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Vikram-Swaroop clinch overall honours at Coffee Day Rally; Gill-Musa win 2014 championship
Vikram Mathias in action before winning the Coffee Day rally along with navigator Mohan at Chikmagalur on Sunday. Photo by Vivek Phadnis Chikkamagaluru, 14 Dec 2014: Vikram Mathias and co-driver Swaroop Mohan, in the Mitsubishi Evo IX, nursed their overnight lead to win the Coffee Day Rally, the sixth and concluding round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship, here on Sunday.
In the process, Mathias scored his first win in four years during which he was off the rallying scene while young Dean Mascarenhas (Shanmuga SN) in a Volkswagen Polo finished second, ahead of Arjun Rao Aroor (Satish Rajagopal) who drove the R2 variant of VW Polo.
Meanwhile, National champion Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif), though not in contention for honours in this Rally, delighted his many fans by driving the three Special Stages in his Mahindra Adventure XUV 500 on Sunday after having to retire yesterday due to mechanical problems.
Thus, the Speed King Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif won the National title in the Indian National Rally Championship for the year 2014 with victories in four of the six rounds. They began with a thumping win in Nashik and continued the good run in Coimbatore. They lost to Samir Thaper and GS Mann in Chennai but bounced back to win Kolkata and Bengaluru legs. Though Vikram Mathias won the Chikmagalur leg with rookie co-driver Swaroop Mohan, it was Gill and Musa who clinched the Championship.
Mascarenhas, hailing from Mangalore, also took the honours in the IRC 1600 class while newly-crowned IRC 2000 National champion Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt) topped his category in the Mitsubishi Cedia and Raghu Nandan B (Suraj K) powered his Honda V-Tec to victory in the FMSCI 1600 Cup.
Former National champion Mathias was ecstatic over his victory which he said was totally unexpected considering that he was driving an all-wheel-drive car for the first time and with hardly any track time in the vehicle ahead of the Coffee Day Rally.
“It was an experience of a lifetime as I always wanted to drive a 4-wheel drive car. I didn’t do any testing and also had a first-time navigator (Mohan). The conditions were treacherous. So, there were a lot of question marks but I had no expectations going into this event. I didn’t care whether I won or lost, but just wanted to spend time in the Evo.
“There were issues with the brakes yesterday and today, the clutch packed up. So, I had to drive very conservatively and just wanted to keep the car on the road to finish the event,” said 40-year old Mathias who is based in Masinagudi, near Ooty.
As well as Mathias drove, 20-year old Mascarenhas gave an outstanding performance to finish second quickest and was very pleased with the result, though he had a few bad moments that cost him precious time.
“It feels great to win in my mother’s hometown. I am really happy with the way I drove. Based on advice, I did not try to rush things and it was controlled aggression,” said the Mangaluru-based Mascarenhas.
Provisional Overall Classification:
IRC: Vikram Mathias / Swaroop Mohan (Mitsubishi Evo IX) 1 (01hr, 59mins, 32.6secs); Dean Mascarenhas / Shanmugha SN (VW Polo) 2 (02:05:38.0); Arjun Rao Aroor / Satish Rajagopal (VW Polo R2) 3 (02:06:26.9).
IRC 2000: Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama, Cedia) 1 (02:08:33.4); Byram Godrej / Somaya AG (Slideways Industries, VW Polo) 2 (02:10:19.7); Prithvi Dominic / Chandrashekar M (Cedia) 2 (02:10:48.3).
IRC 1600: Dean Mascarenhas / Shanmuga SN (VW Polo) 1 (02:05:38.0); Raghu Nandan B / Suraj K (Honda City V-Tec) 2 (02:11:43.0); Bopaiah KM / K Karumbaiah (Maruti Esteem) 3 (02:12:03.1).
