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  • Back-to-back victories for Tanak-Jarveoja: WRC German Rally

    Back-to-back victories for Tanak-Jarveoja: WRC German Rally

    Ott Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja in a splendid jump on way to a WRC round win in Germany. Photos: FIA

    Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja have taken their second consecutive victory in Rallye Deutschland, as well as in the FIA World Rally Championship after their dominant win on the last round in Finland. The Toyota crew again controlled the event, leading from the third stage, to triumph for the third time this season. After a drama-filled morning, Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul finished an unexpected second with Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm moving up to third, giving Toyota it’s second consecutive double podium finish.

    In the FIA World Rally Championship, Neuville has extended his lead over Sebastien Ogier but by only two points, such was today’s rate of attrition and the Frenchman’s maximum points haul in the Power Stage. Tänak’s victory and four points in the Power Stage sees the Estonian nearly halve the deficit to Ogier and he is now only 13 points adrift in third. The Manufacturers’ Championship continues to be led by the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team but Toyota GAZOO Racing has overhauled M-Sport Ford for second position and is chasing down the Korean manufacturer, 13 points separating the teams.

    Tänak was able to adopt a cautious approach over today’s closing three stages and 72.18 competitive kilometres and the Estonian took a near maximum points haul away from the last full asphalt event of the season. Behind him, however, it was carnage among the front-runners. Starting the day in second position, Dani Sordo had a charging Jari-Matti Latvala just eight-tenths of a second behind him and, while pushing on through the first stage, the Spaniard went off the road into the vineyards. Despite damage to the front end, and a broken windscreen, he was able to continue but was unable to start the next stage with temperatures running too high. Next to hit problems was third-placed Latvala, the Finn stopping in the same stage with a transmission problem. As such, Neuville climbed from fourth to second. The Belgian was fastest through the day’s opener and despite a couple of small mistakes had enough of a buffer to Lappi to secure the position at the end of a dramatic event. Lappi notched up his best result on Tarmac and was delighted to have a clean weekend with no problems, the reward being third overall.

    Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja on podium.

    Ogier eventually secured fourth on an event he had the potential to win, such was his pace. His maximum Power Stage points limited the damage in the title fight and once again he will be looking to re-set ahead of the next round in Turkey. Team-mate Teemu Suninen was behind in fifth, exceeding his own expectations on his first Tarmac event in a WRC car and happy to have shown improved speed over the course of the rally. Andreas Mikkelsen was sixth, enduring a difficult weekend as he tirelessly worked to adapt his driving style to the Tarmac spec i20 Coupe WRC. After his accident yesterday, Craig Breen regained his confidence and finished last of the leading WRC cars in seventh. Mads Østberg rounded out a disappointing weekend for Citroen with an off in the opening stage, forcing him into retirement with underbody damage.

    In the FIA WRC 2 Championship, Jan Kopecký never gave up after losing so much time with a puncture yesterday. He fought his way through the field and with a string of three fastest times today, he overhauled Kalle Rovanperä and Fabio Andolfi to take the category win by 3.8 seconds and the lead in the series. Taisko Lario took two stage wins today en route to his first WRC 3 victory. The Finn, who grew up competing on gravel roads, was delighted with the result, even more so being that it was on Tarmac. He beat Enrico Brazzoli and Louise Cook.

    The 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship takes the crews to Marmaris for the all-new Rally Turkey. Despite the country hosting rounds of the WRC previously, this will be the first time the event has been based in this part of Turkey and absolutely everything about this gravel encounter will be new for all the contenders.

    Rallye Deutschland – Final unofficial results (subject to final scrutineering)

    1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 03min 36.9sec
    2 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 04min 16.1sec
    3 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 04min 37.8sec
    4 Sebastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 05min 11.4sec
    5 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 05min 39.8sec
    6 Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 05min 50.7sec
    7 Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroen C3 WRC 3hr 06min 16.0sec
    8 Marijan Griebel / Alexander Rath Citroen DS3 WRC 3hr 14min 18.1sec
    9 Jan Kopecký / Pavel Dresler Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 16min 49.7sec
    10 Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 16min 53.5sec

  • 18 corners, one winner: the behemoth of Silverstone beckons MotoGP stalwarts

    Silverstone, 20 Aug 2018: As the dust settles after the incredible duel in Austria in the MotoGP World Motorcycle Racing Championship, the stage is most definitely set for Silverstone. The venue that first hosted a showdown between then-reigning Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) and then-rookie challenger Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in 2013, it could be another stunner at the GoPro British Grand Prix – with both men having incredible records at the track.

