INDIA in F1

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  • ‘Super Seb’ makes it six in WRC with Ingrassia; Gaurav Gill finishes fifth in RC2 class

    ‘Super Seb’ makes it six in WRC with Ingrassia; Gaurav Gill finishes fifth in RC2 class

    Sebastien Ogier completes a “Super Six” WRC title in Australia. Photo: M-Sport

    Coffs Harbour, 18 November 2018: M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia secured their sixth FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers and Co-drivers, respectively, this weekend – coming out on top after a dramatic final-day showdown at Kennards Hire Rally Australia. A composed drive to fifth was in marked contrast to the heartbreak suffered by Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, who both crashed whilst trying to keep their hopes alive.

    Ogier’s calmness shone through after heavy rain transformed the gravel forest roads into a muddy mess. He was faultless while both Neuville and overnight leader Tänak escaped brushes with the scenery during the morning’s opening three speed tests. Worse was to follow. Neuville parked his Hyundai i20 three stages from the finish after swiping a bank and ripping a rear wheel from his Hyundai i20. In the next test, Tänak slithered into a tree and his Toyota Yaris ground to a halt with no drive.

    Ogier could afford a celebratory drive through the final Power Stage in the knowledge the championship was already secured in his final appearance in M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta before switching to Citroën in 2019.

    This year’s championship has been the most exciting in years, but Ogier, Ingrassia and M-Sport Ford produced something special once again – speed, determination and outstanding team spirit all contributing to another very successful year for the Cumbrian squad.

    Ogier (right) and Ingrassia. Photo-M-Sport

    “It’s been an incredible season, so close. Not so long ago, we were thinking it was going to be tough to grab this title, but we never gave up. We gave everything, with a fantastic team behind us who kept fighting and in the end we grabbed it in the last rally. It’s so emotional,” said Ogier.

    Ingrassia said: “We had a beautiful journey with M-Sport over these two years, and everything we achieved we achieved together. We wanted to end our time with Malcolm and the team in a special way, and that is what we did. There have been a lot of ups and downs during the season and the rally, and we gave it everything to achieve this amazing result. Hopefully I have a little energy left to celebrate with the team tonight!”

    Tänak’s first trip into the trees handed the lead to team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala and the Estonian’s early exit confirmed a first victory since February 2017 for the Finn. It also preserved his record of winning a WRC round in every season since 2008. His win also secured the manufacturers’ title for Toyota Gazoo Racing in its second season back in the WRC after a 17-year absence.

    Latvala. Photo: Alan MacDonald

    “It has been too long, almost two very long years. I was losing hope that I would win a rally but these tricky conditions went my way,” said Latvala, who triumphed by 32.5sec.

    Hayden Paddon survived Sunday’s carnage to claim second in an i20, with first leg leader Mads Østberg filling the podium in a Citroën C3, despite hitting a tree and peeling the rear right door panel off his car. The Norwegian was a further 19.7sec back. Esapekka Lappi finished fourth in another Yaris with Elfyn Evans filling the top six behind team-mate Ogier.

    Craig Breen visited the scenery a remarkable five times in six stages but survived to finish seventh after Teemu Suninen retired his Fiesta before the final test following an impact in the previous stage. WRC 2 winner Alberto Heller, Australian champion Steve Glenney and Jourdan Serderidis completed the leaderboard.

    Ogier (left) and Wilson. Photo – M-Sport

    M-Sport Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said: “It’s been an emotional day and I can tell you that this championship really does mean a lot. Two months ago it wasn’t looking good, but when you have Sébastien and Julien in your team you know that anything is possible. The way they fought back over the last three events was incredible and I am so proud of all we have achieved together. We will certainly miss them next year, but this was a proper team effort and I have to say that every single member of the team played their part in the result. I would also like to congratulate Ott and Thierry on such a fantastic championship battle over the course of the season. We know first-hand how competitive they are and it really was a pleasure to watch the world’s three best drivers do battle right down to the wire. The sport is in fantastic shape at the moment, and I think everyone involved should be proud.”

    Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsport, Mark Rushbrook, said: “Huge congratulations to Sébastien and Julien on winning a remarkable sixth FIA World Rally Championship title – they’re second in the fantastic Ford Fiesta WRC. This achievement was the result of a great team effort throughout the whole season and everyone at both M-Sport and Ford should be immensely proud.”

    EVANS AND BARRITT FINISH SIXTH

    Eli Evans. Photo: M-Sport

    Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt have been rightly heralded ‘team mates of the year’ – playing a significant role as Ogier and Ingrassia defended their FIA World Rally Championships today. The Brits played their part selflessly this weekend – handed the Frenchmen a more advantageous road position at detriment to themselves, and showing good speed despite the looser conditions they had to contend with as a result. When road cleaning wasn’t a contributing factor, Evans showed his pace and set a string of top times through the super special stages. It’s not been the season the Welshman had hoped for, but he has shown his speed and played his role admirably – helping the team defend two of their FIA World Rally Championships.

