Tag: FIA Road Safety

  • Rosberg takes pole to flag victory at Baku; Perez gets another podium for Force India

    Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg cruised to a comprehensive Grand Prix of Europe win, finishing more than 16 seconds ahead of second-placed Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, while Sergio Perez recovered from a grid penalty to take a deserved third place.

    With plenty of incidents enlivening the support races at the inaugural race in Baku, similar unpredictability had been expected from the grand prix, but when Rosberg went through the first corner in the lead and quickly built up a solid gap to fellow front-row starter Daniel Ricciardo, the identity of the winner, at least, was never in doubt.

    Racing in clear air, Rosberg set a blistering pace and by the mid point of the race, jst after his one and only stop to shed supersoft tyres in favour of a set of softs, he was more than 18 seconds clear of then second-placed man Kimi Raikkonen.

    From there it was a simply a case of managing his pace, staying clear of the walls and bringing his car home. And after 51 laps, Rosberg did just that, taking his fifth of the season and his first career ‘grand chelem’ for pole position, victory, fastest lap and for leading every lap of the race.

    “It’s been an amazing day really, an amazing weekend,” he said afterwards. It’s been spectacular; great track, really exciting racing. Of course, for me the weekend went perfectly: qualifying, race, everything to plan, so it was really awesome.”

    The potential stumbling block in Rosberg’s path came from a technical glitch that affected both he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The Briton was badly affected by issue, which his race engineer explained was a problem with mode he was in. Rosberg, though, was able to solve the problem.

    “I think I had the same [as Hamilton] but I’m not sure,” Rosberg said. “It was just a matter of getting out of it with the right combination of switches.”

    Hamilton began the race in 10th position after a Q3 race but recovered well to rise to fifth before the technical problems began to affect him. He was unable to close on Perez and Raikkonen ahead and had to settle for salvaging 10 points from a troubled weekend.

    Ahead, Perez had used his Force India’s Mercedes power unit and a one-stop strategy to great effect and in the closing laps he found himself chasing down Raikkonen.

    The Finn has risen as high as second in the race, passing team-mate Vettel with an undercut, but he later ceded the position back to the quicker German and then found himself fending off Perez.

    Raikkonen was also hit with a five-second penalty due to crossing the white line at the pit entry and while Perez was safe in the knowledge that with a 0.5s gap to Raikkonen he would take P3 in the classification, the Mexican was determined to take the position on the track. He managed it on the final lap to score his

    “I knew that the podium was secure but when I saw the opportunity, that it was safe enough to do it and no risk at all, I went for it, because it obviously feel a lot nicer to finish the race P3,” said a delighted Perez who rose from seventh on the grid to take third place, after a gearbox change following an FP3 crash yesterday dropped him from P2 in qualifying.

    With Hamilton fifth, Valtteri Bottas took a lonely sixth for Williams, ahead of the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

    Ricciardo started the race from P2 but while he held the position in the early stages he quickly went backwards following an early stop for soft tyres and then again when he took on medium tyres in a second stop.

    Verstappen was on a similar strategy and while he dropped to as low as P18 after starting in P9, both Red Bull drivers eventually began to climb back through the pack as their more durable tyres gave them an advantage of those on soft tyres at the end of a two-stop race.

    Nico Hulkenberg took ninth place for Force India, while Felipe Massa took a solitary point for Williams with tenth position.

    Rosberg’s victory extends his championship lead over Hamilton to 24 points, while Vettel closes the gap to second place to 21 points. Raikkonen is 15 points further back in fourth.

    2016 Grand Prix of Europe – Race
    1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 51 laps – 1h32m52.366s
    2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +16.696
    3 Sergio Pérez Force India +25.241
    4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari +33.102
    5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +56.335
    6 Valtteri Bottas Williams +60.886
    7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull +69.229
    8 Max Verstappen Red Bull +70.696
    9 Nico Hülkenberg Force India +77.708
    10 Felipe Massa Williams +85.375
    11 Jenson Button McLaren +104.817
    12 Felipe Nasr Sauber +1 lap
    13 Romain Grosjean Haas +1 lap
    14 Kevin Magnussen Renault +1 lap
    15 Jolyon Palmer Renault +1 lap
    16 Esteban Gutierrez Haas +1 lap
    17 Marcus Ericsson Sauber +1 lap
    18 Rio Haryanto Manor +2 laps
    19 Fernando Alonso McLaren DNF
    20 Pascal Wehrlein Manor DNF

    21.  Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso DNF
    22 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso DNF

    eom/FIA press release

  • World Council accepts re-starts after stoppages from 2015: F1 races

    Munich, 26 June 2014: A President praised co-hosts the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund E.V. (DMSB) and the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club E.V. (ADAC) for their support of the week which welcomed representatives from over 109 ASNs to Munich, up from 74 in 2013.

    The following decisions were taken by the WMSC:

    FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

    Changes to the F1 Regulations for 2015 have been agreed by the WMSC.

    The last date at which the sporting and technical regulations can be changed without unanimous agreement has been changed from 30 June to 1 March each year, starting from 2015.FIA logo1

    Changes to 2015 Sporting Regulations

    Power units

    –       The number of engines permitted by each driver in a season will be four. However, if there are more than 20 races in a season, the number will increase to five.

