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Category: Non-F1
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Dr Shivani Pruthvi, Deeksha Balakrishna, only ladies in Rally of Himalaya
Manali, 6 October 2021: Ace rally driver Dr Shivani Pruthvi and Deeksha Balakrishna will be making their debut in the Rally of Himalayas, the toughest cross-country rally in the country which has attracted as many as 100 top rallyists from across the country to Himachal for the first-ever “Rally of Himalayas”, one of the most challenging motorsports events of the world in dangerous terrains of the state from October 7 to 10.
Creating ripples
Dr Shivani and Dr Deepthi Pruthvi, the daughter-mom pair from Davangere have been making ripples in the motorsports circles by taking part in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for the last three years. But Shivani, who completed her MBBS, last year despite all her motorsports activity, has just finished two INRRC rounds, the revived TSD Nationals at Hampi and the previous week, she was racing at Chennai’s Madras Motorsports Race Track. Dr Deepthi is an expert pathologist and a busy lady at the hospital as she chose to serve in her district itself but has been calling the pace notes for Shivani for some time now. But the multi-faceted Shivani who is known for her focus and hardwork even in her college days has managed tough schedules that a doctor’s course demands. She was also a multiple participant in the Republic Day Parade as an NCC cadet.
Deeksha joins to strengthen the only ladies team
She choose to rally with Deeksha as she is taking part in the extreme Cross-Country rally for the first time. Deeksha Balakrishna, is another talent from Southern India, who made her INRC debut, in style, with Pragathi Gowda in Arunachal Pradesh last December and made many take notice. Deeksha, also grew up in motorsports culture, listening to her dad Balakrishna’s tales. Popularly known as BK, he has been at the helm of motorsports activity in Karnataka and is currently the go-to man in fmsci for any of the sporting needs. Deeksha, naturally fits the bill Shivani feels. “She is the right choice as we enter as the only ladies team in the Rally of Himalayas,” she added. It keeps the FMSCI Women in Motorsport concept alive in the toughest rally of the country. Deeksha, who proved to have a strong will and steady mind, is equally thrilled. “It is definitely a challenging and tough.. the mother of all rallies. We are on our maiden mission to tame the elements as we prepare for a big test of endurance, cold temperatures and high altitude, both for the car and the team. Definitely a Mmighty Himalayan task and look forward to many more thrilling drives with Shivani,” said Deeksha.
Inspired by Dad’s tales, the Pruthvi effect
The Karnataka duo, finished the recce and will be looking forward to some challenging but enjoyable experience. “I am looking forward to driving here as I heard many tales from my dad about how one can overcome any challenge if you are in sync with the nature. I am going with a positive mind and my target is to finish the rally. We are game for it,” said the young doctor from Davangere in Karnataka. Pruthvi, her father, who introduced her to rallies was an yesteryear star for JK Tyres. Pruthvi, along with Shivu Shivappa, the FMSCI vice-president, had many tales to tell, when they took part in the inaugural Raide de Himalaya in 1999. Their story and run to the finish lane in a gypsy is a tale every enthusiast would love to hear. We shall will keep it for another day.
Organised by Himalayan X-Treme Motorsports Club, the rally will be flagged off by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur from Kullu on October 7 and the prize distribution ceremony will be held at Solang in the presence of Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur on October 10. The thrilling motorsport event will cover the challenging terrains of Hamta and Spiti which will test the stamina and skills of the rallyists.
Ten-time Raid de Himalaya rally winner Suresh Rana, who is president of the hosting club said: “Record 70 bikers are participating in this rally. This is the record as such a high number of participants has never been recorded before. Besides this, 30 cars including 4X4 vehicles will be vying for the title. We are putting our everything to make this rally successful and popular worldwide.”
A group of rallyists and motorsports enthusiasts are the members of the organising club backed by the government. As the rally will cover major portions of Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts, the administration from both the districts is also helping in successful conduct of the rally. The general traffic movement will be stopped at many stretches to ensure public safety. The health department will station ambulances at regular stretches.
Air Himalayas, Himachal based helicopter service, is also partnering with the rally and will station its helicopter to help air evacuation in case of a medical emergency.
“The extreme motorsports lovers were disappointed as no rally event was being organised for a long time. Finally, after working for months and talking to the top rally teams of the country, we managed to bring this event together with the support from the government. Finally we are ready to tread the Himalayan terrains,” Rana added. The first and special state of the rally will go to Hamta after the flag-off ceremony by the CM. Then the rally will move to Kaza in Spiti via Atal tunnel, Gramphu and Kunzum pass. The final leg of the rally will end at Solang where prizes will be distributed among the winners by Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
This article is first published by here before it was edited and published in INDIAinF1.
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‘Lightning’ strikes MMRT as Hemanth Muddappa breaks National Drag record
Chennai, October 3: Seven-time National Drag Champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing stormed to a National record, breaking his own mark with a triumphant double gold in the ribbon events in the second round of the MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship here on Sunday. Touching a top speed of 230kmph, he extended his Championship lead in the premier 4-stroke Above-1051cc Class at the 303-metre Madras Motor Race Track.
