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Gaurav Gill displays brute speed, just 0.5 sec off the leaders: WRC Acropolis Rally
Delhi, 11 September 2023: JK Tyre backed, Indian rally ace, Gaurav Gill showcased impressive stage timings amid the tumultuous conditions at the Acropolis Rally of Greece. While the recce helped him develop a good strategy, the weather played a spoil sport from the start of the rally, throwing challenges on the go.
Showing characteristic tenacity, Gill was exceptional as he made his presence felt throughout all clean stages coupled with split times on the stages where he had breakdowns, his speed was off 0.5 to 1.0 seconds per kilometre of than WRC2 leader Andreas Mikkelsen.
Indian motorsport’s only Arjuna Awardee, Gill and his co-driver Barral Florian had gone into the hot, dusty, stages of the gruelling event expecting to be in their element. The pair were able to put up some wow moments in their Škoda Fabia R5.
Despite facing setbacks like torrential rain and dry weather which eventually cancelled the shakedown stage and curtailed few more stages. The route conditions further led to radiator issue in Gill’s Car. The Punctures picked up on the rock-strewn terrain further dashed his hopes of a strong result.
However, bouncing back strongly on the final day ending stage 13 and 14 at 10th and 8th positions in the WRC 2 classification, respectively. The rally seriously tested the mettle of the man and machine by throwing them off-guard with various trials.
On his experience at the Acropolis Rally, Gaurav Gill said, “It’s not called the ‘Rally of Gods’ for nothing! This rally is known for its treacherous conditions, the biggest challenge that you can ask for in the WRC in terms of climate, terrain and competitors. We didn’t get the result we hoped for but we were still able to mix it with the great champion drivers in terms of raw pace, despite it being our first rally of the year, which was incredibly encouraging. We also took away a lot in terms of learning and experience and I’m grateful to JK Tyre and Vamcy Merla for the opportunity. Our full focus now is on the Indonesian round of the APRC and bringing the title back to India.”
Gaurav Gill is also supported by the promoter Vamcy Merla.
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Jorge Martin doubles up to home in on Bagnaia
Martin and Bezzecchi pip Pecco to cut the Championship deficit as Pedrosa threatens to spoil the party at Misano
Misano, 10 Sept. 2023: Pole position, Tissot Sprint win and a Sunday race victory. Jorge Martin’s (Prima Pramac Racing) weekend at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini couldn’t have gone any better as the Spaniard made no mistakes to take maximum points on his title rivals’ stomping ground. The winning margin over second place Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was just 1.3s as Bez homed in though, with reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) fighting through the pain to claim an important third. And Pecco was only just ahead of some familiar company at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli: wildcard Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
Martin untouchable again as Pecco fends off Pedrosa
Just like he did in the Tissot Sprint, Martin got a perfect launch and pocketed the holeshot as Bezzecchi and Bagnaia slotted in behind. Pedrosa got away well again and was up to P4, and the MotoGP™ Legend held on after a moment between Turn 1 and 2 looking for a way through on Bagnaia. But Bagnaia then picked his way past Bezzecchi at Turn 3 as the #1 immediately began to hound Martin.Unlike yesterday, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) made good progress off the start and at the beginning of Lap 2, the South African was up to P4 and began to chase Martin, Bagnaia and Bezzecchi.
A fascinating early race fight was unfolding at the front. Martin, Bagnaia and Bezzecchi were locked together, with Binder 0.7s adrift heading onto Lap 5. On Lap 6, Bezzecchi passed Pecco for P6 down at Turn 8 but just like he did a lap previous, the Italian was wide at Turn 10 to allow the Champion back through. That gave Martin a little bit of breathing room – if you can call 0.3s that – as Binder went quicker than the trio in front of him.
Disaster then struck for Binder at Turn 14 on Lap 8. The KTM star was down at the tight right-hand hairpin as his podium hopes ended, handing Pedrosa the lead KTM baton. The #26 was 1.5s off the leaders, as KTM’s afternoon then got worse as Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out of contention after being involved in an incident with Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing).
