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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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Qatar’s Al Attiyah, Argentina’s Alvares after World Cup glory
HAIL (Saudi Arabia), 7 Dec 2021: Competitive action gets underway at the Hail Cross-Country Rally, the final round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, on Wednesday morning.
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Argentina’s Lucio Alvarez both drive V8-engined Toyota Hiluxes, built in conjunction with Toyota Gazoo Racing and Overdrive Racing, and they will go head-to-head to decide the outcome of the 2021 FIA World Cup Drivers’ Championship.
To win his first FIA World Cup title, Alvarez needs to overturn a 28-point deficit. The Argentine will need to win the rally outright and score at least three additional bonus points for daily stage performances and, even then, the outcome will depend on whether Al-Attiyah finishes lower than eighth overall and fails to secure a single bonus point.
Al-Attiyah said: “I won in Hail back in 2008 and 2011 and with Matthieu (Baumel), my current co-driver, we won the first of the Bajas last December. We will do our best to take the win again and seal the championship. We have a good car. The rally is also very useful experience for us before the Dakar Rally in January.”
It’s a big ask for Alvarez, but the battle has at least confirmed that Overdrive Toyotas should fill the top two places in the points’ standings unless Russia’s Denis Krotov can seal a top four result and Alvarez fails to finish. Krotov drives an X-Raid Mini and starts the rally four points adrift of local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi. The Saudi knows that a top finish could also see him overhaul Alvarez and snatch second place in the series.
Hoping to upset the applecart and challenge for honours in their own right are the Orlen Team’s Jakub Przygonski and Argentina’s Sebastien Halpern in their X-raid Minis and Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal in a Ford F-150. Former Spanish enduro rider Laia Sanz also joins the German X-raid team to drive a Mini John Cooper Works Rally in readiness for the Dakar challenge that awaits.
With the FIA T3 and T4 Championships already settled in favour of Spain’s Cristina Gutierrez and America’s Austin Jones, pride and pre-Dakar experience are at stake in both the hotly-contested categories.
Eight teams line up in the T3 section, with Russian Pavel Lebedev leading the way in his Can-Am and facing competition from local favourite Saleh Al-Saif, fellow Saudis, Mashael Al-Obaidan, Dania Akeel, Esra Aldkheil and Hamed Al-Harbi, Germany’s Annett Fischer and Uzbekistan’s Anvar Ergashev.
“This is a great opportunity for me to test for Dakar,” said Al-Obaidan. “This is my third race after Sharqiya and Aragón in Spain. It’s the first time that Jacopo (Cerutti), my co-driver, and I participate together. I’ve been here a couple of times but never in an official race. There are three Saudi females, including myself. The sport is really booming here. I believe there is a really bright future in the Kingdom for everyone.”
Six crews will battle it over the next four days for T4 honours. South Racing Middle East’s Thomas Bell tops the field and faces competition from Poland’s Marek and Michal Goczal, Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri, Australia’s Molly Taylor and Ukraine’s Levgen Kovalevych.
There is also a National Rally running behind the main FIA rally, a separate event for motorcycles and quads, a truck category and dispensation for several 2022 specification machines to compete with teams carrying out pre-Dakar testing.
Czech WRC star Martin Prokop wheels out the latest Ford Raptor Cross-Country, running under the Benzina Orlen Team banner, both Frenchman Ronan Chabot and Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini try out Overdrive Racing’s latest Toyota Hilux T1+ and Sweden’s Sebastien Eriksson gets his hands on the latest T3-2022 South Racing Can-Am Maverick.
The Hail Cross-Country Rally is being organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) under the supervision of the Hail Regional Development Authority in co-operation with the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage and the General Authority for Sport.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), competitors tackle the first of four selective sections through the Al-Nafud desert. The competitive stage starts 82.59km from Rally HQ, includes a passage control and refuelling point after 173km and runs for 258.14km. A liaison of 47.31km guides competitors back to the bivouac.
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – driver standings:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) 92.5 pts
2. Lucio Alvarez (ARG) 64.5pts
3. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU) 57pts
4. Denis Krotov (RUS) 53pts
5. Mattias Ekström (SWE) 27pts, etc
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – co-driver standings:
1. Matthieu Baumel (FRA) 92.5 pts
2. Armand Monleón (ESP) 64.5 pts
3. Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS)53 pts
4. Michael Orr (GBR) 35.5 pts
5. Emil Bergvist (SWE) 27 pts, etc
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – T3:
1. Cristina Gutierrez (ESP) 90.5 pts
2. Fernando Alvarez (ESP) 76.5 pts
3. Pavel Lebedev (RUS) 53.5 pts, etc
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – T4:
1. Austin Jones (USA) 98.5pts
2=. Eugenio Amos (ITA) 55pts
2=. Kees Koolen (NLD) 55pts, etc
Ends
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Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing sets National Drag record at Amby Valley
Amby Valley (Maharashtra), 7 Dec 2021: Multiple National Drag Racing champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing notched up another feature in his cap with a National record in the above 600cc unrestricted open foreign bikes category in the mega FMSCI licensed Drag event, the 9th edition of The Valley Run (TVR) organised for two-wheelers and four-wheelers by Elite Octane that attracted a record over 500 entries at the Amby Valley airstrip in Lonavala on Sunday.
