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Ann Jennifer, Rafiq, Aiyaz win National Drag titles
Chennai, 23 January 2021: Ann Jennifer won the National Championship in the 4stroke Girls Class on Saturday with Nivetha Jessice second, and Czimkhy third in the girls class of the Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing National Championship 2020 here at MMRT on Saturday.
Mohammed Rafiq won the 2 stroke upto 130cc class National title with Mohammed Touheed and Mujahid Pash coming second and third, respectively. Aiyaz clinched the National crown in 131cc to 165cc category with Mohammed Touheed taking runners-up in this category too, and Manoj Kumar S finishing second runner-up.
“”I am so glad to get my maiden drag title which is the second discipline in motorsports after my two National titles in Racing championship. So I feel proud to get the award which I missed by a whisker last year. I thank my family, my tuner Mr. Ravi and my sponsors Yamaha Motor India, Motul, Monster Energy, Bisleri for supporting me when I needed them most,” said a delighted Ann Jennifer, who won the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship for girls in the Stock category in 2018 and 2020.
Meanwhile, multiple National Drag champion Hemanth Mudappa, who completed a hat-trick of tiles in 2019, will be gunning for his sixth title on Sunday. The 31-year, Bangalore-based fitness trainer, representing Mantra Racing and tuned by Sharan Pratap, is taking part in two top categories of 851to 1050cc and 1051cc & above class in the absence of feature event of Foreign Open unrestricted class this year.
Ann Jennifer wins her maiden National Drag Championship 2020 for girls. She also won the National Racing Championship in 2018 & 2020 in Girls’ class. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan Results: Finals Run:
2Stroke up to 165cc: 1. Bike #27 Aiyaz 12.959 seconds (Reaction Time 1.257sec); 2. #48 Mohammed Touheed 13.220 (0.931); 3. #31 Kaleem Pasha 13.224 (1.203). Total who took the start: 25 riders.
2Stroke up to 130cc: 1. #12 Mohammed Rafiq 13.200 (1.265); 2. #18 Mujahid Pasha 13.452 (1.440); 3. #16 Mohammed Touheed 13.687 (0.933); Total who took the start:
4Stroke 165cc Girls: 1. #5 Ann Jennifer 16.858 (1.025); 2. RV Czimkhy 17.077 (1.198); 3. Niveth Jessica 17.156 (1.452). Only five riders took the start.
Championship Table: Girls: 1. AS Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) ; 2. #1 Nivetha Jessica (Team ProSpeed Racing); 3. #3 RV Czimkhy (Sparks Racing).
2stroke upto 130 cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq 50 points (13.200 fastest time); 2. #18 Mujahid Pasha; 3. Mohammed Touheed 13.687; (1.440).
2Stroke 131 to 165cc: 1. Aiyaz (37 points); 2. Mohammed Touheed (33 points); 3. Manoj Kumar S (26 points);
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Hemanth Mudappa looking to clinch sixth National title
Chennai, 23 January 2021: Multiple National Drag champion Hemanth Mudappa, who completed a hat-trick of tiles in 2019, will be gunning for his sixth title as the Indian National Motorcycle Drag Championship concludes with the second and final round at Madras Motor Sport Track near here at Irungattukottai on Sunday.
The 31-year, Bangalore-based rider passionate about fitness, representing Mantra Racing and tuned by Sharan Pratap, won the first Drag National in 2017 winning the Unrestricted Foreign Open class, the feature race, and went on to win the same class in 2018 and 2019 for a hat-trick of titles. In 2018, he also became National champion in the 851 to 1050cc class and the 1051cc & above class for a total of five National titles till last year. However, in the absence of the Feature Race this year, he is raring to go, to win gold in both the top two classes he entered, and is gunning to beat his own Drag National record for 302 metres. He needs to beat 7.922 to win the 851 class, even if he wins the gold to break the tie with Riyaz and clinch the championship in 851cc class. Hemanth who set the National record of 7.976 in 2019 Round 2, broke it in the first round of 2020 on Oct 11 clocking 7.783. And a National record on Sunday will be a big bonus. He is also in line for the Gold in 1051cc and above class.
