Your basket is currently empty!
Category: Racing
-
Jeet Jhabakh takes pole in ITC class before rains stop session: Racing Nationals
Chennai, 28 Nov 2020: Heavy showers in the afternoon forced curtailment of day’s schedule even as Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) grabbed the pole position in the premier Indian Touring Cars class as the third and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
Due to water-logged track the races were put off to Sunday. @Twitter The day’s proceedings began in bright sunshine with Formula LGB 1300 and the saloon cars going through their paces in two Free Practice sessions apiece before the rains halted further action. After a nearly two-hour break, the qualifying session for the saloon cars was run on a drying track with wet patches in some sections.
Jhabakh and teammate Dhruv Mohite from Kolhapur occupied the front row ahead of Coimbatore veteran and championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts who, incidentally had topped the practice sessions. Completing the second row was Goa’s Keith D’Souza, also in a FB Motorsport livery.
Marshals trying their best after rains lashed the MMRT on Saturday. Images courtesy Twitter @VickyChandhok Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) was the quickest in the Super Stock category while Diljith TS from Thrissur snatched pole position in the MRF Saloon Car series class (Toyota Etios). All the three categories will be on a combined grid for the three races to be run on Sunday while the Formula LGB 1300 will have four runs.
As per the revised schedule for Sunday, the Formula LGB 1300 will have a qualifying session and four races interspersed with three Saloon car races.
The results (Qualifying):
Indian Touring Cars: 1. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (02mins, 02.041secs); 2. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (02:02.599); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (02:03.392).
Super Stock: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (02:09.276); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (02:10.038); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (02:16.115).
MRF Saloon Car series: 1. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (02:15.996); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (02:18.969); 3. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (02:20.943).
For Live streaming of Sunday’s races, please visit: https://en.madrasmotorsports.com/streaming/
-
Can Arjun Balu clinch the title this year? Racing Nationals
Chennai, 27 Nov 2020: Arjun Balu of Coimbatore will be looking to clinch the championship in the plum ITC class as the abridged MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Championship 2020 draws to a close with the third and final round being held at the MMRT this weekend behind closed doors due to the pandemic.
The humble motorsports giant with a chequered motorsports career of over 20 years missed the Championship title last year because of certain issues beyond his control, but with a 36-point lead will be looking to garner as many points as possible in the final three races. He has to get 15 more points than second-placed Keith D’Souza of Goa to seal the title in the first race.
The two-day, seven-race programme, kicks-off on Saturday, and concludes on Sunday. The track which received a drenching from cyclone Nivar earlier this week has recovered well for the races to be held as scheduled.
The titles in all four categories – the premier Indian Touring Cars, Super Stock, Formula LGB 1300 and the MRF Saloon Car series – are up for grabs with very little separating the contenders, both individual and team championships.
As for the Championship stakes, the ITC class has Coimbatore’s Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) enjoying a 35-point lead over Goan Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsport) going into this weekend’s triple-header with a maximum of 75 points on offer. The two front-runners are followed by Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) from Hyderabad (52) and team-mate, Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite (45).
The situation in the Super Stock category is much tighter with Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (Prime Racing) ahead of Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) from Bengaluru by just one point.
Momentum Motorsport’s Tijil Rao (72) and Chirag Ghorpade (62) lead the pack in the Formula LGB 1300 category that will have four races over the weekend with a maximum of 100 points up for grabs. Trailing the duo are DTS Racing’s Viswas Vijayraj (52) and former champion Arya Singh (42).
The MMSC-promoted MRF Saloon Car series (Toyota Etios), run by Arka Motorsport in conjunction with FB Motorsport, witnessed extremely close competition in the first round earlier this month with all three races producing different winners. So much so, a mere six points separate the four contenders – Diljith TS (55), A Balaprasath (54), Chandresh Tolia (52) and Chetan Korada (49).
Reviewing the season thus far, MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “A few months back, at the height of the lockdown, we couldn’t even visualise resumption of the National championship. However, with the government easing the restrictions thereafter, we decided to kick-start motorsport activities after a nine-month break, even if it meant drastically scaling down the various National championships.
