INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath wins Formula Junior Racing Series 2018

    Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath wins Formula Junior Racing Series 2018

    Action on Sunday. Photos courtesy Prasath

    Coimbatore, 21 May 2018: Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath set a scorching pace over the weekend to claim the Formula Junior Racing Series 2018 championship in his hometown late on Sunday evening.

    Bala, who was trailing in second place after Round 1 with 91 points, was in his elements in Round 2 at the Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday.

    He collected a handsome tally of 115 points, winning three races and finishing second in two to leapfrog over Round 1 leader Sohil Shah.

    Bangalore’s Sohil, who was sitting pretty with 120 points, had a disastrous weekend. He began with a DNF and could only manage third place in the next three races. He clinched the second place in the final round but by then the championship had slipped out of his hands. He could muster only 68 points to finish second, with an aggregate of 188 championship points.

    Chennai’s NirmalUmashankar had a very good weekend, winning two races and finishing second in two more. However, in the final race, he suffered a DNF that hurt his chances very badly. He amassed 92 points in Round 2 but his poor tally of 51 in Round 1 meant that he had to be content with the third position.

    The FJRS, organised by MECO Motorsports, was introduced in 2016 to provide a platform to drivers and riders coming out of the winter season to prepare for the National Championships. An FMSCI-approved event, it is open to anybody over 14 years old and holds a valid FMSCI National Racing license and has done at least one Academy/Training Programme.

    Provisional Results: FLGB 1300 category:

    Round: 1. Sohil Shah (120 points); 2. BalaPrasath (91); 3. Jason Huggins (80)

    Round 2:  1. BalaPrasath (115); 2. NirmalUmashankar (92); 3. Sohil Shah- 68)

    FLGB 1300 category Championship results: 1. BalaPrasath- (206); 2.Sohil Shah- (188); 3.NirmalUmashanker- (142)

    Stock upto 165cc Novice category, Race 1 results: 1. Mohamed Shafin- 10:52.562 secs; 2.AkshayVadottaMurali-  11:01.164 secs; 3. Alan- 11:13.726 secs

    Prostockupto 300cc category, Race 1 results: 1. Anthony Peter- 09:52.809 secs; 2. Nitish Kumar – 09:57.088 secs; 3. Kesavan S- 10:05.110 secs

    Prostockupto 400cc category, Race 1 results: 1. Anthony Peter- 10:02.641 secs; 2. Sachin Singh – 10:02.983 secs; 3. Asfak Ahmed- 10: 03.939 secs

    Stock upto 165cc Novice category, Race 2 results: 1. Mohamed Shafin- 11:25.489 secs; 2. Bharath B S- 11:39.592 secs; 3. Kritik Vasant Habib- 11:40.038secs

    Prostockupto 300cc category, Race 2 results: 1. Anthony Peter- 13:35.899 secs; 2. Nitish Kumar – 14:02.796 secs; 3. Mohamed Aarif – 14:16.407 secs

    Prostockupto 400cc category, Race 2 results: 1. Anthony Peter- 12:12.912 secs; 2.Sachin Singh – 12:13.132 secs; 3. Ananth Krishnan- 12: 19.576 secs.

    eom/db

     

  • Nataraj wins overall title in MRF Mogrip 2w INRC Rally of Baroda

    Baroda, 4 May 2018: Rajendra RE, Aishwarya and Syed Asif Ali of team TVS Racing win their respective classes in the Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheelers (INRC) here on Sunday.

    Blazing sun failed to douse their spirits as two-wheeler riders set the tone for the season opener with defending champion R Natraj of TVS racing winning the overall title in the Round 1 of the MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National rally championship 2 wheeler on Sunday.

    The Rally of Baroda saw as many as 55 riders taking the start at Jarod Village near Baroda over a course of 75 km. in four competitive stages of 50 kilometres.

    The Rally of Baroda which opened the 2018 season yet again proved that Team TVS Racing had no match with Natraj leading the charge on a powerful TVS RTR 450FX on which he logged 47 minutes 42 seconds to win Class 1.

    Natraj’s poor show in the second stage was due to problem in his disc-brake that resulted in him falling twice. Nonetheless he picked up his bike and continued running to complete the stage.

    “There was service after two stages and the problem was rectified by TVS mechanics which allowed me to ride better in the last two stages and win the rally,” said Natraj, who had won the opening round in Baroda last year too.