    Elfyn Evans said: “Congratulations to Seb, Julien and the whole team. I’m glad they were able to secure this one and – even though it wasn’t always easy – I’m glad we were able to help them where we could. Obviously for various reasons our season didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but the speed was there and hopefully we’ll have a chance to prove that again next year.”

    OVERALL CLASSIFICATION

    1. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) 2:59:52.0
    2. Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +32.5
    3. Mads Østberg / Torstein Eriksen (Citroen C3 WRC) +52.2
    4. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) +1:02.3
    5. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +2:30.8
    6. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +3:05.1
    7. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +8:59.0

    DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

    1. Sébastien Ogier – 219
    2. Thierry Neuville – 201
    3. Ott Tänak – 181
    4. Jari-Matti Latvala – 128
    5. Esapekka Lappi – 126
    6. Andreas Mikkelsen – 84
    7. Elfyn Evans – 80
    8. Hayden Paddon – 73
    9. Dani Sordo – 71
    10. Mads Østberg – 70

    MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

    1. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC – 368
    2. Hyundai Motorsport – 341
    3. M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – 324
    4. Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team – 237
    Gaurav Gill very much on pace in RC2. Photo: Alan MacDonald

    GAURAV GILL QUICKEST ON FINAL DAY, BUT FINISHES 5TH IN RC2

    India’s Gaurav Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall, Australia) of Team MRF Tyres and piloting the M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta R5, though finishing 5th in the RC2 class, showed that he had the pace to be among the best.

    Gill led the field on Friday and early on Saturday before going off the road in SS-11 when enjoying a lead of 38.9 seconds over eventual winner Alberto Heller. The mishap ended Gill’s campaign, but he continued under Super Rally Format to finish fifth, having won 11 of the 24 Special Stages. Being a non-priority entry, Gill was not eligible for any points or official classification in WRC2 category.

  • Splendid double for Max Defourny; Andreas Estner, Patrick Pasma win a race each; MRF Challenge

    Splendid double for Max Defourny; Andreas Estner, Patrick Pasma win a race each; MRF Challenge

    Andreas Estner (No.11) edging past Jamie Chadwick (55) on way to winning Race-3. Photo: Aditya Bedre

    Dubai, 17 Nov 2018: Five races and four winners accurately reflected the highly competitive grid of MRF Challenge as Belgium’s 20-year old Max Defourny achieved a splendid double while Andreas Estner (Germany) and Patrick Pasma (Finland) won the previous two races of the day at the Dubai Autodrome here on Saturday.

    For Defourny, the Round-1 of the MRF Challenge proved memorable as he won Race 1 and 5 apart from podium positions in the other three races. Defourny finished the Round 1 with 106 points, ahead of Great Britain’s Jamie Chadwick (78) and Singapore’s Danial Frost (70), winner of Race 2 yesterday. The MRF Challenge heads to Bahrain (Dec 6-8) for the next round before moving to Chennai (Feb 8-10) for the championship finale.

    Max Defourny. Photo: Aditya Bedre

    Defourny could have done even better, but he messed up his pole-position start in Race-3 where he lost track position by Turn-1 itself in the very first lap, but recovered to finish third. “I think, I could have done better and won a couple of more races. I made a few mistakes, but more important was that I picked up points at the start of the championship. My win in Race 5 was far more satisfying than that in Race 1. I won more comfortably and on tyres that I had used in the previous four races,” said Defourny.

    In the day’s first race, Andreas Estner, was off to a great start, moving from fourth to first as the pack dived into Turn-1, and, thereafter, literally won as he pleased as he left rest of the field, including pole-sitter Max Defourny, scrabbling for positions. While Estner disappeared into the distance, Britisher Jamie Chadwick slotted herself into P2 which she defended gamely against close attention from Defourny with the Belgian first dropping to fourth before tucking himself behind the British girl for the rest of the race.

    Race-4 was all about Pasma who made capital of his reverse grid pole-position start to open up a sizeable lead. Behind him, Defourny set a scorching pace to move from fourth to second and bore down on Pasma. In a tense battle, the Finn defended well to win while Defourny picked up his fourth podium with a second-paced finish ahead of fellow-Belgian Michelangelo Amendola.

    “The pole position gave me a lot of confidence and I managed to open up a good lead. In the last couple of laps, Max (Defourny) was close behind me, but I managed to survive,” said Pasma.

