INDIA in F1

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  • Pirelli to supply 45,000 tyres for 2012 Formula One! Cinturato makes a return

    Abu Dhabi, 25 January 2012:

    • The range of tyres has been entirely renewed for the latest generation of cars, with the aim of encouraging a wider range of new strategies from the teams and maintaining at least two pit stops
    • More angular profiles and softer compounds to compensate for the new aerodynamic set-ups of the cars
    • Alongside the P Zero slick compounds, on the wet weather tyres the Cinturato name returns, with which Pirelli made its Formula One debut in 1951
    • The colours on the tyre sidewalls have been modified to make the different compounds more visible
    • Tyre performance, temperature and pressure data is available for teams, engineers, and Pirelli’s researchers to see in real time – thanks to the very first Formula One tyre virtual database, designed by the Italian firm

     Abu Dhabi:  Pirelli gets the 2012 Formula One season underway, its second as sole supplier, by presenting the new range of tyres for the 63rd FIA World Championship at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, according to a press release Pirelli received on the Indian Republic Day. The key characteristics of the new tyres – developed by Pirelli together with the teams in response to the latest aerodynamic regulations regarding blown exhausts – are: squarer profiles, increased grip, and softer, more competitive compounds with consistent degradation.

    The objective for the 2012 tyres is to ensure entertaining races that remain unpredictable all the way up to the chequered flag, with two to three pit stops per race and a strong emphasis on team strategies. The coloured markings on the sidewalls now change to become bigger and more easily recognisable, while the Cinturato name that has become emblematic in Formula One history returns: the tyre with which Pirelli raced and won in the 1950s. From 2012, Cinturato will denote the full wet and intermediate tyres.

    Pirelli’s Racing Tyre System also returns, with some new functionality. This is a platform created by Pirelli’s engineers in order to record the behaviour and performance of each tyre: information that is shared with the teams and Formula One Management (FOM).

    The presentation took place on Thursday (26 Jan 2012) at an international press conference hosted by Marco Tronchetti Provera, the President and CEO of Pirelli, Motorsport Director Paul Hembery, and Research and Development Director Maurizio Boiocchi.

    Marco Tronchetti Provera said: “After the positive experience of last year, the teams asked us to continue providing tyres with the characteristics that contributed to spectacular races in 2011. And this is what we have done, optimising the compounds and profiles in order to guarantee even better and more stable performance, combined with the deliberate degradation that characterised the P Zero range from 2011. We’re expecting unpredictable races, with a wide range of strategies and a number of pit stops: all factors that both competitors and spectators greatly enjoyed last year. The development work on the new compounds took place throughout the 2011 season, thanks to the impressive learning curve and reaction times from our engineers, who are ready to continue those evolutions during the season ahead.”

    New for 2012: more competitive compounds and ‘squarer’ tyres

    Just as was the case last year, Pirelli will supply the teams with four slick tyre compounds – supersoft, soft, medium and hard – along with two types of wet weather tyre as prescribed by the FIA rules (see separate article). All the P Zero slick tyres will feature a brand new profile compared to 2011 and three of them (the soft, medium and hard) will also have new compounds. The new compounds are softer, with increased grip, better performance, a longer performance peak, but an unaltered overall lifespan. Of the wet weather tyres, only the full wet – the Cinturato Blue – has changed, while the intermediate tyre, the Cinturato Green, is unaltered (see separate article).

    Also unchanged from last year are some fundamental characteristics that all six Pirelli tyres have in common: safety, reliability, structural integrity, driving precision, and fast yet distinctly different degradation curves among the assorted compounds. Pirelli’s research and development methodology is the same as well. The design and testing of the 2012 tyres has benefitted from an on-going dialogue with teams and drivers, who contributed to the development of the new P Zero and Cinturato tyres over the last season. The results of on-track tests have been integrated with the data from simulation, which is able to recreate and predict tyre behaviour and performance in all the circuit and weather conditions of the 20 tracks that make up the Formula One calendar.

    The evolution of the Pirelli tyres for 2012 has also taken into account the regulation changes introduced by the FIA regarding blown exhausts. This new measure, which should result in a reduction of aerodynamic downforce acting on each tyre, requires a wider and more even contact patch. This objective has been met by having a less rounded shoulder on each tyre and using softer compounds, which produce better grip and more extreme performance. The performance gap has changed as well between the different compounds, which all now perform better. During the 2011 season, there was a difference of between 1.2 and 1.8 seconds per lap among the different compounds. This year, the objective is to reduce that to less than a second: between six and eight tenths.

    The compounds for the new season synthesise and build on the evolutions already carried out by Pirelli’s engineers on the 2011 tyres. These have been formulated by Pirelli’s Research and Development division in Milan, using the information obtained when experimental tyres were tested during free practice at grands prix in Sepang, Montreal, Silverstone, Nurburgring, Abu Dhabi and Interlagos last year, as well as the young driver test at Abu Dhabi in November. These tests used a total of 6,000 tyres, which covered around 11,000 kilometres. On top of that, Pirelli carried out five private tests in Istanbul, Barcelona (twice), Jerez and Monza, driving for 9,000 kilometres.

    Pirelli’s new Formula One tyres will make their debut at Jerez on 7 February, at the first official test of the 2012 season.

    Racing Tyre System: Pirelli creates a passport for each tyre.

