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Arindam Ghosh elected fmsci president
Chennai, 25 Sept. 2024: Former rally driver and K1000 winner, Arindam Ghosh of Ramakrishna Race Performance Private Limited, Kolkata, is elected as the president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) at the Annual General Body Meeting and election of the office bearers held here at a private hotel on Wednesday.
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India convened its 51st Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 25th September 2024 here at Chennai. There were a total of 17 Clubs which were eligible to vote and 15 Clubs were eligible to contest and vote based on the Criteria of Performance. FMSCI office bearers are elected for a term of two years. Any office bearer can only serve for a maximum of three terms (six years) as per the guidelines of the Government of India. Arindam Ghosh from Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata and Gautam Shantappa B from Karnataka Motor Sports Club, Bengaluru stood for election for President. Arindam Ghosh was elected President. In the case of Vice President, Farooq Ahmed from the Motor Sports Clubs of Chikmagalur was elected Vice President unopposed as the other candidate J Balamurugan (Spitfire Motor Sports Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore) did not get elected to the Council.Election officer lawyer Sriram declared the results and announced that Arindam was elected as President and Farooq Ahmed of Chikmagalur was elected as the Vice President.
Out of the total of 13 Clubs which contested for election to the Council, the following Councillors were elected. 1. Calcutta Motorsports Club, Kolkata: Vir Raina; 2. Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, Coimbatore: J. Prithiviraj; 3. Indian Automotive Racing Club, Mumbai: Farokh Commissariat; 4. Karnataka Motor Sports Club, Bengaluru: B. S. Gautam; 5. Madras Motor Sports Club, Chennai: Bharat Vicky Chandhok; 6. Ramakrishna Race Performance Management, Kolkata: Arindam Ghosh; 7. Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Chikkamagaluru: Khazi Farooq Ahmed; 8, Northern Motorsports, Noida: Raj Kapoor; 9. Motor Sports Association of Eastern India, Kolkata: Saurav Chatterjee; 10. Just Sportz Management Private Limited, Kolkata: Tamal Ghosh;
New office bearers of fmsci -
Bastianini wins last-lap thriller at Misano: MotoGP
Misano, 22 Sept. 2024: High drama, another title fight twist and a last-lap clash: the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna was a stunner right to the wire. On the top step after a brutal last lap lunge, Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) took Ducati’s 100th premier class win – and ensured the factory wrapped up the 2024 Constructors’ crown. He also ensures he cut his deficit to the top of the Championship, as his last lap attack was to defeat points leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
Martin may not have taken that win but he does leave with a bolstered 24-point advantage in the title fight after reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) slid out of third when on a charge to catch the duel at the front… promoting Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) to third.
Martin took the holeshot with another stellar start from the middle of the front row, but Bagnaia wrestled the lead back at Turn 2, shooting round the outside and putting the hammer down in the lead in classic style. But Martin managed to hold off Bastianini to keep second in the aftermath, and those three started to build a small gap as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) charged up, and Marc Marquez too.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the first drama in the front group as the South African crashed out, rider ok and rejoining, but ceding in the battle against Acosta and Marquez. Acosta would do the same a few laps later, rider ok but not able to rejoin.
In the meantime, there were fireworks at the front. Still with 25 laps to go, the top two in the title fight were taking the gloves off. Martin homed in and launched it, but Bagnaia cut back immediately. In the aftermath the Spaniard was nearly sandwiched between the two Ducati Lenovo machines as Bastianini also looked to try his luck, but it stayed as you were. For now…
Next lap around, Martin went for a dive up the inside at La Quercia, and this time made it stick. Bagnaia looked to respond up the inside but was forced to slot back into second and defend from Bastianini instead – and from there the reigning Champion had a few scrappy corners, sectors and laps. Bastianini got past and set off after Martin, and it seemed Bagnaia was going to have to look over his shoulder for Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) starting to reel him in.
Or maybe not? As Bastianini shadowed Martin at the front, Bagnaia started putting in the fast laps. Leaving the #93 and #72 behind, he was cutting three or four tenths off the leading duo’s advantage. Then it was Martin only as Bastianini got his own hammer down to glue back onto the Pramac… but then the #1’s dream was over in some seismic Championship drama.
After getting the gap to the front down below two seconds and then struggling to cut any more into it, there was suddenly a cloud of dust streaking into the air – and a reigning Champion in the gravel. Rider ok, but Emilia-Romagna GP over, Bagnaia was forced to watch the duel for Ducati’s 100th win from the sidelines, wondering if his deficit was going to be 24 points or 29 by the end of play.
At the front, the chess match raged on. Martin in the lead, Bastianini his shadow. With five to go, the #89 then lost every last inch of advantage as he headed slightly wide and Bastianini was almost alongside. A grandstand finish was in the making.
