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Category: Racing
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Maiden victory for Chirag Ghorpade in MRF F1600; Rishon day’s fastest driver
Chennai, 11 Dec. 2021: Sixteen-year-old 11th grade student of Bengaluru Chirag Ghorpade, drove a brilliant race to win his maiden race in the coveted MRF F1600 class in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
Ghorpade held off another 7-year old, Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin, for his maiden win in this category while Rishon Rajiv, 6, also from Bengaluru, finished third in the eight-lap race. Rishon became the fastest Driver of the day clocking 1:39.964. Ghorpade did a 39.8 on Thursday but was content in being consistent today and focused on his race victory. The trio was in a league of its own in a field that had quite a few experienced drivers.
“It was a tough race initially when Shahan caught up with me, but I realized that he was unable to narrow the gap any further and I managed to dictate the pace,” said Ghorpade who had earlier qualified for pole position.
Chirag Ghorpade after his maiden win in the MRF F1600 category (Dec 11) Photo: Anand Philar Meanwhile, Coimbatore veteran, defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), at 47, and in his 29th racing season, was in imperious form when easily winning the premier Indian Touring Cars race from pole position, while two Rayo Racing drivers from Hyderabad, Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh finished a distant second and third, respectively.
“Honestly, I was quite surprised by the pace of the car (Honda City) and by the end of the first lap, I was comfortably ahead. Thereafter, I decided to back off a bit and scaled down on my aggression. Yes, I am quite pleased with the performance,” Balu said.
Performance Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar from Chennai and Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) topped in the Super Stock and Indian Junior Touring Cars category, respectively.
Pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) from Vellore emerged a facile winner in the Formula LGB 1300 race that was marred by a red flag stoppage following a series of crashes, reducing it to just five laps.
Mumbai’s Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing) and Coimbatore’s A Balaprasath (Quest Motorsport) shared the top honours in the two MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) races. In the second race, a Delhi-born Punjabi from Gurgoan won his maiden podium taking a second place in his debut week-end in real motorsports as the sim-racer is racing for the first time at MMSC.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
The top three in MRF Saloon Cars race-2 – A Balaprasath (centre, winner), Justin Singht (left, second) and Fahad Kutty (third) at MMRT on 11 Dec 2021. Photo by Anand Philar MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (13mins, 32.919secs); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13:34.252); 3. Rishon Rajiv (Bengaluru) (13:35.164).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:19.312); 2. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:46.386); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:54.693).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:09.974); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:12.079); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:17.578).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:04.162); 2. Charen Chandran (Pvt, Coimbatore) (16:25.674); 3. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (15:30.132, 7 laps)
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing, Nellore) (11:14.406); 2. Arya Singh (DTS Racing, Kolkata) (11:15.966); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (11:20.775).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios – Race 1): 1. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:08.849); Jamie Shaw (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:09.332); 3. Chandresh Tolia (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:11.833);
Race 2: 1. A Balaprasath (Quest Motorsport, Coimbatore) (21:17.190); 2. Justin Singh (Quest Motorsport, Haryana) (21:17.925); 3. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (21:20.784).
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Chance for young guns, Sahan, Ruhaan to showcase their talent: MMSC races
Chennai, 8 Dec. 2021: After a break of close to three months, the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 will resume with Covid-19 safety protocols in place at the MMRT here on Friday, December 10, with a 12-race programme scheduled for the weekend and some 100 entrants in the fray across various categories.
Two young guns who stood out in the first round were teenagers Shahan Ali Mohsin from Agra and Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva, both products of the National karting championships. Shahan won two of the three races in the MRF F1600 category while Ruhaan (MSport) was adjudged “best rookie” in the Formula LGB 1300.
The MRF F1600 will headline the weekend card with a triple-header, while the Formula LGB 1300, the Saloon Cars (Indian Touring Cars, Super Stock, Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Volkswagen Polo will have two races apiece in the three-day event.
Of equal significance is the entry-level MRF Saloon Cars category, featuring Toyota Etios. Last season, it made a debut in the National championship, promoted by the Madras Motor Sports Club, with just six entries, but now boasts of a grid of 25 cars representing two teams – the Red Line Racing India and Quest Motorsports. The MRF Saloon Cars skipped the first round in September this year, and will offer nine races spread over three rounds. Vehicles in all categories will run on MRF tyres.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas, while welcoming the participants for the second round, said: “At the outset, we need to celebrate the fact that we are able to conduct the championship during this challenging period of the pandemic. It is even more heartening that despite current situation, an increasing number of youngsters are taking to motor racing if one were to go by the spike in entries with each round. The first round in September witnessed the emergence of young talent and we hope they will continue to the perform. Our thanks also to our sponsors, MRF Tyres for their active involvement in the championship.”
