INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Ruhaan clinches National championship in Junior Class; Ishaan, Suriya consolidate lead

    Ruhaan clinches National championship in Junior Class; Ishaan, Suriya consolidate lead

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 1 Nov 2020: Defending champion Ruhaan Alva of MSport clinched the National Championship in the Junior Class with a round to spare in the Meco Motorsports fmsci National Karting Championship X30 Class at the 1.240-km Meco Kartopia track near Bagalur on Sunday.

    The 14-year-old Bengaluru speedster knocked off two more victories on Sunday to complete a clean sweep of Round 4 too but saw stewards strip his Race 2 win following a protest. Thus, he won 14 of the 16 races in the first four rounds. With four more races remaining in the final round to be held in November, Ruhaan has pooled an unassailable 150 points over second-placed Rohaan Madesh, who garnered 109 points thus far. The final results after stewards clearance saw Ruhaan lose three points as he was demoted to second and Rohaan Madesh was promoted to a win, but still, Ruhaan managed to retain the Championship title. Akshat Mishra, also of Bangalore, is in third place on the leader board after four rounds with 71 points ahead of Guwahati lad Jaden Rahman Pariat on 61.

    Meanwhile, it was a contrasting style in the Cadet Section, where championship leader Ishaan Madesh had to fight for his points with Pune youngster Sai Shiva Makesh, who offered a tough fight before ending up second, in both the races today. Ishaan, who took 3 wins from four races, bagged 140 points to Sai Shiva’s 112. With yesterday’s win in the first race of Round 4, Sai managed to take the title battle till the last round. Both the races saw a close finish today with Ishaan defending well and winning the first race by just 0.162 seconds and in the final race, Sai did manage to take the `fastest lap’ but ended up second trailing by just 0.2sec. Anshul Sai, who completed the podium in both the races today, is a distant third in the championship table with 98 points after four rounds.

    Cadet Class Championship leader Ishaan Madesh (centre) flanked by Sai Shiva Makesh on his left and Anshul Sai at the Prize Distribution event at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru on Sunday.

    In the Senior Section, Suriya Varathan, the 17-year-old from Coimbatore, consolidated his position at the top winning a race and then losing the final race to Rishon Rajeev, who shifted from Junior Class to Senior class after Round 3. Defending champion and strong contender Nirmal Umashankar of Chennai kept himself in contention with a second place and a third place. Suriya has 138 points going into the fifth and final round of four races while Nirmal, stays at a striking distance with 111 points. Bala Prasath who was off-colour today and could only get a third place in the last race. Bala is in the third spot on the points table in Senior class with 87 points.

    Clerk of the Course Sandeep said that,``all precautions were taken to make sure that the incidents on the track were controlled and the event concluded with a lot of close racing that ensured competitive stuff.”

    Fayaz of Meco Motorsports, the Promoters, said that “all the guidelines were followed to make sure that the drivers, mechs and others were safe. Face masks and social distancing was made mandatory.” The event concluded with prize distribution in the afternoon. This is the third Motorsports Nationals in India to resume after the Corona-induced break, after Drag Nationals and 2-wheeler Sprint Nationals. The National Racing Championship for cars is expected to start at Chennai next Sunday while the Indian National Rally Championship is scheduled to start at Itanagar in December with a double-header.

    Winner Suriya Varathan, centre, flanked by 2nd-placed Nirmal Umashankar, left, and Bala Prasath, who came 3rd, in the final race on Sunday in the Senior Section.

    Results (official final classification) after Sunday races: Round 4:

    Seniors (15 laps): Race 3: 1.Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14:50.418); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (14:51.142); 3. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (14:53.583); Best lap: Rishon 56:165. Race 4: *Rishon Rajeev (14:45.174); 1. Suriya Varathan (14:45.483); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (14:46.383); 3. Bala Prasath (14:48.122). Best lap: Nirmal 56.438. *Rishon disqualified for being underweight.

    Top-3 Championship table: 1. Suriya Varathan 138; 2. Nirmal Umashankar 111; 3. Bala Prasath 87.

    Juniors (12 laps): Race 3: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:29.738); 2. Rohaan Madesh* (Bengaluru) (11:32.699); 3. Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) (11:43.912); Best Lap: 56:166. Race 4: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:30.705); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:38.824); 3. Abhay Kumar (Bengaluru) (11:43.989). Best lap: Ruhaan 56:369. 10-second penalty added for Rohaan Madappa for jump start.

