INDIA in F1

Tag: featured

  • Ali Ajgar, Musthafa complete a hat-trick of wins at JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7

    Ali Ajgar, Musthafa complete a hat-trick of wins at JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7

    Ajgar Ali, Md. Mustafa win the JK Tyre Himalayan drive on Sunday for a hat-trick. A JK Tyre Motorsport file photo

    Siliguri, 10 March 2019: The country’s only multi-nation rally, the JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7, culminated earlier this month, with the famed duo of Ajgar Ali and Md. Mustafa reigning supreme and retaining their crown.

    It was a particularly sweet triumph as the champions completed a rare hat-trick in this gruelling four-day event.

    Ali and Mustafa felt the heat on the second and third day but used their vast experience to emerge victorious with a total tally of 1110 penalty points.

    The team of Gagan Sethi and Rajkumar Mundra (with 1847 penalty points) and Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj (with 2035 penalty points) secured the second and third positions in what proved to be a thrilling fight to the finish.

    In the open category, the team of Govind Dalmia and Anand Agarwal edged past category leader Rohit Agarwal and Kunal Joshi to finish with 9149 penalty points. The Agarwal-Joshi team scored 9691 penalty points. Finishing third in this category were the team of Suyash Raj and Mohammad Sharif with 10796 penalty points.

    This year’s battle for the big title saw a nail-biting finish. The team of Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj, who started the final day (Day 4) as championship leaders, will rue their luck as the crown eluded them for missing the penultimate time control. They suffered a 900-penalty points blow for their faux pas which was enough to send them crashing down to the second place.

    “We are very happy to score this hattrick. It was a very exciting rally and I can say that the JK Tyre Himalayan Drive is the best TSD rally in the country. The competitive sections were superb and posed a tough challenge to drivers, navigators and our cars,” said Ajgar Ali.

    Ajgar, who led the cross-country drive in the first two stages, slipped to the second spot by the end of the third stage.

    With the fourth leg getting cancelled due to snowfall in Paro (Bhutan), they had a steep mountain to climb. Some brave driving, mixed with sheer luck, which saw the leaders picking up a huge penalty, saw them return to the top.

    This year’s victory takes the total winning tally of Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa to four titles (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019) since the Himalayan Drive was first held in 2013. The team of Sudip Ghosh and navigator Arindam Ghosh were the only other team to have won more than one championship title at this event (2014 and 2016). Anubhav De and co-driver Chandan Sen won the title in 2015.

    The last leg of the rally was flagged off from the Kalimpong stadium and started with a steep climb on the road from Mungpoo to Jorebungalow that was lined with verdant forests and offered majestic views of snow-capped peaks of the eastern Himalayas for a few kilometres.

    This was followed by another competitive section downhill through winding mountain roads of Rohini. The third and last competitive section was a tough drive stretching over nearly 23 kilometers through the bed of the Mechi river that forms the border between India and Nepal.

    Ajgar Ali, Mustafa in action on Sunday. A JK Tyre photo

    “I would really like to congratulate Ali and Musthafa for their achievement. The way the entire drive panned, it only shows how the competition has increased over the years and I am sure it will keep getting better every year. I would also like to congratulate Just Sportz for their hard work and commitment for pulling off one more successful edition of the Himalayan Drive,” Mr. Sanjay Sharma, head of JK Motorsport, said.

    The 800-km JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7, which was organised in association with Experience Bengal (West Bengal Tourism), sawt the competitors drive their mean machines for four days through majestic locations in North Bengal, scenic hills in Darjeeling and various picturesque routes in Bhutan.

    The TSD drive which draws inspiration from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s vision of connecting Bengal to its neighbours and encouraging people to people connectivity in the region, covered a wide variety of terrain, ranging from tarmac, river beds, dirt tracks, forest paths to mountainous roads.

    The drivers took-off from Siliguri post the ceremonial flag-off and travelled all the way to Murti, driving past North Bengal’s lush forests, river banks and embankments and idyllic towns.

    The second leg saw the drivers start their journey from Murti to Paro, going through tea gardens and forests that are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, the one-horned rhino and the Asiatic elephant before entering Bhutan through Phuentsholing.

    From Phuentsholing, the competitors hit the mountain roads filled with hairpin bends and steep gradients that offer spectacular views of the Himalayan heights, before entering the breathtaking Paro Valley.

    On the third day, they were supposed to drive back from Paro Valley through Dooars and cross the iconic Coronation Bridge over Teesta river to reach Kalimpong but the leg got cancelled due to snowfall in Bhutan.

    The final leg of this rally on Saturday had the competitors drive down from Kalimpong, cross the Teesta bridge, Mungpoo, Jorebunglow and Kurseong before descending into the plains through Rohini.

    After reaching the plains, they went through Dudhia and Panighata, the riverbeds of Menjha and Mechi, and touched Naxalbari before taking the Asian Highway 2 and then National Highway 27 to finish at the City Center at Siliguri, where the prize distribution was held at a gala function.

