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Category: Racing
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Aditya Patel to race against Arjun Balu in ITC class: Indian National Racing Championship
Chennai, 16 August 2019: Popular international driver Aditya Patel will replace Karthik Tharani Singh for the Volkswagen Works team in the ITC class and he will be racing against his mentor and former coach Arjun Balu, as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2019 flows into a critical phase with the fourth and penultimate round scheduled to start at the MMRT on Saturday.
Karthik Tharani escaped with a one-race ban after a grave violation in the third round. Though he is serving only one-race suspension, Volkswagen Motorsport, who promised `clean racing’ as they made their debut in the National Championship this year at Coimbatore, decided to keep him out for the entire round and Tharani will miss three races. Incidentally, Aditya is set to make his saloon car debut in the championship and will be racing at this track after a lapse of 11 years.
With the front-runners in the championship stakes tightly bunched in all the categories that will be on view this week-end. The expectations of close racing are high in all the classes including premier MRF Formula 1600, Indian Touring Cars and Volkswagen Ameo Class.
Aditya Patel is set race against his mentor and former coach Arjun Balu, left, in the ITC races on Saturday for Volkswagen team. Photo: Anand Philar In the previous rounds, winner-picking was a hazardous guess and it would be much the same this weekend with a clutch of India’s top racing drivers, ranging from bubbling teenagers to battle-hardened veterans, lining up on the grid, each seeking precious championship points.
The MRF F1600, with four races scheduled over two days, and a maximum of 100 points on offer, has four drivers – Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 63 points), Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad (58), teenager from Bengaluru Sohil Shah (56) with two wins from four starts and A Bala Prasath from Coimbatore (43) – heading the leaderboard, but wary of others who have them in their sights.
The popular Indian Touring Cars category, a triple-header for this round, has developed into a bitter fight involving veteran racer from Coimbatore Arjun Balu (80 points), driving a Race Concepts-prepared Honda Vtec car, and championship leader Chennai’s Karthik Tharani (86) in a factory-supported Volkswagen Vento. Tharani, winner in two of the five outings, failed to take a drive-through penalty and ignored the black-flag in the previous round to attract the suspension.
Tharani is replaced by Aditya Patel, the 2007 Formula Rolon champion, who has been a participant in various international touring cars series abroad (VW, Audi, GT Asia) in the past decade.
“Obviously, I am quite excited to be racing at the MMRT, virtually my home circuit, after over a decade (his last outing was in 2008, a one-off race). Interestingly, my Formula Rolon car in 2007 when I won the championship for NK Racing, was prepared by Arjun Balu and his brother Sanjay. So, it’s quite extraordinary that this weekend, I am racing against Arjun!” said Aditya.
The Super Stock category, to be run on a combined grid with the ITC class, presents a similar picture with Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) leading RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) from Chennai by eight points. The pair has won three races apiece and with three more to be run this weekend, a thrilling battle between the two is on the cards.
The VW Ameo Class, which was upgraded to National Championship status, and boasting of 18-car grid, has three drivers, Pratik Sonawane (Pune), Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) and Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai), in that order separated by eight points with Delhi’s Anmol Singh Sahil in fourth, a further nine points behind.
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MMSC delivers another first – Night sessions at MMRT circuit
Night Fest, testing for night sessions in progress at MMSC on Wednesday. Photos by Anand Philar Chennai, 8 August 2019: The Madras Motor Sports Club made history on Wednesday, August 7 as it took first baby steps towards full-fledged night racing in the future at the MMRT by conducting a four-hour floodlit test session, the first of its kind in India, that attracted over 100 participants, a clutch of “super cars”, including a Rolls Royce Phantom, first-timers and battle-hardened professional racing drivers in the fully-prepared racing cars, all of whom gave the initiative a thumbs-up.
The first-timers were all excited at the rare opportunity to drive on the track at pace in the night. The professionals, like former Formula 1 racer Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel, Chetan Korada, Arfath Mohammed, Karthik Tharani, Ishaan Dodhiwala and ex-rally driver Ranjit Ballal suggested improvements in the lighting while hailing MMSC’s efforts to provide another dimension to motor racing in India.
