INDIA in F1

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  • Aditya Patel finishes the season with a bang, helps team with a double win: Blancpain GT Asia Series

    Aditya Patel finishes the season with a bang, helps team with a double win: Blancpain GT Asia Series

    Zhejiang: Twenty-nine year old Chennai racer Aditya Patel finished the seasonn with a bang with a double victory in along with teammate Gilbert in the 12th and final race of the Blancpain GT Series Asia Championship. The duo, piloting the Audi R8 LMS GT3, missed out on the overall championship title by a single point in the inaugural edition.

    Indian GT ace Aditya Patel and Malaysian teammate Mitch Gilbert won both the races at the final round of the Inaugural Blancpain GT Series in Asia which helped them claw back vital championship points, finishing only one point behind the final winner, Hunter Abbott.

    “What a weekend! I’ve had a fantastic year with OD Racing and the support from my sponsors Audi India, Jubilant Motorworks and 2GO Activewear has b

    Aditya-Patel-and-Gilbert-after-a-double-win-in-the-season-finale-on Sunday. Photo courtesy Aditya Patel

    een amazing! I can’t wait to see what next year has in store,” said an ecstatic Aditya to www.INDIAinF1.com through an email after the weekend.

    The OD Racing pair came into the final round 28 points behind the championship leading pair of Marchy Lee and Shaun Thong. With 50 points up for grabs, Patel and Gilbert came into the weekend with an outside chance of winning the title.

    Patel put in a lap which was good enough for second place on the grid for race 1 while Gilbert set a blinding laptime in qualifying 2 which put them on pole position for race 2.

    Starting 2nd for the first race, Aditya was quick to take the lead in wet conditions and began to open a gap between himself and 2nd place Aidan Read. The Indian then handed the car over to Gilbert who found himself in the lead even after serving a five second pitstop penalty. From there on Gilbert opened up a gap and finished comfortable with a win in race 1.

    Race 2 was held in treacherous conditions after it rained through the night and continued to rain as the day progressed. Gilbert took the start but lost a place to Martin Rump on turn one, and kept his head down through his stint, and then handed it over to Patel who served his 10-second penalty for winning Race 1 and came out in 2nd place behind Rump’s teammate Rick Yoon. However, as conditions got worse, Yoon spun and handed the lead back to Patel who cruised to the 2nd victory of the weekend. Although he roped in a maximum-points haul, the pair still missed out on the overall championship by just a single point.

    “What a weekend! We came in 28 points behind the leaders with an outside chance of winning and now we’ve finished 2nd only one point behind. We did everything we could this weekend and had a perfect weekend but in the end it wasn’t enough.

    eom/with inputs from Aditya Patel

  • Maximilian Gunther finishes runner-up in the F3 Euro championship

    Event: 10 Hockenheim
    Session: Race 3
    Track: Hockenheimring / DEU
    Pole position: Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam)
    Race winner: Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam)
    Weather: sunny, 16.2 °C

    With his fifth win of the year, Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam) concluded his third season in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. At the 4.574 kilometres long Hockenheimring, the 20-year-old German took the chequered flag ahead of Joel Eriksson (Motopark) and Guanyu Zhou (Prema Powerteam). That was enough for the Swede to secure second place in the final FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings behind newly-crowned European Champion Lando Norris (Carlin).

    In the final race of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship season, one of the things that still had to be decided was the battle for second place in the final drivers’ standings for 2017. The candidates for the runner-up position were Joel Eriksson and Maximilian Günther and both put in their best performances. Günther started the race from pole position and took the lead at the start. Eriksson started from fifth place, was fourth after the opening lap, third after lap two and second after another lap.

    On lap six, Ferdinand Habsburg (Carlin) crashed into the tyre stacks which led to a ‘full course yellow’, during which all drivers have to reduce their speed and overtaking is prohibited. This temporarily stopped the Swede’s progress. But as racing resumed, the BMW junior was also unable to significantly reduce his gap of slightly more than four seconds to Mercedes protégé Günther. The latter drove an undisputed victory home while Eriksson took the flag in second place. Thus, the Motopark driver, who had won last year’s FIA Formula 3 European Championship rookie title, ended up second in the drivers’ standings after his second season in the series.

