INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Ashwin Datta crowned Formula LGB 1300 National Champion with a race to spare

    Ashwin Datta crowned Formula LGB 1300 National Champion with a race to spare


    Ashwin Datta who sealed the championship in the Formula LGB 1300 category on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 14 Sept 2019: A second-place finish saw Ashwin Datta of Momentum Motorsport emerge champion in the Formula LGB 1300 category with a race to spare in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here today.

    On a day of hectic scramble for points, Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy eked out a two-point lead over Bengaluru teenager Sohil Shah in the premier MRF F1600 category with a win and a fifth-place finish in the two races run today. Faridabad’s Manav Sharma was the other winner. With two more races to be run tomorrow, Rangasamy has 142 points to Shah’s 140 while Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee (121) is placed third.

    Likewise, in the popular Indian Touring Cars category, Dhruv Mohite (Rayo Racing), driving the Volkswagen factory-supported Vento, moved within four points of leader Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) who retired in today’s race due to a freak incident (tyre deflation) in the very first lap. Mohite went on to finish second behind Volkswagen guest driver Daniel Rowe (South Africa), but earned full quota of 25 points. Balu has 148 points as against Mohite’s 144 going into tomorrow’s final race which will be have a reverse-grid start.

    Pole-sitter Balu (Race Concepts) pulled out a good lead in the very first lap, but lost the power-steering by Turn-3 when the belt came off. Soon after, the power-steering pulley fell and hit the rim of the left rear tyre leading to deflation and retirement. Up ahead, Rowe and team-mate Mohite, and former National champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports), a non-registered driver, were involved in a three-way battle. The trio finished the race in that order.

    Datta, who turns 21 in November, needed just one point to seal the championship going into this weekend and he managed to come in second behind team-mate Deepak Ravikumar and ahead of Mohamed Ryan (M Sport) in the eight-lap race that was run behind a Safety Car in the mid phase due to on-track incidents involving three cars.

    The result took Datta’s tally to 163 points, well clear of Sohil Shah (M Sport, 95) who opted not to race in this category and concentrate on his races in the MRF F1600 class. Lying third in the championship is Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport, 85).

    “It feels great to win the championship with one race to spare. I had a good race today, starting from 11th position as I could not post a time in the qualifying session due to some problems with my car. After about three laps, three cars in front of me, went off the track and later, myself and Mohit Aryan were dicing for first and second. However, both of us went off the track under late braking in the last lap. In the process, Deepak Ravikumar capitalised and won the race ahead of me,” said Datta.


    Manav Sharma (No.17), winner of Race-2 in the MRF Formula 1600 Class.

    Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay, following a third-place finish behind two South African Guest drivers, Jeffrey Kruger and Tasmin Peper in the Volkswagen Ameo Class race, maintained his top spot on the leaderboard with 357 points, ahead of Pratik Sonawane (334) from Pune and Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (328) with two more races to be run tomorrow.

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13mins, 29.135secs); 2. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (13:30.653); 3. Yash Aradhya (Bengaluru) (13:34.392).

    Race-2 (7 laps): 1.Manav Sharma (Faridabad) (14:48.254); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (14:48.848); 3. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (14:48.857).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Daniel Rowe (South Africa) (15:25.637); 2. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (Kolhapur) (15:27.894); 3. Arjun Narendran (Coimbatore) (15:28.264).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport) (18:56.445); 2. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsport) (18:57.279); 3. Mohamed Ryan (M Sport) (18:57.770).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-1): 1. Jeffrey Kruger (South Africa) (15:36.052); 2. Tasmin Peper (South Africa) (15:38.620); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (15:39.554).

  • Double for Raghul Rangasamy; Chirag Ghorpade, Saurav Bandyopadhyay grab pole

    Double for Raghul Rangasamy; Chirag Ghorpade, Saurav Bandyopadhyay grab pole


    Raghul Rangasamy celebrating his victory in the MRF F1600 category. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 13 Sept 2019: Defending champion Raghul Rangasamy, hailing from the nearby temple town of Mamallapuram, pulled off a grand double to put himself in contention for the title in the premier MRF F1600 category on the opening day of the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here today.

