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Monza podium for Jehan: F3
Jehan Daruvala with the trophy for third place in Race 1 on Saturday. Photo by James Gasperotti Monza, Italy: Jehan Daruvala was left frustrated inspite of a podium in race 1 of the seventh round of the FIA F3 Championship, but at the same time won the hearts of thousands around the circuit and around the world. Racing at the 5.793km, historic high speed circuit of Monza, also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix support event, saw Jehan climb from tenth to second, only to suffer issues denying the Indian a potential race win. Electronics issues disabled Jehan’s DRS, in turn preventing him from gaining top speed on the two vital long straights.
A bizarre qualifying session saw 17 racers, including all three racers in Jehan’s Prema Racing Team, receiving penalties. With only 5 minutes for the session to end and Jehan had set his fastest laptime in Sector 1 and the quickest sector 2 of any racer on the grid. It looked certain that Jehan would have claimed provisional pole, but over ten cars had slowed down in the last sector. Jehan had to abort his lap for the second time, due to numerous cars moving slowly on the racing line. Race control found the situation too dangerous and stopped the session prematurely.
Jehan Daruvala in action during Race 1 at Monza. Photo by James Gasperotti Christian Lundgaard topped the session, while Jehan was in fourth. Officials reviewed the session till late into the night and handed a 10-place penalty to all three racers in Jehan’s team, for being too slow on their out lap. It was unfortunate for them, because they did not impede other racers but infact had suffered themselves. However, with a total 17 racers receiving penalties, Jehan would start the race from tenth.
As the lights went out, Jehan made a good start and overtook Brazilian racer, Piquet. Two cars tangled in front and Jehan moved upto seventh. He soon overtook British Racer Max Fewtrell to climb to sixth. Up ahead the leaders tangled and German racer Zandeli fell down the order. Jehan quickly went passed Lundgaard into fourth and then, the safety car was deployed. It was during the safety car period that Jehan’s radio messages were broadcast, about Jehan being furious that his DRS (Drag Reduction System) was not working. The DRS is crucial in Monza due to the long straights and the inability to use DRS is a severe handicap while fighting a bunch of cars. The failure was not linked to the team in any way and Jehan would just have to work with the disadvantage.
Jehan drove brilliantly once the safety car pulled into the pits. Third place Richard Verschoor was also driving well, but the Indian pulled off a phenomenal move around the outside of the Dutchman, going around the first corner. Jehan managed to make the move stick and then began to pull away, in third.
Jehan had excellent pace, but unfortunately without DRS, he was clearly disadvantaged and unable to challenge the leaders for the race win. He tried to close in as much as possible, but the safety car was deployed a second time due to another crash. The race ended behind the safety car but Marcus Armstrong in second received a penalty, promoting Jehan to second while Russian, Robert Shwartzman won the race.
“The race was a lot of fun, starting P10 and finishing P2 with such a good result for the team. It was very frustrating for me, not having DRS so I couldn’t really battle for the lead, and I really wanted to, I know we had the pace. Second is good but I’m a little upset for not having the opportunity to fight for the win.”
Shwartzman’s victory and Jehan’s second place inpsite of his issues, mean the Russian was able to pull further away from Jehan in the Championship. Jehan remains in second after earning his seventh podium of the season. Jehan will start seventh for Race 2 tomorrow, due to the reverse grid regulations.
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Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty continue winning spree; Deepak, Venkatesan sparkel: MMSC bike Nationals
Rajiv Sethu celebrating his fifth consecutive win in the Pro-Stock 165cc class at MMRT on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar Chennai, 7 Sept 2019: On a day of serial winners and Honda domination, Deepak Ravikumar spared the blushes for TVS Racing with a brilliant win in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category to consolidate his top position on the leaderboard in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
While Ravikumar chalked up his third win of the season, Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing camp celebrated as Rajiv Sethu (Pro-Stock 165cc) stormed to his fifth consecutive win in the class and Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) led a 1-2 finish with his fourth straight success. Not to be outdone, 22-year old from Chennai, Venkatesan I (Moto Maniacz Racing) completed a hat-trick of wins to consolidate his top position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) championship.
Deepak Ravikumar (No.25), winner of the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race. Ravikumar, a businessman from Chennai and a versatile racer who is a familiar figure on the podium in the National car racing championship, started the race from P3, eased his way past pole-sitter and team-mate Jagan Kumar and Alishaa Racing’s Amarnath Menon to hit the front. With Jagan retiring due to a mechanical issue midway through the six-lap race, Ravikumar opened up a big lead.
