Category: Non-F1

Mahindra MGP3O Bikes to Debut in FIM CEV Repsol Championship

A file photo from Mahindra Racing.

Mumbai, 17 March 2014: Mahindra Racing will extend its international racing programme to include the competitive FIM CEV International Championship in 2014. The ground-breaking Indian constructor will supply two MGP3O Moto3™ racers to the Spanish Mahindra TMR Competicion team for a new programme in the Dorna-run, Spain-based series that has become the main feeder of new riders into Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Mahindra Racing has been competing as a factory team in the Moto3 World Championship, part of the MotoGP™ series, since its inception in 2012. But this year the factory pairing of Portuguese Miguel Oliveira and Australian Arthur Sissis are joined by six ‘customer’ MGP3O bikes in the World Championship. The addition of two further bikes in the CEV programme is aimed to assist with the development and set-up of the MGP3O, while also giving Mahindra the opportunity to assess some exciting new racing talent.

The Mahindra TMR Competicion team has secured the services of 17-year-old Spanish rider Albert Arenas and exciting 15-year-old Italian Stefano Manzi. Both riders are bright prospects who come to Mahindra with excellent pedigree: Arenas was a race winner in the CEV Championship in 2013 while ex-Red Bull Rookie Manzi won a race in the CIV Italian Moto3 Championship.

“Our new involvement in the CEV series is an exciting addition to our growing racing programme,” explains Mr SP Shukla, Chairman of Mahindra Racing and President of Mahindra Group Strategy. “In addition to the technical benefits, it gives us the chance to keep an eye on new emerging talent in motorcycle racing. Mahindra’s corporate philosophy of ‘Rise’ is perfectly embodied in this new initiative which seeks to help realize the potential of young riders. We will be keeping a close eye on the progress of Albert and Stefano in Spain.”

“It has been a very busy winter for us,” adds Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia. “The excellent performance of the MGP3O in the World Championship led to a lot of interest from customer teams and so it will be great to see eight Mahindra bikes on the grid in Qatar.

Adding Mahindra TMR Competicion’s CEV programme makes sense for us as it is a great opportunity to gain even more data from our bike that will feed into our development programme. It also enables us to assess the Moto3 stars of the future. We had great success with our Italian racing programme, winning the 2013 Constructors’ and Riders’ titles, and I hope that Mahindra TMR Competicion can replicate that in Spain.”

Mahindra Racing’s World Championship season gets underway on Sunday 23 March in Qatar while the CEV International Championship begins on 6 April in Jerez.

Ends

March 18, 2014
Vettel in line for Laureus Sports Man of the Year Award; Football greats in first-ever Laureus Unity Cup in KL;
Laureus World Sports Awards 2014

By Christina Sumitra

Bangalore,

File photo of the stage in KL where Laureus nominations for 2014 were announced in Feb. A Laureus photo

17 March 2014: German stalwart and speed king Sebastian Vettel, four-time Formula One world champion, is nominated for the celebrated Laureus Sports Man of the Year Awards 2014 and will be competing with other great sports personalities from other sports for the `Nobel of the sports’, the Laurus awards.

Vettel may have retired at the Aussie GP on Sunday, but as he travels to Sepang, the Laurus Awards beckon him on March 26 at Kuala Lumpur and he has a fair chance of winning the prestigeous award. And along with long-time former teammate Mark Webber of Australia, the Red Bull team is also nominated for the Team of the Year award 2014.

And with Red Bull doing well, unexpectedly, despite the disqualification of his teammate David Ricciardo, Vettel may still regain his prospects, if the car takes a transformation. and the Red Bull engineers are capable of producing such miracles.

For now a football match between the Great stars of football who will play the first-ever all stars Unity Cup in Kuala Lumpur on March 25.

Laureus release adds:
- Fabio Capello and Michael Laudrup are coaches for the big match
- Victor Baia, Ronald de Boer, Paulo Ferreira, Steve McManaman and Hidetoshi Nakata among the stars signing up to play
- Laureus All Stars Unity Cup kicks off at 17.00hrs on Tuesday, March 25 at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur
- Laureus World Sports Awards to be held in Kuala Lumpur, March 24-26
KUALA LUMPUR, March17. 2014 – A glittering collection of football stars are to play in the first ever Laureus All Stars Unity Cup as part of the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The two managers – Fabio Capello and Michael Laudrup – are currently recruiting their players for the match, which will take place at the Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur, at 17.00hrs on Tuesday, March 25, on the eve of the Laureus Awards Ceremony.