The 31-year Coorgi based in Bengaluru, beat the National record for this category held by Andhra Pradesh’s Satyanarayan Raju record of 9.522sec set last year at the same event and track.
Mumbai’s Atharva Achrekar on a Kawasaki zx10R won the 851 to 1050cc in 10.083sec beating Avinash Y, who clocked 10.155. Iqbal Sheikh won the third position in a time of 10.182 in a grid of 34 bikes.
But in the 1050cc to 1650cc event, Hemanth Muddappa took his second gold clocking 9.684 to become the only rider to dip under 10-sec mark. He beat Vignesh Purushotham who timed 10.035 to second and Hafiz Ulla Khan finished third in 10.235. All three from Bengaluru swept the top three places on a Hayabusa in a grid of 17 bikes.
Hemanth Muddappa won the Ribbon Event, the Foreign Open Unrestricted class for bikes above 600cc, zooming to the gold in 9.508 as he stripped off a good one-10th of a second from his last year’s gold time of 9.677seconds, which is considered a mountain in drag racing. The fitness freak astride his black Suzuki Hayabusa built by Mantra Racing beat a host of riders and the quarter mile record that stood in the name of Vizag racer. Iqbal Sheikh of Mumbai finished second in 9.829 while Vaibhav Mhatre came third in 10.038. Both were also riding a Suzuki GSX.
A Mega Drag event, The Valley Run, 9th edition attracting over 500 bikes and cars was held at Amby Valley and concluded on Sunday. Elite Octane file photo “It always take a lot out of me to prepare such events. This is a mega event with hundreds of bikes and the track has an international standard with the approved exact quarter-mile distance of 400.2 metres. I am glad to beat this record, thanks to my beauty of a machine prepared by Sharan of Mantra Racing,” said a beaming Muddappa, who topped a grid of 30 riders in this class.
Muddappa, who became the 2020 National Drag Champion for the fourth successive year in the top two classes also beat his own National record this year again on October 3 at the FMSCI National Drag Championship in the 850cc to 1049cc class. With this record today, the Sharan (Mantra Racing) and Hemanth Muddappa combination holds the Drag records at all circuits in India.
“Yes, it is an FMSCI recognised event and he holds the record now for all the circuits,” confirmed Pratap Jayaram, chairman, FMSCI Drag Commission.
In the two-wheeler section which received an overwhelming response of over 300 participants in 14 different classes, the top three classes saw some stunning machines thrill the crowds. The event was run by Elite Octane Inc, a Mumbai-based Motorsports Club affiliated to FMSCI.
Eleven other classes were also held for bikes and prizes were given away till late night on Sunday.
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Drama-filled maiden Saudi GP leaves title rivals level on points
Lewis Hamilton took his third consecutive victory for the first time this season in a drama filled first ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, ahead of title rival Max Verstappen in P2. Both title protagonists are level on points heading into the season finale. Valtteri Bottas completed the podium as he got past Esteban Ocon just before the finish line on the last lap.
London, 6 December 2021: Both Mercedes cars started on the front row with Max Verstappen starting in P3. Everyone got off to a clean start as the Silver Arrows maintained formation, Lewis Hamilton leading Valtteri Bottas. Bottas job was to keep Verstappen at bay behind in P3. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc maintained P4 ahead of second Red Bull of Sergio Perez who was unable to pass the Monegasque.
The race turned over its head on lap 10 as Mick Schumacher hit the barrier at turn 23. A safety car was called out to neutralise the race as both Hamilton and Bottas pitted for hard tyres to save time while Verstappen stayed out and assumed the lead of the race. Soon the FIA red flagged the race, a controversial decision but nonetheless safety is paramount.It meant that Verstappen would get a free tyre change and would lead the grand prix when resumed.
Graphic by Pirelli It was a standing start as the racing resumed on lap 15. Hamilton got an electric start from P2 as he went past Verstappen. But the Dutchman broke late, going off at turn 1 and then cut in front of Hamilton at turn 2, as a result both ran wide and Verstappen maintained the lead while Esteban Ocon got past Hamilton for P2. Behind there was carnage. Perez was tagged by Leclerc as the Ferrari driver had no where to go. This incident wiped out Perez’s front wing and damaged the transmission. Further back, George Russell slowed to avoid the spinning Perez as Nikita Mazepin collided in the back of the Williams driver, spewing a large amount of debris.
Graphic by Pirelli Another red flag was called out as the marshals cleared the cars and track. Meanwhile in the pits, negotiations were taking place between FIA, Mercedes and Red Bull over Verstappen’s illegal move at the second start. Ultimately all parties deciding that Ocon would start on pole, Hamilton would inherit P2 and Verstappen would start P3.
