Your basket is currently empty!
Tag: FMSCI
-
Jagan, the bike racing hero crowned National champion for 9th time
Chennai, 20 Dec 2020: Humble and lanky, Jagan Kumar is a giant in the Indian Racing scene. On Sunday, he added one more National title to his glittering collection when he swept to title triumph in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category in the second and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2020 concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.
Another, Chennai youngster Mohan Babu topped the Novice (Stock 165cc) class to win his maiden National Championship.
Jagan, 31, picked up his ninth National title, including the 125cc in 2009 and eight in the 165cc Open class. For Babu, a 21-year old Purchase Executive in a Chennai firm, it was his maiden National title. Another Chennai racer, Ann Jennifer had won the Girls title on Saturday.
The championship results in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category are withheld following a technical protest which was subsequently thrown out. However, the decision has been appealed and a final verdict is awaited. (Editor’s note: Appeal was rejected and Ahamed was declared champion on 21st Dec)
Jagan, following two consecutive wins this weekend, led team-mate KY Ahamed by four points going into Race-4 today. “I decided to take it easy and go for points instead. I am delighted to win the title after missing it last year,” said Jagan who had won the 165cc title seven times in a row (2012-18). He did just enough in the final race to finish fourth behind Mathana Kumar (Eneos Honda Erula Racing), last year’s champion Sarath Kumar (RACR Castrol Power Racing) and Ahamed. Jagan finished on 138 points to Ahamed’s 137.
Earlier, a very nervous Babu, in just his second season at the National level, did just enough to top the Novice championship after his main rival, Bengaluru’s Ullas Santrupt (RACR Castrol Power Racing) drew blank in both the races today, thus squandering a three-point advantage.
“It has been very tough for me this year, trying to put together funds for the championship. We took a loan and my office contributed a little. So, I managed to race. I spent a sleepless night thinking about today’s race. I was very nervous, but somehow managed to finish second. Today is the happiest day in my life,” said a highly emotional Babu who topped the category with 123 points, ahead of Ullas Santrupt (108).
The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-3): 1. Anish Damodar Shetty (Race Concepts) (11mins, 44.035secs); 2. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Racing) (11:44.322); 3. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11:45.386). Race-4: 1. Rajini Krishnan (11:49.668); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11:50.210); 3. Amarnath Menon (SpeedUp Racing) (11:50.321).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-3): 1. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (12:11.699); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (12:15.860); 3. S Mathana Kumar (Eneos Honda Erula Racing) (12:15.937). Race-4 (5 laps due to delayed start): 1. S Mathana Kumar (10:39.908); 2. Sarath Kumar (RACR Castrol Power Racing) (10:44.093); 3. KY Ahamed (10:45.776).
Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-4): 1. Navaneeth Kumar (Rulexx Rockers Racing) (13:08.467); 2. Mohan Babu P (Pvt, Chennai) (13:08.659); 3. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) (13:09.147).
TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RTR 310, Race-4): 1. Aditya Rao (Bengaluru) (11:46.052); 2. Vishwadev Muraleedharan (Coimbatore) (11:52.507); 3. Kishoar VS (Coimbatore) (11:55.485). Novice (RTR 200, Race-3): 1. Sudheer Sudhakar (Delhi) (13:16.909); 2. Teja TVR (Hyderabad) (13:17.317); 3. Navaneeth Kumar (Puducherry) (13:18.803). Race-4: 1. Navaneeth Kumar (13:19.991); 2. Sudheer Sudhakar (13:20.028); 3. Alwin Sundar (13:20.028). Media (5 laps): 1. Zaran Mody (11:26.925); 2. Anis Shaik (11:32.884); 3. Azaman Chothia (11:33.003).
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – Open (NSF 250R, Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (14:59.511); 2. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (15:11.383); 3. Mohsin Peramban (Mamallapuram) (15:14.057). Novice (CBR 150, Race-2): 1. Shyam Sundar (Chennai) (13:30.923); 2. Ikshan Shanbhag (Satara) (13:31.338); 3. Vivek Rohit Kapadia (Belgaum) (13:31.410).
