INDIA in F1

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  • Popular Indian motorsport mag #AutoTrack enters digital platform through Magzter

    Popular Indian motorsport mag #AutoTrack enters digital platform through Magzter

    http://autotrack.ind.in/

    Bengaluru, 17 Sept 2019: Popular and only exclusive motorsport magazine in India, Autotrack, makes the informative Indian content available all over the globe through Magzter, an online platform to read many magazines at one place.

    Entering the 13th year, the bi-monthly Indian magazine which is popular among the motorsport community in India fulfills a long-standing demand from many NRIs and fans abroad, who want to keep abreast with the Indian motorsport scene.

    Ashok Tiwari, founder and Editor-in-Chief said: “Indeed, it is a moment of joy to step into the 13th year and looking back, little did we know the journey which began 12 years ago as a passion, has gradually converged into a profession, and we stand tall with the increasing subscriber base. We are also utilising the digital platform, releasing from this issue, as most of our NRI friends who have now migrated across the globe, had this long-pending demand and they would now be able to have access Autotrack through Magzter.”

    The magazine is also available online at www.autotrack.ind.in where a lot of videos from Indian motorsports are available.

    You can watch the latest video of the 2-wheeler INRC at Coimbatore here.

    Magzter has over 12,000 digital magazines that you can read with 1 click! Get Magzter on Apple iOS, Android (Google Play) and the Web. Twitter: @mobilemagzter

  • Invaluable rally-raid experience for Fernando Alonso at Lichtenburg 400

    Invaluable rally-raid experience for Fernando Alonso at Lichtenburg 400

    Fernando Alonso during the Lichetenburg Rally-Raid last Saturday. A Toyota Gazoo Racing image

    Lichtenburg (South Africa), 16 Sept 2019: Fernando Alonso and Marc Coma completed an eventful but invaluable learning experience at the Lichtenburg 400 in South Africa on September 13-14 with Toyota Gazoo Racing. Following successful training sessions in Namibia and Poland, the Spanish duo entered round five of the South African Cross Country Series, their first rally raid competition together in the Toyota Hilux.

    The crew completed a 300-kilometre Shakedown on the varied terrain of the competition route as part of their training on September 12. This gave the pair additional seat time in the Hilux while allowing Marc to familiarise himself with the event roadbook and onboard navigation systems used during the competition.

    During the Prologue on September 13, which determines the starting order on race day, Fernando and Marc started the 55-kilometre route from 10th position on the road. Despite the dust kicked up by the leading pack, the crew showed strong pace over the early part of the route, eventually catching up and passing one of the competitors ahead to get themselves into clearer air. Fernando and Marc posted the third-fastest time overall just 32 seconds off pole, bested only by Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa’s Henk Lategan and Giniel de Villiers also in the Hilux.

    Starting from third position on race day, the crew experienced a soft rollover at the 27-kilometre mark. The windscreen of the Hilux was broken and the pair lost time to remove the glass before continuing. Despite the challenges, Fernando and Marc continued to the end of the 190-kilometre loop and posted competitive split times throughout the remainder of the first loop while wearing goggles to assist visibility in the dust. At the midday service, the Toyota Gazoo Racing team raced to replace the windscreen and completed minor bodywork repairs on the Hilux in the limited time available. Together with the event organisers, it was decided that the crew will start the second loop ahead of the field in clear air to gain quality mileage.

    A bird strike five kilometres into the second loop resulted in a second broken windscreen for the crew. Fernando and Marc again demonstrated their resolve to complete the final 190-kilometre loop while taking turns to hold the broken windscreen in place between driving and navigating. They continued to post competitive split times and was classified 16th overall.

    In total, Fernando and Marc clocked up another 728 kilometres of training mileage during the Lichtenburg 400 which saw them traverse cornfields, undulating veld and dry river crossings. Even more invaluable than the mileage for the new Spanish pairing transitioning into a different discipline of motorsport are the lessons learnt and experience earned in the white heat of rally raid competition.

    Lichtenburg 400 was won by Giniel and navigator Dennis Murphy while Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa teammates Henk and navigator Brett Cummings finished second, enough to win the 2019 South African Cross Country Series title with one round remaining.

    The next challenge for Fernando and Marc as part of their intensive training programme will be the Rally of Morocco which takes place near the city of Fes, Morocco on October 3-9. Last year’s rally was won by reigning Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel, their second consecutive Rally of Morocco victory with Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa in the Hilux.

