INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • MRF slick tyres for bike races; stage set for Round 2 of National Championship at MMRT

    MRF slick tyres for bike races; stage set for Round 2 of National Championship at MMRT

    File photo. Action in the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship. Photo: Anand Philar

    Chennai, 4 July 2018: The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship will be shifting gears here this weekend when the second round is held at the MMRT track which will witness a total of 16 races across various categories. The programme also includes the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2018 on Sunday.

    Races will be held in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class besides the Pro-Stock (301-400cc and 165cc), Novice (Stock, 165cc) and Girls (Stock, 165cc) categories. Further, two of country’s leading bike manufacturers, Honda and TVS, will be running their own One-Make Championships in association with the MMSC, in the Open and Novice categories.

    The most significant development is that for the first time ever in the National championship slick tyres will be used in races. MRF will be supplying slick tyres for the Super Sport Indian 165cc and Pro-Stock 301-400cc categories. This is a path-breaking move as the MRF slick tyres are expected to see improved lap timings in view of the better traction, especially through the corners, they afford than the conventional tyres.

    File Photo by Anand Philar

    While the focus will yet again be on the “big boys” in the Super Sport Indian 165cc class, there is much to rejoice in the fact that the Novice category, a move initiated by MMSC last season to promote racing at the grass-root level, has yet again attracted over 40 entries, requiring two heats and qualifying sessions followed by a point-scoring race to identify the winner.

    Similarly, the “Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC” one-make championship comprising two categories – Open (CBR 250) and Novice (CBR 150). Honda, in its efforts to spot and nurture aspiring youngsters, have focussed the talent hunt among riders in the 13-17 years age group for the CBR 150 grid. The Open class has some of the top riders in the country who have raced in various international series.

    The scenario is much the same in the TVS One-Make Championship 2018 organised by MMSC which will have three categories – Open (Apache RR 310), Novice and Girls (Apache RTR 200) – with strong presence of experienced riders in the Open class.

    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 a progressive program for 2017. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships 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.

  • Harith Noah claims Round 3 honours with double win

    Harith Noah claims Round 3 honours with double win

    Coimbatore, 2 July 2018: The third round of MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship 2018 at Coimbatore on first July

    Team TVS Racing’s Harith Noah stood firm to post a double win in the foreign open class, the technically demanding track is 700 meters long that includes 10 jumps, a tabletop and whoops.

    The 25-year-old from Kerala, the championship leader, did not enjoy a good start in the opening race. He was lying third but accelerated hard to finish on top much to the delight of a huge holiday crowd. In the second, he was wiser and raced to commanding win.

    Championship runner-up Jinnan CD from Angata Racing finished in the second and third places respectively in Moto1 and Moto2

    While in SX 2, Yash Pawar from Nashik to win and Pramod Joshua from Bangalore and Saijith ES from 13 Racing second and third places respectively

    The local class and Novice class also generated much interest. Jagdeesh Kumar from Coimbatore entertained the local audience with breath-taking jumps and emerge the best local rider

    While S. Asaruddin and Vikram Sekhar both from Coimbatore placing second and third respectively in local class

    Sachin from Bangalore won the Novice class, with Imran Pasha from TVS Racing and Coimbatore’s Stephen Raj placing second and third respectively

    In private expert Moto1 Suhail Ahamed first and Amal Verghese second in Moto2 Jagdeesh Kumar first and Asaruddin second and both motos Karthikeyan third

    Due to the focus that MRF, FMSCI, and GODSPEED Racing have invested into the growth of this sport in India, there has been a surge in participation and spectatorship in this National event. This event was organized by GODSPEED Racing headed by veteran Shyam Kothari.

    The three remaining rounds of the championship will be held at Jaipur (September 9), Nashik (November 25) and Indore (December 2)

    Results

    Class 1-SX 1 Foreign Open

    1. Harith Noah (TVS Racing)
    2. C.D Jinan (Angata Racing)
    3. Sajith E.S (13 Racing)

    Class 2 Novice

    1. Sachin D (Bangalore)
    2. Imran Pasha (TVS Racing)
    3. Stephen Raj (Coimbatore)

    Class 4 Locals

    1. Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore)
    2. Asaruddin (Coimbatore)
    3. Vikram Sekhar (Coimbatore)

