INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Gymkhana is accessible, affordable and entertaining, says Gautam Hari Singhania

    Gymkhana is accessible, affordable and entertaining, says Gautam Hari Singhania

    Gautam Singhania, the Indian representative in the World Motorsports Council addressing a Press Conference in Mumbai to launch the Asian Auto Gymkhana on Friday. An INDIAinF1 image by Rahul Reghu

    Mumbai: Quotes from the Press Conference held ahead of the Asia Auto Gymkhana Competition to be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Raymond Drift Track in Thane here.

    Gautam Hari Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, Raymond Ltd. and member of the FIA World Motorsports Council said “As an avid motorsports enthusiast I am thrilled to support and be part of this FIA recognised initiative held in India for the very first time. Through AAGC the idea is to popularise motorsports by making it more accessible, more affordable and an entertaining event. We also want to give participants the recognition that they deserve. The AAGC is a great beginning and in future, I hope to work with colleagues and representatives across the world and more so in India, to bring in many more such motorsports initiatives.”

    Dr. Kwong Yeung, President & CEO of AAGC said, “We are happy to host Round 2 of the AAGC 2018 here in India, a country with so many young, talented and ambitious motorsports aspirants. What makes the sport even more special is that Gymkhana competitions are affordable and that any car can be enrolled into the competition, with driver skills as the core criteria. For Round 2, we have some very promising drivers, including a very talented Indian driver line-up. I keenly look forward to this weekend event.”

    Mr. Sirish Vissa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India said, “We are happy to provide our Volkswagen Polo stunt cars to the drivers. They are some of the best gymkhana drivers from their respective countries and would be driving some of the best cars we have to offer. I am excited for the upcoming two days of the competition.” He further added, “We strive to raise the standard of Indian Motorsport, develop awareness of motorsports in India and bringing the sport to the maximum audience possible. We are always ready for any collaboration to popularize motorsports in the country. This form of partnership restores my faith in future of motorsports in India”.

    Gymkhana as a form of motorsport relies on the driver’s skill and technique – to navigate through a short timed loop, which is comprised of obstacles and choreographed manoeuvres such as 360 spins, J-Turns, Slalom, Box Parking and Figure-8 amongst others. The total run time of the heats are generally under a minute which makes this a fast paced, engaging and rewarding experience to watch.

    Run under the aegis of FIA in conjunction with FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India), the event acts as an entry point for budding young drivers to start a career in racing, in a safe, economical and practical way.

    Akbar Ibrahim, President FMSCI said “In India motorsports is still an extravagant affair. It is not as easy as it looks and at the same time not as popular as we’d like it to be. At FMSCI it is our endeavour to cultivate this form of sport and make people, corporates and the authorities more aware and supportive of the sport, starting from the grass-roots level. We are elated to host this event  ere in India and we thank our sponsors and partners for the support extended to us.”

    The FMSCI is a long-standing member of the FIA, a national motorsport federation recognised by the Government of India, for the promotion and control of motorsports in India, and is affiliated to the prestigious Indian Olympic Association.

    Dilip Joshi, Chairman of AAGC 2018 Round 2 said, “Round 2 of AAGC 2018 promises to be exciting, with a world-class motoring event never seen before in the city. Through this event, we hope to connect our passion for automobiles to the larger Indian audience, including a bunch of very excited school kids from the neighboring Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School, who will be part of the audience on Race Day. As we move along, we hope to trigger greater aspiration for racing and look forward to a power-packed weekend.”

    The event is sponsored by Kamasutra, Parx, Rustomjee Developers & MRF and is supported by VW Motorsport & Autocar India.

  • Thrilling drifts and stunning feats provide a glimpse of the fare in store: Asia Auto Gymkhana

    Thrilling drifts and stunning feats provide a glimpse of the fare in store: Asia Auto Gymkhana

    Mumbai, 28 Sept. 2018: Motorsports enthusiasts were offered a glimpse of the stunning feats and thrilling drifts that is in store for the next two days as the drivers took their VW Polos for a spin ahead of the second round of the eight-round Asia Auto Gymkhana Competition (AAGC) began at the Raymond Drift Track in Thane today.

    The most popular forms of motorsport across the world, Gymkhana makes an entry into India and the Asian event will be held on Sept. 29 and 30. Before addressing the press conference, Gautam Singhania, a specialist in drifting took his Raymond-branded machine for a spin and it was a unique experience of precision and split timing that a skilled driver can showcase. Later, Sirish Vissa (right), head Volkswagen Motorsports, Akbar Ebrahim, FMSCI President, who is the man behind bringing Gymkhana closer to fans in India, and Farad Bathena, the event organiser, joined for a Press Conference.