Meanwhile, Ann Jennifer won the National Championship in the 4stroke Girls Class on Saturday with Nivetha Jessice second, and Czimkhy third. Mohammed Rafiq won the 2 stroke upto 130cc class National title with Mohammed Touheed and Mujahid Pash coming second and third, respectively. Aiyaz clinched the National crown in 131cc to 165cc category with Mohammed Touheed taking runners-up in this category too, and Manoj Kumar S finishing second runner up in the National championship in this class.
On Sunday, five more classes will be held in the final round as the 2020 Championship is completed successfully under bio-bubble due to Covid19 by promoter Madras Motor Sports Club under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). The 2w and 4w National Racing Championships already concluded on time in 2020.
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Ogier climbs from 5th to take the lead: Friday at Rallye Monte Carlo
Elfyn Evans led Rallye Monte-Carlo after Friday’s second leg – but the Welshman was under severe pressure from angry FIA World Champion Sébastien Ogier.
Evans held a 7.4sec advantage over his Toyota Yaris team-mate, but Ogier is looming large in Evans’ rear mirror after a stunning recovery from a puncture which cost him the lead.
With the brake problem that hindered him yesterday resolved, Ogier was imperious on the French Alps roads near Gap to win all three morning speed tests and climb from fifth to first.
His 11.3sec advantage over Evans was wiped out after he spun and ended this afternoon’s opening test with his front left wheel on the rim. He plunged to third, 23.4sec adrift, but the frustrated Frenchman bounced back to regain 16.0sec by winning the final test.
Ogier’s recovery was remarkable as he drove that last stage with an unbalanced mix of three Pirelli winter tyres and one studded tyre on his Yaris.
Conditions changed all day, making tyre choice complicated. A morning mix of damp roads and ice gave way to persistent rain and mud this afternoon.
Evans was never outside the top three times, and won the penultimate test, but a damaged wheel meant he drove the final stage with the same unbalanced tyre mix as Ogier. He was sixth fastest.
Leg 1 leader Ott Tänak was 17.5sec further back in third. The Estonian’s Hyundai i20 lost power in this morning’s tight hairpins and he was powerless to repel Ogier’s charge into second in the final stage when his windows misted up.
Fourth-placed Kalle Rovanperä made it three Yaris cars in the top four, the Finn 53.1sec behind Evans. He took the lead in the morning’s opening test but a mix of worsening road conditions and a 10sec penalty for arriving late at SS4 dropped him down the order.
He slid into a field early in the penultimate test but recovered to demote Thierry Neuville to fifth in the closing stage. Just 6.0sec split the duo, Neuville enjoying a better afternoon after toiling this morning with a poor tyre choice.
Team-mate Dani Sordo competed the top six another 50.5sec back. He had little confidence in his car’s handling after making the same tyre selection error as Neuville, but a more balanced choice this afternoon rejuvenated the Spaniard.
FIA WRC2 leader Andreas Mikkelsen was seventh in a Skoda Fabia, ahead of Takamoto Katsuta’s Yaris. Mikkelsen’s class rival Adrien Fourmaux was ninth in a Ford Fiesta ahead of Gus Greensmith’s World Rally Car version, the Briton all at sea in the tough conditions.
Pierre-Louis Loubet retired after crashing his i20 heavily into a rock face under braking for a harpin in the final stage.
In FIA WRC3, Yohan Rossel fended off stiff opposition during Friday’s second leg at Rallye Monte-Carlo to end the day with a slender 6.8sec class advantage over Yohann Bonato. Nicolas Ciamin is third to complete an all Citroën C3, all French provisional podium overnight.
Saturday brings another early start with La Bréole – Selonnet launching the day in darkness at 06.30. Saint Clément – Freissinières precedes the final service in Gap, before a repeat of the opening test starts the long journey south to Monaco after 57.10km of competition.
