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  • Hemanth Mudappa raring to go: MMSC fmsci Drag Nationals

    Hemanth Mudappa raring to go: MMSC fmsci Drag Nationals

    Chennai, 1 October 2021: Seven-time National champion Hemanth Mudappa of Mantra Racing will spearhead a strong field of over 100 die-hard petrolheads who will congregate at the MMRT here this weekend for the second round of MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship 2021 here on Saturday and Sunday.

    Mantra Racing, who is tuning Hemanth’s bikes had put in extra efforts for the second round and is looking forward for a double. “We are bringing some updates and I am confident going into the Sunday’s races,” said the Bengaluru-based Coorgi, who popularises Sports Nutrition and endorses 1up Nutrition for Elite high-performance athletes. A bodybuilder by passion , he is committed to the sport and his hard work saw that he won the Ribbon 1050cc and above continuously for four years. With Sharan Pratap as tuner, the duo have mastered the art of winning drag racing Nationals in India dominating the scene from 2016.

    The Super Sport 851-1050cc and Above 1051cc categories will headline the races. Bengaluru’s reigning National champion Hemant Muddappa, astride BMW S1000 RR, has been dominating the Above 1051cc category, but Hyderabad’s Md Riyaz (Yamaha R1) topped the 851-1050cc class in the first round in August and the battle for points is expected to continue with the championship extended to three rounds.

    Besides the above two premier categories, the card also contains races in six other classes: 2-stroke (Super Sport) Up to 130cc and 131-165cc; Girls (4-Stroke) Up to 165cc; and Super Sport Indian Up to 165cc, 226-360cc and 361-550cc.

    As in the previous round, the organisers have put in place state-of-the-art timing equipment and a fully-equipped Medical team to deal with any emergency.

  • Karthik Maruthi & Sankar Anand begin favourites

    Karthik Maruthi & Sankar Anand begin favourites

    Bengaluru/Hospeta, 1 Oct 2021: The third edition of the Utsav de Hampi, a mega motorsports festival, will begin with the JK Tyre Indian National Regularity Run Championship (INRRC), before an exciting 4×4 off-road challenge a week later and will culminate with the MRF Mogrip Indian National Rally Championships (INRC) for 2-wheelers on October 17 & 18 at Hampi. The INRRC South Zone Round 1 will start in Bengaluru on Saturday with back-to-back 2nd round in Hampi on Sunday.

    The National Championship round will kick-off with a Vintage car rally sprint for about 10-km where around 40 `Beauties of yesteryears’ will be paraded from Kanteerava Stadium to Vidhana Soudha and back.

    Champion drivers Karthik Maruthi, and navigator Sankar Anand from Erode begin as favourites among the 29 entries with 58 drivers. The Women in Motorsport concept will be popularised by the lady doctor-pair from Davangere, Dr Shivani Pruthvi, and her navigator mom Deepthi. With the entry fee waived, 11 lady teams have entered the fray but all eyes will be on Dr Shivani, who just finished a successful Car Racing round at Chennai last week and it would be Bengaluru Techies Aparna Pathak and Lalitha Gowda who are all set to give a tough fight to doctors.

    Organised by ProSports in Bengaluru and Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar in Hampi, the TSD (Time, Speed and Distance) rallies are a popular format, returns as Nationals under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and backed by JK Tyre. Ordinary road cars can be used to race and rally in a safe environment and the TSD National, which was virtually forgotten and off the list of 12 National Championships is back with a new name, INRRC.

    “Regularity Run is usually conducted on public roads, both clean tarmac and flat dirt tracks which don’t break the cars. Each team, has a driver and a navigator, and needs precise times and average speed on various segments of pre-defined but undisclosed route. A Tulip (route map) would be provided to the teams, but there would be about 20 to 25 undisclosed Time Controls (TC), that the navigators (co-driver) cannot miss as they guide the drivers and check-in their times. Speed is not permitted, as the maximum permitted speed would be 45-kmph and they should follow all traffic rules. Early comers log double penalty times” said said BS Sujith Kumar, a three-time National TSD Rally Champion and current FIM Asia Vice-Chief.

    “Utsav de Hampi, is a popular annual motorsports festival, that is growing bigger by the year. This year four events are lined up to promote motorsports in the Heritage region of Hampi. The club has attracted national and international champions and top priority is given to all safety aspects. We are conducting the events following strict protocols of COVID19,” said Santosh HM of Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, Hampi.

    Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre said, “Promoting motorsports at the grass-root level in India has always been a key priority for JK Tyre. Our idea endeavors to create an eco-system and provide racing opportunities to enthusiasts, as always. By launching the JK Tyre Prosports FMSCI India National Regulatory Run Championship, we hope to nurture the new generation of rally sport to represent India on a global map. Our activities and initiatives have further strengthened our leadership position in the segment and we continue our commitment towards building more professional rally drivers.”

    “INRRC will have a Championship Class that will see National champions for 2021, one Navigator, a Driver and the team. A supporting event to promote TSD rallies will offer a Couple Class and a Corporate class for Ladies Cup 2021 and Zonal Champions,” said Rohit Gowda, Deputy CoC of MAV, Hampi.

  • Team MRF Tyres on the pace but focussing on data as FIA ERC returns to Portugal

    Team MRF Tyres on the pace but focussing on data as FIA ERC returns to Portugal

    Two cars for Team MRF Tyres with Dani Sordo/Cándido Carerra and Simone Campedelli/Tania Canton in Fafe

    Fafe (Portugal), 30 Sept. 2021: Team MRF Tyres is ready to take on the final gravel round of the FIA European Rally Championship season with the Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras taking place on the legendary roads of northern Portugal.