Rajiv Sethu after completing his fifth consecutive win in Pro-Stock 165cc class However, with two laps remaining, he had to deal with an errant sprocket, but he managed to nurse the wobbly bike over the finish line, just ahead of Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) and Menon. “For the last two laps, my bike was literally dancing and I had a tough time to control the machine, but somehow managed to maintain my track position,” said a relieved Ravikumar who enjoys a 28-point lead over team-mate KY Ahamed going into tomorrow’s Race-2.
The other notable win of the day was by international Rajiv Sethu, the 21-year old also from Chennai. Starting from pole position, Sethu lost two positions in the very first lap with Jagan Kumar establishing a massive lead. However, Jagan crashed in the third lap, leaving Sethu, who had fought his way to second spot, in the lead. Sethu kept his cool despite close attention from Ahamed and team-mate Sarath Kumar to post his fifth straight win of the championship.
Venkatesan, winner of the Novice (Stock 165cc) race Likewise, Venkatesan had to work hard for his win in the Novice race that was reduced to four laps from scheduled six following a multiple-bike pile-up immediately after the start, leading to red flag and restart. After a poor start from pole position saw him drop a few positions, Venkatesan fought his way to the front for a deserving third consecutive win.
Late in the day, 15-year old Md Mikail from Chennai, completed a double by winning his second race of the day and fourth win in a row and fifth from six starts, in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup (NSF 250R).
The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11mins, 38.822secs); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (11:38.823); 3. Amarnath Menon (Alishaa Racing) (11:40.477).
Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:09.576); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:15.051); 3. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Erula Atomic Racing) (12:25.325).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (11:58.132); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11:59.420); 3.Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:03.811).
Novice (Stock 165cc, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Team MotoManiacz Racing) (08:51.011); 2. Mohan Babu P (Rockers Racing) (08:52.301); 3.Abhimanyu Gautham (Sparks Racing) (08:52.311).
One-Make Championship organised by MMSC:
TVS Open (RR 310, Race-1): 1. S Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (11:58.389); 2. Anup Kumar (Chennai) (12:01.632); 3. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (12:05.125). Novice (RTR 200, Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:18.180); 2. Veera Ashwin Lal M (Madurai) (13:19.885); 3. Annish Samson D (Bengaluru) (13:22.141). Girls (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (Puducherry) (11:20.428); 2. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (11:37.015); 3. Lakiya Lee Charles (Chennai) 11:37.280).
Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-1): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (10:59.155); 2. Geoffrey Emmanuel (Chennai) (11:09.952); 3. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune) (11:11.201). Race-2: 1. Md Mikail (10:58.935); 2. Varoon Sadasivam (Chennai) (11:03.295); 3. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (11:11.955).
CBR 150 (Race-1): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:14.704); 2. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:14.798); 3. S Rajdashwanth (Trichy) (13:14.922).
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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Shwartzman back to his scintillating best in Monza Race 1; Jehan Daruvala finishes 3rd
Russian wins for the first time since Round 2, ahead of teammates Armstrong and Daruvala
Robert Shwartzman, winner, flanked by Marcus Armstrong,, left and Jehan
Daruvala 3rd, All three are from PREMA Racing. An F3 imageMonza, 7 Sept 2019: Championship leader Robert Shwartzman won for the first time since Le Castellet to edge closer to the FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ title. The Russian racer had to battle off his teammates for the victory, finishing at the peak of a PREMA 1-2-3, with Marcus Armstrong in Second and Jehan Daruvala third. The race finished under safety car as Alex Peroni of Campos Racing survived a huge crash and walked out safely before being taken for regular medical checks.
The race started in contrasting settings to yesterday’s wet Qualifying session, with bright conditions overlooking a warm 19-degree Italian heat. Following a spat of post Qualifying penalties, it was Lirim Zendeli who backed up Christian Lundgaard on the front row, followed by Richard Verschoor.