They stayed like that through another lap, and another, and another, and at times it looked like Martin had just been able to stretch out enough tenths to ensure he’d reach the flag without coming under attack. But Bastianini managed to find an answer every time, and onto the last lap it was almost nothing in it. But where would the move come?
The answer was Turn 4, and it was brutal. The Beast sent it, Martin had to sit up, and the #89 was sent well wide, hand in the air as Bastianini sailed away into a nice cushion of time in the lead. Controversial or decisive as it may be for some, it wasn’t so for the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards, who declined to investigate. The #23 takes a brutally-fought home win – extending his 100% MotoGP™ podium record at Misano, cutting his deficit in the title fight, and ensuring his teammate lost five less to Martin. As well as, of course, securing Ducati’s 100th MotoGP™ win and sealing that incredible sixth Constructors’ crown.
Martin was left to seethe at the move but celebrate the new 24-point advantage at the top, and Marc Marquez was bumped up to the podium after Bagnaia’s crash, another shift that has a say in those top echelons of the Championship. Just behind that, Bezzecchi took fourth, not quite able to stay with the #93 but putting in another solid weekend.
Fifth place, until the very last sector of the race, looked set to go to another stunning ride from Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™). But a late issue, reportedly running out of fuel, saw the Frenchman trying to hold on round the final corner and then forced to watch Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) pip him to the line. Quartararo nevertheless equals his and Yamaha’s best of the season so far: P7.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) completed the top ten. Next up, an impressive P11 for Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) equal’s the factory’s best so far this season, and teammate Luca Marini was in touch behind him too. They both beat Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) and a sore Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who also had a Long Lap due to track limits, with Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) completing the points scorers.
That’s a wrap on a dramatic weekend at Misano, and the paddock is already on the way to Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit for the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia. There, the battle continues for another 37 points – and there are still plenty on the table as the momentum continues to shift and the drama sets us up for a fascinating final stint.
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Lando Norris takes a comfortable win ahead of Max Verstappen: Formula 1
Singapore, 22 Sept. 2024: McLaren’s Lando Norris took a dominant win, beating Red Bull title rival Max Verstappen by more than 20 seconds as Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri takes the final podium place in the Singapore Grand Prix, the 18th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, here on Sunday.
“It was an amazing race,” said Norris after romping to his third win of the season. “A few too many close calls, I had a couple little moments in the middle, but it was well-controlled, I think, otherwise. And the car was mega, so I could push. We were flying the whole race, and yeah, at the end, I could just chill. So it was a nice race, still tough. I’m a bit out of breath, but a very fun one.”
When the lights went out at the start, Norris got away well from pole to take the lead. Verstappen also made a good start and he kept Soft-tyre starter Lewis Hamilton at bay as they went through the opening corners. Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell slotted into fourth with Piastri holding his starting fifth place despite a nervous moment in Turn 1.
The leading pair quickly began to pull away from the pack and after five laps Norris was 1.8s ahead of Verstappen, while the Dutchman had built a three-second gap back to Hamilton.
The first stint then settled into something of a procession, with only the leading pair making any real headway, and by lap 13 Norris led Verstappen by seven seconds with the Dutchman five seconds clear of Hamilton.
Hamilton broke the deadlock on lap 18, pitting to shed his starting Softs. The Mercedes driver switched to Hard tyres and dropped back to 13th. That bumped Russell up third, though the Mercedes driver was being chased by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri who was just over a second back in fourth.
The stops for the Medium tyre runners in the top 10 began with sixth-placed Fernando Alonso who switched tyres on lap 27. He was followed in by P7 Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg and then RFed Bull’s 10th-placed Sergio Pérez was called in on lap 29 as he tried to bypass Williams’ Franco Colapinto in the stops. The Mexican moved to Hard tyres and when Colapinto made his stop two laps later the undercut had paid off and Pérez found himself three seconds clear of the Argentine driver.
Eight-placed Charles Leclerc elected to stay on track, however, and initially it looked like the Ferrari’s driver’s choice of a long stint was a poor one as he struggled to make his way forward.
Verstappen made his sole stop a lap later than his team-mate and that boosted Piastri to second, though the McLaren driver had yet to pit. Norris, who locked up on fading mediums and almost hit the wall, then made his pit stop on lap 31 and he rejoined in the lead, seven seconds ahead of Piastri who was a little less than 14 clear of Verstappen.
Piastri made his stop on lap 39 and when he emerged he was fifth once again, but with a significant tyre advantage over the two Mercedes cars ahead of him. And over the following eight laps he reeled in Hamilton and Russell and climbed to third place. It also meant that Verstappen moved back to P2, though the championship leader was 23 seconds adrift of Norris.
Norris almost threw away the lead on lap 48 when he again tapped the wall, but the nervous moment seemed to galvanise the McLaren driver and he responded with a new fastest lap on the following tour.