    Seen as a precursor to the Dakar Rally, the route of the 2019 edition of the Rally of Morocco will feature a cloverleaf layout with five competitive stages all starting and ending near Fes. Competitors will navigate a total distance of 2,500 kilometres, of which 1,868 kilometres will be timed special stages, featuring a mixture of rough gravel tracks, sand dune crossings and tricky navigation.

    Glyn Hall, Team Principal: “We certainly proved this weekend that Fernando has the speed and Marc has the ability to co-drive in the Hilux. Despite the ups and downs, this weekend was an invaluable experience for the crew. We are fast-tracking one of the best racing drivers the world has ever seen into a discipline he has never experienced before. With just five months to prepare for one of the toughest races in motorsport, we have an incredible task ahead of us. In the Prologue, we saw that Fernando can keep up with the best drivers in South Africa, who are as good as they come in the world. Competing at this level in terms of speed, and with such a steep learning curve, we expected little setbacks along the way. This is exactly the kind of experience they need to have so it doesn’t come as a surprise if it happens during the big race. The determination shown by Fernand and Marc today is nothing short of impressive. The crew got back in the car and completed the first loop without a windscreen in the dust, and again in the second loop while holding the window up for most of the stage.”

    Fernando Alonso: “Every time we go in the car we learn something and we get more and more familiar with the Hilux. Unfortunately, today was a little bit of a nightmare for us. In the morning, we rolled over a little bit and broke the windscreen which affected our visibility so we had to removed it. We drove the rest of the loop with goggles on, in the dust behind all the cars. For the second loop the organisers allowed us to start in front, to have a clear view. After a few kilometres, we hit a bird and the windscreen broke again. Then it was nearly 200 kilometres with one hand on the windscreen and the other on the steering wheel. It wasn’t the best day for us, but we were able to get more kilometres in the Hilux and it’s good to experience these things before we get to more important races.”

    Marc Coma: “Today was a pretty tough day for us after a really good day yesterday. We started the race smooth but rolled the car at one point but we managed to finish the loop. Then we started the second loop with a new windscreen to get more experience in the Hilux. After just a few kilometres, we hit a bird and it broke the windscreen. The wind and dust started to come inside the car, making it very difficult to drive to the end. It really wasn’t easy to hold the windscreen in place while navigating at the same time. With Fernando, we managed the situation together and got to the end of the race. Even with all the challenges we faced today, we still managed to get a lot of valuable kilometres under our belt and we know that all of this is part of the experience we are gaining.”

  • Sebastian Ogier wins Rally Turkey: WRC

    Sebastian Ogier wins Rally Turkey: WRC

    Sebastian Ogier wins Rally Turkey with codriver Ingrassia. An FIA image

    Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia managed to throw the FIA World Rally Championship title race wide open again after claiming a priceless maiden victory in Rally Turkey on Sunday.

    Needing to secure maximum points to realistically continue his challenge for a seventh successive world title, the Citroën driver benefited from the electrical misfortune that plagued series leader Ott Tänak and an accident that cost Thierry Neuville valuable minutes on Saturday.

    By picking up an additional three bonus points on the final Power Stage, Ogier now heads to the remaining three rounds of this year’s championship 17 points behind the leading Estonian after starting the weekend 40 adrift.

    Esapekka Lappi took the fight to his triumphant team-mate from the opening gravel stage. The Finn led from stages three to 11, secured three stage wins and, despite an overshoot and a spin, delivered an impressive performance to give the French manufacturer a first one-two finish since Kris Meeke and Mads Østberg prevailed in Argentina in 2015 with a pair of DS3 WRCs.

    The 34.7-second win was a 47th career WRC success for Ogier and a first since Mexico in early March this year.

    The final morning developed into a procession with the three title contenders conserving their tyres for a final Power Stage push.

    Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen delivered vital points for the Korean manufacturer with third overall. The Norwegian claimed three stage wins in his i20 and was easily the class of the rest of the field behind the Citroën duo.

    M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Teemu Suninen’s challenge for the podium fizzled out on the final morning, but the Finn was able to deliver fourth place in Turkey for a second successive year.

    Fifth overall for Spaniard Dani Sordo handed Hyundai crucial points for the Manufacturers’ Championship and enabled the team to move 19 clear of the Toyota Team. The Toyotas of both Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke reached the finish in sixth and seventh overall. Latvala recorded three stage wins and Meeke one.

    Thierry Neuville conserved his tyres on the final morning to challenge for the Power Stage win and the Belgian collected four bonus points to add to his eighth overall, an accident on Saturday morning potentially wrecking his title dream for another season.