The polesitter was in the middle of a three-man brawl for first off the line, having seen the duo behind him make thundering starts. The Dane managed to eventually fend off Verschoor, but Zendeli flew past him coming out of the first turn.Armstrong had bolted off the line himself, rising from seventh to fourth, ahead of Max Fewtrell, and he was soon honing in on Verschoor, who he swiftly swapped positions with, while setting the fastest lap.Delight turned to despair for Zendeli – who had taken the lead following arguably the race start of his career to date. Zendeli and Lundgaard came together and the German skidded off track – he was left with a puncture, which ended his race. Meanwhile, the Danish driver suffered front wing damage, which forced him into the pits and left him at the back of the field.This handed Armstrong the race lead and a chance to make it three wins from four, which would thrust him into second in the Championship. With Verschoor desperately clinging onto second, ahead of fellow PREMA duo Shwartzman and Daruvala, the Kiwi was able to build up a steady lead at the front.The Indian lost significant ground in his tussle with Shwartzman and Verschoor, when he was forced wide in his attempts to wrestle third from his Russian teammate. This allowed the Championship leader an opportunity to pounce on P2 and he powerfully sent it down the side of the Dutchman.Having come within 12 points of Shwartzman in Round 5, Jüri Vips struggled in Spa last time out and wasn’t faring much better in Monza. The Estonian clumped the back of Keyvan Andres and was flung off track and into the wall. He attempted to get going again, but the damage to his front right tyre was too great and he was forced to retire, which brought out a safety car.Verschoor lost two places upon the restart, with Daruvala and Yuki Tsunoda both lunging ahead down the pit straight. Meanwhile, Armstrong’s lead at the front had been sliced to just 0.5s.The sight of Shwartzman arrowing in on his teammate for P1 brought back memories of Spielberg, when the duo collided in the same scenario. There would be no repeat this time around and Shwartzman cleanly dispatched off the Kiwi to take the race lead, displaying the maturity he has gained from that episode in Round 3.The race would finish under the safety car, when Alex Peroni took flight on the sausage curb. The Campos driver was able to leave his car safely, before being taken by the medical car for the usual checks.This allowed Shwartzman to run home unopposed in first, ahead of Armstrong and Daruvala. Tsunoda and Verschoor completed the top five, ahead of Pedro Piquet, Jake Hughes, Liam Lawson, Fabio Scherer and Logan Sargeant.Having also claimed the fastest lap, the Russian’s win hands him a 35 point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with three races remaining. Daruvala remains second with 144 and Armstrong is third with 137. Vips, on 122, and Lundgaard, on 97, complete the top five. Teams’ Champions PREMA Racing are first on 460 points, ahead of Hitech Grand Prix on 183 and ART Grand Prix on 174. Trident, 97, and HWA RACELAB, 72, complete the top five.Lawson will start on reverse pole in Race 2 tomorrow at 9.30am local time.FIA Formula 3 Championship Round 7 – Race 1 provisional classificationDRIVERTEAM1Robert ShwartzmanPREMA Racing2Marcus ArmstrongPREMA Racing3Jehan DaruvalaPREMA Racing4Yuki TsunodaJenzer Motorsport5Richard VerschoorMP Motorsport6Pedro PiquetTrident7Jake HughesHWA RACELAB8Liam LawsonMP Motorsport9Fabio SchererSauber Junior Team by Charouz10Logan SargeantCarlin Buzz Racing11Felipe DrugovichCarlin Buzz Racing12Leonardo PulciniHitech Grand Prix13Teppei NatoriCarlin Buzz Racing14Devlin DeFrancescoTrident15Christian LundgaardART Grand Prix16Max FewtrellART Grand Prix17Raoul HymanSauber Junior Team by Charouz18Bent ViscaalHWA RACELAB19Sebastian FernandezCampos Racing20Keyvan AndresHWA RACELAB21Simo LaaksonenMP Motorsport22Andreas EstnerJenzer Motorsport23Alessio DeleddaCampos RacingNOT CLASSIFIEDAlex PeroniCampos RacingDavid BeckmannART Grand PrixJuri VipsHitech Grand PrixLirim ZendeliSauber Junior Team by CharouzNiko KariTridentGiorgio CarraraJenzer MotorsportYe YifeiHitech Grand PrixOVERALL FASTEST LAPRobert Shwartzman (PREMA Racing) – 1:40.020 on Lap 17FASTEST LAP ELIGIBLE FOR POINTSRobert Shwartzman (PREMA Racing) -
Lundgaard seals second F3 pole in Monza; Jehan Daruvala starts on P4
ART Grand Prix ace qualifies ahead of Armstrong and ShwartzmanChristian Lundgaard, ART Grand Prix, take pole. An F3 image Monza, 6 Sept 2019: Christian Lundgaard became the first driver this season to seal a second pole position in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, controlling an extremely competitive Qualifying session that had more than 10 different leaders. The Danish driver set his time late on as the circuit began to dry in Monza, and finished ahead of PREMA duo Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman.