    That track is one of the longest on the calendar; an expansive ribbon of tarmac snaking its way over the former airfield and providing one of the challenges of the year. Flat, legendary and fast, Silverstone isn’t for the faint of heart – and that’s without considering the Great British weather. It could be sunny, but it’s hardly Philadelphia.

    That’s something that could play into the hands of some on the grid. After the duel that Lorenzo won in 2013 for his third premier class victory there, the 2014 re-run saw Marquez strike back – before the rain hit in 2015. Then it was Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) who took the top step – and Marquez crashed out. It’s a tough time for Yamaha of late and now their longest run without a win since the nineties, but Rossi tamed the rain to perfection three years ago. And the following season? Now-teammate Maverick Viñales took his first ever premier class win – so the circuit has some good memories for both, from both winning and subsequent podiums.

    In the great British summer of 2017 though, it was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) who pitched it to perfection. And of all those who know they have pace at Silverstone, he’s the one who is looking to hit back quick – having won in style in Brno and then been unable to get in the fight in the latter stages in Austria, left to come home third. Also often a master of tricky conditions, ‘DesmoDovi’ will be aiming squarely for the front.

    Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) is another to watch, and the first of three lions racing on home turf. Crutchlow was on pole and a podium finisher in 2016, and took fourth last season from another front row start. Having already won a race this season, Crutchlow should be a serious threat at the front – and is another who can master difficult conditions. There’s a lot at stake, too, with only two points separating the fight for top Independent Team rider in the standings. It’s Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) who’s currently ahead on 105, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) on 104 and Crutchlow on 103. Probability says that will change once again in the British GP.

    Team Suzuki Ecstar, meanwhile, want to get back near the front after a spate of podiums earlier in the season – and Silverstone was the scene of their first win since 2007 when they were on top in 2016. That may have been with a different rider, but Alex Rins is a former winner at the venue too, in Moto3™. Scott Redding (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) is another former winner and one with a stunning record on home soil, and he’ll want to try and get in the fight with fellow Brit Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). KTM, after a run of bad luck, are also looking for a bit more in the UK. Will Pol Espargaro be back from injury? He hopes so, but if the 2013 Moto2™ World Champion can’t ride, someone has to – KTM have to field a replacement.

    That’s the cast for another stunning showdown at Silverstone. Will it be Lorenzo vs Marquez? MotoGP™ vs the rain? Dovizioso back on top? Tune in to find out, but don’t be late – the schedule is different for the GoPro British Grand Prix and the lights go out on Sunday at 13:00 local time (GMT +1).

    Championship Standings
    1 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 201 points
    2 – Valentino Rossi (ITA) YAMAHA 142
    3 – Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) DUCATI 130
    4 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI 129
    5 – Maverick Viñales (SPA) YAMAHA 113

    eom/db

  • Muddappa gets triple; Ramachander hogs limelight: National Drag Racing Championship

    Muddappa gets triple; Ramachander hogs limelight: National Drag Racing Championship

    Hemant Muddappa (left) and Vivek Ramachander who topped among bikes and cars, respectively (Photo by Anand Philar)

    Chennai, 19 Aug 2018: Hemant Muddappa from Bengaluru yet again scored a triple in the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Racing Championship for two-wheelers at the MMRT here on Sunday. Muddappa topped in the Unrestricted, 1051cc and Above, and 851-1050cc classes.

    In the four-wheeler category, another Bengalurean, Vivek Ramachander (Tune O Tronics) emerged the fastest as he took the honours in the Unrestricted class besides winning the Indian Open (Stock Body).