Behind the leader, Leclerc, at lasdy benefiting from a late stop and clear air was able to close in on his rivals and after being promoted past team-mate Sainz he muscled his way past Hamilton on lap 51 to claim fifth place. The Ferrari driver then gradually reeled in Russell but there was no way past the Briton and with five laps to go the top-10 order froze.
After 62 gruelling laps, Norris took his third win of the season, with Verstappen cruising home in P2 to take his 11thpodium finish of the season. Piastri claimed third ahead of Russell and Leclerc with Hamilton taking sixth. Sainz crossed the line in seventh ahead of Alonso and Hülkenberg managed to keep Pérez at bay, with the Mexican taking the last point on offer.
Norris was denied the bonus point for fastest lap, however. RB’s Daniel Ricciardo made a late, late pit stop for Soft tyres and the Australian, whose drive is under threat, promptly went out and claimed a superb fastest lap, the 17th of his career.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix – Race
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 62 1:40’52.571
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 62 1:41’13.516 20.945
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 62 1:41’34.394 41.823
4 George Russell Mercedes 62 1:41’53.611 1’01.040
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 62 1:41’55.001 1’02.430
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 62 1:42’17.819 1’25.248
7 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 62 1:42’28.610 1’36.039
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 61 1:40’53.444 1 lap /0.873
9 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 61 1:40’55.711 1 lap /3.140
10 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 61 1:40’57.195 1 lap /4.624
11 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 61 1:40’58.855 1 lap /6.284
12 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 61 1:41’01.363 1 lap /8.792
13 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 61 1:41’36.576 1 lap /44.005
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 61 1:41’40.142 1 lap /47.571
15 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 61 1:41’49.791 1 lap /57.220
16 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 61 1:41’50.400 1 lap /57.829
17 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 61 1:41’51.630 1 lap /59.059
18 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 61 1:42’22.367 1 lap /1’29.796
19 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 57 1:36’51.906 Not running
Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 15 26’00.703 Retirement -
Gautam Shanthappa and Arindam Ghosh locked in a tight battle for fmsci president post
Chennai, 22 September 2024: President of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) Gautam Shanthappa, who is also the current vice-president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci), has filed his nomination for the post of President of the fmsci in the elections to be held during the Annual General Body Meeting to be held at Hotel Trident, here on Wednesday, the 25th of September.
Arindam Ghosh of Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Private Limited, (RRPM) Kolkata, is the only other nomination filed for the post of fmsci President which falls vacant after the incumbent Akbar Ebrahim finishes his tenure. Ghosh headed RRPM which was the INRC promoter for three years from 2013. After the last date for nominations, two nominations were received for the post of President and Vice-President.
Coimbatore’s J. Balamurugan of Spitfire Motorsports Private Limited, filed his nomination as the vice-presidential candidate while Farooq Ahmed, also filed his nomination for the post of VP against Balamurugan. Ahmed is a multiple times National champion co-driver and is also part of Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, which used to conduct the Coffee Day Rally. Apart from these two crucial posts, 13 nominations were filed for the post of councillors.
Arindam Ghosh’s nomination was proposed by Saurav Chatterjee, Kolkata Automotive Sports Association, Tamal Ghosh of Just Sportz Management, Kolkata, seconded it. Akbar Ebrahim, Meco Motorsports, proposed the name of B.S. Gautham while C. Rajaram of Spit Fire Motorsports seconded it. Farooq Ahmed’s name was proposed for the post of vice-president by former fmsci president J. Prithiviraj and seconded by Arindam Ghosh. J. Balamurugan’s name name was proposed as vice-president by Gautam of KMSC and seocnded by Akbar Ebrahim, Meco Motorsports.
The Electoral College consists of 17 members including the five permanent members of the Federation. The 17 clubs will have their representatives to vote on behalf of them and each will have one vote, provided the club owes no dues. They are:
1. Calcutta Motorsports Club, Kolkata: Vir Raina;
2. Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, Coimbatore: J. Prithiviraj;
3. Indian Automotive Racing Club, Mumbai: Farokh Commissariat;
4. Karnataka Motor Sports Club, Bengaluru: B. S. Gautam;
5. Madras Motor Sports Club, Chennai: Bharat Vicky Chandhok;
6. Bengal Motor Sports Club, Kolkata: Pratim Chowdhury;
7. Indian Motor Sports Marshals Club, Chennai: Manoj Dalal;
8. Just Sports Management Private Limited, Kolkata: Suchandan Das;
9. Kolkata Automotive Sports Association, Kolkata: Surav Chatterjee;
10. Meco Motor Sports Private Limited, Chennai: Akbar Ebrahim;
11. Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Chikkamagaluru: Khazi Farooq Ahmed;
12. Northern Motorsports, Noida: Raj Kapoor;
13. Performance Cars Racing Trust, New Delhi (formerly represented by Hardy): Proxy -To Be Announced;
14. Ramakrishna Race Performance Management, Kolkata: Arindam Ghosh;
15. Spitfire Motor Sports Private Limited, Coimbatore: C. Rajaram;
16. Malwa Motor Sports Club, Indore: Dr. Afzal Bunglowala;
17. Motor Sports Association of Eastern India, Kolkata: Saurav Chatterjee*
Note: Saurav Chatterjee name is given for two clubs; It is not clear if it is an error or he would represent two clubs.