“We began last month by conducting the two-wheeler Drag races and followed it up with the Round-2 of the four-wheeler championship three weeks back. We put in place strict safety measures such as face masks, physical distancing, thermal screening and hand sanitizing besides restricting entry only to competitors, their helpers and officials. Unfortunately, we had to also exclude our friends from the Media who, nevertheless, extended wide coverage for which we are grateful, as also to our title sponsors, MRF Tyres.”
The weekend programme will be streamed live on MMSC’s Facebook page and website.
-
Road to MotoGP: 5 Talent Cup riders for 2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Five riders from Dorna’s talent promotion projects have been selected to take the next step on the Road to MotoGP and race in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2021: Harrison Voight, Eddie O’Shea, Freddie Heinrich, Soma Görbe and Jakob Rosenthaler.
Harrison Voight began his Road to MotoGP in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup in 2019 and made impressive progress from the off, becoming a frontrunner by early 2020 as he took a debut podium in Qatar. The Gold Coast native also took on the new challenge of racing in the Hawkers European Talent Cup in 2020 and put together an impressive rookie season, ending the year in the top ten overall and taking two podiums. The Australian has been selected by Dorna Sports to race in the 2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
Eddie O’Shea came third overall in the 2020 Honda British Talent Cup. A frontunner from the off in 2020, he started the year in the top five and was on the podium by Round 2. From there his run of rostrum finishes continued and his consistency saw him lead the standings for much of the latter part of the season. O’Shea showed impressive pace and progress throughout 2020 to earn himself a place in the 2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, selected by Dorna.
Freddie Heinrich won the first Northern Talent Cup race and fought for the inaugural crown, taking a podium in every race before ending 2020 in third overall after his season was curtailed by injury. The German’s impressive performances were nevertheless enough to see him selected by Dorna to join the Red Bull Rookies Cup grid in 2021 as the NTC rider deemed to have shown the most impressive progress and/or potential this season.
Heinrich’s fellow NTC competitors Soma Görbe and Jakob Rosenthaler will also take the next step on the Road to MotoGP™ and race in the Rookies in 2021. Görbe is the inaugural Northern Talent Cup Champion and took the most wins in 2020, and Rosenthaler showed consistent speed before becoming a podium finisher by the close of the season. Both have been selected by Red Bull as part of the selection process for the 2021 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup as the NTC takes its place as a valuable stepping-stone on the Road to MotoGP.
-
Double for Raghul, Tijil Rao; Jeet, Keith share ITC wins in 2 races
Irungattukottai (Sriperumbudur, TN) 8 Nov 2020: Championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts had a gear-box failure but notched up two podium places even as FB Motorsport had its finest day yet with Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh and Keith D’Souza from Goa, both driving the Volkswagen Polo, taking victories in the two premier Indian Touring Cars races as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, about 130km from Chennai here on Sunday. Spectators and media were not allowed due to the government COVID 19 safety regulations and the event was held in a bio-bubble.
Also in the limelight was Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy of Performance Racing, who won both the races on Sunday, in the Super Stock category. Bengaluru lad Tijil Rao, also of Momentum Motorsport, completed a double in the Formula LGB 1300 class by winning the day’s first of the two races in addition to the one he won on Saturday. Viswas Vijayaraj of DTS Racing took the honours in the second of Sunday’s Formula LGB race.
Chennai’s Chetan Korada and Chandresh Tolia from Mumbai won a race apiece in the Toyota Etios MRF Saloon Car series.
Super Stock Race 2 winner Raghul Rangasamy flanked by 2nd placed Alisha Abdullah, left, and Vineet Abhiram, 3rd, ( at right) at MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar Jeet Jhabakh, a 28-year old automotive businessman from Hyderabad, a former Volkswagen Ameo and Vento Cup champion, enjoyed a trouble-free run once race leader, Arjun Balu of Race Concepts, dropped out of contention with a gearbox issue. Jhabakh managed to nose ahead of teammate Dhruv Mohite following a brief contact, and gradually extended the lead for a comfortable win, his first of the season. He, like Mohite, have missed the opening round in February. Mohite came in second and Balu managed a distant third for some valuable points.
