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Redding heads historic Ducati 1-2-3 in epic wet race
A late surge from Scott Redding allowed him to take victory while Axel Bassani took his first World Championship podium
Catalunya, 18 Sept 2021: A pre-race rain downpour provided the perfect recipe for Race 1 at the Hyundai N Catalunya Round as Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) put in a late surge for victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) claiming his first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship podium, as the fight for the Championship took yet another twist in Spain.
At the start of the race, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) found himself down in tenth at the first timing point but battled his way back to the lead after Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK), who was forced to retire from the lead of the race on Lap 15 with a technical issue. The final results mean Rea has a six-point advantage over Razgatlioglu in the Championship standings.
As Rea pulled away at the front, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) battled his way to the front and fought with Razgatlioglu in the first half of the race before the pair closed the gap to Rea while battling. Eventually they bought found their way past the six-time Champion before Bassani took the lead when Razgatlioglu pulled over with the technical issue. As the 20-lap race progressed, the two factory Ducati riders of Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) found pace.
In the closing stages, Redding passed teammate Rinaldi for second before making a move on the Independent Ducati of Bassani for the lead with a handful of laps to go as he claimed the lead of the race, ahead of Bassani and Rinaldi who secured Ducati’s first 1-2-3 finish since Assen 2012. -
Ruhaan Alva clinches Senior title with a round to spare: X30
Bengaluru, 17 Sept. 2021: Ruhaan Alva clinched the Senior National Championship in his debut with 5 races to spare as he continued his domination in the Meco FMSCI Indian National Karting Championship X30 Class at Meco Kartopia on Friday. Ruhaan also won the Junior National title before graduating to Seniors.
In the Cadet Class, the baby of the grid at 9 years, Arafath Sheikh, the 4th class student of Bishop School, Pune won two races but Nikhilesh Raju kept himself in the lead, also winning two races and bagging two second-place podiums. With equal points in the this penultimate round, Nikhilesh extended his lead to 25-points going into the final round and needs to win at least two races or just play cool as a second place in all the four races is good enough to seal him the Cadet Championship. “But I want to win the races and I will go for it,” said the 11-year Bengaluru student of Vibgyor School.
The 15-year Ruhaan faced no challenge from the depleted field and got so bored that he ‘deliberately’ fell back in the last race, at the start, and had some fun overtaking and winning the inconsequential final race of Round 4, the penultimate round. For the lanky teenager who came into the day with 113 points, bagged all the first three races to post an unbeatable 143 on board at that stage. With five races and 50 points to fight for, another Bengaluru karter Nigel Abraham Thomas had only 90 points in second place.
Due to COVID19, among other reasons, the Grids have taken a toss this year but Ruhaan continued with dedication with an eye to graduate into Formula cars and tested waters at the Meco Formula Junior races (FJRS) in Coimbatore this year. With the MMSC fmsci Racing Nationals beckoning, the youngster who gained experience in Europe at an young age of 11, will shift focus to single seaters and gain the much-needed seat time before going for the F4 Championship in 2022.
Saturday will be the D Day for the Juniors, with four races of the final round on cards, and the Junior championship wide open with both local lad Rohaan Madesh and Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati gunning for the gold.
Round 4 X30 Provisional Results (At 1.2km Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru)
Cadet Class: (All 10 laps – Grid 6)
Race 3: 1. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:41.642); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:41.720); 3. #2 Vedha Vishnu (Gujarat) (10:59.814); 4. #7 Rohaan Reddy (Gujarat) 11:03.567; 5. #1 Zarah Mishra (11:08.074); 6. #3 Anuj A (Madurai) (11:09.592); Fastest lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:02.922;
Race 4: 1. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:35.079); 2. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:47.254); 3. #2 Vedha Vishnu (Gujarat) (10:50.282) 4. #3 Anuj A (Madurai) (11:00.300); 5. #7 Rohaan Reddy (Gujarat) (11:00.747); 6. #1 Zaarah Misra (Bengaluru) (11:06.341); Fastest Lap: 1:02.921 by Arafath.
Senior Class: (All 15 laps – Grid 5)
Race 1: 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:22.589); 2. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) (14:29.291); 3. #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14: 30.304); 4. #32 Tarun M (Mumbai) (14:33.311); 5. Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (15:04.763). Best lap: Ruhaan 56.605sec.
Race 2: 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:35.117); 2. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) (15:02.725); DNF: Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (9:11.327 -9 laps); #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (1:47.323 -1 lap); #32 Tarun M (Mumbai) (1.269 DNF before completing one lap); Best lap: Ruhaan 56.974.