Karun Chandhok, who has raced at night at Le Mans and F1 testing in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, said: “I think what they (the MMSC) have done is very good. We should do more of these events as they will whet the appetite of the people for the sport. I did a few laps here tonight.
“The visibility was much better than what I expected. Everyone at the club knows the areas to improve. I think, night racing is entirely doable with saloon cars, but with single-seaters, I think there is still a lot of work to do. A huge amount of investment is required to get the level of lighting up to what you need for single-seaters. Aditya (Patel) and I raced each other in saloon cars and were doing 1:55.4, 1:55.0. That is the pace what people do during daytime. So, it shows the level of lighting is good to race at night with a little improvement.”
The night session was conducted in a full-fledged racing environment with temporary floodlight towers in place at select locations, besides Marshals manning the posts around the circuit and other safety precautions.
Volkswagen Motorsport India provided a few race-tuned cars for the night session All the participants attended a mandatory pre-session briefing by MMSC Vice-President and former racer Vicky Chandhok on racing regulations and safety. The first-timers were taken around the in a convoy behind the Safety Car to learn the racing lines before being allowed to drive at pace. Helmet for the drivers was compulsory. Volkswagen Motorsport provided race-spec Polo, Vento and Ameo cars on hire while some participants opted to drive their own vehicles.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “It is a very exciting evening for us. Globally track days are a great way to get people interested in the sport and we realised that with the hot weather in Chennai we needed to do something different. It is the first time that we opened the track up for people to drive at night which makes sense in Chennai. The weather is great and the atmosphere is fantastic. We have some temporary lighting in place as a test, but if we are going to do this on a long-term basis, we will be getting a higher grade lighting on the track. The response has been great with a cross-section of drivers – beginners and professionals.
“Based on this response and interest, we are hopeful of running a few events. Initially, may be more track days, some short events and then endurance races. As far as the costs are concerned, the MMSC has always been constantly ploughing back funds, both from the club and the Trust (the Madras Motor Race Trust) for the overall development of the sport. We have already invested heavily (about Rs 20 Crores) in upgrading the track, the paddock and various facilities and racing equipment. So, going forward, I think we can manage night racing in the future.”
An elated Vicky Chandhok said: “I go strictly by the reactions of the participants. The fact that they are smiling ear-to-ear is really important for me. Going by the lap times of the pro drivers, they have matched those done during the day. We will have to make the lighting a bit more brighter. Overall, it is nice to see people having a great time here. We are trying to make motorsport fun and develop more fans to come here and enjoy themselves as against serious, hardcore racing.”
Former racer and rally champion Harish Samtani applauded MMSC’s latest initiative. “No question that this is a brilliant idea. Globally, night racing, F1 for instance, is catching up. It brings a different paradigm in motorsport. Of course, this is just the beginning. I have spoken with the drivers, both the pros and the newbies. They like the format. It is now up to MMSC to set up a proper, safe lighting environment where one can do serious racing. Definitely, it (night racing) is here to stay.”
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.
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Rajiv Sethu makes it four wins in a row; Double for Anish Shetty, Venkatesan; Ryhana stars
Rajiv Sethu (80), winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc race ahead of KY Ahamed (33) at MMRT on Sunday. Photos: Anand Philar Chennai, 4 August 2019: Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) showed why he is arguably India’s top racing rider at the moment by scrambling to a heart-stopping win, his fourth in a row in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here today.
KY Ahamed brought some cheer for TVS Racing on a day dominated by Honda as he topped the premier 301-400cc class by a comfortable margin to move within three points of his team-mate Deepak Ravikumar (101 points) on the leaderboard. Ravikumar finished third today behind yesterday’s Race-1 winner, Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing).
Also hogging the limelight were Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) and Chennai’s Venkatesan I (Moto Maniacz Racing) who both achieved a double this weekend in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc and Novice (Stock 165cc) categories, respectively, while Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing), also from Chennai, took the honours in the Girls race.Sethu, who is growing in stature with each outing and scored a double win in the previous round, held off a late-charging KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) despite a bad start and issues with his bike as the duo crossed the finish line in close formation within one-hundredth of a second between them. Sethu’s team-mate and fellow-international, Sarath Kumar, completed the podium. The victory took Sethu to the top of the leaderboard with 100 points, ahead of Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing (94) and Sarath Kumar (93).
