INDIA in F1

Category: Non-F1

  • Gearbox failure costs Karun Chandhok and Murphy Prototypes another finish

    Karun Chandhok photo by Adrenna Communications
    Karun Chandhok photo by Adrenna Communications

    Imola, 19 May 2014: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok and his team Murphy Prototypes were forced to retire from Round 2 of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) at Imola in Italy due to a gearbox failure. The team was running in 2nd place when they were first given a drive through penalty and then suffered a differential failure on the very next lap. Chandhok, who is making his first visit to the Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari in Imola, topped the timesheets in the first practice session held yesterday but could not get a lap in at the race.

    Starting round two of the 2014 European Le Mans Series from row two on the grid in fourth position, Rodolfo Gonzalez started the race for the Hertz Car Sales sponsored team. Initially holding his fourth position, Gonzalez moved into third place before making an early pitstop to replace a left rear tyre. During the middle part of the race, Rodolfo set the fastest lap and with it moved up to second position. However his luck would soon change with a stop and go penalty quickly followed by retirement with differential failure.

    Confident in the knowledge that both their car and the new driver line up of Karun Chandhok, Nathanael Berthon and Rodolfo Gonzalez are very fast, the Murphy Prototypes team begin their preparation for their third participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the official test on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June.

    The former Formula 1 driver was disappointed after losing out on another podium finish for the second race in a row. Karun commented, “Obviously it’s very disappointing this weekend. Unfortunately Rodolfo is in his learning stage in Sportscar racing and he had one too many incidents which has cost us, but he will learn hopefully and its better he does his learning now than at Le Mans. I think we could have had a podium at this race. Looking ahead to Le Mans it’s a long week so we just have to pace ourselves. As a team we’ve got two rookies so we just need to be patient and remember that it’s a 24 hour race.”

    Greg Murphy, Owner, Murphy Prototypes was also unable to hide his disappointment. He said,
    “Naturally we’re very disappointed not to have finished the race today. We came into this weekend with a very strong driver lineup and a car that we knew could win. However this was always going to be a test for Le Mans in June and I still believe we’ve got a really fast driver lineup and we should be in really good shape for the official Le Mans test in two weeks.”.

    Karun was also quick to thank his long time supporters. He said, “I would like to thank my long term supporters JK Tyre, with whom I am entering into my 15th year of association as well as Tag Heuer,  Sidvin and the AVT group who have all been very supportive towards my Le Mans campaign.”

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    eom/Adrenna Communications release

  • Jan Kopecky beats Gaurav Gill as MRF takes another 1-2 finish

    File photo after Kopecky has taken lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image
    File photo after Kopecky has taken lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image

    New Caledonia, 18 May 2014: Team MRF Skoda driver and European Rally Champion Jan Kopecky beat team-mate Gaurav Gill to win Round 2 of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in New Caledonia. Both MRF Skoda drivers were under investigation for postponing the start of Stage 13 as what they thought were unsafe conditions but both escaped with light penalties. Gill was comfortably leading yesterday before an accident caused him suspension damage. After two rounds, Kopecky and Gill are joint leaders with almost nothing to choose from them.

    Driving the Team MRF Skoda Fabia S2000, Kopecky was in the driver’s seat with a 5 min lead heading into day 2.     2 stages were cancelled on Saturday, and SS12 was cancelled this morning. Then news came that the last 3 stages would also not run as conditions were so bad that the safety car also could not get through. Both drivers felt the conditions were impossible to drive in and hence requested for safer conditions before resuming.

    2013 European Rally Champion Jan Kopecky admitted he has happy for the rally to finish after driving in very tough conditions. He said, “I am happy to have my first win of the season and the Team MRF Tyres Skoda team have been great in really tough conditions. I have to say I didn’t enjoy my driving so much, with so much mud. One stage I liked it was in the North, more like a proper stage, the rest was like driving over the fields in the mud, I didn’t enjoy so much. Our gap (today) was quite huge, so I didn’t want to make a mistake. There was no pressure and I was relaxed in the car, there was one stage in the North I enjoyed and each time I was able to go quicker than Gaurav, so it was good for us. We are now on equal points with Gaurav, that’s good for championship. If you have a close battle from the start its always better. Next is Australia – I’ve never been there, so a new country, a new rally we are looking forward to it.”