    The results:

    4-Wheelers – Unrestricted: 1. Vivek Ramachander (Tune O Tronics, Bengaluru) (12.953secs); 2. Shubho Ghosh (Tune O Tronics, Bengaluru) (13.059); 3. Radha Selvaraj (Chennai) (13.309). Indian Open (Altered Body): 1. Jayanth V (Tune O Tronics, Bengaluru) (13.251); 2. Radha Selvaraj (Chennai) (13.264). Indian Open (Stock Body): 1. Vivek Ramachander (Tune O Tronics, Bengaluru) (12.999); 2. Shubho Ghosh (Tune O Tronics, Bengaluru) (15.002); 3. D Ashwin (Tune O Tronics, Chennai) (15.187). Indian Touring Cars: 1. Kasha Sai (Arka Motorsports, Salem) (16.076).

    2-Wheelers (4-Stroke) – Unrestricted: 1. Hemant Muddappa (Bengaluru) (8.115); 2. Anosh Khumbatta (Mumbai) (8.796); 3. Hafizullah Khan (Bengaluru) (8.977). 1051cc and Above: 1. Hemant Muddappa (Bengaluru) (8.369); 2. Anosh Khumbatta (Pune) (8.881); 3. Hafizullah Khan (Bengaluru) (9.490). 851-1050cc: 1. Hemant Muddappa (Bengaluru) (8.305). 361-550cc: Deepak S (Bengaluru) (12.515); 2. Mohammed Rafiq (Bengaluru) (12.858); 3. Harshil Thakur (Mumbai) (12.930).

    226-360cc: Shankar Guru (13.963); 2. Shahinsha R (16.251); 3. Ahamed Vasin (16.458) (all Chennai). 166-225cc: Deepak S (Bengaluru) (14.194); 2. Faraaz Akhter (14.341); 3. Rayyan Sheikh (14.407). Upto 165cc: 1. Jagan Kumar (Chennai) (14.648); 2. Aravind Ganesh (Chennai) (14.712); 3. Gowtham R (Bengaluru) (15.491). Upto 165cc: 1. Aravind Ganesh (Chennai) (14.712); 2. Shanker Guru (Chennai) (15.701); 3. Kaleem Pasha (Bengaluru) (18.911).

    2-Stroke –131-165cc: Hussain Khan (Mumbai) (12.653); 2. Kaleem Pasha (Bengaluru) (13.241); 3. Syed Naeem (Bengaluru) (13.589). Upto 130cc: 1. Hussain Khan (Mumbai) (13.436); 2. Kaleem Pasha (Bengaluru) (13.467); 3. D Suresh Kumar (Chennai) (13.866).

  • Maiden MRF F1600 win Bengaluru for teenager Yash Aradhya: Indian Racing Nationals

    Maiden MRF F1600 win Bengaluru for teenager Yash Aradhya: Indian Racing Nationals

    Yash Aradhya (centre), winner of Race-3 in MRF F1600 class flanked by second-placed Goutham Parekh (left) and Raghul Rangasamy at MMRT on Sunday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 19 Aug 2018: The schoolboy from Bengaluru Yash Aradhya marked his first season in the MRF F1600 class with a maiden win in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT here on Sunday.

    Aradhya, who celebrated his 17th birthday last Friday, started Race-3 from third position on the grid, but within two laps, hit the front, getting past pole-sitter Goutham Parekh and Sandeep Kumar before defending his position to score a fine win. Earlier, Parekh comfortably won the in Race-2 of the MRF F1600.

    After this weekend’s triple-header, Raghul Rangasamy (134), following his win in Race-1 yesterday, leads the MRF F1600 championship, ahead of Parekh (129), Ashwin Datta (110) and Sandeep Kumar (109). The winner of the championship will earn a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States later this year.

    Arjun Narendran, the eventual winner of the Indian Touring Cars race (14) and Arjun Balu (39) locked in a tussle

    The second race of the Indian Touring Cars class witnessed another tight battle between last year’s champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) and Arjun Balu (Race Concepts). The two Coimbatore drivers were locked in a titanic fight with Narendran, who had finished second behind Balu in yesterday’s first race, managing to avenge that defeat, but not before the two came together twice in the eight-lap race. Balu, who led initially after starting from pole position, ran wide after a contact with Narendran who then survived another brush towards the end of the race.

