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The time has come: Moto3 leads the troops out
The lightweight class get ready to race in 2019 – and they’re up first Doha, 6 March 2019: The time has come and it will, by virtue of schedule, be the Moto3 class heading out to race first in the VisitQatar Grand Prix. And what better way to begin than the ever impressive and incredibly close kings of slipstreaming? Just like any other race weekend, the points on offer are the same 25 but the stakes seem that much higher when it’s the season opener…so who will take those first spoils?
In the veteran camp there are a good few names that immediately stick out. Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) returns and he’s a former podium finisher at Losail, as are Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing). Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) won the 2016 edition, and the likes of Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team) and Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) have all had solid top ten showings there. What of the riders like Tony Arbolino (Snipers Team), gaining some serious traction in testing? Will he be able to turn his Qatar GP form around? And then there’s veteran Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), who broke his collarbone in testing and remains a question mark…
Then there are the rookies. Losail has made many an impression for a good few new names on Entry Lists throughout the years, and 2019 could be no different. After taking victory in Valencia last season as a wildcard to become the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, Turkish newcomer Can Öncü needs no introduction, and neither does Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) after appearing with a bang on the podium in Australia last year. In addition, Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Öncü knows the track from his time in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, as does Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) – could that be an advantage over the likes of Raul Fernandez (Angel Nieto Team), Ricardo Rossi (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), Tom Booth-Amos (CIP – Green Power) and Filip Salac (Redox PrüstelGP)? In this race at least, they also have to contend with Ryusei Yamanaka at Estrella Galicia 0,0 as the Japanese rider moves up from their junior team to sit in for Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard isn’t injured, however, he’s just too young and has to wait until after his 16th birthday and therefore the Argentina GP to head out on track to race. Only the reigning Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup or FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™Junior World Champion can compete at 15. For Yamanaka then, the stakes are high. But aren’t they for everyone?
The time has come to find out and the lights go out for the first Moto3™ race of the season on Sunday 10th March at 16:00 (GMT +3).
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Mahaveer Raghunathan puts in 53 laps on Day 1 of Second Test: Formula 2
Nyck Vries tops Day 1 on 6th March 2019. An F2 image Barcelona, 6 March 2019: Nyck de Vries set the quickest laptime on the opening day of the second FIA Formula 2 pre-season testing at Barcelona. The Dutchman from ART Grand Prix set a time of 1:28.655 in the afternoon session to lead the way ahead of DAMS’ Sérgio Sette Câmara and rookie Nikita Mazepin.
The only Indian racer Mahaveer Raghunathan of MP Motorsport was 18th fastest in the morning and improved to 16th in the afternoon session. He did 26 laps in the morning and added 27 more in the post-lunch session to gain some useful information for the team.The pit lane opened at 9.30 local time under grey skies. Both Trident cars hit the track first with Giuliano Alesi leading Ralph Boschung. There was an early red flag a few minutes into the session after MP Motorsport’s Mahaveer Raghunathan stopped on track at Turn 7. The proceedings were halted once more shortly after the re-start so that the marshals could clean the pit lane.One hour into the session, Raghunathan was the only driver who had set a laptime until his teammate Jordan King found some pace to dip under 1m30s. Carlin’s Louis Delétraz went top in a 1:28.919, heading teammate Nobuharu Matsushita by +0.804s, but de Vries went quickest just before the two-hour mark in a 1:28.821 as Luca Ghiotto slotted in P2 (+0.048s).At the chequered flag de Vries sat pretty at the top of the standings ahead of Ghiotto and Delétraz. Jack Aitken was fourth ahead of Mazepin, Nicholas Latifi, Matsushita , Alesi, Sette Câmara and Guanyu Zhou.After a two-hour lunch break, the action resumed under blue skies. The ART pair of de Vries and Mazepin were the first to take to the track, but it was Ghiotto who set the early pace in a 1:29.176. The afternoon session was dedicated to race simulations and pit stop practice. Campos’ Roberto Merhi brought out a first red flag on the one-hour mark after he stopped at Turn 2.At the re-start, Juan Manuel Correa placed his Sauber Junior Team by Charouz car on P2 but de Vries bettered the American’s time by three tenths. On his next effort, the Dutchman was able to go top whilst teammate