-
Anish Shetty clinches top honours on Day 2: MMSC Bike Racing Nationals
Chennai, 12 Dec 2020: Anish Damodar Shetty of Race Concepts, a fitness trainer from Bengaluru, pulled off a brilliant tactical win in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc class race in the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT in Irungattukottai, near here on Saturday.
Biding his time, Shetty, starting fifth on the grid, made a strong move in the second half of the six-lap race to finished ahead of a strong TVS Racing combination of multiple champion Jagan Kumar and defending champion Deepak Ravikumar who raced nursing an injured knee following a crash during practice session earlier in the week.
Equally impressive winner today was TVS Racing’s KY Ahamed who held off Eneos Honda Erula Racing riders Mathana Kumar and Rajiv Sethu, in the Pro-Stock 165cc category. Sethu, the Race-1 winner yesterday, could not capitalise on a pole-position start. Ahamed’s victory somewhat compensated for the absence of team-mate and multiple champion Jagan Kumar whose bike stalled on the out-lap before the race.
Elsewhere, local challenger Aravind Selvam (Rulexx Rockstar Racing) won a tight race in the Novice (Stock 165cc) class while Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing), also from Chennai, and winner of yesterday’s Race-1, scored another dominant win for a grand double in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category. The race was reduced to three laps following a red flag stoppage due to a crash.
Bengaluru’s Abhishek Vasudev today roared to victory in both the Open category races of the TVS One-Make Championship organised by the MMSC for a fine treble following his win in Race-1 yesterday while Navneeth Kumar from Puducherry completed a double in the Novice class of the same championship.
Pune’s Sarthak Chavan, all of 14 years, became the youngest winner of the weekend when he streaked to victory in the Open (NSF 250R) class of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup.
The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2): 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts) (11mins, 51.346); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (11:54.613); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11:54.705).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (12:17.204); 2. S Mathana Kumar (Eneos Honda Erula Racing) (12:17.281); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Eneos Honda Erula Racing) (12:17.344).
Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-2): 1. Aravind Selvam (Rulexx Rockers Racing) (13:05.564); 2. Mohan Babu P (Pvt, Chennai) (13:05.743); 3. Seshadri S (Sparks Racing) (13:06.196).
Girls (Stock 165cc, Race-2, 3 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (06:40.064); 2. Lani Zena Fernandez (Gusto Racing) (06:48.619); 3. Rakshitha Dave (Gusto Racing) (07:02.282).
TVS One-Make Championship (Open, Race-2): 1. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (11:50.689); 2. Anand R (Chennai) (11:52.682); 3. Vysakh Sobhan (Cherthala) (11:56.357). Race-3: 1. Abhishek Vasudev (11:51.663); 2. Anand R ((11:54.698); 3. Aditya Rao (Bengaluru) (11:56.604).
Novice (Race-2): 1. Navneeth Kumar (Puducherry) (13:23.998); Mohan Babu (Chennai) (13:27.416); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (13:27.961).
Girls (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Jagruthi Kiran Penkar (Kalyan) (11:36.074); 2. Arpitha VM (Mangaluru) (11:36.085); 3. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai) (11:41.206). Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Jagathishree (11:35.169); 2. Jagruthi Kiran Penkar (11:35.182); 3. Arpitha (11:35.630).
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: Open (NSF 250R, Race-1): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (11:13.344); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (11:13.696); 3. Varoon Sadasivam (Chennai) (11:20.728).
Novice (CBR 150, Race-1): 1. Shyam Sundar (Chennai) (13:40.109); 2. Prakash Kamat (Bokaro) (13:40.619); 3. Vivek Rohit Kapadia (Belgaum) (13:49.088).
-
MMSC set to host India’s biggest bike racing weekend
Chennai, 9 Dec 2020: Big grids, a massive card of 29 races and over 200 entries mark the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2020 which gets underway at the MMRT, here on Friday, behind closed doors, and in what is the biggest domestic racing weekend in India.
Due to the pandemic and consequent restrictions, the 2020 two-wheeler racing championship has been packed into two back-to-back weekends (Dec 11-13 and Dec 18-20) with competitions in 10 categories.