    Top-3 Championship table: 1. Ruhaan Alva 150; 2. Rohaan Madesh 109; 3. Akshat Mishra 71;

    Round 4: Cadet (10 laps) Race 3: 1.Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:46.542); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (10:46.704); 3. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (10:55.438); Best Lap: Ishaan I:01.944. Race 4: 1. Ishaan Madesh (11:23.917); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (11:24.169); 3. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (11:35.476). Best lap: Sai Shiva 1:02.010.

    Top-3 Championship table: 1. Ishaan Madesh 140; 2. Sai Shiva Makesh 112; 3. Anshul Sai 98.

    Editor’s note: Results updated after official results were released with protest result.

    X30 Junior Class Round 4, Race 3 winner Ruhaan Alva, centre, with 2nd-placed Rohaan Madesh, left, and Akshat Misra, who took third on the podium at Meco Kartopia on Sunday.
  • Ruhaan Alva, Ishaan Madesh, Suriya Varathan extend lead at the top: X30 Karting Nationals

    Ruhaan Alva, Ishaan Madesh, Suriya Varathan extend lead at the top: X30 Karting Nationals

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 31 October 2020: Fourteen-year-old Bengaluru talent Ruhaan Alva of MSport continued to hog the limelight dominating the proceedings and left the field to fight behind him in the Junior section as he won all the four races with `Fastest Laps’ to boot, in the Meco Motorsports fmsci National Karting Championship X30 class at the 1.240-km Meco Kartopia Circuit near Bagalur on Saturday.

    Cadet karter, Ishaan Madesh, the reigning champion in Cadet Section, excelled once again with three wins but received a jolt in the first race of Round 4, where Sai Shiva Makesh of Pune, spoiled his party, taking a convincing win.

    Senior Class table leader, Suriya Varathan, a 12th class student of Vivekalaya Prakriya in Coimbatore, bagged 30 points including for two victories, in the four races held today, to extend his lead to 117 points over defending champ Nirmal Umashankar (94) but it was Bengaluru’s Junior Rishon Rajeev, who shifted his performance a notch up, with a double whammy, winning both the races held on Saturday afternoon in Round 4. Suriya, the MSport racer, who also took part in the Asian X30 races before the pandemic stopped it, is coached by former National Champion Vishnu Prasad.

    Ruhaan Alva (Kart No.16) makes the overtake stick, the second time around, after C3, with five laps to go in the last race of the day, a reverse grid start in Round 4 on Saturday.
    Junior Class leader and defending champion Ruhaan Alva pumps his fist more in relief after winning from P6 on reverse grid in the last race on Saturday. Photo by David Bodapati

    In the Junior Section, Ruhaan started P6 in the tricky Race 2 of Round 4, which saw a Reverse Grid for the first six finishers of Race 1. It is the fourth and last race of the day, and Ruhaan bid his time, and with five laps to go, he adeptly overtook his only challenger and compatriot Rohaan Madesh after C2, but Rohaan took back the lead immediately. However, Ruhaan wasted no time and made the move stick after C3, and never looked back winning by over 30-metres at the flag with Mumbai’s Shaurya Kapani taking the final place on the podium.

    Earlier in the morning, Ruhaan Alva won both the races of Round 3 with ease. But after taking one more second place in the first race of the day behind Ruhaan, Rohaan Madesh dropped points as he could finish only 8th among 9 racers with Rishon Rajeev, who came 3rd in the first race, taking the second place on the podium followed by Abhay Kumar, also of Bengaluru in Race 4. Another Bengaluru racer, Akshat Mishra completed the podium in the first race of Round 4, behind the two leaders, and Shaurya Kapani of Mumbai replaced him on the podium in the next race. Ruhaan leads the table with 133 points followed by Rohaan Madesh (92) in second and Guwahati racer Jaden Rahman Pariat, who had an off-day today, is third with 56 points, at the end of Saturday.

    Suriya Varathan of Coimbatore (above) extends his lead in the Senior Class over MSport teammates Nirmal Shankar and Balaprasath on Saturday.

    In the Cadet Section, defending champion Ishaan Madesh, the 11-year old Vidya Shilp  student of Class 6, won both the races in the morning with relative ease making a clean sweep of Round 3, to earn 20 points to the 20 he earned on Friday, but faltered on Saturday afternoon, with a determined Sai Shiva Makesh of Bishop School, Pune taking a well-deserved win in the first race of Round 4. Nikhilesh Raju of Bengaluru came third.