Mazepin also set a personal best to move up to second.In the opening of the final hour, Mick Schumacher claimed the top spot in a 1:28.866 and remained unchallenged until fifteen minutes before the end of the session: de Vries reclaimed P1 as Sette Câmara moved up to P2 to edge Schumacher. Mazepin also improved to take third in the closing stages.Five minutes before the chequered flag Raghunathan stopped at Turn 8 bringing out one final Red Flag. The session was not restarted. Behind the top three, Schumacher, Ghiotto, Zhou, Sean Gelael, Boschung, Correa and Aitken completed the top ten.Day 2 will kick off tomorrow at 9.00 local time.FIA Formula 2 Barcelona Test – Day 1 Morning SessionDRIVERTEAMLAPTIMELAPS1Nyck de VriesART Grand Prix1:28.821182Luca GhiottoUNI Virtuosi1:28.869163Louis DelétrazCarlin1:28.875314Jack AitkenCampos Racing1:28.928215Nikita MazepinART Grand Prix1:29.107176Nicholas LatifiDAMS1:29.343307Nobuharu MatsushitaCarlin1:29.413328Giuliano AlesiTrident1:29.492239Sérgio Sette CâmaraDAMS1:29.5552010Guanyu ZhouUNI Virtuosi1:29.5891311Ralph BoschungTrident1:29.7082612Anthoine HubertBWT Arden1:29.7091813Jordan KingMP Motorsport1:29.7432314Roberto MerhiCampos Racing1:29.7523515Callum IlottSauber Junior Team by Charouz1:29.7961516Juan Manuel CorreaSauber Junior Team by Charouz1:30.0001617Tatiana CalderonBWT Arden1:30.7732218Mahaveer RaghunathanMP Motorsport1:34.3732619Mick SchumacherPREMA Racing—3020Sean GelaelPREMA Racing—32FIA Formula 2 Barcelona Test – Day 1 Afternoon SessionDRIVERTEAMLAPTIMELAPS1Nyck de VriesART Grand Prix1:28.655372Sérgio Sette CâmaraDAMS1:28.772313Nikita MazepinART Grand Prix1:28.829434Mick SchumacherPREMA Racing1:28.886295Luca GhiottoUNI Virtuosi1:28.993336Guanyu ZhouUNI Virtuosi1:29.070277Sean GelaelPREMA Racing1:29.180288Ralph BoschungTrident1:29.249329Juan Manuel CorreaSauber Junior Team by Charouz1:29.3912710Jack AitkenCampos Racing1:29.4596311Callum IlottSauber Junior Team by Charouz1:29.7762912Anthoine HubertBWT Arden1:29.8483713Jordan KingMP Motorsport1:29.9521914Giuliano AlesiTrident1:30.1693415Tatiana CalderonBWT Arden1:30.1853116Mahaveer RaghunathanMP Motorsport1:31.6392717Louis DelétrazCarlin1:34.8504318Nobuharu MatsushitaCarlin1:35.2353419Nicholas LatifiDAMS1:35.2903620Roberto MerhiCampos Racing1:35.66423 -
Lowes retains his roll in Moto2, Fenati takes the spoils in Moto3: Qatar Test concludes
Qatar, 3 March 2019: Federal Oil Gresini Moto2’s Sam Lowes has thrown down the gauntlet ahead of the opening race weekend of the season after ending the Moto2™ and Moto3™ Qatar Test quickest, his 1:58.439 on the final day enough to beat second place Tom Lüthi (Dynavolt Intact GP) by 0.224 seconds. The entire top ten on the combined standings set their quickest laps on Day 3 at Losail International Circuit, with Lowes’ time quick enough to put him on pole for the MotoGP™ race that took place at the venue in 2004!The aforementioned Lüthi was the British rider’s closest rival, with Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) continuing his impressive preseason speed with third, 0.316 off P1. Fourth went the way of Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40), his 1:58.775 leaving him just 0.002 two from Gardner, with Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) just another 0.030 back in fifth.
EG 0,0 Marc VDS’ Xavi Vierge ends the three-day test just ahead of Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) and Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) as the three Spaniards occupy sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Ninth goes to Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46), his 1:58.980 putting him 0.541 off Lowes, with Day 1’s fastest rider Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completing the top ten.
Fenati was once again the quickest man in the lightweight class In Moto3™, Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) ended the test at the top of the timesheets after going quickest on the final day, setting a best time of 2:05.285 to head teammate Tony Arbolino by 0.230. With many focusing on a fast lap – and some on trying to get a tow – it was a frantic final day of action.All of the lightweight class riders, except the injured Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3), went quicker on the third and final day of testing at Losail International Circuit. But it was the Snipers Team duo who locked out the top two positions at the end of play, just like they have done on the previous two days. Their closest challenger was Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with 0.368 splitting him from Fenati in third.
Fourth fastest was Leopard Racing’s Lorenzo Dalla Porta, the only other rider within half a second of Fenati, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completing a top five covered by 0.507 seconds.
John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) ended the test in sixth place with a best time of 2:05.899, the British rider sitting 0.131 ahead of seventh-placed Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing). Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was eighth, just ahead of Sky Racing Team VR46 duo Dennis Foggia and rookie Celestino Vietti – it was ninth and tenth on the timesheets for the Italians respectively.