    Class 6 Private Indian Experts Moto 1

    1. Suhail Ahamed (Bangalore)
    2. Amal Verghese (Kerala)
    3. Karthikeyan (Coimbatore)

    Moto 2

    1. Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore)
    2. Asaruddin (Coimbatore)
    3. Karthikeyan (Coimbatore)

    Class 7 SX-2 Foreign Open

    1. Yash Pawar (Nashik)
    2. Pramod Joshua (Bangalore)
    3. Sajith E.S(13 Racing)

    Class 3 Junior SX 1

    1. Prajwal V (Bangalore)
    2. Yuvraj Konde Deshmukh (Ajmera Racing)
    3. Sarthak Chavan (Pune).

    Class 9 Junior SX 2

    1. Ikshan Shanbhag (Satara)
    2. Sarthak Chavan (Pune)
    3. Jinendra Sangave (Ichal Karanji)

    Note: Updated from Archives and manually migrated on 29 Sept. 2021

  • Triple for Ashwin Datta in MRF F1600; Arjun Balu dominates Touring Cars class

    Triple for Ashwin Datta in MRF F1600; Arjun Balu dominates Touring Cars class

    Ashwin Datta (No.7) in action on Sunday. Photo: Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 24 June 2018: For the second day running, young Ashwin Datta (MRF F1600) and veteran Arjun Balu (Indian Touring Cars) hogged the limelight with a triple and a double, respectively, as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Sunday.

    Datta, a 19-year old from Chennai and making his debut in the MRF F1600 class, finished the weekend by winning all the three races while Balu, 43, marked his return to racing after a five-year break by dominating the premier Indian Touring Cars class where he won both the races in imperious style.

    Ashwin Datta. Photo: Anand Philar

    In the morning, Datta, who had won the first race of the triple-header on Saturday, was off to a great start as he made three places in the very first lap before an incident brought out the Safety Car. On re-start, Datta wasted little time to ease past the front-runners and gradually opened up a commanding lead to emerge a creditable winner with Bengaluru teenager Yash Aradhya and Chennai’s Nabil Hussain following him over the finish line.

    Datta, in just his third full season of racing, having graduated from junior Formula competitions, sustained the momentum by winning the third MRF F1600 race in the afternoon, this time, from flag to lights despite two Safety Car interruptions.

    “The wins are unbelievable. I had good pace through the weekend. My progression in the past couple of seasons has been mainly due to my initial training at Meco Motorsports and later at Momentum Motorsports who nurtured me. Frankly, my target for the weekend was to finish in the top five, but am happy that everything came together,” said the 6ft, 2in tall Ashwin who dropped his weight from 94 Kgs to 72 Kgs in two months to get fit for the races.

    Earlier today, Datta, representing Momentum Motorsports, clinched his second podium in Formula LGB 1300 class races by finishing second behind Nabil Hussain (MSport) while Sohil Shah (MSport) came in third. Incidentally, the trio won a race apiece in this weekend’s triple-header.

    Arjun Balu on a charge. Photo: Anand Philar

    For Balu (Race Concepts), it was a memorable comeback this weekend. Watched by his family, he started the race from fourth on the reverse grid, but quickly moved to second as the pack braked into Turn-1. By the second lap, Balu had taken the lead when an incident brought the Safety Car out. On re-start, the former champion stepped up the pace, unaware of the hectic battle raging behind him. Ashish Ramaswamy (ARKA Motorsports), winner of two races in the first round in February but a non-finisher in yesterday’s first race, moved up from 11th to finish second ahead of veteran B Vijayakumar (Prime Racing).

    Later, Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) from Bengaluru came up with a brilliant performance while winning the Super Stock race after starting from 13th on the grid. He cut through the field with ease and then, after chasing front-runner Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) for a few laps, made his move to hit the front. Thereafter, it was a virtual one-horse race as Veeresh Prasad ran out winner by a fair distance ahead of Ravikumar and K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing).

    Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) from Mumbai and Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) took the honours in the Indian Junior Touring Cars and Esteem Cup categories, respectively, that were run concurrently with the Super Stock cars.

    Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite dominated the Volkswagen Ameo Cup double-header by achieving a double. Starting eighth on the reverse grid, he showed impressive pace in winning today’s second race from Affan Sadat Safwan Islam (Bangladesh) and Saurav Bandyopadhyay from Thane. The race was reduced from the scheduled 15 to 12 laps following incidents that led to a red flag after five laps and a Safety Car period on re-start.