The Honda ace, who again failed to capitalise on a pole-position start, yielded ground to seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar who was quick off the grid from third position and built up a commanding lead. However, in the third of the eight-lap race, Jagan retired due to engine issues and Sethu forged to the front with Ahamed hot on his heels. The pair fought tooth and nail and were almost inseparable at the finish line.
Anish Shetty, in notching his third win in a row, cemented his position at the top of the championship in his category with 90 points. Shetty again led a 1-2-3 finish for his team like yesterday with Abhishek Vasudev and Aravind Balakrishnan in tow in that order.
Chennai’s Ryhana Bee, with the win today, her second in three rounds, took a sizeable lead in the championship with 68 points. Defending champion and team-mate Ann Jennifer crashed in the last of the five laps after Ryhana overtook her. Alisha Abdullah (Alishaa Racing) was second followed by private entrant Nivetha Jessica who is now second on the leaderboard with 42 points ahead of Ann Jennifer (40) with two more rounds to be run in the coming weeks.
Later, Md Mikail, the 15-year old from Chennai, won his second race of the weekend riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, putting in a hot lap of 01:47.974, in the process.
The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (15mins, 32.793secs); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (15:35.179); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (15:44.637).
Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-2): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:13.776); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:26.707); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:31.680).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:07.022); 2. Ahamed KY (TVS Racing) (16:07.032); 3. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing)(16:15.267).
Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-2 (6 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:13.563); 2. Lokesh V (Speedup Racing) (13:14.839); 3. Annish Samson (Speedup Racing) (13:21.887).
Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:09.174); 2. Alisha Abdullah (Alishaa Racing) (11:12.948); Nivetha Jessica (Pvt) (11:32.874).
One-Make Championship:
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-2): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (14:48.615); 2. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (14:51.398); 3. Kavin Samaar Quintal (Chennai) (14:51.669). CBR 150 (Novice, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:15.112); 2. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:15.162); 3. S Deepak Kumar (Chennai) (13:18.127).
TVS – Open (RR 310, Race-2): 1. Aravind Ganesh (Chennai) (16:06.657); 2. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (16:06.806); 3. Anup Kumar (Chennai) (16:07.154). Novice (RTR 200, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:12.481); 2. Lokesh V (Bengaluru) (13:20.336); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (13:20.372).
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Rajiv Sethu records 3rd win; Double for Venkatesan; Rahil Shetty, Anish Shetty, Mikail win
Rajiv Sethu (80), winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc race on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar Chennai, 3 August 2019: International rider Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) notched his third win in a row in the Pro-Stock 165cc class while Hyderabad’s Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) kept his nerves and wits to pull off a brilliant victory in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category on the second day of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Round 3 at the MMRT, here today.
Also scoring impressive wins on the day in the National Championship were Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty who led a podium sweep for Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc category and Venkatesan who topped the Novice (Stock 165cc) race.
Venkatesan (59), on way to winning the Stock 165cc (Novice) Race 1 on Saturday. He also got a double later as he won Novice Class RTR 200 Race 1 also. Sethu, who missed the first round due to international commitments, is in a catch-up mode in the championship stakes, and his hat-trick of wins took him to third on the leaderboard with 75 points behind TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar (94) and team-mate Sarath Kumar (78) going into tomorrow’s second race.
The trio was involved in a thrilling battle that went down to the wire with Sethu, having overcome a poor start from pole position, managed to get past seven-times National champion Jagan on the last lap for a well-deserved win while Sarath followed the TVS Racing ace home. Less than a second separated the three podium finishers.
Equally superb win was that of 21-year old Rahil Shetty who battled not just his rivals but also his own error-filled riding before squeezing past TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and KY Ahamed in the last lap. “I made too many mistakes today, but somehow managed to pull through,” said a relieved Shetty who started on P3. Despite the second-place finish, Ravikumar continues to lead the championship in this category with 86 points, followed by Ahamed (73) while Shetty (35) is placed seventh.