FMSCI 1600 Cup: Raghu Nandan B / Suraj K (Honda City V-Tec) 1 (02:11:43.0); Bopaiah KM / K Karumbaiah (Maruti Esteem) 2 (02:12:03.1); Lokesh Gowda / Ashika Menezes (Maruti Esteem) 3 (02:13:52.4).
eom/updated in March2020
Vikram Mathias and Swaroop Mohan celebrating after winning the Coffee Day rally in Chikmagalur on Sunday. Photo by Vivek Phadnis -
Team Nordic win the ROC Nations Cup
Race of Champions action on Saturday 13th Dec 2014. All Photos courtesy RoC release - Tom Kristensen and Petter Solberg have stormed to the 2014 ROC Nations Cup title for Team Nordic at Bushy Park Barbados
- The duo defeated Team Scotland’s David Coulthard and Susie Wolff by two heats to one in the final to wrap up a thrilling day’s action
- Home heroes Team Barbados (Dane Skeete and Rhett Watson) and Team France (Romain Grosjean and Esteban Ocon) reached the semi-finals
- Team Barbados then delighted the crowd by winning the inaugural ROC Caribbean, defeating Team Jamaica, Team Guyana and Team Trinidad & Tobago
- Tickets are available at half price on the door for tomorrow’s individual Race Of Champions at Bushy Park Barbados
Team Nordic’s Tom Kristensen and Petter Solberg are celebrating after they took a stunning victory in the 2014 ROC Nations Cup at Bushy Park Barbados.
On a hot afternoon in the Caribbean, legends from many of the world’s biggest motor sport series teamed up in pairs to battle for national and regional pride. They raced a mix of cars – including the Ariel Atom Cup, Audi R8 LMS, Stadium Super Truck, VW Polo RX, KTM X-Bow, ROC Car and Euro NASCAR – on a purpose-built parallel track at Bushy Park Barbados.
Before the racing the drivers unfurled a banner in conjunction with the institute for advanced research into brain and spinal cord injuries ICM in honour of ROC’s absent friend Michael Schumacher as he continues his recovery from his skiing accident. Michael and fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel had won a record six consecutive ROC Nations Cup titles prior to today’s action.
But what an afternoon of action it was – as Le Mans legend Kristensen and FIA World Rallycross Champion Solberg prevailed in the final against Team Scotland. First Kristensen defeated Williams F1 official test driver Susie Wolff, then 13-time F1 grand prix winner David Coulthard won out against Solberg to take it to the decider. But Kristensen came out on top in the end, winning the final heat after Coulthard spun off at the final corner (see picture below).
Host nation Team Barbados (Dane Skeete and Rhett Watson) delighted the home fans with a magnificent ROC Nations Cup debut, making it through to the semi-final before they were beaten by Team Scotland. Skeete kept the crowd on the edge of their seats by defeating Wolff but Coulthard came out on top in the end with two wins.
Even more success lay ahead for Team Barbados as they went on to win the inaugural ROC Caribbean, beating Team Jamaica in the final after seeing off Team Guyana and Team Trinidad & Tobago in the group stages.
In the other ROC Nations Cup semi-final Team Nordic beat Team France pair Romain Grosjean and Esteban Ocon by two heats to one. Kristensen and Grosjean both won their original heats but the Dane avenged his defeat in the 2012 individual Race Of Champions final to take his team through.
Earlier in the afternoon, Team Nordic (four wins) and Team France (three wins) both progressed through the round-robin Group A to reach the semi-finals. Team Young Stars were only eliminated on countback of fastest lap time after they joined Team France on three group wins – two for Mercedes F1 reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein and one for GP2 Champion Jolyon Palmer.
Team Americas were also knocked out despite seven-time off-road champion Robby Gordon’s two wins. But World Touring Car Champion José-Maria ‘Pechito’ López did give the crowd some memorable early entertainment as he rolled one of team-mate Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks.
Team Scotland topped Group B with five wins out of six – three for Coulthard and two for Wolff. Team Barbados joined them in the semi-finals, knocking out Team USA on fastest lap time after both finished on three wins. 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay took two wins and NASCAR champion Kurt Busch one win but it was not enough. Team Australia’s five-time MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan and six-time V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup also went out despite Whincup’s late consolation victory.
There is plenty more action to come in Barbados on Sunday as the drivers will put their regional friendships aside and go it alone in the individual Race Of Champions. All the action starts at 12pm Barbados time, 4pm GMT. Anyone buying tickets on the door for tomorrow’s action (Zones A, B and C) will receive a 50 percent discount – while existing ticket holders can bring a friend for free.
Coverage of Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s Race Of Champions will be available on television all over the world. Stations showing ROC live include Motors TV throughout Europe, Fox in Latin America and Brazil, BEInSport (the Middle East), Sony Entertainment Network (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), FOX Australia, Super Sport in Africa plus many more. Please check local listings for broadcast times.