Having had poor starts the first two times, Verstappen chose the medium tyres instead of hardsfor the third restart, to go to the end of the race and so did Bottas. Hamilton stuck to hard tyres as Mercedes thought they will have better wear compared to the mediums.
Once again, Hamilton had a better start compared to Ocon in P1. Hamilton tried to cover Ocon, but Verstappen dived down the inside, sandwiching Hamilton between himself and Ocon. Thus, Verstappen assumed the lead with Ocon in P2 and Hamilton in P3. Behind, Bottas tried to get past McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. By the end of the lap Hamilton eased past Ocon and resumed his charge to catch Verstappen.
There were three virtual safety car periods between laps 28 and 36 to pick up debris from Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin as he and Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen came together resulting in carbon fiber confetti.
By the time VSC ended, Hamilton was within a second and hot on the heels of Verstappen. He got DRS and pulled alongside the Dutchman on the outside on lap 37. Going into turn 1, Hamilton was slightly ahead but Verstappen broke late and went wide, Hamilton to avoid collision went wide as well and joined the track at turn 2. Meanwhile, Verstappen simply cut turn 2 and emerged with a bigger lead than he had before. Hence, he was instructed to give the position back and the lead to Hamilton.
Hamilton shines under the moon in the first Saudi Arabian GP on Sunday. Pirelli photo It was a bizarre sight as Verstappen slowed down to let Hamilton by, but the Briton had no idea about that, hence, he slowed down a well. Both drivers not wanting to cross the DRS detection line first as the car behind would get DRS. Then Verstappen seemed to brake check Hamilton as the Mercedes’ front collided with the Red Bull’s rear. Post- race investigation of the incident resulted in Verstappen getting an additional 10s-time penalty. The resultant collision damaged Hamilton’s front wing but the wing did not lose its integrity.
Race control once again told Verstappen to give up the place on lap 42. The Dutchman did so at the last corner, but immediately overtook him. Hence, again the Red Bull driver was instructed to give up the position on lap 43. This time Hamilton pushed Verstappen wide at the last corner and maintained the lead. From here on Hamilton extended his lead as Verstappen suffered with higher tyre wear. He was further awarded a 5s time penalty for going off the track and gaining an advantage on lap 37- where he pushed Hamilton off the track as well. From there on Hamilton comfortably won the race, even with a damaged front wing while Verstappen consolidated P2. Bottas at the last moment won a drag race against Ocon as he clinched the final podium position.
The win plus fastest lap for Hamilton meant that he was equal on points with Verstappen heading into the season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a week’s time. Meanwhile, Mercedes extended their lead in the constructor’s championship to 28 points.
Ocon had to settle for P4 ahead of McLaren’s Ricciardo in P5, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly outraced both Ferrari’s to finish P6 as Charles Leclerc finished P7 and Carlos Sainz finished P8. Outgoing Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi finished P9 ahead of Lando Norris in P10, the McLaren driver not finishing higher than ninth in the last four races.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll missed out on points as he finished in P11. Williams’ Nicholas Latifi crossed the line in P12 ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in P13. Yuki Tsunoda looked to score points but his coming together with Vettel meant he finished P14 ahead of Raikkonen in P15.
The non-finishers were Vettel, Perez, Mazepin, Russell and Schumacher.
Mercedes had the faster car in race trim but struggled to switch on the soft tyres in qualifying. They did lock out the front row owing to Verstappen’s crash into the last corner as he was up by more than two and a half tenths. Mercedes and Hamilton have now won the last three races and with Hamilton equal on points and the momentum with them, Silver Arrows have a good chance to wrap up both championships. Red Bull focused more on qualifying this weekend and it showed as they had a superior car in one lap pace. They were slower in the race compared to Mercedes as they had a straight-line speed deficit as well as medium tyres wore faster than the hards.
Alpine struggled with qualifying pace as their highest position was P9. But come race day they made the most of red flags and Ocon ran in the top three for majority of the race, Alonso struggled partly due to his electric deployment not working properly and then having a spin midway through the grand prix. McLaren once again struggled in qualifying compared to immediate rivals Ferrari but again made the best use of stoppages as Ricciardo was able to finish P5. Norris lost out on positions due to pitting under the safety car and then a red flag being deployed. He was also caught out on the Perez-Leclerc incident as he had to slow down and fell to the back of the grid. Ferrari showed tremendous qualifying pace, especially in the hands of Leclerc who outqualified Perez’s Red Bull. They had decent race pace as well, achieving another double points finish and looking like they have cemented P3 over McLaren in the constructor’s championship.