    Ishaan Madesh, indicates number 1 spot on the points table in Cadet class after the end of Round 3 on Saturday.

    In the last race, Sai Shiva, who made his debut only last year finishing overall third in the Cadet championship, posted another podium with Ishaan taking the win, and kept himself at a striking distance, in the title battle, with two more races tomorrow and the final Round of four races, remaining in November. Another local racer, Anshul Sai came third in the last race. Ishaan Madesh leads the championship with 120 points to Sai Shiva’s 98 and Anshul Sai is in third spot garnering 63.

    Friday Tid-Bit: Raj Bakhru won the third place in the Senior Class Race 1 on Friday. The 12th class student of Business Management from Mumbai is making his debut in National karting and taking a podium in the first race, and driving a kart only for the third time, is some achievement. You can read Friday’s report here!

    Results (Unofficial classification): Saturday:

    Sai Shiva Makesh, Photo by Shajahan

    Round 3: Seniors (15 laps): Race 3: 1. Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14:51.695); 2. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:52.227); 3. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 14:54.801); 4. Bala Prasath (14:55.310). Race 4: 1. Suriya Varathan (14:27.571); 2. Bala Prasath (14:30.016); 3. Nirmal Umashankar (14:37.791).

    Round 4: Seniors (15 laps): Race 1: 1.Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (14:46.500); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (14:47.784); 3. Suriya Varathan (14:48.144); Race 2: 1: Rishon Rajeev (14:35.855); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (14:39.676); 3. Bala Prasath (14:42.259); 4. Ameya Bafna (14:44.915); 5. Suriya Varathan (14:46.647).

    Round 3: Juniors (12 laps): Race 3: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:30.682); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:32.915); 3. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (11:34.564); Race 4: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:26.358);  2. Rishon Rajeev (11:35.143); 3. Abhay Kumar (Bengaluru) (11:37.869);

    Round 4: Juniors (12 laps): Race 1: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (10:30.995); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:34.536); 3. Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) (10:42.042); Race 2: 1. Ruhaan Alva (11:21.993); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:23.804); 3. Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai) (11:27.682).

    Round 3: Cadet (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:54.561); 2. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (11:07.963); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:15.020); Race 4: 1. Ishaan Madesh (10:28.977); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (10:31.106); 3. Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:46.403); 8. Rohaan Madesh

    Round 4: Cadet (10 laps) Race 1: 1.Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (10:39.560); 2. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:40.861); 3. Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:58.513); Race 2: 1. Ishaan Madesh (11:05.255); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (11:05.521); 3. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (11:12.547).

    (Editor’s note: Corrected typos and updated on Nov 1 at 9.25am)

  • Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 30 October 2020: Reigning champion Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru, continued his winning streak in Race 1 for a stunning ninth consecutive race and marched towards retaining his National Champion tag despite a reverse-grid hiccup in the second race, in the third round of the Meco Motorsports fmsci National Karting Championship X-30 races at Meco Kartopia here on Friday.

    Another fun-loving Bangalore kid, Ishaan Madesh had the best outing today clinching a double in the Cadet section to keep his championship lead with 83 points to Sai Shiva’s 67. Eleven-year-old Ishaan was streets ahead as he left the field behind and won with a huge margin of over 13-seconds in Race 1 and went on clinch Race 2, too. Anshul Sai of Pune came second in Race 1 followed by Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh, who took second in Race 2 ahead of Arafath Sheikh, also of Pune. Ishaan who had a DNF in the previous round did make amends and won both the races.

    After topping the official practice session, in Race 1, Ruhaan brushed aside the challenge of Rohaan Madesh beating him by a convincing 3.2-second margin to take another first. Rishon Rajeev completed the podium, a fraction of a second behind, to make it an all-Bengaluru podium.

    In Race 2, Ruhaan was well on course to clinch the issue but his streak of victories was broken in Race 2 due to an unforeseen incident. After the reverse-grid start, he patiently overtook one by one and got to the top and everything looked rosy as he took the lead. But in the last lap, the driver in 2nd place, tried an overambitious move into the fourth corner (C4) and locked-up, and smashed sideways straight into Ruhaan, taking both out in the process. Ruhaan, later managed to finish 6th and retrieved 3 useful points to still lead the Championship by 23 points. Ruhaan has 93 to Rohaan’s 70. But for the incident,  he still showed his talent and kart control and driving skills to bag the `Fastest Laps’ in all the 10 races, till now in Rounds 1, 2 and 3. Six more Races, two in Round 3 and four in Round 4, will decide the title this weekend.