The 31-year Coorgi, based in Bengaluru, nicknamed LightningR1, did his magic once again to prove his critics wrong as he dashed to a gold beating his own National record in the 4-stroke 850 to 1050cc SuperSport Class set in 2019. Hemanth also holds the National drag record in the top above-1051cc Class.
“I am so happy to set the National record in this category. Seven National titles won’t come by luck. We have put in hardwork and practised hard, testing and improving after every run. I dedicate this gold to my friend Riyaz’s mom, who is on a ventilator. Despite that he came here and clocked an eight. Hats off to him,’’ said a delighted Hemanth, who runs 1Up Nutrition, a top brand Nutrition supplements for sportspersons.
“Winning is in the DNA of Mantra Racing from 1954. We have been tuning Mudappa’s bikes for all his National titles and I am glad he got the much-awaited record today. We brought some upgrades but it was the hard work and practice he put in at the air strip near Bengaluru that brought him success,” said Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, who tunes the champion’s bikes.
Hemanth astride a green #93 BMW s1000rr was lightening quick to post a stunning 7.914 to beat the National Drag record in this class despite being a fraction of a second slower in reaction at the start to Hyderabad’s Mohd. Riyaz, who did 8.058 seconds. Sugan Prasad, also from Bengaluru, clocked 8.421 to take the bronze.
In the top class of 4-stroke Above-1051cc Super Sport, riding a black Suzuki Hayabusa, Hemanth clocked 8.061sec. “With others posting only in 8s, I took it easy and won at a relaxed pace,’’ the passionate bodybuilder added.
In other classes, Bharath Raj (226-360cc), Madhan Kumar (upto 165cc) and Aiyaz Rem (361-550cc) won the gold.
Results (provisional): 4S Above-1051cc Class: 1. #97 Hemanth Muddappa (Bengaluru) 8.061sec; 2. #98 Hafizullah Khan (Bengaluru) 8.396; 3. Vignesh Purushottham (Bengaluru) 8.409;
4S 851 to 1050cc Super Sport: 1. #93 Hemanth Muddappa (7.914); 2. #96 Mohd. Riyaz (Hyderabad) (8.058); 3. Sugan Prasad (Bengaluru) (8.421);
4S 226 to 360cc SS Indian: 1. #74Bharath Raj (12.427); 2. #75 Mohamed Shakir (12.655); 3. #77 Yogeshwaran (13.014);
4S upto 165cc SS Indian: 1. #71 S Madhan Kumar (13.826); 2. #73 K Kannan (13.990); 3. #91 S Kannan (14.472);
4S 361 to 550cc SS Indian: 1. #85 Aiyaz Rem (12.368); 2. #83 Yogeshwaran (12.620); 3. #84 D Anish Samson (12.658).
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Hemanth Mudappa raring to go: MMSC fmsci Drag Nationals
Chennai, 1 October 2021: Seven-time National champion Hemanth Mudappa of Mantra Racing will spearhead a strong field of over 100 die-hard petrolheads who will congregate at the MMRT here this weekend for the second round of MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship 2021 here on Saturday and Sunday.
Mantra Racing, who is tuning Hemanth’s bikes had put in extra efforts for the second round and is looking forward for a double. “We are bringing some updates and I am confident going into the Sunday’s races,” said the Bengaluru-based Coorgi, who popularises Sports Nutrition and endorses 1up Nutrition for Elite high-performance athletes. A bodybuilder by passion , he is committed to the sport and his hard work saw that he won the Ribbon 1050cc and above continuously for four years. With Sharan Pratap as tuner, the duo have mastered the art of winning drag racing Nationals in India dominating the scene from 2016.
The Super Sport 851-1050cc and Above 1051cc categories will headline the races. Bengaluru’s reigning National champion Hemant Muddappa, astride BMW S1000 RR, has been dominating the Above 1051cc category, but Hyderabad’s Md Riyaz (Yamaha R1) topped the 851-1050cc class in the first round in August and the battle for points is expected to continue with the championship extended to three rounds.
Besides the above two premier categories, the card also contains races in six other classes: 2-stroke (Super Sport) Up to 130cc and 131-165cc; Girls (4-Stroke) Up to 165cc; and Super Sport Indian Up to 165cc, 226-360cc and 361-550cc.
As in the previous round, the organisers have put in place state-of-the-art timing equipment and a fully-equipped Medical team to deal with any emergency.
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Karthik Maruthi & Sankar Anand begin favourites
Bengaluru/Hospeta, 1 Oct 2021: The third edition of the Utsav de Hampi, a mega motorsports festival, will begin with the JK Tyre Indian National Regularity Run Championship (INRRC), before an exciting 4×4 off-road challenge a week later and will culminate with the MRF Mogrip Indian National Rally Championships (INRC) for 2-wheelers on October 17 & 18 at Hampi. The INRRC South Zone Round 1 will start in Bengaluru on Saturday with back-to-back 2nd round in Hampi on Sunday.
The National Championship round will kick-off with a Vintage car rally sprint for about 10-km where around 40 `Beauties of yesteryears’ will be paraded from Kanteerava Stadium to Vidhana Soudha and back.