    M-Sport Ford’s Pontus Tidemand delivered a measured drive to ninth place in the second of the works Fords and WRC leader Ott Tänak was last of the factory team drivers after his electrical woes on Saturday. The Estonian opted to take no spare wheel in his Yaris for a flat out push on the Power Stage and he at least salvaged a maximum five bonus points from a train-wreck of a weekend as far as his title aspirations were concerned.

    England’s Gus Greensmith returned to the FIA WRC 2 Pro section after recent forays in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC and repaid the team’s loyalty with maximum points in his category and 10th overall, despite an accident after the flying finish of SS16 that left the Ford looking decidedly worse for wear at the finish.

    Both the Škoda Fabia R5 Evos of Jan Kopecký and Kalle Rovanperä suffered a series of punctures during the weekend and had to settle for second and third in FIA WRC 2 Pro, the former finishing as runner-up in 11th overall – 29.4 seconds behind Greensmiith – after leading the category for long periods.

    Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz made a late switch from a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 to a Škoda Fabia R5 and showed a clean pair of heels to his FIA WRC 2 rivals. A fine drive was rewarded with 12th overall, although he suffered a late front left drive shaft breakage on the penultimate test and lost two places in the overall rankings to his WRC 2 Pro rivals. His consolation was the joint lead in the 2019 WRC 2 Championship.

    Behind Kajetanowicz in FIA WRC 2, Bolivian driver Marco Bulacia and Italy’s Fabio Andolfi rounded off the top three places.

     

    2019 Rally Turkey – Final Unofficial Results:

    1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 50min 12.1sec
    2. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 50min 46.8sec
    3. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger-Amland (NOR) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 51min 16.6sec
    4. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Marko Salminen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 51min 47.2sec
    5. Dani Sordo (SPA) / Carlos Del Barrio (SPA) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 52min 38.0sec
    6. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Mikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 53min 11.2sec
    7. Kris Meeke (GBR) / Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 54min 05.4sec
    8. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 55min 46.9sec
    9. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) / Ola Floene (NOR) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 57min 35.0sec
    10. Gus Greensmith (GBR) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR) Ford Fiesta R5 MkII 4hr 05min 30.8sec
  • Quartararo pushes the reigning Champion, Marquez, to the limit at Misano

    Quartararo pushes the reigning Champion, Marquez, to the limit at Misano

    Marc Marquez takes the flag at Misano after a tough duel. A MotoGP image

    Misano, 15 Sept 2019: Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was the victor in a Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini duel to the last lap, but the reigning Champion seriously had to work for it. The man who pushed him all the way? Rookie Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), who led for most of the race…and attacked straight back when Marquez did on the final lap. It wasn’t quite enough and the 93 was able to return the favour, but it was a classic encounter between the two and another incredible show of pace from both. Polesitter Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completed the podium.

    Viñales was on pole and the Spaniard made it count, keeping the lead heading into Turn 1 as third place Quartararo grabbed P2, with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) dropping back slightly from second on the grid. Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) pounced for P3, with Marquez giving himself work to do after a wobble off the line. But work is exactly what the seven-time Champion did, grabbing third from Morbidelli at Turn 8 as the leading trio throughout the weekend found themselves 1-2-3 on Lap 1.

    Sure enough, the three started to stretch away. The gap on Lap 2 was already up to 0.7 over Morbidelli in fourth and it was Viñales leading the way, but not for long. Quartararo was right behind his fellow Yamaha rider and getting a good run out of Turn 10, the rookie dived past to lead. Marquez wasn’t going to waste any time either, and Lap 3 saw the 93 set the fastest lap of the race as Quartararo started to pull away. Having seen that, Marquez dived under Viñales at Turn 10 on Lap 4 and locked his radar onto the Petronas machine at the front, as Viñales struggled to hold the pace. Further back, Espargaro was still able to make trouble Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and second in the Championship Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) for P5 as the KTM rider continued to impress.

    Back at the front, Quartararo had a 0.8 lead over Marquez, with Viñales slipping to 1.5 seconds back on Lap 6. The Frenchman’s advantage wouldn’t stay above half a second for long though as the Repsol Honda began to reel the Petronas Yamaha in; the reigning World Champion and the MotoGP™ rookie locked in a face off. Viñales then seemed out of range nearly three seconds back, but late race pace has often been a calling card for the number 12…

    In the battle for sixth, Rins was given a long lap penalty shortly after finally dispatching Espargaro’s KTM, but soon it didn’t matter for the Silverstone winner. The Suzuki man was  suddenly down at Turn 4, leaving his third place overall in the standings under attack.

    Rossi pressured Morbidelli for fourth, Viñales was at a fairly constant gap, and Quartararo remained nigh on faultless at the front. There was no sign of the 20-year-old buckling under the pressure, with the gap between the two hovering at two tenths.

