Tag: featured

  • MRF dominate with 1-2 finish, as Tidemand triumphs: APRC

    Johor Bahru (Malaysia) 16 Aug 2015: Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Emil Axelsson led a 1-2 finish for Team MRF as the Swedes swept to their third win of the season by claiming the title in the Malaysian Rally, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, here on Sunday.

    The 24-year old Tidemand, driving the Skoda Fabia S2000, finished one minute, 56.5 seconds ahead of team-mate, India’s Gaurav Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall).

    Gill comfortably won the first round of Asia Cup, sparing over 19 minutes to Fan Fan (Junwei Fang) from China who drove the Mitsubishi Evo EX for South-East Motor team.

    Tidemand, making his APRC debut, had triumphed in Australia and New Zealand, and the win on Sunday took his tally to 147 points while 33-year old Delhi-based Gill, winner of the first round in New Caledonia, moved to 104.

    With just two more rounds of APRC to be run in Japan (Sept 18-20) and China (Oct 30-Nov 1) and a maximum of 78 points on offer, Tidemand has taken a stranglehold on the championship leaving Gill a mathematical chance of claiming the title he had won in 2013.

    Leading by 01:19.9 overnight, Tidemand kept the throttle down on Sunday when six more Stages were run over much shorter distance than on Saturday as the Swede was quickest in five loops while Gill, driving in heavy rains, took the last Stage of the day.

    “I had a good day today and absolutely no problems with the car. I was new to these conditions and it was very challenging. But I am happy that I survived and brought the car home safely.

    “We have two more rounds in Japan and China, and I looking forward to it. Like I said, all this is new to me, but I want to do well,” said Tidemand.

    An obviously disappointed Gill, winner here last year, had problems with the rear differential of his Skoda Fabia S2000 besides overheating and loss of grip.

    “The rear differential stopped working during the first loop and there was no grip. So, I couldn’t drive normally. Then we had heavy rains during the second loop, but we were quicker in the last Stage.

    “Overall, it was the worst weekend of my life with all the problems we had due to grass getting into the radiator grill and all that. I now look forward to the remaining two rounds,” said Gill who did not participate in the conventional champagne ceremony as a mark of respect for Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India president Bharath Raj who passed away in Bengaluru on Saturday.

    MRF team boss Lane Heenan said: “It was very tough on the cars, but we are happy that both Tidemand and Gill finished. I think it was after very long time that both MRF cars finished here in Malaysia.”

    Provisional classification (after Leg-2):

    Asia-Pacific Rally Championship: Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (03hrs, 05mins, 11.5secs); Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 2 (03:07:08.0).

    Asia Cup (Round-1): G

    Pontus Tidemand of Team MRF in action on Sunday on way to winning the Malaysian Rally, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, in Johor Bahru on Sunday. Image by Anand Philar
    Pontus Tidemand of Team MRF in action on Sunday on way to winning the Malaysian Rally, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, in Johor Bahru on Sunday. Image by Anand Philar

    aurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (03:07:08.0); Fan Fan / Junwei Fang (South-East Motor, Evo EX) 2 (03:26:58.8); Genki Takeuchi / Naoki Kase (Cusco Racing, Subaru Impreza) 3 (03:32:28.1).

    eom/AP Media Communications release

  • Yamaha’s Lorenzo sets best lap record of Brno circuit on way to pole

    Brno (Czech Republic), 15 Aug 2015: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo cut half a second from the previous Brno Circuit Best Lap record to claim pole position for the Czech Republic Grand Prix ahead of his main championship rivals Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi.
    Lorenzo had already beat the outright Brno lap record in Free Practice 3 this morning, but on a new set of slicks set went even quicker during Qualifying Practice 2, setting a time of 1’54.989 to beat Repsol Honda’s Marquez to pole by just 0.074 seconds. On the other factory Yamaha machine, Rossi clinched the final front row grid spot by setting a time of 1’55.353 on his final lap in QP2. All three riders that qualified on the front row at Brno used the medium compound rear slick for their fastest lap, yet while Lorenzo and Marquez used the medium compound front, Rossi set his time on the hard compound front slick. Overall, the top five riders set times under the previous Circuit Best Lap record for Brno; a 1’55.527 set by Marquez last year.
    Quotes of top three

    Jorge Lorenzo of Movistar-Yamaha takes pole for the Czech Republic. Image by Bridgestone
    Jorge Lorenzo of Movistar-Yamaha takes pole for the Czech Republic. Image by Bridgestone

    :

