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Category: Non-F1
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Svendsen-Cook storms back into title race
Chennai, 21 Dec 2013: British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook stormed back into the title fight with a dominant win in Race 4 of the MRF Challenge 2013 Round 3 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. Svendsen-Cook won the race ahead of Shinya Michimi and Sam Dejonghe as his main title rivals faltered. Championship leader Tio Ellinas was given a drive through penalty for a jump start while Arthur Pic had to retire after a collision with Renan Guerra. Earlier in the day Tio Ellinas beat Svendsen-Cook & Pic to win Race 3.
In Race 3, Rupert Svendsen-Cook started on pole position alongside Tio Ellinas. Svendsen-Cook had a clean start and went into the lead with Ellinas and Sam Dejonghe behind him. Arthur Pic starting in fourth position held on to his position in front of Brazilian driver Renan Guerra. Svendsen-Cook made a mistake on lap 3 allowing Ellinas to get a run on him and pass him on the main straight. On the same lap Pic made a move on Dejonghe to move into third place. While Ellinas started to slowly pull away, Pic started to close in on Svendsen-Cook with 5 laps to go. Pic made a move on Svendsen-Cook on the final lap but could not make it stick and ended up finishing in third place. Ellinas crossed the finish line to take his third win out of the last four races to increase his championship lead with Pic second and Svendsen-Cook third. Renan Guerra, who was in fourth place had to retire with a mechanical problem. Harry Tincknell finished in fourth place ahead of Sam Dejonghe and Shinya Michimi
Raj Bharath was once again the fastest of all the Indian drivers with a 11th place finish. Tarun Reddy ran as high as 13th place before finishing in 16th place while Vikash Anand retired from 15th position.
In Race 4, Shinya Michimi started on reverse-grid pole position alongside Sam Dejonghe. Both front row drivers started well holding their positions while Svendsen-Cook had one more of his trademark starts and jumped to third place from fifth on the grid. Ellinas moved into fourth place with Harry Tincknell and Arthur Pic behind him. Svendsen-Cook made a move on Dejonghe and got past him on lap 2 and then set his sights on Japanese driver Shinya Michimi. It took him another 2 laps but Svendsen-Cook got past Michimi to take the lead on lap 5. Behind him there was action all around with Ellinas getting past Dejonghe for third place. Tincknell, Pic and Guerra were involved in a close battle which ended with Guerra colliding with Pic forcing both drivers to retire on the spot. The drama continued when Ellinas was given a drive though penalty and was forced to come in to the pits to serve the penalty, putting him out of the points. With both Pic and Ellinas out of the points, Svendsen-Cook took advantage to cross the finish line in first in first place with Michimi second and Dejonghe third. Behind them Tincknell picked up another fourth place with Ryan Cullen and Camren Kaminsky in fifth and sixth places respectively.
The Indian driver enjoyed their best finish to date with an 8th & 9th place for Vikash Anand and Raj Bharath. Both drover very well to move up the field and into the top 10. Tarun Reddy retired after a collision on lap 1.
Championship leader Tio Ellinas was excited after yet another double podium finish. He said, “In Race 3 I had a good start but Rupert had a better start. I managed to pass him in a couple of laps and after that it was just a matter of keeping him behind me. I am glad I was able to increase my lead after Race 3. In Race 4 I moved a little but did not jump the start. It is unfortunate that I got a drive through penalty but that’s how it goes. This is my first race off the podium but am glad that my championship lead is still intact.”
Race winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook was happy with a double podium finish and a small change in his luck. He commented, “I am happy to take a dominant win after yesterday’s Race 2 retirement. The car felt much better than the morning and I was sure that I would be in with a good chance. I have inched closer to the top two guys in the championship so can’t wait to get to India for the final round.”
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
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Tio Ellinas in Chennai on Saturday. An Adrenna photo -
Arjun Rao Aroor wins in style to clinch 1600 INRC title
Chikmagalur, 21 Dec 2013: Dark horse Arjun Rao Aroor and co-driver Satish Rajagopal won the INRC 2013 season finale winning the Coffee Day Rally to clinch the championship in the 1600cc class. It was day to celebrate for Volkswagen, as Polo R2 rally cars dominated the overall class and the 1600 category. The fifth and final round of the Indian National Rally Championship ended here on Sunday in the rally stages at the coffee estates.
Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik have already sealed teh 2013 championship in the last round at K1000 in Bengaluru.
Sirish Chandran and Hrishikesh Thackersey, also driving Polo rally cars, came second and third to make a clean sweep in the INRC 1600 category for Volkswagen-powered cars. Rohan Pawar, also driving Volkswagen Polo, won the Junior INRC category (JINRC).
Arjun also won the 1600 category brushing aside the challenge from Vikram Devadasan and also topped overall in this round. Sirish Chandran also finished second in 1600 and came overall third.
With this victory, Arjun clinched the 2013 INRC 1600cc title. Hrishikesh Thackersey followed Sirish in INRC 1600 on the podium in third spot. While Sirish was the first reason for Slideways Industries to celebrate, Rohan Pawar won in the Junior INRC category to give the Volkswagen customer team a second reason to celebrate.
Karamjit Singh, driving Volkswagen Motorsport India developed, Polo R2, was the fastest till SS9 and was leading overall. However, a mechanical failure forced him and co-driver Jagdev Singh to opt for a retirement on SS10. Their car broke down and stood across the route forcing the organizers to cancel the SS10. Results till SS9 were taken as the final results.
Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, said: “Volkswagen cars cruised to victories with Arjun Rao showing top notch performance and clinching a win overall while Rohan won the JINRC. Sirish made a mark by finishing second in 1600 and third overall. We are extremely delighted with our Customer Sport competitors’ performance and we hope to go even bigger the next season. I would like to specially congratulate Arjun on winning the title in a Polo rally car.”
Earlier, the Coffee Day Rally saw a visit by FIA Observer Nanthan from Malaysia and Murray Brown from New Zealand who examined the logistics. The Chikmagalur Rally is under scrutiny as a candidate and would host a round for 2014 Asia Pacific Rally Championship, if all goes well.
Earlier on Dec 19, Venkatesh, Director, Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts said that the Coffee Day Rally has become a tradition and people from all over the country visit to watch the rally cars in action. “This year, Coffee Day Rally, for the first time, will run in four Coffee Day estates spread over 2,500 acres. This year more than 7,000 spectators are expected,” he added.
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Akash Dingare wins title in Yamaha one-make Championship
Chennai, 15 Dec 2013: Despite finishing second Akash Dingare was crowned champion in the Yamaha One-Make championship of the Indian National Motorcycle Championship at Irrungattukottai, near here, on Sunday where India’s leading motorcycle riders were in action in 10 races at the final round of the 2013 season.
In the YZF R15 Novice category of Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship, it was a battle between Mizoram rider Lal Rindika and Akash Dingare for the third time this week. Lal Rindika managed to hold off Dingare by three tenths of a second for the win but Dingare did enough to be crowned champion.
Race 2 of the day saw Sumit Lucas Toppo continue his perfect weekend after taking yet another win in CBR 150cc open category in the Honda MMSC One Make Championship. He was followed home by Vivek Mani in second place with Ananth Raj finishing in third place.
In the Group D 165cc Novice class, Balaji U took his first win when Akash Dingare was excluded from the final result. Naresh Babu finished in second place with A Muralidharan finishing in third place.
K Rajni reigned supreme once again in the 165CC Group C category after a race long battle with A Prabhu. It was a three-way battle for third place with K Jagan beating Deepak R and Dinesh Kumar to take the final step on the podium.
The TVS MMSC One Make Championship with the TVS Apache RTR 180 Novice was up next. Lal Rindika won his 5th consecutive race ahead of S Kannan. Amit Richard took yet another podium as he finished in third place.
K Rajni took his second win of the day when he won the Honda MMSC One Make Championship race with the CBR 250cc bikes. Champion Sarath Kumar was forced to retire from the lead after two laps. Dinesh Kumar finished in second place with A Prabhu in third.
KY Ahamed took the top step of the podium once again with a win in theGroup D 130cc Novice category. After a race long battle with S Kannan, Ahamed held on to the lead to win by a close margin. C Akash finished in a lonely third place.
The Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship in YZF R15 Open categoryprovided the most entertaining race of the day with the top three riders finishing within half a second of each other. In a thrilling finish Ananth Raj beat M Sudhakar by three thousands of a second to win the race. Third place finisher Arun Muthukrishnan fought them all the way, finishing just behind the leaders.