The National Championship comprises two Pro-Stock classes – the premier 301-400cc and 165cc – besides two Stock 165cc categories – Novice, which will have a grid of 40 riders, and Girls.
Also in the mix are two One-Make Championships organised by the MMSC – the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (CBR 150cc and NSF 250R) and TVS One-Make Championship (RTR 310 Open, Novice, Girls and Media).
MMSC have left no stone unturned in ensuring that not only all Covid-19 safety protocols are followed, but also to deal with the challenges posed by the unpredictable weather by providing grooved tyres also for the Pro-Stock categories.
Having endured a 15-month break since the 2019 season, the racers are chafing at the bit with all of country’s top riders lining up as also India’s leading bike manufacturers, Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “We are just bowled over by the response from the riders, especially the first-timers. Two-wheeler championship has always produced exciting and close races, and we expect much the same in the two rounds that we are organising this month. Due to the pandemic, lockdown and restrictions, the racing season was put on hold until last month when we squeezed in two rounds of races to complete the four-wheeler championship. Over the next two weekends, the safety protocols would be very much in place despite easing of restrictions and the events will be held behind closed doors.”
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
-
Jeet Jhabakh takes pole in ITC class before rains stop session: Racing Nationals
Chennai, 28 Nov 2020: Heavy showers in the afternoon forced curtailment of day’s schedule even as Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) grabbed the pole position in the premier Indian Touring Cars class as the third and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
Due to water-logged track the races were put off to Sunday. @Twitter The day’s proceedings began in bright sunshine with Formula LGB 1300 and the saloon cars going through their paces in two Free Practice sessions apiece before the rains halted further action. After a nearly two-hour break, the qualifying session for the saloon cars was run on a drying track with wet patches in some sections.
Jhabakh and teammate Dhruv Mohite from Kolhapur occupied the front row ahead of Coimbatore veteran and championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts who, incidentally had topped the practice sessions. Completing the second row was Goa’s Keith D’Souza, also in a FB Motorsport livery.
Marshals trying their best after rains lashed the MMRT on Saturday. Images courtesy Twitter @VickyChandhok Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) was the quickest in the Super Stock category while Diljith TS from Thrissur snatched pole position in the MRF Saloon Car series class (Toyota Etios). All the three categories will be on a combined grid for the three races to be run on Sunday while the Formula LGB 1300 will have four runs.
As per the revised schedule for Sunday, the Formula LGB 1300 will have a qualifying session and four races interspersed with three Saloon car races.
The results (Qualifying):
Indian Touring Cars: 1. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (02mins, 02.041secs); 2. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (02:02.599); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (02:03.392).
Super Stock: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (02:09.276); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (02:10.038); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (02:16.115).
MRF Saloon Car series: 1. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (02:15.996); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (02:18.969); 3. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (02:20.943).
For Live streaming of Sunday’s races, please visit: https://en.madrasmotorsports.com/streaming/
-
Top honours for Suhail Ahmed; Double for Sachin
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 21 Nov 2020: Astride a KTM 450EXC, Suhail Ahmed survived minor hiccups to win the top honours on Saturday while Sachin D bagged a brace in the third round of the Motorsport Inc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship for two-wheelers at the closed dirt tracks in Korlahalli, 53-km from here, on Saturday.
Organised by Motorsports Inc, the promoters of the Sprint Nationals, the event attracted 82 entries in 9 classes, and is supported by Red Bull and Hero MotoSports.
Bengaluru rider Suhail clocked the fastest time of the day in Group A up to 800cc class, the ribbon event of the day, beating Sinan Francis of Ernakulam 2.19 seconds, but the Ernakulam rider placed his KTM450EXC in the second to keep the championship lead going into the fourth round on Sunday. “I was bogged down by technical issues and had to manage and finish the stage,” said Suhail, who faced suspension issues.
Suhail Ahmed, who won the fastest rider of the day tag on Saturday. Sachin D, who won a double on Saturday, negotiates a bump in the Star of Karnataka class. In the Group B classes, it was Sachin D from TVS Racing, who had the upper hand winning the 166cc to 260cc Class, astride a TVS Apache with a time of 7min 49.43seconds, the second-fastest time of the day to shoot into the championship lead following two podiums in the first two rounds. Sachin defeated Hero Motosports, Yuva Kumar by a margin of 8.49seconds and Sanjay Somasekhar, also of Bengaluru, took third on a Hero Xpulse, as he finished another 7 seconds behind.
