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  • Ashish Raorane, lone Indian to start 24th on his #34 KTM 450 Factory Rally replica

    Ashish Raorane, lone Indian to start 24th on his #34 KTM 450 Factory Rally replica

    Abu Dhabi, 26 Feb 2023: Ashish Raorane, the Indian Rally-Raid cross country rider will be the lone Indian on a KTM 450 Factory Rally replica with number #43 and will start 24th after doing well in the Prologue as 46 riders compete for the rally. The Indian will be in the Rally2 class (R2 category P9) in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

    “New colors for 2023! A massive thank you to all the partners for joining us on this journey! Back on the international stage after 2 years, as the 2021-22 was full of up and downs but we keep the dream alive. The dunes are where I need to improve, so no better challenge than the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. I feel nervous and excited. Bring it…”, said Rane, a day before the prologue on his social media handles.

    Hero MotoSports

    Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, will be competing in Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with all their riders, Joaquim Rodriques, Ross Branch, Franco Caimi and Sebastian Buhler.

    In the prologue, Buhler did well and will be starting 8th on his #14 bike, Hero 450 Rally, for Hero MotoSports Team Rally, followed by Ross Branch in his #16 bike in 9th and J Rod in 11th, with his favoured 27-number Hero 450 Rally. Caimi is immediately behind him in 12th on his #33 bike.

    The Hero team completed its Dakar 2023 campaign with a stellar result as three of its team riders crossed the final finish line. The Indian manufacturer scripted history once again in this edition of the rally. With a top-10 overall finish, two stage wins, and a stage podium, this is the Team’s best-ever performance at the Dakar.

    Sebastian Buhler, the youngest team rider of the team, who returned to racing after almost a year of recovery from injury, delivered an excellent performance. In his 3rd Dakar with Hero MotoSports, the young German claimed his first ever Stage Podium, finishing 2nd in Stage 2. Buhler also lost a few hours in Stage 4 along with Ross due to loss of fuel. However, consistently improving his performance, he finished Dakar 2023 in the 14th overall position in the Rally GP class.

    Key points:

    ·        The 7-km long prologue at the gates of the city of Al Dhannah which took place today allowed the ten quickest drivers and riders the opportunity to choose their starting order for stage 1 tomorrow.

    ·        In the car category, Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) achieved the best time ahead of Guerlain Chicherit (GCK Motorsports) and Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme).

    ·        In the bike race, Monster Energy Honda riders Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien Van Beveren prevailed ahead of Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

    FIM: HONDA’S STARS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES

    Pablo Quintanilla, who won the ADDC in 2018 and finished 3rd last year, was victorious today with a time of 5’00’’, ahead of his team-mate Adrien Van Beveren (2’’ behind) and Toby Price (5’’ behind). It was a poor start for Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing), who could only manage a 10th placed finish. As a result, the American, 3rd on the Dakar, was the last to be able to choose his starting position. In the Rally2 class, Toni Mulec (BAS World KTM Racing) beat Konrad Dąbrowski (Duust Diverse Racing). Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing) got off to a bad start with a 2-minute penalty after missing a way point. In the Quad race, Abdulaziz Ahli tasted victory ahead of Rodolfo Guillioli. Laisvydas Kancius (AG Dakar School) also received a 2-minute penalty for a missed way point and finds himself in last place in his category.

    On completion of the stage 1 starting order choice ceremony, the day’s quickest riders gathered as far as possible from having to open the way on the special. Quintanilla will start 11th, “VBA” 10th and Price 9th. Mohammed Al Balooshi, the last rider in the RallyGP class to finish, will open the special, followed by Skyler Howes and “Nacho” Cornejo (Monster Energy Honda). From the start of the special up to the finishing line, bonuses will be awarded to the first three riders, under the new regulations introduced in 2023 which aim to reward the efforts of the openers.

    FIA: AL ATTIYAH TAKES THE UPPER HAND

    Three times ADDC winner Nasser Al Attiyah set the tone by triumphing with a time of 4’45’’ on the prologue. Guerlain Chicherit posted the 2nd best time, 4’’ ahead of the other Prodrive Hunter driven by Sébastien Loeb, who was in turn 10’’ behind the Qatari’s time.

    Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing), thanks to a finish one second behind the Frenchman, is also in the reckoning. In the T3 category, team-mates Seth Quintero and Mitch Guthrie Jr (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA) completed the prologue in that order and within the same second, in front of Cristina Guttiérez (Red Bull Can-Am Factory), herself just 1 second behind the two men! Mattias Ekström (South Racing Can-Am) and Austin Jones (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA), the winner on the Dakar, did not get off to the best start, finishing in 8th and 9th place respectively. In the T4 race, the prologue was won by Rokas Baciuška (Red Bull Can-Am Factory), world champion in the category.

    For the start tomorrow, Nasser Al Attiyah has chosen to begin in 10th, Guerlain Chicherit 9th, Sébastien Loeb 8th and Yazeed Al Rajhi 7th. Cristina Guttiérez will be faced with the task of opening the way on tomorrow’s special, in front of Mitch Guthrie and Martin Prokop (Orlen Benzina Team).

    TOMORROW’S PROGRAMME*

    ·        The Al Dhannah to Qsar Al Sarab stage

    ·        Total distance: 404 km

    ·        A+B link routes: 162 km

    ·        Special: 242 km (start: Ghiyathi / finishing line: near to Tal Mor’eb)

    ·        Starting times for the special:

    – First FIM competitor: 08.00

    – First FIA competitor: 09.40

  • Rajendra claims 8th Nationals; Samuel Jacob fastest rider: Sprint Nationals

    Rajendra claims 8th Nationals; Samuel Jacob fastest rider: Sprint Nationals

    Bengaluru, 26 Feb 2023: Multiple National champion and ace rally rider Rajendra RE clinched the Open Class to claim his 8th National title, while his teammate Samuel Jacob became the National Champion in the other feature class and also bagged the ‘fastest rider’ tag in the finals f the Motorsports Inc fmsci Indian National Rally Sprint Championship for the year 2022 conducted along with Indian Dirt Fest, that concluded here on Sunday.

    But it was the talented first year student of B.Com in DG College of Commerce, Satara, Tanika Shanbagh, astride a Hero Xpulse 200 in Hero MotoSports colours, who stopped the TVS juggernaut winning the Ladies Class with ease and grace. It was her maiden National championship title win. She became the first Ladies Sprint champion as the Class got the fmsci National Championship status only this year (2022). Last year, she dared a risky entry but her injured ankle did not allow her to push. Her teammate Karan Kumar, added one more title for Hero MotoSports, winning the Group D upto 260cc class. Imran Pasha and Karthik made it four titles for the riders from TVS stable after Rajendra and Samuel Jacob.

    Maiden National title for Tanika Shanbagh as she wins
    the Sprint Nationals in Bengaluru on Saturday. INDIAinF1 pic

    Another star rider, Samuel Shajan Jacob, 29, who has a Masters in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, also knows a bit about sprockets and chains. He won the National title in the Group A upto 600cc class to add fourth National title to his exploits, and became the fastest rider of the Sprint Finals clocking a blistering 6min, 06.41sec ahead of Rajendra and Nataraj in the Group A class, which was dominated by Petronas TVS Racing riders. Born in Udupi the genial giant, won the longer INRC 2w Championship Overall title in 2020 along with his Group B class title, which he retained in 2021 for his third crown. Today, it is his fourth National title and maiden Sprint title in his class Group A upto 600cc class.

    However, it was Shivamogga’s Rajendra, 37, who claimed the National title in the Premier Open Class upto 600cc clocking 06:06.70 beating Jacob from Udupi. Imran Pasha, also from TVS came third in the finals. Rajendra, who has 7 titles in two different classes in the longer 2w Rally Nationals including two overall titles in 2019 and 2022, it is the maiden title in Sprint Nationals, and his 8th title. (2014 & 2015 upto 165cc; 2016, 2017 & 2018 upto 260cc; 2019 & 2022 Group A overall) .

    Bengaluru’s 26-year defending champion Pavan BK, clinched the title in the Group B 131cc to 165cc class with a hat-trick to boot. He has been dominating this class for sometime now, and would have clinched a National double in the next higher Gr.B 166 to 260cc class but a minor fall in the final corner prevented a possible podium. “Overall it was a flat out race and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I am so thrilled to make it a hattrick,” said Pavan, who came back from a mid-season injury with determination and hardwork. He has four National titles under his belt winning this class in 2020, 2021 and 2022, beside another title in the Group B 166 to 260cc class in 165cc in the 2w National Rally Championship, the longer format INRC.

    Bengaluru’s Pavan BK on a hattrick as he admirably came back from an injury to retain his title in the Group B 131 to 165cc class in the Sprint National Final on Saturday.

