INDIA in F1

Category: Racing

  • It was very frustrating without DRS, because the car was good: Jehan Daruvala

    It was very frustrating without DRS, because the car was good: Jehan Daruvala

    Thoughts from Shwartzman, Armstrong and Daruvala

    Robert Shwartzman, winner, flanked by Marcus Armstrong,, left and Jehan
    Daruvala 3rd, All three are from PREMA Racing. An F3 image

    FIA Formula 3: Hello and welcome to today’s FIA Formula 3 press conference following the opening race here at Monza. We are joined by the top three finishers from Race 1. Your race winner Robert Shwartzman from PREMA Racing, in second place Marcus Armstrong from PREMA Racing and in third place Jehan Daruvala from PREMA Racing. Robert, you promised some attacking manoeuvres coming up through the field yesterday, you certainly delivered. How was your charge through the field?

    Robert Shwartzman: It’s been really fun. I enjoyed it a lot. All three of us did really nice manoeuvres when overtaking. At the beginning I was behind Marcus, and actually Marcus was getting past the field and I was trying to stay with him and pass who he had passed. There was some nice manoeuvres, some tricky ones, especially at Lesmo 2 when I made the move on Max [Fewtrell]. It was quite tight but everything was fair and nice. Basically then Marcus was leading and I was second. We had good pace so I knew that we could get a gap, and then the safety car came out for the first time. After the restart my target was just not to make any stupid mistakes in Turn 1, just to continue, and Marcus had a good restart and a gap so I didn’t have any chance to attack. I just stayed behind and after two laps, when the DRS was enabled, he let me pass in order to work together to build a bigger gap. I got by and my target was simply not to make any mistakes and continue pushing. For three or four laps I was in front and then the second safety car came out. I heard that the driver was fine, which is obviously really important. It looks really big. The first lap that I passed I didn’t even realise where the car was, it was just debris on the track and nothing else. Only after some time did I realise the car was actually on the fence. I got told it was quite big so I’m happy that the driver is okay.

    FIA Formula 3: A first win for you since Paul Ricard, a big boost for your title hopes going into the final few races of the season. How much of a breakthrough does this feel?

    Robert: It felt like quite a long time, definitely. We were quite close, like P2 or P3, but yeah something was missing but today I felt that the car was really good. We had the pace to win and all three of us were just doing our jobs to get the win. Everything was fair and nice, so that’s the thing. I’m really happy that I won today. It was really tight. I had a lot of pressure from my teammates, it was hard, but today I’m happy that finally I got the win.

    FIA Formula 3: Congratulations. Marcus moving on to you now. Could you talk us through your race and the battle you had with Robert for the lead?

    Marcus Armstrong: It was an exciting race. The first lap I don’t know where I finished, maybe third, so that was pretty exciting and everything sort of went to plan. For whatever reason Christian [Lundgaard] wasn’t leading the race so that was a bit of a surprise because he was very quick yesterday. I don’t actually remember how I overtook them, there was so much action in that race I can’t quite remember it. The pace was pretty good because we got to the lead and pulled out quite a reasonable gap over [Richard] Verschoor. Then there was the safety car and Robert was behind me. It wasn’t easy because I obviously know that Robert is switched on and I had to surprise him a little bit, which I think I did. I managed to lead again for the first two laps after that before the DRS was activated. I felt as though I was destroying my tyres out in front, having to push so hard to break Robert, so I decided to let him go and just follow in his slipstream, use DRS and try and attack in the last few laps. People didn’t get to see what should have been a good last lap battle, but obviously we’re thankful that [Alex] Peroni is okay.

    FIA Formula 3: It was a very significant result for PREMA as well, to get a one, two, three finish at a home race. Does this result just prove how good this team has been this season?

    Marcus: Absolutely, especially here at Monza in front of all the team. A lot of people have come over from Grisignano to watch the race this morning. It was cool to see everyone under the podium, and also to have Guillaume [Capietto] on the podium with us was special. As I said on the radio, I’m very grateful to be a part of such a fantastic, well-organised team, and I think us finishing in the top three is almost our way of giving back [laughs].

    FIA Formula 3: Well done today. Jehan moving on to you now. P3, but obviously the safety car at the end did end any hopes of a tight scrap between the three of you. How did you approach your race and how did you feel it went?