    The results (Provisional, all 15 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF Formula 1600 (Race 2): 1. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (17mins, 20.586secs); 2. Yash Aradhya (Bengaluru) (17:23.803); 3. Nabil Hussain (Chennai) (17:24.995). Race 3: 1. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (20:00.619); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (20:03.107); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (20:04.163).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race 2): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (21:00.044); 2. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (21:06.030); 3. B Vijaya Kumar (21:09.814).

    Super Stock (Race 2): 1. Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) (19:00.180); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) (19:07.638); 3. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (19:18.869).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 2): 1. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) (20:08.939); 2. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (20:14.901); 3. Prabhu AS (ARKA Motorsports) (19:15.470). Esteem Cup (Race 2): 1. Raghul Ramasamy (Performance Racing) (19:33.803); 2. Vinod S (Team N1) (19:39.926).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race 3): 1. Nabil Hussain (MSport) (17:25.704); 2. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (17:32.692); 3. Sohil Shah (MSport) (17:32.936).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race 2, 12 laps): 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (16:05.547); 2. Affan Sadat Safwan Islam (Chittagong, Bangladesh) (16:10.334); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (16:10.930).

  • Winning comeback by Arjun Balu; Teenager Ashwin Datta catches the eye: Racing Nationals

    Winning comeback by Arjun Balu; Teenager Ashwin Datta catches the eye: Racing Nationals

    Multiple National Racing Champion Arjun Balu made a winning comeback after 5 years for Bengaluru based Race Concepts team at Coimbatore on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 23 June 2018: Teenager Ashwin Datta and Arjun Balu delivered standout victories in the MRF F1600 and Indian Touring Cars categories, respectively, to set alight the second round of the MRFMMSCfmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Saturday.

    Also notching wins were Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Super Stock class, Chris D’Souza (Unimek Racing) from Goa (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Erode’s Vinod S (Team N1) in the Esteem Cup. The trio emerged unscathed from an incident-filled race of combined 16-car grid that witnessed two Safety Car periods.

    The two Formula LGB 1300 races witnessed close competition with Sohil Shah (MSport) from Bengaluru winning the first outing after a hectic scrap with team-mate Nabil Hussain from Chennaiwhile Ashwin Datta took the second race that witnessed a couple of crashes, but drivers escaping unhurt. Datta, only 19, drove brilliantly after dropping from second to fourth and overtook three cars to jump to the front and eventually win the race.

    The 19-year old Ashwin Datta overtook three cars in one corner and went on win the MRF1300 race (in pic) after a facile win in the MRF1600 for a grand double on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar

    In sharp contrast, Ashwin Datta earlier enjoyed an untroubled ride to victory in the first of the three MRF F1600 races scheduled for the weekend. Having started from pole position, Datta drove a near-flawless race to win by the proverbial country mile. Behind him, RaghulRangasamy, hailing from the temple town of Mamallapuram, fought his way to second spot ahead of Chennai’s Nirmal Umashanker. The remaining two races will be run on Sunday.

    Meanwhile, Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite put in a command performance to win the Volkswagen Ameo Cup race, initially losing track position after starting from pole. Finishing second behind him were Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad), who led briefly, and Thane lad Saurav Bandyopadhyay.

    For 43-year old Balu from Coimbatore, it was a comfortable lights-to-flag victory. Starting from pole position, he gradually built up a sizeable lead with Ashish Ramaswamy (ARKA Motorsports) and veteran Vidyaprakash (Prime Racing) in tow. However, Ashish, winner of two races in the first round in February, retired after his engine expired and it allowed Vidyaprakash and team-mate B Vijayakumar, also from Coimbatore, to second and third positions which they maintained till the finish.

    “Everything went well in the race and my focus was to put in consistent laps without sacrificing my pace. I could see that after three laps, I had pulled a decent gap. More importantly, this victory is dedicated to my team Race Concepts who worked so hard in the past few days to prepare the car. We were a bit nervous after the last minute changes to the car to comply with the regulations. I always respected my competitors and so did not take anything for granted despite qualifying on pole position,” said Balu who began his motorsport career in 1992 as a racer before getting into rallying in 1995, followed by an odd appearance in racing competition.