For access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. You can sign up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, Race Of Champions on Facebook or @raceofchampions and #ROCBarbados on Twitter.
Tomorrow’s Race Of Champions Draw
Group A
Romain GROSJEAN, Lotus F1 Team driver, reigning ROC Champion of Champions
Jamie WHINCUP, V8 Supercars Champion 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008
David COULTHARD, 13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner
Mick DOOHAN, 500cc MotoGP World Champion 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994Group B
Petter SOLBERG, FIA World Rallycross Champion 2014
Kurt BUSCH, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion 2004
Susie WOLFF, official test driver for the Williams F1 team
Fastest Team Barbados driver from ROC CaribbeanGroup C
José-Maria LOPEZ, FIA World Touring Car Champion 2014
Robby GORDON, seven-time Off-road Champion, three-time Baja 1000 winner
Fastest ROC Caribbean driver from the other teams
Esteban OCON, FIA European F3 Champion 2014Group D
Tom KRISTENSEN, nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner
Ryan HUNTER-REAY, Indianapolis 500 winner 2014, IndyCar Champion 2012
Jolyon PALMER, FIA GP2 Series Champion 2014
Pascal WEHRLEIN, youngest ever DTM winner, Mercedes F1 testing in Abu Dhabi -
Vikram Mathias takes lead as 11 bite the dust on Day 2: Coffee Day Rally
Chikkamagaluru, 13 Dec 2014: Talented Vikram Mathias, a former National chamion, who took a sabbatical for three years, made the best use of a day which saw many a star bite the dust and drove the Special Stages with aplomb to top the time sheets. Eleven competitors, including National champion Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif) failed to finish the day.
Vikram Mathias and his first-time navigator Swaroop Mohan, were the fastest in the Coffee Day Rally, the sixth and concluding round of the Indian Rally Championship under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI) here on Saturday.
Mathias, a former National champion, piloting the Mitsubishi Evo IX for the first time ever, drove smart in tricky conditions to top the time charts with one hour, 21 minutes, 33.8 seconds in the top-end IRC class, enjoying a lead of over four minutes.
In second spot behind Mathias was Sunny Sidhu (PVS Murthy) in a XUV 500 of Team Mahindra Adventure, clocking 01:25:52.0, ahead of Arjun Rao Aroor (Satish Rajagopal) in the Volkswagen Polo R2 (01:26:24.1).
Team Yokohama’s Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt), who has already sealed the championship in the IRC 2000 class, was the quickest in his category with a time of 01:26:55.7 driving the Mitsubishi Cedia while young Dean Mascarenhas (Shanmuga SN), in the VW Polo, put in another impressive show to top the IRC 1600 category and was the second quickest on the day.
The day’s very first Special Stage claimed victims in Team Mahindra Adventure’s Gill who retired due to a steering column problem with his XUV 500, Samir Thapar (GS Mann) of JCT Rallying as his Evo X packed up with a gearbox issue and Karna Kadur (Sujith Kumar) escaped unhurt after crashing his Mitsubishi Cedia into a tree, wrecking the car.
Meanwhile, Mathias, who stopped rallying four seasons ago but participates in one-off events, drove with some circumspection due to brake issues. “It is scary as the brakes stop working halfway into the Stages and I had to ease off a bit. I also lost time on the day’s first Stage as I spun a couple of times,” said Mathias.
Crowd favourite Gill, who did not also finish Friday’s Super Special Stage due to a broken drive shaft, said: “It was unfortunate that the steering column gave way and there was nothing we could do, but I will be rejoining the Rally on Sunday.”
Provisional Classification (Leg 1):
IRC: Vikram Mathias / Swaroop Mohan (Mitsubishi Evo IX) 1 (01hr, 21mins, 33.8secs); Sunny Sidhu / PVS Murthy (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) 2 (01:25:52.0); Arjun Rao Aroor / Satish Rajagopal 3 (VW Polo R2) 3 (01:26:24.1).
IRC 2000: Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama, Cedia) 1 (01:26:55.7); Prithvi Dominic / Chandrashekar M (Cedia) 2 (01:27:13.4); Byram Godrej / Somaya AG (Slideways Industries, VW Polo) 3 (01:29:04.9).