Yuva Kumar of Hero Motosports, showcases his skills on a Hero Xpulse, but had to be content with a second place on Saturday. He collected enough points to stay in title hunt. “It’s a hard and very technical track but I had a good ride and enjoyed the day. Everything went off smoothly today. Hats-off to the organisers, for it is not easy to put together such a show in these days of Corona,” said Sachin at the service park.
In the Star of Karnataka class, Sachin D won clocking 7min 54.24sec and Yuva Kumar once again finished second. “I finished second in both my classes but it was a good day for me. The track was tricky with bumpy terrain and it was a fast stage and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s round,” quipped Yuva of Hero MotoSports.
The big daddies: Devaraj Venkatesh, astride a Himalayan negotiates a corner on way to his win in the Bullet Class Round 3 Sprint Nationals on Saturday. Photo by David Bodapati While Bengaluru’s Pavan BK won the 131 to 165cc Class, Mangalore’s Sudeep Kottary bagged the first place in 261 to 400cc Category and Ernakulam’s Nordin Thomas, put his Yamaha YBX on the top pedestal in `Upto 130cc Class’.
Sudeep was streets ahead as he won by a huge margin with over 47-seconds on Bengaluru-based Sajeesh, also on a KTM Duke. He had to be content with a second place over one minute ahead of Uday Ganguli of Kolkata, astride a KTM 390.
In the Ladies Class, Ryhana Bee, the 2019 National racing champion in her class, continued to dominate the Sprint Rally Nationals as she posted another hard-earned win brushing aside the challenge of Tanika Shanbhag of Satara. Astride a Hero Impulse, the Chennai lass posted a perfect 75 points from three rounds to complete a hat-trick of wins. Arpita VM of Mangalore, who had two podiums in the first two rounds was off-colour today on her Honda Stunner, with Bengaluru’s Dimpy taking the third place today ahead of Arpita. All the top three are riding an Impulse.
“The terrain is pretty technical with rocky pebbles. But I enjoyed the straights where we can gain time. Relatively, it is a hard track when compared to the others, as it requires mental strength to absorb the technicalities of different corners,” said Ryhana, about the 7.75km terrain. The village road from Korlahalli to Melakote amidst the Raagi fields ready for harvest had pebbles, hard rocks and loose soil at different points.
The Bullet class was dominated by Himalayan bikes and the all-Bengaluru podium saw Devaraj Venkatesh on the top step. Mohammed Zaheer came second pushing Vishwas SD to third place.
Provisional final results (Round 3):
Noldin Thomas, who won the Upto 130cc Class, in action on Saturday. Group A:
Upto 800cc: 1. Suhail Ahmed Competition Number #5 (Bengaluru, KTM450EXC) (07 minutes, 48.74 seconds); 2. Sinan Francis #1 (Ernakulam, KTM450EXC) (7: 51.55); 3. Vishwas SD #2 (Bengaluru, Suzuki) (8:09.82);
Group B:
131cc to 165cc: 1. Pavan BK #30 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (8:07.83); 2. Ishan Chandra #29 (Mangalore, Hero Impulse) (8:23.19); 3. Vinay Prasad #24 (Bengaluru Hero Impulse) (8:25.58);
261cc to 400cc: 1. Sudeep Kottary #66 (Mangalore, KTM Duke) (8:38.65); 2. Sajeesh #67 (Bangalore, KTM Duke) (9:26.86); 3. Uday Ganguly #63 (Kolkota, KTM 390) (10:37.97).
Upto 130cc: 1.Nordin Thomas #19 (Ernakulam, Yamaha YBX) (8:53.53); 2. Durgesh J #18 (Mysore, Honda Stunner) (8:55.59); 3. Joseph Jinu #22 (Ernakulam, Yamaha YBX) (9:00.54).
166cc to 260cc: 1. Sachin D #51 (Bengaluru, TVS Apache) (7: 49.43); Yuva Kumar #46 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (7:58.36); 3. Sanjay Somasekhar #45 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (8:05.32).