Race 3: 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:19.883); 2. #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14: 24.039); 3. #32 Tarun M (Mumbai) (14:29.388); 4. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) (14:34.113); 5. Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (14:41.539). Best lap: Ruhaan 56.555sec.
Race 4: 1. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:18.474); 2. #25 Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14: 19.938); 3. #32 Tarun M (Mumbai) (14:25.993); 4. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) (14:33.528); 5. Vidyali Reddy (Bengaluru) (14:34.710). Best lap: Ruhaan 56.667sec.
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Viñales pips Mir to the top on mixed Day 1 at Misano
Aprilia lead the way in FP1 before rain affects play, with the reigning Champion extremely hot on their heels
Misano, 17 Sept. 2021: Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) made some headlines when he first tested the RS-GP at Misano and on Day 1 at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini he made a few more. The number 12 was quickest out the blocks in FP1 before the rain came down in the final few minutes, and with conditions remaining damp in FP2 he remains the fastest on Friday. Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was in close attendance, however, 0.080 off the top as he prepares to make his 100th Grand Prix start on Sunday, with MotorLand winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) starting his home GP in third.
FP1
Viñales was hovering third in FP1 before the number 12 pulled the pin further and went top, and with only just over 10 minutes left of the opening session, the rain then came down in droves. That put paid to that for the rest, and the Spaniard’s 1:32.666 was enough for him to take the honours, 0.080 clear of Mir and just under a tenth and a half ahead of Bagnaia.Bagnaia was the first in a Borgo Panigale 3-4 as Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) was less than half a tenth off the number 63, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) finding some speed on Friday to complete the top five.
Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) was sixth and the number 44 was one of a few who headed out after the heavens opened, along with teammate and eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez and the two Suzukis.
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P7 in FP1, ahead of HRC test rider and wildcard Stefan Bradl, who reportedly has some chassis comparing to do. Marc Marquez was ninth, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completing the top ten.
On his return following knee surgery, Franco Morbidelli put his new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP machine into P16, only just over half a second off new – and former – teammate Quartararo. Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha SRT), meanwhile, eased into it with a best of a 1:35.211 on his return to the grid and to Yamaha.
There were no crashes in the morning.
FP2
The afternoon was wet, wet, damp and it was Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) who rose to the fore. The Frenchman topped the timesheets after having taken P11 in FP1, and he had a huge half-second margin in hand over Bagnaia in P2. Miller was his teammate’s shadow once again, the Australian 0.069 in further arrears.Mir had a solid showing, with laptimes hovering around ten seconds off those set in FP1, and the number 36 slotted it into fourth. Marc Marquez was just 0.011 further behind, and the number 93 had a good three tenths to spare ahead of Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the Portuguese rider leapt into the limelight in FP2.
Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) was next up on the second KTM, 0.095 further back, and the Italian had a bigger gap back to Aleix Espargaro.
Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) put in a solid session on the timesheets but the Spaniard also suffered a big highside at Turn 1, rider ok but a little bruised. Rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) was the only other faller, down at Turn 2.
Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) completed the damp-affected FP2, just pipping Rins.
Combined timesheets
FP1 is the same as the combined timesheets after the weather came down, so it’s some interesting reading from the so-far slightly limited running. Viñales and Aprilia grab the headlines, and with the venue one where the number 12 holds the all-time lap record, the RS-GP has tested and where Viñales has tested the RS-GP, it will be interesting to see what happens if the sun returns…Mir’s strong start in both sessions sends a good warning shot as he arrives fresh from the podium, and Bagnaia’s continued pace, on the back of his first win, likewise. The Italian also had some serious speed at Misano last season…
Miller will want to turn the tables on his teammate on Saturday as he’s fourth, with Rins back in the top five after a tougher Aragon GP outside the top ten on race day. Pol Espargaro is top Honda and pipped Quartararo to sixth by just 0.005, although the Championship leader will surely have more in the locker at a venue Yamaha have dominated eight times.
Bradl impressed to pip Marc Marquez, and Aleix Espargaro is the final rider set to move through to Q2 as it stands. For some, there could be a rain dance for FP3 as they look to move through, but with the weather changing quickly it’s anyone’s guess.
Morbidelli and Dovizioso will definitely want dry skies as they settle in, and FP3 will reveal all at 9:55 (GMT +2). Qualifying then start from 14:10, with the grid for a pivotal race in the title fight sure to prove hard-fought.
