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Jehan Daruvala 2nd fastest in practice session: F2
Barcelona, 20 May 2022: Star Indian racer and Red Bull Junior Jehan Daruvala, clocked the second fastest time in the practice session on Friday.
Jehan, finished second fastest with a 1:31.369, trailing Felipe Drugovich by four tenths.
F2 visited Barcelona for in-season tests just last month but temperatures then were vastly different to conditions facing drivers this weekend.
Having gathered data that is now worth less due to the drastic difference in track and ambient temperatures, the Indian showed enough pace to go into Saturday’s sessions. Jehan is the only driver who has taken a podium in all the three rounds held till now.
Felipe Drugovich led the way in Formula 2 Free Practice after multiple red flag stoppages curtailed running ahead of Qualifying. The MP Motorsport driver was almost a full half-second clear of the pack, with Jehan Daruvala and Logan Sargeant his closest challengers 0.4 and 0.5s behind him.
Olli Caldwell and Marcus Armstrong both brought out red flags during the session, with the Campos Racing driver hitting the wall at Turn 9. Meanwhile, Armstrong became beached in the gravel at Turn 4 as drivers struggled for grip under the midday sun.
Championship leader Théo Pourchaire was out first for an immediate installation lap but there was no rush to get out on track for anyone. The Van Amersfoort Racing duo of Jake Hughes and Amaury Cordeel set the initial times to beat with the latter’s 1:32.609 the fastest time of the early lappers.
Just as the circuit began to fill up, a red flag was thrown for Olli Caldwell, who hit the barriers on the exit of Turn 9 on his first flying lap. The Campos driver was able to get out of the car himself after losing the rear end mid-corner and nosing into the barriers.
After the brief stoppage, the session resumed with 26 minutes remaining and a long train of cars led by Frederik Vesti returned to the circuit. Marcus Armstrong was one of the first drivers to get onto a push lap, but he brought out the red flags for the second time in Free Practice.
The Hitech Grand Prix driver dropped the rear of his car at Turn 4 and spun into the gravel after setting the fastest first sector time of the session. Agonisingly for the Briton, he couldn’t get back onto track and his car had to be recovered by the marshals.
The session was back to green flag conditions with just over 16 minutes remaining and there was a rush to get out to make up for the lost time. The timing screens lit up immediately with purple sector times, but it was Dennis Hauger who topped the times after the first flying laps with a 1:31.707.
Felipe Drugovich had gone well during in-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya earlier this year and the Brazilian carried on from where he’d left off, going eight-tenths faster than Hauger on his first lap.
Another wide moment at Turn 4 brought out some brief yellow flags courtesy of Daruvala. He was able to keep his momentum going to escape the gravel trap and continue his session. He made amends quickly, going second-fastest on his next lap and ahead of his PREMA Racing teammate.
Logan Sargeant, Jack Doohan, Jüri Vips and Ayumu Iwasa each were able to improve their times to bump Hauger down the order to ninth. Liam Lawson was able to make his way up the order, with consecutive laps taking him sixth and then fifth by the chequered flag. Pourchaire ended the session eight-fastest with Trident’s Calan Williams rounding out the top 10.
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Aishwarya Pissay begins quest for sixth National Rally title with a victory
Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: Petronas TVS Racing factory rider Aishwarya Pissay, the only Indian female World champion in motorsports, began her quest for a record sixth consecutive National Rally Championship crown on a winning note astride her rally-tuned TVS Apache RTR 200. Pissay conquered the Rally of Chikmagalur – the first round of the MRF Mogrip FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship (INRC) for two-wheelers on Sunday.
According to a press release said here on Friday, the 2019 FIM World Cup Champion in the Ladies class, put in a commanding performance that saw her win the 56-km first round. She clocked 1 hour 7 min 23.684 seconds to win the first round with the fastest timing in all the eight Special Stages (SS). While winning this class, she finished 32nd overall among 88 riders, including 79 men.
The TVS Racing talent who made a clean sweep of all the six rounds for her fifth National title in the Ladies class of the two-wheeler Rally Nationals last year, is eager to get back to bigger cross-country events, as she recovers from a major injury from last year’s Jordan Rally.
Aishwarya Pissay poses with her TVS Apache RTR 200. The disciplined motorsports athlete from PETRONAS TVS Racing, co-sponsored by Ultrahuman, IIFL, Micro Labs and Surana College, who bounced back into form, said, “ I am happy with our victory at the first round. The bike is lean and powerful. I thoroughly enjoyed riding my TVS Apache RTR 200 through the beautiful coffee estates and look forward to more of it. I have trained hard for the Nationals including a trip to France under acclaimed mentor Michael Metge. I look forward to learning more from each one of these races and my immediate goal is to bring home the sixth National title.”
The 26-year-old from Bengaluru rose like a phoenix from a life-threatening injury before her World crown and silenced her critics with creditable deeds on the track with a highly successful 2021.
The versatile rider, who began her biking career in late 2016, vaulted into the record books with a Road Racing National title, the TVS One Make Championship and several cross-country rally championships at Madras Motor Racetrack and cross country rallies in 2017. Due to her exhilarating performance at the TVS One Make Championship and her achievements in rallies, her talent was noticed by PETRONAS TVS Racing after which she was inducted into India’s first factory racing team’s stable. Thereon, she started tasting success in the Rally Nationals and never looked back after winning five Rally Nationals in a row for the Hosur-based team. Looking forward to the second round in Mangalore on May 22, she is determined and is gearing up to use the Nationals as a pedestal to jump-start her international activity once again.
The second round of two-wheeler Rally Nationals organised by Ace Events will have two Special Stages and will run three times each. For a Special Stage rally distance of 54.12 km and with a liaison section, the total rally distance will be over 90 km. The terrain is all gravel and rains can make it more challenging like last year.