     

  • Ogier sets the pace on drama-packed Day 1: WRC Mexico Rally

    Ogier sets the pace on drama-packed Day 1: WRC Mexico Rally

    Ogier leads after Day 1. An FIA image

    Mexico, 9 March 2019: Defending World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia defied their disadvantageous starting position to turn the heat up on their rivals with their Citroën C3 WRC after five afternoon stages on Rally Mexico’s Day One. M-Sport Ford’s Elfyn Evans survived the carnage to hold second and Toyota’s Kris Meeke is in third place.

    After a dramatic afternoon, which saw both Hyundai drivers Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo retire whilst holding first and second overall respectively – Mikkelsen was forced to stop in the stage and Sordo had an electrical fall-out – Ogier overcame a puncture to deliver a near-faultless display for Citroën to grab an overnight advantage of 14.8 seconds. The Frenchman said he was a lot happier with the grip and the conditions in the afternoon, which enabled him to manage his pace and keep a good starting position for the next day.

    It was a leg of mixed fortunes for the M-Sport team. Elfyn Evans delivered a solid performance in his Ford Fiesta WRC to hold second place overnight. Teemu Suninen, on the other hand, crashed in this morning’s El Chocolate stage, his Ford Fiesta coming to rest hanging off the side of the track with front and rear damage.

    Kris Meeke was Toyota Gazoo Racing’s shining light on an event where the Yaris WRC has struggled to achieve good results in the last two years. The Brit held third overall at the end of Day One, 6.3 seconds behind Evans.

    A fascinating duel developed between Meeke’s team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala and fellow Finn Esapekka Lappi for fifth. The duo traded stage times, but it was Latvala who sneaked ahead in Ortega 2 to head the Scandinavian challenge. He was promoted to fourth when Sordo was sidelined later on, but then suffered his own reported alternator issues on the road section to the last two stages and retired.

    Lappi was overtaken by Ott Tänak and reached the León Service Park in fifth while series leader Tänak and 2018 WRC runner-up Thierry Neuville were made to pay for their unfavourable starting positions – not to mention a flat tyre in the first stage of the day for the Belgian – to hold fourth and sixth.

    Bolivia’s Marco Bulacia and Mexico’s Benito Guerra became embroiled in a fascinating battle for the FIA WRC 2 honours. The 18-year-old held a 0.3-second lead over the local hero at the midday service and went on to finish the leg 9.8 seconds in front of the Mexican in seventh overall.

    Poland’s Lukasz Pieniazek – the sole FIA WRC 2 Pro entrant with a Ford Fiesta R5 – at to retire from Leg one with car damage in Ortega 2.

    Tomorrow the crews will tackle two loops of three gravel stages and three spectator specials.

     

    2019 Rally Guanajuato México – Unofficial results after Section 2 (end of Day One):

    1. Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Julien Ingrassia (FRA) Citroën C3 WRC 1hr 18min 33.8sec
    2. Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) Ford Fiesta WRC 1hr 18min 48.6sec
    3. Kris Meeke (GBR)/Sebastian Marshall (GBR) Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 18min 54.9sec
    4. Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) Toyota Yaris WRC 1hr 19min 10.9sec
    5. Esapekka Lappi (FIN)/Janne Ferm (FIN) Citroën C3 WRC 1hr 19min 12.9sec
    6. Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL) Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 1hr 19min 34.5sec
    7. Marco Bulacia (BOL)/Fabian Cretu (ARG) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 1hr 23min 49.9sec
    8. Benito Guerra (MEX)/Jaime Zapata (MEX) Škoda Fabia R5 (WRC 2) 1hr 23min 59.7sec
    9. Alberto Heller (CHIL)/ José Diaz (ARG) Ford Fiesta R5 (WRC 2) 1h 25min 05.3sec
    10. R. Trivino Bujalil (MEX) / M. Marti Moreno (ESP) Škoda Fabia R5 1h 27min41.0sec

     

  • Fierce competition and fastest laps: the stage is set for MotoGP season to begin in the desert

    Fierce competition and fastest laps: the stage is set for MotoGP season to begin in the desert

    Some mysteries solved and new questions raised in a tantalising first day – but it’s Marquez who draws first

    Marquez tops Friday times at Doha. A MotoGP image

    Doha, 8 March 2019: After a long winter break, we look upon testing as the first answers to the questions raised by rider moves, current form and potential that begins to brim in the final races of the season before. But really, it’s more a teaser that whets our appetite ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season and even then, it’s when the lights go out for racing that we really get some answers. So Day 1 in the desert kept us guessing in tantalising style with records broken, mysteries solved and ups and downs for many on the grid – a perfect storm of unpredictability and fierce competition for the VisitQatar Grand Prix.

    Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was undoubtedly the headliner of Act 1, however. The now seven-time World Champion’s new lap record – nearly half a second clear at the top – laid down an early benchmark that puts him squarely in the driving seat but it’s not one-lap pace that’s been in doubt for the Spaniard. Coming back from surgery to his shoulder, longevity and consistency is the question on everyone’s lips. And behind Marquez’ eyebrow-raiser of a 1’53.380, the riders were packed together down the timesheets.The first of those was Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). After a more difficult season at times in 2018, consistency is also a key word for him and the Iwata marque so topping testing and showing some solid pace on Day 1 is a good start. He did have some close company in the form of Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) though – top Independent Team rider on Friday and fastest Ducati – as the Australian ended Friday just 0.054 off the Spaniard.

    Next up behind Miller was another Ducati: Mission Winnow Ducati Team newcomer Danilo Petrucci, who was the top Borgo Panigale factory team rider once again – as he was in testing. Teammate and 2018 Qatar winner Andrea Dovizioso was in P6 but not far off, however, and therein came the seemingly solved mystery: the switch seen on the Ducati in testing was spotted in action on Day 1 and it appeared to fit with the rumour mill theory of a holeshot device for race starts. Will we see more on Saturday?

    Splitting the two Italian factory machines was another impressive performance from Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). The French rookie was the fastest newcomer to the class once again, and threatened the top just like in testing. So that seems one question answered: yes, he can do it again. And his teammate, Franco Morbidelli, had a solid showing on Day 1 too – slotting it just behind ‘DesmoDovi’, pushed down to P7 by just 0.019 despite a crash.

    Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins, another superstar in testing, was eighth quickest on Friday by another tiny gap of less than half a tenth, just ahead of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Aleix Espargaro. Espargaro, who was well within the top ten at the Qatar Test too, was another answer revealed on Day 1 – it’s a feat that can be repeated during the race weekend. Rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the top ten after shooting first in the time attack at the end of FP2, only a tenth off teammate Rins and briefly top before times tumbled.

    So who’s missing in the provisional top ten of Q2 qualifiers? First is the still-recovering Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team), near the top in the morning, who just got relegated to 11th by Rins’ final fast lap at the end of FP2. And Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), the fastest man in the first session just ahead of Lorenzo, ended the day in 17th overall and was just 0.005 ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro so the two will be pushing to move forward in FP3. Will Rossi deal a faster hand when we head back out on track for more? Will the conditions allow those outside the top ten to improve? Or can those between the ‘Doctor’ and old nemesis Lorenzo – Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing) and Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) – set us up for a Q1-shootout to remember?

    Winning margins used to be minutes, then they became seconds, tenths, hundredths…now it’s thousandths that separate the laptimes for one of the strongest grids ever seen. Day 1 set the stage for a stunning Saturday at Losail International Circuit, so make sure to tune in for qualifying from 20:00 (GMT +3) local time.

  • Baldassarri beats Schrötter to the top: Moto2

    Baldassarri beats Schrötter to the top: Moto2

    Italian comes out the blocks quickest but it’s tight behind him on the timesheets

    New horizons: the Moto2 grid enter the Triumph-powered era. Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta (L) and Triumph Chief Product Officer Steve Sargent with the bikes at Losail. A MotoGP image

    Doha, 8 March 2019: Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) led the way in an exceptionally tight Moto2™ field on Day 1 of the VisitQatar Grand Prix, with just three quarters of a second separating the top fifteen. The Italian was second in the race last season but of the competitors still in the class, he was the highest finisher – a benchmark in itself, adding to the new lap record set on Friday. At the top he had a little breathing space, however, with an advantage of a quarter of a second over FP1’s fastest man Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP). Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) locked out the top three, only 0.030 in further arrears as the Australian signalled the start of the infinitesimal gaps from there on out.

    Fourth place went to Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) as he converted impressive race pace in testing to a solid time attack too, with Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) completing the top five. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) took P6 and showed more impressive speed for rider and manufacturer, ahead of a leap up the timesheets from Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team). Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was the fastest KTM and made sure the Austrian factory were represented in the top ten, 0.005 off Locatelli, with Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) taking P9.

    Baldassarri tops Moto2 times on Friday. A MotoGP Image

    The top ten was completed by rookie Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) as the Italian took the honour of fastest debutant on Friday. He was hundredths in front of Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40), with NTS RW Racing GP’s Bo Bendsneyder in P12 as the Dutchman continued his top form in 2019. Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP), returning from the premier class, was 13th despite a crash near the end of the day but remains a provisional Q2 graduate. This weekend the new qualifying format comes in and it’s the fastest 14 after FP3 who’ll go through automatically – so it’s reigning Moto3™ World Champion and Moto2™ rookie Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) currently on course to be the final rider to graduate.

    American Racing KTM’s Iker Lecuona crashed in FP1 and was declared fit, returning to the track after a check up to rejoin the action in FP2. Now it’s FP3 time and the final practice session starts at 14:20 (GMT +3) local time on Saturday – tune in to see if there’ll be a shake up before qualifying.