IRC 1600: Dean Mascarenhas / Shanmuga SN (VW Polo) 1 (01:25:09.5); Chandan Gowda / Shahid Salman (VW Polo) 2 (01:31:23.5); Ritesh M Guttedar / Lokaranjan (VW Polo) 3 (01:43:45.7).
FMSCI 1600 Cup: Raghu Nandan B / Suraj K (Honda City V-Tec) 1 (01:29:28.3); Bopaiah KM / K Karumbaiah (Maruti Esteem) 2 (01:29:51.4); Lokesh Gowda / Ashika Menezes (Maruti Esteem) 3 (01:31:06.3).
eom
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Samir Thapar, Vikram Mathias thrill the crowds in super-special stage
Chikkamagaluru, 12 Dec 2014: The three Mitsubishi Evolution variants swept the time sheets with JCT Rallying’s Samir Thapar (co-driver Gurinder Singh Mann) winning the Super Special Stage as the Coffee Day Rally, the sixth and concluding round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship commenced here on Friday.
While the huge crowd at the Amber Valley School grounds were disappointed when National champion Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) of Mahindra Adventure retired barely 200 metres after the start with a broken drive shaft, Thapar, driving the Evo X, along with Vikram Mathias (Swaroop Mohan) and PG Abhilash (Anoop Kumar) provided much of the entertainment.
Thapar topped the charts with a blistering two minutes, 27.3 seconds, to finish ahead of former National champion Mathias (02:27.8), in the Evo IX and Abhilash (02:32.2) piloting the Evo VI, in the IRC class. The trio put on a memorable display in their powerful cars much to the delight of nearly 3,000 spectators.
Topping the IRC 2000 class was young Karna Kadur (Sujith Kumar BS) in the Mitsubishi Cedia, with a time of 02:38.5, well clear of Team Yokohama’s Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt), also in a Cedia, and Byram Godrej (Somaya AG) of Slideways Industries, driving the Volkswagen Polo.
Dean Mascarenhas (Shanmugha SN), the 20-year old from Mangaluru, put in a solid performance in the VW Polo to dominate the IRC 1600 class, clocking 02:41.4.
Equally impressive was Adith KC (Harish KN), the freshly crowned National champion in the FMSCI 1600 who clocked 02:37.7 to top his category.
The action will escalate when the 34 competitors head to the nearby coffee estates for the three Special Stages which will be run twice on Saturday and once on Sunday, the concluding day of the Coffee Day Rally.
Provisional classification (Leg 1, Section 1):
IRC Overall: Samir Thapar / Gurinder Singh Mann (JCT Rallying, Evo X) 1 (02mins, 27.3secs); Vikram Mathias / Swaroop Mohan (Evo IX) 2 (02:27.8); Abhilash PG / Anoop Kumar (Evo VI) 3 (02:32.2).
IRC 2000: Karna Kadur / Sujith Kumar BS (Mitsubishi Cedia) 1 (02:38.5); Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama, Cedia) 2 (02:40.2); Byram Godrej / Somaya AG (Slideways Industries, VW Polo) 3 (02:42.0).
IRC 1600: Dean Mascarenhas / Shanmugha SN (VW Polo) 1 (02:41.4); Ritesh M Guttedar / Lokaranjan (VW Polo) 2 (02:43.1); Anirudha Ranganekar / Ninad Mirajgaonkar 3 (02:46.3).
FMSCI 1600: Adith KC / Harish KN (Honda City V-Tec) 1 (02:37.7); Raghu Nandan B / Suraj K (Honda City V-Tec) 2 (02:41.7); Shahid Khan / Dhananjayan B (Maruti Esteem) 3 (02:43.4).
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Dean Mascarenhas and Shanmugha SN top the time sheets in INC 1600 cc class in the SSS on Friday -
K-1000 for bikes gets a sponsor in Pirelli, the F1 tyre supplier
By Vivek Phadnis
Bangalore, 5 Dec 2014: After the success of the four-wheeler 40th IMG K-1000 Rally recently, it is now time for the best two-wheeler competitors to take centrestage. Two-wheeler rallyists may be considered more daring because one small mistake and it could be goodbye to the event. Rallying is the purest form of motorsport that challenges man and machine to the hilt. When it comes to motorcycles on dirt road conditions, it is bound to be a real test for the rider.
Being revived after a gap of five years, the Karnataka Motor Sports Club is conducting the second round of the Indian Rally Series for two-wheelers 2014. The event is named the Pirelli Rally of Karnataka and is being conducted under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India. The event will be held around the KB Cross area near Tiptur.