    –       The penalty for a complete change of Power Unit will be starting from the back of the grid, not the pit lane.

    Aerodynamic testing

    –       The number of wind tunnel runs will be reduced from 80 hours per week to 65 hours per week.

    –       Wind-on hours are to be reduced from 30 hours per week to 25 hours.

    –       Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) usage is to be reduced from 30 Teraflops to 25 Teraflops.

    –       Two periods of tunnel occupancy will be allowed in one day (rather than only one).

    –       Teams will only be able to nominate one wind tunnel in one year.

    Testing

    –       There will be three pre-season tests of four days each in Europe in 2015 (currently teams are able to test outside Europe). This will be reduced to two tests of four days in 2016.

    –       There will be two in-season tests of two days each in Europe (instead of the current four). Two of these four days must be reserved for young drivers.

    Car specification at an Event

    The current restrictions to the parc fermé will now apply from the start of P3 instead of the start of qualifying.

    Wheels and tyres

    The ban on tyre blankets will be rescinded for 2015. This will be re-discussed if and when the wheel and tyre diameter increases in the future.

    Personnel Curfew

    The Friday night curfew will be extended from six to seven hours in 2015 and will increase to eight hours in 2016.

     

    Safety Car restarts

    Safety Car restarts will now be a standing start from the grid. Standing starts will not be carried out if the Safety Car is used within two laps of the start (or restart) of a race or if there are less than five laps of the race remaining.

    Changes to 2015 Technical Regulations

    A number of changes have been made, including:

    –     A number of new regulations for the noses to ensure improved safety and to provide more aesthetically pleasing structures.

    –     A number of new regulations concerning skid blocks to ensure that they are made from a lighter material (titanium) and are better contained.

    –     New regulations to ensure that the brake discs rotate at the same speed as the wheels.

    –     A two-stage wheel fastener retaining system is now compulsory.

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

    From January 2015, Priority 1 and 2 drivers will be obliged to do a minimum of three passages through the shakedown stage in order to provide greater media and promotional opportunities. Accordingly, the number of tyres used during shakedown will not form part of the total allocation for the event.

    FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP

    A number of amendments have been made to the sporting regulations (available online).

    The 2014/15 Calendar of the FIA Formula E Championship will be as follows:

    Date Venue Country
    13.09.2014 Beijing CHN
    18.10.2014 Putrajaya MLY
    13.12.2014 Punta del Este URY
    10.01.2015 Buenos Aires ARG
    14.03.2015 Miami USA
    04.04.2015 Long Beach USA
    09.05.2015 Monaco MCO
    30.05.2015 Berlin DEU
    27.06.2015 London GBR

    A tenth race is to be confirmed for 14 February 2015.

    The ten teams entered for the FIA Formula E Championship are as follows:

    – Andretti Autosport Formula E Team

    – Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team

    – China Racing Formula E Team

    – Dragon Racing Formula E Team

    – e.dams Formula E Team

    – Mahindra Racing Formula E Team

    – Super Aguri Formula E Team

    – Trulli Formula E Team

    – Venturi Formula E Team

    – Virgin Racing Formula E Team

    SINGLE-SEATER COMMISSION

    It has been agreed to establish a 2015 FIA Formula 3 Middle East Cup which will take place in January 2015. The first edition will be held in Bahrain. A call of interest for promoters will be launched.

    Changes to the FIA F3 technical regulations have been made to reduce running and development costs. The homologation period of the current chassis has been extended until 31 December 2017.

     

    ENDURANCE COMMISSION

    The 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours will be held on 13-14 June (with a test day on 31 May).

    GT COMMISSION

    As from 2015, a new FIA Drivers Categorisation will replace the current FIA WEC and FIA GT3 lists with the aim of categorising drivers (Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze) in a standardised manner based on three criteria: age, record of achievement and performance.

    HISTORIC MOTOR SPORT COMMISSION

    It was agreed to set the cut-off year for recognition of cars considered as ‘historic’ at 1990, at least for the next 10 years. Furthermore, it has been decided to extend the period of validity for Historic Technical Passports from 5 to 10 years.

    A working group is to be established, chaired by President of the Historic Motor Sport Commission, Paolo Cantarella, to investigate the classification of cars dated 1990 on that are not historic but which no longer satisfy the latest safety criteria.

    OFF-ROAD COMMISSION

    Further to proposals by the new Rallycross Technical Working Group, made up of representatives of the FIA, the promoter and the teams entered in the World Championship, a revised set of Technical Regulations for Rallycross will be in place as of 1 January 2015. This includes the broadening of possible engine options, allowing the use of ‘custom’ engines.

    WOMEN IN MOTOR SPORT COMMISSION

    The FIA, represented by FIA Women in Motorsport Commission President Michèle Mouton, signed the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport on 12 June, underlining the Federation’s commitment to encouraging and supporting the promotion of women in motor sport. The signing took place on the occasion of the 6th International Working Group World Conference on Women and Sport, hosted in Helsinki, Finland.

    FIA EUROPEAN DRAG RACING COMMISSION

    The race scheduled for Sweden on 15 June 2014 is cancelled.

