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  • Quartararo leads Morbidelli by just 0.030 as Yamaha lock out the top in Lombok

    Quartararo leads Morbidelli by just 0.030 as Yamaha lock out the top in Lombok

    The Iwata duo take the spoils as action opens in Indonesia, with Zarco completing the top three on Friday.

    What a difference a week and a half makes! After a tougher Qatar GP than many expected, it’s a Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ 1-2 at the end of Friday action at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia. Fabio Quartararo leads teammate Franco Morbidelli by just 0.030s thanks to a table-topping 1:31.608, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) sitting in P3 heading into Saturday.

    Mandalika Test pacesetter Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), 2020 Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and 2021 runner up Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) all finished no higher than P20 too, as did eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the number 93 suffered a fast crash in FP2, rider ok despite the excursion over the limit. So it’s all eyes to the sky ahead of FP3 as they look to improve…

    FP1
    After topping the test back in February, Pol Espargaro was fastest out the blocks thanks to a late 1:33.499. The Spaniard was a fitting 0.044s quicker than Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and 0.079s ahead of Repsol Honda teammate Marc Marquez.

    The premier class got plenty of slick tyre running under their belts on Friday morning, with the earlier heavy morning downpour forcing Moto3™ and Moto2™ onto wets but the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit already dry enough at the start of MotoGP™ FP1 for the riders to head straight out on Michelin slicks. Morbidelli and Zarco completed the top five in the opening 45-minute stint with good pace in the morning too, but just 0.9s split the top 10.

    Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) suffered a technical problem, but there were no crashes.
    FP2
    It was far from an ideal start to FP2 for reigning World Champion Quartararo as the Frenchman encountered an issue with his YZR-M1 at the beginning of his third lap, but he was back out on track with 30 minutes to go. Meanwhile, Oliveira led the way in the opening exchanges from Marc Marquez and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team).

    There was plenty of work for Sunday’s race underway in the middle part of the session, and there was just 0.8s splitting the top 20 heading into the final quarter of an hour of the day. Oliveira was still leading, but that soon changed as Quartararo set a 1:32.570 to go 0.137s clear of the Portuguese rider with 13 minutes left on the clock. And then began the custom FP2 mini qualifying attacks…

    With five minutes to go, Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) unleashed his first effort on a soft rear tyre – a 1:31.904, half a second quicker than Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). But then Morbidelli and Qatar winner Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) got to within a tenth of Martin, before Zarco beat his Pramac Racing teammate to the top. Soon enough though, it was a factory Yamaha 1-2, with Quartararo leading Morbidelli by almost nothing as Bastianini and Marc Marquez both crashed in quick succession – riders ok.

    That proved costly not only for Marc Marquez, but also for the riders pushing for their fastest lap times in the closing stages as yellow flags put paid to improvements. Bagnaia was visually frustrated coming back into pitlane knowing he’d missed the chance to grab an important top 10, and the Italian and plenty more will be hoping FP3 remains dry…

    Provisional Q2 places
    Behind the Yamaha 1-2, it’s a Pramac 3-4 as Zarco edges out Martin by just 0.011s. They’re the first of four Ducatis in a row as Bastianini completes the top five despite his late crash and Miller slots into sixth. Aleix Espargaro, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Oliveira and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) are the final riders currently set to move through to Q2, with less than half a second covering the fastest 10 riders on Day 1.

    If that wasn’t close enough, just 1.033s covers the top 20. With the late crashes and subsequent yellow flags, numerous riders will be praying that conditions on Saturday morning are good enough to allow for improvements. FP1 pacesetter Pol Espargaro, Marc Marquez, 2020 World Champion Mir and Pecco are just four of some key players looking for much more.

    Make sure you don’t miss MotoGP™ FP3 from Mandalika, as we wait and see what the weather musters up for the premier class in their final chance to earn an automatic place in Q2. Qualifying then begins from 15:05 as the grid gets decided for the inaugural Grand Prix at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit.

    Friday’s Top-3: 1 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha – 1’53.432
    2 Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) – Yamaha – +0.030
    3 Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) – Ducati – +0.285
  • Kush Maini eager to begin Indian campaign in F3

    Kush Maini eager to begin Indian campaign in F3

    Rotterdam, 17 March 2022: Young Indian racer Kush Maini has signed with MP Motorsport for his debut season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, release said on Feb 22. Joining the Dutch outfit for FIA F3 will allow the 21-year-old from Bengaluru to showcase his talent during Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends.

