INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Arjun grabs pole position: FMSCI Racing Nationals

    Arjun grabs pole position: FMSCI Racing Nationals

    • Arya Singh (No.12) on way to winning the Student Cup race at MMRT, Irungattukottai,
      near Chennai on 21 July 2017. An MMSC image

      Anindith Reddy quickest in MRF FF1600 practice sessions

    • Kolkata schoolboy Arya Singh annexes Student Cup
    • Top honours for Parmar, Pithawalla, Anekar 

    Chennai, 21 July 2017: Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy warmed up nicely for this weekend’s races by emerging the quickest in both the free practice sessions of the MRF FF1600 while Arya Singh, a 16-year old schoolboy from Kolkata, clinched the Student Cup (Formula 1300) with two wins and a podium finish in the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Friday.

    South African Devin Robertson, a guest driver, qualified for pole position in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup, a clear second off joint championship leaders Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) and Karminder Singh (Delhi), while defending champion Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Performance) from Coimbatore topped the qualifying session in the premier Indian Touring Cars class.

    In the day’s last event that was run on a combined grid, Mumbai’s Kamlesh Parmar (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Anant Pithawalla (Esteem Cup), both of Team N1, and Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Super Stock) of Race Concepts won in their respective categories.

    Championship leader in the MRF FF1600 class, Reddy, 27, was clearly ahead of the pack as he put in a series of consistently quick laps in the two free practice sessions, but expected a tough fight in the double-header this weekend.

    “I had a really good run in the morning when the track conditions were excellent. In the afternoon, the track was quite hot and I was off the morning pace. Anyway, we still have the qualifying tomorrow and two races. There is not much difference between the top three and it will boil down to who strings together a few good laps,” said Anindith.

    The winner of the MRF FF1600 championship earns a berth in the Road To Indy shootout in the United States, provided the qualifier is under 25 years of age. “I guess, I will not be eligible for the shootout even if I win the championship,” Anindith pointed out.

    The day undoubtedly belonged to 16-year old Arya Singh, a 11th standard Commerce student of Heritage School, Kolkata. After finishing third in the first of the three races in the Student Cup class (Formula 1300), Arya, in just his second full season, put in impressive drives to win the next two of the triple-header.

    “My intention was to have fun and drive fast. I am happy that I managed to win two of the three races. In the first race, I made a mistake at Turn-3 when in the lead and had to settle for second spot, but in the next outing, I had a good start and won comfortably.

    “The third race was most exciting as I had a good battle with Rithvik after I lost position due to a mistake again at Turn-3. In the end, I managed to pass him going into Turn-1 on the last lap and held the lead,” said Arya who idolises former World F1 champion Fernando Alonso.

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

    Indian Junior Touring Cars – Race 1: 1. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (19mins, 52.565secs); 2. Prabhu AS (Red Rooster Performance) (19:57.069); 3. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) (20:14.408).

    Super Stock – Race 1: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (19:18.592); 2. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (19:31.053); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Quickshift Racing) (19:37.032).

    Esteem Cup – Race 1: 1. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) (19:15.634); 2. Charan Chandran (Red Rooster Performance) (19:15.817); 3. Sudanand Rajan (Red Rooster Performance) (19:22.041).

    Student Cup – Race 1 (7 laps): 1. Aanjan Patodia (Pune, Momentum Motorsports) (08: 16.251); 2. Arya Singh (Kolkata, DTS Racing) (08:16.362); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Bengaluru, Wallace Sports) (08:17.064). Race 2: 1. Arya Singh (09:11.388); 2. Aanjan Patodia (09:21.109); 3. Rithvik Thomas (09:22.361). Race 3: 1. Arya Singh (09:25.868); 2. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) (09:27.129); 3. Rithvik Thomas (09:28.836).

    QUALIFYING – Indian Touring Cars: 1. Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Racing) (01:54.365); 2. Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts) (01:55.023); 3. C Rajaram (Performance Racing) (01:57.724).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup: 1. Devin Robertson (South Africa) (01:54.150); 2. A Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (01:55.252); 3. Karminder Singh (Delhi) (01:55.268).

    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 2016. 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.

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • MRF Formula 1600 to blaze MMRT track; Race to Indy shootout to resumes

    Chennai, July 19: The battle for Road To Indy shootout resumes at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here, on Friday after a five-month break when the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship gets underway with MRF F1600 headlining the programme comprising 14 races.