    Asia’s Largest Gymkhana, AAGC is an FIA-approved event which will witness 32 drivers from 16 Asian countries and is organised by FB Motorsports. The drivers will navigate through a short timed loop that is designed to test their skills and precision rather than sheer speed but the drivers offer enough attractions including stunning 360-degree drifts with picture-perfect precision and timing.

    Apart from Singhania, professional stunt drivers, too, are expected to provide their thrilling fare for two days. Team India A will be represented by Achintya Mehrotra and Aabhishek Mishra.

    Gautam Singhania takes a spin ahead of the qualies at the Raymond Drift Track, Thane in AAGC on Friday. Photos by Rahul Reghu

    Gymkhana serves as a stepping stone for thousands looking to enter the world of Motorsport. The AAGC will have different classes in both stock, modified and purpose-built cars. The drivers navigate through a short timed loop which consists of manoeuvres such as J-Turns, 180/360 Spins, Figure-8s, Box Parks and Slalom that emphasise more on the driver’s skill and technique rather than on speed. “This ease of access and low costs of competing makes Autocross and Gymkhana a great platform for the grassroots development of motorsport,” said Farad Bathena, whose FB Motorsport is organising the event. Farad Bhathena, a celebrated rallyist of yesteryears, is the man behind FB Motorsports which has organised many racing events in India in the last decade including sprint and TSD rallies, track racing and has also conducted driving courses. Bathena is also a key man assisting JA Motorsports in running the Formula cars in the National Racing Championship at Chennai.

    Saturday morning will see qualification rounds for Solo Gymkhana while knock-out sessions will take place in the afternoon. On Sunday, Double Gymkhana, Solo and team Gymkhana finals will be held.

     

  • Raid de Himalaya 2018: New section will challenge the best of men and machine

    Raid de Himalaya 2018: New section will challenge the best of men and machine

    Shimla, 28 September 2018: On the most impossible roads of the Kargil, Zanskar and Ladakh sectors, motorsport titans of India are going to clash at the 20th edition of the Raid de Himalaya, the World’s highest cross-country motorsport challenge. The Raid 2018 will run from October 8 to October 14. It will begin and finish at Leh.

    A total of 31 teams for Xtreme cars and trucks, 37 teams for Xtreme motorcycles and quads, 12 bikers in the Alpine two-wheeler category, and 31 teams in Adventure Trail, which follows the Time-Speed-Distance format, are going to race on the highest reaches of the Himalayas.

    This year’s Raid will run its first stage on the never-before traversed section from Lamayuru, called the Moonland of Ladakh, to Photoksar. Rallyists are going to race on a newly-upgraded road that was earlier a mule track into Zanskar. Crossing the Sirisir La at a height of 4,805 meters above sea level, the 20th Raid De Himalaya is going to enter totally unchartered territory.

    Raid 2018 is all set for the clash between motorsport titans Philippos Mathai and Amittrajit Ghosh of Team Mahindra, Raid winner 2015 Lhakpa Tsering, Raid 2017 runners-up Sanjay Razdan and Sanjay Agarwal, Raid 2017 third overall.

    The choice of vehicles for these motorsport champions is diverse. The gruelling Raid de Himalaya 2018 is going to feature Mathai and Ghosh driving the XUV 500, Sanjay Razdan driving the Maruti Gypsy, Sanjay Agarwal driving the Grand Vitara, and Lakhpa Tsering of Arunachal Pradesh challenging them all with the Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo Dynamix.

    Raid 2018 will see competitors racing to Umba La, a high mountain pass at an elevation of 4.496 meters above sea level. This is one of the most spectacular stretches globally, and is listed on dangerousroads.org. The high mountain road features more than 50 hairpin curves and dangerous drop-offs.

    Lhakpa Tsering, Raid Winner 2015, said it takes guts to race at the heights and the roads that form part of the Raid de Himalaya. “Rallying is not cricket or tennis where you have 17-18 year olds as champions. Competitive high-altitude racing needs maturity, brains and physical fitness, and tremendous grit,” said Lakhpa, 45, who has been in motorsport for 20 years.

    The Raid is considered among the top ten toughest rallies of the World. The Raid was established in 1999, and those in the motorsport circuit admit that it’s made grown men cry ever since.