    In the Senior Section, strong contender Suriya Varathan and defending champion Nirmal Umashankar split the two races. Suriya won the first race beating Nirmal Umashankar, who took a comfortable win in Race 2. Raaj Bakhru came third ahead of Shravanthika Lakshmi S of Coimbatore, who came fourth beating three more boys. Bala Prasath finished the podium in Race 2. Arjun Nair, who was second in the title race after two rounds, did not take part today.

    Raaj Bakhru winning the third place in the Senior Class Race 1 has some significance. The 12th class student of Business Management from Mumbai is making his debut in National karting and taking a podium in the first race, and driving a kart only for the third time, is some achievement.

    Results: Round 3 (Unofficial classification): Friday:

    Seniors (15 laps): Race 1: 1. Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14:29.774); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 14:30.541); 3. Raaj Bakhru (14:52.117); Race 2: 1. Nirmal Umashankar (14:31.502); 2. Suriya Varathan (14:32.963); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:40.012).

    Juniors (12 laps): Race 1: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:47.773); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:50.976); 3. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (11:51.216); Race 2: 1. Jaden Rahmat Pariat (Guwahati) (11:37.626); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:38.446); 3. Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai) (11:38.595);

    Cadet (10 laps): Race 1: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:54.561) 2. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (11:07.963); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:15.020); Race 2: 1. Ishaan Madesh (10:28.977); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (10:31.106); 3. Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:46.403);

    Editor’s note: Updated Oct 31 at 9.30 am correcting typo Ruhaan’s lead to 23 points.

  • Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

    Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

    Bengaluru, 29 October 2020: Coimbatore’s Suriya Varathan, Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair and Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar are poised for a royal battle in the final two rounds of the Meco-FMSCI National Karting Championship X30 Classes over two days beginning from Saturday here at Meco Kartopia track.

    The Junior Class seems to have one hero in the making, what with the domination Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva had last-week-end sweeping all the eight races in the two rounds for an overwhelming 80 points. If he continues his wonted form, sure will bag the championship. Citymate Rohaan Madesh followed him past the chequered flag in each of the races to have 56 points in his kitty. He will need to do one better than Ruhaan in all the remaining races to earn the chance of annexing the crown. A tough task for the jovial karter, who is fun to watch.

    Suriya Varathan has a compelling lead in the Senior class, having amassed 70 points in the first two rounds held last Saturday-Sunday. He had won three out of the four races in Round 1 and two out of the four in Round 2 to be in the best position to claim this year’s championship.

    The championship is the third national-level sporting event organised in the country since the COVID-induced lockdowns in March after the Drag Nationals and 2-w Sprint Rally Nationals. All sanitising and social distancing norms are being followed to ensure the well-being of the young racers.

    Arjun Nair managed two second-places in Round 1 and two first-places in Round 2 to have 55 points in his kitty. He and Nirmal Umashankar (51 points) will need a massive change in fortunes to topple Suriya from the perch in the last two rounds.

    In the Cadet Class too, another Bengaluru lad, Ishaan Madesh, enjoys a handy 9-point lead over Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh. Ishaan won all 4 races in Round 1 but had a disastrous start in Round, getting a DNF in Race 1 and a sixth-place finish in Race 2 before regaining his winning touch.

  • Short-Video App Roposo ropes in speedqueen Alisha Abdullah

    Short-Video App Roposo ropes in speedqueen Alisha Abdullah

    Mumbai, 26 October 2020: Roposo, a video app, has roped in Alisha Abdullah, a top Indian female racing champion to the Roposo Pride of India programme.

    Roposo, India’s No. 1 short video app, takes in Alisha Abdullah under its successful programme that recognizes Indian stars by providing them with a platform to mentor and inspire fellow Indians. Alisha, India’s well-known female racing star truly embodies the characteristics of a legend, on and off the racetrack.

    “With ‘Roposo Pride of India’, Roposo believes that every one has an innate talent that needs a bit of inspiration and a platform to shine.  “With close to 10 crore (100 million) downloads, Roposo is India’s largest social video platform and intends to create a platform that is rooted in Indian culture and ethos,” said Bikash Chowdhury, CMO of Glance which owns Roposo.

    “With the Roposo Pride of India’ program, we hope to recognize Indians who have made the nation proud, and contribute to the cause of nation-building by inspiring millions of Indians to realize their full potential,” he added.