    Rangasamy, 26, shrugged off an otherwise inconsistent season so far, and won two of the three races today that were carried over from the rain-affected Round 4, besides finishing second behind Bengaluru’s Yash Aradhya in the other outing to pick up as many as 68 points.

    Raghul Rangasamy, who scored a double in the MRF F1600 category on Friday.

    Rangasamy thus jumped five spots to move from seventh to second on the leaderboard. He lies just seven points behind championship leader 18-year old Sohil Shah from Bengaluru who drew blank in today’s Race-3 due to a drive-shaft problem after finishing second and third in the other two races.

    With four races of the final round to be run over the next two days and a maximum of 100 points to be won, the championship is finely poised. Shah (114 points), Rangasamy (107) and Nayan Chatterjee (97) occupy the top three spots. Behind the trio are Aradhya (86), Vishnu Prasad (85) from Chennai and Faridabad’s Manav Sharma (70).

    In the day’s first race, Aradhya scripted a lights-to-flag victory with seasoned Rangasamy in close attendance while Shah did well to finish third after starting eighth on the grid. Rangasamy then took charge of the remaining two races that he started from pole position, winning both quite comfortably.

    Yash Aradhya, winner of first race in MRF F1600 category.

    Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports) qualified for pole position in the Formula LGB 1300 category where Chennai-based Ashwin Datta has virtually clinched the title, enjoying a 50-point lead going into this weekend’s double header. Datta’s closest rival, Sohil Shah, opted out of the two races, preferring to focus on the MRF F1600 championship which he leads.

    Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay took pole position in the Volkswagen Ameo Class ahead of two guest drivers from South Africa, Tasmin Peper and Jeffrey Kruger. Bandyopadhyay currently leads the championship in this category.

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F1600 (Carry Over from Round 4) (Race-2): 1. Yash Aradhya (Bengaluru) (13mins, 33.380secs); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13:33.616); 3. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (13:39.154). Race-3: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (13:31.752); 2. Sohil Shah (13:33.747); 3. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (13:37.234). Race-4: Raghul Rangasamy (13:29.886); 3. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (13:35.915); 3. Yash Aradhya (13:37.252).

  • Final round to decide champions; 7 MRF F1600 races on card

    Chennai, 12 Sept 2019: The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship is set for a thrilling climax as the fifth and final round gets underway at the MMRT here on Friday, September 13, with titles in all the categories up for grabs and not much separating the main contenders in terms of points.

    The card for the final round has a total of 14 races. The premier MRF F1600 category will have a total of seven races, including three carried over from the rain-affected Round 4 last month. That apart, it will be double-headers in the saloon cars and Formula LGB 1300 categories, besides three races slated for the Volkswagen Ameo Class.

    With titles in all these categories still to be decided, the weekend is expected to dish out edge-of-the-seat thrillers that have been a feature of the championship thus far.

    Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “Through the season, we have witnessed high quality racing in all the categories and has thrown up fresh talent, especially in the MRF F1600 and saloon cars. We take this opportunity to thank our sponsors MRF Tyres who have responded to every demand of ours and those of the competitors to provide slick tyres that in turn have taken racing to the next level. MMSC have some major plans for the coming seasons as we continue our endeavour to promote the sport and help nurture talent. The final round, this weekend, should provide a fitting climax to the season.”

    The MRF F1600 grid is packed with a bunch of talented youngsters who have progressed from karting to single-seaters with a series of impressive performances.

    Leading the pack is Bengaluru’s 18-year old Sohil Shah with 83 points after having won three consecutive races. Enjoying a “gap year” after school, Sohil has an 18-point cushion on second-placed Nayan Chatterjee from Mumbai with Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad (58) and Sandeep Kumar (56), and Coimbatore’s A Bala Prasath (55) not far behind.