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Bagnaia reels in Martin after tense Misano Sprint
The title fight twists again as the Italian defeats Martin and Bastianini to set up a Sunday showdown for the ages.
Misano, 21 Sept. 2024: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a statement Saturday at the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna, stalking Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), pouncing on a mistake and then withstanding his own pressure to the flag to cut the gap to just four points at the top of the table.
Martin did keep that pressure on, however, coming home second, as Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) chased the two home – and prepares to try and do more than that on Sunday.
Martin made a dream take off at the start of the Sprint, with the #89 launching his attack on the run to Turn 1. He then pulled the pin at the beginning, pushing hard on the opening laps and as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) leapfrogged the reigning World Champion too, pushing Bagnaia down to third.
Binder was then elbowed down to fourth at Turn 8 as Bagnaia and then Bastianini shot through, and next it was Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) making moves. On the comeback from his P7 starting position after a crash in qualifying, Marquez got past the South African early on, and soon so did Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).
All eyes then returned to the front as Bagnaia reeled in the Championship leader, closing the gap to under half a second. They started to pull away from Bastianini too, creating a duel for glory and with plenty more on the line than 12 points.
By Lap 8, Bagnaia was glued to the Pramac ahead, having reeled him in, lost a few metres, saved a front end moment and then gathered it back up. And Martin then suffered his own small drama, heading wide and that leaving the door far enough ajar to allow Bagnaia through. The hammer then went down from the #1.
Initially, the gap shot up and it looked more likely Bastianini would catch Martin, but in the final few laps the #89 was locked in to try and take it to the line. From sixth tenths up the road to Bagnaia on the penultimate lap, Martin edged closer and closer until the lap count ran out, forced to cede defeat by less than three tenths. Bagnaia strikes back after a tougher run, cutting his deficit in the title fight to just four points – so if it’s a duel on Sunday, the winner decides the Championship lead.
Bastianini remained close too and will be one to watch on Sunday when he has Grand Prix distance to go at, so far enjoying a 100% podium record at Misano in the premier class. The last time he started a GP race from the front row, he won it.
Behind that trio, Marc Marquez couldn’t make too much progress from fourth and was also hampered by a mistake at Turn 13 – the #93 soon had Acosta glued to his tailpipes. Less than one second separated the pair throughout as the #93 attempted to stretch a gap, and the rookie denied him. By the flag however, the veteran pulled away to ensure those valuable few extra points for P4. Acosta, nevertheless, came home top KTM/GASGAS in fifth, with Binder looking to hit back on Sunday as he was forced to settle for P6.
Further back, there was an intense battle for the final point-scoring positions in the Sprint, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team) putting in another sublime weekend at Misano so far, taking back to back Q2s and more Sprint points this time out. He held off Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Prima Pramac Racing’s Franco Morbidelli, who completed the Saturday scorers and will both be looking for some revenge on Sunday.
That’s true of plenty just behind them too, with Aprilia especially looking to move forward in the Grand Prix race. It will likely be a historic one too, with Ducati able to wrap up the Constructors’ crown if they have 222 points or more in hand… it’s Bagnaia’s 100th MotoGP™ start… and Ducati head in with 99 premier class wins.
25 points, a gap of just four, and some tempting milestones await on Sunday. Who’s coming out on top on take two? Find out at the slightly earlier time of 13:00 local time (UTC +2)!
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Lando Norris takes pole ahead of Verstappen; Hamilton takes p3
Singapore, 21 Sept. 2024: Lando Norris took his fifth pole of 2024 in Singapore, beating championship leader Max Verstappen by just over two tenths of a second as Ferrari endured a tough outing with Carlos Sainz crashing at the start of Q3 and Charles Leclerc having his final lap time deleted for a track limits infringement. Lewis Hamilton was third for Mercedes.
“It was tough,” said Norris afterwards. “Especially through qualifying, I was finding it a little difficult to progress much and to get a lot of lap time and all the guys around seemed to get quicker and quicker, so it put me under a little bit more pressure, and especially with just one lap at the end. But it was good enough for pole. I’m happy with that, especially here in Singapore. So a good feeling. I felt good all weekend. I felt confident. Maybe not so much in quali, but we got the job done.”
In Q1, Norris took top spot with a lap of 1:30.724 ahead of Leclerc. Oscar Piastri took third ahead of Sainz and Alex Albon. With 12 minutes left in the session, Verstappen at last joined the action but it proved worth the wait as he jumped from the bottom of the table to P2 thanks to a lap of 1:30.854, 0.130s off Norris. Leclerc then found slightly more time on his second run to demote the Dutchman to third.