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Lowes leads Gardner, Martin in Moto2, Fenati fights back in Moto3: Doha Test Day 2
The penultimate day of preseason testing goes down in Doha Doha, 2 March 2019: Lowes tops test at Doha on Day Two, 2 March 2019. A MotoGP image Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) topped the timesheets on Day 2 of the official Moto2™ and Moto3™ Qatar Test after the British rider set a 1:58.824 to go fastes. He and second placed Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) were the only two riders to dip below the 1:59 bracket. Gardner finished 0.055 off Lowes as conditions improved on Saturday after a blustery start to the test on Friday. Reigning Moto3™ World Champion and rookie Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo) set the third fastest time on Day 2, his 1:59.039 put him 0.215 off Lowes’ benchmark.
Fourth was Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), 0.295 from P1 and 0.049 ahead of his teammate Xavi Vierge, the Spaniard rounding out the top five. Sixth went the way of Sky Racing Team VR46’s Luca Marini, the Italian 0.463 off Lowes, with Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) seventh.
Eighth and ninth on Saturday was Dynavolt Intact GP pairing Marcel Schrötter and Tom Lüthi, the duo 0.546 and 0.562 off respectively, while rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio (+Ego Speed Up) completed the top ten – 0.583 was the gap from the Italian to Lowes.
Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and Xavi Cardelus (Angel Nieto Team) crashed on Day 2 – riders ok.
Fenati turned the tables on Saturday to head the timesheets In Moto3™, Romano Fenati (Snipers Team) went quickest after setting the best time of 2:05.989, 0.126 faster than teammate Tony Arbolino to turn the tables on Day 2. After the wind caused difficulties on Day 1 at Losail International Circuit, conditions improved for Day 2 as the two Italian riders topped the timesheets again. Their closest challenger on the second day came in the form of Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), who finished 0.148 from Fenati on board his KTM.
Lorenzo Dalla Porta’s (Leopard Racing) 2:06.339 put him fourth on the timesheets, 0.350 back from Fenati, while Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) continues to go well at the Qatar Test – the Japanese rider slotted into P5 at the end of Day 2 with a 2:06.437. Darryn Binder (CIP – Green Power) sits sixth, with Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) and BOE Skull Rider Mugen Racing’s Kazuki Masaki seventh and eighth respectively.
After a promising preseason, Gabriel Rodrigo’s (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) Qatar GP looks to be in serious doubt after the Argentine rider fractured his collarbone in a crash on Day 2. Rodrigo was ninth on the timesheets before the incident, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completing the top ten – 0.794 back from Fenati. Filip Salac (Redox PrüstelGP) and Ramirez also crashed during the day – riders ok.
The intermediate and lightweight classes will be back on track on Sunday for their LAST day of preseason, keep up to date with Live Timing and results on motogp.com.
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WRC Round 3: Rally Mexico to start on Thursday
For round three of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship, the competitors travel to Rally Mexico (March 7-10) where high temperatures and high altitude provide considerably different challenges to those experienced in the opening two winter events in Europe. First held as a WRC event 15 years ago, the León-based gravel rally has proven popular ever since with its compact route and colourful atmosphere.
Rally Mexico, the third round of the WRC begins on Thursday. An FIA image Mexico, 3 March 2019: Run in the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains, the rally climbs to a height of 2’700 metres above sea level, where the thinner air deprives the engines of oxygen, which can result in a potential power loss of up to 20 per cent. Ambient temperatures of up to 30°C add additional stress to the machinery. Teams take special measures to ensure the reliability of their cars, and the drivers must adapt their driving styles to the conditions.
With three different manufacturers sharing the podium in both of the opening rounds – and two different crews on the top step – it has been a thrilling start to the season, and Rally Mexico promises to add another exciting episode to the story. Ten World Rally Car drivers will battle it out on the Central American stages, with Dani Sordo making his debut on the championship this year in the Hyundai i20 Coupé driven by Sébastien Loeb in the opening two events of the season. As part of his preparations for Rally Mexico, the Spaniard, who finished second in Mexico in 2018, competed – and won – Rali Serras de Fafe in Portugal last weekend, the opening round on gravel of the Iberian FIA European Rally Trophy.
In the FIA WRC 2 Pro category, Poland’s Lucasz Pieniazek (M-Sport) will pilot a Ford Fiesta R5 car, alongside four FIA WRC 2 entrants: Benito Guerra from Mexico, Marco Bulacia Wilkinson from Colombia and the Heller brothers, Pedro and Alberto, from Chile.
All of the stages can be watched live on WRC All Live on WRC+, with three stages additionally broadcast live on television: SS12 and SSS15 (El Brinco) and the rally-ending SS21, Las Minas Power Stage.
THE 2019 ROUTE
The Rally Mexico route features only minor changes compared to 2018. The event traditionally holds its stunning opening stage in the colourful town of Guanajuato on Thursday evening, where the crews take on the city’s narrow streets and former mining tunnels. Friday includes two runs over the rally’s epic “El Chocolate” test, the season’s highest point at more than 2’737m. Both Friday and Saturday’s itineraries feature a street stage in León and two runs around the city’s racing circuit. Saturday is the longest day of this year’s rally, with an extended Otates, the longest stage of the rally with 32.27 kilometres. The day also includes El Brinco, where the famous jump has been replaced by a man-made ramp in a dry reservoir which should contribute to a spectacular finish. On Sunday, the penultimate Mesa Cuata stage is new, using the opening half of El Chocolate before turning towards Guanajuato, where the Las Minas Power Stage will finish.