    In the fifth and final race of Round 1, it was Defourny all the way after starting from pole position and with each of the 10 laps, he increased the lead for his second win of the week by nearly 10 seconds. Meanwhile, Chadwick, the only female competitor on the grid, came through a tough midfield battle to finish a deserving second ahead of Singapore’s Danial Frost, winner of Race 1 yesterday.

    India’s Chetan Korada, though finishing way down the grid in all the five races, took some positives from the first round. “I am gradually getting used to the car and this is reflected in my ever-improving timings. I hope to have a better outing in Bahrain next month and hopefully, by the time we get to Chennai in February, I should be more competitive and fighting for mid-grid positions,” said the 32-year old Chennai-based driver competing with a prosthesis leg.

    The results (all 10 laps):

    Race-3: 1. Andreas Estner (Germany); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Defourny (01:57.038). Race-4: 1. Patrick Pasma (Finland); 2. Defourny; 3. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Max Defourny (01:58.729). Race-5: 1. Defourny; 2. Chadwick; 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Fastest Lap: Jamie Chadwick (01:59.402).

     

  • Six factories in three tenths and Viñales on pole: the scene is set in Valencia: MotoGP

    Six factories in three tenths and Viñales on pole: the scene is set in Valencia: MotoGP

    Maverick Vinales takes pole in Valencia on Saturday. Photo: MotoGP

    Valencia, 17 Nov 2018: After a sensational final battle for pole in 2018, Q1 graduate Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was the man to take P1 in Q2 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana after setting a 1:31.312. This was enough to edge out second place Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) by 0.068 and third place Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) by 0.080 in a close top three, with the scene set for an awesome final fight of the year in the MotoGP World Championship. Reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), meanwhile, crashed, dislocated his shoulder, then headed back out to claim a miraculous P5  and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) starts way down in P16.A piece of history was also made in Valencia GP Q2 as all six current manufacturers finished inside the top eight in qualifying – the first time it’s ever happened.

    It was seven-time Champion Marquez who led the field onto the first flying lap but then at Turn 4, the 2018 Champion suddenly lost the front and went down – seemingly dislocating his left shoulder in the process. Marquez headed straight back to the Repsol Honda motorhome, but soon after he headed back out…

    The three fastest men in qualifying L-R: Rins, Viñales and Dovizioso

    Back on track it was Dovizioso who was setting the pace, but then Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) got the better of his compatriot to set the first 1:31 of the session before blitzing the field again on his next lap – a 1:31.531 becoming the time to beat. Then with six minutes to go, a warrior emerged in the form of Marquez as he left pitlane and all eyes were on the seven-time Champion. Before the 93 crossed the line though, Viñales shot to the top to take provisional pole…

    Red sectors were lighting up the screens in the final minutes of the session though and it was Viñales who went quicker again to make 0.068 his margin at the top, with the miraculous Marquez climbing back up to P3. The World Champion then had a moment at Turn 1 to end his session, but there was still time for change elsewhere as Rins was then threatening to take pole on his final lap. In the end, however, a breathless qualifying ended with Viñales spearheading the grid after his first pole on a Saturday since Aragon last year, with his Americas GP pole this season resulting from a Marquez penalty. Rins and ‘DesmoDovi’ complete the front row, and Petrucci is top Independent Team rider in fourth, gunning for that title on Sunday too. Marquez’ miracle top-five performance sees him remain well in the mix, too.

    Just behind the reigning Champion, sixth made it a great day for Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) with the Spaniard just 0.265 from pole in KTM’s equal best qualifying performance. He was just ahead of Q1 graduate Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in P7, with Aleix Espargaro’s (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) P8 the final piece in the puzzle that saw all six manufacturers inside the top eight, split by just 0.318.

    In his final ever qualifying, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) claimed P9 to start from the outside of the third row after some difficulties in FP4 that affected his QP, with Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) suffering his fourth crash of the weekend to start P10 but automatically through to Q2 once again. While on a lap that was 0.3 under, Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) also crashed at Turn 10 to start P11 – rider ok, with Michele Pirro (Ducati Team) settling for P12 after making it straight into Q2 from Free Practice.

    After failing to make it through Q1, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) starts P16  after a tough day at the office. What can ‘The Doctor’ do from there in the final race of the season? If the race is anything like qualifying was, then we’re in for an absolute treat. Tune in for the season finale at 14:00 local time (GMT +1)!