With the track still damp, following rain in the Formula 2 Qualifying session, the cars headed out with caution onto the track and Niko Kari set the first time at 1:53.444. Devlin DeFrancesco dipped under 1m 49s as they began to get a feel for the circuit. Fabio Scherer then took further chunks out of the best time.Leonardo Pulcini, Felipe Drugovich, Liam Lawson and Jehan Daruvala all took turns in first, in quick succession, before the in-form Armstrong grabbed the session by the scruff of the neck to break the 1m 40s barrier.Jake Hughes stole provisional pole as the track grew drier and the drivers were told over team radio that no further rain was expected. With just over 10 minutes to go, Lundgaard grabbed provisional pole and made the most of the improved grip on track.The traffic intensified as all the cars fed onto the track for their second stint, and it remained heavy for a couple of laps with less than 4 minutes left on the clock. Due to safety reasons the race director decided to red flag the session which was then not resumed. This allowed Lundgaard to claim his second pole since Budapest. Armstrong and Shwartzman took 2nd and 3rd respectively, ahead of their teammate, Daruvala.Lirim Zendeli snuck in a late fast lap to take fifth – his best Qualifying of the season. Teppei Natori also sealed his best of the season in sixth, ahead of Max Fewtrell, Richard Verschoor, Kari and Giorgio Carrara.Race 2 will get underway tomorrow at 10.30am local time, when Lundgaard will aim for his second win of 2019.FIA Formula 3 Round 7 – Qualifying provisional classificationDRIVERTEAMLAPTIMELAPS1Christian LundgaardART Grand Prix1:38.834122Marcus ArmstrongPREMA Racing1:38.969113Robert ShwartzmanPREMA Racing1:39.037114Jehan DaruvalaPREMA Racing1:39.055115Lirim ZendeliSauber Junior Team by Charouz1:39.177116Teppei NatoriCarlin Buzz Racing1:39.303127Max FewtrellART Grand Prix1:39.307128Richard VerschoorMP Motorsport1:39.312119Niko KariTrident1:39.3431110Giorgio CarraraJenzer Motorsport1:39.3441111Yuki TsunodaJenzer Motorsport1:39.4371112Jake HughesHWA RACELAB1:39.4441013Liam LawsonMP Motorsport1:39.5051214Pedro PiquetTrident1:39.511915Jüri VipsHitech Grand Prix1:39.6451116Logan SargeantCarlin Buzz Racing1:39.7171117David BeckmannART Grand Prix1:39.7881218Alex PeroniCampos Racing1:39.8301119Simo LaaksonenMP Motorsport1:40.0681120Keyvan AndresHWA RACELAB1:40.084921Bent ViscaalHWA RACELAB1:40.0971022Leonardo PulciniHitech Grand Prix1:40.1081123Devlin DeFrancescoTrident1:40.1141024Sebastian FernandezCampos Racing1:40.1901125Fabio SchererSauber Junior Team by Charouz1:40.2581126Felipe DrugovichCarlin Buzz Racing1:40.370927Ye YifeiHitech Grand Prix1:40.6391028Raoul HymanSauber Junior Team by Charouz1:41.0521029Alessio DeleddaCampos Racing1:41.1611130Andreas EstnerJenzer Motorsport1:42.03111 -
Charles Leclerc tops rain-affected first practice
Charles Leclerc tops FP1. An FIA image Monza, 6 Sept 2019: Charles Leclerc topped a rain-affected first practice for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix that was interrupted by red flags on three occasions.
Leclerc, who last weekend in Belgium became Ferrari’s youngest grand prix winner, claimed top at the end of the damp session as the field moves to slick tyres at the end of the session. The Monegasque driver set a best time of 1:27.905 to beat McLaren’s Carlos Sainz by three tenths of a second, with the Spanish driver a further two tenths ahead of team-mate Lando Norris.
Following heavy overnight rain and drizzle this morning the session featured a brief early period on full wet tyres before the field quickly moved to intermediate rubber. Around half an hour into the session running was halted for the first time when Kimi Räikkönen beached his Alfa Romeo in the gravel traps at Parabolica.