As usual, the highly competitive saloon car races are likely throw up some exciting finishes, notably in the premier Indian Touring Cars class where Race Concepts’ Arjun Balu from Coimbatore, the defending champion, will be again up against Rayo Racing pair of Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh (both Hyderabad).
The MMRT circuit stood up well to the recent record monsoon rains and looked to be in good trim to host the weekend’s programme.
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 its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the MMRT circuit 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. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. 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. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC purchased Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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Ruhaan looks to seal the title; Vishnu, Amir to fight it out in Formula LGB4
Coimbatore, 2 Dec 2021: Ruhaan Alva looks set to clinch the Rookie Championship in his maiden outing while Vishnu Prasad and Amir Sayed to continue the fight in the premier Formula LGB4 class in the penultimate round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship which gets underway at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam, near Coimbatore, on Saturday.
Championship leader Vishnu Prasad, after a strong first round show, was expected to call the shots in the second round held at the same venue late last month. But the MSport star from Chennai could not do much as his car lacked the power and the pace right through the races.
Amir Sayed of Kottayam cashed in on the chance quite early to score his maiden finish on top of the podium for his new team, Ahura Racing. It helped him a great deal in clinching crucial points and a climb up the championship table to the second position.
Despite a not so hot show, Vishnu continues to stay at the top with 25 points. Amir needs just a couple of points to rattle the leader and he may well come up with all guns blazing to do just that.
Sandeep Kumar, Arya Singh and T.S. Diljith of Dark Don Racing are also expected to give the duo a run for their money.
It’s a one horse race in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. MSport’s Ruhaan Alva, the young man from Bengaluru, is yet to find a challenger to his throne. He has stamped his class in both the rounds and is sitting pretty at the top of the table with 60 points.
His teammate Jaden Pariat, with 38 points, is far behind. But the youngster from Guwahati has come up with an improved show in every race. He may well try to go that extra mile to beat Ruhaan this weekend.
Anish Damodara Shetty of Hubli was the man in command in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. He was quite successful in handling the much-heavier bikes and his opponents on a fast flowing track this season. But Allwin Xavier (32pts) of Thrissur managed to topple Anish (30pts) with a top podium finish in the final race of the second round.
The latter is not going to allow the former to enjoy the position at the top for long. So, be prepared for a fight to the finish from the big boys.
The drivers and riders will go through the practice sessions on Friday followed by the qualifiers and the races the next two days.
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JK Tyre Racing Nationals Round 2 from Friday
Coimbatore, 18 Nov. 2021: Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad and Bengaluru boys Sohil Shah and Ruhaan Alva who showed fighting spirit and refused to accept defeat in the first round are raring to go in the Round 2 of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) 2021 at the Kari Motor Speedway (KMS) which begins at the Karimotorspeedway from Friday.
There is much more in store in the second round to be held at the KMS circuit yet again this weekend. The riders and drivers, who have come from across the country, are now even better prepared and battle ready to push themselves up the order in the provisional points table.
After the first round, Vishnu heads the premier LGB Formula 4 standings with 21 points from three races followed by Sohil Shah (14 points).
Amir Sayed of Kottayam is not far behind. He is currently lying third and it is only a few points that is now separating him from his former MSport teammates.
But the top three are aware of the other drivers, who are capable of pulling off a surprise on their day. The list includes Mohamed Ryan and A. Sandeep Kumar (both Chennai), Arya Singh (West Bengal), Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru), T.S. Diljith (Kerala), to name a few.
The ever-popular Mira Erda from Vadodara, Gujarat, showed fine form as well battling alongside the adventurous boys. There are a host of other drivers from Delhi, Haryana and Faridabad who are also keen to show their bit of magic on the track.
The JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, which made its debut in the opener, was equally enthralling. The bikes looked bigger and heavier but the riders were stronger and faster.
Anish Damodara Shetty from Hubli was the man in command. He was hotly challenged by Allwin Xavier from Thrissur. The duo, having tested the machines for one full round on the smooth and flowing Kari track, is expected to build an even better show during the weekend.
Raivat Dhar (Jammu) and Lani Zena Fernandez (Puducherry), the only girl racer on the grid for the RE GT Cup, will all look to better their performance in the second round.