    The rally, which features the famous and spectacular Fafe jump, is the sixth of eight rounds for the 2021 FIA ERC season and Team MRF Tyres will compete at the front with two cars.

    Coming to Fafe on the back of a second place finish at the Azores Rallye is Dani Sordo with Cándido Carrera in the Hyundai i20 R5.

    The Spanish pairing completed an intense day of testing in preparation for the event with data and development remaining as the key objective in Portugal.

    However, with one rally under their belts, the team expects to be able to maximise the data opportunities and to challenge for top stage times.

    Alongside Sordo/Carrera in Team MRF Tyres colours are Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton.
    Campedelli and Canton are driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo for their third outing on the FIA ERC season, switching from a Volkswagen Polo R5 they used in Italy and Poland.

    Campedelli comes to Fafe off the back on several podiums finishes in the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel.

    Team MRF Tyres has enjoyed a successful run over the previous weeks including a double podium in the Italian Rally Championship Gravel, a podium at the Azores Rallye and winning the Finnish Rally Championship with Emil Lindholm.

    The challenge at Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras cannot be underestimated.

    There are 32 Rally2 cars gunning for outright victory in the FIA ERC and they will compete on 16 stages over 197.04 competitive kilometres.

    The action gets underway on Friday with qualifying and the road order selection before the competition heats up on Saturday with eight stages and 113.22 km against the clock.

    Sunday will see eight more stages including the legendary Fafe jump on SS12 and the final stage of the rally, SS16. Known as the Lameirinha stage, the jump will make for an exciting conclusion to the rally and day’s 83.82km of rallying.

    Fans will be able to follow all stages on FIA ERC radio live and will be able to watch SS2 and SS6 (Saturday) and SS12 and SS16 (Sunday) live on the FIA ERC Facebook or YouTube streams.

    You can follow Team MRF Tyres throughout the rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    Quotes
    Dani Sordo, Driver, Hyundai i20 R5
    “I have a good feeling. We had a big test with MRF Tyres before the event. We have a lot of confidence as I have been here before and we had a good result. I am looking forward to it.”

    “The last rally, we had a better result than we expected but we need to be clever and have some luck to have a chance to get the victory.”

    “We are working a lot on the tyres and getting the information which is the priority. At the same time, to get good results is a great bonus.”

    Simone Campedelli, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
    “We have a positive start to the season with the MRF Tyres as we have had podiums in Italy and I am looking forward to getting back on stage in Portugal for the FIA ERC.”

    “I have never been in Fafe before, but I have done my homework with MRF Tyres. We are concentrating on data and development, but we will try our maximum at the same time. There are many fast drivers so it will be a big challenge. I have been in the car before as I have tested with Skoda but the first time I have used it in a rally. We have tested before the rally to get to know it with MRF Tyres.”

    “We have seen everything on that famous jump in Fafe. I think I will feel goosebumps as I remember this jump as a child watching videos of cars going over it. I was dreaming, as a child, to come to a rally driver and jump over it. You can think about it for a while but you have to remain focused!”

  • JK Tyre partners with FMSCI to breathe life into TSD rallies again

    JK Tyre partners with FMSCI to breathe life into TSD rallies again

    New Delhi, 29 Sept, 2021: JK Tyre, India’s leading tyre manufacturer and pioneer of motorsports in India, has launched JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Regularity Run Championship, the first-of-its-kind motorsport Nationals that is expected to provide a platform for driving enthusiasts to start their journey into professional rallying.

    Ever since the Company got involved in Motorsports, the sole purpose has been to promote, nurture and provide opportunities from grassroots level to the highest echelons of motorsport to enthusiasts. The company has also invested in putting together a step by step motorsport program for budding racers who are interested in taking up motorsport as a career. JK Tyre introduced karting in India that is now the breeding ground for professional racing. Similarly, the JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Regularity Run Championship will provide the necessary platform for entry into professional rallying.

    Run under the aegis of Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India (FMSCI), and backed by JK Tyre the Indian National Regularity Run will be held across 17 cities in the country making it one of the most awaited National Championship of the year with biggest geographical spread.

    Speaking on the occasion Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre said: “Promoting motorsports at the grass-root level in India has always been a key priority for JK Tyre. Our idea endeavors to create an eco-system and provide opportunities to motorsport buffs, as always. By launching the JK Tyre FMSCI India National Regularity Run National Championship, we hope to nurture the new generation of rally enthusiasts to get into professional rallying. Our activities and initiatives in the past few years have further strengthened our leadership position in Indian National Rally Championship and we continue our commitment towards building more professional rally drivers.”

    Regularity Run is a form of TSD rally, usually conducted on public roads, both clean tarmac and flat dirt tracks which need precise time and average speed on various segments of pre-defined but undisclosed route. Each team comprises of a driver and a navigator will start the run at a fixed interval creating a field that is spread along the route with undisclosed Time Controls. The team with minimum time penalties will win. INRRC will have a Championship Class that will see National champions for 2021, one Navigator, a Driver and the team.

    The zonal qualifiers will start on October 1, with the Rally of Bangalore, the first of the five South Zone events while Rally of Chamba, will kick start the other zonal rounds. Another five rounds are scheduled in the East, three in the West and one Central round would complement the North Zone event. The first South Zone round will be flagged off at 8 am at Kanteerava Stadium, in the busy downtown area and travel to the heritage Hampi city in Vijayanagar district. A 10-km run of over 40 vintage cars in the heart of the city are expected to enthrall and popularise the sport among the youngsters.