    Chinese driver Guanyu Zhou, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, claimed the final podium slot as he demoted the new FIA Formula 3 European Champion to fourth. Callum Ilott (Prema Powerteam), Jake Hughes (Hitech Grand Prix), Pedro Piquet (Van Amersfoort Racing), Nikita Mazepin (Hitech Grand Prix), Joey Mawson (Van Amersfoort Racing) and David Beckmann (Motopark) finished in the following positions. As Hughes had been too fast during the FCY (‘full course yellow’) phase, he was given a five second time penalty after the race. Thus, the Brit dropped back to eighth place behind Piquet and Mazepin.

    Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam): “Winning this race was all I could do to keep my chances of becoming second in the drivers’ standings. My start was very good and I was able to pull a gap straight away. Later, I kept my advantage and tried to save my tyres. Winning in front of my home crowd is a nice way to conclude a season that didn’t always go like I wanted it to. We didn’t have the best package, but I think I have made the most out of it.”

    Joel Eriksson (Motopark): “I am really happy to have secured runner-up position in the drivers’ standings. After having had problems last year, we worked hard over the winter. The first part of the season went well, but we again had troubles in the middle of the year. However, we were able to solve these as well and eventually, we were back on top again. Today, I knew that I at least had to finish third, because Maximilian was in a very good position to win the race. When I was in second place, I backed off a bit.”

    Guanyu Zhou (Prema Powerteam): “For the first time, I have managed to score two podium finishes in one Formula 3 weekend. At the start of the race, I even was in second place, but Joel was faster and overtook me. From lap 15 till the end, I had to be careful to keep Lando Norris at bay, so I couldn’t make a mistake and had to be consistently fast.”

    eom/FIA press release

  • Ruhaan Alva, Yash Aradhya, Aaroh Ravindra for World Rotax Grand Finale in Portugal

    Bangalore, 15 Oct 2017: Ruhaan Alva (Micro Max), Yash Aradhya (Junior Max) and Aaroh Ravindra (Senior Max) will represent India in the World Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals at Portugal from November 4-11 according to sources. Portimao in Algarve will be the venue for the 16th edition where 288 of the best kart drivers in the world will compete in four categories supported by independent chassis partners.

    Meanwhile, in the Nationals, Arjun Rajiv of Birel Art India won the Micro Max Championship while Yash Aradhya (MSport) and Aaroh Ravindra of Rayo Racing won the Junior Max and Senior Max Championships respectively. Team Rayo Racing won the team championship while Nirmal Umashankar became the best driver of the year.

    Ruhaan Alva, won the final race of the fifth and final round in the Micro Max class at the Meco Kartopia in the Rotax Max Karting National Championship organised by Meco Motorsports under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (fmsci) here on Sunday.

    However, the 11-year old Bengaluru boy, who recently won the second runners-up place in the Italian EasyKart 60cc championship, was given a third place after the stewards’ ruling following a protest. That did not, however, deny him a second place in the Micro Max championship.

    Aaroh Ravindra, Senior Max National Champion. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan
    Ruhaan reacts at the Meco Kartopia on Sunday after hearing the news of World finals. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan, commissioned for INDIAinF1.

    Ruhaan’s teammate Arjun Rajiv could only finish sixth and fifth in the two races this week-end but that was enough for him to garner a total tally of 416 points, eight more than Ruhaan, to win the Championship crown. Rishon MR, also of Birel Art India, came third for a clean sweep by the Birel team. Both Ruhaan and Rishon had 408 points.

    In the Senior Max championship, it was Aaroh Ravindra of Rayo Racing who won the National title with 436 points after he finished second in both the races in the last round here. Nirmal Umashankar of MSport was second with a tally of 403 points while Aanjan Patodia, also of Rayo Racing, got the second runners-up with 388 points.