    VOLUNTEERS AND OFFICIALS COMMISSION

    The creation of a new award “Best Team of the Season” was approved. This award aims to reward a group of officials nominated by the ASNs who have achieved excellence in their teamwork. The ASNs will be free to nominate this award to either: all (or a group of) the track or road marshals (or scrutineers, timekeepers, the medical team, etc.) of a given competition; or all the officials of a given competition.

    LAND SPEED RECORDS COMMISSION

    The only confirmed record attempts currently scheduled are at the ACCUS Annual Event at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA, on 11-16 September.

    CIRCUITS COMMISSION

    It was agreed to amend the marshal flag signal rules to reflect current practices and harmonise them with the Code of Driving Conduct. The light blue flag should normally be waved, as an indication to a driver that he is about to be overtaken. It has different meanings during practice and the race.

    During practice: A faster car is close behind you.

    During the race: The flag should normally be shown to a car about to be lapped, if the driver does not seem to be making full use of his rear-view mirrors. When shown, the driver concerned must allow the following car to pass at the earliest opportunity.

    Next WMSC

    The next meeting of the WMSC will be held in Beijing on 11 September 2014.

    eom/FIA release

  • Legends and current stars of motorsports to brainstorm about future

    Munich, 18 June 2014: FIA Sport Conference 2014 takes place in Munich from June 24-26. Hosted by Germany’s Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club eV and the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund at ADAC’s state-of-the-art headquarters

    Racing legends, motor sport industry power brokers, senior team personnel and stars from Formula One, the World Endurance Championship and the exciting new electric Formula E Championship will gather in Munich starting June 24 for FIA Sport Conference 2014, where they’ll take part in a unique series of discussions aimed at plotting the future growth of motor sport.

    The opening day of FIA Sport Conference 2014, which will be officially opened by FIA President Jean Todt, will see a host of internationally famous racing names take to the stage to tackle the topic ‘Growing Motor Sport in a Changing World’.

    Discussing motor sport’s approach to reaching new markets, new fans and how racing can embrace new media in order to reach greater levels of popularity will be racing legend and double F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, current Williams F1 development driver Susie Wolff, Audi Head of Sport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich and former team principal of the Ferrari Formula One team, Stefano Domenicali.

    Also on the panel will be Alejandro Agag, promoter of the FIA’s exciting new electric racing championship, Formula E, World Endurance Championship promoter Gérard Neveu and Anthony Thomson, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing of Formula E partner Qualcomm.

    They’ll be joined by a separate panel of racing stars past and present. Five-time Le Mans winner and current F1 driver steward Emanuele Pirro, female World Endurance Championship racer Keiko Ihara and Formula E competitor Karun Chandhok will all be on hand to offer insights into the development of motor sport from the viewpoint of those at the sharp end of competition.

    The afternoon session for delegates will centre on how motor sport organisers around the world can forge closer, more profitable links to industry. Helping to map the future of profitable partnerships will be an expert panel of industry figures, including Wolfgang Dürheimer, the former VW motor sport boss who has just been appointed Chairman and CEO of both Bentley and Bugatti, and Dr Burkhard Goeschel, former Research and Development chief at BMW and current chairman of the FIA’s Electric Commission.

    Day two of FIA Sport Conference 2014 will feature another key discussion regarding the future of motor sport – how to attract young people into motor sport.

    Motor sport has universal appeal but at a time when young people are presented with a vast range of sporting, entertainment and lifestyle choices across a huge array of media platforms, encouraging youth participation and interest in motor sport is an increasingly tough challenge.

    Helping to point the way to successful engagement with young people will be a panel of top racers and motor sport industry leaders including Alex Trickett, Head of Sport at Twitter UK, Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales at NISMO, the motor sport arm of Nissan, 10-time Formula One Grand Prix winner and President of the FIA’s Single-Seater Commission Gerhard Berger, and Lorenz Beringer, Head of Social Media at footballing giants Bayern Munich FC.

    The session will also see input from a panel of young racers at the forefront of some of the FIA’s biggest championships, including 24-year-old Formula One star Jules Bianchi of the Marussia F1 team, 22-year-old Arden team member Jann Mardenborough, who graduated from gamer to GP3 racer via the Nissan Academy and 22-year-old Stoffel Vandoorne of the ART Grand Prix GP2 team and the McLaren Young Driver Programme.

    Embracing the world of social media, the FIA’s followers on Twitter will also be asked to submit their questions on the topic of youth engagement, the best of which will be put to the panel of experts and drivers.

    Day two will also see delegates take part in a series of fascinating workshops. With each workshop moderated by industry experts, these intensive learning experiences will give representatives of national motor sports organisations from around the world a unique insight into successful methods of developing motor sport in their regions.

    Each discussion session will be hosted and moderated by a team of expert presenters, including respected BBC Radio 5 Live Formula One commentator and Financial Times F1 correspondent James Allen, Sky Germany F1 presenter Sandra Baumgartner and FIA Safety Car driver Bernd Maylander.

    With the final day reserved for analysis of the lessons learned across the week, FIA Sport Conference 2014 presents a unique opportunity for motor sports clubs from around the world to explore the pressing issues facing motor racing in the coming years, with first-hand input from those at the cutting edge of sport development.