    The final round of INRRC will be the JK Tyre Tri Nation Himalayan Drive in Siliguri which is the biggest motorsport event in Eastern India that traverses through the picturesque regions of Darjeeling, Sikkim, crossing Nepal and culminating at the enigmatic kingdom of Bhutan.

    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.  

  • Hampi becomes a hotbed of Motorsports activity in India

    Hampi becomes a hotbed of Motorsports activity in India

    Bengaluru, 29 Sept. 2021: Motorsports Utsav de Hampi is a household name, thanks to the frenetic sports activity of high-degree in just three years after the birth of Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, that attracted top drivers and riders, and National events to the Heritage land, in and around Hampi. Whether it is the Special Stage rallying for four-wheelers or two-wheelers, Autocross or Motocross, time-tested TSD or the highly-competitive Indian National Rally Championship, all roads lead to Hampi, and even the endurance and adventure sports like 4×4 off-road challenge made the Club special, in the hearts of motorsports lovers. The heritage site and the pride of Karnataka, truly reflecting the slogan, One State, Many Worlds, is not just the only reason for fans and athletes to flock in, `Mecca of Motorsport’ MAV is.

    MAV – The Motorsports Academy

    Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, Hampi, is an FMSCI affiliated club started in 2019 by a group of motorsport fanatics with an intention to bring high-performance motorsports athletes and top-rated National events to northern parts of Karnataka to a very well-known world heritage site. With a vision to take Indian motorsports arena to newer heights, the Academy lines up events and trainings throughout the year in different parts of the country and at home, which culminate into a grand annual Utsav de Hampi, a mega Motorsports Festival consisting of many formats of motorsport events. The Academy successfully bid for the FMSCI Indian National Autocross Championship for a period of 3 years, to add to its armoury, which already has a round of the Indian National Rally Championship for 4-wheelers and 2-wheelers after the successful 4w Candidates round in 2020 where multiple National champions like Musa Sherif, sparkled. He is the only active senior-most Navigator with nine national titles in the country.

    Some of the marquee events of the club are National rallies and highly-challenging 4×4 off-road events, which extend the competitive spirit beyond the rally element, and the club cleverly incorporated motortainment and display of vintage cars that attracted tens of thousands of spectators, who thronged to the tracks to have a glimpse of the high-speed precision racing and stunning off-road action. The club has the knack to pack a visual punch and has cordial relations that cater to even minor needs of the sportspersons making it a truly-attractive event for fans, drivers, riders, officials and media. No wonder sponsors like MRF, JK Tyre, TVS, Karnataka Tourism, Department of Youth Empowerment & Sports, Red Bull, Ultramile Tyres, Brut Force and Royal Orchid Hotels lined up to associate themselves with a hot property called Utsav de Hampi.

    A wheelie for you, come and enjoy motorsports, Hampi is calling…
    Santosh, left and Rohit, the brains behind MAV success.

    The Festival consists of many formats of motorsports, run on multiple weekends, with different disciplines like Stage Rally for 2-wheelers, 4-wheelers, Autocross, TSD Rally, some of which have National status and have attracted top Indian and International drivers and riders in the last three years. The Utsav found its ‘God Father’ in Parth Jindal of JSW Group, who provided the initial thrust, but it was local stalwarts like Santosh HM, Rohit Gowda and Darpan Gowda, who plunged in as the Club took off on its own with a team of dedicated volunteers, going into the last edition of the Festival in 2020 despite the COVID threats, as they managed to follow strict protocol and government’s SoP.  With permissions relaxed for Sports events, the Utsav is back with a bang and has four events lined up for 2021 on the eve of Gandhi Jayanthi. The spirit of Gandhiji, the heritage of Hampi and the adrenalin of a National-level sports event, that is the cocktail of motorsports, that the Motorsports Academy offers and no fan can resist.

    1. JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Regularity Run Championship – 1, 2, 3 October, 2021

    The 2021 Utsav de Hampi, has become bigger with two National-level events and an even bigger Off-road extravaganza. First off, the Motorsports Academy starts with the JK Tyre fmsci Indian National Regularity Run Championship (INRRC), a popular TSD format which offers the ladder for a lay person to enter motorsports and enjoy the thrills. The event finals has the National status accorded to it by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI), the sole governing body of motorsports in India. The Time, Speed, Distance format with about 20 Time Controls (TC) is from October 1 to 3 and will be the South Zone qualifiers where the top-5 (top-3 for Women’s Cup) will take a shot to become the National Champ in three classes, team, driver and navigator. The Club offered free entries to Women in Motorsports (WIM), an FIA concept to encourage gender diversity and MAV has quickly embraced it providing Lady Freebies, and many gleefully entered the fray with Daughter-Mom Doctor pair of talented Shivani and Deepthi Pruthvi spearheading a bevy of women drivers.

    2. The 4×4 Hampi off-road Challenge – 8 to 10 October 2021

    The Hampi off-road challenge will see some of the finest professionally modified and stock four-wheel drive vehicles and the event, in the backwaters of the beautiful River Tungabhadra, is known to break man and machine, and is an ultimate challenge for expert drivers, who ably assisted by knowledgeable navigators, make the complex tasks look simple thus, delivering fun and frolic for fans that leads to a rich mix of motorsport madness.