    It was Yash Aradhya of MSport who won the National Championship in the Junior Max category with 432 points edging out Chirag Ghorpade, who won both the pre-finals andn finals this week-end but fell short by six points in his last-round dash with only 423 points. Yash came third in the pre-final and second in the last race of the season. Shahan Ali Mohsin MSport came third with 405 points with a second and third place this week-end.

    Championship winners:

    Micro Max

    1. Arjun Rajiv – 416 – Birel Art India
    2. Ruhaan Alva – 408 – Birel Art India
    3. Rishon M R – 408 – Birel Art India

     Winning Team Champion  – Peregrine Racing

    Junior Max

    1. Yash Aradya – 432 – MSPORT
    2. Chirag Ghorpade – 423 – BPC Racing
    3. Shahan Ali Mohsin – 405 – MSPORT

     Winning Team Champion  – MSPORT

    Senior Max

    1. Aaroh Ravindra – 436 – Rayo Racing
    2. Nirmal Umashankar – 403 – MSPORT
    3. Aanjan Patodia – 388 – Rayo Racing

    Winning Team Champion – Rayo Racing

    Maximum Number of Pole Position – Ruhaan Alva

    Maximum Number of Wins – Aaroh Ravinda

    Best New Corner – Rishon M R

    Best Driver of the Year – Nirmal Uma Shankar

    Akbar Ebrahim Most Improved Karter of the Year – Rohaan Madhesh

    eom/with inputs from official results

    edited at 11.15 am on 16 Oct 2017 correcting names following an official revisions

     

     

  • Fenati wins Moto3 in style; Bezzecchi puts Mahindra on podium

    Italian once again proves his prowess in the wet as he powers away to take the win record – and Mir fails to score
    Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) is now the Moto3™ rider with the most wins since the class was introduced in 2012, taking his perfect tenth victory in incredible style at the Twin Ring Motegi. With wet weather all weekend, the race was no exception and Fenati once again showed his supremacy in the rain. Niccolo Antonelli (Red Bull KTM Ajo) converted solid pace and a front row start into his first podium since the beginning of 2016 after an impressive ride to second, with Marco Bezzecchi (CIP) taking his first rostrum finish in third and making it three manufacturers on the podium: Honda, KTM and Mahindra.

    It was Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) who got the best start from pole, just getting into and through Turn 1 ahead of Antonelli, but the Ajo rider would soon strike back. Streaming through the rain on the first lap was a tough start to the day’s racing for the field, but two men would soon emerge from the spray: Fenati and Antonelli. After shadowing his compatriot and rival, Fenati was quick to strike and sliced through to take the lead – then able to disappear and cross the line four seconds clear.

    Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was in podium contention for some time in the initial stages before Bezzecchi began his charge, but the Japanese rider took P4 and his best ever Grand Prix finish – with home soil the perfect place to do it. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was another initially heading for the podium, before fading slightly but crossing the line in a solid fifth in such tough conditions.

    Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) had a stunning ride through the field after a tough qualifying outside the top twenty, rounding out the top six just ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini) and another man to slice back through the pack – Jakub Kornfeil (Peugeot MC Saxoprint). Bo Bendsneyder was ninth, with John McPhee (British Talent Team) putting in an impressive comeback from P17 on the grid to complete the top ten.

    Nakarin Atiratphuvapat (Honda Team Asia) dropped back slightly on the penultimate lap to take eleventh, ahead of polesitter Nicolo Bulega – who crossed the line in P12 after recovering from a run off. Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate), Andrea Migno (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), who also suffered a run off, rounded out the points in the treacherous conditions.