    Maini supported by JK Racing lines up with MP after competing in the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA last year as well as finishing second in the British F3 Championship in 2020, and will now be able to prove his worth at the FIA F3 level. At MP, the Indian driver will team up with Alexander Smolyar from Russia and Caio Collet from Brazil. Kush Maini is the younger brother of former FIA F2 and F3 driver Arjun Maini, who has since competed in the ELMS and the DTM.

    “I’m excited to join MP Motorsport for my first year in FIA F3”, said Maini. “In 2021, MP proved to be race winners and in the final standings they were the only FIA F3 team to have two rookies finish in the top-ten. This shows their ability to coach rookie drivers on their way to immediately performing well in the series. I can’t wait to get going for pre-season testing and the first round at Bahrain,” the Bengaluru racer said earlier in February.

    “I’m pleased to welcome Kush to our FIA F3 team”, said MP

    Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman.

    “In the past few years, Kush has proved himself extremely well at regional F3 levels, now it’s time for him to step up to FIA F3. I’m sure he will mix well with Alex and Caio, and we will do our best to help him shine during each of the nine race weekends coming up in the championship.”

    After a karting career that kicked off in 2011 with the Indian national title at Rotax Micromax level, followed by accomplishments such as second in the 2013 WSK Euro Series at 60 Mini level, fourth in the 2014 CIK-FIA World KF Junior Championship and fourth in the 2015 KF Junior WSK Champions Cup, Maini debuted in single-seaters in 2016, taking his first podium in the Italian F4 Championship. Subsequently dovetailing Italian F4 with selected ADAC F4 rounds took him to eighth in the 2017 Italian series. In 2018 and 2020, Maini raced to third and then second in British F3, while taking sixth in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup. In 2021, the Indian youngster combined the Asian F3 championship with an LMP2 drive in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

  • Indonesia to launch MotoGP with season-opener Pertamina GP

    Indonesia to launch MotoGP with season-opener Pertamina GP

    Lombok (Indonesia), 17 March, 2022 : Track action at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia is just around the corner but first on the agenda for Qatar race winner Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), and reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was the Pre-Event Press Conference.

    Indian fans can tune in to EUROSPORT and EUROSPORT HD to catch all the live action from the 2022 MotoGP championship, with the MotoGP 2022 – Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia Qualifying Race scheduled from 10:00 Hrs (10:00 am IST) onwards on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

    Will Quartararo and Yamaha be more competitive in Indonesia?

    Quartararo’s title defence got off to a disappointing start with a P9 at the season opener, but the Frenchman sounds positive that his season can kickstart in Indonesia. He was second fastest behind Pol Espargaro at the pre-season test, but knows that doesn’t really mean anything ahead of the Grand Prix.

    Quartararo: “I think what suits better is to have shorter straights, then testing. I made my time attack in the last minutes of the third day, Pol was already in the box and in the morning it was much more difficult I felt. Let’s see. We have all of Friday and Saturday to understand. Let’s see how the forecast is, but what is sure I will do my best to be there and fight where we feel we can fight.”

    Marc Marquez aiming to build on a “solid weekend” in Qatar

    A fifth place finish at the Lusail International Circuit was a good start to 2022 for Marc Marquez. It was a solid foundation to build from at the start of the season and heading to Indonesia, the eight-time World Champion’s aim is to improve on the result picked up a couple of weekends ago.

    Marc Marquez: “In Qatar it was a solid weekend. Nothing really special but we were there, not too far from the top positions, that was my target. Of course, I tried, I tried to be on the podium and to follow Enea when he overtook me but it was not the day, not the time. Let’s see, our target this weekend is to improve the result from Qatar, and then in Argentina, improve the result from here.

    “Step by step, I’m feeling good. 22 laps in a row, it was the best feeling I had during the last two years. Let’s see how we can approach this weekend. As you say, Pol was one of the fastest ones in the Test so he will be one of the guys this weekend. Enea, Fabio and Brad are also there. Many new faces, but they are riding fast.”

    “I expect a tight race” – is the test anything to go by this weekend?