    Lorenzo: I am really proud of my two lap times, because the first one was as impressive as the second but just not enough to make the pole position. In the end I had to improve the lap time by two or three tenths to keep an advantage over Marc. I didn‘t expect my time, but I didn’t expect those from Marc or even Valentino either, but everyone was pushing so much and they improved a lot. My pole position lap was very good, almost perfect, except maybe the last corner wasn‘t because I had a lot of wheel spin, but a perfect lap is impossible, so we have to be very satisfied. I am confident for tomorrow because I think we have a great base setting. We will see tomorrow what the weather is like, how our rivals are doing after some laps, but we are confident.”
    Marc Marquez: “Today we can be very pleased with how the day went, yesterday we were far off Jorge and Valentino’s pace but today we are much closer. It’s a good sign, but we knew it would be difficult to beat them over a single lap because it seems that they use the new tyre very well. I set a very good lap, but Jorge’s was fantastic. In terms of race pace I think they are a little better than us, but there isn’t much in it, so in the morning warmup we will try to make a step. We will give one hundred percent in the race and try to keep as close as possible and stick with them to the end.”
    Valentino Rossi: I think a first row start is going to be very important because Jorge and Marc will be very fast from the beginning and if you start from behind it will be impossible to stay with them, so I‘m very happy with this result, also because we worked very well with the team. Already this morning we found a good way to proceed, but this afternoon we improved the setting and were able to also have a good pace, and like I said it‘s very important to start from the front row, because it will be a very hard race.
    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP release adds:
    Jorge Lorenzo put maximum effort into this afternoon‘s qualifying session, delivering pole position for tomorrow‘s race at the flowing Automotodrom Brno.

    Lorenzo wasn’t the only Yamaha rider on fire either as teammate Valentino Rossi put in a stunning ride to secure third, just 0.364 seconds from pole, for a first double front row qualifying result for the factory Yamaha team since Misano 2014.

    After he displayed a dominant form in the third and fourth free practice session this morning, Lorenzo again confirmed he is a force to be reckoned with during the qualifying heat.

    The Spaniard was the last rider to head out on track at the start of the 15 minute session to be assured of some clear space to crank out a hot lap and went to work immediately. His first flying lap delivered a 1‘55.238, smashing his own lap record and shooting him straight to provisional pole.

    He hurried back into the pits for fresh rubber with seven and a half minutes remaining and was back on track in confident mood with a little under six minutes on the clock, ready to raise the level even further. He broke another record with his next flying lap, the first ever lap under the 1‘55 mark with a 1‘54.989. He had time for two more laps, but was unable to further improve upon his incredible lap time and will start tomorrow‘s race from a well-deserved pole position.

    Teammate Rossi also gave a strong performance this afternoon. Having been quick in today‘s practice session the Italian made best use of the qualifying tyres in the quick fire heat. He left pit lane as one of the first riders, but headed straight back after scrubbing in his new front tyre.

    He returned to the track with twelve minutes left of the session, his first lap of 1‘56.345 putting him in seventh place. He kept pushing as everyone else was changing tyres and posted a 1‘55.856 for fourth before arriving back at the box for another tyre with four minutes of the session left.

    He rejoined the fight less than a minute later for a final attempt to improve his grid position as a last minute flurry of activity pushed him back to fifth. He gave his all on his final lap and delivered a brilliant 1‘55.353 for third position on the front row of the grid.

    Czech Republic MotoGP QP2 times – Riders that qualified from QP1 shaded in gray
    Pos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap
    1
    Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’54.989
    2
    Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’55.063 0.074
    3
    Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’55.353 0.364
    4
    Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 1’55.390 0.401
    5
    Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’55.460 0.471
    6
    Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’55.935 0.946
    7
    Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’55.954 0.965
    8
    Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’55.955 0.966
    9
    Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’55.969 0.980
    10
    Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 1’56.192 1.203
    11
    Hector BARBERA Avintia Racing 1’56.399 1.410
    12
    Yonny HERNANDEZ Octo Pramac Racing 1’56.739 1.750
  • Gaurav Gill trails teammate Tidemand by over 1 minute: APRC Malaysian Rally

    Johor Bahru (Malaysia), 15 Aug 2015: Swedish pair Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Emil Axelsson of Team MRF took a commanding one minute, 19.9 seconds lead over team-mate Gaurav Gill (Glenn Macneall) at the end of Leg-1 in the Malaysian Rally which is the fourth round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship here on Saturday.

    Gill, however, drew consolation from finishing the day on top in the Asia Cup category, enjoying a 11-minute lead over Cusco Racing duo of Genki Takeuchi and co-driver Naoki Kase who were in a Subaru Impreza.

    Both Tidemand, who leads the championship, and Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, survived a nightmarish ride through the day’s eight Special Stages highlighted by bouts of overtaking between the two as they stopped to remove grass from the front grill which was leading to overheating of the engine.

    “I have never seen anything like it in my rallying career. In Special Stage-3, for instance, I had to stop four times to remove grass from the front frill and Pontus did the same twice. So, we overtook each other on the Stage,” said the 33-year old Delhi-based Gill who was quickest in three of the eight Stages.

    Tidemand, the 24-year old Skoda test driver, and winner of two of the three APRC rounds this season, had to tackle other problems, ranging from dampers, brakes and loss of concentration due to extreme heat and humidity.