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Al Attiyah-Baumel take solid lead: Jordan Rally
Dead Sea (Jordan), 20 May 2022: Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel won each of the six gravel stages during the first leg of the 2022 Jordan Rally and held a lead of 6min 12.1sec at the end of the day.
Driving an Autotek Volkswagen Polo GTi, the Qatari was never troubled as he closes in on an 18th FIA Middle East Rally Championship title.
At the end of the leg, he said: “We controlled the race from the beginning. We know the stages very well and the performance was good. Jordan Rally is never easy. I tried to beat my times from last year and I did. I am happy. If you go more easy, you start to make mistakes. I had a good speed and a good rhythm.”
Alex Feghali managed to get the better of defending champion Meshari Al-Thefiri in the battle for honours in the MERC2 category. The Lebanese was third quickest on five specials and second on one with co-driver Joseph Matar and had edged into a showroom category lead of 59.4 seconds by the end of the day.
“It was good,” said Feghali. “I started the stages pretty fast and the pace was quick. We just kept the pace. We will go flat out in places we can go and will try and take the podium.”
Behind third-placed Al-Thefiri and his Qatari co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari, the talented young Jordanian Shaker Jwihan was flying the flag proudly for the Hashemite Kingdom before retiring after an accident in the Jordan River stage.
Al-Thefiri said: “We had an electric issue in the second stage and this made us slow down. Alex had a big gap on the first loop and he was comfortable. Let’s see, we fix the car now and we see on Saturday. I have nothing to lose and I will push, push.”
Abdullah Al-Rawahi pursued Al-Attiyah from the start and the young Omani set the second fastest time on four of the stages with Jordanian navigator Ata Al-Hmoud before retiring from second overall on the re-run of the Jordan River special after an accident.
The carnage that ensued on the second loop meant that Khaled Juma and Tareq Al-Taher climbed to fourth place and third in MERC2 in their Mitsubishi. Hamada Odeh and Mohammed Al-Thefiri rounded off the top six, with MERC2 title rivals Ihab A-Shorafa and Issa Abu Jamous in an unofficial seventh and eighth overall.
Local driver Asef Aref failed to start the fourth stage in his Renault Clio RS entered in the MERC3 category for two-wheel drive vehicles.
Delays on stage three proved expensive for Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and his Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini. The former MERC runner-up slipped to 12th in the rankings in his Ford Fiesta R5, but the heat had taken its toll as well and he didn’t start the second loop of stages after suffering fatigue in the energy-sapping temperatures.
Friday – as it happened
Al-Attiyah hit the front through the opening Yakrut test and edged into a 9.9-second advantage over Al-Rawahi, with Feghali pipping Al-Thefiri for third and the early bragging rights in MERC2. Yousef Al-Dhafeeri was the only driver to lose considerable time; the Kuwaiti dropping over five minutes to his showroom category rivals.
The giant Jordan River stage of 40.79km was next on the agenda and surviving without technical issues was the goal for the majority of competitors. Al-Attiyah increased his lead over Al-Rawahi to 28 seconds with a time of 28min 29.4sec. Feghali extended his advantage over Al-Thefiri to 29.3 seconds in MERC2 and the impressive Shaker Jwihan moved into fifth overall.
Al-Attiyah safely completed the first loop with the fastest time through the Baptism Site special and headed back to service with a lead of 43.8 seconds over Al-Rawahi. Feghali increased his MERC2 lead to 48.3 seconds over Al-Thefiri. Al-Atya dropped six minutes in the special and slipped back to 1th overall, while Salamah Al-Ghammaz crashed out of the national event during the first loop and Bader Al-Fayez didn’t start SS3.
Al-Attiyah shaved 3.6 seconds off his first pass through Yakrut and increased his overall advantage to 53.4 seconds heading to the second run through the Jordan River special. He sliced 17 seconds off his morning’s run and headed to the Baptism Site with a commanding advantage of 5min 36.3sec over Feghali after Al-Rawahi hit trouble.
The stage also accounted for Shaker Jwihan and the Mitsubishi driver lost his place in the top five. Shadi Shaban also failed to set a time for the final stage after stopping at the scene of Jwihan’s accident. He did, however, complete stage six and his time for the day may well be decided by the event stewards.
Saturday
The first of two passes through the Bahath stage (12.69km) gets the action underway on Saturday morning. Competitors then tackle an 11.08km stage at Suwayma and the 17.00km of Ma’in 1, before returning to the service park before midday.
The three specials will then be repeated in the afternoon, while the podium finish is scheduled for 16.30hrs adjacent to the Dead Sea.
Support for this year’s event comes from Zain Jordan, Mountain Dew, the Guarantee Travel Group, Hala and Bliss FM.
2022 Jordan Rally – positions after SS6 (unofficial @ 16.40hrs):
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Volkswagen Polo GTI 1hr 21min 13.0sec
2. Alex Feghali (LEB)/Joseph Matar (LEB) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 27min 25.1sec
3. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 28min 24.5sec
4. Khalid Juma (JOR)/Tareq Al-Taher (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 34min 21.2sec
5. Hamada Odeh (PSE)/Yazan Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 36min 13.7sec
6. Mohammed Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Suleiman Al-Helal (KWT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X` 1hr 40min 25.0sec
7. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 06.0sec
8. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 16.2sec
9. Yousef Al-Dhafeeri (KWT)/Abdulrahman Shekakwe (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 23min 42.0sec
TBA. Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX AWAITED
2022 Jordan National Rally – positions after SS6:
1. Khalid Juma (JOR)/Tareq Al-Taher (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 34min 21.2sec
2. Hamad Odeh (PSE)/Yazan Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 36min 13.7sec
3. Sami Fleifel (JOR)/Ahmad Al-Khatib (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V 1hr 39min 45.3sec
4. Yousef Al-Asmar (JOR)/Nabeel Kayyal (JOR) Subaru Impreza 1hr 40min 16.4sec
5. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 06.0sec
6. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 16.2sec
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Maini brothers Arjun and Kush get ready for week-end
Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: The Formula 1 race week-end beginning today will see three top Indian racers in action. While top star Jehan Daruvala, considered as the next top Indian to be ready for F1, and younger of the Maini brothers, Kush Maini will be racing in F2 and F3 competitions respectively.