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Pune’s Ibrahim crowned champ in pro-class Indian eRacing
Mumbai, 20 Jan 2021: Pune’s Muhammad Ibrahim was crowned champion in the Pro Class, while Gurgaon’s Amitesh Rao bagged the Junior Class Title in the Mumbai Falcons Indian eRacing Championship in association with Volkswagen Motorsport India.
300+ registrations from over 40 cities were received for Season 4 of the Mumbai Falcons IeRC. The introduction of new classes, were a big boost to participation. Delhi’s Muskaan Jubbal won the Women’s class while Akunuri Sri Abilash from Chennai, and Kollam’s Steve George won a race each in the Amateur Class.
Muhammed Ibrahim, bagged Pole Position and went on to win both races, in the last round of the Pro Class, to establish himself as India’s best eRacer. The Kuala Lampur based 18 year old was a class apart winning 12 races of 16. He amassed a total of 683 points to comfortably finish ahead of Chennai’s Sai Prithvi (542 points) & Amith Kutti (451 points). Niranjan Kumar & Raiden Samervel completed the top five.
The final round of the Pro saw Sai Sanjay finish second in Race 1 ahead of Prithvi, Kutti & Michigan based Ujjwal Belwarier. The top 12 reverse grid saw Prithvi finish second ahead of Ooty’s Niranjan Kumar, followed by Rohit Raut (Pune) & Swaraj Yada (Navi Mumbai).
Amitesh Rao, won the last race of the Junior Class followed by Ritesh Rai (Chennai), Prasanna Rajan (Vellore), Navneet Kumar (Bengaluru), and Siddharth Snehl (Ranchi). Rao’s final round victory took him to 258 points to narrowly earn him the title ahead of Pune’s Aditya’s Iyer on 248 points. Rai, Munich based Garvit Agarwal & Mumbai’s Veer Sheth completed the top five in the Junior Championship.
60+ registrations were received for the inaugural Women’s class. Delhi’s Muskaan Jubbal won ahead of Mumbai’s Kushagri Khare & Bangalore’s Renukaa Gajendran.
It is good to see such a good response to the newly introduced classes. Mumbai Falcons is expanding into growing motorsport in India on multiple levels & we are confident that eRacing will continue to bring new talent into the sport. Said Moid Tungekar CEO of Mumbai Falcons who have just launched an all Indian F3 team to participate in the Asian F3 Championship.
Ibrahim wins a day’s testing in a Volkswagen Race Car, while other winners win training programs & kart racing entries.
“It’s fantastic to see moving from eRacing into real world racing, a formal step that many are considering. We are thankful to Mumbai Falcons, Volkswagen for the continuous support over multiple seasons & to Red Bull, Gamer Connect who have just joined us.” Said Rayomand Banajee, 8 Time National Champion & founder – IR eSports, who are the organisers of the Mumbai Falcons Indian eRacing Championship in association with Volkswagen Motorsport India.
Season 5 is due to start in April with the addition of more classes.
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BRDC British F3 to run 2021 calendar from May to October
London, 19 Jan 2020: The BRDC British Formula 3 Championship’s 2021 calendar has been amended, and will now run from May to October, to help ensure that a full, 24-race schedule can run across eight meetings.
Britain’s leading single-seater series will continue to run in tandem with the British GT Championship at seven of the eight meetings, despite the changes to the calendar.
Oulton Park’s triple-header, originally scheduled for Easter, will now take place on 11/12 September, with Donington Park’s second round moving to 16/17 October to accommodate the Cheshire circuit’s switch.
Snetterton’s round is the other to move, shifting to 7/8 August. No other dates have changed on the updated calendar, with the season set to launch on 22/23 May on the full Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
The championship’s two visits to Silverstone, the overseas fixture at Spa-Francorchamps, and the earlier summer round at Donington Park will all remain on the original dates as previously announced.
In the meantime, many of the championship’s competitors will take to the virtual track in this year’s recently announced British F3 iRacing Championship, which will run throughout February.