    “I am happy that I was able to finish the day. To top it, I had a couple of spins which also cost me time. We had to stop thrice in one of the Stages to remove the grass. We had issues with dampers, brakes and lapse of concentration. So, it was a tough day and tomorrow, I just want to survive,” said Tidemand, driving in Malaysia for the first time.

    Gill, winner here last year, had to also deal with an errant front fender which came off and somehow got entangled in front of the radiator leading to overheating in the post-lunch session.

    “It was weird. We had to stop and rip off the fender which was causing overheating. Overall, it was a difficult day and tomorrow, I will be pushing hard, but with shorter Stages and less distance, the lead is too much to make up,” said Gill.

    Through the day’s eight Stages, Tidemand and Gill put on a spectacular show with aggressive driving as the Swede tried to sustain an early lead and the Indian pushing all the way in a bid to narrow the leeway.

    With the two MRF team-mates setting such a scorching pace, the rest of the field fell away with a series of retirements leaving only Tidemand and Gill in the running for APRC honours.

    Provisional classification (after Leg-1):

    Asia-Pacific Rally Championship: Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (02hrs, 9mins, 21.2secs); Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 2 (02:10:41.1).

    Asia Cup (Round-1): Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (02:10:41.1); Genki Takeuchi / Naoki Kase (Cusco Racing, Subaru Impreza) 2 (02:22:26.9); Hitoshi Takayama / Hideki Takeyabu (Immens Motorsport, Subaru Impreza WRS STi) 3 (02:29:44.4).

    Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand of Team MRF who finished Leg – 1 in the lead in the fourth round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar
    Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand of Team MRF who finished Leg – 1 in the lead in the fourth round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar

     

  • Tough terrain to test Team MRF stars Gill, Tidemand: APRC

    Johor Bahru (Malaysia): The indications are that the Malaysian Rally which is also the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and commencing here on Saturday after tonight’s ceremonial flag-off, will prove to be a tough test for Team MRF’s Gaurav Gill and Pontus Tidemand who are locked in an intense battle for supremacy.

    Following the reconnaissance run on Thursday, both Gill, the 2013 Asia-Pacific champion who trails team-mate Tidemand of Sweden by 34 points, described the 14 Special Stages, totaling 226.56 Kms that will be run over two days, as “tough and extremely challenging”.

    Speaking at a pre-event Media conference here on Friday after the shakedown where the two MRF Skoda Fabia S2000 cars were among the quickest, Gill, who w

    Gaurav Gill during Friday's shakedown in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, ahead of the Round 4 of FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Image Anand Philar
    Gaurav Gill during Friday’s shakedown in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, ahead of the Round 4 of FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Image Anand Philar

    on here last year, opined that the rally tracks had knee-high growth of grass which could test the vehicles.

    “I have never seen so much grass on a rally route in all my years in this event. It is going to be hard on the cars, but hopefully, we will come through,” said 33-year old Delhi-based Gill who will be partnered by his long-time co-driver Glenn Macneall from Australia.

    Echoing Gill’s views, 24-year old Tidemand, who is coming off a second-place finish in World Rally Championship-2 in Finland a fortnight back, felt that as much as the track, the weather conditions could also be a major hurdle.

    “The Stages are rough and it is my first time in Malaysia. So, I have to get used to the heat and humidity, but I hope to do well,” said Tidemand who will have fellow-Swede Emil Exelsson beside him.

    Gill said his Skoda Fabia S2000 is fitted with a new engine for the Malaysian Rally, and after tweaking the set-up on Friday, he was happy with the car.

    At the half-way mark in the Championship, Tidemand heads the championship after wins in New Zealand and Australia and a second place finish behind Gill in the season-opener in New Caledonia.

    With three more rounds, including the Malaysian Rally, to be run, Gill can ill afford to drop any more points, like he did in Australia where he packed up after the engine expired.

    “It was unfortunate not to get the result we were after in Queensland, but we had a great battle with Pontus and I am looking forward to renewing that competition in Malaysia this weekend,” said Gill.

    Team MRF’s Skoda Fabia S2000s have not only been the fastest cars in the APRC in recent seasons, but have also been the strongest and most reliable.

    Team MRF boss Lane Heenan said: “The Skoda Fabia S2000 is the most successful S2000 car ever, and we are confident the cars and MRF Tyres are up to the task of winning at each event we attend.

    “The APRC gives us such diverse conditions that the car needs to be capable of coping with widely varying roads, whether that be the smooth, flowing roads of New Zealand, or the rougher plantation roads in Malaysia.”