    MotoGP™ Qualifying Results
    1 – Maverick Viñales (SPA) YAMAHA 2’31.312
    2 – Alex Rins (SPA) SUZUKI +0.068
    3 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI +0.080
    First Independent Team Rider:
    4 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA) DUCATI +0.102
  • Mad Croc’s Mihaldinecz wins Race 1 in F4-S: Powerboat Racing World Championship

    Mad Croc’s Mihaldinecz wins Race 1 in F4-S: Powerboat Racing World Championship

    F4 S winner on Saturday. A F1H2O image

    Amaravati (AP, India) 17 Nov 2018: Veteran driver Rudi Mihaldinecz used all his experience to take victory in the first of this weekend’s two races in the F4-S Championship in Amaravati, the support race for the UIM F1H2O powerboat racing World Championship at Vijayawada on Saturday.

    In a highly entertaining race Mad Croc BABA Racing’s Hungarian driver led the race from pole position, but a mistake on lap 4 allowed series debutant Jeff Jelf to take the lead for Team Amaravati which he held onto until lap 12 when yellow flag was raised to allow race marshals to remove the stationary Blaze Performance driver Max Stilz.

    At the restart on lap 16 Mihaldinecz immediately jumped Jelf to retake the lead, going on to win the 20-lap race by 5.22s with Jelf in pursuit but coming up short.

    The middle order produced a great scrap before and after the yellow, Stilz running in third from F1 Atlantic’s Sam Whittle until both were passed on lap 9 by Victory’s Ahmed Al Fahim.

    The yellow flag bunched up the pack with Whittle making up a place after Al Fahim hooked and dropped to sixth, with Emirates Racing’s Tom Chaippe also taking advantage as well as getting the better of Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed Al Mehairbi to move up and take fourth.

    For full classifications:

    https://www.f1h2o.com/results/2018/grand-prix-of-india/f4-s

  • Danial Frost, Max Defourny share honours on Day One in MRF Challenge

    Danial Frost, Max Defourny share honours on Day One in MRF Challenge

    Danial Frost, winner of Race-2 on Friday. Photo: Anand Philar

    Dubai, 16 Nov 2018: Danial Frost from Singapore and Belgian Max Defourny scored a race and a podium apiece to open their accounts in the first round of MRF Challenge at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Friday. Three more races are scheduled for tomorrow.

    Frost, 17, in his second season in the championship, thus notched his maiden win by topping Race-2 after having finished third in Race-1 that Defourny, 20, won from pole position.

    In Race-1, Frost made five places to come in third and in the next outing, climbed from fourth on the reverse grid to win. In contrast, Defourny dominated Race-1 with a lights-to-flag victory and in the next race, sliced his way through from sixth on the reverse grid to finish third behind pole-sitter Czech Republic’s Petr Ptacek who did well to hold off the Belgian over the last couple of laps.

    “I had a good start and made positions in the very first lap before taking the lead. Thereafter, I consolidated my track position and it was quite comfortable in the end,” said Frost.

    Earlier, Defourny put his pole position start to best use in Race-1 and was never seriously challenged even as he nursed his early lead though eschewing risk. Behind him, Jamie Chadwick, 20, who started second, slipped a bit, losing a couple of track positions, but recovered to regain her second spot while Frost drove well to finish third from eighth on the grid.

    India’s Chetan Korada, making his debut in the championship, was placed 10th and 12th in the two races. He started Race-1 from the pitlane following an engine change, but said he was pleased to improve his lap times while getting used to the car.

    After Race-1, Defourny said: “The race wasn’t too bad. Missed the fastest lap as I was trying to be a bit cautious on the tyres because it was the first race of the season. Was saving my tyres in the beginning and was expecting more track improvement as the race progressed. I opened a comfortable gap and did not want to make any mistakes, though I missed the fastest lap in the last two laps, wanting to save the tyres.”

    Earlier, the qualifying session in the morning gradually developed into a two-way battle between Defourny and Chadwick who was provisionally on pole with just a few minutes left on the clock with a 01:57.177. The 20-year old Belgian’s response was a 01:56.819 which eventually ensured him the pole position. Chadwick, also 20, then replied with her best lap of the session, 01:56.937, but had to be content with the second spot on the grid.

    “It was my first time out here and it was ok. We managed to get pole for Race 1 and Race 3. So we are positive. We had some issues with the gearbox leading to loss of speed, but we managed to sort it out. I already have two points for pole position and we hope to take as many points as possible from this round,” said Defourny.

    The results:

    Race-1 (10 laps): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Frost; 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic); 3. Defourny.

    Qualifying (30 minutes): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:56.819); 2. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:56.937); 3. Andreas Estner (Germany) (01:57.502); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:57.730).