The Laureus All Stars Unity Cup will feature some of the most celebrated football names in the world as players and coaches. Already confirmed are:
- Vítor Baía (Portugal) Goalkeeper: played over 400 times for Porto between 1988 and 2007.Played in the Jose Mourinho Porto team which beat Monaco in the 2004 Champions League final
- Ronald de Boer (Netherlands) Midfield: played 67 times for Holland, including 1994 and 1998 World Cups. Won Champions League with Ajax in 1995.
- Fabio Capello (Italy) Coach: one of the game’s great managers, he is currently in charge of Russia and has managed AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma, Juventus and England
- Paulo Ferreira (Portugal) Defender: played 62 times for Portugal and was in two Champions League winning squads for FC Porto and Chelsea
- Michael Laudrup (Denmark) Coach: won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus. Played 104 times for Denmark. Managed Swansea in the English Premier League
- Steve McManaman (England) Winger: played 274 times for Liverpool and 94 times for Real Madrid. Played 37 times for England
- Gaizka Mendieta (Spain) Midfield: Played 230 times for Valencia, finishing his career with Middlesbrough in England. Won 40 caps for the Spanish national team
- Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan) Midfield: Played for Japan in three World Cups and two Olympic Games. Played mainly in Italy with Perugia, Roma, Parma, Bologna and Fiorentina
- Antonios Nikopolidis (Greece) Goalkeeper. Played 90 times in goal for Greece and was in the side that won the 2004 European Championship
There will also be an Under-19 game earlier in the day and Luis Milla, current coach of Al Jazira, who played for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid and who was in charge of Spain’s youth team for several years, will be conducting coaching sessions with young footballers.

The Laureus All Stars Unity Cup will be played in front of an invited audience and is not open to the general public. Broadcast details will be announce in due course. It will feature two 30-minute halves, played between two squads selected from these outstanding world class footballers. The names of more players taking part will be announced shortly.

The following day, Wednesday, March 26, the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, the premier honours on the international sporting calendar, will be unveiled at a televised Awards Ceremony at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur. The Awards, which honour the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year, are voted for by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 140 community sports projects in 34 countries. Since its inception, Laureus has raised over €60 million for projects which have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people.

Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) is the corporate social responsibility partner of the Laureus World Sports Awards and has been working with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation to help young people in Malaysia through the use of sport. Edwin Moses said: “We are not just in Malaysia for the Laureus Awards. We have been working with YR1M to do what we can to help young people. We are really delighted to be working with such excellent partners as YR1M and we hope our activities will make a difference.”

YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri, Minister of Tourism & Culture of Malaysia, said: “Kuala Lumpur is honoured to have been given the privilege of hosting the prestigious 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards and the city looks forward to staging this internationally-renowned event and welcoming a plethora of sporting legends to Malaysia. This is a sports-loving country and I can promise warm Malaysian hospitality awaits all our guests. Coupled with international events such as the Monsoon Cup and Formula One Grand Prix, we are supremely confident that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is the perfect host for a sporting event with such global significance. I am positive this will be an event to remember for all involved.”

The full list of Nominees for the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Usain Bolt (Jamaica) Athletics; Mo Farah (UK) Athletics; LeBron James (US) Basketball; Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis; Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Football; Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Motor Racing.

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Nadine Angerer (Germany) Football; Missy Franklin (US) Swimming; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Athletics; Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) Athletics; Tina Maze (Slovenia) Skiing; Serena Williams (US) Tennis.

Laureus World Team of the Year
All Blacks (NZ) Rugby Union; Bayern Munich (Germany) Football; Brazil Men’s Football Team; Bob & Mike Bryan (US) Tennis; Miami Heat (US) Basketball; Red Bull (Austria) Motor Racing.

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year
Afghanistan Cricket Team; Marc Márquez (Spain) Motor Cycling; Raphael Holzdeppe (Germany) Athletics; Nairo Quintana (Colombia) Cycling; Justin Rose (UK) Golf; Adam Scott (Australia) Golf.

Laureus World Comeback of the Year
Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) Athletics; Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis; Oracle Team USA – Sailing; Tony Parker (France) Basketball; Ronaldinho (Brazil) Football; Tiger Woods (US) Golf.

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Marie Bochet (France) Skiing; Marcel Hug (Switzerland) Wheelchair Racing; Tatyana McFadden (US) Wheelchair Racing; Sophie Pascoe (NZ) Swimming; Sarah Louise Rung (Norway) Swimming; Olga Sviderska (Ukraine) Swimming.