    International rider and celebrated racing star Anish D Shetty took the Championship victory in Group B 261cc to 400cc class while Imran Pasha from TVS won the 166 to 260cc class. Durgesh (upto 130cc) and Karthik K (Scooter class) were the other National champions 2022 in their respective classes.

    Jeemon Antony, the Kerala cop who speeds like a Bullet train.

    In the heavyweight Bullet class, 40-year Jeemon Antony won the Championship crown. The strong-willed but humble cop, always wears a smile on his face which does not show the two titanium rods that support his spine when he is on duty standing all the time policing the traffic in a Kerala city. Once on a crime beat, this Senior Civil Police Officer in Ernakulam stole the victory from big boys, Bruce Lee Naresh, Tribal Café fame Dev Venkatesh and India’s first Hero Dirt Track champ Asad Khan, but without a penny in sponsorship. Three cheers to this disciplined warrior, Jeemon Antony, who proved that life begins afresh at 40, with a maiden National Championship title. “I am very happy to finally win an Indian National title. It is a great moment after all the hardwork and months of bed rest and recovery,” said an elated Jeemon Antony. His bullet was tuned by Aneesh Anoop.

    “The wide participation and close competition has shown that the Sprint Nationals popularity has increased with the successful zonal rounds. Despite time constraints we managed to finish the Nationals with the support of both riders and teams,’’ said former Indian National Rally Champion Jaidas Menon, the Clerk of the Course and the man behind Motorsports Inc, the Promoters.

    After the regional rounds, the qualified riders competed in the grand finale and the winners here were declared National champions in the 10 classes in the delayed 2022 championship.

    Indian National Champions 2022 (Sprint) (Provisional):

    1. Bullet Class:                        Jeemon Antony;
    2. Group A Upto 600cc:      Samuel Jacob;
    3. Group B 131cc to 165cc: Pavan BK;
    4. Group B 166cc to 260cc: Imran Pasha;
    5. Group B 261cc to 400cc: Anish D Shetty (PRN Motorsport);
    6. Group B Upto 130cc:       Durgesh J;
    7. Group D Upto 260cc:      Karan Kumar (Hero MotoSports);
    8. Ladies Class:                       Tanika Shnbagh (Hero MotoSports);
    9. Open Class Upto 600cc: Rajendra RE;
    10. Scooter Class:                    Karthik K;
  • Kush Maini to boost Campos Racing plans: F2 Testing roundup

    Kush Maini to boost Campos Racing plans: F2 Testing roundup

    Campos Racing are determined to be back with a vengeance this season and their hopes are boosted with the addition of Indian racing star and Formula 3 graduate Kush Maini to the squad. After their 2022 plans began with such promise and success during the opening rounds, the Spanish team’s dreams were derailed by Ralph Boschung’s unfortunate neck injury early on.

    Yet now with the experienced Swiss driver remaining at the helm and along with Kush Maini, the signs of a strong 2023 campaign are beginning to emerge, an FIA Formula2 news report said.

    Locking in their line-up prior to post-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit last November has given both drivers the ideal situation – time to embed themselves within the team. While the disappointments of last year were a bitter pill to swallow, there seems to be a rejuvenated sense of confidence emanating from their garage.

    Their performance during testing in Bahrain correlates this, both in terms of lap time and mileage. Alongside each driver topping a session on the final day of running, Boschung secured the sixth-fastest time overall across the three days, with Maini hot on his heels in ninth. Importantly, the pair were both within half a second of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Richard Verschoor.

    Additionally, Campos notched the fifth highest number of laps as a team, while Maini’s haul of 195 laps was only bested by the ART Grand Prix duo of Théo Pourchaire and Victor Martins and PREMA Racing’s Frederik Vesti and Oliver Bearman.

    For Maini, his attentions have been firmly fixed on tyre management – particularly managing two different compounds in a race for the first time and adapting to the variables in strategies. The Indian driver says that finding an understanding and a balance with his long-run pace will be vital, especially when navigating the 32-lap Feature Race around the Bahrain International Circuit.

    “I’m feeling great! I’m working well with the team, and we ran our plan without any issues and gathered a lot of data to go through before Round 1. We focused on race runs a lot, with both the soft and the hard tyres, to understand them better – especially for myself, as I’ve never worked with them before.

    “Our main focus will be all around. We’ll be going through all the information we collected, but I think we will dive deeper into the long runs and figure out the best way to manage the tyres.”

    More importantly for Maini as he prepares for his Formula 2 debut, the laps on the board have given him a solid baseline to start off with. Whilst immediately getting up to speed during the opening round is the dream scenario, realistically, maintaining a steady level of progression and development throughout the long 14-round season is the ideal target.