    Defending champion Gill rued the fact that his mistake yesterday cost him the win but was happy to salvage 2nd place. He commented, “We had a good lead and a health margin, but unfortunately we got caught out by the conditions yesterday and found a tree on the exit of a corner, wasn’t so good for the car and we bent a suspension arm. Glenn (Macneall) and I had to do some repairs, the drive the last stage very conservatively. We’re happy to finished the day yesterday and today fastest of the day, so maximum points in the kitty – the best I could have done.”

    Jan Kopecky and his Team MRF Skoda team next head to Australia on equal points (to be confirmed) with his team-mate Gaurav Gill in second. Many stages were cancelled after heavy rain made the roads impossible. The next round of the 2014 APRC is the International Rally of Queensland which will take place next month. Full bonus points will apply as the event had reached the required threshold. Last year 5 stages were cancelled on the final day, again after torrential rain.

    Provisional Result Rally New Caledonia

    1 – Jan Kopecky (Czech) Pravel Dresler (Czech) MRF Skoda 2hr01min40.6sec

    2 – Gaurav Gill (IND) Glenn Macneall (Aust) MRF Skoda 2hr04min53.2sec

    3 – Michael Young (NZ) Malcolm Read (NZ) Cusco Proton 2hr23min18.3sec

    eom/Adrenna Communications Press Release.

    Photos by MACSPEEDFOTO/ALAN MCDONALD

  • Jan Kopecky takes lead as Gaurav Gill hits trouble: APRC

    New Caledonia, 17 May 2014: Team MRF Tyres Skoda driver and European Rally Champion Jan Kopecky stormed into a comfortable lead in Round 2 of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in New Caledonia. Defending champion Gaurav Gill suffered a suspension failure which cost him any chance of fighting for the lead.

    Czech driver Jan Kopecky and co driver Pravel  Dresler have a lead of 5min20 sec over team mate Gill after Day 1 of Rally New Caledonia. Gill pulled out a 52 second lead until SS7 where he dropped 1min 40sec then a further 3min 40sec on the final stage of the day with suspension failure.  Despite dropping so much time Gill holds onto second place for the MRF Rally Team with a 10 minute buffer over third place Sanjay Takale. Gill managed to get his car to the service tent with the mechanics confident of getting the car ready for tomorrow.

    Overnight rain and further showers today made the 2 shorter inland stages very muddy and in many places almost impossible to drive.  This created a day of attrition with 6 of the starters failing to finish the day.  Both Australian APRC competitors Mark Pedder and Tom Wilde ended up off the road. The conditions became very tough forcing the organisers to cancel SS5 & SS8.

    How the day unfolded

    1. SS 1 Gill jumps out to a 30sec lead over Kopecky
    2. SS 2 Gill wins by 9.5 sec
    3. SS3 Gill wins by 1.7sec and leads Kopecky by 40.9sec at service after first loop

    Stages are now repeated

    1. SS4  Kopecky wins by .5 sec
    2. SS5 Cancelled
    3. SS6 Gill wins by 11.6 sec and now has lead of 52 sec at second service after second loop

    Stages repeated for third time

    1. SS7 Kopecky wins by 1min 40sec Gill has suspension damage
    2. SS8 Cancelled
    3. SS9  Kopecky wins by 4min 30 sec Gill crawls through stage with makeshift repairs