    “The win is always a morale booster and after this win I am ready for the challenge of the Round 2 scheduled next weekend in Indore,” said Natraj.

    “The rally went off smoothly and without any hiccups.  What more can I ask for as a promoter.” Said Shyam Kothari, Director of Godspeed Racing, the promoters of the 2-wheeler rally championship.

    “Besides more entries this year as compared to last year shows that this sport is spreading at the grassroot levels.  Moreover, the response from motorsports enthusiast was also enthralling,” said Kothari.

    “We had marked the course on rugged ground, which was quite testing while competing in temperatures hovering over 43 degrees Celsius,” said Amit Waghchoure of AW Events.

    Aishwarya wins  – riding her TVS RTR 2004V, Aishwarya Pissay won the Ladies class by a good one-minute beating Palakkad privateer Fazeela, who rode a Hero Impulse.  Local girl Gurmail Kaur finished third, also on Hero Impulse.

    The scooter class title went to champion TVS Racing rider Syed Asif Ali, who rode TVS Wego and clocked 59 minutes 55 seconds beating Aprillia Racing’s Pinkesh Thakkar (1:01:40), who rode Aprilia SR150.

  • Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif clinch MRF South India crown for their 30th INRC title

    Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif clinch MRF South India crown for their 30th INRC title

    Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif en route to winning their 30th INRC title since 2007. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 29 April 2018: One of the most enduring combinations, Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif picked up their 30th title in the Indian National Rally Championship since coming together in 2007 as the Mahindra Adventure pair won the MRF South India Rally, here on Sunday, sparing over two minutes to their team-mates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik.

    It was an untroubled ride to victory for 36-year old three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner Gill as he built on his overnight lead to emerge a worthy winner. “I didn’t really push today, but was still fast enough. I had no issues with my vehicle (XUV 500) today and of course, it is always a nice feeling when you win,” said Gill who now looks forward to doing a few rounds in the World Rally Championship-2 category later this year, backed by MRF Tyres.

    With Gill enjoying a sizeable overnight lead, Sunday was more about others down the field jockeying for positions. Ghosh, also in a XUV 500, drove fast and clean to take second position in the Overall standings, ahead of Karna Kadur (co-driver Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports in the Volkswagen Polo.

    Gill and Ghosh also topped the INRC-1 category while veteran Vicky Chandhok (co-driver Chandramouli), driving a factory-supported Volkswagen Polo R2, and returning to rallying after a gap of 18 years, completed the podium. Chandhok belied his 61 years by not only being competitive, but also withstanding the extreme heat and humidity that had competitors half his age gasping for breath.

    The INRC-2 category saw ARKA Motorsports completing a 1-2 finish with favourite Karna Kadur taking the top berth ahead of the veteran pair and of Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek Bhatt while Sumit Panjabi (Shahid Salman) in a Mitsubishi Cedia finished third.

    A fierce battle raged for the INRC-3 category honours through the day. Overnight leader Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival) met with misfortune in the day’s last Stage as his VW Polo stalled no fewer than five times and he slipped to second behind Vikram Rao (Somayya AG). Young and rookie Fabid Ahmer (Fayaz Arakkal) from Kerala displayed impressive pace and car control to come in third in the category.

    The top prize in the FMSCI 2-Wheel Drive Cup went to Adith KC (co-driver Suraj K).

    Unaudited Provisional classification:

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (1hr, 28mins, 43.1 secs); 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (01:30:39.6); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:30:59.4).

    INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Ghosh / Naik; 3. Vicky Chandhok / Chandramouli (VW Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (01:34:21.7)

    INRC-2: 1. Kadur / Pai; 2. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:32:45.6); 3. Sumit Punjabi / Shahid Salman (Pvt, Mitsubishi Cedia) (01:35:53.4).

    INRC-3: 1. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falkon Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:31:55.5); 2. Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:32:37.3); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Fayaz Arakkal (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:33:00.5).

    Support class: FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:33:28.7); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:36:29.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (01:41.17.5).

  • FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award

    FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award

    Chennai, 29 April 2018: Three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill of Mahindra Adventure team won the 40th South India Rally, the season opener of the Indian National Rally Championship, at Irungattukottai, about 40 km from here on Sunday to strengthen the Federation’s demand for an Arjuna Award.