  • Canet topples Fenati on Friday: Moto3

    Canet topples Fenati on Friday: Moto3

    Spaniard goes quickest in FP2 despite the Italian’s ominous form in both testing and FP1

    Canet tops Moto3 FP1 on Friday. A MotoGP image

    Doha, 8 March 2019: Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) blitzed the Moto3 field by the end of Day 1 at the VisitQatar Grand Prix; the only rider to go below the 2:05 barrier and an impressive 0.595 clear of FP1’s fastest man, the returning Romano Fenati (Snipers Team). It was close competition to complete the top three, however, as 2016 Qatar GP winner Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was third quickest but only 0.084 off Fenati despite a crash.

    It was a record-breaking FP2 session as Canet’s time was well under the old lap record to throw down the gauntlet, and more than half a second in hand on Friday makes for good reading as the new qualifying format for the lightweight class begins this weekend. For the first time, entry to Q2 will be decided by the combined standings at the end of FP3 and the fourteen fastest earn automatic graduation.Behind the top three it got seriously close, however, so competition will be tight. Less than four tenths separate fourth place Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) to 16th place John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing). Behind Migno, Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), less than a week after fracturing his collarbone in testing, finished Day 1 in Qatar in an incredible fifth place. He led Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrüstelGP) by 0.090, with Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) just a further 0.005 in arrears.

    Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team) cemented eighth on his final run with a 2:05.480, ahead of  Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) and Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team) in ninth and tenth respectively. Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia), Reale Avintia Arizona 77’s Vicente Perez, Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Can Öncü and Dennis Foggia (Sky Racing Team VR46) are currently set to join them in Q2 – but there’s time yet for that to change in FP3. That begins at 13:25 (GMT +3) on Saturday.

  • Formula E: Hong Kong to host the 50th e-prix

    Formula E: Hong Kong to host the 50th e-prix

    Hong Kong to host the 50th Formula E race on Sunday. An FIA image

    Hong Kong, 8 March 2019: Round six of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship marks the 50th race in the series’ history this weekend (10 March), with the stars and cars heading to Hong Kong to do battle on the narrow harbourfront streets.

    Having hosted the opening rounds of the championship for the past two seasons, Hong Kong has been a significant event on the calendar, and with the spectacular city skyline the backdrop for this landmark race, it’s sure to be another memorable showdown when the lights go out on Sunday.

    Last time out
    The Mexico City E-Prix provided one of the most intense races in Formula E history two weeks ago, with Lucas di Grassi snatching a sensational win as he crossed the line sideways overtaking race-long leader Pascal Wehrlein who agonisingly ran out of energy exiting the final corner.

    Following a lengthy stoppage early on to recover the crashed Panasonic Jaguar Racing machine of Nelson Piquet Jr, who dramatically collided with the back of reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne’s DS TECHEETAH machine and ended his race in the barriers, the race became a classic battle of energy management. Wehrlein wasn’t the only driver to struggle in the closing moments of the race, with both Nissan e.dams drivers Oliver Rowland and Sebastien Buemi slowing to a crawl with the team having misjudged the 45 minutes +1Lap race format which is new for this season.

    With Wehrlein’s Mahindra machine slowing, Antonio Felix da Costa and Edoardo Mortara were able to snap up the final podium positions for BMW i Andretti Motorsport and Venturi Formula E Team respectively.

    Audi on the charge
    Di Grassi’s Mexico City win was the first for the German marque this season, and the third consecutive win at the circuit for the team. Last year, Daniel Abt’s victory there set the Audi squad on-course to turn around a dismal start to the year and end up as the overall Teams’ Champions.

    It was Abt who crossed the line first on-track in the second race of the season four opener in Hong Kong, and while he was later excluded for a technical infringement, the team will surely be one to watch as the championship returns to the tricky 1.86km circuit this time around.

    The circuit layout remains unchanged from previous years, with the only addition being the Attack Mode activation zone positioned at the exit of Turn 6. As it was in Mexico City, it will be a challenge for the drivers to activate their higher power mode – the number and duration of activations will be announced by the FIA no later than one hour before the start of the race.

    Mahindra’s podium streak
    Mahindra Racing has scored a podium every time the championship has visited Hong Kong, and both of its drivers have been in the headlines with an impressive start to the Gen2 era of Formula E. While Pascal Wehrlein narrowly missed out on his first victory last time out, it’s his team-mate Jerome D’Ambrosio who is leading the standings having had a consistently strong first four events.

    The Belgian’s fourth place in Mexico, third in the season-opener in Ad Diriyah and a nail-biting victory in Marrakesh give him a seven-point advantage over BMW’s Antonio Felix da Costa, but these results have come mainly through impressive drives through the field, and D’Ambrosio will surely be focusing on his qualifying performance in a bid to maintain that championship advantage.

    Coupled with Wehrlein’s podium finish in Santiago, the Indian squad is currently leading the Teams’ Championship by ten points from Envision Virgin Racing.