    Now it’s Phillip Island time, and Fenati’s comeback remains a long shot in the Championship – 55 points behind now, and 75 remaining on the table.
    Moto3 Race Results
    1 – Romano Fenati (ITA – Honda) 29’22.278
    2 – Niccolò Antonelli (ITA – KTM) + 4.146
    3 –  Marco Bezzecchi (ITA – Mahindra) + 5.013
  • The duel of Champions: Dovizioso vs Marquez at Motegi

    The duel of Champions: Dovizioso vs Marquez at Motegi

    The two men at the top stage a historic duel in the rain-soaked Japanese GP – with everything on the line

    Doviziioso wins Motegi on Sunday. A MotoGP image
    In pouring rain at the Twin Ring Motegi, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) staged one of the greatest MotoGP™ duels of all time, putting everything on the line down to the final lap, and the final corner. And despite the best efforts of the reigning Champion, it was Andrea Dovizioso who emerged victorious from ‘Victory’ corner in Japan – taking his fifth win of the season, the seventh of his career, and one of the most spectacular in history. Marquez was an incredibly close second, with Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) completing the podium.

    It was Marquez took the lead off the front row, with Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) soon pouncing on the first lap to take second and then take over in the lead. Marquez was followed by Petrucci and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), with Dovizioso staging a stunning start to tag on the back. Marquez then fought back as Lorenzo moved back slightly, before Petrucci struck at the front and the trio who would head the remaining laps was decided: Petrucci, Marquez, and Dovizioso.

    As the laps ticked down, the two title contenders remained locked together and Petrucci found some clear air in the lead. But with 12 laps to go Marquez made his first move to take over, with ‘DesmoDovi’ then through on his compatriot to keep close company with the Championship leader. They pulled away, and the stage was set.

    With six laps to go, Dovizioso attacked at Turn 6, and the cat and mouse continued. Marquez then hit back with a brutal pass in Turn 3 with three laps to go, and the fuse was lit. Dueling it out with some of the most spectacular racing of the season – and in the pouring rain – it seemed Marquez was holding the cards as the final lap approached.

    Pushing hard to catch the race and Championship leader, the gap was hovering just over half a second for Dovizioso, until Marquez suddenly suffered a moment at Turn 8 and the Ducati was back on him. The Italian struck to take the lead soon after and prepared himself for the aptly-named victory corner – knowing the number 93 was close behind and undoubtedly with Austria on his mind.

    The door didn’t prove closed for Marquez as he shot up the inside, but Dovizioso was prepared for the move and kept it together as the Repsol Honda headed wide. Almost neck and neck over the line, it was ‘DesmoDovi’ who took the victory in a duel that will go down in history – and he cuts the gap to 11 points at the top.

    Behind the trio on the rostrum it was a stunning ride for Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) into fourth, as the Italian picked his way through from P12 on the grid as was able to close in on his teammate Alex Rins, then getting past him in the latter stages. Rins was top rookie after his own display of brilliance, however, earlier shadowing Zarco and then moving through as the Frenchman faded.

    After dropping back after a stunning start, Jorge Lorenzo was able to move back past those ahead of him to cross the line in sixth for another good haul of points – getting back Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) as his final victim, with the Spaniard coming seventh. Zarco faded in the latter stages to head home in P8, ahead of a difficult day for Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Viñales is now 41 points off Marquez at the top of the table.

    Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) completed the top ten as he sliced through in the rain, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking another top result for the Austrian factory in P11. In twelfth, it was wildcard Yamalube Factory Racing rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga – 2017 Suzuka 8H winner and former MotoGP™ podium finisher – as the Japanese veteran impressed as ever.

    Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took his best ever result and some good points in P13, with the points scorers completed by Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing) and Tito Rabat (EG 0,0 Marc VDS). Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) crashed out of contention, but rider ok.