  • Ogier, Ingrassia manage to stay ahead in the battle for WRC crown: Kennards Hire Rally Australia

    Ogier, Ingrassia manage to stay ahead in the battle for WRC crown: Kennards Hire Rally Australia

    Sebastien Ogier in action in Kennards Rally Australia. Photo: M-Sport

    Coffs Harbour, 16 November 2018: Fighting to defend their FIA World Rally Championships, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have taken the advantage through a thrilling opening day of competition at Kennards Hire Rally Australia. Going into the final round just three points ahead of Thierry Neuville, Ogier had to keep his rival in sight and was doing just that when Neuville dropped 40 seconds through the second pass of Sherwood (SS6) – giving the M-Sport man the upper hand.

    Aided by his two team-mates, Ogier gained a further two places when Elfyn Evans and Teemu Suninen strategically dropped behind their comrade, and goes into the second day of competition three places and 33.7 seconds ahead of rival Neuville.

    The championship pendulum may be swinging in Ogier’s favour at the moment, but the team knows that this fight is far from over and will continue to push hard through the weekend.

    Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said: “It feels strange to say that it’s been a good day when we’re sitting in seventh, eighth and ninth, but we’re in a good position when it comes to the driver and co-driver championships which are our main objectives this weekend. Sébastien and Julien had a tough day opening the road, but they didn’t let the frustration distract them from the main objective. They pushed hard, didn’t put a foot wrong, and when Thierry [Neuville] lost time they were able to take the advantage.

    “We were then able to strengthen that advantage by strategically moving Elfyn and Teemu behind – which shows just how much of a team sport this can be come the end of the season. Both our young drivers have driven well today, and it was great to see their support. We’re all competitors and it’s never easy to concede a position, but everyone has worked together to give Sébastien and Julien the best possible chance going into the weekend. A second drivers’ title is the goal, but this fight is far from over and a lot can still happen over the next two days!”

    Ogier and Ingrassia had their work cut out through the opening day of competition at Rally Australia – leading the championship and therefore tasked with the arduous job of sweeping a clean line through some of the loosest gravel of the year.

    But the defending World Champions have been here before and overcame the frustration with a note-perfect performance. Pushing hard, the French pairing gave it everything and didn’t put a foot wrong – crucially ending the day ahead of their main championship rival.

    “Every stage has been like a Power Stage for us today. Opening the road is really tough here and we had to push really hard through every stage. It’s always a little frustrating when you’re not in a position to fight for the top results, but that’s the way it is.

    “Unlike our rivals, we didn’t make any mistakes and we’re in a good position for the championship which is the main objective this weekend. A big thanks to my team mates also for their help this afternoon which should make our road position better for tomorrow.”

    Ely Evans. Photo: M-Sport

    Evans and Barritt delivered a solid drive through the first day of competition at Rally Australia. In a tight fight for the top positions, the Brits were rarely more than a handful of seconds adrift of the fastest stage times, and ended the penultimate gravel stage less than 20 seconds adrift of the lead.

    Heading into the final loose-surface test of the day, Evans and Barritt proved once again why they should be dubbed team-mates of the year – dropping behind Ogier and Ingrassia to give the Frenchmen the best possible road position as the title fight continues into the weekend.

    “We focused on delivering a clean and tidy drive through today’s stages. The competition was really close and I think we did a pretty good job – not far from the lead before the last gravel stage of the day. But this is a team sport as well as an individual one and we had to play our part to give Seb the best possible position going into the weekend. We’re all competitors and we all want to compete, but we’re also here to do a job for the team and we have to respect that.”

    Teemu Sunninen. Photo: M-Sport

    Suninen and Markkula have quickly got to grips with Rally Australia. Contesting the event for the first time this weekend, the pairing are under strict instruction to learn the stages and gain as much experience as possible, but that didn’t stop them showcasing their speed.

    Building his knowledge and confidence with every kilometre, Suninen continues to prove his potential and set the second fastest time through the second pass of Coldwater (SS5) – just 0.1 seconds adrift of the stage win. The young Finn was also the second fastest man through the following speed test (SS6) – continuing to demonstrate his speed before playing the team game and slowing to fall behind Ogier in the overall standings.

    “I think we’ve had a good day. The pace has been good and we were able to improve a lot over the second pass – just 0.1 seconds away from a stage win on the middle one this afternoon [SS5]. On the next stage we had to give the position to Seb, but that’s part of the game – he’s fighting for the championship and we need to play our part to help him.”

    Overall classification (WRC):

    1. Mads Østberg / Torstein Eriksen (Citroen C3 WRC) 53:37.4
    2. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +6.8
    3. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +8.7
    4. Hayden Paddon / Sebastian Marshall (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +12.5
    5. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC) +16.9
    6. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm (Toyota Yaris WRC) +28.3
    7. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) +38.2
    8. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +45.2
    9. Teemu Suninen / Mikko Markkula (Ford Fiesta WRC) +47.2
    10. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) +1:11.9
  • Gaurav Gill sets the pace to take lead in RC2 class: Kennards Hire Rally Australia

    Gaurav Gill sets the pace to take lead in RC2 class: Kennards Hire Rally Australia

    Gaurav Gill in action on Friday in Kennards Rally Australia. Photo: MRF Racing

    Coffs Harbour, 16 November 2018: Winning six of the day’s eight Special Stages, India’s Gaurav Gill and his Australia co-driver Glenn Macneall of MRF Tyres took a healthy lead of 33.6 seconds to top the RC2 (WRC2) class in the Kennards Hire Rally Australia, the concluding round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, here on Friday.