    Fastest at the Official Mandalika MotoGP™ Test in February was Qatar podium finisher Pol Espargaro, but he and his fellow competitors aren’t taking too much from the test in predicting what might happen this weekend. Testing is completely different to a Grand Prix weekend, and with changes such as the resurfacing and a new Michelin tyre compound, there’s plenty of unknowns to deal with ahead of the race on Sunday afternoon.

    Pol Espargaro: “It was good in pre-season here I enjoy this place. It was not easy to handle three days of testing here but I was not the only fast guy here: Enea was very fast, Marc was very fast, Fabio was very fast. Ducatis were not super fast, the factory guys, but sure they’re going to be there after solving the problems in Qatar. I expect a tight race, everyone is going to be there and hopefully we can be there as well, the same as Qatar, and fight for something great.”

    Brad Binder: “The Test was pretty good for us a few weeks ago. From the first few laps we had a pretty good feeling and as the weekend went on we tried a few different things; some good, some not so good. In general, our pace wasn’t bad at all and when I went to do a time attack, I was able to do quite a good lap time. I feel strong and good coming into this weekend and want to take it one day at a time, one session at a time, and Sunday give my all and see where we end up.”

    About Eurosport India:

    Eurosport India is the go-to destination for passionate sports fans in India. Unlocking the power of sport through world-class content from the world’s greatest sporting events, Eurosport India provides the Indian audience with an unrivalled premium sports offering. As the Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, Discovery is bringing Eurosport to discovery+, the real-life direct-to-consumer streaming service, starting in a range of international markets during 2021. Firmly established as the number one sport destination in Europe and the Home of Cycling, Grand Slam Tennis and Winter Sport, Eurosport channels – Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2 – reach 246 million cumulative subscribers across 75 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Eurosport Events specializes in the management and promotion of international sporting events. 

  • Jehan Daruvala enters one more F2 season with eyes set firmly on Formula 1

    Jehan Daruvala enters one more F2 season with eyes set firmly on Formula 1

    Mumbai, 17 March 2022: Indian F1 hopeful Jehan Daruvala heads into this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain round of the Formula 2 championship with his sights set on battling for the win.

    The 23-year-old from Mumbai has a strong record of success at the Sakhir desert track, winning his first Formula 2 race at the venue in 2020 in his debut season before following it up with a podium there last year.

    Driving for reigning champions Prema Racing this season and having set the second-fastest time of pre-season testing at the same venue, Jehan heads into the weekend as one of the favourites.

    Prema have won in Bahrain in three of the last five seasons.  

    A win would mark the perfect start to a season in which Jehan is hoping to become the first Indian to win the Formula 2 title. 

    Jehan said, “I can’t wait to go racing again. Getting some time off at the end of last year was good and I’m now raring to get the season underway. Bahrain is where I took my first Formula 2 win, it’s a track that suits my driving style and I’m pretty sure we can do well there again. The competition will be tough but we came away in a strong position from testing, I’m feeling at home with the team and we go into the weekend confident that we can get some big results.”

    Jehan will hit the track on Friday, March 18th for practice and qualifying. The weekend’s Sprint race will be held on Saturday, March 19th, with the main Feature race scheduled for Sunday, March 20th, before the start of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix 

    Jehan, who is also part of the Red Bull Junior Team, is heading into his third season in Formula 2, the feeder-series that sits below F1 on the single-seater ladder.

    He raced for Carlin in the last two seasons but has made the move to Prema Racing this year.

    The Italian racing powerhouse is the most successful outfit in Formula 2, having delivered three of the series’ five drivers’ champions, including Ferrari Formula 1 race winner Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael.

    Jehan, who finished third in the Formula 3 standings while racing for Prema in 2019, is looking to emulate this duo and follow Australian Oscar Piastri as the squad’s third straight Formula 2 champion.

    He is eyeing a step up to F1 in 2023, which would make him only the third Indian to compete in motorsport’s top tier.