    Now the Championship heads for the legendary Phillip Island, with the gap at the top now cut down to 11 points and three rounds remaining. Motegi was a duel that will go down in history, as will 2017. But with whose name engraved on the trophy?
    MotoGP Race Results
    1 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA – Ducati) 47’14.236
    2 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) +0.249

    1st Independent Team Rider: 
    3 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) +10.557

  • Motul Grand Prix of Japan – Sunday MotoGP Guide

    Twin Ring Motegi on 15 Oct. 17

    MotoGP™

    • Johann Zarco starts from pole for the second time in his rookie year in the MotoGP class. He is the first French rider to have more than a single premier-class pole position in one season since Christian Sarron started from pole five times in the 500cc class in 1988.
    • In second place on the grid is Danilo Petrucci, which is his fourth front row start of the year. Petrucci has already finished on the podium three times in 2017 and needs another top three finish to become the first Independent Team Ducati rider to have four podium finishes in a single season.
    • This is the first time that Independent Team riders have taken the top two places on the grid since the Czech Republic Grand Prix in 2013 when Cal Crutchlow was on pole from Alvaro Bautista.
    • Marc Marquez has qualified in third place on the grid, which is his eleventh front row start of the year. After winning the last two races, Marquez will be aiming to be the first rider to win three or more successive MotoGP races since Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.
    • Aleix Espargaro heads the second row of the grid, which is the best qualifying result for Aprilia in the MotoGP era.
    • Jorge Lorenzo starts from fifth place on the grid, which is the seventh successive race he has started from inside the top six.
    • Sixth fastest in qualifying is Dani Pedrosa, which is the same grid position from which he won the race in Motegi two years ago.
    • Bradley Smith heads the third row, which equals the best qualifying result of the year by KTM and is the best grid position for Smith since the French Grand Prix last year.
    • In eighth place on the grid is Pol Espargaro, whose victory in the Moto2 race at Motegi in 2013 is the last time he stood on the top step of the podium.
    • Taking the final place on the third row is Andrea Dovizioso, which is his worst qualifying result since the German Grand Prix.
    • Heading the fourth row is Alex Rins, which is his best qualifying result so far in his rookie season in the MotoGP class.
    • Championship challenger Maverick Viñales starts from 14th place on the grid, which is his worst qualifying result since the San Marino Grand Prix in his rookie MotoGP season 2015.
    • For the first time this year all six manufacturers competing in the 2017 MotoGP championship have at least one bike qualified in the top ten places on the grid. This is the first time since the Czech Grand Prix in 2006 that six different manufacturers have had at least one rider in the top ten places in a MotoGP qualifying session.

    eom/MotoGP release

  • Lando Norris wins championship; Jehan Daruvala finishes 5th in the race

    Event: 10 Hockenheim
    Session: Race 1
    Track: Hockenheimring / DEU
    Pole position: Callum Ilott (Prema Powerteam)
    Race winner: Joel Eriksson (Motopark)
    Weather: sunny, 17.3 °C

    Lando Norris (Carlin) has done it, the Brit is the new FIA Formula 3 European Champion. For the young talent, who is backed by the McLaren Formula 1 team, second place behind race winner Joel Eriksson (Motopark) was enough to seal the title. Moreover, Norris secured the title of the best rookie driver. Ferdinand Habsburg (Carlin) claimed the final podium slot in the 28th race of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship season that was held in bright sunshine at the 4.574 kilometres long Hockenheimring in Germany.

    Callum Ilott (Prema Powerteam) started from pole position and initially led the race, but lost his position already on the run to the hairpin when Joel Eriksson successfully attacked him. Ferdinand Habsburg returned from the opening lap in second place, followed by Lando Norris, Callum Ilott, Jehan Daruvala (Carlin) and Pedro Piquet (Van Amersfoort Racing). On lap seven, Lando Norris attacked his team-mate Habsburg, worked his way past the Austrian and then was able to pull a gap from Habsburg. However, he was unable to attack race leader Eriksson, so that the Motopark driver brought an undisputed victory home. Lando Norris took the flag in second place, which was enough to seal the FIA Formula 3 European Championship title early.