Ruhaan Alva ruled the races in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. There was not even a slight whiff of underperformance from this youngster from Bengaluru. It’s going to be tough for the rest in fray to play catch up with him.
The exciting part of the turnover in a JK Tyre racing championship, of course, is the effort in finding new and promising talents. There are many coming in from every nook and corner of the country to test their skills in the Novice Cup.
There will three races each of JK Tyre LGB Formula 4 & JK Tyre novice Cup and 2 races of JK Tyre presents RE Continental GT cup over the weekend.
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades back. The company laid down a long term plan to popularise and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport.
The company then endeavored to spot, nurture and sharpen the drivers to turn them into world champions. With this goal in mind, we conceptualized the JK Tyre National Racing Champion in 1997. Our efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others.
Before all this, JK Tyre had a successful stint in rallying too, conquering the scene in the early 90s. At the same time, gradually, we moved on to various disciplines, including cross-country rallying and off-roading, leaving a mark in each of them with their unique and innovative ways.
JK Tyre Motorsports is also very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, we also gave them opportunities in various national championships. Last year was particularly rewarding for us as an All-Women Racing team was introduced for the first time in the LGB 4 category. In addition, the company also undertook various other initiatives to encourage them to try motorsports, even if for fun to begin with.
To supplement JK Tyre’s entry into the two-wheeler market, the JKNRC hosted the Suzuki Gixxer Cup and the Red Bull Road to Rookies Cup categories and saw enthusiastic participation from across the country.
Today, the company is synonymous with motorsports, and even more so with racing, creating a lot of goodwill for the brand. Right from budding racers to accomplished drivers in the country, everybody owes their rise and success to JK Tyre.
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Athira Murali, the Kerala vlogger, dreams about McLaren GT4 races in UK
By Bodapati David
Bengaluru, 14 Nov 2021: Athira Murali, a Malayalam Vlogger and a National rally driver is looking forward to speed in Touring cars as well, a big road-racing event. She is selected for the India trials to race in ‘Formula Woman’ that will be held in Vadodara from Nov 22 to 24.
“Formula Woman UK has tied up with AutoGuru India to give women drivers in the country an opportunity to win McLaren driving seats next year and help them make a career in motorsport.”
“The two-day event, to be held at Erda’s Speedway in Vadodara, will see women drivers being assessed on five parameters — driving, go-karting, physical fitness, media, and written test. Three winners from India will progress to the UK leg where they will compete with 47 other women from across 28 participating countries,” according to Socialnews.xyz
Formula Woman, which was officially known as the Privilege Insurance Formula Woman Championship, is a female-only one-make racing series started in 2004 in the UK. It was inspired by the lack of female drivers in other series and was created, amongst other reasons, to boost the female audience of the sport. After an absence of 17 years, in March 2021 it was announced that The New Televised Formula Woman Competition prize will offer the finalists the opportunity to race a McLaren GT4 Race car in The British GT Cup Championship
INRC – Rally debut
Earlier, on 31st January this year, Athira Murali, 27, made her debut in the FMSCI motorsports rally Nationals at Coimbatore in INRC4 category for the delayed 2020 season third round of the Indian National Rally Championship for cars. The Kerala girl from Pampady, Kottayam district, exhibited rich driving skills to clock good timings and beat many male counterparts at the Windmill farms of Kethanoor.
Inspired and supported by her father, VN Muraleedharan, she fell in love with cars and took up the sport at a late stage but made an impressive debut and looks forward to continue her passion. Sponsored by JK Tyre for this season, the popular Malayalam vlogger is looking forward to the 2021 Rally calendar, which was announced last week. She is preparing for Round 1, a high-speed tarmac rally that will suit her style, in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh, on the beaches of Bay of Bengal from Dec 17 to 19.
But before that she will be looking to take part and follow a dream of getting into McLaren GT4 races in UK. The India selection trials will be held at Vadodara from November 21 to 24.
Athira Murali is also a URF and India book of Records holder and a journalist with Kaumudy, with her popular weekly Automobile show aired on Tuesday at 8pm prime time in Malayalam. The ever-smiling Vblogger in Malayalam, commands a following of one lakh on YouTube, 25,000 on Instagram and more than 1.5 lakh followers on Facebook. Follow your dreams like her, on YouTube @AthiraMuraliOfficial.