    Jehan Daruvala: I think it was similar to the other guys. My start was really good and I got into a decent position behind Rob. My main problem in the race was that I didn’t have DRS the whole time, so it was very frustrating for me because the car was good and I felt I had the pace to also fight with the guys for the win. It was frustrating. I was fighting cars with DRS around me and I didn’t have it. I was using a lot of my tyres in the middle sector to try and break the DRS of the cars behind. At the end, when they were fighting, I got really close but on the straights I just couldn’t keep up. That was a bit disappointing for me, but again, to come third at Monza with no DRS is a really good result.

    FIA Formula 3: Slipstream here is so important, and the DRS is so powerful, does it feel like damage limitation, in a way, to still get a podium finish?

    Jehan: Like I said, I’m not really concerned with the result, I’m just upset that I didn’t have the chance to fight with the guys for the lead. I was just sat there hoping for something to happen, but I’d rather have been in the scrap for the lead.

    FIA Formula 3: Well done today. Robert, moving back to you now. You started P8 today and fought through for the victory, I imagine you’ll want to repeat that tomorrow?

    Robert: Sure. Tomorrow is also going to be an interesting race. I’m not sure about the weather because before it was said that there may be rain, but from the free practice I’m quite confident with the car we have and how everything is going, even in the rain. Whatever happens we’re going to fight, as today, and surely try just to collect some more points for the weekend.

  • Monza podium for Jehan: F3

    Monza podium for Jehan: F3

    Jehan Daruvala with the trophy for third place in Race 1 on Saturday. Photo by James Gasperotti

    Monza, Italy: Jehan Daruvala was left frustrated inspite of a podium in race 1 of the seventh round of the FIA F3 Championship, but at the same time won the hearts of thousands around the circuit and around the world. Racing at the 5.793km, historic high speed circuit of Monza, also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix support event, saw Jehan climb from tenth to second, only to suffer issues denying the Indian a potential race win. Electronics issues disabled Jehan’s DRS, in turn preventing him from gaining top speed on the two vital long straights.

    A bizarre qualifying session saw 17 racers, including all three racers in Jehan’s Prema Racing Team, receiving penalties. With only 5 minutes for the session to end and Jehan had set his fastest laptime in Sector 1 and the quickest sector 2 of any racer on the grid. It looked certain that Jehan would have claimed provisional pole, but over ten cars had slowed down in the last sector. Jehan had to abort his lap for the second time, due to numerous cars moving slowly on the racing line. Race control found the situation too dangerous and stopped the session prematurely.

    Jehan Daruvala in action during Race 1 at Monza. Photo by James Gasperotti

    Christian Lundgaard topped the session, while Jehan was in fourth. Officials reviewed the session till late into the night and handed a 10-place penalty to all three racers in Jehan’s team, for being too slow on their out lap. It was unfortunate for them, because they did not impede other racers but infact had suffered themselves. However, with a total 17 racers receiving penalties, Jehan would start the race from tenth.

    As the lights went out, Jehan made a good start and overtook Brazilian racer, Piquet. Two cars tangled in front and Jehan moved upto seventh. He soon overtook British Racer Max Fewtrell to climb to sixth. Up ahead the leaders tangled and German racer Zandeli fell down the order. Jehan quickly went passed Lundgaard into fourth and then, the safety car was deployed. It was during the safety car period that Jehan’s radio messages were broadcast, about Jehan being furious that his DRS (Drag Reduction System) was not working. The DRS is crucial in Monza due to the long straights and the inability to use DRS is a severe handicap while fighting a bunch of cars. The failure was not linked to the team in any way and Jehan would just have to work with the disadvantage.

    Jehan drove brilliantly once the safety car pulled into the pits. Third place Richard Verschoor was also driving well, but the Indian pulled off a phenomenal move around the outside of the Dutchman, going around the first corner. Jehan managed to make the move stick and then began to pull away, in third.

    Jehan had excellent pace, but unfortunately without DRS, he was clearly disadvantaged and unable to challenge the leaders for the race win. He tried to close in as much as possible, but the safety car was deployed a second time due to another crash. The race ended behind the safety car but Marcus Armstrong in second received a penalty, promoting Jehan to second while Russian, Robert Shwartzman won the race.