MotoGP – Friday’s top-5
1 Maverick Viñales* – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia – 1’32.666
2 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +0.080
3 Francesco Bagnaia – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.135
4 Jack Miller – Ducati Lenovo Team – Ducati – +0.193
5 Alex Rins – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +0.219*Independent Team rider
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Razgatlioglu dazzles to head Rea on combined times after Catalunya Day 1
The title duel has come alive once more as Razgatlioglu pipped Rea, with the two enjoying a small margin over the rest of the field, led by Michael Ruben Rinaldi
Barcelona, 18 Sept. 2021: The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is well underway as day one at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the Hyundai N Catalunya Round comes to a close. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was in mighty form once more and topped the overall times from title rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), as the next chapter of their fierce rivalry awaits in Barcelona this weekend.
IT’S HAPPENING: Razgatlioglu leads Rea
Toprak Razgatlioglu was in good form again, with the Turkish rider on the pace from the start. The Championship leader was second in the morning session before topping the afternoon’s FP2, putting in a strong run at the end which saw him dip into the low 1’42s. As for Andrea Locatelli, the Italian was also showing his strengths, having been fifth in FP1 before leading FP2’s opening half of the session. Working together with slightly different tyres before swapping over, Toprak and Andrea worked together as they looked to settle into their rhythm, showcasing Yamaha’s strengths to have both riders help each other to make the ultimate race package. Within the final ten minutes, Locatelli crashed at the final corner, the bike tumbled through the gravel. He was OK and, on his feet, finishing fifth overall.
Leading the way in FP1, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) had a very strong opening day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the reigning six-time World Champion giving his team something to cheer about at their home round. The Ulsterman did an impressive run during the middle part of the session and was running second for most of it, holding it on the overall timesheets but only fourth in FP2, suffering a Turn 10 run-off too on his final cool-down lap. Teammate Alex Lowes was also showing well, up finishing seventh in FP2 and in sixth overall.
DUCATI, BMW AND HONDA CHALLENGE: it’s close at the front…
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was formidable in the afternoon, running second for almost the entirety of the session. Having been top Ducati in the morning, Rinaldi’s pace translated into FP2 and as the chequered flag dropped on Friday, he concluded it in third and was once more, top Ducati. Having struggled away in the opening session, teammate Scott Redding was back inside the top five for the first part of FP2. Redding’s first session saw him down in 13th but bouncing back and setting his fastest time of the weekend in the afternoon almost immediately, finishing eighth.
It was a mixed day for BMW and Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), with the British rider third in FP1 before crashing in the opening phase of the afternoon’s FP2. Tucking the front at Turn 5 and with the bike bouncing through the gravel, Sykes returned to the track in the final ten minutes and almost immediately, was on the pace he demonstrated in the morning session. Teammate Michael van der Mark was having a consistent day, lapping within a second of the leading riders but remained in eighth going into Saturday, whilst Sykes was fourth overall.
Flying the Honda flag, Leon Haslam (Team HRC) finished in eighth place with a flying lap right at the end of the afternoon’s session, putting him seventh overall. Haslam, having been sixth in the morning, is a firm fixture inside the top ten. It was a mixed day for Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) with the Spanish rider popping into the top ten in the afternoon session, before crashing at the final corner in the closing stages. Tucking the front early on in the corner, Bautista barreled through the gravel before hobbling to the barriers. He was ninth come the end of FP2, but eleventh on the combined times.
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Big-time Motorsport returns to Kolkata with 2w Sprint Rally Nationals
Kolkata, 17 Sept. 2021: Two-wheeler rally returns to the City of Joy after a gap of 18 years with the MotorsportsInc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2021 for two-wheelers set for the two-day East Zone qualifiers in the mixed-tarmac and murram dirt terrain of the jungles in Bardhaman district, about 180 km, from here on Saturday and Sunday. The South Zone rounds were held in August and two more rounds in North and West Zone would culminate in the Grand Finale at Goa from November 6 to 7.
Locals stalwarts Vishal Das, Uday Ganguli and Jayaraj will spearhead the competition with the `Flying Lady’ Buli Nath providing the North-East edge with a bevy of young riders and fans descending from Assam. A veteran of 20 years riding in different disciplines of motorsports including Desert Storm, the 42-year young Vishal Das, is a Stock class winner of the Holy Grail, the Raid de Himalaya, blazing his KTM390 on the dangerous terrain when it was last held in 2018. Uday Ganguli is also a popular name in these parts with his motorsports exploits being second to none. He too has taken part in cross country rallies and other disciplines including Desert Storm. “These veterans will be challenged by a host of youngsters, some of whom have high skills but no platform to showcase their talent and have to travel to north or south of the country. Many of them will ride in multiple classes with a handful of bikes in the special stage which is closed to road traffic, said Sandeep Sardar, who received 72 entries as Treasurer of BMSC.