The KMSC would like to acknowledge Pirelli, Zoomol Autorelli and I
K1000 rally 2014 star riders pose with CoC Bhaskar and Bikes Rally Com chairman, FMSCI, Praneeth Perumal at Press Club on Friday. MG for their support in conducting this event.
The Pirelli Rally of Karnataka will have two challenging stages with the surface comprising of dirt and loose sand. The first stage is the India Mines stage and the second is the Torque stage. The first stage is approximately 9.95 kms and the second is 14.95 kms. These stages were also used for the four-wheeler K-1000 Rally that was held recently. The Rally will be centred around the service park at Harenahalli. The India Mines will be run thrice and Torque will be run once.
eom/KMSC Press Release by Vivek Phadnis
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CMs presence peps up JK Tyre Hornbill motor rally 2014 in Nagaland
Nagaland Chief Minister Mr TR Zeliang presenting the trophy to Dhiraj Arora (centre) and Gagan Sethi who won the JK Tyre Hornbill Rally in Kohima on Friday. Photo By Anand Philar By Anand Philar
- Sethi, Arora top among professionals
- Rupero and Lhoungu bag honours
Kohima, 5 Dec 2014: Delhi-based Gagan Sethi and navigator Dhiraj Arora emerged champions among the professionals while local challengers Vizosielie Rupero and Zakiezotuo Lhoungu topped in the amateur category in the JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally which concluded at the Heritage Village, Kisama, near here on Friday.
The 43 competitors tackled a challenging terrain that was a mix of dirt and broken tarmac that put to test not just the driving skills but also navigation with Time Controls placed strategically that often caught the unwary participant off-guard.
“It was a good result for us and the route was quite easy for us, after having won the Raid de Himalaya earlier this year in our category,” said Sethi who returned a penalty time of four minutes.
Finishing second in the professionals category were Tali Akang and Moulinath Ghosh (00:06:11) while Biju Awomi and Mrinla Kalita (00:06:38) completed the podium.
However, it was the amateurs who performed better as Rupero and Lhoungu incurred a penalty time of two minutes and five seconds as against four minutes that Sethi and Arora were docked.
Vime Solo and Khrielezo Keretsu came in second with a penalty time of three minutes, 18 seconds as they finished ahead of Khosazo Sazo and Vekhozo Medeo who were docked 03:49secs.
Chief Minister of Nagaland Mr TR Zeliang gave away the prizes at the Heritage Village, Kisama, in front of a packed gathering.
JK Tyre have been involved with the World famous annual Hornbill Festival by way of supporting the Hornbill Rally in an effort to provide experience and exposure to local talent who get an opportunity to compete with some of the top Rally crews of the country.
The ever-growing number of entries stands testimony t
o JK Tyre’s unstinted efforts to promote motorsport in the North-Eastern region of the country.The results: Professionals: Gagan Sethi / Dhiraj Arora 1 (00:04.00mins penalty); Tali Akang / Moulinath Ghosh (00:06:11); Biju Awomi / Mrinla Kalita (00:06:38).
Amateurs: Vizosielie Rupero / Zakiezotuo Lhoungu 1 (00:02:05); Vime Solo / Khrielezo Keretsu 2 (00:03:18); Khosazo Sazo / Vekhozo Medeo 3 (00:03:49).
eom/JK Tyre press release
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CMs presence peps up JK Tyre Hornbill motor rally 2014 in Nagaland
- Sethi, Arora top among professionals
- Rupero and Lhoungu bag honours
Kohima, 5 Dec 2014: Delhi-based Gagan Sethi and navigator Dhiraj Arora emerged champions among the professionals while local challengers Vizosielie Rupero and Zakiezotuo Lhoungu topped in the amateur category in the JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally which concluded at the Heritage Village, Kisama, near here on Friday.
The 43 competitors tackled a challenging terrain that was a mix of dirt and broken tarmac that put to test not just the driving skills but also navigation with Time Controls placed strategically that often caught the unwary participant off-guard.
“It was a good result for us and the route was quite easy for us, after having won the Raid de Himalaya earlier this year in our category,” said Sethi who returned a penalty time of four minutes.
Finishing second in the professionals category were Tali Akang and Moulinath Ghosh (00:06:11) while Biju Awomi and Mrinla Kalita (00:06:38) completed the podium.