    “Success in the field of motorsports is not easy, especially for a girl. By sharing my journey, I want to inspire the next generation of girls to take up motorsports as a career and make India proud on a global stage,” said Alisha Abdullah, who is dubbed as SpeedQueen for her exploits in karting and racing. Alisha, through her Roposo account (@Alishaa) will share her experiences and life lessons with other aspiring Indians through Roposo-styled short-video capsules in the coming weeks.

    The Roposo Pride of India was launched in July 2020 with Babita Phogat, Neel Ghose, Sangram Singh and Shooter Dadi has already garnered over 50 lakh video views. Alisha Abdullah will be sharing videos of her journey to the racetrack and making a mark in a sport dominated by men. Her exemplary career has led to her winning the President’s award as well.  

  • Vishwas, Badal Doshi share honours in top-class: Sprint Nationals

    Vishwas, Badal Doshi share honours in top-class: Sprint Nationals

    Bengaluru, 18 October 2020: Local star Vishwas SD and Badal Doshi of Mumbai shared the honours in the first two rounds in the top-class, while it was another Bengaluru biker Suhail Ahmed, who hogged the limelight with a grand double in both the rounds in the Motorsport Inc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2020 which began the season conducting the first two rounds in the Kanakapura forests on Saturday and Sunday.

    The Indian National Rally Sprint Championship (INRSC), is one of the first National events, after the Drag Nationals, to restart the calendar with the support of Hero MotoSports and Red Bull under a strict bio-bubble taking all the safety precautions as per Corona guidelines.

    In the Foreign Bikes category, Group A Upto 800cc Class first round, Vishwas SD took the honours but it was Badal S Doshi who claimed the victory in Round 2 and Sinan Francis, who came second in Round 1, stuck his ground pushing Vishwas to third on Sunday.

    The INRSC’s complicated class, the Group B upto 260cc, had 20entries, and the Mysore youngster Imran Pasha won both the rounds and clocked the fastest time in the first round winning the Star of Karnataka in 4 min 28.43 seconds covering the 6.5km Special Stage in forward direction, astride his TVS Apache.

    Suhail Ahmed who won the Bullet Class and the upto 400cc Group B Class, in both the rounds, becoming the top-achiever of the week-end.

    Ishaan Chandra from Mangalore, riding a Hero Impulse, claimed a double winning both the rounds `upto 165 CC’ category.

     “We have made elaborate arrangements for the safety of the riders and others taking part in the event and all the precautionary measures for COVID-19 were in place,” said Jaidas Menon, of Motorsport Inc, the Promoter. “Hero MotoSports are also encouraging the Xpulse riders with special prizes at the end of the Championship,” added Menon, who took the responsibility to make sure that Sprint Nationals is held this year.

    Vishwas SD who won the first round Foreign Bikes category on in action on Saturday. INDIAinF1 Photo by Prasanth Sukumaran.

    Defending champion in Group A, Badal Doshi from Mumbai said: “I was looking forward to participate and win this year’s INRSC, and winning one round is a good beginning. I am glad the season finally, started.”

    The third and fourth rounds will be held in Devanahalli area on November 21 and 22.

    Final Results (provisional): 2020 Round 1: (119 entries)

    Group A Upto 800cc Class: 1. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Suzuki, (04:40.82); 2. Badal S Doshi (Mumbai) KTM-500 EXCF (04:48.27); 3. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) KTM-EXC450 (04:52.66).

    Group B 131cc to 165cc: 1. Ishan Chandra (Mangalore) Hero Impulse (04:47.96); 2. Mohammed Zaheer (Bengaluru) Hero Impulse (4:57.43); 3. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) Hero Impulse (4:58.54).

    Group B 261cc to 400cc Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) KTM-390 (05:00.77); 2. Sudeep Kottary (Mangalore) Duke 390 (05:07.20); 3. Vikram K (Coimbatore) KTM-90 (05:17.20).

    Group B Upto 130cc Class: 1. Noldin Thomas (Ernakulam) Yamaha-YBX (05:28.36); 2. Varun Kumar A (Bengaluru) Yamaha-YBX (05:32.14); 3. Vikram Shekar (Coimbatore) Yamaha YBX (05:32.14).

    Group B 166cc to 260cc Class: 1. Imran Pasha (Mysore) TVS Apache (04:28.43); 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru) TVS Apache (04:35.44); 3. Samuel Jacob (Udupi) TVS Apache (04:51.63).