In the Honda CBF Stunner Novice category, Meka Vidhuraj won convincingly ahead of Akash Dingare. Mithun Kumar finished in a distant third position after fighting for the lead in the opening laps.
The Apache RTR 180 open category, which is part of the TVS MMSC One Make Championship, was a tight race with SK Prakash winning. The battle behind him was extremely close with 5 riders finishing within 1 second of each other. Ananth Raj and Vivek Mani were side-by-side as they crossed the line in second and third place. Vivek Mani took third in the final race of the season.
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Akash Dingare inches closer to title at Motorcycle Nationals
Chennai, 13 Dec 2013: The final round of the Indian National Motorcycle Championship got underway at the MMRT with India’s leading motorcycle rider’s in action. A total of 13 races took place with many action packed races. 10 riders from Nepal also took place in the one make championships with leading 2-wheeler manufacturers Honda, Yamaha and TVS Racing.
In the YZF R15 Novice category of the Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship. Akash Dingare inched a step closer to the title with a win over Lal Rindika. Championship contender A Muralidharan, who trailed by a point as they headed into the final round had to retire after 4 laps. Shreyas Shankar came third.
Race 2 of the day saw Sumit Lucas Toppo take the title with a close fought win in the CBR 150cc open category in the Honda MMSC One Make Championship. With the top separated by less than one second it was a thrilling race that saw many lead changes. Toppo managed to hold on in the end beating Ananth Raj and Arvind Ganesh. In the Group D 130cc Novice category, C Akash won ahead of KY Ahamed and S Kannan.
K Rajni and Deepak R had a terrific battle in the 165CC Group C category with the former just edging ahead. Both riders started well and were side-by-side for most of the race but Rajni managed to pull ahead on the final lap. K Jagan had to settle for third place after holding off Dinesh Kumar.
The TVS MMSC One Make Championship with the TVS Apache RTR 180 Novice was up next. Lal Rindika continued his excellent run with a 4th consecutive win that puts him in with a chance for the title as well. Championship leader KY Ahamed came in second but has his lead cut to 4 points. Pole sitter Amit Richard came in third place.
In the Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship in YZF R15 Open category, Mathana Kumar continued his fine run of form to close in on Championship leader Shyam Shankar with a dominating win. The battle for second was extremely close with Shyam Shankar, Ananth Raj and Abhishek all finishing within a second off each other.
In the Honda CBF Stunner Novice category, Amit Richard took his first win of the year after holding off Akash Dingare for the win. Mithun Kumar took the final step of the podium. Championship leader Meka Vidhuraj got a penalty and finished in 4th place.
In the Group D 165cc Novice class, Akash Dingare comfortably won ahead of Championship leader Meka Vidhuraj. GA Sunil took his first ever podium finish, albeit 20 seconds off the winner.
Race 9 of the day was the Honda MMSC One Make Championship with the CBR 250cc bikes. Sarath Kumar beat rival K Rajni in convincing fashion. Dinesh Kumar held off A Prabhu to finish third in a closely contested race.
In the Apache RTR 180 open category, which is part of the TVS MMSC One Make Championship, Mathana Kumar won a tight race ahead of Arvind Ganesh and Ananth Raj. For most of the race the top 4 riders were covered by less than a second.
The second YZF R15 Novice race in the Yamaha MMSC One Make Championship took place next with Mizoram rider Lal Rindika beating Akash Dingare by less than three tenths of a second at the finish line. Both riders swapped places many times before Rindika finished ahead. Amit Richard finished a distant third.
The penultimate race of the day saw Sumit Lucas Toppo winning yet again in the CBR 150cc open category in the Honda MMSC One Make Championship. Arun Muthukrishnan finished in second place ahead of D Dinesh.
The final race of the day saw KY Ahamed take the win in the Group D 130cc Novice category. After a race long battle with S Kannan, Ahamed took the lead on the last lap and held on for the win. E Saravanan secured third spot.
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Final round of Motorcycle Nationals in Chennai from Saturday
Chennai, 13 Dec 2013: The Madras Motor Race Trust will play host for the final round of the Indian National Motorcycle Championship from Saturday under the aegis of Federation of Motorsports Clubs in India.
