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MRF Mogrip 2w INRC Round 1 at Puttur on Nov 29
Bengaluru, 26 Nov 2020: The first round of the MRF Mogrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheelers will begin the 2020 calendar at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district on November 28 and 29.
A total number of 67 entries were received at the regular close of entries time on Nov 23 with only 8 more slots left for late entries (till Friday) as the organisers, Ace Events, restricted the number of bikes to 75 for safety and logistics convenience. Promoted by God Speed Racing of Pune, under the able guidance of former 7-time National champion, Shyam Kothari, the rally offers two Special Stages, a 9.7-km Karkala stage and 9.43-km Palangaya stage, which are run three times each on Sunday, making it six Special Stages for a total stage distance of 57.39km and along with 58.2km of transport, the first-round covers 115.59km.
TVS Racing is expected to dominate the proceedings once again in the top class but the huge number of privateers will make their presence in many other classes. Defending champion Rajendra RE in the Group A Pro-Expert SuperBike class is expected to spearhead the TVS Racing challenge once again but the other Group A class Super Bike (expert) is likely to witness stiff competition with reigning champion Jatin Jain having to deal with the likes of strong contenders Badal Doshi of Mumbai and Bengaluru’s Vishwas SD in this class. Last year, Rajendra began with a bang and won all the first three rounds before missing the fourth round at Coimbatore as Team TVS Racing pulled out, but one more win at Mangalore in the 5th round sealed the championship for him with 100 points and he did not take part in the last round, the K1000 in Bengaluru.
The Ladies class with Open Indian Motorcycles will see the presence of Aishwarya PM, the 2019 champion along with Ryhana Bee, who is fresh from the Sprint Nationals, where is she is leading the title race, and Dimpy.
Rajendra, the defending champ in the top class. Many riders like Sachin D, Suhail Ahmed, Sudeep Kottary and Sinan Francis have taken part in the Sprint Nationals to gain some valuable bike time on similar terrain and have won podium places. All of them will be raring to go in their respective classes.
Aakash Aithal will be the Clerk of the Course with the current Indian Rally Champion of four wheelers Chetan Shivaram, being the Assistant CoC. His co-driver Dilip Sharan is the CRO. Bhaskar Gupta of Karnataka Motor Sports Club is the Chief Steward. Chidananda NC and D Uday Kumar are the other stewards while Yogesh Kalro is nomiated as Technical Delegate.
You can watch a video produced by autotrack.ind.in for MRF Racing of last year’s action here.
INRC 2-W final Championship table 2019:
Class 1: Superbike (Pro-Expert):
1. Rajendra RE, TVS Racing, 100
2. R Nataraj, TVS Racing, 51
3. Nikhil Balakrishna, Privateer, 36
Class 1A: Superbike (Expert):
1. Jatain Jain, 101
2. Badal S Doshi, 65
3. Venu Ramesh Kumar, 33
Class 2 – Super Sport 130:
1. M Srikanth, 95
2. Azeeb Mohammed, 86
3. Santhosh Kour, 53
Class 3: Super Sport 165:
1. Ishan Chandra, 126
2. Francis PV, 90
3. Akshay Siddharamaaiyah, 53
Class 4: Super Sport 260:
1. Imran Pasha, TVS Racing, 118,
2. Samuel Jacob, TVS Racing, 91
3. Sachin D, TVS Racing, 90
Class 5: Super Sport 400:
1. Sudeep Kottary, 118
2. Vikram K, 58,
3. Shivan Wani, 48
Class 6: Super Sport 550:
1. Suhail Ahmed, 125
2. Arun Joy, 66
3. Devraj Venkatesh, 59
Class 7: S0 to S3 Scooters upto 210cc (S0 to S3):
1. Syed Asif Ali, TVS Racing, 143
2. Shamim Khan, TVS Racing, 102
3. Pinkesh Thakkar, TVS Racing, 93
Class 8 – Ladies Class: Ladies Class (Open Indian Motorcycles):
1. Aishwarya Pissay, TVS Racing, 150
2. Ryhana Bee, 48
3. Fazeela, 36.
ends
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Craig Breen takes on new challenge to test MRF tyres: Rally Islas Canarias to ERC
It is the final round of the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship with the Rally Islas Canarias. The event is on tarmac but the roads are very different to what we saw last time out in Hungary. It is the final round of Team MRF Tyres’ inaugural season in the FIA ERC and we talked to our driver, Craig Breen on what to expect this weekend.
Team MRF Tyres: Craig, you have completed the pre event test for Rally Islas Canarias. First of all, how did it go? And what have you aimed to learn from this test?
Craig Breen: This is the first time we’ve really tested in conditions quite like this. Really, it is probably the most abrasive tarmac we’ve had and at this time of year it is strangely warm still. So, it’s been interesting and we’ve tried a lot of different things. We’ve obviously been doing a bit more development on the tyre side. We have also been trying to develop the car to make it a bit more agile, a bit more racy for these roads, compared to the roads we found a lot earlier this year.
Team MRF Tyres: We have tarmac again this weekend but, a very different tarmac to what we saw last time out and in Hungary. What are some of the differences in how you make time on this on these roads?
Craig Breen: Honestly, it’s very difficult to make any time on these roads. In Hungary, Fafe, and other rallies like that you can, you can stick your neck out in some narrow places, some tricky, some tricky parts where the grip is changing a little bit and there you can make a difference. But here, it’s just like a racetrack. And the grip is very consistent from start to end. You just have to try and be as smooth and efficient as possible. Try not to overheat the tyre. It’s a difficult rally in that respect. I am looking forward to it.