    Bullet Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:55.68); 2. Mohammed Zaheer (Bengaluru) Himalayan (05:07.77); 3. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Himalayan (05:18.48).

    Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) Hero Impulse (05:36.74); 2. Arpitha VM (Mangalore) Honda-Stunner (06:16.78); 3. Tanika Shanbhag (Satara) Hero Impulse (06:21.79).

    Scooter Class: 1. Karthik Naidu (Bengaluru) TVS N-Torq (05:20.88); 2. Pinkesh Thakkar (Pune) Aprilla-SR125 (05:29.01); 3. Venkatesh Shetty (Mumbai) Aprilla-SR150 (05:43.68).

    Star of Karnataka: 1. Imran Pasha (Mysore) TVS Apache (04:29.57); 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru) TVS Apache (04:41.02); 3. Sanjay Somashekar (Bengaluru) Hero Xpulse (04:59.35).

    2020 Round 2: (117 entries):

    Group A Upto 800cc Class: 1. Badal S Doshi (Mumbai) KTM-500 EXCF (04:10.19); 2. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) KTM-EXC450 (04:14.57); 3. Vishwas SD (Bangalore) Suzuki, (04:23.16).

    Group B 131cc to 165cc: 1. Ishan Chandra (Mangalore) Hero Impulse (04:19.66); 2. Abrar Ahmed  (Mysore) Hero Impulse (4:25.96); 3. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) Hero Impulse (4:30.26).

    Group B 261cc to 400cc Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) KTM-390 (04:15.55); 2. Sudeep Kottary (Mangalore) Duke 390 (04:15.84); 3. Vikram K (Coimbatore) KTM-390 (04:45.47).

    Group B Upto 130cc Class: 1. Rakesh Kumar V (Bengaluru) Yamaha YBX (04:51.19); 2. Durgesh J (Mysore) Honda Stunner (04:51.96); 3. Noldin Thomas (Ernakulam) Yamaha-YBX (04:57.34).

    Group B 166cc to 260cc Class: 1. Imran Pasha (Mysore) TVS Apache (04:14.83); 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru) TVS Apache (04:15.81); 3. Samuel Jacob (Udupi) TVS Apache (04:21.90).

    Bullet Class: 1. Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:30.12); 2. Vishwas SD (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:36.15); 3. Devaraj Venkatewh (Bengaluru) Himalayan (04:37.22).

    Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) Hero Impulse (05:10.24); 2. Tanika Shanbhag (Satara) Hero Impulse (05:14.55); 3.Arpitha VM (Mangalore) Honda-Stunner (05:24.99).

    Scooter Class: 1. Karthik Naidu (Bengaluru) TVS N-Torq (04:57.84); 2. Goutham N (Bengaluru) TVS N-Torq (05:10.60); 3. Amarendra Sathe (Pune) Aprilla-SR150 (05:13.41).

    Star of Karnataka: 1. Anish Shetty (Hubli ) Hero Impulse (04:20.16); 2. Samuel Jacob (Udupi) TVS Apache (04:20.66); 3. Ishan Chandra (Chikmagalur) Hero Impulse (04:24.84).

  • Akbar Ebrahim elected as FMSCI president again; Farooq Ahmed new VP

    Chennai, 12 October 2020: Former racer and ex-FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim was unanimously elected as the president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) at the Annual General Meeting of held 2020 via Video Conference. Farooq Ahmed of Chikmagalur Motor Sports Club will be the new Vice-President replacing Shivu Shivappa for a term of two years.

    Akbar Ebrahim

    The FMSCI is the National Governing body of Motor Sports in India. It is a member of the World Governing body of Motor Sports the FIA the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile and the FIM the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.

    The FMSCI has more than 50 affiliated units across the country with more than 1200 registered athletes but unlike other federations, only the council members elect the office-members as per the FMSCI Constitution. The council consists of 10 members who are: 1) Akbar Ebrahim, Meco Motor Sports Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 2) Bharat Vivek Chandhok, Madras Motor Sports Club, Chennai 3) Farokh Commissariat, Indian Automotive Racing Club Ltd., Mumbai 4) Farooq Ahmed, Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Chikmagalur 5) Prithiviraj J., Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, Coimbatore, Member of The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) 6) Raj Kapoor, Northern Motorsports, Noida 7) Sanjay Sharma, Performance Cars Racing Trust, Delhi 8) Shivu Shivappa, Karnataka Motor Sports Club, Bengaluru 9) Ms Sita Raina, Calcutta Motor Sports Club, Kolkata 10) Tamal Ghosal, Just Sportz Management Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata.