Revised 2021 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship Calendar*22/23 May – Brands Hatch GP
26/27 June – Silverstone GP
10//11 July – Donington Park GP
24/25 July – Spa
7/8 August – Snetterton 300**
14/15 August – Silverstone GP (standalone MSVR round)
11/12 September – Oulton Park**
16/17 October – Donington Park***please note, the 2021 BRDC British F3 Championship calendar remains provisional and subject to change
** date changed from original announcementFor more information about BRDC British F3, please visit www.britishf3.com. -
Team MRF Tyres on the Podium at Arctic Lapland Rally
Team MRF Tyres successfully secured a podium position at the Arctic Lapland Rally, a round of the Finnish National Championship with Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen taking third position.
The final day of the rally started with a monster 42km test with temperatures dipping to -8 degrees Celsius and loose snow making the conditions quite tough. Both the Team MRF Tyres crews tamed the conditions with Lindholm/Korhonen finishing second on stage, five seconds off the stage winner Juha Salo/Mikko Markkula. The average pace of the MRF Tyres duo was 132km/h. The final three stages saw tough conditions on stage with loose snow making the conditions unpredictable. Despite this, Lindholm/Korhonen took a second and two fourth places on stage to cement their podium place
Emil Lindholm, Driver, Skoda Fabia evo Rally2, said, ““This is one of the great rallies in Europe. The Arctic Lapland Rally is one of the most traditional winter rallies in the rally world, and to achieve a podium place an amazing achievement. The MRF snow and ice tyres worked perfectly in on the long freezing stages which featured a lot of snow and ice. The weather on the route continued to change and it was hard to predict. Sometimes there was more snow on the road, sometimes it was just a heavy ice base. It made a fast rally even more challenging.”
The other MRF Tyres crew of Niclas Grönholm/Antti Linnaketo took sixth on the stage, proving that both cars could fight for the top positions. Niclas Grönholm, Driver, Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 said, “It is great to have 2 cars with MRF Tyres inside the top 10. We were trying to find the right setup and gain more pace. Today the car felt better. The stages were in good conditions but there was a lot of loose snow and it was very challenging. Overall, we are happy!”
Grönholm/Linnaketo finished inside the top 10 on each stage, taking advantage of the conditions and the struggles of those around them. In the end they finished in sixth.
The major story, however, was Lindholm and Korhonen’s podium. One year on from the debut of MRF’s snow and ice tyre, where Craig Breen/Paul Nagle secured a podium, the competitive nature of the tyre was confirmed. MRF Tyres’ venture into Europe is designed to develop and create the next generation of tyre to prove competitiveness in the toughest of conditions.
This result helps to prove that MRF Tyres can successfully take the fight to rally stages around the world. While MRF Tyres’ European rally plans are still to be announced, Lindholm/Korhonen will be out for the next round of the Finnish Rally Championship, the SM O.K. Auto-Ralli from Kouvola on 5-6 February.
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Flash: Harith Noah, first Indian to finish Dakar Rally in top-20
Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), 15 Jan 2021: Ace Indian rider Harith Noah Koitha Veettil successfully completed the Dakar Rally 2021, the most-challenging and tough endurance rally, the mother of all Cross-Country rallies in the world with aplomb becoming the first Indian to finish in the top-20 after he finished the last and final Stage 12 in 19th place in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 20 seconds to finish the 447-km stage.
Harith Noah, the TVS Racing factory rider, entered the Dakar 2021 as a privateer, with TVS not entering as an official team but only supporting him along with Sherco Rally Factory Team, which provided the service. He bettered the mark of CS Santosh who is the first Indian to finish Dakar in 36th place.
Following in the footsteps of CS Santosh, who competed in seven Dakar rallies and finished three of them, and teammate KP Aravind, who completed the Dakar once, Harith Noah, the Malayalee from Shoranur, achieved the honour in his second attempt but his stunning performance, where he improved after every stage got him as high as 16th in a stage, when he pushed the limits in Stage 10.
Except in Stage 5, where he had a fall and bravely continued to finish the stage in 39, Harith preserved his best and delivered the knock-out punch in the last four stages to achieve top-25 finished which pushed him to a final 20th place, a best by an Indian.