Champion drivers Karthik Maruthi, and navigator Sankar Anand from Erode begin as favourites among the 29 entries with 58 drivers. The Women in Motorsport concept will be popularised by the lady doctor-pair from Davangere, Dr Shivani Pruthvi, and her navigator mom Deepthi. With the entry fee waived, 11 lady teams have entered the fray but all eyes will be on Dr Shivani, who just finished a successful Car Racing round at Chennai last week and it would be Bengaluru Techies Aparna Pathak and Lalitha Gowda who are all set to give a tough fight to doctors.
Organised by ProSports in Bengaluru and Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar in Hampi, the TSD (Time, Speed and Distance) rallies are a popular format, returns as Nationals under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and backed by JK Tyre. Ordinary road cars can be used to race and rally in a safe environment and the TSD National, which was virtually forgotten and off the list of 12 National Championships is back with a new name, INRRC.
“Regularity Run is usually conducted on public roads, both clean tarmac and flat dirt tracks which don’t break the cars. Each team, has a driver and a navigator, and needs precise times and average speed on various segments of pre-defined but undisclosed route. A Tulip (route map) would be provided to the teams, but there would be about 20 to 25 undisclosed Time Controls (TC), that the navigators (co-driver) cannot miss as they guide the drivers and check-in their times. Speed is not permitted, as the maximum permitted speed would be 45-kmph and they should follow all traffic rules. Early comers log double penalty times” said said BS Sujith Kumar, a three-time National TSD Rally Champion and current FIM Asia Vice-Chief.
“Utsav de Hampi, is a popular annual motorsports festival, that is growing bigger by the year. This year four events are lined up to promote motorsports in the Heritage region of Hampi. The club has attracted national and international champions and top priority is given to all safety aspects. We are conducting the events following strict protocols of COVID19,” said Santosh HM of Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, Hampi.
Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre said, “Promoting motorsports at the grass-root level in India has always been a key priority for JK Tyre. Our idea endeavors to create an eco-system and provide racing opportunities to enthusiasts, as always. By launching the JK Tyre Prosports FMSCI India National Regulatory Run Championship, we hope to nurture the new generation of rally sport to represent India on a global map. Our activities and initiatives have further strengthened our leadership position in the segment and we continue our commitment towards building more professional rally drivers.”
“INRRC will have a Championship Class that will see National champions for 2021, one Navigator, a Driver and the team. A supporting event to promote TSD rallies will offer a Couple Class and a Corporate class for Ladies Cup 2021 and Zonal Champions,” said Rohit Gowda, Deputy CoC of MAV, Hampi.
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JK Tyre partners with FMSCI to breathe life into TSD rallies again
New Delhi, 29 Sept, 2021: JK Tyre, India’s leading tyre manufacturer and pioneer of motorsports in India, has launched JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Regularity Run Championship, the first-of-its-kind motorsport Nationals that is expected to provide a platform for driving enthusiasts to start their journey into professional rallying.
Ever since the Company got involved in Motorsports, the sole purpose has been to promote, nurture and provide opportunities from grassroots level to the highest echelons of motorsport to enthusiasts. The company has also invested in putting together a step by step motorsport program for budding racers who are interested in taking up motorsport as a career. JK Tyre introduced karting in India that is now the breeding ground for professional racing. Similarly, the JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Regularity Run Championship will provide the necessary platform for entry into professional rallying.
Run under the aegis of Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India (FMSCI), and backed by JK Tyre the Indian National Regularity Run will be held across 17 cities in the country making it one of the most awaited National Championship of the year with biggest geographical spread.
Speaking on the occasion Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre said: “Promoting motorsports at the grass-root level in India has always been a key priority for JK Tyre. Our idea endeavors to create an eco-system and provide opportunities to motorsport buffs, as always. By launching the JK Tyre FMSCI India National Regularity Run National Championship, we hope to nurture the new generation of rally enthusiasts to get into professional rallying. Our activities and initiatives in the past few years have further strengthened our leadership position in Indian National Rally Championship and we continue our commitment towards building more professional rally drivers.”
Regularity Run is a form of TSD rally, usually conducted on public roads, both clean tarmac and flat dirt tracks which need precise time and average speed on various segments of pre-defined but undisclosed route. Each team comprises of a driver and a navigator will start the run at a fixed interval creating a field that is spread along the route with undisclosed Time Controls. The team with minimum time penalties will win. INRRC will have a Championship Class that will see National champions for 2021, one Navigator, a Driver and the team.
The zonal qualifiers will start on October 1, with the Rally of Bangalore, the first of the five South Zone events while Rally of Chamba, will kick start the other zonal rounds. Another five rounds are scheduled in the East, three in the West and one Central round would complement the North Zone event. The first South Zone round will be flagged off at 8 am at Kanteerava Stadium, in the busy downtown area and travel to the heritage Hampi city in Vijayanagar district. A 10-km run of over 40 vintage cars in the heart of the city are expected to enthrall and popularise the sport among the youngsters.
The final round of INRRC will be the JK Tyre Tri Nation Himalayan Drive in Siliguri which is the biggest motorsport event in Eastern India that traverses through the picturesque regions of Darjeeling, Sikkim, crossing Nepal and culminating at the enigmatic kingdom of Bhutan.