    Farooq Ahmed file photo, addressing media in front of a Coffee Day Cafe in Chikmagalur in 2018. An FB image courtesy @motorsportsclubofckm 

    Akbar Ebrahim said: “I would like to thank the General Body Members, Outgoing President & Vice President, Current councillors and New councillors of the FMSCI for their unanimous support in mandating me as the President for another term in office. I would also like to congratulate Mr Farooq Ahmed on his election as Vice President which was unanimous and with no contest.”

    “Going forward, it is, without doubt, going to be a very challenging and tough year given the unprecedented pandemic situation the whole world is facing. I am sure that the FMSCI will collectively rise to the occasion and manage the situation to the best of its ability. I am also sure that in the coming days, weeks and months, the sport will start to flourish and bring back the smiles on each and every one of us who are passionate about the sport,” Ebrahim added. 
    `The outgoing President J Prithviral said: `I place on record my gratitude and thanks to the entire Motorsport fraternity for the support during my tenure as President. Motorsport was also affected because of Covid- 19, things are looking brighter now and trust we will be in top gear soon.” 

  • Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record

    Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record

    Chennai, 10 October 2020: Defending champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing, astride a Suzuki Hayabusa broke the National Drag Record, setting a new mark of 7.783 seconds beating his own record over the 302- metre MMRT Drag Strip. The Madras Motor Sports Club kick-started the domestic 2020 motorsport season by successfully conducting the first round of the MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship in a secure bio-bubble environment at the MMRT circuit here on Sunday.

    The 30-year Bengaluru-based Coorgi, a three time National champion, touched a top speed of 222.49 kmph despite the third fastest reaction time of 1.658 sec at the start, to began the season on a winning note. He broke his own National record of 7.976 which he set in the round two last year on 6 October and equalled in the Championship winning last round in December. The bike was tuned by Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru. Muddappa won the National championship consecutively in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

    While Mudappa expectedly topped the time charts, clocking a blistering time for the sprint in the Super Sport 4-stroke Above 1051cc class, he could only come second in the 851 to 1050cc class as Mohammed Riyaz of Hyderabad won the dash. Rulex Rockers Racing team’s Bharatraj and Mohammed Rafiq notched a double apiece in their respective categories. Defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the girls category on Saturday.

    “I have been eagerly waiting to get back on track and am keeping myself fit. I was confident of clocking the best time, but beating the track record again is a bonus. I look forward to a consistent season to retain my National title,” said the Coorgi, who is primarily into civil contracts and also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’. He is based in Bengaluru. 

    Sporting activity came to a grinding halt in March and since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship hosted the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.

    Managing some 116 entries besides a host of officials, volunteers and employees, the MMSC went to great lengths to strictly implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and protocols as mandated by Government guidelines designed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. In view of the restrictions, no spectator or guest was permitted entry to the venue, while each competitor was allowed only one helper or mechanic, and the races were spread over two days (Saturday and Sunday) so as to limit the size of the congregation to under 100.

    MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “Following weeks of preparations and working on the SOPs as dictated by the government guidelines, it was great to go racing again after a break of seven months. Though we had to make do without a sponsor, we spared no expense to create a secure bio-bubble at the track. Of course, as per sporting regulations, we had a fully-equipped Medical team to deal with any emergency.

    “As much as the sport mattered to us, we gave top priority to health of all involved in the event. The strict protocols, followed by all at the venue, involved temperature checks, frequent hand sanitization and physical distancing. We also restricted entry to only essential persons, besides competitors.”

    The results: 4-Stroke Super Sport:

    Champion in the Above 1051cc class Hemant Muddappa (centre) flanked by second-placed Hafizulla Khan (left) and third-placed Harish Naik. An MMSC image

    Above 1051cc: 1. Hemant Mudappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.783secs); 2. Hafizulla Khan (Bengaluru) (08.374); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.721).

    851-1050cc: 1. Mohammed Riyaz (Hyderabad) (07.922); 2. Hemant Mudappa (08.162); 3. Sugan Prasad (Bengaluru) (08.382).

    361-550cc: 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (12.256); 2. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (12.350); 3. Karthik Mateti (Telangana) (12.518).

    226-360cc: 1. J Bharatraj (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.805); 2. Vivek Pillai (Team Alisha Abdullah, Chennai) (13.104); 3. P Yogeswaran (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (13.137).