    Building on the hot pace he had shown in Thursday’s shakedown which he topped in the RC2 class, Gill enjoyed a fruitful outing today as he gradually shifted gears to end the day on a high to be placed 11th Overall, just behind the WRC cars!

    Gill, driving the M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta R5, finished the day with a combined time of 58mins, 32.7secs, while Alberto Heller from Chile and his Argentine co-driver Jose Dias, also in a Ford Fiesta R5, were second with 59:06.3 as the cars headed into the final service of the day.

    The Rally continues on Saturday, the longest day of the three-day event, when 10 more Special Stages over 133 Kms will be run.

    Gill during Shakedown. Photo: MRF Racing

    During Thursday’s Shakedown, Gill was the fastest in 03:08.0 which he clocked on his third attempt, improving five seconds overall during the session. “We had a couple of good runs in the car and the MRF Tyres worked well on this short stage.” Gill said. “Tomorrow looks like it will be dry so the work here today will be very important. The stages tomorrow will be tough and this is my first visit to the Coffs Harbour stages.”

    Following the morning’s shakedown, thousands of people packed into the  centre of Coffs Harbour for the ceremonial start and autograph sessions.

    While Gill has never rallied in the Coffs Harbour region before, his  success in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, combined with Macneall  being on home ground meant that the MRF Tyres Ford Fiesta R5 was popular  with the fans.

    “It was great to see so many people out here for the start of Rally Australia,” Gill said. “I have had a lot of success in previous rallies I have done in  Australia and I am looking forward to rallying in front of the  Australian fans again.”

  • Jamie Chadwick sets the pace in MRF Challenge

    Jamie Chadwick sets the pace in MRF Challenge

    Jamie Chadwick, who topped the free practice sessions on Thursday . Photo: Aditya Bedre.

    Dubai, 15 Nov 2018: Jamie Chadwick, the only female driver on the 12-car grid, put the marker down for the first round of the MRF Challenge championship by topping both the Free Practice sessions at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Thursday.

    Chadwick, 20, from Bath, England, came out on top in the two, 30-minute practice sessions, clocking a best of one minute, 59.218 in the first outing and 01:59.774 in the next around the 5.390 Kms circuit as she made her debut in the MRF Challenge on a high. She survived a tough battle with Czech Republic’s 16-year old Petr Ptaceck who was second fastest in both the sessions, clocking 01:59.581 (FP1)and 01:59.918 (FP2).

    Jamie Chadwick. Photo: Aditya Bedre

    Chadwick, who created history in 2015 when she became the first female and youngest winner of the British GT Championship, and Ptacek exchanged fastest laps in the closing minutes of FP-2. However, Chadwick went quicker on last flying lap to top the time charts. Less than a second separated the top eight drivers.

    “I learnt a lot today – new circuit, new car. I am happy with the way we ended up today in these conditions and I look forward to the races,” said Chadwick.

    In the first free practice session this morning, one second covered 10 of the 12 drivers, promising a close contest over the five races scheduled for the first round of the championship.

    Chadwick recorded her fastest lap of the session on her 14th and final lap as did the rest who all went quicker through the 30-minute practice. The top four, Chadwick, Ptacek, Defourny and Young, all posted sub-two-minute laps.

    For the lone Indian entry, Chetan Korada, 32, from Chennai, it was his first run at the Dubai Autodrome and he focused more on learning the tricky track with its blind crests leading into corners.

    Korada, who was 11th on the time sheets in both the sessions clocking his best laps of 02: 03.734 and 02:04.100, said: “It was my first run on this track and so, it was more about learning the circuit. However, with each lap, I managed to cut my timing. Overall, it was a reasonably good outing, all things considered. I hope to improve as we go along over the next couple of days.”

    The results (Free Practice):

    FP-1: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01min, 59.218secs); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.581); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:59.656); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:59.697).

    FP-2: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:59.774); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.918); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore) (02:00.115); 4. Andreas Estner (Germany) (02:00.276).