    Stats and Facts

    • Circuit length: 5.412 km
    • First race: 2017
    • Jehan’s Bahrain debut: 2020
    • Wins: 1 (2020)
    • Podiums: 2 (2020, 2021)
    • Jehan 2021 result: 2nd (Sprint 1), 4th (Sprint 2), 6th (Feature)
    • Prema pole positions: 1 (2017)
    • Prema wins: 3 (2017, 2020, 2021)

    Weekend Schedule

    Free practice: Friday, March 18th at 1505 IST

    Qualifying: Friday, March 18th at 2155 IST

    Sprint race: Saturday, March 19th at 2210 IST

    Feature race: Sunday, March 20th at 1610 IST

    About Jehan Daruvala

    Jehan Daruvala is a racing driver from Mumbai, India. He began karting at the age of 10 in 2009. Two years later, he was picked up as one of the three winners of Force India’s ‘One From a Billion’ talent hunt. In 2013, he became the first Asian to win the British KF3 karting championship. A proven winner, Jehan has won in every category he has competed in. He is currently racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, which is a feeder series to Formula 1 and takes place on the same weekends. Already a multiple winner in the category, Jehan’s goal for the 2022 season is to claim the title which would boost his chances of becoming only the third Indian on the Formula One grid.

  • Indian company Tata Communications returns to Formula 1


    Formula 1 and Tata Communications today are delighted to announce a multi-year strategic collaboration, with Tata Communications returning to the sport as the Official Broadcast Connectivity Provider of Formula 1, to deliver and enhance a world-class, technologically advanced experience for fans globally.

    Tata Communications will empower Formula 1 with global end-to-end managed network services for video contribution, thereby transforming the motorsports experience. For this, the company will facilitate the transfer of more than 100 video feeds and over 250 audio channels to be transmitted between the Grand Prix venue and F1’s Media & Technology Centre in the UK every race weekend in under 200 milliseconds, enabling F1 to broadcast to over 500m fans in 180+ territories globally.

    Tata Communications’ industry-recognised and built-for-media connectivity solutions will enable Formula 1 to transform the broadcast content production worldwide while continuing to support the sport’s drive for agility and sustainability. Following the introduction of Formula 1’s remote broadcast operations in 2020, Tata Communications has allowed reduction in the organisation’s travelling freight by 34%.

    Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1, said:

    “We are delighted to welcome Tata Communications back as a partner following previous successes in our partnerships. They have been an integral part of our growth journey over the last decade, and we completely trust their expertise and abilities to deliver what we need for our fans. This trust has been built over many years of working together, pushing forward advancements in technology in sport – on and off the track. Tata Communications’ connectivity continues to support F1’s drive for agility and sustainability with remote production introduced in 2020 – part of our aim to be Net-Zero Carbon by 2030. We are excited to grow together in the future and share the incredible journey Formula 1 is on.”

    Amur S Lakshminarayanan, MD and CEO, Tata Communications, said:

    “As businesses evolve to a digital-first model, I believe the sporting world also has a great opportunity to leverage technology for delivering innovative and exhilarating experiences to motorsports enthusiasts. And, Formula 1 is at the core of all things speed, action and thrill. We are delighted to renew our relationship and empower Formula 1’s tomorrow, today!”

  • Gaurav Gill wins 7th K1000 title; 300th rally cap for Musa Sherif

    Gaurav Gill wins 7th K1000 title; 300th rally cap for Musa Sherif

    Bengaluru, 13 March 2022: A damaged windscreen, electrical and turbo issues besides brake failure did not stop Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif from winning the 45th Karnataka-1000 Rally, the second round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor, on Sunday near the town of Gubbi, about 100 Kms from Bengaluru.

    Delhi-based Gill, the seven-times National champion and thrice winner of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally titles, exercised all his experience and driving skills to bring the Mahindra XUV 300 back to the Parc Ferme, something he couldn’t in the first round at Coimbatore last month. In the process, the Arjuna Award winner successfully countered a strong challenge from Younus Ilyas (Anirudha Ranganekar) of Race Concepts who finished Overall second, about 15 seconds behind, while Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) was placed third.

    It was Gill’s seventh K-1000 title while for Sherif, from Kasargod, it was a memorable victory that marked his 300th Rally milestone.

    Ahmer topped in the INRC-2 category while the Himachal combination of Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap, Overall winners in Coimbatore, last month, took the honours in the INRC-3 category, and Mumbai’s daughter-mother pairing of Shivani and Vani Parmar won in the INRC-4 class. The Junior INRC category had just two finishers with Coimbatore’s Raghuram Saminathan (Bharath SM, Bengaluru) winning ahead of Shivani Pruthvi from Davangere (Ruthvik Praveen, Tiptur).