    “Talent Personified,” was how former FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok, who brought F1 to India said about Gill on Friday. Talking to media, he had said that India needs a Hero in rallying and no one has come close. Gill is talent personified and definitely his going to the world stage will improve the profile of rallying in the country,” he added.

    FMSCI, the Indian Motorsports Federation has announced in a tweet that the name of Gaurav Gill was nominated for Aruna Award. This is the third time that the federation has nominated his name. Gill, if selected, would become the first Indian sportsman from Motorsports to get the coveted honour. However, Narain Karthikeyan was honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in 2010.

     

    nominates India’s Top rallyist Gaurav Gill, a three-time winner of the prestigious FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, for the Arjuna Award.

    Coming back to INRC, Gill was ably navigated by his long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, a veteran of 266 rallies till date. The five-time National champion clocked 1 hour, 28 minutes 43.1 seconds to take a massive lead of close to two minutes to the nearest rival and teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) who fought hard for the second place with 2016 champion Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai.

    “The first South India Rally was held in 1953. It was a TSD Rally from Madras to Pondy and back,” recollected Vicky Chandhok, who took a well-deserved podium as a senior citizen taking the third place in the INRC 1 class behind Gill and Ghosh. Chandhok clocked 1:34:31.7 in his Volkswagen Polo R2 factory-prepared car. Incidentally, his last rally in 2010 was the South India Rally, before he retired. `I kept in touch with driving and had 100 other things to do with motorsports,” Chandhok said.

    Vicky Chandhok tweeted soon after the rally saying:

    Podium in class & 8th overall on my return to the driver’s seat with after 18 years!! Congratulations to the very talented on winning the South India Rally. He first rallied when i last did in the year 2000!! YES!!!

     

  • Gaurav Gill tops time charts to take comfortable lead: INRC MRF South India Rally

    Gaurav Gill tops time charts to take comfortable lead: INRC MRF South India Rally

    Action, Gaurav Gill on a charge. Photos – Anand Philar

    Chennai, 28 April 2018: The legend of Gaurav Gill continued to grow following another superlative performance that put him firmly in control of the MRF South India Rally, the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship here today. At the end of Leg 1, Gill, piloting the XUV 500 for Mahindra Adventure, led the field by over a minute and with just five more Stages to be run tomorrow, victory for the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion is virtually assured.

    With his vehicle suffering from a locked hand-brake leading to overheating of the turbo and the engine, Gill, with Musa Sherif in the co-driver’s seat, still had enough in the tank to destroy the opposition.

    “We had an issue with the hand-brake during the first loop in the morning. The rear wheels got locked and the turbo temperature soared. So, we were down on power which is reflected in the Stage timings.

    “During service after the first run, we decided to do away with the handbrake. It meant I had to change my driving style. It was absolutely wild to drive this XUV without handbrake especially the Track Stage being very twisty. Anyway, I still managed to make plenty of time on others. Tomorrow, I will just cruise as the priority is to bring the car home safely,” said the 36-year old Delhi-based ace.

    Second overall after Leg 1 was Younus Ilyas (co-driver Harish KN) of Race Concepts, driving a Mitsubishi Cedia in the INRC 2 class.

    Younnus Ilyas

    He came up with an excellent drive to lead Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports, albeit by just 4.7 seconds to set up a thrilling battle on Sunday when the remaining five Stages will be run.

    Slotted in fourth place and 3.8 seconds behind Kadur was Mahindra Adventure’s Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik), also in the XUV 500 while young Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival), piloting the VW Polo (INRC 3) was placed fifth overall.

    Among the front-runners, Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Falcon Motorsports struggled with his VW Polo R2 after losing the third gear at the very first corner in the day’s first Stage, the SSS, and lost precious time to finish the day overall sixth.

    Veteran Vicky Chandhok (Chandramouli), also in a VW Polo R2, ended up overall 11th after starting the day by topping the time sheets in the Super Special Stage, some three seconds ahead of Gill! The nimble R2, running on slicks, had the advantage on the bulkier XUV 500, but that should not take anything away from Chandhok’s competitiveness.

    But as the day wore on, 61-year old Chandhok, returning to competitive rallying after a lapse of 18 years, dropped down the charts, but seemed pretty pleased with his performance.

    “The R2 is an excellent vehicle, but needs to be driven hard. I pushed a bit, but had to remind myself that I was not here to prove a point to anybody. Overall, it’s been a fun day,” said Chandhok.