    Tidemand and Gill will have to contend with 2005 APRC champion, Jussi Valimaki, a former MRF team driver, returning to pilot a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X after a gap of eight years, besides 22-year old New Zealander Mike Young in a Subaru WRX, and Indonesian Subhan Aksa in a Lancer Evo X.

    eom/AP media communications/MRF release

  • Marquez continues American domination, wins round 10 at Indy; Lorenzo 2nd, Rossi 3rd

    Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez won today’s Indianapolis Grand Prix from pole position after an exciting battle with Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo. The result was the reigning MotoGP™ World Champion’s seventh successive premier-class victory on American soil.
     Marc-Marquez---Repsol-Honda-Team---Indianapolis-MotoGP-race-winner
    Marquez started from pole position but found himself in second place on the opening lap as Lorenzo produced one of his trademark storming starts to take the early lead. The two riders held their own private dogfight at the front of the field for the whole race, with Marquez ultimately fighting his way into the lead with just two laps remaining. Once in the lead, Marquez increased his pace to take the chequered flag 0.688 seconds ahead of Lorenzo in second place. Finishing in third place was Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi who came out on top of another intense battle with Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa for the final podium place. During his fierce battle with Lorenzo, Marquez was able to set a new Indianapolis Circuit Record Lap of 1’32.625 on the twenty-third lap of the race and his total finish time of 41’55.371 was twelve seconds quicker than the old overall race time record that he set last year.
    After fine and hot weather all weekend, race day brought a change in conditions with intermittent rain falling throughout the day. The MotoGP race was declared dry, yet very light drizzle fell on parts of the track in the second half of the race, making the record pace set by the riders even more impressive. The peak track temperature of 38° C was eleven degrees cooler than yesterday’s highest reading. Despite the cooler track temperature and the threat of rain, tyre choice was a carbon copy of what riders used in race simulations yesterday. Twenty-one of the twenty-three riders selected the hard compound front slick, with only two riders selecting the medium compound front. Rear tyre choice saw all factory option Honda and Yamaha riders select the hard compound rear, all factory option Ducati and Suzuki riders on the medium rear, while the Aprilia and open class riders opted for the soft compound rear slick.
    Marquez’s third victory of the year sees him jump into third place in the championship standings on 139 points. Rossi still leads the MotoGP points table on 195 points, although the lead over his teammate Lorenzo shrinks to nine points with eight rounds remaining.
    Marc Marquez said: “The race went very well, but we were pretty much on the limit. The truth is that Jorge improved a lot during the race, and I didn’t think there would be so many laps in the 1’32s. Even towards the end of the race we did a 1’32.6, which is very fast! We used the strategy of attacking at the end, when there were three laps remaining, and I think it was ideal for taking victory at this circuit. I’m also very proud to have taken Honda’s 700th victory! This is a very special moment for all the team and I dedicate it to all of Honda.”
    Indianapolis MotoGP™ Top Ten Race Classification
    Pos
    Rider
    Team
    Race Time
    Gap
    Front spec
    Rear spec
    Tyres
    1
    Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 41’55.371 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    2
    Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 41’56.059 0.688 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    3
    Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 42’01.337 5.966 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    4
    Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 42’01.518 6.147 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    5
    Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 42’16.899 21.528 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    6
    Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42’17.122 21.751 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    7
    Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 42’25.749 30.378 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    8
    Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 42’26.978 31.607 Hard Hard
    Bridgestone
    9
    Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 42’28.192 32.821 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    10
    Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 42’29.888 34.517 Hard Medium
    Bridgestone
    ends/Bridgestone press release
  • Honda Achieves 700th FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Victory

    INDIANAPOLIS, USA, August 9, 2015 – Honda MotoGP rider Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) claimed victory in the MotoGP class, in Round 10 of the 2015 FIM Road Racing World Championship held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA. Beginning with its first world grand prix race in 1961, at the hands of Australian rider Tom Phillis on his Honda RC143 in the 125cc class of the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, Honda has now achieved an unprecedented 700* grand prix wins.

    By the beginning of the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Honda had tallied 698 grand prix wins. The Moto3 class started under light rain, with most top riders choosing wet tires. 18 year old Belgian rider Livio Loi (RW Racing GP Honda NSF250RW) had taken a gamble to start on slicks, which paid off as the wet tire riders inevitably pitted, allowing Loi to claim his first victory after a consistent ride, taking Honda one step closer to the 700 win milestone.

    Uncertain weather conditions persisted in the MotoGP class which followed, with light rain in the latter stages of the premier class race. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) maintained a close gap with the race leader throughout the race, and with three laps remaining on lap 25, took the lead for a runaway victory, giving him his second consecutive win (third for the season), and Honda its 700th grand prix victory.

    In 1954, Honda’s founder Soichiro Honda declared entry into the premier motor sports event of the time, the Isle of Man TT, aiming to “realize the dream of becoming the world’s best.” After five years developing a racing machine, Honda became the first Japanese motorcycle manufacturer to enter the Isle of Man TT race. The following year, in 1960, Honda began competing in the 125cc and 250cc classes of the FIM Road Racing World Championship, and in 1961, Tom Phillis won the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, giving Honda its first step towards its 700 victories.