With three minutes left the final runs got underway and Norris immediately tightened his grip on P1 with a lap of 1:30.002 on used tyres. Verstappen also bolted on a new set of C5s and he lit up the timing screens as he jumped from P8 to P2 at the flag. The Dutchman went through to Q2 just 0.155s behind Norris. Piastri took third ahead of Hamilton.
There was no place in the second session for RB’s Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian was eliminated in P16, just over a tenth off Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. Behind Ricciardo, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll exited in P17 ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and the Sauber’s of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.
At the start of Q2 Verstappen took P1 with a lap of 1:30.371, but a snap in the final corner sent him over the kerbs and his time was subsequently deleted for track limits. It was left to Hamilton to lead the way with a lap of 1:29.929, 0.078 ahead of Norris and with George Russell in third place in the other Mercedes.
With six minutes left on the clock, Verstappen headed out for a final run on a largely clear track and thanks to a strong lap of 1:29.680 and a purple middle sector the Dutchman jumped to top spot, 0.289s clear of Hamilton. Piastri had pace in hand, however, and he bumped the Dutchman back to P2 as he claimed top spot with a lap of 1:29.640. Leclerc slotted into third ahead of Hamilton and Norris, who backed out of his final run.
Outside the top 10, Williams pair Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto were eliminated in P11 and P12 respectively, ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen dropped out in P14 ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
At the start of the top-10 shootout, Verstappen was one of the first out on track and the Dutchman posted a lap of 1:29.791. However, just as he was coming to final corners, ahead of him on track Carlos Sainz lost control in the final corner and slid backwards into the wall. Verstappen slowed and crossed the line before the red flag, but with double yellows already in place, his time was deleted.
The red flag for Sainz meant that the only drivers to put times on board were Piastri, who took P1 on 1:30.037 and Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg, who was eight tenths off the McLaren. The rest were faced with a single run for glory.
And in the final runs Norris was imperious. The McLaren drivers were first on track and Norris established what became an unbeatable benchmark of 1:29.525 ahead of Piastri. Behind them, Leclerc had his lap time deleted as Hülkenberg took P3, and then Hamilton vaulted to the front row on a time of 1:29.841.
It was left to Verstappen to challenge Norris’ time but though the Red Bull driver gave it his all his 1:29.728 was only good enough to hand him a first front row since his home race at Zandvoort.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:29.525 – –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:29.728 0.203
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.841 0.316
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:29.867 0.342
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:29.953 0.428
6 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1:30.115 0.590
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:30.214 0.689
8 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1:30.354 0.829
9 Charles Leclerc Ferrari – – –
10 Carlos Sainz Ferrari – – –
11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:30.474 0.949
12 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 1:30.481 0.956
13 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:30.579 1.054
14 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:30.653 1.128
15 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:30.769 1.244
16 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 1:31.085 1.560
17 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:31.094 1.569
18 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:31.312 1.787
19 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1:31.572 2.047
20 24 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 1:32.054 2.529 -
Mika Hakkinen opens Madras International Karting Arena, aka MIKA
Chennai, 19 Sept. 2024: Double Formula One World Champion Mika Hakkinen flagged off Indian motorsports on a new and exciting journey when he inaugurated the state-of-the-art Madras International Karting Arena (M.I.K.A.), here on Thursday at a gala and landmark ceremony that was attended by India’s two former F1 drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.
Hakkinen, on a whistle-stop visit to Chennai enroute to Singapore for the F1 Grand Prix, was received on his arrival at the airport by Madras Motor Sports Club vice-president Vicky Chandhok and was brought to the MIC for the launch ceremony that the traditional lighting of the lamp and unveiling a commemorative tablet which will be on display at the MIKA circuit.
At an emotionally charged function after Hakkinen, the F1 champion in 1998 and 1999, and popularly known as the “Flying Finn”, posed for a group photograph with young karting drivers, he provided an insight into the mind and making of a World Champion. “I like MIKA because it is my name too!” he declared but added on a serious note: “You must learn to lose and enjoy the win, and to control your emotions. As you move up the racing ladder, it is a whole different World out there. There is a lot of pressure from family, friends and teams. So, you must be able to deal with the pressure. But everything is up here,” he said, pointing to his temple.
On prompted by Karun Chandhok during a one-on-one interview, Hakkinen spoke at length about his Formula One career, especially his inability to win a single race for six years after debut before tasting success by winning two back-to-back World Championship titles. He also touched upon his rivalry with seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher. “You learn a lot watching Michael though, at times, he can be a bit naughty,” said Hakkinen.
Later, Hakkinen, along with Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, performed demonstration laps on the MIKA track in specially prepared electric karts after the traditional lighting of lamp and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A bunch of 34 drivers, in their own karts, did a processional run watched by a huge crowd of MMSC members, invitees and Media.