Elsewhere, on Lap 12 of 27, it was time to cue the jaws music. Who for? Pedrosa. The wildcard was beginning to close at a vast rate of knots and with 15 laps left, Pedrosa was just 0.6s off Bezzecchi’s rear wheel. Unbelievable. The Little Samurai was the only rider lapping in the 1:31s at this stage of the race.
Pedrosa’s pace dropped off soon after but the gap remained at just over a second. At the front, with 10 laps to go, Martin’s lead grew to over a second for the first time as the #89 began to get the hammer down. Were the injuries to Bagnaia and Bezzecchi starting to take their toll or was Martin’s pace just too good? Bezzecchi was looking impatient behind VR46 compatriot Bagnaia, and a move came at Turn 8. By now though, Martin’s advantage was 2.2s.
Bagnaia was fading. Pedrosa was coming. 0.7s split the double World Champion from the three-time World Champion, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and an extremely classy ride for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) putting him a further four seconds back after initially closing on the number 12. A huge six laps beckoned, could Bagnaia hold on to what would be a very valuable and hard-earned 16 points?
With four laps to go, Bagnaia was holding Pedrosa at bay by 0.6s. Bezzecchi was now under two seconds away from Martin but it was too little too late, with the latter controlling his advantage nicely as he powered towards completing the perfect weekend.
With two to go, Pedrosa was right on Bagnaia’s coattails. Catching the Ducati rider was one thing but as he found out in the Sprint, passing was a whole different kettle of fish. In the end, Bagnaia did hold on to a crucial P3 as Martin made no mistake to cap off a sensational weekend. Bezzecchi bagged P2 despite his injured hand to gain ground in the title chase.
The points scorers in Misano
Just off the podium of Martin, Bezzecchi and Bagnaia, Pedrosa took the chequered flag just 0.6s away from the rostrum as the Little Samurai again demonstrates why he’s a three-time World Champion and a MotoGP™ Legend. Unreal from the popular Spaniard, who finished six seconds up the road from fifth place Viñales.Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) was sixth ahead of Marc Marquez, who somehow bags a brilliant P7 after racing with a soft rear tyre. Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) takes home his best MotoGP™ finish in P8, as the Ducatis of Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) complete the top 10.
Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Catalan GP winner Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), a recovering Binder and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) closed out the points in San Marino.
Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) joined Miller and Pirro as the riders to notch up DNFs.
36 points in it heading to India!
A brand-new challenge awaits us next time out as India hosts MotoGP™ for the very first time. Martin’s perfect weekend sees the gap between him and Championship leader Pecco sit at 36 points as the flyaway tour of the season begins… for the first time in some time, it’s back below the 37 points on offer in one weekend. Don’t miss it! -
Jorge Martin wins Tissot Sprint; Bezzecchi second
Martin escapes Bezzecchi, Bagnaia fends off Pedrosa in blockbuster Sprint at Misano… The number 89 is unmatched to deny Bezzecchi a home win as the reigning Champion fights off a Legend and Binder throwns down with… everyone else…
Misano, 9 Sept. 2023: Pole position was converted into a Tissot Sprint victory for Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) the only rider able to run the Spaniard close on Saturday. Reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) picked up his 10th Saturday podium of the season – and his most hard-fought yet – as the #1 fended off the two Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machines of MotoGP™ Legend Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and a charging Brad Binder for P3.
Martin unmatched as a magical podium fight unfolds
Martin got the exact launch he’d have wanted from pole as he grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, as Bagnaia powered his way around the outside of Bezzecchi to grab an early P2. Pedrosa went P5 to P4 to get the better of Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) as Binder didn’t get away well – the South African was outside the top 10.Martin immediately began to pull the pin. On Lap 2 his lead was up to 0.9s as Bagnaia made a small mistake to relinquish P2 to Bezzecchi. Meanwhile, Binder was responding in the only way he knows how: full attack mode. Midway around Lap 3 Binder was up to P6 and hounding Viñales, who by then was already nearly two seconds back from Pedrosa.
At the front, it quickly became Martin vs Bezzecchi. Lap 3 belonged to the latter, the Italian cut the gap by a sizeable 0.5s, with Bagnaia dropping to two seconds off the P1 fight. Binder vs Viñales was raging on and on Lap 6 of 13, a move finally stuck for the #33. Next on his radar: KTM stablemate Pedrosa.
