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Roberto Merhi to race for Mahindra Racing at Jakarta
Mumbai / Banbury, May 28, 2023: Mahindra Racing today announces that Roberto Merhi will join its Formula E team as race driver for next weekend’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship races in Jakarta.
Roberto will race the #8 Mahindra M9Electro alongside Lucas Di Grassi in the #11.
A mutual agreement has been reached between Oliver Rowland and the team for him to step aside for the next seven races. Roberto will race in Jakarta, enabling him to gain valuable race experience.
Roberto, who raced for Manor Marussia F1 Team during the 2015 season, joins the Banbury based outfit after his first taste of electric racing at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month. A successful single-seater career saw the Spaniard win races across Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F3 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series before progressing into Formula One, first as a test driver and then a competing driver. He has also raced in DTM and FIA Formula 2, before advancing into sports car and endurance racing, finishing third in the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.
Roberto Merhi said: “It’s a huge honour for me to step in and represent Mahindra Racing for the races in Jakarta. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it. I had a chance to drive the M9Electro at the rookie test in Berlin but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I’ve raced in so the learning curve will be steep. But I feel ready, excited and up for the challenge.”
Mahindra Racing CEO, Frederic Bertrand, said: “We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Mahindra Racing team. Roberto has impressive experience in top-level racing and a good track record in major championships. He had a great run with us at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month and we could see he had the potential to become a great asset for the Mahindra Racing team. It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, but Roberto has experience of working with the team, so I’m sure he will slot into the team brilliantly.”
The double-header Jakarta E-Prix takes place next weekend on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June.
Mahindra Racing has a strong set of partners, including Official Powertrain Partner ZF and e-fluids partner Shell. Maurice Lacroix, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, continues as the Official Timekeeper.
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Max Verstappen conquers rain and Monaco: F1 Round 7
Monte Carlo, 28 May 2023: Max Verstappen survived a long stint on fading tyres, late rain and tricky conditions to win the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, the Round 7 of the FIA Formula One World Championship, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso here on Sunday. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon took a well-worked first podium of the year for the French team.
At the start of the race Verstappen got away well from pole position to take the lead ahead of Alonso and over the opening phase of the race, the Dutchman built a solid lead over his Spanish rival. By lap 25 the championship leader had carved out an almost 12-second advantage at the front, though having started on medium tyres, the Dutchman knew that his lead would come under threat as Alonso went deeper into the race on hard tyres.
Behind the leading pair Ocon was proving to be the cork in a bottle containing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and all three chose to pit for medium tyres to try to escape the lengthening train.
The skies above Monaco were darkening, however, and at the front Verstappen was now facing a dilemma. Alonso, running on hard tyres, could hold station and wait for the rain to arrive before making a sole pit stop. By contrast, Verstappen was finding the going increasingly difficult on his starting mediums. If the rain held off and he was forced to pit for new hard tyres he would be at the mercy of Alonso should the rain then fall.
The Red Bull driver was told to stay out as long as he could but with his front left tyre looking increasingly angry, he radioed his team to say he didn’t know how long he could go on.
As the race edged towards its final 20 laps, though, the Dutchman’s prayers were answered. Rain began to fall at the top of the circuit and soon began to drift towards the harbour.
Alonso chose to pit on lap 54, but crucially, the Spaniard opted to switch his hard tyres for a set of mediums. It proved to be the wrong choice and as the rain intensified Verstappen was finally called in to shed his ragged mediums for a set of intermediate Pirellis.
Alonso was forced to return to the pits for a set of the green-walled tyres and when he emerged he was more than 20 seconds behind Verstappen and despite the treacherous conditions the Dutchman was firmly in control.
Alonso tried to close in but eventually Verstappen took the flag almost 28 seconds ahead of the Aston Martin driver at the chequered flag.
Behind them Ocon converted his third-place start into a third F1 podium, despite coming under heavy pressure from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the wet closing stages of the race.
Hamilton finished fourth ahead of team-mate George Russell, who was handed a five-second penalty by the race stewards for rejoining the circuit unsafely at Mirabeau.
Despite the penalty Russell was still able to clinch fifth ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpine ahead of the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rounded out the points positions.
2023 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 78 1:48’51.980
2 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 78 1:49’19.901 27.921
3 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 78 1:49’28.970 36.990
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 78 1:49’31.042 39.062
5 George Russell Mercedes 78 1:49’48.264 56.284
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 78 1:49’53.870 1’01.890
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 78 1:49’54.342 1’02.362
8 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 78 1:49’55.371 1’03.391
9 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 77 – 1 lap
10 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 77 – 1 lap
11 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 77 – 1 lap
12 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT 77 – 1 lap
13 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 77 – 1 lap
14 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 77 – 1 lap
15 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT 76 – 2 laps
16 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 76 – 2 laps
17 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 76 – 2 laps
18 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 76 – 2 laps
19 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 70 – Not running
Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 53 – Retirement -
Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala takes 2nd place at Monaco again: F2
Monaco (Monte Carlo), 27 May 2023: Indian racing star Jehan Daruvala of Mumbai secured another well-deserved podium in the Sprint Race of the FIA Formula 2 World Championship here on Saturday.