Later, at an impromptu Media interaction, Hakkien was all praise for the MIKA track which he said can spawn a generation of talented drivers in India. “Karting is a good way to start your racing career, and this MIKA track offers a wonderful platform for kids to make a beginning. I hope they enjoy their karting stint,” he said.
Hakkinen singled out Kush Maini as possibly the next Indian to make it to Formula One. “Kush Maini is good. He is doing well in F2. I feel he has it in him to go all the way to F1,” he opined.
Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first F1 driver, too heaped praise on the MIKA circuit, describing it as challenging, but a driver’s delight. “The kids have to first learn the track which is fun to drive on, but challenging too with its layout,” he said.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas, also present at the Media interaction, said: “We have big plans to conduct major international events at MIKA circuit. That is one of the reasons why we undertook the project besides contributing our mite to promoting the sport at grassroot level.”
Conceived and developed by the Madras Motor Sports Club, the 1.2-km long MIKA circuit, designed by UK-based Driven International in active consultation with Karun Chandhok, is the first of its kind in India, and located in the premises of the iconic Madras International Circuit, in Sriperumbudur, about 40 Kms from Chennai.
Incidentally, the foundation stone for the Madras International Circuit was laid by three times F1 World Champion Jackie Stewart, also known as the “Flying Scot”.
Built to exacting global standards, complete with floodlights, sophisticated control room and a holding area with charging facilities for electric go-karts, the MIKA will be open to the public for leisure activity and competitions. The facility is still a work in progress as there are major plans to make it attractive for family outings and corporate activities.
Hakkinen said in a statement: “This is my first visit to Chennai, and it’s been my pleasure to open the MIKA circuit today along with India’s only two F1 drivers, Narain and Karun.
“Karting is such an important first step for any driver today as they begin their journey towards Formula 1. The investment made by the Madras Motor Sports Club into this facility will be a big step towards preparing the future racing drivers from India.
“The layout of the circuit is really interesting for the drivers with a good mix of corners. It will be challenging and fun for the drivers and combined with the latest CIK (the World governing body for Karting) safety standards, it really is comparable with the top Karting tracks in the World.”
MMSC secretary Prabha Shanker delivered the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the ceremony that the Titan Edge and GMT partnered the Madras Motor Sports Club.
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Oscar Piastri takes second career win as McLaren moves to top of team table
Baku City, 15 Sept. 2024: Oscar Piastri came out on top in a thrilling battle with Charles Leclerc to take his second career win and send McLaren soaring to the top of the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship standings. Meanwhile, a late-race collision with Carlos Sainz dumped Sergio Pérez out of a podium finish and handed third place to Mercedes’ George Russell in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a round of the Formula 1 World Championship here on Sunday.
When the start lights went out, pole sitter Leclerc got away well from Piastri but behind them Pérez drew level with Sainz before making his way past the Spaniard on the approach to Turn 2 to take second place. Behind them, Verstappen reacted well to the lights and he also profited in Turn 2, muscling past Mercedes’ George Russell to take fifth place.
Further back, after starting from P16, Norris was on a march and by lap four the McLaren driver was already on the cusp of the points in P11.
At the front, Leclerc was initially unable to break DRS and shake Piastri, but on lap 8 the Ferrari driver turned up the wick and over the following three laps the Ferrari driver carved out a three second gap to the Australian and to Pérez who was comfortably staying in touch with the battle for the lead.
On lap 11, Williams’ Franco Colapinto was the first of the top 10 to make a pit stop, followed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and on lap 13 Verstappen headed into the pits to shed Medium tyres that he said were offering no grip.
Pérez followed his team-mate to the pit lane at the end of the following lap and with Piastri still on track, the Red Bull driver pushed to make the undercut work. The Red Bull driver had emerged behind long -running Hard tyres starter Norris, however, and McLaren were swiftly on the radio to tell their driver to hold the Mexican up through the Old Town.
Pérez had to wait until he had DRS before he could power past Norris and the short delay was enough to allow Piastri to pit and rejoin just ahead of the Red Bull. Further up the track, Leclerc made his own stop for Hards, holding the lead as he returned to the circuit.
Piastri, more comfortable on the Hard tyres, closed in and at the start of lap 20, the Australian used DRS on the pit straight to power past the Ferrari into Turn 1 and steal the lead.
Behind the leaders, Verstappen also looked to be gaining ground on the Hard tyres, and he soon closed up to Sainz, The pair quickly came up on the slower Norris and Albon and though Sainz soon made his way past the McLaren, Verstappen found himself stuck behind a stubbornly defensive title rival. The Dutchman then began to wear his rears, saying his car was “bouncing around and losing contact”, and he was soon ambushed by Russell.