    The two classes in the saloon cars category – the Indian Touring Cars (ITC) and Super Stock – are also finely poised for a close finish. Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (148 points), driving the Race Concepts-prepared Honda City Vtec, comfortably leads Kolhapur’s Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (119) who is one of the three Volkswagen factory-supported Vento drivers. Another Coimbatore challenger, Nikanth Ram (Arka Motorsport) is placed third with 93 points, ahead of VW duo of Karthik Tharani (86) from Chennai and Hyderabad’s Ishaan Dodhiwala (85). Balu has won three races as against two each by Mohite and Tharani while Dodhiwala has scored maximum points in one outing.

    Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) and local lad RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) will be going head-to-head for the title in the Super Stock category with just 17 points separating the two. Thomas leads with 172 points to Rajan’s 155, both having won four races apiece.

    Chennai’s 20-year old Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motor Sports) is best placed to seal the championship in the Formula LGB 1300 as he leads Sohil Shah (M Sport) by 50 points, needing just one point from this weekend’s two races to annex the championship in this category.

    In the VW Ameo Class, the top four – Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai, 305 points), Siddharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow, 298), Pratik Sonawane (Pune, 294) and Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad, 284) – are bunched close together.

    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 from Sholavaram to its present location 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. 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. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Ahamed leads 1-2-3 finish for TVS; Anish Shetty heads Honda podium sweep

    Ahamed leads 1-2-3 finish for TVS; Anish Shetty heads Honda podium sweep


    Rajiv Sethu (No.80) en route Pro-Stock 165cc win. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 8 Sept 2019: KY Ahamed led a podium sweep for TVS Racing in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category while Anish Shetty spearheaded a 1-2-3 finish for Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing while notching his fifth consecutive win in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc class as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here today.

    Earlier, international rider Rajiv Sethu continued his win-spree in the popular Pro-Stock 165cc category after overcoming a poor start as Idemitsu Honda Ten10 team swept all the podium spots. For 21-year old Chennai-based Sethu, it was his sixth win in a row.


    A 1-2-3 for Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing in Pro-Stock 165cc class – winner Raiv Sethu (centre), 2nd placed Sarath Kumar (left) and third-placed Kevin Kannan on Sunday.

    Also continuing his golden run was Venkatesan I in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category as he headed a 1-2 finish for Team Moto Maniacz Racing with Manoj Y in tow. For the Chennai-based Venkatesan, it was his fourth win on the trot.

    Meanwhile, Ryhana Bee, the 22-year old from Chennai, notched her third consecutive win in the Girls category of the National Championship to give herself a 35-point lead over defending champion and Sparks Racing team-mate Ann Jennifer who finished second ahead of Alisha Abdullah (Alishaa Racing).

    The podium sweep in the 301-400cc category that Ahamed scripted provided a big cheer for TVS Racing on a weekend dominated by arch-rivals Honda. Ahamed managed to finish ahead of his mentor and former seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar who finally picked up his first points this weekend after failing to finish Race-1 and retiring in both the Pro-Stock 165cc races he had taken part. Championship leader in this category, Deepak Ravikumar came in third.

    Podium sweep for TVS Racing in Pro-Stock 301-400cc class – winner KY Ahamed (centre), 2nd placed Jagan Kumar (left) and third-placed Deepak Ravikumar.

    Sethu, starting from pole position, had another poor start due to electrical problems, but he recovered quickly to tuck in behind Sarath Kumar even as two key TVS Racing rivals, Jagan Kumar and KY Ahamed, retired due to engine problems. Sethu and Sarath exchanged lead until the last lap when the former moved to the front for his sixth consecutive win. Sarath was content to follow home in second place while team-mate Kevin Kannan crossed the finish line in third position for his maiden podium of the season.

    Meanwhile, 15-year old Md Mikail, riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup one-make championship organised by MMSC, completed a treble this weekend as he zipped to his fifth consecutive win and sixth in seven starts.


    Ryhana Bee, winner of the Girls’ race

    The fifth and final round of the championship will be held at the same venue from September 27 to 29.

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (15mins, 29secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (15:30.137); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (15:31.307).

    Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-2): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing); Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:10.234); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:20.165).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:04.365); 2. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:04.708); 3. Kevin Kannan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:17.731).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:15.876); 2. Manoj Y (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:16.699); 3. Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing) (13:17.100).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:10.964); 2. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (11:14.255); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Alishaa Racing) (11:24.427).