AlphaTauri’s Gasly showed superior race pace compared to the Ferrari cars as he finished in P6. Tsunoda too showed pace to finish in the top 10 had he not collided with Vettel. Alpine looked to have cemented P5 over AlphaTauri in the constructor’s championship. Aston Martin had a race to forget as they showed dismal qualifying pace, both cars getting knocked out in Q1 and no car finishing in points. Giovinazzi had a brilliant race for Alfa Romeo as they close the gap to Williams in Eighth with one race to go. Williams once again were unable to score points as they lacked pace to challenge the top 10. The Haas car struggle this weekend with it being difficult to drive around this high-speed circuit.
Saturday Qualifying Results were:
P1: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes) P2: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes) P3: Max Verstappen -33 (Red Bull) P4: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari) P5: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull) P6: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri) P7: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren) P8: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri) P9: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine) P10: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo) P11: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren) P12: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo) P13: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine) P14: George Russell- 63 (Williams) P15: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari) P16: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams) P17: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin) P18: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin) P19: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas) P20: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas) -
Williams Racing teams-up with 20th Century for The King’s Man movie
Leicester, 6 Dec 2021: To celebrate the upcoming release of “The King’s Man”, 20th Century Studios and MARV have teamed up with Williams Racing.
The film, which lands exclusively in cinemas in the UK on 26 December 2021, is the third instalment in the hit Kingsman franchise directed by Matthew Vaughn.
To launch the collaboration, a Williams Racing show car with special film branding is set to be unveiled at the World Premiere of “The King’s Man” in London’s Leicester Square on Monday 6 December 2021 and at the US Premiere in New York City on Monday 13th December.
Matthew Vaughn, Director of “The King’s Man”, said: “I fell in love with Formula One back in the eighties and will never forget heroes like Mansell, Hill, Prost and Senna driving the Williams cars. Also indelible from those memories is the presence of Sir Frank Williams; the astonishing force behind the team whose quiet rage and will-to-win was as evident as his gentlemanly approach to racing. Kingsman is proud to announce the new partnership with Williams Racing and we look forward to the future collaboration of two like-minded British institutions who believe in shouting quietly and redefining gentleman drivers.”
Following the premiere, the signature Kingsman style and flair will be brought to the Formula One Paddock at this weekend’s Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. George Russell and Nicholas Latifi will be on track in the FW43B, which will have a special The King’s Man logo displayed on the nose, chassis side and on the halo, for the season finale, with additional activations on race day to ensure George ends his final race for Williams Racing in style.
James Bower, Commercial Director at Williams Racing, said: “We’re delighted to begin our collaboration with 20th Century Studios and MARV by celebrating the launch of their new film ‘The King’s Man’. At Williams Racing we proudly embrace our British heritage, both on and off track, and this is a brilliant opportunity to collaborate with, and support, British cinema.”
“The King’s Man” releases in cinemas across the UK on 26 December.
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Yuva Kumar clinches Sprint National Championship
Arambole (North Goa), 5 Dec 2021: Multiple Desert Storm champion Yuva Kumar did a stunning job on Saturday clocking the fastest Overall time and held on by the scruff of the neck to beat Sachin D of TVS Racing to clinch the maiden National championship for Hero MotoSports Team Rally, in the Motorsports INC FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2021 grand finale that concluded here on Sunday. Yuva emerged on top on Saturday but tied after the two final rounds on Sunday and won on aggregate top times by a fraction of a second, to the big relief of a huge Hero contingent in the happy-go-lucky Goan region bordering Maharashtra.
Riding a wave of success that brought him to the top of qualifiers in many of the 8 rounds from four zones in South, East, North and West, the Hero rider astride a brand new XPulse Rally 200 conquered the technical and challenging dirt track of 9.2 km at the rocky hill-side that became slushy on Saturday and tough on Sunday.
The motorsports team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, Hero MotoCorp, emerged Champions at the finals to bag their first National Championship. While Yuvakumar emerged Champion in the Stock Class (Group D) and Modified Class (Group B up to 260cc). The second team rider, Sathyaraj, finished as the Championship Runner-up in the Stock Class and fourth in the Modified Class, added a HeroMotosports press release.
After two days of racing in Goa, Yuva was declared winner topping the overall aggregate timesheets. Yuva clocked the fastest time on Saturday but talented youngster Sachin D ambushed the experienced rider, on Sunday. Though Yuva topped the times in Group D on both days, it was Sachin who did a better time in the weekend of two final rounds which had the National championship status. All the zonals were qualifiers and were not considered as Nationals.
There was some delay in releasing the results as there was a tie, after the two rounds time sheets were clubbed. But the organisers aggregated the two final rounds results and declared Yuva Kumar as winner. In Group B, the championship ended in a tie, and Yuva took the win by 900 milliseconds on aggregate stage timings.
Hero X Pulse Rally 200, the new machine used ably by racing ace Yuva Kumar on Sunday in the Sprint championship. Photo by Gnanaraj Sathyaraj Arumgum was second on both days in Group D, bringing home a 1-2 finish for the team. With a fourth and third place over the weekend of riding, he was tied for third on points in Group B but finished fourth on aggregate stage times.