CS Santosh who fell and hit his head in Stage 5 is now hospitalised and fmsci made a statement; “S Santosh was transferred by Air Ambulance from Riyadh to Bengaluru on Thursday. He has been brought out of induced coma successfully. He will continue go to be in CCU and receive treatment.”
On Friday, Harith Noah had issues in Waypoint PK99 where he lost some places but bounced back before he crossed the next waypoint gaining those and reached the ASS closing competitive section in 19th and finished the transport section without any issues to achieve his dream of finishing the Dakar Rally. After Stage 11, Harith Noah said: `Stage 11 was quite difficult. Not so happy with how the day went. Did a good job in beginning but made a few costly mistakes towards the later half. Made a pretty big navigation mistake towards the end and lost about 10 mins or so. Also lost some time because I rode slow in a speed zone that wasn’t there in the GPS and only in the road book. Today, felt physically exhausting, at least in the head. Done with the last long stage and happy to have finished it. On to the next, it’s not over until the last… last km is done.” He tagged the following on his Instagram Account.
@tvsracing_official
@tvsmotorcompany
@sherco_racing_factory@camelbakindia
@scottsportsindiaBrief Bio of Harith Noah:
Harith Noah had a solid grounding in things that matter and had a fond liking for nature as he studied at Sholai School, in Kodaikanal, an alternate school in Tamil Nadu based on the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurthy. He started racing local dirt track events at the age of 16, in 2009 while practicing in the backyard of his farm in Shoranur. Later, in 2011 he started taking part in the National supercross championship. He won the title the same year and caught the eye of TVS Factory Racing officials who recruited him in 2012. He is a graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science, which helps him design his own schedules for fitness training. He has a coach for Mental training, though.
Acheinvements: Harith Noah raced and won his first National Supercross title in 2011 in the SX2 category as a privateer. He won four more national championships winning Group B in 2012, and SX1 in 2014, 2017, and 2018. Thus he became a five-time National champion*, in a way next only to Shyam Kothari, the Promoter who runs the MRF MoGrip Supercross National Championship. Shyam was a famed rider winning seven motocross and rally titles in his hey days. However, both Noah and Shyam won in different classes in different era.
In 2018, Harith Noah raced his first-ever international cross-country race, the Rallye Du Maroc. In 2019, he participated in Baja Aragon and finished 7th overall. In 2020, he finished Dakar Rally in the `Dakar Experience’ Category as his bike stopped on Day 4, but the new rule then allowed him to gain valuable experience, which stood in good stead this year.
Harith Noah’s top-20 in the Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest cross-country rally, will be the new bench mark for all Indians henceforth.
Note*: A National newspaper wrongly reported that Noah won seven national titles. In fact, he won only five and the rider himself confirmed it to this reporter.
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India’s F1 hope, Jehan Daruvala, to continue as Red Bull Junior
Milton Keynes (UK) /Fuschl am See (Austria), 15 Jan 2021: Red Bull Racing have confirmed the extension of their support to Jehan Daruvala in 2021. The Indian racing star created history last month, when he successfully culminated his maiden FIA Formula 2 Championship with a well-deserved victory. The 22 year old’s victory in his rookie season was preceded by a hard fought podium a week prior.
Importantly for Indian motorsport fans, a successful season would be the right opportunity for an F1 seat for the Indian. The Red Bull Junior program has been instrumental in producing some of the world’s best F1 racers over the years including, four-time World F1 Champion – Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz and many others.
Jehan’s continuation in the Red Bull Junior Program was inevitable, given his stand out performances in arguably one of the most competitive F2 seasons ever. 16 different drivers were on the podium while 12 of them won a race. Jehan was also fastest overall in the official post season testing, besides finishing on top, in 2 out of the 3 days of testing.
Jehan will continue with Carlin for his second season. His excellent points haul in the last two rounds last season, helped Carlin rise to 3rd in the Team’s Championship.