    With another two races to be run in the final round of the championship next month, Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) continues to lead with 131 points following two podium finishes this weekend while Balu is placed second on 111, followed by Nikanth Ram of Arka Motorsports (98) and Narendran (93).

    Another Bengaluru entry, 27-year old Varun Anekar completed a double in the Super Stock category of saloon cars to lead the championship in this category with five wins in six starts. Nikunj Vagh (Surat) and Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai) of Team N1, won the Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Esteem Cup races, respectively.

    Bengaluru’s Shubhomoy Ball and Dhruv Mohite from Kolhapur, split the two Volkswagen Ameo Cup races today. Mohite, thus, extended his lead in the championship, having scored five wins from eight starts.

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F1600 (Race-2, 7 laps): 1. Goutham Parekh (Chennai) (11mins, 55.958secs); 2.Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (11:59.036); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (11:59.807). Race-3: 1. Yash Aradhya (Bengaluru) (13:38.672); 2. Goutham Parekh (Chennai) (13:39.045); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai) (13:39.335).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) (15:18.697); 2. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:18.972); 3. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (15:27.011).

    Turbo (Race-2): 1. Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsport) (15:26.584); 2.Rayomand Banajee (VW Motorsport) (15:40.368); 3.Ishaan Dodhiwala (VW Motorsport) (15:48.720).

    Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (15:47.827); 2.Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (16:25.497); 3. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (16:25.743).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (16:46.717). 2. Chris Desouza (Unimek Racing ) (16:59.674); 3. Prabu AS (Arka Motorsports) (17:22.050).

    Esteem Cup (Race-2): 1. Biren Pithawala (Team N1) (16:45.958); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:56.231); 3. R Shyam (Prime Racing) (17:22.349).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race-2): 1. Shubhomoy Ball (Bengaluru) (15:40.496); 2.Affan Sadat Safwan Islam (Chittagong) (15:41.536); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (15:41.784). Race-3: 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (15:38.206); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (15:45.963); 3. Shubhomoy Ball (Bengaluru) (15:48.007).

  • Raghul Rangasamy, Arjun Balu battle to victories; Sohil takes LGB1300 championship lead

    Raghul Rangasamy, Arjun Balu battle to victories; Sohil takes LGB1300 championship lead


    Raghul Rangasamy, on way to MRF F1600 race victory in Round 4 of the National Racing Championship on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 18 Aug 2018: Raghul Rangasamy converted his pole position into a commanding victory to head the MRF F1600 class leaderboard in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    As well as 25-year old Rangasamy drove, the spotlight also fell on Coimbatore’s Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) who won a tight and thrilling race in the high-end Indian Touring Cars class while his team-mate Varun Anekar from Bengaluru who started ninth and from the pit-lane, finished first in the Super Stock category.


    Sohil Shah of Bangalore takes championship lead in the FLGB1300 class winning a race and a second place on Saturday. An INDIAinF1 photo.

    The Formula LGB 1300 double-header produced two different winners in Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) from Chennai and Sohil Shah (M Sport) from Bengaluru. The results put Shah at the top of the championship standings in this class with a tally of 126 points to Datta’s 123 with the third title contender Nabil Hussain (M Sport), also from Chennai, on 117, going into the final round next month.

    Rangasamy of Mamallapuram moved past championship leader Ashwin Datta who finished a distant eighth. Ahead of the two races to be run tomorrow, Rangasamy has 109 points to Datta’s 100. The championship winner at the end of the season, earns a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States this winter.

    Summing up his win, Rangasamy said:“I started thinking what I would say at the post-race interview and stuff like that. As my thoughts wandered, so did the pace. Suddenly, I saw Sandeep Kumar (who finished second) catching up and it woke me up! I am absolutely exhausted! I am not a gym person like others drivers. I reacted a bit late to the lights at the start, but otherwise, it was a good launch and I quickly built up a big lead.”