    The results (Provisional, all 15 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F1600 (Race 1): 1. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (15mins, 52.195secs); 2. RaghulRangasamy (Mamallapuram) (15:59.749); 3. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (16:03.412).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race 1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (16:38.541); 2. D Vidya Prakash (Prime Racing) (16:46.128); 3. B Vijay Kumar (Prime Racing) (16:47.238).

    Super Stock (Race 1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (22:43.752); Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) (22:45.806); 3. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (22:48.777).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 1): 1. Chrys D’Souza (Unimek Racing) (22:54.799); 2. Prabhu AS (ARKA Motorsports) (22:57.507); 3. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (23:01.287).Esteem Cup (Race 1): 1. Vinod S (Team N1) (22:50.081). Only one finisher.

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race 1): 1. Sohil Shah (MSport) (19:20.665); 2. Nabil Hussain (MSport) (19:21.179); 3. A Balaprasath (DTS Racing) (19:22.636).Race 2:. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (17:32.137); 2. Rupesh Sivakumar (MSport) (17:51.678); 3. Nabil Hussain (MSport) (17:55.093).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race 1): 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kohlapur) (17:44.976); 2. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (17:49.205); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (17:54.758).

  • Packed, quality grids for second round at Coimbatore: MRF MMSC National Racing

    Packed, quality grids for second round at Coimbatore: MRF MMSC National Racing

    An INDIAinF1 file photo of a MRF F1600 car in action.

    Coimbatore, 21 June 2018: Packed and quality grids will feature the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship commencing at the Kari Motor Speedway here this weekend which will also witness the opening round of the Volkswagen Ameo Cup.

    As in the previous seasons, the MRF F1600 winner at the end of the championship comprising 12 races over four rounds, will earn the right to participate in the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States. The winner of the shootout will be eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000.

    The MRF Formula Ford 1600 will no doubt headline the programme. It boasts of a 14-strong line-up featuring established racers like Raghul Rangasamy, Kolkata’s Arya Singh, who last year won the Formula LGB 1300 championship, Karminder Singh, the 2017 VW Ameo Cup champion, Karting graduates Yash Aradhya and Nayan Chatterjee, besides Sandeep Kumar, the 2017 first runner-up.

    Chairman of the MMSC championship Vicky Chandhok said: “At this juncture, we must appreciate and acknowledge MRF’s long and committed association with motorsport in India, be it rallying or racing or motocross. It is thanks to MRF that we are able to run the racing championships, both cars and bikes, as they supply top quality tyres for all participants. Participation in motorsport has also helped MRF to develop World-class tyres as could be gauged from their success in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and now the World Rally Championship. Also, as title sponsors, MRF Tyres have helped Indian motorsport to grow and thrive.”

    The weekend card also includes the ever-popular saloon cars that will be competing in three categories – the premier Indian Touring Cars, the Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock besides the Esteem Cup – and the Formula LGB 1300 which, like MRF F1600, joins the National championship from this round.

    The ITC grid has been considerably strengthened as two Coimbatore veterans 54-year old Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan (ARKA Motor Sports) and Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), 43, both former champions, have thrown their hats in the ring. Leelakrishnan, who returned to racing after a gap of 17 years in 2011, sat out the 2017 season while Balu is staging a comeback after a lapse of five years.

    In the first round in February this year, Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy (ARKA Motor Sports) won two of the three races to tally 50 points and will be looking to consolidate, though the competition will be far stiffer this time.

    Volkswagen Motorsport India has finalised 19 new drivers who will take part in the 2018 Volkswagen Ameo Cup. All the VW Ameo cars will be fitted with MRF tyres. The list for the upcoming season includes two female drivers while Yash Ojha from Lucknow is the youngest on the grid at just 19 years. Like last year, there is one entry from Bangladesh who will lend the event an international flavour.

    The Ameo Cup champion will be decided over 10 races during the season and there will be two categories, Pro and Junior. At the end of the season, the winner of the Ameo Cup Pro class will get a sponsored drive in a higher category of racing, while the winner of the Junior category will be offered a sponsored drive in the next season of the Ameo Cup.

    As per the schedule, Friday has been set aside for practice sessions followed by qualifying and races the following two days.

    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.