However, the second delay arrived moments after the green flags had been shown for the re-start. This time it was Racing Point’s Sergio Pérez who was caught out by the conditions. The Mexican driver lost control of his car through the Ascari Chicane and he slid off backwards into the barriers. The impact flipped him round and he also damaged the front left side of the car.
After a period of improvement for many drivers on a drying track, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly then caused a final brief red flag spell when he became stranded on a kerb at the first Rettifilo chicane. With the aid or mashals the Frenchman was able to get going again, however, and thus the halt was a brief one.
In the final phase of the session, with conditions steadily improving, the times began to tumble with Leclerc and the McLaren driver posting their time at the very end of the session.
That left fourth place to Lewis Hamilton who set a time eight tenths of a second slower than Leclerc’s late slick tyre lap. Fifth place went to Red Bull Racing’s Alex Albon with former Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat. The Russian briefly claimed top spot with his time of 1:29.960 in the final two minutes of the session but the rapidly improving conditions saw his eventually beaten by more than two seconds as the leading drivers in the session all made large gains in the final flurry.
Max Verstappen finished seventh in the second Red Bull, ahead of the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel, while Valtteri Bottas took ninth for Mercedes ahead of the second Toro Rosso of Gasly who ended the session 2.790s off Leclerc’s P1 time.
2019 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 20 1:27.905
2 Carlos Sainz McLaren 25 1:28.211 0.306
3 Lando Norris McLaren 23 1:28.450 0.545
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 11 1:28.730 0.825
5 Alex Albon Red Bull Racing19 1:29.025 1.120
6 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 25 1:29.960 2.055
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 11 1:30.10 2.195
8 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:30.507 2.602
9 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 11 1:30.596 2.691
10 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 26 1:30.695 2.790
11 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing 22 1:32.848 4.943
12 Lance Stroll Racing Point Racing Point 9 1:33.976 6.071
13 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 10 1:34.528 6.623
14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 7 1:34.715 6.810
15 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 10 1:35.133 7.228
16 Romain Grosjean Haas 7 1:35.980 8.075
17 Robert Kubica Williams 12 1:37.816 9.911
18 George Russell Williams 12 1:38.421 10.516
19 Sergio Perez Racing Point 4
20 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing 4 -
Mikail clocks a stunning lap record in 250cc bikes; Jagan takes pole
Chennai, 6 Sept 2019: Fifteen-year old Md Mikail from Chennai lit up the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship by setting a record of sorts at the MMRT here on Friday and grabbed pole position in the Honda NSF 250R category while TVS Racing’s ace rider Jagan Kumar qualified first in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category.Also qualifying for pole positions in their respective National championship categories were Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing (Girls, Stock 165cc), Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing’s Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) and Venkatesan I (Novice, Stock 165cc) of Team Motomaniacz.
Mikail, riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bike in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup one-make championship, clocked a blistering lap of 01minute, 47.887secs around the 3.717-km MMRT circuit in the qualifying session. It was the fastest lap ever in a National championship event for bikes up to 250cc.
Second behind Mikahil who is full time into racing and studies from home, was another Chennai teenager, Varoon Sadasivam (01:49.327) with Pune’s 12-year-old Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (01:51.342) qualifying third.
“I am very happy with my qualifying session, but I am working hard to do even better,” said Mikail who is leading the championship in his category.
Md Mikail who qualified for pole position in the Honda NSF 250R .category. Photos: Anand Philar As well as these teenagers rode, the spotlight was on the Pro-Stock 301-400cc qualifying session where seven-time National champion in the lower category Jagan Kumar, lying a distant ninth on the leaderboard after a string of disappointing performances, showcased his mettle by putting in a hot lap of 01:54.037 for pole position. Former National champion in this class, Amarnath Menon (Team Alishaa Racing) was second in 01:54.807 while TVS Racing Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.221) completed the front row on the grid for tomorrow’s race.
Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) topped the qualifying session in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc category with a flying lap of 01:57.646. Erula Racing’s Mithun Kumar (01:58.310) was the second quickest and Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) qualified third in 01:59.192.
Jagan Kumar who qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class.Earlier, international Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing), leading the championship in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, put the hammer down by topping the Free Practice session with a flying lap of 01minute, 59.115 seconds, pipping his closest rival, TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar (01:59.239). Sethu’s team-mate Sarath Kumar, also in the championship reckoning and trailing Jagan by just one point, was third quickest in 02:00.103, ahead of TVS Racing’s Kevin Kannan (02:01.102). The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday.