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year
Jamie Bestwick (UK) BMX; Bob Burnquist (Brazil) Skateboarding; Mick Fanning (Australia) Surfing; John John Florence (US) Surfing; Maya Gabeira (Brazil) Surfing; Shaun White (US) Snowboarding.
March 17, 2014

Vishnu Prasad, Motorsport person of the year: FMSCI awards

2013 FMSCI Indian National Champions

2013

FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W

Amittrajit Ghosh

National Champion Driver

	Line 1	Line 2	Line 3
1	FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W	Amittrajit Ghosh	National Champion : Driver
2	FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W	Ashwin Naik	National Champion : Co-Driver
4	FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W	S. Padmanabhan	National Champion : Tuner
5	FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W	Arjun Rao	1600 cc Champion : Driver
6	FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W	Satish Rajagopal	1600 cc Champion : Co-Driver
7	FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W	Slideways Industries	1600 cc Champion : Team
8	FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 4W	Kumar Ramaswamy	1600 cc Champion : Tuner
9	Junior Indian National Rally Championship (JINRC) 4W	Suhem M.K.	JINRC Champion : Driver
10	Junior Indian National Rally Championship (JINRC) 4W	Zayne Asrar	JINRC Champion : Co-Driver
11	Junior Indian National Rally Championship (JINRC) 4W	Slideways Industries	JINRC Champion : Team
12	Junior Indian National Rally Championship (JINRC) 4W	Johnson	JINRC Champion : Tuner
13	Indian Rally Championship (IRC) 4W	Sumit Panjabi	IRC Champion : Driver
14	Indian Rally Championship (IRC) 4W	Dr.S. Dinesh	IRC Champion : Co-Driver
15	Indian Rally Championship (IRC) 4W	JCT Rallying	IRC Champion : Team
16	Indian Rally Championship (IRC) 4W	Md.Yusuf	IRC Champion : Tuner
17	Indian National SUV Rally Championship (INSUVRC) 4W	Gaurav Gill	INSUVRC Champion : Driver
18	Indian National SUV Rally Championship (INSUVRC) 4W	Musa Sherif	INSUVRC Champion : Co Driver
19	Indian National SUV Rally Championship (INSUVRC) 4W	Mahindra Adventure	INSUVRC Champion : Team
20	Indian National SUV Rally Championship (INSUVRC) 4W	N Leelakrishnan	INSUVRC Champion : Tuner

	Line 1	Line 2	Line 3
1	MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship (4W)	Ashwin Sundar	MRF FF 1600 : National Champion Driver
2	MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship (4W)	S Narendran	LGB Formula F4 : National Champion Driver
3	MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship (4W)	Wallace Sports	LGB Formula F4 : National Champion Team
4	MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship (4W)	N Leelakrishnan	Indian Touring Car : National Champion Driver
5	MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship (4W)	Big Foots Racing	Indian Touring Car : National Champion Team
6	MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship (4W)	S Feroze Khan	Indian Junior Touring Car: National Champion Driver
7	MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship (4W)	Team Rad Racing	Indian Junior Touring Car : National Champion Team

	Line 1	Line 2	Line 3
1	JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship	Pradyumn V Danigond	Micro Max : National Champion Karting Driver
2	JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship	Krishnaraaj D Mahadik	Junior Max : National Champion Karting Driver
3	JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship	Vishnu Prasad	Senior Max : National Champion Karting Driver

	Line 1	Line 2	Line 3
1	FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 4W	K.P. Karthick Maruthi	TSD National Champion Driver
2	FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 4W	S. Sankar Anand	TSD National Champion Navigator
3	FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 4W	K.P. Karthick Maruthi	TSD Champion Driver Pro Expert
4	FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 4W	S. Sankar Anand	TSD Champion Navigator Pro Expert
5	FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 4W	Chidananda Murthy	TSD Champion Driver Pro Stock
6	FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 4W	Sujith Kumaar B.S.	TSD Champion Navigator Pro Stock

	Line 1	Line 2	Line 3
1	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	K Jagan	Group C : upto 165 cc : Open : Rider
2	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	TVS Racing	Group C : Upto 165 cc : Open : Team
3	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	Yamaha	Group C : upto 165 cc : Open : Manufacturer
4	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	Meka Viduraj	Group D : upto 165 cc : Novice : Rider
5	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	Sparks Racing	Group D : upto 165 cc : Novice : Team
6	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	Yamaha	Group D : upto 165 cc : Novice : Manufacturer
7	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	K Y Ahmed	Group D : upto 130 cc : Novice : Rider
8	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	TVS Racing	Group D : upto 130 cc : Novice : Team
9	FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (2W)	TVS	Group D : upto 130 cc : Novice : Manufacturer