According to a press release here on Friday, a total of 26 races are expected to take place with leading 2-wheeler manufacturers Honda, Yamaha and TVS Racing taking part. The promoters, MMSC, also confirmed that 10 riders from Nepal will take part in this weekend’s races.
In the Group D 165cc Novice class, Meka Vidhuraj leads the championship with 155 points. A Muralidharan and S Sahay are in second and third places respectively with 123 and 121 points each. All three riders won a race each in the last round.
In the Group D 130cc Novice category, KY Ahamed Is leading the championship with 158 points, with M Sethu Babu in second place with 107 points and R Venkatraman in third place with 83 points.
K Jagan was crowned champion in the 165CC Group C category in the last round after winning 5 out of the 8 races so far. Behind him the battle for second place is close with S Vivek Pillai and Sumit Lucas Toppo both tied on 94 points.
In the Honda CBF Stunner Novice category, championship favourite Meka Vidhuraj will have to work hard to ensure he takes the title with a 28 point lead. After winning the first five races on the trot Vidhuraj has struggled the last couple of races allowing R Venkataraman to close in with all to play for in the final round. Akash Dingare is in third place with 91 points.
Sumit Lucas Toppo is in sight of the Honda One Make Championship in the CBR 150cc open category. He has a 57 point lead over R Ramesh Kumar with 75 points still available.Ananth Raj lies in third place with 79 points.
The Honda One Make Championship with their CBR 250cc bikes sees former Moto3 rider Sarath Kumar in a comfortable lead over Rajni Krishnan. Rajni missed the last round as he was racing internationally. This has given Sarath a 39 point lead with two races remaining. Sumit Lucas Toppo is 3 points behind Rajni and will be looking to challenge India’s top two riders this weekend.
The Yamaha One Make Championship with the YZF R15 Novice category has Akash Dingare and Muralidharan fighting for the championship with 1 point separating the two. Mizoram rider Lal Rindika is in third place, albeit a further 24 points away.
In the Yamaha One Make Championship in YZF R15 Open category, early favourite Shyam Shankar continues to hold on to the lead after struggling in the last round. Mathana Kumar is in second place 9 points off the leader with M Sudhakar and P Ananth Raj fighting for third place in the championship.
The TVS One Make Championship with the third TVS Apache RTR 180 Novice will see a three-way battle for the title. KY Ahamed is leading the championship on 127 points with S Sahay on 116 points and Lal Rindika on 115 points. Lal Rindika stormed back into contention after winning all three races in the last round.
In the Apache RTR 180 open category, which is part of the TVS MMSC One Make Championship, Ananth Raj is in the lead with 147 points. S Prakash is second with 118 points followed by Mathana Kumar on 100 points.
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Chidanand-Sujith win pro-stock class; Moorthy-Nagarajan top expert class
Bangalore, 9 Dec 2013: MD Ganesh Moorthy along with navigator T Nagarajan drove a well-judged rally to take the top honours in the Pro-Expert class while Chidanand-Sujith pair won the stock category of the IMG TSD Rally, the 4th round of the Indian National TSD Rally Championship, organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) which was run along with the The Naveen Kanth Memorial Green Run here on Sunday. Babno Machaiah and Raja G Natarajan pair came second while championship leaders Karthick Maruthi and Sankar Anand finished third.
Ganesh, thus bulldozed himself to the second place bridging the gap in the Drivers’ championship standings to two points. Karthick Maruthi who came third is leading the table with 70 points while Ganesh now has 68 points. Babno Machaiah, who came second today is in third place with 61 points.
In the Pro-Stock class, favourites Chidananda Murthy and veteran navigator Sujith Kumar BS won with a huge margin in a Tata Indica to take a lead in the championship while Alfred Rayamond and Sugumaran came second in their Santro while Gopalakrishnan and Prakash steered their Esteem to a third place finish.
Amarnath GJ who was leading the Drivers’ championship before this legs with 40 points finished a poor seventh and is now pipped to second on the table. The 5th and final round will be held at Coimbatore on Dec 22.
Veteran rider, who took to cars in the recent years, switched to bikes once again and along with Jeevarathinam won the Naveen Memorial Green Run. In the cars section, Phalguna and Sekhar won the Pro-Expert class while Madhu Chandra and Kumar M topped the pro-Stock class.