“It was a good race for me after I got in front. Not sure what happened with Arjun’s (Balu) car, but I passed him and Dhruv to get in front. I am really happy for this win,” said Jhabakh.
Balu started fourth on the reverse grid, but cut through to the front in the very first lap and looked set for another win when the gearbox played up. “In the third lap, I found the car weaving on the straight and I realised something was wrong. So, I let others pass me and in the final three laps, I shifted to fifth gear and stayed there as I wanted to finish and pick up points,” said Balu, who collected 15 points for his third-place to continue to lead the table.
The Race Concepts team then got to work and changed the gearbox in little over 30 minutes, but attracting a five-position grid penalty for Balu for the next race for which the Coimbatore ace had qualified on pole.
From left: 2nd placed Arjun Balu, winner Keith D’Souza and 3rd Jeet Jhabakh, in the ITC class Race 3 on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar In the next outing, it was Keith D’Souza all the way as he made the best of a strong start to win comfortably from Balu, who made three places, and Jhabakh.
The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):
Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (19mins, 11.577secs); 2. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (19:14.720); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (21:12.781).
ITC Race-3: 1. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsport) (15:22.987); 2. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:28.096); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (15:30.188).
Super Stock (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (20:08.258); 2. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (20:30.072); 3. Vineet Abhiram (Race Concepts) (20:52.326).
SS Race-3: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:10.165); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:10.728); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (16:32.717).
MRF Saloon Car Series (Toyota Etios) (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (21:14.775); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (21:15.945); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (19:12.377+1 lap).
Toyota Race-3: 1. Chandresh Tolia (Mumbai) (17:18.519); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (17:19.306); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (17:28.532).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-3): 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) (15:13.237); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (15:13.806); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (15:19.854).
FLGB 1300 Race-4 (10 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (20:26.904); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (20:28.587); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (20:29.120).
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.
-
Arjun Balu, Rithwik Thomas, Diljith reign supreme
Irungattukottai, near Chennai, 7 Nov 2020: Top speedster and talented Indian racing driver, Arjun Balu of Race Concepts, chalked up another fluent victory to extend lead the championship lead in the top-end Indian Touring Cars class as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship commenced here at the MMRT on Saturday.
Balu from Coimbatore, thus, swept to his third consecutive win despite teething troubles with his car, following a double in the opening round in February, but was far from pleased with his performance. “I was still down on my lap times and was not too happy with the balance of the car. We made some changes to the car from the previous round, and so, had to deal with some teething issues. It was a struggle all weekend and we had to do a lot of work. I hope to do better in the next two races and come back stronger,” said Balu. Starting on pole Balu had a good launch and pulled off a quick lap of eight tenths over Keith in the first lap and did consistently faster laps thereafter, except in the Lap 2. He was not only faster than Keith in the second place but clocked the best lap of 1:53.146 (118.2 kmph). Joel Joseph who came fifth is the tuner of the Race Concept cars.
Arjun Balu in action on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar Finishing behind Balu were two FB Motorsport teammates, Keith D’Souza and last year’s champion Dhruv Mohite, neither of whom came anywhere near the Coimbatore ace who was simply sublime. Mohite who did not take part in the ITC class Round 1, opened his account while Keith is second on the table, adding to his second and fourth in the first two races in February.. “I too had a good start but we did not have the raw pace and all I can do was to keep up with him as much as I could. But I am happy with my race,” said Keith D’Souza of FB Motorsports tuned by Farad Bathena.
Rithvik Thomas after winning the Super Stock Race 1 on Saturday. Also finishing on the top step of the podium was Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas, also of Race Concepts, in the Super Stock class and, Diljith TS from Thrissur, in the Toyota Etios MRF Saloon Car Championship.
A couple of rain spells delayed the races but the stop-go proceedings did not affect their competitive nature and produced plenty of action.
Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsport and Mohamed Ryan of M Sport won a race each in the Formula LGB 1300 category that had two races on Saturday.