    “The race was a lot of fun, starting P10 and finishing P2 with such a good result for the team. It was very frustrating for me, not having DRS so I couldn’t really battle for the lead, and I really wanted to, I know we had the pace. Second is good but I’m a little upset for not having the opportunity to fight for the win.”

    Shwartzman’s victory and Jehan’s second place inpsite of his issues, mean the Russian was able to pull further away from Jehan in the Championship. Jehan remains in second after earning his seventh podium of the season. Jehan will start seventh for Race 2 tomorrow, due to the reverse grid regulations.

  • Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty continue winning spree; Deepak, Venkatesan sparkel: MMSC bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty continue winning spree; Deepak, Venkatesan sparkel: MMSC bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu celebrating his fifth consecutive win in the Pro-Stock 165cc class at MMRT on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 7 Sept 2019: On a day of serial winners and Honda domination, Deepak Ravikumar spared the blushes for TVS Racing with a brilliant win in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category to consolidate his top position on the leaderboard in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    While Ravikumar chalked up his third win of the season, Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing camp celebrated as Rajiv Sethu (Pro-Stock 165cc) stormed to his fifth consecutive win in the class and Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) led a 1-2 finish with his fourth straight success. Not to be outdone, 22-year old from Chennai, Venkatesan I (Moto Maniacz Racing) completed a hat-trick of wins to consolidate his top position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) championship.

    Deepak Ravikumar (No.25), winner of the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race.

    Ravikumar, a businessman from Chennai and a versatile racer who is a familiar figure on the podium in the National car racing championship, started the race from P3, eased his way past pole-sitter and team-mate Jagan Kumar and Alishaa Racing’s Amarnath Menon to hit the front. With Jagan retiring due to a mechanical issue midway through the six-lap race, Ravikumar opened up a big lead.

    Rajiv Sethu after completing his fifth consecutive win in Pro-Stock 165cc class

    However, with two laps remaining, he had to deal with an errant sprocket, but he managed to nurse the wobbly bike over the finish line, just ahead of Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) and Menon. “For the last two laps, my bike was literally dancing and I had a tough time to control the machine, but somehow managed to maintain my track position,” said a relieved Ravikumar who enjoys a 28-point lead over team-mate KY Ahamed going into tomorrow’s Race-2.

    The other notable win of the day was by international Rajiv Sethu, the 21-year old also from Chennai. Starting from pole position, Sethu lost two positions in the very first lap with Jagan Kumar establishing a massive lead. However, Jagan crashed in the third lap, leaving Sethu, who had fought his way to second spot, in the lead. Sethu kept his cool despite close attention from Ahamed and team-mate Sarath Kumar to post his fifth straight win of the championship.

    Venkatesan, winner of the Novice (Stock 165cc) race

    Likewise, Venkatesan had to work hard for his win in the Novice race that was reduced to four laps from scheduled six following a multiple-bike pile-up immediately after the start, leading to red flag and restart. After a poor start from pole position saw him drop a few positions, Venkatesan fought his way to the front for a deserving third consecutive win.

    Late in the day, 15-year old Md Mikail from Chennai, completed a double by winning his second race of the day and fourth win in a row and fifth from six starts, in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup (NSF 250R).

    The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11mins, 38.822secs); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (11:38.823); 3. Amarnath Menon (Alishaa Racing) (11:40.477).

    Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:09.576); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:15.051); 3. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Erula Atomic Racing) (12:25.325).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (11:58.132); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11:59.420); 3.Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:03.811).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Team MotoManiacz Racing) (08:51.011); 2. Mohan Babu P (Rockers Racing) (08:52.301); 3.Abhimanyu Gautham (Sparks Racing) (08:52.311).

    One-Make Championship organised by MMSC:

    TVS Open (RR 310, Race-1): 1. S Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (11:58.389); 2. Anup Kumar (Chennai) (12:01.632); 3. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (12:05.125). Novice (RTR 200, Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:18.180); 2. Veera Ashwin Lal M (Madurai) (13:19.885); 3. Annish Samson D (Bengaluru) (13:22.141). Girls (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (Puducherry) (11:20.428); 2. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (11:37.015); 3. Lakiya Lee Charles (Chennai) 11:37.280).

    Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-1): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (10:59.155); 2. Geoffrey Emmanuel (Chennai) (11:09.952); 3. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune) (11:11.201). Race-2: 1. Md Mikail (10:58.935); 2. Varoon Sadasivam (Chennai) (11:03.295); 3. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (11:11.955).

    CBR 150 (Race-1): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:14.704); 2. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:14.798); 3. S Rajdashwanth (Trichy) (13:14.922).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Mikail clocks a stunning lap record in 250cc bikes; Jagan takes pole

    Mikail clocks a stunning lap record in 250cc bikes; Jagan takes pole

    Chennai, 6 Sept 2019: Fifteen-year old Md Mikail from Chennai lit up the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship by setting a record of sorts at the MMRT here on Friday and grabbed pole position in the Honda NSF 250R category while TVS Racing’s ace rider Jagan Kumar qualified first in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category.

    Also qualifying for pole positions in their respective National championship categories were Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing (Girls, Stock 165cc), Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing’s Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) and Venkatesan I (Novice, Stock 165cc) of Team Motomaniacz.

    Mikail, riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bike in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup one-make championship, clocked a blistering lap of 01minute, 47.887secs around the 3.717-km MMRT circuit in the qualifying session. It was the fastest lap ever in a National championship event for bikes up to 250cc.

    Second behind Mikahil who is full time into racing and studies from home, was another Chennai teenager, Varoon Sadasivam (01:49.327) with Pune’s 12-year-old Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (01:51.342) qualifying third.

    “I am very happy with my qualifying session, but I am working hard to do even better,” said Mikail who is leading the championship in his category.

    Md Mikail who qualified for pole position in the Honda NSF 250R .category. Photos: Anand Philar

    As well as these teenagers rode, the spotlight was on the Pro-Stock 301-400cc qualifying session where seven-time National champion in the lower category Jagan Kumar, lying a distant ninth on the leaderboard after a string of disappointing performances, showcased his mettle by putting in a hot lap of 01:54.037 for pole position. Former National champion in this class, Amarnath Menon (Team Alishaa Racing) was second in 01:54.807 while TVS Racing Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.221) completed the front row on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

    Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) topped the qualifying session in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc category with a flying lap of 01:57.646. Erula Racing’s Mithun Kumar (01:58.310) was the second quickest and Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) qualified third in 01:59.192.


    Jagan Kumar who qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class.

    Earlier, international Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing), leading the championship in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, put the hammer down by topping the Free Practice session with a flying lap of 01minute, 59.115 seconds, pipping his closest rival, TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar (01:59.239). Sethu’s team-mate Sarath Kumar, also in the championship reckoning and trailing Jagan by just one point, was third quickest in 02:00.103, ahead of TVS Racing’s Kevin Kannan (02:01.102). The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday.

  • Shwartzman quickest in wet Free Practice; Jehan Daruvala 4th fastest: F3

    Russian finishes ahead of Round 6 winners Armstrong and Piquet
    Monza, 6 Sept 2019: Robert Shwartzman topped a rain-hampered session in Monza, leading Free Practice for the first time in 2019. The PREMA racer set the quickest time early on – before the field all switched to wets – and finished ahead of in-form duo Marcus Armstrong, of PREMA Racing, and Pedro Piquet, of Trident.

    The session begun under light rain down the pit straight as teams initially set out on slick tyres. Spa-Francorchamps Race 2 winner Armstrong was first to notch a quick time, dipping under 1m 45s, followed by teammate Shwartzman.

    On his second full lap of the course, Armstrong knocked two seconds off his time, but his Russian teammate was able to shave a further two tenths to take P1 as rain began to fall harder. Jüri Vips spun off track but was able to get going again, and teams began to feed back into the pits for wet tyres.

    Estner remained out and a wobble ended with the side of his Jenzer machine stuck in the wall. The German climbed out of his car unscathed, but his team now face a race against time to get his car ready for Qualifying later today.

    Fabio Scherer was the first to get back out onto the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit and test the new tyres. The rest of the field returned shortly after and focus was centred on getting to grips with the wets.

