Yamaha

    Ryhana regains title; Prabhu Arunagiri shines for Pacer Yamaha

    Chennai, 8 Jan. 2022: Indian National champion in 2018, Ryhana Bee of RACR, regained the National title in the Girls category after a two-year lapse here on Saturday with one race to spare as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 concluded at the MMRT. The Chennai girl, lost the title in the inaugural year to Aishwarya Pissay before the championship was granted National status by fmsci in the 2016 Honda one make championship. The year 2017 saw for the first time a National championship for women in Road Racing in India.

    Among the rides of the day was by 29-year old Prabhu Arunagiri from Chennai who scripted a maiden win for Pacer Yamaha, a team returning to the National Championship after a 12-year break, in Race-2 of the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category, holding off a quality field. The race was red-flagged and reduced to five laps from eight following a lap-1 incident, but it did not stop Prabhu from winning with leader Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) crashing in the penultimate lap.

    Earlier in the day, Prabhu, who has been in and out of racing in the past few years, finished fourth in Race-1 that was won by Deepak Ravikumar who delivered a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing ahead of defending champion Jagan Kumar while Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) came in third. The two podium finishes saw Jagan moving to 159 points in championship standings followed by Ravikumar (118) and Sethu (116).

    Meanwhile, Chennai ace Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate) took decisive steps towards winning the championship in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category by picking up 50 valuable points. The 41-year old international finished second behind Thailand’s Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing), but with the foreigner ineligible for any points, Rajini picked up 25. He followed it up with a fine win in Race-2 on wearing tyres while Malahuan, who had a jump-start, faded out of contention.

    After four rounds, Rajini has a tally of 168 points, ahead of Bengalurean Anish Damodara Shetty of Race Concepts (121) who finished third and second in the double-header. With one more round left in the championship and a maximum of 50 points up for grabs, Rajini has one had on the trophy with a 47-point lead.

    Ryhana, 24, who sat out the 2020 season owing to injuries after winning the championship in 2019, staged a remarkable recovery to catch up with early leader and defending champion Ann Jennifer before making a decisive pass on the last lap for a merited fourth consecutive victory. It took Ryhana’s tally to 100, way ahead of second-placed Mumbai’s Jagruti Kiran Penkar (Sparks Racing, 57 points) with just one more race remaining and which is scheduled to be run in the concluding round in February.

    The day began with local collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) winning Novice (Stock 165cc) race as he fought his way through the field after losing position early in the six-lapper which he started from pole position. The win, his fourth of the season, drew Sundar level with leader Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing) from Thrissur, both on 128 points.

    Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan chalked up a fine double in the NSF 250 category of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, defeating championship leader Kavin Quintal in both races.

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

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open) Race-1: 1. Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing, Thailand) (11mins, 18.244secs); 2. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate, Chennai) (11:18.657); 3. Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (11:18.921). Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Rajini Krishnan (15:04.127); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (15:04.297); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:04.454).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Open) Race-1: 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:48.162); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:48.484); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Idumitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (11:50.454). Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha, Chennai) (09:57.247); 2. Rajiv Sethu (09:57.505); 3. Jagan Kumar (09:57.655).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsport, Chennai) (13:03.215); 2. Sarvesh Balappa (Sparks Racing, Hubbali) (13:05.798); 3. Anfal Akthar (Rockstar Racing, Thrissur) (13:05.856).

    Girls (Stock 165cc) 5 laps: 1. Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate, Chennai) (11:02.702); 2. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Chennai) (11:02.886); 3. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (11:03.512).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250 (Race-1): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (11:11.037); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (11:14.091); 3. Geoffrey Revinen Emmanuel (Chennai) (11:15.060). Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (14:47.030); 2. Kavin Quintal (14:47.277); 3. Geoffrey Revinen Emmanuel (14:59.460).

    Novice (CBR 150): 1. Prakash Kamat (Bokaro Steel City) (13:04.485); 2. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (13:04.735); 3.Vivek Gaurav (Patna) (13:06.764).

    Hornet 2.0 (Support race): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (13:29.346); 2. Ajay Xavier (Nagarkoil) (13:29.437); 3. Prabhu V (Chennai) (13:29.655).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RR 310) Race-1: 1. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (11:46.925); 2. Jagadeesh N (Bengaluru) (11:47.761); 3. Manoj Yesudian (Chennai) (11:47.899). Race-2: 1. Manoj Yesudian (11:47.967); 2. Ananthraj P (Chennai) (11:48.088); 3. Amarnath Menon (11:49.172).

    Rookie (RTR 200): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:55.139); 2. Chiranth Viswanath (Bengaluru) (12:55.220); 3. Shreyas Copparam Hareesh (Bengaluru) (12:56.356).