Meanwhile, the eldest of the Bangalore-based brothers, Arjun Maini, who switched to GT racing last year, now competes in the DTM series. Entering his second season in the pan European championship, Arjun now races with team HRT in the #36 Mercedes-AMG. Last year Arjun told this reporter that F1 is no more his target as he switched focus to endurance racing, and he loves it as much as he did the other form of sport. “I have developed a passion for endurance racing and I am enjoying it,” he said at Meco Kartopia, on the sidelines of karting Nationals.
Kush is still working his way up to Formula 1 and now races in FIA Formula 3 in the #12 MP Motorsports car. The brothers will, for the first time in 2022, compete simultaneously this weekend with Arjun racing at the Lausitzring in Germany and Kush in Barcelona as a support race for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The DTM Championship has changed significantly and features a record line up of 29 Drivers with iconic brands, such as Mercedes-AMG, Audi, BMW, Porsche, McLaren, Lamborghini and Ferrari, now locked in a seven-way championship battle for the Manufacturers’ title. The Competition in the series has gone up a few notches with the qualifying and racing action now closer than ever before as experienced at the first round at Portimão. The field is stacked with talent, with multiple World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb the latest in a long line of motorsport legends to try his hand in the series.
Despite finishing the season strongly with his first podium finish at the famed Norisring circuit, Arjun had a difficult start to the season in Portugal, but clearly found the pace in the second race where he made 12 positions after starting 25th.
“I am looking forward to racing at the Lausitzring again, especially because of the banked turn one corner,” Arjun commented ahead of the weekend.
“It makes the circuit very exciting and different and is a really distinctive feature for a European circuit. I was really quick here last year, but did not get the results I wanted. So, I want to make sure to get some decent results this year.
“We have been working hard since Portimão and I am confident that the team will provide me with a good car to fight for positions. Let’s see how it goes. I want to thank OSM (Omega Seiki Mobility) for supporting me for a second year.”
Kush meanwhile faces a completely different challenge in Barcelona. The younger of the two brothers spent a bulk of 2021 on the sidelines after two strong seasons in the BRDC Formula 3 Championship (now GB3) where he finished third and second in the championship respectively. Kush is now racing for MP Motorsport in the FIA F3 championship, where he faces the unenviable task of competing against 30 of the world’s best junior drivers while being scrutinized by several prominent F1 scouts.
Kush, who is currently 13th in the championship, will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, who became India’s first GP3 Series (the forerunner to FIA F3) race winner at the same venue in 2017.
“I’m looking forward to the upcoming weekend in Barcelona,” Kush said in the lead-up to his race in Spain.
“The Barcelona circuit is one of my favourites on the calendar, and I’m hoping to bring home some good points at the end of the weekend. We definitely have the pace to fight in the front, and with a little more luck, I believe we’d be higher up in the standings.
“Obviously, I’d like to emulate what Arjun did here, but for the time being, I’m keeping my head down and working with the team to maximize the car’s performance.”
“I want to thank JK racing and OSM (Omega Seiki Mobility) for all the support they have given me.”
Despite competing in vastly different championships and stages of their careers, the brothers appear to be united by a desire to compete against the world’s best drivers. One thing is certain: both drivers will give it their all this weekend!
While the DTM championship will be broadcast live on Eurosport, the FIA Formula 3 championship will be broadcast live on Star Sports Select HD2 in India.
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Bengaluru to host Autocross Nationals season opener on June 11 & 12
Bengaluru, 20 May 2022: The fmsci Indian National Autocross Championship (INAC), one of the most popular motorsports disciplines, will make a grand re-entry into the domestic calendar after a four-year break with an eight-round Nationals spread across all the zones in the country, concluding with the two-round extravaganza in the Grand finals in November.
Bangalore Motor Sports (BMS), who successfully bid the event have roped in the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, which is expected to promote the profile of the championship as a sponsor along with SIDVIN, a known name in motosports, to take the Nationals to the next level. Startline Motorsports and Rare Rabit, a clothing brand, are also supporting the Nationals. The 2018 Autocross was last Nationals and the finals were held in Vijayawada (AP) in January 2019. BMS will promote the championship for three years until 2024 and INAC will be one of the 13 motorsports Nationals of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci), the National governing body for Motorsports in India.
The opening round will be held in Bengaluru on June 11 and 12. There will be eight other rounds including two rounds in Delhi and a round each in Dimapur (Assam), Goa and Thrissur (Kerala). The finals will be in South India.
“Autocross is a popular format that is patronised by motorspots fans, offficials and drivers with a lot of enthusiasm and we are all set to make the event truly National by taking the championship to all corners of the country. We are making elaborate arrangements with technical support from Chetan Shivram Motorsports and our team consisting of trained Marshals and knowledgeable officials are working hard to provide the best facilities for the participants,” said Umesh Pandey, the Promoter.
All the rounds will be run on a track which is approximately 1-km for a minimum of four laps with different classes of the National championship and support classes, including a Ladies Class, spread over two days. “It is truly a spectator event with the crowd able to enjoy the action from a vantage point and just today we got clearance to add the Ladies class too as a non-championship class, like in Sprint Nationals,” added Pandey.