Team MRF Tyres: What are your expectations, this is still the first year for MRF and the development of the tyre?
Craig Breen: I think this honestly is going to be one of the more difficult rallies, given the specifics of what we’ve seen in the past and how a lot of other tyre manufacturers have struggled here in the past to get the package right. Even with years and years of experience, it’s been difficult. So coming for the first time it’s going to be hard to get it right out of the box. But it’s definitely going to be a learning experience. I think what we’re seeing in testing, we’ve got a tyre that definitely works. It definitely gives us a starting point to work on these types of roads. Let’s hope that we improve with every stage that goes by and we can take a lot of data.
Team MRF Tyres: We have 17 stages, some 200 kilometers, the weather is going to be a lot warmer than we’ve seen in previous rallies. So how do you manage and maintain and plan for a rally like that?
Craig Breen: When you’re in the rally you have to try and manage the tyres. You have to be smooth and as efficient as possible. Try not to over think things too much. We have to try and set up the car to cope with the conditions as best we can. We have to be able to manage the tyres as best as we can. The surface here is very abrasive. However, once the event starts, we will push to do our best!
Team MRF Tyres: Finally, we see another spectacular lineup here in the FIA ERC. What’s it like, running here in Europe for the final time this year against such a great field?
Craig Breen: It is a great way! it’s got good entries for the end of the year. I think a lot of people have been looking forward to this event. So it’s going to be nice, looking forward to it and we will have a good weekend.
Team MRF Tyres: Thanks, Craig. Best of luck. Craig Breen: Thank-you.
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Suriya Varathan crowned new champion in X30 Senior class
Bangalore, 23 Nov 2o20: Coimbatore’s Suriya Varathan dethroned Nirmal Umashankar to become the new champion in the Senior Category of the X30 Class Meco-FMSCI National Karting Championship that concluded at Meco Kartopia, near Bagalur, on Sunday.
This is the first national championship to be successfully completed in the country, with all safety protocols followed, since the COVID 19 pandemic in March, an FMSCI press release said on Monday.
Suriya, who began the fifth and final round with 138 points, had to be satisfied with the third position in the Senior Category over Saturday and Sunday. But that was good enough to give him a totally tally of 161 points and the coveted championship.
Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar put up a game fight but had to settle for the second position (142) after managing 31 points and a second place in the last round. Bangalore’s Rishon Rajeev was the winner of this round with three wins and one second place.
In the Junior Class, Ruhaan Alva had already clinched the National Championship in the earlier round. He put up another stellar show among the Juniors to take another win with utmost ease but a clash of karts saw him finish behind Rohan Madesh in one race before he asserted his supremeacy in the last race of the season winning by a mile. He will now move to Senior class next year.
Ruhaan and city mate Rohaan Madesh won two races apiece and finished second in two races this weekend to garner 37 points each.
Ruhaan Alva went home with an overall score of 184. Rohaan Madesh finished with 143.
In the Cadet Class, it was complete domination by Rohaan’s younger brother Ishaan Madesh, who delighted all by annexing the Cadet championship. Ishaan won all the four races in the final round to pip Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh who had given him a good fight all through the event. Bangalore’s Anshul Sai took the third place in the Championship.
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Steve Day hosts MotoGP prize giving; Champs awarded
Portimao, 22 Nov 2020: After another stunner of a season, this one tougher than many, the FIM MotoGP Prize Giving ceremony brought the curtain down on a history-making and record-equalling year spanning nine premier class winners and 15 podium finishers.
The top performers in MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE were rewarded at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on Sunday evening, collecting their prizes on stage in a special edition of the event hosted by MotoGP commentator Steve Day.
Joan Mir points to his name added after he won 2020 MotoGP world title. A MotoGP image That’s a wrap on 2020. We did it, #RacingTogether!
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Oliveira obliterates the opposition to reign on home turf
The Portuguese rider was off like a shot on his way to premier class win number two, rounding out the season in serious style as Miller gained some revenge on Morbidelli
Portimao, 22 Nov 2020: Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) took a stunning pole position on Saturday at the Grande Premio MEO de Portugal, putting him in the perfect position to face down his home race with a clear view to Turn 1. And that clear view was never interrupted again once the lights went out as the Portuguese rider rode the race of his life to disappear at the front and decimate the field. Premier class win number two, Tech 3’s second win, another impressive victory for KTM in 2020… and in the first Portuguese Grand Prix since 2012, and the first ever held at Portimão. Sounds like a good Sunday’s work on home turf.
To complete the podium it was another Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) v Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) duel, with the Aussie coming out on top this time around and with that securing Ducati the contructors’ crown. Morbidelli’s third place gives him second overall in the Championship and the title of top Independent Team rider in 2020.
Oliveira got the dream start and into Turn 1, it was Portugal’s superstar who led the way. Morbidelli and Miller also got very good getaways from the front row and they both held station, before Miller then tried to get past the Yamaha at Turn 5. The Australian was slightly wide, however, and Morbidelli didn’t hesitate to take it straight back.
At the end of the opening lap, Oliveira already had a lead of over half a second, and he was pulling clear. Meanwhile World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had got himself on the fringes of the top 10 from P20 on the grid, but then was almost down on Lap 2 at Turn 3. The Majorcan hit the back of Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) at the tight right-hander and was lucky to stay on, Mir then dropping back down to 20th with all the work to do again.