With five laps to go, Martin’s gap to Bezzecchi was up to 0.8s as Pedrosa reeled in Bagnaia in by 0.4s. Binder was making ground but he wasn’t taking chunks out of the pair just up the road, the gap to try and bridge was hovering at around one second.
With two laps left in the Tissot Sprint, a two-horse race for P3 became a three-horse race. Binder was right with Bagnaia and Pedrosa, knowing gaining points on Pecco is absolutely crucial. Considering what happened less than a week ago, however, the reigning Champion was riding unbelievably to keep the KTMs behind as the last lap began.
Martin led by a second over Bezzecchi as we strapped in for a KTM vs Bagnaia scrap for the final podium place. Halfway around the lap, Pecco was holding on. Binder was out of shape; Pedrosa was waiting to pounce. A headshake down the back straight cost Pedrosa time and despite the efforts of the orange bikes, Pecco just held on to claim P3 behind Martin and Bezzecchi taking the chequered flag in P1 and P2 respectively.
The points scorers on Saturday
Behind the rostrum lock out for the top three in the title fight, a dream podium wasn’t to be on Saturday but Pedrosa rolled back the years again to claim a wonderful P4, with Binder crossing the line 0.159s off the ‘Little Samurai’ in P5 after a belting comeback. Viñales grabbed P6 ahead of Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), the latter in P9 picking up the final Sprint point in Misano. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) initially got his elbows out in that fight but came home in P10, just missing out on a point.Will Martin complete the perfect weekend on Sunday?
Bagnaia’s heroic efforts haven’t stopped his title lead dropping to 45 points ahead of Sunday’s main event in Misano, with Martin eyeing up a pole-Sprint-race triple to bring himself right back into title contention. And what about Pedrosa? Tune in for more stunning action as the Grand Prix race goes green at 14:00 local time (GMT+2). -
Gaurav Gill to take part in WRC2 at Acropolis Rally of Greece
New Delhi, 5 Sept. 2023: Indian rally ace Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill, is all set for another World Rally Championship (WRC) outing in the 2023 season as he is all set to take part in one of the world’s toughest rallies, the Acropolis Rally of Greece scheduled from September 7 to 10.
Widely hailed as the ‘Rally of Gods’, the event will cover a total distance of 1,235 km, including 15 special stages stretching across 307 km over four days this weekend. This year as well, the spectators will witness 72 teams fighting it out for their spot in the grueling event.
The only Indian among the world’s best rally drivers, Gill will compete in the 30-car WRC2 category in a specially-prepped Škoda Fabia R5 alongside his French co-driver, Florian Barral. Supported by a potent pit crew team of Italian team Delta Rally, Gill will try to set new benchmark for himself. The rally will also be featuring previous Acropolis winner and current WRC2 championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen along with title rivals Yohan Rossel and Sami Pajari.
The Skoda Fabia R5 Rally 2 spec car with a 5-speed, sequential, manual gearbox, that enables a driver to shift gears in milliseconds. The R5 is geared to touch a top speed of 200 km/h
Seven-time national champion and three-time APRC champion, Gill, will be in his element around the hot, dusty, and rock-strewn stages of the Rally Acropolis. Gill had put on a dazzling display of speed to finish sixth in a 35-car WRC 2 field last year.
On his participation this season,Gill said, “I’m really looking forward to driving in the Rally Acropolis. The sweltering heat, the dust, the rocky mountain passes and loose gravel all combine to make this one of the most punishing rallies on the calendar. This event is not for the faint-hearted but these conditions play to my strengths. I expect to be in my element this weekend and I’m going to give it everything to bring home a strong result.”
Last year, Gill, a master of gravel, finished his campaign just about 1 second per km behind WRC 2 leader E. Lindholm, while recording some of his best performances against seasoned WRC top category competitors, like T. Neuville. Putting himself and his car to the ultimate test in a low-visibility situation in the previous year, Gaurav is all set to take on the challenge this season as well.
The action starts post the ceremonial flag-off in Athens on Thursday as the teams will be ready to take on the brand new EKO Super Special Stage located in and around the city’s waterfront spanning 1.48kms. World’s top Rally drivers will run one at a time displaying their mean machines in front of thousands of fans.