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Shwartzman quickest in wet Free Practice; Jehan Daruvala 4th fastest: F3
Russian finishes ahead of Round 6 winners Armstrong and Piquet
Monza, 6 Sept 2019: Robert Shwartzman topped a rain-hampered session in Monza, leading Free Practice for the first time in 2019. The PREMA racer set the quickest time early on – before the field all switched to wets – and finished ahead of in-form duo Marcus Armstrong, of PREMA Racing, and Pedro Piquet, of Trident.The session begun under light rain down the pit straight as teams initially set out on slick tyres. Spa-Francorchamps Race 2 winner Armstrong was first to notch a quick time, dipping under 1m 45s, followed by teammate Shwartzman.
On his second full lap of the course, Armstrong knocked two seconds off his time, but his Russian teammate was able to shave a further two tenths to take P1 as rain began to fall harder. Jüri Vips spun off track but was able to get going again, and teams began to feed back into the pits for wet tyres.
Estner remained out and a wobble ended with the side of his Jenzer machine stuck in the wall. The German climbed out of his car unscathed, but his team now face a race against time to get his car ready for Qualifying later today.
Fabio Scherer was the first to get back out onto the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit and test the new tyres. The rest of the field returned shortly after and focus was centred on getting to grips with the wets.
This saw the order remained unchanged, before the session ended under a yellow flag. Giorgio Carrara sailed off track and was beached on the sausage curb. This left Shwartzman and Armstrong to run home first and second, with Piquet in third. Jehan Daruvala and Teppei Natori completed the top five, with Niko Kari, Alex Peroni, Richard Verschoor, Felipe Drugovich and Liam Lawson all in the top 10.
Action will intensify this afternoon as Shwartzman aims to carry across his positive early form and become the first driver to earn a second pole position of the season, when qualifying begins at 5.50pm local time.
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Gill set for WRC2 Rally of Turkey
New Delhi, 6 Sept. 2019: India’s first and only Arjuna Awardee in motorsports, Gaurav Singh Gill, is all set to take part in FIA World Rally Championship 2, in the Rally of Turkey from September 12 to 15.The three-time APRC and six-time INRC champion will be driving a 1.6 Turbo R5 that has been developed by M-Sport. Supported by JK Tyre Motorsport, the rally ace will fancy his chances as most of the stages in the Rally of Turkey will be run on gravel, something that he relishes.
“We will carefully pick and choose the rallies that I will participate in this year, keeping in mind the car, the terrain and my strengths,” Gill revealed at a press interaction here on Friday. “I am excited about my first stint with a renowned team and a new support system in formidable JK Tyre Motorsport,” he added.
Gaurav Gill in his new JK Racing attire. Photos: JK Racing The recently decorated Arjuna Awardee has already had a satisfying exploration in the WRC-2 2018, having taken part in four rallies, one each in Italy, Finland, Wales and Australia as an unregistered driver. He won 11 stages despite facing challenges, underlining his prowess and skill at the top level.
Gaurav Gill was felicitated by JK Tyre Motorsport for his Arjuna Award recognition at the press interaction. The company’s Marketing Director Vikram Malhotra congratulated the champion, declaring the award as a watershed moment for Indian motorsport.
“JK Tyre is the pioneer in promoting motorsport in India. 90% of the kids racing abroad have come from JK’s programmes. Our association with Gaurav Gill has also started yielding results in developing our tyres, with the last two domestic rallies leading to the development of 3 variants of rally tyres. With top performances in international events, our victories with Gaurav will only add to our excitement and result in strengthening our programmed that will benefit Gen Next,” Mr. Vikram Malhotra, Marketing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, said.
Gill will be competing as a registered driver for the first time and will be picking up championship points, making it a huge landmark for Indian motorsport.“I have worked with Gaurav briefly last year and it’s great to be able to continue that collaboration with him again this year. As a three-time Asia Pacific Champion, Gaurav is a talented driver with a lot of potential and we’re all looking forward to seeing how he progresses in the FIA World Rally Championship’s WRC 2 series,” Team Principal, Richard Millener, said.
“He’ll be taking to the wheel of our latest rally car – the all-new EcoBoost-powered R5 MkII which made its competitive debut earlier this summer. A lot of work and technology has gone into the design and development of this new car, and we’re all excited to see what some of the world’s best drivers can do behind the wheel – Gaurav included,” he added.