  • MRF Challenge 2018-19 to be held in Dubai, Bahrain and Chennai

    MRF Challenge 2018-19 to be held in Dubai, Bahrain and Chennai

    MRF Challenge file photo by Anand Philar/MRF

    Dubai, 13 Nov 2018: The MRF Challenge, one of Asia’s premier single-seater championships, and an FIA-approved series, is again set to light up the winter season with a clutch of young, exciting talent from Europe and elsewhere in the fray as the seventh edition commences at the Dubai Autodrome here, on Thursday, November 15.

    The MRF Challenge 2018-19, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club, will comprise three rounds, to be run in Dubai (Nov 15-17), Bahrain (Dec 6-8) and Chennai (Feb 8-10, 2019) with a total of 15 races, and offers cars powered by 2-litre engines producing 230 BHP while almost matching Formula 3 in speed and power

    Mr. Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Tyres, said: “It has been an exciting journey for us as we present the seventh edition of the MRF Challenge which, among other things, offer young drivers a platform to showcase their racing talent. We provide identical cars to all the drivers and so, the key differentiating factor is the driving ability. It has also been our constant endeavour to develop the car which is now among the fastest single-seaters in Asia. The MRF Challenge also offers us rich data that in turn helps us to develop further the MRF Z.L.O. slicks and wet tyres.

    “The positioning of the MRF Challenge in the winter months between November and February also offers an opportunity for drivers across the World to keep themselves race-fit during the off-season. As such, we have had some very exciting talent taking part in the MRF Challenge over the years and it will be no different this time around.”

    Mr. J Anand, Managing Director, JA Motorsports, who built the car in technical collaboration with Dallara, said: “We carried out lot of improvements for last year. From the data we collected, we have only refined the aerodynamics package for this season. Apart from that, the car remains the same as last year.”

    The MRF F2000 car with Dallara chassis, is powered by a 2-Litre Mountune Duratec engine producing 230 BHP with advanced aerodynamics. The car boasts of a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox equipped with Integrated dash and paddle-shift system.

    Europe is expected to have a strong representation as in the previous seasons of MRF Challenge. Several young hopefuls with exposure to junior Formula racing are likely to participate.

    Chennai-based Chetan Korada is the lone Indian in the fray. A regular in the Indian National Championship and one of handful of racers in the World competing with a prosthesis leg, Korada is making his debut in the MRF Challenge. “I have been racing in India for over a decade now and I thought I should step outside to race in higher categories. The MRF Challenge car is far more comfortable in terms of space for leg movement than the F1600 I have been driving in India. My target for MRF Challenge is to be in in front. I am putting in lot of time on the simulator at home, besides daily gym work. So, I feel I am fit and ready for MRF Challenge,” said Korada.

    This year’s MRF Challenge grid will have Australian Dylan Young who has been participating in the championship since its inception. Returning for a second season of MRF Challenge is Singapore’s Danial Nielsen Frost along with Belgian Michelangelo Amendola.

     

  • Hamilton wins as Ocon pulls Verstappen down: Brazilian GP; Mercedes win Constructors’ title

    Hamilton wins as Ocon pulls Verstappen down: Brazilian GP; Mercedes win Constructors’ title

    Hamilton wins on Sunday at Interlagos. An FIA image

    Sao Paulo, 11 Nov 2018: Max Verstappen was denied an almost certain Brazilian Grand Prix victory when he was taken out of the lead in a collision with Racing Point Force India’s Esteban Ocon. The dramatic incident gifted Lewis Hamilton the second career Brazilian Grand Prix victory that helped Mercedes to a fifth consecutive FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ title, with the Abu Dhabi round to spare in the FIA Formula One World Championship.

    Though Verstappen called Esteban Ocon `such an Idiot’ in the post-race press conference, both Ocon and his Racing Point Force India team Principal, Szafnauer, defended their action and said that the Force India was much faster at that time and the rules permitted ` unlapping.

    Esteban: “It’s disappointing not to score when we had a good pace. I had made some good overtakes throughout the race, but it all came to nothing after the contact with Max [Verstappen]. He came out of the pits, I stayed behind him for nearly two laps but I was much faster than him and the team advised me to unlap myself. I went on the outside at turn one – the same move I made on Fernando [Alonso] and on many others before, but Max didn’t give me any space. Once I was beside him I couldn’t just disappear, so we collided. But it was my corner and I had the right to the space. I was saddened by his behaviour after the race: he was very aggressive and the guys from the FIA had to intervene. That’s not the way to handle these things.”

    Otmar Szafnauer, team Principal and CEO said: “Esteban had done a good job making up ground from the back of the grid and would have probably finished in P11 if it hadn’t been for the clash with Verstappen. The rules state that you’re allowed to unlap yourself and Esteban was much faster than Max at that stage. Unfortunately, he wasn’t left any space in the corner and that ruined the race for both.”