    FIA Smart Cities – Disruptive Urban Mobility Solutions
    This edition of the FIA Smart Cities Forum will be centred on “Disruptive Urban Mobility Solutions” and will take place in one of the global technological centres of the world, Hong Kong – a first for the initiative.

    Overlooking the iconic Victoria Harbour, the Forum will seek to shape the vision of the future of smart urban mobility, taking a look at both the ground-breaking technology disrupting traditional transport and logistics, and the visionary public-policy bringing out the best in these transformative technologies.

    Speakers from the Government of Hong Kong, Transport for London, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), will join panel discussions with high level private sector representatives.

    The day’s events will culminate in the unveiling of the second winner of the FIA Smart Cities Global Start-Up Contest, powered by global start-up incubator MassChallenge.

    Click here to find out more.

    Championship Standings

    Drivers’ Championship

    Jerome D’Ambrosio MAHINDRA RACING

    53
    Antonio Felix da Costa BMW i Andretti Motorsport

    46
    Sam Bird Envision Virgin Racing

    45
    Lucas di Grassi Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    34
    Pascal Wehrlein MAHINDRA RACING

    30
    Andre Lotterer DS TECHEETAH

    29
    Robin Frijns Envision Virgin Racing

    28
    Jean-Eric Vergne DS TECHEETAH

    28
    Mitch Evans Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    28
    Edoardo Mortara VENTURI Formula E Team

    27
    Daniel Abt Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    22
    Alexander Sims BMW i Andretti Motorsport

    18
    Sebastien Buemi Nissan e.dams

    15
    Oliver Rowland Nissan e.dams

    6
    Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team

    4
    Felipe Massa VENTURI Formula E Team

    4
    Jose Maria Lopez GEOX DRAGON

    2
    Nelson Piquet Jr. Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    1
    Maximilian Gunther GEOX DRAGON

    0
    Tom Dillmann NIO Formula E Team

    0
    Gary Paffett HWA RACELAB

    0
    Stoffel Vandoorne HWA RACELAB

    0
    Felipe Nasr GEOX DRAGON

    0
    Felix Rosenqvist MAHINDRA RACING

    0

    Teams’ Championship

    MAHINDRA RACING

    83
    Envision Virgin Racing

    73
    BMW i Andretti Motorsport

    64
    DS TECHEETAH

    57
    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    56
    VENTURI Formula E Team

    31
    Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    29
    Nissan e.dams

    21
    NIO Formula E Team

    4
    GEOX DRAGON

    2
    HWA RACELAB

    0
  • Mahaveer Raghunathan logs in a creditable 7th on Day 2; puts in another 59 laps on final day

    Mahaveer Raghunathan logs in a creditable 7th on Day 2; puts in another 59 laps on final day

    Juan Manuel Correa (Sauber Junior Team by Charouz) tops final session on Day 3. An F2 image

    Barcelona, 7 March 2019: Nyck de Vries has once again topped the timesheets in the final day of the FIA Formula 2 pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona. The ART Grand Prix driver set a laptime of 1:27.024 in the morning session to head Luca Ghiotto and Louis Delétraz. In the afternoon, Juan Manuel Correa was quickest.