    FIA Sport Conference 2014 takes place in Munich from June 24-26. Hosted by Germany’s Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club eV and the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund at ADAC’s state-of-the-art headquarters, the conference will be partnered by FIA MotorEx 2014, where more than 25 of the motor sport industry’s leading players will gather to exhibit their products and network with motor sports organisers.

    eom/FIA Press Release

  • Michael Schumacher OUT OF COMA; `Shifted to a Swiss rehab hospital’ in Lausanne

    Reports said that seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Shcumacher of Germany is out of come. Schumy suffered a head injury late Dec last year and was in coma till now. It was reported a few minutes back that he is out of coma and the manager who revealed the news preferred to maintain the family privacy at this difficult time and not disclose the place where Michael is shifted for rehab.Rumours are rife that he is shifted to a Swiss hospital at Lausanne. It is expected that Schumacher is still not normal and would require to go a long way in rehab to learn to talk, walk and be able to recognise like a normal people.

    All the team at INDIA in F1 website wishes him speedy recovery and our prayers are with the family and we would respect their privacy.

     

     

  • Marquez’s record seventh win brings in Honda’s 100th win from 2002

    Catalunya, 15 June 2014: Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has continued his perfect season with his seventh consecutive win, marking Honda’s 100th victory since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP era, and has become just the second rider after Valentino Rossi to win seven successive MotoGP races since the category was introduced at the start of 2002. Teammate Dani Pedrosa battled to the end with Marc, but lost out after a last lap attempt and finished in third.

    It was an incredible race which started at a very high tempo in front of 92,845 spectators. Dani and Marc, first and third on the grid respectively, fell to third and fourth on the first lap before Marc passed Dani into third on lap two, setting a new record race lap of 1’42.182 (beating Dani’s time of 1’42.358 from 2008). Valentino took the lead from Jorge Lorenzo on lap four and on lap six Marc and Jorge had a nice battle passing each other a few times, before Marc made it stick. Coming into turn one on lap seven Dani passed Jorge for third place and began to chase down his teammate Marc and on lap nine the two Repsol Honda riders passed each other twice, but Marc was able to hold onto second place.

    Marc caught up with race leader Valentino and ran wide attempting a pass, briefly dropping down to third but the regaining second place immediately. Five laps later, on lap nineteen, Marc passed Valentino but saw a yellow flag, so he wanted to give back the position immediately. Dani also passed but realised something was strange so he followed Marc’s actions and conceded the position back, he kept close to the two riders battling and on lap twenty two he passed Valentino and chased down Marc.

    On the final lap, both Repsol Honda riders displayed a masterpiece of riding as they passed each other four times before Dani made a small mistake and slightly touched Marc. He was forced to sit the bike up and ran slightly wide, allowing Valentino to pass him and claim second place as Marc won the race setting a new fastest race time with 42’56.914.

    With his victory here in Catalunya, Marc has also become the youngest ever rider (21 years and 118 days) to win seven successive races in the premier class, taking the record from Valentino Rossi (23 years and 155 days) also riding a Honda. This victory marks the first time two brothers have won on the same day in the World Championship after Alex Marquez rode his Honda to victory in the Moto3 race earlier this morning.

    Marc continues to extend his lead in the Rider’s Championship with 175 points with Dani in third on 112. Honda lead the Constructor’s Championship by 48 points, with a total of 175, and the Repsol Honda Team lead the Team’s Championship by 92 points, on 287 points. The next race will take place in Assen on the 28th June.

    Marquez: “I am delighted with this win because this is a track which I have always found difficult. You could see how tough it is for me this weekend: I missed out on pole for the first time this season and had my first crash of the year. The race was very hard with a battle against Dani, Jorge and Valentino. I think that the last few corners were especially spectacular, with the moves by Valentino and Dani. I am very happy about taking another 25 points and also to win on the same day as my brother at home in front of all our fans! It’s something very special”

    Pedrosa: “It was a very good, hard-fought race because we had four riders up at the front for most of the race. There was a lot of overtaking and it was very intense, because we were going so fast. Overall I am very satisfied, even though the end result was not the best; we fought hard and I felt much better physically. I’ll take the positives from this race: I got my wish of being up at the front, both in practice and on the early laps of the race, and I ended the race fighting with Marc for the victory!”

    eom

    Marc Marquez wins 7th race to bring up the 100th win for Repsol Honda in MotoGP on Sunday. A Repsol Honda team image
    Marc Marquez wins 7th race to bring up the 100th win for Repsol Honda in MotoGP on Sunday. A Repsol Honda team image
  • Chikmagalur to kickstart TSD Rally Nationals; Chidu-Sujith on hat-trick

    Chikmagalur, 6 June 2014: There is little doubt that TSD rallying is gaining popularity among the motorsport-loving public. It’s fun, safe due to the low speed and does not need a lot of time and investment as in stage rallying.

    The first round of the 2014 FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rallying Championship will be held in Chikmagalur on Sunday, June 8, and this event will be followed by eight other rounds across India. After Chikmagalur, the third edition of this National Championship will move to Jaipur (June 28-29), Bengaluru (Aug 16-17), Coimbatore (Sept 6-7), Nashik (Sept 20-21), Baripada (Nov 8-9), Kolkata (Nov 15-16), Ranchi (Nov 29-30) and Chennai (Dec 20-21). This is the first time the Championship is moving to so many venues across the country. The interest generated will surely go a long way in promoting the sport.