“This will change the way all stakeholders will look at Indian motorsport. Youngsters can hope for brighter prospects in the sport as schools and colleges will acknowledge Gaurav’s recognition and will treat it at par with any other sport. Sponsors will see more value in associating with the sport too, beyond using it as a testing ground. I wish Gaurav all the luck ahead of this important sojourn and hope that he will be able to live up to the expectations of the entire country,” Mr. Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre, said.
The 2019 Rally of Turkey will see the drivers cover a total distance of over 988.50 kms with 310.10 kms earmarked for 17 special stages. Most of the stages will be gravel with few of the stages running on concrete tiles and tarmac. The WRC will be broadcast live over 40 countries, featuring registered drivers and also could be seen online by registering on WRC+.
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Jehan Daruvala raring to go: F3 at Monza
Monza 5 Sept 2019: The Formula 3 paddock reunites this week at Monza in Italy for the seventh round of the season. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the F2 community, the teams and the drivers will race for Anthoine Hubert to honour the talented young Frenchman whom we all miss dearly.PREMA Racing will welcome the opportunity to celebrate a well-earned Teams’ Championship title on home soil in Monza after another mammoth points haul at Spa-Francorchamps. Jake Hughes of HWA RACELAB had set the pace in practice, but Jehan Daruvala bagged his first pole position of the season in the afternoon’s qualifying session. The Indian was forced to settle for third however, behind PREMA teammate Robert Shwartzman and Trident’s Pedro Piquet who took his maiden F3 victory in Race 1. PREMA’s Marcus Armstrong led from lights to flag on a sombre Sunday for the New Zealander’s second victory in as many rounds.With the Teams’ title wrapped up, Shwartzman (152 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship, with Daruvala (129) 23 points behind in second place. Hitech Grand Prix’s Jüri Vips (122) is third, preventing a PREMA 1 2 3, with Armstrong (119) 3 points behind him. PREMA (400) are deserved victors of the Teams’ Championship, 217 points ahead of Hitech (183). ART Grand Prix (170) are third.Monza hosts Round 7 of the championship, a historically fast circuit with long straights and some of the most famous corners in motorsport in front of traditionally passionate Italian support. The teams and drivers will need to manage their Pirelli soft compound tyres carefully amid the low downforce turns, hard braking, and rapid acceleration. 30 cars fighting wheel-to-wheel in the braking zones should provide quite the show!Warm-Up // Pedro Piquet – Trident“Monza is one of the classic tracks on the calendar, with the fastest average and top speeds. It’s very difficult and in terms of racing; it’s one of the best circuits because the low downforce set-up also means you don’t get as much dirty air and you can battle on the long straights. Because we run a low downforce set-up you can slide a lot or lock the tyres under braking in high-speed corners, so you need to be really good in managing that.“There could be lots of battles in the braking zones. There will be a lot of cars side-by-side into the corners because the advantage you have on the car in front is not that big. One of the things I like is that the DRS is not quite as effective. You really need to work hard for the overtake. When you open the DRS you obviously gain on the car in front but it’s not a lot. I’m really excited for it and I hope we can have a good weekend.“Because the circuit has a lot of straights, people may think it’s easier on the tyres but it’s not really. You’re sliding a lot and, with the low downforce on the car, if you start to slide then the tyres are done, so you need to take care of them.“We always push for a competitive weekend. You have two races and you have to perform well in both. If you have the pace and you start well, fight for Race 1, if not try to get into a decent position so you can fight for Race 2. You need to be there, in the top 6, which helps a lot in the weekend, so that’s the aim.”Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of F1 and Car Racing“After an extremely difficult weekend in Spa, following the tragic passing of Anthoine Hubert, we move on to Monza. Our home circuit is also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, which accurately describes the track characteristics. Finding the right compromise with grip despite the low downforce levels is always a challenge, as well as managing the compounds against the considerable stresses that are imposed on them by this historic circuit. Another difficulty will be balancing the set-up of the car in different weather conditions, as at this time of year both hot and cool temperatures are possible, which clearly affects how the front and rear work together.”Season Stats1 PREMA Racing are champions! The Italian outfit clinched the FIA Formula 3 championship after Race 