    In 2019, the introduction of 4×4 Hampi Off-road Challenge for Jeeps which are ripped-off, curated and tuned for one of the best off-road competitions in the country on par with international events, saw the beginning of a tradition. The record 42 entries in its very 1st edition, consisting of Professionally modified, Modified and Stock category vehicles showcased a plethora of talent and became an instant success. And the tradition of excellence goes on…

    4×4 action that makes every fan skip a heart beat, land in Hampi, experience the thrills!

    3. Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) – FMSCI to Confirm new dates

    The popular Indian National Rally Championship is a flagship event of the Indian Federation which acquired its National status way back in 1988 and has thrown up veteran champs like Leelakrishnan, Naren Kumar, Hari Singh and Gaurav Gill. Considered in the top-3 showpiece events as one of the 12 Motorsports Nationals, it attracts a highly-talented youth and experienced veterans and the event requires high degree of organisational skills with a well-prepared terrain and tulip, as finding good tracks, tarmac or dirt, has become a gigantic task, of late for organising clubs, but not for MAV.

    It conducted the Contender round successfully and is officially granted a round in the National Championship this year, which was put off due to the side effects of COVID19. The Federation and the Promoters are expected to announce the new dates any time now.

    The 2020 INRC contender round Champions display their wares on the podium in Hampi.

    4. MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National 2w Rally Championship (INRC-2w) – 16, 17 Oct 2021

    The INRC for 2-wheelers is a popular sister-event of the four-wheeler Rally Nationals. Despite missing from the calendar for some years, Clubs like MAV have taken up the task to set the rally routes and organise the Nationals to the satisfaction of the riders and fans alike and the MRF Mogrip Calendar for 2w rallies is on track again. This year, the inaugural round of the MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship for motorcycles (INRC-2w) will be Rally de Hampi organised by MAV that is expected to witness national and international stars like Aishwarya Pissay, the Baja World Cup winner, Hero Yuva Kumar,  a multiple National champion, and many other stars and National champoins like Nataraj of TVS, Vishwa, in other classes, fight for Overall honours on the tricky tracks of Hampi. The rally will have two special stages closed for regular traffic and include an 80.2-km liaison distance (non-competitive transport section)  apart from the 62.5-km of closed to traffic competitive Stage distance for an overall 142.5-km rally. It is efficiently conducted by one of the best Clerks of the Course (CoC) Girijashankar Joshy, a former National rally champion himself, who has an impeccable record in knowledge of rules and the calm and cool nature in which he relays commands to a team of efficient Marshals and officials, in a pious “poojari” style of his own. It is the devotion required for Motorsports safety that separates him from also rans… as he breathes a whiff of fresh air into the motorsports culture.

    Pack your helmet, belt-up and begin the journey into motorsports ecstasy, come to Hampi! A red carpet awaits!

    For details: visit www.mavh.co.in, www.utsavdehampi.com

    Follow & share Instagram: @MAVHAMPI @utsavdehampi

  • Argentina confirmed on the MotoGP calendar until 2025

    Argentina confirmed on the MotoGP calendar until 2025

    A three-year extension sees Termas de Rio Hondo remain the home of MotoGP in Latin America from 2023-2025
    Santiago del Estero, 29 Sept 2021: Dorna Sports is delighted to announce a contract extension that will see Argentina remain on the FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar until 2025. Already confirmed until 2022 due to the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new three-year contract will now see the Autódromo Termas de Rio Hondo, in the province of Santiago del Estero, continue to host MotoGP in 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

    Termas de Rio Hondo first hosted MotoGP in 2014, creating a new home for the world’s fastest motorcycle racing Championship in Latin America. This new agreement between Dorna Sports, the Argentinean Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the National Institute of Tourism Promotion in Argentina (Inprotur), and the Government of Santiago del Estero province, as well as the OSD Group as local promoter, was announced today in a special presentation in Termas de Rio Hondo, confirming the future of one of the most vibrant race weekends on the MotoGP™ calendar and extending the collaboration beyond the milestone of a decade. 

    Matías Lammens, Tourism and Sports Minister: “Few provinces reflect the synergy between tourism and sport as Santiago del Estero does. That’s why it fills us with pride to continue hosting MotoGP, an event with international prestige that will also play an important role in the economic redevelopment of the region. I want to congratulate the governor for making tourism and sport key policies. The national government reaffirms our commitment to accompany this venture that generates both employment and local development.” 

    Gerardo Zamora, Governor of Santiago del Estero: “The city of Termas de Rio Hondo and the province of Santiago del Estero will remain positioned on the international stage thanks to this event, the work that has been carried out over these seven years along these lines. MotoGP creates truly superlative economic impact in the north of Argentina. The competition takes place at a top level circuit and the riders, the organisation and the fans know and enjoy the destination. The Republic of Argentina also gains visibility through the hundreds of thousands of homes around the world via the official broadcasts. The Government of the Province, together with Dorna, Inprotur and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, join together in their efforts so that these achievements may long continue.” 

    Orlando Terranova, CEO OSD Group: “We’re very satisfied and happy to renew our agreement with Dorna Sports to continue organising the Grand Prix of Argentina, which we’ve done since 2014. The effort is enormous, but we are able to make it happen thanks to an incredible team headed by Minister Lammens and Governor Zamora. MotoGP is an event that allows us to take our place on the world stage, show our strengths and be a point of reference in global elite sport. We celebrate all this and redouble our efforts so that each new edition is even better than ever before, creating an amazing experience for the fans who attend. Termas de Rio Hondo will receive us looking better than ever, the circuit will be perfect and even more improved. We continue moving forward in order to remain a point of reference in this part of the world.”

    Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “The three-year contract renewal for the Grand Prix of Argentina is fantastic news for MotoGP, showing once again the incredible level of interest in our sport across the territory. The impressive crowds who flock to the event, and from many different countries, added to the great feedback from the riders, proves how vital our presence in Argentina and Latin America truly is.”
    Top photo: Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli on track on one of MotoGP’s previous visits to Argentina
  • Shahan Ali Mohsin stars as Teen Brigade storms MMRT

    Shahan Ali Mohsin stars as Teen Brigade storms MMRT

    Chennai, 27 Sept, 2021: A host of teenagers stormed the `Racing Capital’ of India, the new-look Madras Motorsports Race Track owned by Madras Motor Sports Club. With the ‘`Golden Oldies’ from Coimbatore missing in action, a depleted Indian Touring Cars’ Class saw the burden fall on evergreen hero, Arjun Balu, who duly won the first race, but it was the Formula cars that stole the limelight during the first round at Irungattukottai, near here. Shahan Ali clocked the fastest lap of Round 1 as he became the ‘Driver of the Day’ on all three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He is the only driver to clock a sub-1min 40sec time in the entire week-end, posting a 1:39.557 in the afternoon Practice Session on Friday despite hot track temparatures.

    The track record for Formula cars stands in the name of Yuven Sundaramoorhty in a MRF2000 car as he clocked 1min 30.323sec. With the new FIA regulations Halo Cockpit Protection becomes mandatory and hence, the MRF Challenge 2020 is likely to be last race of the series. “The MRF Formula 2000 is a single seater formula car with 2.0 litre Mountune Engine engine having a Carbon chassis from Dallara, Italy. It is similar to F3 car in performance. Carbon chassis is tested to FIA F3 Safety standards.”

    Whereas, the F1600s are much below the F2000s. “The MRF Formula 1600 is a single seater formula car having a Van Diemen designed chassis with a 1.6 litre Ford Duratec Engine. The chassis is a multi- tubular chromoly space frame, which is bronze braced and tig welded in the cockpit and foot well areas, says J Anand, the man behind the machine, and one of the fastest Indians on track in yesteryears.

    Meanwhile, the Formula LGB 1300 saw a huge grid of 26 cars and the MRF Formula 1600 also left many aspirant disappointed as there were only 12 cars ready to race. Even then, there was stiff competition among the ‘Teen Brigade’` with Shahan Ali Mohsin taking overall honours. The 17-year Agra talent clocked some fastest laps in Round 1 on the 3.717-km clock-wise tarmac to emerge with a brace. Bengaluru driver Ruhaan Alva, who won the X30 Karting Senior Nationals recently, made his debut in the National Racing Championship, lost a hard-fought “win” as he logged a penalty in the Formula LGB 1300 Race 1, but bagged the Rookie driver award.

    Chirag Ghorpade, another Bengalurean, Coimbatore’s Suriya Varathan, Chennai’s Ahwin Datta, Rajiv Rishon, Amir Sayed, Mohit Aryan, Tijil Rao, Kolkata’s Arya Singh, local lad Dhillon Zachariah (debut podium) and Andhra’s Chetan Surineni all in their teens, are the other youngsters who caught the eye during the weekend. The 1300s too saw many newcomers from Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati, the vice-champion of X30 Junior Karting Nationals too impressed with some quick laps in FLGB1300.

    Many of the drivers were coming after a long lay-off due to the COVID-19 pandemic which halted racing in all of India and also parts of the world for the last year. The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship returned for the 2021 season, with Madras Motor Race Track sporting a new 500-seat grand stand.

    Shahan Ali Mohsin gets a double in the MRF F1600 races at the MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Shameem Fahath

    Having made his debut in the MRF F1600 championship back in 2019 as a 14-year-old racer, Shahan holds the record of being the youngest to compete in the history of the series, Shahan returned to racing action, now as a 17-year-old in the famed Indian single-seater championship, ably organised by the dedicated team of the Madras Motor Sports Club.

    Shahan started off the weekend in style by topping both the practice sessions in the field of 12 cars, setting a time of 1m40.396s in the first Free Practice (FP1) and 1m40.673s in FP2 in his #11 machine. He followed it up, securing his maiden pole for Race 1, clocking a 1m 40.148s lap, his best of the weekend.

    He ended up second taking the second best time of the session, only beaten by 0.064s margin. The Race 1 was not ideal for Shahan where a clutch overheat resulted in a jump start and eventual positions drop. A drive-through penalty further hampered his race as he finished seventh eventually.

    This helped him to a second-place start in Race 2 where Top-8 from Race 1 were set-up in reverse order. It was a clean start this time and he got into the lead on Lap 1 itself. It was then a straightforward race to secure his maiden victory in single-seater competition by over four seconds, that is over half the straight.

    He made the double in Race 3, where he started on the front-row in P2, and secured the race lead on Lap 1 itself. This time he had over seven seconds gap, a lead of over 200metres, to the second-placed runner to round off a solid first weekend in the MRF F1600 Championship, where he was racing after a year’s gap.

    “Having been away from racing for so long due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt like first-time racing when the weekend kicked-off,” reflected Shahan. “The adrenaline rush you get is next level and this was certainly missing. It is definitely good to be back amid increased safety measures as the pandemic is still ongoing.

    “Looking at the weekend, it was a good run and I felt comfortable from the start itself. Except for Race 1 where my clutch got overheated and I lost places in the start, it was, as I said, a fantastic race weekend for me. Being fast from free practice sessions to securing my first single-seater pole and also taking two wins from threeraces in the field of 12 racers was amazing. I hope to carry on with this momentum in the coming rounds too.”