    In order to develop the 2012 tyres, Pirelli’s engineers relied heavily on the Racing Tyre System (RTS): a computer-based platform able to gather and process the performance data of every tyre during tests and races. The Racing Tyre System, developed by Pirelli’s Information Technology department, allows users to monitor the performance, wear and behaviour of the tyres throughout every phase of their use. On top of that, the RTS tracks the life of each tyre from construction to circuit, updating, in real-time, its use, performance and wear rate. After each tyre has been made in the Izmit factory – where all of Pirelli’s competition tyres are produced – the RTS registers the construction data of each tyre as a type of individual passport. The information on each tyre is built up as it arrives at a circuit and gets fitted onto a car. From that point on, the tyre’s temperature, pressure and wear rate are all registered and made immediately available to Pirelli’s engineers on the track, using special tablet computers, as well as to Pirelli’s research division in Milan and to all the teams. This constitutes a virtual database that is continually updated, forming the starting point for analysis of each car’s performance and future development of the tyres (see separate article).

    The Cinturato returns: a world champion in the 1950s

    The 2012 season marks the return of the Cinturato name to the pinnacle of world motorsport: a brand that is not only linked to Formula One but also to the entire industrial history of tyre manufacture. The Cinturato made its debut in 1951 on Juan Manuel Fangio’s Alfa 159, taking him to championship victory, and was often seen on the podium along with another Pirelli tyre: the Stella Bianca, which was fitted to the Maserati and the Ferrari 375. The Cinturato competed in Formula One right up to the mid 1950s, after which it became a road car tyre for the most sporting and technically advanced cars of the day.

    The Cinturato tyre really made its name as a benchmark in the automotive industry throughout the 1960s, when it was at the forefront of mass motoring.The innovative technology, developed for the Cinturato in the 1950s, took its name from the radial belt (or ‘cintura’, in Italian) that went all the way around the tyre carcass, initially made out of textile fibre and later out of metal. This innovation paved the way for wider tyres that were able to cope with the higher cornering speeds reached by cars from the 1960s onwards. Today, as well as denoting Pirelli’s wet weather Formula One tyres, the Cinturato identifies one of the most successful products in the global tyre industry: the Cinturato P7, which perfectly illustrates Pirelli’s brand values of performance, safety, durability and energy-saving.

    Pirelli’s Formula One team

    Pirelli will supply a total of 45,000 tyres for the entirety of the 2012 Formula One World Championship. The tyres for the top level of world motorsport will be produced at Pirelli’s dedicated competition facility within the factory at Izmit, Turkey, which is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. Pirelli’s engineers have put in place state-of-the-art machinery and innovative technologies to make tyres that are perfectly suited to the demands of grand prix racing (see separate article).

    At races and during official tests, the Pirelli F1 team numbers 50 specialists, from engineers to technicians. Each Formula One team relies on one dedicated Pirelli engineer, as well as on the entire squad of technicians and fitters.

    Pirelli’s F1 team is made up of people who come from all four corners of the globe, but is based in Milan: Pirelli’s Research and Development headquarters. This department has always been at the heart of the Pirelli Group’s cutting-edge technology and employs 1,000 researchers, located in five centres around the world. Motorsport has consistently been Pirelli’s most important research laboratory, from which the Group has developed some of the industry-defining innovations in the tyre sector.

    The tyre supply agreement to Formula One marks the pinnacle of Pirelli’s presence throughout the world of motorsport, in which the Italian firm has been involved since 1907 when it won the Peking-Paris road race. Pirelli is also the exclusive supplier to some of the world’s most important motorsport championships, both on two and four wheels – such as the GP2 and GP3 Series and the World Superbike Championship. On top of this, the Italian firm supplies more than 70 national and international race and rally series, having been the exclusive tyre provider to the World Rally Championship from 2008-2010.

    Formula One and sustainability

    Following on from the Pirelli Premium strategy, dedicated to the design of products and solutions that combine the highest standards of performance and safety with respect for the environment, the Formula One tyre supply agreement is also inspired by criteria of environmental sustainability. In common with all of Pirelli’s other motorsport tyres, heavily aromatic oils have been eliminated from the P Zero production process. The industrial processes used in Izmit are based on energy and water efficiency and the reduction of harmful emissions like carbon dioxide. Special attention is given to the re-use of production remnants and used tyres. The waste handling protocol includes the recycling of used Formula One tyres for either the generation of new primary material or energy production.

    The total output of the tyres made throughout the 2011 season – 28,600 for races and 6,00 for tests – were all recycled.

    Pirelli’s attention to sustainability is also shown by its recent confirmation in the Dow Jones Sustainability STOXX and Dow Jones Sustainability World Indices, where the Group has been the leading company in the ‘Autoparts and Tires’ sector for six consecutive years.

    Pirelli in the Middle East

    Pirelli is among the market leaders in the Middle East, an area that has witnessed a consistent increase in the Ultra High Performance sector over the last few years, where Pirelli leads the way. Pirelli’s local headquarters is in Dubai, importing tyres from Europe from the most prestigious range in the line-up: the P Zero family. These have been developed for the most powerful sports cars currently on sale, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin and Bentley. Pirelli also has a strong presence in the local market for bus and truck tyres, which are made at Pirelli’s facility in Alexandria, Egypt. The industrial and logistical hub, located at Izmit in Turkey, produces tyres for both cars and commercial vehicles and is also fundamental in servicing Middle Eastern markets.

    ends/Pirelli Press Release

    F1 cars run on Pirelli tyres for the inaugural Indian GP at BIC in 2011. Pic credit: Pirelli Tyres

  • Sailesh Bolisetti first Indian to drive in the British GT Championship

    22 January 2012:

    Indian racer Sailesh Bolisetti will be racing for Lotus Sport UK in the 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship. The 23-year old from Visakhapatnam will pilot the Lotus Evora in the GT4 class of the series according to a Press Release from  Motorsport NewsWire

    Having made touring cars the focus of his career since he started racing in 2008, Sailesh quickly proved his competence in a field packed with highly-experienced saloon car racers. He went on to win the inaugural Indian VW Polo Cup title in 2010 and was consequently offered a drive in the VW Scirocco-R Cup for the 2011 season. With tightly packed, limited-time sessions on new racetracks, the Scirocco Cup was a steep learning curve but he showed commendable improvement and was a much more rounded driver at the end of his debut international season.

