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Tag: Akhil Rabindra
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Shahan Ali, Akash shine for Speed Demons Delhi; Neel, Akhil salvage win for Hyd: IRL
Chennai (Tamil Nadu), 4 Dec 2022: Neel Jani and Akhil Rabindra chalked out an opportunistic victory in the Feature Race to help Black Birds Hyderabad maintain their grip at the top after young racing talent Shahan Ali Mohsin took a brilliant win in the Sprint Race 2 for Speed Demons Delhi in the third and penultimate round of the Indian Racing League promoted by Racing Promotions Pvt. Limited (RPPL) at the Madras International Circuit at Irungattukottai, about 40 kms from here, on Sunday.
Going into the third round, Speed Demons Delhi were lying at the bottom of the points table but with a strategic win in the qualifying session 2, Akash Gowda put his teammate Shahan Ali Mohsin in pole position and the 18-year Agra driver did a brilliant job with a mature drive as he kept experienced Jon Lancaster of Chennai Turbo Riders behind him with excellent defensive tactics despite a Safety Car period and brought home full points. Despite having issues with the gear box, the Speed Demons Delhi, took a gamble and preferred to start on pole, opting not to change the gear box which would have invited a 5-place gird penalty. Lancaster finished second ahead of Nikhil Bohra (Godspeed Kochi) in third, after Bianca Bustamante was hit by a mechanical failure.
“We did not have it easy in the race, nor earlier in the warm-up as we had gear-box issues. But we had the pace and I kept my focus despite the pressure from Jon (Lancaster). The team did a great job and the strategy worked,” said Shahan Ali.
Later, Shahan Ali combined well with Akash Gowda and were well on course for a victory but two Safety Car periods spoiled their party. Shahan who started the Feature race, defended well and slowly increased the lead with two fastest laps and handed over the car with a 5-second lead to Akash. Surprisingly, despite being in the lead when the second Safety Car period started, Delhi’s second driver Akash Gowda found himself in third. Sandeep Kumar of Chennai, who was in second place at that point with just a lap to go, stalled his car and the race finished behind the Safety Car. Akash finished behind Jani and Rishon took final place on the podium.
However, it was an opportunistic victory for Neel Jani, who salvaged full points along with Akhil Rabindra for Black Birds Hyderabad as the championship leaders failed to get on to the podium in both the sprint races in Round 3. Akash Gowda (Shahan Ali) finished second and a lucky Rishon Rajeev (Bianca Bustamante) of Bengaluru finished third, thanks to the Safety Car. During the Safety Car period, the lapped cars were allowed to un-lap themselves and with the mechanical failure for the Chennai car, Rishon suddenly found himself on the podium.
“I was a bit confused. Suddenly I was behind the Safety Car and I was wondering if I was in P1, then the Safety Car allowed us to pass and I came back into P4 and then the podium,” said a happy Rishon Rajeev of Bangalore Speedsters, whose teammate Bianca did well with some fine defensive driving but was unlucky to miss the podium in the Sprint.
The Fourth and the final leg of the Indian Racing League will return to the Street Circuit of Hyderabad December 10 and 11.
Results – Day 2, Round 3:
Feature Race:
1. Neel Jani / Akhil Rabindra (Black Birds Hyderabad) 41:20.818;
2. Shahan Ali Mohsin / Akash Gowda (Speed Demons Delhi) 41:21.384;
3. Rishon Rajeev /Bianca Bustamanta (Bangalore Speedsters) 41:22.633.
Sprint Race 2:
1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Speed Demons Delhi) 23:04.788;
2. Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) 23:06.750;
3. Nikhil Bohra (Godspeed Kochi) 23:13.585.
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Akhil Rabindra, Neel Jani star in Black Birds sweep: Indian Racing League
Irungattukottai (Chennai), 27 Nov 2022: Indian Racing star Akhil Rabindra displayed excellent driving skills and consistency to post a victory in the Sprint Race 2 and later combined with teammate Neel Jani, sharing the car, to win the Feature Race. The duo put strong contenders Black Birds Hyderabad on top of the championship table with a clean sweep of all the three races in the second round of the inaugural Indian Racing League at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.