    Auto majors Tata, Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki have all confirmed their participation in the 2014 Championship. Competitors and teams registered for the National Championship need to take part in at least six rounds, with one round in each zonal region mandatory, to quality for honours.

    TSD, or Time-Speed-Distance, Rallying involves no high speeds. In fact, it is more about calculating precise times and average speeds so as to attract the minimum penalty. Penalty is given to competitors who arrive at the finish too early or late from a given time of arrival. The team that attracts the minimum penalty wins and that is why reaching the finish line at the specified time is key.

    The two main categories are Pro Expert and Pro Stock. The Expert class allows the use of unlimited gadgets, while only the stock Odometer and any calculating device are permitted in the Stock class. An exclusive ladies category has been introduced this year. Titles will be given to the best driver, navigator and team in the Expert, Stock and overall classification, and to the driver and navigator in the exclusive ladies Stock category.

    Bangaloreans Chidananda Murthy and navigator BS Sujith Kumar have won the Pro Stock category title for the last two years for Team Tata Motors. They will be defending their crown this year and a win will be a record of sorts.

    Amol Satoskar (Goa) and Nirav Mehta (Kolkata) will be the second pair for Team Tata Motors. They have won the Raid-de-Himalaya, Desert Storm with different partners and are no strangers to rallying. Team Tata Motors is proud to announce the return of an all-women’s team for the INTSDRC. Vaneeta Kang (Chandigarh) and Nidhi Mittal (Mumbai) have taken part in innumerable cross country rallies and hope to win this time.

    Mahindra’s KP Karthick Maruthi and S Sankar Anand are the defending champions in the Overall and Expert categories, while 2012 Pro Expert champions Satish Gopalkrishnan and Savera D’Souza will turn out for Team Maruti Suzuki.

    Needless to say, one of the objectives of the INTSDRC is to promote safe driving. All participating automobiles in the Championship will carry the FIA Road Safety logo sticker as part of the FMSCI’s campaign to create awareness among youth involved in motorsports on the importance of road safety.

    Kicking off the FIA Road Safety programme, FMSCI president J Prithiviraj recently said 

    File photo of the TSD Nationals 2012. Photo courtesy JK Tyre
    File photo of the TSD Nationals 2012. Photo courtesy JK Tyre

    : “More people die in road crashes in India than anywhere else in the world every year. We need to work towards improving road safety awareness in the country. The FMSCI’s Mobility Commission is working on a project that we hope will help in the cause.”

    FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rally Championship calendar: Chikmagalur (June 7-8), Jaipur (June 28-29), Bengaluru (Aug 16-17), Coimbatore (Sept 6-7), Nashik (Sept 20-21), Baripada (Nov 8-9), Kolkata (Nov 15-16), Ranchi (Nov 29-30) and Chennai (Dec 20-21).

    ends/Press Release from Vivek Phadnis

  • Rallyists must take part in at least 6 of the 9 events: TSD Nationals Baripada in Orissa, new venue

    Chennai, 4 June 2014: “In a significant step that underlines the growing popularity of the FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rally Championship, the third edition of the competition has gained pan-India presence with the number of rounds almost doubled from the previous year, and at least one round would be held in each of the four zonal regions,” said Sanjay Rajan, Press Officer, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI).

    The calendar kicks off at Chikmagalur this weekend.

    The Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) rallying is enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people as speed is not the main criteria, and the rallies are usually staged on regular city roads as well as smooth dirt roads on the outskirts of cities and participation open in stock automobiles.

    This is because the objective of TSD rallying is to maintain precise times and precise average speeds on various segments of a predefined route, the focus being on navigation. It connects with the grassroots level of the sport, is very popular, and is seen as the first step for rally enthusiasts.

    After being predominantly south India-based last year, the 2014 season of nine rounds will have three rounds in the East zone (Baripada, Kolkata and Ranchi), one each in North (Jaipur) and West (Nashik) and four in the south (Chikmagalur, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Chennai).

    Competitors and teams registered for the National championship will have to take part in a minimum six rounds, with one round in each zonal region mandatory, to quality for honours.

    The two main categories are Expert and Stock. The Expert class allows the use of unlimited gadgets, while only stock Odometer and any calculating device are permitted in the Stock class. An exclusive ladies category has been introduced this year.

    Drivers and navigators registered for the National championship aside, each rally independently attracts local entries ranging between 50 and 70 cars. The numbers are expected to only grow in this edition.

    Titles will be given to the best driver, navigator and team in the Expert, Stock and overall classification, and to the driver and navigator in the exclusive ladies Stock category.

    KP Karthick Maruthi and his navigator S Sankar Anand are the defending champions in the Overall and Expert categories, while Chidananda Murthy and his navigator BS Sujith Kumar will look to make it three-in-a-row in the Stock class.

    Team Tata Motors have confirmed their participation in the National championship and will field five cars in the opening round.

    All participating automobiles in the championship will carry the FIA Road Safety logo sticker as part of the FMSCI’s campaign to create awareness among the youth involved in motorsports on the importance of road safety.