    A big thank you to the Almighty. Photo by Shajahan. All other photos by Shameem Fahath
    • Top 3 after Race 3
    • Race 2 podium
    • After a double…
    • Leading the bunch…
    Shahan in jubilant mood after winning two MRF F1600 races after initial clutch hiccups!
  • Hamilton’s century feat at Drama-filled Sochi autodrome

    Hamilton’s century feat at Drama-filled Sochi autodrome

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    Lewis Hamilton achieved his 100th Formula 1 career victory at a drama filled Sochi autodrome- a feat that no driver has achieved before, as Max Verstappen finished P2 from starting last and Carlos Sainz completed the podium. Lando Norris who had lead majority of the race finished in P7 after a strategic error.

    London, 26 Sept. 2021: Lewis Hamilton won a formula 1 race for the record 100th time as he continued Mercedes’ dominance of never being beaten at the Russian Grand Prix since 1913. Max Verstappen finished P2 as he limited his points damage to Hamilton after starting last due to an engine penalty, and former Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz finished in P3, his third podium this season with Ferrari. McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo was classified in P4 ahead of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in P5 and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in P6- the Spaniard finishing in the same position he started the race. Lando Norris who looked favorite for McLaren’s consecutive race win eventually finished P7 after the weather interfered and a wrong strategy call to sit out on slick tyres. Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen finished in P8, his best finish of the season as he returned from Covid-19 illness. The second Red Bull of Sergio Perez looked on for a podium but had to settle for P9 after rain came into play. George Russell has scored points in last four out of five races for Williams as he crossed the line in P10.

    Lance Stroll finished P11 as he had a coming together with Aston Martin teammate Sebastian Vettel and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, earning himself a 10-second time penalty for his troubles. Vettel finished in P12 and Gasly in P13. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished in P14 ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in P15, Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi in P16 and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in P17. Haas’ Nikita Mazepin was last of the finishers in P18. Williams driver Nicholas Latifi and Haas rookie Mick Schumacher were two retirees from the race.

    News broke before the race that Bottas would be starting P16 after taking another engine penalty with Leclerc and Verstappen already starting P19 and P20 respectively due to taking new engines outside of their allocation. There was a 70% chance of rain during the start of the race, but it did not materialise.

    Norris starting from pole got good start, but Sainz caught the McLaren’s slipstream and was ahead at braking zone of turn 2. Behind Hamilton lost positions as he fell to P7 from P4. Russell maintained his position in P3. Stroll had an amazing start leapfrogging to P4 from P7. At the back of the grid Verstappen made up a couple of positions, as did Bottas while Leclerc jumped from P19 to P12.

    Hamilton dispatched Alonso but got stuck behind the Mercedes powered DRS train of Russell, Stroll and Ricciardo. Behind, Verstappen passed Bottas for P14 with the Finn barely putting up a defense. Sainz was leading with Norris chasing the Ferrari and both were pulling away from Russell. Hamilton who had been the favorite before the start was losing time to the leaders and his chances of victory slimming lap by lap.

    The tyres were graining and subsequently losing grip in cold conditions. Aston Martin decided to trigger the undercut with Stroll on lap 12 as he pitted from P4 for a set of hard tyres. Norris caught up to Sainz and passed him for the lead on the inside of turn 12. Russell and Sainz followed suit at the end of lap 13 and 14 respectively. Meanwhile, Hamilton was still held up behind Ricciardo unable to overtake him as the McLaren runs the Mercedes power unit too.

    Ricciardo pitted on lap 22 for hard tyres, releasing Hamilton into free air who was around 12 seconds behind Norris. After consecutive fastest laps by the Mercedes driver, the team decided to pull in Hamilton for a set of medium tyres and capitalise on Ricciardo’s slow pit stop. Hamilton emerged behind Stroll and Gasly, dispatching them quickly by lap 31. Meanwhile Norris responded to Hamilton and pitted on lap 28, emerging in P4 behind yet to pit Leclerc, Alonso and Perez. Verstappen had pitted on the same lap as his championship rival, albeit for medium tyres but was stuck behind Ricciardo.

    Leclerc pitted on lap 35 with Alonso and Perez following him in on lap 37. This meant that Norris lead the race with Hamilton some 8 seconds behind and rapidly catching. The tension built up as Hamilton was around a second behind Norris for consecutive laps. With five laps remaining the heavens opened up, andumbrellas and raincoats came out with the majority of rain focused around turn 5 and 7. Both Norris and Hamilton stayed out resisting the call to pit for intermediate tyres. As the rain worsened Mercedes were adamant to pit Hamilton and the Briton listened, pitting on lap 49. He was now around 25 seconds behind Norris but the gap shrinking rapidly has the track was properly wet. It was heartbreak for Norris as he decided to stay out on slick tyres on a wet track and slid off of it on the penultimate lap with Hamilton taking the lead. Norris limped back to pits for inters as he could only manage P7 in the end.

    It was gutting for the young Briton, Norris as he almost controlled the race from start to finishonly to lose the lead on the penultimate lap. But the headlines belonged to Hamilton who became the first driver to reach a century of victories and with that retaking the championship lead as Mercedes extended their constructors championship lead too.

    Mercedes once again had the fastest car of the grid in Russian but failed to capitalise in qualifying due to weather and partly driver error. Eventually they managed to win thanks to a good strategy call in the dynamic conditions. Even Bottas who was running in P14 before rain arrived, managed to gain nine positions and finish in P5. The German squad are currently leading both championships. Red Bull chose to bite the bullet for Verstappen and take an engine penalty. He achieved the best possible result of P2 with Hamilton winning to limit the damage. It is difficult to judge Red Bull’s pace this weekend due to Verstappen not taking part in qualifying and both cars running in traffic in the race.