    “Undoubtedly, today’s win is very satisfying considering the difficult weekend we had and the non-finish in the Coimbatore round. We had electrical problems, a damaged windscreen when the bonnet flew open in the very first Stage. So, we lost a bit of time as we had to stop and lock the bonnet. Then, in the last Stage, I had to negotiate the last six-seven Kms without brakes which again cost us time. But in the end, I am happy we finished the Rally and won,” said Gill.

    Chandigarh’s Samrat Yadav (M Chandrashekar, Bengaluru) emerged champion in the non-championship FMSCI Gypsy Challenge category.

    Of the 53 entrants, 31 completed the two-day Rally. The final day’s proceedings were delayed due to interruptions of SS-8 following mishaps.

    Classification (Provisional):

    Overall / INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill (Delhi) / Musa Sherif (Kasargod) (01hr, 38mins, 37.800secs); 2. Younus Ilyas (Kollam) / Anirudha Ranganekar (Pune) (Race Concepts) (01:038:53.200); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (01:43:50:900).

    INRC-2: 1. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (01:43:50:900); 2. Sahil Khanna (Gurugram) / Harish KN (Bengaluru) (01:46:21.600); 3. Lakshay Veer Dabas (Delhi) / Arjun Dheerendra (Bengaluru) (01:51:33.100).

    INRC-3: 1. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) (Chettinad Sporting) (01:46:29.700); 2. Kuber Sharma / Karan Aukta (both Himachal) (01:47:21.200); 3. Sanampreet Sekhon (Chandigarh) / Suhan Kabeer (Kodagu) (01:48:05.300).

    INRC-4: 1. Shivani Parmar / Vani Parmar (both Mumbai) (02:14:56.700); Deepak Chandra / CG Raghuram (both Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (02:16:01.500); 3. Prakhyat Shirole /Arjun SSB (both Bengaluru, Ammyfield Rallying) (02:17:19.000).

    Junior INRC (2 finishers): 1. Raghuram Saminathan (Coimbatore) / Bharath SM (Bengaluru) (02:02:07.300); 2. Shivani Pruthvi (Davangere) / Ruthvik Praveen (Tiptur) (02:14:23.800).

    FMSCI Gypsy Challenge: 1. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / M Chandrashekar (Bengaluru) (01:49:49.000); 2. Rupender Sheoran (Gurugram) / Mohit Malik (Faridabad) (01:57:01.300); 3. Venkatapathy Mettuchetty / Santosh Kumar Selvaraj (both Coimbatore) (01:59:41.500).

  • Verstappen quickest on final day: Pre-season Bahrain test

    Verstappen quickest on final day: Pre-season Bahrain test

    Sakhir, 12 March 2022: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen set the fastest time of the three days of running in Sakhir as Formula 1 pre-season testing came to an end at the Bahrain International Circuit. 

    Verstappen, driving in the afternoon after team-mate Sergio Pérez topped the morning session, completed 53 laps at the wheel of an updated RB18 featuring revised sidepods. 

    The World Champion didn’t appear for most of the first hours of the later session but when he did he gradually began to work his way to the best time of the three days overall as he cycled through various tyre compounds. He set a 1:32.645 on C3 medium tyres and later moved to the softest C5 rubber to set his best lap of 1:31.720.

    That put him almost seven tenths of a second  ahead of second placed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver’s best lap was delivered on the C4 compound. He did try the C5 tyres but despite setting a purple middle sector he flagged late in the lap and was slower. 

    Third place in the session went to Alpine’s Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard left his best to the end of the session fitting C4 tyres in the final five minutes of the session to set personal bests in each sector to stand as one of just two drivers to get within a second of Verstappen’s time. George Russell was fourth with a time of 1:32.759 that left him 1.039 behind Verstappen and the new Mercedes recruit looked to be battling the mishandling car throughout the lap. 

    Behind Russell, Valtteri Bottas was fifth for Alfa Romeo. The Finn used C3 Pirelli tyres to set a best time of 1:32.985 but his running early when he stopped outside the Turn 8 due to a gearbox issue. 

    AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda took fifth place as the Italian squad closed out a solid test phase. The Japanese driver, who completed 57 laps, finished two hundredths of a second behind Bottas, while team-mate Pierre Gasly logged 91 laps on the team’s final day.

    After setting the fastest lap of the morning, Sergio Pérez was left with seventh place at the close of running, five hundredths of a second ahead of Haas’s Mick Schumacher, who briefly brought out the red flags in the afternoon after he spun.