    FMSCI President J Prithiviraj, who launched the campaign during the opening round of the JK Tyre Racing Championship in Coimbatore last weekend, said: “More people die in road crashes in India than anywhere else in the world every year. We need to work towards improving road safety awareness in the country. The FMSCI’s Mobility Commission is working on a project that we hope will help in the cause.”

    The FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rally Championship calendar: Chikmagalur (June 7-8), Jaipur (June 28-29), Bengaluru (Aug 16-17), Coimbatore (Sept 6-7), Nashik (Sept 20-21), Baripada (Nov 8-9), Kolkata (Nov 15-16), Ranchi (Nov 29-30) and Chennai (Dec 20-21).

    FMSCI President Mr J Prithiviraj launching the Road Safety Campaign during the JK Tyre Racing Championship in Coimbatore on 1 June 2014. Image courtesy FMSCI.
    FMSCI President Mr J Prithiviraj launching the Road Safety Campaign during the JK Tyre Racing Championship in Coimbatore on 1 June 2014. Image courtesy FMSCI.

    eom/FMSCI press release

  • Contest for children to design Air-powered Electric car in Bangalore

    By our Principal Correspondent

    Bangalore, 27 May 2014: L Green Ventures, an organisation committed to cultivate the habit of science experimentation among children has been conducting Sunday Science Schools at various places. The Sunday Science School is an elaborate hands-on-Science activity for school students that creates a sense of curiosity and promotes inquisitiveness so as to stimulate the children’s scientific creativity.

    As part of Earth Day celebrations, a science contest is being held on June 29 at Vishveswaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore (India) for children in the age groups of 9 to 11 years and 12 to 15 years. To reduce pollution in the environment and place seed in the minds of the children, the students were asked to design the most-efficient `Air powered Electric Car’ with a given common energy source.

    The first 2000 students can take part in the contest on a first-come-first-serve basis.

    “The basic model of the `toy car’ can achieve a speed of 4 km per hour which is our normal walking speed; however, children can also achieve a speed of 15 km per hour car speed if they work on crucial aspects like reducing the weight of the car, reducing friction, aerodynamics of shape, using different fan, different wheels etc. They cannot change the given toy motor (engine of the car!) and the power that can be used (3V!) and that is what makes it challenging,” said Dr Sujatha Virdhe, Director, L Green Ventures.

    Last year L Green Ventures had a contest on “Making Hand-held-Wind-Energy-Generator” and children succeeded in glowing about 100 LEDs using similar a toy motor.

    The contest is sponsosred by Mahindra Reva to encourage the Green Initiative while Karnataka Renewable Energy Department Limited (KREDL) and International Royal Chemical Society would be the co-sponsors of the event.

    For details please visit: http://www.lgreenventures.com

    eom/By Sumitra

     

    A model Air powered Electric car by L Green Ventures for a competition for students. An L Green Ventures image
    A model Air powered Electric car by L Green Ventures for a competition for students. An L Green Ventures image
  • Concorde agreement not in sight; Drivers’ penalty system approved

    London, 28 June 2013: The Goodwood Motor Circuit, part of the 12,000 acre Goodwood Estate, originally opened its gates to the public in September 1948 to host Britain’s first post-war motor race meeting at a permanent venue, said an FIA press release.

    The second World Motor Sport Council meeting of 2013 concluded the inaugural FIA Sport Conference Week, a new event on the Federation’s calendar developed to provide a global platform of networking and business exchange for the motor sport community.

    Jean Todt thanked Lord March and the staff at Goodwood for their hospitality in the magnificent surroundings of the Goodwood Estate, which provided an excellent venue for the first Sport Conference Week. With Delegates from more than 70 countries in attendance, the event was universally hailed by the motor sport community as a huge success.

    The following decisions were taken by the World Motor Sport Council:

    FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

    The FIA President and the Commercial Rights Holder advised that negotiations regarding the Concorde Agreement were close to conclusion with the intention the contract between the FIA and FOM will be signed in the near future.

    The following summarises the changes made to the 2014 Sporting Regulations:

    Further to a request from Mercedes, it will be permitted to supply engines to a maximum of four Formula One teams in 2014.

    A penalty point system for drivers will be introduced. If a driver accumulates more than 12 points he will be banned from the next race. Points will stay on the driver’s licence for 12 months. The amount of points a driver may be given for infringements will vary from one to three depending upon the severity of the offence.

    The procedure for a driver to be given the chance to give back any advantage he may have gained by leaving the track has been adopted.

    A significant reduction in the amount of wind tunnel testing and CFD work has been imposed to help reduce costs and potentially allow two teams to share one wind tunnel.

    Four two-day track tests will be allowed in season in place of the current eight one-day promotional days and the three-day young driver test. These will take place at tracks in Europe on the Tuesday and Wednesday after a race in order to ensure minimal additional resources are necessary.

    Track testing will now also be permitted in January 2014 in order to allow earlier testing of the new power units.

    For safety reasons all team personnel working on a car in a race pit stop will be required to wear head protection.

    Each driver will be provided with one extra set of tyres for use only during the first 30 minutes of the first practice session on Friday, to encourage teams to take to the track at that time without having to worry about using valuable tyre wear.

    A number of new regulations have been confirmed to govern the new, far more complex power units. It is agreed that only five power units may be used by each driver for the whole season. Any use of an additional complete power unit will result in that driver having to start the race from the pit lane. Any changes of individual elements above the permitted five, such as turbocharger, MGU or Energy Store, will result in a 10 grid place penalty.