    Honda then forayed into the 350cc and 50cc classes in 1962, and the 500cc class in 1966, and won the championship in all five classes in 1966. At the time, Honda considered its racing activities to be a “laboratory on wheels,” and new technologies developed to win world championship races were applied to its production motorcycles. With dramatically improved quality, the market had expanded its support for Honda’s motorcycles. At the end of the 1967 season, Honda had paused its factory racing activities, which were to be restarted 11 years later, with 138 grand prix wins.

    In 1979, Honda returned to FIM Road Racing World Championship racing in the 500cc class. Three years later in 1982, American rider Freddie Spencer won Round 7 in Belgium on his Honda NS500, giving Honda its first victory since returning to world grand prix racing. Honda then went on to win grand prix races in the 125cc and 250cc classes, contributing to its 500th victory in 2001, when Italian rider Valentino Rossi was victorious in the 500cc class at the season-opening Japan Grand Prix. In 2005, Spaniard Dani Pedrosa rode his Honda RS250RW to victory in the 250cc class in Round 15 in Australia, marking Honda’s 600th grand prix win.

    * Number of wins counted by Honda based on FIM records Moto2 class wins since 2010 are not included, as the entire class is raced with Honda engines Moto3 class wins in 2012 are not included as Honda wins, in compliance with FIM regulations, as the registered constructor was FTR Honda (albeit powered by the NSF250R engine)

    Honda takes 700th MotoGP win as Marquez edged out Yamaha duo to victory at Indaianapolis on Sunday. A Repsol Honda image
    Honda takes 700th MotoGP win as Marquez edged out Yamaha duo to victory at Indaianapolis on Sunday. A Repsol Honda image
  • Marquez takes pole ahead of teammate Pedrosa at Indianapolis GP

    Indianapolis, 8 August 2015: Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa have completed a faultless day placing first and second for tomorrow’s 27 lap race, the first qualifying 1-2 since the GP of Malaysia in 2014.

    Both riders were immediately fast with Marc posting his best time on his first exit, with a time of 1’31.884 and was unable to better this on his second run. Dani went straight to second place on his first run then improved h

    Marc-Marquez of RepsolHondatakes pole at Indianapolis-MotoGP on 8 Aug 2015 Bridgestone pic
    Marc-Marquez of RepsolHondatakes pole at Indianapolis-MotoGP on 8 Aug 2015 Bridgestone pic

    is time on his second exit closing in on Marc’s time and finishing just 0.171 seconds off his teammate with a time of 1’32.055.

    Marc has started from pole in every race on American soil in the MotoGP class except Laguna Seca in 2013, making it six from seven and tomorrow he will be aiming for his fifth consecutive win at the Brickyard.

    The race will begin at 14h00 local time; Ten Sports is expected to telecast the GP live from 11.30 pm in India. The Moto 3 race where Indian team Mahindara is taking part will be telecast from 10.30 pm IST

    Bridgestone report on qualification: Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez is ideally placed to claim a hat-trick of Indianapolis Grand Prix victories as he secured pole position in qualifying on Saturday ahead of his teammate Dani Pedrosa.

    Marquez was the only rider able to set a time in the 1’31 bracket and his time of 1’31.884 was just two-tenths off his own Indianapolis Circuit Best Lap record – an impressive feat given track temperatures in qualifying this year were around 10°C higher than last year. Pedrosa’s personal best time of 1’32.055 was good enough for second place on the grid ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo, who clocked a 1’32.186 on his final lap in Qualifying Practice 2 to secure the final front row position. All of the top three riders in qualifying used the combination of the medium compound rear and hard compound front slick during their time attack in QP2.
    It was another warm day in Indianapolis but despite high ambient temperatures, the cloud cover meant that track temperatures didn’t reach the levels seen yesterday, with a peak reading of 49°C recorded this afternoon. After being given a positive reception by riders yesterday, the hard compound front slick was the most popular option in today’s sessions; during both long runs and in time attack situations in qualifying. It is expected the majority of riders will select this option for the race, although the medium compound front slick is likely to be selected by some riders. Rear slick choice today was more varied with all three options in the allocation being used. For the factory Honda and Yamaha riders the hard compound rear slick is by far the most popular option, while the medium rear slick was favoured by the Ducati riders. The soft compound rear slick could also feature in the race as it is likely to be selected by the majority of open class, Aprilia and Suzuki riders.
    The weather forecast suggests a fair chance of afternoon thunderstorms tomorrow, so wet or dry conditions could greet riders for tomorrow’s race at 1400 local time (GMT–4). Before then, the morning Warm UP session at 0940 will provide a final opportunity for the riders and teams to confirm their tyre choice and bike setting for the race.
    Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “We had warm, dry conditions throughout the day so there was plenty of opportunity for the riders to confirm which tyre combination they preferred. The hard front, hard rear combination is working really well for the factory Honda and Yamaha riders as it combines excellent braking stability with strong, consistent drive grip at the rear. The hard compound front slick is also popular with the other factory machines and open class riders and I expect that we will see the soft and medium compound rear slicks on the grid for tomorrow’s race as well. There is a chance of rain for tomorrow’s race and although the riders haven’t been able to try this new Indianapolis tarmac in wet conditions, we have two compound options of wet tyres available so no matter what the conditions are, we have enough options for the riders.”
    Indianapolis MotoGP QP2 times – Riders that qualified from QP1 shaded in gray
    Pos Rider Team QP2 Time Gap
    1
    Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’31.884
    2
    Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’32.055 0.171
    3
    Jorge LORENZO Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’32.186 0.302
    4
    Cal CRUTCHLOW CWM LCR Honda 1’32.208 0.324
    5
    Danilo PETRUCCI Octo Pramac Racing 1’32.243 0.359
    6
    Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.269 0.385
    7
    Andrea IANNONE Ducati Team 1’32.468 0.584
    8
    Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 1’32.511 0.627
    9
    Maverick VIÑALES Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’32.571 0.687
    10
    Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’32.636 0.752
    11
    Pol ESPARGARO Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’32.670 0.786
    12
    Aleix ESPARGARO Team SUZUKI ECSTAR 1’32.814 0.930
  • Vettel wins Hungarian GP; Hamilton finishes 7th, Rosberg 8th