    In 20 years, the Raid has mapped a total of 13.23 lakh kilometres over the highest motorable roads of the Himalayas, including route reconnaissance and transport stages. Competitors driving four wheelers, two wheelers and scarabs have raced over 41,570 kilometers in two decades.

    Raid de Himalaya, India’s most formidable motorsport race, is the flagship rally of the country’s leading motorsport club, Himalayan Motorsport. Vijay Parmar, President of Himalayan Motorsport, said that it has been the Raid’s tradition to open new areas every year to adventure tourism.

    “Raid 2018 offers new winding high-altitude dirt roads as extremely challenging stages on the worlds’ highest cross-country challenge. We have been discovering new routes every year. For the 20th anniversary of our epic rally, there had to be something special. Racing on the new pass of Kaldang-Kildang La at an elevation of 4.092m in the Ladakh region, and the daunting stretches of Photoksar and Sirisir La promises to make Raid 2018 a nail-biting finish,” said Parmar.

  • Rajiv Sethu leads Honda charge; double for Prabhu Arunagiri; Maiteti tops in Novice class

    Chennai, 23 September 2018: Rajiv Sethu successfully led a Honda assault on TVS Racing’s supremacy to score a brilliant victory over defending champion Jagan Kumar in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

    The victory notwithstanding, Jagan, the TVS Racing team’s spearhead, garnered crucial 18 points for his second-place finish today that consolidated his position at the top of the championship table with a tally of 148 ahead of team-mate KY Ahamed (128), winner of the first race yesterday and who finished fourth behind Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar in the second outing today.

    The other highlight of the day was the grand double by Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category which is set for a grandstand finish in the final round in December. Only five points separate the top three – Satyanarayana Raju of Gusto Racing (119), team-mate Amarnath Menon (118) and Arunagiri (114).

    Hyderabad’s 19-year old collegian Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) chalked up a dominating win in the Novice (Stock 165cc) race to take a 16-point lead in the championship. Another rider from Hyderabad, 20-year old Rahil Pillari Shetty, also from Sparks Racing, followed suit with a season’s maiden win in the highly competitive Pro-Stock 165cc category where Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing), who finished second today, continues to head the leaderboard with 131 points to Kevin Kannan’s (Rockers Racing) 115.

    The focus today was on the Super Sport race which turned out to be Hitchcockian thriller with pole-sitter Sethu and Jagan playing the lead roles. Sethu lost his track position early in the first lap with gearing problem which allowed Jagan to move into the front. However, Sethu, who had finished fifth in yesterday’s Race 1 after a crash, fought back to regain the lead midway through the eight-lap race and then hung on grimly to score his third win of the season. Jagan was just one-tenth of a second adrift at the finish, but well ahead of Mathana Kumar who held off Ahamed.

    “At Turn-3 in the first lap, the gears tended to slip and I had to firmly put my foot down on the pedal to avoid any more slippage. Jagan went past me, but later, I managed to pass him on the straight. Thereafter, it was a close fight and I had a scary moment in the penultimate lap when I almost lost balance in the Bridge Complex, but managed to hold it together for the win,” said Sethu.

    Jagan said: “I did my best and pushed the bike to its limit, but Rajiv was a bit more quicker. He overtook me on the straight and from then on, I just could not catch him.”

    The Pro-Stock 301-400cc race saw another dominant performance by Arunagiri who set a scorching pace from the start to win from Raju and Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing). In a repeat of yesterday’s Race-1, Arunagiri kept increasing his lead with every lap while behind him, Raju strove manfully to catch up, but failed. Further down the grid, Menon, who led the championship going into this weekend’s Round 4, came in a distant fifth behind Peddu Sriharsha (Sparks Racing).

    Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) won the Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship race comfortably, ahead of Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind, Haryana) and Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore).

    The results (Provisional):

    Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15mins, 32.320secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (15:32.450); 3. S Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15:37.725).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdulla) (15:24.129); 2. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (15:24.706); 3. Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing) 15:34.637).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rahil PIllari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (16:09.127); 2. Anish Shetty (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (16:14.615); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (16:14.851).

    Novice (Stock, 165cc) 6 laps: 1. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (13:00.950); 2. Varun Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (13:03.720); 3. Venkatesan I (pvt. Chennai) (13:05.622).

    Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) (13:12.040); 2. Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind) (13:15.887); 3.Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore) (13: 17.760).