“The pace was good all race but it’s very difficult to overtake here in Monaco. I had a tyre pressure issue after the last safety car restart so happy to bring it home,” said Jehan Daruvala, the Mumbai native.
Ayumu Iwasa got his Championship fight back on track with Sprint Race victory on the streets of Monte Carlo. The DAMS driver inherited the lead of the race early on and never let it go, managing two Safety Car restarts to take the win by over six seconds.
Marshals congratulate Jehan Daruvala for his P2 on 27 May 2023 at Monaco. Jehan Daruvala shadowed the DAMS driver throughout the 30 laps but couldn’t make a move for victory, while Jak Crawford held off Richard Verschoor for the final podium position.
AS IT HAPPENED
Isack Hadjar got the launch he needed to retain the lead at Turn 1 ahead of Iwasa and Daruvala. It was a clean opening lap until Turn 10. Whilst battling with Amaury Cordeel, Kush Maini was pitched into a spin after contact with Clément Novalak from behind, blocking the track and several drivers behind him.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed as a result, but Roy Nissany and Ralph Boschung were out after getting caught up in the incident, unable to get going again. Novalak was later handed a 10-second time penalty. The full Safety Car was deployed on Lap 2 in order to remove the stricken cars.
Back to racing conditions on Lap 6 and Hadjar kept the lead initially but into Turn 1, the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver slowed with a mechanical issue, handing the lead to Iwasa. The DAMS man quickly moved two seconds clear of Daruvala after two laps out in front, while Hadjar was forced into early retirement.
Jehan Daruvala, left, poses with the winner after taking a 2nd place in Monaco Sprint. Twitter photo of MP Motorsport. At the halfway stage, the MP Motorsport driver was within touching distance of the race leader, 0.7s back but well within DRS range. The top two had dropped Crawford by seven seconds as the American kept Richard Verschoor at bay in the fight for the final podium place.
Enzo Fittipaldi proved that overtaking was a possibility in Monte Carlo, passing Cordeel on Lap 22 into Turn 1 with DRS assistance. The Belgian’s day was quickly made worse after contact with Juan Manuel Correa left the Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver in the barriers, requiring another Safety Car.
Iwasa got the field back underway entering Lap 24, opting to go ahead of the penultimate corner and establishing breathing room to Daruvala behind. He launched into a three second lead by the end of the lap.
The DAMS was six seconds clear entering the final tour and brought it home for his third race win of the season. Daruvala stayed second ahead of Crawford despite Verschoor’s best efforts to find a route past from fourth.
Zane Maloney finished fifth for Rodin Carlin ahead of Jack Doohan in sixth. The ART Grand Prix pair followed in the final points paying positions with Victor Martins heading home Théo Pourchaire in seventh and eighth places respectively.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Iwasa’s win moves him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship on 68 points, two ahead of Théo Pourchaire in second. Frederik Vesti is third on 64 points heading into Sunday’s Feature Race, starting from pole position. Oliver Bearman and Kush Maini remain fourth and fifth, still on 41 points apiece. And Jehan Daruvala with this podium is just a point behind compatriot Maini in Sixth position with 40 points.
In the Teams’ Standings, PREMA Racing still leads with 105 points, but DAMS close the gap, climbing to 102 points in second. ART Grand Prix remains third with 85 points.
UP NEXT
The Formula 2 Monte Carlo Feature Race gets underway on Sunday at 09:40 local time. Frederik Vesti starts from pole alongside Martins with Pourchaire going from third.
Thoughts from Iwasa, Daruvala and Crawford
FIA Formula 2: Many congratulations to the top three finishers of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race here in Monte Carlo. In third place, Jak Crawford for Hitech Pulse-Eight, in second place Jehan Daruvala for MP Motorsport and taking his third win of the 2023 season, our winner Ayumu Iwasa for DAMS. Ayu, what an impressive race by you, well done. After the tough weekend you had out in Baku how important was it to bounce back with a win here?
Ayumu Iwasa: I think it’s quite a positive, unfortunately I missed a result again in Qualifying yesterday even though I had the speed that’s why I could take the P1 in Free Practice yesterday. I think this is the minimum recovery as a driver. Anyway I’m quite happy about this result and speed in the race. I think this will be quite positive for tomorrow’s race.
FIA Formula 2: How good was the car today?
Iwasa: Actually it was quite ok, it was quite similar to Qualifying and Free Practice. The driving was not so difficult I was just trying to manage the speed and pace and the tyre. The pace wasn’t perfect, but also not too bad so I should try to analyse a bit my driving today because I was missing the pace a little bit in the middle of the race. I think tha’s the only point from today’s race.
FIA Formula 2: You say you were missing a little bit of pace in the middle of the race but do you think you could have challenged and maybe overtake Isack Hadjar had he not had to retire after that first Safety Car?