Racing on the same grid as the 301-400cc bikes, Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty logged his second consecutive win with team-mates Abhishek Vasudev and Aravind Balakrishnan following him home. Today’s win took Anish’s tally to 65, well ahead of Mathan Kumar of Erula Racing (47) and Vasudev (45).Earlier, in yet another close race, Venkatesan also registered his first win of the season in the Novice class after battling Mohan Babu (Rockers Racing) and Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing) over six laps. Lakshmipathy Balaji (Alpha Racing) missed out on the podium by a whisker as the four crossed the finish line covered by less than a second. Abhimanyu, though, continues to head the leaderboard with 80 points, trailed by Venkatesan (73) and Mohan Babu (57) going into the second race tomorrow.
The results (Provisional, all 6 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (11mins, 41.443secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11:41.990); 3. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11:42.201).
Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:11.667); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:20.100); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:20.245).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:01.973); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (12:02.073); 3. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:02.833).
Novice (Stock 165cc) (Race-1): 1. Venkatesan I (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:06.397); 2. Mohan Babu P (Rockers Racing) (13:06.447); 3. Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing) (13:06.628).
One-Make Championship: Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-1): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (11:04.391); 2. Varoon Sadasivam (Chennai) (11:12.581); 3. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (11:13.432).
CBR 150 (Novice, Race-1): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:16.118); 2. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:16.240); 3. S Deepak Kumar (Chennai) (13:16.528).
TVS – Open (RR 310, Race-1): 1.S Kannan (Chennai) (11:54.079); 2. Soorya PM (Chennai) (12:02.607); 3. Aravind Ganesh R (Chennai) (12:02.680).
Novice (RTR 200, Race-1): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:24.694); 2.Lakshmipathy Balaji (Vellore) (13:25.047); 3.Ullas Santrupt Nanda (Bengaluru) (13:25.380).
Girls (RTR 200, 5 laps): 1. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (11:30.986); 2. Lani Zena Fernandez (Pondicherry) (11:31.075); 3. Lakiya Lee Charles (Chennai) (11:32.354).
ends
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Sivanesan, Anish Shetty take pole; Ryhana Bee tops girls’ class: Bike Natioinals
Chennai, 2 August 2019: Sivanesan Sethu pulled off a stunning flying lap to lead a 1-2 for TVS Racing in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category qualifying session as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship got off to a storming start at the MMRT, here today.Sivanesan, clocked a sizzling 01min, 54.325secs followed by team-mate and fellow-Chennai rider KY Ahamed (01:54.871), with Hyderabad’s Rahil Shetty of Sparks Racing (01:55.001) completing the front row for tomorrow’s race.
Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing, led by Bengaluru riders Anish Shetty (01:57.384), and Abhishek Vasudev (01:59.890), and Chennai’s Aravind Balakrishnan (02:00.969), qualified for the top three spots in that order in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc class.
Championship leader Ryhana Bee of Sparks Racing (02:11.216), team-mate Ann Jennifer (02:12.189) and Speed Demonz Racing’s Lani Zena Fernandez (02:14.007) were the top three qualifiers in the Girls category.
Lighting up the day’s proceedings was a bunch of teenagers, led by 15-year old Mohammed Mikail from Chennai, scorched the track in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bikes. All the eight riders comfortably went under two minutes in the qualifying session, with Mikail grabbing pole position (01:48.949), ahead of two other Chennai riders, 14-year old Kavin Samaar Quintal (01:50.345) and 16-year old Varoon Sadasivam (01:51.198). Charan Thangavel, also from Chennai, who finished eighth and last, timed 01:56.828.
Meanwhile, Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing), who scored a double in the previous round, but is trailing team-mate Sarath Kumar by 13 points and championship leader Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) by 26, set the early pace in the Pro-Stock 165cc class by topping the only free practice session, with a flying lap of 01:59.956.
Jagan, a seven times National champion, had a disappointing run with a 02:03.413 to come in ninth as against his team-mate KY Ahamed who was second quickest in 02:00.848, ahead of Yashas RL (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing, 02:01.414). However, the riders are expected to clock better timings in the qualifying session on Saturday.