Godspeed Kochi’s Ruhaan Alva and Fabienne Wohlwend came second in the Feature Race clocking 37 minutes, 05.957 seconds, followed by Amir Sayed and Shohil Shah of Goa Aces who timed 37:23.507 for their third place. Winners Akhil and Neel posted a winning time of 36:55.401. Each of the 12 cars in the Feature race saw a driver change after a mandatory pit stop. Neel Jani also set the fastest lap in the Feature Race 1:31.274.
Akhil Rabindra of Black Birds Hyderabad who excelled on Sunday. Godspeed Kochi’s Ruhaan Alva and Fabienne Wohlwend celebrate on the podium after taking a second in the Feature race. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan Talking to INDIAinF1.com, Neel Jani said: “It was great to see IRL finally lifting off, after a bumpy start! Obviously, I am very happy about the 3 wins that Akhil and I could give to Team Hyderabad Black birds!
“We had our fair share of issues in free practice but we managed to go through them step by step, and by qualifying we started to get ontop of things. Clean sweep this weekend, could not have hoped for more!”
“It is special as this is my first win on Indian soil,” the Swiss driver, whose father is of Indian origin, added.
Sprint Race 2
Earlier Rabindra, the 26-year old Bengaluru-born Aston Martin Racing Academy driver, who is a regular in the GT4 Euro Series, began the day with a deserving win in the Sprint Race 2, dominating from pole to flag. He clocked 46:48.660. The race saw a Safety Car period after an incident where Raoul Hymen of Goa Aces and Shahan Ali Mohsin of Speed Demons Delhi had a contact but later with about four minutes to go, the race was red flagged when Celia Martin of Speed Demons Delhi lost control, spun and slid backwards crashing on to the tyre barriers. All the drivers escaped unhurt.
Godspeed Kochi’s Fabienne Wohlwend from Liechtenstein came second in 46:49.383, defending admirably against a marauding Jon Lancaster of Chennai Turbo Riders, who clocked 46:49.963. Rabindra set the fastest lap at 1:32.108.
Ruhaan Alva in action on Sunday. Feature Race
Black Birds dominated the week-end and now top the table with 118 points, with their Team A comprising of Akhil and Neel, garnering full 100 points that are on offer from three races. But they had a heart-break when their second driver combo of Anindith Reddy and Lola Lovinsfosse, who garnered 18 points in the two sprint races together, were well on course for a podium finish but Lola outbraked and lost balance, suffering a DNF on the last lap.
A brilliant drive by 16-year old Ruhaan Alva and teammate Fabienne Wohlwend got them a well-deserved second place in the Feature race and they put Godspeed Kochi in second place with 84 points. Fabienne put the #1 Blue-coloured machine into fourth place after starting from P9, and handed over to Ruhaan in the 15th minute. Then Ruhaan stepped up the pace and overtook a couple of more cars to get into the podium zone and finished a creditable second.
“It was an amazing race, a great start from Fabienne getting up to p4 on the first lap. Then I had to really push in the second stint to get into the top 3 because we were trying to undercut the others. We weren’t as quick as we would have liked but we were always there, playing it smart in the races and fighting it out. So I’m pretty happy with the performance,” said Ruhaan Alva, who just returned from the World Motorsport Games a few days back.
Amir Sayed and Sohil Shah of Goa Aces, despite a 15-sec penalty came third. Yash Aradhya and Anshul Gandhi of Bangalore Speedsters came fourth to bag a valuable 24 points that pushed them to third in the championship table with 60 points. Only six of the 12 teams completed the Feature race which saw many incidents including safety car periods.
The first round in Hyderabad on Nov 20 was cancelled due to safety issues.
Provisional Results (Round 2):
Sprint Race:
1. Akhil Rabindra (Black Birds Hyderabad) 46:48.660;
2. Fabienne Wohlwend (Godspeed Kochi) 46:49.383;
3. Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) 46:49.963;
Fastest lap: Akhil Rabindra (BB Hyderabad) 1:32.108.
Feature Race;
1. Neel Jani/ Akhil Rabindra (BB Hyd) 36:55.401;
2. Ruhaan Alva/ Fabienne Wohlwend 37: 05.957;
3. Amir Sayed /Shohil Shah (Goa Aces) 37:23.507;
Fastest Lap: Neel Jani (BB Hyd) 1:31.274.