  • Narasim Racing from Odisha makes its debut in National Championship at Coimbatore

    Narasim Racing from Odisha makes its debut in National Championship at Coimbatore

    Udipta Kumar in action at the Kari Motor Speedeway in Coimbatore on June 9. An INDIAinF1 image

    Coimbatore, 19 June 2018: Last weekend, a new team made its debut in the National Championship. Though the rider, Udipta Kumar is not new on the circuit, it is refreshing to see a new team from the State of Odisha, where racing is not very popular. Though there are a couple of clubs who have taken interest in rallying, not many have taken part from the State in the National racing championships.

    So Odisha’s first-ever professional motorcycle racing team named Narasim Racing, generated interest as it took part in the Nationals. A podium seemingly slipped out of an encouraging debut in Round 1 at Coimbatore on June 9. But the pioneering outfit from Odisha prepares stronger for Round 2 of Motorcycle Racing Nationals, and even targets Malaysia Racing Championship, stepping abroad in July.

    The only professional motorcycle racer from Odisha, Udipta Kumar along with Piyush Ranjan from Patna have come together to put the first-ever motorcycle racing team from Odisha on the national map. They become a member of the Federation of Motorsports Club of India under the banner “NARASIM RACING”.

    “Odisha has become a hub of sporting activity, spreading sports culture and hosting big tournaments in many a discipline. But being the only athlete in motorsports from my State, it gives me a great honour and immense pride to represent a race team licensed from Odisha. As any pioneer, we have just started the journey, more miles to go,” felt Udipta. “Together we can make it happen. It’s a big dream and a high goal to achieve but we are ready to fight equipped strongly in both sporting and technical areas,” said Piyush Ranjan. The team plans to race not only in the National championships but also set high goals like joining Malaysia championship this year itself.

    The team had its debut in Round 1 of National Motorcycle Racing Championship held at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore from June 8 to 10. The team had a great debut despite some teething troubles in technical issues, with its lead driver Udipta, showing great pace in the premier class Pro-Stock 301-400cc class. Though an unfortunate accident in front of him, saw him crash out of the race, it was a very positive outing for the team. Piyush too was affected by a fall under unfriendly wet weather conditions. Udipta Kumar was astride a prototype of KTM 390, and Prostock 165cc with Piyush Ranjan riding a YAMAHA R15.

    Then the team is set for Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship from July 27 to 29 at the reputed Sepang International Circuit, near Kuala Lumpur, where Udipta will be riding in Supersport 600cc category and Piyush taking part in Super 250 category.

    The team showed they are capable of quick times even as they punched above their weight being competitive with experienced teams who had multiple resources at their disposal. The team managed to rope in support from MadmonkeyMotomotives, a Chennai outfit who tunes their bikes and found technical sponsors in Team zoomers Racing and Sirius Motorsports. Pinky from Chandigarh will be the associates while EBW will be the individual sponsors of Udipta.

    After acclimatisation and getting used to the set-up with a 10th place in the Free Practice session, Udipta Kumar started the season qualifying 6th. A stunning start in Race 1, zooming past to lead the pack as the bunch went into the first corner. Wet track conditions saw riders go down like coins, but Udipta managed to hold to 3rd place despite the cat-fight and held on for half the race distance of 5 laps, looking good for a podium place.

    Then an unfortunate incident in front of him where Udipta had no control. The rider in front of him slipped and crashed and Udipta was caught with no time to take evasive action as he ran over the crest-fallen bike and his bike took a beating, putting him out of the race.”It was an unfortunate incident beyond my control. We showed some good pace which is encouraging. The unavoidable crash right in front of me was disappointing but we move on as it is a racing incident. That only makes us more determined for the upcoming round. We have good pace and a good bike,” the lanky Udipta quipped.

    Piyush Ranjan crashed in free practice session due to a shortfall in gear-lever while running  4th  fastest. The crash made him unable to attend any further activities as he nurtures a broken collarbone. He needs to settle without any points but with a confirmation of being able to fight well for the championship.”We are sorry for the crash which forced us to stay away from the round but the championship is still very open. We missed 2 races of Round 1, We missed 50 points for sure. But we have four more rounds and so 8 races to go with 200 points still up for grabs. And we are `quick’ in the debut session so with time, we can place ourselves well at the top.” Piyush concluded with a sigh talking about the Round 1 mishap.

    The team is now focused for Round 2 of National Championship which is scheduled at the Madras Motor Race Track, Chennai from July 6 to 8.