    The laps ticked by and still there was no change, with the Frenchman holding firm. Marquez was fierce on the brakes coming into Turn 10, but ‘El Diablo’ was a demon at picking the bike up onto the straight. There was simply nothing splitting the two, and Viñales was then starting to close the gap…

    Onto the final lap, the number 93 was about to strike. Marquez had the run on Quartararo and led into Turn 1, but Quartararo got a good run out of Turn 2 and Turn 3 to bite straight back. Into Turn 4 they went, Quartararo was back in front, but the back straight and Turn 8 provided a golden passing opportunity and Marquez got it stopped into the left-hander – slicing back into the lead. Now it was Marquez’ to lose, with no way through for Quartararo at Turn 10, although the Yamaha got a good run down through Turn 11 and 12. As the tight left of Turn 14 approached, the Frenchman was right behind the Spaniard. Marquez went defensive and was slow mid-corner, Quartararo tried to cut back…but there was no way through as the Yamaha almost touched the rear wheel of the Honda. Subsequently, Quartararo had to sit up, and that was sadly game over. The reigning Champion returned to winning ways after two consecutive second places, winning in enemy territory and overtaking Mike Hailwood’s Grand Prix win record in the process – 77 is now his tally. And his points lead? 93.

    Quartararo’s second, however, made him ‘the real winner’, according to Marquez, and the Frenchman is the top Independent Team rider once again. Viñales didn’t quite have enough on Sunday afternoon for the men ahead of him in the end, but a fifth podium of the season continues his consistent form of late to edge clear of teammate Rossi in the Championship.

    Speaking of ‘The Doctor’, it wasn’t a home GP podium Rossi would have been looking for, but a great fight with Morbidelli and a third consecutive P4 is a good turn around for the nine-time World Champion since summer break. For Morbidelli, a strong and consistent weekend ends with a fourth P5 of the year – a nice way to celebrate his 100th Grand Prix race. All four Yamahas inside the top five at Misano is also promising for the Iwata factory.

    Ultimately Dovizioso could do no more than sixth at the venue he won at last season, with Pol Espargaro next up in P7 as a solid reward for his – and KTM’s – impressive weekend. Upon his return from injury, Joan Mir was the sole Team Suzuki Ecstar finisher in P8, with Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller recovering from P16 on the grid to grab ninth ahead of fellow GP19 rider Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) in P10.

    Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), wildcard Michele Pirro (Ducati Team) and Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the race – riders ok.

    Marquez vs Quartararo: something we should start getting used to? Misano could be just the first installment of an all-time great rivalry. For now, Marquez has the bragging rights and the number 93 heads to his home Grand Prix at MotorLand Aragon with 93 points over his rivals. But Quartararo is coming. Can anyone beat Marquez on Spanish soil next week?
    Marc Marquez: “Honestly speaking I knew it wasn’t necessary to win because I saw Rins was out and Dovi was far. But yesterday was extra motivation, an extra push for the race. What I did was just try to stay there and stay there, I wasn’t sure…but then I decided I would just try on the last lap. I knew that Fabio was really fast in T3, so I tried to overtake him before there, close the door through each corner and be smart. It’s really nice to win and it’s even nicer to have a 93-point advantage in the Championship!”
    Top-3 MotoGP Results:
    1 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) 42’25.163
    2 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA- Yamaha) +0.903
    3 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) +1.636*Independent Team rider
  • Gaurav Gill ends Turkey campaign in WRC2, wins accolades

    Gaurav Gill ends Turkey campaign in WRC2, wins accolades

    Gaurav Gill takes a huge jump on the final day of Rally Turkey. An MSport image

    New Delhi, 15 Sept 2019:  India’s top rally driver Gaurav Gill won commendations of his co-competitors in the World Rally Championship, overcoming mechanical failures and a series of punctures in the grueling Rally of Turkey before it all ended in heartbreak for him and the country late on Sunday.

    Gaurav Gill said:

    “This has been one of the toughest rallies of my life. Right from the start it was difficult to get into a good rhythm because the stages were so slow and twisty with so many rocks and boulders.

    “Without much experience of this car and set-up I wanted to take my time and I think that worked out well for us. But luck was not on our side and we were marred by quite a few issues.

    “We failed to finish the rally this weekend, but we set some good times which is a big positive and I’ll look to build on that at the next event.”