INDIAN RACING LEAGUE – Points Standings after Round 2 at MIC
# Team Name Car # Sprint Race 1 Sprint Race 2 Feature Race Total Points Team Total 1 Black Birds Hyderabad 9 25 25 50+50 150 168 Black Birds Hyderabad 10 6 12 DNF 18 2 GodSpeed Kochi 1 12 18 36+36 102 120 GodSpeed Kochi 2 18 DNF DNF 18 3 Bangalore Speedsters 3 10 10 16+16 52 100 Bangalore Speedsters 4 DNF DNF 24+24 48 4 Chennai Turbo Riders 5 8 DNF 20+20 56 67 Chennai Turbo Riders 6 4 15 DNF 19 5 Goa Aces 7 DNF DNF DNF 0 68 Goa Aces 8 DNF 8 30+30 68 6 Speed Demons Delhi 11 DNF DNF DNF 0 15 Speed Demons Delhi 12 15 DNF DNF 15 In Feature race both drivers get points. Note: Table updated on 1dec22 -
Akhil Rabindra-Conde finish P11 in Silver Category in Race 1
Spa Francorchamps, 1 August, 2021: Akhil Rabindra, the only Indian on the European GT4 Championship grid, racing for AGS Events Racing Team, finished P11 in the Silver category in Race 1 along with his team mate Hugo Conde in an incident laden round four of the championship in Belgium on Saturday evening at the iconic Circuit de Spa Francorchamps which also hosts the much-awaited Belgian Grand Prix .
The Indo-French duo driving the Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for AGS Events Racing Team had earlier finished at P13 & P12 in the Silver category at the Qualifying race 1 & 2 respectively. Akhil took to the steering wheel after the pit stop in Race 1 of the fourth round of the European GT4 Championship made an impressive run to finish P11 in the Silver category and an overall P23 from a grid of 37 cars. Akhil while being on the driver’s seat completed 21 laps in 1:02:22.434 minutes.
Circuit Spa is known for inconsistent weather and the rain started with the formation lap which caused a lot of splashes and caused visual disruptions for the drivers on the grid. Akhil started the Race 2 and Hugo who took over the driver’s seat after the pit stop but with just few minutes to go for the final lap the damper broke and the duo finished the race at P14 at Silver cup category and completed 19 laps at 57:09.649 minutes and overall P36.
Akhil Rabindra commented, “We could have done much better and are definitely not happy with our performance. The rain made it difficult it impacted the speed and also the technical glitch at the end of the race which was unexpected. We will have to keep working on our performance and keep improving to ensure that in future such indirect and unforeseen hurdles do not impact our positions drastically.”
Round 4 of the European GT4 Series saw #22 Allied Racing Porsche’s victory in Silver Cup, #42 Sainteloc Racing Audi in Pro-am and #12 BMW in the AM Cup claiming the top honors. The European GT4 Series now moves to Circuit Nürburgring, Germany for round five of the Championship from September 3rd -5th , 2021. The race can be watched LIVE on the YouTube Page of European GT4 Series.
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
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Akhil finishes P15 as incidents play spoilsport at Circuit Zandvoort
Bengaluru, 21 June, 2021: Akhil Rabindra, the only Indian on the European GT4 Championship grid, racing for AGS Events Racing Team, finished P15 in the Silver category along with his team mate Hugo Conde in an incident laden Round 3 of the championship in Netherlands late last evening. The race was being hosted at the iconic Circuit Zandvoort which also would play the host to the much-awaited Dutch Formula1 Grand Prix later this year.
Akhil is also the only Asian to get selected for the prestigious Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy’s class of 2021 for the third time in a row inching closer towards a chance to earn the coveted Academy driver contract. An incident laden Race1 for the team of Akhil Rabindra and Hugo Conde, with the latter on the steering wheel, saw them finishing at P13 in the Silver category and an overall P27. Race 1 saw Akhil’s team completing 24 laps in 1:22:04.392. Race 1 was quite an eventful race facing temporary suspension following an incident involving the #32 United Autosports McLaren.
Akhil who took to the steering wheel in Race 2 of the third round of the European GT4 Championship made an impressive run to finish P15 in the Silver category and an overall P21 from a grid of 36 cars. Akhil while being on the driver’s seat completed 32 laps in 1:01:55.560 minutes. Akhil while driving his Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in Race 2 again had to face an interruption, after starting on a good note, had to slow down in the final few minutes of the race due to a full course yellow and safety car situation, following two separate incidents where the race control neutralized proceedings after the #77 Team Fullmotorsport Audi went into the gravel while at the same time the #11 Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW hit the barriers.