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MRF MMSC Indian National Bike Championship Round 3 to begin on Friday
Action during the bike Nationals at MMRT, Chennai. File photo by Anand Philar Chennai, 1 August 2019: India’s leading two-wheeler manufacturers will yet again go head-to-head in thrilling battle for points as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019 gets underway at the MMRT on Friday.
Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM have strong presence in the 16-race card that will also showcase India’s top bike racers, including girls, representing a clutch of teams, some privately funded and others supported by the manufacturers in various forms.
This weekend promises plenty of exciting action with riders jockeying for positions in their respective championship leaderboards with an eye on the points that are critical for National titles in various categories.
The premier Pro-Stock classes of 301-400cc, 201-300cc and the 165cc, all run on MRF slick tyres, have dished out edge-of-the-seat competition in the previous rounds with little separating the front-runners. In the event, there is hardly any room for error as every championship point would be worth its weight in gold from here on.
Further down the grid are the fruits of twin initiatives of promoters Madras Motor Sports Club – the Girls championship (Stock 165cc) which is still a work in progress and the Novice (Stock 165cc) class that boasts of 50-plus entries requiring split qualifying sessions to decide the eventual 40-bike grid for the points-scoring double-header. The championship stakes in both these categories are still wide open with promise of more close finishes.
In the previous round last month, Honda caused a huge buzz by introducing the epoch-making, FIM Moto3 spec NSF 250R bikes ridden by youngsters in the age-group of 12 to 19 as part of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup that also includes the CBR 150 class for Novice riders who made it to the grid following a pan-India selection process.
Not to be left behind, TVS too have their One-Make Championship in three different categories – Open (RR 310), Novice and Girls (both RTR 200) – all boasting of sizeable and very competitive grids.
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Honda kicks off second season of Idemitsu Talent Hunt from Chennai
Honda 2wheelers India commences 2nd season of ‘Idemitsu Honda India Talent Hunt’ in Chennai recently. A Honda image Chennai, 29 July 2019: The Idemitsu Honda India Talent Hunt received a huge response and after a lengthy process 19 talented youngsters were selected and these riders from across India will be trained and groomed for Season 2 at the home of Indian racing, Chennai.
The Idemitsu Talent Hunt is Honda’s unique initiative which aims to identify racers starting as young as 12 years. Honda 2Wheelers India uses this platform to groom the best of young Indian riders for a racing career both at national and international level.
The first round in Chennai saw an overwhelming participation of 18 youngsters from Kolhapur, Mumbai, Satara, Puducherry, Tirur, Bengaluru, Patna, Bokaro, and Vizag. The candidates went through rigourous tests at 3 levels. Starting with their physical fitness, and then moving to race orientation and riding skills for the race track, they were judged and selected. This was followed by a one-on-one interview with candidates and parents/guardians to understand both their motorsport passion and family support.
Md Mikail on a Honda NSF 250R during a race week-end at MMRT, Chennai, recently. After shortlisting in phase 1, the top candidates of the Talent Hunt of Delhi and NCR would be trained and given an opportunity to ride on the track in Phase II. It is from this pool of talent that Honda will pick up the best talent for future development. These final riders will then join the 12 selected riders to race in the Honda Talent Cup CBR 150R category in the 2019 season.
Sharing an overview on Honda’s aim for developing ‘Iconic Indian Riders’, Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice-President, Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle, and Scooter India said: “In 2018 we took a big leap to develop racers at a young age on our structural development path. The young talent which we got from last year are already showing phenomenal results. To accelerate their development, we are constantly providing them exposure and have brought the Moto3 machine NSF250R to India. Looking at the immense passion and potential of these riders, we further extend our leap and start the second edition of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Hunt. This year, the Talent Hunt will travel to four more cities after Chennai to identify India’s next big racing sensations. I am confident that these budding riders will change the scenario of motorsports in India and make the nation proud at the international podiums as well.”
IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt 2018 and way forward
Introduced in 2018, Honda conducted the ‘Idemitsu Honda India Talent Hunt’ in seven cities and identified top 19 young riders with immense potential. As the first step for rider development, 11 of these top riders are now part of the India Talent Cup, the CBR150R class. These riders are already proving their potential on the racetrack. Parallelly, the remaining 8 riders are riding the same Honda machine as Moto3 champions in Talent Cup – NSF250R class. Further, Honda fast-tracked the development of top 2 riders from 2018 Honda Talent Hunt to Asia level at Thai Talent Cup.