Results (unaudited):
Pro-Expert class: 1. MD Ganesh Moorthy/ T Nagarajan (Mahindra Bolero) 00:50 seconds; 2. Babno Machaiah C/ Raja G Natarajan (Maruti Esteem) 00: 57; 3. KP Karthick Maruthi/ S Sankar Anand (Mahindra Scorpio) 01: 05.
Pro-Stock class: 1. Chidananda Murthy/ Sujith Kumar BS (Tata Indica) 01: 10; 2. Alfred Rayamond/ Suguraman (Hyundai Santro) 01:43; 3. S Gopalakrishnan/ M Prakash (Maruti Esteem) 02:06.
Naveen Memorial Green Run (Bikes): 1. V Venu Ramesh Kumar/ Jeevarathinam (Suzuki Fiero) 05:40; 2. Jathin Akash Kumar/ Arjun SSB (Honda Unicorn) 07:41; 3. Suresh Babu Vidivala/ Veer Kumar (Yamaha RX 135) 13:20.
Naveen Memorial Green Run (Cars – Pro Expert): 1. Phalguna/ Sekhar V (VW Polo) 01:48; 2. Shivam Garg/ Velmurgan (Maruti Alto) 03:45; 3. Manjunath BB/ Yohan Robin Kumar (Maruti Swift) 19:07.
Naveen Memorial Green Run (Cars – Pro Stock): 1. Madhu Chandra/ Kumar M (Maruti Baleno) 07:28; 2. Sai Prasad/ Ganesh (Maruti Baleno) 33:22; 3. Raveendra/ Abarijathan (Maruti SX4) 38:52.
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Sujith Kumar (red shirt) and Chidanand (right) who won the Pro Stock class in the IMG Rally on Sunday. Photo courtesy Sujith. -
Muller and Honda crowned at Gala
Paris, 6 Dec 2013: The FIA officially crowned Yvan Muller and Honda as the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Champions at its Prize-Giving awards evening in Paris today.The ninth season of the FIA World Touring Car Championship saw the Frenchman clinching an unprecedented fourth title in the Drivers’ Championship, while Honda won the Manufacturers’ Championship in its first full season in the series.Muller, who had been previously crowned champion in 2008, 2010 and 2011, dominated the season claiming seven race victories at the wheel of a Chevrolet Cruze run by the RML team. He kicked off in style at Monza, winning both races on a rain-soaked track. Since then he kept on building up a gap that eventually became big enough to give him the title at Suzuka, with two events still to be held. A very uncommon situation in the WTCC.With Muller uncatchable in the lead, Gabriele Tarquini, James Nash, Tom Chilton and the 2012 World Champion Rob Huff had a close fight over the second position that remained undecided until the final race at Macau. Eventually Tarquini managed to salvage the second place, despite missing Macau’s first race due to a technical problem, while Nash completed the podium in third.“This title has a special taste because before the beginning of the season I did not have a drive. The programme was finalised only one month before Monza. It was already a victory to actually be on the grid. And then it was difficult because we had to manage to be competitive on a lower budget, which created a lot of problems such as a significant reduction in testing time, for example. But eventually we have been champions again, and without the backing of a manufacturer,” said Muller who will defend the title in 2014 driving for the newcomer Citroën Racing and with a new team-mate: nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb.“I’m looking forward to it. This is the first time I work with a French manufacturer. It’s a great challenge as Citroën has a lot of experience in rally, but not at all in racing. I have to give them as much experience I can. It’s a lot of responsibility, because at least at the beginning they will rely on me. All the team, and Sébastien too. But he is a fantastic champion and I am sure he will be a very quick learner.”Honda was crowned Manufacturers’ Champion and this was also the first World title for the Japanese manufacturer since its Formula One triumphs between 1988 and 1991, when it was McLaren’s engine supplier.William de Braekeleer, Motorsport Manager Honda Motor Europe, who collected the trophy, said: “This World Championship honour for Honda represents a great reward for everyone who worked so hard on this programme, whether at the tracks or at home in Japan, Italy and Hungary. Thanks to the continuous dedication and expertise of the people at JAS Motorsport, Zengö Motorsport, Mugen and Honda R&D, not to mention the talent of Gabriele Tarquini, Tiago Monteiro and Norbert Michelisz, we achieved four victories and sixteen other podium results; something that gives you a real sense of pride for a first year in WTCC. And obviously our aim is now to do even better in 2014 !”eom -
Good response to JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally
Kohima, 6 Dec 2013: The 6th JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally came to a successful conclusion after exciting action and lots of enthusiasm here in Kohima. In keeping with its commitment of taking motor sports to the farthest corners of the country, JK Tyre with the support from the Government of Nagaland has helped to establish the Hornbill Motor Rally as the premier motorsports event in the North East. The Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) rally is organized by the Nagaland Adventure and Motor Sports Association (NAMSA).