Fans cheering for Gill can watch the event live on www.wrc.com
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Record 10th win for Max Verstappen at Monza
Monza, 3 Sept. 2023: Max Verstappen beat Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérex to win the Italian Grand Prix and make history by scoring a record 10th consecutive win. With Red Bull sealing a sixth 1-2 finish, the final podium place was left to polesitter Carlos Sainz, who managed to keep Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc at bay in the closing stages.
Earlier, on the formation lap ahead of the race, Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri suffered an engine failure and the Japanese driver coasted to a halt at the side of the track. A second formation lap took place but the start was then aborted to allow for the AlphaTauri to be recovered.
When the lights at last went out for the start, polesitter Sainz held his advantage to keep Verstappen at bay into Turn 1, while behind the grid order remained unchanged with Leclerc in third ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Pérez who started from P5 on the grid.
Verstappen then closed up behind Sainz and at the start of lap six he made a move into Turn 1. Sainz defended hard, forcing Verstappen wide and the Dutchman lost ground as he slowed and was forced to rebuild his plan of attack.
Verstappen bided his time and then on lap 15 he at last forced an error from Sainz when the under-pressure Spaniard locked up in Turn 1. Sainz kept hold of the lead but Verstappen was able to draw level around Curva Grande and on the following straight and he took the lead under braking into Turn 4. Further back, on lap 16, Pérez at last muscled his way past the Mercedes on the inside to take fourth place.
Sainz, suffering with tyre wear and under pressure from Leclerc, made his pit stop at the end of lap 19 and dropped to eighth place, while Verstappen pitted from the lead at the end of the following tour, along with Leclerc. That briefly promoted Pérez to the lead of the race but the Mexican then made his stop for Hard tyres and rejoined behind Leclerc.
On lap 24, the race was led by long-running Hard-tyre starter Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen in P2, four seconds ahead of Sainz and with Leclerc in fourth ahead of Pérez. Verstappen was closing on the lead Mercedes, however, and at the start of lap 25 he powered past Hamilton under DRS to retake the lead.
Pérez, meanwhile, was edging ever closer to Leclerc and after the pair had cleared the slower Hamilton, the Mexican closed in. A first attempt to pass the Ferrari at the Curva Grande ended with Leclerc slamming the door shut into Turn 4. However, on the following lap Leclerc, now without DRS to Leclerc, was vulnerable on the pit straight and Checo opened his wing and powered past the Ferrari on the inside.
At the front, Verstappen was firmly in control and with 10 laps remaining the Dutchman had pulled 10 seconds clear of Sainz. The Ferrari driver was now being hounded by Pérez and on lap 43 the Mexican went on the attack. Under DRS he went he launched a move around the outside into Turn 1 but Sainz defended well and the Red Bull driver was forced to cut the chicane.
On lap 46, though, there was no denying the Mexican. He once again closed right up through Parabolica and this time got the move done on the pit straight, passing Sainz well ahead of the braking zone to make it a Red Bull 1-2 with six laps remaining.
And after 51 laps Verstappen took the flag to seal his 12th win of 2023 and his 10th in a row, ahead of his team-mate and Sainz held Leclerc at bay to take the final podium place. Behind Leclerc, Russell took fifth ahead of Hamilton, with Williams’ Alex Albon in seventh place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas.
2023 FIA Formula 1 Italian – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 51 1:13’41.143
2 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 51 1:13’47.207 6.064
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 51 1:13’52.336 11.193
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 51 1:13’52.520 11.377
5 George Russell Mercedes 51 1:14’04.171 23.028
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 51 1:14’23.822 42.679
7 Alexander Albon Williams 51 1:14’26.249 45.106
8 Lando Norris McLaren 51 1:14’26.592 45.449
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 51 1:14’27.437 46.294
10 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 51 1:14’45.199 1’04.056
11 Liam Lawson AlphaTauri 51 1:14’51.781 1’10.638
12 Oscar Piastri McLaren 51 1:14’54.217 1’13.074
13 Logan Sargeant Williams 51 1:14’59.700 1’18.557
14 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 51 1:15’01.307 1’20.164
15 Pierre Gasly Alpine 51 1:15’03.653 1’22.510
16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 51 1:15’08.409 1’27.266
17 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 50 1:13’43.236 1 lap /2.093
18 Kevin Magnussen Haas 50 1:13’53.767 1 lap /12.624
Esteban Ocon Alpine 39 57’54.977 Retirement
Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 0 – Not started -
Aleix grabs victory in an Aprilia duel after early drama
The “Captain” overhauls Viñales, Martin takes third after early race drama sees Bagnaia suffer huge highside out the lead but escape relatively unscathed.