    The day also belonged to Arjun Balu who scored his third lights-to-flag victory of the season in the ITC category, holding off last year’s champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsport), also from Coimbatore, in a heart-stopping eight-lap race. The duo dueled hard and in the sixth lap, Narendran made a move on the outside at Turn-4. The pair made contact and Narendran ran wide which gave Balu the respite to take a firm lead to the finish.

    Arjun Balu (No.39) on way to winning the Indian Touring Cars class race on Aug 18.

    Balu said: “It was a tough race right through. Arjun was on my tail for much of the race, but I managed to soak up the pressure. In the latter half of the race, he caught up and tried to pass me on the outside at Turn-4, but we made contact. He went a bit wide and I managed to keep my lead to the finish line.”

    The win took Balu to second on the leaderboard with 93 points while Narendran, who missed two rounds, is on 68 while Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsport) who finished third today, continues to lead with 116 points, going into tomorrow’s Race-2.

    Dhruv Mohite from Kolhapur notched his fourth win in six starts in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup race ahead of Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) and Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad).

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13mins, 36.906secs); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (13:39.058); 3. Nirmal Uma Shanker (13:43.654).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): S Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsport) (15:20.086); 2. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (15:21.981); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (DTS Racing) (15:29.673). Race-2: 1. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (17:33.648); 2.A Balaprasath (DTS Racing) (17:34.089); 3. S Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (17:34.455).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:13.033); 2. Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsport) (15:13.987); 3. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsport) (15:27.015). Turbo (Race-1): 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (15:23.854); 2. Rayomand Banajee (Mumbai) (15:38.143); 3. Ishan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) (15:39.252).

    Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (16:14.596); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) (16:27.106); 3. Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (16:44.359).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Prabhu AS (Arka Motorspor) (17:06.590); 2. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (17:18.579); 3. Chris Desouza (Unimek Racing) (17:29.153).

    Esteem Cup (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance  Racing) (16:51.582); 2. Vinod Subramaniam (Team N1) (17:01.644); 3. Biren PIthawalla (Team N1) (17:01.645);

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race-1): 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (15:38.719); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (15:43.499); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (15:43.879).

  • Ott Tanak fastest on stages: WRC, Rallye Deutschland

    Ott Tänak extended his advantage over the repeated loop of Rallye Deutschland stages with a clean sweep of fastest times. The Estonian now has 12.3 seconds in hand to reigning FIA World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier, while Thierry Neuville has dropped a little further back but remains in third position.

    Tänak went into the loop with a 7.2 second advantage and a string of three stage wins saw the Estonian progressively increase his lead, despite some tricky conditions after the rain this morning. Ogier was never far off his pace but admitted it was difficult to fight against the Tänak/Toyota package today. After a gearbox and steering rack change during the mid-leg service, Neuville continued to push hard and was pleased to have had a mistake-free, near perfect day. He is 15.1 seconds adrift of main championship rival Ogier.

    Behind the leading trio, Elfyn Evans catapulted up the leaderboard from seventh to fourth in the first of the afternoon stages, such has been the close competition between four drivers. The Welshman has had a strong afternoon and was much happier during the repeated stages. The battle he is in remains intense however, with the following three drivers only five seconds away. Jari-Matti Latvala, in fifth, moved up a place this afternoon with better confidence after changing some differential settings on the Yaris WRC. Despite a couple of small mistakes, he is only a second adrift of Evans with Dani Sordo only 3.9 seconds behind. Esapekka Lappi admitted to needing more mileage to understand the limit of the car on the dirty roads, the Finn thinking he was not brave enough despite feeling he was driving on the limit. He is seventh but only one-tenth of a second adrift of Sordo. Craig Breen struggled to get the car flowing as he wanted and is 15.2 seconds further behind in eighth. Andreas Mikkelsen continues to try and adapt his driving style to suit the Hyundai, but is struggling to get a natural feeling. Teemu Suninen moved into the top 10 as Mads Østberg had some sort of air intake problem all afternoon, the result of an issue during service which left him down on power. As a consequence, the Norwegian dropped to 11th.