     

    eom/MRF release from Adre

    Kopecky takes lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image
    Kopecky takes lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image

    nna Communications

  • Akbar Ebrahim replaces Vicky Chandhok as FMSCI’s deputy in FIA

    Chennai, 17 May 2014: The Governing Council of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) has nominated Mr Akbar Ebrahim, a renowned driver coach and an accomplished race driver, as India’s Deputy representative in the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA).
    The FMSCI Chairman Dr Vijay Mallya endorsed the decision and the FIA was informed of the same.
    Dr Mallya is the Titular Delegate of India and a member of the prestigious World Motor Sports Council of the FIA, which is responsible for all aspects of international motor sport at every level from karting to Formula One.
    Mr Ebrahim has replaced Mr Vicky Chandhok in the role and will represent the FMSCI to lend a hand to Dr Mallya in the FIA.
    Thanking the FMSCI’s decision, Mr Ebrahim said: “While my predecessor worked hard to get F1 to India, my priority now would be to get more Indians into F1 and its likes. We are going to work hard to create opportunities for our sportspersons to step out and take on the world. We’ll make sincere efforts to align with global best practices and avail all possible assistance from international associates.
    “India has all that is required for our kids and our sport to unleash, and what we need to do now is to package and present our case to the world. To start the campaign, we need to lead the charge in the Asian Region.”
    Mr Ebrahim had recently met FIA President Mr Jean Todt at the FIA Asia Pacific Region Motor Sport Forum in Sri Lanka, where Mr Todt had drawn everyone’s attention to FIA’s taskforce that is currently in operation in the Asia Pacific region.
    “The idea behind this initiative is to interact, assist and coordinate between motor sports federations in this region,” said Mr Ebrahim. “The Forum gave the confidence that there is a genuine consensus in the FIA to study and work with the ASN’s (National Sports Association) on common perspectives as well as individual requirements.
    “Some of the key areas that the Forum discussed were driver development, training of officials such as Race Director, Clerk of Course, Stewards, Time keepers, karting at grassroots level, singular Asia Pacific events, among others.”
    Mr Ebrahim said the FMSCI has offered to host a part of the next Officials’ training programme for the FIA Asia Pacific region.
    Vicky Chandhok with Akbar Ebrahim (right) at the FMSCI awards function 2014. An FMSCI image
    Vicky Chandhok with Akbar Ebrahim (right) at the FMSCI awards function 2014. An FMSCI image
    During his brief interaction with Mr Todt, Mr Ebrahim assured the FIA President that the FMSCI would strive to introduce the new FIA Formula 4 racing car as the first level junior international racing car in India, and would implement FIA’s Action for Road Safety, a programme promoted by FIA worldwide.
    eom

  • Team MRF Tyres’ Gaurav Gill all set for New Caledonia

    New Caledonia, 16 May 2014: Team MRF Tyres Skoda driver and defending champion Gaurav Gill will return to New Caledonia this weekend for Round 2 of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). Gill, who won at New Caledonia last year, will be joined by European Rally Champion and Team MRF Tyres Skoda team-mate Jan Kopecký from the Czech Republic, as the two drivers are all set to resume their battle in the Skoda Fabia S2000.

    The MRF team driver line-up is impressive featuring both the current APRC Champion Gaurav Gill and Czech driver Jan Kopecky European Champion. Last month in New Zealand, the MRF Rally drivers made the perfect start finishing 1-2 in the first round. Indian rallying champ Gaurav Gill took the honours after a 23 sec deficit on day 1 to win by 11 secs.

    With both drivers closely matched and MRF Rally tyres ideal for New Caledonia conditions, Skoda factory backed cars prepared by Race Torque engineering are confident heading into Round 2.

    Although twice a previous winner here, two of the stages are relatively new to Gill having been cancelled last year because of rain.  So for a greater part it is a level playing field with team mate Jan Kopecky who showed in New Zealand he was extremely competitive by leading for over half of the rally distance.