    No manufacturer will be allowed to homologate more than one power unit during the homologation period from 2014-2020. Changes to the homologated unit will continue to be permitted for installation, reliability or cost saving reasons.

    Drivers must now use a gearbox for six consecutive events, an increase from the current five.

    No car may use more than 100kg of fuel for the race, from the time the lights go out at the start of the race to the chequered flag. This will be monitored by the use of an FIA approved fuel flow meter.

    The pit lane speed limit, which is currently set at 60km/h for the free practice sessions and 100km/h for the qualifying practice and race (60km/h for the whole event in Melbourne, Monaco and Singapore), has been amended so it is set at 80km/h for the whole event (except the three races mentioned which would stay at 60km/h for the whole event). This is for safety reasons, as most accidents happen during the race when the speed limit is higher; drivers also have very little chance to practice stopping from 100km/h until the race.

    The following summarises the changes made to the 2014 Technical Regulations:

    Measures have been put in place to ensure that the cars do not incorporate a step in the chassis behind the nose. These changes will also ensure that a genuine low nose, introduced for safety reasons, is always used.

    The minimum weight limit has been raised by 5kg, as the power unit is now likely to weigh more than originally expected. The weight distribution has also been changed accordingly.

    Electronic control of the rear brake circuit is permitted in order to ensure consistent braking whilst energy is being recovered.

    In order to ensure that side impact structures are more useful in an oblique impact and more consistent, they will become standard items made to a strictly laid out manufacturing process and fitted to the cars identically. The impact tests currently carried out will be replaced by static load push-off tests and squeeze tests. This will also help reduce costs as no team will need to develop their own structures.

    In order to ensure that the cockpit rims either side of the driver’s head are stronger, the amount of deflection during the static load tests has been reduced from 20mm to 5mm.

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP AND RALLYING

    With immediate effect and for budget reasons, WRC Team and WRC 2 entrants are not obliged to use the latest ‘joker’ parts when competing in WRC events.

    In order to promote the entry of R-GT cars in FIA rallies, with immediate effect tuners will be permitted to develop cars, in accordance with the criteria defining eligible cars. The FIA will issue a technical passport, allowing the car to be eligible for events accepting R-GT cars.

    With effect from 1 January 2014:

    As a general rule, organisers of WRC events must ensure a minimum of 25% competitive special stage distance in relation to the overall distance of the event.

    Manufacturer and WRC Team cars from the same entrant will be permitted to enter Flexi-Service at the same time, having their service times counted independently.

    In order to give more flexibility, WRC Teams will no longer be obliged to nominate a tyre manufacturer for the season.

    In order to extend the life of World Rally Cars, manufacturers will be permitted to re-homologate 2011, 2012 and 2013 cars without any modification, except one single chassis and engine joker for 2014. In order to facilitate the replacement of S2000 Rally cars with Group R5, S2000 regulations will not be continued after 2013 and will be replaced by new R5 homologation regulations. Existing S2000 homologations will be frozen and may no longer receive an extension for the rest of their homologation period, except for one single engine and chassis joker.

    The minimum weight of R5 cars has been increased from 1200 to 1230 kg to avoid the use of expensive options and keep the cost of the complete car within the stated limit.

    From 2015, classes R1, R2 and R3 will be permitted to use super-charged engines, in line with the evolution of series engines.

    With immediate effect, the number of permitted tyres for events in the FIA European Rally Championship has been set at 20, plus an additional four if shakedown is included in the itinerary, for cars in Classes 2 and 3. In addition, hand cutting will not be permitted, unless authorised in very special circumstances by the Stewards for safety reasons.

    From 2014, the number of coefficients allocated to the events in the European Rally Cup has been reduced to three, namely 20, 15 and 10.

    FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

    In order to preserve the historic date of the Le Mans 24 Hours, which this year celebrated its 90th edition, the date of 14/15 June 2014 has been retained to ensure that a Formula One Grand Prix is not hosted the same weekend.

    FIA WORLD TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

    Following the cancellation of a race on 28 July, it is confirmed another race will take place on 4 August at Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina (subject to the confirmation of the circuit homologation).

    The technical regulations for the Super 2000 cars for 2014 were confirmed. The new cars will look more spectacular with bigger aerodynamic devices and will have greater performance through the power to weight ratio. In order to ease the introduction of the new cars, the homologation procedure will be similar to the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship, but with an additional two jokers. 2013 cars will also be accepted in 2014.

    FIA FORMULA 3 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

    The event scheduled for 25-27 October at Paul Ricard has been cancelled and replaced by an event on 11-13 October at Vallelunga, Italy.

    The Technical Regulations for the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship have been updated and amended, specifically in relation to engines and chassis, in order to further reduce costs for the teams and drivers.

    The Sporting Regulations relating to the 2013 FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup in Macau (13-17 November) allow for the use of engines according to the 2012 specification only.

    A FORMULA 4

    A registration process has been established for engine and chassis manufacturers in order to supply the ASNs with a potential list of suppliers in the championships. Approved manufacturers will be permitted to have cars participating in a championship from 1 January of the following year.