    Lando Norris ended the day in ninth place for McLaren and after taking over from Lance Stroll at Aston Martin, Sebastian Vettel finished with the day’s 10th quickest time.


    Formula 1 2022 Pre-Season Test, Bahrain – Day Three
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull RB18 Red Bull 53 1:31.720 
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari F1-75 Ferrari 51 1:32.415 0.695
    3 Fernando Alonso Alpine A522 122 1:32.698 0.978
    4 George Russell Mercedes W13 71 1:32.759 1.039
    5 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo C42 68 1:32.985 1.265
    6 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri AT03 57 1:33.002 1.282
    7 Sergio Pérez Red Bull RB18 43 1:33.105 1.385
    8 Mick Schumacher Haas VF-22 57 1:33.151 1.431
    9  Lando Norris McLaren MCL36 90 1:32.191 1.471
    10 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin AMR22 46 1:33.821 2.101
    11 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo C42 82 1:33.959 2.239
    12 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri AT03 91 1:34.865 3.145
    13 Carlos Sainz Ferrari F1-75 Ferrari 68 1:34.905 3.185
    14 Alex Albon Williams FW44 18 1:35.171 3.451
    15 Nicholas Latifi Williams FW44 124 1:35.634 3.914
    16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin AMR22 53 1:36.029 4.309
    17 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W13 78 1:36.217 4.497
    18 Kevin Magnussen Haas VF-22 38 1:38.616 6.896

  • Gaurav Gill leads after Day 1; Dean, Aditya top their classes

    Gaurav Gill leads after Day 1; Dean, Aditya top their classes

    Bengaluru, 12 March 2022: Speed maestro Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasargod overcame mechanical problems to take a sizeable lead in the K1000 Rally, the second round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) with MRF as associate sponsors, at Gubbi in Tumkur District, about 100 km from here. The Rally concludes on Sunday with a repeat of the four Special Stages that were run today. The fourth stage uphill section was rendered unsafe today for the second run and with many cars failing to pass the treacherous stretch the Rally was stopped twice and finally many cars were given scratch times.

    Despite suffering a turbo problem which led to a noticeable drop in pace, Delhi-based Gill enjoys a comfortable position with a 29-second lead followed by Karna Kadur along co-driver Nikhil Pai, who displayed consistent pace through the day until his Volkswagen Polo suffered a gearbox issue that could impact his performance tomorrow. Third Overall is Kollam’s Younus Ilyas with co-driver Anirudha Ranganekar of Pune who is making a comeback after 8 years. The Race Concepts team are about10 seconds behind Kadur.

    Leading the INRC-2 category is Mangaluru’s Dean Mascarenhas (Gagan Karumbaiah, Virajpet) who paced himself well for a 13-second advantage over Palakkad’s Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) with Virajpet’s Suhem Kabeer (Jeeva Rathinam, Bengaluru) in third.

    Winner of the first round in Coimbatore, Aditya Thakur (Virender Kashyap) from Himachal is placed seventh Overall, but first in INRC-3 category where he has established a healthy lead over another Himachal pairing of Kuber Sharma and Karan Aukta. In third place is Chandigarh’s Sanampreet Sekhon (Suhan Kabeer, Kodagu).

    Early in the day, seven times National champion Gill set a hot pace and at the end of the first loop of the two Stages, had opened a comfortable lead. But in the second run, his Mahindra XUV 300 developed a turbo problem that cost him some precious time as the focus shifted to nursing the vehicle to the finish.

    “The day began well. I got into a rhythm and the pace was good as we opened up a good lead. But unfortunately, there was a small issue with the turbo gasket that led to a leak in the turbo boost. So basically, it meant we were running on two cylinders, but I decided to push anyway. In SS-3, we lost a lot of time, but in SS-4, which was very technical, I didn’t lose too much time to Younus. Anyway, we are still safe and have a lead. Tomorrow, it will be safe and fast,” said Gill.

    The SS-4 was twice interrupted after a few cars blocked the route due to crashes and mechanical failures.  

    Leg-1 Classification (Provisional):

    Overall / INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill (Delhi) / Musa Sherif (Kasargod) (48mins, 58.200secs); 2. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (both Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (49:27.700); 3. Younus Ilyas (Kollam) / Anirudha Ranganekar (Pune) (Race Concepts) (49:37.000).