Team Hero MotoSports won Group B riding on the newly unveiled Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200, which the team will be racing on in the upcoming 2022 racing season as well.
The Indian National Rally Sprint Championship (INSRC) 2021, organized by Motorsport Inc. is an official motorcycle championship under the FMSCI (Federation of MotorSports clubs of India). The INSRC 2021 comprises of eight zonal qualifier rounds, with the top 5 riders from each zone qualifying for the finals in Goa.
Prior to their victory at the finals, team Hero MotoSports riders Sathyaraj and Yuvakumar had participated in the South, East and North Zone qualifying races of the championship and had emerged victorious with the trophies for the ‘Fastest Rider’ and ‘Best Team’ in all three zones.
Team Hero MotoSports rider, Yuvakumar said “We had two exciting days in Goa riding against the best riders from across the country. Winning the Championship in Group B and Group D is an incredible result and the new Xpulse Rally 200 was running really well. Many thanks to the entire team for the constant support and for the hard work in preparing this championship-winning bike.”
Team Hero MotoSports rider, Sathyaraj Arumgum said “I am really happy to finish as the runner up in the Sprint Championship. The Finals were tough with top competitors from all over the country. The track was hard and slushy with many undulations, but with the new Xpulse 200 Rally as well as the Stock Xpulse, we were able to clear the obstacles with ease. It is a great way to end the year, and I’m looking forward to more great results with the new Rally bike in the coming season.”
New Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200
The new Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200 (developed by Hero MotoSports, for motorsports), unveiled at the finals of the FMSCI INSRC 2021, boasts a substantial number of updates to the previous generation Xpulse Rally bike. The Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200 is powered with the new powerful 200cc 4V engine, delivering higher torque, acceleration and better overall performance for the rider. The new rally bike also weighs 20% lighter than the stock Xpulse 200 4V and rides on lightweight reinforced aluminum rims and Maxxis tyres for sportier performance. The new suspension package on the rally bike encompasses longer travel upside-down forks and rear shocks to tackle any terrain with total control. The updated side panels provide an improved ergonomics package in conjunction with the repositioned footsteps and tapered handlebars.
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Hamilton wins, takes F1 Championship decider to final race in Abu Dhabi
Jaddah, 5 Dec 2021: Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will go to the final race of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship level on points after the Mercedes driver beat the Red Bull driver to the top spot of the podium at the end in a hugely dramatic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that featured two re-starts, one Safety Car period, numerous Virtual Safety Cars and a controversial collision that saw Hamilton run into the back of Verstappen’s car when the Red Bull driver tried to hand the lead to the Briton after being requested to do by race officials.
At the start of the race Verstappen made a good getaway from third place on the grid but ahead of him both Mercedes also made good starts and as the field headed towards Turn 1 Hamilton led ahead of Bottas and Verstappen. Behind them Sergio Pérez also got away well and almost made it past fourth-place starter Charles Leclerc but the Mexican locked up slightly into Turn 1 and that allowed Leclerc to pull back ahead and hold fourth as they exited Turn 2.
Having missed out on the opportunity to get past Leclerc at the start, Pérez then found himself lodged behind the Ferrari in the opening laps and losing time. And though he stayed in DRS range he couldn’t find a way past and by lap six he was 6.4 seconds behind Hamilton who sat 2.7s ahead of third-placed Verstappen.
The status changed on lap 10 when Mick Schumacher hit the wall. The Haas driver lost control on entry and slid sideways into the TecPro barriers at Turn 22. As the Safety Car was deployed Mercedes opted to pit Hamilton and the race leader took on hard tyres in a 2.8-second stop. Red Bull also pitted Pérez on the same lap.
Bottas briefly took the lead before pitting but Red Bull kept Verstappen on track and the Dutchman took the lead as Hamilton and Bottas slotted into second and third respectively. Behind the top three, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo also stayed on track during the SC and they rose to fourth and fifth respectively with Leclerc, who pitted, dropping to sixth ahead of Pierre Gasly, who stayed out, and Pérez.
The race swung towards Verstappen on lap 14 when having examined the barriers damaged by Schumacher’s Haas, Race Control waved the red flags and the race was halted.
The cars streamed back to the pit lane, where under red flag rules, the Team was permitted to change Verstappen’s tyres. He would take the re-start from pole and on fresh rubber.
A standing re-start was decreed and when the lights went out it was again Hamilton who made the best getaway and he pulled ahead of Verstappen into Turn 1. Verstappen braked late and tried to hang on around the outside but he went off track as he took the lead. Verstappen’s move also allowed Ocon to sneak past Hamilton and steal second place.
But behind them chaos was unfolding. Starting from P8 Pérez got squeezed badly, though initially he managed to avoid contact with the cars on either side. However, there was nothing he could do when Leclerc tagged him, spinning the Red Bull into the wall. And the chaos continued when Haas’ Nikita Mazepin slammed into the rear of George Russell’s Williams and the red flags were flown again.