    Behind Habsburg, Callum Ilott finished fourth at the Formula 1 track of Hockenheim, followed by Jehan Daruvala, Nikita Mazepin (Hitech Grand Prix), Tadasuke Makino (Hitech Grand Prix) and Maximilian Günther (Prema Powerteam). The German, who was the last remaining rival for Lando Norris in the battle for the title prior to the race, only started from twelfth place and eventually had to make do with tenth position. Because Joel Eriksson, one of Günther’s opponents in the battle for runner-up position in the championship, scored 25 points for his win while Günther only had one point for tenth, the Swede moved ahead of the German and is now second in the drivers’ standings.

    Joel Eriksson (Motopark): “My race was really good. Admittedly, my start was worse than Callum’s but I was able to slot in ahead of Lando. On the opening lap, I had a good slipstream in the run to the hairpin and I overtook Callum on the outside. Then, I concentrated on pulling a gap and maintaining it. Now, I am second in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers’ standings and I will do everything to ensure that I will be there at the end of the season as well.”

    Lando Norris (Carlin): “Of course, I am happy that I am now the FIA Formula 3 European Champion, even though I wanted to do it at Spielberg already. Prior to the season, my team and I didn’t expect to win the title, but we worked hard and this is the well-deserved reward. However, my rivals, first and foremost Maximilian Günther, also made things pretty difficult for me. This title probably is the most important one in my career so far. In this race, my start wasn’t really good, so I dropped back to third. When I then wanted to overtake Callum, we slightly tangled, allowing Ferdinand to get past the two of us into second place. When he made a mistake later on, I was able to overtake him again. Against Joel, I didn’t have a chance anymore, our pace simply was too similar.”

    Ferdinand Habsburg (Carlin): “My start was good and so was the opening lap. In front of me, Callum and Lando were battling. I assumed that this could provide me with an opportunity to gain a place and I positioned myself accordingly. And it was exactly like that, so I was second after one lap. Later, Lando overtook me again, but I was able to bring third place home.”

    eom/FIA press release

  • Zarco Johann takes pole; Marquez takes P3

    Zarco Johann takes pole; Marquez takes P3

    Zarco Johann of Monster Yamaha Tech3 took a shocking pole in wet conditions even as reigning world champion Marc Marquez set the third fastest time of the day in the Japanese Grand Prix at the Motegi track here on Saturday.

    The Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, the championship leader, switched from rain tyres to slicks for his second time attack and the 24-year-old Spaniard was unable to improve on the time that had until then put him on provisional pole. Italian Petrucci Danilo of Octo Pramac Racing set the second fastest time for P2 with a 1’53.787’’.

    Nonetheless, Marquez 1’53.903” time, set despite a big slide in the final corner, was quick enough to earn him his 11th front-row start of this season, less than half a second from pole-setter Johann Zarco.

    For rookie Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) it was a shock last minute pole position, his second in the permier class as he took the honour late in the session and no further laps able to challenge the Frenchman. Petrucci second came in wet-but-drying track conditions.

    With a dry line beginning to appear by the start of MotoGP™ Q2 session, it was the KTMs of Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith moving through to join the top ten in the shootout – and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) sending immediate shockwaves through the field as he headed out on slicks straight away. That would prove the wrong decision, and the nine-time World Champion was then forced back in to switch.

    Marquez, meanwhile, was 1.6 seconds clear at the top when he decided to try slicks – despite a moment on the wet tyres on what would prove his fastest lap. That left a target on P1 for many in the field still pushing hard on wets, with Zarco best able to take the challenge to the reigning Champion and Petrucci then taking second – with Marquez locking out the front row. A gamble gone wrong, but a heads up on how quickly Motegi dries out in case of a flag to flag?

    Heading the second row and fulfilling his Friday target is Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), who just missed out on lining up further forward in the latter stages of his last lap, with Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) taking fifth on his final push and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) locking out Row 2.

    The KTMs were next up, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) initially taking a provisional front row before times began to further tumble, and by the flag it was teammate Bradley Smith who just pipped the Spaniard. The Austrian factory machines will start seventh and eighth; Espargaro only 0.034 in arrears.