Iwasa: Honestly, it’s really difficult to say because we didn’t run that many laps before the Safety Car so it’s difficult to know. It should have been difficult because it’s Monaco, maybe the pace was a little bit better than him, but maybe the overtake would have been a bit more difficult.
FIA Formula 2: Very well done to you. Jehan let’s come to you now. You were second at the Sprint Race in Monaco last year, second in the Sprint Race again this year. Great consistency by you. How does this podium compare to last year?
Jehan Daruvala: I would say it’s a bit better, in a way it was more challenging, especially in the middle of the race. Of course it’s very difficult to overtake, so my goal was just to put as much pressure as I could on Ayu but he didn’t make any mistakes. After the Safety Car I got a bit of scare because I had a puncture warning on my dash so I was taking it really easy because I didn’t want to have a slow puncture and put it in the wall so I was breaking really early everywhere which is why he opened a four or five seconds gap within a couple of laps so by then I just decided to bring it home.
FIA Formula 2: What did you learn today that will help you in the Feature Race?
Daruvala: I think I learnt that when I get a bit too close for too many laps the car balance has changes quite a lot and it does get difficult. Apart from that we can take a lot of positives from today’s race. I felt like we had good pace, even though I wasn’t over driving. Of course I was pushing close to the limits but it was nothing out of control and the car was always good and we had good pace.
FIA Formula 2: Well done. Jak coming to you now, high pressure race, Richard Verschoor never very far from your gearbox. How tough was it from your point of view?
Jak Crawford: It was really tough, I actually had the same issue as Jehan at the beginning of the race. I was also taking it easy the first two laps because I had a puncture warning. After that I pushed a lot and distroyed the tyres a bit and after that it became really difficult and Richard was quite quick, especially in Sector 2, in Turn 10 he was quite close but I was just quick enough in the right places to keep him behind.
FIA Formula 2: After what happened to your teammate did you have any reliability concerns?
Crawford: For me, no I didn’t have any concerns. I’m sorry for him, but I wasn’t worried.
FIA Formula 2: Jak this is your third podium in Formula 2, it feels like you’ve got your feet firmly under the F2 table. Do you feel fully confident in these cars now?
Crawford: I feel up to speed, obviously the Qualifying has been decent this year, that’s why we have had three podiums in the last three Sprint Races. Obviously we need to improve on the race pace on my side and fight for the Feature Race which is where the big points are.
FIA Formula 2: Very well done to all three of you.
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Max Verstappen tops FP2 ahead of Charles Leclerc: Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco, 27 May 2023: Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen topped the second practice session for this Sunday’s 2023 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just under seven hundredths of a second. Third place went to Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz but the Spanish driver crashed in the final part of the session, bringing out the red flags.
In the early stages of the second hour of practice it was Verstappen who led the way with the Red Bull driver taking P1 thanks to a lap of 1:13.985. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton briefly supplanted the title leader by the slimmest of margins before the Dutchman resumed control with a time of 1:13.857.
Verstappen improved again to lower the benchmark to 1:13.312 as the early running on medium compound Pirelli tyres came to an end.
When the field began to move to soft tyres it was Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who made the first major move. The two-time champion jumped ahead of Verstappen with a lap of 1:12.786, which stood as the best time of the session for more than 10 minutes before Sainz made his soft-tyre leap with a lap of 1:12.569.
Verstappen slotted into third with his first effort on soft tyres, but then moved ahead with his next run of 1:12.462.
Leclerc then jumped to P2, marginally ahead of his Ferrari team-mate but that brought an end to significant improvements as Sainz then brought out the red flags. The Spanish driver clipped the barrier on the inside as he went to exit the Swimming Pool section.
The contact broke a suspension arm on the front right of his car and he slid into the barriers at the exit, causing further damage to the right side of his Ferrari.
Once his car and the debris had been cleared running resumed with 12 minutes left on the clock but there were few improvements.
Verstappen therefore took top spot ahead of the Ferrari duo, with Alonso fourth fastest ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Hamilton finished sixth for Mercedes, while Sergio Perez was seventh in the second Red Bull RB19. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas ended the session in P8 ahead of the Alpines Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
2023 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:12.462 30 165.786
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:12.527 0.065 33 165.637
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:12.569 0.107 22 165.541
4 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:12.682 0.220 32 165.284
5 Lando Norris McLaren 1:12.906 0.444 18 164.776
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:12.960 0.498 29 164.654
7 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:12.991 0.529 30 164.584
8 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:13.050 0.588 33 164.451
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:13.089 0.627 28 164.363
10 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:13.162 0.700 30 164.199
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:13.185 0.723 31 164.148
12 George Russell Mercedes 1:13.191 0.729 32 164.134
13 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:13.354 0.892 32 163.770
14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:13.457 0.995 28 163.540
15 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:13.520 1.058 33 163.400
16 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:13.641 1.179 22 163.131
17 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri 1:13.663 1.201 34 163.083
18 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:13.673 1.211 30 163.061
19 Alexander Albon Williams 1:14.217 1.755 10 161.865
20 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:14.238 1.776 33 161.820 -
With virtually no seat time, Geoffrey Emmanuel performs admirably: JuniorGP
Valencia (Spain), May 22: Talented Indian racer and a pioneer in his own right, Geoffrey Emmanuel, amazingly adapted to the well-known circuit, despite taking part in a competitive race here for the first time and came out trumps finishing the race, which in itself is a big success as he is the first and lone torch-bearer for India, paving way for others in the FIM World Championship JuniorGP here on Sunday. He made an amazing comeback after his injury in the last round.