    Over in the #25 Campos box, Boschung’s experience and continuity is a valuable asset to a team who are looking to bounce back and a beneficial reference point for Maini to learn from. A relatively smooth sailing throughout testing with few short interruptions gave the team the opportunity to fully execute their run plan.

  • Perez quickest on Day 3: F1 testing comes to a close

    Perez quickest on Day 3: F1 testing comes to a close

    Sakhir (Bahrain), 25 Feb 2023: Sergio Pérez set the fastest time of the three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain with the Mexican racer beating Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by more than three tenths of a second as Valtteri Bottas took third spot for Alfa Romeo ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

    As his defending champion team-mate Max Verstappen had done on the opening day of testing, Pérez spent the full day at the wheel of the RB19 and in hot temperatures the Red Bull driver, like many others, spent the morning session focusing on longer runs. 

    As the heat eased through the afternoon, however, drivers began to bolt on softer compound tyres as they explored the performance potential of their new cars with just over a week to go until the opening race of the season. 

    Hamilton took top spot in the afternoon with a lap of 1:30.781, with the seven-time champion using the softer C5 compound tyres to set a time that pushed him ahead of the morning’s quickest driver Charles Leclerc. Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz got to within two hundredths of his team-mate to sit third. 

    After spending the day on the C3 compound, Pérez then went a step softer and on the C4 tyres powered to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:30.616 on the slower C4 tyres. Hamilton improved but he still sat 0.048s behind the Red Bull. 

    And then, in the final hour, Pérez put clear water between himself and his rivals with a lap of 1:30.305 on C4s to boost his lead to 0.359s. That looked like being the final order but late in the session Bottas put in a good C5 lap of 1:30.82 to steal third from Leclerc, with Sainz in fifth. 

    AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda finished a creditable sixth with a C4 time of 1:31.261, two tenths off Sainz and 0.956s off the pace set by Pérez. Tsunoda’s lap pushed Haas’ Kevin Magnussen out to seventh place ahead of Mercedes’ morning runner George Russell. 

    Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Felipe Drugovich took ninth and tenth places respectively as the Silverstone team enjoyed a positive end to their test phase. Lando Norris finished 11th for McLaren, though the Briton completed just 35 laps across the day, with his best time being set on C3 tyres.

    Pierre Gasly was 13th for Alpine ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg finished 15th ahead of McLaren’s morning runner Oscar Piastri and Nyck de Vries propped up the timesheet. 

    2023 Formula 1 Pre-season Test – Bahrain, Day 3
    1 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Red Bull 133 1:30.305  
    2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Mercedes 65 1:30.664 0.359
    3 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo Ferrari 131 1:30.827 0.522
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari Ferrari 67 1:31.024 0.719
    5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari Ferrari 76 1:31.036 0.731
    6 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri Red Bull 79 1:31.261 0.956
    7 Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 95 1:31.381 1.076
    8 George Russell Mercedes Mercedes 83 1:31.442 1.137
    9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Mercedes 80 1:31.450 1.145
    10 Felipe Drugovich Aston Martin Mercedes 77 1:32.075 1.770
    11 Lando Norris McLaren Mercedes 37 1:32.160 1.855
    12 Pierre Gasly Alpine Renault 56 1:32.762 2.457
    13 Alex Albon Williams Mercedes 136 1:32.793 2.488
    14 Esteban Ocon Alpine Renault 76 1:33.257 2.952
    15 Nico Hulkenberg Haas Ferrari 77 1:33.329 3.024
    16 Oscar Piastri McLaren Mercedes 44 1:33.655 3.350
    17 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri Red Bull 87 1:38.244 7.939

  • Tidemand back with MRF Tyres in a bid to defend ERC title

    Tidemand back with MRF Tyres in a bid to defend ERC title

    Pontus Tidemand will return to the red and white colours of MRF Tyres as he embarks upon an FIA European Rally Championship assault in 2023.

    Bengaluru, 24 Feb 2023: Tidemand’s collaboration with the Indian brand, MRF Tyres, has a successful history, dating back to 2015 when the Swede campaigned a Škoda Fabia S2000 in the Asia Pacific Rally Cup. He dominated the championship, winning five of the six rounds to claim the title.