    The FIA WRC 2 Championship is headed by Czech Rally Champion Jan Kopecký. The Škoda driver won two of the three stages this afternoon to take a 22.2 second lead over Yoann Bonato into Saturday. Eric Camilli is however just one-tenth of a second behind his fellow countryman in third. Taisko Lario continues to lead the small field in the FIA WRC 3 Championship category, the Finn taking two of the three stage wins with second-placed Enrico Brazzoli the other. Louise Cook is third.

    Rallye Deutschland – Unofficial results after Section 3

    1 Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 59min 22.6sec
    2 Sebastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 59min 34.9sec
    3 Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 59min 50.0sec
    4 Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 00min 00.4sec
    5 Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 00min 01.4sec
    6 Dani Sordo / Carlos del Barrio Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1hr 00min 05.3sec
    7 Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 00min 05.4sec
    8 Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroen C3 WRC 1hr 00min 20.6sec
    9 Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1hr 00min 21.6sec
    10 Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 00min 44.0sec
  • Pole for Raghul Rangasamy in MRF F1600: MRF MMSC Racing Nationals

    Pole for Raghul Rangasamy in MRF F1600: MRF MMSC Racing Nationals

    Raghul Rangasamy, who took pole position in the MRF F1600 class at MMRT on Friday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 17 Aug 2018: Raghul Rangasamy from the nearby temple town of Mamallapuram, took a big step towards realising his dream of earning a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States later this year, by grabbing his first pole of the current season in the MRF F1600 class as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship got underway at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    “As I am already 25, this is my last chance to make it to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout and I am giving it everything I have,” said Rangasamy, referring to the upper age limit for participation in shootout whose winner is eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000.

    Rangasamy, who is currently second in the championship, just 12 points adrift of leader Ashwin Datta, clocked one minute, 39.828 seconds, ahead of Sandeep Kumar (01:40.028) and Kolkata’s Arya Singh (01:40.268). Datta, who had started the season with a triple in the first round, had a poor qualifying session and will start the first race tomorrow from eighth position on the grid after clocking 01:41.010.

    Reflecting on his qualifying run, Rangasamy said: “I used the tyre strategy to my advantage by doing a couple of hot laps and then cooling off in the pits before going out again. Today, it worked well for me.”

    Nabil Hussain, who took pole position in the Formula LGB 1300 on Friday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Earlier, Chennai’s Nabil Hussain (MSport), who heads the Formula LGB 1300 leaderboard, also qualified for pole position in his category with a hot lap of 01:53.679 followed by Ashwin Datta, also from Chennai, of Momentum Motorsports (01:53.705) and Bengaluru’s Sohil Shah of MSport (01:54.279).

    Also grabbing pole position in their respective categories were: Varun Anekar of Race Concepts (Super Stock), Nikhunj Vagh of Team N1 (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Raghul Rangasamy  of Performance Racing (Esteem Cup).

    Meanwhile, last year’s champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) from Coimbatore, was the quickest in the Free Practice session for high-end Indian Touring Cars as he clocked a best of 01:52.812 ahead of Saturday’s qualifying run.

    Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite (01:54.959), who tops the Volkswagen Ameo Cup leaderboard, took pole position ahead of his nearest rival Saurav Bandyopadhyay of Mumbai (01:55.719).

    The results (Qualifying):

    MRF F1600: 1. Raghul Rangaswamy (Chennai) 1 min, 39.828 sec; 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (01:40.028); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (01:40.268)..

    Formula LGB 1300: 1. Nabil Hussain (M Sport) (01:53.679); 2. S Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (01:53.705); 3. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (01:54.279)

    Super Stock: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (01:56.579); 2.Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (02:01.802); 3. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (02:01.818).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (02:04.564); 2. Prabu AS (Arka Motorsport) (02:04.641); 3. Chris DeSouza (Unimek Racing) (02:05.718).

    Esteem Cup: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (02:02.399); 2. Vinod Subramaniam (Team 1) (02:03.119); 3.Biren Pithawala (Team N1) (02:03.718).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup: 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (01:54.959); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (01:55.719); 3.Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (01:55.774).