RALLY DATA
Total distance: 1,003.49 km Stage distance: 303.87 km (31%) Number of stages: 21 -
Ajgar-Musthafa hat-trick: JK Tyre Himalayan Drive
Ajgar and Mustafa in action. JK Tyre Photos Siliguri, 2 March 2019: After four days of cross-country rallying, the formidable team of Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa successfully defended their JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7 crown.
Hailing from the small port town of Haldia in West Bengal, Ajgar Ali, along with Erode’s Mohammed Musthafa, achieved the rare feat of winning their third successive title in the country’s only international TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rally.In the national category, Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa ended with a final tally of 1110 penalty points to emerge victorious. Securing the second position were the team of Gagan Sethi and Rajkumar Mundra with 1847 penalty points while Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj ended their campaign in third position with 2035 penalty points.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.Ajgar & Mustafa This year’s title battle saw a nail-biting finish. The team of Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj who started the final day (Day 4, Saturday) as championship leaders lost their bid to the crown in the very final moments by missing the penultimate time control and suffering a 900-penalty points blow.
“We made a big mistake (by missing the second-last time control) and we handed the championship title to them (Ajgar and Musthafa). It is a disappointment for us, but the winners deserve the title,” Nagarajan Thangaraj said.“We are very happy to score this hattrick. It was a very exciting rally and I can say that the seventh edition of JK Tyre Himalayan Drive is the best TSD rally in the country till date. The competitive sections were superb and posed a tough challenge to drivers, navigators and our cars,” said Ajgar Ali.He was also all praise for Just Sportz, the rally organisers. “This rally is always well-organised and everything is transparent. The hospitality of the organisers is unparalleled,” Ali added.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. -
Viñales, Quartararo and Marquez on top with Rossi, Lorenzo, for close company: Qatar Test
Vinales tops final day of the test on 25 Feb 2019. A MotoGP image Losail, 25 Feb 2019: Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) leaves Losail International Circuit after the Qatar Test having topped two of the three days, the first and final, and on Monday it was with a 1:54.208 to end the test 0.233 clear. The top spot was again under threat from an incredible performance from rookie Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in second, however, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top three. And, after a tougher Day 2 for Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), the ‘Doctor’ was back inside the top four just behind Marquez, with Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) another resurgent runner as he completed the top five.
So it’s Yamaha who leave Qatar on top despite a windier Day 3, with Viñales putting in 50 laps on Monday and Rossi 38. The Italian was pretty positive and said it came from putting “everything together”, but the Spaniard did still insist they need to improve and one of the big things he pointed out was edge grip, where he said the Yamaha is lacking a little compared to other manufacturers. Quartararo, meanwhile, did 48 laps and showed his Day 2 showing was far from a fluke, with teammate Franco Morbidelli shooting up the timesheets to sixth on Monday too. That makes good reading for both the Iwata marque and the new Petronas Yamaha SRT team, with all Yamahas in the top six.
Repsol Honda were the only other team and manufacturer to mix it with them on Monday, although both machines took tumbles – riders ok. Marc Marquez was third with a 1:54.613 and did 53 laps, again showing the capacity to put more mileage on his shoulder, and teammate Jorge Lorenzo took P5 just 0.040 off Marquez and 0.002 off Rossi. After two much tougher days on the timesheets hovering outside the top 15 as he both changes bike and comes back from a scaphoid broken only a month ago, the five-time World Champion catapulted himself up to a 1:54.653 on Day 3.
Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), meanwhile, also had a solid final day as he finished the Qatar Test in eighth despite a crash, and the Japanese rider concludes testing with a sheet of consistent top tens. He did 50 laps with a best of 1:54.789, with teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) down in P17 after 39 laps.
Another big headline on the last day of preseason came from the consistently impressive Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who was a stunning seventh on a best effort of 1:54.770. The Spaniard put in 37 laps as the Austrian factory continue working on the details, and the second quickest KTM was actually Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on Monday as the Portuguese rookie was within around a second of Espargaro. Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was a little further down the timesheets on Monday in P22.
Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati Team), meanwhile, retained his stronghold on the timesheets amongst the Borgo Panigale machines. The Italian was ninth on Day 3 after another 43 laps, with teammate Andrea Dovizioso down in P15 after 50 but they focused on long runs and race setup. The engine and fairing and bigger decisions were already made before the end of action. Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) improved to tenth on his final of 57 laps, and his teammate, rookie Francesco Bagnaia, wasn’t far off in P13 – just two tenths in arrears. He was closely followed by Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat.