The rally 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 contest.
Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, JK Tyre with the overall champions in the 4-wheeler Amateur category. A WordsWork photo. The event saw enthusiastic participation from drivers and two-wheeler rallyists. This year saw a significant increase in participation in the four-wheeler and two-wheeler categories including an all-women’s team that also took part in the challenging event. The participants came from Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Delhi and Chandigarh reflecting the pan-Indian appeal of the JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally.
The rally covered a total distance of 130kms after being flagged off by Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Head- Motorsports, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd from the IG Stadium. The rally cars and bikes traversed the hilly terrain passing through the beautiful landscapes of Kezoma, Kedima, Kisama and Naga Heritage village before finishing at the IG Stadium. The rally was a whole new adventure for drivers and navigators and helped them explore the unchartered territories of the state.
The day culminated in a glittering prize giving ceremony presided over by Chief Guest, Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Honorable Governor of Nagaland & Manipur and Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. The guests were treated to some mesmerizing performances by the famous Tetseo Sisters from Nagaland.
The four wheeler category was divided in four classes– professional, amateur ladies and couple classes, while two-wheeler category had one combined class. In the professional class, SK Ajgar Ali and co-driver Mohammad Mustafa clinched the top honours with a cumulative time penalty of 10 seconds. Former Raid-de-Himalaya winner, Along Aier and co-driver Chandan Sen finished with the second best time penalty of 17 seconds, while Chidanand Murthy Sathish Gopalakrishnan finished third with a time of 22 seconds.
In the Amateur Class, Nitoka Chopi and co-driver Philip Lam finished on the top of the time sheets with a cumulative penalty of 5min 06 sec, while Kezhaletuo and co-driver Bodevi Shuya finished second with a total time of 9min 53 sec. Mikrio Kayina and co-driver Arun Kayina clinched the last spot on the podium with time penalty of 14 min 14 sec.
In the All-Ladies class, Darshana Sen Gupta and Ranjana Bhajanka walked away with top honours with a total time of 25 min 47 sec, while in the Couple Class, Atsase Sangtam and co-driver Asenla KR finished on top of the time sheets after clocking 1hr 37min 12 sec.
In the two-wheeler category, Saptrishi Basu and navigator Diptojyoti Ghosh finished on the top stwp of the podium with a total time of 20sec. Udya Ganguly and Rajkumar Mundra finished second with a total time of 31 seconds, while Mukesh Thakkar and navigator Subhranshu Hazra finished third with a time penalty of 1min 43 sec.
TSD rallying (Time Speed Distance) is a form of motor sport usually conducted on public roads (following Traffic Rules) but sometimes including off-road and track sections. The objective of these rallies is to maintain precise times and precise average speeds on various segments of a predefined route. Each team consists of a rider/driver and navigator. In a Time-Speed-Distance Format, the route instructions, in addition to instructions to keep a team on course also gives assigned speeds. This is where a common man can get his personal road car with basic safety equipment’s as provided by manufacturer to participate and experience the thrill of motor rallying.