The hard-working Emmanuel, son of Indian racing star of yesteryears, Emmanuel Jebaraj, put in a stunning show to improve his performance and finished a creditable P19 and P25 in the second round in the double-header, considering the experience and access to seat time of his competitors, at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the popular venue.
Geoffrey, the 18-year old from Chennai, representing the famous Cuna De Campeones team, made a good beginning on his KTM in the season-opener in Portugal a fortnight back, and despite suffering injuries following a crash, made a valiant effort to be within 3.6 seconds of the leaders over the weekend.
Having qualified 26th on the 27-bike grid, Geoffrey, who is sponsored by Fairstreet Sports, Vidiem, Vamcy Merla and Gusto Racing, put in a determined performance to take P25.
In the second race later in the day, Geoffrey fought hard to finish 19th. Considering the amount of opportunities that he had in India and the experience and seat time enjoyed by his rivals, finishing the race is a good progress. But the Indian is soon adapting to the weather and new conditions and achieved his target of completing the race with aplomb. “It is a good learning experience. I am here to test myself and work hard. I am glad that I got a good team and am able to understand and learn from the professional set-up here,” said Emmanuel, who dreams of racing MotoGP one day.
He felt that his learning at this level continues and after two rounds of the seven-round championship, he grew stronger but realises that he has a long road ahead of him. He is keen to make a mark in the JuniorGP which is a feeder series for the FIM Moto3 World Championship and is considered to be among the most-competitive junior championships in the World. The fact that he is the first and only Indian to get till here makes him a pioneer. “I am aware of the gigantic task ahead of me. But I am willing to work hard and I am sure the way we are working, we will be there soon,” he said confidently to INDIAinF1.com.
Emmanuel added: “Both the races were difficult but I was able to fight with the riders. The two races helped me to figure out the areas where I need to work on and come back stronger for the next round.”
Fairstreet Sports, the promoter who is bringing MotoGP to India, Vidiem, who sponsored and brought the MiniGP to India for the first time in 2022, have backed the young prospect. Vamcy Merla, the maverick former promoter of Indian National Rally Championship, and the founder of VM Sports Foundation, the heir torch-bearer of Andhra Pradesh’s Kalyani Group, has also pitched in to help Emmanuel blossom into an international rider.
And it is Gusto Racing India, but for whom, the young rider would not have made it to the foreign land. His dad, the architect of many a youngster taking to the sport in India, runs Gusto. “If not for my dad, I would not have been where I am,” he told this writer once at the MMSC hospitality. This writer has also spotted Jebaraj waiting patiently for Valentino Rossi, at the Sepang a few summers back, and the technically-sound rider of his day, was so disappointed that the legendary rider soon disappeared out of the motorhome where the Indian maestro was waiting. But the delight and joy that one cannot mistake in his jubilant face once he met the legend, made “yours humbly” realise that JEBARAJ breaths MotoGP day-in and day-out.
The third round of the championship is scheduled to be held in Jerez, Spain, from June 2 to 4, and by the time seven rounds are done, we would have an Indian pioneer. The hardworking youngster has the skills, talent and the commitment to go places, and if nurtured properly, can get the break at the right time.
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Last-minute preparations at BIC to host MotoGP Bharat, get a boost from Dorna visit
New Delhi, May 26, 2023: The entry of MotoGP is all set materialise with preparations in full swing at the iconic Buddh International Circuit which hosted the Formula One Championship for three years from 2011. It is said that the visiting Dorna team was fairly satisfied with the progress being made towards fine-tuning the last minute preparations for the Motorcycle World Championships, MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3.
The highly-anticipated Motorcylce World Championship race in India is titled as ‘MotoGP Bharat’ and is scheduled for September 22 to 24.
On Friday, Fairstreet announced that a 12-member team from the global MotoGP commercial rights holder, Dorna Sports, led by Events Director, Norma Luna, conducted a visit to check and identify facilities that needs to be fine tuned. The team also comprised officials of MotoGP marketing and sponsorship teams and one of the important factors that Dorna supervised in detail included the Broadcasting and Media facilities that are central to any World- Class event.
The recently-concluded visit is an reconnaissance trip to India to assess whether race preparations are meeting the given deadlines as per the MotoGP Promoter Dorna’s agreed regulations. Fairstreet Sports is the Indian Promoter but the facility, the BIC is owned by a different party, the JP group which is legal battles and one need to see, if the return of an international event, to the top-class motorsports facility designed by German Hermann Tilke, an engineer, race driver and designer, who designed many circuits across the world.