    Aspiring to compete in top-flight touring and sportscar championships like DTM and Le Mans, Bolisetti thinks that the hard-contested British GT championship will be the right step up in terms of competition, equipment and team involvement.

    “This will be a completely different experience when driving to one-make series – the car’s obviously quicker than whatever I’ve driven before and handling is in a different league, given the mid-engined layout.”

    “But it is more than the car alone – this is a factory team with a test-track, which is also used for F1 testing. Hence all their efforts and resources will be focused on making our car/driver combination as competitive as possible. It is a great commitment since brand Lotus will compete in the same grid as Ferraris, Porsches and Aston Martins, leaving no room for complacency.”

    “It is definitely a privilege to get an opportunity to represent a marque with such a rich pedigree across a uniquely wide range of racing disciplines – some of the best drivers in the business have been associated with Lotus, so I am extremely motivated and can’t wait for the season to kick off.”

    Even though Sailesh has already sampled the 355bhp Evora GT4 race car at the factory test track in Norfolk, he will get some more seat time under his belt in the next two months before the British GT season kicks off at Oulton Park on April 7. The official pre-season tests will focus on more specific set-up work, with qualifying and race distance simulations on the menu as well.

    Lotus Sport UK team manager, Gary Ayles, has had a tryst with India, being involved with the A1GP India team and having raced Formula 3 at the Chennai Circuit in the 1990s. “Sailesh is a strong talent that hadn’t been discovered in Europe, until now. I first got to know him and his father through my contacts in India and we kept in touch. Now he has come of age and is ready to race here in Europe with our team – you need to keep an eye on this lad, he has immense potential”, he quipped.

    In addition to the pre-season testing duties in the run up to the season opener, Bolisetti will also contest the five-round i1 super series in February and March, where he’ll compete in Radical SR3 cars with the final round of the series scheduled at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida.

     

    LOTUS EVORA GT4 SPECS

    ENGINE: 4.0-litre DOHC V6, Naturally-Aspirated with dry-sump

    MAX POWER: 355bhp@6500rpm

    MAX TORQUE: 445Nm@5500rpm

    REDLINE: 7000rpm

    DRIVETRAIN: Mid-Engined, Rear Wheel Drive

    GEARBOX: Sequential 6-speed

    WEIGHT: 1190kg

    2012 AVON TYRES BRITISH GT CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR

    Oulton Park, UK April 7th
    Nurburgring, Germany  May 17th
    Rockingham, UK  June 9th
    Brands Hatch, UK June 23rd
    Snetterton, UK August 4th
    Silverstone, UK September 9th
    Donington Park, UK September 29th

    About Sailesh Bolisetti:

    Born September 28th, 1988 Sailesh made his debut driving a couple of rounds in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship in 2008 – having decided to go the tin-top route instead of the more commonly opted single-seater formula racing. This focus allowed him to excel from the get go and he managed to finish third in the Indian Touring Car championship in 2009 – his first full season in racing.

    In 2010, he was on the cusp of the Super Saloon title but had to settle for a close second but more than made up for the disappointment by winning the inaugural Volkswagen Polo Cup India title, which he raced concurrently. The prize? A drive in the European VW Scirocco-R Cup for the 2011 season.

    The Scirocco Cup campaign saw Sailesh fight long and hard throughout the year, battling against the odds of new tracks, new machinery and a race environment that was a huge departure from his experience in India. Taking away from the experience of his international debut season, Sailesh is now set to compete in his first professional GT series with a factory team and looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

    ends/

    Sailesh Bolisetti poses with the car

    MN release

  • FMSCI enters 40th year; Vicky re-elected president

    Vicky Chandhok pic & V Mallya, FIA Pres Jean Todt 9Dec2011 at Delhi

    By David Bodapati

    Chennai: January 20: Following what was an iconic year for Indian motorsport in 2011 which included the success of the first Indian Grand Prix and 336 other events under their banner. The FMSCI, at their 38th AGM in Chennai on 22 Dec, has unanimously re-elected Vicky Chandhok to continue as President according to a Press Release from FMSCI on Jan 17.

    Karnataka Motor Sports Club’s president Bharat Raj is elected as Vice-President. Bharat has made a great contribution to bring professionalism into the Indian National Rally Championship after his company IMG took over as promoters along with PSP, headed by Annabelle Manwaring.

    Having been involved with International motorsport, the President has been pushing very hard for people from India to get involved in various commissions of global motorsport and not just as members of the World Motorsport Council with Dr. Vijay Mallya as the delegate and himself as the Deputy. The FIA, taking recognition of the FMSCI and of India, has for the first time ratified the nominations of eight Indians to the various global commissions of the FIA. The nominees that were carefully hand-picked have all contributed and can significantly contribute to the growth of Indian motorsport in the future.

    President Chandhok said, “2011 was a historic year for Indian motorsport as we hosted our first ever Formula One Grand Prix and the year ending FIA AGM and Gala. It is imperative that we continue to develop the sport and the infrastructure. It is very important for India now to be seen as a team player and therefore all people nominated to the commissions are delegates with experience and people that can contribute to the running and administration of global motorsport. While it’s important to contribute to global motorsport, our delegates however need to strike a balance to ensure India benefits as a motorsport destination from the appointments of various Commissions.  This worked very well in the case of Formula 1 where years of solid interaction finally resulted in the Olympics of motorsport coming to India. Similar are the goals for our various delegates in these commissions.”

    The FMSCI, at its 38th AGM chaired by Dr. Vijay Mallya in Chennai elected its Office Bearers for the year 2012 with Mr. Chandhok continuing as President and Mr.  Bharat Raj from the KMSC being duly elected as Vice President.