    Sebastian Vettel claimed his second win of the season in an incident-packed Hungarian Grand Prix that saw championship leader Lewis Hamilton finish seventh and title rival Nico Rosberg finish eight after both tangled with rivals during the race.

    After crossing the line to claim his 41st career win Vettel dedicated the victory to Jules Bianchi saying that the French driver would have one day been part of the Ferrari squad.

    It was a rewarding afternoon for Red Bull Racing, with Daniil Kvyat taking second place and Daniel Ricciardo claiming third. The Australian might have finished ahead of Kvyat but a late collision with Rosberg saw the pair places. Kvyat too dedicated his race to Bianchi and his family.

    After an aborted start and an extra formation lap due to Felipe Massa being out of position on the grid, the lights finally went out and for the second race in a row pole position man Hamilton made a poor getaway.

    The slow start was immediately seized upon by the fast-starting Ferraris and Vettel went around Hamilton through Turn One to take the lead, while Rosberg snuck past his team-mate. Rosberg was soon dropped to third, however, as Räikkönen hustled past the German in Turn 3.

    Hamilton’s woes were compounded when, in hot pursuit of Rosberg, he went off at the chicane, clattering through the gravel before re-joining in tenth place.

    Behind the front four Daniel Ricciardo also made a poor start from fourth place on the dirty side of the grid and was passed by Williams’ Valtteri Bottas. Ricciardo dropped to seventh. The second Red Bull of Daniil Kvyat went from seventh on the grid to fifth but he was quickly passed by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and then, with the Russian appearing to struggle in the early stages, the pit wall asked him to let team-mate Ricciardo past, which he did.

    Once clear of Kvyat the Australian began to push hard. On lap 10 he made his way past Hulkenberg at Turn One and then three laps later he muscled his way past Bottas to claim fourth place.

    Williams took the pass as the signal to bring Bottas in for a change of tyres and the Finn’s visit to pit lane triggered the first round of stops. As the major of the field took on fresh rubber Hamilton vaulted up the order, rising to fifth by lap 17. The Briton was setting fastest race laps and running up to four tenths of a second quicker than leader Vettel but the Mercedes man was still 30 seconds adrift of the lead.

    Hamilton made his first visit to the pit lane on lap 19, taking on more soft tyres in a four-second stop. He was followed a lap later by team-mate Rosberg who made a rapid 2.8-second stop for medium tyres. Leader Vettel responded on laps 21 and took on soft tyres on a 3.2s stop, while third on the road Ricciardo followed on the same lap but, like Rosberg, he opted for the medium tyre for his second stint. Vettel then resumed the lead when Räikkönen took on more soft tyres.

    With only medium-tyre starter Pastor Maldonado and Manor’s Will Stevens left to pit, the order on lap 24 was Vettel with six seconds in hand over second-placed Räikkönen and the Finn a further six seconds ahead of Rosberg. Ricciardo was fourth, 16s off the lead, but with the medium tyre on board he was struggling to resist attacks from Hamilton who was on the soft tyre. Hamilton was now 31.5s behind Vettel.

    Bottas was now sixth ahead of Hulkenberg, with the medium-shod Kvyat eighth ahead of Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso who had climbed from 15th on the grid to sit in a points-scoring position. Maldonado, meanwhile, had received a drive through penalty for colliding with Sergio Perez and was now languishing in 18thposition.

    At the front, Ricciardo lost the battle against Hamilton on lap 29, with the champion, aided by quicker tyres, a more powerful engine and DRS, sweeping past the Red Bull driver on the run to Turn One.