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades back. The company laid down a long term plan to popularise and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport.
The company then endeavored to spot, nurture and sharpen the drivers to turn them into world champions. With this goal in mind, we conceptualized the JK Tyre National Racing Champion in 1997. Our efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others.
Before all this, JK Tyre had a successful stint in rallying too, conquering the scene in the early 90s. At the same time, gradually, we moved on to various disciplines, including cross-country rallying and off-roading, leaving a mark in each of them with their unique and innovative ways.
JK Tyre Motorsports is also very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, we also gave them opportunities in various national championships. Last year was particularly rewarding for us as an All-Women Racing team was introduced for the first time in the LGB 4 category. In addition, the company also undertook various other initiatives to encourage them to try motorsports, even if for fun to begin with.
To supplement JK Tyre’s entry into the two-wheeler market, the JKNRC hosted the Suzuki Gixxer Cup and the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup categories and saw enthusiastic participation from across the country.
Today, the company is synonymous with motorsports, and even more so with racing, creating a lot of goodwill for the brand. Right from budding racers to accomplished drivers in the country, everybody owes their rise and success to JK Tyre.
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Hampi becomes a hotbed of Motorsports activity in India
Bengaluru, 29 Sept. 2021: Motorsports Utsav de Hampi is a household name, thanks to the frenetic sports activity of high-degree in just three years after the birth of Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, that attracted top drivers and riders, and National events to the Heritage land, in and around Hampi. Whether it is the Special Stage rallying for four-wheelers or two-wheelers, Autocross or Motocross, time-tested TSD or the highly-competitive Indian National Rally Championship, all roads lead to Hampi, and even the endurance and adventure sports like 4×4 off-road challenge made the Club special, in the hearts of motorsports lovers. The heritage site and the pride of Karnataka, truly reflecting the slogan, One State, Many Worlds, is not just the only reason for fans and athletes to flock in, `Mecca of Motorsport’ MAV is.
MAV – The Motorsports Academy
Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, Hampi, is an FMSCI affiliated club started in 2019 by a group of motorsport fanatics with an intention to bring high-performance motorsports athletes and top-rated National events to northern parts of Karnataka to a very well-known world heritage site. With a vision to take Indian motorsports arena to newer heights, the Academy lines up events and trainings throughout the year in different parts of the country and at home, which culminate into a grand annual Utsav de Hampi, a mega Motorsports Festival consisting of many formats of motorsport events. The Academy successfully bid for the FMSCI Indian National Autocross Championship for a period of 3 years, to add to its armoury, which already has a round of the Indian National Rally Championship for 4-wheelers and 2-wheelers after the successful 4w Candidates round in 2020 where multiple National champions like Musa Sherif, sparkled. He is the only active senior-most Navigator with nine national titles in the country.
Some of the marquee events of the club are National rallies and highly-challenging 4×4 off-road events, which extend the competitive spirit beyond the rally element, and the club cleverly incorporated motortainment and display of vintage cars that attracted tens of thousands of spectators, who thronged to the tracks to have a glimpse of the high-speed precision racing and stunning off-road action. The club has the knack to pack a visual punch and has cordial relations that cater to even minor needs of the sportspersons making it a truly-attractive event for fans, drivers, riders, officials and media. No wonder sponsors like MRF, JK Tyre, TVS, Karnataka Tourism, Department of Youth Empowerment & Sports, Red Bull, Ultramile Tyres, Brut Force and Royal Orchid Hotels lined up to associate themselves with a hot property called Utsav de Hampi.
A wheelie for you, come and enjoy motorsports, Hampi is calling… Santosh, left and Rohit, the brains behind MAV success. The Festival consists of many formats of motorsports, run on multiple weekends, with different disciplines like Stage Rally for 2-wheelers, 4-wheelers, Autocross, TSD Rally, some of which have National status and have attracted top Indian and International drivers and riders in the last three years. The Utsav found its ‘God Father’ in Parth Jindal of JSW Group, who provided the initial thrust, but it was local stalwarts like Santosh HM, Rohit Gowda and Darpan Gowda, who plunged in as the Club took off on its own with a team of dedicated volunteers, going into the last edition of the Festival in 2020 despite the COVID threats, as they managed to follow strict protocol and government’s SoP. With permissions relaxed for Sports events, the Utsav is back with a bang and has four events lined up for 2021 on the eve of Gandhi Jayanthi. The spirit of Gandhiji, the heritage of Hampi and the adrenalin of a National-level sports event, that is the cocktail of motorsports, that the Motorsports Academy offers and no fan can resist.
1. JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Regularity Run Championship – 1, 2, 3 October, 2021
The 2021 Utsav de Hampi, has become bigger with two National-level events and an even bigger Off-road extravaganza. First off, the Motorsports Academy starts with the JK Tyre fmsci Indian National Regularity Run Championship (INRRC), a popular TSD format which offers the ladder for a lay person to enter motorsports and enjoy the thrills. The event finals has the National status accorded to it by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI), the sole governing body of motorsports in India. The Time, Speed, Distance format with about 20 Time Controls (TC) is from October 1 to 3 and will be the South Zone qualifiers where the top-5 (top-3 for Women’s Cup) will take a shot to become the National Champ in three classes, team, driver and navigator. The Club offered free entries to Women in Motorsports (WIM), an FIA concept to encourage gender diversity and MAV has quickly embraced it providing Lady Freebies, and many gleefully entered the fray with Daughter-Mom Doctor pair of talented Shivani and Deepthi Pruthvi spearheading a bevy of women drivers.