Meanwhile, Oliveira was in the zone. On Lap 3 his lead was up to 1.5 seconds and the Portuguese rider was into the 1:39s, Morbidelli and Miller with no answer. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was sitting P4 ahead of Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team), the KTM rider recovering from a Turn 1 mistake to eventually get the better of Crutchlow on Lap 7.
Oliveira’s lead was now over three seconds. Brilliant, scintillating pace from the Styrian GP winner, and the gap from third place Miller and fourth place Pol Espargaro was 2.7 seconds, with the latter having Crutchlow, Bradl and Zarco right behind him. In the battle for the Constructor crown, it was going the way of Ducati too as Rins was the best-placed Suzuki in P8 – with both Miller and Zarco ahead. On Lap 9, Oliveira struck another fastest lap of the race – a 1:39.855 – and his lead was now creeping up to the four-second mark. But would it last?
Behind him, Pol Espargaro’s podium hopes in his final KTM appearance were slipping away, with Miller gaining in small but important increments to get 3.4 seconds up the road as the Ducati man sat half a second behind Valencia GP nemesis Morbidelli…
The battle for the lower ends of the top 10 was a feisty one too, as Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) were embroiled in an almighty tangle, the Japanese rider eventually getting the better of the Frenchman for P9. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) then also passed Quartararo, the early season favourite slipping backwards.
Pol Espargaro was then wide at Turn 8 after almost losing the front on Lap 12, and Crutchlow was back up to P4 but briefly, as it turned out. The KTM struck back. Behind the duo were a whole host of riders: Bradl, Zarco, Rins, Nakagami and Dovizioso, with the three 2020 Yamahas now occupying P13, P14 and P15 – Quartararo leading Maverick Viñales and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate Valentino Rossi.
With 12 to go, Oliveira’s lead remained just under the four-second mark. The Portuguese rider was on rails around the rollercoaster and with 11 to go, his advantage did then stretch up to and over four seconds.
Meanwhile, Suzuki’s fading hopes of the Triple Crown took another blow as both Dovizioso and Nakagami slid past Rins, the latter dropping to P10 with Mir still not in the points – P16 for the World Champion at that point. And then, with 10 laps to go, the 2020 World Champion’s race was over. A problem with his GSX-RR saw Mir pull into pitlane and it wasn’t the weekend Mir nor Suzuki would have been planning after an epic season. Rins’ race was also unravelling. The number 42 was fighting to keep all three 2020 YZR-M1s behind him for P12. Rins vs Viñales vs Quartararo vs Rossi for the final points? 2020 has been a crazy year!
Back nearer the front, Miller was still shadowing Morbidelli at just under half a second and there were no such troubles in Ducati’s quest to become Constructor Champions as Miller set his first 1:39 of the race to haunt Morbidelli. With that, the battle for second was now getting properly tasty with eight to go. It was a copy/paste from Valencia between Morbidelli and Miller, but this time it was for P2 as Oliveira had well and truly checked out.
Behind the duo, was nearly seven seconds of clear air ahead of Pol Espargaro. The Spaniard now had breathing space back to a sensational battle for P5 though, with Zarco was leading it from Crutchlow and Dovizioso after his Turn 1 pass on Bradl and Nakagami. Rins was now P14, Triple Crown hopes for Suzuki well and truly out the window and barring a mistake from Morbidelli and an upturn in speed for Rins, P2 in the title was lost as well.
Plunging down the hill with five laps to go, the fight for fifth saw Crutchlow run very wide. The British rider was almost in Lisbon and dropped to P9, just ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini). It was more Moto3™ than MotoGP™…
7.6 seconds up the road though, Miller was back on the tailpipes of Morbidelli. Three laps remained; Miller following Morbidelli for two races and probably able to write a book on the Italian’s riding style by that point. But still, the number 43 couldn’t get close enough to pounce.
So, onto the last lap of the season we went. Out front, Oliveira had an easy – relatively speaking – run to victory, or at least made it look that way after undoubtedly one of the rides of the season. Behind him, Miller was close, very close, to Morbidelli and, finally, the Austrlian struck.
The move came at Turn 13, Miller through and holding it into Turn 14, turning the tables this time around to get some sweet revenge on the Italian. The podium was decided: Oliveira made more history, Miller secured the Constructors’ crown for Ducati (for the first time since 2007 no less), and Morbidelli took second in the Championship and top Independent Team rider after five podiums… three of them wins.
P4 for Pol Espargaro isn’t the podium or victory that he would have wanted in his KTM swan song, but another great ride sees the number 44 finish 5th in the World Championship. An amazing achievement from Pol, KTM and the whole team in 2020 as the Spaniard now says his goodbyes and heads for Honda. Nakagami bounced back from two crashes this weekend to finish the season on a high with his fourth top five, a strong campaign for the Japanese rider.
Dovizioso had a sterling final half of the race to earn P6 in his final race for Ducati. The Italian ends 2020 P4 in the standings before his 2021 sabbatical, it’s not the podium he’ll have been hoping for but a positive way to end his season. Bradl’s weekend in Portimao was insanely good, a crash in Warm Up was the only mistake he made across the three days. P7 for the HRC test rider beats his Le Mans P8 from this year as the Repsol Honda call-up flew the flag high in the finale.