Akhil Rabindra commented, “We could have done much better and are definitely not happy with our performance. There were unforeseen hurdles in both Race 1 & 2 which had a direct impact on our speed and finishing positions. We will have to keep working on our performance and keep improving to ensure that in future such indirect and unforeseen hurdles do not impact our positions drastically.”
Round 3 of the European GT4 Series saw AKKA ASP (Mercedes –AMG) in Pro-am and Silver, and CMR (Toyota) in the AM Cup claim the top honors. The European GT4 Series now moves to Circuit Spa-Francorchamos, Belgium for Round 4 of the Championship from July 28 – 31, 2021. The race can be watched LIVE on the YouTube Page of European GT4 Series.
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
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Akhil hopes to cash in on Circuit Zandvoort experience in the third round
Bengaluru, 18 June 2021: Akhil Rabindra the only Indian driver in the European GT4 Championship is back on the grid with a power paced round three race weekend at the Circuit Zandvoort in Netherland. Akhil, alongside his 19-Year-Old French teammate, Hugo Conde, will aim for a better finish this time given his previous experience on the track in 2019. The Europeans GT4 Championship’s third round will be held from June 18th-20th, 2021 and the race can be watched LIVE on the GT4 World YouTube Page. The 24-year-old Bengaluru born Akhil Rabindra also has enjoyed the rare distinction of not only being the only Indian on the European GT4 Championship Grid but he has also bagged a spot for the third straight year with the Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Driver Academy, inching closer towards realizing his dream of landing the coveted Academy Driver’s contract at the Aston Martin Racing Academy. Akhil also is the only Asian to have made it to the AMR Driver Academy since 2019.
Akhil will be racing for the second time at the Circuit Zandvoort. Earlier Akhil with his team mate David Griessner raced for PROSport Performance at the ADAC GT4 CHAMPIONSHIP in 2019. The duo finished at P4 in race one and were aiming for a P5 finish but due to a technical problem they finished at P21.
“We have raced at Circuit Zandvoort , but we had to face a technical glitch in our last outing at the circuit. We really want to make sure that we go a step better than the last time and again claim a better position. We will give our best, with competition getting higher a lot would be depending upon our driving. I am really looking forward to getting back on the racetrack with AGS Events Racing,” stated Akhil ahead of Round three of the European GT4 Championship.
Akhil finished at P13 and P14 in the Silver Category in round one (Monza) and two (Circuit Paul Ricard) respectively after retiring in race one of both the races due to technical glitch.
Circuit Zandvoort which is a 4.2252km long track consisting of 19 turning points and is a motorsport race track which has hosted a number of major races. Circuit Park Zandvoort played host to the first race in the 2006/07 of A1 Grand Prix. The circuit is known for its fast and sweeping corners. Akhil is currently supported by ASM Technologies, SmartFix and RV Forms and Gears.
For the complete schedule of the 2021 European GT4 Championship please visit: GT4 European Series | GT4 European Series (gt4series.com)
LIVE Streaming Time –
19th June 2021: GT4 European (Qualifying Race) – 21:35 Hrs (IST) Onwards
20th June 2021: GT4 European (Race 1) – 13:50 Hrs (IST) Onwards
20th June 2021: GT4 European (Race 2) – 20:35 Hrs (IST) Onwards
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
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Technical glitches play spoilsport for Akhil Rabindra: Euro GT4
Le Castellet, 30 May 2021: CMR took a commanding one-two victory in the second European GT4 Series race on Sunday afternoon. The #8 Toyota of Antoine Potty and Stephane Lémeret won the race, with the #30 Alpine of Loris Cabirou and Vincent Beltoise taking second place.
Indian racer Akhil Rabindra of Silver Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 team, along with teammate H Conde, had a bad day and could finish only 29th among 41 cars. Earlier too, the duo failed to finish Race 1 and were not classified. On Saturday, they qualified P14.