Calendar – Indian Autocross National Championship (INAC) 2022
# Round Venue Dates – 2022 1 Round 1 Bengaluru June 11 & 12 2 Round 2 Delhi September 3 & 4 3 Round 3 Delhi September 3 & 4 4 Round 4 Mumbai October 15 & 16 5 Round 5 Chikkamagaluru October 22 & 23 6 Round 6 Kolkata October 29 & 30 7 Round 7 Dimapur (Assam) November 5 & 6 8 Round 8 Goa November 12 & 13 9 Round 9 Thrissur (Kerala) November 19 & 20 10 Grand Finals South India (Venue to be decided) November 26 & 27 -
Team MRF Tyres finishes 2nd in Rally Islas Canarias, leads ERC driver table
Chennai, 15 May 2022: Team MRF Tyres finished second on the podium in the third round of FIA European Rally Championship on Sunday.
The Team MRF Tyres frontrunner, Efrén Llarena, languished outside the top ten after Thursday evening’s superspecial, but he and co-driver Sara Fernández hauled their way up the leaderboard after winning the first stage on Friday.
The pair scrapped with fellow podium-sitter Yoann Bonato on the final day and ended the finale on identical times, pinching the runners-up spot on countback thanks to their SS2 result.
Llarena now tops the drivers’ championship by five points from Nil Solans with five rounds to go.
“We knew it would be difficult to come here, but we tried our best,” explained the Spaniard.
FIA ERC
Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández of Team MRF Tyres finished on the podium in the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship and took the first tarmac stage wins in the Championship on the Rally Islas Canarias. Efrén Llarena and Sara Fernández proved the rapid pace of the latest generation of the MRF tarmac tyre, taking multiple stage wins.
It was a thrilling podium fight. Incredibly, Llarena and Fernández tied for second place with Yoann Bonato. By taking the podium and with powerstage points, the Spanish duo now lead the European Rally Championship.
Efrén Llarena said: “It was a great rally for us, and I am so happy to have taken the first tarmac stage win for Team MRF Tyres on tarmac in the ERC. To finish on the podium is a great achievement and to lead the championship is proof of how much development and effort everyone at MRF Tyres has put into the product!”
Team MRF Tyres’ Simone Campedelli and Tania Canton took a fighting top-five after going ‘full-turbo’ in their quest for success. The Italian duo also took their first FIA ERC stage win for Team MRF Tyres on stage five.
Norbert Herczig and Igor Bacigál capped off a great weekend in FIA ERC for Team MRF Tyres by finishing inside the top 10.
The next round of the FIA ERC is Rally Poland on 10-12 June.
Italian Rally Championship – Gravel
Paolo Andreucci and Rudy Briani took a hard-fought win for Team MRF Tyres in the Rally Adriatico, the second round of the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel. The duo took four stage wins in the nine-stage rally, which was held in Urbino in Italy.
Andreucci and Briani took the win by over 12 seconds, to continue their winning form. The pair have won both rallies this year in the Championship as they defend their 2021 title.
Paolo Andreucci, said “It was a great rally and the car felt great! I am so happy for Team MRF Tyres. It was not all easy as I hurt my ankle in service, but I put some ice on it and I was determined to go even faster. To win the first and second rounds of the Championship is great, and I am looking forward to more development and rallying with MRF Tyres!”
Jacopo Trevisani and Andrea Marchesini, of Team MRF Tyres finished tenth in the rally, gaining pace throughout the 70 km event.
The next round of the Championship is Rally San Marino on 9-10 July.
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Abdul Tanveer triumphs at Rally of Chikmagalur; Sarath Mohan tops among privateers in Overall 6th
By David Bodapati
Chikkamagaluru, 15 May 2022: Defending champion Abdul Wahid Tanveer of Petronas TVS Racing team emerged victorious to open his title defence in style while three other riders, Imran Pasha, Sarath Mohan and Tanika Shanbagh hogged the limelight with stellar performance, in the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci National Rally Championship – 2W 2022, popularly known as INRC for 2-wheelers, held at the ‘Coffee Land’ here on Sunday.
TVS rider Imran Pasha, astride a humble TVS Apache RTR 200, proved that the bike can roar like a tiger if the rider calls the shots. Pasha punched above his weight skilfully negotiating the tricky corners with controlled aggression, and finished a creditable fifth in the overall standings beating many other bikes in the higher classes.
Tanveer beat his teammate Samuel Jacob by more than a minute. Samuel lost about 18 seconds in SS3 and 15 seconds in SS7, that pushed him back but he had the consolation of beating the champion today in two stages, SS2 and SS6, even if only by a small margin. The 2019 National champion Rajendra hit a tree in the very first stage and later managed to cut the deficit but missed the podium. “It is a great feeling to sit on the new bike. It is very powerful and the I am very happy with the going. I lost some time after the fall in SS3 but I will come back stronger next Sunday,” said Samuel.
Sarath Mohan, top Privateer
Sarath Mohan of Malappuram hogs the limelight as top Privateer taking overall fifth and first in his class. An INDIAinF1 photo Likewise, Sarath Mohan was the man of the moment. Riding with a mission, astride a Husqvarna FE450, he took the Overall honours as the top Privateer on Sunday. It was a stunning result for the Kerala stalwart, who overcame a life-threatening injury, suffered at the very same event last year is SS5. Last year, chasing in the shadows, he missed a hidden rock and was hurt, badly damaging his liver, just before the flying finish of SS5 and later was forced to withdraw from the remaining rounds. He took over three months to complete the treatment and rehab and thus took the first round easy testing himself and his bike. He also won his class comfortably beating his nearest rival and state-mate Sinan Francis by nearly two minutes in the Super Bike Expert Group A Class 1A. “I had a new machine and the tyres are also new. Coming back from injury I did not want to stress myself and so managed the pace judiciously. Basically, I was testing my bike and with upgrades coming for next Sunday, I am looking forward to Mangalore. We have good competition but I am confident,” said Sarath Mohan from Mallapuram, who missed the title narrowly last year after taking three wins in the first three rounds.