Speaking about Jehan, Team Principal Trevor Carlin added, “We’re extremely pleased that we have the opportunity to carry on the great progress we have been making with Jehan and have another attack on the FIA F2 Championship. Jehan did a great job last season as an F2 rookie, to really show his true potential by the second half of the season. To finish the year off with a third place and then a win really confirms what we knew from the start. I expect Jehan to continue where he left off – challenging for wins from the outset in the new season.”
“I am very thankful to Red Bull for their continued faith in me. I’m extremely excited to be staying in F2 and with Carlin for 2021 as a Red Bull Junior. We made a lot of progress last year. It was great to end the season on such a high with my first F2 win and then back that up with front running pace in post-season testing.” said Jehan.
He added, “I’m extremely proud to be carrying Red Bull colours again this season and thank Dr Marko and my sponsors for their continued support and belief in me which I will be looking to repay from the very first race.”
The 2021 season kicks off in Bahrain on 26th March and will now have three races at each weekend. All eight weekends continue to be run concurrently with Formula 1, ending on 12th December in Abu Dhabi. Prior to the F2 campaign, Jehan will participate in the Asian F3 Championship for the all Indian team – Mumbai Falcons.
Indian motorsport fans have been tracking Jehan’s progress from a young age and have seen him achieve milestones never achieved by any other Indian in motorsport. Everyone is waiting for the start of the 2021 season hoping that Jehan will follow Narain and Karun to become only the 3rd Indian in Formula 1.
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Strong show by Sunderland and Al Attiyah; Harith Noah displays stunning show for 19th in Stage position
Neom (AlUla 15 Jean 2021: Slightly shortened due to rainfall rendering a fifty-kilometre portion impracticable, the 11th stage of the Dakar had been heralded and continued as a theatre conducive to dramatic turns in events with over 8 taxi drivers on a Golden day for India when TVS Racing product Harith Noah, who entered as a privateer, with Sherco Factory team support, managed the best performance by an Indian ever, finishing the Stage 11 in 19th position for an overall 22nd place. In his second year, the Keralite who made steady progress stunned better riders and safely completed the stage and is in for his first Dakar finish, the third Indian to do so.
As this of is complex and comprehensive stage threw up both navigational difficulties, for which total concentration was required at the start of the special, and a vast zone of dunes on the last third, where experts in taming the sandy mounds would hold a strong hand. This is exactly what Sam Sunderland and Nasser Al-Attiyah applied themselves to doing, without however managing to break their respective rivals’ resolve.
Meanwhile, the only Indian left in the field that is, Noah completed the stage with aplomb despire some setbacks after he crossed the last but one Waypoint where he lost a few places. But he recovered and his resilience saw him gain the places back to finish 19th in the Stage and 20th overall for an Indian record surpassing that of CS Santosh. He is the third Indian following the footsteps of Santosh and teammate KP Aravind.
Outline
In several years’ time, perhaps rally aficionados will excitedly recount the battle of Yanbu. It was surely on this special that the title up for grabs between Sam Sunderland and Kevin Benavides in the bike category was decided. The Argentinean remains at the top of the general standings with a theoretically sufficient lead of 4’12’’, all the more so given that tomorrow he will enjoy a more favourable place in the starting order to defend his position. However, the Honda rider had to make a serious effort in opening the way with Ricky Brabec in order to withstand the attack of Sam Sunderland. The British rider’s show of force on the route of the special temporarily brought him within approximately forty seconds of his target, before he faltered slightly. In the car category, Nasser Al-Attiyah also found himself in this role, but with a much more distant focus of his attention. Despite his 41st stage victory and a time gain of 1’56’’, it was impossible for him to reverse the trend and block the way of Stéphane Peterhansel’s march to a 14th title. Tomorrow, the Frenchman will start with a time cushion of 15’05’’. In the quad race, Manuel Andújar headed for Yanbu with the same mind-set and his Chilean rival Giovanni Enrico only closed in to within 25’52’’ by winning his second stage of the fortnight. In the lightweight vehicle category, the battle could have been much trickier for “Chaleco” López behind the wheel of his Can-Am, with a lead of only 10 minutes over Austin Jones, but the American let the pressure get to him rather than exerting it. As for Seth Quintero, he proved that his feat of last week was by no means down to chance as he won his second special. Anton Shibalov moved the counter up to 5 successes in total since his debut on the Dakar and should finish second, like last year, but this time behind Dmitry Sotnikov.