    The extreme heat and humidity was among the topics of heated discussion in the garages and also those connected with the event. The weather conditions took a heavy toll on just about everyone and for sure, there will be no respite on the morrow!

    Provisional classification (Leg 1):

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (44mins, 35.0 secs); 2. Younus Ilyas / Harish Kumar (Race Concepts, Mitsubishi Cedia) (45:39.5); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (45:44.2).

    INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (45:48.0); 3. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (45:56.7).

    INRC-2: 1. Ilyas / Harish Kumar; 2. Kadur / Pai; 3. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:57.7).

    INRC-3: 1. Mascarenhas / Padival; 2. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:10.2); 3. Chetan Shivram / Rupesh Kholay (Team Akshara, VW Polo) (46:16.4).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (46:46.0); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (47:56.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (50:48.4).

    FMSCI 4WD Cup: 1. Nikhil J / Arjun Dheerendra (Pvt, Maruti Gypsy) (01:00:55.5).

     

     

  • Gaurav Gill odds-on favourite to win MRF South India Rally: INRC Round 1

    Gaurav Gill odds-on favourite to win MRF South India Rally: INRC Round 1

    Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif of Mahindra Adventure, all set to defend their Indian National Rally Championship crown. The 2018 INRC season commences in Chennai this weekend.  Photos: Anand Philar.​

    Chennai, 27 April 2018: Reigning champion Gaurav Gill, driving the Mahindra Adventure’s XUV 500, heads a 31-car field as the MRF South India Rally which kicks off the 2018 FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship season here this weekend.

    Organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, the event which commences with a ceremonial flag-off at the GRT Hotel here on Friday, will see the participants tackling 106.6 Kms of Special Stages over the following two days.

    The two physical Stages are located at the iconic MMRT racing circuit where a 10.15 Kms of dirt track has been specially prepared, and the 13.85 Kms AAVISA, about 24 Kms away from MMRT, off Chennai-Bengaluru National highway.

    Much of the attention will be on 36-year old Delhi-based Gill who will be making his entry into the World Rally Championship 2 category later this year, backed by MRF Tyres who had supported him through 10 seasons in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship that he won thrice.

    Ahead of the season-opener, there are plenty of expectations. For one, Gill is the overwhelming favourite to retain the National title with the seasoned Musa Sherif in the co-driver’s seat.

    The top-end INRC 1 class has six entries, besides Gill. His team-mate Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) will be in the second XUV 500 vehicle while the field also includes two Toyota Liva entries representing Team Thums, and Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Falcon Motorsports in a VW Polo R2.

    Creating a big buzz in the INRC circles is 61-year old Vicky Chandhok who is making a comeback of sorts after a gap of 18 years. He is partnered by the highly rated co-driver M Chandramouli. Former FMSCI president Chandhok who is also the president of the FIA APRC, will be driving a factory-supported VW Polo R2 in the INRC 1 class.

    “It feels great to get back into a rally car and drive it with anger. I hope to do well. The last rally I drove was in 2000 in the same event in a Mitsubishi Lancer. But the R2 is a whole lot different package, but fun to drive,” said Chandhok, looking far trimmer after a month’s absence from his favourite whisky! “I haven’t touched a drop in the past one month, but will enjoy my drink on Sunday after the rally,” he added.

    The competition in the INRC 2 and INRC 3 classes appears wide open. Both categories showcase a lot of experience and youth besides talent. Rahul Kanthraj and his co-driver Vivek Bhatt (Arka Motorsports) head the INRC 2 field and will be seeking a winning start in their bid to retain the crown in this class. The duo will be starting their 19th season together and form one of the most enduring partnerships in the National championship.

    Kanthraj will have to keep a sharp eye on his talented team-mate Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) who is among the most talented rally drivers in the country, but has never quite been able to match his potential. For the South India Rally, Kadur’s big issue is his brand new VW Polo whose engine is still to be run-in, and as such, face overheating problem that cropped during the test session yesterday. So, Kadur will have his fingers crossed.

    In INRC 3, young Mangalorean Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Shrupta Padiwal in Falcon Motorsports livery are the odds-on favourites, having won the championship in this class last year. However, they can expect stiff competition from rookie Fabid Arakkal (co-driver Fayaz Arakkal) from Kerala who is being spoken of highly by the connoisseurs.