Amidst all this, there is one lady who was missing from the line-up in the Ladies class. The young lady from Satara, Tanika Shanbagh, decided to skip the ladies tag and promoted herself to Group A SuperBike Expert Class 1A, and just missed a podium but kept the ‘Women in Motorsport’ flag flying. Competing with men on equal footing, astride a Husqvarna TE350, Tanika came fourth in her class and 15th overall among 76 bikes, missing the podium by about 24.5 seconds, quite an achievement on debut in this class. A versatile rider who takes part in Supercross and Sprint Nationals, she recovered from an injury and is hoping to hone her skills abroad soon. “I am planning to take part in international rallies. So I wanted to gain some experience on the bike,” said the Satara rider.
Tanika Shanbagh, astride a Husqvarna TE350, shows her skills racing with the big boys, in the Rally of Chikmagalur on Sunday. Set amidst the picturesque private coffee estates on closed dirt roads, the eight Special Stages were run on Sunday and the Service Park, on the foothills of Sahayadri mountain ranges, presented a refreshing start to the year with mist-filled mountains forming a pleasant background that was truly a “Seven-th Heaven”. Organised professionally by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) with trained marshals and experienced officials taking care of the safety aspects and running of the event, promoted by GodSpeed Racing, the two-wheeler Rally went on well without a hitch. The successful first round begins the 2w Rally Nationals, which is one of the prime competitions among the 13 fmsci Nationals for different motorsports disciplines. The calendar with nine National Championship titles at stake has six rounds and the next round is in Mangaluru on May 22.
Of the 93 entries, 88 bikes took the start after the scrutiny, and 76 finished the course of about 56-km of Special Stages. The two physical stages were run four times each in the same direction on the dirt roads amidst the coffee estates of Vasanthacool and Thippanahalli. The Prize Distribution (PD) was held at around 6.45 pm as it took time to add the road penalties, which did not affect any of the top rankings.
Coming back to Sunday’s action in other classes, Kottayam’s Chalass K Bose had a facile win in Class 2 Super Sport 130 Group B beating Bengaluru’s Anoop Manjappa by 1min 44 seconds. Local rider Dilip Raj managed to finish the rally and completed the podium in third while three other riders in the class suffered DNF (Did not finish).
Shamim Khan of Petronas TVS Racing team, wins Scooter class on Sunday. Another local rider Francis PV won the Super Sport 165cc Group B ahead of Sasi Kumar of Coimbatore and Shabuddin Sayad of Goa. In the Super Sport upto 260cc class, Sachin D came second in the class and seventh overall. Adnaan Ahmed of Mangaluru was third in the class and 9th overall.
The current champion in Super Sport upto 550cc class, Mohammed Zaheer who shifted to upto 400cc class won the class astride a KTM Adventure and stalwart of 2-wheeler rallying Venu Ramesh Kumar achieved one more podium in his chequered career. The experienced rider, who is an epitome of fitness logged in more points than Vinit Sharma, whose road penalty pushed him down to third. Another experienced rider Naresh VS won his class on a Royal Enfield Himalayan. Two Kochi riders Arun Joy and Jeemon Anthony finished in that order behind him.
The only World champion in Indian motorsports, Aishwarya Pissay, astride a brand new RTR 200 began her quest for sixth consecutive National Rally title on a winning note as she faced no challenge from the seven other ladies, among whom Apoorva of Mangaluru proved the best among the rest with talented Fazeela from Ernakulam taking third. Both of them are on a Hero Impulse.
The Service Park at 7 Heaven Resort in Chikkamagaluru for Round1 2022. While Aishwarya’s win is taken for granted, second-placed Apoorva, 25 years, was thrilled with her ride and the podium. “I first took part in Sprint, which is a miniature version of the Rally. National Rally is a completely different experience. In 2019, I made my motorsports debut in Sprint Nationals. It went pretty well and I got trophies home in all the rounds. Due to COVID and lack of enough funds I took a break for two years, and stepped up into INRC exactly six months back in Round 3 at Puttur and it was a deadly round. But I managed to finish and was placed 4th in the ladies category. Later, I got a third place in both the rounds I took part. I worked extremely hard for three months, to get my bike fixed and here I am taking a 2nd place. I am so happy and hope to do much better in the coming round.” Apoorva, a mechanical engineer supported by Motul, was on a Hero Impulse tuned by Yogish of Team KAT Racing.
Defending champion Karthik Naidu of TVS crashed out, but Shamim Khan, the new TVS recruit kept the TVS record intact in the Scooter class riding a TVS NTorq and Bengaluru’s experienced Subrahmanya took the second ahead of Pinkesh Thakkar from Bhopal, who put Aprilia on the podium.
Round 1 Results (Provisional):
Class 1: Super Bike Pro-Expert Group A:
1.Abdul Waheed Tanveer, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:53:43.222;
2. Samuel Jacob, Udupi (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:54:44.301;
3. R Nataraj, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:55: 10.124;
4. Rajendra RE, Shivamogga (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 450) 00:55:58.757;
5. Yuva Kumar, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 00: 59:41.569.
Class 1A: Super Bike Expert Group A:
1. Sarath Mohan, Mallapuram (Privateer – Husqvarna FE450) 00:59:02.054;
2. Francis Sinan, Kochi (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:00:56.457;
3. Asad Khan, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. – TVS Apache RTR 180) 01:02:39.042;
4. Tanika Shanbagh, Satara, (Pvt. – Husqvarna TE 350) 01:03:03.558;
5. Jatin Jain, Nagpur, (Pvt. – KTM 450EXCF) 1:03:41.640;
6. T Vijay Kumar, Bengaluru (Pvt. – Yamaha WR250) 1:11:44.321.
Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B:
1. Chalass K Bose, Kottayam, (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:07:46.442;
2. Anoop Manjappa, Bengaluru (Pvt. Honda Stunner) 01:09:30.363;
3. Dilip Raj, Chikkamagaluru (Honda 130) 01:13:03.470;
(Vinoth Kumar, Raj Baharath DNF in SS1; Hemanth Gowda DNF in SS4).
Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B:
1. Francis PV, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:02:56.041;
2. Sasi Kumar K, Coimbatore (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:03:13.749;
3. Shabuddin Sayed, Goa (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:05:48.865;
4. Goutham Rao, Bengaluru, (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:06:38.803;
5. Akhil Joy, Kochi (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:06:57.347;
(15 out of 17 riders finished the rally; Varun Kumar DNF in SS7; Rakesh Kumar DNF in SS6).
Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B:
1. Imran Pasha, Mysore (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 00:57:01.920;
2. Sachin D, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 00:59:20.859;
3. Adnaan Ahamed, Mangaluru (Pvt. -Hero Xpulse) 01:00:07.333;
4. Karan Kumar M, Coimbatore (Pvt. – Hero Xpulse) 01:00:10.553;
5. Sathyaraj Arumugam, Bengaluru (Hero MotoSport – Hero Xpulse) 01:01:37.069.
(All 13 riders in class 4 completed the Rally)
Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B:
1. Mohammed Zaheer, Bengaluru (Pvt. KTM Adventure) 01:04:32.605;
2. Venu Ramesh Kumar, Coimbatore (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:07:19.650;
3. Vinit Sharma, Indore (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:07:23.407 (including 1:10sec Road Penalty);
4. Hansraj Saikia, Guwahati (Pvt. KTM Duke) 01:08:17.727;
5. Ashwin Ananta Raju, Bengaluru (Pvt. KTM Duke 390) 01:08:24.593 (including 1 min Road Penalty).
(six of seven riders finished Class 5; Defending champion Sajeesh Reghunathan did not take part)
Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B:
1. Naresh VS, Bengaluru (Pvt. Royal Enfield Himalayan) 01:04:24.549;
2. Arun Joy, Kochi (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:04:42.497;
3. Jeemon Anthony, Kochi (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01: 05: 53.568;
4. Sharath Kumar Sathyanarayan, Bengaluru (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01: 06: 05.058;
5. Abhijeet Sarkar, Bengaluru (Pvt. RE Himalayan) 01:15:17.745;
6. Vijay Kumar M, Chikkamagaluru (Pvt. RE Bullet) 01:20:04.794.
(All six finished the rally; Defending champ Mohammed Zaheer shifted to Class 5)
Class 7: Ladies Class Group B:
1. Aishwarya Pissay, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – Apache RTR 200) 01:07:23.684;
2. Apoorva B, Mangaluru (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:04.632;
3. Fazeela U, Ernakulam (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:22.040;
4. Ryhana Bee, Chennai (Pvt. Hero Impulse) 01:14:28.240;
5. Sameera Dahiya, Bengaluru (Pvt. Hero Xpulse 200) 01:26:07.110;
(Seven ladies out of eight completed the rally; Jeena Joy DNF in SS1; Tanika took part in Class 1A)
Class 8: S0 to S3 Scooter 210cc Group B:
1. Shamim Khan, Bengaluru (Petronas TVS Racing – TVS NTorq) 01:05:45.013;
2. Subramanya T, Bengaluru (Pvt. – TVS NTorq) 01:07:18.269;
3. Pinkesh Thakkar, Bhopal, (Aprilia JB Racing -Aprilia SR150) 01: 07:46.080;
4. Goutham N, Bengaluru (Pvt. – TVS NTorq) 01:11:25.922;
5. Venkatesh Shetty, Mumbai (Pvt. – Aprilia SR150) 01: 13:07.809.
(Six out of 10 riders completed the rally; Defending champ Karthik Naidu and Ninganna M DNF in SS1; Elango pulled out SS7 and Asif Sayed Ali DNF in SS8)
Disclosure: This motorsports reporter, David Bodapati, has been provided accommodation by the organisers, the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur.
The comments about the organisation are personal but based on different indicators developed by Motorsports Journalists Federation of India for assessing organisational capacity like basic amenities for riders, trained marshals and experience of officials, timing equipment and management, safety measures, etc.
Edited on 18May2022 correcting the Overall placing in the headline.
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Bastianini switches on ‘beast mode’, flies closer to title lead
The Gresini rider takes a stunning third win of the season, with an all-Italian bike lock-out on the rostrum
Le Mans, 15 May 2022: For the third time this season, Enea Bastianini has engaged Beast Mode. Another 25-point haul at the SHARK Grand Prix de France sees the Gresini Racing rider move to within eight points of the top of the Championship, take another Independent Team win and make quite a statement. After he and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had escaped to make it a duel for supremacy at Le Mans, the Beast struck for the lead and it wasn’t long after that that Pecco slid out of contention.. rider ok, but points haul taking a dent.
Enea Bastianini: “I’m really happy about this race, because it was also unexpected because the weekend started really complicated for me, with three crashes, a lot for me. Every time I’m consistent, but here it was really difficult. But in the race, I saw that my pace was really nice, like the group that was in front of me. At the end, when I saw Pecco very close, I understand, ‘Okay, now you have to stay behind.’ At the end, I tried to overtake him in the second corner to make Pecco a little bit nervous. In the end, he went long and I won this race. It’s all for my team because they work a lot at this Grand Prix to give me the best bike and it’s incredible, the job they did.”
Meanwhile, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) maintained it as a Borgo Panigale 1-2, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro making it three premier class rostrums on the spin for the Noale factory for the first time ever – just denying home hero and reigning Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).
The atmosphere in the circuit hit fever pitch as riders revved up for the start of Round 7, and it was Miller who got the perfect launch from the line to take the holeshot ahead of Bastianini, who pushed his way through from the second row. Bagnaia was in third with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins and Joan Mir split by Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) in P5. A poor start from Aleix Espargaro saw him drop to seventh, while Quartararo also went backwards, the Frenchman initially swallowed up by a number of riders before starting to make progress forward.