    For the first time in 2011, the Annual FIA Awards Ceremony was held outside of Europe, in New Delhi. Also, for the first time in its history the Annual General Assembly Gala was combined with the Awards Ceremony, making it the largest contingent of FIA delegates, with over 750 delegates from 120 countries marking their presence in our capital.

    The FMSCI AGM also marked the end of a successful three-year contract with Rally promoters, IMG Sports& PSP. The JK Tyre National Racing Championship also completed 14 years and 2011 also saw the emergence of the MRF 1600 Championship. The Gulf Dirt Track, MRF Supercross, National Drag Racing, MRF National Two Wheeler, Honda Two Wheeler Racing, Yamaha Two Wheeler Racing and the JK Tyre Rotax Karting Championships have all established themselves as annual features on the FMSCI calendar.

    The Formula 1 event at Noida was a success in itself but it also saw full feature grids in the Delhi Championship with MRF and the hugely popular JK Tyre Asia Series which ran as a support event to three Formula 1 races in 2011. 2012 will hopefully see the materialization of the i1 Super Series which will give no less than 9 Indian drivers the best platform to showcase themselves on the International racing scene.

    “The FIA flagged off their Action for Road Safety campaign in 2011 as well and were very keen that the FMSCI align with some of the aspects of road safety in India. To make further rapid strides in Indian motorsport, involvement from vehicle manufacturers is of paramount importance. The last fortnight has been hectic in meeting with International Auto Manufacturers such as Audi, VW, Toyota, Mercedes, Maruti, Yamaha, TVS and Honda to further the growth in all forms of Indian motorsport”, President Chandhok concluded.

    Nominated delegates and respective Commissions:

    Single Seater Racing                     – B. Vijay Kumar

    Drag Racing                                   – J. Balamurugan

    Historic Motorsport                         – Manvendra Singh

    Rally                                               – Shivu Shivappa

    Cross Country Rally                       – Manjeet Bhalla

    CIK Karting                                     – Vicky Chandhok

    Circuits                                           – Farhan Vohra

    Officials & Volunteers                     – Prabha Shankar

    The following clubs were elected to the council for the forthcoming year:

    o MMSC (Madras Motor Sports Club)

    o CASC  (Coimbatore Auto Sports Club)

    o KMSC (Karnataka Motor Sports Club)

    o Sportscraft , Mumbai

    o WISA (Western India Sports Association, Nasik)

    o BMSC (Bengal Motor Sports Club)

    o HMSA (Himalayan Motor Sports Association)

    o Spitfire Motorsports Pvt Ltd, Coimbatore.

    edited 2 times after publishing

  • After a long wait, Force India confirms Hulkenberg to pair Paul di Resta for 2012

    16 Dec 2011: Sahara Force India Formula One Team  confirmed on Friday 16th Dec 2011 that Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will form its line-up for the 2012 season in a press release today. Paul continues with the team for his second season in a race seat, while Nico steps up from his role as reserve driver.

    Together they form one of the most exciting pairings on the grid. Dr. Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director: “I am delighted to present our line-up for the 2012 season. In Paul and Nico we have two extremely talented drivers with tremendous potential. “I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pit lane during his rookie season. His speed, maturity and racecraft confirmed that we were right to believe in him and we look forward to working with him again next year. “As for Nico, we identified him as a rising star at the end of 2010 and chose to evaluate him during the course of this season. Despite having only limited time in the car, he convinced us that he deserved a race seat for 2012.

    “Our new line-up means we say ‘goodbye’ to Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since we entered the sport. He has been an integral part of our success over the past four seasons and we wish him well for the future.” Paul Di Resta: “I’m really looking forward to my second season of Formula One and continuing to grow and develop with Sahara Force India. I’ve said all along that I love being part of this team: they are ambitious, hungry for success and we work well together. I’m really excited about 2012 and there is a real sense of belief that we can continue to push the top teams and take another step forward. I’d also like to thank the team for all their hard work this year and for all the support they’ve given me. I’ll take some time out over the next few weeks to recharge my batteries and hopefully come back even stronger in 2012.”

    Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year. It wasn’t easy to watch from the sidelines this season, but I did my best to help the team and show what I was capable of. I’m extremely motivated for 2012 and would like to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me this chance. I’m keen to get down to work over the winter to develop our new car and help the team build on this year’s achievements. The first test in Jerez can’t come soon enough.” Images are free for download for any editorial use, please credit Sahara Force India Formula One Team. Commercial use should be approved by Sahara Force India.

  • Gill wins Indian National Rally Championship for third time

    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif of Team MRF on the podium after winning the Rally of Odisha.

    Bhubaneswar, 11 Dec 2011: With a facile win at the Rally of Odisha,Delhi driver Gaurav Gill along with celebrated co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasargod, representing Team MRF, won the Speed Indian National Rally Championship 2011 with a round to spare, taking an unbeatable 72-point lead over the nearest rival Amittrajit Ghosh and (Aswin Naik). For the 30-year speed maestro, who is arguably the fastest rally driver in the country, the victory at the maiden National rally event in Orissa helped him achieve the third national title. Gill won the INRC title in 2007 and 2009. Making the right calls and ably supporting the speed of Gill is his navigator, Musa Sherif, who is a top navigator in the country with more than 207 rallies to his credit.

    Aniruddha Rangnekar, too won the driver’s national title here with a round to spare, in the 1600 cc class.

    Jointly organised by Kalinga Motor Sports Club and Bengal Motor Sports Club, the Rally of Odisha, the sixth of the seven-round Speed Indian National Rally Championship held under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion (PSP) concluded here today. Rally de Bengal will be held atDurgapurnext Sunday.