Technical Glitches
Akhil Rabindra’s second round performance was marred by technical glitches at the Circuit Paul Ricard. The 24 year old Bengaluru born driver who also is the only Indian at the European GT4 Championships this season finished at P16 in the silver category. Akhil driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for the AGS Events Racing team took to the drivers seat in Race 2 after he and his teammate Hugo Conde had to retire after 16 laps in Race 1 due to engine issues. Akhil is also the only Asian to have made it to the coveted Aston Martin Racing drivers academy in 2021, a feat that he has achieved for the third straight year in a row.
Retire from Race 1 due to Faulty Engine
Akhil & Hugo earlier had to retire due to a faulty engine in Race 1 after having qualified at P14 in the qualifying race. Race 1 saw them completing 16-laps in 38:29.167 minutes. Post this Akhil took the steering in Race 2 scripting an impressive run to finish P15 in the Silver category. Akhil completed Race 2 in 1:01:40.275 minutes on Sunday evening (30th May,2021) at Circuit Paul Ricard to finish at an overall 29th place from a grid of 41 cars.
Rabindra commented, “There’re plenty of opportunities for us to improve and we’ll be working on it. I, personally, have grasped a lot and can’t wait to work on my shortcomings to better my performances for the upcoming races now.”
Stunning start for Jim Pla
Jim Pla in the #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG took control of the race right at the start from third on the grid, leaving front row starters Gregory Guilvert in the #42 Audi, Antoine Potty in the #8 Toyota and Charlie Fagg in the #23 McLaren behind.
The two Pro-Am drivers were separated by just a couple of seconds and maintained their one-two overall for half of the race, but on lap 14 Antoine Potty managed to put his CMR Toyota in between the Mercedes and the Audi.
Potty maintained a healthy lead over Charlie Fagg and Thijmen Nabuurs in the battle for Silver Cup honours and when the front runners dived into the pits, the gap between the class leader and his pursuers was over seven seconds.
After all teams had completed their mandatory stops the #87 Mercedes-AMG was still leading, but Stephane Lémeret in the #8 Toyota lapped quicker than Beaubelique and the Belgian driver made a comfortable pass on lap 18.
Two laps later Fabien Michal in the #42 Audi also jumped Beaubelique to take the Pro-Am lead. In the meantime Vincent Beltoise in the #30 CMR Alpine passed Jop Rappange in the V8 Racing Chevrolet to take second in Silver. On the penultimate lap Beltoise overtook Michal, but time had run out for Beltoise to try and catch his team mate and challenge him for the race win.
Stephane Lémeret crossed the line 2.682s clear of Vincent Beltoise, ensuring a CMR one-two on home soil and the second outright victory of the Toyota GR Supra GT4 in the GT4 European Series. The #17 V8 Racing Camaro of Thijmen Nabuurs and Jop Rappange completed the Silver Cup podium finishing fourth on the road.
Saintéloc Racing claimed its second Pro-Am victory at Circuit Paul Ricard with Fabien Michal and Gregory Guilvert ultimately finishing third overall in the #42 Audi. The #87 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG of Jim Pla and Jean-Luc Beaubelique ended the race second in class, finishing fifth overall, while the #5 Team Speedcar Audi of Hodier and Courroye took the final Pro-Am podium spot.
Hodier finished just 0.293s clear of the #34 Selleslagh Racing Team Mercedes-AMG of Bosco and Muth, with the #718 Centri Porsche Ticino car of Jacoma and Busnelli completing the Pro-Am top five.
The battle for Am honours went down to the wire. Christophe Hamon and Michael Blanchemain won the race after Hamon took the lead from the #3 CMR Toyota of Benezet and Cazalbon just four minutes from the end. The #89 AGS Events Aston Martin of Gomar and Herr finished in third place, with Gomar passing the #50 W&D Racing Team BMW of Meloni and Tresoldi right at the end of the race.
The next round of the GT4 European Series will be held at Zandvoort on June 18-20. The series will support the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup in the Netherlands. The two one-hour races at Zandvoort will be held on Sunday.Note: The article was updated on May 31.
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Akhil hopes for a podium at the familiar Paul Ricard track
Bengaluru, 28 May 2021 :The only Indian driver in the 44-car grid for the European GT4 Championship, Akhil Rabindra is hoping for a podium finish at the Circuit Paul Ricard–Le Castellet in France, this weekend from May 28 to 30. The 24-year Indian has bagged a spot at the Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Driver Academy for the third time in a row this year.