“It is our endeavour to bring back the popular sport to the riding fraternity of Kolkata and North East region. We are organising this with strict respect to all the COVID protocols and it is a good chance for riders to win medals at the National level again,” said Jaidas Menon of Motorsports INC, the promoter and the brain behind the concept of Sprint. Menon has multiple INRC wins as navigator in four-wheelers and now runs the Dakshin Dare and the Sprint Nationals.
File photo of veteran rider Vishal Das, who has over 20 years of experience in various disciplines of motorsports including victories in big events like Raid de Himalaya and Desert Storm, not to mention the 2-wheeler Indian National Rally Championship. INDIAinF1 photo by arrangement. Organised by Bengal Motorsports Club and promoted by Motorsports INC, the Federation of Motor Sports Club Sprint Nationals for 2w stage rally is a recent concept on the lines of T20 cricket to provide a thrilling shorter version where an 8-km stage is run twice, once in the forward direction on Saturday and once in the reverse direction on Sunday. The top-five qualifiers in each of the 9 classes will make it to the Finals in Goa. The sponsorship from Hero Moto Corp has not only helped their two star riders Yuva and Satyaraj from Bengaluru take part and provide the impetus to motorsports in East and North-East but also to bring back a big-ticket event to this region with the Kavi Guru rally being the last held here 2019 by BMSC.
Overnight rains can make the red murram slushy and interesting for the 10 classes which will showcase a plethora of machines, in the picturesque forest backdrop, with Group A upto 600cc class for motocross tuned bikes and the Open Class upto 600cc class being the feature events. The scooter class, Bullet class among the ten categories add spice as they provide intense competition and the response is overwhelming with over 70 entries expected to fight for honours. The presence of Buli Nath adds spice to the ladies event as the `Flying Lady’ from Assam coming to the Sprint Nationals within two months of delivering a baby had inspired a few other bikers from Assam to take part.
“To bring rich-man’s sport to the commoners, the Bengal Motor Sports Club was born in 1998 and is taking the initiative to organise the Sprint Rally Nationals. The club regularly runs events and has a team of motorsports enthusiasts and veterans who volunteer to maintain high standards while running the events, said Pratim Chowdhury, Secretary of BMSC. The Rally Headquarters will be at the Deul Park Eco Resort, near Durgapur, and the terrain is famous for the INRC four-wheeler round, last held in 2011.
The 2w Sprint Rally Nationals is one of the 10 different motorsports disciplines that were given the National Championship status by the FMSCI and nine National Champions for 2021 will emerge after the final round.
Championship classes: Class 1. Group A upto 600cc (Foreign bikes only) 2. Group B upto 130cc 3. Group B 131cc to 165cc 4. Group B 166cc to 260cc 5. Group B 261cc to 400cc 6. Group D upto 260cc 7. Scooter Class 8. Bullet Class 9. Open Class upto 600cc.
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Arjun Maini raring to go at Assen: DTM Series
Assen (The Netherlands), 17 Sept. 2021: Mercedes-AMG DTM star Arjun Maini is set to take part in the sixth round of the DTM championship at the Assen race track in Holland.
The Omega Seiki and J.K.Tyre backed driver has had a renaissance of sorts with the Indian turning a torrid run of luck into consistent points finishes over the course of the past two rounds. Coming off his best ever weekend in Germany’s premier racing series, with a sixth and seventh-place finish in Austria marking his best-ever return in the DTM Championship, Maini is filled with confidence as he looks to climb up the championship ladder.
The Assen race circuit will represent a unique challenge to the Indian as he has never raced competitively on the track.“While I haven’t raced competitively at the Assen race circuit, I do have testing experience at the track,” Maini stated.
“The last two weekends have been positive in terms of overall results and I’m confident about my chances heading into the weekend. It’s important to note that this is GetSpeed’s first year racing in DTM too, which means we don’t have too much data to draw from heading into the weekend.
“That being said, we have worked tirelessly to address our lack of experience at certain race circuits and I think we have made good progress through the season especially after hitting our nadir at Zolder.”
Having secured consecutive points finishes for the first time, Maini’s next objective will be a podium finish. While the competitive nature of the DTM championship makes this a lofty goal, the Indian’s consistent improvement and raw pace over the course of the season provides cause for hope, especially if his race strategy is executed to perfection.
The sessions can be watched on https://www.youtube.com/user/autocarindia1, with Race 1 taking place on September 18, and Race two flagging off on September 19. -
Jaden takes Round 4 honours in Junior class; Rohaan leads title fight with stunning Race 4 win
Bengaluru, 16 Sept. 2021: Talented Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati took the day’s honours and topped Round 4 as he pipped Rohaan Madesh by two points on Thursday but the Bengaluru school student took a fantastic victory in the final race today to take the fight into the final round and kept the lead in the Junior Championship table after four rounds in the Meco fmsci Indian National Karting Championship X30 Class which is poised for an interesting battle finale in the fifth and final round at Meco Kartopia on Saturday.