However, it was the amateurs who performed better as Rupero and Lhoungu incurred a penalty time of two minutes and five seconds as against four minutes that Sethi and Arora were docked.
Vime Solo and Khrielezo Keretsu came in second with a penalty time of three minutes, 18 seconds as they finished ahead of Khosazo Sazo and Vekhozo Medeo who were docked 03:49secs.
Chief Minister of Nagaland Mr TR Zeliang gave away the prizes at the Heritage Village, Kisama, in front of a packed gathering.
JK Tyre have been involved with the World famous annual Hornbill Festival by way of supporting the Hornbill Rally in an effort to provide experience and exposure to local talent who get an opportunity to compete with some of the top Rally crews of the country.
The ever-growing number of entries stands testimony t
o JK Tyre’s unstinted efforts to promote motorsport in the North-Eastern region of the country.The results: Professionals: Gagan Sethi / Dhiraj Arora 1 (00:04.00mins penalty); Tali Akang / Moulinath Ghosh (00:06:11); Biju Awomi / Mrinla Kalita (00:06:38).
Amateurs: Vizosielie Rupero / Zakiezotuo Lhoungu 1 (00:02:05); Vime Solo / Khrielezo Keretsu 2 (00:03:18); Khosazo Sazo / Vekhozo Medeo 3 (00:03:49).
eom/JK Tyre press release
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7th JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally flagged off
DIMAPUR, 4 Dec 2014: The 7th JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally was flagged-off here on Thursday with Mr Tovihoto Ayemi, Parliamentary Secretary Information Technology & Communication, Technical Education, Science & Technology and Taxes, doing the honours.
The JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally is organized by the Nagaland Adventure and Motor Sports Association (NAMSA) and coincides with the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, a seven-day extravaganza of cultural performances, ethnic food courts, handlooms and handicrafts bazaars, film and art festivals, fashion shows and National rock music contest.
The JK Tyre Hornbill Rally will conclude on Friday at the Heritage Village, Kasima, the hub of the Festival with Mr TR Zeliang, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Nagaland, giving away the prizes.
JK Tyre nurtured and developed the Hornbill Rally in a bid to provide opportunity to regional motorsports enthusiasts to express their talent and skill, be it driving or navigation. The Rally is now an integral part of the Hornbill Festival.
Over the years, the Hornbill Festival as evolved into a global tourist destination and the event received a massive boost and profile upgrade when Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself inaugurated the 2014 Festival earlier this week. In the past, the Hornbill Festival received endorsement from the President of India.
National championship leaders SK Ajgar Ali and navigator MK Mohammed Musthafa headline the JK Tyre Hornbill Rally which will be run on Friday after Thursday’s ceremonial flag-off.
Ali and Musthafa are the defending champions in the JK Tyre Hornbill Rally which they will start as the hot favourites and currently, they also are heading the FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship.
The JK Tyre Hornbill Rally has attracted over 40 pan-India entries and that include last year’s champions in the amateur class, Nitoka N Chophy and navigator Philip Lam, one of the three entries sponsored by Spearhead Initiative.
TSD (Time Speed Distance) Rally is usually conducted on public roads and following Traffic Rules, but sometimes including off-road and track sections, testing both driving and navigational skill of the crew members.
The objective of the TSD Rally is to maintain precise times and average speeds on various segments of a predefined route. Each team consists of a rider/driver and navigator. The route instructions, known as the Tulip, also provide assigned speeds. As such, participating vehicles do not require any special upgrade by way of safety features such as a roll cage.
Hence, any roadworthy vehicle is eligible to enter a TSD Rally and the crew is not required to don special gear such as fireproof overalls, gloves and helmets, as in a Stage Rally.
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Chidu-Sujith raring to go as Team Tata Motors look for a sweep
By Vivek Phadnis
Ranchi, November 29: After wrapping up the Pro Stock title in the 2014 Indian National TSD Rally Championship by winning the Kolkata round a fortnight ago, the Team Tata Motors entry of Chidananda Murthy-BS Sujith Kumar are keen on winning here too. The Bangaloreans will be taking part in the Wild Adventure Rally, the eighth and penultimate round of the National championship, here on Sunday.Murthy and Sujith Kumar, with 149 points, have assured themselves of the 2014 National title and it is also a hat-trick for them. Since the best six rounds of the season are considered for the National title, a win here will see them having the honour of winning the National title with an all-win record. It will also help in proving their supremacy as the undisputed Pro Stock TSD rallyists in the country. They will be driving a Sumo instead of the Indica Vista.