  • Aditi Krishnan wins TVS girls race; Rakshitha clinches title

    Aditi Krishnan wins TVS girls race; Rakshitha clinches title

    Chennai, 7 Jan. 2022: Aditi Krishnan of Bengaluru won by a comfortable margin beating Adlin Seles of Chennai in the Apache RTR 200 race for girls, the only race that was completed at the Madras Motor Sports Track here on Friday. The day’s menu also had 10 qualifying sessions for different classes. There will be no races on Sunday due to the weekend curfew and 13 more races will be completed on Saturday.

    The 16-year old 11th class student of Delhi Public School is trained by Apex Racing Academy. Chennai girl Rakshitha Dave who came fourth took home enough points to clinch the One-make championship with a round to spare garnering an unbeatable 87 points.

    Meanwhile, the feature class saw experienced speedmaster Rajini Krishnan of RACR Castrol Power team, deliver a stunning lap to grab the pole position in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open) category in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    Astride a Yamaha, Rajini came up with a late burst to post a best lap of one minute, 50.612secs, to pip Thailand’s Vorapong Malahuan (01:50.703), a TVS Racing import who of course is not counted for the championship. Another TVS Racing star, Deepak Ravikumar (01:50.880) filled the front row of the grid.

    Rajini Krishnan, who qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open) category on Saturday, 8 Jan 2022 at MMRT. Photo By Anand Philar

    The day witnessed hectic action as 21 sessions (practice, qualifying and one race) were completed. In view of the total lockdown on Sunday announced by the State government, the schedule was revised to ensure that the fourth round concludes a day earlier, on Saturday. The number of races were also reduced from original 18 to 14. The balance four races will be run during the fifth round in February.

    Earlier, TVS Racing team locked the front row in the Pro-Stock 165cc (Open) category with Chennai trio of Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.577) clinching pole position while KY Ahamed (01:55.783) and defending champion Jagan Kumar (01:56.361) completed the top three. Their arch-rival, Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) was fourth quickest (01:57.207) after being forced to curtail his practice session in the morning due to a glitch in his bike.

    Meanwhile, 19-year old local collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) qualified for pole position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category with a top lap of two minutes, 08.621 seconds ahead of Sparks Racing pair of Sarvesh Balappa from Hubballi and Thrissur’s Allwin Xavier while championship leader Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing), also from Thrissur, will start from P4.

    Last year’s champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing), lying seventh in the championship, made a strong statement by taking the pole position in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category, clocking a best lap of 02 minutes, 10.427 seconds. Behind her were championship leader Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power) and Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing).

    Elsewhere, Pune’s Sarthak Chavan snatched the pole position in the NSF 250 class of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup while Prakash Kamath from Bokaro Steel City qualified for the top spot in the Novice (CBR 150) class.

    In the TVS One-Make Championship, Navaneeth Kumar (Puducherry) and Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) topped their respective qualifying sessions in the Open (RR310) and Rookie (RTR 200) categories, respectively.

    Later, in the only race of the day, Bengaluru’s Aditi Krishnan, starting from pole position, topped the Girls race in the TVS One-Make Championship, ahead of Adlin Seles (Chennai) and Deepika Reddy (Hyderabad).

    The results (Provisional):

    Qualifying (Best laps­):

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open): 1. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power, Chennai) (01min, 50.612secs); 2. Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing, Thailand) (01:50.703); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:50.880).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Open): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:55.577); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:55.783); 3. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (01:56.361).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports, Chennai) (02:08.621); 2. Sarvesh Balappa (Sparks Racing, Hubballi) (02:09.106); 3. Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing, Thrissur) (02:10.185).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Chennai) (02:10.427); 2. Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power, Chennai) (02:10.581); 3. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (02:12.004).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250: 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (01:50.063); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (01:51.351); 3. Mohsin Paramban (Mallapuram) (01:51.526).

    Novice (CBR 150): 1. Prakash Kamath (Bokaro Steel City) (02:08.830); 2. Vivek Gaurav (Patna) (02:08.935); 3. Raheesh Khatri (Mumbai) (02:09.384).

    Hornet 2.0 (Support event): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (02:11.709); 2. Alwin Sundar (Thrissur) (02:11.912); 3. Ullas Santrupt Nanda (Bengaluru) (02:12.036).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RR 310): 1. Navaneeth Kumar (Puducherry) (01:56.008); 2. Ananthraj P (Chennai) (01:56.346); 3. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (01:56.569).

    Rookie (RTR 200): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (02:07.478); 2. Shreyas Copparam Hareesh (Bengaluru) (02:08.471); 3. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (02:08.870).

    Girls Race (RTR 200) 5 laps: 1. Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru) (11:22.919); 2. Adlin Seles (Chennai) (11:33.144); 3. Deepika Reddy (Hyderabad) (11:33.354).