2. The 4×4 Hampi off-road Challenge – 8 to 10 October 2021
The Hampi off-road challenge will see some of the finest professionally modified and stock four-wheel drive vehicles and the event, in the backwaters of the beautiful River Tungabhadra, is known to break man and machine, and is an ultimate challenge for expert drivers, who ably assisted by knowledgeable navigators, make the complex tasks look simple thus, delivering fun and frolic for fans that leads to a rich mix of motorsport madness.
In 2019, the introduction of 4×4 Hampi Off-road Challenge for Jeeps which are ripped-off, curated and tuned for one of the best off-road competitions in the country on par with international events, saw the beginning of a tradition. The record 42 entries in its very 1st edition, consisting of Professionally modified, Modified and Stock category vehicles showcased a plethora of talent and became an instant success. And the tradition of excellence goes on…
4×4 action that makes every fan skip a heart beat, land in Hampi, experience the thrills! 3. Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) – FMSCI to Confirm new dates
The popular Indian National Rally Championship is a flagship event of the Indian Federation which acquired its National status way back in 1988 and has thrown up veteran champs like Leelakrishnan, Naren Kumar, Hari Singh and Gaurav Gill. Considered in the top-3 showpiece events as one of the 12 Motorsports Nationals, it attracts a highly-talented youth and experienced veterans and the event requires high degree of organisational skills with a well-prepared terrain and tulip, as finding good tracks, tarmac or dirt, has become a gigantic task, of late for organising clubs, but not for MAV.
It conducted the Contender round successfully and is officially granted a round in the National Championship this year, which was put off due to the side effects of COVID19. The Federation and the Promoters are expected to announce the new dates any time now.
The 2020 INRC contender round Champions display their wares on the podium in Hampi. 4. MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National 2w Rally Championship (INRC-2w) – 16, 17 Oct 2021
The INRC for 2-wheelers is a popular sister-event of the four-wheeler Rally Nationals. Despite missing from the calendar for some years, Clubs like MAV have taken up the task to set the rally routes and organise the Nationals to the satisfaction of the riders and fans alike and the MRF Mogrip Calendar for 2w rallies is on track again. This year, the inaugural round of the MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship for motorcycles (INRC-2w) will be Rally de Hampi organised by MAV that is expected to witness national and international stars like Aishwarya Pissay, the Baja World Cup winner, Hero Yuva Kumar, a multiple National champion, and many other stars and National champoins like Nataraj of TVS, Vishwa, in other classes, fight for Overall honours on the tricky tracks of Hampi. The rally will have two special stages closed for regular traffic and include an 80.2-km liaison distance (non-competitive transport section) apart from the 62.5-km of closed to traffic competitive Stage distance for an overall 142.5-km rally. It is efficiently conducted by one of the best Clerks of the Course (CoC) Girijashankar Joshy, a former National rally champion himself, who has an impeccable record in knowledge of rules and the calm and cool nature in which he relays commands to a team of efficient Marshals and officials, in a pious “poojari” style of his own. It is the devotion required for Motorsports safety that separates him from also rans… as he breathes a whiff of fresh air into the motorsports culture.
Pack your helmet, belt-up and begin the journey into motorsports ecstasy, come to Hampi! A red carpet awaits!
For details: visit www.mavh.co.in, www.utsavdehampi.com
Follow & share Instagram: @MAVHAMPI @utsavdehampi
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Shahan Ali Mohsin stars as Teen Brigade storms MMRT
Chennai, 27 Sept, 2021: A host of teenagers stormed the `Racing Capital’ of India, the new-look Madras Motorsports Race Track owned by Madras Motor Sports Club. With the ‘`Golden Oldies’ from Coimbatore missing in action, a depleted Indian Touring Cars’ Class saw the burden fall on evergreen hero, Arjun Balu, who duly won the first race, but it was the Formula cars that stole the limelight during the first round at Irungattukottai, near here. Shahan Ali clocked the fastest lap of Round 1 as he became the ‘Driver of the Day’ on all three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He is the only driver to clock a sub-1min 40sec time in the entire week-end, posting a 1:39.557 in the afternoon Practice Session on Friday despite hot track temparatures.
The track record for Formula cars stands in the name of Yuven Sundaramoorhty in a MRF2000 car as he clocked 1min 30.323sec. With the new FIA regulations Halo Cockpit Protection becomes mandatory and hence, the MRF Challenge 2020 is likely to be last race of the series. “The MRF Formula 2000 is a single seater formula car with 2.0 litre Mountune Engine engine having a Carbon chassis from Dallara, Italy. It is similar to F3 car in performance. Carbon chassis is tested to FIA F3 Safety standards.”