    This saw the order remained unchanged, before the session ended under a yellow flag. Giorgio Carrara sailed off track and was beached on the sausage curb. This left Shwartzman and Armstrong to run home first and second, with Piquet in third. Jehan Daruvala and Teppei Natori completed the top five, with Niko Kari, Alex Peroni, Richard Verschoor, Felipe Drugovich and Liam Lawson all in the top 10.

    Action will intensify this afternoon as Shwartzman aims to carry across his positive early form and become the first driver to earn a second pole position of the season, when qualifying begins at 5.50pm local time.

  • Rajiv Sethu, Jagan Kumar all set for fourth round of the National Racing Championship

    Rajiv Sethu, Jagan Kumar all set for fourth round of the National Racing Championship

    File photo of Rajiv Sethu (80),(Round 3 Pro-Stock 165cc race) by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 5 Sept 2019: India’s top two-wheeler racers along with manufacturers, Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM, will return to action in the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019 at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    The 2019 season has been a roller-coaster with reputations taking a beating and the race for the title in various categories is thrown wide open. The weekend’s races assume significance as the contenders go wheel-to-wheel for precious points as the championship enters its last leg.

    The Pro-Stock categories comprising the premium 301-400cc class besides 201-300cc and the 165cc, all run on MRF slick tyres, have witnessed thrilling battles through the season.

    Thus, going into Round 4, Chennai-based TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar (101 points) and KY Ahamed (98), both with two wins apiece from six starts, head the 301-400cc class where defending champion Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) is placed sixth with 51 points with just one win. In contrast, Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) is comfortably placed with 90 points in the 201-300cc class following a hat-trick of victories, well ahead of teammate and fellow-Bengalurean Abhishek Vasudev (63).

    The popular Pro-Stock 165cc class has seen long-time rivals Honda and TVS, locked in a fierce fight. Honda’s international rider Chennai’s Rajiv Sethu, after missing the first round due to his commitments in Japan, won four races in a row to lead the championship with 100 points, ahead of seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing (94) who, in turn, enjoys a one-point lead over Honda’s Sarath Kumar. Both Jagan and Sarath have won one race apiece.

    The Novice class (Stock 165cc), with its 40-bike grid and packed with talent, has Chennai’s I Venkatesan (Moto Maniacz Racing) in the lead with 98 points with Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing, 80) from Jind, Haryana, and Bengaluru’s Anish Samson (Speed Up Racing, 70) in tow.

    Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing), having won two consecutive races, is closing in on Girls title with a tally of 68 points, while defending champion and team-mate Ann Jennifer (40) is third behind private entrant Nivetha Jessica (42). Incidentally, all three are from Chennai.

    The active involvement of the two-wheeler manufacturers in the championship has cast the net wider and snared a clutch of fresh talent.

    The championship received a massive boost with Honda introducing FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bikes, the fastest in the championship and ridden by hungry-for-success teenagers, all part of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup programme designed to unearth and nurture talent. The NSF 250R replaced the CBR 250 while the CBR 150 category, boasting of a big grid, has been retained.

    TVS have showcased their Apache RR 310 in the Open class for experienced riders beside the RTR 200 (Novice and Girls) has attracted sizeable and highly competitive grids, while KTM and Yamaha have strong presence in the Pro-Stock, Novice and Girls categories of the National championship.

  • Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Race 3 Winner Raghul Rangasamy flanked by 2nd placed Vishnu Prasad, left, and Sohil Shah.

    Coimbatore, 1 Sept 2019: On a day of intense battles and loads of drama, Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy came out trumps, collecting 18 points to shoot to the top of the FLGB-4 standings as Round 2 of the JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship concluded here on Sunday.