    One-Make Championship organised by MMSC:

    TVS Open (RR 310, Race-2): 1. Anand R (Chennai) (15:56.926); 2. Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (15:58.525); 3. Anup Kumar (16:00.556). Novice (RTR 200, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:19.642); 2. Manoj Y (Chennai) (13:19.928); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (13:20.311).

    Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-3): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (14:38.263); 2. Geoffrey Emmanuel (Chennai) (14:49.888); 3. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (14:50.114). CBR 150 (Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:13.907); 2.Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:15.559); 3. S Rajsaswanth (Trichy) (13:15.960).

  • JK Tyre X30 Karting Nationals: Nirmal, Ruhaan, Ishaan crowned National champions

    JK Tyre X30 Karting Nationals: Nirmal, Ruhaan, Ishaan crowned National champions

    (L-R) The JK Tyre FMSCI National Karting X30 Class winners-Ruhaan Alva (Junior Class), Nirmal Umashankar (Senior Class) and Ishaan Madesh (Cadet Class) in Bengaluru on Saturday. JK Tyre photo

    Bengaluru, 7 Sept 2019: Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva capped off his spectacular run in the X-30 Junior class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship to emerge the 2019 champions here on Saturday. Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar and Bengaluru Ishaan Madesh became the National Champions in the Senior and Cadet classes in the last round itself.

    Nirmal, a regular on the JKNRC, collected a total of 23 points in the fifth and final round to amass 160 points to win the Senior category by a mile. Bengaluru’s Aditya Swaminathan (101 points) is the first runner up in the National Championship in Senior category followed by Delhi’s Debarun Banerjee (81) .
     
    It was an eventful start to the weekend, with a carnival-like atmosphere prevailing at the Meco Kartopia. Even as X-30 class was running its final course and the JK Tyre FMSCI National Karting Championship – Sodi Junior & Sodi Senior class’ qualifying rounds began, all eyes were on the `Girls on Track’ programme that attracted racing enthusiasts from across the country.
     
    Ruhaan Alva on way to winning the National Championship in the last round. Photo Shajahan

    Apart from girls from New Delhi, Chennai and Coimbatore, there were four from Nepal too. A handful of 8-year-olds too turned up to get initiated into motorsports along with teenagers and women in their twenties and thirties.

     
    They went through the entire drill of starting on racing simulators before eventually competing in the go-karting slaloms. In between, they underwent a batak reflex test and a basic pit-stop to be set for proper racing.
     
    Meanwhile, local boy Ruhaan Alwa underlined his supremacy in the Junior Category by sealing the title in the first race of the fifth round itself. He returned with a tally of 164 points to be crowned as the National Champion in the Junior class. 
     
    City-mate Arjun S Nair (134 points) is the runner-up in the National Championship and Chennai’s Ryan Mohammed collected a total of 24 points to take the third position in the National Championship with a total of 91 points.
     
    In the Cadet Category, it was Bengaluru’s Ishaan Madhesh who maintained his vice-like grip on the top of the table, winning three more races to accumulate 36 points win with a grand sum of 189 points. Shriya Lohia, a 11-year-old driver from Pune, picked up 27 points to end on the second spot with 134 points. While Ishaan was outstanding and became the National Champion in Cadet class winning all the races, it was a creditable show by Shriya Lohia, who beat many of the boys to stand first runner-up in the National Championship.  
     
    Another Pune driver Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran finished third with a modest total of 117 points.
    Final poinst tally: (top 3) Cadet Category- 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bangalore) 189 points; 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) 134 points; 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) 117 points
     
    Junior Category- 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bangalore) 164 points; 2. Arjun Nair (Bangalore) 134 points; 3. Ryan Mohammed (Chennai) 91 points.
     