    Going into the final day with a top-five finish firmly in sight, the JK Racing ace underlined his mettle by finishing second in the first stage of the day. He continued in the same vein, taking the third place in the next stage too, demonstrating phenomenal speed and control to post spectacular timings to inch up the leader-board.
    These two added up to a top-3 finish in five out of the 9 stages that he had conquered without a hitch, not counting the shakedown in which he proved to be the fastest among the lot.
    In the penultimate stage with a strong finish beckoning him, disaster struck: the transmission of the car seized and ground him to a halt. The car locked up completely and could not even be pushed into neutral, killing all chances of recouping and making up in the final stretch of the WRC.
    “It was one of the toughest weekends, rather toughest rallies of my life. Right from the beginning, it was difficult to get into a good rhythm because the rally was so slow and twisty, with so many huge rocks and boulders around,” Gaurav said.
    “I of course didn’t have much previous experience with the car and the setup, making it that much more difficult. The plan was to take one step at a time and it almost paid off. But we were marred by so many issues, including mechanical problems in the car. The good thing is we got some great timings and should keep us in a positive frame for the next round,” he added.
    “Almost all the top drivers congratulated me for the way I drove and handled the situations,” Gaurav revealed.
    The Rally of Turkey lived up to its reputation of being the toughest in the world, pushing as many as 11 drivers to the brink and a DNF. Spread over four days, Gaurav had to cover a total distance of 988.50 kms, with 310.10 kms earmarked for special stages. More tellingly, every stage was a test for the driver as well as the car, traversing past picturesque locales that could transform into death-traps at the tiniest of errors.
    The 3-time APRC champion and Arjuna Awardee began his campaign on the world stage on a high note.
    He faced major mechanical issues in 4 stages, starting with front suspension collapse to tear damper seizure to transmission failure. He even did a couple of stages with punctures.
    He left a lasting impression on the grid which’ll help boost his confidence for future international outings.
  • Raghul Rangasamy, Dhruv Mohite, Ritwik Thomas, Jeet Jhabahak 2019 champions

    Raghul Rangasamy, Dhruv Mohite, Ritwik Thomas, Jeet Jhabahak 2019 champions

    Chennai, 15 Sept 2019: Friday, the 13th hit Sohil Shah hard as he lost a huge lead to the man from the temple town of Mahabalipuram, Raghul Rangasamy. On Sunday, Raghul kept his wits about him to retain the title in the MRF F1600 category  edging out Shah in the last round, as did Kolhapur’s Dhruv Shivaji Mohite in the Indian Touring Cars class, who too put paid to the hopes of Arjun Balu, on the concluding day of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship here at the MMRT circuit.

    Also winning the National titles in their respective categories were Rithvik Thomas, the 26-year old from Bengaluru (Super Stock), Chennai’s Ashwin Datta (Formula LGB 1300) who had sealed the title yesterday itself, Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (Ameo Class) and Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh, Ameo Class Junior).

    Rangasamy, 26, thus, earned a sponsored drive from MRF Tyres in one round of the Civic Cup Racing Championship in the United Kingdom. Although he finished fifth in the last race, he picked up sufficient points to annex the title for the second year in a row while finishing a highly productive weekend when he earned as many as 138 points.

    “I am thrilled at this opportunity to race abroad and thank MRF for this opportunity which came as a pleasant surprise for me. As for this weekend, I came in trailing Sohil Shah by 43 points after a poor start to the season and was determined to win as many races as possible. Friday, when I picked up 68 points, gave me a huge boost. Overall, I am happy at the way the season ended after such a sluggish start that I had in the summer,” said Rangasamy had started weekend in seventh position on the leaderboard.

    With the ITC championship hanging in balance, the focus was on leader Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) who led Rayo Racing’s Mohite by four points. However, the reverse grid put paid to Balu’s aspirations as he started ninth while Mohite occupied P6. As the 10-lap race unfolded, it went topsy-turvy with septuagenarian D Vidyaprakash making two places to take the lead before he was overhauled by the faster Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) and the Ventos of Mohite and Karthik Tharani while Balu made a few spots but got stuck behind Daniel Rowe, the South African guest driver.

    Jeet Jhabakh, winner of the Ameo Class championship. Photos by Anand Philar

    Eventually, Narendran, a former National champion and taking part in this round as a non-registered driver (not eligible for championship points) won by the proverbial country mile, followed by Mohite, Tharani, Daniel Rowe, the South African guest driver and Balu.

    Mohite, winner of three National karting titles and the Volkswagen Ameo Cup last year, said: “It feels great to win the Touring Cars championship. It has been a great experience to race with some of the legends of Indian racing. My thanks to the Volkswagen team for the support they provided and my championship win is due to this wonderful team effort. So far, it has been a great journey for me, from karting to the Ameo Cup, but winning the Touring Cars title tops it all. Coming into this weekend, I knew it would be tough going, but the unfortunate retirement of Arjun Balu yesterday turned everything in my favour.”