    Earlier on Day 2, Indian racer Mahaveer Raghunathan of MP Motorsport put in 39 laps and logged in a creditable seventh fastest time. After learning the nuances of motorsport in karting, Mahaveer graduated to Formula cars in 2012 by competing in the JK Racing Asia Series. In 2013, he drove in the MRF Challenge Formula 1600. He also participated in three races of the Chinese Formula Masters. In 2014, Mahaveer moved to Europe and joined F&M in the Italian Formula 4 Championship. In 2015, he participated in the European Formula 3 championship for Motopark Academy. The 2016 season was his most productive with second overall finish in the Auto GP racing for Coloni’s Italian team PS Racing. At the end of the season, he weighed various options and even tested GP2 cars in Abu Dhabi. In 2017, he won the BOSS GP-Formula Class Championship with the Italian Team Coloni Racing securing 13 podiums out of 14 races and ended the season as Champion.
    Coming back to F2 testing, the studious afternoon was halted only once: forty minutes into the session Nikita Mazepin span and stopped at Turn 4. In the closing stages, Ralph Boschung dipped under 1m29s to go top ahead of Roberto Merhi who also improved with less than 20 minutes left on the clock.
    At te chequered flag, behind Boschung and Merhi, Matsuhita, Correa, Delétraz, Ilott, Raghunathan, Anthoine Hubert, Aitken and Gelael completed the top ten.
    Day 3 of testing opened in sunny conditions. Nicholas Latifi was the first driver to hit the track whilst de Vries set the early pace ahead of Ghiotto. The Dutchman improved further to set a time of 1:27.576 in the first half hour of the running. Carlin’s drivers Delétraz and Nobuharu Matsushita also broke the 1m28s barrier to move up to second and third respectively.
    The drivers switched from Medium to Soft tyres and Ghiotto went top in a 1:27.263 whilst teammate Guanyu Zhou moved up to second (+0.191s). De Vries also found some extra pace to clock in a blazing laptime of 1:27.024 as Delétraz went third quickest behind Ghiotto.
    Just before the midway point, the man of the day de Vries spun and stopped at Turn 2 bringing out a red flag. The remainder of the session was dedicated to race simulations and pit stop practices. At the chequered flag the top 3 remained unchanged. Zhou, Matsushita, Nikita Mazepin, Jack Aitken, Sérgio Sette Câmara, Sean Gelael and Ralph Boschung rounded up the top 10.
    After a one-hour break, the pit lane re-opened. Delétraz was the first man back on track ten minutes later. Soon after that Roberto Merhi signed the quickest laptime to sit pretty at the top of the timesheets ahead of Tatiana Calderon and Boschung.
    It was a studious afternoon for the teams and the drivers who once again focused on long runs. Twenty minutes before the chequered flag, Correa went fastest by three tenths over Merhi. Calderon ended third ahead of Boschung, Richard Verschoor (who replaced Jordan King at MP Motorsport today), Sette Câmara, Matsushita, Gelael, Aitken and Latifi.
    This concluded the pre-season testing for the FIA Formula 2 Championship. It’s time for the teams to pack up and get ready for the first Round of the 2019 season which will kick off at the Bahrain International circuit on March 29-31.
    FIA Formula 2 Barcelona Test – Day 3 Morning Session
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    LAPTIME
    LAPS
    1
    Nyck de Vries
    ART Grand Prix
    1:27.024
    24
    2
    Luca Ghiotto
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:27.263
    29
    3
    Louis Delétraz
    Carlin
    1:27.421
    23
    4
    Guanyu Zhou
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:27.454
    30
    5
    Nobuharu Matsushita
    Carlin
    1:27.585
    30
    6
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    1:27.731
    38
    7
    Jack Aitken
    Campos Racing
    1:27.817
    23
    8
    Sérgio Sette Câmara
    DAMS
    1:27.821
    29
    9
    Sean Gelael
    PREMA Racing
    1:27.959
    38
    10
    Ralph Boschung
    Trident
    1:27.960
    43
    11
    Mick Schumacher
    PREMA Racing
    1:28.022
    51
    12
    Callum Ilott
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:28.022
    49
    13
    Roberto Merhi
    Campos Racing
    1:28.209
    27
    14
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:28.424
    26
    15
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:28.463
    39
    16
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:28.782
    52
    17
    Anthoine Hubert
    BWT Arden
    1:28.856
    31
    18
    Richard Verchoor
    MP Motorsport
    1:28.892
    36
    19
    Mahaveer Raghunathan
    MP Motorsport
    1:29.955
    26
    20
    Tatiana Calderon
    BWT Arden
    1:30.503
    19
    FIA Formula 2 Barcelona Test – Day 3 Afternoon Session
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    LAPTIME
    LAPS
    1
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:30.095
    49
    2
    Roberto Merhi
    Campos Racing
    1:30.441
    43
    3
    Tatiana Calderon
    BWT Arden
    1:30.508
    57
    4
    Ralph Boschung
    Trident
    1:32.768
    49
    5
    Richard Verchoor
    MP Motorsport
    1:33.039
    44
    6
    Sérgio Sette Câmara
    DAMS
    1:34.374
    46
    7
    Nobuharu Matsushita
    Carlin
    1:34.403
    57
    8
    Sean Gelael
    PREMA Racing
    1:34.433
    54
    9
    Jack Aitken
    Campos Racing
    1:34.551
    47
    10
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:34.687
    64
    11
    Nyck de Vries
    ART Grand Prix
    1:34.712
    58
    12
    Louis Delétraz
    Carlin
    1:34.784
    52
    13
    Guanyu Zhou
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:34.817
    44
    14
    Luca Ghiotto
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:35.048
    56
    15
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    1:35.050
    58
    16
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:35.083
    47
    17
    Anthoine Hubert
    BWT Arden
    1:35.238
    59
    18
    Mahaveer Raghunathan
    MP Motorsport
    1:35.554
    33
    19
    Mick Schumacher
    PREMA Racing
    1:35.879
    63
    20
    Callum Ilott
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:36.055
    39
    FIA Formula 2 Barcelona Test – Day 1 Morning Session
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    LAPTIME
    LAPS
    1
    Sérgio Sette Camâra
    DAMS
    1:27.392
    34
    2
    Nyck de Vries
    ART Grand Prix
    1:27.507
    41
    3
    Guanyu Zhou
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:27.562
    43
    4
    Louis Delétraz
    Carlin
    1:27.620
    30
    5
    Luca Ghiotto
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:27.922
    34
    6
    Mick Schumacher
    PREMA Racing
    1:28.024
    32
    7
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:28.139
    31
    8
    Callum Ilott
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:28.151
    13
    9
    Nobuharu Matsushita
    Carlin
    1:28.163
    29
    10
    Sean Gelael
    PREMA Racing
    1:28.243
    23
    11
    Jack Aitken
    Campos Racing
    1:28.270
    20
    12
    Jordan King
    MP Motorsport
    1:28.299
    23
    13
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:28.493
    35
    14
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    1:28.529
    41
    15
    Ralph Boschung
    Trident
    1:28.652
    29
    16
    Roberto Merhi
    Campos Racing
    1:28.743
    22
    17
    Anthoine Hubert
    BWT Arden
    1:28.913
    30
    18
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:28.988
    49
    19
    Tatiana Calderon
    BWT Arden
    1:29.682
    32
    20
    Mahaveer Raghunathan
    MP Motorsport
    1:29.828
    25
    FIA Formula 2 Barcelona Test – Day 2 Afternoon Session
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    LAPTIME
    LAPS
    1
    Ralph Boschung
    Trident
    1:28.789
    27
    2
    Roberto Merhi
    Campos Racing
    1:29.183
    31
    3
    Nobuharu Matsushita
    Carlin
    1:29.476
    37
    4
    Juan Manuel Correa
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:29.555
    45
    5
    Louis Delétraz
    Carlin
    1:29.841
    41
    6
    Callum Ilott
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:30.759
    44
    7
    Mahaveer Raghunathan
    MP Motorsport
    1:31.232
    39
    8
    Anthoine Hubert
    BWT Arden
    1:31.448
    41
    9
    Jack Aitken
    Campos Racing
    1:32.068
    55
    10
    Sean Gelael
    PREMA Racing
    1:32.608
    64
    11
    Jordan King
    MP Motorsport
    1:32.947
    31
    12
    Nikita Mazepin
    ART Grand Prix
    1:33.158
    54
    13
    Guanyu Zhou
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:34.454
    47
    14
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:34.575
    55
    15
    Giuliano Alesi
    Trident
    1:34.644
    35
    16
    Nyck de Vries
    ART Grand Prix
    1:34.656
    53
    17
    Luca Ghiotto
    UNI Virtuosi
    1:34.869
    32
    18
    Sérgio Sette Câmara
    DAMS
    1:35.354
    52
    19
    Mick Schumacher
    PREMA Racing
    1:35.624
    13
    20
    Tatiana Calderon
    BWT Arden
    1:36.525
    29
  • Aishwarya set for FIM Bajas World Cup in Dubai