Barcelona, 3 Sept. 2023: Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) made history at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya as he led a historic Aprilia 1-2 over the line. Teammate Maverick Viñales led for much of the race before being caught, stalked and then passed by his teammate, but it marked a milestone day for the Noale factory. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) completed the podium.
Before that, drama on a first start saw a multiple-rider crash at Turn 1, right before a highside out the lead for reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) couldn’t avoid the #1 fully but after examination at the medical centre and the General Hospital of Catalunya, Bagnaia was confirmed to have suffered no fractures in the incident.
Unfortunately, teammate Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) was found to have injured his hand and ankle in the Turn 1 crash, and he was penalised for his part in the incident too. Bagnaia’s highside and the incident at Turn 1 saw the Red Flag come out and the race restart with neither lining up on the grid.
A dramatic first start
As the lights went out for the first time, Bastianini went a bit too hot into Turn 1 and had nowhere to go as the field tipped in. The Italian caught the rear end of Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) seeing them both go down and ending in a multi-rider pile-up at the Turn 1 gravel trap, including Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and both Gresini machines of Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.Just seconds later Bagnaia’s crash happened just a few metres ahead. On the exit of Turn 2 the Italian highsided out, with most avoiding both man and machine and only Binder caught up, also crashing out. That confirmed a red flag for the first start as both Bagnaia and Bastianini were then taken to the medical centre.
Pressing the reset button
With pole position empty and no Bagnaia, Martin took the holeshot this time around but Viñales came out the blocks guns blazing too, hitting the front quickly with a firm first-lap move. The number 12 led the way ahead of Martin, with Aleix Espargaro sitting in third with his hands full with Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team).Viñales began to stretch out a few bike lengths on Martin as Aleix Espargaro was determined to make sure his teammate didn’t break away and proceeded to push his way past Martin with 21 laps to go. Oliveira then decided to strike whilst the iron was hot and followed, moving up into third to create a historic Aprilia 1-2-3.
Lap by lap, Aleix Espargaro bridged the gap to his teammate, stalking him once he arrived on the scene.
Just behind, Oliveira was unable to hold onto the factory duo, and the Portuguese rider started to fade back into the clutches of Martin. The Pramac rider pounced on the RNF machine with 14 laps remaining.
After piling on the pressure, Aleix Espargaro then dropped back a few tenths after a mistake with 12 laps to go. But the number 41 dug back in and inched his way back onto the rear wheel of Viñales up ahead, setting up another shot at taking over in front.
With four laps to go, Aleix Espargaro then made his move. Side by side along the main straight, he then pounced on Maverick at Turn 1 and parked his RSGP up this inside of the #12. Brutal, fair, or both at once, Viñales was sent wide and through the long lap loop as Aleix pulled away in the lead.
The roles were now reversed, with Viñales on the back foot once back on track and looking to home back in on the lead. It looked impossible, then implausible, but by the final lap the number 12 was starting to get close enough to cause his teammate a sweat if he’d had a rear view mirror. But the metres were running out, and Aleix Espargaro kept it cool and collected under the pressure to shoot over the line and make some serious amends for his 2022 lap count mistake. Viñales, although not on the top step, made it a truly historic day for Aprilia as he came up just 0.377s short in second for that 1-2.
Martin crossed the line in a lonelier third place, off the Aprilias but ahead of his teammate Johann Zarco two seconds back in fourth. Oliveira slipped down to fifth place by the time the chequered flag came out, with a battle for sixth place being won by Alex Marquez a further 3 seconds back.
The Spaniard got the better of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) who finished in seventh and eighth respectively. Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) bagged P9 with a last gasp move on Fabio Di Giannantionio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who rounded out the top 10.