    Gaurav Gill was optimistic after winning last year. He commented, “I am thrilled to be back in New Caledonia with the MRF Tyres Skoda team. The stages will be slightly different this year with the roads been made wider and smoother and in most places it’s going to be faster than last year. Hopefully it will be dry this year. In New Caledonia it is important not to push too hard, it can be very tough on both drivers and cars and as the saying goes, first you must finish. Experience has taught me we don’t try to go faster we need to be more precise”.

    New Caledonia is nestled in the South West Pacific and surrounded by the most beautiful tropical lagoons however venture inland and you will find the rugged interior roads that can catch out even the most experienced driver

    The rally course is situated 50 kilometres to the north of the capital Noumea on mining and rural roads.  There is 235 km of high speed tests broken down into 17 stages, 3 stages repeated 3 times on Saturday and the course run again in reverse on Sunday.

    While the weather is normally fine and the temperature a balmy 25c this time of the year, rain can have a significant impact turning parts of the course into a skating rink.

    2014 Asia Pacific Rally Championship Points after first round

    (1) Gaurav Gill (IND) 38, (2) Kan Kopecky (CZE) 31, (3) Mark Pedder (AUS) 25

    Gaurav Gill in New Caledonia on Friday. An MRF image
    Gaurav Gill in New Caledonia on Friday. An MRF image

    eom/MRF Release from Adrenna Communications

  • MRF MoGrip National Supercross Championship 2014 begins on May 18

    Chennai, 14 May 2014: The 10th edition of the MRF MoGrip-FMSCI National Supercross championship has attracted almost 100 entries for each of the six rounds to be staged across the country.

    Supercross is a motorcycling sport that involves off-road motorcycles on an artificially-created dirt track consisting of steep jumps and obstacles, and is usually conducted in stadiums.
    The first round of the championship will be held in Nashik on May 18and the second round in Pune on May 25.
    The other rounds are tentatively scheduled to be held in Coimbatore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
    As a sport, Supercross is gaining in popularity in India, with close to around twenty thousand spectators thronging each venue last year, leading to an increase in participation and growing involvement and support from Corporate houses.
    MRF Limited is the title sponsor. TVS Motor Company, Hero Moto Corp, Sidvin Core-Tech, and IOC Servo are associate sponsors. Godspeed (Pune) is organizing the championship.
    KP Aravind (Team TVS, Bangalore), CS Santosh (Bangalore), Kerala rider Harith Noah (Team TVS) and Veer Patel (Baroda) are some of the Indian riders who have participated in recent Asian Supercross events in Sri Lanka and the UAE, and along with privateers Snehal Chavan (Team 9T9 Racing, Pune) and Gaurav Khatri (New Delhi), will be wowing the spectators with their daredevil style.
    Factory-backed Team TVS and Pune’s 9T9 Racing are among the top teams in the fray.
    Close to 40 thoroughbred motocross motorcycles will be seen in action in the re-christened SX 1 and SX 2 categories, while the newly-introduced Junior SX category is exclusively for riders below 15 years of age.
    The seven categories and their respective 2013 champions are:
    SX 1 (Foreign Open, Group A, Two/Four Stroke, up to 250cc Two-Stroke and 500cc Four-Stroke). 2013 champion KP Aravind (Team TVS, Bangalore).
    SX 2 (Foreign Open, Group A, Two/Four Stroke, up to 250cc Two-Stroke and 500cc Four-Stroke). Only  for Privateers. 2013 champion Gaurav Khatri (New Delhi)
    Junior SX (Open to Group A/B/C/D, up to 260cc). Below 15 years.
    Newly-introduced.
    Indian Expert Class, Group B, (Two/Four Stroke, up to 260cc).
    2013 champion Pramod Joshua (Team TVS, Bangalore).
    Indian Expert Class, Group C (Two/Four Stroke, up to 260cc).
    2013 champion Pramod Joshua (Team TVS, Bangalore).
    Private Expert Class, Group C, (Two/Four Stroke, up to 260cc).
    2013 champion VS Naresh (Bangalore).
    Novice Class, Group  C, (Two/Four Stroke, up to 260cc).
    2013 champion Suhail Ahmed (Team TVS, Bangalore).
    All defending champions have confirmed participation in the upcoming edition.
    eom/FMSCI press release/

    File photo of a Supercross event from FMSCI archives.
    File photo of a Supercross event from FMSCI archives.