Akhil will be driving an Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 with his 19-Year-Old French teammate, Hugo Conde for the AGS Events Racing Team.
This will be the third time that Akhil will be racing at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Prior to this race, he has raced at the French FFSA GT Championship in there previous season where in he along with his teammate Vannelet made a strong comeback finishing P6 in the Pro-Am category and an overall P10 position in Race 2 while finishing P9 in their respective category in Race 1.
However, the 5.8km Circuit Paul Ricard might be familiar for most teams, but the difference from the final race of the 2020 GT4 European Series six months ago could not be bigger. The championship has seen an incredible increase in entries, with 44 cars set to contest the two races on Sunday compared with 18 last November.
In the 2019 European GT4 Championship Akhil alongside his teammate, Florian Thoma managed to finish at P4 but a late penalty put them at overall P15. Later, the duo clocked an impressive time and managed to finish at P5 in the qualifying and P7 in the second race.
“The track has an interesting mix of fast and slow speed corners. The competition will definitely be higher and a lot would depend upon our driving.I am really looking forward to getting back on the racetrack with AGS Events Racing,” stated Akhil post the race weekend.
The season got underway at Monza with a double win for the #23 United Autosports entry of Charlie Fagg and Bailey Voisin and the pair will now try to take McLaren’s first outright win at Circuit Paul Ricard to increase their championship lead. United Autosports will also enter the sister #32 machine for Dean Macdonald and Gus Bowers, currently third in the Silver Cup standings.
Qualifying on Saturday, as well as the two races on Sunday, will be shown live and free of charge on the GT4 European Series website and SRO Motorsport Group’s GT World YouTube channels.
LIVE Streaming Time – (gt4series.com)
29th May 2021:
GT4 European (Qualifying Race) – 15:25 Hrs (IST) Onwards
30th May 2021:
GT4 European (Race 1) – 13:20 Hrs (IST) Onwards
30th May 2021:
GT4 European (Race 2) – 21:05 Hrs (IST) Onward
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
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Akhil Rabindra makes it to Aston Martin Academy again
Bangalore,19 May 2021: Bengaluru based 24-year-old GT4 racer Akhil Rabindra, today made it to the coveted list of the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy third time in a row for the 2021 class. Akhil who is currently competing for AGS Events Racing team at the European GT4 Championships, is the only Asian to have made it to the prestigious AMR driving academy along with 14 others from across the world. The British luxury sportscar manufacturer made this important announcement today. Aston Martin through their driver academy aim to search for the next generation of GT4 endurance superstars and the 2021 class has only 15 elite drivers ( all between 17-26 years) from around the world competing with the hope to land up with an Aston Martin Junior drivers contract a year later. Akhil currently drives an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for AGS Events Racing team.
Akhil will be racing the second round of the 2021 season at the European GT4 Championships from 28th-30th May,2021. The race would be hosted at the Paul Ricard circuit.
A thrilled and excited Akhil reacted after the announcement saying, “I am extremely excited and delighted to be on the AMR Driver Academy again this season. This year I have all the experience gathered from the past two years and no excuses to perform to the best to my ability to prove to myself and AMR. I would like to thank my sponsors, AGS Events Racing Team for their continued support and faith in my dream.”
The selection criteria to this elite program are based on a wide range of criteria including pace, consistency and technical feedback. The judging panel included AMR President David King, Managing Director John Gaw, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jonny Adam (GB), works star Ross Gunn (GB), and Hasse-Clot. The judging panel also evaluate each drivers’ ability to manage the strategic,teamwork, commercial and public relations aspects of their role.
Rabindra is the only Asian to have made it to the highly respected AMR Driver Academy for consecutive years in 2019-20 & 2020-2021. The 24 year old racer will also the only Indian driver in the European GT4 Championship this season.
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Mixed bag of results for AGS Event Duo Akhil Rabindra
Bengaluru, 19 April 2021:The AGS Events Duo comprising Akhil Rabindra, the only Asian participating at the European GT4 Championship this year, and Hugo Conde faced tough tests at Monza, Italy in the European GT4 Championship on Sunday evening (April 18, 2021). The duo finished thirteenth in Silver category in race two at the circuit after having retired in Race 1.