Tijil Rao celebrates after winning Race 1 of Formula LGB on Saturday. Pole-sitter Tijil Rao led a 1-2 for Momentum Motorsport after holding off team-mate Chirag Ghorpade in a tense battle and behind them, Diljith TS, of DTS Racing, completed the podium. It was a good run by Ghorpade who started seventh on the grid and cut through the field to catch up with Tijil. The two were locked in a tense battle, but Tijil just about kept his nose in front while Dilijith made two places from fifth to finish third.
Mohamad Ryan giving his bites after winning Race 2 of Formula LGB 1300 at the MMRT. In the second Formula LGB 1300 race, Mohamed Ryan (M Sport) won handily from reverse grid start ahead of Karthik Krishna (Hasten Performance) and Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing). Tijil managed to finish fifth for some important points. “He pressurised me a lot but I managed to keep it up for the win the first race. Now on to the next race,” said Mohamed Ryan. A Balaprasath clocked the best lap in Race 2: 1:53.007 (118.4 kmph) and it was Chirag Ghorpade with the fastest lap in Race 1 timing 1:53.085 (118.3kmph).
The combined saloon car race grid comprised two other classes, including the Super Stock, which was won by Rithwik Thomas of Race Concepts. It was his third success in a row and he extended his championship lead in this class. Raghul Rangasamy of Race Performance came second ahead of Alisha Abdullah, who did a good job to take the podium again ahead of five more racers, including Shivani Pruthvi of Davangere, who switched from rallies to racing once again, after her debut in racing last year at Coimbatore. “It was a good race. I started on the pole and had a fight for a few corners in the beginning before I settled down. Looking forward to tomorrow’s races,” said Rithvik Thomas. He consistently had faster laps and his best lap of 1:58.922 was over a second faster than the best lap of second-placed Rangasamy.
“I am very happy with my performance today and I have more to learn. I am focused now tomorrow’s races and looking forward to it,” said Alisha Abdullah.
Alisha Abdullah get a third place competing with the male racers for the third time running. The MRF Saloon Car Championship with identical Toyota Etios vehicles, made its debut, where Diljith TS topped without much ado. Chennai’s Balaprasath, who also took part in the Karting Nationals at Bengaluru last Sunday, came second ahead of Mumbai’s Chandresh Tolia.
The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):
Formula LGB (Race-1): 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) (15mins, 20.044secs); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (15:20.726); 3. Diljith TS (DTS Racing) (15:25.857).
Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Mohamed Ryan (M Sport) (19:10.071); 2. Karthik Krishna (Hasten Performance) (19:11.888); 3. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (19:12.884).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:13.588); 2. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsport) (15:21.592); 3. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (15:26.575).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Rithwik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:09.642); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:15.868); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (16:33.443).
MRF Saloon Car Championship (Race-1): 1. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (17:04.940); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (17:12.098); 3. Chandresh Tolia (Mumbai) (17:22.490).
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.
-
Arjun Balu and Rithwik Thomas raring to go: National racing resumes
Irungattukottai (Sriprumbudur, TN), 5 Nov 2020: Speedmaster and star racing driver Arjun Balu of Coimbatore is raring to go as the MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship resumes after a COVID-induced break of over eight months at the Madras Motor Sports Track here on Saturday.
Arjun Balu is leading the Championship table with 50 points in the Indian Touring Car (ITC) category while his Race Concepts teammate Rithvik Thomas, who too won both the races in the first round held in February, leads the Super Stock class, also with 50 points. Tuned by Joel Joseph, the Race Concepts team did a commendable job in 2019 but their prospects were damaged due to guest drivers in the last round.
“Happy to be back racing and looking forward to an enjoyable weekend of racing. We need more time to develop the car, as there are many changes made. So not yet optimum yet, but we will try to bring updates for the next round,” said Arjun Balu.