    Tanay Gaikwad (Pune), Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai), Sai Prithvi S (Chennai), Mira Erda (Vadodara) and Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) were the others stars of the day, emerging victorious in their respective categories.
    Most of the big excitement, as expected, emanated from the LGB category, with multiple national champions gunning for glory. After Sohil Shah (MSport) set the stage for a no-holds-barred fight on Saturday with a cheeky win, it was Diljith TS’s (Dark Don) turn to bring Sunday to life.
    Beginning at P7 as the reverse grid came into play, he exhibited speed and control to steadily move up and take the first place. Raghul (MSport), who was at P5, got caught in the front pack to lose the initiative and settled for the second position.
    Raghul, however, took advantage of a similar situation in the day’s second and final LGB-4 race to win it in dramatic fashion. His fourth-place finish on Saturday was enough to give him a total of 47 points. That took him past teammate Vishnu Prasad, who didn’t have the best of weekends despite racing out of his skin.
    Vishnu also suffered the worst of lucks, being cheated by the safety car when he was leading with a big margin in the last race. He had to settle for the second position while he had already endured a sixth-place finish in the earlier race to slip down to a total of 45 points in the two rounds. Diljith, who often seemed alone in this dog-fight, was placed third with 31 points.
    Tanay Gaikwad stole the thunder in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, collecting the maximum possible 20 points to join Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore) at the top of the table.
    After winning the first race on Saturday, Tanay showed his class on Day 2 too, posting his second straight victory. Muzammil clocked the day’s fastest lap (1:23.681) but finished 0.068 seconds behind in the 10 laps.
    Mira Erda (centre) who won the ladies class. A JY Tyre image

    Mumbai’s Aaroh Ravindra stayed ahead in the JK Tyre Novice Cup, by collecting 10 more points to make it a grand sum of 52, including 28 this weekend. Bangalore’s Chirag Ghorpade was second with 39 points, after a second-place finish.

    Vadodara’s Mira Erda continued to rule in the women’s category, finishing ahead of all the ladies for the sixth consecutive time. Coimbatore’s Megaa KS (45) and Anushriya Gulati (28) were in the hunt behind her.
    Chennai’s David Ryan, who was the standout performer in the JK Tyre Inter-College Cup on Day 1 with two wins, lost his pre-eminent position to Sai Prithvi (also Chennai) on Sunday. He, however, finished second to hold on to his overall lead with 28 points.
    The day’s winner Sai Prithvi S (Chennai) and Kedin Akhil (Kolkata) were tied on 16 points for the next two positions.
    Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) claimed the JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies, winning both the races over the weekend. He maintained a clean slate after showing his class in Round 1 too.
    Provisional Results: LGB Formula 4 (15 laps)
    Race 2: 1. Diljith TS (Dark Don Racing; 18:14.76); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:14.96);  3. Sandeep Kumar A (Dar Don; 18:15.31)
    Race 3: 1. Raghul (20:29.90); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai; 20:29.92); 3. Sohil Shah (Bangalore; 20:29.10)
    Suzuki Gixxer Cup (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Tanay Gaikwad (Pune) – 14:18.57; 2. Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore; 14:18.64); 3. Shazan Khan (Bangalore; 14:32.58)
    JK Tyre Novice Cup: (15 laps): Race 3: 1. Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai; 18:19.30); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bangalore; 18:24.87); 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai; 18:29.31)
    JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies: (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Ikshan Shanbag (Satara; 14:56.42); 2. Aditi Krishnan (Bangalore; 15:20.92); 3. Aryan Gurav (Pune; 15:23.78)
    JK Tyre College Cup (8 laps): Race 3: 1. Sai Prithvi S (Chennai; 10:20.80); 2. David Ryan (Chennai; 10:22.73); Chetan Surineni (Bangalore; 10:46.82)

  • Sohil upstages Diljith, Vishnu on Day 1 of JKNRC-2

    Coimbatore, 31 August 2019: Bangalore’s Sohil Shah made the most of an acrimonious but sensational battle between Vishnu Prasad and Diljith TS to win Race 1 in Round 2 of the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship here on Saturday.

    After a delayed start due to technical safety regulations, two privateers ManavDougall and Akshay Kapoor, both Delhi, found themselves at P1 and P2. Diljith (Dark Don) and Vishnu (MSport) began at P3 and P4 and brought the race alive at the first corner itself, jumping into the lead.

    Chennai’s Vishnu veered to the outside line and smartly overtook the three racers head of him. But Diljith made his move in the second lap, shooting past Vishnu to set up a tense dog-fight. Vishnu chased Diljith relentlessly, forcing him into his first mistake in the 8th lap.