    Talking about the weekend, Kaushik, team manager, said: “We lost four clear podiums. Both the riders were fast enough to fight as their timings reveal. And we had better bikes than others. Often it is bad luck but we got a confirmation that we are fast enough to fight with the factory teams. Being everything new, it is always difficult to handle the situation, but we have faith in our squad. We are working really hard to get things done in a much better way for Round 2”.

    Narasim Racing team prepares their lead rider on the Starting Grid. Image by Mohanty

    The team seems to be high on motivation apart from being better in technical specifications. And it might have lost the podiums, or even a win or two, in Round 1 but they showed that they have the pace to fight at the top. And it will be coming very stronger in Round 2. With the Malaysia Championship in the offing, a confident team manager expects big news in Round 2 of the National Racing Championship and further on in the Malaysia Championship later this year.

     

    The Team is a joint-venture with the following details:

    Team owners and riders: Udipta Kumar, Piyush Ranjan.

    Team Manager: Kaushik Sriram (Chennai).

    Technical partner: Madmonkey Motomotives (Chennai).

    Electronic team: Sirius Motorsport (Chennai).

    Photographer: Lincoln Mohanty (Bhubaneswar).

    Business Administrator:  Srinish Nair (Chandigarh).

  • KY Ahamed, Anish Shetty bag a double: Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Round 1

    KY Ahamed, Anish Shetty bag a double: Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Round 1

    Anish Shetty (44) in action on Sunday, 10 June 2018. Photos by Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 10 June 2018: Chennai youngster KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) and Anish Damodar Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) from Hubballi, Karnataka, scored a double apiece in their respective classes on Sunday as the Rolon Round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here.

    Ahamed, the 20-year old who made his debut in this class in 2015, rode another fine race to notch his maiden double even as reigning National champion and team-mate Jagan Kumar, who had finished second in the first race of the double-header yesterday, crashed following a front tyre deflationon the 10th lap and limped home sixth despite clocking the fastest lap of the race.

    Finishing second behind Ahamed was team-mate Deepak Ravikumar as TVS Racing completed their second 1-2 finish of the weekend. Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar was a disappointing third after leading in the opening two laps before dropping down to third as Ahamed and Jagan overtook him. After Jagan crashed, Mathana had a moment with a backmarker and saw Ravikumar move past him in the closing stages of the 15-lap race.

    “I am very happy with the double. It was a tough race, but I managed to hang on to my first place, especially after Jagan crashed,” said Ahamed.

    KY Ahamed (No,.33) easing past Mathana Kumar (46) en route winning the Super Sport Indian (165cc) race on 10 June at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore.

    Emulating Ahamed was 23-year old Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty in the Pro-Stock 165cc class who had to work hard for his victory as through the 15 laps, he was hotly chased by Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) and Mithun Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing). The trio finished in that order after an entertaining battle.

    Sparks Racing had a profitable outing in the Novice (Stock 165cc) class as Aditya Rao and Karthik Mateti delivered the team a 1-2 finish from a 32-rider grid that was arrived at after two heats. Akshay Murali (Apex Racing) completed the podium.

    There was more cheer for Sparks Racing as Ann Jennifer won the National championship girls race ahead of Nivetha Kumar (First 1 Racing) and Czimkhy RV from Trivandrum. The girls did well to hold their never as the eight-lap race was run in spells of sharp showers.

    The results (Provisional):

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race 2,15 laps): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (18mins, 23.078secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (18:23.550); 3. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:24.464).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race 2,  15 laps): 1. Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:28.918); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) (19:29.420); 3. Mithun Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:31.426).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race 2, 15 laps): 1. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (18:22.762); 2. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (18:25.077); 3. Antony Peter (Vortex Racing) (18:39.130).

    Stock 165cc (Novice, 10 laps):1. Aditya Rao (Sparks Racing) (13:28.042); 2. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (13:28.457); 3. Akshay V Murali (Apex Racing Academy) (13:37.568).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 8 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (11:55.766); 2. Nivetha Kumar (First 1 Racing) (12:01.280); 3. Czimkhy RV (Pvt) (12:11.675).

    One-Make Championship: Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC – Race 2 (CBR 250, 15 laps): 1. Senthil Kumar (19:40.847); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (19:40.950); 3. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (19:41.128).