A wild first lap came to a close with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) aggressively lunging up the inside of both Quartararo and Nakagami to move into P7, and it was all go everywhere. Not least for home hero Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), who was having an equally difficult start to the GP just behind, locked in a battle mid-pack with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and the two making contact at Turn 6. The RC16 lost a front wing as a result.
The manic start continued back at the front, with Bagania and Rins both picking off Bastianini to drop him out of the podium places. Rins’ ambitions would come crashing to a halt at the beginning of the third lap though, with the Suzuki off track at Turn 2, through the gravel and back on at Turn 4. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his machine upright as it returned to the tarmac, temporarily rejoining but retiring soon after.
As a result, it was a Ducati one-two-three with the factory riders building up a gap out front, Miller ahead. Bagnaia was through on Lap 4 though, and the race began to settle slightly as riders found their groove. Just back of that fight, Mir led Aleix Espargaro, Quartararo and Marc Marquez.
By Lap 12, Bastinain was past Miller, the Gresini rider going through on the Aussie at Garage Vert. Soon after, there was some change just behind them too, with Mir hitting the deck and tumbling through the gravel at Turn 14. That allowed Aleix Espargaro and Quartararo to gain a position each, but they were still 1.1s away from Miller in third. There was also disappointment for Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) as he recorded a fourth DNF of the year after a Turn 9 fall.
On Lap 17, the fight for victory sparked into life as Bastianini began to swarm all over the back of Bagnaia out front, the GP21 locked on for a few laps to heap on some pressure. The Beast then made his first move at the Dunlop Chicane and the two went wheel-to-wheel up until Turn 6, with Bagnaia posting a classy riposte. The fight wasn’t over though, with Bastianini forcing an error from his Ducati counterpart at Garage Vert as Pecco ran it wide and dropped to P2. That left a second between them and in an effort to reel Bastianini back in, Bagnaia pushed it too hard around the final corner and slid into the gravel, and out of the race. Rider ok, but on a long, lonely walk back down pitlane.
From there, Bastianini just had to keep it steady to bring home his third victory of the year, while Miller was comfortable in second. Attentions switched the remaining podium place, with home fans willing on World Champion Quartararo in the closing laps. He closed and closed and closed but he could never quite get close enough to the Aprilia ahead, with Aleix Espargaro denying the fairytale French ending but continued the Noale dream.
Zarco made moves to get back towards the front, coming home fifth despite that tougher start. Marquez rounded out the top six, while Nakagami put in a very solid seventh place finish. Despite missing a wing from the early stages, Binder claimed P8, while his factory teammate Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) recorded a DNF.
Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Maverick Viñales both claimed top 10 results in encouraging performances.
That’s a wrap on the French GP and it was certainly a race to remember, with the crowd an incredible protagonist too. Next up for MotoGP™ is the Tuscan beauty of Mugello, where we’re sure to see even more twists and turns in this fascinating World Championship… join us then in two weeks!
MotoGP Podium:
1 Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – Ducati – 41’34.613
2 Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – Ducati – +2.718
3 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – Aprilia – +4.182 -
Masia brings the last corner magic at Le Mans: Moto3
The Red Bull KTM Ajo rider takes a fourth podium in a row and another victory, fending off Sasaki on the last lap
Le Mans, 15 May 2022: In typical barnstorming Moto3 fashion, fans were out of their seats for a grandstand finish as a restarted race went down to the wire at the SHARK Grand Prix de France. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jaume Masia earned victory after a thrilling final corner move past Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) while Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) stole the final podium place with another dramatic final corner past poleman Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing). It’s the first time Masia has taken four podiums in a row and it moves him up to second in the standings, 17 off leader Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team).
The threat of rain loomed large over Le Mans on Sunday but initially, Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) got a brilliant launch from the line to take the holeshot going into the Dunlop Curve, but the Red Flag soon came out as rain hit the final sector. There had been seven different fallers, including GASGAS Aspar duo Garcia and Guevara, Sasaki, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Riccardo Rossi (SI58 Squadra Corse), but riders all ok and all able to make the restart.
With a new race distance of 14 laps set, it was always going to be a tight affair with the sun shining again, and so it proved. In a carbon copy of the first race start, Moreira managed to push himself into the lead from the second row while a superb effort from Championship leader Garcia saw him move up into the podium places behind then-closest challenger Foggia. Behind them, there was lots of chopping and changing as Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) battled with Migno and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) throughout the first lap.
The race began to settle somewhat by the time the third lap rolled around, while Masia was finding his groove, picking off Suzuki at Garage Vert before getting the better of Foggia on the next lap at the Turn 3 chicane. The Italian tried to return the favour one lap later, but the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider fended him off. The race had lost Scott Ogden by this stage, with the VisionTrack rookie crashing out at La Chappelle, rider ok.
Behind Masia, Garcia had moved up to second after getting past the Leopard Hondas, while Öncü in P4 had entered the podium conversation. All the chopping and changing brought the leader of the second group, Sasaki, into contention too.
Back at the front, Foggia pushed himself back into second at the expense of Garcia. The GASGAS man tried to respond into the chicane, but it went awry and he was forced wide, costing him his drive out of the corner and dropping him to sixth overall. That gave Masia a couple tenths of breathing space out front, but it didn’t last long as he was soon reeled in by Foggia and Sasaki at S Bleu with just over three laps to go.
Coming into the endgame, Foggia led Sasaki ahead of Masia with Suzuki, Garcia and Guevara just behind. However, a move at Garage Vert returned Masia to P2. Coming over the line for the penultimate time, it was anybody’s race. The Dunlop Chicane is always a popular overtaking spot, and Masia lined up a successful attempt for the lead.
La Musee is another hot spot for overtaking, and that’s where Sasaki picked off Foggia, relegating the poleman to third. Having bided his time all race, the Japanese rider looked like he would steal the win with just two corners to go, taking the lead on the flick back left at S Bleu. The drama was still far from over, with Masia producing a sensational last corner lunge up the inside to take the win, while Guevara had done something similar to Foggia to deny the pre-season Championship favourite a podium.