Performance of the day
In 2020, Wei Han finished his second Dakar in 10th position, becoming the best Chinese representative in the rally’s history. Currently occupying 18th place, he will not be able to improve his own record this year, but Han demonstrated that he was able to shine behind the wheel of an SMG buggy that is now prepared by the team he created alongside Philippe Gache. He proved this by achieving the sixth best time on today’s special, ten minutes behind Nasser Al-Attiyah, slotted in between none other than Cyril Despres and Giniel De Villiers! As a result, Han picked up is second top ten finish and his best stage result on the Dakar. This bodes well for the Chinese driver, who hopes to line up with a reinforced team on the Dakar as from 2022.
A crushing blow
There is reason to wonder whether the day’s bad luck encountered by Joan Barreda is due to an unfortunate chain of circumstances, or merely just a major blunder. Either way, the Honda rider, who had posted the best time after 215 km, got muddled up reading his road-book and did not stop at the refuelling point, exposing himself to a severe penalty and especially to the likelihood of running out of petrol. This is exactly what happened as he ground to a halt after 267 km. Since he requested a medical examination, he was airlifted to the bivouac in Yanbu. Although he had the chance to equal his best finish on the rally so far, namely the 5th placed finish in 2017, “Bang-Bang” well and truly tore up all the benefits of his performance which had, until today, been in phase with his objectives and the hopes of his Honda team to see their bikes paint the upper reaches of the general standings red. As a result, his 11th participation on the Dakar finishes with the 5th withdrawal of his career on the rally.
Stat of the day: 7
In the absence of Toby Price, there were several riders ready to lay claim to the place of best KTM representative, but it was Sam Sunderland who came up trumps. By reacquainting himself with stage victory for the first time since 2019, the British rider also put a halt to a series of seven successive successes by the Honda clan, started on stage three by Joan Barreda and then continued by Kevin Benavides, Ricky Brabec and Nacho Cornejo. This sequence marked a shift in the balance of power to the Japanese constructor, which had taken time to rock the KTM boat but which had started, over the last few years, to prevent the Austrian brand becoming rapid-fire stage winners. Indeed, it is necessary to go back to 2016 to find a similar performance from KTM riders, with none other than Toby Price, alongside Antoine Meo and Štefan Svitko.
The makings of a Classic
Spanish drivers Antonio Gutiérrez and Luis Heras took part in the last African edition of the Dakar in 2007 in a truck that reached Lake Retba, the pink lake, in 47th position. This time, they are about to complete their Dakar Classic adventure on the shores of the Red Sea in a Mercedes G 320.
Quote of the day
Sam Sunderland: “I gave my all”
By winning stage 11 on the Dakar, the winner in 2017 has climbed into 2nd position, 4’12’’ behind Kevin Benavides before the final special.
“I knew that today was one of my last chances to try to win and I gave my all, all day. The boys up front did a great job and, you know, I cannot be sad, because I give everything I have and try my best. I didn’t quite manage to take enough time, but I’m happy with my effort. We still have one day to go and many things can happen on one stage. What a really tough day and a really difficult Dakar, but I’m super grateful for the team and everybody that put all the work in. Even to be able to be racing our bikes in the desert with the situation as it is in the world everywhere else, I can’t complain and I’m going to be happy to go and get some rest now”.
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Team MRF Tyres set to test ice and snow tyres in 2021 with Arctic Rally in Finland
Team MRF Tyres gets its 2021 rally season underway with the Arctic Lapland Rally, the first round of the Finnish Rally Championship to be held in Rovaniemi on 15-16 January.
Emil Lindholm and Mikael Korhonen will compete in their Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo for Team MRF Tyres. Meanwhile, World Rallycross ace and son of two-times WRC Champion Niclas Grönholm will compete on MRF Tyres with Antti Linnaketo in a privately run Volkswagen Polo GTi R5.