    Sohil took advantage of their engaging tussle to jump into the lead. The 18-year-old showed nerves of steel to build on it and eventually win the race for MSport. Diljith took the second place while Vishnu, after a energy-sapping contest, had to be content with the third position.

    In the JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup, Pune’s TanayGaikwad converted his pole position to a comfortable victory, beating last round’s winner Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore). Tanay clocked the fastest lap time of 1:23.750 to mark his superiority on the day.

    The JK Tyre Novice Cup too had its share of twists and turns, with Mumbai’s AarohRavindra winning the first race but yielding the second to Mohamed Ryan (Chennai), when the reverse grid came into play.

    Aaroh took the second place, though, to maintain his hold on the championship. Strong contender ChiragGhorpade (Bangalore) finished second in one of the races and eighth in the other to stay in contention.

    In the first-ever JK Tyre College Cup, David Ryan of Chennai underlined his prowess by winning the day’s two races.

    RESULTS (Provisional): LGB Formula 4:  Sohil Shah (Bangalore) – 20:05.863; 2. Diljith TS (Kerala) – (20:08.136; 3. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) – 20:08.263.

    Suzuki Gixxer Cup : RACE 1: TanayGaikwad (Pune) – 10:07.050; 2. Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore) – 10:07.119; 3. SidharthSajan (Coimbatore) – 10:15.558.

    JK Tyre Novice Cup:  RACE 1: AarohRavindra (Mumbai) – 12:17.448; 2. ChiragGhorpade (Bangalore) – 12:19.122; 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) – 12:19.620.

    RACE 2: Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) – 12:11.047; 2. AarohRavindra (Mumbai) – 12:17.177; 3. UdbhavGoyal (Gurgaon) – 12:20.106

     

    JK Tyre College Cup

     

    RACE 1: David Ryan (Chennai) – 11:44.004; 2. Aman Chaudhary (Calcutta) – 12:07.282; 3. SaiPrithvi S (Chennai) – 12:10.876

    RACE 2: David Ryan (Chennai) – 10:22.369; 2. ChetanSurineni (Bangalore) – 10:33.006; 3. KedinAkhil (Kolkata) – 10:44.975

     

     

     

  • 10-car pile-up stops MRF F1600 races; Double for Arjun Balu, Rithvik Thomas

    10-car pile-up stops MRF F1600 races; Double for Arjun Balu, Rithvik Thomas

    Arjun Balu (centre), winner of Race-3 in ITC category, flanked by second-placed Aditya Patel (left) and Dhruv Shivaji Mohite. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 18 August 2019: On a day which began in heavy showers and ended in bright sunshine, Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) completed a grand double in the Indian Touring Cars class to head the leaderboard as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here today. Also achieving a double was Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) in the Super Stock category.

    Overshadowing the day’s proceedings was the 10-car pile-up in the MRF F1600 race that started in heavy showers and lasted barely 300 metres. as pole-sitter Yash Aradhya spun when he put wheels into a puddle, thus losing grip. The cars behind him, with nowhere to go, crashed into one another resulting in the abandonment of the race. None of the drivers suffered injuries barring cuts and bruises, but with 10 cars badly damaged, it was decided to cancel today’s scheduled three races and run them in the next round in September.


    Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (No.5) in action while winning Race-2 in VW Ameo Class.

    “The next round in September, will thus have seven races in MRF F1600 category. It was an unfortunate incident with Yash running into a puddle and spinning. With so many cars badly damaged, we decided to put off today’s three races and have them in the next round,” said Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok.

    In Race-1 of the ITC category, that was declared “wet”, Balu and Patel were locked in a thrilling fight at the head of the field. Starting from pole, Balu maintained his position with Patel in close attendance. Three laps from the finish, Patel moved past Balu, but slipped back to second in the next lap when he ran wide at the last corner. Balu moved to the front and went on to win.

    In Race-2, run in fair weather and reverse grid, the three VW Ventos of Patel, Dhruv Shivaji Mohite and Ishaan Dodhiwala, switched to slicks, while Balu, starting eighth, remained on wet tyres. It was not long before the four moved to the front with Mohite pulling off a fine win ahead of Patel and Balu. The third race in this category, was a virtual procession with Balu, starting from pole, winning comfortably and unchallenged, followed by Patel and Dodhiwala. His two wins this weekend, took Balu’s tally to 148, way ahead of Mohite (119).