    Earlier, Verstappen had stormed through from fifth on the grid to put pressure on polesitter and early race leader Hamilton and the Red Bull driver eventually seized the lead from the recently crowned champion on lap 39.

    On lap 44, however, Verstappen went to lap 14th-placed Ocon, making a move down the inside of the French driver’s car in Turn 1. Ocon took a wide line but appeared to fight to hold his position, and when Verstappen turned in for the second corner the pair collided.

    Hamilton kneels down in gratitude after his race win on Sunday. Mercedes Photo by Steve Etherington,

    Verstappen was pitched into a spin, and as the Dutchman recovered, Hamilton swept past to reclaim the lead. Despite significant floor damage, Verstappen fought back in the closing stages, but he was unable to reel in the Briton and Hamilton took his 10th victory of the season. That, allied to a fifth-place finish for Valtteri Bottas, handed Mercedes an unassailable lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.

    At the race start, Hamilton held his advantage from pole position to take the lead but a poor getaway by fellow front-row starter Vettel allowed Bottas, starting third, to get past the German through the opening two corners.

    Verstappen, starting from fifth, was already beginning to work his way forward. He closed on Kimi Räikkönen and at the start of lap three, he went past the Finn around the outside into Turn 1. Vettel was the Dutchman’s next target and at the start of the next lap he again used DRS to close but this time he opted for a dive down the inside to claim P3.

    Behind him, team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was also gaining places, and after passing Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on lap one he quickly began to pick off the cars ahead, rising to P6 on lap seven, ahead of Sauber’s Charles Leclerc.

    On lap 10 Verstappen made another move, this time choosing the inside of Turn 1 to dive past Bottas and claim second place. Race leader Hamilton was now just 1.7s ahead.

    Bottas was the first of the leaders to pit, the Mercedes man heading in for medium tyres at the end of lap 18. Hamilton then ceded the lead to Verstappen at the end of lap 19, with the Briton also stopping for medium compound rubber. Hamilton emerged in P6 behind Charles Leclerc but by lap 25 he was past the Monegasque and closing on fourth-placed Daniel, who was just under six seconds ahead.

    Vettel then pitted at the end of lap 27 and the German also opted for medium tyres before rejoining in ninth place. Freed from behind the Ferrari, Daniel moved up to third and set the fastest lap of the race to that point, a 1:12.919. And when Räikkönen pitted the Australian was promoted to second place behind his team-mate.

    The Red Bulls began to pull out a lead from those who have already pitted but Verstappen was unable to build a big enough margin before his own stop, and when he rejoined on lap 35 he was in third place, 3.0s behind Hamilton. Verstappen was armed with newer rubber and greater pace than the champion, however, and as the pair arrowed towards the start-finish line to begin lap 39 he eased past Hamilton.

    The Dutchman’s lead wouldn’t last long, however. At the start of lap 44, he went to lap Ocon, making a move down the inside of the Force India. Despite being lapped, Ocon protected his position and tried to deny the pass. Verstappen turned in to take the second corner and the pair collided. Verstappen was sent into a spin and sustained serious floor damage in the incident, while Hamilton was allowed to sweep past into the lead. Ocon was later handed a 10-second stop/go penalty for causing the collision.

    Ricciardo, meanwhile, was having his own close calls, twice banging wheels with Vettel as he tried to get past the Ferrari. At the second attempt the Australian won out and he climbed fifth place behind Bottas.

    Both Red Bulls began to close on the cars ahead, with Verstappen edging to within two seconds of Hamilton and Ricciardo getting inside DRS range of Räikkönen but neither could make a move stick in the closing stages and after 71 laps Hamilton crossed the line to take the second Brazilian Grand Prix win of his career, ahead of Max, with Räikkönen third ahead of Daniel.

    Bottas was left with fifth place ahead of Vettel, while Leclerc finished in a best-of-the-rest seventh place. Grosjean took eighth place for Haas ahead of team-mate Kevin Magnussen and the final point on offer went to Racing Point Force India’s Sergio Pérez.

    2018 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix – Race
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes –
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1.469
    3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 4.764
    4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 5.193
    5 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 22.943
    6 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 26.997
    7 Charles Leclerc Sauber 44.199
    8 Romain Grosjean Haas 51.230
    9 Kevin Magnussen Haas 52.857
    10 Sergio Perez Force India 1 L
    11 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1 L
    12 Carlos Sainz Renault 1 L
    13 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1 L
    14 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1 L
    15 Esteban Ocon Force India 1 L
    16 Sergey Sirotkin Williams 2 L
    17 Fernando Alonso McLaren 2 L
    18 Lance Stroll Williams 2 L
    Nico Hulkenberg Renault
    Marcus Ericsson Sauber.