    With an eye on the national title, Guarav Gill drove his Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia mixing caution with aggression but never let the pedal off the gas, clocking the fastest times in all the three special stages held on Sunday. He increased the lead over the nearest driver to 6 minutes 18 seconds clocking 11 minutes 18 second in SS-5, 11.08 in SS-6 and 11.19 in SS-7, the last special stage of the rally. He touched speeds of 160 kmph in SS-6 over a distance of 14.18 kms for an average speed of 76.30 kmph for that stage. Gill now has 172 points in the championship table while Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) by virtue of their overall third place (23 points) here taking second in the table standings with 100 points. However, with Lohit Urs (co-driver Srinivasa Moorthy PV), who retired in this rally with an engine failure on Saturday, having 77 points, the last rally of the calendar will witness a fight only for the second overall position in the national championship.

    In the 2000 N class, Karna Kadur (co-driver Somonnita Ghosh) took the lead in the National title over Rahul Kantharaj (Vivek Bhatt) despite his second place finish here and the battle is expected to continue I Kolkota. Yogeshwar Gill of US, with TN’s Jeevarathinam as navigator, won the 2000N class here and also finished overall second ahead of Ghosh and Ashwin.

    Pune driver Aniruddha Rangnekar’s second place here was enough to clinch the National Driver’s championship in the 1600 cc class with a round spare as he took an unbeatable lead over his nearest rival Balram CG, who skipped this rally. Aniruddha and co-driver Anoop Kumar ofBangalorefinished second here clocking 1 min 26.26.1 while Hanoosh Surapneni and co-driver Ravindra Kumar won this rally with a handsome lead to beat the champions at 1 min 24: 47.4 seconds. Ajgar Ali and Debashis finished third.

    Talented Mangalore teenager, who made a stunning debut winning the K-1000 rally inBangaloreearly this year, made the motorsport pundits to stand up and take notice. He suffered a loss in the next rally in Chikmaglur but came back with a bang to win the 1400 cc class in the Rally of Odisha. He was blocked by a slow car yesterday and got  minus (-) 42-second penalty from the stewards but proved his worth by winning with over a 50-second margin. Vikram Rao Aroor (AG Somayya) finished second while championship leader Karan AM along with Shanmugha SM was content with a third place.

    Rafeeq Ur Rehman (co-driver Ajith KP) won the rally in the Gypsy class pushing the husband-wife duo Sachin Singh/ Shree Latha to second place and veteran Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh Kumar Venu came third.

    Unaudited provisional Results (final classification):

    Overall – 2000 cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill (Team MRF) 1 hour 13 minutes 02.5 seconds; 2. Dr Yogeshwar Gill / Jeevarathinam 1:19.20.8; 3. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 1: 19: 33.8.

    2000cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill (Team MRF) 1 hour 13 minutes 02.5 seconds; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 1: 19: 33.8.

    2000cc N: 1. Dr Yogeshwar Gill / Jeevarathinam 1:19.20.8; 2. Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh ; 1: 20:25.9; 3. Dr Dhirendra Kumar/ Honey Narulla 1: 29: 26.4;

    1600 cc: 1. Hanoosh Surapaneni/ Ravindra Kumar 1: 24: 47.4; 2. Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar 1: 28:26.1; 3. Ajgar Ali/ Debashis Ghosh 1: 30:28.8;

    1400cc: 1. Dean Mascerenhas/ Shruptha Padival 1: 22.08.2; 2. Vikram Rao Aroor / AG Somayya 1: 22: 58.6;  3. Karan AM/ Shanmugha SM  1: 24: 15.6.

    Gypsy: 1. Shafeeq Ur Rehman/ Ajith KP 1:28: 10.7; 2. Sachin Singh/ Sri Latha 1:37.44.1; 3.Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh Kumar V 1: 41: 54.7.

    Gaurav Gill of Team MRF

  • Gill takes control as Lohit Urs slips – Odisha Rally

    Bhubaneswar, 10 Dec 2011: Dare devil Delhi driver Gaurav Gill along with celebrated co-driver Musa Sherif, of Team MRF, displayed controlled aggression but still enjoyed driving the fast but technically challenging dirt tracks of the Utkal Stage to record the fastest times in all the three special stages (SS) run on Saturday and virtually sealed the championship as the main challenger Lohit Urs (co-driver PV Srinivasa Moorthy) suffered a casualty after their car stalled on the third special stage of the Rally of Odisha, the sixth round of the Speed Indian National Rally Championship, about 55kms from here on Saturday.

    The 30-year-old Gill drove the Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia in a relaxed manner but still managed to take a 38-second lead and 7 leg points for being the fastest driver which took his tally in the National championship to 140 points against 91 for second-placed Lohit Urs. “We are clocking high speeds and I was pushing the car to the limit. Unfortunately, with just a kilometer to the finish, the engine failed,’’ said a disappointed Lohit. Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) finished second on Saturday with a time of 39 minutes 54.4 seconds.

    In the 2000N class, Rahul Kanthraj/Vivek Y Bhatt had a `break-down’ in SS 2 while in the 1600 cc class Pritul Dey/ Mukesh Thakkar suffered a mechanical failure in SS3. Only 15 of the 18 cars finished the day.

    In the 2000 N category, talented youngster from Bangalore Karna Kadur and his lady navigator from Kolkota clocked fastest times in all the three special stages to take a 42-second lead and with Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek retiring, Dr Yogeshwar Gill of US along with co-driver Jeevarathinam are placed second.

    Championship leaders in the 1600 cc class, Aniruddha Rangnekar of Pune and co-driver Anoop Kumar ofBangalorehad a spin in SS 4 and lost about 55 seconds as Hanoosh Soorapaneni/ Ravinder Kumar took the lead. Ajgar Ali and Debasish Ghosh are following the leaders in the third place.