  • KY Ahamed pips mentor Jagan in the last lap; Jagan still leads the table: SuperSport 165 cc Class

    KY Ahamed pips mentor Jagan in the last lap; Jagan still leads the table: SuperSport 165 cc Class

    • Ann Jennifer takes honours in Girls race
    KY Ahamed (33) on way to winning the Super Sport Indian 165cc race from Jagan Kumar (3) and Mathana Kumar (46) on 22 Sept 2018. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 22 Sept. 2018: KY Ahamed scored a sensational last-lap victory in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class to lead a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    On a day which witnessed crashes in virtually every race, Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) took the honours in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class race that was red-flagged and re-started while Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) was gifted a victory in the Pro-Stock 165cc race after leader and team-mate Mithun Kumar went down.

    Ann Jennifer, wins the National Championship Girls race to extend her Championship lead.

    Meanwhile, 17-year old collegian from Chennai, Ann Jennifer chalked up her third win of the season in the Girls (Stock, 165cc) race after surviving a close fight with her Sparks Racing team-mate Ryhana Bee.

    The final outcome of the Super Sport race was in suspense until the last lap with Ahamed, his team-mate and defending champion Jagan Kumar and Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu locked in a tight battle. On the last lap, going into the right-hander before the Bridge Complex “S”, Sethu ran wide and crashed even as Jagan dipped on the inside to overtake. It put Ahamed in the clear as he flashed across the finish line ahead of his mentor Jagan for his third win of the season. Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar came home a distant third, followed by team-mate Sarath Kumar while Sethu picked himself up to finish fifth.

    The result took Jagan’s tally to 130 followed by Ahamed (116), Sarath and Mathana (both 82) and Sethu (80), going into tomorrow’s Race-2 of the double-header.


    Senthil Kumar, winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc race

    The Pro-Stock 301-400cc race saw championship leader Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) crashing at Turn-3 which brought out the red flag. On re-start, Arunagiri, who had led from pole, maintained his track position at the very front to win comfortably even as his nearest challenger Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) retired due to an electrical failure. Finishing behind Arunagiri were Sparks Racing duo of Rahil Shetty and Peddu Sriharsha. With his second win of the season, Arunagiri moved up to 89 points to be placed third behind Menon (108) and Raju (101), going into the second race tomorrow.

    The results (Provisional):

    Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11mins, 43.269secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (11:43.938); 3. S Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (11:47.955).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah Racing) (09:47.289); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (09:53.426); 3. Peddu Sri Harsha (Sparks Racing) (09:58.214).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:09.582); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) (12:11.485); 3. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (12:11.778).

    Girls (Stock, 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (11:11.767); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:12.072); 3.Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (11:25.611).

    Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice, Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) (11:07.221); 2. Ajai Xavier (Pune) (11:07.843); 3. Hari Prasath (Vellore) (11:20.423).

  • Rajiv Sethu, Prabhu Arunagiri, Mithun Kumar grab pole positions

    Chennai, 21 Sept. 2018: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing snatched the pole position in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class ahead of his TVS Racing rivals to set up an intriguing contest on the morrow after qualifying session in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    Sethu put in a blistering lap of one minute, 54.999 seconds to nose out TVS Racing duo of defending champion Jagan Kumar (01:55.034) and Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.409). Jagan heads the championship table with 112 points, well clear of team-mate KY Ahamed (91) who qualified fourth (01:55.481). Sethu (70), who drew a blank in the previous round earlier this month, is placed fourth in the championship behind Ravikumar (74).

    Earlier, Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category though he did just three laps, but his timing of 01:54.857 was enough to put him ahead of the pack. Sparks Racing’s Rahil Pilari Shetty was second quickest followed by championship leader in this category, Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing).

    Mithun Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing topped the qualifying session in the Pro-Stock 165cc class with Naresh Babu (RACR) and Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) completing the front row for tomorrow’s race.

    Sparks Racing riders dominated the qualifying sessions in the Novice (165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) categories by claiming top two slots. In the Girls category, championship leader Ann Jennifer expectedly took the pole position ahead of team-mate Ryhana Bee while Bengaluru’s Aditya Immaneni and Karthik Mateti from Hyderabad were 1-2 in the Novice (165cc) class.

    Immaneni enjoyed a fruitful afternoon as he also clinched pole position in the Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice).

    The results (Qualifying):

    Super Sport Indian (165cc): 1. Rajiv Sethi (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (01min, 54.999sec); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.034); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.409).