After the incident at the first re-start, Race Control promoted Ocon to first place with Hamilton seconds and with Verstappen directed to start from third place ahead of Ricciardo and Bottas.
When the lights went out for a third standing start, it was Verstappen who made the best start. The Red Bull driver moved to the inside and as the Mercedes driver tussled with Ocon Verstappen dived to the inside and slipped past his title rival in Turn 1. And with momentum on his side he then powered past Ocon on the run to Turn 3 to brilliantly take the lead.
The front pair then rapidly pulled away from the Alpine and by lap 25 Verstappen and Hamilton were 12 seconds clear of the chasing pack and battling in a completely different league than their rivals.
On lap 29, following an earlier collision between Yuki Tsunoda and Sebastian Vettel and then contact between Vettel and Räikkönen, the VSC was deployed to clear debris and Verstappen’s medium tyres were given a breather.
The drama continued on lap 37. Hamilton closed in and attacked on the pit straight. The rivals tangled in Turn 1 and Verstappen left the track as he held the lead. The Red Bull driver was told to cede the lead but when he slowed on track to do so, Hamilton, seemingly unaware that the instruction had been given, did not slow enough and slammed into the back of the Red Bull.
Verstappen powered away into the lead again but once more handed the place back. And after being handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, and with his tyres fading, Verstappen settled for second place.
Behind the top two, Valtteri Bottas beat Esteban Ocon out of the final corner to claim third place. With the Alpine driver fourth, fifth place went to Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly took sixth for AlphaTauri. Chalrtes Leclerc was seventh and Carlos Sainz eighth for Ferrari. Ninth place went to Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi and the final point went to McLaren’s Lando Norris.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 50 2:06’15.118
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 50 2:06’26.943 11.825
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 50 2:06’42.649 27.531
4 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 50 2:06’42.751 27.633
5 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 50 2:06’55.239 40.121
6 Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 50 2:06’56.731 41.613
7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 50 2:06’59.593 44.475
8 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 50 2:07’01.724 46.606
9 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 50 2:07’13.623 58.505
10 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 50 2:07’16.476 1’01.358
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 50 2:07’32.330 1’17.212
12 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 50 2:07’38.367 1’23.249
13 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 49 1 lap
14 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 49 1 lap
15 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 49 1 lap
Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 44 Retirement
Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 14 Retirement
George Russell Williams/Mercedes 14 Retirement
Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 14 Retirement
Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 8 Retirement -
Abdullah Al Rawahi, first Omani to win Oman Rally
MUSCAT (OMAN), 4 Dec 2021: Abdullah Al-Rawahi became the first Omani in motor sport history to claim victory at the Oman Rally Sohar International 2021 on Saturday.
Partnered by Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud, Al-Rawahi guided his SRT Škoda Fabia Evo to a stunning start-to-finish victory with a winning margin of 21min 22.5sec.
In so doing, the talented youngster joined veteran Nizar Al-Shanfari (Qatar Rally – 1999) as one of only two Omanis in history to have won a round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) since its inception in 1984.
Al-Rawahi won all of the event’s 12 demanding gravel special stages and gained valuable time behind the wheel of his new car before embarking upon a full MERC campaign in 2022.
The feat means that the Omani becomes the 41st winner of a MERC event on the 221st ever round of the regional series. Al-Hmoud duly became the second Jordanian co-driver in the history of the championship to win a round of the series: fellow countryman Khaled Zakaria claimed six victories during a short spell sitting alongside Mohammed Ben Sulayem and a solitary win in Jordan with Amjad Farrah.
“This is a fantastic result for me and the whole team on my first event in the car,” said a delighted Al-Rawahi. “It was a perfect opportunity to gain more experience before next season and to secure a first MERC win. I thank my sponsors, everyone at the Oman Automobile Association for their efforts and the team at SRT for their support.”
Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and Italian co-pilot Giovanni Bernacchini overcame a time-consuming first day puncture to snatch second place in a Ford Fiesta R5. The former MERC runner-up set a string of second fastest times on the final day to overhaul Zakariyah and Mohammed Al-Amri. Al-Amri’s consolation was guiding his Subaru Impreza to success in the MERC2 section and finishing on the last step of the podium in third overall, despite delays with mechanical issues in SS12.
Jordanian driver Ihab Al-Shorafa teamed up with Emad Juma to claim fourth place and Asem Aref, partnered by Ahmad Jankhout, stayed clear of trouble in his little two-wheel drive Renault Clio RS to confirm the 2021 MERC3 title in the absence of rival and defending champion Henry Kahy. Aref finished a fine fifth.
Oman’s Faisal Al-Rashdi rounded off the finishers in the international field in sixth place with Yaqdhan Al-Rashdi and his Subaru Impreza. Jarah Al-Touqi was forced to retire his Subaru Impreza after mechanical problems in stage nine.