    Sanjay Rajan

  • Dilip Rogger qualifies in 4th on his return to international racing

    Qatar, 10 May 2014: Indian rider Dilip Rogger qualified in 4th position on his return to international competition in the Losail Asian Super Series Championship. Rogger racing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar was forced to miss the first practice session giving him limited track time.

    Rogger had a tough start to the weekend when his bike suffered a mechanical problem at the beginning of Free Practice 1. He missed the rest of the session as the team frantically worked to get the bike ready for Free Practice 2. This meant that Rogger had only one session before the qualifying session. Rogger spent time learning the track and getting used to the bike on a track where his rivals have done numerous laps. Rogger got faster and faster as the session went by but will still find it hard to match the leaders.

    Rogger, who is supported by PYRRA, FMSCI and the QMMF, commented, “It was a new track for me so I just wanted to learn the track in the practice sessions than look to set a time. But the first 45 min session did not go well as I had mechanical trouble with the bike. The next 30 min practice session I  spent learning the track getting more comfortable with the bike. During the qualifying session I had to push to get a good starting position, but it was hard to match the guys in front due to lack of practice. I’m hoping to reduce the gap to the leaders in the warm up session which will be for 20 min. I’m extremely satisfied of my performance given the limited running and given the fact that these guys have been racing in this championship for the last 2-3 years.”

    Rogger is participating in the final round of the Losail Asian Super Series Championship riding a Yamaha R6 in the 600cc category. This Championship is organized by Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF).

    Dilip Rogger is no stranger to the motorcycling racing industry and has been after making his debut at the age of 13. He has been a regular entrant in the Malaysian Super Series and FIM Asia Road Racing Championship including race wins. Rogger also participated in the German National Championship and became the first Indian to race in Endurance races internationally.

    eom/Adrenna Press Release

  • JK Tyre-Meco Motorsports Rotax Max Kart Open 2014 at Hyderabad

    Hyderabad, May 9, 2014: The calm and cool environment of the KartCenter – Lahari resorts here will be the scene of some serious karting action on May 10 and 11. Some of the country’s best karters in the Micro Max, Junior Max and Senior Max classes will battle it out in the JK Tyre – Meco Motorsports Rotax Max Kart Open 2014.

    With the field being a mix of experienced and rookie kart drivers, this event gives an opportunity to them all to shake off the rust and sharpen their skills before they take part in the National Karting Championship. For the experienced karters in the Kart Open category, they will be able to judge where they stand and for the drivers in the Rookie Cup, they will get a chance to test their skills against the more experienced drivers. So, it’s a win-win situation for all drivers.

    The incentive for the Rookie Cup winners in the Micro Max, Junior and Senior categories is that they will get a waiver of the entry fee for the full National Karting Championship, while the first and second placed drivers will get a chance to undergo a free kart training programme.

    In the Senior Max category, it is an eight-man field and Rookie Cup drivers Hiran Prathap (Chennai, Meco Racing) and Rahul Sharan (Bangalore, BPC Racing) look strong and will aim to challenge last year’s Junior Max National champion Krishnaraj D Mahadik, Dhruv S Mohite (both Kolhapur, Mohite’s Racing) and Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, Rayo Racing), all competing in the Kart Open class.

    In the Junior Max category, last year’s Micro Max National champion Pradyumna Vipul Danigond (Kolhapur, Mohite’s Racing) will be up against the likes of lady karter Mira Erda (Baroda, Dark Don Racing), Ricky R Donison (Bangalore, BPC Racing), Nirmal Umashankar Babu (Chennai, Meco Racing) and Akash Gowda (Bangalore, Meco Racing).