You can contact Athira Murali from Kottayam, Kerala at athiramuraliwheelzflyer@gmail.com
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Ruhaan Alva completes clean sweep in Novice class; Vishnu, Sohil win a race each
Coimbatore, 24 October 2021: Young Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru made it a memorable day as he completed a clean sweep in the Novice Class winning the third and final race in the first round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.
The talented Team MSport driver, steered his yellow #27 to another clinical finish and did it in style starting from 13th on the grid. After winning the two rounds on the opening day of the season on Saturday in the Novice Class, the Bengaluru teenager changed his gear-box and suffered a 5-place grid penalty and along with the first-eight reverse grid, made him start on P13. Undaunted, the calm and lanky Ruhaan, overtook one by one and drove a fantastic race to claim another seemingly improbable victory.
He came out triumphant posting 30 out of 30 points and is leading the 4-round Championship table in his Class.
Behind him Chetan Surineni, who started on P5 had a consistent race as he made up a few places and defended his place even as another karting graduate Jaden R Pariat, was actually the ‘Driver of the Day’. Having started among the back benchers at P17, he exhibited good driving skills and made up postions one-by-one to get on to the top and took the final place on the podium for a well-deserved third place.
Meanwhile, in the Senior section, former champion and mentor Vishnu Prasad from Chennai and experienced youngster Sohil Shah of Bengaluru, also from MSport, won a race each in the premier LGB Formula 4 class.
A quick get-away from the lights saw, Vishnu Prasad take the lead from P3 as he was adept at his reflex timings won the first race, and after dilly dallying midway through with his ward, Amir Sayed of Ahura Racing. Amir, the Novice Cup 2020 champion graduated to F4 this season.
The experienced Vishnu, winner of several titles year after year, managed to break free towards the end for a place atop the podium. “I think we got a lucky break in the beginning when everyone else was fighting,” said the 28-year-old, who mentored Amir last season.
“Amir is doing really well and I am very happy for him. The guys are fighting it out in the middle with their teachers and are coming up the ranks,” explained Vishnu. Sohil Shash wh got a 10-second penalty finished 10th. But, Sohil came back strongly to take the chequered flag in the second race ahead of Vishnu.
Earlier, Anish Damodara Shetty of Hubli won the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup’s second race too.
The results (provisional): FLGB4:
Race 1: Vishnu Prasad (MSport) 22:45.828; 2. Amir Sayed (Ahura Racing) 22:49.736; 3. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports) 22:53.650.
Race 2: 1. Sohil Shah 19:01.088; 2. Vishnu Prasad 19:02.222; 3. A. Sandeep Kumar 19:03.875.
Novice Cup: 1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport) 21:48.110; 2. Chetan Surineni (Quest Motorsports) 21:48.714; 3. Jaden R. Pariat (MSport) 21:48.985.
Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubli) 13:57.731; 2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur) 14:06.374; 3. Anfal Akdhar (Thrissur) 14:08.009.
Saturday results (revised): FLGB4: 1. Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) 23:27.088; 2. Raghul Rangaswamy (MSport) 23:29.179; 3. Mohamed Ryan (MSport) 23:29.308.
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Ruhaan Alva dominates with a double; Arya Singh crowned
Coimbatore, 23 October 2021: Talented Bengaluru adolescent Ruhaan Alva, dominated the proceedings for the second consecutive day with a double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup but it was Sohil Shah who stole the fastest lap of the day before his he forefeited his LGB Formula 4 ‘win’ in the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship held at Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.
Sohil, who started on P5, moved to 4th in the very first lap overtaking Diljit and clocked the fastest lap of the race at 1min: 17.326sec (Lap 3). By the end of fourth lap he was leading the race. Dilijit who followed him into P2 lost position to Arya Singh after Lap 11. But the honour of the fastest lap is no consolation as Sohil lost the hard-earned race due to a technical infringement and the 10-sec penalty.
Thus, young Arya Singh who crossed the flag second, actually won the gold thanks to his clean race. Starting on P2, he overtook the experienced Raghul Rangasamy in the very first lap. But he slid to 8th position (P8) at the end of Lap 4 and used the two-lap Safety Car period to his advantage and jumped to P2 in Lap 11, and thereon, drove a steady race to keep P2 and eventually win the race as he was alert not to make any fouls. A great result for the talented Kolkata youngster, who is growing with experience as he managed two Safety Car periods to his advantage.