Haitham Al-Soomar was not able to start the third round of the Oman Rally Championship after the issues that had plagued his Mitsubishi Lancer on Friday.
Hamed Al-Qasmi had been fastest over the six stages on day one, but an eighth stage accident side-lined his Mitsubishi and that opened the door for Waheeb Al-Khuraisi and Musaab Al-Soomar to fight for National Rally honours, with the former securing a comfortable win in his Toyota Yaris.
The official calendar for the 2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship will be released after the FIA World Council meeting later this month.
Oman Rally Sohar International 2021 – positions after SS12:
1. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia Evo 2hr 29min 02sec
2. Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5 2hr 50min 24sec
3. Zakariya Al-Amri (OMN)/Mohammed Al-Amri (OMN) Subaru Impreza STi 3hr 07min 50sec
4. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 3hr 09min 30sec
5. Asem Aref (JOR)/Ahmad Jankhout (JOR) Renault Clio RS 3hr 48min 20sec
6. Faisal Al-Rashdi (OMN)/Waleed Al-Rashdi (OMN) Subaru Impreza WRX 3hr 48min 38sec
Oman National Rally – result after SS11:
1. Waheeb Al-Kharusi (OMN)/Wadeea Al-Kharusi (OMN) Toyota Yaris 3hr 30min 38sec
2. Musab Al-Soomar (OMN)/Bassam Al-Qassimi (OMN) Kia Rio 4hr 56min 23sec
Ends
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Armstrong wins; Jehan Daruvala fifth: F2
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), 4 Dec. 2021: DAMS’ Marcus Armstrong clinched a long-awaited and well-deserved first Formula 2 victory in Sprint Race 1, beating Hitech Grand Prix pairing Liam Lawson and Jüri Vips in an enthralling opening race at Jeddah.
Since starting his F2 career off with two podiums in the opening two rounds of 2020, the 2019 Formula 3 vice-champion has only taken one more top-three finish, with a switch to DAMS failing to re-ignite his fortunes, but the Kiwi looked rejuvenated in Saudi Arabia as a lightning getaway saw him pass reverse polesitter Lawson on Lap 1.
The Kiwi duo ended the race in first and second, with Lawson followed by his Hitech teammate Vips in third. Felipe Drugovich finished fourth ahead of Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala, who enjoyed a superb afternoon, climbing an impressive six spots for P5.
Robert Shwartzman, Christian Lundgaard and Dan Ticktum took the final points positions, with the latter completing a last-lap overtake of Championship leader Oscar Piastri. The PREMA driver’s primary title rival, Guanyu Zhou, suffered a race to forget, spinning in the early stage and ending up 17th.
AS IT HAPPENED
Lining up on track for the first time in two months, Lawson and Armstrong were at the front of the reverse grid and went wheel-to-wheel heading into a tight first turn.
Starting on the inside from second, Armstrong had the advantage at the corner and put his front wing ahead of Lawson, who was shovelled narrowly wide. The Hitech racer attempted to fight back but it was already advantage Armstrong, and the DAMS was able to clear his rival by the exit of Turn 3.
The Ferrari junior was handed some breathing space by the Safety Car following a Turn 4 collision that ended Guilherme Samaia and Marino Sato’s races. The Charouz Racing System driver had been tagged by Olli Caldwell, who was swiftly handed a 10s-time penalty for causing the collision.
The Safety Car headed back into the pits at the end of Lap 3, but there was further drama as Championship challenger Zhou found himself facing the wrong way and at the back of the field, which brought out a Virtual Safety Car. The UNI-Virtuosi racer had attempted a daring dive on Lundgaard at the first chicane, but the space wasn’t there, and he was sent spinning, suffering damage to his front wing as a result.
During the chaos, Ralph Boschung had pulled a move on Vips and nabbed the final podium position, with Drugovich gaining fifth from Zhou. Meanwhile, Théo Pourchaire and Shwartzman had both jumped Lundgaard for sixth and seventh.
The early stoppages weren’t putting the field off further manoeuvres as Vips recovered P3 from Boschung. The riskier move, though, came from Shwartzman, who sprung an overtake on Pourchaire for sixth. The duo cut it close, and the ART Grand Prix driver wobbled, which lost him another place to Lundgaard.
Boschung lost speed and started to tumble, falling to eighth within a matter of corners. Piastri appeared in his rear-view mirror after taking ninth from Daruvala and the Championship leader didn’t hang about, nabbing the spot from the sluggish Campos racer, who continued to plummet out of the top 10.
Pourchaire was the next retirement, losing control at Turn 22 and thumping the wall, which brought out a second full Safety Car. The frustrated Frenchman clambered out of his ART as the field cooled off from a frenetic few laps.
Three laps remained when the Safety Car headed back in and Armstrong managed to hold his nerve at the restart, with the top 10 all retaining their places. Daruvala stole the show in the final few laps, finding the smallest of gaps between Piastri and Lundgaard to sneak into sixth with a stunning manoeuvrer.