    After passing Ricciardo the middle stint saw Hamilton, on softs, begin to reel in the medium-tyre shod Rosberg and by lap 40 he was just six seconds behind his team-mate. Ricciardo also on the slower medium tyres began to drop back from Hamilton and was now nine seconds adrift of the Mercedes. Vettel and Räikkönen, meanwhile, were on a second soft-tyre stint and would need to complete the race on the slower medium tyre. Vettel’s lead over his team-mate was now 10 seconds and he was a further six clear of Rosberg.

    Ferrari’s hopes of a first one-two finish in five years (since the German GP of 2010) began to look shaky on lap 41 as Räikkönen’s times began to drop and he reported a loss if power, attributed to an MGU-K problem.

    The picture became even more bleak later in the lap when Nico Hulkenberg’s front wing collapsed on the main straight and the Force India driver straight-lined Turn One and went into the barriers.

    That triggered a Virtual Safety car and a flurry of pit stops saw the leaders pit for their final set of tyres, during which Rosberg opted to stay on mediums rather than the softs his team had earlier advised. Under the VSC the gaps were maintained, but with debris from Hulkenberg’s wing strewn across the track the VSC was rapidly replaced by the real thing, which led the field through the pit lane due to the debris on the track, and Vettel’s comfortable lead was almost erased.

    The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 48 and while Vettel powered away to hold his lead and Raikkonen vainly battled to defend from Rosberg, who made it through to second, Ricciardo, on the soft tyre, mounted an attack on Hamilton on the slower medium. He went around the outside of the Mercedes through the opening corners but the pair tangled with the left side of Hamilton’s front wing being shredded on the right sight of Ricciardo’s Red Bull.

    The Australian came out of the collision in better shape and set off after Räikkönen. Hamilton though fell back to sixth and he was later penalised with a driver through penalty for causing the collision.

    Hamilton was passed by Kvyat and Bottas but in getting past the Mercedes, Bottas was tagged by the Toro Rosso of Max Verstappen and the Finn sustained a puncture.

    Räikkönen, meanwhile, was struggling badly and Ferrari’s hopes were finally dashed when he was brought to the pits where mechanics appeared to reset the car. He dropped back to 16th and eventually retired on lap 56.

    Vettel now led, with just 1.3s in hand over Rosberg, who was being harried by the hard-charging Ricciardo who was on the quicker soft tyre. Kvyat was fourth in the second Red Bull ahead of Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen but the major surprise, on lap, 59 was that Alonso had kept his nose clean and his McLaren in good shape to hold sixth position with a little over 10 laps to go. Romain Grosjean was seventh for Lotus, while Jenson Button was eighth in the second McLaren. Carlos Sainz was ninth in the second Toro Rosso and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson occupied the final points position. Hamilton, who had taken his penalty, was down in 12th.

    The order looked set but at the start of lap 64, Ricciardo made a bold attempt to pass Rosberg into Turn One. He braked very late and ran wide and then as Rosberg passed him again Ricciardo collided with Rosberg, with the Australian’s front wing being destroyed and Rosberg sustaining a puncture.

    That vaulted Kvyat to second. The Russian had been handed a time penalty for exceeding the track limits but when Ricciardo re-joined after pitting for a new nose Kvyat still had enough of a gap to hold the place.

    Rosberg, meanwhile, was forced to limp all the way around the track before taking on new tyres and when he re-joined he found himself in ninth place.

    Vettel, though, sailed on serenely, and when the flag came out he crossed the line with five seconds in hand over Kvyat. Ricciardo took third, while Verstappen claimed his best ever F1 result with fourth place. Alonso claimed McLaren’s best result of the season with fifth, while Hamilton claimed seventh. Rosberg passed Button for eighth in the closing laps and Ericsson took the final point on offer.

    eom/

    Sebastian Vettel poses with the trophy along with a Ferrari engineer after winning the Hungarian GP on Sunday. A Shell Motorsport image
    Sebastian Vettel poses with the trophy along with a Ferrari engineer after winning the Hungarian GP on Sunday. A Shell Motorsport image

    FIA release

  • After maiden pole, Jehan claims podium in Race 1, slips to fourth in second: Formula Renault 2.0 Alps

    Sahara Force India Academy’s Jehan Daruvala once again proved his credentials as he continues a fantastic run in his debut season of Formula Car Racing. Racing in only his second event as a guest driver, at the Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS series, the 16 year old Indian ensured the fraternity took notice of his talent. Jehan quickest in practice, went on to earn his first pole position of his formula car career at the Misano Adriatico circuit, named after Marco Simoncelli. He also went on to earn his 2nd podium, followed by another pole.