    Rafeeq Ur Rehman (co-driver Ajith KP) are ahead of husband-wife duo Sachin Singh/ Shree Latha while Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh Kumar Venu are in third in the Gypsy Class. In the 1400 cc Rally Cup, title contenders Karan AM and co-driver Shanmugha SN took a narrow lead of over 12 seconds over talented Mangalore youngster Dean Mascerenhas and Shruptha Padval while Vikram Aroor and Somayya are trailing third.

    Jointly organised by Kalinga Motor Sports Club and Bengal Motor Sports Club, Rally of Odisha, the sixth of the seven-round Speed Indian National Rally Championship is being held under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and is promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion (PSP).

    The rally will run three special stages named Konark in the same direction at Gurudjhatia, about 50km from here off NH 42 and will return to the city for a podium finish and champagne shower at 3pm.

    Results (Unaudited provisional classification) after Day 1:

    Overall – 2000 cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill (Team MRF) 39 minutes, 15.9 seconds; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 39: 54.4..

    2000cc N: 1. Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh ; 41:46.7; 2. Dr Yogeshwar Gill/ Jeevarathinam 42: 29.3; 3. Dr Dhirendra Kumar/ Honey Narulla 48: 18.0;

    1600 cc: 1. Hanoosh Surapaneni/ Ravindra Kumar 46: 29.1; 2. Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar 47:40.1; 3. Azgar Ali/ Debashis Ghosh 47:48.2;

    1400cc: 1. Karan AM/ Shanmugha SM 44: 52.4; 2. Dean Mascerenhas/ Shruptha Padival 45: 04.8; 3. Vikram Rao Aroor / AG Somaya  45: 16.1;

    Gypsy: 1. Shafeeq Ur Rehman/ Ajith KP 47:54.1; 2. Sachin Singh/ Sri Latha 53:37.2; 3.Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh KumarV 1 min: 04.33.6.

    Gaurav Gill of Team MRF, who tightened the grip on the Indian National Rally Championship 2000 N+ class with a comfortable lead at the Rally of Odisha, the sixth and penultimate round of the Speed INRC at Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

  • Gill thrills the crowd as Orissa enters Rally map of India

    Bhubaneswar, 9 Dec 2011: Speed king Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif) of Team MRF thrilled the 1,000-strong audience with `sliding turns’ at high speeds and received a thunderous applause at every turn as the motor sports fans of Orissa got their first taste of a National event at the spectator friendly Super Special Stage held in the City here on Friday. The Stage kick started the Rally of Odish, the sixth round of the Speed Indian National Rally Championship.

    Gill drove his Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia with aplomb to clock 2 minutes 30.72 seconds to emerge fastest after finishing the 1.5 km 2-lap section while his challenger and former teammate Lohit Urs (co-driver PV Srinivasa Moorthy), who is a private entry here, was more cautious as he timed 2 min 34.18 secs. The other car in the 2000 N + category, Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkota (with Ashwin Naik as navigator) was a second slower than Urs at 2: 35.24 in the third place.

    Jointly organised by Kalinga Motor Sports Club and Bengal Motor Sports Club, Rally of Odisha, the sixth of the seven-round Speed Indian National Rally Championship is being held under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and is promoted by IMG Sports and Pro-Sports Promotion (PSP).

    “There is a long straight where the cars are expected to touch top speeds of 180 kmph but the route is also technical and challenging as there is a lot of `pea gravel’ and cars can slip and slide off the road,’’ said Gill, who is leading the table in the top class.

    In the 2000 cc N+ category, Lohit Urs and co-driver PVS Murthy will be the only competition to Team MRF, who fielded only two teams instead of the regular four. It may be recalled that veteran Arjun Balu announced his retirement after 17 years of rallying at Chikmagalur last month to leave Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif as the leading contenders while youngster Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkota will be the other entry for Team MRF with Ashwin Naik as his navigator.

    Gaurav Gill who is leading the overall championship needs to stay ahead of second-placed Lohit Urs to clinch the issue here, with only the last leg at Kolkota remaining. To stay in contention for the National title, Urs should win here with at least a three point margin ahead of Gill. In the 2000 cc class, a fierce fight is expected between Rahul Kantharaj (Vivek Bhatt) the table topper lost three seconds to Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh, to gain advantage in the mind games ahead of the special stages on Saturday and Sunday.

    Newcomers Pritul Dey/ Sumit Mukherjee were a second ahead of leaders Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar in the 1600 cc class while Karan AM /Shanmuga topped the time charts. Sanjay Agarwal/  Ramesh Kumar Venu were ahead by a fraction of a second in the Gypsy class.

    Results (Unaudited provision classification) after SSS:

    Overall – 2000 cc N+: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Gill, Team MRF, 2 minutes, 30.7; 2. Lohit Urs/ PV Srinivas Moorthy (Privateer) 2: 34.1; 3. Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team MRF) 2: 35.2.

    2000cc N: 1. Karna Kadur/ Somonnita Ghosh ; 2:35.8; 2. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Y Bhatt  2: 38.0; 3. Dr Dhirendra Kumar/ Honey Narulla 2: 46.9;

    1600 cc: 1. Pritul Dey/ Sumit Mukherjee 2: 50.8; 2. Aniruddha Rangnekar/ Anoop Kumar 2:51.4; 3. Azgar Ali/ Debasish Ghosh 2:54.3;

    1400cc: 1. Karan AM/ Shanmugha SM 2: 43.8; 2. Dean Mascerenhas/ Shruptha Padival 2: 37.2; 3. Aroor Vikram Rao/ AG Somaya  2: 49.0;

    Gypsy: 1. Sanjay Agarwal/ Ramesh KumarV 2: 42.0; 2. Shafeeq Ur Rehman/ Ajith KP  2:42.9; 3. Sachin Singh/ Sri Latha 2:42.9.