At the front, Leclerc was pushing to find a way past Piastri and on lap 33 he mounted his most serious attack since surrendering the lead. The Ferrari driver closed up under DRS on the pit straight forcing Piastri to defend the inside line. The McLaren driver held the lead but the battle allowed Pérez to close in and join the battle as the race edged towards two-thirds distance.
Norris finally made his sole stop on lap 38 and he rejoined 15 seconds behind Verstappen. The McLaren driver, with fresh Medium tyres on board, quickly began to post fastest race laps and he eventually powered past the struggling Dutchman with a handful of laps left.
At the front the final third of the race developed into a cat and mouse battle, with Leclerc probing and pushing to provoke a mistake from Piastri and with Pérez seeking to profit from any battle.
And when Leclerc suddenly began to slip and slide on worn tyres in the closing stages, Pérez tried to pounce. However, after almost getting past the Ferrari in Turn 1, he was forced to back out and Sainz drew alongside. The Ferrari appeared to get too close and as they powered towards Turn 2 there was contact. both spun into the wall.
The race was closed out under a Virtual Safety Car. Piastri stretched out to take his second career win ahead of Leclerc, while Russell inherited third place ahead of Norris and with Max in sixth place. Fernando Alonso took sixth for Aston Martin ahead of the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished ninth and the final point went to Haas’ Oliver Bearman.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Race
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 51 1:32’58.007
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 51 1:33’08.917 10.910
3 George Russell Mercedes 51 1:33’29.335 31.328
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 51 1:33’34.150 36.143
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 51 1:34’15.105 1’17.098
6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 51 1:34’23.475 1’25.468
7 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 51 1:34’25.403 1’27.396
8 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 51 1:34’27.548 1’29.541
9 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 51 1:34’30.408 1’32.401
10 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 51 1:34’31.134 1’33.127
11 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 51 1:34’31.472 1’33.465
12 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 51 1:34’55.196 1’57.189
13 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 51 1:35’24.914 2’26.907
14 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 51 1:35’26.848 2’28.841
15 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 50 1:33’19.351 1 lap /21.344
16 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 50 1:33’23.402 1 lap /25.395
17 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 49 1:28’41.198 Accident
18 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 49 1:28’41.768 Accident
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 45 1:23’21.080 Brakes
Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 14 27’02.651 Accident damage -
Sarthak Chavan takes a creditable third at Sepang
Sepang (Malaysia) 15 Sept. 2024: Ace Indian rider Sarthak Chavan took a creditable third place in Race 2 of Round 5 of the Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia, which saw history created with Rocco Sessler became the first German to pick up a race win in the single-make championship.
The race began with veteran rider Vorapong Malahuan rocketing into the lead, closely trailed by Mohd Ramdan Rosli and Chiranth Viswanath of India. Deep within the group, championship leader Hiroki Ono’s hopes of another successful round was dashed when he tumbled at Turn 3, effectively putting paid to his dreams of another podium.
After swapping leads for six laps, the flag came down in Rocco’s favour. The German rider clocked his first ever TVS Asia victory with 14’31:021s, 0:090s ahead of Vorapong. Sarthak rounded up the winning trifecta in third place.
Rocco said, “For sure, it was a difficult race. The start wasn’t the best, but I pushed hard into the first corner and managed to get into the top 5. From there, I focused on staying in the front. I had some challenging moments but managed to regain my position. In the last lap, I took the lead because I thought there might be some battling behind me. Although I was overtaken in the final lap, I rode as well as I could, held my line, and ultimately took the win.”
Despite finishing tenth, Hiroki Ono picked up 6 points to stay at the top of the championship table with 201 points, 57 points ahead of Ramdan.
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. Rocco Sessler – German (14’31:021s)
2. VorapongMalahuan – Thailand (14’31:111s)
3. Sarthak Chavan – India (14’31:224s)
4. Md Muzakkir Mohamed – Malaysia (14’31:267s)
5. DeckyTiarno Aldy – Indonesia (14’35:389s)
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Ruhaan Alva, Veer Sheth, Alibhai win a race each: Indian F4
Chennai, 15 Sept. 2024: Jaden Pariat ‘won’ on the track, but was stripped away and demoted to P8 in Race 3, as the final day of Round 3 of the Formula 4 Indian Championship, produced three different winners in three races held on Sunday.
The premier F4 championship was held along with the Indian Racing League and the JK Tyre National Racing Championship at the Madras International Circuit, Irungattukottai, near here.
Ruhaan Alva of Shrach Rarh Bengal Tigers, Veer Sheth of Ahmedabad Apex Racers, who moved up from P2 to P1 after Bangalore Speedsters’ racer winner Jaden Pariat was docked a 20-second penalty, and South African Aqil Alibhai (Black Birds Hyderabad), all won a race each in the three F4 races today. Jaden won the Indian F4 Race 1 on Saturday.