“Coming into this Round, my main aim is to get back into the rhythm of racing and enjoy the weekend after such a long break. How everything else goes is secondary but we are well prepared and I am looking forward to a good weekend,” said Rithvik Thomas, talking to www.INDIAinF1.com
The guest drivers did not score points and were not eligible for the championship but Race Concepts’ lead driver, Arjun Balu, who had some issues with the car in the qualifying session in the final round of 2019 got stuck behind them and lost the championship. Leaving all that behind, Arjun Balu began with a bang and convincingly won both the races in Round 1 in February 2020, which included two races for saloon cars in ITC and Super Stock classes, besides two support events, the MRF F1600 and Volkswagen Ameo Super Race were also held.
With the Corona pandemic eating away vital 8 months of the season, the calendar is reduced to 8 races in all the classes, including both the ITC and Super Stock, which will run three races in this round and three more in the third and final round to be held on November 28 and 29. Formula LGB will have four races this week-end, two on Saturday and two on Sunday and four more in the final round to decide the champion. A new category in the National Championship, the MRF Toyota Etios Junior class will also have four races in this round and four races in the final round on that concludes on Nov 29.
Meanwhile, MMSC has updated many facilities at the track, prominent among them being the covered facilities for Marshal Post and the construction began for a 600-seat Grandstand for spectators.
“It is exactly 220 days since we had the last competitive race at the MMRT on February 16, 2020, which is the longest break ever in the history of the MMSC National Championship. In these times, we at MMSC have not been sitting idle and have been continuously planning and arranging to restart racing events. As per the current scenario, we will need to follow the new protocols/ Standard Operating Procedures and will adhere to all government guidelines,” said an MMSC note to the drivers while releasing the revised calendar in September last week.
New Marshall posts at Madras Motor Sports Club’s track in Chennai. Photo Twitter @VickyChandhok MMSC National Championships Calendar 2020 Date Event Round 10 – 11 October 2020 2W Darg National Championship 1 6 – 8 November 2020 4W Racing National Championship 2 26 – 28 November 2020 4W Racing National Championship 3 5 – 6 December 2020 2W Darg National Championship 2 10 – 13 December 2020 2W Racing National Championship 1 17 – 20 December 2020 2W Racing National Championship 2 For the Car National Championship, we have planned to run 8 races for all the categories in 2020. So the races will be spread over 2 weekends in November as follows, the note added.
FLGB 1300 ITC Super Stock Toyota Etios Junior 14 – 16 Feb (completed) 0 2 2 0 6 – 8 Nov 4 3 3 4 26 – 28 Nov 4 3 3 4 -
Toyota Etios to make its debut as National Racing Championship resumes
Chennai, 5 Nov2020: Toyota Etios enters a National Championship in India for the first time as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2020 resumes in a bio-bubble after eight months at the MMRT circuit here on Saturday behind closed doors necessitated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The MRF Saloon Car Championship, featuring Toyota Etios, makes its debut in the National Championship.
Experienced speedster Arjun Balu, made up for a bad last round in 2019 by winning both the races in the first round of the National Championship for Indian Touring Cars and leads the points table while his Race Concepts teammate Rithvik Thomas bagged both the races in the Super Stock category to sit on the top of the table. The Round 1 was held along with MRF Challenge and other classes were not held in February. The MRF 1600 and Ameo Cup were run as Support Races.
The strict enforcement of Government-mandated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) would mean the absence of spectators, guests and the Media with the entry restricted to competitors with a maximum of two helpers each and officials.
By successfully conducting the first round of the National Drag Racing Championship for two-wheelers last month, also in a closed environment, MMSC took the lead to resume motorsport activities in the country following the easing of restrictions by conducting the first of the 11 Nationals in motorsports that are scheduled for this year.
Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “It has been a tough year for everyone due to the pandemic, but after the government eased restrictions and allowed resumption of sporting activities, we conducted the National Drag races last month without any incident. This weekend, we go a step further by resuming the four-wheeler championship, again with protocols in place with no compromise on safety and health of all involved by implementing temperature check, hand sanitisation, wearing of masks and physical distancing. Our very popular hospitality enclosure will also, unfortunately, be sealed off, for now, to ensure that the norms of social distancing are met.
“Having said that, the MMSC would like to thank long-time sponsors MRF Tyres who have stood by us in these difficult times, and of course the competitors who have turned up in good numbers. We also welcome the very affordable newly-launched single-make MRF Saloon Car Championship, with arrive-and-drive programmes.”