Luca Marini won a duel against teammate Bezzecchi for P11, just ahead of Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Binder was a notable retirement, suffering a technical issue and DNF after the restart.
At the head of the field, it was a weekend to remember for Aleix Espargaro and for Aprilia Racing. Not only did Aleix take both the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix victories, but the Noale manufacturer came away with both their factory machines securing top 3 finishes in both events. MotoGP™ now turns its attention to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy for the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini from the 8th – 10th of September.
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Ishaan Madesh, Abhay M bag a double: Rotax Max Nationals
Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing tops Junior Max class. Photo Rahul Reghu Bengaluru, 3 Sept. 2023: Bengaluru school boy Ishaan Madesh bagged another double to head the championship standings in the Junior Max category as he won both the Pre-final and the Final in the second round of the Meco fmsci Rotax Max National Karting Championship at Meco Kartopia here on Sunday. The 14-year Ishaan from Peregrine Racing won both the races in the first round and is leading the championship table in the Junior class.
Abhay Mohankumar, another 15-year karter from Bengaluru, scored a brace in the Senior Max class winning both the scoring races of Pre-final and Final while Darsh Nawalgaria won the Micro Max Pre-Final race but Yatharth Gaur, who came second in the pre-final, did one better winning the Final by a comfortable margin.
In the Pre-final of the Junior Max class, Oman-based Shivali Sinha, made everyone take notice as she put in a brilliant show taking the second place in only her second outing at the Meco Kartopia while Shriya Lohia completed the podium to hoist the Women in Motorsport flag high. Competing on equal footing with boys, it is a rare but welcome occasion that two girls found their way to the podium.
Abhay Kumar bags a double in Senior Max class. Photos by Rahul Reghu Provisional Results: (Official results are yet to be received)
Senior Max: Final (15 laps):
1. #61 Abhay M (Bengaluru) 15:41.242;
2. #72 Adhithiya Arvind (Chennai) 15:45.203;
3. #69 Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) 15:47.146.
Pre-Final (14 laps):
1. #61 Abhay M (Bengaluru) 12:55.990;
2. #76 Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) 12:56.906;
3. #76 Aditya Patnaik (Mumbai) 12:57.189).
Junior Max: Final (14 laps):
- #55 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 13:02.503;
- #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru 13:07.837;
- #52 Hunner Singh (Gurugram) 13:12.693.
Pre-Final (12 laps):
Yatharth Gaur wins the final race in the Micro Max class. - #55 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 11:07.976;
- #42 Shivali Sinha (Oman) 11:10.220;
- #29 Shriya Lohia (Sundernagar) 11:10.651.
Micro Max Final (12 laps):
- #21 Yatharth Gaur (Faridabad) 12:18.082;
- #07 Rehan Khan R (Chennai) 12:19.615;
- #17 Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai) 12:23.383.
Pre-Final (10 Laps):
- #06 Darsh Nawalgaria (Bengaluru) 10:10.924;
- #21 Yatharth Gaur (Faridabad) 10:11.074;
- #11 Zephaan Ardeshir (Mumbai) 10:11.256.
ends
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Aleix Espargaro storms past Bagnaia to take Sprint win
Aprilia make it double podium delight as “the Captain” becomes the sixth different Sprint winner, with Bagnaia forced to defend hard against Viñales.
Barcelona, 2 Sept. 2023: How’s that for the statement? Local hero Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) sealed victory in the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya Tissot Sprint with a storming ride at the front, becoming the sixth different Saturday winner of the season so far. The “Captain” got the better of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the World Championship leader had no answer for the flying Aprilia ahead, instead forced to defend against the next one: Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing). The number one plated Ducati was the meat in the Aprilia sandwich but just held on to deny Aprilia a 1-2 as Viñales looked for a way through on the final lap.
The Captain vs The Champion
Tensions were rocketing as the grid got off onto their warm lap with spots of rain beginning to threaten the Catalan GP Tissot Sprint. Wet bikes were being prepared but the time had come for lights out and there was no looking back now. The weather, luckily, held firm.As the lights went out, it was a clean start for Bagnaia and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), and Bagnaia defended the lead from pole as, nevertheless, the two Aprilias fended off the fast-starting Pramac machine. Viñales almost immediately shot through into second past Martin, and Bagnaia, Viñales, Espargaro was the order as they crossed the line for the first time. Espargaro then took over from his teammate at Turn 1 though, the Captain beginning his charge.