Whereas, the F1600s are much below the F2000s. “The MRF Formula 1600 is a single seater formula car having a Van Diemen designed chassis with a 1.6 litre Ford Duratec Engine. The chassis is a multi- tubular chromoly space frame, which is bronze braced and tig welded in the cockpit and foot well areas, says J Anand, the man behind the machine, and one of the fastest Indians on track in yesteryears.
Meanwhile, the Formula LGB 1300 saw a huge grid of 26 cars and the MRF Formula 1600 also left many aspirant disappointed as there were only 12 cars ready to race. Even then, there was stiff competition among the ‘Teen Brigade’` with Shahan Ali Mohsin taking overall honours. The 17-year Agra talent clocked some fastest laps in Round 1 on the 3.717-km clock-wise tarmac to emerge with a brace. Bengaluru driver Ruhaan Alva, who won the X30 Karting Senior Nationals recently, made his debut in the National Racing Championship, lost a hard-fought “win” as he logged a penalty in the Formula LGB 1300 Race 1, but bagged the Rookie driver award.
Chirag Ghorpade, another Bengalurean, Coimbatore’s Suriya Varathan, Chennai’s Ahwin Datta, Rajiv Rishon, Amir Sayed, Mohit Aryan, Tijil Rao, Kolkata’s Arya Singh, local lad Dhillon Zachariah (debut podium) and Andhra’s Chetan Surineni all in their teens, are the other youngsters who caught the eye during the weekend. The 1300s too saw many newcomers from Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati, the vice-champion of X30 Junior Karting Nationals too impressed with some quick laps in FLGB1300.
Many of the drivers were coming after a long lay-off due to the COVID-19 pandemic which halted racing in all of India and also parts of the world for the last year. The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship returned for the 2021 season, with Madras Motor Race Track sporting a new 500-seat grand stand.
Shahan Ali Mohsin gets a double in the MRF F1600 races at the MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Shameem Fahath Having made his debut in the MRF F1600 championship back in 2019 as a 14-year-old racer, Shahan holds the record of being the youngest to compete in the history of the series, Shahan returned to racing action, now as a 17-year-old in the famed Indian single-seater championship, ably organised by the dedicated team of the Madras Motor Sports Club.
Shahan started off the weekend in style by topping both the practice sessions in the field of 12 cars, setting a time of 1m40.396s in the first Free Practice (FP1) and 1m40.673s in FP2 in his #11 machine. He followed it up, securing his maiden pole for Race 1, clocking a 1m 40.148s lap, his best of the weekend.
He ended up second taking the second best time of the session, only beaten by 0.064s margin. The Race 1 was not ideal for Shahan where a clutch overheat resulted in a jump start and eventual positions drop. A drive-through penalty further hampered his race as he finished seventh eventually.
This helped him to a second-place start in Race 2 where Top-8 from Race 1 were set-up in reverse order. It was a clean start this time and he got into the lead on Lap 1 itself. It was then a straightforward race to secure his maiden victory in single-seater competition by over four seconds, that is over half the straight.
He made the double in Race 3, where he started on the front-row in P2, and secured the race lead on Lap 1 itself. This time he had over seven seconds gap, a lead of over 200metres, to the second-placed runner to round off a solid first weekend in the MRF F1600 Championship, where he was racing after a year’s gap.
“Having been away from racing for so long due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt like first-time racing when the weekend kicked-off,” reflected Shahan. “The adrenaline rush you get is next level and this was certainly missing. It is definitely good to be back amid increased safety measures as the pandemic is still ongoing.
“Looking at the weekend, it was a good run and I felt comfortable from the start itself. Except for Race 1 where my clutch got overheated and I lost places in the start, it was, as I said, a fantastic race weekend for me. Being fast from free practice sessions to securing my first single-seater pole and also taking two wins from threeraces in the field of 12 racers was amazing. I hope to carry on with this momentum in the coming rounds too.”
A big thank you to the Almighty. Photo by Shajahan. All other photos by Shameem Fahath Top 3 after Race 3 Race 2 podium After a double… Leading the bunch…
Shahan in jubilant mood after winning two MRF F1600 races after initial clutch hiccups! -
Shahan Ali Mohsin dominates MRF F1600 with a double
Chennai, 26 Sept 2021: On an incident-filled day, 17-year old Shahan Ali Mohsin from Agra notched a fine double in the MRF Formula1600 category that headlined the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 which concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.
Also achieving a double was Chennai’s seasoned campaigner 34-year old Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing) in the Super Stock class of the Saloon Cars category while defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore and Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing) split the honours in the Indian Touring cars class.
The day’s other winners included 18-year old Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) who topped the first of the three MRF F1600 races, Chennai’s Mohit Aryan (Quest Motorsport) in the Formula LGB 1300 category (race-2), Charan Chandran (Coimbatore) and Bengalurean Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class.
Agra teenager Shahan Ali Mohsin, who won a double in the MRF F1600 category on 26 Sept 2021 at MMRT. Photo by Anand Philar The day’s first race for MRF F1600, was run on grooved tyres as a precaution on a drying track with a few wet spots following overnight rains. Suriya Varathan won comfortably after starting from P3, but in the next outing, it was Shahan Ali Mohsin, a multiple National karting champion with an Asian title to boot, who took the chequered flag from a P2 start (reverse grid) with a command performance. Shahan went on to dominate Race-3, again starting from P2 for a well-deserved double.