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Disappointment for Chirag Ghorpade; Rahul Rangasamy, Vishnu Prasad share the spoils
Chirag Ghorpade celebrates his birthday (Sat) with a double but he was penalised for a jump start on Sunday losing a treble. An INDIAinF1 image Coimbatore, 28 July 2019: Teammates and Chennai’s ace racing stars Raghul Rangasamy and Vishnu Prasad of MSport won a race each pushing the other to the second place in the elite LGB Formula 4 category as the 22nd JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.
While another Chennai racer Sandeep Kumar of Dark Don Racing came third in the Race 2, young Ashwin Datta, also from Chennai, completed the podium in Race 3. Vishnu bagged the fastest lap in both the races. Ashwin, the 20-year-old BBA student missed a chance slipping to third in the last lap after leading the LGB Formula 4 Race 1 on Saturday.
Suzuki Gixxer podium However, the focus of the day in the JK Tyre Novice Cup over 15 laps was on teenager Chirag Ghorpade of Momentum Motorsports, who won both the races on Saturday to celebrate his birthday. But it was Mohamed Ryan of MSport who was promoted to a victory after the stewards penalised Chirag for a jump start. Earlier, Chirag crossed the line first by a comfortable margin. The 14-year-old Chirag, who made his single-seater debut this year, however, is improving at a fast pace and if groomed well is bound to keep up to his celebrated family name.
Syed Muzammil Ali of Bengaluru made it a double in the JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup, winning Race 2, with a lot to spare while Tanay Gaikwad of Pune, finished second once again, way behind the winner. Sidharth Sajan of Coimbatore came third. Ishan Shanbag won the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup of 10 laps while the other rookies could complete only 9 laps.
Mira Erda (centre) who won the ladies class on Sunday. Twitter @JKTyreRacing Popular Indian woman racer Mira Erda won the women’s category. The MSport driver pushed Mega KS of Ahura Racing to second spot. Diana Pundole, also of Ahura came third.
Provisional Unaudited Results: Sunday:
Race 5: LGB Formula 4 (Race 2, 14 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport, Chennai) (18:28.329); 2. Vishnu Prasad (MSport, Chennai) (18:31.673); 3. Sandeep Kumar A (Dark Don Racing, Chennai) (18:32.848); Best lap: Vishnu 1:11.413.
Race 6: JK Tyre Novice Cup (15 laps): 1. Mohamed Ryan (MSport, Chennai) (23:44.056); 2. Aaroh Ravindra (Momentum Motorsports, Mumbai) (23:47.212); 3. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art) (23:47.330). Best lap: Aaroh 1:12.988.
Race 7: JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Race 2, 10 laps): 1. Syed Muzammil Ali (Bengaluru) (14:19.609); 2.Tanay Gaikwad (Pune) (14:25.458); 3. Sidharth Sajan (Coimbatore) 14:27.480. Best lap: SM Ali 1:23.929.
Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup (Race 2, 10 laps): 1. Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) (15:01.223); 2. Prashanth R 3. Aryan Gurav.
Race 8: LGB Formula 4 (Race 3, 15 laps): 1. Vishnu Prasad (MSport, Chennai) (20:02.742); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport, Chennai) (20:02.810); 3. Ashwin Datta (Dark Don Racing, Chennai) (20:05.316). Best lap: Vishnu: 1:11.333.
JK Tyre women’s category (Formula LGB4): 1. Mira Erda (MSport); 2. Mega K.S (Ahura Racing); 3. Diana Pundole (Ahura Racing).
Note: The report is edited after Chirag Ghorpade was disqualified for a jump start.
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Vishnu Prasad, Chirag Ghorpade sparkle on Day 1: JK Tyre Racing Nationals
Chirag Ghorpade wins Race 1 of the Novice Cup in Coimbatore on Saturday. Photos: JK Tyre Coimbatore, 27 July 2019: Ace racer Vishnu Prasad and young Chirag Ghorpade sparkled on the opening day winning their races in contrasting styles in the 22nd JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.