	Line 1	Line 2	Line 3
1	MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship	K.P. Arvind	Foreign Open 2/4 Stroke : 500 cc : Rider
2	MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship	Suhail Ahmed	Novice Class Group C 2/4 Stroke : upto 260 cc : Rider
3	MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship	Pramod Joshua	Indian Expert Class Group B 2/4 Stroke : upto 260 cc : Rider
4	MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship	Pramod Joshua	Indian Expert Class Group C 2/4 Stroke : upto 260 cc : Rider
5	MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship	Naresh V.S.	Private Expert Class Group C 2/4 Stroke : upto 260 cc: Rider
6	MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship	Gaurav Khatri	Private Foreign Open 2/4 Stroke : 500 cc : Rider

Motorsportman of the year rolling trophy award : Vishnu Prasad

Life Time Achievement Award : K Krishnamurthy

Indians abroad

1) Gaurav Gill FIA Asia Pacific Rally Champion

2) Narain Karthikeyan participation in GP series – Wins and Podiums
3) Armaan Ebrahim FIA GT Series -3 podiums
4) Karun Chandok- Podium in the Dubai 24 Hour Race

5) Sanjay Takale FIA Asia Production Cup Winner

6) Raj Bharath – Podiums in the Formula Masters China

7) Jehan Daruwala winner British Karting Championship

8) Kush Maini – 2nd in the WSK Cadet Class Championship
9) Mahi Racing winner constructor World Super sport Championship
10) K Rajini 2W 2013 Losail Asia Road Racing Championship
11) R Deepak 2W 2nd in above
12) K Jagan 2W third place in the 2013 Asia Cup Road Racing Series

eom

Gautam Singhania presenting the Man of the year award to Vishnu Prasad. An Adrenna Communications photo

March 9, 2014

Indian F1 driver Karthikeyan returns to MMRT to thrill fans

Chennai, 15 Feb 2014: British driver Ruper Svendsen-Cook became the favourite for the MRF Challenge 2013 after two convincing wins at the MMRT in Chennai. His title rival Tio Ellinas had a tough day after only one podium finish, one 4th position and a DNF which saw a 22 point advantage turn into a 9 point deficit as we head into the last two races of the championship. Indian F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan thrilled the home crowd with a great effort to finish 3rd on his return to the MMRT. In the MRF 1600 National Racing Championship category Tarun Reddy fought back from 8th place on lap 1 to win on the last lap ahead of Advait Deodhar and Vikash Anand. In the first round of the Indian Motorcycle National Racing Championship, Sarath Kumar won ahead of Jagan K and Mathana Kumar.

In Race 1 Svendsen-Cook had a great start from 2nd on the grid to move into 1st place ahead of Ellinas, Dejonghe and Karthikeyan. Karthikeyan pulled off a great move to get past Dejonghe on Lap 5 to move into 3rd place and started chasing down Ellinas. Ellinas and Karthikeyan had a great battle with the Indian all over the rear of the Cypriot driver. Svendsen-Cook crossed the line to win comfortably. Karthikeyan finished just behind Ellinas to finish on the podium in his first ever MRF Challenge 2013 race.

In Race 2 Svendsen-Cook once again got the jump on Ellinas and moved ahead in the 10 lap race. Dejonghe slotted in third and it was soon a three way battle between Svendsen-Cook, Ellinas and Dejonghe with Harry Tincknell closing in on the trio. Behind them young Indian driver Raj Bharath enjoyed his best race of the season in 5th place ahead of APRC Champion Gaurav Gill. As they entered the last lap the order was the same with Ellinas trying everything possible to get past Svendsen-Cook. Ellinas made a move into C3 on the final lap and hit the Brit driver sending him into a spin. Ellinas had to retire with damage on his right front tyre while Svendsen-Cook managed to recover and get back on track. This gave Sam Dejonghe his first win of the season ahead of Harry Tincknell and a recovering Svendsen-Cook. Raj Bharath was forced to retire on the last lap with mechanical problems from a brilliant 5th position. Gill finished in 4th place but was later penalised for a jump start.

The MRF 1600 NRC category was up next with Tarun Reddy dominating qualifying earlier in the day. Tarun started on pole but got bogged down with a clutch problem which dropped him to 8th position. Advait Deodhar had a great start and led ahead of Kartik Tharani, Mihir Dharkar and Vikash Anand. Advait pulled away at the front with Tharani behind him. Tarun started picking off drivers and passed Vikash and Mihir before setting his sights on the front duo. Tarun got past Tharani with 2 laps to go and started to close in on Advait. Tarun went down the inside of Advait at Anands corner taking the lead and going on to win one of the best races of his career. Tharani finished in second place with Vikash Anand passing Dharkar to finish in 3rd place. Race 2 will take place tomorrow.