    TVS – Open (Apache RR 310 R2)10 laps: 1. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (13:16.475); 2. Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (13:20.907); 3. PedduSriharsha (Hyderabad) (13:21.068). Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (19:30.812); 2. S Sivanesan (Chennai) (19:40.844); 3. PedduSriharsha (Hyderabad) (19:47.759). Novice (Apache RTR 200) Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (14:10.019); 2. Anand R (Chennai) (14:25.680); 3. AS Alexander (Chennai) (14:32.877).

  • KY Ahamed fashions TVS 1-2 finish in Super Sport Indian 165cc class: Bike Nationals

    KY Ahamed fashions TVS 1-2 finish in Super Sport Indian 165cc class: Bike Nationals

    KY Ahamed, winner of Super Sport Indian 165cc class at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 09 June 2018: KY Ahamed rode a brilliant race to lead a TVS Racing 1-2 finish in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class in the Rolon Round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.

    Finishing behind Ahamed, who started the race from fourth on the grid, was team-mate and reigning National champion Jagan Kumar, and pole-sitter Mathana Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing in a race that was delayed by rain.

    Ahamed had a strong start as he slipped past Sarath Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) to third position. Stepping up the pace, he soon caught up with Jagan and Mathana, and overtook them by the end of the second lap. Once in the front, Ahamed did not look back despite his visor getting fogged and at times missing the braking points.

    “It was a tough race and I got to the front by the end of the second lap. However, as the race went on, my visor began fogging. I had difficulty in finding the braking points on the track, but somehow managed to hold it together,” said the 20-year old from Chennai.

    The race was re-started when Prabhu Arunagiri’s bike engine blew in the very first lap on the start-finish straight leading to a red flag and a “quick start”.

    Anthony Peter (No.58) on way to winning the 301-400cc race ahead of Peddu Sriharsha (No.46) on 9 June 2018. Photo by Anand Philar

    Earlier, local lad Antony Peter (Vortex Racing), a 22-year old automotive engineering student, won a tight race in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class that was red-flagged due to sharp showers and reduced to seven laps from the scheduled 10.

    Starting from fifth on the grid, Peter, who had finished fourth in the championship in this class last year, quickly moved up and tucked in behind leader Peddu Sriharsha (Sparks Racing) from Hyderabad before going to the front in the fourth lap. He then maintained his lead before the race was red-flagged for a creditable win.

    Bengaluru’s 42-year old techie Ananth Krishnan (Apex Racing Academy) completed the podium after surviving a few moments on the slippery track. With the showers continuing and a few riders crashing, the race was red-flagged.

    A heavy downpour early afternoon delayed the proceedings, but with the track quickly drying, the programme resumed.

    The results (Provisional):

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race 1, 7 laps): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (08mins, 49.787secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (08:50.122); 3. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (08:50.595).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race 1, 7 laps): 1. Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (09:20.975); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) (09:21.094); 3. S Sivanesan (TVS Racing) (09:26.011).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race 1, 7 laps): 1. Antony Peter (Vortex Racing) (09: 13.827); 2. Peddu Sriharsha (Sparks Racing) (09:14.288); 3. Ananth Krishnan (Apex Racing Academy) (09:24.533).

    One-Make Championship: Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC – Race 1 (CBR 250): 1. Senthil Kumar (Coimbatore) (13:14.654); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (13:14.782); 3. Jaden Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (13:25.373).

    TVS – Novice (Apache RTR 200, 10 laps): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (15:08.752); 2. Mohamed Shafin (Kerala) (15:31.452); 3. AS Alexander (Chennai) (15:45.814). Girls (Apache RTR 180, 8 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (12:09.398); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (12:10.661); 3. RV Czimkay (Trivandrum) (12:42.825).

  • Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing tops the time sheets in Practice session: Bike Nationals

    Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing tops the time sheets in Practice session: Bike Nationals

    Action from the Day 1 of the Rolon round of the MRF MMSC fmsci National Motorcycle Racing Championship at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on Friday. Photo: Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 08 June 2018: Reigning National champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing set the benchmark in the premier Super Sport Indian (165cc, Open) class by topping the time sheets in free practice session as the Rolon Round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commenced at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Friday.

    Jagan, who notched his sixth consecutive National title last year, displayed good form as he clocked a best of one minute, 12.686 seconds, ahead of TVS Racing team-mates Deepak Ravikumar (01:12.959) and KY Ahamed (01:13.449).