2 at Spa-Francorchamps.400 PREMA have 400 points, 217 more than second-placed Hitech Grand Prix with only 206 points available.23 The gap between championship leader Robert Shwartzman and second-placed Jehan Daruvala at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.8 Trident’s Pedro Piquet was the eighth different driver to have stood on the top step of the podium this season.NoteworthyChristian Lundgaard has led more laps (44) than any other driver on the grid this season. Marcus Armstrong is second with 43 laps led.Between their three drivers, Teams’ Championship winners PREMA Racing have taken 3 pole positions, 6 wins, 18 podiums, 5 front-row starts, 5 fastest laps, and have led for 109 laps from a possible 250.All six rounds so far have seen saw a different driver qualify for pole position; Robert Shwartzman in Barcelona, Jake Hughes in Le Castellet, Armstrong in Spielberg, Jüri Vips in Silverstone, Lundgaard in Budapest and Jehan Daruvala in Spa.Despite sitting fourth in the championship behind Shwartzman and Daruvala, Armstrong has as many wins, as many pole positions as his teammates, and he has set more fastest laps, taken more bonus points and has lead more laps then them.PREMA Racing’s points haul from Belgium last time out (74) was their highest since Round 2 (82).Trident’s Devlin Defrancesco and Carlin Buzz Racing’s Logan Sargeant will both serve five-place grid penalties in Monza after both drivers were involved in separate collisions in Belgium.Round 7 of the championship is the first time we will see Pirelli’s soft compound tyre since Round 3 in Spielberg.Local times: (GMT+2)FridayFree Practice: 09.35 – 10.20Qualifying: 17.50 – 18.20SaturdayRace 1: 10.30 (22 laps)Press conference: 11.30SundayRace 2: 09.30 (22 laps) -
Rajiv Sethu, Jagan Kumar all set for fourth round of the National Racing Championship
File photo of Rajiv Sethu (80),(Round 3 Pro-Stock 165cc race) by Anand Philar Chennai, 5 Sept 2019: India’s top two-wheeler racers along with manufacturers, Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM, will return to action in the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019 at the MMRT, here on Friday.
The 2019 season has been a roller-coaster with reputations taking a beating and the race for the title in various categories is thrown wide open. The weekend’s races assume significance as the contenders go wheel-to-wheel for precious points as the championship enters its last leg.
The Pro-Stock categories comprising the premium 301-400cc class besides 201-300cc and the 165cc, all run on MRF slick tyres, have witnessed thrilling battles through the season.
Thus, going into Round 4, Chennai-based TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar (101 points) and KY Ahamed (98), both with two wins apiece from six starts, head the 301-400cc class where defending champion Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) is placed sixth with 51 points with just one win. In contrast, Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) is comfortably placed with 90 points in the 201-300cc class following a hat-trick of victories, well ahead of teammate and fellow-Bengalurean Abhishek Vasudev (63).
The popular Pro-Stock 165cc class has seen long-time rivals Honda and TVS, locked in a fierce fight. Honda’s international rider Chennai’s Rajiv Sethu, after missing the first round due to his commitments in Japan, won four races in a row to lead the championship with 100 points, ahead of seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing (94) who, in turn, enjoys a one-point lead over Honda’s Sarath Kumar. Both Jagan and Sarath have won one race apiece.
The Novice class (Stock 165cc), with its 40-bike grid and packed with talent, has Chennai’s I Venkatesan (Moto Maniacz Racing) in the lead with 98 points with Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing, 80) from Jind, Haryana, and Bengaluru’s Anish Samson (Speed Up Racing, 70) in tow.
Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing), having won two consecutive races, is closing in on Girls title with a tally of 68 points, while defending champion and team-mate Ann Jennifer (40) is third behind private entrant Nivetha Jessica (42). Incidentally, all three are from Chennai.
The active involvement of the two-wheeler manufacturers in the championship has cast the net wider and snared a clutch of fresh talent.
The championship received a massive boost with Honda introducing FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bikes, the fastest in the championship and ridden by hungry-for-success teenagers, all part of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup programme designed to unearth and nurture talent. The NSF 250R replaced the CBR 250 while the CBR 150 category, boasting of a big grid, has been retained.
TVS have showcased their Apache RR 310 in the Open class for experienced riders beside the RTR 200 (Novice and Girls) has attracted sizeable and highly competitive grids, while KTM and Yamaha have strong presence in the Pro-Stock, Novice and Girls categories of the National championship.