Between that Ducati invasion were nestled both of the Team Suzuki Ecstar machines. Although third overall from his Day 2 laptime, Alex Rins ended Monday in P11 on a 1:54.852 after 41 laps and rookie teammate Joan Mir was the second quickest rookie in P12. The gap between the two Hamamatsu factory machines was only a tenth and a half…
Aprilia, meanwhile, were happy with their improvements and although Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was P16 and Aleix Espargaro P19, they were focusing more on longer runs, for Espargaro especially – and overall across the test Espargaro was P14. The Noale factory were also happy with the adaptation shown by Iannone after the Italian had to sit out much of Sepang with illness, which is a big positive after a difficult recent run.
That’s it from Qatar and preseason is officially over – now all that remains is to race. With fifteen riders ending the test within a second, KTM in the top ten, the likes of Quartararo looking incredibly fast…what will the VisitQatar Grand Prix bring? Find out from the 8th to 10th March.
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Raghul rangasamy crowned `Upcoming Motorsports Person of the Year’: FMSCI awards
Gautam Singhania (CMD Raymond Group), Raghul Rangasamy winner of the FMSCI Upcoming Motorsports Person of the Year Award, Jean Todt (president FIA), J. Prithiviraj President of FMSCI on Monday. An FMSCI image Mumbai, 25 Feb 2019: India’s top performers in the world of motorsports were felicitated during the 2018 FMSCI Annual Awards function here on Monday, with Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy winning the coveted ‘Upcoming Motorsports Person Of The Year Award.
The awards function once held at a make-shift venue under tents some years back, under the guidance of the late Bharat Raj now travels every year to five-star hotels, with pomp and show. Lakhs and lakhs of rupees, which ideally need to be spent on the sportspersons, riders and drivers, end up in corporate kitties. Many more lakhs are being paid as income tax to the government every year for lack of any innovative programmes by the FMSCI which can reduce such taxes in productive expenditure for the promotion of sport.
Rangasamy, the 25-year-old racer had a spectacular year, completing a fine double by claiming the LGB Formula 4 title in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship and the FF 1600 category in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship to pocket the prestigious Raymond Gautam Singhania Trophy.
The chief guest at the glittering function, the President of FIA (Le Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), Jean Todt, gave away the top prize as also a number of other important trophies in the presence of a galaxy of stars.
Todt, famously known as the force behind Ferrari’s spectacular rise in Formula 1, expressed his delight at the way Indian motorsport has progressed and believed that the country was on its way to bigger things on the world stage. But sadly, the fact is that the Formula One continues to elude the country and there is no positive sign that it would return to India in the near future. The Indian Government and the Indian Olympic Association lay down rules where the sport needs to be democratically governed and represented by all States in its governing body to get the nod for recognition.
The annual function, held under the stewardship of new FMSCI president J Prithiviraj, saw as many as 61 winners receiving the trophies. The former president of FMSCI (1981-82 & 1985-87), GR Karthikeyan, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his valuable contribution to Indian motorsport.
Basking in the progress made in the year gone by, and appreciating the efforts of all the stakeholders, promoters, sponsors and winners, Prithiviraj revealed that much more was in store.
“We are entering the golden period of Indian motorsports. We have events in virtually all the disciplines possible and our boys and girls are competing and winning at the world level, like never before,” he said. “We are going to introduce many other exciting verticals very soon,” he added.
The FMSCI handed out Special Awards to all those made the country proud at the international level too while making a special mention of multiple winner Gaurav Gill, for taking part in the World Rally Championship.
Among others, Armaan Ebrahim (podium finish at the Lamborghini Trofeo series), Anindith Reddy Konda (podium at Lamborghini Trofeo Series), Amiitrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik (winners at ERC 2 Acropolis Rally) and Malswandawngliana (2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing India round) received these awards.
Leading female drivers of the country, including Mira Erda, Sneha Sharma and Shriya Lohia, were also bestowed with the ‘Outstanding Women in Motorsport’ trophies.
The FMSCI meanwhile underlined its new philosophy, ‘equal investment in competitor & training officials’, to take the sport to the next level.