“I am happy to start the season with a win, though it was not easy. I was in the lead but once the safety cars came out, there was a lot of bunching. The net effect is the lead which you had in time and distance gets shrunk. I waited for the right moment in the final lap and won,” said Sohil, after the race before he was penalised.
LGB F4 podium before results were audited: Bengaluru’s Sohil Shah, centre, 1st, followed by Arya Singh of Kolkata, right, 2nd and Diljit TS, 3rd (2nd from left) and Sohil’s tuner at Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday. Arya Singh won the race after Sohil was relegated to 10th following his penalty by the race stewards. Bullets weigh 180kg and are quite demanding, especially at small tracks like KMS. But they did not deter Anish Damodara Shetty one bit, and the rider from Hubli eventually emerged winner in the 10-lap race, timing 1:18.325, ahead of Allwin Xavier from Thrissur by just 0.117 seconds. Telugu rider Jayanth Prathipati took the final spot on the podium.
‘”It was a great challenge to win the maiden race and the last lap was electrifying,” said Anish. Speaking about the close second spot, Allwin took it philosophically. “It’s a new race in a new bike. There is speed and also your legs feel tired handling the weight. I am happy to come second,” said Allwin.
Teen sensation Ruhaan Alva from Bengaluru, well known for his exploits since the age of seven, began the proceedings with dominance. Competing for MSport, Ruhaan showed poise and purpose after the first race was red flagged.
Novie Race 2 Podium: Ruhaan Alva, centre, wins a double, while Jaden R Pariat, right, notches his maiden podium in Race 2 while Adithya Parusuram, 2nd from left, gets a second and third respectively in Race 1 and Race 2 in the Novice Class on Saturday. It had to be restarted. Ruhaan was fully focussed, not letting the brief stoppage affect him. On a pleasant and sunny afternoon, the 15-year youngster raced without any glitch, virtually, as he timed 14 minutes 22.061 seconds in the 10-lap race. His best lap time was 1:18.001, was actually not his best, but the he gained more time by being consistent as he was within half a second margin in all lthe laps except during the yellow flags. He best on Saturday came in Race 2 at 1:17.685, the second fastest time on the day as Sohil clocked 1:17.326 in a better car, the LGB F4 car.
“I am happy to have begun with a win. Once a race is red-flagged, it’s very important to remain focussed. I was happy with my start to the championship,” said Ruhaan, who took to karting at the age of seven. He idolises legend Ayrton Senna, which speaks a lot about how much he has followed the sport of Formula 1 racing.
Later in the evening, Ruhaan once again was in his elements in the fight between the ‘master and the student’. Fourteen-year school boy Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati, who was trailing by two laps in the first race eventually, staged a superb comeback in the second race, to take second on the podium. Race 2 also saw a crash and Ruhaan used a different technique to restart, once the safety car was in, as he slowed down before zooming off once again to create enough gap and thwart any chance that Jaden got with skilled driving. Ruhaan has been the mentor for Jaden in his first karting season and it showed good results. Jaden not only impressed with his driving skills but notched up many victories with good emotional control.
Provisional audited Results: (Editor’s note: corrected on 24 Oct 2021 at 6.30am)
Formula LGB 4: Race 1:
LGB Formula 4: Race 1 (Overall Race 3 of the day):
- Arya Singh (Kolkata, Dark Don Racing) 23:27.088 (best lapt: 1:17.512)
- Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai, MSport) 23:29.179 (Best 1:18.057);
- Mohamed Ryan (Chennai, MSport) 1:17.905;
Novice Cup:
Race 1:
- Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) – 14:22.061;
2. Aadithya Parasuram (Chennai)- 14:25.202;
3. Gaurav Kochar (Coonoor)- 14:34.275.
Race 2:
1. Ruhaan Alva –15:06.124;
2. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati)-15:07.429;
3. Aadithya Parasuram -15:09.109.
RE Continental GT Cup: Race 1:
- Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubli) – 14:07.754;
2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur)- 14.07.859;
3. Jayanth Prathipati (Hyderabad)- 14:08.859.
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Ruhaan Alva leads karters domination on Formula cars
Coimbatore, 22 October 2021: MSport’s Ruhan Alva of Bengaluru clocked the overall best time in the second qualifying session to not only top the combined time-sheets but also became the fastest driver of the day with a stunning 1minute, 17.278seconds in the Novice Class of the 25th JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2021 which began at the 2.3km Kari Motor Speedway here on Friday.