    McLaren were the best of the rest as Norris managed to pass Sainz’s Ferrari with ease. They even had the pace to hold up both Mercedes and Red Bull behind owing to their straight-line speed and evident by Hamilton being unable to pass Ricciardo and Norris, and Verstappen being caught behind Ricciardo. Strategy error meant they lost the chance to win a second consecutive race. Ferrari showed decent pace as they held a podium position with Sainz before the late rain drama begin. Even with the conditions changing the Italian team kept a cool head and Sainz achieved his fourth podium of the season. Both Alpine and Aston Martin showed good race pace to hold high top 10 positions but ultimately failed to capitalise due to the interference of weather. Only Alonso being able to finish in P6 as both Aston Martin cars and Ocon failed to score points.

    AlphaTauri had a mediocre race as both cars finished outside of points. Gasly had a chance to finish in points as the conditions changed but entanglement with Stroll meant that his chances were all but over of scoring points. Alfa Romeo capitalised on the weather as they got the season’s best finish of P8 with Raikkonen. Williams and Russell scoredpoints in four races out of five. Arguable the Grove squad should have scored higher points as Russell started from P3 but a wrong strategy call meant he was stuck in traffic after the first round of pitstops. Both Haas cars had their highest starting positions of the season owing to a lot of grid penalties but were unable to challenge for points.

    Saturday’s Qualifying results were:

    P1: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren)P2: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari)
    P3: George Russell- 63 (Williams)P4: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes)
    P5: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren)P6: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine)
    P7: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes)P8: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin)
    P9: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull)P10: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine)
    P11: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin)P12: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri)
    P13: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri)P14: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams)
    P15: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari)P16: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo)
    P17: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas)P18: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo)
    P19: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas)P20: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull)

    Note – Verstappen penalised 3 grid places for causing a collision at the previous round. Leclerc, Verstappen and Latifi required to start from the back of the grid for use of additional power unit elements. Bottas penalised 15 grid places for use of additional power unit elements. Giovinazzi penalised 5 grid places for an unscheduled gearbox change.

  • Bagnaia. Quartararo. Marquez? MotoGP saddles up stateside

    Bagnaia. Quartararo. Marquez? MotoGP saddles up stateside

    It’s getting close to crunch time in the title fight, but Texas may welcome a certain eight-time World Champion back to the front…

    Austin, 27 Sept. 2021: A lot has changed since the last time MotoGP raced at the Circuit of the Americas, not least of all the winner in the last two races: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who went from maiden victory to back-to-back hero in a week. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) remains the points leader, the Frenchman only just defeated at Misano, and this time as we saddle up in Austin there are only three races left thereafter in the MotoGP World Championship.

    But despite the very different landscape and the drama of the last year and a half for eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), there surely remains one lone star to be expected in Texas. So can he do it?

    One thing we can probably guarantee is that he’ll try. It’s not, however, going to be easy. Where before the MM93xCOTA collab seemed more unstoppable force and immovable object all in one, this season is different after a tougher return than many expected for the history-making Spaniard. There has been some solid progress and some good results since those first emotional laps back on a MotoGP™ machine though, and even earlier in the year when everything was far from going right, Marquez showed he remained the king of going left. His win at the Sachsenring was an emotional one, for him and Honda, and it also unearthed a self-confessed margin. The risk that day was worth the reward, and life remains a little easier going anti-clockwise: it allows for a little more to be unleashed…

    Fast forward to Aragon and another anti-clockwise hunting ground of choice, and again the number 93 was straight back at the front. This time, though, it wasn’t on the top step – but it wasn’t through lack of trying. Marquez was the only rider able to stay in Bagnaia’s postcode on Sunday and the two staged a truly spectacular duel, the existence and outcome of which make two different points.

    The existence underlines that Marquez should not be counted out at COTA, that he retains a splash of magic even as he fights back to fitness, and that left is still not only his speciality but also an extra help in that tussle back to the top. And the outcome? That says Bagnaia is probably a little less overawed by the record books in Texas, something that could prove powerful unto itself: unflappable in the face of Marquez is no mean feat.

    There was also a time when a Ducati track meant one thing, but those days are over. The number 63’s poetry for Borgo Panigale, added to clear improvements in their previously ‘weaker’ areas, make one serious package of man and machine. So there’s no reason to expect a serious drop of form in Texas, and that puts a little more pressure on Quartararo than the Frenchman likely expected a few races ago. Because COTA has also never been Yamaha‘sfavourite territory either…

    The Iwata marque have, however, had some good results, and Quartararo praised some good improvements at the Red Bull Ring, which had also previously been a tougher one. So is it an assault on the win, an exercise in damage limitation, or simply a numbers game? 48 points of advantage at the top allows for each of those options.

    Behind the Championship top two and the Marquez narrative though, there’s another for Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) too. 67 points off the top, and 75 left on the table after Austin, make it a long shot for the reigning Champion to defend his crown. But that also takes some pressure off, and it was a Suzuki on top at COTA on the single occasion Marquez faltered. Then it was Mir’s teammate Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Estar), who crashed out at Misano, but can the Hamamatsu factory find that frontrunning form again? There was also some high praise from both riders following the Misano test, so the grid were warned.