    Aishwarya set for FIM Bajas World Cup in Dubai

    Aishwarya Pissay at the official press conference in Dubai on Wednesday, Image: TVS Racing

    Dubai, 6 March 2019: India’s Aishwarya Pissay, having fully recovered from the injury she suffered last year in Spain, is all set for her second international event, the first round of the FIM Bajas World Cup commencing here on Thursday with a ceremonial flag-off.

    Bengaluru-based Aishwarya, 23, sponsored by TVS Racing, Mountain Dew, Scott Motorsports India and Big Rock Dirt Park, will be competing in the 450cc, women and junior categories, astride a non-TVS bike. The event has attracted over 100 riders from 25 countries.

    Aishwarya, who was injured after a crash in the Spanish Baja last year and was out of action for nearly six months, said: “This is an exciting start to my international racing season. I have been training really hard over the last few weeks in the sand dunes, which has been a tremendous learning experience. I am thankful to my sponsors TVS Racing, Mountain Dew, Scott and Big Rock Dirt Park for believing and supporting my dreams to represent India on the global motorsport stage.”

    This will be Aishwarya’s second attempt at an international rally. In 2018, she competed in the Baja Aragon. However, her debut on the global stage ended with a crash that required lengthy rehabilitation. In the past couple of months, she has been training at the Big Rock track run by ace cross-country rider CS Santosh, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. She also went in advance to Dubai to train on the sand dunes.

    The first rider will leave the start at 06.45hrs on Friday, March 8th for a 50kms liaison section before starting the opening selective section of 201.60km, one hour later. The second timed section of 204.03km takes place on Saturday, March 9th. In a total of 607km, 407km will be timed against the clock.

  • MotoGP season begins at Losail under lights

    Testing is over, engines are on and when the sun goes down, the lights go out. So who will seize the first win of the season?
    Doha, 6 March 2019
    After four months, two tests and time enough for a mountain of expectation to rise from preseason, the foreword is finally written and the first race of the year is about to begin. Losail International Circuit changes from test venue to shimmering, spectacular MotoGP oasis in the desert outside Doha, ready for the floodlights to light up its every curve and give us a first glimpse of what the season may have in store. Every epos begins with a single verse and a new odyssey is poised to get underway.