    In Free Practice 1 Jehan was 4th, but went better in Free Practice 2 to emerge as the quickest. The qualifying session for race 1 started & Jehan waited in the pits initially. He got onto track with just 9 minutes left on the clock, setting a laptime good enough for 3rd on the list. Jehan then put in a scorcher of a lap to bag pole with a time of 1:33.045. He was just 3 thousandths of a second ahead of former championship leader – Jack Aitken. Current championship leader Jake Hughes was 3rd on the list.

    “I have tested only once at this circuit, but I really like this track. It feels fantastic to take pole position here. I hope I can convert this into a good result for the race” said Sahara Force India Academy racer, after earning his first ever pole in Formula Cars.

    The races were a different story altogether. Jehan’s inexperience amongst the seasoned & highly competitive grid showed up as he made a cautious start to fall down to third. By the end of lap 1, Jehan had further fallen to fourth. After settling into a good rhythm, Jehan mounted an attack on the 3rd placed Romanov, of Russia. He soon passed him & sealed the final podium position behind British race winner Jack Aitken & Russian Matevos Isaakyan.

    Qualifying for race 2 once again saw Jehan extracting the best out of his car. The Sahara Force India Academy racer took his 2nd pole position with a laptime of 1:32.375. His margin much bigger this time as Hughes in 2nd was 0.178 seconds behind while Isaakyan was in the 3rd.

    Unfortunately once again, Jehan was not able to capitalize on his pole once again. After the lights went out, the teenager from Mumbai fell to third. A brief safety car period followed & Jehan remained in 3rd. On lap 7 a small mistake by Jehan saw him fall to 4th. He was not able to gain positions this time & the race was eventually won by Jake Hughes.

    Jehan later reflected on his weekend saying, “I am really happy with my pace this weekend & a big thank you to the team for a fantastic car. It has been tough racing against the very best racers at the top. I still have a lot to learn & also need to improve my race starts. I am positive about how things are working out & would like to thank Sahara Force India Academy & my family as well”

    Jehan’s next event will be at the famous Spa Francorchamps circuit, in Belgium as part of the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series.

    *END*

    Jehan Daruvala on the podium on Sunday. A SFI Adademy image
    Jehan Daruvala on the podium on Sunday. A SFI Adademy image
  • Motorsport.com Announces Entry Into India Market with a New Digital Platform

    Motorsport.com Announces Entry Into India Market with a New Digital Platform

    Miami, 14 July 2015: Motorsport.com the premier source worldwide for online motorsports content, today announced its entry into India launching a new website, Motorsport.com – INDIA, maximizing its coverage of worldwide motorsports news content in the region. Motorsport.com’s operations in India will include editorial, marketing, and business development with an office in Mumbai.

    The entry into India supports the Company’s strategic business decision and global growth strategy campaign aimed at winning new markets in providing more targeted motorsports coverage of major racing series, including Formula 1, World Endurance Championship, MotoGP, World Rally Championship, and FIA Formula E.

    Darshan Chokhani appointed Director of Motorsport.com Photo: PRnewswire

    India is a very important piece to our business portfolio which will significantly expand our presence in this thriving and growing marketplace,” said Scott Sebastian, vice president of marketing and public relations, Motorsport.com. “The expansion targets India’s nearly 1.2 billion1residents and allows Motorsport.com to expand its audience and drive the company’s involvement while supporting one of the fastest growing regions in the world.”

    Through its technically advanced digital distribution platform, Motorsport.com will provide worldwide, multimedia motorsports coverage into 14 countries and 10 native languages in 2015.

    “The region’s digital and global strength will allow us to leverage and accelerate our international growth by supporting its more than 2702 million Internet users and millions of motorsports fans through our use of technology and rich content,” Sebastian added.

    Darshan Chokhani Appointed Editor in Chief of Motorsport.com – INDIA

    Motorsport.com today announced the appointment of Darshan Chokhani as Editor in Chief of Motorsport.com – INDIA. Chokhani will lead the direction of all regional content for and report directly to Motorsport.com Editor in Chief, Charles Bradley. Chokhani’s appointment is effective immediately.

    “From India’s first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan to current FIA Formula E championship team Mahindra Racing, India’s thirst for motorsports deserves the commitment of global race coverage,” said Charles Bradley, editor in chief, Motorsport.com. “The addition of Darshan to our talented editorial team further positions our brands ability to provide a digital platform and content that the region richly deserves.”

    “I am thrilled to be part of such a prestigious team at Motorsport.com,” Chokhani said. “It is an exciting prospect and I am privileged to be able to keep Indian readers updated with all the news and analysis of Indian as well as World motorsport. The expansion of Motorsport.com to India will certainly help the Indian fans be updated with a dedicated motorsport site.”

    Chokhani received a post-graduate degree in Sports Management from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM) in Kolkata, India.

    About Motorsport.com
    Formed in 1994, Motorsport.com is a technologically advanced international network of online motorsports content featuring world-class digital distribution, video and interactive multimedia worldwide with news bureaus in 14 countries in 10 different languages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.