Jaden Pariat, 14, who got into motorsports only in November 2020, making his debut at the Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru, missed the National Junior X30 Karting Champinship title by a whisker. But within a short period, he has shown that the genes of speed are blossoming. Qualifying second today behind Ruhaan, a much more experienced driver, is no mean task. His father, Atiqur Rehman, is a rally rider, and his photograph of jumping over 7-time National champion and current promoter Shyam Kothari in late nineties will be ever etched in the mind of yesteryear motorsports lovers, thanks to a late George Francis photograph. Jaden clocked 1:17.977 to take P2 in the combined quali timesheet. Chennai’s Aditya Parusuram of Hasten Performance took P3 clocking 1:18.003. Ruhaan’s father Umakanth Alva too, is a rally driver of yore.
In the LGB Formula 4, Raghul Rangasamy of Chennai took the pole position with a 1:17.453 followed talented Kolkata younster Arya Singh, who timed 1:17.473 for P2 and Dilijit TS (1:17.665) and experienced Sandeep Kumar (1:17.590) completed the second row, in that order.
The 15-year old professional driver, Ruhaan, who just graduated to Formula cars this season, caught the eye with good performance at the Madras Motor Race Track recently, and now got his Pole Position in the Novice class. Even Ruhaan, imbibed the professional motorsports culture of Europe, thank to his Rally-loving father, Umakanth Alva, and his inherent self-discipline.
Many other drivers including former National Racing multiple champion Raghul Rangasamy and experienced drivers like Vishnu Prasad, Sohil Shah, Sandeep Kumar (Karting Nationals CoC) and young Tijil Rao (Bengaluru Sim specialist), all pelted fast laps below 1min, 18 seconds, ie below 78 seconds for the Kari Motor Speedway, an F3 homologated re-laid Race track with a 2.3-km tarmac (earlier 2.1) built in the name of legend Karivardhan. Some, like Jaden Pariat, (Guwahati, MSport), who graduated from karting to Formula cars, also impressed in the sessions today displaying good pace for his age and experience.
Ruhaan Alva, is a picture of concentration, on Friday at the Kari Motor Speedway. INDIAinF1 commissioned Photo by JR Dhinesh Kannan Mira Erda, kept the flag flying for Women in Motorsports, with some quick laps beating many men to take P10. Another Faridabad girl, Muskaan Jubbal, daughter of popular rallyist Amandeep (Jubbal) Kaur, and Anushriya Gulati of Dehradun are among the lady drivers in the fray. Muskaan and Jasmehar Singh Jubbal from Faridabad are the only siblings on the grid in the same race.
The Unofficial Practice Session 4, was ideal for fast times on Friday, with Rahul Rangasamy setting his personal best at 1:17.382; Sohil Shah 17.450; Arya Singh 17.473; Vishnu Prasad 17.561, Sandeep Kumar 17.590; Diljit Singh 17.665; Tijil Rao 17.886 for other 1:18sec dippers on the day.
The popular JK Tyre championship has three classes, JK Tyre Novice Cup, LGB Formula4 and Support non-championship Royal Enfield single-make Continental GT Cup over Saturday and Sunday. Novices have two races of 10-lap each and one race of 12 laps on Sunday while the LGB F4 drivers take part in three, 15-lap races, one on Saturday and two on Sunday. The Bullet bikers also have two 10-lap races, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Sunny Kumar is the Clerk-of-the-Course.
Disclaimer: This reporter is not at the venue. The report is based on the timer app which are unofficial unaudited timings and subject to final audit. Any driver or rider can get back if a clarificatin is needed. Please do not call. WhatsApp first 98455 69496 with your profile and signed timesheet/s.
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JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup 2021: 18 make the grid
The first round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship is scheduled from October 22 to 24 at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore.
Coimbatore, 18 October 2021: JK Tyre, India”s leading tyre manufacturer, partnered with Royal Enfield for the first edition of Continental GT Cup, a Manufacturer’s Single Make Cup to be organised by Performance Cars Racing Trust, New Delhi at Kari Motor Speedway, which will be part of the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship (JKNRC) 2021. The fourth and last round of the event will be held at Buddh International Circuit (BIC), near New Delhi.
Of the 120 riders who take part in the trials, 18 riders were selected for the main event while five riders were kept as stand-byes. The drivers briefing, selection trails were conducted on Monday while training to the selected group was imparted on Tuesday. Two media riders from the trials on Thursday will join the 18 to form a 20-bike grid for the first round.