Lifetime achievement award: G R Karthikeyan; Upcoming Motorsport person of the year: Raghul Rangasamy
JK Tyres FMSCI National Racing Championship
Euro JK 18: Karthik Tharani; LGB Formula 4: Raghul Rangasamy; Champion Team (LGB Formula 4): Msport; Rookie Driver (LGB Formula 4): Sohil Shah
MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship
MRF FF 1600: Raghul Rangasamy; FLGB 1300: Sohil Shah; Champion Team (FLGB 1300): Msport; Super Stock K Srinivas Teja; Champion Team (Super Stock ):Performance Racing; Indian Junior Touring Cars: AS Prabhu; Champion Team( Indian Junior Touring Cars): Arka Motorsports; Indian Touring Cars: Ashish Ramaswamy; Champion Team (Indian Touring Cars): Arka Motorsports
FMSCI Indian National Autocross Championship
Driver Stock (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc ):Sahil Khanna; Driver Stock( 2-wheel drive Over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Samrat Yadav; Driver Stock (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc) Arjun Rao; Driver Open (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc): Abhishek Mishra; Driver Open (2-wheel drive, over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Dean Mascarenhas; Driver Open (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc): Arjun Rao; Driver (Open, Unrestricted): Abhishek Mishra; Driver (Ladies): Bani Yadav
MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship
Driver Indian (Open Stock Body): Vivek Ramachander; Driver Indian (Open Altered Body): Jayant V; Driver Indian (Touring Cars): Kasha Sai; Driver (Unrestricted Class): Vivek Ramachander
MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship
Driver Overall INRC: Gaurav Gill; Co-Driver Overall INRC: Musa Sherif; Team Overall: INRC Mahindra Adventure; Driver (INRC 1): Gaurav Gill; Co-Driver (INRC 1): Musa Sherif; Team (INRC 1): Mahindra Adventure; Driver( INRC 2 ):Karna Kadur; Co-Driver( INRC 2 ): Nikhil V Pai; Team (INRC 2): Arka Motorsports; Driver (INRC 3): Aroor Vikram Rao; Co-Driver (INRC 3): Somayya A.G; (Team INRC 3): Falkon Motorsports
Meco Motor Sports FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship
Micro Max: Ishaan Madesh; Team (Micro Max ): Peregrine Racing; Junior Max Shahan Ali Mohsin; Team (Junior Max) Msport; Senior Max: Debarun Banerjee; Team (Senior Max): MSport
MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship
Rider (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Satyanarayana Raju; Team (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Gusto Racing India; Manufacturer: (Pro Stock 301-400 cc KTM); Rider (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): Jagan Kumar; Team (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS Racing; Manufacturer (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS; Rider (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Anish D Shetty; Team( Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda Ten10 Racing; Manufacturer (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda; Rider (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Ann Jenifer; Team (Stock upto 165 cc Girls ): Sparks Racing; Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Yamaha; Rider (Stock upto 165 cc): Karthik Mateti; Team (Stock upto 165 cc): Sparks Racing; Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc): Yamaha
MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship
Rider (2 Stroke upto 130 cc): Hussain Khan; Rider (2 Stroke 131 to 165cc): Hussain Khan; Rider (4 Stroke upto 165 cc): Aravind Ganesh; Rider (4 Stroke 166 to 225 cc): Harshil Thakur; Rider (4 Stroke 226 to 360 cc): Shankar Guru; Rider(4 Stroke 361 to 550 cc): R Ashwin Kumar; Rider( 4 Stroke 851 to 1050 cc): Hemant Mudappa; Rider( 4 Stroke 1051 & above): Hemant Mudappa; Rider (4 Stroke Unrestricted): Hemant Mudappa; Team: Mantra Racing
MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Supercross Championship
Rider (Group A SX1 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Harith Noah; Rider (Group C 2/4 Stroke: 260 cc Novice) Imran Pasha; Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke:260 cc Indian Expert): Imran Pasha; Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke 260 cc Expert): Jagdeesh Kumar; Rider (Group A SX2 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Saijith ES; Rider( Junior SX 1 2/4 Stroke 250 cc): Yuvraj Kondedeshmukh; Rider (Junior SX 2 2/4 Stroke 250 cc )Sarthak Chavan
MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Rally Championship
Overall R Nataraj; Rider (Super Bike Pro Expert Group A Rider): R Nataraj; Rider (Super Bike Expert Group A Rider): Jatin Jain; Rider (Super Sport 130 cc Group B Rider): Rakesh Kumar V; Rider (Super Sport 165 cc Group B Rider ): Imran Pasha J; Rider (Super Sport 260 cc Group B Rider) Rajendra R.E.; Rider (Super Sport 400 cc Group B Rider ): Venu Ramesh Kumar; Rider( Super Sport 550 cc Group B Rider): Vinit Sharma; (Rider Scooters Group B Rider): Pinkesh Thakkar; Rider( Ladies Class): Aishwarya P.M.
Outstanding Achievement In World Motorsport
Abhilash PG: Winner APRC 2 Cup for Drivers; Abdul Wahid: 2nd Overall in category of Rally of Morocco , a FIM Cross Country World Championship Event; Armaan Ebrahim: Podium in Lamborgini Super Trofeo Asia; Anindith Reddy K: Podium in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia; Amittrajit Ghosh:Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Driver; Ashwin Naik: Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Co-Driver; Jehan Daruvala: Several Podiums in FIA Euro F3 Championship; Karthik Matei: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing (Indonesia Round); Musa Sherif: Winner APRC 2 Cup for Co-Drivers; Malsawndawngliana: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing India Round.