Tarun Reddy won his best race of his career so far. He commented, “I still can’t believe I won today. This is easily the best race I have ever participated in. I had a problem with the clutch on the formation lap so knew the start would be a problem. I did not expect to drop to 8th but after that I tried to push as much as possible. I knew podium was possible but Advait was too far ahead. I caught him on the last lap and managed to surprise and pass him. It feels great and now I am looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

The final race of the day was Race 3 of the MRF Challenge 2013. Svendsen-Cook got his trademark fast starts and moved into second place at the start behind Dylan Young. Ellinas starting at the back had a good start and was up to 6th place at the end of lap 2. Svendsen-Cook passed Young on lap 3 to take the lead pull away from the pack. Harry Tincknell was in 3rd place before passing Young for 2nd. The battle was for 4th place with Dejonghe, Ellinas, Ryan Cullen and Oscar King all close together. Tincknell closed the gap to Svendsen-Cook from 7 seconds to 1 second but was not enough and the latter took his second win of the day. Tincknell took his second podium of the day with Young taking his first podium of the season. Indian drivers Vikash Anand and Raj Bharath put on a good show to finish in 9th and 10th positions respectively. With Ellinas only finishing in 5th place the championship swung again and this time towards Svendsen-Cook’s favour. Svendsen-Cook has 185 points with Ellinas in second with 176 points. There are two races remaining tomorrow that will decide the MRF Challenge 2013 winner.

Race winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook was surprised to be leading the championship. He commented, “It was a fantastic day for me and I am thrilled to be in the lead of the championship. There are still two races to go tomorrow so still lot of work to do. Winning 2 out of the 3 races was great so am excited about tomorrow.”

Championship contender Tio Ellinas was disappointed after a tough day of racing. He said, “In Race 1 I had a slow start and Rupert got ahead of me and was just too fast. Narain was right behind me and we had a great battle for 7-8 laps. In Race 2 I tried to pass Rupert in the final lap but he closed the door and we ended up colliding. I had to retire which was unfortunate and it also meant I had to start from the back in Race 3. In Race 3 5th was the best I could do after fighting my way from the back. I have lost the championship lead but tomorrow is a new day so I will push for the win.”

Sam Dejonghe was happy to win his first race of the season. He said “We have been competitive all weekend so it feels great to take my first win today. There was almost nothing to choose from between Tio, Rupert and me in Race 2 so when they collided I was in the right place to take advantage. The MRF Challenge is a great championship so would like to thank my engineers and team for all their help.”

Earlier in the day Sarath Kumar won the first race of the opening Round of the Group C 165CC Open of the FMSCI-MMSC INMRC. K Jagan put pressure on Sarath throughout the race and finally finished a second behind him. Mathana Kumar finished in a lonely third place ahead of Harry Sylvester. In the Group D 165CC Ankit Gupta took his first ever win ahead of Deva U and Harikiran P.

MRF Challenge 2013 Calendar:
Round 1: October 25-27, 2013, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit (Formula One Support Race)
Round 2: November 28-30, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (World Endurance Championship Support Race)
Round 3: December 19-21, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (Gulf Racing Festival)
Round 4: February 14-16, 2014, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Trust

ends

February 16, 2014
Narain Karthikeyan unveils new Jaguar F-Type coupe

New Delhi, 5 Feb 2014 – Jaguar Land Rover’s latest award-winning products made their Indian debut at the 12^th

Narain with Jaguar F-Type coupe at the Delhi motorshow on Wednesday. A TVC photo

Delhi Auto Expo Motor Show today. Amongst the star attractions, the Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe was unveiled by India’s racing driver, Narain Karthikeyan and the Range Rover long wheelbase by leading Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.

The celebrities appeared alongside Jaguar Land Rover’s new Indian product range, including the latest Land Rover Discovery and the Range Rover Evoque with 9-speed transmission. Also making their much anticipated Indian debut were the Jaguar C-X17 crossover concept and the D-Type inspired Project 7 concept car.

Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr. Ralf Speth said:

“We are here in India to showcase the very latest offerings from our two great British brands. India continues to be an important and dynamic market for Jaguar Land Rover with year on year sales growth. This demonstrates that we are delivering our promise to create exciting products and unrivalled customer experiences. We aim to enhance the potential of the Indian market by growing our dealer network by 25 per cent this year and will now manufacture our flagship model, the Jaguar XJ, in Pune”.

Today, the company confirmed that Jaguar’s flagship model, the XJ, would become the third model to be made at the firm’s local manufacturing facility in Pune, following the introduction of the Land Rover Freelander 2 in 2011 and Jaguar XF in 2013.