    Up to 165cc: 1. Bharatraj J (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.580); 2. PM Soorya (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.656); 3. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (15.039).

    Saturday: Novice (Girls, Stock up to 165cc): 1. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (16.512); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (16.642); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Chennai) (16.781).

    2-Stroke Super Sport 131-165cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (12.843); 2. Manoj Kumar S (13.228); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.253).

    Up to 130cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (13.381); 2. R Madhan Kumar (13.584); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.954).

  • Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals

    Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals

    Chennai, 10 October 2020: Touching a top speed of over 118 kmph, defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Championship Madras Motor Sports Club drag strip here on Saturday as Indian Motorsports began after a gap of 7 months due to COVID 19.

    The Chennai girl won the four-stroke Upto 165cc Stock Class, the only class for girls, beating the challenge of Ann Jennifer and experienced Alisha Abdullah. The Team Pro-Speed Racing lass did a splendid job despite being a bit slow off the blocks with a reaction time of 0.907 and shot into the top spot clocking stunning 16.512 seconds.

    AS Ann Jennifer took the second place timing 16.642 though she had a better reaction time of 0.574 at the start. Alisha Abdullah, who had the best start among the 10 riders, reacting at 0.377 seconds, coiuld only complete the podium in 16.781 seconds.

    “I was very nervous at the beginning of the session but I had good fitness level which helped me to focus in the race. It is a long gap because of the pandemic which affected us with lack of practice and also lack of sponsors. But today, I concentrated on winning the race and I believed in myself and my vision,” said the 2019 champion, who was astride Yamaha v3 R15 tuned by Srinivasan.

    “Yes, of course, it is a overwhelming moment for me to take the first win of the season and I hope to maintain the same momentum in the upcoming rounds,” concluded Jessica.

  • Drag champ Hemanth Mudappa raring to go as Motorsport resumes in India

    Drag champ Hemanth Mudappa raring to go as Motorsport resumes in India

    Chennai, 9 October 2020: Hemanth Mudappa won a hat-trick of National titles on 30 December last year. The time when Corona Virus started its havoc, but it was not until two months later, did the sporting world take a beating and Indian motorsports too came to a grinding halt. Since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship will be the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.

    The first round of the fmsci MMSC Indian National Drag Championship will take place at the drag strip of the Madras Motor Race Track here on Sunday. Hemanth Mudappa, a triple champion, winning the crown in 2017, 2018 and 2019, is raring to go and the Mantra Racing rider is eagerly waiting for the action to start.

    The 30-year-old Bengaluru-based rider, who set-up a new National record on way to his triple crown, will take part in the SuperSport 851-1050cc class on a BMW S1000rr and in the 1050cc and above class astride a Suzuki Hayabusa tuned by champion architect Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru.

    “It is a long time and we are all eager to get back on the track. I am feeling good and look forward to another good season. My thanks to Mantra racing and all my sponsors, supporters and fans,” said Mudappa.

    Off the track, the Coorgi, is primarily into civil contracts and he is also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’ and is based in Bengaluru. And not to forget, he is a fitness freak and physical fitness is his top priority, which he advocates for all.

    Among the 11 National championships in the Indian Motorsports calendar, the Madras Motorsports Club promoted Drag Racing will begin this Sunday followed by Karting and Racing championship. The flag-ship Indian National Rally Championship is scheduled to start in December.

    It will all Four stroke and the classes to be run will be, the  upto 165cc SS Indian, 226 to 365 SS Indian, 361 TO 550 SS Indian, 851 to 1050 SS and Above 1051 Super Sport.

    For girls, upto 165cc four stroke Novice class, two stroke upto 130cc Super Sport and two stroke 131 to 165cc Super Sport.

    Other National champions in different class expected to take part are girls’ champion Nivetha Jessica, Bengaluru’s Aiyaz, the Nationial Champion in the 361-550cc Supersport Indian class and Chennai challenger Yogeshwaran, who became a champion gaining enough points in the 226-360 Supersport Indian category without a big win beating fellow-Chennai rider AS Alexander. Bengaluru’s Mohammed Rafiq who became champion in both the 2-Stroke categories (up to 130cc and 131-165cc) will also be there. However, it will be Hafeez Khan and Harish Naik, who are once again expected to fight it out with Mudappa for the top honours.

    The current drag record stands at 7.976 seconds. Mudappa equalled the record he had set in the 2019 second round in October erasing his own earlier record.