    The FIA has committed strong support to ASNs launching national championships, in order to provide for a standard technical and sporting framework for single-seater championships in each territory. Subject to compliance with a policy based on four main pillars – securing organisational consistency, technical fairness, sporting relevance and the stability of the championship – an “FIA Certified” label will be granted to the ASN for its national Formula 4 Championship.

    FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP

    Technical and Sporting Regulations for the FIA Formula E Championship were agreed in principle, and it was confirmed that the Championship season will run from September 2014 to June 2015. The regulations, along with the calendar comprising a maximum of 12 races, will be presented to the WMSC at its September meeting.

    A new registration period for car manufacturers applying for the 2015-2016 Championship season will be open from 1 July 2014 to 1 February 2015.

    HISTORIC MOTOR SPORT

    A number of Sporting Regulations for the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship and the FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship have been clarified for application with immediate effect.

    FIA WORLD AND EUROPEAN RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS

    The WMSC has taken note of the intention of the promoter of the FIA European Rallycross Championship to develop the competition to World Championship level from 2014. Subject to the promoter’s proposals, the final decision on the project submitted will be decided at the September meeting of the WMSC.

    With immediate effect, the starting grid composition for the first two races of the series of Qualifying Heats has been amended in order to aid spectators’ understanding of the progression of the event. In addition, a strict limit on tyre quantities per driver per event has been clarified for cost-saving reasons.

    An invitation to tender for a three-year single tyre and fuel supplier to the Championship has been launched by the FIA.

    FIA HILL-CLIMB MASTERS

    As part of the strategy to develop the hill-climb discipline, a new FIA Hill-Climb Masters event has been ratified by the WMSC. This annual one-off event, commencing in 2014, is intended to close and celebrate the hill-climb season. The Masters event will be a high-profile tournament for the national and FIA hill-climb Champions, many of whom do not normally compete against each other. There will be a Nations Cup awarded, as well as medals for individual drivers.

    KARTING

    In order to enhance the electric kart class and to provide a perfect entry point for young drivers wishing to progress to the FIA Formula E Championship, the technical regulations for this class have been updated to take into account the latest standards set by the CIK.

    FIA DRIVERS’ COMMISSION

    The first meeting of the FIA Drivers’ Commission took place in June under the Presidency of Emerson Fittipaldi and Vice Presidency of Sébastien Loeb. On this historic occasion, which represents the first time drivers have had their own forum within the FIA, a number of recommendations in the areas of communication, safety, anti-doping, standard driving procedures and stewarding were discussed and proposals will be submitted to the WMSC in September.

    FIA EUROPEAN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

    A selection process will be considered to source a promoter for the FIA European Drag Racing Championship.

    FIA ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

    Following the initial work undertaken by a dedicated Working Group mandated to develop a Sustainability Programme, the WMSC approved in principle the implementation of the FIA’s ‘Action for Environment’ programme. The FIA’s goal, within a decade, is that motor sport will be recognised as an exemplar of best practice in environmental sustainability and a world leader for environmental innovation creating a positive impact on both the track and road. Its strategy will focus on measuring and improving innovation and promotion.

    MOTOR SPORT DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE

    The first action concluding the Sport Conference Week has been the creation of the Motor Sport Development Task Force under the Chairmanship of Mohamed Ben Sulayem. The Task Force will be presented at the next WMSC in Dubrovnik on 27 September.

    SPORTACCORD

    Following its provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee, the FIA is pleased to announce it has now been elected as a Member of SportAccord in St Petersburg, Russia, in May.

    ends

  • Motoring on common ground

    FIA Secretary General for Mobility Susan Pikrallidas highlights close ties between race and road


    London, 26 June 2013,

    FIA General Secretary for Automobile, Mobility and Tourism Susan Pikrallidas urged ASNs around the world to take advantage of programmes put in place by the Federation’s Mobility department as she  stressed the links between the road and  racing arms  of the FIA. During an address to Sport Conference Week delegates Ms Pikrallidas explained that  mobility and  sporting clubs share common aims in servicing the needs of members and the public.

    “We have  a shared passion for safety and sustainability and  a shared commitment to members – to organise great races and  for us to ensure that road users are served well,” she  said.

    As such, she  explained that  the FIA’s Mobility department has established a number of programmes aimed at helping member clubs to develop and prosper, including the FIA University project and  a club relationship management programme, both of which she  said were  available to all member clubs,  be they sporting or mobility focused.

    “We have  developed these programmes with the idea that  they should benefit the whole  FIA family and  I hope that ASNs will take advantage of them,” she  said. “When we offer courses [at the FIA University] they are not just with sport or mobility clubs in mind but offer business strategies for all.”

    In outlining how similar external forces influence the worlds  of mobility and  sport, Ms Pikrallidas presented research outlining possible societal models for the year 2025. Stressing the value of such research in shaping how both mobility clubs and ASNs react to change, she asked delegates to imagine how their businesses would operate in four differing scenarios, varying from a world defined by environmental concerns to a society centred around unchecked development.

    Finally, asked by to draw upon her experiences at past Mobility Conferences and  offer advice to conference organisers, she said the key is to listen to their members.

    “The lesson is simply to listen to your attendees,” she  said. “Pay attention to their needs and concerns. It is their conference.”

    ends