    So where do we begin? Two of the biggest questions as we head for Qatar line up alongside each other at Repsol Honda. Reigning Champion Marc Marquez comes back from surgery to his shoulder and questions abound as to the race readiness of the now seven-time World Champion, although Losail is far from an ideal venue from which to make a judgement: he’s only won once at the track in the premier class, and that was in his all-conquering 2014 season. Can he go the distance? And what of the man who enters the stage with the best record at Losail; the man now on the other side of the garage? That’s Jorge Lorenzo, who has six wins in Qatar – three of which came in MotoGP™ – and they speak highly of the ‘Spartan’’s skill at the venue. But how will he come out the blocks this year as he continues his recovery from a broken scaphoid and adaptation to a whole new machine?

    Meanwhile, at the Mission Winnow Ducati garage, it’s less adaptation and more fine-tuning for last year’s Qatar GP winner Andrea Dovizioso. Confident in testing but not to a fault, the Italian begins the season with the natural advantage of being fully fit. Add that to his 2018 success at the venue and solid reports from testing, there’s likely a good few bets been placed on ‘DesmoDovi’. For new teammate Danilo Petrucci, meanwhile, the odds are a little longer – but the new addition to the factory Ducati team has shone in testing and he can’t be counted out. There are few motivations bigger than the chance at a first victory.

    A first victory to kick off the season would be just what the ‘Doctor’ ordered for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP after a more difficult season last year. In testing, however, it was Yamaha who locked out four of the top six on the final day in Qatar and 2017 winner Maverick Viñales who went top, so it looks promising. Can he replicate that on race day? Or will the experience and four previous MotoGP™ victories at the venue tip the scales in favour of teammate Valentino Rossi?

    There could be another, newer name in the hunt for victory, too. Viñales may have gone quickest but Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins spent the Qatar Test either right behind the Yamaha man or just ahead of him – sometimes literally. Confidence in their 2019 machine has shone out of Suzuki, and Rins is a man in form. A dark horse for the win? Or can that not be said of someone who threw down an impressive gauntlet on the timesheets already?

    His rookie teammate, Joan Mir, also made a buzz in testing. But the rookie who took the limelight most at the Qatar Test was most definitely Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). First debutant and top Independent Team rider, the Frenchman finished the test in a stunning second place – and it wasn’t a fluke. Plenty of eyes will be on him, and the man who managed a similar feat in Sepang, Francesco Bagnaia (Alma Pramac Racing). The two could prove a headache for the Independent Team riders gunning for glory already, and the likes of Bagnaia’s teammate Jack Miller, Quartararo’s teammate Franco Morbidelli, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) will be aiming to stamp some authority on the new kids on the block.

    Another big point of interest in Qatar will also be aiming to get well within that battle. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro finished the test inside the top ten and impressed once again, and he’ll want more than a couple of points to prove a point for the Austrian factory as they enter their third year in MotoGP™. And Johann Zarco, recent arrival to the other side of the garage, will have his sights set on his teammate and closing the gap – as well as gaining a little more fresh air between himself and impressive rookie Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3).

    It’s a long time since the 2018 Valencia GP and the hour is finally upon us to go racing again. New faces, new colours and a mountain of expectation…get ready for another epic season of MotoGP™ and tune in for the VisitQatar Grand Prix from the 8th to 10th March as we see the first verse unfold.

  • A new era: Moto2 chases their first triumph of 2019

    New faces, returning veterans and a shake up in the corridors of power

    Doha, 6 March 2019: They say knowledge is power but as Moto2™ gear up for 2019, there are many unknowns that await them. They aren’t racing in the dark though, so to speak, and from development to testing the stage is now set as the intermediate class prepare to go racing powered by British marque Triumph.

    What we, and they, already know is that the timesheets in testing have been tantalisingly close and the field are more than ready for the new challenge. And despite the biggest change to the class since inception, there are some things that seem to have remained the same: the pace of the likes of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), as well as fellow bastions of experience Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) and Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP). And what of Schrötter’s teammate Tom Lüthi? He, like Lowes the year before, returns from MotoGP™ with a point to prove – and a long rap sheet of intermediate class success.

    Alongside the experienced runners this season, however, there are also host of superstar rookies. Reigning Moto3™ Champion Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up), Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech3), teammate Philipp Öttl, Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) move up from the lightweight class, and they’re joined by Brit Jake Dixon (Angel Nieto Team) and Idemitsu Honda Team Asia duo Dimas Ekky Pratama and former Asia Talent Cup rider Somkiat Chantra as nearly a third of the field race for the title of Rookie of the Year. There’s also the debut of the new MV Agusta in the hands of Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward Racing) and Stenfano Manzi, bringing the chassis count to up to five alongside Kalex, KTM, NTS and Speed Up.

    In testing it’s never been closer – now all that remains to be seen is the contest on race day. In Qatar at least it was Lowes who held firm at the top, and the British rider seems more than #OnIt as we head back to Losail to race. But timesheets rarely tell the tale of a race weekend entirely, so who’s going to strike first?

    Tune in to see a little history made and a new era begin on Sunday 10th March as Moto2™ go racing at 17:20 (GMT+3) in Qatar. Last year says Baldassarri could hold an advantage at Losail, but this season remains unwritten as yet.