    Senior Category- 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 160 points; 2. Aditya Swaminathan (Bangalore) 101 points ; 3. Debarun Banerjee 81 points.
  • Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty continue winning spree; Deepak, Venkatesan sparkel: MMSC bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty continue winning spree; Deepak, Venkatesan sparkel: MMSC bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu celebrating his fifth consecutive win in the Pro-Stock 165cc class at MMRT on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 7 Sept 2019: On a day of serial winners and Honda domination, Deepak Ravikumar spared the blushes for TVS Racing with a brilliant win in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category to consolidate his top position on the leaderboard in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    While Ravikumar chalked up his third win of the season, Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing camp celebrated as Rajiv Sethu (Pro-Stock 165cc) stormed to his fifth consecutive win in the class and Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) led a 1-2 finish with his fourth straight success. Not to be outdone, 22-year old from Chennai, Venkatesan I (Moto Maniacz Racing) completed a hat-trick of wins to consolidate his top position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) championship.

    Deepak Ravikumar (No.25), winner of the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race.

    Ravikumar, a businessman from Chennai and a versatile racer who is a familiar figure on the podium in the National car racing championship, started the race from P3, eased his way past pole-sitter and team-mate Jagan Kumar and Alishaa Racing’s Amarnath Menon to hit the front. With Jagan retiring due to a mechanical issue midway through the six-lap race, Ravikumar opened up a big lead.

    Rajiv Sethu after completing his fifth consecutive win in Pro-Stock 165cc class

    However, with two laps remaining, he had to deal with an errant sprocket, but he managed to nurse the wobbly bike over the finish line, just ahead of Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) and Menon. “For the last two laps, my bike was literally dancing and I had a tough time to control the machine, but somehow managed to maintain my track position,” said a relieved Ravikumar who enjoys a 28-point lead over team-mate KY Ahamed going into tomorrow’s Race-2.

    The other notable win of the day was by international Rajiv Sethu, the 21-year old also from Chennai. Starting from pole position, Sethu lost two positions in the very first lap with Jagan Kumar establishing a massive lead. However, Jagan crashed in the third lap, leaving Sethu, who had fought his way to second spot, in the lead. Sethu kept his cool despite close attention from Ahamed and team-mate Sarath Kumar to post his fifth straight win of the championship.

    Venkatesan, winner of the Novice (Stock 165cc) race

    Likewise, Venkatesan had to work hard for his win in the Novice race that was reduced to four laps from scheduled six following a multiple-bike pile-up immediately after the start, leading to red flag and restart. After a poor start from pole position saw him drop a few positions, Venkatesan fought his way to the front for a deserving third consecutive win.

    Late in the day, 15-year old Md Mikail from Chennai, completed a double by winning his second race of the day and fourth win in a row and fifth from six starts, in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup (NSF 250R).

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

    National Championship:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11mins, 38.822secs); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (11:38.823); 3. Amarnath Menon (Alishaa Racing) (11:40.477).

    Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:09.576); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:15.051); 3. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Erula Atomic Racing) (12:25.325).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (11:58.132); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11:59.420); 3.Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:03.811).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Team MotoManiacz Racing) (08:51.011); 2. Mohan Babu P (Rockers Racing) (08:52.301); 3.Abhimanyu Gautham (Sparks Racing) (08:52.311).

    One-Make Championship organised by MMSC:

    TVS Open (RR 310, Race-1): 1. S Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (11:58.389); 2. Anup Kumar (Chennai) (12:01.632); 3. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (12:05.125). Novice (RTR 200, Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:18.180); 2. Veera Ashwin Lal M (Madurai) (13:19.885); 3. Annish Samson D (Bengaluru) (13:22.141). Girls (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (Puducherry) (11:20.428); 2. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (11:37.015); 3. Lakiya Lee Charles (Chennai) 11:37.280).

    Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-1): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (10:59.155); 2. Geoffrey Emmanuel (Chennai) (11:09.952); 3. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune) (11:11.201). Race-2: 1. Md Mikail (10:58.935); 2. Varoon Sadasivam (Chennai) (11:03.295); 3. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (11:11.955).

    CBR 150 (Race-1): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:14.704); 2. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:14.798); 3. S Rajdashwanth (Trichy) (13:14.922).