The weekend card includes triple-headers in the popular Indian Touring Cars (ITC), Super Stock and the Indian Junior Touring Cars categories, as also the MRF Saloon Car Championship while the Formula LGB 1300, will have four races.
Going into the second round, Race Concepts (Bengaluru) drivers, veteran Arjun Balu (Coimbatore) and Rithvik Thomas (Bengaluru) head the ITC and Super Stock classes, respectively, with 50 points apiece after scoring a double each in the opening round in February. The Formula LGB and the MRF Saloon Car Championship classes will have their first runs of the season this weekend.
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.
-
Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record
Chennai, 10 October 2020: Defending champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing, astride a Suzuki Hayabusa broke the National Drag Record, setting a new mark of 7.783 seconds beating his own record over the 302- metre MMRT Drag Strip. The Madras Motor Sports Club kick-started the domestic 2020 motorsport season by successfully conducting the first round of the MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship in a secure bio-bubble environment at the MMRT circuit here on Sunday.
The 30-year Bengaluru-based Coorgi, a three time National champion, touched a top speed of 222.49 kmph despite the third fastest reaction time of 1.658 sec at the start, to began the season on a winning note. He broke his own National record of 7.976 which he set in the round two last year on 6 October and equalled in the Championship winning last round in December. The bike was tuned by Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru. Muddappa won the National championship consecutively in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
While Mudappa expectedly topped the time charts, clocking a blistering time for the sprint in the Super Sport 4-stroke Above 1051cc class, he could only come second in the 851 to 1050cc class as Mohammed Riyaz of Hyderabad won the dash. Rulex Rockers Racing team’s Bharatraj and Mohammed Rafiq notched a double apiece in their respective categories. Defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the girls category on Saturday.
“I have been eagerly waiting to get back on track and am keeping myself fit. I was confident of clocking the best time, but beating the track record again is a bonus. I look forward to a consistent season to retain my National title,” said the Coorgi, who is primarily into civil contracts and also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’. He is based in Bengaluru.
Sporting activity came to a grinding halt in March and since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship hosted the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.
Managing some 116 entries besides a host of officials, volunteers and employees, the MMSC went to great lengths to strictly implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and protocols as mandated by Government guidelines designed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. In view of the restrictions, no spectator or guest was permitted entry to the venue, while each competitor was allowed only one helper or mechanic, and the races were spread over two days (Saturday and Sunday) so as to limit the size of the congregation to under 100.
MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “Following weeks of preparations and working on the SOPs as dictated by the government guidelines, it was great to go racing again after a break of seven months. Though we had to make do without a sponsor, we spared no expense to create a secure bio-bubble at the track. Of course, as per sporting regulations, we had a fully-equipped Medical team to deal with any emergency.
“As much as the sport mattered to us, we gave top priority to health of all involved in the event. The strict protocols, followed by all at the venue, involved temperature checks, frequent hand sanitization and physical distancing. We also restricted entry to only essential persons, besides competitors.”
The results: 4-Stroke Super Sport:
Champion in the Above 1051cc class Hemant Muddappa (centre) flanked by second-placed Hafizulla Khan (left) and third-placed Harish Naik. An MMSC image Above 1051cc: 1. Hemant Mudappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.783secs); 2. Hafizulla Khan (Bengaluru) (08.374); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.721).
851-1050cc: 1. Mohammed Riyaz (Hyderabad) (07.922); 2. Hemant Mudappa (08.162); 3. Sugan Prasad (Bengaluru) (08.382).
361-550cc: 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (12.256); 2. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (12.350); 3. Karthik Mateti (Telangana) (12.518).
226-360cc: 1. J Bharatraj (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.805); 2. Vivek Pillai (Team Alisha Abdullah, Chennai) (13.104); 3. P Yogeswaran (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (13.137).
Up to 165cc: 1. Bharatraj J (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.580); 2. PM Soorya (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.656); 3. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (15.039).
Saturday: Novice (Girls, Stock up to 165cc): 1. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (16.512); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (16.642); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Chennai) (16.781).