  • MRF MMSC Indian Racing Nationals enter crucial phase: 4th Round at MMRT from Friday

    MRF MMSC Indian Racing Nationals enter crucial phase: 4th Round at MMRT from Friday

    File photo of Formula LGB races at MMRT this season. Photo by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 16 Aug 2018: Teenage sensation Ashwin Datta who began the season with a bank winning all the races in the first round, will look to guard his narrow lead at the top in the MRF 1600 class as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship resumes amidst mounting excitement and expectations as crucial fourth round starts at the MMRT here on Friday.

    The chase for titles in various categories gets more frenetic than ever while the front-runners keep an eye on the leaderboard. Every point won will be worth its weight in gold.

    The weekend card has races in the MRF F1600, saloon cars (Indian Touring Cars, Super Stock, Indian Junior Touring Cars and Esteem Cup), and the Formula LGB 1300 besides the Volkswagen Ameo Cup, a one-make championship. Also being run is the Indian National Drag Racing Championship, post-lunch on Saturday and Sunday, for both two-wheelers and cars.

    The season, so far, has been so topsy-turvy that Chennai teenager Ashwin Datta (96 points), despite three wins on the trot in the MRF F1600 class, is only 12 ahead of Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy.

    The previous round witnessed three different winners – Rangasamy, Gowtham Parekh (68) and Sandeep Kumar (67) – in the triple-header. With the championship winner in this category eligible for a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States, an MMSC initiative, the title contenders have everything to play for. The winner of the shootout is eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000.

    The situation in other categories is no different. Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy (101) leads his Arka Motorsports team-mate from Coimbatore Nikanth Ram (84) in the premier Indian Touring Cars class that has seen some high-quality driving. If Ramaswamy started the season with a double in the first round, veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) marked his return to racing by winning both the races in the next round while defending champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) emulated the feat in the third round. Balu (68) and Narendran (50) are placed fourth and fifth, respectively, behind another veteran from Coimbatore B Vijayakumar of Prime Racing (78).

    A mere half-a-point separate leader Srinivasa Teja (Performance Racing) and Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Super Stock category while Vinod Subramaniam (73.5) of Team N1 leads Rangasamy (68) of Performance Racing in the Esteem Cup and Prabhu AS (62) of Arka Motorsports is ahead of Chrys D’Souza (59) of Unimek Racing in the Indian Junior Touring Cars.

    Equally competitive has been the Formula LGB 1300 class which is developing into a three-cornered battle involving Nabil Hussain (MSport) who heads the leaderboard with 95 points followed by Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) and Sohil Shah (MSport) who are tied second with 83 apiece.

    Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite, with three wins in five starts, leads the Volkswagen Ameo Cup with 220 points but needs all the points he can to stay ahead of Saurav Bandyopadhyay (214) from Mumbai and Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (204) who have won one race apiece.

  • Lloyd is Formula E’s first innovation manager

    London, 15 Aug 2018: Barnee Lloyd, is the newly-appointed Innovation Manager at Formula E, and the 25-year old will join the internship at the Technology department of Formula E next month. He was selected after a process of selection for aspiring innovators, a press release said on Tuesday.

    The ABB FIA Formula E Championship and Modis announced the name of the first-ever Modis Formula E Innovation Manager – Lloyd, who will join the electric street racing series on a six-month internship ahead of the upcoming season.

    Modis – official partner for professional solutions in IT and engineering – launched the global search for aspiring innovators to join Formula E in May earlier this year. The Innovation Manager Challenge drew nearly 2,000 applications from over 60 countries with the ambition of helping implement and deliver a brand-new software platform for the opening round of season five – under the experienced mentorship of Eric Ernst, Head of Technology at Formula E.

    The competition consisted of a demanding four-stage selection process that involved psychometric tests on a dedicated Modis online platform, face-to-face interviews with Modis consultants and complex problem-solving.

    The top-five candidates were met by a panel of experts at Formula E’s headquarters in London for the interview stage and were put through their paces in a range of exercises. In a bid to test their ability to work in a fast-paced and ever-changing environments such as Formula E and the e-mobility industry, they were given scenarios designed to measure logical thinking, behavioural traits, and numerical aptitude.