This positive trend is reflected in India where the Jaguar and Land Rover brands have gained significant prominence and popularity since entering the market in 2009. Retail sales were up by 21 per cent in 2013 and Jaguar was one of the fastest growing luxury car brands in the country.

ends

February 7, 2014
Prithvi elected new FMSCI President, as King-maker `Hardy’ calls the shots
By B David

Chennai, 3 Feb 2014: J Prithviraj of Coimbatore Automotive Sports Club, an active council member in promoting the rallying in India for the last few years was announced as the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India while pre-election favourite Bharat Raj, of Karnataka Motor Sports Clubs, who pumped in monies in the last few years to keep the rallying scene alive in India, was forced to support the new team.

It was Tutu Dhawan, who took Bharat Raj’s place as Vice-President in the Federation, which is under severe pressure to prove its efficiency and capability after the outgoing team’s high performance, at least, as far as Formula One is concerned.

Just like FIA and Formula One, both of whom are steeped in secrecy as far as financial transparency is concerned, FMSCI will also come under the scanner as far as Governance and Transparency issues are concerned especially as the National body which is the ASN (Association recognised by FIA, the World Governing boday) has paid a hefty income tax which would have been avoided, had it spent the money on promoting sport at the grassroot level or sharing the booty with the hard-working Clubs, who are suffering for lack of funds. Motorsports experts in the country feel that had FMSCI spent the money sharing the expenses of running events with the clubs, they would not have ended up paying a huge amount in scores of lakhs to the Income Tax department.

Coming to the elections, while Prithviraj serves as the President, Tutu Dhawan will be the Vice-President. The FMSCI also announced the formation of the new Governing Council for 2014-15 which will see the introduction of two new members. The change of guard promises a new direction that will focus on taking the sport to a higher level and the team and its members at various forums including Facebook, have expressed their inclination to come clean as far as transparency is needed. Prithvi, as he is popularly known in the rally circles, promised to look into the possibility of bringing the Federation under the ambit of RTI act.

Prithviraj has been a part of the rallying scene for over two decades, both as a participant and organizer. He has been a councillor since 2007 and the Vice President of FMSCI for two years, being Chairman and a member of various FMSCI sub committees.

Prithviraj was humbled to be elected President and commented, “I am honoured to be elected FMSCI President by my fellow councillors. Firstly I would like to thank the outgoing President and team for all their efforts over the years. As part of the last council our biggest achievement was bringing Formula One to India. Now our role will be to ensure we maximize the benefits of that to build national motorsport events across the country. The newly elected council is extremely excited of the task that lies ahead and I am confident that this is the perfect team to take the sport forward.”

The newly-elected Council will focus on the following few areas for the year ahead. The first area of focus will be the fact that policies and procedures will take precedence and not just the people involved. Secondly the council will select the best man for the job to ensure that seamless running of the sport comes first. The third objective will be to ensure total access to all information with regard to all aspects of the Federation. The FMSCI will also continue to partner with the auto and auto ancillary manufacturers to increase their involvement in the sport.

The FMSCI announced that they will launch an interactive website which will aim at making all event details easily accessible. From entry forms to regulations to schedules to officials to penalties everything will be made available on the website for everyone to see. Most importantly the online platforms will be interactive and open to queries and suggestions. There will also be an effort to ramp up marketing activities to ensure there is more reach and visibility for events.

Prithviraj commented, “We will look at coming under the ambit of Rights to Information act. The sport has been built to this level with the help of the media and we are looking forward to their continued support as we march on. All these factors will help us in offering better support and returns to our promoters, sponsors and partners.”

The FMSCI will also continue to make sure motorsports reaches all ends of the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Kutch to Kohima. The North-East has already proved a popular motorsport venue with one of our promoters holding rallies there under the aegis of the FMSCI. The FMSCI will continue to give more importance to the region.

Prithviraj also announced the forming of a advisory body which will work with auto manufacturers, partners and government. He commented, “The dedicated committee will be entrusted with the task of working closely with auto manufacturers and government officials. Motorsport is the perfect platform for auto majors to showcase their products and get maximum visibility out of it. We are very happy by the government’s decision to modify the trade policy to facilitate easy import of cars and motorcycles for racing events. We still feel there is a lot of work to be done”

The results of the election were not announced immediately after the elections in Dec due to a court case filed by Sportscraft’s Shrikant Karani. The court ruled in his favour and struck down FMSCI stand that profit making bodies are not eligible to contest as per a recent amendment, but Karani chose to withdraw from the contest at a later stage.

However, it was Sanjay Sharma of JK Tyre, who called the shots. Hardy, as he is popularly known represented as an alternate member of Himalayan Motorspord Club.

Akbar Ebrahim – Meco, S Karani – PCRT, J Prithviraj – CASC, J Balmurugan – Spitfire, Sanjay Sharma, the kingmaker – HMSA. A photo by Adrenna

He also addressed the Press Conference.