    Pro-Stock (301-400cc): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (01:54.857); 2. Rahil Pilari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (01:55.962); 3. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (01:56.307).

    Pro-Stock (165cc): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten10 Racing) (1:59.601); 2. Naresh Babu (RACR) (1:59.658); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten 10Racing) (2:00.510).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Sparks Racing) (02:08.109); 2. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (02:08.570); 3. Venkatesan I (Pvt, Chennai) (02:09.011).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (02:13.582); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (02:13.605); 3. Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (02:16.014).

    Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice): 1. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Bengaluru) (02:09.825); 2. Nithin S (Bengaluru) (02:10.873); 3. Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore) (02:11.571).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors, and to this end, it has chalked out various progressive programmes. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2014, making it the only club which owns such a facility that has been further upgraded with international-standard Paddock, complete with VIP hospitality suites, 20 spacious garages and a separate Paddock on the western side with its own circuit. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships (2-wheelers) besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

  • TVS Racing-Honda rivalry continues but it’s advantage Jagan: Bike Nationals

    TVS Racing-Honda rivalry continues but it’s advantage Jagan: Bike Nationals

    Chennai, 20 Sept 2018: Reigning champion Jagan Kumar, who began his campaign on a slow note this year, in the  premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class, but picked up speed and is now well ahead of his staunch rivals from Honda who were trailing behind another TVS riders as the fourth round of the MRF Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 organised by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (fmsci) begins here on Friday.

    Jagan is riding high with 112 points for TVS Racing while teammate KY Ahamed is second with 91 points in second with another TVS rider Deepak Ravikumar (74) in third. Honda rivals Rajiv Sethu (70), Sarath Kumar (70) and Mathana Kumar (67) are placed in that order from 4th to 6th before the start of the fourth round.  The round which is put off due to the death of former Chief Minister Karunanidhi is scheduled for the middle of December after the monsoon break.

    The season enters its crucial phase when the focus shifts from just performance to scoring points as the fourth and penultimate round gets underway at the MMRT circuit.

    The final rounds of MMSC Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2018 for both four and two-wheelers will also be held post-lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

    With the two-wheeler racing championship titles in all categories still wide open and no rider within a sniffing distance of it, this weekend is expected to be more about strategy and tactics in a bid to gain maximum points possible.

    A unique feature of the racing championship is the participation of India’s top motorcycle manufacturers in various categories, dishing out thrilling contests involving not just the country’s leading riders, but also the Novice whose numbers is on the upswing with each round.

    Further, title sponsors of the championship, MRF, have also upped the ante by providing slick tyres to three categories – the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc, Pro-Stock (301-400cc) and Pro-Stock 165cc – leading to faster lap timings. The riders in these categories are unanimous in their appreciation of MRF’s gesture that has taken racing a couple of notches higher.

    While the top guns have benefitted greatly using the MRF slick tyres, MMSC’s continued efforts to spread the sport among Novice riders has borne rich dividends if the growing number of entries is any indication.

    Likewise, the Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship in the Novice category has attracted about 60 entries with 40 being the cut-off to make the multiple qualifying rounds which, in turn, decide the final 20 riders for the two points-scoring races.

    If the competition among Novice (Stock 165cc) riders is razor-sharp with just three points separating Sparks Racing team-mates Karthik Mateti (61) and Aditya Rao Immaneni (58).

    The Pro-Stock 301-400cc category is developing into a straight fight between Gusto Racing team-mates Amarnath Menon (108) from Kozhikode and Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (101) while in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty (101) has a healthy lead over local challenger Kevin Kannan (85) of Rockers Racing.

    In the Girls category, it is extremely tight at the top with Ann Jennifer (50 points, Sparks Racing) leading Shruthi Nagarajan (48, Apex Racing Academy) by just two points. Jennifer, after winning two races on the trot, crashed in the third round which Shruthi won to stay in contention.

  • In rain, CD Jinan beats leader Harith Noah in Supercross Round 4

    Jaipur, 10 Sept. 2018: Veteran CD Jinan of Angata Racing astride a Kawasaki KX 250F won both the Motos with a display of skill and talent to beat favourite and championship leader Harith Noah in the fourth round of the 19th MRF MoGrip-FMSCI National Supercross Championship here on Sunday.

    Team TVS Racing rider Noah, who began the fourth round of the season with 110 points to 86 of privateer Jinan, needed to win both Motos to solidify his position at the top, but the track conditions probably made it difficult for him to adjust to.