    Title challenger Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) had a more difficult session and ended Q2 in P9, with Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins and Andrea Iannone taking tenth and eleventh. Rossi, after his early gamble on slicks, lines up in P12.

    After going third fastest in Q1, Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) will line up behind the nine-time World Champion, and just ahead of the second factory Yamaha Maverick Viñales, who had a tough Saturday. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) starts fifteenth after missing out on Q2 following a moment at the final corner on his last lap in Q1.

    Marc Marquez said: The result is good but clearly the slicks today weren’t the right choice, as it was a bit too early for them. Anyway, you always have to look at the positive side of things, which in this case, firstly is that we’re still on the front row, as we had already done a very good lap time on rain tyres; and secondly is that we managed to understand a few things in case of a flag-to-flag race. I’m also happy I saved a crash when I set my fastest time and avoided my team missing dinner tonight!

    Now it’s time to race. Wet, dry, something in between…it all remains to be seen at Motegi, with the title contenders split throughout the field and some dark horses beginning to emerge. Tune in at 14:00 (GMT +9) on Sunday to see the Japanese GP kick the flyaways into gear.

    Qualifying Results

    Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Time/Gap
    1 ZARCO Johann 5 FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’53.469
    2 PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA Octo Pramac Racing 1’53.787
    3 MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team 1’53.903
    4 ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1’53.947
    5 LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA Ducati Team 1’54.235
    6 PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA Repsol Honda Team 1’54.342
    7 SMITH Bradley 38 GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’54.872
    8 ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1’54.906
    9 DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team 1’55.064
    10 RINS Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1’55.483
    11 IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA Team Suzuki Ecstar 1’55.617
    12 ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’57.786
    13 BAZ Loris 76 FRA Reale Avintia Racing 1’55.862 Q1
    14 VINALES Maverick 25 SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’55.916 Q1
    15 CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda 1’55.952 Q1
    16 BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA Pull&Bear Aspar Team 1’56.292 Q1
    17 BARBERA Hector 8 SPA Reale Avintia Racing 1’56.668 Q1
    18 LOWES Sam 22 GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 1’56.771 Q1
    19 RABAT Tito 53 SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’56.903 Q1
    20 ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team 1’57.144 Q1
    21 AOYAMA Hiroshi 7 JPN EG 0,0 Marc VDS 1’57.157 Q1
    22 REDDING Scott 45 GBR Octo Pramac Racing 1’57.787 Q1
    23 NAKASUGA Katsuyuki 21 JPN Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing 1’57.861 Q1
    24 NOZANE Kohta 31 JPN Monster Yamaha Tech 3 2’01.730 Q1

    eom/with inputs from Repsol Honda and MotoGP releases

     

  • Brendon Hartley to race with Scuderia Toro Rosso in Austin

    New Zealander Brendon Hartley will race for Scuderia Toro Rosso at the next round of the Formula 1 World Championship, the USA Grand Prix in Austin, as Pierre Gasly will be racing in Japan for the last race of the Super Formula Championship in Suzuka.

    Brendon last tested with the team back in 2009. Eight years later, he will be taking part in his first Formula 1 Grand Prix, at the Circuit of the Americas, alongside Daniil Kvyat.

    Since his last outing with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Brendon has gained experience in many different categories, including the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, GP2 Series and sports car Series. In the last three years he successfully raced the LMP1 Porsche in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    In 2015 he was crowned WEC Champion alongside his teammates Mark Webber and Timo Bernhard. In June this year he won the prestigious 24h of Le Mans race and he’s currently leading the 2017 WEC Championship, with three rounds to go – the next one being the 6 Hours of Fuji, in Japan. After that, he’ll travel to Texas for his first F1 race weekend… A well-deserved reward that has been eight years in the making: never say never!