    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 from Sholavaram to its present location 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. 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. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Mikail clocks a stunning lap record in 250cc bikes; Jagan takes pole

    Mikail clocks a stunning lap record in 250cc bikes; Jagan takes pole

    Chennai, 6 Sept 2019: Fifteen-year old Md Mikail from Chennai lit up the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship by setting a record of sorts at the MMRT here on Friday and grabbed pole position in the Honda NSF 250R category while TVS Racing’s ace rider Jagan Kumar qualified first in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category.

    Also qualifying for pole positions in their respective National championship categories were Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing (Girls, Stock 165cc), Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing’s Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) and Venkatesan I (Novice, Stock 165cc) of Team Motomaniacz.

    Mikail, riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bike in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup one-make championship, clocked a blistering lap of 01minute, 47.887secs around the 3.717-km MMRT circuit in the qualifying session. It was the fastest lap ever in a National championship event for bikes up to 250cc.

    Second behind Mikahil who is full time into racing and studies from home, was another Chennai teenager, Varoon Sadasivam (01:49.327) with Pune’s 12-year-old Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (01:51.342) qualifying third.

    “I am very happy with my qualifying session, but I am working hard to do even better,” said Mikail who is leading the championship in his category.

    Md Mikail who qualified for pole position in the Honda NSF 250R .category. Photos: Anand Philar

    As well as these teenagers rode, the spotlight was on the Pro-Stock 301-400cc qualifying session where seven-time National champion in the lower category Jagan Kumar, lying a distant ninth on the leaderboard after a string of disappointing performances, showcased his mettle by putting in a hot lap of 01:54.037 for pole position. Former National champion in this class, Amarnath Menon (Team Alishaa Racing) was second in 01:54.807 while TVS Racing Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.221) completed the front row on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

    Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) topped the qualifying session in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc category with a flying lap of 01:57.646. Erula Racing’s Mithun Kumar (01:58.310) was the second quickest and Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) qualified third in 01:59.192.


    Jagan Kumar who qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class.

    Earlier, international Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing), leading the championship in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, put the hammer down by topping the Free Practice session with a flying lap of 01minute, 59.115 seconds, pipping his closest rival, TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar (01:59.239). Sethu’s team-mate Sarath Kumar, also in the championship reckoning and trailing Jagan by just one point, was third quickest in 02:00.103, ahead of TVS Racing’s Kevin Kannan (02:01.102). The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday.

  • Rajiv Sethu, Jagan Kumar all set for fourth round of the National Racing Championship

    Rajiv Sethu, Jagan Kumar all set for fourth round of the National Racing Championship

    File photo of Rajiv Sethu (80),(Round 3 Pro-Stock 165cc race) by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 5 Sept 2019: India’s top two-wheeler racers along with manufacturers, Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM, will return to action in the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019 at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    The 2019 season has been a roller-coaster with reputations taking a beating and the race for the title in various categories is thrown wide open. The weekend’s races assume significance as the contenders go wheel-to-wheel for precious points as the championship enters its last leg.

    The Pro-Stock categories comprising the premium 301-400cc class besides 201-300cc and the 165cc, all run on MRF slick tyres, have witnessed thrilling battles through the season.

    Thus, going into Round 4, Chennai-based TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar (101 points) and KY Ahamed (98), both with two wins apiece from six starts, head the 301-400cc class where defending champion Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) is placed sixth with 51 points with just one win. In contrast, Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) is comfortably placed with 90 points in the 201-300cc class following a hat-trick of victories, well ahead of teammate and fellow-Bengalurean Abhishek Vasudev (63).

    The popular Pro-Stock 165cc class has seen long-time rivals Honda and TVS, locked in a fierce fight. Honda’s international rider Chennai’s Rajiv Sethu, after missing the first round due to his commitments in Japan, won four races in a row to lead the championship with 100 points, ahead of seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing (94) who, in turn, enjoys a one-point lead over Honda’s Sarath Kumar. Both Jagan and Sarath have won one race apiece.

    The Novice class (Stock 165cc), with its 40-bike grid and packed with talent, has Chennai’s I Venkatesan (Moto Maniacz Racing) in the lead with 98 points with Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing, 80) from Jind, Haryana, and Bengaluru’s Anish Samson (Speed Up Racing, 70) in tow.

    Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing), having won two consecutive races, is closing in on Girls title with a tally of 68 points, while defending champion and team-mate Ann Jennifer (40) is third behind private entrant Nivetha Jessica (42). Incidentally, all three are from Chennai.

    The active involvement of the two-wheeler manufacturers in the championship has cast the net wider and snared a clutch of fresh talent.

    The championship received a massive boost with Honda introducing FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bikes, the fastest in the championship and ridden by hungry-for-success teenagers, all part of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup programme designed to unearth and nurture talent. The NSF 250R replaced the CBR 250 while the CBR 150 category, boasting of a big grid, has been retained.

    TVS have showcased their Apache RR 310 in the Open class for experienced riders beside the RTR 200 (Novice and Girls) has attracted sizeable and highly competitive grids, while KTM and Yamaha have strong presence in the Pro-Stock, Novice and Girls categories of the National championship.

  • Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Race 3 Winner Raghul Rangasamy flanked by 2nd placed Vishnu Prasad, left, and Sohil Shah.

    Coimbatore, 1 Sept 2019: On a day of intense battles and loads of drama, Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy came out trumps, collecting 18 points to shoot to the top of the FLGB-4 standings as Round 2 of the JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship concluded here on Sunday.

    Tanay Gaikwad (Pune), Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai), Sai Prithvi S (Chennai), Mira Erda (Vadodara) and Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) were the others stars of the day, emerging victorious in their respective categories.
    Most of the big excitement, as expected, emanated from the LGB category, with multiple national champions gunning for glory. After Sohil Shah (MSport) set the stage for a no-holds-barred fight on Saturday with a cheeky win, it was Diljith TS’s (Dark Don) turn to bring Sunday to life.
    Beginning at P7 as the reverse grid came into play, he exhibited speed and control to steadily move up and take the first place. Raghul (MSport), who was at P5, got caught in the front pack to lose the initiative and settled for the second position.
    Raghul, however, took advantage of a similar situation in the day’s second and final LGB-4 race to win it in dramatic fashion. His fourth-place finish on Saturday was enough to give him a total of 47 points. That took him past teammate Vishnu Prasad, who didn’t have the best of weekends despite racing out of his skin.
    Vishnu also suffered the worst of lucks, being cheated by the safety car when he was leading with a big margin in the last race. He had to settle for the second position while he had already endured a sixth-place finish in the earlier race to slip down to a total of 45 points in the two rounds. Diljith, who often seemed alone in this dog-fight, was placed third with 31 points.
    Tanay Gaikwad stole the thunder in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, collecting the maximum possible 20 points to join Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore) at the top of the table.
    After winning the first race on Saturday, Tanay showed his class on Day 2 too, posting his second straight victory. Muzammil clocked the day’s fastest lap (1:23.681) but finished 0.068 seconds behind in the 10 laps.
    Mira Erda (centre) who won the ladies class. A JY Tyre image

    Mumbai’s Aaroh Ravindra stayed ahead in the JK Tyre Novice Cup, by collecting 10 more points to make it a grand sum of 52, including 28 this weekend. Bangalore’s Chirag Ghorpade was second with 39 points, after a second-place finish.