Aleix Espargaro was another who had awesome late-race pace, the Aprilia man secures his third top 10 of the year with a great effort on the Algarve. Alex Marquez’ impressive rookie year ends with a P9 in Portimao, not quite enough to beat Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to the Rookie of the Year crown but nevertheless, the number 73 was an impressive contender in 2020. Binder crashed out of the finale, rider ok. Zarco crossed the line in P10 ahead of his switch from Esponsorama Ducati to Pramac Ducati, the Frenchman getting the better of factory Yamaha duo Viñales and Rossi.
Unfortunately for the Iwata factory, 2020 wasn’t the year they’d have hoped for after their Jerez success. Viñales finishes sixth in the standings, with Rossi’s final factory Yamaha race ending with a P12 in Portimao. The pair edged out Crutchlow as the British rider bows out of full-time racing with a 13th place, a fantastic career coming to an end for the number 35 as he gets ready for a Yamaha test rider role in 2021.
Quartararo was icing his arm at the end of another difficult race, the Frenchman finishing P14 in Portimao and that’s a result that sees El Diablo settle for P8 in the overall standings. Rins slipped right back in the latter stages and takes the final point of 2020, a disappointing end to a great season for the Spaniard who takes the 2020 bronze medal.
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) waves goodbye to Ducati with a P16, Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Tito Rabat (Esponsorama Racing) were the two other finishers in Portimao as Rabat also – potentially – wraps up his MotoGP™ career. Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) crashed out, Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) was forced to retire on Lap 1. Contact with Mir at Turn 3 saw the Italian in considerable pain back in the garage.
And so, the curtains are drawn on an incredible 2020 MotoGP™ World Championship. Thank you to the fans watching from home, the partners and broadcasters and promoters and everyone worked to make it possible. We did it, #RacingTogether. Congratulations to Joan Mir on becoming 2020 World Champion, it’s time now to get some well-earned rest and reflect on a challenging year off track… made better by the wonderful spectacle on it.
MotoGP podium:
1 Miguel Oliveira* – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – KTM 41:48.163
2 Jack Miller* –Pramac Racing – Ducati +3.193
3 Franco Morbidelli* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha +3.298
*Independent Team ridersMiguel Oliveira: “It’s unreal. You know you dream about these kind of races and to finally be able to do it, it’s incredible. I have no words to describe my gratitude to all the people, the crowd watching at home who couldn’t be here today. Thank you! And to my team, this is my farewell to Tech 3 but it’s a great day, that I could give them this victory again, for Tech 3 and and KTM, it’s a huge accomplishment for me. It’s extra special because my family didn’t get to see my first win live and now they get to see it, they’re here and it’s an incredible day for me. Very emotional, and just glad to finish the season on a high and with a strong performance like today.”
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Bastianini wins the 2020 Moto2 World Championship
Portimao, 22 Nov 2020: Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) is the 2020 FIM Moto2™ World Champion. The Italian took the crown with fifth place in the Grande Premio MEO de Portugal, enough to finish nine points clear of both Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS).
Bastianini began his career on minibikes in Italy before his first taste of the Grand Prix paddock came in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2013. Ending the year in fourth and taking two victories and a pole, it was an impressive performance from the Italian and he moved up to the Moto3™ World Championship the year after. In his rookie year he took three podiums and ended the year inside the top ten overall – as well as being named Rookie of the Year.
The next season saw Bastianini become a Grand Prix winner as he won his first race at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, and he finished the season third overall after six podiums and four poles. He was again a winner in 2016 as he took victory in Motegi, and ended the year second overall in the standings. 2017 proved a tougher season but the ‘Beast’ gained traction by the end of the year to end the season with another three podiums to his name. The following year he was back to winning ways with victory in the Catalan Grand Prix and six podiums overall, proving a perfect springboard for a move to Moto2™ for 2019.
Bastianini’s rookie season in the intermediate class began with three top tens in a row and he was into the top five by Catalunya, showing off his impressive ability to adapt once again. Brno saw him take his first podium, and he was fighting for Rookie of the Year before getting crashed out in Austria and injury seeing him sit out the following British Grand Prix. He finished the year with some more top tens, but moreover, the seeds were sown for his sophomore year in the class.
Bastianini As 2020 began under the floodlights, Bastianini took a podium first time out and immediately established himself as a frontrunner. Once competition re-started in Jerez the Italian had a tougher race in the Spanish Grand Prix, but he bounced back with two wins in a row to put himself well in contention for the title. Bad luck hit again in Austria as he crashed out, with 10th place next time out at the Red Bull Ring proving a more muted return to the points in the Styrian Grand Prix. But the ‘Beast’ got back to his consistent frontrunning ways thereafter, taking a third place and a win in the two races at Misano.
A sixth in Catalunya then prefaced an 11th place in France, but Bastianini kept calm to get back on the rostrum once again at Aragon with a second and third. As key rival Sam Lowes (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) won three in a row, it was the best damage control the Italian could do and it kept him well in touch before the European GP proved a turning point.
As Lowes crashed out, Bastianini fought back from 15th on the grid to take fourth and with it the Championship lead. That gave him his first shot at the title on take two at Valencia, and with Lowes suffering the after-effects of an FP3 crash the momentum was suddenly all with the Italian. After another tougher qualifying down in 12th, Bastianini produced yet another great comeback to finish P6. Not enough for the title in Valencia though.
This left the ‘Beast’ with a 14-point advantage over Lowes – who finished P14 in Valencia – heading to the final race of the season. Marini and Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) were also in the hunt, 18 and 23 points adrift, so the pressure was on. However, Bastianini dealt with it incredibly well. A last dash P4 in qualifying and an equally great P5 in a fantastic and tense race was enough to see the number 33 claim his first World Championship crown.