    Rithvik Thomas, winner of the title in the Super Stock category.

    Rithvik Thomas, 26, said: “Yes, obviously, winning the Super Stock championship is a great feeling, but I would have enjoyed the success more if there had been a tight fight right up to the final race. Coming here, I was hoping that it would be so, but I will take this title anyway.”

    Jhabakh, the 26-year old businessman for whom racing is a hobby, had not entertained any hopes of winning the championship. “I did not have the best of starts to the season, and so decided to enjoy myself rather than worry about points. I am thrilled to win the title and my thanks to the entire Volkswagen team which is like a family to me, for the support I received from them,” said Jhabakh.

    Provisional results (all 8 laps): MRF F1600 (Race-3): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13:27.614); 2. Yash Aradhya (Bengaluru) (13:32.277); 3. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) (13:33.707).

    Race-4: 1. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (13:43.620); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (13:43.763); 3. Manav Sharma (Faridabad) (13:45.136).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) (18:56.842); 2.Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (Rayo Racing) (19:16.864); 3. Karthik Tharani (Rayo Racing) (19:17.401).

    Super Stock (Race-1, 7 laps): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (14:10.391); 2. Sudanand Daniel (Race Concepts) (14:16.329); 3. Archit Mylanda (Race Concepts) (14:44.876). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Rithvik Thomas (20:18.368); 2. Sudanand Daniel (20:30.084); 3. R Raja Shekar (Race Concepts) (20:51.372).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsports) (15:34.910); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) (15:37.407); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (15:40.848).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-2): 1. Anmol Singh Sahil (Delhi) (15:43.297); 2.Jeeth Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (15:44.294); 3. Tasmin Peper (South Africa) (15:44.692).

    Race-3: 1. Tasmin Peper (South Africa) (15:30.299); 2. Jeffrey Kruger (South Africa) (15:30.612); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (15:46.550).

    National Championship winners:

    MRF F1600: – Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram).

    Indian Touring Cars – Driver: Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (Kolhapur, Rayo Racing). Team: Race Concepts (Bengaluru).

    Super Stock – Driver: Rithvik Thomas (Bengaluru, Race Concepts). Team: Race Concepts (Bengaluru).

    Formula LGB 1300 – Driver: Ashwin Datta (Chennai, Momentum Motorsports). Team: Momentum Motorsports (Chennai).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class: Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) and Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh, Junior).

     

  • Viñales snatches pole as drama erupts in Misano qualifying: MotoGP

    Viñales snatches pole as drama erupts in Misano qualifying: MotoGP

    Rossi and Marquez get dicey, KTM split two Yamahas on the front row 

    Maverick Vinyales takes pole. A MotoGP image

    Misano, 14 Sept 2019: Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) continued his phenomenal weekend at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, taking his second pole position of the season and breaking some hearts at KTM as he knocked compatriot Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) off provisional P1 on his final flying lap. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) completes the front row, but the headlines don’t end there. Some drama erupted behind the three men in Q2 as Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) almost clashed at the final corner.

    Before all that, it wasn’t the start to Q2 Espargaro would have been looking for as his RC16 stopped at the end of pitlane but, luckily, he was able to get away fairly sharpish with a bit of help from a mechanic. Meanwhile on track, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) backed out of his first flying lap and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) was the first to set a benchmark time. Just after that though, his rookie teammate Quartararo would go and set the quickest lap of the weekend despite a mistake in Sector 1 – the Frenchman slamming in a 1:32.686 to lead the way. Morbidelli responded to go just 0.024 off but Quartararo then improved to go over a tenth clear, with Marquez jumping up to third on his first quick lap soon thereafter.

    Heading back into the pits, the top four of Quartararo, Morbidelli, Marquez and Viñales were split by just 0.2 seconds. Home hero Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was sitting fifth ahead of Espargaro, with second in the Championship Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) only tenth. Viñales switched bikes quickly, in and out like a flash, and on his next flying lap took third off Marquez to make it an all-Yamaha front row with three minutes to go…but there was plenty yet to come.

    Morbidelli was setting red sectors before a huge slide coming into the third split ruined his lap, but what about provisional pole man Quartararo? He had Espargaro for company on his final lap but the Frenchman ran onto the green at the fast Turn 11 and voided his lap, leaving him unable to improve. Espargaro was still setting personal bests though, and as the KTM rider took the chequered flag it suddenly became apparent quite how stunning his lap was as he took provisional pole by 0.011. The fairytale wouldn’t quite prove perfect, but the performance remains superb.