    Jinan on the other hand used his experience of riding in the Dubai desert where he practices, thanks to his team Ang’ata Racing, which based in the Middle-east Kingdom.

    “The races were very closely fought and there was all the effort for competitors to get past each other despite the course having been battered overnight by heavy torrential rain,” explained Shyam Kothari, the Director of Godspeed Racing, the promoters of National Supercross.

    “When it started raining last night we were skeptical whether we would be able to conduct the championship, but the course was all intact though some table tops had got slushy, but it was all manageable,” Kothari said.

    The competition was worth a watch not just in the foreign bikes section but also in the other categories too. As Noah finished second in both Motos behind Jinan, his lead was reduced from 24 to 18 points going into the Round 5. Noah now has 144 to Jinan’s 126, which makes the final two rounds very crucial for both the riders and their respective teams.

    TVS Racing nonetheless kept its flag flying high by winning in other categories-Imran Pasha winning the Class 2 Novice Group and M Kalimohan taking the honours in Class 5 Indian Experts. Both these groups saw TVS riders dominating with the RTR machines all through the course.

    Pune’s Sarthak wins
    There was interesting battle in the Junior classes in the absence of the championship leader Yuvraj Kondedeshmukh, who recently represented India at the World Motocross Championship in Australia.
    In Class 9 Junior SX2, Sarthak had a tough fight with Shlok Ghorpade of Satara with both riding Kawasaki bikes while others in the fray were on KTMs. 

    Provisional Results:
    Class 1 SX1 Foreign Open Class Group A: 1. CD Jinan (Ang’ata Racing, Kawasaki KX250F) (20, 20) 40; 2. Harith Noah (TVS Racing, TVS RTR300) (17, 17) 34; 3. Yash Pawar (Nashik, Kawasaki KX250F) (13, 15) 28; 4. Saijith ES (13 Racing, Kawasaki KX250F) (15, 9) 24; 5. Mahesh VM (Ang’ata Racing, KawasakiKX250F) (10, 13) 23.

    Class 2 Novice Group C: 1. Imran Pasha (TVS Racing, TVS RTR) 20; 2. Sachin D (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) 17; 3. M Kalimohan (TVS Racing, TVR RTR) 15; 4. Asif Gour (Jaipur, Hero Impulse) 13; 5. Nitin Singh (Jaipur, Hero Impulse) 11.

    Class 4 Locals Group B: 1. Santosh Visnoi (Hero Impulse) 20; 2. Raju Mathur (Hero Impulse) 17; 3. Asif Gaur (Hero Impulse) 15; 4. Ravikant Sharma (Hero Impulse) 13; 5. Nitin Singh (Hero Impulse) 11.

    Class 5 Indian Experts Group C: 1. M Kalimohan (TVS Racing, TVR RTR) 20; 2. Imran Pasha (TVS Racing, TVS RTR) 17; 3. Samual Jacob (TVS Racing, TVS RTR) 15; 4. Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 13; 5. R Natraj (TVS Racing, TVS RTR) 11.

    Class 6 Private Experts Group C: 1. Gajendra Jangid (Jodhpur, Hero Impulse) 20; 2. Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 17; 3. S Karthikeyan (Pollachi, Hero Impulse) 15; 4. Mani Kandan (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 13; 5. Asif Gour (Jaipur, Hero Impulse) 11.

    Class 7 SX2 Group A: 1. Saijith ES (13 Racing, Kawasaki KX250F) (20, 20) 40; 2. Prithvi Singh (Chandigarh, Kawasaki KX250) (17, 17) 34; 3. Yash Pawar (Nashik, Kawasaki) (15, 15) 30; 4. Mahesh VM (Ang’ata Racing, Kawasaki KX250) (13,13) 26; 5. Kayan Patel (Mumbai,Suzuki RM) (11, 11) 22.

    Class 8 Junior SX1 Group A/B/C/D: 1. Prajwal V (Bengaluru, KTM SX85) 20; 2. Ikshan Shanbhag (Satara, KTM SX85) 17; 3. Gaurang Naik (Pune, Honda CRF) 14; 4. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, Kawasaki KX) 13; 5. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara, Kawasaki) 12.

    Class 9 Junior SX2 Group A/B/C/D: 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, Kawasaki KX 100) 19; 2. Shlok Ghorpade (Satara, Kawasaki) 18; 3. Jinendra Sangaye (Kolhapur, KTM SX65) 15; 4. Raheesh Khatri (Mumbai, KTM SX65) 12; 5. Akash Hupale (Kolhapur, Kawasaki) 10.