Two new member clubs made their entry into the council joining the three founding members. The eight members of the council are:
1. Coimbatore Auto Sports Club
2. Karnataka Motor Sports Club
3. Madras Motor Sports Club
4. Performance Cars Racing Trust
5. Meco Motorsports Pvt. Ltd.
6. Spitfire Motor Sports Pvt. Ltd.
7. Motorsports Club of Chikmagalur
8. Himalayan Motorsports Association
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February 3, 2014
Tata Motors launch T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goNkalRupis
A view of the Buddh International Circuit from a Tata Truck.

By David Bodapati

New Delhi, 22 Jan 2014: Tata Motors announced the launch of the T1 PRIMA TRUCK RACING CHAMPIONSHIP on 22nd January 2014, in Delhi to bring truck racing to India for the first time. The first ever truck racing championship in India is inscribed on the calendars of FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) and FMSCI (the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India). The T1 Truck Racing Championship is held at the internationally acclaimed Buddh International Circuit and it gives Indian audiences a grand spectacle of PRIMA trucks competing against each other.

January 22, 2014
Paul Di Resta back in the Mercedes-Benz DTM cockpit

Bangalore, 21 Jan 2014: The champion of 2010 returns to DTM. In 2014, Paul Di Resta will be part of the Mercedes-Benz DTM team. The Scotsman is preparing his comeback test driving the Mercedes AMG DTM C-Coupé.

Paul di Resta, lost the seat at the Sahara Force India after the 2013 season despite doing well and failed to get a seat from any other team. With virtually all driver slots filled, Di Resta is back to DTM cockpit, as per news2use.tv.

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Paul di Resta moves to DTM A photo by news2use.tv

January 21, 2014
Chandhok rues bad luck which cost him a shot at the victory
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Dubai, 12 Jan 2014: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok got his year off to a brilliant start with a 3rd place finish in the SP2 class victory at the Dubai 24hours. Chandhok, driving the Dubai 24hours  for the second time in his career, drove for the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN, which suffered mechanical issues through the night, costing the team a chance at victory. 
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Chandhok, driving the No. 126 Nissan 370Z Nismo joined Nissan GT Academy winners James Moffat, Tor Graves and Ashley Oldfield in Asia’s leading endurance race, a press release from Adrenna Communications said. The No. 126 car was fighting with the RJN sister car for the win when the team suffered issues into the night, costing them more than 2 hours in the pits. The team was at one point 16 laps behind the leader and managed to unlap themselves 5 times but was too late.

Chandhok rued the bad luck but was happy to start the season with a podium finish. He commented, “This is a great start to the year for me and I would like to thank the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN for this opportunity. It was a crazy race and at one point we looked fast enough for the win. You need luck in a 24 hour race and we didn’t get our share of the luck but we fought back and took a podium finish. It’s a shame we had a few problems as we were matching the pace of the sister car at the start of the race. The podium is a massive reward for the RJN boys so it was good to get it for them”

Chandhok was invited to join the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN. The academy takes people who are good at video games and, in a matter of months, turns them into professional drivers. Over 765,000 people participated in last year’s Academy, held through a special free demo made using technology of the new Gran Turismo®6 game. A record 42 gamers gathered at the final selection round this year to compete in the process of turning them from virtual to real racers.

Chandhok added “This is a fantastic program initiated by the Nissan GT Academy where gamers have a chance to race in the real world. It was interesting to work with the graduates in a cost-effective program which can take a young kid from his couch to the highest levels of racing with Nissan at Le Mans. This event has been an education for me, learning about GT Academy. I have only seen it from the outside before and have read about it in magazines. I hope it will launch in India soon. It’s good to see these guys getting the opportunities that people like me didn’t have. They have been given a golden opportunity and they need to make the most of it.”

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Karun Chandhok finishes 3rd in Dubai 24hrs
January 12, 2014
Bharat Raj, Shrikant Karani to fight FMSCI presidential elections

Bangalore, 22 Dec 2013: Bharat Raj, Chairman of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club, has emerged as a strong contender for the post of the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India with Vicky Chandhok forced to step down from the coveted post after two successful terms in office. The greatest achievement during his tenure, is perhaps, the arrival of Formula One to the Indian shores. The elections are scheduled to be held in Chennai on Dec 23 and the results are expected to be announced on 8 Jan 2014 due to Madras High Court, which ordered the results to be kept in abeyance (in a sealed cover) before going for Christmas holidays.

Bharat Raj, however, is expected to face a tough challenge from veteran motorsporst administrator and organiser Shrikant Karani of Sportscraft, Mumbai. Karani filed an injunction against the elections contending against an FMSCI ruling which prohibited him from contesting elections as Sportscraft is a profit-making body.