The Indo-french duo driving the Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4 for AGS Events Racing Team had to retire in Race. Akhil had to take to the steering for race twoto avoid action because of an incident where two cars crashed and stopped in front of him. This happened in front of him and thus resulted in him being pushed back in his position.However given the pace of the car (Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4)which resulted in his team finishing P11 at the qualifying, Akhil still managed to finish 20 laps in 50:34:074hrsthereby finishing 13th in the Silver Category.
“We are not content with Sunday’s result, especially after what we could have achieved on Saturday.Its fortunate that we could not convert our P11 position in the qualifying to better results, but we are confident that we will have better outcomes in the races ahead,” Rabindra stated.He further added, ” Saturday’s crash was quite a big one, and all credit to our team that our car was ready just in time for race two. Though the car was not like Saturday and we didn’t have the same pace for race two but we are confident of us having a great machine that will help us achieve favorable results.”
The European GT4 Series now moves to Circuit Paul Ricard, France for Round 2 of the Championship from April 26 – 28, 2021. Akhil earlier in the European GT4 Series had finished 5th overall and would look forward to better results in the upcoming weekend. The race can be watched LIVE on the YouTube Page of European GT4 Series.
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
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Akhil Rabindra begin campaign this week-end: Euro GT4
Bengaluru, 16 April 2021: Aston Martin Racing (AMR) Driver Academy product (2019-20), Akhil Rabindra of India, will commence his racing season at the famous Monza circuit in Italy. This weekend of April 16-18, 2021, will see Akhil racing for AGS Events Racing Team in Round 1 of the 2021 European GT4 Championship. AGS Events Racing Team were also the winners in the teams’ title and Silver Cup Drovers’ title category in the season finale at Circuit Paul Ricard in 2020 and they would look forward to extend their winning run this season as well with Akhil and Hugo carrying the mantle forward.
The 24-year-old racer who also is the only Indian driver in the European GT4 Championship this season will be driving an Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT4. Rabindra would be racing in the silver category and will be joined by his French teammate Hugo Conde for the 2021 season in the silver category.
This would be Akhil’s second outing at the Monza circuit, his first being in 2019 for Pro Sport Performance where he finished 7th and 8th respectively in the Silver Category. The opening race of the European GT4 Championship at the Monza Circuit will host one of the largest grids this year with around 48 cars vying for the podium. The grid would include 18 cars in the silver category while 19 cars would represent the pro-am category. Further a total of 11 cars would be racing in the amateur category.
“This will be my second time at the Monza circuit and I am looking forward to the race for my team AGS Events Racing Team. Monza is a really fast track and is equally challenging and I hope to better my performance here this time around,” said a visibly busy Akhil ahead of the race weekend.
The race will be streamed LIVE on European GT4 Championships YouTube Page on 17th& 18th April 2021.
The 2021 season of the European GT4 Championship will comprise of 12 races and six rounds travelling through six countries.The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is a historic race track near the city of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit’s biggest event is the Italian Grand Prix. The site has three tracks – the 5.793-kilometre (3.600 mi) Grand Prix track, the 2.405-kilometre (1.494 mi) Junior track and a 4.250-kilometre (2.641 mi) high speed oval track with steep bankings. The major features of the main Grand Prix track include the Curva Grande, the Curva di Lesmo, the VarianteAscari and the CurvaParabolica.
Get the complete schedule of the 2021 European GT4 Championship: GT4 European Series | GT4 European Series (gt4series.com)
LIVE Streaming Time –
17th April 2021: GT4 European (Qualifying Race) – 15:10 Hrs (IST) Onwards
17th April 2021: GT4 European (Race 1) – 20:55 Hrs (IST) Onwards
18th April 2021: GT4 European (Race 2) – 16:40 Hrs (IST) Onwards
About European GT4 Championship:
The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which followed a formula similar to the FIA GT3 European Championship, which was itself derived from the FIA GT Championship which utilized the GT1 and GT2 classes.
GT4 class cars are mostly what can be referred to as track day cars, which are factory-built race cars available to the public. However, custom-built cars based on production models can also be built by teams. All cars are test driven by the FIA and then modified so that they all have near identical performance levels. Once a car has been approved by the FIA, it cannot be modified by the teams, eliminating continual development costs for constructors. All cars run on regulated Pirelli tires to further equalize performance.