    In the Micro Max category, eight out of 13 entries (a new high in this category) are from Meco Racing. Paul Francis (Bangalore), Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra), Yash Aradhya (Bangalore) and Nikhil Bohra (Bangalore), all from Meco Racing, are likely to dominate the proceedings. Francis, Mohsin and Aradhya are in the Kart Open category, while the rest of them are competing in the Rookie Cup. Rahil Kochar (New Delhi, Dark Don Racing), Jahan P Lohar (Mumbai, Mohite’s Racing), Aadityansh Kaulshi (Pune, Rayo Racing), Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai, Rayo Racing) and Chirag Ghorpade (Bangalore, BPC Racing) will be looking to put up a fight from the other teams in the fray.

    The practice rounds were held on Friday as the drivers geared up and mechanics were busy trying to set up the karts as best as they could. Now, it’s over to the real thing on Saturday and Sunday.

    Thursday’s Press release:

    Over 38 entries have been received for the event on May 10 and 11. This marks a 15 per cent increase as compared to the previous year. The teams that will be battling it out this weekend are Rayo Racing, Dark Don Racing, India Karting, Mohites Racing and Meco Racing. The new entrant this time is BPC Racing. These competitors will be battling it out in the Micro Max, Junior Max and Senior Max categories.

    This event is a preparatory event of sorts. It has two awards. One section is for regular karters who would like to test their skills and do some fine-tuning to get into shape before the National Karting Championship begins. There is a category for rookie drivers, i.e. drivers who have not won any race in the last five years. This is also for drivers who are entering the sport. Again, this event gives them an opportunity to test their skills against seasoned kart drivers and also stay in contention for the Rookie Awards that supports their participation in the National Karting Championship.

    Last year’s Rookie Champions — Micro Max Champion Paul Francis, Junior Max Champion Tejas Raman and Senior Max Champion Arjun Srikant —  will be taking part and vying for top honours for the Kart Open Overall Title.

    The first round will be held on Saturday. Following the qualifying round, there will be five races for each of the three classes and this will be repeated for the second round on Sunday. The highest points from round one and round two in each of the classes will determine the top three Overall Winners and top three Rookie Winners for the Kart Open and Rookie Cup respectively.

    “We are in our 15th continuous year of promoting karting in the country and this kind of commitment and efforts are unparalleled,” said Sanjay Sharma, Head – Motorsport, JK Tyre and Industries.

    “You’ll never find good and deserving talent if there are no events for rookies. It is only when one fights in his or her peer group and in apple to apple conditions that one gets to showcase real talent. We are so proud that the talent spotted and nurtured from this level went on to make a mark internationally.

    “We are thankful to Akbar Ebrahim for all that he has done by running this event and being the best coach available in this part of the world,” he added.

    Akbar Ebrahim of Meco Motorsports, said: “The Rookie Cup was introduced by us to give the newcomers an opportunity to get more prepared for the National Championship. It helps them to understand the level they need to be at when compared to the regulars, though not all regular karters take part in the Kart Open. It also helps build their confidence when they are fighting for an Award amongst newcomers like them.

    “Karting is most crucial for drivers planning to get into racing as this level of karting deals with very high speeds and enormous cornering speeds. It also teaches young kids what wheel-to-wheel racing is all about and disciplines them in a way that they start to respect the others. That helps in the overall driving standards and safety. It teaches a young kid, chassis and engine dynamics in terms of chassis setups and engine tuning. It also teaches the young drivers what tyre grip means and tyre management, which is the most important aspect of race car driving,” he added.

    ends

  • Puncture costs Chandhok, Murphy Prototypes a podium at Euro Le Mans

    A puncture costs Karun Chandhok a podium. An Adrenna Communications image
    A puncture costs Karun Chandhok a podium. An Adrenna Communications image
    Silverstone, 20 April 2014: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok reeled off 4 fastest laps in a row but a puncture cost his team Murphy Prototypes a definite podium finish at the opening round of the European Le Mans (ELMS) race at Silverstone. The team recovered from 28th position to finish 8th as Murphy Prototypes set the pace at Silverstone.