    Since then, Tidemand has continued to make a name for himself, claiming the 2017 WRC2 crown before going on to steer a Fiesta World Rally Car for M-Sport Ford on several WRC events in 2019. He has been less active during recent seasons, with his efforts focused on national rallies in his home country, reported FIAERC on Thursday in its news bulletin. 

    But now, the 32-year-old is hoping to recapture that success as he prepares for his first assault on the ERC with the MRF Dealer Team, piloting a GN Motorsport prepared Ford Fiesta Rally2. In the co-driver’s seat will be Julia Thulin, who guided Robert Virves to last year’s FIA Junior WRC title.

    “It’s exciting to be back with MRF Tyres,” Tidemand told FIAERC.com. “We have some really great memories together from 2015 and I can’t wait to get going.

    “The dream is still there. When you have been out [from this level of competition] for a little bit, it gives you a chance to re-evaluate everything you’ve been doing and look at what is right and what is not right. I’m really looking forward to coming back to the bigger events again.”

    Fierce competition is expected at the season-opening Rally Serras de Fafe next month (10 – 12 March), with the likes of Erik Cais, Craig Breen and Georg Linnamäe all confirmed – plus Tidemand’s rally-winning colleagues Efrén Llarena and Mārtiņš Sesks.

    “I’ve been reading all about it,” Tidemand laughed, referencing the ultra-competitive field he’s about to face. “We are going straight into the heat! I mean, the competition is going to be as good as WRC2, or maybe even better than WRC2.

    “For Fafe, we will go there and try to do a good result. It’s the first rally of the season, so I think it’s important that we have a nice clean rally and secure some good points. That’s the main target, I think.”

  • Southern Safari, National TSD Championship finals flagged off

    Southern Safari, National TSD Championship finals flagged off

    Bengaluru, 24 Feb 2023: Southern Safari, the grand finals of the 2022 fmsci Indian National TSD Rally Championship (INTSDRC) is flagged off at ‘The Club’ on Mysore Road and is set to provide a fitting finale with a long run of over 600Km for the two days. The final will run to Shivamogga on Leg 1 on Saturday and returns to conclude here on Sunday. The Prize Distribution will also be at The Club on Sunday evening.

    Promoted by Pro Sports and organized by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC), the final of the National Championship offers National titles in the following four categories for both drivers and navigators (co-drivers): INTSDRC, INTSDRC2, INTSDRC – Women and INTSDRC – Novice.

    Experienced drivers Sk Asgar Ali and Md Mustafa who topped the East Zone qualies will start as favourites along another former champions Ganesh Moorthy and T Nagarajan from South, but the latter duo trailed Maheshwaran N and P Muthuswamy in the points table in the Qualifiers. Other pairs to watch out for are INRC regulars Aeman Ahmed and Sagar M, and Kolkata pair of Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta. However, it is a winner-take all finale and each pair will be gunning for glory as the National titles are at stake.

    The TSD Nationals being flagged off at ‘The Club’, Mysore Road on Friday.
    Instagram Photo @Autotrack.ind.in

    The INTSDRC2 class has seen Deep Dutta and Chandan Sen from Kolkata top the East Zone qualifying round while Rohit Kashyap and Sailendra Singh led from the West Zone event and Harish VS and M Chandrasekhar did well in the South Zone followed by Anil Abbas and Amal Abbas from Kerala while the Bengaluru ladies Aparna and Lalitha qualified third in INRC2 class and will fight in the ladies class too.

     Aritra Chakraborty and Sanjit Chaudhuri in the Novice class from East and Nizar and Vinoth Kumar topped the South qualies. Two other teams also made it to the final in the Novice class.

    SK Olivia and SK Prasad in the Ladies class have also qualified from the East Zone. Lt Col. Reena Jha and Kasish Malhotra Mehta, and Geetika Pant and Meena Jain are the other Ladies team who qualified from West Zone.

    Well-know techie pair of Aparna Pathak and Lalitha Gowda, who qualified from South along with Sheena Sabrewal and Trupti Gupta, Jasmeet Kaur and Jyothi Iyengar will make up the other ladies finalists.

    “The response was good for the regional rounds and the drivers dished out excellent performances that saw keen competition. All safety measures are in place and we did the final route inspection yesterday. Now all set for crowning new champions for 2022,” said Sujith Kumar BS, the man behind Prosports, the promoters of TSD Nationals. He is also the Vice-President of the FIM ASIA.

  • F1 TV PRO app launched in India ahead of 2023 F1 season

    F1 TV PRO app launched in India ahead of 2023 F1 season

    Bengaluru, 21 Feb 2023: Formula 1 launched F1 TV Pro in India ahead of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. The digital platform will broadcast all race weekends, including practice and qualifying sessions, F1 Sprint events and Grand Prix.