    Vadodara’s Mira Erda continued to rule in the women’s category, finishing ahead of all the ladies for the sixth consecutive time. Coimbatore’s Megaa KS (45) and Anushriya Gulati (28) were in the hunt behind her.
    Chennai’s David Ryan, who was the standout performer in the JK Tyre Inter-College Cup on Day 1 with two wins, lost his pre-eminent position to Sai Prithvi (also Chennai) on Sunday. He, however, finished second to hold on to his overall lead with 28 points.
    The day’s winner Sai Prithvi S (Chennai) and Kedin Akhil (Kolkata) were tied on 16 points for the next two positions.
    Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) claimed the JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies, winning both the races over the weekend. He maintained a clean slate after showing his class in Round 1 too.
    Provisional Results: LGB Formula 4 (15 laps)
    Race 2: 1. Diljith TS (Dark Don Racing; 18:14.76); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:14.96);  3. Sandeep Kumar A (Dar Don; 18:15.31)
    Race 3: 1. Raghul (20:29.90); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai; 20:29.92); 3. Sohil Shah (Bangalore; 20:29.10)
    Suzuki Gixxer Cup (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Tanay Gaikwad (Pune) – 14:18.57; 2. Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore; 14:18.64); 3. Shazan Khan (Bangalore; 14:32.58)
    JK Tyre Novice Cup: (15 laps): Race 3: 1. Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai; 18:19.30); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bangalore; 18:24.87); 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai; 18:29.31)
    JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies: (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Ikshan Shanbag (Satara; 14:56.42); 2. Aditi Krishnan (Bangalore; 15:20.92); 3. Aryan Gurav (Pune; 15:23.78)
    JK Tyre College Cup (8 laps): Race 3: 1. Sai Prithvi S (Chennai; 10:20.80); 2. David Ryan (Chennai; 10:22.73); Chetan Surineni (Bangalore; 10:46.82)

  • Sohil upstages Diljith, Vishnu on Day 1 of JKNRC-2

    Coimbatore, 31 August 2019: Bangalore’s Sohil Shah made the most of an acrimonious but sensational battle between Vishnu Prasad and Diljith TS to win Race 1 in Round 2 of the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship here on Saturday.

    After a delayed start due to technical safety regulations, two privateers ManavDougall and Akshay Kapoor, both Delhi, found themselves at P1 and P2. Diljith (Dark Don) and Vishnu (MSport) began at P3 and P4 and brought the race alive at the first corner itself, jumping into the lead.

    Chennai’s Vishnu veered to the outside line and smartly overtook the three racers head of him. But Diljith made his move in the second lap, shooting past Vishnu to set up a tense dog-fight. Vishnu chased Diljith relentlessly, forcing him into his first mistake in the 8th lap.

    Sohil took advantage of their engaging tussle to jump into the lead. The 18-year-old showed nerves of steel to build on it and eventually win the race for MSport. Diljith took the second place while Vishnu, after a energy-sapping contest, had to be content with the third position.

    In the JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup, Pune’s TanayGaikwad converted his pole position to a comfortable victory, beating last round’s winner Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore). Tanay clocked the fastest lap time of 1:23.750 to mark his superiority on the day.

    The JK Tyre Novice Cup too had its share of twists and turns, with Mumbai’s AarohRavindra winning the first race but yielding the second to Mohamed Ryan (Chennai), when the reverse grid came into play.

    Aaroh took the second place, though, to maintain his hold on the championship. Strong contender ChiragGhorpade (Bangalore) finished second in one of the races and eighth in the other to stay in contention.

    In the first-ever JK Tyre College Cup, David Ryan of Chennai underlined his prowess by winning the day’s two races.

    RESULTS (Provisional): LGB Formula 4:  Sohil Shah (Bangalore) – 20:05.863; 2. Diljith TS (Kerala) – (20:08.136; 3. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) – 20:08.263.

    Suzuki Gixxer Cup : RACE 1: TanayGaikwad (Pune) – 10:07.050; 2. Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore) – 10:07.119; 3. SidharthSajan (Coimbatore) – 10:15.558.

    JK Tyre Novice Cup:  RACE 1: AarohRavindra (Mumbai) – 12:17.448; 2. ChiragGhorpade (Bangalore) – 12:19.122; 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) – 12:19.620.

    RACE 2: Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) – 12:11.047; 2. AarohRavindra (Mumbai) – 12:17.177; 3. UdbhavGoyal (Gurgaon) – 12:20.106

     

    JK Tyre College Cup

     

    RACE 1: David Ryan (Chennai) – 11:44.004; 2. Aman Chaudhary (Calcutta) – 12:07.282; 3. SaiPrithvi S (Chennai) – 12:10.876

    RACE 2: David Ryan (Chennai) – 10:22.369; 2. ChetanSurineni (Bangalore) – 10:33.006; 3. KedinAkhil (Kolkata) – 10:44.975