Bagnaia powered on though, the odd drop of rain not affecting the track conditions. But the number 41 Aprilia was soon locked on and the duo began to pull away from the rest of the field.
Viñales was initially left to defend 3rd place as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) were snapping at the Spaniard’s heels.
With six laps to go, it was game on in Barcelona as Aleix Espargaro attacked for the lead. And he took it, immediately putting the hammer down in an attempt to break away from the Ducati. Bagnaia had no answer as the Aprilia stretched out half a second in one lap, doing a Bagnaia – of late – on Bagnaia.
Espargaro proved to be untouchable at the front as he went on to take the Sprint victory by just under two seconds, putting down a pace that not even the reigning World Champion could match. He had his hands full elsewhere.
Viñales was catching the Championship leader as the laps ticked down, and he was bringing Binder with him. Sure enough, Bagnaia fell into the clutches of the chasing Viñales with two laps remaining as it became a Ducati vs Aprillia scrap for 2nd place.
As the last lap arrived, Viñales was riding pillion to Bagnaia as he desperately looked for a way through. Bagnaia put in an incredible defensive performance, however, and was simply too strong on the brakes to allow the Aprilia a chance. He did consider it at the final corner, but no dice.
Binder did all he could to stay in the fight but found himself eight-tenths back from the top three by the time the chequered flag dropped.
Battles all the way through the field
Slightly further back, Martin bagged P5 after an eventful Sprint. The Spaniard pushed his way past Oliveira after dropping down the field early on following a run off round Turn 2. Oliveira took sixth, and will be gunning for more on Sunday.Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), meanwhile, was almost two seconds back from Oliveira in P7, but he nabbed that late as he pulled a VR46 on Mooney VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi at the final corner.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) picked up the final Sprint point in P9, as the Italian made some more steps back towards his brilliant best.
One early moment saw Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) come together in a mid-pack sandwich at Turn 1, with MM93 winning out and the latter duo sent wide. Alex Marquez came back to P10, just ahead of Marc.
Check out the full results and then get ready for the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2), with more history on the cards. Aprilia have never had two bikes on the premier class Grand Prix podium… can they achieve the feat on Sunday? Can Aleix do the double, or Viñales take that third win with a third different MotoGP™ machine? Or is Bagnaia ready to ride for some revenge? Make sure to come back on Sunday for a MONSTER Catalan Grand Prix!
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Carlos Sainz pole delights Tiffosi; Leclerc P3
Monza (Italy), 2 Sept. 2023: Carlos Sainz sent Ferrari’s home fans wild with delight at Monza as he narrowly claimed pole position for tomorrow’s 2023 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, beating championship leader Max Verstappen by just over one hundredth of a second, with Charles Leclerc third in the other Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz says: What a Saturday! It’s so special to get pole position here, in front of all the tifosi. I had a very good feeling from the car already on Friday and today we confirmed our pace. Q3 was always on the limit and we all took big risks in the fight for this pole. When I finally crossed the line and I heard the tifosi screaming like crazy and jumping on the grandstands I knew we had it!
The weekend is not over yet, we want more, and for that we need to stay focused and prepare well for tomorrow. It’s going to be a challenging race but we’ll give it everything to fight for the win and give the tiffosi around the world something to keep cheering us on!Sainz took provisional pole in the first runs of Q3 but when Verstappen went quicker than Leclerc to rise to P1 on his final run it looked like the Red Bull driver was on course for his ninth pole of the season. Sainz was the last of the frontrunners on track, however, and after setting the fastest Sector 2 time of all, the Spaniard claimed the fourth pole position of his career, 0.013s ahead of Verstappen.
At the start of Q1, run on Hard tyres as the Alternative Tyre Allocation returned, It was Alex Albon who set the early pace, with the Williams driver posting a lap of 1:22.123 to top the timesheet ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.