    INRC-2: 1. Dean Mascarenhas (Mangaluru) / Gagan Karumbaiah (Virajpet) (51:23.000); 2. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (51:36.300); 3. Suhem Kabeer (Virajpet) / Jeeva Rathinam (Bengaluru) (52:27.800).

    INRC-3: 1. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) (Chettinad Sporting) (52:26.300); 2. Kuber Sharma / Karan Aukta (both Himachal) (54:04.800); 3. Sanampreet Sekhon (Chandigarh) / Suhan Kabeer (Kodagu) (54:49.600).

    INRC-4: 1. Mujeeb Rahman (Kasargod) / Ravinder Kumar (Bengaluru) (56:48.960); 2. Vaibhav Marathe (Goa) / Harsha Vardhana SN (Bengaluru) (58:05.400); 3. Shivani Parmar / Vani Parmar (both Mumbai) (1hr:01:19.200).

    FMSCI Gypsy Challenge: 1. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / M Chandrashekar (Bengaluru) (54:06.800); 2. Rupender Sheoran (Gurugram) / Mohit Malik (Faridabad) (58:28.600); 3. Abhishek Gowda (Chikkamgalauru) / Dheeraj Manae (Bengaluru) (58:45.700).

  • K1000 flagged off

    K1000 flagged off

    Bengaluru, March 11: The Karnataka-1000 Rally organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club was flagged off by Karnataka Minister for Youth Empowerment and Sports Narayana Gowda, here on Friday. The 45th edition of the iconic rally that began in 1975 is the second round of the delayed FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021.

    With MRF Tyres as associate sponsor, the stage-rally attracted 53 entries from all over the country in all categories. While the top class, INRC, has five entries with strong contenders Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif, leading the pack with Karna Kadur behind them in a Volkswagen Polo 1.6, along with senior navigator Nikhil Pai. The two INRC cars will open the stages in that order followed by 2019 champion brothers Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, who spearhead the INRC2 bunch, followed by current INRC2 leader, Fabid Ahmer (co-driver Sanath G) and Sahil Khanna and co-driver Harish KN.

    There are 10 INRC2 cars while the number in INRC3 reduced from 23 in the first round in Coimbatore to 19 here. INRC4 will be with 9 entries while the FMSCI Gypsy Challenge will witness 10 competitors. Five of these drivers are eligible for the Junior INRC title-fight and the number of lady drivers reduced from 10 in Coimbatore to seven here. The fastest lady driver Athira Murali has skipped the event as her co-dirver George is not well and the popular Malayalam vlogger could not find a replacement in time.

    The competitors who tasted the terrain finishing the reccee on Friday headed back for tedious drive to Bengaluru again for the ill-conceived schedule pitted the important Driver’s briefing and Ceremonial start in a star hotel in the Garden city. Ideally, the show should have been completed on Thursday in Bengaluru. That would have allowed some breathing space for the competitors. The now have the Special Stages for two days of competition near the town of Gubbi, about 100 Kms from Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday. The first Special Stage is scheduled to start at 9:15 am on Saturday.

    At a pre-event Press Conference, seven times National champion Gaurav Gill, along with co-driver Musa Sherif who is participating in his 300th Rally, described the Special Stages after this morning’s reccee as “super-fast and technical”, a view shared by all competitors.

    “There are some fast tarmac stretches where the speeds can touch 180kmph and there are some rough and tricky bits too. So, it is important to get the right speeds. For me, the mantra is controlled aggression to maximise the points,” Gill, a three times FIA Asia Pacific Rally champion, said.

    Sherif, 50, from Kasargod, in response to felicitations on reaching a milestone of 300 rallies, said: “It started as a hobby in 1993 but soon became a full-time passion and I never thought I would do so many rallies without a break. I thank all the drivers, sponsors, crews, teammates, and my fans, for this wonderful moment. It is they who gave me these opportunities.”

    Musa Sherif, will be starting his 300th rally. Starting as a rider in 1993, he shifted to cars in 1995. These 300 include bike rallies, four-wheeler rallies and also the TSD . rallies, both in India and abroad, for an overall triple century. He read pace notes and “called” for 49 different drivers and competed in 69 international events. Some of the top drivers who he ably assisted were Gaurav Gill, Karamjit Singh and Naren Kumar. He was nominated for Khel Ratna by the federation last year. He won 35 INRC 4W rounds out of which 33 victories came with Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill, the longest and greatest partnership ever in the history of Indian National Rally Championship.