  • Raghul Rangasamy clinches MRF F1600 National championship; Ashish Ramaswamy wins ITC title

    Raghul Rangasamy clinches MRF F1600 National championship; Ashish Ramaswamy wins ITC title

    Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy who was crowned National Champion in the Indian Touring Cars category on Sunday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 9 Sept 2018: Raghul Rangasamy, hailing from the nearby temple town of Mamallapuram, emerged champion in the coveted MRF Formula 1600 category as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship 2018 concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday. The title earned Rangasamy a ticket to this year’s Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States, a dream that the 25-year old pursued through the season.

    With three podium finishes this weekend, Rangasamy, who led Goutham Parekh (Chennai) by 11 points at the start of the final round, did just enough to clinch the championship. Rangasamy’s final tally was 182 points (two wins, seven podiums) to Parekh’s 174 (two wins, six podiums). Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee completed a double, winning Race 1 and 3, while 16-year old schoolboy from Bengaluru Yash Aradhya topped in Race 2, his second success in his debut season in this category.

    Bengaluru’s 27-year old Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports), with his seventh consecutive podium finish of the season, annexed the championship in the premium Indian Touring Cars class with a tally of 167 points, edging out Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) by just six points. For Balu, who missed the first round of the season, it was so near yet so far as he finished second in the championship despite scoring a double in the final round this weekend and winning five races from seven starts.

    Last year’s winner, Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports), who was black-flagged for taking “external assistance” (taking assistance of the marshals to push his car) after a spin following a collision with Balu at Turn-2 in the very first lap today, ended up fourth in the championship behind his team-mate Nikanth Ram.


    Raghul Rangasamy, winner of the MRF F1600 Championship on Sunday.

    Rangasamy, who thrives on speed which induced him to take to racing rather late at 19, was delighted with his championship title, but said he would have loved to end the season with a win. “I feel great to win the championship and look forward to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout. I wanted to finish the season with a win, but happy that I took the title at this level considering that I started racing only when I was 19. I love speed and I gave up my medical studies after three years to pursue racing which I do just for my pleasure since at 25, I can’t think of a career in racing,” he said.

    Ashish Ramaswamy, who had started the season with a double in the first round, said: “It has been a long wait for me to win my first-ever National Championship title. I had started the season well with a double in the first round, but two DNFs (Did Not Finish) thereafter, put me under pressure as I had to finish on podium in all the remaining races. I am absolutely thrilled and I thank my team Arka Motorsports and the mechs for the brilliant work they did these past months.”

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps):

    MRF Formula 1600 (Race-2): 1. Yash Aradhya (Bengaluru) (16mins, 54.672secs); 2.Goutham Parekh (Chennai) 16:55.296); 3. Raghul Rangaswamy (Mamallapuram) (16:55.543). Race -3: 1. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (13:35.208); 2. Parekh (13:35.776); 3. Rangasamy (13:36.359). Champion: Raghul Rangasamy (182 points).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concept) (15:22.974); 2. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsport)(15:37.888); 3.D Vidya Prakash (Prime Racing) (15:38.145). Champion: Ashish Ramaswamy (167 points). Turbo cars: 1. Karthick Tharani (VW Motorsport) (15:26.077); 2. Rayomand Banajee (VW Motorsport) (15:40.141); 3. Ishaan Dodhiwala (VW Motorsport) (15:49.744).

  • Bengaluru schoolboy Sohil Shah clinches Formula LGB 1300 National title

    • Prabhu champion in IJTC category
    • Easy wins for Nayan Chatterjee, Arjun Balu

    Chennai, September 8: Sohil Shah, a 17-year old schoolboy from Bengaluru, scripted a fairytale finish to his debut season by emerging champion in the highly competitive Formula LGB 1300 category in the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT here on Saturday.

    Joining Sohil as a National champion was Prabhu AS (Arka Motorsports) from Namakkal who took the title in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class. In the decisive final race today, Prabhu finished second behind his title rival Chrys D’Souza (Unimek Racing) from Goa, but the latter was docked a 30-second penalty “for causing collision” which pushed him to third while Surat’s Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) was elevated to second spot. Prabhu finished the championship with 103.5 points to D’Souza’s 95.5.