Riders’ briefing before action began on Monday for the selection trials. From an overwhelming response of over 300 bikes, 120 took part in the trials and 23 made the final cut. two media riders will join the 18 to make a 20-bike grid. Photos: Dhinesh Kannan. The first round of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship is scheduled to be held here on Saturday and Sunday.
JKNRC continues to run the flagship racing championship for the 24th year and companies like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India, General Motors and Suzuki Motorcycles have participated over the years. As Royal Enfield joins the bandwagon, the maiden round of Continental GT Cup attracted over 300 entries and selection trials were held on Monday. The track-spec Continental GT-R650 has minimalistic, yet purpose-built performance modifications which offer an un-intimidating, agile and spirited performance on track, the release said.
According to Srinivasu Allaphan, Director, Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries: “Being the pioneers of promoting motorsport in India, JK Tyre has been at the forefront in formalising the Indian racing programmes and nurturing young talent in the country…our partnership with Royal Enfield for Continental GT Cup adds another feather to our hat. We are confident that it will definitely give an added fillip to the ever-growing popularity of motorsport in India.”
Action at the maiden Continental GT selection trials in Coimbatore on Monday. Photo by INDIAinF1/Dhinesh Kannan Speaking about Royal Enfield’s motivation to foray into motorsports, Adrian Sellers, Custom Programme Lead & Manager, Product Strategy & Industrial Design said: “Nurturing and encouraging the spirit of pure motorcycling has been the core philosophy of Royal Enfield for over a century. With a long history of rides and events that have spawned riding communities across the world, we have also actively engaged in racing, with success in top level racing events such as 1914 Isle of Man TT, the 1960 Big Bear Run, the 2020 Daytona at the American Flat Track, and the 2021 DTRA Flat Track ‘Twins Class’ Championship, among several others. In 2019, we developed two race ready Continental GT 650 motorcycles with Harris Performance, leveraging their 40 years of racing experience to make the most track worthy GTs we could, all without fundamentally changing the base motorcycles. The result exceeded our expectations, and so we are excited to continue that story and launch the Continental GT Cup in India.”
Selection Trials Provisional Unaudited Results: Top-18 from 121 riders: 1.Navaneeth Kumar 01:22.6; 2. Karthik Mateti 1:23.01; 3. Anfal 1:23.1; 4. Anish Damodara Shetty 1:23.6; 5. Lani Zena Fernandez (01:24.9); 6. Allwin Xavier (01:25.1); 7. Dhiraj Vijay Baikar (01:25.2); 8. Syed Muzzammil Ali (01:25.3); 9. Amy (01:25.3); 10. Vijay Singh (01:25.4); 11. Jayanth Prathipati (01:25.5); 12. Bharath Balan (01:25.6); 13. Raivat (01:25.7); 14. Sam Paul Osbourne (01:25.7); 15. Rohit Lad (01:25.8); 16. Harshad Sumra (01:25.9), 17. Sudheer Sudhakar (01:126); 18. Meka Vidhuraj (01:26.0);
Stand-byes: 19. Naresh Kaname (01:26.4); 20. Rajkumar (01: 26.6); 21. Pradeep C (01:26.6); 23. Sreenidhi S (01:26.8); 24. Lokesh V (01:26.8).
Editor’s note on 20 October 2021: These unaudited results as per the notice board were later audited and many including the top two were disqualified and the reserves got a chance into the main draw. The top rider was disqualified as he is part of another one-make event, and the second fastest rider, for an unwritten rule, that said that riders should not crash when the track is green. Or else they would forefeit their best lap times. Strange but true indeed. David Bodapati.
For the benefit of doubting Thomases we are publishing the photo of the result displayed at Kari Motor Speedway notice board on 18th.
Photo of unaudited results sourced by David Bodapati, Editor and Special Correspondent (F1) on 18 October 2021 and uploaded on 20th. -
Rain master Ruhaan Alva graduates to Formula cars in style; F4 beckons
Bengaluru, 18 October 2021: For many of us in motorsports, K1000 is an annual pilgrimage. And everyone has 100 tales to tell, and I am no different after watching over two dozen K1000s, 22 years to be precise, from 1996, many of them doing media or just having fun. In one of the trips back from a K1000 run in Tumkur, I travelled with two young boys one was 9 and his younger sibling 6. I fell sick and had to return on a Saturday itself, but that provided me with a chance to indulge in K1000 stories with one of the drivers of yesteryears, Umakanth Alva, whom I had the pleasure of watching in late nineties. He introduced his elder son into karting, the gateway to racing bigger things. That day, looking at a shy and playful child, I did not realise his potential. But soon his exploits abroad convinced me about the talent of the precocious 11-year old. He is Ruhaan Alva, 15 now, the reigning X30 Karting Senior champion 2021 who came through the ranks by grit and determination. The younger one, Shlok, was naughty then, but now he is unto himself, immersed in things that make him a computer geek.