An outstanding season ends with Bastianini finishing on 205 points, helped by three wins and seven podiums in 15 races. Congratulations to Enea Bastianini and the Italtrans Racing Team on an awesome 2020 campaign, a wonderful sign off as The Beast looks forward to his MotoGP™ debut in 2021!
Enea Bastianini: “Incredible feeling. Today is the best day of my life I think. The race was really hard, the pace was really fast and in the middle of the race I thought, ‘ok, I have to push more’ because I was in sixth and Sam was at the front. I risked a bit more. And finally when I saw on the last lap, 2020 World Champion… it’s a dream come true for me. And I dedicate this World Championship to the guys, my trainer, my family, to all the team and to all the paddock because it’s been a very difficult season with Covid. It’s fantastic to be able to race this year. It was a dramatic situation.
“The strategy was to be fast the first two or three laps and get to the front, but when Luca and Sam overtook me I thought, ‘ok, now I need to stay behind’. When I was in sixth I thought to push more, because if Sam won I had to be fourth. but then I saw Sam in third and I knew fifth was good for me. It wasn’t necessary to overtake Marco. It’s incredible this season, for me.
“It’s important to be consistent, this Championship was short – good for me because I took three victories and seven podiums, one zero in Austria, and this was the key to the Championship. Luca and Sam were really fast. Now there’s another dream, MotoGP™, and I know it ill be hard to be fast, lots of electronics and I have to adapt my style for this. I think I have time to improve and we’ll see what we can do next year!”
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Albert Arenas is the 2020 Moto3 World Champion
Albert Arenas (Gaviota Aspar Team Moto3) is the 2020 FIM Moto3 World Champion. The Spaniard, who started the year with a win in Qatar, sealed the deal in the final race of the season with a 12th place, taking his first World Championship by four points after three wins and two further podiums.
Arenas hit the ground running in the CEV 125 Championship, as it was then, with the Spaniard’s first season in 2011 seeing him score some solid points. The next year it changed to Moto3 and he took his first podium and pole position, and the season after that his first win in the series. The end of 2014 saw Arenas makes his Grand Prix debut in the final round in Valencia before 2015 proved one of the most pivotal seasons on his journey to becoming a World Champion.
The first year it became the FIM Moto3™ Junior World Championship, Arenas gained traction from top fives early on to take podiums and then go on a winning spree to close out the season, ending 2015 in second overall after an impressive run. He then made some appearances as an injury replacement in the 2016 Moto3™ World Championship earlier in the year with Mahindra, before becoming a permanent fixture from Austria on.
His first full Moto3™ season in 2017 was a tougher one but Arenas scored points and took a top 10 in Misano before it all started to come together for 2018. After a tougher start, glory was just around the corner as the Spaniard took his first Grand Prix victory in a stunning French Grand Prix at Le Mans. He won again before the end of the year as he stood on the top step Down Under, having become a bona fide contender at the front.
2019 was more consistent. A victory came his way in Thailand that began a run of three consecutive podiums in Japan and Australia, with Arenas eventually ending the year 11th in the Championship on 108 points after one win, one second place and one third. Then came 2020.
Arenas’ season began with a phenomenal victory in Qatar before COVID-19 put a halt to proceedings, and he would have to wait until July to reignite his title charge. But on home soil in Jerez, the number 75 proved he was the real deal with a second win in two to extend his lead at the top.
A DNF in the Andalucia GP was quickly put to the back of his mind with two more podiums in the Czech Republic and Austria, the latter a third win of the campaign, and Arenas seemed the secure favourite for the title. However, he wouldn’t return to the rostrum until the French GP, five races after Austria, as he was hit by DNFs and bad luck. But Le Mans saw him back on the box after another impressive ride, and although that would turn out to be his last podium of the season, the points would prove crucial.
A tough European GP saw Arenas DNF and get DSQ’d, but he arrived in Portugal as the Championship leader with just two rivals remaining for the crown. In an outstanding final battle of 2020, a hard-fought 12th place under intense pressure was enough for the Spaniard to crown himself the 2020 Moto3™ World Champion.
Albert Arenas: “I’m still enjoying the moment, I don’t really believe it yet what happened today! I knew it was a matter of time, races, we were close in the last races but there were many things we couldn’t control. What was in my hands I was trying to have under control, enjoy riding. But today we made it and it’s incredible.
“I started the race with a lot of energy, I wanted to push and do a great result and enjoy the race. Until half race distance, I was really comfortable then I started to have some problems, I don’t know, nerves, the rear tyre… but it was ok. There was a moment I was suffering more then I got the pace again. The last lap was out of control, I was catching Arbolino and then it was a typical Moto3 moment with a lot of touches, everyone didn’t have anything to lose and overtook everywhere, but I was there. I was pushing and when I crossed the line it was a relief. We made it, but until I saw my team I didn’t believe it! It’s incredible.”
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Pure class: Oliveira makes history on home turf to take first Portuguese pole
The Red Bull KTM Tech 3 rider storms Portimão in some serious style to head the grid for his home Grande Premio MEO de Portugal, joined by Morbidelli and Miller on the front row
Portimao, 21 Nov 2020: Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) became Portugal’s first premier class winner earlier this season, and what better place to become the nation’s first premier class polesitter than home turf? With a spectacular final lap, that’s exactly what he did – making a little history and putting himself in the best possible position for his first MotoGP™ race on home soil. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the man just denied, with Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) completing the front row.