    Meanwhile, Raghul Rangasamy moved a step closer to his dream of winning the MRF F1600 championship as he finished second behind Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee and took his tally of points to 152 which put him 14 clear of Goutham Parekh who finished third in today’s race. The Championship, whose winner becomes eligible to participate in the Mazda Road To Indy Shootout in the United States later this year, will be decided tomorrow when two more races are run with a maximum of 50 points available.

    Later, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) moved within 13 points of leader Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) from Bengaluru by winning the premier Indian Touring Cars class race with surprising ease. Balu, hailing from Coimbatore and returning to racing after a five-year break, made capital of his pole position start to win by nearly 13 seconds with Ramaswamy finishing second after getting past team-mate Arjun Narendran who slowed down considerably in the last lap due to “handling issues”, as he put it. It meant, going into tomorrow’s last race, Ramaswamy leads Balu 149-136 with 25 points on offer.

    Sohil (M Sport) finished second in the race behind Balaprasath (DTS Racing) but the 18 points he thus earned saw him finish on top in the category with 154 points, just four clear of Chennai’s 19-year old Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsport) in the final championship standings. Sohil, who led Ashwin 136-135 after yesterday’s Race 1, made sure he finished ahead of his rival in today’s outing to secure the championship.

    “This is my first season in a National Championship and to win a title, it feels fantastic. In today’s race, I knew I had to finish in front of Ashwin (Datta) to seal the championship, but it was tough. I had some issues with the engine and Ashwin was catching up with me, but I managed to stay in front,” said Sohil, a 12th standard student of Delhi Public School, Bengaluru.

    The MRF F1600 race saw Chatterjee off to a good start and gradually pulling away from the chasing pack. Through the eight laps of the race, Chatterjee maintained steady pace to won by a handsome margin, while Rangasamy, with an eye on the championship, was content to come in second ahead of his arch-rival Parekh.

    INDIANS DOMINATE CATERHAM QUALIFYING

    Three Indian entries, B Vijayakumar (Coimbatore), Vicky Chandhok and MR Dastur, both from Chennai, qualified in that order for tomorrow’s Race 1 in the in the Caterham 7 Asia Zonal Championship double-header while a fourth home driver, Kasha Sai (Salem) took the sixth spot on the grid. Sandwiched between the home entrants were Sri Lankans Sheran Fernando and Andrew Jude Choksy. Incidentally, it was the maiden drive in the Caterham cars for Vijayakumar, Dastur and Sai while Chandhok had two podium finishes in the previous round last weekend.

    POLE FOR FRENCHMAN GHIRETTI

    France’s Alessandro Ghiretti, winner of two of the three races last weekend, warmed up for tomorrow’s triple-header in the Formula 4 South-East Championship by grabbing pole position ahead of Muizz Musyaffa (Malaysia) and Kane Shepherd (UK).

    The results (Provisional):

    MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (13mins, 33.003secs); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13:36.349); 3. Goutham Parekh (Chennai) (13:39.932).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2): 1. A Balaprasath (DTS Racing) (15:41.318); 2. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (15:42.943); 3. S Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (15:43.479). Champion: Sohil Shah (154 points).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:12.890); 2. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (15:35.313); 3. Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) (15:35.990). Turbo: 1. Karthick Tharani (VW Motorsport) (15:37.110); 2. Rayomand Banajee (VW Motorsport) (15:48.091); 3. Ishaan Dodhiwala (VW Motorsport) (15:50.365).

    Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (16:53.173); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) (17:10.342); 3. Kasha Sai (Arka Motorsports) (17:12.346). Champion: Srinivas Teja (118.5 points).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Prabhu AS (Arka Motorsports) (17:27.309); 2. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (17:38.045); 3. Chrys D’Souza (Unimek Racing) (17:43.479). Champion: Prabhu AS (103.5 points).

    Esteem Cup (Race-2): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:50.288); 2. Jagadeesh Raj (Arka Motorsports) (17:03.421); 3. Lea Daran (Performance Racing) (18:59.539). Champion: Raghul Rangasamy (118 points).

    Qualifying – Formula 4 South-East Asia Championship: 1. Alessandro Ghiretti (France) (01:37.757); 2. Muizz Musyaffa (Malaysia) (01:38.039); 3. Kane Shepherd (UK) (01:38.041).

    Caterham 7 Asia Zonal Championship: 1. B Vijayakumar (Coimbatore) (01:54.589); 2. Vicky Chandhok (Chennai) (01:54.975); 3. MR Dastur (Chennai) (01:56.275).