    Lloyd, a British software engineer and Cambridge University graduate – who has previously worked for other automotive brands such as Tesla and Aston Martin – impressed the judges with top scores in the combined ‘innovator profile’ and ‘aptitude’ test.

    The judges from Formula E and Modis were also full of praise for the other four finalists – and would like to thank them for their time and dedication throughout the process.

    The 25-year-old will begin his internship on September 17 in the technology department and will be fully-immersed within the series and collaborate with regional workforces for a hands-on experience at events, including pre-season testing and the opening rounds of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship in December and January.

    Barnee Lloyd, the newly-appointed Innovation Manager at Formula E, said: “I want to work in something where I can have a direct contribution to the growth of the company and how it’s going to develop in the future.”

    Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, said: “I’d like to officially welcome Barnee to the Formula E family and thank Modis for creating a brilliant initiative, which looks for the brightest sparks to work within the e-mobility sector. It’s an industry growing exponentially, with the ABB FIA Formula E Championship at the forefront. I look forward to seeing Barnee quickly finding his feet and developing his understanding and implementing new ideas on what surely is the start of a long and successful career in this field.”

    Alain Dehaze, CEO of the Adecco Group, said: “We’re delighted for Barnee as he begins what promises to be a fantastic career in e-mobility and electric racing. I’m sure he will perform at the highest level and produce excellent results during his internship. The Innovation Manager Challenge is all about promoting careers in this fast-growing, hi-tech sector and giving young talent the chance they deserve and the needs to shine. This first year has surpassed our expectations, and we look forward to connecting with and supporting many more talented young men and women in the years ahead through this innovation programme.”

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  • Double world champ Fernando Alonso not to race in F1 in 2019

     

    Fernando, who turned 37 in July, is competing in his 17th F1 season, his fifth with McLaren, and has amassed 32 wins, 22 pole positions and 97 podiums to date. Beyond his two titles – in 2005 he became the then-youngest world champion in F1 history – Fernando has been championship runner-up three times.

    Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing, said:

    “Fernando is not only an outstanding ambassador for McLaren but also for Formula 1. His 17 years in the sport, as arguably the pre-eminent driver of his generation and undoubtedly an F1 great, have added another layer to Formula 1’s rich history.

    “There is a time for everyone to make a change and Fernando has decided the end of this season to be his. We respect his decision, even if we believe he is in the finest form of his career. Our open dialogue with Fernando has meant we could plan for this eventuality.

    “While evaluating his future during the past months, Fernando’s competitiveness has been undimmed. He has continued to perform at the highest level throughout, as we know he will do in the remaining nine races of this year’s championship.

    “I know that the entire team joins me in paying tribute to Fernando’s enormous contribution to McLaren; he is a legend both for the championship and for the team. Fernando is an important part of our story and will join an illustrious line of McLaren drivers. On behalf of Shaikh Mohammed, Mansour and our entire board, we wish Fernando every success in the future.”

    Fernando Alonso commented:

    “After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it’s time for me to make a change and move on. I have enjoyed every single minute of those incredible seasons and I cannot thank enough the people who have contributed to make them all so special.

    “There are still several grands prix to go this season, and I will take part in them with more commitment and passion than ever.

    “Let’s see what the future brings; new exciting challenges are around the corner. I’m having one of the happiest times ever in my life but I need to go on exploring new adventures.

    “I want to thank everyone at McLaren. My heart is with the team forever. I know they will come back stronger and better in the future and it could be the right moment for me to be back in the series; that would make me really happy. I have built so many great relationships with many fantastic people at McLaren, and they have given me the opportunity to broaden my horizons and race in other categories. I feel I am a more complete driver now than ever.

    “I made this decision some months ago and it was a firm one. Nevertheless, I would like to sincerely thank Chase Carey and Liberty Media for the efforts made to change my mind and everyone who has contacted me during this time.

    “Finally, I would also like to thank my former teams, team-mates, competitors, colleagues, partners, journalists and everyone I have worked with in my F1 career. And, especially, my fans all over the world. I am quite sure our paths will cross again in the future.”