Ruhaan’s experience in Europe helped him hone his skills in being much smoother as a driver since the grip levels there, are very high. “One small mistake and you will lose time. The top 10 drivers are fighting for one tenth of a second. The changing weather conditions also helped him adapt much faster to the track since it would be cold and slippery early in the morning and then when the sun comes out the grip levels would increase,” said senior Alva, a rally driver, who retired with a bang winning the Mountain Challenge in picturesque Kohima, organised by Nagaland Adventure Motor Sports Association as its inaugural event after its birth in 2001. Alva, was ably navigated by Musa Sherif, who went on to become a legend of a navigator, and their exploits together, and Alva’s with other navigators, were for another story another day. In fact, the famed speedmaster Lohit Urs’, a National rally champion, first car and team was done by Alva as Team Kadur.
Ruhaan Alva, crosses the flag first, but finishes fifth, on his debut at the MMSC MRF Indian National Racing Championship for Cars 2021, Round 1 in Sept. at MMRT. Photos: Shajahan Coming back to Ruhaan, the experience and learning in Europe, he returned to India and proved himself and earned his Second National title as Junior by dint of hard work in 2020. The fickle English weather added another tool in his armoury. So driving in the wet and figuring out different lines, came naturally to him. The Indian conditions offered him different kinds of challenges, though… racing and some, not as much a part of sport. But the youngster, withstood all the pressures of being alone at the top, and despite no congenial atmosphere for racing, he sharpened his skills with a much higher-level of understanding. The machine, the speed, the tyres, the traction, the set-up, all taught him how to excel in sub-optimal conditions. Finding out his pace and the limit, on the only track in Bengaluru at MecoKartopia, and belting out lap after fast lap, needs some discipline which he did exhibit, but at times was frustrated with the kart set-up. “These are part and parcel of the sport. Despite all these, I aim to be calm and try to perform my best,” he said after one of those bad races last year. “But I will be spending a lot of time in the gym to get my fitness levels up as well as some testing and time on the sim,” he concluded.
One for the Album: At the turn of the century a new motorsposrts baby is born in the North East and it was the Southers Stars who won the inaugural NAMSA event. Musa Sherif, left, navigated for Umakanth Alva, who bid goodbye to his rally career on a winning note conquering the mountains in the North East in Feb 2001. Ruhaan moved into Formula cars this year and immediately was at front fighting for a win. He won multiple races in the Formula Junior Racing (FJRS) event held in Coimbatore in May 2021. Recently, in October, he won the second race of the MRF MMSC Formula 1300 category showing pace, after starting from 8th place and understanding of the racing lines despite being a debutant at the 3.712 km Madras Motor Sport Track in Irungattukottai. Logging a penalty for overtaking during yellow flag period and costing him the win is a different matter but he made pundits sit up and take notice. Learning to watch yellow flags, with Madras Motor Sports Club introducing Digital Flags for the first time in the country in National Racing Championship will make his experience of taking flashing yellows to a different level when he visits MMRT, for the next round. Ruhaan won the Best Rookie Award on debut at the track and in the National championship. “It’s not much of a consolation because I know I had the pace and I deserved that win but there is nothing more I can do about it rather than learn and come back stronger,” said a disappointed Bengalurean to INDIAinF1 after the race.
The number of competitors this year has suddenly gone up and the grid for Formula 1300 was full for the MMSC MRF National Racing Championship with drivers being put on the wait list. The same is expected for the JK Novice Championship in Formula LGB 1300 as well as LGB F4 with drivers on the wait list.
This bodes well for the sport and with the Mumbai Falcons announcement of the F4 Indian Championship,run along with the F3 Regional Championship this year the sport is looking to grow. The Rotax Indian National Championship also has a record number of entries expected in the Junior and Senior categories.
Ruhaan said: “It’s a big difference moving into Formula LGB, especially getting used to the gearbox, the brakes and the longer wheel-base making the handling very differentcompared to a kart.”
This website wishes Ruhaan Alva, the very best, and would like to see him graduate into F4 and up the ladder for better racing.