“In the morning’s first race, I started from pole position, but lost positions due to overheating clutch. It was tough outing. In the next two races, both of which I started from P2, it was fairly comfortable,” said Shahan.
Mohit Aryan (centre), winner of Race-2 in the Formula LGB 1300 category flanked by second-placed Chirag Ghorpade (left) and third-placed Tijil Rao (Sept 26) In the Super Stock class, 34-year old Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing), the busiest competitor this weekend, participating in three different categories, completed a grand double while Charan Chandran, a private entrant from Coimbatore, and Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) shared the honours in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class. Anekar had actually won the first race, but was disqualified following a post-race scrutiny on a technical infringement pushing Chandran to the top step of the podium, but the Bengalurean shrugged off the disappointment by easily winning the second race.
Mohit Aryan (Quest Motorsport) from Chennai was declared winner in the Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2) category after Ruhaan Alva (MSport), the 15-year old from Bengaluru, who had finished first, was docked 20 seconds for overtaking under yellow flag which dropped him to fifth.
In a race marked by as many as eight retirements due to on-track incidents, Ruhaan kept his wits about him to move from P9 to the front and win, only to suffer a time penalty. Finishing second behind Aryan was Kolkata’s Arya Singh (DTS Racing) while Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport), only 18, completed the podium. Race-1 winner, Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport) also suffered the same fate as Ruhaan and finished ninth.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. K Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14mins, 25.983secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (14:33.571); 3. Dillon Zachariah (Chennai) (14:37.196). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (17:03.129); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (17:08.117); 3. Rishon Rajiv (Bengaluru) (17:10.117). Race-3: 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (13:40.878); 2. Ashwin Dutta (Chennai) (13:47.046); 3. Chirag Ghorpade (13:47.567).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Mohit Aryan (Quest Motorsport, Chennai) (17:36.308); 2. Arya Singh (DTS Racing, Kolkata) (17:36.822); 3. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (17:42.901). Best Rookie: Ruhaan Alva (MSport, Bengaluru).
Saloon Cars – Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:10.042); 2. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:14.040); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:18.511). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Anindith Reddy (22:46.971); 2. Jeet Jhabakh (22:47.931); 3. Arjun Balu (22:56.702).
Super Stock – Race-1: 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:06.931); 2. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:07.189); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:12.150). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (23:43.580); 2. Divy Nandan (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (24:01.372); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts, Chennai) (24:04.515).
Indian Junior Touring Cars – Race-1: 1. Charan Chandran (Pvt., Coimbatore) (16:53.207); 2. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (23:30.019); 2. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (23:59.409); 3. Charan Chandran ((23:59.737).
Volkswagen Polo – Race-1: 1. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (14:00.605); 2. Anmol Singh Sahil (Ghaziabad) (14:01.650); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (14:03.285). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (19:46.949); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai) (19:48.035); 3. Sidharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow) (19:48.806).
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76 in fray for MRF MMSC Indian Car Racing Nationals
Irungattukottai (near Chennai, 23 Sept 2021: High on excitement and expectations, the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 commences on Saturday, September 25, at the MMRT behind closed doors due to Covid-19 safety restrictions with a card of nine races and 76 competitors in the fray.
Returning to the championship after a season’s break due to the pandemic is MRF Formula1600 class which will headline the two-day programme with a 12-car grid, followed by the ever-popular saloon cars in three categories – the top-end Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars and Super Stock. Also in the mix is the Formula LGB 1300 which boasts of a huge grid of 25 cars.
Volkswagen will run their one-make championship with a grid of 22 VW Polo cars, all kitted with 1.8-litre turbo engine putting out 235 bhp and a six-speed gear box operated by paddle-shift levers besides the push-to-pass mechanism which is a first in Indian racing. Lining up on the grid are four racers from Bangladesh and a lone female entry in Diana Pundole, a mother of two, from Pune.
Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “Given the situation and the challenges we all faced and still dealing with due to the pandemic, the positive response to the four-wheeler championship has been overwhelming. Formula LGB 1300, for instance, has a grid of 25 cars and 22 in the Volkswagen Polo championship. We also welcome MRF F1600 back in our midst after missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Lest we forget, the saloon cars, with a combined grid of 17, will certainly mark their presence. Equally laudable is that our title sponsors MRF are providing slick tyres. So, with better grip, we can expect close and exciting races this weekend.”
The field for the JA Motorsport-prepared MRF F1600 includes a few experienced drivers like Ashwin Datta, Deepak Ravikumar and Nikanth Ram among others. The cars have been completely overhauled and readied for this weekend’s triple-header.
In the saloon car category, Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu, driving a Race Concepts-prepared Honda City VTec, is looking forward to defending his National title in the Indian Touring Cars class that also has two VW entrants in Anindith Reddy and 2019 VW Ameo Cup winner Jeet Jhabakh, both from Hyderabad, and driving 1.8 Litre turbo-charged Polo.
The IJTC also returns to the championship after missing out two seasons, while the Super Stock, among the most competitive, is expected to dish out close battles as in the previous years.