    It wasn’t perfect for the Austrian factory because Viñales was coming. Red sector after red sector, one of the men who has been blisteringly fast all weekend crossed the line to go pole by nearly three tenths, and there were only two riders left to try and topple him: Marquez and Rossi.

    Marquez, shadowing Rossi, was also on for pole. However, after overtaking the number 46 into Turn 11, the Championship leader ran wide. And, as it turned out, Rossi had also already exceeded track limits. But it boiled up to a final corner almost-clash, with the Yamaha slicing up the inside of the Honda as the duo came close to touching at Turn 14. Neither improved and both were summoned to a hearing with the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards to discuss the incident but no further action was taken. Marquez will start fifth, Rossi seventh.

    That was that and the front row of Viñales-Espargaro-Quartararo was decided, with Franco Morbidelli taking his best grid position since Mugello and Catalunya to head up the second row. He’s just ahead of Marquez, with Dovizioso forced to settle for sixth on home turf. The Italian has, however, been a lightning starter of late…

    Joining Rossi on row three are the Suzuki duo of Alex Rins and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), with Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory) racing having been eighth fastest in qualifying but the Frenchman needing to serve his three-place grid penalty given at Silverstone.

    Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was P11 in qualifying but will start just ahead of Zarco, with Ducati test rider and wildcard Michele Pirro just behind the Frenchman on the grid in 12th. Further back, some big hitters will be starting down the order: Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) will launch from P14, with the Ducatis of Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) starting from 16th and 17th respectively.

    In addition, Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) will miss the remainder of the weekend after hurting his shoulder in a crash.

    After a dramatic Saturday it’s now time for race day on the Riviera di Rimini. Viñales looks fast, a seventh front-row start for Quartararo sets him up for Sunday, and Pol Espargaro will be one to watch off the lap. Meanwhile Marquez, Dovizioso and Rossi are all looking to attack from the off…

    Tune in for the San Marino GP LIVE at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) on Sunday and get ready for a classic.

    Top 3 MotoGP Qualifying results:

    1 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) 1’32.265
    2 – Pol Espargaro (SPA – KTM) +0.295
    3 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) +0.306

    *Independent Team rider

  • We are still learning the car, says Gaurav Gill; Greensmith closes on the win: WRC2

    We are still learning the car, says Gaurav Gill; Greensmith closes on the win: WRC2

    Gaurav Gill in action on Saturday. Photo courtesy M-Sport

    M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson are back in the lead of the FIA World Rally Championship’s premier support series – leading the way in the WRC 2 Pro category with their Ford Fiesta R5 Mk II.

    The new Fiesta secured its maiden victory in the hands of Anders Grøndal at Norway’s Rally Tron last weekend, and Greensmith continues to showcase the power and performance of M-Sport’s latest global rally car at this weekend’s Rally Turkey.

    Despite picking up a puncture through the early stages (SS3), the young Brit rebounded with stage-winning pace throughout the weekend – now holding more than a minute’s lead with just 38.59 competitive kilometres left to contest.

    In the WRC 2 category, Gaurav Gill and Glenn MacNeall were back in action and getting to grips with the notoriously challenging terrain. The pairing showed good speed, but their bad luck continued into the second day of competition with two punctures (SS10 and SS11) and a broken damper on the penultimate speed test (SS12).

    Gus Greensmith said: “It’s been a much better day for us today. We took a bit of a gamble this afternoon with only one spare and just pushed as much as we could which really paid off. We’ve jumped into a good lead in WRC 2 Pro now, and from where we were after the second stage on Friday [when we lost time having to stop and change a puncture] I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

    Gaurav Gill said: “We were still learning the car in the first stage morning, but had some good speed in the next ones and I was happy with the confidence and the feeling of the car. We wanted to build on that over the second loop but unfortunately we had an issue with the damper which meant we had to cruise through the last stage and get the car back to service in one piece. I guess that’s the nature of this event and that these things can happen, but overall I think it’s been a positive day and we can be happy with the speed.”

  • Sebastian Ogier leads a 1-2 for Citroen: WRC Rally of Turkey

    Sebastian Ogier leads a 1-2 for Citroen: WRC Rally of Turkey

    Ogier takes lead. An FIA image

    Marmaris, 14 Sept 2019: Citroën’s Sébastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi were the class of the field on the second full day of Rally Turkey and managed their pace to preserve their tyres and secure a comfortable first and second in the overall standings after 13 special stages.

    Lappi started the day with a 17.7 second advantage over the six-time World Champion, but the Frenchman pulled off a brave and canny tyre choice for the longer stage at the start of the morning. The duo became embroiled in a fascinating tussle, until Ogier grabbed the lead in SS12 when Lappi stalled under braking for a downhill hairpin.