    Also in INRC 3 is the experienced Bengaluru pair of Chetan Shivram and co-driver Rupesh Kholay who have moved up a class after winning the 2-Wheel Drive Cup last season.

    `Champions’ from Coorg raring to go!

    Meanwhile, a new team called “Team Champions”, hailing from Kodagu district in Karnataka, will be making a debut in the INRC with a two-car entry in the INRC 3 class.

    The two non-championship categories, 2-Wheel Drive Cup and 4-Wheel Drive Cup, complete the grid with the former having seven entries and the latter, just one, a Maruti Gypsy, driven by Nikhil J, which a few years ago was phased out from the championship.

    After this morning’s recce run, the competitors were unanimous in their praise of both the two Special Stages which are likely to see very high speeds. A few jumps over crests will no doubt add spice to the proceedings. The AAVISA Special Stage was said to be quite fast despite the many tight corners. The track stage which was specially prepared for this event and which will serve as a training / practice circuit, should see plenty more action with several high-speed jumps that should be a photographer’s delight. Overall, MMSC have put in a lot of effort to provide excellent Stages that in more ways one are “driver’s delight”.

     

     

  • Norris breezes to maiden victory in Bahrain feature race; Arjun Maini 15th

    Sakhir (Bahrain), April 7: Lando Norris secured his first FIA Formula 2 Championship victory in the Feature Race here on Saturday.
    Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident team could finish only in the 15th place after he started on P14.
    Norris mastered the hot and windy conditions to win with a 8.3s advantage over Carlin teammate Sergio Sette Camara, who held onto second place after a thrilling battle in the final stages of the race with Russian Time’s Artem Markelov, the latter producing a spectacular recovery drive to secure the final podium position.
    With the majority of the field, save from the Trident team, opting to start on the medium-compound tyres, degradation was a hotly anticipated factor in the race. An aborted start was called at the beginning, as Markelov and MP Motorsport’s Roberto Merhi stalled on the grid and prompted a second formation lap; the Russian then took to the pits to restart from the back of the field while the Spanish driver retired from mechanical failure.
    At the second time of asking, Norris made a fantastic start to streak clear of the rest of the field, while Sette Camara took advantage of a slow start from George Russell to catapult himself into second. Russell, starting from the front row, also lost ground to a fast-starting Nyck de Vries and Nirei Fukuzumi, resulting in a scintillating scrap among them in the early stages of the race.
    De Vries soon put a move on Sette Camara to grab second, allowing Norris to scamper off into the distance at the rate of a second per lap. Further behind, Alexander Albon surged past Russell and subsequently did battle with De Vries and Sette Camara, the latter of whom ultimately won out for second as the Dutchman began to drop back.
    Seemingly unflappable in the lead, Norris had the luxury of not needing to react to the others once they’d begun to make their stops. Louis Delétraz opened proceedings among the top ten on lap 14, with Russell blinking a lap later – staying ahead of the Swiss driver. Sette Camara and Albon came in together later on and dropped behind Russell as they rejoined the track.
    Meanwhile, Markelov was charging forward, having dispatched the majority of the field with a flurry of well-timed passes into Turn 1, and continued to carve through the pack after his own stop on lap 16. Norris switched to the soft compound two laps later, continuing with the lead on his return to the track as the pair of Sette Camara and Albon returned to second and third after clearing Russell.
    Markelov also passed the British driver, with third-placed Albon next on his radar. Once more, the Russian used his DRS to blitz past at the first corner and, although the Thai driver fought back across the next few corners, the Renault development driver held firm to secure third.
    In the final five laps, Norris started to lose fractions of his 10 second lead to his teammate, who was simultaneously under attack from Markelov. The Brazilian was inch-perfect in his defence of second when Markelov approached, orchestrating an excellent switch back manoeuvre at the start of the final lap to hold second.
    Norris took the chequered flag after a seemingly untouchable performance, walking away with an impressive 31 points with pole, win and fastest lap. Sette Camara and Markelov’s battle for second delighted the crowd up to the line ahead of Albon.
    Russell kept fifth having lost ground to the front four, as Nyck De Vries completed the top six having fallen out of contention in the midway stages. Sean Gelael converted an early pitstop into seventh place from P19 on the grid, as Maximilian Günther, Jack Aitken and Ralph Boschung all battled hard to end the race in the top ten.
    Günther begins tomorrow’s Sprint Race from reverse-grid pole, and will start alongside Gelael as Norris will seek to win the second race of the weekend from eighth.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Round 1 Feature Race Provisional Classification
    Driver
    Team
    1
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    2
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    3
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    4
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    5
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    6
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    7
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    8
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    9
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    10
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    11
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    12
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    13
    Louis Deletraz
    Charouz Racing System
    14
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    15
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    16
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    17
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    18
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    19
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    —
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
  • Norris grabs maiden pole; 2nd sector time costs Arjun as he slips to P14: F2 qualifying