Outstanding Women in Motorsports
Mira Erda; Sneha Sharma; Shriya Lohia
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Viñales and Rins face off: MotoGP Test Day 1
Two Spaniards a tenth apart at the top, ahead of Dovi and Petrucci 40 and going strong:: Rossi heads out under the lights at Qatar on Saturday. A MotoGP image Qatar, 23 Feb 2019: Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy MotoGP) topped the first day of the Qatar Test, putting in a 1:55.051 to head the grid after a late charge for supremacy. It was close though, with the Suzuki of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) just 0.108 back – and the two set those laps close together on track. As always when action returns to Qatar, track conditions need to improve throughout the day and it was therefore fairly late on that a lot of the action took place – and the latter part of the day when Viñales blasted to the top.
That 1:55.051 to put Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP on top was one of 50 laps completed by Viñales on Day 1, and the signs look good for the factory – with teammate Valentino Rossi not far back as he completed the top five after 47 laps. Team Director Massimo Meregalli confirmed the engine had already been decided and that focus was first on comparing data with that from Sepang. Aero, however, remains up in the air – with more to try for the Iwata marque at Losail.
Petronas Yamaha SRT, meanwhile, had more positives – first for rookie Fabio Quartararo. Quickest debutant by a stretch on Saturday, the Frenchman was a stunning seventh overall and less than two tenths off Rossi after 49 laps. Franco Morbidelli was a little further down after the first session, ending the day seven tenths further back in P14.
Alex Rins put in a similar lap count: 48. The Spaniard showed more good form for Hamamatsu factory Suzuki after threatening the top on the first days of the Sepang test too, and this time rookie teammate Joan Mir began the test further up the timesheets as he ended the day in P11. Suzuki had a new exhaust on show and Team Manager Davide Brivio confirmed that the chassis is defined, the engine spec is decided and said that focus was now on fine tuning and the details – including some final aero checks and work on the suspension and settings.
So behind the duo at the top, who came next? Both Mission Winnow Ducatis, with Andrea Dovizioso leading teammate Danilo Petrucci by a mere 0.044 – although they were half a second back. Both put in less laps than some of their competitors, with Dovi doing 29 and Petrucci 37. The latter was only just ahead of Rossi, but 0.010 can make the difference in MotoGP™. Team Manager Davide Tardozzi says, like many up and down pitlane, focus is now on the details – but the Borgo Panigale factory plan to make their final aero decision on Sunday.
Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) kept the good news rolling for Ducati machinery as he ended the day in P6 after 44 laps, happy there’s more room to improve, too, but Alma Pramac Racing, who starred in the Sepang test, were a little further back on Day 1 in Qatar. Francesco Bagnaia was P15 after a 1:56.738, with teammate Jack Miller in P19. Miller said, however, he spent the session doing six to eight lap runs, testing different parts – and lacking the time to be able to put in a tyre to push for a hot lap.
Another surprise on Saturday came from the fastest Honda: Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). The Japanese rider showed more top pace and put in 45 laps. Teammate Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) spent some time testing parts for HRC and finished the session in P18. Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), whose shoulder remains less than 100% after surgery, ended the day in tenth and, like in Sepang, put in only 34 laps. But he was positive and said he’s now back to riding in his more natural style, and he had his first crash of the season with no consequence. On the other side of the garage, the return of Jorge Lorenzo saw the ‘Spartan’ struggle in braking as he comes back from a broken scaphoid, and he focused on continuing to understand the bike. Despite not so many laps and not too many new things to try as yet, the five-time World Champion did mention his desire to modify the seat in an effort to make his new machine a little more ergonomic. Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig said work on engine and aero is continuing until the last moment for the team – because every possibility is something worth trying – and a new exhaust was one thing spotted.
Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) impressed on Day 1. The Spaniard, who took the Austrian factory’s first premier class podium at Valencia last season, was the trailblazer once again as he finished up Saturday’s action in P9 after 47 laps. Teammate Johann Zarco put in 53 laps and was P16, around eight tenths back, and he was just 0.121 ahead of rookie KTM rider Miguel Oliveira on the Red Bull KTM Tech3. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager Mike Leitner specified they’re working on confirming chassis and aerodynamic modifications, and said the goal was to first finish off the test program from Sepang and then find a base setting for the race – as you’d expect. He also added that the items on the agenda are now less, something that speaks of the scale of KTM’s development program given the amount of track time already gone in preseason.
Aprilia, meanwhile, slotted into P12 and P13 with Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone respectively – despite crashes for both. Espargaro did 34 laps and confirmed the bike is a definite improvement on last year’s, and Iannone catapulted himself up the timesheets after struggling with illness and missing much of the Sepang test. The Italian managed 30 laps and was only 0.089 off Espargaro by the end of the day. One key thing the Noale factory were spotted trying was an aero fairing.
That’s it from Day 1 and it was ruled by Viñales and Rins – what will Day 2 bring? Find out from 16:00 local time (GMT+3) on Sunday with more laps in the desert at Losail International Circuit.