    Rodolfo Gonzalez started the race for Murphy Prototypes and by the first corner had moved into second position. Approaching the end of his stint, the team received a big blow that would ultimately ruin their podium chances with a puncture. Gonzalez brought the Hertz Car Sales Oreca 03 Nissan machine back to the pits as carefully as he could but the damaged bodywork meant the team had to bring the car into the garage for further repairs. Alex Kapadia took over driving duties after Alan McGarrity (Team Manager) and his team performed a superb repair job on the car. Returning to the track in 28th position, Kapadia drove well and was the fastest car on the circuit for the majority of his stint. Towards the second half of the race, the safety car was deployed to aid the recovery of the stricken Jota Sport Zytek. Alex quickly pitted the #48 Oreca 03 Nissan to hand over to Karun Chandhok for the final stint. Chandhok set a blistering pace with four fastest laps in row and ultimately recording the fastest lap of the race but it was too late. Crossing the finish line after four hours, Chandhok brought the Hertz Car Sales Murphy Prototypes Oreca 03 Nissan home in eighth position. Once again Murphy Prototypes have proven themselves as the fastest LMP2 team in the championship with one of the strongest driver combinations. Chandhok was the fastest driver on track out of the 112 drivers on track. The JK Tyre backed driver Chandhok was happy with his performance despite limited time in the car. He commented, “It was a really frustrating day to be honest as we had the pace to win. I had four fastest laps in a row and Rodolfo and Alex had really good pace. Rodolfo had a puncture which unfortunately came without warning and destroyed a lot of the bodywork, so that was it and put us out of contention. It’s a shame but at least we know we are quick and hopefully we can go to Imola and Le Mans with a lot of confidence and hopefully get a result there.” Chandhok is backed by his long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer, along with Sidvin and the AVT Group. eom/Adrenna Communications Release

  • Karun Chandhok qualifies in third place for Murphy Prototypes

    Karun Chandhok photo by Adrenna Communications
    Karun Chandhok photo by Adrenna Communications

    Silverstone, 19 April 2014: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok qualified in 3rd position for Murphy Prototypes in his first ever European Le Mans (ELMS) race at Silverstone. Chandhok helped Murphy Prototypes get their 2014 European Le Mans Series season off to a solid start along with their other drivers Rodolfo Gonzalez and Alex Kapadia.

    Murphy Prototypes had a tough start to the weekend with an electrical issue curtailing their running in Free Practice 1. The team managed to finish 6th overall in FP1 with Chandhok posting a time of  1:52:881. Chandhok was able to better that time in Free Practice 2 to finish 5th overall with a time of 1:50:444.

    Qualifying saw Chandhok leading the charge for the Murphy Prototypes team in the Hertz Car Sales Oreca 03 Nissan. Former F1 driver Christian Klien went on provisional pole before British driver Harry Tincknell took over at the top with a 1:47:702. Chandhok slotted into second position with a 1:48:912 before Frank Mailleux just pipped him for second position with a 1:48:854.

    The JK Tyre backed driver Chandhok was happy with his performance despite limited time in the car. He commented, “Its a good start to the season and the team is very excited to start in 3rd position. The car is working well and more importantly all three drivers seem to be comfortable with the car. It’s a long race so qualifying not as critical here but always good to start at the front of the grid. Rodolfo will start the race with Alex going second and then I will run to the end. I am optimistic that if we have a clean race that we can get a podium so looking forward to going racing again.”

    The first round of the ELMS race at Silverstone will see 112 drivers, 39 cars and 25 nationalitites in action. Other races this weekend will also include the opening rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Formula 3 Championship.

    Chandhok is backed by his long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer, along with Sidvin and the AVT Group.

    eom/Adrenna Communications release