Luna was accompanied by Daniel Trujillo (Technical Director), Enrique Aguilar (Live Coverage Director) among others. The team meticulously surveyed the circuit to evaluate various technical aspects. They inspected the broadcast setup facilities and assessed various other essential requirements for delivering a world-class event. However, the event passed off without any media presence and there is no announcement from Dorna.
FairStreet Sports COO, Pushkar Nath Srivastava, is confident in the venue’s ability to put up country’s biggest annual sporting spectacle . He said: “With less than 124 days for the mega event, we had some important operational discussions as well as detailed marketing, branding, sponsorship and conversations related to the broadcast of the race. It is heartening to see how important MotoGP Bharat is from the global perspective as well as for us, the Indian stakeholders alongside the government.”
A big part of hosting MotoGP is also to showcase their tourism potential and during their visit, the Dorna team also had the opportunity to explore one of the world’s most iconic landmarks and the Pride of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal. Located at just a two-hour drive from the racetrack, the team was captivated by the Taj’s grandeur and left in awe.
MotoGP Bharat will not only encourage diverse range of fans to come and witness the onsite marvels but also explore the unique milieu of rich culture, heritage and history.
Srivastava further added, “We anticipate a significant boost to the tourism industry, and this event is poised to unlock tremendous investment opportunities for the state of Uttar Pradesh.”
Scheduled as 13th race on the calendar, India will see 42 teams and 84 riders in action across MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 categories. It will include names like Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati, Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda Team, Marco Bezzecchi of Mooney, Brad Binder and Jack Miller of Redbull, Jorge Martin of Prima, all set to hit the Indian soil soon.
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Martins Sesks-Renars Francis of Team MRF Tyres win: Rally Poland
Orlen (Poland), 22 May 2023: Mārtiṇš Sesks charged to his second victory in the FIA European Rally Championship after he fended off and then pulled clear of title leader Hayden Paddon to win ORLEN 79th Rally Poland on Sunday (May 21).
MRF release:
Team MRF Tyres took a dominant victory in the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship with Martins Sesks and Renars Francis putting on a master class in the ORLEN Rally of Poland.
The Latvian duo started the day with a lead of 8.2 seconds and proved untouchable throughout the day. They took a further four stage wins and pulled their lead out to almost 40 seconds in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 to take their first win of the season and the second of their career. Over the rally, Sesks and Francis averaged 115km/h on the fast and narrow roads that demanded grip and confidence.
Martins Sesks, winner, Team MRF Tyres, said “The Team MRF Tyres car was unbelievable this weekend. The MRF Tyres were just fantastic through the rally and gave me the confidence to push through! I am thrilled to take my second win in the FIA ERC and I would like to thank the team and everyone back in India for making this happen. Rally Poland was something special and I am looking forward to getting back to Latvia for the next round.”
The tyres had to contend with rocks being drawn onto the line, and the MRF Tyres stood the test of toughness that was demanded throughout the rally.
In total, there were six MRF Tyre cars that won points in this rally.
Efren Llarena, Denis Radstrom, Pontus Tidemand and Simone Campedelli were the other point scorers for team MRF Tyres. Team MRF Tyres continues to lead the Team Championship, while Sesks moves to second in the Driver’s Championship.
As it happened
The FIA ERC now moves to Rally Liepaja in Latvia for another fast gravel rally, one where Team MRF Tyres and Martins Sesks reigned supreme in 2022.
With Renars Francis co-driving his Team MRF Tyres-entered Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Sesks completed Saturday’s opening leg 8.2s ahead of Paddon.
Although Sesks initially appeared to be on the defensive when his BRC Racing Team rival won Sunday’s opening test to narrow the gap to 7.4s, it wasn’t long before the 23-year-old Latvian sprinted clear to win ahead of Paddon by 39.6s.
“It feels really special, doing it at home is one story in front of a home crowd, but doing it here in Poland is completely different, it shows the car, the team, the tyres, we’re all ready to fight,” said Sesks, who moves into second position in the provisional standings, 37 points behind early pacesetter Paddon. “It feels so good to be driving for such a good team with such a good car. It’s a pleasure and to be able to perform at such a high level it’s really good. Everyone wants to make a statement but in our minds we want to keep our heads down and just do our work.”
Paddon’s high-paced endeavour on SS9 came at a cost as he completed the stage with a damaged front-right tyre, which would have a major bearing on the outcome of the victory fight. With only one spare Pirelli on board his Hyundai i20 N Rally2, Paddon had to make a tough decision.
“We either kept pushing like we were doing but then you risk another puncture and you retire,” he said. “When you’re thinking about the championship and the points on offer it’s about playing the smart game and that’s the decision we had to make.”
After setting a succession of top three stage times, Michelin-equipped Miko Marczyk completed the podium on his home round of the ERC having won the event last year.
“I am very happy because probably our pace was better than last year when we won the rally,” said the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver. “If someone told me before the race I would finish between Hayden Paddon and Mads Østberg I would say for sure it’s perfect. The best guy won the rally.”