2-Stroke Super Sport 131-165cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (12.843); 2. Manoj Kumar S (13.228); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.253).
Up to 130cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (13.381); 2. R Madhan Kumar (13.584); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.954).
-
Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals
Chennai, 10 October 2020: Touching a top speed of over 118 kmph, defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Championship Madras Motor Sports Club drag strip here on Saturday as Indian Motorsports began after a gap of 7 months due to COVID 19.
The Chennai girl won the four-stroke Upto 165cc Stock Class, the only class for girls, beating the challenge of Ann Jennifer and experienced Alisha Abdullah. The Team Pro-Speed Racing lass did a splendid job despite being a bit slow off the blocks with a reaction time of 0.907 and shot into the top spot clocking stunning 16.512 seconds.
AS Ann Jennifer took the second place timing 16.642 though she had a better reaction time of 0.574 at the start. Alisha Abdullah, who had the best start among the 10 riders, reacting at 0.377 seconds, coiuld only complete the podium in 16.781 seconds.
“I was very nervous at the beginning of the session but I had good fitness level which helped me to focus in the race. It is a long gap because of the pandemic which affected us with lack of practice and also lack of sponsors. But today, I concentrated on winning the race and I believed in myself and my vision,” said the 2019 champion, who was astride Yamaha v3 R15 tuned by Srinivasan.
“Yes, of course, it is a overwhelming moment for me to take the first win of the season and I hope to maintain the same momentum in the upcoming rounds,” concluded Jessica.
-
Drag champ Hemanth Mudappa raring to go as Motorsport resumes in India
Chennai, 9 October 2020: Hemanth Mudappa won a hat-trick of National titles on 30 December last year. The time when Corona Virus started its havoc, but it was not until two months later, did the sporting world take a beating and Indian motorsports too came to a grinding halt. Since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship will be the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.
The first round of the fmsci MMSC Indian National Drag Championship will take place at the drag strip of the Madras Motor Race Track here on Sunday. Hemanth Mudappa, a triple champion, winning the crown in 2017, 2018 and 2019, is raring to go and the Mantra Racing rider is eagerly waiting for the action to start.
The 30-year-old Bengaluru-based rider, who set-up a new National record on way to his triple crown, will take part in the SuperSport 851-1050cc class on a BMW S1000rr and in the 1050cc and above class astride a Suzuki Hayabusa tuned by champion architect Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru.
“It is a long time and we are all eager to get back on the track. I am feeling good and look forward to another good season. My thanks to Mantra racing and all my sponsors, supporters and fans,” said Mudappa.
Off the track, the Coorgi, is primarily into civil contracts and he is also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’ and is based in Bengaluru. And not to forget, he is a fitness freak and physical fitness is his top priority, which he advocates for all.
Among the 11 National championships in the Indian Motorsports calendar, the Madras Motorsports Club promoted Drag Racing will begin this Sunday followed by Karting and Racing championship. The flag-ship Indian National Rally Championship is scheduled to start in December.
It will all Four stroke and the classes to be run will be, the upto 165cc SS Indian, 226 to 365 SS Indian, 361 TO 550 SS Indian, 851 to 1050 SS and Above 1051 Super Sport.
For girls, upto 165cc four stroke Novice class, two stroke upto 130cc Super Sport and two stroke 131 to 165cc Super Sport.
Other National champions in different class expected to take part are girls’ champion Nivetha Jessica, Bengaluru’s Aiyaz, the Nationial Champion in the 361-550cc Supersport Indian class and Chennai challenger Yogeshwaran, who became a champion gaining enough points in the 226-360 Supersport Indian category without a big win beating fellow-Chennai rider AS Alexander. Bengaluru’s Mohammed Rafiq who became champion in both the 2-Stroke categories (up to 130cc and 131-165cc) will also be there. However, it will be Hafeez Khan and Harish Naik, who are once again expected to fight it out with Mudappa for the top honours.
The current drag record stands at 7.976 seconds. Mudappa equalled the record he had set in the 2019 second round in October erasing his own earlier record.