    Fans can subscribe to F1 TV Pro for ₹399 ($3.99) a month or ₹2,999 ($29.99) annually. Fans who sign up to the service early in the season will also benefit from a free seven-day trial for a limited time only, a release said here on Tuesday.

    With access to live telemetry, all 20 driver onboard cameras and team radio channels, as well as in-depth pre- and post-race analysis and an extensive content library containing thousands of hours of archive footage of the sport’s most iconic moments, fans can become totally immersed in the drama and excitement of F1.

    F1 TV Pro offers fans the opportunity to follow FIA Formula 1 Championship closer than ever. Starting with the FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX on 5th March, 2023 will feature 23-race schedule across five continents, including the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix and inaugural F1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.

    Fans in India will also be able to tune-in to the Porsche Supercup series and FIA Formula 2 and 3 sessions and races. Fans can follow the progress of Formula 2 drivers Jehan Daruvala and Kush Maini as they vie for the F2 crown and look to make the step up to Formula 1.

    Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights and Content Creation at Formula 1 said: “We are delighted to launch F1 TV Pro for our fans in India. With Formula 1’s growing global footprint, it is vital that our fans all around the world can watch and enjoy the drama and excitement of Formula 1. With access to live race footage, expert commentary, on-board cameras and team radios, F1 TV Pro will provide fans with a best-in-class service to follow the upcoming Formula 1 season.”

  • MMSC honours National Champions, celebrates 70 years

    MMSC honours National Champions, celebrates 70 years

    Chennai, 19 Feb 2023: The Madras Motor Sports Club celebrated its 70th anniversary while also presenting trophies to the winners of the recently-concluded MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle and Car Racing Championships here at Hotel Taj on Sunday.

    Speaking on the occasion, MMSC president Ajit Thomas offered salutations to long-time sponsor MRF Tyres for their support over the past decades and also the riders and drivers for their participation in large numbers in the National Championships.

    Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Limited, who was the chief guest at today’s function, outlined the company’s involvement in motorsport since the 1980s and said: “With a pedigree for over four decades, the MRF Brand name in racing now competes and wins Globally. It is a matter of pride for India that MRF achieved yet another first – winning the 2022 European Rally Championship with tyres developed and manufactured in India. This is a firstfor any Asian Company that too in the home ground and backyard of MNCs.

    “Today is the culmination of a hard-fought season which started at Coimbatore and the subsequent rounds at the Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur leading up to this afternoon’s function awarding the National Championships for both motorcycles and cars across various categories for the year 2022. The riders and the drivers have pushed their teams to extract every ounce of performance from their machines. It is also heartening to note that these Championships are enabling our riders and drivers to hone their skills and take it to International levels.”

    Later, MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok, presented a brief history of MMSC and the famous Sholavaram races to the eventual shifting of its racing activities to the present MIC facility. He announced that a CIK-approved go-karting circuit is being built at the MIC and expected to be ready for competitions in August.

    MMSC Secretary Manoj Dalal proposed a vote of thanks.

    The National champions were presented with the trophies in the two road-racing National Championships for two and four-wheelers, promoted by Madras Motor Sports Club, along with one-make Support Races and Cups.

    2-Wheeler Racing

    MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc:

    National Champion: Rajini Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1).

    Team Champion: Petronas TVS Racing, Chennai. Manufacturer title: Yamaha

    Pro-Stock 165cc:

    National Champion: Mathana Kumar (Trichy, Pacer Yamaha)

    Team Champion: Pacer Yamaha, Bengaluru. Manufacturer – Yamaha

    Novice (Stock 165cc):

    Rider – Sarvesh Balappa (Hubbali, Axor Sparks Racing). Team – Axor Sparks Racing, Chennai. Manufacturer – Yamaha.

    Girls (Stock 165cc):

    Rider – Jagruti Kiran Penkar (Mumbai, Axor Sparks Racing). Team – Alpha Racing. Manufacturer – Yamaha

    Non-Championship one-make classes:

    TVS Open (Apache RR 310):

    Rider – Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad).

    TVS Novice (Apache RTR 200):

    Rider – Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru).

    TVS Girls (Apache RTR 200):

    Rider – Aditi Krishnan (Bengaluru).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – Open (NSF 250R):

    Rider – Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune).

    Novice (CBR 150):

    Rider – Raheesh Mudassar Khatri (Mumbai).