Josh McErlean (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) started Sunday’s action 1.5sec ahead of Mads Østberg in the battle for fourth, only for a high-speed spin 1.6km from the start of SS13 to drop him to seventh, poor reward following a strong performance from the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver. Østberg won the Power Stage on his way to finishing fourth in his MRF Tyres Dealer Team Citroën C3 Rally2.
Overnight set-up changes designed to stop Mikko Heikkilä having to “fight with the car” transformed the Finnish champion’s prospects as he moved up from eighth at the start of the day to fifth in the overall ranking aboard his Michelin-equipped Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Mathieu Franceschi completed the top six after his cautious approach to Sunday afternoon’s stages paid dividends for the young French driver, who marked his 24th birthday by scoring his first Power Stage points in fourth in another Michelin-shod Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Simone Tempestini followed McErlean home in eighth, while Erik Cais finished in a confidence-boosting ninth followed by European champion Efrén Llarena.
Filip Mareš scored ERC points for the second event running in 11th having lost more than 40s rolling on Saturday morning. Dennis Rådström finished 12th on his first ERC event aboard a Rally2 car with his GN Motorsport team-mate Pontus Tidemand placing 13th after a spin and reverse on SS14. Grzegorz Grzyb was next up in 14th closely followed by Simone Campedelli who hit back from going off into a field on SS14. British champion Osian Pryce placed 16th on his ERC debut.
Andrea Mabellini was eighth when he went off the road into haybales on SS13 and rolled. He eventually regained the road but retired shortly afterwards. The Italian had never driven on high-speed gravel stages in a Rally2 car making his late exit tough to take.
Jon Armstrong won the FIA ERC3 category in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 with Ola Nore taking spot in FIA ERC4 driving a Renault Clio Rally4. The Norwegian also won the FIA Junior ERC category, which attracted an impressive 16-car entry for the opening round of the championship’s 10th season and the first with Hankook as the official tyre supplier.
The ERC’s three-event tour of high-speed gravel events continues next month when Tet Rally Liepāja hosts the fourth round of the ERC season from June 16-18.
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Injured Jaden Pariat returns with rich experience: British F4
Snetterton (Norfolk, England), 22 May 2023: It was a disappointing end to a well-prepared week-end but Indian racing talent Jaden Pariat is high in spirits as he says, “there is much to learn and I have enjoyed the week-end despite not being able to get a result. It is racing and these things happen and it is disappointing but a rich experience,” he said philosophically, talking to INDIAinF1 from the venue, on Sunday.
Jaden Pariat headed to Snetterton in Norfolk at the weekend beginning May 19 for rounds seven, eight, and nine of the F4 British Championship that concluded on May 21, Sunday, but left without any official race results.
After a tight and fiercely-contested qualifying session on Saturday, the youngster from Northeast India was just one second off pole position around the three-mile circuit – the second longest on this season’s calendar.
The opening race began later that afternoon, but after just one lap Jaden was involved in an incident which damaged his car and put him into retirement. However, with a red flag then being shown the race was restarted a little later before again being red flagged for another incident. With damage to the barriers and time running out to complete the contest, the race was voided and instead will be added to the weekend at Donington Park in August.
Unfortunately for Jaden, he hurt his wrist during his contact and, though he was cleared at hospital, he wasn’t allowed to take part in Sunday’s races, meaning he recorded no official results across the weekend.
The teenager will return to the F4 British Championship with Phynsis by Argenti in two weeks’ time, over the weekend of June 3/4, at the UK’s fastest circuit, Thruxton in Hampshire.Jaden Pariat
Jaden Pariat before the injury at Snetterton “Saturday was unfortunate. The contact hurt my wrist which will stop me from doing any driving for a while. The race was going well and I was quite happy with the moves that I had made, it was just unfortunate to have had contact.
“I feel better and although the decision was maybe not we wanted, in the long term at least we’re sure we’ll be fit to race well. We will miss a few days of testing which will put me on the back foot, as during the season we don’t get many test days, so they are important.“I’m happy that I got to supprt the team from the outside and happy for the team’s results this weekend. We would have had a chance for the podium in the last race, but I’m looking forward to putting in lots of hard work so we can get back in the car as soon as possible and push at Thruxton!”
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TVS’ Rajendra sets fastest time; wins Round 1: 2w Rally
Madikeri, 22 May 2023: Defending champion Rajendra RE of Petronas TVS Racing began his title defence clocking the best time as he won the premier class in the MRF Rally of Coorg, the first round of the National Rally Championship for two-wheelers 2023 here on Sunday.
The first round of the two-wheeler National Rally Championship was organised by Ace Events and promoted by Godspeed Racing. While MRF sponsored the event, many of the riders were individually supported by Vamsi Merla Sports Foundation.
In the Ladies class, young Tanika Shanbagh of Satara (Hero MotoSports) dominated the proceedings all through and won the class with ease and also beat the times of fancied Aishwarya Pissay, the reigning champion, in three of the six special stages. Tanika also finished a creditable overall 30th, among 94 finishers, just two spots behind 2019 World Baja champion Pissay. The six-time national champion, Pissay, moved to the top class contending on equal footing with the male bikers on a TVS Apache RTR 450.