In Q1, it was close but in the end Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) came out on top as he started his final MotoGP™ qualifying on top form, just a few hundredths ahead of Morbidelli. Morbidelli had a tense end to the session, however, pulling into pitlane with a minute still on the clock and left to wait and see if Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) could knock him out. The South African was setting red sectors until the final sector, where the lap just went away and he ended up third; 13th on the grid as he aims to secure Rookie of the Year.
Behind the fight for the top, newly-crowned MotoGP™ World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) equalled his worst ever premier class qualifying after a very difficult Saturday at the office. Not able to pull anything out the hat in Q1, he starts P20 and third to last on the grid.
Next up, Q2 was ready to go and the stage was set. The majestic Algarve International Circuit was the perfect host for the last qualifying dance of 2020, but who would come out on top? Zarco was the first man into the 1:39s, but there would be plenty more where that came from. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) exchanged P1 in quick succession before Morbidelli shot to the top with a 1:39.245, sitting provisional pole position after the first runs.
With six minutes to go, most of the riders left pitlane for their final time attack of the season. Quartararo was up in Sector 1, so was Crutchlow and so was Zarco. Morbidelli was under his own time in Sector 2 as well. Coming over the line, Quartararo moved himself up to P5 from P9 and Morbidelli improved his time once more.
Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) then shot into an amazing second, but it didn’t last too long as Crutchlow then demoted his fellow HRC rider to third and Quartararo moved onto the front row. Morbidelli and Miller, however, were flying. The first 1:38 was slammed in from the Italian, but could Miller snatch it away? Not quite, although the Aussie took over in second.
Then though, all eyes turned to the local hero. Oliveira was one of the last men who could deny Morbidelli and giving it his all on home soil, more than in touch. Rising over the brow of the hill, the number 88 got it done and crossed the line to set a new all-time lap record, a phenomenal 1:38.892. The celebrations couldn’t be too vigorous just yet though, with fellow KTM rider Pol Espargaro still out on a charge. The number 44 was faster in Sector 1 and 2 but by the end of the lap, the time faded away for the Spaniard and that was all she wrote: the dream was realised for Oliveira, Tech3 and Portugal. His maiden MotoGP™ pole, Portugal’s first MotoGP™ pole and Tech3’s first pole of the year.
Morbidelli’s qualifying was outstanding, however, the Italian turning Q1 into just 0.044 seconds off pole. Miller takes third and his fifth front row of the season, with his great mate Crutchlow next up. P4 is the British rider’s best qualifying result since his Aragon front row, can he fight for a dream goodbye podium from there?
Another man hoping to end the season on a high will be Quartararo from P5 on the grid, which also hands the Frenchman the BMW Qualifying Award for 2020. In addition, his fifth ensures the top five in qualifying are all Independent Team machines. In terms of the Independent Team rider standings, meanwhile, it’s Morbidelli vs Quartararo with the Italian ahead by 17 points…
In sixth place, it’s hats off to test rider turned increasingly impressive stand-in Stefan Bradl. The German HRC rider has been quick all weekend and was less than two tenths away from the front row, set to start the season finale as the top factory rider to boot. He beats Zarco by 0.034 seconds as the Frenchman took seventh despite a crash, with Viñales set to line-up in P8. Both he and ninth place Pol Espargaro finish just three tenths away from pole, but lock out the third row – showing once again how close the margins are in MotoGP™.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is going in search of P2 in the overall standings and the Constructor title for Suzuki, but he’s got a bit of work to do from P10. However, we’ve seen Rins reach the podium from further back in recent times, so never say never! The top Ducati – with the Borgo Panigale factory equal on points with Suzuki in the constructors’ standings – is Miller on the front row, however.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemtisu) had a big FP4 crash and will line-up 11th on tomorrow’s grid, the first time he’s been off the front row in a few weeks, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) finishing Q2 in P12 – 0.695 away from pole position and suffering a lap cancelled.
What a way for MotoGP™ qualifying to end in 2020. After seeing their man grab a first win in Styria, Portuguese fans now have a premier class pole position to celebrate thanks to the superb efforts of Oliveira. The job isn’t done yet though, can the Portuguese superstar end the season in fairytale fashion with a race win?
The final premier class battle of 2020 kicks off at 14:00 local time (GMT). The Constructor title is up for grabs, second in the riders’ Championship is up for grabs and the final bragging rights of 2020 are very much up for grabs as well. Don’t miss a single lap of action as MotoGP™ go racing in Portimão for the first time!
1 Miguel Oliveira* – Red Bull KTM Tech 3 – KTM – 1:38.892
2 Franco Morbidelli* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.044
3 Jack Miller* – Pramac Racing – Ducati – +0.146
*Independent Team riderMiguel Oliveira: “I’m feeling really good and enjoying every moment on track, happy with every lap. Tomorrow we want to finish the job! That’s for sure, that’s the goal. We need to keep our feet on the ground and do a good job. I think for everyone it will be unknown territory because we had a lot of tyres to test and to work on the setup of the bike at the same time, so you know… we just hope we’ve done a good job and can finish the season well!”
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Top honours for Suhail Ahmed; Double for Sachin
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 21 Nov 2020: Astride a KTM 450EXC, Suhail Ahmed survived minor hiccups to win the top honours on Saturday while Sachin D bagged a brace in the third round of the Motorsport Inc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship for two-wheelers at the closed dirt tracks in Korlahalli, 53-km from here, on Saturday.