    Arjun Balu (No.39), who won a double in action .

    Spearheading a podium sweep for Race Concepts team, Sudanand Daniel, an airline pilot based in Singapore, won a dramatic wet first race in the Super Stock category for his maiden success of the season, with Rithvik Thomas and R Rajashekar in tow. RP Rajaran (Performance Racing) took the honours in Race-2 ahead of Rithvik Thomas and Daniel. In the next outing, Thomas survived a close fight with Daniel for his second win of the weekend. Rajarajan completed the podium.

    Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) and Pune’s Prateek Sonawane won a race apiece in the Volkswagen Ameo Class category. After eight races over three rounds this season, Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay (305 points), winner of the first race yesterday, leads the championship in this category followed by Sidharth Mehdiratta (298) from Lucknow and Sonawane (294).

    The results (Provisional):

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (12mins, 49.794secs); 2. Aditya Patel (Rayo Racing) (12:50.491); 3. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (Rayo Racing) (12:58.907).

    Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (Rayo Racing) (21:19.565); 2. Aditya Patel (Rayo Racing) (21:20.682); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (21:28.378).

    Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (15:11.978); 2. Aditya Patel (15:17.508); 3. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Team Rayo Racing) (15:28.324).

    Super Stock (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Sudanand Daniel (Race Concepts) (14:15.475); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (14:15.787); 3. R Rajashekar (Race Concepts) (14:45.952).

    Race 2 (10 laps): 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (22:15.115); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (22:27.432); 3. Sudanand Daniel (Race Concepts) (22:28.759).

    Race 3 (8 laps): 1. Rithvik Thomas (16:15.162); 2. Sudanand Daniel (16:15.951); 3. RP Rajarajan (16:40.747).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (20:09.577); 2. Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh) (20:12.811); 3. Siddharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow) (20:13.363).

    Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Prateek Sonawane (Pune) (16:00.024); 2. Sidharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow) (16:01.383); 3. Shobhomoy Ball (Bengaluru) (16:06.481).

  • Sohil Shah takes MRF F1600 championship lead with a facile win

    Sohil Shah takes MRF F1600 championship lead with a facile win

    Chennai, 17 August 2019: Bengaluru teenager Sohil Shah made the best of the pole-position start to notch a fine win in the premier MRF F1600 category and head the leaderboard in the Round 4 of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT here today, that had a delayed start owing to the rains in the morning.

    Due to the late start, only two of the four races scheduled for the day could be completed. The remaining races would be added to the six slated for tomorrow which will have an early start 8.15 am. It was a difficult day with changing weather conditions leading to several changes in the schedule.

    In the day’s other action, Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay took the honours in the Ameo Class race while Coimbatore ace Arjun Balu of Race Concepts (01:51.474) and team-mate Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (01:59.425) grabbed pole positions in the Indian Touring Cars and the Super Stock categories, respectively.

    Sohil Shah photos by Anand Philar

    The lights-to-flag win today was Sohil’s third success in a row, having won the last two races in the previous round last month. With three more races are scheduled for this category tomorrow, Sohil heads the championship with 81 points, well clear of Mumbai’’s Nayan Chatterjee (63).

    The finish to the six-lap race (reduced from eight laps), which Sohil dominated while enjoying a commanding lead, was under the Safety Car which came out following an incident on Lap 5. As the Safety Car came in on the last lap, Sohil, rolled his car over the finish line ahead of Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar and Manav Sharma (Faridabad).

    “I enjoyed a good lead through the race until the Safety Car period. We all bunched up behind the Safety Car, and I played it safe before crossing the finish line,” said Sohil who has taken a “gap year” after completing 12th standard.

    Further down the grid, Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) who was leading the championship coming into this round, and Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) received 30-second penalties for overtaking under yellow flag, denying them any points.

    The results (Provisional):

    MRF F1600 (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) 1 (11mins, 26.939secs); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (11:28.164); 3. Manav Sharma (Faridabad) (11:28.569).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (11:38.169); 2. Shubhomoy Ball (Bengaluru) (11:42.374); 3. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (11:43.025).