On Thursday, two races were also held in the Cadet class and championship leader Nikhilesh Raju and challenger Arafath Sheikh shared a race win each. The other two races of the penultimate Round 4 will be held on Friday, before the fifth and final round on Saturday and Sunday. All the four races of Juniors will decide the title on Saturday, while the Senior section final four races will be on Sunday.
Jaden, congratulated his rival after Rohaan posted a stunning win in Race 4, the last race of the day, after playing a wait-and-watch game, which was very much unlike his style. Through the day, with four races on the menu for the fourth round in Junior section, the talented duo fought tooth and nail displaying some fierce competition on the track. Rohaan, who is leading the championship, won the first race after starting on pole, but had to start P6 in the reverse order grid for Race 2 and retrieved 7 points with a second place as Jaden made no mistake and kept his position intact despite fortunes fluctuating either way for the 12-lap race. Ishaan, the younger of the Madesh brothers, who was leading second in the points table before the start of Round 4, did well to take the third place on the podium in Race 1.
With honours even, in the first two races, the top-three who all have a chance to go at the title, pushed the title fight into the final round with Jaden bagging Race 3. In the second corner of the first lap, Bengaluru karter Abhay M made contact, and both the Rohaan brothers spun and suffered loss of positions but with Abhay getting a 10-second penalty for “avoidable collision” Rohaan, managed a fourth place but lost two valuable points in the process.
File photo of Jaden R Pariat at the Meco Kartopia track. Photo by Shajahan In Race 4, Jaden by virtue of his second best time in the qualifier, took the pole and Rohaan started on P2 but played a brilliant game, patiently driving a consistent race for almost ten laps before overtaking ahead of the blind left and managed to keep at bay, a marauding Jaden to retrieve a victory and 10 points. Going into the final round on Saturday, both Jaden and Rohaan will be fighting for the title, with Ishaan Madesh eyeing for a rare outside chance.
Jaden clocked the fastest lap of the day posting a 56.506 to pip Rohaan (56.514) both in Race 4 for the Driver of the day honours on the 1.2km Meco Kartopia tarmac. With four races and 40 points on offer, Rohan is ahead by five points at 114 while Jaden has 109 points. Ishaan slipped to third place and has 96 points after four rounds.
“”Despite all the fight, it was a very good race, so I felt I have to congratulate him,” said a sportive Jaden, who wants to go with a clean mind and focus on the qualifying session. “I will take it race by race rather than think too much about the championship.” he added. “I am confident and well prepared for the final round and am eagerly looking forward to clinch the title,” said Rohaan.
Clerk of the Course and young open-wheel formula racer Sandeep Kumar, has been doing a professional job attracting some kind comments from the parents, and his words of caution in the drivers’ briefing stressing the safety aspects at the beginning of the week-end double-header, keeping in mind the incident in Round 3, seems to have brought some sanity at the track. Despite less number of karters, the intense competition has made the job of stewards tough, as usual, and Sanjeev Shah too had a word of advice to the young racers and their parents along with Pandey and Chidanand, the FMSCI Stewards. “Yes it has been a difficult two days and the parents’ peer-pressure makes it more difficult for the young drivers. We are only trying to make it an even-playing field and safe and intense racing for all with due respect to rules and safety,” said Shah, the former rallyist and current Hon. Secretary of Karnataka Motor Sports Club.
Round 4 (At 1.2km Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru)
Cadet Class:
Race 1 (10 laps): 1. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (11:12.669); 2. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (11:14.490); 3. #2 Vedha Vishnu (Gujarat) (11:26.755) 4. #3 Anuj A (Madurai) (11:33.753); 5. #7 Rohaan Reddy (Gujarat) 11:43.738; 6. #1 Zarah Mishra (11:15.476 lapped)
Fastest lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.307; Grid 6 karters.
Race 2 (10 laps): 1. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:44.070); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:55.877); 3. #3 Anuj A (Madurai) (10:56.214); 4. #1 Zaarah Misra (Bengaluru) (11:09.769); 5. #2 Vedha Vishnu (Gujarat) (11:20.298) 6. #7 Rohaan Reddy (Gujarat) (11:40.651 including 10-sec penalty). Fastest Lap: 1:03.190 by Arafath Sheikh. Grid 6 karters.
Junior Class
Race 1 (12 laps): 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:29.203); 2. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:29.706); 3. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:32.336); 4. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:39.308); 5. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (11:41.020).
Fastest lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.777. Grid: 10.