Rallying in Finland at this time of year means two things – snow and ice. It is interesting to note that MRF have developed Ice and Snow tyres and have displayed the same during the MRF National Racing Championship at the Madras Motor Sports Track in during MRF Challenge in Feb 2020.
Meanwhile, “the World Rally Championship will have a winter rally in 2021 as the Arctic Rally Finland’s place on the calendar which was announced on Thursday. Rally Sweden was canceled in December due to a rising number of Corona virus cases in the Värmland region, leaving the WRC short of a snow round.
Niclas Grönholm/Antti Linnaketo will rally on MRF Tyres at the Arctic Rally. An MRF image “Based out of the city of Rovaniemi, and taking place from 26-28 February in temperatures that can dip to -30 degrees Celsius, Arctic Rally Finland is the calendar’s sole snow meeting.
“The Arctic Rally’s inclusion means the series will visit Finland two times this season, with the other coming at Rally Finland between 29 July and 1 August,” said an article in autosport.com
MRF Tyres competed in the Itäralli in 2020 with Craig Breen and Paul Nagle, taking a podium position on the Indian manufacturer’s first rally on studded tyres.
One year on, the team is back having made further developments to the tyres. It is the first of two outings in Finland for Lindholm/Korhonen with the duo due to run at the SM O.K. Auto-Ralli at the start of February.
Having fought to the very end in the 2020 Finnish Rally Championship, Lindholm has confidence heading into the rally and suggests the MRF Tyres will be on the pace despite this rally being just the second ice rally for the manufacturer.
For Grönholm, his family connection to MRF Finland and the opportunity to run in the Arctic Rally prior to his rallycross season is too much to resist.
He has competed on the rally twice before and is looking forward to rallying on ice and snow once again.
The Arctic Rally consists of a slightly shortened route this year with Covid-19 regulations prohibiting crowds and as a result the super-special stages are cancelled.
More than 120 crews will face seven stages and 217km of competitive action. The Friday stages get underway with the 23.55km Aittajärvi test. Kaihuavaara at 27.93 km follows before the final stage of Jyrhämäjärvi will test the concentration of the crews at 33.38 km.
Saturday’s stages will see the crews tackle four stages. A monster 42.64km Siikakämä / Hanaa will test the crews early in the morning before Heinunkierto at 24.95 km, Sarriojärvi at 32.48 km and the final stage of Ristilampi / Pohjanhovi at 31.51 km.
The stages are long, and the average speed is very high. The conditions during recce saw a good covering of ice on the stages but the snowbanks were small in some areas, meaning that drivers will have to be careful not to make any errors.
The journey into Finland will prove to be a challenging start for the 2021 rallying season for Team MRF Tyres. Further details on the European rallying plans will be announced in due course.
Keep up to date with Team MRF Tyres throughout the Arctic Rally on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Emil Lindholm, Driver, Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo, said:
“We are looking forward to rallying on snow and ice with Team MRF Tyres. Last year they had success with this tyre with Craig Breen and I am looking forward to trying it out on this rally.”“The Arctic Rally is a nice mix between fast, flatout sections and twisty sections. There are quite a few long straights which brings the pace up. The stages are in quite good condition with completely frozen ice. There is not a lot of snow, but the most important part is the surface, so it will be really good.”
“The MRF ice tyre is very good and it is impressive given how new the company is to rallying on ice. This field in Finland is very strong and there is no better place to test your tyre and gain more data than on these winter roads.”
Niclas Grönholm, Driver, Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 said:
“I am looking forward to getting back in a rally car and at the moment we are planning on doing just the Arctic Rally with MRF Tyres.”“We will be able to work with the engineers at MRF Tyres for this round and while Emil and I are in different teams, for the tyres we will work together. My dad (WRC Champion, Marcus Grönholm) is involved in MRF Finland, so it makes sense to test and develop the tyres.”
“The level of competition is quite high this year. Let’s see what happens in this rally, I don’t know to expect but we hope for a good result.”