    4-WHEELER RACING

    MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2022

    MRF Formula 2000:

    Driver – Sai Sanjay (Salem).

    Indian Touring Cars:

    Driver – Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts). Team – Rayo Racing (Mumbai)

    Indian Junior Touring Cars:

    Driver – Akkineni Anand Prasad (Team Performance). Team – Team Performance Racing, Chennai

    Super Stock:

    Driver – Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Team Performance). Team – Redline Racing, Chennai.

    Formula LGB 1300:

    Driver – Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing). Team – DTS Racing.

    Non-Championship classes

    Volkswagen Polo Cup:

    Driver – Pratik Sonawane (Mumbai).

    MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios):

    Driver – Justin Singh (Gurugram, Redline Racing). Team – Redline Racing, Chennai.

  • Kush Maini tops final session of the 3-day F2 pre-season Test

    Kush Maini tops final session of the 3-day F2 pre-season Test

    Sakhir 16 Feb 2023: Campos Racing’s Kush Maini, the Indian racing star, topped the final session on the third and final day of Formula 2’s pre-season testing in Sakhir here on Thursday.

    Kush Maini, the younger of the Maini brothers, put in a total of 73 laps on Day 2 finishing 9th and 10th in the morning and afternoon sessions, respectively. In the morning on the final day Maini tested 36 laps and finished 19th.

    The other Indian in F2, Jehan Daruvala, who is driving for MP Motorsport this year, began the 3-day test with a second-fastest time in the first session of Day 1 and followed with an 8th place in the afternoon session on the opening day. On day to with an eye on putting in more laps for the data, he did 33 laps in the morning session and finished 18th and later in the evening he came 12th.

    In the final session of the three days of testing, Kush Maini kept the Spanish team at the top of the order. A late series of one-lap sprints saw the Indian driver post the best lap of the day, with a 1:42.623 putting him in front of Roy Nissany and Théo Pourchaire.

    SESSION 1

    Earlier in the opening session, Ralph Boschung was well clear of the pack. He laid down a time of 1:45.063 eight minutes into running, finishing two seconds ahead of Trident’s Clément Novalak.

    Ralph Boschung broke the 1:45 barrier within the first eight minutes of track time and remained the only driver to do so, as first of the day’s two sessions focused on race simulations. He later lowered his personal best by 0.036s eight minutes later.

    Clément Novalak and Dennis Hauger traded turns in P2 early on, slowly reducing Boschung’s advantage from 4.9s to 2s. However, it was the Frenchman who eventually won out at the chequered flag, finishing ahead of Victor Martins. Roy Nissany was the busiest man out on track in fourth, with 46 laps to his name.

    Meanwhile, it was all about the mileage and team preparations for the first race weekend of the ’23 campaign in a fortnight’s time. Racking up 759 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, all drivers completed at least 20 laps.

  • Jean Eric Vergne wins historic Formula E race in Hyderabad

    Jean Eric Vergne wins historic Formula E race in Hyderabad

    • Jean-Éric Vergne wins the first-ever ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in India
    • Nick Cassidy finishes second for Envision Racing, António Félix da Costa promoted to third after investigation demotes Sébastien Buemi
    • Calamity strikes Jaguar TCS Racing as a Sam Bird collision with Mitch Evans forces both drivers to retire
    • Sell-out crowd of more than 25,000 fans attend the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix

    HYDERABAD, Sat. 11 Feb. 2023 – Jean-Éric Vergne (DS PENSKE) held on to win an extraordinary first-ever ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in India in front of a sellout crowd and a host of dignitaries, Bollywood celebrities and sports stars.

    Vergne fought hard in the final third of the race to stay ahead of Envision Racing pair Nick Cassidy and Sébastien Buemi, though António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) ultimately took third after the Swiss was penalised post-race.

    It’s Vergne’s first trip to the top step of the Formula E podium since Rome in April 2021 (Season 7) and he achieved it in style. Vergne made his way to the front of the pack on lap 15 of 32 (plus one lap following a safety car), the double champion sweeping by Buemi at the hairpin after the Jaguar TCS Racing pair removed one another from the equation two laps prior.

    That incident saw Sam Bird make a lunge on the dirty side of the track on fourth-placed Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan Formula E Team). The Brit could not slow his I-TYPE 6 in time, colliding with teammate Mitch Evans – who was in third at the time – pitching the Kiwi’s car into a spin. Both Jaguars were ultimately forced into retirement with the unlucky Fenestraz also left tumbling down the order in a race where a podium double looked a possibility for Jaguar.