Nataraj of Bengaluru won the Superbike Expert class while Stephen Roy of Kodagu beat Ajin Abraham of Kottayam to clinch the Supersport 165cc Group B class.
Imran Pasha (Supersport 260cc Group B) and Syed Asif Ali (Scooters) won two more titles for Petronas TVS Racing team while Tanika kept the Hero MotoSports flag flying winning the Ladies class victory.
Shivamogga’s Darpan Darshan became Star of Karnataka winning the local class while Stephen Roy, Russel Jossey, Arun Jossey M and Nitish Bharadwaj won the other classes.
Provisional Results:
Class 1: Superbike Pro-Expert Group A: 1. Rajendra RE (Petronas TVS Racing) (1hour, 5min, 13.356sec); 2. Samuel Jacob (TVS) (1:05.40.361); 3. Abdul Waheed Tanveer (TVS) (1:06:06.253).
Class 2 Superbike Expert Group A: 1. Nataraj (Bengaluru) (1:09:33.070); 2. Dhritimaan Singh (Dehradun) (1:12:23.307); 3. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) (1:13:47.472).
Class 10 Star of Karnataka: 1. Darpan Darshan (Shivamogga) (1:22:56.020); 2. Yamanurappa Hugar (Kachohalli) (1:24:13.725 including 1min 51sec penalty); 3. Kiran Kumar S (Mysore) (1:24:33.249).
Class 3 Supersport 165cc Group B: 1. Stephen Roy (Kodagu) (1:13:21.324); 2. Ajin Abraham (Kottayam) (1:13:41.419); 3. Akhil Joy (Ernakulam) (1:16:11.147).
Classs 4: Supersport 260 Group B: 1. Imran Pasha (Petronas TVS Racing) (1:06:34.949); 2. T Arun (Hero Motosports) (1:06:58.310); 3. Karan Kumar (Hero Motosports) – 01:08:57.733)
Class 5: Supersport 400 Grouop B: 1. Russel Jossey (Mumbai) (1:16:54.803); 2. Rohit Shinde (Baramathi) (1:21:41.088); 3. Akhand Pratap Singh (Uttarakhand) (1:22:35.504).
Class 6: Supersport 550 Group B: 1. Arun Joy M (Eranakulam) (1:18:23.852); 2. Jeemon Anthony (Kochi) (1:19:12.449); 3. Sharath Kumar (Bengaluru) (1:20:27.756);
Class 7: Scooters up to 210cc Group B: 1. Syed Asif Ali (TVS) – 01:19:26.866; 2. N Karthik Naidu (TVS) (1:21:19.864); 3. Pinkesh Thakkar (JB Racing) (1:21:48.845).
Class 8: Women’s Class Group B: 1. Tanika Shanbhag (Hero MotoSports) (1:19:04.992); 2. Tanaya Singh (Hero MotoSports) (1:25:20.163); 3. Fazeela U (Palakkad) (1:32:18.855).
Class 9: Super Stock up to 450cc Group D: 1. Nitish Bharadwaj (Kulu) (1:14:29.829); 2. Shailesh Kumar (Erode) (1:14:37.088); 3. R Sabarish (Coimbatore) (1:15:44.466).
Last edited on 30May2023
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Marco Bezzecchi of VR46 wins historic 1000th GP at packed Le Mans
Bezzecchi bounces back, Bagnaia clashes with Viñales, Marquez slides out and there’s a home hero on the podium as Le Mans served up a day packed with headlines
Le Mans, 14 May 2023: Take a minute to catch your breath after what was an incredible SHARK Grand Prix de France! Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) takes a special place in history as the race winner at the 1000th FIM Grand Prix after a stunning break for glory in front of a record crowd at Le Mans, and there was drama, drama, drama throughout the field.
First, Bezzecchi is now just one point behind Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the Italian crashed out of the race in a dramatic clash with Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales… gravel trap shouting match included, but both riders ok. Then, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) vs Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) lit up the fight for second in a tough but fair tussle, but that then ended in late race heartbreak for the number 93 as he slid out. However, for the French fans it did mean Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was then promoted to a glorious home podium after some impressive Sunday pace, giving the 278,805 record crowd even more to cheer about.
The grid formed in front of the biggest crowd MotoGP™ has ever seen and it was Marc Marquez who shot into the lead as Bagnaia dropped down the order to P5. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) slotted himself into P2 with Bezzecchi putting his VR46 Ducati into P3. Bagnaia then quickly snapped back at Martin as the Ducati riders duked it out on lap 1.
It was Marquez, Miller, Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), Bagnaia, and then Martin as they came across the line for the first time, and we had a race on our hands in MotoGP™. Miller wasn’t intimated by the eight-time World Champion by any means as the Aussie tried to force his way through on Marquez, but the Spaniard wouldn’t give in and hit straight back in true Marquez fashion.
Miller hit the front at the Dunlop chicane, meanwhile, the reigning World Champion was on the move as Bagnaia had now climbed his way back up into a podium position with 25 laps remaining.