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Qatar MotoGP Test: the final countdown begins
It’s just over two weeks until the season starts and Losail hosts the second and final preseason test Image courtesy MotoGP Losail, 22 Feb 2019: Sepang certainly gave us a tantalising first glimpse of the season ahead, and now it’s time to up the ante even further as Losail International Circuit in Qatar welcomes MotoGP™ for the second and final preseason test of 2019. Final decisions on engines, aero fairings and more await – and there’s the chance to compare data from Malaysia, as well as set up for the VisitQatar Grand Prix. It’s three full days on track, but plenty to get done.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the test and, undoubtedly after, is the return to action of Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team). After breaking his scaphoid near the end of the winter break, the Spaniard was forced to sit out Sepang and lose valuable time on the Honda, but now he’ll be able to get another three days of familiarisation under his belt as he joins new teammate Marc Marquez on track. Marquez himself is also a talking point but this season not just for win rate – the reigning Champion put in a much lower lap load in Malaysia than he often has at testing in the past, and although he was pretty quick, he said his shoulder is still not 100% and he’s not riding in his usual style. How much further along will the seven-time World Champion be in his recovery by the Qatar Test and, after that, the race weekend?
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was actually the fastest Honda at Sepang. The Brit, despite also still being on a road to recovery after breaking his ankle at Phillip Island last season, impressed on his return and managed a solid 60+ laps on the final day. He’s another who will be expecting improvements in his condition for the Qatar Test. His teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) also had a positive Malaysia and, after topping the Jerez test at the end of last season, was a consistent presence in the top ten. Now on the bike that Marquez rode to the 2018 crown, the season is looking bright for the sophomore and he’ll be one to watch.
It wasn’t actually reigning Champions Honda who stole the headlines at Sepang, however – it was Borgo Panigale’s Italian armada. Ducati machinery locked out the fastest four in Malaysia and Mission Winnow Ducati Team’s new arrival Danilo Petrucci was the man on top. Qatar will be another chance for him to evaluate an aero fairing he crashed on as well as everything else, but it will also be a chance for teammate Andrea Dovizioso to turn the tables. The 2018 Qatar GP winner was the fourth quickest and seemed happy, now we’ll see if Italian machinery can repeat the feat at Losail…
The two riders who split those two factory machines in Malaysia were Alma Pramac Racing’s Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller, in second and third respectively. ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia laid an early claim on the title of Rookie of the Year with his stunning lap, just 0.063 off Petrucci, but he says he needs to focus on longer runs now and be able to run with the pack for more laps. Miller was happy enough after Sepang despite a crash each day, and his pace was impressive too. Will the Australian show the same form at Losail? And can the likes of Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing), coming back from a broken leg, keep his impressive pace from Malaysia at another venue?
And then there’s Yamaha. Monster Energy MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi were both pretty positive in Sepang, but the former a little more so than the latter. Viñales praised better consistency in the data from the 2019 M1, as well as improvements in acceleration they’ve managed to find. Rossi said it was more mixed, but the mood was definitely an upturn – with the ‘Doctor’ citing specifically the good atmosphere and methodology for the Iwata marque. Team Director Massimo Meregalli also had a positive addition, stating both riders were choosing similar directions in development.
For new kids on the block Petronas Yamaha SRT, it was also a positive test. They’re on 2019 machinery and Franco Morbidelli has hit the ground running after his switch of manufacturer, with Fabio Quartararo also showing some good rookie pace. Will we see them take another step forward in Qatar after another three days of track time?
At Team Suzuki Ecstar, there also seems to be a lot of positivity. Alex Rins was a constant threat on the timesheets on the first two days in Malaysia and the Hamamatsu factory have been working hard to build on their stellar 2018. And rookie Joan Mir, after two more anonymous days at least in terms of laptime, moved up the timesheets a little on Day 3 – but is he showing his hand? Or will that only come when testing’s over and the race weekend begins?
For Aprilia there were some good positives from Malaysia too, at least from some of the garage. Aleix Espargaro was seventh overall and on a track with a very long main straight, and Romano Albesiano, now heading up the technical side, said another positive was the reliability the Noale factory had had throughout the test. For newcomer Andrea Iannone it was more difficult however, as an infection requiring antibiotics kept him out of action for much of it. The Italian will want to try and make up for lost time at Qatar. Test rider Bradley Smith is also down to wildcard at the first race of the season, so the track time beforehand is important for both development and set up for the Brit.
KTM, meanwhile, continue their mammoth project of testing and development. New arrival Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) made some solid steps in Sepang and got more on a par with Pol Espargaro, and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech3) started to really impress. The Portuguese rookie wasn’t far off the two factory guys…
Three days, a new venue and lots left to test and learn ahead of the season, the Qatar Test will give us a lot more answers but undoubtedly another few exciting questions ahead of the first race weekend of the year. Are Repsol Honda ready despite their injuries? Can the rookies run with the pack? Will Suzuki and Yamaha prove key threats for the win this year? From the 23rd to 25th February, we’ll start finding a few more answers at the Qatar Test.