“The fact that we have won the 2014 title and a hat-trick of National titles certainly does not mean that we will back off. We will give it our best to win in Ranchi too,” said Chidananda Murthy.
Sujith Kumar added: “It feels great to win the National title for a third time. But winning is winning and we would like to add the Ranchi win to our list.”
Team Tata Motors will field Saurav Chatterjee-Ashoke Kumar Basu, second in the Pro Stock points table with 125 points table, and Vikas Puttur-Moulinath Ghosh as the other two teams in the Pro Stock category.
In the Pro Expert category, Team Tata Motors will be fielding three teams. Ajgar Ali-Mohammad Musthafa are second in the points table with 123 points, while Ganesh Moorthy-T Nagarajan have 92 points. The third Team Tata Motors entry is that of Srikanth Gowda-M Chandrashekar.
Team Tata Motors is also fielding an all-ladies team of Sheena Sabharwal and Sumantika Choudhury.
Ends/Press Release from Team Tata Motors
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FIA upgrades Madras Motor Race Track to Grade II
Chennai, 28 Nov 2014: The Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) is pleased to announced that the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), THE governing body for world motor sport, has granted the Madras Motor Race Track a Grade 2 license to run all international motorsport events outside of Formula 1. The Grade 2 license will enable the MMRT to host races such as Indycar, World Endurance Championship, DTM, GT Racing and so on. The MMRT are now evaluating plans to revamp the infrastructure at the circuit with a brand-new pit building housing the pit garages with a hospitality and media centre above.
The MMRT has seen numerous inspections from FIA officials over the past three years in their bid to upgrade the circuit. This includes work on the run-off areas, kerbs, Armco barriers, and fully advanced race control room. MMRT has also laid special emphasis on safety measures to make the circuit safe for competitors.
Ajit Thomas, President, MMSC, was thrilled at the prospect of the MMRT being eligible to host marquee International events. He commented, “I’m delighted that the FIA has granted Grade 2 circuit license for the MMRT and would like to thank them for the vote of confidence in the work carried out at the circuit. We have been working closely with the FIA inspectors for over three years to not only satisfy licensing requirements but also to make our circuits as safe as practically possible. Vicky (Chandhok) and our team at MMRT take immense pride in making their circuit amongst the most attractive to both competitors and motorsport promoters. This gives us the opportunity to plan ahead and look at bringing some of the most prestigious motor racing events in the world to the MMRT.”
India’s first ever FIA recognized race track, the MMRT, was first used for racing in 1990 and has been the main breeding ground for the country’s top drivers including India’s only two Formula 1 drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.
Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first ever Formula 1 driver, commented, “The Madras Circuit is like my home track where I made my racing debut, so it will always be a special place for me! The layout is enormously challenging and I think it is enjoyed by all drivers as well as riders. The safety has come a long way from when I started back in ’92 and hopefully the new certification will provide an impetus for more international races to be held at the venue and help our young drivers’ development.”
Karun Chandhok, former Formula 1 driver and current Formula E driver, commented, “This is fantastic news for Indian motorsport as a whole. I have many fond memories of this circuit and have witnessed it improving over the years. It is important to have circuits like this which are affordable to use and are challenging for young drivers to help in their development. With the plans that are shaping up for the upgrade of the facilities, this will certainly be a great destination for championships like GT Asia, the Asian Le Mans series and the Japanese Super GT.”
Mr. Vicky Chandhok, past President of FMSCI & Vice-President, MMSC,made it clear that the MMRT has no ambitions of staging a Formula 1 race in the future and are therefore not in any competition with the Buddh International Circuit in Noida. “The BIC is a fantastic facility that brought Formula 1 to India at a huge expense. The MMRT has always been a ‘drivers circuit’ and a favourite amongst most local and international drivers for being technical and challenging. Our focus has been and will continue to be on offering an affordable testing and racing venue not just for motorsport but also for automotive manufacturers and their supplier to test at, enthusiasts to hire for track days as well as driver and rider training programs. This year we have been booked for over 230 days, which is the highest since the track was inaugurated.”