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Sebastian Ogier named Driver of the Year at Autosport Awards
A great honour for Volkswagen driver Sébastien Ogier. The World Rally Champion* was awarded the so-called “Motorsport Oscar” as the 2013 rally driver of the year at the Autosport Awards in London on Sunday. The coveted trophy was presented by Red Bull Formula 1 team boss, Christian Horner. In front of some 1,200 guests invited by the British trade magazine Autosport, Ogier praised the outstanding teamwork at Volkswagen, without which the World Champion title would hardly have been possible. In their debut season in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Volkswagen took victory in the drivers’, co-drivers’ and manufacturers’ classifications.*
Auto Bild Motorsport Awards 2013: Ogier and Ingrassia “rally drivers of the year”
Meanwhile, the readers of the Auto Bild Motorsport magazine have chosen World Rally Champion* Sébastien Ogier as the “rally driver of the year for 2013”. The Volkswagen pilot received the award at the weekend in front of around 600 guests invited from the media, industry and world of motorsport to the 2013 Essen Motor Show. His co-driver Julien Ingrassia was selected by the readers as the “co-driver of the year for 2013”. Ogier expressed his gratitude to the fans as well as to Volkswagen for the enormous support he has received throughout the year. Marvin Kirchhöfer was also recognised at the event. The 19-year-old from Leipzig outclassed his rivals to win this year’s title in the ATS Formula 3 Cup in a Dallara F311 “powered by Volkswagen” vehicle.
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Sebastian Ogier of Volkswagen bags the `Oscar of Motorsports’, the Autosport Award. A Volkswagen photo -
Tio Ellinas strikes back in Race 3: MRF Challenge in Bahrain
Sakhir (Bahrain) 30 Nov 2013: Cypriot driver Tio Ellinas struck back in fine fashion to beat championship leader Arthur Pic in Race 3 of Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2013 at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir, Bahrain. The two championship contenders traded place 5 times in the first two laps before Ellinas finally pulled away to win his first race of the weekend. Sam Dejonghe passed Race 1 winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook on the last lap to take the final step of the podium.
Earlier, Renault sponsored driver Arthur Pic pulled off a brilliant move around the outside of 4 cars into the first corner of lap 1 and went on to win Race 2 of Round 2. Pic crossed the chequered flag to comfortably finish ahead of Tio Ellinas and Harry Tincknell.
In Race 3,
Winners pose with Vinoo Mammen (left) and Arun Mammen., From left on podium Pic, Ellinas, Dejonghe. An Adrenna Photo Ellinas started on pole after setting the second fastest time in qualifying. Both Ellinas and Pic had great starts but it was Pic who took lead as they crossed turn 1. Both drivers were side-by-side for the next three corners before Ellinas took the lead into turn 4. They were still together as Pic took the lead again. The first 2 laps had both drivers battling for the lead before Ellinas took the lead on lap 3. Behind them Dejonghe had a great start from 7th on the grid and passed Sam Brabham and Shinya Michimi to move into 4th place. Svendsen-Cook in third place caught Pic and started to put pressure on him. Ellinas continued to pull away while Pic, Svendsen-Cook and Dejonghe battled for second place. Svendsen-Cook tried to get past Pic on the last lap but could not make the move stick, letting Dejonghe make a move on the last lap and get past to take the final podium spot. Sam Brabham, son of Le Mans legend David Brabham, finished in a brilliant 5th place in only
Yudai Jinkawa, female driver Carmen Jorda and Australian Dylan Young had their own battle taking place as they fought for 8th position. Behind them the three Indian drivers were fighting their own battle for a top ten finish. Vikash Anand and Parth Ghorpade both collided forcing Ghorpade to retire. Raj Bharath finished in a creditable 12th position after missing out on practice and qualifying due to mechanical problems.
Race winner Tio Ellinas was thrilled to win after starting on pole for 2 of the 3 races. He commented, “It is great to win my first race of the season after being so close in the last few races. I had a great battle with Arthur and all credit to him as the racing between us is always clean and fair. Once I got past him I was able to pull away and hold a considerable lead. The car has been quick all weekend and I finally got to show what we are capable of. We are half way through the championship and it is building up really well.”
Second place man Arthur Pic commented, “I had a good start and the first few laps with Tio were great. I could not hold him off and he passed me on lap 3. I am very happy with the weekend as I have taken a good haul of points this weekend. The Bahrain circuit is very nice and challenging just like the Indian circuit.”
Third place finisher Sam Dejonghe got on the podium after a scary roll in yesterday’s Race 1. He commented, “To get on the podium is a great after yesterday’s crash. I had a good start and managed to pass both Brabham and Michimi. I was close with Rupert and got past him when he tried a move on Pic. The car has been quick and am looking forward to the next race.”
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