    The MRF F1600 is one of the most competitive events as a ticket to the coveted Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States is on offer for the champion driver at the end of the season. The winner of the shootout is eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000.

    Last year, Karthik Tharani took part in the shootout contested by 21 drivers from across the World, but was not among the top six who qualified for the final 30-minute race.

    The two rounds of the MRF F1600 so far this year have witnessed extremely close competition for top honours. Anindith Reddy from Hyderabad heads the championship with 93 points.

    The weekend’s schedule includes the Volkswagen Ameo Cup which replaced last season’s Vento Cup. The double-header in the one-make series dished out exciting fare last weekend in Coimbatore with Karminder Singh (Delhi) and Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) winning one race apiece.

    The first round of the 2017 MMSC fmsi National Drag Racing Championship for four-wheelers is also in the programme with practice runs on Saturday followed by the final sprints on Sunday.

    For the first time this season, the saloon cars in the top-end Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars and Super Stock will come on the same card along with the entry-level Formula LGB 1300 which also has a Rookie class that provides an option for youngsters moving up from karting to open-wheel racing.

    MMSC’s continuing efforts to attract fresh and young talent, especially among students has led to the introduction of a Student Cup where the competitors will drive the Formula LGB 1300 cars.

    As the name suggests, the category is open to college students.

    “I am happy to say that the Student Cup has attracted good number of entries and it is our hope that this category will throw up talent among youngsters who will get a taste of open-wheel racing,” said Vicky Chandhok, Chairman of the Meet.

    The three races in the premier Indian Touring Cars class will be the other highlight of the weekend. The previous outing in Coimbatore witnessed exciting duels between Red Rooster Performance and Race Concepts, the two front-running teams.

    There is much to look forward to as defending champion Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Performance) seeks to stamp his authority following his winless weekend in Coimbatore where Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts) won two of the three races. Narednran’s team-mate Ashish Ramaswamy topped the other.

    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 2016. 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.

    eom/MMSC press release

  • Rabindra, Ghorpade, Rajiv shine in National Karting Championship

    Rabindra, Ghorpade, Rajiv shine in National Karting Championship

    Hyderabad, 17 July 2017: Aaroh Rabindraand of Mumbai and Bengaluru school student Chirag Ghorpade caught the limelight along with Arjun Rajivin the second round of the FMSCI National Rotax Karting Championship, here on Monday.

    All three fought back from P2 or P3 to emerge victorious in their respective final races in what proved to be an action-packed and closely fought weekend.
    In the Senior Max, Manav Sharma of Faridabad (BPC Racing) dominated the qualifiers and pre-finals but couldn’t hold on to his advantage in the day’s marquee race.
    He was pipped to the post by Aaroh Rabindra (Rayo Racing), who started from P2 but still managed a handsome 3.586-second margin victory in the 20-lap race.
    The Junior Max final was won by Chirag Ghorpade (BPC) in a gripping race but young Tijil Rao almost grabbed all the attention in this category.
    Tijil took part in the races despite being born with club feet, which means he was born with both his legs turned inwards. He underwent four corrective surgeries but his deformity is yet to be completely corrected.
    Yash Aradhya and Shahan Ali Mohsin (both of MSport) and Chirag were engaged in a nail-biting tussle. Sai Satish began on pole but he was quickly overtaken by Arjun Syam.
    After a few laps, Chirag passed him and held on to the lead until the 15th lap; at that stage, Aradhya overtook him but on the final lap he made a crucial mistake, allowing Aradhya to reclaim the lead.
    In the Micro Max, all the podium places were claimed by Bengaluru lads. Arjun Rajiv got the better of Ruhaan Alva, who began on pole,
    Results: Senior Max: 1. Aaroh Ravindra (Rayo Racing); Aanjan Patodia (Rayo); Manav Sharma (BPC)
    Junior Max: 1. Chirag Ghorpade (BPC Racing); 2. Yash Aradhya (MSport); Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport)
    Micro Max: 1. Arjun Rajiv (Peregrine Racing); 2. Ruhaan Alva (Birel Art); 3. MR Rishon (Birel Art).

  • Double delight for Rajiv, Amarnath: Bike Nationals

    Double delight for Rajiv, Amarnath: Bike Nationals

    Amarnath Menon after winning a double in Chennai on Sunday. Image by Anand Philar.

    Chennai, 9 July 2017: Riders from Honda Ten10 Racing team put in dominant performances as Rajiv S


    Mithun Kumar, winner of the Pro-Stock race on Sunday 9Jul2017 Image by Anand Philar

    ethu and Mithun Kumar hogged the limelight even as another youngster Amarnath Menon of Gusto Racing achieved a grand double in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.

    While 18-year old Sethu, in scoring a double, led a 1-2 finish for Honda Ten10 Racing in the premier Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) class with Mathana Kumar finishing second, the team, spearheaded by Mithun Kumar, swept all three podium spots in the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) category.

    Equally impressive was 21-year old Amarnath Menon from Kozhikode who extended his domination in the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) class to repeat his performance of the first round at Coimbatore last month. Menon, thus, has won all four races in his class.

    Peddu Sri Harsha (Sparks Racing) survived an incident-filled Stock (up to 165cc) race that boasted a grid of 39 riders and red-flagged after two laps following a series of crashes before re-starting to complete the scheduled five laps.

    Much of the focus today was on the Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) and the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) classes which were run on a combined grid. Like in the first outing on Saturday, Sethu rode a well-judged race. Starting from pole, Sethu yielded ground to reigning champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) who made a daring pass on the left-hander in the Bridge Complex only to crash out at Turn-4.

    Jagan’s exit came a lap after his team-mate KY Ahamed who was shadowing Sethu had crashed. It gave Sethu a clean run up front and he opened up a gap. for a comfortable win ahead of team-mate Mathana Kumar while Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) finished third.

    “I had a tough fight with Jagan initially and after he passed me at the Bridge Complex, I decided to bide my time before trying to regain the lead. But he crashed soon after and I broke free to win,” said Sethu who through meditation has learnt to reign in his aggression and impatience.

    Mithun Kumar more than compensated for a horrendous first race where he finished sixth after starting last on the grid due to an errant bike, by destroying the Pro-Stock field for his third win in four races. His team-mates Anish D Shetty and Aravind Balakrishnan, winner of the first race yesterday, came in second and third, respectively.

    “I was very disappointed yesterday when my bike had some electrical issues. Today, I started from pole and managed to open up a big lead. In the latter half of the race, I decided to play safe and just cruised,” said 23-year old Mithun who had won both the races in the first round.

    The results (Provisional): Super Sport Indian (165cc, 9 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18 mins:11.528 secs); 2. Mathana Kumar S (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:15.594); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) (18:16.178).

    Super Sport Indian (300-400cc, 10 laps): 1. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (11:54.706); 2. Deepak Ravi Kumar (MotoRev) (11: 54.865); 3. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) (11:55.134).

    Pro-Stock (165cc, 9 laps): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:55.557); 2. Anish D Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:06.148); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:06.610).

    Stock (Novice, 165cc, 6 laps):1. Peddu Sri Harsha (Sparks Racing) (11:23.303); 2. Vysakh Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (11:25.804); 3.Anup Kumar M (RACR) (11:28.032).

    One-Make Championship – Honda CBR250 Open (Race 1, 6 laps): 1. Hari Krishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:35.539); 2. Arvind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:36.307); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:40.917). Race 2 (9 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (2:02.550); 2. Anish D Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:59.675); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:00.290).

    Honda CBR150 (Novice, 6 laps): 1. Satyanarayana (Hyderabad) (13:28.437); 2. Amala Jerald A (Chennai) (13:28.861); 3. Vysakh Sobhan (Kerala) (13:29.072).

    TVS Apache RTR 200 (Open, 6 laps): 1. Prabhu V (Chennai) (08:56.086); 2. Sivanesan S (Chennai) (08:56.781); 3. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (08:57.054). Novice (6 laps): 1. Peddu Sri Harsha (Hyderabad) (13:22.472); 2. Shankar Guru A (Chennai) (13:25.083); 3. Romario J (Chennai) (13: 40.846).

    eom/MMSC press release

  • Russell flies to maiden win in Austria; Maini 10th

    George Russell, Jack Aitken, Nirei Fukuzumi, ART Grand Prix, Red Bull Ring 8jul2017 Photo courtesy GP 3 Series

    George Russell has claimed his first GP3 Series win with a fine drive from pole position in this afternoon’s Race 1 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria: the Briton squeezed past fellow front row starter Jack Aitken when the lights went out to lead the grid into turn one, and held position all the way to the flag to head Aitken, Nirei Fukuzumi and Anthoine Hubert for an ART Grand Prix 1-2-3-4.

    The race opened to muggy but dry conditions, but it was of no concern to poleman Russell: at the start Aitken had a slightly better reaction but Russell had the better line, slightly squeezing his teammate to shut down any attack into turn one before heading off into the distance. Behind them Dorian Boccolacci had a poor start and fell back, opening a line up the inside into turn 2: Hubert filled it but bounced off the kerbs into Leonardo Pulcini who hit Arden teammate Steijn Schothorst, prompting a VSC period to remove the Italian’s car.
    Quick work by the marshals saw the race run live before the end of the lap, and Russell controlled the restart well ahead of teammates Aitken and Hubert, with Giuliano Alesi leading Dorian Boccolacci, who dropped back at the start from P3, Ryan Tveter, Fukuzumi, Schothorst and Alessio Lorandi, who was soon promoted when Schothorst too had to stop by the side of the track due to a damaged car.
    Hubert was handed a 10 second time penalty for causing a collision but ran at the same pace as his teammates, who were pulling away from the rest of the field from the front. There were time penalties for Tatiana Calderon and Bruno Baptista too, with the DAMS pair picking up 5 seconds each for overtaking under yellow flags during a collision between Julien Falchero (who also received a 10s penalty) and Niko Kari at the start of the race at turn 1, but who were running P10 and 11 as they looked to climb up the order.
    Fukuzumi and Tveter found a way past Alesi early in the race, but at temperatures rose the time gaps throughout the field held still as everyone looked to preserve their tyres to the end of a long race. And it was only at the end that anyone looked for a little more than they had: Boccolacci tried to get by Alesi but ran wide and lost a number of places, promoting Lorandi and Raoul Hyman on the penultimate lap.
    And when the chequered flag dropped it was Russell who received the plaudits, leading Aitken by 2 seconds at the line. Hubert was next on track but was dropped to P4 with his time penalty, promoting Fukuzumi to the podium while the Frenchman picked up the fastest lap on his final tour. Tveter won the bragging rights at Trident after holding off Alesi for almost the whole race, ahead of Lorandi and Hyman in P7 and 8: Calderon was 9th on track but 13th on the classifications, promoting Boccolacci and Arjun Maini for the final points positions.
    Provisional Qualifying Classification
    Driver
    Team
    1.
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    2.
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    3.
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    ART Grand Prix
    4.
    Anthoine Hubert
    ART Grand Prix
    5.
    Ryan Tveter
    Trident
    6.
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    7.
    Alessio Lorandi
    Jenzer Motorsport
    8.
    Raoul Hyman
    Campos Racing
    9.
    Dorian Boccolacci
    Arden International
    10.
    Arjun Maini
    Jenzer Motorsport
    11.
    Kevin Jörg
    Trident
    12.
    Marcos Siebert
    Campos Racing
    13.
    Tatiana Calderon
    DAMS
    14.
    Bruno Baptista
    DAMS
    15.
    Julien Falchero
    Campos Racing
     
    Not Classified
    Niko Kari
    Arden International
    Santino Ferrucci
    DAMS
    Steijn Schothorst
    Arden International
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Arden International
     
    Fastest Lap  
    Anthoine Hubert
    1:21.298 on lap 24
  • Rajiv Sethu wins as Jagan suffers mechanical failure; Double for Ryhana: MMSC Bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu wins as Jagan suffers mechanical failure; Double for Ryhana: MMSC Bike Nationals

    Ryhana Bee bags a double on Saturday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Ryhana Bee celebrates after winning the Honda all-girls race at MMRT on Saturday. Photo by Sriharsha Nadiger

    Aravind-Balakrishnan-No.13-winner-of-Super-Sport-Indian-Pro-Stock-up-to-165cc-race-at MMRT on Saturday 8 July 2017. Photo by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 8 July 2017: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing, showing maturity far beyond his 18 years, came up with a stunning ride to win the premium Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) class race in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Morocycle Racing Championship at the MMRT track, near here on Saturday.

    Aravind Balakrishnan, only 22, brought more cheer to Honda Ten10 Racing team by topping the Pro-Stock class that was run on a combined grid with the Super Sport Indian (165cc) while Kerala’s Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) scored a dominant win, his third in as many outings, in the 300-400cc category.

    In the Girls (Stock, up to 165cc) category, Ryhana Bee, the 23-year old from Chennai studying shipping and logistics, pulled off a fine win over pole-sitter Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing Academy) with a late-braking manoeuvre at Turn-4 mid-way through the five-lap race.

    Aishwarya, winner of the first-ever National championship race for girls in Coimbatore last month, eventually came in third behind Madhya Pradesh’s Kalyani Potedar (Team Speed Up Racing).

    Sethu, starting from pole position, yielded ground to reigning National champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) early in the six-lap race. However, in the third lap, Jagan dropped out of contention due to a technical problem with his bike and Sethu needed no second invitation to forge ahead. He gradually increased the lead to win from TVS Racing’s KY Ahamed and Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) with about three seconds to spare.

    “Early in the race, I had some problems with the bike and had no choice but to allow Jagan to pass me, but when he dropped out, I moved in front and did not look back. The team did an excellent job in giving me a winning bike,” said Sethu on notching his second in three outings.

    Further down the field, another intense battle raged in the Pro-Stock class after pole-sitter Mithun Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) was shifted to the back of the combined grid for having missed the warm-up lap due to mechanical problems.

    It left Aravind Balakrishnan and Aravind Ganesh (Team MotoRev) to fight for top honours. The duo kept trading leads before Balakrishnan got his nose in front to win with little to spare.

    In sharp contrast, Menon, though starting second on the grid behind Deepak Ravikumar (Team MotoRev), was in a league of his own in the 300-400cc class race once he got into his stride that saw him move up from third to first and then extend his lead with each lap for another commanding win. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) finished second while Ravikumar came in third.

    The results (Provisional):

    National Championship – Super Sport Indian (Up to 165cc) (6 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethi (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12 mins, 02.236secs); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (12:05.154); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) (12:07.398).

    Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) ( 6 laps): 1. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (11:56.238); 2. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) (11:59.744); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Team MotoRev) (12:03.661).

    Pro-Stock (Up to 165cc) (6 laps):1. Aravind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:50.292); 2. Aravind Ganesh (Team MotoRev) (12:50.712); 3. Naresh Babu (RACR) (12:50.912).

    Girls (Stock, Up to 165cc) (5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Speed Up Racing) (11:43.645); 2. Kalyani Potekar (Team Speed Up Racing) (11:46.130); 3. Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing Academy) (11:46.783).

    One-Make Championship – Honda CBR 150 (Novice – 5 laps): 1. Amala Jerald (Chennai) (11:28.014); 2. Vysakh Sobhan (Kerala) (11:28.196); 3. Mahesh Murali (Thiruvananthapuram) (11:28.226).

    TVS Apache RTR200 Open (6 laps): 1. Prabhu V (Chennai) (13:20.820); 2. Sivanesan S (Chennai) (13:20.867); 3. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (13:26.414). Novice (6 laps): 1. Peddu Sri Harsha (Hyderabad) (13:49.082); 2. Shankar Guru A (Chennai) (14:01.893); 3. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (14.06.260).

    Support Races (Girls – 5 laps) – Honda: 1. Ryhana Bee A (Chennai) (11:51.658); 2. Shruthi (Chennai) (11:56.585); 3. Kalyani Potekar (Madhya Pradesh) (11:58.728). TVS (5 laps): 1. Soundari A (Chennai) (11:55.836); 2. Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru) (11:56.091); 3. Priyamvada Saradhi (Bengaluru) (12:36.799).

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • Pole for Rajivi, Mithun, Deepak: Bike Nationals

    Pole for Rajivi, Mithun, Deepak: Bike Nationals

    Deepak Ravikumar in action at the MMRT on Friday. Image by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 7 July 2017: Young Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing put the hammer down with a blistering lap to grab the pole position ahead of reigning champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) in the premium Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) class as the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship got off to a flier at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here, on Friday.

    Also topping the qualifying session in their respective categories were Mithun Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing (Pro-Stock 165cc), Deepak Ravikumar (Super Sport Indian 300-400cc) and Apex Racing Academy’s Aishwarya Pissay (Girls, Stock up to 165cc).

    Sethu, the 22-year old from Chennai, who has been improving with each outing and a regular in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, clocked the fastest lap of one minute 59.344 seconds while Jagan Kumar, who went out at the fag end of the session after sorting out his bike and managed just three laps, had a best of 02:00.396) while KY Ahamed, also of TVS Racing, completed the front row with a 02:00.497.

    Championship leader Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) was placed sixth after clocking 02:03.820, behind Prabhu Arunagiri (02:01.842) and S Kannan of TVS Racing (02:03.174).

    Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay expectedly took the pole position in the girls category ahead of Chennai’s Rhyana Bee (Speed Up Racing) and Ann Jennifer.

    In the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) qualifying session, Mithun Kumar, who won both the races in the first round at Coimbatore last month, was the quickest in 02:06.403, followed by Shyam Shankar and Naresh Babu.

    Meanwhile, local entrant Deepak Ravikumar, who missed the Coimbatore round, snatched the pole position (01:58.716) in the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) class as he pipped championship front-runner Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) by four-hundredth of a second while Vivek Pillai of Rockers Racing was third quickest in 01:58.882.

    The results (Qualifying – Provisional):

    National Championship – Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01min, 59.344secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (02:00.396); 3. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (02:00.497). 300-400cc:  1. Deepak Ravikumar (Pvt) (01:58.716); 2. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (01:58.758); 3. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) (01:58.882).

    Pro-Stock (up to 165cc): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten10 Racing) (02:06.403); 2. Shyam Shankar (Pvt) (02:06.868); 3. Naresh Babu (Pvt) (02:07.022).

    Girls (Stock up to 165cc): 1. Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing Academy) (02:18.767); 2. Rhyana Bee (Speed Up Racing) (02:19.238); 3. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (02:19.315).

    One-Make Championship – TVS Apache RTR200 (Open): 1. Prabhu V (Chennai) (02:10.770); 2. Sivanesan S (Chennai) (02:10.970); 3. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (02:11.464). Novice: 1. Shankar Guru (Chennai) (02:11.883); 2. Peddu Sriharsha (Hyderabad) (02:12.356); 3. Romario J (Chennai) (02:14.066).

    Honda CBR 250 Open: 1. Hari Krishnan Rajagopal (Honda Ten10 Racing) (02:03.437); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Bangalore) (02:03.567); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (02:03.900). CBR 150 (Novice): 1. Mahesh Murali (Thiruvananthapuram) (02:12.765); 2. Satya Narayana (Hyderabad) (02:12.775); 3. Vysakh Sobhan (Kerala) (02:12.975).

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • Huge response for MMSC MRF bike Nationals

    Huge response for MMSC MRF bike Nationals

    • Racing action returns to MMRT track
    • Over 200 entries for National bike championship
    • 2017 Drag Championship set to start

    Chennai, 6 July 2017: After a four-month summer break, high octane action returns to the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here this weekend with the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship.

    The weekend programme includes the inaugural round of the 2017 MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship for two-wheelers that will see an exciting congregation of bikers and their machines.

    To top it, country’s leading two-wheeler manufacturers Honda and TVS are having their separate One-Make Championships in Novice and Open classes where competition, as witnessed in the first round in Coimbatore last month, is extremely sharp.

    While the 19 races are spread over three days, beginning Friday with qualifying sessions, the Drag competition gets underway on Saturday afternoon with practice runs, followed by the final runs on Sunday, making for one of the busiest weekends in recent memory.

    The two-wheeler races have again attracted over 200 entries in the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc and 165cc), Pro-Stock, Stock and Girls categories which comprise the National Championship.

    The championship for girls proved to be an unqualified success with Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay of Apex Racing Academy winning a tight battle against Madhya Pradesh’s Kalyani Potekar (Team Speed Up Racing).

    “We are very pleased with the response for the girls’ championship and we are hoping that the entries keep increasing through the season,” said Manoj Dalal, Chairman of the Meet.

    As in the past, the Super Sport Indian (165cc) double-header is the showpiece of the weekend with country’s top two-wheeler racers. Reigning National champion Jagan Kumar along with his TVS Racing mates KY Ahamed and Harry Sylvester, besides Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu and Mathana Kumar are set to renew their rivalry that is marked by plenty of thrills.

    With two podium finishes in the first round, Mathana Kumar heads the championship with 36 points as against 29 of Jagan Kumar who after dropping points in Race-1 won by Sethu, bounced back to win the second outing in Coimbatore.

    Equally competitive is the Pro-Stock class that will be run concurrently with the Super Sport Indian (165cc). Young Mithun Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing has already had a head-start, having won both the races in this class in Coimbatore and will be looking to extend his domination.

    In the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) class, Kerala’s Amarnath Menon of Gusto Racing won both the races in Coimbatore with a measure of comfort and again, he will be the rider to beat in this class.

    The Stock (165cc) class for Novice riders proved to be a huge success with over 50 entries for the first round that necessitated in qualifying heats to arrive at a grid of 40 for the point-bearing final race. It will be much the same this weekend.

    eom/AP Media Comm press release


    File photo of Aishwarya Pissay at Kari Motor Speedweay, Coimbatore on June 10. Image by Anand Philar

  • Gill-Musa win Rally of Coimbatore to begin season with a win

    Coimbatore, 31 July 2017: Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif began with a bang, winning the MRF Rally of Coimbatore, the first round of the MRF-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) at the windmill farms of Kethanur, near here, on Sunday.

    The King of Indian motorsports, along with co-driver Musa Sherif, took a comfortable lead from the very first special Stage and slowly improved it to chalk out a convincing win. The double Asia Pacific Rally Champion made amends to his run at the Southern Indian city last year which was troubled by mechanical problems, but today he made up for the loss with a good win to take a lead in the Championship race.

     Reigning champions Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai followed Gill and Musa in second place and last year’s winner Amittrajit Ghosh and navigator Ashwin Naik could only finish third. The Kolkota driver looked rusted and the seven-month gap from driving showed on his performance. “The long gap took its toll and it is difficult coming back from such a break,” he said. On the contrary his Mahindra Adventure teammate Gill was happy with the show. `I have not got into the SUV for almost a year but I am happy with the result,” he quipped.

    Results: INRC 2017 Round 1 – Coimbatore
    INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure); 2. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure).

    INRC 2: 1. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Red Rooster Performance); 2. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Bhatt (Red Rooster Performance); 3. Younus Ilyas & Harish Kumar.

    INRC 3: 1. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival; 2. Dr Biku Babu & Milen George; 3. KM Bopaiah & Karumbaisah G.

  • Aaroh dominates National Rotax Karting

    Hyderabad, 20 June 2017: Aaroh Ravindra (Team Rayo Racing) from Mumbai, won the Senior final of the FMSCI National Rotax Karting Championship here on Sunday.

    A press release from Rayo Racing said: Ravindra overcame multiple issues in practice and the heats to put up a stellar drive to finish on top. A DNF (did not finish) in heat 2 meant that Aaroh had to start in sixth place for the pre-final. A good start and skilled racing saw the 19-year old Mumbai youngster make his way up the order to win the pre-final ahead of Bangalore-based Rayo Racing teammate, Danesh Vakharia.

    His victory meant that he started the final on pole. A good start saw him build up a good lead. As the field settled down behind him, Nirmal Umashankar (Meco Racing) from Chennai and Manav Sharma (BPC Racing) from Faridabad emerged as the only challengers. Their battle with each other helped Aaroh stay out of danger and he coasted to victory ahead of Umashankar & Sharma.

    Aaroh’s drive is sponsored by IndiKarting, Tata Motors, JK Tyre & Rayo Racing, thanks to him being the runner up of the JK Tyre IndiKarting National Series Powered by Tata Motors, last season. “I practically had no practice on Thursday & Friday. The first time I actually went fast was only in the heats. It was fantastic to come from behind & win the prefinals. I must thank the team for the hard work under difficult circumstances. I must also than Tata Motors, JK Tyre & IndiKarting for also sponsoring” said an elated Aaroh who now leads the National Championship.

    The Junior & Micro Categories were dominated by Bangalore racers, Yash Aradhya (Meco Racing) & Ruhaan Alva (Birel ART) respectively. Both won the pre finals & finals as well.

    Final (Provisional) Results: Senior : 1.  Aaroh Ravindra. Mumbai (Rayo Racing); 2.       Nirmal Umashankar. Chennai (Meco Racing); 3.       Manav Sharma. Faridabad (BPC Racing).

    Junior : 1.       Yash Aradhya. Bangalore (Meco Racing); 2. Chirag Ghorpade, Bangalore (BPC Racing); 3. Muhammad Ibrahim, Pune (BPC Racing).

    Micro : 1. Ruhaan Alva. Bangalore (Birel Art); 2.  Arjun Rajiv, Bangalore (Pregrine Racing); 3.  Saathvik Raju, Bangalore (Pregrine Racing).

    eom/Rayo Racing press release