    Norris grabs maiden pole; 2nd sector time costs Arjun as he slips to P14: F2 qualifying

    Lando Norris takes F2 pole at Sakhir, a support race on F1 week-end, on Friday. An FIA image

    Sakhir (Bahrain), 6 April 2018: Lando Norris took pole position in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship qualifying session at Sakhir, Bahrain in an enthralling battle for the first berth on the grid, setting a 1:41.761 to go fastest. The McLaren F1 reserve driver will be joined on the front row in tomorrow’s feature race by countryman George Russell of ART Grand Prix, as DAMS’ Alexander Albon will start from third place.

    The green flag was eagerly awaited by a queue of cars all lined up to hit the track, with Trident’s Santino Ferrucci first onto the circuit – closely followed by teammate Arjun Maini and Russian Time’s Artem Markelov, who quickly disposed of his medium-compound tyres after an exploratory lap to fall in line with everyone else on softs.
    Ferrucci set the opening laptime before BWT Arden’s Maximilian Günther dipped below the two-minute mark. The bar quickly began to rise, and Sergio Sette Camara (Carlin) was the first in the right ballpark with a lap in the 1m42s. Russell quickly dispatched the Brazilian to go into the midpoint of the session ahead, standing on top of the pile with half-a-tenth’s advantage.
    The field then pulled into the pits for the second round of running, bolting on fresh sets of soft tyres before looking to overhaul Russell’s benchmark. Maini looked threatening, but a moment in the second sector put paid to the Indian driver’s chances of snatching the headline time. Instead, Russell chiselled half a second out of his timesheet-topping lap, setting the latter two sectors purple en route.
    Albon got closest to Russell, fractions slower than the British driver’s time, before Norris snatched pole by under a tenth of a second despite going wide at the final sector. Russell and Albon could not find any more time to stop Carlin from claiming their first F2 pole, while Nyck de Vries popped up into fourth late on with the fastest final sector.
    Louis Delétraz gave Charouz Racing System a strong debut in the championship with fifth, narrowly clearing Sette Camara. Nirei Fukuzumi (Arden) and Tadasuke Makino (RUSSIAN TIME) will create an all-Japanese fourth row intomorrow’s race, as Jack Aitken (ART) and Günther completed the top ten.
    With the margins slim in the qualifying session, tomorrow’s feature race promises to deliver an exciting season opener. Warm afternoon conditions should provide something of an extra challenge, as each driver seeks to open their 2018 accounts with victory.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Round 1 Qualifying Session
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:41.761
    10
    2
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:41.823
    10
    3
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:41.850
    10
    4
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:41.880
    11
    5
    Louis Deletraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:42.174
    9
    6
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:42.221
    11
    7
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:42.246
    10
    8
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:42.264
    10
    9
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:42.282
    11
    10
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    1:42.336
    9
    11
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:42.342
    11
    12
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:42.414
    9
    13
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    1:42.423
    11
    14
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:42.437
    9
    15
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:42.447
    10
    16
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    1:42.460
    10
    17
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:42.816
    11
    18
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    1:42.818
    11
    19
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:43.016
    8
    20
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:43.350
    9
  • Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident tops first session to beat Carlin duo

    Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident tops first session to beat Carlin duo

    Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident tops 1st session at Bahrain on Friday. An FIA image.

    Sakhir (Bahrain), 6 April 2018: Arjun Maini drew first blood in the first 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship practice session at Sakhir, Bahrain, setting a 1:44.459 midway through the session to beat the Carlin duo of Lando Norris and Sergio Sette Camara to the quickest lap.

    Warm and breezy conditions greeted the drivers on their first free practice session of the 2018 season, and most drivers needed to set installation laps in the opening five minutes of running to acclimatise. ART Grand Prix’s George Russell led an early flurry of activity out of the pits, while the first timed lap was courtesy of BWT Arden’s Maximilian Günther, which was given short shrift by teammate Nirei Fukuzumi.