From left – Isaac Demellweek, Aqil Alibhai, Ruhaan’s team principal, Ruhaan Alva and Jaden Pariat at MIC on Sunday. Photo by IRL In the day’s first race, Alva was in a league of his once he moved to the front in the very first lap and was simply unstoppable. As the race progressed, Australian teenager Isaac Demellweek (Chennai Turbo Riders), Alibhai, Pariat and pole-sitter Aiva Anagnostiadis (Goa Aces JA Racing), the 2021 Australian female karting champion, settled into a formation behind Alva until the Safety Car came into play in the 15th minute which bunched up the grid. On resumption with close to two minutes and one lap left, Alibhai and Pariat jumped to P2 and P3 behind Alva who continued serenely to victory while also being credited with the fastest lap of the race.
IRL cars lined up at MIC on Sunday. Photos IRL In the next race, it was Pariat all the way after surviving a contact with Alibhai while trying to regain his track position. The incident pushed Alibhai to P16 but he finished P4 eventually. Pariat was docked a post-race 20-second penalty “for causing avoidable collision” and it dropped him to eighth in the final standings. Consequently, Veer Sheth, Ruhaan Alva and Abhay Mohan (Bangalore Speedsters) all moved up a spot to finish first, second and third, respectively.
In the final race, Alibhai built a winning lead after moving from P3 to P1 before Turn-1 in the very first lap and enjoyed a trouble-free run to spare nearly 19 seconds to second-placed Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) and Ruhaan Alva who did well to hold off an aggressive Pariat in the latter half of the race.
IRL
Mohammed Ryan converted a pole position start to a maiden win while delivering a double for Chennai Turbo Riders the Indian Racing League races. The 22-year-old Ryan’s win came on the back of team-mate Jon Lancaster’s success in IRL Race-1 yesterday.
Mohd Rayan takes a win from pole in the IRL race on Sunday at MIC. Photos supplied by IRL The 2019 Rotax Karting champion Ryan, racing on home circuit, had a brilliant start and put in consistent fast laps for his first win in the IRL which triggered celebrations in the Chennai Turbo Riders.
While Ryan disappeared into the distance at the start, Sohil Shah (Goa Aces JA Racing) moved aggressively past Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters) going into Turn-1. Pariat then dropped one more spot when team-mate Rishon Rajeev got a jump on him later in the opening lap. The top three then maintained their track positions without much ado, while behind them others scrapped for points.
An elated Ryan said: “I had a good start and kept my focus to put some consistent laps. I am happy that my team, Chennai Turbo Riders won both the IRL races this weekend and picked up some big points.”
The Indian Racing League and Indian F4 Championship, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited.
JK Tyre-fmsci Indian National Championship
Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao led a podium sweep for Dark Don Racing team as he came up with a brilliant drive starting from P5 for his third win in six starts this season.
Finishing behind him were team-mates Viswas Vijayaraj from Nellore and Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath. Despite losing the front nose cone of his car, Bala Prasath gave a fine exhibition of defensive driving to hold off rookie and Bengaluru teenager Dhruv Goswami (MSPORT) over the last three of the 10-lap race.
Goswami, in fact, started from P12 on the grid and aided by some daring overtakes, all but managed to secure a podium spot in the overall standings, though he topped the Rookie category, way ahead of Monith Kumaran (Ahura Racing) and Abhinav Reddy (Avalanche Racing).
The weekend results put Tijil Rao on top of the overall leaderboard while Goswami also moved up the championship standings in the Rookie category.
The Round 4 of the Indian Racing Festival will be held on October 19-20 at the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore.
The results (Provisional):
Veer Seth, was promoted as the winner of Indian F4 Championship Race 3 at MIC on Sunday. Indian Racing League: Race-2 (B Driver) (25 minutes + 1 Lap):1. Mohammed Ryan (India, Chennai Turbo Riders) (26mins, 57.602secs);2. Sohil Shah (India, Goa Aces JA Racing) (26:59.183);3. Rishon Rajeev (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:14.841).
Formula 4 Indian (25mins + 1 Lap):
Race-2:1. Ruhaan Alva (India, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers) (28:16.720); 2. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) (28:17.475); 3. Jaden Pariat (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (28:18.697).
Race-3: 1.Veer Sheth (India, Ahmedabad Apex Racers) (27:41.457); 2. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:41.622); 3. Abhay Mohan (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:43.916).
Race-4: 1. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) (27:31.329); 2. Divy Nandan (India, Ahmedabad Apex Racers) (27:50.567); 3. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:51.089).
JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship:
Formula LGB 4: Race-3 (10 Laps):1. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Dark Don Racing) (19:42.876); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, Dark Don Racing) (19:44.762); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, Dark Don Racing) (19:52.697).
Rookie: 1. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (19:52.770); 2. Monith Kumaran (Chennai, Ahura Racing) (19:59.569); 3. K Abhinav Reddy (Hyderabad, Avalanche Racing) (20:05.030).