    Texas is also now serious crunch time for the riders just behind Mir in the standings: Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team). The former arrives from arm pump surgery so is likely expecting to move back forward, but the latter also praised the two days of testing on the Riviera di Rimini and is only one point further back. What can they do? Miller was also on the podium last time we saddled up in Texas.

    Then, he was ahead of an intriguing Yamaha-Ducati lock out from second down to seventh. Valentino Rossi, now at Petronas Yamaha SRT, was the lead Yamaha only half a second off the win, and he’ll want to go out swinging in the States as he races there for the final time. Quartararo will take heart from that too as we return. Then came Miller, and then came Andrea Dovizioso, who is now taking it on on a Yamaha – the same Petronas Yamaha that in 2019 came home behind him in the hands of Franco Morbidelli, now at Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP. With the state of play looking pretty different in 2021 as every one of that group arrives in a different seat, track records don’t tell the future but the shuffle continues to create some interesting stories as some return, some prepare to depart and others fight back.

    Speaking of, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) will want to do just that at COTA as the rookie race winner now finds himself under a little more pressure in the fight for Rookie of the Year. He’d pulled well clear despite his injury struggles earlier in the season, but a first premier class podium for Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) at Misano – with race-winning pace – means it’s now just ten points the Italian trails the Spaniard, so it’s game on in that showdown too.

    There will also be plenty to watch out for at KTM and Aprilia, with both factories gearing up with pretty different machines as we return stateside for the first time since early 2019. Then, KTM hadn’t won a race and they’ve now won five. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is also sixth in the Championship, only 16 points off Miller, and the South African has continued his Sunday charges to varying degrees in the last few races. Where will KTM shuffle into the pack in Texas?

    Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), meanwhile, is the rider on Binder’s heels and the Noale factory will want more than what they got at a slightly muted Misano. Maverick Viñales scored his first few points with the marque last time out though, so that narrative keeps retaining headlines. How will the all-new RS-GP fare at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas?

    Bagnaia arrives on the crest of a wave, Quartararo retains his advantage in the points, and Marquez is six for seven in Texas. What awaits as MotoGP™ saddles up stateside in 2021? The only thing we can guarantee is another fantastic horsepower rodeo, so tune in for more at 14:00 (GMT -5) on Sunday the 3rd of October.

    Before the track action begins, there are some other events to keep an eye out for too. On Wednesday,  Marc Marquez faces down against Jett Lawrence as the eight-time World Champion and 2021 MX 250 AMA Champion test their skills against each other, riding Honda NSF100’s on COTA’s karting track in a high stakes time trial challenge and only one can win.

    In addition, the competition may be over for the 2021 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, but the electric presence continues in the paddock! There’s a parade planned at COTA for Saturday as Energica continues to take centre stage, this time stateside, with bikes on track from 11:50 local time.

  • Team MRF Tyres Champions in Finnish Rally Championship 2021

    Team MRF Tyres Champions in Finnish Rally Championship 2021

    Kokkola (Finland) 26 Sept. 2021: Team MRF Tyres has taken victory in the Finnish Rally Championship (Ralli SM) and the SM KokUA 60-v Juhlaralli this weekend.

    Emil Lindholm and Reeta Hämäläinen dominated the final round of the season in Finland, with Lindholm and Team MRF Tyres taking a hard-fought championship.

    Going into the final round, it was a winner-take-all scenario with the top three drivers separated by seven points, meaning it was going to be a great fight between Lindholm, Mikko Heikkilä and Teemu Asunmaa.

    Team MRF Tyres was on the pace from the first of the ten-stage competition with Lindholm winning the Skriko stage.

    It was a lead that he would build on through the first day to end the Saturday action in first place but with a lead of just 2.9 seconds.

    The pressure was intense for the four Sunday stages, which featured 74km of action. The long stages meant that drivers would have to push and keep their concentration over a long period of time.

    Ending the rally was a 22.88km Markby test meaning that the rally was wide open to the end.
    Lindholm was supreme never relinquishing his lead in his quest to win the Championship.

    The Team MRF Tyres Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo was exceptional with the entire team operating without mistakes.

    The 2021 Finnish Rally Championship was the first full season for Team MRF Tyres in Finland, one of the most competitive Championships in the world. Having to consider that Finland and rallying are almost synonymous and the best of the best compete here.

    After starting the European Rally Championship in 2020, the team has expanded to rally in Finland and in Italy with great success.

    To be able to rally at the front, winning rallies and now Championship’s against the best drivers, teams and suppliers in the world is a testament to the hard work and dedication of every member of Team MRF Tyres.

    The Team has worked tirelessly to develop the tyres and create a product that can compete at the front day in-day out. This Championship success was made possible by that effort.

    While Lindholm celebrates his Championship success, Team MRF Tyres will be back on stage next weekend in the FIA European Rally Championship’s Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras with Dani Sordo and Simone Campedelli at the wheel.

    Quotes
    Emil Lindholm, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo (Champion)

    “It is a great feeling. We’ve been waiting for this. I’m smiling all the time! It is a great reward for the work at Team MRF Tyres.”

    “This year I’ve better understood what it takes as a rally sport. Knowing how to drive basic times is just not enough. After all, rally is also a tactical sport. Every result and stage time doesn’t just affect your drive but also the performance of others. I’ve learned to think of rally as a whole.”

    “The Finnish Championship is the most respected one in the world of national rally series. In order to survive in Finland, a tyre manufacturer is required to know-how from a quite wide area: snow, ice and composition from different gravel roads. Tyres need to work in Finland in different circumstances. I have to say a big thanks and a big congratulations to Team MRF Tyres. I can say that MRF Tyres did great in meeting challenges.”