Syed Muzammil Ali proved to be the other hero of the day, cruising to victory in the first round of the support race, the JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup.
In the revamped opening round of the championship, the focus was on younger talent and they didn’t disappoint with as many as 27 lined up on the grid for their first real shot at glory.
Momentum Motorsports’ 14-year-old Ghorpade from Bengaluru, was the most impressive, taking the pole position in the morning and winning his first race in the Novice Cup.
Chirag clocked 13:37.912 minutes to beat the aggressive field by 0.338, leaving his teammate Aaroh Ravindra and Mohamed Ryan (MSport) fighting for the other two places on the podium.
Seasoned racer Vishnu Prasad win LGB Formula 4 race on Saturday. The youngster, who exhibited speed and skill, brought in his 14th birthday in style, winning Race 2 as well. Aaroh was left chasing him in this race too but Parikshit Dardhalli (DTS Racing) upstaged Ryan for the third place.
The Formula LGB 4 boasted of a star-studded grid, with seven national champions in fray. The race began as a three-way tussle between Vishnu (MSport), Rohit Khanna (Dark Don Racing) and Ashwin (Dark Don Racing).
Ashwin shot into the lead, going past MSport’s Sohil Shah who began on pole at the first opportunity. He hung on to the lead all the way to the final lap. But the safety car, that came out a couple of hours earlier, hurt his momentum and saw him slip to the third place.
Vishnu and Rohit exhibited great speed to overtake him and claim the first two positions.
Muzammil Ali, another Bengaluru lad, was unstoppable in the Gixxer Cup, shining in the practice rounds, grabbing the pole in the qualifiers and winning the race too. Tanay Gaikwad (Pune) and Amul Angadi (Coimbatore) clinched second and third place in a 31-strong grid.
Provisional Unaudited Results: Saturday: (Timings not received):
JK Tyre Novice Cup (Race 1): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports); 2. Aaroh Ravindra (Momentum Motorsports); 3. Mohamed Ryan (MSport)
JK Tyre Novice Cup (Race 2): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports); 2. Aaroh Ravindra (Momentum Motorsports); 3. Parikshit Dardhalli (DTS Racing)
JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Race 1): 1. Syed Muzammil Ali; 2. Tanay Gaikwad; 3. Amul Angadi
JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies (Race 1): 1. Ikshan Shanbag
LGB Formula 4 (Race 1): 1. Vishnu Prasad (MSport); 2. Rohit Khanna (Dark Don Racing); 3. Ashwin Datta (Dark Don Racing)
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JK Tyre racing season kicks off at Kari Motor Speedway
Coimbatore, 26 July 2019: With a focus on nurturing young talent in the country, a new season begins as the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship 2019 (JKNRC) kicks off the first round here on Saturday. However, the popular Euro JK Series will not be run this year, but JK promised a bigger `surprise’ before the end of the season.
The repackaged 22nd edition features the Indian Formula LGB-4 and the LGB Novice Cup as prime attractions. The Suzuki Gixxer Cup will support the novice riders to refine their skills in the 2-wheeler category.
“JKNRC has been a huge hit with a number of talented drivers emerging over the years. However, we noticed that we were graduating to the international level rather quickly, leaving a void at home,” Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Tyre Motorsport, said.
“We decided to plug this gap by giving a wider platform for young drivers through our Formula LGB 4 category,” he added.
Popular racers like Kolhapur’s Chittesh Mandody (Avalanche Racing), Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) and Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don Racing) will battle it out for top honours in the LGB 4 category this season.
Another highlight of Round 1 is the pan-India representation across categories, especially among rookies. In addition to the all-girls team, talented newcomers include Mumbai’s Ojasvi Mehta.
The first three rounds will take place in Coimbatore and the fourth and final rounds will move to Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, near Delhi. And JK Tyre is expected to unveil the next level of the international Formula car which is expected to change the dynamic of this sport and set the stage for the next generation of Indian champions.
In the 2-wheeler category too, 600 & 1000cc SuperBikes will get a huge boost with a couple of leading global bike manufacturers likely to join the grid.