In the Formula LGB 1300 category, an incentive by way of a Rookie Cup for the highest placed first-timer in each of the races, is on offer.
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 Chronelec 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.
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Barno Burman hogs the limelight along with Sprint King Yuva: Sprint Nationals
Kolkata, 19 Sept. 2021: Ace International motorcycle rider who is dubbed as ‘Sprint King’, Yuva Kumar of Hero Motosports, was crowned as the fastest rider as he conquered the East Zone third round but it was local rider Barno Burman who became the only other rider to clock under 4-minute time in the Motorsports Inc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship here on Sunday. Y
The two-wheeler stage rally returning to the ‘City of Joy’ after a gap of 18 years saw the Hero rider clock a stunning time of 3 minutes 42.7 seconds for the mixed-tarmac and murram dirt terrain in the jungles of Bardhaman district about 160km from here. The Hero MotoCorp sponsored event attracted 72 entries and was supported by Reach home Safe, BMC and Race dynamics and Bengal Motor Sports Club did an admirable job setting up the stage despite the rains.
His Hero teammate Satyaraj Arumugam, also from Bengaluru, took the second place in overall honours but it was the local riders who thrilled the motorsports fraternity with competitive times. With the Hero rider already qualified for the finals from South Zone, it is Barno Burman, who hogged the limelight displaying good riding skills on technically tough and wet terrain as he clocked 3:57.500 for the 8-km closed Special Stage in Round 3.
Other local riders also put in excellent performances with Janardhan P taking a double while old timer Vishal Das won a gold along with Jayant Dutt and Sumantra Aich in their respective classes. Hansraj Saiki from Assam who won the Bullet Class also excelled in the feature event taking second behind Yuva and qualified on top in the Group D upto 260cc Class clocking 4min 16.8sec. Uday Ganguli and Anoop Manjappa too returned good times.
Aadi Singh, Customer Engagement Manager, Hero MotoCorp giving away the overall winner trophy to Yuva Kumar of Hero Motosports. Hero Moto Corp brought the event to Kolkata. The South Zone rounds were held in August and two more events in North and West Zone would culminate in the Grand Finale at Goa from November 6 to 7.
Championship classes Provisional Results: East Zone (Top five qualify for Goa finals):
Round 3: Overall: 1.#37 Yuva Kumar (Hero Motosports) 03min, 42.700sec; 2. #55 Yuva Kumar 03:43.600; 3. #100 Sathyaraj Arumugam (Hero Motosports) 04:39.200;3.#90Barno Barman 03:57.500; 5. #34 Janardhan P 04:03.200; 6. #72 Barno Burman 04:04.400; 7. #51 Anoop Manjappa 04:04.700; 8. #1 Janardhan P 04:05.900; 9. #60 Anoop Manjappa 04:06.800; 10. #25 Janardhan P 04:08.700; 11. #33 Anoop Manjappa 04:10.900; 12. #96 Uday Ganguli 04:12.000; 13. #42 Hansraj Saikai 04:16.800.
Class 2: Group B upto 130cc: 1.#27 Vishal Das 05:20.500; 2. #41 Akash Ojha 05:56.100; #61 Mohammad Irfan DNF.
Class 3: Group B 131cc to 165cc: 1. #25 Janardhan P 04:08.700; 2. #33 Anoop Manjappa 04:10.900; 3. #63Barno Barman 04:19.100;
Class 5: Group B 261cc to 400cc: 1. #23 Jayant Dutt 04:23.000; 2. #22 Uday Ganguli 04:29.300; 3. #26 Subhajit Show 04:40.900.
Class 6: Group D upto 260cc: 1. #37 Yuva Kumar 03:42.700; 2. #42 Hansraj Saikia 04:16.800; 3. #91 Ratnadeep Nath 04:24.000; 4. Baishali Nath 04:51.100; 5. #77 Vishal Das 05:04.700;
Class 7: Scooter Class: 1. #59 Sumantra Aich 05:40.200; 2. #52 Janardhan P 05:40.900; 3. #50 Vishal Das 05:41.100; 4. #8 Subhajit Show 05:45.000.
Class 8: Bullet Class: 1. #20 Hansraj Saikia 04: 17.500; 2. #49 Kaustab Choudhary 04:25.200; 3. #44 Uday Ganguli 04:27.300; 4. #92 Sumit Biswas 04:37.200; 5. #17 Niyar Kamal Saikia 04:42.600;
Class 9: Open Class upto 600cc: 1. #34 Janardhan P 04:03.200;2. #51 Anoop Manjappa 04:04.700; 3. #9 Dwairath Manna 50:25.900.
Supporting race (non-championship):
Zonal Star: 1. #90 Barno Barman 03:57.500; 2. #96 Uday Ganguli 04:12.000; 3. #4 Sisir Kumar Raha 04: 20.800; 4. #84 Jayant Dutt 04:22.300; 5. #7 Debjit Paul 04:26.500.
Note: All privateers except when mentioned; Riders took part in different classes with different bikes or shared bikes; Same rider can get second best time in a different class; If a rider, who is already qualified is in the top-5, the next rider will qualify for the finals in Goa. Legend: # = Competition/bike number.