The laps ticked away as a seven-bike battle for victory formed with Viñales carving his way into the 3rd place, the Aprilia seriously on the move. But then came the drama: the Spaniard collided with Bagnaia as both riders competed for the same piece of tarmac, both careening off into the gravel. Riders ok and to their feet… and then a fair few yells exchanged.
Half a lap later, there was more drama in the Le Mans gravel traps as Marini suffered a big crash coming out of the Dunlop chicane, just cutting the kerb. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) then got caught in the Italian’s crash as the field behind avoided the incident, riders again ok but another huge moment of adrenaline shaking the race up.
As the chaos subsided, we had a race on our hands. A four-rider battle for victory had formed as Miller now found himself with Marquez, Bezzecchi, and Martin for company, before Bezzecchi pushed his way through on Marc Marquez – and dropped the Spaniard from 2nd to 4th. The number 93 was sent into another postcode although no harm done, with both regrouping and Bezzecchi then told to drop a position for the move: a penalty he expected, and a penalty he also served wisely as he chose his moment to let Martin back through. And then took it back, with Marquez following suit too.
Bezzecchi now had an open goal to make huge gains in the title fight as Bagnaia sat in the garage, and the VR46 rider took the lead from Miller as they barrelled into the Dunlop chicane once again. Marquez quickly followed him through half a lap later too, with Bezzecchi already stretching out half a second at the front.
With 15 laps to go, Bezzecchi had 1.2s in his pocket to Marquez behind, who was 0.5s up the road from Martin, who had found his way through on Miller. The Aussie was starting to fall into the clutches of Zarco and Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3). It didn’t take long for Zarco to push his way through either as the Frenchman moved up into P4 and Fernandez followed, leaving Miller in sixth.
With six to go, Martin thought it was time to pounce on Marc Marquez. The Spaniard tried to push his way through on the eight-time World Champion, but the Repsol Honda man was not giving in easy and bit back at the Prima Pramac Racing rider at every opportunity. That allowed Zarco to edge closer and closer… and the crowd had definitely noticed.
Martin finally pushed his way through with one and a half laps remaining, and this time the drama was for the number 93. Trying to hang in there, the returning Repsol Honda rider tucked the front and ended his French Grand Prix in the gravel trap, but after quite a return to the upper echelons of the timesheets.
That meant one thing to a partisan crown: Zarco was on the podium. The grandstands erupted around the French circuit as Bezzecchi crossed the line for a first dry weather win, Martin ensured he’s the top scorer at Le Mans this year, and then the home hero reached the flag. The noise made for an impressive welcome.
Fourth place was also something to shout about as Tech3’s Fernandez took an impressive result after an impressive weekend. First time in Q2, the GASGAS rider had had the speed all weekend and made it pay to perfection on Sunday to bounce back.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) rounded out the top five as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) recovered from being battered down the order on the first lap to fight his way back through the pack, take a long penalty for a shortcut, and still manage to take sixth.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had a tougher home Grand Prix but took a chunk of points on Sunday as the 2021 World Champion ended his weekend in Le Mans with a P7, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), and Franco Morbidelli taking 8th, 9th, and 10th – just ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Lenovo Team) on his MotoGP™ return deputising for the injured Enea Bastianini.
Early race leader Miller crashed out with three laps remaining after the Aussie had been dropping down the order on his KTM machine, making it a weekend to forget in terms of results but one to remember for speed. Can he bounce back at Mugello? Many will be looking to join him in doing so…
MARCO BEZZECCHI: “I expected the penalty. I didn’t want to pass but I braked a bit too late and when I realized I was getting closer and closer, I tried to go to the inside to not hit him. Unfortunately I pushed him wide so I thought for sure they give me a drop position. I was ready for it and I agree, also. It was a bit too much. It’s difficult to pass but I didn’t really want to pass, but it’s ok. Fortunately I kept myself calm about the penalty I knew was coming, tried to find the right place to give up the position and then fight back.
How was that winning feeling?
“It was fantastic. I saw I was fast, at the beginning I didn’t want to use the front tyre too much or put too much temperature in it. When I was behind someone, I was trying to pass quite quick and when I found myself at the front I thought, ‘now I have fresh air’. I tried to push and see how it is. On Friday I had good pace so I tried to make the same but it was even better! I was able to ride 31.9, 31.8 and it was fantastic. I saw I was escaping so I tried to stay calm and concentrate, at one with my bike, and it was an incredible emotion crossing the line in the dry. In the wet was good but in the dry even better!”And on that bet to not shave their moustaches until he won again…
“This is the thing I’m most happy about. I made this bet first in December before Christmas with my team, we were having dinner together and to break their balls a little bit I said ‘ok, you all have a long beard but if I win, you have to make it moustache and we won’t shave it until I win again. But then when I did win I said, ‘No! Now I have to really have a moustache!’ I was so nervous because it wasn’t coming anymore, so fortunately today when I saw the feeling was good, I said ‘today’s the day!”