Behind that podium shuffle, Suzuki finished fifth ahead of Carlos Tatay (CFMoto Racing Pruestel GP), with Garcia recording a P7 finish. Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) ended the day eighth, ahead of Öncü with Migno rounding out the top 10.
Holgado, John McPhee (Sterilgarda Max Racing), Rossi, Moreira after a Long Lap and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) are the other points scorers in France.
That’s a wrap at Le Mans, now the field heads for Mugello and a very different challenge. Join us again in two weeks for more!
1 Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo)– KTM – 24’04.119
2 Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max)– Husqvarna – +0.150
3 Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team)– GASGAS – +0.220Jaume Masia: “It’s amazing, no? It’s incredible, I don’t know what is happening, honestly. I’m enjoying it a lot. It was not easy to manage the situation after the rain, but it’s always amazing to be here. I just want to say thanks. We are really, really strong, I feel really, really good. Maybe we are not the fastest, but we can manage really well. Today, Le Mans repaid me for what happened last year, when I broke my wrist here. So, victory and the first row in qualifying is amazing. I really want to come back stronger, I want to go to Mugello because I like the track a lot. I just want to say thanks to all the people, all my team. We’re going to keep pushing really hard and just really thanks to everybody.”
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Fernandez takes first win since 2019 in France: Moto2
Le Mans, 15 May 2022: Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez has broken a drought of almost three years with victory at the SHARK Grand Prix de France, with he and teammate Pedro Acosta pulling clear in the early laps before the rookie crashed out the lead on Lap 11. Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) finished second for another impressive podium, fending off Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Cameron Beaubier (American Racing). World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) limited the damage to his title hopes, finishing eighth despite starting 18th on the grid.
Acosta converted his first Moto2™ pole position into the early race lead while Fernandez slotted into second, one up on where he had qualified. Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) was third initially before being passed by Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors Speed Up) on Lap 2, then Canet was into the podium places when he got by Lopez on Lap 5 at Turn 3.
By then, the top two had a margin over the rest of three seconds and growing. Still, Fernandez was keeping in touch with Acosta, thanks in part to a big wobble for the latter exiting Raccordement on Lap 5. A lap later, Lopez and Arenas were down in the gravel together, however, as the Aspar rider tried to go through a diminishing gap at Musee.
Meanwhile at the front, the pole-sitter had just started to put the hammer down when he lost the front through La Chapelle, rider ok but his hopes of a breakthrough Moto2™ victory dashed. That elevated Fernandez to the lead and Canet to second, but the man with the bowtie was coming under pressure from Beaubier and Chantra.
When Beaubier ran just a little wide at Musee on Lap 14, Chantra pinched third, then put a move on Canet a lap later. In doing so, he made room for the American to also go past Canet and reclaim third, but Canet turned the tables on Lap 18, passing Beaubier from a long way back at the Turn 3/Turn 4 chicane and making it stick.
As Fernandez continued to enjoy a margin of six to seven seconds over the rest, second-placed then Chantra outbraked himself at Garage Vert on Lap 18 and had to let his bike run wide. Not only did he cede position to Canet and Beaubier, the Thai rider had cost himself a full second of time, handing a free kick to his rivals in the battle for the podium.
Next it was Beaubier who invited some pressure when he ran wide at La Chapelle on the third-last lap, and Chantra made the pass a lap later as they ran through Turn 13. Meanwhile, Vietti was finally into the top 10, despite running through the gravel at Garage Vert earlier in the race.
Up ahead, Fernandez eased off in the closing laps and cruised to victory by an official margin of 3.746 seconds. The win is his first since the 2019 San Marino Grand Prix, and his first altogether for Red Bull KTM Ajo. A further 0.882 seconds behind Canet, who gained a little breathing space in second, was Chantra in third, with Beaubier a career-best fourth despite losing out on that first podium.
Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) prevailed in a late battle with Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) as they finished fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), Vietti, Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), and stand in Stefano Manzi (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team).
Arenas managed to remount after his incident with Lopez but could only get back to 19th, missing out on the points. His Inde GASGAS Aspar team-mate Jake Dixon, who did not get away well from the middle of the front row, also pressed on after an early crash from eighth position, but finished even further back in 21st spot. Among those who did not make the chequered flag at all were Lopez and title contender Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team).
Arbolino and Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) went down in synchronised fashion at La Chapelle on Lap 2, although without contact, and that capped off a difficult day for the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. Before the race had started, it was down to one bike due as Sam Lowes was declared unfit after reporting neck pain and the onset of dizziness after Warm Up. He’d had a nasty highside in Q2.
In the World Championship, Vietti has moved to 108 points, second-placed Ogura is a slightly closer 16 points behind, and Fernandez has climbed to fifth. That’s it for another intriguing weekend of Moto2™. Join us next time when Round 8, the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, unfolds at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in two weeks!
Moto2 Podium:
1 Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – Kalex – 40’31.726
2 Aron Canet (Flexbox HP 40) – Kalex – +3.746
3 Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – Kalex – +4.628Augusto Fernandez: “It feels very good to be back here. It’s been a long two-and-a-half years, waiting for this moment again. Already at the beginning of the season, I was feeling good, so we just had to let the moment come. In the end, this weekend I felt very good from Friday, so we kept the momentum all weekend and we finally did it. The pace at the beginning was so, so, so high. Pedro did an awesome first part of the race, he was pushing a lot, but his moment will come. So, congrats to him for the first half of the race, it was amazing. Then, it was a hard race to manage the distance. When you are alone there, to manage the lap times and the distances, it’s even harder than fighting in a group, so I’m very happy. I want to thank all my family, my dad, my mum, and my brother, and, well, all my friends, everyone… my team… everyone!”