    Alexander Albon of DAMS was the first to wind the times below the two-minute mark before Fukuzumi briefly re-emerged on top of the standings to bring the laps below the 1m50 mark. Albon then took almost five seconds out of the Arden driver’s lap, leading the way after the first 20 minutes.

    The Carlin duo then struck, as Sette Camara pipped the Thai driver before Norris went quicker than his teammate by just 0.05s. Both were then put in the shade by Maini, who had languished at the bottom of the timesheets during the first half of the session. Setting the quickest first sector, the Haas F1 protégé grasped the first position by half a tenth, which he would not relinquish for the remainder of the session.

    The final five minutes were punctuated with a brief Virtual Safety Car test, allowing all teams to trial the new VSC functionality with the new car. Although the green flag returned for the final stages, nobody was able to improve on their lap times. Behind the top three, Albon stayed ahead of Russell for fourth, while Artem Markelov (RUSSIAN TIME) was the last of the drivers within the 1m44s.

    Roberto Merhi (MP Motorsport) was seventh, ahead of Günther and Antonio Fuoco (Charouz Racing System), as Sean Gelael of PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing completed the top 10.

    With the top 16 drivers all within a second, this evening’s qualifying promises to be incredibly close fought, especially with cooler conditions and option tyre running to contend with.

    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Round 1 Free Practice Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:44.549
    12
    2
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:44.600
    14
    3
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:44.613
    11
    4
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:44.769
    15
    5
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:44.812
    13
    6
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:44.861
    10
    7
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    1:45.005
    13
    8
    Maximilian Günther
    BWT Arden
    1:45.010
    16
    9
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:45.080
    15
    10
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:45.214
    13
    11
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:45.268
    14
    12
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:45.291
    16
    13
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:45.329
    12
    14
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:45.331
    14
    15
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:45.344
    14
    16
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    1:45.419
    14
    17
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    1:45.564
    13
    18
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:45.849
    16
    19
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:45.958
    14
    20
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:46.407
    15

     

  • Armaan Ebrahim’s MSPORT team for F3 Asian Championship certified by FIA

    Armaan Ebrahim’s MSPORT team for F3 Asian Championship certified by FIA

    Photo: F3 Asian Championship

    Bengaluru, April 6: An Indian team, MSPORT, headed by one of country’s finest racing talents, Armaan Ebrahim and partnered by well-known race engineer Patrick Roberts, will be participating in the newly-launched F3 Asian Championship certified by FIA. The five-round, 15-race championship, the brain-child of Shanghai-based company, Top Speed, will be only the second ‘Regional F3’ in the World with the F3 Americas Championship which was launched last year.

    Ten teams, including MSPORT, which is the arm of Meco Motorsport, have already registered for the championship which is set to commence in Malaysia during the July 13-15 weekend. In all, 24 cars are expected to be on the start grid.

    Armaan, who had participated in Formula 2 and FIA GT series, said: “MSport will have a two-driver line-up which we will announce in due course. It is an exciting venture and we are hopeful of putting up a good show in the new championship.”

    With countless victories both at home and across Asia, MSPORT is made up of a strong team of experienced professionals, and, as part of the Meco Group, it also provides a wide range of driver development services.

    The team line-up for the Championship also includes China’s Absolute Racing, Black Arts Racing (BAR) and Zen Motorsport; Eurasia from Hong Kong, Super License from Japan and Pinnacle Motorsport from the Philippines.

    Italy-based SVC Asia and UK’s Hitech GP are the two European teams to have confirmed for the championship, along with Los Angeles-based Chase Own Racing.

    Davide De Gobbi, General Manager, Top Speed, said: “We are thrilled to announce such a strong line-up of 10 professional and experienced teams for the F3 Asian Championship certified by FIA. Never before has an Asia-based single-seater championship been given such a ringing endorsement by some of sport’s most respected teams.”

    The provisional calendar:

    July 9-10: Official test, Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia; July 13-15: Round 1, Sepang; Aug 31-Sept 2: Round 2, Ningbo International Speedway, China; Sept 21-23: Round 3, Shanghai International Circuit, China; Oct 12-14: Round 4, Ningbo International Speedway, China; Nov 23-25: Round 5, Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia.