Your basket is currently empty!
Category: Non-F1
-
Motorsport Network acquires Autosport & the Haymarket Media Group’s motor racing portfolio
Miami, (USA), 6 Oct 2016: Motorsport Network, the Miami-headquartered publisher of Motorsport.com and Motor1.com, today announced the acquisition of six business operations that make up the Haymarket Media Group’s interests in motorsport publishing, photography and events.
The acquired businesses in the Autosport portfolio include Autosport.com, a respected and authoritative digital voice in international motorsport. The website has a provenance derived from its sister business, Autosport Magazine. Continuously published since August 1950, the weekly magazine has a heritage that dates back to the very origins of the Formula One World Championship™.
In addition to the Autosport brand, Motorsport Network has also added F1 Racing, the premium monthly periodical, to its stable. F1 Racing is published in nine languages in 15 editions, sold in 60 countries and is the only magazine licensed by Formula One Management.
F1 Racing mag anniversary issue cover. An Image by Motorsport Network The print assets acquired also include Motorsport News, which has been the voice of British motorsport since the era of Moss and Fangio in the fifties.
The publishing interests are supplemented by the world’s richest and most extensive motorsport photographic archive, LAT Photographic. With 13 million images that date from 1895, the archive forms the central element of a full-service photo agency with staff presence at all major international motor racing series. The company also provides image production services and studio facilities.
The Autosport brand additionally lends its identity to two major events acquired by Motorsport Network. Having established itself over a period of a quarter of a century,Autosport International – The Racing Car Show is recognised as the curtain-raiser to the international motorsport season. Attracting 85,000 visitors, the trade, technology and live event show is by some margin the pre-eminent motorsport event of its kind anywhere in the world.
The Autosport Awards book-ends each season as the ‘Oscars of Motorsport’. Graced by almost every Formula One World Champion since it was instituted in 1987 and attended by a ‘who’s who’ of international motorsport personalities, the black-tie event at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel is a mainstay in motorsport’s calendar every December.
The acquisitions by Motorsport Network are founded on the principle of preserving the rich heritage in Haymarket’s motorsport businesses. Its fans, followers and customers can continue to seamlessly enjoy the world’s best-loved racing websites, magazines and blue-riband events.
Best known for its Motorsport.com and Motor1.com brands, Motorsport Network speaks to 75 million people every month across 22 website editions operating in 16 languages. The success of the Motorsport Network has been founded on three guiding principles: speaking to audiences in their native tongue, packaging & presenting unique content for digitally engaged audiences. Together this provides customers & clients with an integrated array of products & services to connect with this global audience.
The acquisition of the Haymarket businesses will contribute a rich seam of heritage and unparalleled media assets to Motorsport Network’s dynamic business culture and intent to provide solutions in automotive and motor racing across digital, broadcast, social networking, merchandise & license and gaming.
Commenting on the announcement, Kevin Costello, CEO of the Haymarket Media Group, said, “Motor racing has formed part of the Haymarket portfolio for almost half a century and the company has nurtured these businesses from their origins to be global category leaders. However, we are reassured that the Motorsport Network are the right people to be custodians of these businesses for the next stage of their investment and development.”
The acquisition and integration of the Haymarket motorsport portfolio into Motorsport Network will be stewarded by its Chairman, Zak Brown. “This milestone in acquiring the businesses that Haymarket has grown over decades will be recognised by everyone in the industry as a mark of our intent. All that is best about Autosport and its sister businesses will be preserved. Supported with investment and aligned with our dynamic organisational culture and high-speed growth that is attracting younger demographics to motorsport, the fusion of these two organisations presents tantalising opportunities for our staff and our clients alike.” he said. “This acquisition is part of a broader consolidation strategy and is aligned with a series of significant changes we’re witnessing across the motorsport landscape,” he added.
The addition of the Haymarket brands, titles and businesses augments Motorsport Network’s progression towards announcing a significantly enhanced capability in the broadcast sector to be confirmed in due course.About Motorsport Network
Motorsport Network is a vertically integrated automotive & motorsport business headquartered in Miami, FL. The company manages a global broadcast network, live events, print media titles and multiple websites, forums and e-commerce, gaming & editorial syndication platforms operating in 16 languages across 60 international markets. The business is founded on the principle of engaging audiences around motorsport and automotive content and providing clients with integrated solutions to connect with this global audience.For more information, see www.motorsportnetwork.com
Eom/A motorsportnetwork press release
-
Ishaan bags Vento Cup 2016 title; Jeet clinches Jr Drivers’ Cup
Greater Noida, 2 Oct 2016: Volkswagen Motorsport India finishes yet another thrilling season of its premium one-make series with the last round of the MMSC Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016 today. Hosted at the Buddh International Circuit, the final race of the season started in reverse grid order and concluded on an interesting note with Karminder finishing first, Ishaan coming in a near second and guest racer Rishaad Mody finishing third. However, having won five races and securing seven podium finishes so far, Ishaan had built a strong 32-point lead over Karminder by the end of the season and bagged the MMSC Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016 title.
The final race of the season began with Niranjan Todkari starting on pole position alongside guest racer Affan Sadat from Bangladesh on the first row. However, both were unable to hold their position going into the second lap. Gowdham Murugan, who had started fourth on the grid, moved up positions and went on to lead followed by Karminder, guest racer Rishaad and title contender Ishaan in tow.
Lap 2 saw a three-way fight between Ishaan, Rishaad and Keith for the third position which finally broke at C4 of the third lap when Ishaan overtook Rishaad. Lap 4 of the race proved to be the most exciting as Gowdham, who had been leading from the front lost his advantage with a drive-through penalty for going beyond the track limit. At this stage, Karminder who had been trailing behind Gowdham went on to take the lead in the race. From then on, Karminder remained in control and stayed ahead.
In the fifth lap, Amit Mete lost control of his car and went on to hit the barricades forcing the Safety Car to come out. Amit emerged from the car unhurt but could not continue in the race due to the severity of damages to his car.
Going into lap 5, 6 and 7, Karminder followed by Ishaan, Rishaad and Keith stayed behind the Safety Car till it finally pulled in by the end of the penultimate lap. Once the cars were at race pace, Karminder and Ishaan were left to battle for the first position while Keith was putting pressure on Rishaad for the third spot. Although Ishaan attempted a move on Karminder at C4 of the last lap, he wasn’t successful in getting past. The positions remained the same as the drivers drove past the chequered flag with Karminder winning the race followed by Ishaan, and guest racer Rishaad in the third place.
Jeet Jhabak, the Junior Division driver showed a lot of promise through the season and has sealed the title as he successfully finished the final round.
Ecstatic over winning the title Ishaan Dodhiwala said, “This was a long and hard fought season but all the preparation helped. I was confident of doing well and it feels incredible now that I have won the cup.” Commenting on the Vento Cup 2016 series he added, “The Volkswagen team has been incredible and their efforts have been phenomenal though the season. They have been extremely supportive of the racers and have given us amazing machines to run with.”
Junior Cup winner Jeet Jhabak said, “This has been an incredible racing season for me as I was racing for the very first time. I have learnt a lot in this one-make series and having won the Junior Drivers’ Cup has given me the confidence of racing professionally in the coming years.”
To conclude the season and congratulate the winners of the 2016 season, Sirish Vissa said, “I am really proud of how the season has ended and how these young drivers have matured into professional racers. Going into this season with a new partnership we had to do a lot of testing to see how the cars behave and we are happy with their performance on all the circuits. We make it a point at Volkswagen Motorsport to constantly invite feedback from the drivers and engineers and the Vento Cup car is a fine example of an evolved race machine with top performance.”
Volkswagen Vento Cup 2016 – Round 4: Race 10
Vento Cup winner Ishaan Dodhiwala (left – front row) poses with VW Motorsport head Sirish Vissa (front row right) at BIC on Sunday. A VW Motorsport image Sr. No. Car Number Name Total Time 1 16 Karminder Singh 23:34.724 2 8 Ishaan Dodhiwala 23:34.994 3 21 Rishaad Mody 23:38.416 4 11 Keith Desouza 23:38.987 5 7 Aditya Pawar 23:39.551 6 20 Pradeep Rao 23:40.191 7 15 Affan Sadat Safwan Islam 23:41.475 8 10 Arfath Mohammad 23:42.274 9 6 Hatim Shabbir 23:48.205 10 22 Simran Rastogi 23:48.820 11 12 Gowdham Murugan 23:48.901 12 17 Arunshowry Vallabhaneni 23:49.988 13 5 Jeet Jhabakh 23:50.088 14 1 Rashad Khan 23:51.747 15 9 Sree Venkata Teja 23:52.543 16 18 Niranjan Todkari 26:55.429 17 19 Shreyas Venkatesh 4:05.723 18 3 Amit Mete DNF -
Classy Anthony West scores a double: ARRC at BIC
New Delhi, 2 October 2016: Two 35-year old veterans, Anthony Keith West (Australia) and Decha Kraisart (Thailand) lit up the Buddh International Circuit on Sunday with a memorable battle before the former took the honours for a double in the SuperSport 600cc class on the concluding day of the fifth round of the Asia Road Racing Championship organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club.
On the home front, Hari Krishnan Rajagopal and Mathana Kumar finished 11thand 15th in the Asia Dream Cup while the third entrant Rajiv Sethu crashed out in the very first lap.
West, in scoring only his second win of the season, exhibited great riding skills and also showcasing his experience of having ridden in various World Championships for 16 seasons, as he won a battle with Kraisart, the former two times champion who matched the Aussie before wilting away in the final stages of the 16-lap race.
Both West and Kraisart, who led briefly in the early stages before getting passed by the Aussie, were in a class of their own while Azlan Shah Kamaruza of Malaysia, who initially ran the front-runners close, came home in third, some six seconds adrift.
The Asia Dream Cup race witnessed a thrilling battle with a bunch of seven riders roaring through the last corner on the last lap before Australia’s Broc Pearson snatched a win.
Hari Krishnan, Sethu and Mathana Kumar, starting in the third and fourth rows, got entangled in the big midfield bunch and never quite broke free to challenge the front runners.
Sethu’s race ended when he lost the front of his bike going into the sweeping parabola and crashed, while Hari Krishnan and Mathana Kumar remained in 12th and 16th positions, but moved up a spot when championship leader Hiroki Nakamura, who was running fifth, crashed in the last lap.
Thailand’s Apiwat Wongthananon on a Yamaha yet again dominated the Asia Production 250cc class by notching his second consecutive win and eighth from 10 starts to seal the championship as he took his tally to 221 points to second-placed Takehiro Yamamoto of Japan who is on 151. With the sixth and last round to be run later this year and a maximum of 50 points at stake, Wongthananon enjoys an unassailable lead.
Ahmad Fazli Sham of Malaysia, astride a Yamaha, won a tight race to complete a double in the Underbone 130cc class to come within three points of championship leader Indonesian Wahyu Ali Trilaksana, also on a Yamaha, who finished a close second, ahead of Md Fairues (Indonesia, Kawasaki).
Trilaksana has 113 points to Sham’s 100 while Md Izzat Zaidi of Malaysia, having finished seventh on a Yamaha, is third on the leaderboard with 107 points, just one ahead of compatriot Md Amirul Arif Musa (Honda).
Ishaan Dodhiwala clinched the title in the Volkswagen Vento Cup despite finishing second behind Karminder Pal Singh in the concluding race of the series while Jeet Jhabak took the crown in the Junior Division.
The results (Provisional):
Asia Road Racing Championship – SuperSport 600cc (Race-2, 16 laps): 1. Anthony Keith West (Australia, Yamaha) (31:03.153); 2. Decha Kraisart (Thailand, Yamaha) (31:06.352); Azlan Shah Kamaruza (Malaysia, Kawasaki) (31:10.691).
Underbone 130cc (Race-2, 7 laps): 1. Ahmad Fazli Sham (Malaysia, Yamaha) (17:17.612); 2. Wahyu Aji Trilaksana (Indonesia, Yamaha) (17:17.733); 3. Md Haziq Md Fairues (Malaysia, Yamaha) (17:17.834).
Asia Production 250cc (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Apiwat Wongthananon (Thailand, Yamaha) (20:37.809); 2. Sitthisak Onchawiang (Thailand, Honda) (20:38.285); 3. Galang Hendra Pratam (Indonesia, Yamaha) (20:38.364).
Asia Dream Cup (Race-2, 7 laps): Broc Pearson (Australia) (17:01.625); 2. Sittipon Srimoontree (Thailand) (17:02.138); 3. Hafiz Nor Azman (Malaysia) (17:02.540).
MMSC One Make Championship – Honda CBR 250 (Open, Race-2, 5 laps): 1. Abhishek Vasudev (12:52.326); 2. Anish D Shetty (12:52.386); 3. Mathana Kumar (12:52.517).
TVS Apache RTR 200 (Open, Race-2, 5 laps): 1. Shyam Shankar (13:57.809); 2. Prashanth Kumar (13:57.964); 3. Arun Muthukrishnan (13:58.001).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Open, Race-2, 5 laps): 1. Aaron Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (14:07.947); 2. Meka Vidhuraj (14:08.472); 3. Vivian Gladwin (14:08.496).
Volkswagen Vento Cup (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Karminder Pal Singh (23:34.724); 2. Ishaan Dodhiwala (23:34.994); 3. Rishaad Mody (23:38.416).
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 Communications press release
Anthony West (No.13) leads Decha Kraisart on way to winning the SuperSport 600cc race (Oct 02) on Sunday at BIC. An MMSC image -
Hari, Sethu finish in top 10: Asia Dream Cup race
New Delhi, 1 Oct 2016: Indian riders Hari Krishnan Rajagopal and Rajiv Sethu put in impressive performances to finish among top 10 in the Asia Dream Cup category of the Asia Road Racing Championship, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club, at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, on Saturday.
While the home riders fought hard to make an impression, Australia’s Anthony Keith West, a 35-year old veteran, made the best of the pole position and rode his Yamaha to the limit in the premium SuperSport 600cc class for his first win of the season that otherwise has been disappointing.
The SuperSport 600cc race which was red-flagged following an on-track incident and reduced to 13 laps from scheduled 16, saw West capitalizing on a good start to win from re-start to finish while another veteran and former champion Decha Kraisart finished second after a great battle with Indonesian Ahmad Yudhistira who completed the podium.
The 22-year old Hari Krishnan who earlier this year became the first Indian to bag back-to-back podium spots, including a win, finished a creditable sixth after being in the hunt for a possible podium position while Sethu, only 19, fought his way through a bunch to come in ninth.
The third Indian in the fray, debutant Mathana Kumar blew opportunities for a top-10 finish and ended up 12th and vowed to do better in the second race of the double-header on Sunday.
Hari Krishnan, starting 10th on the grid, swiftly made places and moved to fourth by the end of second of the seven-lap race after pole-sitter Broc Pearson crashed. He then tucked into a chasing bunch of six riders behind leader and eventual winner Hiroki Nakamura of Japan, but a mistake in the last lap which caused him to run wide at Turn-3, Hari Krishnan settled for sixth.
“I thought I had a podium in my grasp as I kept fighting for third-to-fifth positions. I had a good chance in the last lap, but I ran wide at Turn-3 and it cost me a couple of places. I will now have to strategise better for the second race tomorrow,” said Hari Krishnan.
Likewise, Sethu got stuck in the midfield bunch having qualified 12th. He struggled long and hard before gaining ground in the last lap for a ninth place finish.
“I had mechanical issues with my bike during the qualifying session this morning and then, in the race, I had a bad start. I made a mistake at Turn-1 itself and ride wide which cost me track position. Later, I got stuck in a tight bunch, but on the last lap, I managed to climb to ninth. I hope to do better tomorrow,” said Sethu.
Meanwhile, Mathana Kumar, having received a wild card entry, had an equally tough time after starting 14th and spent most of the seven laps at the back of the field before making positions to finish 12th.
“I changed the gearing in the morning and was not too happy. Then I made a few more changes and got confused. I was not happy, but tomorrow is another day and I want to make up,” said Mathana Kumar.
Ahmad Fazli Sham from Malaysia took the honours in the Underbone 130cc class after a thrilling battle while Thailand’s Apiwat Wongthanon continued his domination in the Asia Production 250cc race with his seventh win in nine starts.
Earlier, championship leader in the Volkswagen Vento Cup Ishan Dodhiwala consolidated his lead with a comfortable victory ahead of Karminder Pal Singh and Aditya Vijay Pawar.
Jeet Jhabakh who started tenth on the grid, finished a position below to seal the Junior Drivers Vento Cup title securing a sponsored place in the next season of Volkswagen Motorsport India’s one-make series.
The results (Provisional):
Asia Road Racing Championship – SuperSport 600cc (Race-1, 13 laps): 1. Anthony Keith West (Australia, Yamaha) (25mins, 21.592secs); 2. Decha Kraisart (Thailand, Yamaha) (25:26.378); Ahmad Yudhistira (Indonesia, Kawasaki) (25:27.378).
Underbone 130cc (Race-1, 7 laps): 1. Ahmad Fazli Sham (Malaysia, Yamaha) (17:19.913); 2. Md Amirul Ariff Musa (Malaysia, Honda) (17:20.514); 3. Md Izzat Zaidi (Malaysia, Yamaha) (17:21.451).
Asia Production 250cc (Race-1, 9 laps): 1. Apiwat Wongthananon (Thailand, Yamaha) (20:35.928); 2. Anupab Sarmoon (Thailand, Yamaha) (20:36.163); 3. Takehiro Yamamoto (Japan, Kawasaki) (20:37.437).
Asia Dream Cup (Race-1, 7 laps): 1. Hiroki Nakamura (Japan) (17:01.674); 2. Yassin Gabriel Somm (Indonesia) (17:05.258); 3. Muhd Febriansyah (Indonesia) (17:06.104).
MMSC One Make Championship – Honda CBR 250 (Open, Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (12:48.696); 2. Mathana Kumar (12:49.304); 3. Mithun Kumar PK (12:52.629).
TVS Apache RTR 200 (Open, Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Prashanth Kumar (14:03.350); 2. Arvind Ganesh (14:04.598); 3. Shyam Shankar (14:04.784).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Open, Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Aaron Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (14:10.851); 2. Meka Vidhuraj (14:12.635); 3. Vivian Gladwin (14:13.015).
Volkswagen Vento Cup (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Ishaan Dodhiwala (19:51.066); 2. Karminder Pal Singh (20:02.198); 3. Aditya Vijay Pawar (20:08.234).
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
-
Sethu, Mathana Kumar among top 10: ARRC at BIC
New Delhi, 30 Sept. 2016: Teenager Rajiv Sethu and debutant Mathana Kumar brought some cheer in the Indian camp with top-10 placing in the two Asia Dream Cup free practice sessions as the fifth round of the Asia Road Racing Championship got off to a flier at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, on Friday.
While 19-year old Sethu put in consistent laps to finish seventh in both sessions, Mathana, 23, came in 10th and eighth despite a crash in the second session.
The third Indian in the Asia Dream Cup, Hari Krishnan Rajagopal, who is coming off two back-to-back podium finishes in the previous rounds, disappointed as he slipped to 16th and 14th.
Another home hope, Shankar Sarath Kumar (T. Pro Yuzy Honda NTS with WOW team) crashed heavily on out-lap as he set out for the third and final free practice session in the SuperSport 600cc class, suffering a broken collar bone in the process and requiring a trip to the hospital.
The crash culminated a day of frustration for Sarath Kumar who is recovering from a pre-season left knee injury. In both his previous two practice sessions today the toe slider of the left boot ripped off even as he improved on his timings.
Sethu, who is recovering from a hip injury that he suffered after a crash in the National Championship earlier this year, seemed quite pleased with his performance, though he had some issues with his bike. “I think, I can do much better if we get the set-up right. We are working on this and hopefully, I will be able to go quicker tomorrow,” said Sethu.
Mathana Kumar was understandably excited about his international debut. “It means a lot for me and opens up opportunities to go forward. Today, I had decent timings but for the crash. I have to also get used to the bike (Honda CBR 250) which is different from the one ride in the MMSC One Make championship,” he said.
Hari Krishnan, who won a race in the second round and was placed second in the next outing, said: “Yes, I am a bit disappointed. I could have done much better. I had a few issues with the bike and then the crash. So, not very happy, but I hope I can put it all together over the next two days.”
Meanwhile, the SuperSport 600cc riders dished out some thrilling fare with Thai star and former two-times champion Decha Kraisart (Yamaha) topping the timesheets in two of the three practice sessions before Australia’s Anthony Keith West, also on a Yamaha, came up with a sizzling 01min, 55.912 secs lap in the final practice, the only rider today to clock a sub one minute, 56 seconds lap.
In the Underbone 130cc class, championship leader Wahyu Aji Trilaksana of Indonesia astride a Yamaha, qualified for pole position ahead of his closest rival Malaysian Md Amirul Musa (Honda) who was third behind Amhad Fazli Sham (Yamaha). The other championship contender Md Izzat Zaidi (Yamaha) was placed ninth.
Ayumu Tanaka from Japan on a Kawasaki, Thailand’s Somkiat Chantra (Honda) and compatriot Apiwat Wongthananon (Yamaha) shared the honours in the three Asia Prdouction 250cc practice sessions.
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 Communications Release
Rajiv Sethu finishes 7th in both the sessions at BIC on Friday. An AP Media Comm. image Rajiv Sethu finishes 7th in both the sessions at BIC on Friday. An AP Media Comm. image -
Top Asian riders to showcase talent in ARRC at BIC
- Asia Road Racing Championship at Buddh International Circuit
- Over 70 riders from Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and India in fray
New Delhi, 29 Sept. 2016: The premium Asia Road Racing Championship, which showcases the region’s top riders and manufacturers, returns to India with the Madras Motor Sports Club organizing the fifth round of the series at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida on October 1-2.
The ARRC round this weekend comprises the Asia Dream Cup (Honda CBR250) which will see two Indian riders, Hari Krishnan Rajagopal and Rajiv Sethu, besides the SuperSport 600cc that has country’s lone representative Shankar Sarath Kumar on the grid, the Asia Production 250cc and the Underbone 130cc.
The three Indians apart, the ARRC will be parading plenty of exciting talent chiefly from Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, countries that have produced riders who have progressed to the World Championship level, and four top manufacturers Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.
The weekend card includes the final round of the Volkswagen Vento Cup, the only four-wheeler category, apart from Round 4 of the MMSC One Make Championships in Honda (CBR 250 Open), TVS (Apache RTR 200 Open) and the Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Open) categories.
The action begins on Thursday with Free Practice sessions for the Honda and TVS One Make Championships, the Suzuki Gixxer Cup and the VW Vento Cup. The ARRC riders will get into their stride with practice sessions on Friday. In all, 16 races will be held over the next two days.
Chairman of the Meet, Vicky Chandhok said: “In keeping with MMSC’s tradition that dates back to the 1950s of organizing and promoting the highest levels of motor sport in India, we are proud to host a round of the Asia Road Racing Championship at the Buddh International Circuit this weekend.
“The MMSC today organizes and promotes most of motor racing events in India and I am proud to say that seven of the country’s top manufacturers – Honda, Suzuki, TVS, Yamaha, KTM, Bajaj and Royal Enfield – are participating in our events in one form or other.
“With Formula One no longer financially viable to host, it is the endeavour of MMSC to bring to India a high profile and top quality event such as the ARRC as part of our efforts to keep India on the global motor sport map besides making our country a motor sport destination.
“We had the option of hosting the ARRC at our own MMRT tracks in Sripdumbudur at a far lesser cost, but it is MMSC’s philosophy to also support such an iconic track as the BIC which is undoubtedly among the finest race track in the World despite the phenomenal costs involved.”
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 Communications release
File photo of Hari Krishnan. Photo courtesy AP Media Communications -
Gill notches up fourth win in APRC: Rally Hokkaido
Obihiro (Japan), 25 Sept. 2016: Gaurav Gill of Team MRF chalked up his fourth consecutive win in the 2016 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship as he cruised to victory in the Rally Hokkaido here on Sunday.Having earlier won in New Zealand, Australia and China, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion with a new co-driver in Belgian Stephane Prevot, came up with another near-flawless drive in the MRF Skoda Fabia R5 to win by one minute, 50.6 seconds over his team-mate, Germany’s Fabian Kreim (Christian Frank) who finished ahead of Cusco Racing’s Michael Young (Malcolm Read).
Enjoying an overnight lead of 01:24.9, championship leader Gill maintained a scorching pace to extend his lead by over two minutes, winning the first four of the day’s eight Special Stages before cruising home for his 13th win in the championship since his debut in 2007.
“It’s great to win. Four out of four is awesome,” said Gill. “Everything worked well. The tyres worked well since Saturday when it was wet on the tarmac and I have to thank the team for the good setup.
“It was a very difficult rally because of weather conditions constantly changing. Mornings were all wet, afternoon became all dry, then become pretty rough, so pretty difficult but I’m happy.”
Kreim, who is placed second in the championship behind Gill, said: “I think we got a lot of experience especially on these very demanding roads with very fast parts and very big ruts. All of the ruts have a lot of loose gravel and compared to the other events, it’s completely new to us and it’s very good for us.”
eom/AP Media Comm. Release
-
Gill sets early pace to take lead: APRC Rally Hokkaido
Obihiro (Japan), 14 Sept. 2016
File photo of Gaurav Gill in Hokkaido. Image by MRF : Team MRF Skoda driver Gaurav Gill from India enjoyed a trouble-free run and emerged clear leader after Leg-1 of the Rally Hokkaido, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship here on Saturday.
Capitalising on his vast experience, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, and his new co-driver Stephane Prevot, pulled away from the pack in his Skoda Fabia R5 to enjoy a lead of one minute, 24.9 seconds over his nearest rival and team-mate Fabian Kreim (Christian Frank).
“It’s been a good day. I had good rhythm and speed. It was smooth sailing with Stephane and that was something I was nervous about prior to the rally, but we have a really good setup. Although we made a few changes to the car, it’s working very well and I wish to continue like this tomorrow,” said Gill who has won all the three previous rounds in New Zealand, Australia and China.
Meanwhile, Kreim managed to fight his way back into second after a troublesome morning which saw him with very little rear grip and a puncture on Stage Four.
“So far, it’s not bad for the first time here. It was not so easy, there are very deep ruts and a lot of deep gravel, but so far we are satisfied. The car setup is getting better and better and we will keep trying tomorrow. I think some more changing on setup tonight and then we will see,” said Kreim.
New Zealander Mike Young also suffered a puncture in exactly the same place as Kreim, as a section of a cattle grid became dislodged and caused punctures to multiple competitors; all on the right hand side of the car.
Young had managed to hold second place all morning, but fell to third at the end of the first day after suffering from a second puncture, like other competitors behind him.
eom/AP Media Comm. release
-
Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal win Rally de North
Gurgaon, 18 Sept 2016: Ace rallyist Arjun Rao Aroor and co-driver Satish Rajagopal won the Rally de North, the third round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) while championship leader Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) finished way back in fifth here on Sunday. But the Kolkata driver still kept his lead on the top in the championship standings.
Dr. Dhirendra Kumar and navigator Honey Narulla won the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) while for Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif had to be content with an overall third place in the INRC as they found the bulky SUV500 a bit tough for the terrain. Arjun Rao Aroor clocked 47 minutes 10 seconds while Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai timed 48.04 seconds to finish second ahead of Gill and Musa who 20 seconds more than Karna clocking 48.24sec.
Organised by Sports Route Trust, the MRF Rally de North, the second gravel event of the calendar, saw INRC return to the North after a gap of over a decade. The last time a North Indian city hosted the rally was in 2005. The six Special Stages covered a distance of about 65km of dirt tracks on the outskirts of Gurugaon. A total of 38 cars started the rally.
PG Abhilash, who won Round 1 and 2 of IRC crashed out in Stage 2. Karna Kadur and Nikhil Pai also won the INRC 2000cc category.
Dhirendra Kumar and Honey, entered in the MRF FMSCI Indian Rally Championship (IRC) and won their category with a time of 1:00:04 after overnight leader Samir Thaper retired. Indian drivers in Indian cars were eligible for the INRC while Indian or foreign drivers in Indian or foreign cars were eligible for the IRC.
Arjun Rao said: “Rally de North has always been lucky for me as I won overall way back in 2005 and then again history repeats. Overall, rally was very challenging as the stages became pretty rough towards the end and we had to save the car as well as keep pace and make sure we are doing good stage timings.”
The second-placed driver Karna Kadur said: “All I can say is that, it’s been an epic battle to finish 2nd on the podium along with Gaurav and Arjun.”
Finishing third was Gaurav Gill who said: “It was a great weekend rallying in the northern part of the country finally. Wasn’t the best for our team and car but we still managed to pick up the 3rd spot and that’s still good set of points in the bag.”
Results: Overall: 1. Arjun Rao Aroor/ Satish Rajagopal 47 min 10sec; 2. Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai 48:04; 3. Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure) 48:24.
IRC: 1. Dhirendra/ Honey Narulla 1: 00:04; 2.
2000cc: 1. Karna Kadur 48:04; 2.
(Note: Complete results are not released by the organisers/promoters)
-
Facile win for Ahamed; Jagan crashes out but still keeps the championship lead
Chennai, 3 Sept 2016: Nineteen-year old KY Ahamed of Team TVS Racing notched up a comfortable win in the premium Super Sport Indian 165cc class in the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI National Motorcycle Racing championship at the MMRT track near here, on Saturday.
Starting from P2, Ahamed made the best of the absence of his teammate and championship leader Jagan Kumar. He moved past pole sitter Rajini Krishnan at the second corner in the very first lap to take the lead. But with Rajini dropping out with a technical problem after three laps, Ahamed opened a huge gap over second-placed Sarath Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing for an easy win. Deepak Ravikumar of RACR was further behind in third.
Jagan, who was disqualified on technical grounds after taking pole on Friday, still leads the championship by three points over Deepak Ravikumar (80). Starting from the back of the grid, Jagan crashed at Turn-2 in the second lap. “I was pushing too hard and crashed out. I will come back strongly in the next few races to keep my chances alive,’’ said Jagan
who will start from pole position on Sunday.
In the Pro-Stock 165cc race, Kannan Karnan of Performance Racing pipped D Dinesh Kumar of RACR while Prabhu, also of RACR came third.
Once again Rockstar Racing dominated the Super Sport Indian 300-400cc class by winning all the three podium places in Race 1. It was a facile win for Ami van Poedeooijen while Abhishek Vasudev came second and Amarnath Menon K was third.
Antony Peter of Performance Racing notched up his third win in five starts in the Stock 165cc category while Joseph Mathew of Sparks Racing finished second followed by Anish Damodara Shetty of United Tech Torque Racing .
The results (Provisional, all six laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race 1): 1. KY Ahmed (TVS Racing) (12mins, 05.530secs); 2. Sarath Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:12.355); Deepak Ravikumar (RACR) (12:12.516).
Super Sport Indian 300-400cc (Race 1): 1. Ami van Poederooijen (Rockstar Racing) (11:59.648); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Rockstar Racing) (12:04.426); 3. Amarnath K Menon (Rockstar Racing) (12:10.435).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race 1): 1. Kannan Karnan (Performance Racing) (12:40.607); 2. D Dinesh Kumar (RACR) (12:41.444); 3. Prabhu A (RACR) (12:45.290).
Stock 165cc (Race 1): 1. Antony Peter (Performance Racing) (13:21.828); 2. Joseph Mathew (Sparks Racing) (13:22.315); 3. Anish Shetty (United Tech Torque) (13:26.890).
One-Make Championship:
Honda-MMSC CBR 250 Open (Race 1): 1. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:20.800); 2. Hari Krishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:22.797); 3. Ananth Raj P (Pro Lap Racing) (12:32.051). CBR 150 Novice (Race 1, 4 laps): 1. Soorya PM (Chennai) (09:02.273); Anish Shetty (Hubballi) (09:02.312); 3. Mahesh Murali (Kerala) (09:03.395).
TVS-MMSC Apache RTR 200 – Open (Race 1): 1. Kannan Karnan (Chennai) (13:17.989); 2. Jaden Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (13:21.168); 3. Arvind Ganesh (Chennai) (13:21.892). Novice (Race 1, 4 laps): 1. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (09:01.585); 2. Hari Prasath R (Chennai) (09:14.317); 3. Kamran Alam (Patna) (09:15.274).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup – Novice (Race 1, 4 laps): 1. Joseph Mathew (Chennai) (08:58.965); 2. Antony Peter (Coimbatore) (09:04.755); 3. Amarnath Rajan (Chennai) (09:21.467). Race 2: 1. Mathew (09:08.007); 2. Peter (09:09.585); 3. Alan Victor Fernando (Mumbai) (09:25.974). Rookie Cup: 1. Aaron Gunaderdan (Sri Lanka) (08:57.368); 2. Sachin Choudhary (Ahmedabad) (09:20.422); 3. AS Alexander (Chennai) (09:21.865). Race 2: 1. Gunaderdan (09:03.310); 2. Choudhary (09:10.101); 3. Alexander (09:34.239).
Support Races – Superbikes (Race 1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (11:32.877); 2. Naresh Babu J (Chennai) (12:03.117); 117); 3. Rizwan Khan (Mysuru) (12:06.281). AATA Ladies (4 laps): 1. Olesya V Dias (Goa) (10:04.499); 2. Renuka Gajendran (Bengaluru) (10:15.490); 3. Pratheeba P (Chennai) (10:19.253). Honda Ladies (4 laps): 1. Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru) (09:49.114); 2. A Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (09:49.564); 3. Shruthi N (Chennai) (10:06.350).
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 Communications Release