After having his first lap deleted for exceeding track limits, Verstappen then jumped to the top of the order with a lap of 1:21.573, a little over three tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Sergio Pérez, with the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in third and fourth places respectively.
Both Red Bull drivers sat out the final runs but Verstappen’s earlier lap was good enough to keep him in top spot.
It was Albon who came closest to toppling the Dutchman, with the Williams driver taking P2 less than a tenth off the pace. Leclerc claimed P3 a further tenth of a second behind, while AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda took fourth place ahead of Pérez.
At the other end of the timesheet, there was no place in Q2 for Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu who was eliminated in P16 ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and last-placed Aston Martin man Lance Stroll.
Having switched to the mandated Medium tyres for Q2, Verstappen was first on track and the Dutch set the a target time of 1:21.035. Pérez crossed the line just under four tenths off that to claim P2 before Sainz moved ahead of both with a lap of 1:20.991. Leclerc then took third ahead of Albon, with Pérez dropping to P5 at the end of the first runs.
Verstappen then seized control in the final runs, posting a lap of 1:20.937 to take P1. Leclerc slotted into P2, four hundredths of a second behind, while Sainz abandoned his final run and finished in third, ahead of Pérez who improved to 1:21.240 on his final flyer.
Ruled out at the end of Q2 were Tsunoda in P11 and his AlphaTauri team-mate Liam Lawson who impressed in P12 ahead of Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Williams’ Logan Sargeant.
The Red Bulls were once again first on track at the start of Q3, this time on the quickest Soft compound tyres, but it was Ferrari who seized the initiative in the opening runs, with Sainz taking provisional pole thanks to a lap of 1:20.532. That put the Spaniard three hundredths of a second ahead of Leclerc, with Verstappen in P3, 0.099s off top spot.
Verstappen jumped to P1 with his final flyer but Sainz claimed pole by the narrow margin of 0.013s, with Leclerc in third place ahead of Russell while Pérez took P5 thanks to a lap of 1:20.688. He was followed by Albon who took sixth ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with Hamilton in eighth ahead of Norris and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
2023 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix – Qualiyfing
1 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:20.294 – –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:20.307 0.013 0.016
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:20.361 0.067 0.083
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:20.671 0.377 0.470
5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:20.688 0.394 0.491
6 Alexander Albon Williams 1:20.760 0.466 0.580
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:20.785 0.491 0.612
8 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.820 0.526 0.655
9 Lando Norris McLaren 1:20.979 0.685 0.853
10 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:21.417 1.123 1.399
11 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:21.594 1.300 1.619
12 Liam Lawson AlphaTauri 1:21.758 1.464 1.823
13 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:21.776 1.482 1.846
14 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:21.940 1.646 2.050
15 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:21.944 1.650 2.055
16 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:22.390 2.096 2.610
17 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:22.545 2.251 2.803
18 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:22.548 2.254 2.807
19 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:22.592 2.298 2.862
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:22.860 2.566 3.196 -
Mathana Kumar wins Asia Cup Road Racing Race 1
Nakhon Pathom (Thailand), 2 Sept. 2023: S Mathan Kumar of India dished out splendid stuff to come out victorious in Race 1 the first round Asia Cup Road Racing championship held concurrently with the Thailand Superbike Championship at the Thailand Circuit Motor Sport Complex here on Saturday.
Mathana Kumar, earlier on Saturday, qualified P8 clocking a best lap of 1min 46.398seconds but managed to overtake a tough field and notched up his maiden international victory. Mathana Kumar is the reigning Indian National champion in the 165cc class and races for Team Pacer Yamaha in the Indian Nationals.
Representing Team fmsci India, Mathana clocked 29minutes, 14.523seconds for the 10-lap race. He edged past Dustin Esguerra of Phillippines by0.628 seconds to top Race 6, that saw the participation of 14 riders from seven countries. Tz Jiun You of Chinese Taipei came third.
Mathana Kumar with the Tricolour on podium on 2 Sept 2023. INDIAinF1 photo Talking to INDIAin F1 from Thailand, Mathana Kumar said: “I am very happy to get this victory. It is the result of a lot of hardwork and I thank my team, sponsors and all those who stood by me. This is an unforgettable moment to raise the Tricolour with pride.”