Race 2 (12 laps): 1. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (12:00.062); 2. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:06.107); 3. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (12:06.220); 4. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (12:06.690); 5. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (12:07.252); 6. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:09.806 including 3-sec penalty for false start);
Fastest lap: Jaden R Pariat 56.563. Grid: 10.
Race 3 (12 laps): 1. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:26.489); 2. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:30.846); 3. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:32.354); 4. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:33.803); 5. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:34.651);
Fastest lap: Jaden R Pariat 56.643. Grid: 10.
Race 4 (12 laps): 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:30.530); 2. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:30.592); 3. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:32.287); 4. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:32.731); 5. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) ( 11:33.854).
Fastest Lap: Jaden R Pariat 56.506. Grid: Ten karters.
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An island adventure for Team MRF Tyres in the ERC
San Miguel (Portugal), 16 Sept. 2021: Team MRF Tyres returns to the FIA European Rally Championship as the second half of the season gets underway with the Azores Rallye held in the Portuguese island of San Miguel.
WRC ace and multiple winner, Dani Sordo joins the team as the aggressive development push continues.
Cándido Carrera will sit beside Sordo in the MRF Tyres Hyundai i20 R5 for the first of the Portuguese rounds that takes place on the Azores archipelago, some two hours flying time off the Portuguese mainland.
The Azores Rallye sees the Championship return to gravel, and with the volcanic nature of the island, the surface will present a unique challenge to the crews.
With 13 stages and 201km of competitive action, the crews will face a series of long stages. To complicate matters, the weather on the Azores is notoriously fickle, where rain and fog can come and go at a moment’s notice.
The rally commences on Thursday with free practice and qualifying with a blast around the 3.12km Lagoa test, which will help determine the starting order for the Friday stages.
Friday takes the crews into the forest on the east of the island where the crews will face six stages and 111.90km of competitive action.
The drivers will have to concentrate from the first kilometres as a 24.03 km Graminhais test starts the rally. Immediately, the 21.89km Tronqueira 1 stage follows before the 15.96km Lagoa de São Brás completes the leg.
The first two stages are repeated in the afternoon loop but the final stage of the day is a run around the spectator super special stage of Grupo Marques.
Saturday is the final day of the 55th Azores Rallye and sees seven stages and 88.84km of competitive action. The day starts to the north of the Ponta Delgada service park with the 11.40km Coroa da Mata stage.
Feteiras follows at 7.46km before the legendary 24.01km Sete Cidades stage takes the crews around the edge of the volcano on the east of the island. A second run around the spectator super special stage ends the loop.
The final three stages are a repeat of the morning’s three stages, meaning that the rally will end on the spectacular Sete Cidades stage. Ending the rally on a 24.01km stage means that concentration is needed to the final metres.
Team MRF Tyres along with Sordo and Carrera will be looking for important data on this unique surface.
Fans on the Azores can spectate in a Covid-19 safe manor and those at home can follow each stage live on FIA ERC radio (www.fiaerc.com/live-radio).The pre-event press conference will be live-streamed on Thursday. Stages two and five will be streamed on Friday and stages nine and 13 will be streamed on Saturday. The FIA ERC will host their live streams on Facebook and YouTube.
You can follow Team MRF Tyres throughout the rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Quotes
Dani Sordo, Driver, Hyundai i20 R5“It is the first time that I am in the Azores and the first time I am with MRF Tyres. I have to say it looks amazing. I was happy with the conditions in testing and the MRF Tyres worked well.”
“I am happy to be here to help develop the tyres. They have a lot of potential and running here this weekend will gain a lot of data for the development.”
“Primarily we are here to develop the tyre but we also want to fight for a good result. I am looking forward to starting the rally.”
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Title protagonists collide and retire; Ricciardo rewarded
Daniel Ricciardo achieved his 8th career victory- his first since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, as Lando Norris finished in P2 to give McLaren their first 1-2 finish since 2012. Valtteri Bottas put in a sterling drive as he recovered to P3 from starting P19.
New Delhi, 13 Sept. 2021: Daniel Ricciardo claimed a dramatic victory ahead of teammate Lando Norris, in a race which saw title protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collide and retire from the Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas did a solid recovery as he rounded out the podium, helping Mercedes extend their lead in the constructor’s championship over Red Bull. 2019 Italian GP winner Charles Leclerc finished in P4 as the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez had to settle for P5 due to a 5-second time penalty given for illegally overtaking the Monegasque. Carlos Sainz finished P6 to give home favorites Ferrari a double points finish ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in P7 and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in P8. Williams’ George Russell crossed the line in P9- scoring points in the last three out of the four races, and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10.