     Brendon Hartley
    “What an amazing feeling! This opportunity came as somewhat of a surprise, but I never did give up on my ambition and childhood dream to reach F1. I have grown and learnt so much since the days when I was the Red Bull and Toro Rosso reserve driver, and the tough years I went through made me stronger and even more determined. I want to say a huge thanks to Red Bull for making this a reality, and to Porsche for allowing me to do this alongside the World Endurance Championship. COTA is a track I really enjoy and one I have raced at recently. I’m trying not to put too many expectations on my F1 debut, but I feel ready for it.”

    Franz Tost
    “Scuderia Toro Rosso is very pleased to announce that Brendon Hartley, who has been part of the Red Bull family for a long time in different classes, as well as the test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso, will now be back racing for us in Austin. Brendon is coming as the reigning 24h Le Mans winner and he’s also leading the current FIA LMP1 World Endurance Championship, which he won in 2015 as well. We are really happy to have him back in our team. With all the racing experience accumulated over the years, we are convinced that he will do a fantastic job for us.”

    eom/Toro Rosso release

  • Bengaluru girl Aishwarya fourth in Raid de Himalaya: Xtreme category Group B bikes

    Bengaluru girl Aishwarya fourth in Raid de Himalaya: Xtreme category Group B bikes

    Photos courtesy Aishwarya Pissay
    Aishwarya in action at Raid de Himalaya 2017 in Group B Xtreme class.

    Leh (J & K), 13 Oct 2017: Aishwarya Pissay, riding a factory-supported TVS Apache RTR 200, endured the grueling 19th Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya Rally to finish a creditable fourth in the “Xtreme” category for Group B bikes here on Friday.

    She is the only female rider to complete the course in the week-long event in  her second attempt this year.

    The Raid, which has earned notoriety for breaking the hardiest of men and machines, is considered to be among the toughest rallies in the World as the participants have to negotiate treacherous terrain and high altitude mountain passes.

    Aishwarya, the 21-year old from Bengaluru and first-ever National champion among girls in both racing and rallying, was in line for a podium finish, but a couple of crashes cost her precious time.

    Reflecting on her performance, Aishwarya said: “I am delighted to have finished such a grueling rally, and it was an improvement over my debut last year when I had to retire on the very first day. Today, the gap was too much to make up and I focused on finishing the course, though fourth in Group B.

    “It was a very challenging event which tested my mental and physical limits. There were times, especially when I crashed a few times, my body wanted to give up, but I pushed myself to continue. I also had to endure extreme cold and high altitude. So, overall, I am extremely happy to have crossed the finish line.”

    After a smooth start to her campaign which was flagged off from Manali on October 8, Aishwarya, who is supported by TVS Racing, had to endure tough moments. In her bid to catch up with front-runners yesterday, she fell heavily. In fact, she covered the last 20 Kms of Stage on just two gears, first and second, and having to bend down to move the gear lever with her hand.

    “I had a good start with trouble-free runs on Days 1 and 2 though the terrain was really rough. Only about 25 of the 43 bikes which had taken the start finished Day 2.

    “On Day 3, I had some issues with my bike as there was not enough intake of oxygen into the carburetor and the engine kept stalling, but I managed to pull through and was running third in my Group B class.

    “I survived a couple of crashes on Day 4 when we did the Leh to Kargil run and dropped one spot to fourth. Yesterday, Day 5, was very stressful. We had a 65Kms of Competitive Section followed by 85 Kms of Special Stage. In the latter half of the run, I fell heavily as I pushed too hard trying to catch up with a couple of bikers ahead of me.

    “The bike suffered some damage and kept dragging to the left. Over the last 20 Kms or so, I had to bend down to change the gears with my hand. There were only first and second gears available, but somehow I managed to finish the Stage at the end of which the TVS service crew did a fantastic job of repairing the bike.

    “We had to return to Kargil by the same route as the next Stage was cancelled due to technical reasons. I had a 4 am flag-off and I think, I rode for nearly 11 hours, covering some 400-plus Kms!”