    Leader in the INRC-2 category after a class win in the first round at Coimbatore a fortnight back, Palakkad’s Fabid Ahmer said: “The terrain is very technical, rough and bumpy. It is a challenge to understand the car at these speeds, but I have made good pace notes with my co-driver and am looking forward to a fast rally.”

    Echoing the sentiments, Mujeeb Rehman, winner of the INRC-4 class in Coimbatore, said: “The terrain is super. I like the fast stages and as they are technically tough, co-ordination with co-driver is very important.”

    Special invitees to the press conference were two top female drivers, Dr. Shivani Pruthvi from Davangere and Pragati Gowda (Bengaluru) who recently represented India in the Formula Woman McLaren (GT) trials in England. Both concurred that the Special Stages are “fast with flowing corners”, but the terrain called for a bit of caution.

    Dr. Shivani Pruthvi:

    “First stage has fast and flowing corners while there are rough, narrow and tight corners that will challenge us in the second stage. So it is very technical and it is important to keep the basics right,” said the Doctor from Davangere, who is also competing in the Junior INRC.

    Pragathi Gowda, who just represented India in the Formula Woman selections in England for a seat in the McLaren Customer Racing drive in the GT said: “Bringing the car home will be our primary goal as the stages are quite tricky compared to Coimbatore. There are uphill and downhill sections with fast-moving corners. We are game for it and looking forward to a good rally.”

    “The iconic K1000 is the mother of all rallies as it is the only rally in India which is active from 1975. The stages for the 45th edition are a re-visit to the 2014 stages and will challenge the drivers’ skills. All safety aspects are taken care of and I wish all the drivers a safe rally,” said Praneeth Perumal, Clerk of the Course, and a veteran administrator of KMSC.

    Pragathi Gowda said: “Bringing the car home will be our primary goal as the stages are quite tricky compared to Coimbatore. There are uphill and downhill sections with fast corners. We are game for it and looking forward to a good rally.”

    About the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021The Indian National Rally Championship 2021, promoted by The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, comprises three rounds – Rally of Coimbatore (Feb 25-27), Karnataka-1000 (March 11-13) and the South India Rally (Chennai, March 25-27). The grid is segregated into five categories based on various specifications – the INRC, INRC-2, INRC-3, INRC-4 and Junior INRC (26 years and below, and without a win). Competitors are eligible for Overall classification and also separately in their respective categories. The top 15 finishers are eligible for points ranging from 30 to 1. The five quickest on each of the two days (Leg-1 and Leg-2) and in each category receive bonus points (5 to 1) in the respective Legs provided they complete the Rally. The maximum points that can be won in each round is 40. A stand-alone sixth category, the FMSCI Gypsy Challenge, restricted to Maruti Gypsy, and not eligible for championship points or classification, completes the grid.

  • India gets FIM MiniGP Series; Bengaluru, Hyd to host six rounds

    India gets FIM MiniGP Series; Bengaluru, Hyd to host six rounds

    Bengaluru, 11 March 2022: The FIM MiniGP India Series is the newest Cup to join the FIM MiniGP World Series. India joins Australia, Austria, Indonesia, Japan and Qatar as additions for 2022, adding to the 10 Series that began in 2021, says Dorna, the MotoGP promoters.

    India joins the 10 series namely, Alpe Adria, France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, North America, Portugal, Spain and the UK. 

    Six rounds in Bengaluru & Hyderabad

    The FIM MiniGP World Series is designed as the first step on the Road to MotoGP, aiming to create an equal platform for young riders around the world to begin their motorcycle racing careers. India is the world’s second most populous country and has a huge number of two-wheeled vehicles, meaning motorcycles already form part of the daily life of millions of people.  

    The FIM MiniGP India Series will serve an established appetite for racing, creating an economically viable and equal environment in which young riders can begin to compete, gain experience and sharpen their skills. The 2022 FIM MiniGP India Series will comprise six rounds, with competition split between Bangalore and Hyderabad. 

    As ever, the best riders will qualify for the FIM MiniGP World Final alongside the top riders from each Series, with the possibility of promotions up for grabs on the Road to MotoGP™.