    Vergne led the way from that moment but had his mirrors full of Cassidy’s Envision Racing machine as the chequered flag drew closer. The New Zealander had managed to gather up an extra four percentage points of usable energy on Vergne come the closing stages of the race. However, Vergne is regarded as the consummate Formula E fighter and used every trick in the book to keep Cassidy at bay and cross the line first in what many will regard as one of his best wins and one that will live long in the memory on Formula E’s first visit to India in front of a sold-out crowd of over 25,000 people.

    Buemi followed home in third but an overpower infringement saw him demoted to 15th spot via 17-second penalty, equivalent to a drive-through. That promoted TAG Heuer Porsche’s António Félix da Costa onto the podium in his 100th race, the Season 6 champion having started the race in 13th. Teammate Pascal Wehrlein crossed the line fourth after picking his way through the order from 12th on the grid.

    Sérgio Sette Câmara avoided trouble and climbed through the pack from 15th on the starting grid to produce NIO 333 Racing’s best result since Berlin in Season 4.

    Meanwhile, Oliver Rowland made a move for the podium on Buemi – not aware of the Swiss’ impending penalty at the time – with just a lap to go. It didn’t work out and saw him shuffled to sixth. Nevertheless, Rowland collected his first points of the season for Mahindra Racing in the team’s home race. Norman Nato steered to seventh and the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap.

    Reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) finished in eighth for his best result of the season so far, while André Lotterer(Avalanche Andretti Formula E) and Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) rounded out the top 10.

    Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E) was the victim of an over-enthusiastic René Rast move on lap 26 at the hairpin – the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team driver outbraking himself and rear-ending Dennis’ car. That proved costly for the Brit, who was running comfortably in fourth and on for a strong points haul – particularly given the strong finish for the other man out front in the standings, Pascal Wehrlein.

    That left Wehrlein with an extended 18-point advantage on Dennis, with Vergne leaping to third in the Drivers’ standings. TAG Heuer Porsche has taken a 23-point lead over Avalanche Andretti in the Teams’ World Championship.

    In addition to the sellout capacity crowd of more than 25,000 fans, the historic race was attended by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Sri K T Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Industries & Commerce, Government of Telangana. Also enjoying the electric racing action were Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, current Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Deepak Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal along with his actor and choreographer wife, Dhanashree Verma. 

    Jean-Éric Vergne, No. 25, DS PENSKE, said:

    “I’m very, very happy. It was a tough race – I had to defend quite hard at the end but we somehow managed to win it. It was a clean race, no mistakes. Very happy with the win today. It’s good for everyone’s heart in our team. For the first few races it’s good to boost it with a good race like that so couldn’t be happier.

    “I like new tracks – I think it’s cool. Especially this one – it’s a lot of fun. When there is a lot of little secrets to find on the track, I probably find them quickly enough.”

    Nick Cassidy, No. 37, Envision Racing, said:

    “I mean I had a really good car today – huge thanks to all my guys. I think at the races this year we’ve been pretty good. I really feel for Mitch and Jaguar today because they’re a great partner and they’ve started the season very strongly. I think the package we have is really strong and so I’m super sorry to see them go out the race like that.

    “(On reason behind having no duels this season but getting on the podium). Apart from we’re good in races? Honestly, we’re there in quali as well. Riyadh, Mexico and here, the difference between P1 and being in the duals and being P5 has been two-tenths. There’s not a big margin between 5th and starting 10th or potentially pole. That day will come.”

    António Felix da Costa, No. 13, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, said:

    “It felt like it meant to be. The race actually started really well and then I got squeezed by Dennis and I lost a lot of positions. But we stayed calm and worked our way back to the front slowly, and managed our energy. It hasn’t been an easy start for me. It was an emotional day for me looking back at the now 100 races or the 99 races before and where I am and things not working out like I want them to be. I can’t be satisfied with the way I am qualifying at the moment. Having said that, I have an amazing team behind me, always pushing me and giving me the tools. So I know it’s only a matter of time before we do a better job in qualifying and obviously the car can race really well. And yeah I’m really happy I came all the way to India and got a podium in my 100th race.

    “So much happened. I got angry, I was happy, I was calm, I was stressed. But again, I worked well with the team throughout the whole race and I guess that’s the experience of 100 races if I’m honest -starting there and coming all the way here.”

    Round 5 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix on Saturday, 25 February, the first time Formula E has raced in South Africa.