  • FIA’s gala awards ceremony in Delhi on Dec 9

    December 2, 2011: Cream of motorsports talent from around the world including the championship winning drivers of Formula 1 will descend on the National capital for the  gala awards ceremony which comes to India for the first time on Dec 9.

    Delegates of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) will be in  New Delhi for a week of events surrounding the Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Prize-Giving which, for the first time, will be held together in New Delhi from 5 to 9 December.

    The traditional FIA event will not be held at its customary venue of Monte Carlo and India will now witness the crowning of champions from Formula 1 to those of other FIA-certified events such as World Touring Car, World Rally Championship, World Karting, Asia Pacific Rally, Formula Two etc., who will all descend on the capital on the 9th of December.

    The FMSCI and the FIA, as the combined hosts of this week’s events, have planned an interesting and varied programme for its delegates, including excursions to the Taj Mahal, light and sound displays at the famous Red Fort, a visit to the Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan and even high tea with the Delhi Chief Minister. As a part of the social calendar, the delegates will also have the opportunity to visit some of India’s prime tourist destinations such as Jaipur and Udaipur among others.

    The extravaganza in New Delhi will see the AGA and Prize-Giving coming together for the very first time, giving all AGA delegates an opportunity to witness the Annual Prize-Giving Gala as well. The two World Councils have important meetings, and will also convene as the Committee, focusing on the continually closer cooperation between Sport and Mobility through the FIA Action for Road Safety Initiative. Both the FIA Foundation and the FIA Institute will bring their General Assemblies together, providing an opportunity to learn more about their programmes and activities as well.

    Chairman of the FMSCI, Dr. Vijay Mallya, who has worked in cooperation with FIA President Jean Todt to bring the event to India said, “My intention to invite FIA to hold its Annual General Assembly and Prize-Giving in India stems from my confidence that this move from the heart of Europe to South Asia is a significant milestone in the history of Motorsport and Mobility. This will present new opportunities to the FIA Family for discovering the vast potential that India offers.”

    FMSCI President, Vicky Chandhok, stated, “The FMSCI now has a very active interaction with the FIA. India has also been a beneficiary of the Facilities Improvement Programme (FIP) grant and the Officials Training Programme (OSTP) grant from the FIA Institute in the preparation of a master plan to upgrade India’s existing facilities in Madras and the training of Indian officials respectively. On the back of the success of the FIA Formula 1 Championship conducted this year, the next target for the FMSCI is for India to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship and the CIK World Karting Championship”.

    All the high-profile meetings including the all-important World Motor Sport Council will be held at Taj Palace hotel, right in the heart of the diplomatic district of New Delhi. The Gala evening however, including the AGA Gala dinner and the glittering FIA Prize-Giving will take place at Gurgaon’s impressive Kingdom of Dreams.

    About FMSCI

    The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) was founded in 1971 and is a long-standing member of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA), the world bodies for 2/3 and 4 wheeler motor sport respectively. The FMSCI is the only national motor sport federation recognised by the Government of India for the promotion and control of motor sport in India, and is affiliated to the prestigious Indian Olympic Association. The FMSCI is affiliated to the Asian Motorcycle Union (UAM), the Continental Asian wing of the FIM. Having been the ASN of the FIA since its inception but for a few years in between, FMSCI now looks forward to stability and growth of Motorsport in the country.  (FMSCI Release)

  • Sutil finishes 6th, Paul 8th; Force India keeps 6th place in Constructors’ championship

    Inter Lagos, 27 Nov 2011: (Sahara Force India Release): Sahara Force India equalled its best result of the year in Sao Paulo as Adrian Sutil and Paul Di Resta finished in sixth and eighth places in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Those results confirm the team’s sixth place in the constructors’ championship.
    P6 Adrian Sutil, VJM04/04
    Tyre strategy: Used soft, new soft, used soft, new medium
     Adrian: “I’m really happy about the result today. It completes a great weekend where everything went to plan. I had a good feeling in all the sessions and the team did a brilliant job to give me such a good car today. We also made the right calls with the strategy because we knew there was a chance to beat Mercedes, and that’s exactly what we did. So I’m very happy with my sixth place – it’s the best way to end the year and it also means that I move up to ninth place in the drivers’ championship, which was my aim.”
    P8 Paul Di Resta, VJM04/02
    Tyre strategy: Used soft, new soft, new medium
     Paul: “My eighth place today is a great result after quite a tough race for me. There was a concern with the gearbox around half way through the race so the team told me to just try and bring the car home. In the final stint it was just a case of managing the gap to Kobayashi behind me and we had enough to do that quite easily in the end. So that’s the end of my first season of Formula 1 and it’s been a great year, especially now we have finished sixth in the championship. It’s well deserved for the entire team and I want to thank everyone for their help and support during this amazing year.”
    Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal 
    “Today’s result is the perfect way to end what has been a tremendous season for Sahara Force India. Adrian and Paul drove brilliant races to add 12 more points to our tally and confirm our sixth place in the championship – our highest finish to date. I’m also very pleased that we could move Adrian up to ninth in the drivers’ standings. As a team we have taken great strides forward this season and now is the time to congratulate everyone who has contributed to that. We head into the winter in good spirits and determined to come back even stronger next year to pick up where we left off.”

  • Walavalkar claims maiden single-seater driver’s Natioinal crown

    CHENNAI, 27 Nov 2011: 

    Dr RP Singhania, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Limited, gives away the third place trophy to Vishnu Prasad of Chennai in the opening race of the final round of the 14th JK Tyre National Racing Championship on Sunday at Chennai. Prasad emerged the 2011 champion in the Polo R Cup category.

    Thirty-year-old Mumbaikar Ameya Walavalkar (Mars Racing) won a dramatic Formula LGB Swift race in the 14th JK Tyre National Racing Championship at the MMST Track in Sriperumbudur near here on Sunday, but chose to spend several anxious moments waiting to be confirmed winner of his maiden drivers’ championship, 22 points ahead of team-mate R Deepak.

    Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad followed Sailesh Bolisetti as the winner of the Polo R Cup series, run concurrently with the 14th JK Tyre National Racing Championship, with a mature approach in both races on Sunday. He finished third in the first race and fourth in the afternoon, but that was enough to help him emerge champion with 388 points, 12 ahead of Pune’s Oshan Kothadiya.

    “In three previous attempts in the Formula LGB Swift and Rolon classes, I have been in the running for the championship only to lose out in the final round,” Walavalkar recalled. “I am glad that I did not have to face such luck this time around. It has been a challenging year, considering that I had no points from a disastrous first round and had to face two disqualifications.”

    In a race that was run over two segments of two laps and 10 laps after Meco Motorsports team-mates Pushan Das and Raghul Rangaswamy crashed out and their cars had to be removed from the track, Walavalkar was content to let the aggressive Sarosh Hataria (Meco Motorsports) take the lead until he spun off a puddle. Walawalkar made the most of the chance to sneak ahead and take the checkered flag for the sixth time this season.

    Deepak overcame his doubts about wet conditions and made a gallant bid to rise from 15th in the grid but could finish no higher than fifth. He had to rest content with the second place in the championship. Karthik Krishna (TVS Girling), who finished third, was penalized for overtaking when the yellow flag was being waved and conceded his podium place to Chitesh Mandody (Meco Motorsports).

    Rad Racing’s N Leelakrishnan completed a memorable comeback to racing by winning the final race of the season – his third in nine starts in the Indian Touring Cars class. At the restart, he was moved to the back of the grid along with the new champion V Rajvirdhan (Prime Racing) for a yellow flag violation. He and Rajvirdhan set the wet track on fire and climbed up several positions. Leelakrishnan found his opportunity to get his nose ahead on the final lap even as GD Rajkumar (Prime Racing) and B Balavijay (MotoRev India) were trading the lead.

    HCZ Racing’s Feroze Khan claimed his season’s third win to finish third overall in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class behind Diljith Shaji (LCT Sigaram Sports) and Balavijay (MotoRev India) but one point ahead of LCT Sigaram Sports’ Jai Prashanth Venkat. It was a creditable show for the Chennai youngster who did not take part in the two rounds in Coimbatore.

    Mumbai youngster Rahil Noorani, a championship contender in the Polo R Cup series going into the final round, was excluded from the Polo R Cup after a post-race incident in the pits this afternoon when he vent his frustration at Ajay Kini (Chennai), who returned after missing the last two rounds of racing. The two drivers were involved in racing incidents in both races on Sunday.

    Sunday’s results:

    Formula LGB Swift (Merged result for 12 laps): 1. Ameya Walavalkar (Mars Racing) 14:13.709; 2. Sarosh Hataria (Meco Motorsports) 14:15.580; 3. 3. Chitesh Mandody (Meco Motorsports) 14:23.218; 4. Kartik Krishna (TVS Girling) 14:31.483; 5. R Deepak (Mars Racing) 11:59.421; 6. S Narendran (TVS Girling) 12:06.044. Fastest lap: Sarosh Hataria 1:09.371.

    Indian Touring Cars (merged result for 11 laps): 1. N Leelakrishnan (Rad Racing) 15:06.619; 2. V Rajvirdhan (Prime Racing) 15:08.880; 3. GD Raj Kumar (Prime Racing) 15:15.024; 4. B Balavijay (MotoRev India) 15:17.913; 5. Biren Pitawala (Team N1) 15:24.188; 6. K Arjun (Prime Racing) 15:25.736.

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Feroze Khan (HCZ Racing) 20:21.952; 2. Fahad Kutty (Game Over) 20:23.468; 3. Diljith Shaji (LCT Sigaram Sports) 20:24.755; 4. Gokul Krishna (MotoRev India) 20:31.311; 5. M Gautham (Performance Racing) 20:39.230; 6. Jai Prashanth Venkat (LCT Sigaram Sports) 20:47.892. Fastest lap: Fahad Kutty 1:20.012.

    Polo R Cup race 1 (15 laps): 1. Avdumber Hede (Goa) 18:58.343; 2. Oshan Kothadiya (Pune) 19:00.337; 3. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) 19:10.284; 4. Ajay Kini (Chennai) 19:13.469; 5. Mihir Dharkar (Mumbai) 19:17.667; 6. Xie Jiawu (China) 19:23.858.Fastest lap: Avdumber Hede 1:14.808.

    Polo R Cup race 2 (15 laps): 1. Sunny Sidhu (Chandigarh) 19:48.996; 2. Maiken Rassmussen (Denmark) 19:50.219; 3. Mihir Dharkar (Mumbai) 19:50.495; 4. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) 19:51.318; 5. Oshan Kothadiya (Pune) 19:51.318; Avdumber Hede (Goa) 19:52.245. Fastest lap: Rahil Noorani 1:17.673.

    Drivers’ Championship:

    Formula LGB Swift: 1. Ameya Walavalkar (Mars Racing) 162 points; 2. R Deepak (Mars Racing) 140; 3. Chitesh Mandody (Meco Motorsports) 120; 4. S Narendran (TVS Girling) 108; 5. Karthik Krishna (TVS Girling) 100; 6. Sandeep Kumar (TVS Girling) 98.

    Indian Touring Cars: 1. V Rajvirdhan (Prime Racing) 217 points; 2. N Leelakrishnan (Rad Racing) 169; 3. B Vijayakumar (Prime Racing) 132; 4. Sidharth Kishore (Performance Racing) 127; 5. TR Radha Selvarajan (Rad Racing) 126; 6. C Rajaram (Prime Racing) 71.