The elections held today were for the five council berths. The council in turn elects the President and other office-bearers. If the Hon. Court probibits Shrikant Karani, Bharat Raj is likely to elected unanimously as President of the Federation. The other scenario, where the Court allows his nomination, the nine-member Council will elect the President.

Meanwhile, though Vicky Chandhok sent a subtle hint welcoming the incoming team in his annual news letter and later through his announcement that he would be stepping down paving the way for newcomers, experts feel that it is a strategic move to keep himself out of harm’s way as the International Federation of Motorsports (FIA) has now become a member of International Olympic Association (IOA) and the Indian Federation, an ASN (official member country) of FIA, has to follow the rules and regulations of the National Olympic Association which states that no office-bearer can continue for a third successive term.

With the Formula One race in India ruled out for 2014 due to scheduling problems, Chandhok, found it is right time to take a sabbatical from the helm. However, the veteran administrator who was the son of Indhu Chandhok, one of the founders of FMSCI and father of Karun Chandhok, the second F1 driver from India, is expected to represent India in the international fora in some honorary capacity, what with his savvy skills to take forward the motorsport in the country.

An announcement on Dec 23 said: “After a second extended term of being FMSCI President, Vicky Chandhok today confirmed that he will not be standing for re-election for the upcoming year.”

Chandhok, along with the Jaypee Group and other FMSCI council members including Vijay Mallya, played a key role in bringing Formula One to India and was helped by the great urge of FIA and the wish of ring master Bernie Ecclestone who thought that, the F1 bandwagon visiting India and the Asian country being on the regular calendar of F1 would benefit the sport more than India gaining from it. But the tax problems and other bureaucratic red tape were also named as reasons from removing India from the 2014 calendar. F1 is expected to return to the country in 2015 as JP group has a contract with the commercial rights holders of F1.

After an earlier stint of 3 years at the helm of the Federation from 2005 to 2007, Chandhok was elected to the Presidency again in 2010. The last 4 years have seen a big boost in Indian motorsport, not just with the Formula One Indian Grand Prix but also with domestic motorsport in general. Auto manufacturer support has increased with involvement in car and bike championships as well as the Indian National Rally Championship. Under his aegis, the first ever Indian National Times Speed Distance Rally Championship was also launched.

Chandhok said, “This is a difficult decision for me but after being President for 7 out of the last 9 years, and living and breathing Indian motorsport on a daily basis, it is time to pass the baton on. The federation has seen many wins over the past few years, including, most notably Formula 1 coming to India as well as the Asian Road Racing Championship for Bikes. There have been so many positive changes to Indian motorsport with the introduction of new championships, and I am glad to have played a pivotal role in making it happen. The first ever FMSCI Automobile Conclave has helped us in bringing more manufacturers into our various championships. From an international perspective, India has a much larger presence in world motorsport with 14 people joining international commissions and I’m glad that I have played a part in building these international relations with the FIA, FIM and CIK.”

The last 4 years have seen significant developments in the Indian motorsport arena. Karting and single-seater racing has given young Indian drivers the perfect platform to hone their skills before going to race internationally. The JK Tyre National Karting Championship continues to flourish and the introduction of the JK Racing India Series, MRF 16000 and MRF Challenge 2013 has helped prepare young drivers to face the challenges of international competition. Saloon car racing in India has established its own niche with the introduction of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup and the Toyota Etios Trophy. Rallying in India has recovered after a couple of difficult years and now has increased manufacture presence from car giants Volkswagen, Mahindra and Maruti.

Chandhok added, “Young drivers now have ample platforms to chart out their motorsport career starting from karting to F3 style cars. Rallying, a discipline where I personally spent many years competing, has now stabilised over the last 12 months. It has also been very heartening to see the support that organisers, promoters and competitors have extended to me personally, and the federation especially over the past couple of months. I have had a very passionate team of people to work with and none of our achievements would have been possible without the determination and hard work of the entire team.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity that I was given to improve Indian motorsport and I am confident that we can look forward to more successes in the future. There is a plenty of work to be done in supporting the Jaypee Group and Formula One Management, as well as the vehicle manufacturers to improve the sport in India. I will of course continue to be a member of the FMSCI managing council and look forward to lending my support to the new President and his team,” he added.

On the other side of the success, the new office-bearers will have to work that much harder not only to keep up the good work but also to bring in transparency and professionalism to the National body. Just like FIA, its parent body, the Indian Federation, guards its accounts and dealings in great secrecy. Time has come now to publish the audited reports and take responsibility by creating strong mechanisms for accountability.

(This article is edited on Dec 23 at 3pm)

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File photo of Vicky Chandhok with Bernie Ecclestone. An Adrenna Communications photo

December 22, 2013