    Also among the quicker riders of the day was Prabhu Arunagiri of Team Alisha Abdullah who topped the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class practice session with a 01:12.698, while last year’s winner in this category Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing India) was the fourth (01:13.503) behind team-mate Satyanarayana Raju (01:12.923) and Faraz Shariff (01:13.468), a private entrant from Bengaluru.

    In the Pro-Stock (165cc) class, Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) was the quickest with a timing of 01:15.959), well ahead of Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing, 01:17.592) and Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing, 01:17.825).

    Meanwhile, in the girls championship (Stock 165cc), Ann Jennifer clocked 01:25.797 to top the practice session in this category while last year’s first runner-up Ryhana Bee was second fastest in 01:26.353 with Shruthi Nagarajan coming in third at 01:26.873.

    The results (Qualifying only):

    National Championship – Stock 165cc (Novice, Batch 1): 1. Akshay V Murali (Apex Racing) (01:21.050); 2. Ashfaq Ahamed (Team 24 Racing) (01:21.140); 3. A S Alexander (Sparks Racing) (01:21.179). Batch 2: 1. Aditya Rao (Sparks Racing) (01:19.674); 2. Varun Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (01:20.452); 3. M Nethaji (Pvt) (01:20.698).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Novice (Batch 1): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (01min, 22.796secs); 2. A S Alexander (Chennai) (01:24.616); 3. Suhail Ahamed (Chennai) (01:25.432). Batch 2: 1. Mohamed Shafin (Kerala) (01:25.075); 2. Kesavan S (Chennai) (01:25.405); 3. Suneeth SR (Bengaluru) (01:25.802).

  • 200 entries for Rolon round of MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

    200 entries for Rolon round of MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

    • Bike Nationals 2017 file photo by Anand Philar

      200 entries for National bike Championship opener

    • Kari Motor Speedway set to host Rolon Round
    • Good response for TVS, Honda One-Make Championships

    Coimbatore, 7 June 2018: The Rolon Round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018, commencing here at the Kari Motor Speedway on Friday, June 8, heralds a new season that promises plenty of top-drawer action amidst a few innovations designed to unearth fresh talent.

    The five-round National championship programme also includes One-Make Championships (OMC) for two of country’s leading two-wheeler manufacturers, TVS and Honda, both of whom have tweaked their respective events to make them more competitive and representative of pan-India talent.

    The National Championship comprises four categories – the top-end Super Sport Indian Open (165cc) which boasts of country’s top riders and dominated by TVS Racing and Honda Ten10 Racing teams, Pro-Stock 301-400cc, Pro-Stock 165cc and Stock 165cc (Novice and Girls).

    A big step forward this year is the decision by title sponsors MRF to provide slick tyres for bikes in Super Sport Indian (165cc) and Pro-Stock (301-400cc) classes from Round 2 to be held at the MMRT circuit in Chennai next month. The slicks which afford better grip than the conventional tyres, will see higher cornering speeds and consequently, improved timings.

    The growing popularity of two-wheeler racing is reflected in the fact that the organisers, Madras Motor Sports Club, have received close to 200 entries with a good mix of established and Novice riders.

    Last season, the Novice class that the MMSC has been actively promoting in a bid to rope in fresh talent, proved to be the most competitive and attracted riders in huge numbers, necessitating qualifying heats to identify the grid for the point-scoring race.

    Likewise, the “Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC” generated encouraging response from across the country to the initial selection process that eventually whittled the number to 36 riders who will this weekend compete for the 16 slots available for the points-scoring race in the Open class (CBR 250). The Novice (CBR 150) class for those under 21 years of age, will join the championship from the next round in Chennai in July.

    The TVS One-Make Championship 2018 organised by MMSC has competitions in three categories – Open (Apache RR 310), Novice (Apache RTR 200) and Girls (Apache RTR 180) – besides races for Media (Apache RTR 200). The Open class has a string of riders of proven ability like Deepak Ravikumar, Vivek Pillai, Arun Muthukrishnan, Abhishek Vasudev and Amarnath Menon, last year’s champion in the 300-400cc category. The 15-strong grid for Girls is headlined by Rehana Bee, Haridharani and Haritha R.

    The weekend card has a total of 14 races apart from practice and qualifying sessions, and heats in the Novice class.

    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 a progressive program for 2017. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships 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.