    Ogier takes a lead of just 0.2s into the night halt and is on course for a 47th career WRC win and a first since Mexico in early March.

    Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen delivered impressive stage times throughout the day and conserved his tyres to hold third overall, once his team-mate and Ogier’s title rival Thierry Neuville lost his way in the dust on the first stage of the morning, slid off the road and slipped down the rankings to eighth at the night halt. Mikkelsen now finds himself 1min17.1s behind the rally leader.

    In what developed into a dramatic morning on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, FIA WRC leader Ott Tänak suffered a ECU failure on the road section to SS9 and was sidelined, his demise throwing the title race wide open.

    M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen finished the day in a strong fourth and closed the gap on Mikkelsen to just 9.8 seconds at the end of the leg.

    Spaniard Dani Sordo managed to fend off the challenge from the Toyotas of both Jari-Matti Latvala and Kris Meeke to reach the Asparan Service Park in fifth overall. Meeke survived a late scare when the Yaris snapped sideways due to a lack of grip and slid off the road to hand sixth position to his team-mate.

    Suninen’s team-mate Pontus Tidemand was classified in ninth and FIA WRC 2 front-runner Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded off the Top 10.

    A flat tyre and then a second puncture on his Škoda Fabia R5 Evo cost long-standing FIA WRC 2 Pro leader Jan Kopecký crucial time and gifted the advantage England’s Gus Greensmith. The Ford Fiesta R5 driver reached the end of the leg with a lead of 1min00.07s. Series leader Kalle Rovanperä returned to action today after a series of punctures blighted his progress on Friday and held third.

    Behind the dominant Kajetanowicz from Poland, Bolivian driver Marco Bulacia and Italy’s Fabio Andolfi were second and third in FIA WRC 2.

    2019 Rally Turkey – Unofficial results after Section 5:

    1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 20min 12.0sec
    2. Esapekka Lappi (FIN) / Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 3hr 20min 12.2sec
    3. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR) / Anders Jaeger-Amland (NOR) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 21min 29.1sec
    4. Teemu Suninen (FIN) / Marko Salminen (FIN) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 21min 38.9sec
    5. Dani Sordo (SPA) / Carlos Del Barrio (SPA) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 22min 36.7sec
    6. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) / Mikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 23min 26.4sec
    7. Kris Meeke (GBR) / Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 3hr 23min 41.5sec
    8. Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3hr 24min 50.2sec
    9. Pontus Tidemand (SWE) / Ola Floene (NOR) Ford Fiesta WRC 3hr 27min 07.8sec
    10. Kajetan Kajetanowicz (POL) / Maciej Szczepaniak (POL) Škoda Fabia R5 3hr 33min 04.5sec

  • Gaurav Gill bounces back in Rally of Turkey

    New Delhi, 14 Sept 2019: Seasoned Indian rallyist Gaurav Gill showed great grit and tenacity to bounce back from Day 2’s reverses to catapult to the sixth position in WRC2 by the end of Stage 12 in the Rally of Turkey on Saturday.
    Gaurav (along with co-driver Glenn Macneall), driving as a registered driver for JK Racing in the WRC 2 category of the World Rally Championship for the first time, was cruising on Friday too before a mechanical failure prompted him to withdraw for the day with two more stages to go.
    Taking advantage of the scratch time plus seven minutes penalty for three stages that he could not complete, the Arjuna Awardee drove with typical elan to emerge as one of the top drivers on Saturday. He finished the 12 stages so far in 3:51:39.2 hours to be poised for a podium finish in WRC2.
    In the overall scheme too, he is placed 17th despite driving a totally new car with barely any testing time in it. The Rally of Turkey is anyway rated among the toughest in the world, with long rough stretches and unrelenting terrains.
    Starting the day from the 10th position, Gaurav got off to a slow start, taking 27:33.5 minutes to finish the 33-km  long eighth stage. Hence finishing 5th fastest in wrc 2. Once he felt comfortable in the car, he began to push and took just 7.28.3 minutes in the ninth stage, posting the third fastest time.
    He was equally impressive in the 10th stage, once again finishing with the third best time of 7.51.6 minutes.
    As the day progressed, the three-time APRC champion seemed to be in his groove, coming up with yet another impressive performance in the 11th stage, setting the third fastest time (27.56.5 minutes) for the third consecutive time.
    In the 8.75-km long 12th stage, he took 8.49.5 minutes with a seized damper but the rhythm he displayed  today should position him for a top 5 finish.