Armstrong, Lawson and Vips hung onto the podium positions at the chequered flag, ahead of Drugovich. Daruvala made up another position at the death, passing Shwartzman for fifth to complete an incredible sixth overtake of the day and cap off a stunning performance. Lundgaard took seventh ahead of Ticktum, who squeezed ahead of Piastri shortly before the finish line.
THE KEY QUOTE – MARCUS ARMSTRONG (DAMS)
“Finally, back in the press conference room. It is good to be back and to have a first-place trophy. It was a bit of a tough last lap, Liam (Lawson) didn’t give up, so that was cool. I am not sure if that was televised, but my engineer was certainly nervous.
“I am very happy to finally get that trophy and to reward the boys in blue. Saying that, I have to get ready for my next race because it’s in around four hours, so let’s enjoy that.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW
Despite finishing out of the points, Piastri and Zhou retain first and second in the Drivers’ Championship, with 182 and 142 points, but Shwartzman is now just one behind the UNI-Virtuosi driver in third. Ticktum is fourth with 130 points and Pourchaire fifth with 130.
PREMA are top of the Teams’ title battle with 323 points, ahead of Carlin on 232 and UNI-Virtuosi on 209. Hitech Grand Prix are fourth with 204 points and ART Grand Prix are fifth with 165.
Action from FIA Formula 2 – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Feature Race will be LIVE on EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD from 19:45 Hrs (07:45 pm IST) onwards on Sunday, 5th December, 2021. Eurosport channel can now be streamed on the discovery+ app.
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Hamilton continues to set the pace at F1’s new Jeddah Corniche circuit
Jeddah, 3 Dec 2021: Lewis Hamilton continued to set the practice pace at F1’s new Jeddah Corniche Circuit, beating team-mate Valtteri Bottas by six hundredths of a second as Ferrari’s Charles brought out red flags with a heavy crash at the end of the night-time session in Saudi Arabia. Championship leader Max Verstappen finished fourth almost two tenths of a second off Hamilton’s time.
But while the headline times appear to hand seven-time champion Hamilton a narrow advantage, neither he nor Verstappen got a clean qualifying simulation and the Mercedes driver topped the timesheet with an early best lap on medium tyres.
Verstappen led the way in the early running, setting a time of 1:30.104 on medium tyres. He quickly improved that to 1: 29.706 and then after a brief appearance in P1 by AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, the Dutch driver climbed to the top again with a lap of 1:29.290.
Bottas then took top spot with a lap of 1:29.079 as the first third of the session ended only to be surpassed moments by Hamilton who posted a lap of 1:29.018.
With the halfway mark in sight, teams recalled their drivers to the pit lane to prepare for qualifying simulations.
Verstappen’s opening flyer was compromised by a major snap of oversteer in Turn 2 and he aborted to prepare for another attempt. Hamilton also lost his opening flying lap after being forced to avoid a slow Alfa Romeo in Turn 10 and he then aborted his second lap when he steered off track at the final corner when he encountered heavy traffic.
Despite compromised qualifying simulations, the Mercedes drivers then moved to long-run data gathering. Verstappen, though, was offered the opportunity to continue exploring performance runs and took it, telling his engineer that he didn’t care about long-run information. The Dutch driver was able to improve marginally on his earlier time and finished with a lap of 1:29.213, 0.195s behind Hamilton.
His lap was only good enough for fourth place in the session, however, as AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly snuck in with a lap of 1:29.099 to claim P3. Any further opportunities for very late improvements were denied by Ferrari’s Leclerc, however.
With five minutes remaining the Monegasque driver crashed heavily at Turn 22. He lost the rear of his car on entry to the corner and slid across the short run-off. He slapped the barriers hard with the right-rear and pivoted to repeat the collision with the front right corners. The Ferrari driver was able to climb out quickly and the session was red-flagged and not restarted.
2021 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Free Practice
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.018 22 249.684
2 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:29.079 0.061 23 249.513
3 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Honda 1:29.099 0.081 22 249.457
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda 1:29.213 0.195 20 249.138
5 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 1:29.441 0.423 21 248.503
6 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:29.555 0.537 22 248.187
7 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:29.589 0.571 24 248.092
8 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda 1:29.597 0.579 20 248.070
9 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda 1:29.768 0.750 22 247.598
10 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:29.772 0.754 23 247.587
11 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:29.968 0.950 22 247.047
12 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.004 0.986 19 246.949
13 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:30.110 1.092 23 246.658
14 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:30.276 1.258 24 246.204
15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:30.442 1.424 22 245.753
16 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:30.502 1.484 22 245.590
17 George Russell Williams/Mercedes 1:30.506 1.488 24 245.579
18 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:30.652 1.634 20 245.183
19 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 1:31.039 2.021 23 244.141
20 Nikita Mazepin Haas/Ferrari 1:31.629 2.611 20 242.569