Nicholas Latifi missed out on points as he finished P11 ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi failed to convert a top 10 start into points finish in consecutive races as he managed P13. Stand in teammate Robert Kubica was P14 and Mick Schumacher of Haas was the last finisher in P15. Both AlphaTauri’s of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda did not figure in the race as the Frenchman retired on lap 3 and the rookie Japanese failed to start due to a problem with the braking system. Nikita Mazepin retired on lap 41.
Valterri Bottas, 3rd place, pats Ricciardo on his win on Sunday. McLaren photo Ricciardo got a superior launch off the line compared to Verstappen as the Australian was starting on the front row for the first time since the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix. Ricciardo assumed the lead of the race, meanwhile Hamilton starting P4- one place behind Norris, got superior traction exiting the first chicane and was already on the gearbox of Verstappen challenging for P2. Both title protagonists were side by side going into the second chicane, with the Dutchman on the inside. With not enough space to overtake on the outside Hamilton had to take the curbs ultimately falling back to P4 again behind Norris.
Meanwhile in the midfield, Leclerc maintained P5, with Giovinazzi wildly attempting to pass the Ferrari, then joining the track dangerously as the Ferrari of Sainz tagged the Italian spinning him due to which he lost his front wing. Giovinazzi duly got handed a 5 second time penalty.
Both McLarens held positions in the lead- courtesy of Ricciardo and Norris holding P3 ahead of fellow Brit Hamilton with both Mercedes and Red Bull unable to pass them. Behind them was Leclerc, Perez, Sainz, Stroll, Alonso and Latifi who completed the top 10.
For the leaders tyre performance started dropping on the medium tyres, the exception being Hamilton who started on the hard tyres and could go longer in the race. Ricciardo pitted on lap 22 for hard tyres, trying to avoid an undercut by Red Bull and Verstappen. The Dutchman followed suit one lap later, but a uncharacteristically slow stop by Red Bull meant he was stationary for 11.1s. Meanwhile, Hamilton passed Norris into the second chicane to assume the lead.
Mercedes saw an opportunity to capitalise on Verstappen’s slow pitstop and pitted Hamilton for Medium tyres. Hamilton too had a slightly slow pitstop of 4.2s. This meant Hamilton exited the pits just ahead of Verstappen. As they went into turn 1, the Red Bull was partially alongside Mercedes, but the gap closed going into turn 2. With Verstappen not backing out and there not being enough space for 2 cars, the RB16B hopped on the curbs and ended up on top of Hamilton’s W12, taking both drivers instantly out of the grand prix. Thankfully no one was hurt as the Halo once again highlighted its importance by protecting Hamilton’s head from the rear right tyre of Verstappen’s car.
A safety car was brought to recover the stricken cars with Leclerc, Perez and Bottas being able to pit under safety car and benefitting from it, particularly Leclerc who was now in P2 ahead of Norris.
As racing got underway, Ricciardo had the perfect restart as he led the race. Norris put a daring move on Leclerc, dipping a wheel off track and overtaking the Ferrari car. Behind Perez too got past Leclerc, but in the process cut the second chicane and did not concede back the position, as a result earning a 5 second time penalty. Bottas overtook Leclerc as well.
Both McLarens held a 1-2 position for the team, while Perez was running in P3 and hot on his tail was Bottas running in P4. Even though Bottas had superior pace he was unable to overtake, though earning a podium due to Perez’s penalty. Bu the day belonged to Ricciardo and McLaren as he looked to overcome his early season struggles and take a memorable win and 1-2 for the team, incidentally first 1-2 of the season for any team this year.
Mercedes clearly had the dominant car in both qualifying and race trim. The silver arrows locked out the front row in qualifying and Bottas comfortably won the sprint race. This was a race of what could have been as mistakes from Hamilton meant he was unable to capitalise on the W12’s pace advantage, while the coming together of him and Verstappen meant neither could score points. Neither did Red Bull have the pace to challenge Mercedes especially in qualifying nor were they operationally smooth this weekend as bad starts and slow pitstop meant Verstappen’s chances for victory were all but over. Perez too had a dismal qualifying and his mistake meant Red Bull still have not appeared on a Monza podium in the turbo-hybrid era.
McLaren were best of the rest and a step ahead of their immediate rivals Ferrari. They may not have had the raw pace to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull, but once they got ahead, they had enough in hand to not be overtaken by the top two teams. This was down to two reason, first being McLaren had good top end speed owing to the Mercedes power unit and second Monza track characteristics are such that it is difficult to overtake cars. Ferrari had a much better result compared to last year as both cars finished in the top 6. This race showed they have made gains in the power unit department. Yet, they lost ground to McLaren due to them getting a 1-2 finish. AlphaTauri had the worst weekend of the season as both cars were out by lap 3 of the race. They were the only team this season to score points in all races. They were arguably faster in qualifying, as Gasly qualified ahead of the Ferrari’s but attrition and unreliability striking to some components meant they scored nil.