Organised by Motorsports Inc, the promoters of the Sprint Nationals, the event attracted 82 entries in 9 classes, and is supported by Red Bull and Hero MotoSports.
Bengaluru rider Suhail clocked the fastest time of the day in Group A up to 800cc class, the ribbon event of the day, beating Sinan Francis of Ernakulam 2.19 seconds, but the Ernakulam rider placed his KTM450EXC in the second to keep the championship lead going into the fourth round on Sunday. “I was bogged down by technical issues and had to manage and finish the stage,” said Suhail, who faced suspension issues.
Suhail Ahmed, who won the fastest rider of the day tag on Saturday. Sachin D, who won a double on Saturday, negotiates a bump in the Star of Karnataka class. In the Group B classes, it was Sachin D from TVS Racing, who had the upper hand winning the 166cc to 260cc Class, astride a TVS Apache with a time of 7min 49.43seconds, the second-fastest time of the day to shoot into the championship lead following two podiums in the first two rounds. Sachin defeated Hero Motosports, Yuva Kumar by a margin of 8.49seconds and Sanjay Somasekhar, also of Bengaluru, took third on a Hero Xpulse, as he finished another 7 seconds behind.
Yuva Kumar of Hero Motosports, showcases his skills on a Hero Xpulse, but had to be content with a second place on Saturday. He collected enough points to stay in title hunt. “It’s a hard and very technical track but I had a good ride and enjoyed the day. Everything went off smoothly today. Hats-off to the organisers, for it is not easy to put together such a show in these days of Corona,” said Sachin at the service park.
In the Star of Karnataka class, Sachin D won clocking 7min 54.24sec and Yuva Kumar once again finished second. “I finished second in both my classes but it was a good day for me. The track was tricky with bumpy terrain and it was a fast stage and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s round,” quipped Yuva of Hero MotoSports.
The big daddies: Devaraj Venkatesh, astride a Himalayan negotiates a corner on way to his win in the Bullet Class Round 3 Sprint Nationals on Saturday. Photo by David Bodapati While Bengaluru’s Pavan BK won the 131 to 165cc Class, Mangalore’s Sudeep Kottary bagged the first place in 261 to 400cc Category and Ernakulam’s Nordin Thomas, put his Yamaha YBX on the top pedestal in `Upto 130cc Class’.
Sudeep was streets ahead as he won by a huge margin with over 47-seconds on Bengaluru-based Sajeesh, also on a KTM Duke. He had to be content with a second place over one minute ahead of Uday Ganguli of Kolkata, astride a KTM 390.
In the Ladies Class, Ryhana Bee, the 2019 National racing champion in her class, continued to dominate the Sprint Rally Nationals as she posted another hard-earned win brushing aside the challenge of Tanika Shanbhag of Satara. Astride a Hero Impulse, the Chennai lass posted a perfect 75 points from three rounds to complete a hat-trick of wins. Arpita VM of Mangalore, who had two podiums in the first two rounds was off-colour today on her Honda Stunner, with Bengaluru’s Dimpy taking the third place today ahead of Arpita. All the top three are riding an Impulse.
“The terrain is pretty technical with rocky pebbles. But I enjoyed the straights where we can gain time. Relatively, it is a hard track when compared to the others, as it requires mental strength to absorb the technicalities of different corners,” said Ryhana, about the 7.75km terrain. The village road from Korlahalli to Melakote amidst the Raagi fields ready for harvest had pebbles, hard rocks and loose soil at different points.
The Bullet class was dominated by Himalayan bikes and the all-Bengaluru podium saw Devaraj Venkatesh on the top step. Mohammed Zaheer came second pushing Vishwas SD to third place.
Provisional final results (Round 3):
Noldin Thomas, who won the Upto 130cc Class, in action on Saturday. Group A:
Upto 800cc: 1. Suhail Ahmed Competition Number #5 (Bengaluru, KTM450EXC) (07 minutes, 48.74 seconds); 2. Sinan Francis #1 (Ernakulam, KTM450EXC) (7: 51.55); 3. Vishwas SD #2 (Bengaluru, Suzuki) (8:09.82);
Group B:
131cc to 165cc: 1. Pavan BK #30 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (8:07.83); 2. Ishan Chandra #29 (Mangalore, Hero Impulse) (8:23.19); 3. Vinay Prasad #24 (Bengaluru Hero Impulse) (8:25.58);
261cc to 400cc: 1. Sudeep Kottary #66 (Mangalore, KTM Duke) (8:38.65); 2. Sajeesh #67 (Bangalore, KTM Duke) (9:26.86); 3. Uday Ganguly #63 (Kolkota, KTM 390) (10:37.97).
Upto 130cc: 1.Nordin Thomas #19 (Ernakulam, Yamaha YBX) (8:53.53); 2. Durgesh J #18 (Mysore, Honda Stunner) (8:55.59); 3. Joseph Jinu #22 (Ernakulam, Yamaha YBX) (9:00.54).
166cc to 260cc: 1. Sachin D #51 (Bengaluru, TVS Apache) (7: 49.43); Yuva Kumar #46 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (7:58.36); 3. Sanjay Somasekhar #45 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (8:05.32).
Bullet Class: 1. Devaraj Venkatesh #88 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:23.12); 2. Mohammed Zaheer #87 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:29.94); 3. Vishwas SD #91 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:32.31).
Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee #73 (Chennai, Hero Impulse) (9:44.10); 2. Tanika Shanbhag #72 (Satara, Hero Impulse) (9:53.33); 3. Dimpy A #70 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (11:30.01).
Scooter Class: 1. Karthik Naidu #79 (Bengaluru, TVS N-Torq) (9:10.86); Pinkesh Thakkar #80 (Pune, Aprilla SR125) (9:27.57); 3. Subramanya #83 (Bengaluru, TVS Wega) (9:43.07).
Star of Karnataka: 1. Sachin D #105 (Bengaluru, TVS Apache) (7:54.23); 2. Yuva Kumar #109 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (8:05.11); 3. Ishan Chandra #102 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (8:11.67).
Clerk of the Course: Jaidas Menon.
Chief Steward: Gautham Shanthappa, Steward: Rakesh D, Club Steward: Uday Kumar.
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Zarco tames the rollercoaster as MotoGP™ meets Portimão
The Frenchman tops the timesheets from Viñales and Aleix Espargaro after a flying start – almost literally – on Friday
Portimao, 20 Nov 2020: Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) is now the owner of the fastest ever two-wheel lap of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, the Frenchman putting in a 1:39.417 to top Day 1 of the Grande Premio MEO de Portugal. Second went the way of Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as he ended the day just over a tenth off, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) impressing to put the Noale factory in third by the end of play.
FP1
The day began with the home hero on top as Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) set the pace in the extended 70-minute FP1 session with the fastest-ever Algarve International Circuit two-wheel lap: a 1:40.122. Portugal’s first premier class winner had close company, however, heading Viñales by 0.040. Aleix Espargaro completed the top three as Aprilia got off to a solid start.It was Oliveira who led the opening stages, before Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) took over at the summit with the Hondas of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) sitting P3 and P4 with 50 minutes to go, before Viñales slotted into P3.
The Yamaha man then took over at the top with a 1:41.427 and with a fitting 36 minutes left on the clock, 2020 World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) showed some early cards to take second. It was close from the off, eight tenths covering the top 14 with just under half an hour left.
Stefan Bradl (Repsol Honda Team) was the next man to take over, before Quartararo then became the first rider to dip into the 1:40s with a 1:40.877. Improvements were being fired in across the board late on though, with Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) leapfrogging Aleix Espargaro for third too.
With two minutes to go, the goalposts were moved by Viñales once again, Oliveira and Aleix Espargaro then taking second and third respectively. Lorenzo Savadori, who has experience in Portimão from his superbike days, then made it two Aprilias in the top three as the Italian went P2.
On his final flying lap though, Oliveira returned to the summit and made it a Portuguese number one in Portuguese FP1. Viñales ended the morning in second ahead of Aleix Espargaro and an impressive showing from Savadori, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing the top five ahead of Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Mir, Quartararo, Nakagami and Bradl, the German rider locking out the top 10.
FP2
All the times tumbled in the afternoon, although some shuffles were more drastic than others. Before many laps were ridden in anger though, the first MotoGP™ crash of the weekend came courtesy of Rins. The Team Suzuki Ecstar rider was down at Turn 8, the Spaniard perfectly ok but that not an ideal start to the afternoon.Aleix Espargaro led the early stages with a 1:40.969, less than a second away from Oliveira’s FP1 pace, before Zarco got down to a 1:40.723 to sit top with just under an hour to go thanks to his best time of the weekend. Bradl, as he had in the opening session, then went fastest. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing), Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) and Iker Lecuona’s replacement Mika Kallio (Red Bull KTM Tech3) were the other riders to have already gone quicker in FP2 with 50 minutes to go, but the shuffle only continued from there on.
By 11 minutes to go, just 0.8 seconds split the leading 18 riders. The final push began as Miller launched himself to P1 with a 1:39.895, Nakagami and Mir making moves as well, with the top four covered by less than a tenth as the clock counted down.
Zarco then struck to take to the top. The Frenchman went a tenth and a half faster than the field before Miller improved again to cut that gap, Bradl got back up to P3, and then Viñales wrestled back top spot with a 1:39.664. That didn’t last long though as Zarco took back over by nearly a quarter of a second, the Frenchman stamping some authority on the timesheets.
It was a scintillating end to the session and by the end of the final charge for the top, Zarco held on and everyone had improved. Viñales and Aleix Espargaro were second and third as they had been in FP1, however, with Quartararo moving up to fourth overall.
Brad Binder jumped up from P20 to complete a top five split by 0.280 seconds, ahead of the reigning World Champion as Mir finished P6 on Day 1. He was just 0.009 seconds ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) though, with Pol Espargaro, Miller and Morbidelli completing the top 10.
Bradl missed out by just 0.021 despite his impressive showing, with Nakagami and Oliveira shuffled down to P11 and P12 respectively by the end of play.
They will be joining Rins – who ended Friday in P17 – as some of the most eager to get back out in FP3 to try and move up the order. More track time will likely mean more shuffles though, so there’s plenty time left yet! Tune in for FP3 at 9:55 local time (GMT) to see who’s heading through, before qualifying will then decide the grid from 14:10.
Click here for combined timesheets
1 Johann Zarco* – Esponsorama Racing – Ducati – 1:39.417
2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +0.119
3 Aleix Espargaro* – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia – +0.228
4 Fabio Quartararo* – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – +0.275
5 Brad Binder – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM – +0.280
*Independent Team rider