Alpine achieved another double points finish but admittedly lacked the pace to challenge for higher points. Their race pace competitive but struggled in qualifying as they were knocked out in Q2. Aston Martin had predicted Monza to be a struggle as the Silverstone based team had not developed a Monza specification aerodynamic package and carried too much drag on their car. Even so, an impressive result for Stroll who finished P7 and maximised the potential of the car. Williams struggled in qualifying as Russell barely made it out of Q1 and Latifi was knocked out. Their race pace was on the better side but the midfield being so tight, only Russell managed P9 while Latifi finished just outside the top 10 in P11.
Alfa Romeo showed impressive qualifying pace in the hands of Giovinazzi as he made it to Q3. They were unable to capitalise in the race as the Italian got spun on the first lap and Kubica- who stood in for the ill Kimi Raikkonen- is still yet to get completely comfortable with the car. Haas teammates Mazepin and Schumacher once again came together on track and the chance for scoring any points this year looks bleak.
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Double delight for Team MRF Tyres: Italian Gravel Rally
Chennai, 12 Sept 2021: Team MRF Tyres secured second and third places on the podium as MRF Tyres also won the Female Championship in the Italian Gravel Rally Championship (CIRT).
Team MRF Tyres continued its podium winning form in the Italian Gravel Rally Championship (CIRT) and the Rally dei Nuraghi e del Vermentino. The fifth round of the CIRT saw seven stages and 68.08km of competitive action with Paolo Andreucci/Rudy Briani in their Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, Simone Campedelli/Gianfrancesco Rappa in their VW Polo GTi R5 and Tamara Molinaro/Piercarlo Capolongo in their Citroën C3 Rally2 propelling Team MRF Tyres to podium finishes.
Going into the rally, the team was in a strong position after winning the previous round and had high expectations of a good result and gathering important tyre data.
The rally started well for Team MRF Tyres with the first two stages, Telti being run twice on Friday night. Campedelli/Rappa had won SS2, while Andreucci/Briani were equal leaders of the rally at the end of the day. Saturday had the bulk of the competitive action and the fight was intense.
Podium for Andreucci Paolo, left, and Briani Rudi, of Team MRF Tyres. Photo: INDIAinF1.com Andreucci/Briani pushed hard, winning SS4 Oschiri 1 and SS7 Monte Olia 3. Throughout the rally, they were inside the top three on every stage, ensuring they were in the mix. Campedelli/Rappa were also putting in a strong performance winning SS3 Monte Olia 1 and finishing second on the rest of the day’s stages.
These performances ensured that the gaps at the top of the timesheets were tight. Going into the final stage, the top three were separated by less than 10 seconds with Team MRF Tyres drivers fighting hard with Umberto Scandola/Danilo Fappani.
By the end of SS7, the final stage of the rally, Team MRF Tyres drivers fought to within 3.5 seconds of the win, with the top three being separated by incredibly small margins.
A technical problem for Campedelli/Rappa after the final stage saw them check-in to a time control late, taking a 20-second penalty in the process. However, the podium success for Team MRF Tyres could not be denied with Andreucci/Briani taking second and Campedelli/Rappa finishing third.
Paolo Andreucci, Driver, Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, “It was a great rally and I am happy to be able to take a podium position with Team MRF Tyres. The car worked well throughout the rally and we were always at the front. “We were able to take another podium position and get more data for the tyres. Thanks to the team for the weekend and I am looking forward to the final round of the season.”
Meanwhile, Molinaro/Capolongo ran a strong rally in their Citroën, maintaining their 100 percent winning form in the Female category. The result allowed the pair to take home the Female Championship, one round before the end of the season. Bringing the car home on every stage with consistent pace, they were able to finish inside the top 10 in the CIRT and, in addition, took fourth position in the Under 25 category. Tamara Molinaro, Driver, Citroën C3 Rally2, said “We had some technical issues during the rally so we lost time with that. It was a challenging rally but we gained a lot of experience and won the Female Championship with one rally to spare so that is fantastic. A big thanks must go to MRF Tyres this year as well! The tyres worked well through the rally and allowed us to get this result.”
One round remains in the CIRT with the 12th Liburna Terra Rally taking place on 5-6 November. Team MRF Tyres will be in action again this week with the fifth round of the 2021 FIA European Rally Championship as Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera join Team MRF Tyres to drive the Hyundai i20 R5 in the Azores Rallye.