Bullet Class: 1. Devaraj Venkatesh #88 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:23.12); 2. Mohammed Zaheer #87 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:29.94); 3. Vishwas SD #91 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:32.31).
Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee #73 (Chennai, Hero Impulse) (9:44.10); 2. Tanika Shanbhag #72 (Satara, Hero Impulse) (9:53.33); 3. Dimpy A #70 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (11:30.01).
Scooter Class: 1. Karthik Naidu #79 (Bengaluru, TVS N-Torq) (9:10.86); Pinkesh Thakkar #80 (Pune, Aprilla SR125) (9:27.57); 3. Subramanya #83 (Bengaluru, TVS Wega) (9:43.07).
Star of Karnataka: 1. Sachin D #105 (Bengaluru, TVS Apache) (7:54.23); 2. Yuva Kumar #109 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (8:05.11); 3. Ishan Chandra #102 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (8:11.67).
Clerk of the Course: Jaidas Menon.
Chief Steward: Gautham Shanthappa, Steward: Rakesh D, Club Steward: Uday Kumar.
-
Akbar Ebrahim elected as FMSCI president again; Farooq Ahmed new VP
Chennai, 12 October 2020: Former racer and ex-FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim was unanimously elected as the president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) at the Annual General Meeting of held 2020 via Video Conference. Farooq Ahmed of Chikmagalur Motor Sports Club will be the new Vice-President replacing Shivu Shivappa for a term of two years.
Akbar Ebrahim The FMSCI is the National Governing body of Motor Sports in India. It is a member of the World Governing body of Motor Sports the FIA the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile and the FIM the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.
The FMSCI has more than 50 affiliated units across the country with more than 1200 registered athletes but unlike other federations, only the council members elect the office-members as per the FMSCI Constitution. The council consists of 10 members who are: 1) Akbar Ebrahim, Meco Motor Sports Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 2) Bharat Vivek Chandhok, Madras Motor Sports Club, Chennai 3) Farokh Commissariat, Indian Automotive Racing Club Ltd., Mumbai 4) Farooq Ahmed, Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Chikmagalur 5) Prithiviraj J., Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, Coimbatore, Member of The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) 6) Raj Kapoor, Northern Motorsports, Noida 7) Sanjay Sharma, Performance Cars Racing Trust, Delhi 8) Shivu Shivappa, Karnataka Motor Sports Club, Bengaluru 9) Ms Sita Raina, Calcutta Motor Sports Club, Kolkata 10) Tamal Ghosal, Just Sportz Management Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata.Farooq Ahmed file photo, addressing media in front of a Coffee Day Cafe in Chikmagalur in 2018. An FB image courtesy @motorsportsclubofckm Akbar Ebrahim said: “I would like to thank the General Body Members, Outgoing President & Vice President, Current councillors and New councillors of the FMSCI for their unanimous support in mandating me as the President for another term in office. I would also like to congratulate Mr Farooq Ahmed on his election as Vice President which was unanimous and with no contest.”
“Going forward, it is, without doubt, going to be a very challenging and tough year given the unprecedented pandemic situation the whole world is facing. I am sure that the FMSCI will collectively rise to the occasion and manage the situation to the best of its ability. I am also sure that in the coming days, weeks and months, the sport will start to flourish and bring back the smiles on each and every one of us who are passionate about the sport,” Ebrahim added.
`The outgoing President J Prithviral said: `I place on record my gratitude and thanks to the entire Motorsport fraternity for the support during my tenure as President. Motorsport was also affected because of Covid- 19, things are looking brighter now and trust we will be in top gear soon.” -
Hemanth Muddappa smashes National Drag record
Chennai, 10 October 2020: Defending champion Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing, astride a Suzuki Hayabusa broke the National Drag Record, setting a new mark of 7.783 seconds beating his own record over the 302- metre MMRT Drag Strip. The Madras Motor Sports Club kick-started the domestic 2020 motorsport season by successfully conducting the first round of the MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship in a secure bio-bubble environment at the MMRT circuit here on Sunday.
The 30-year Bengaluru-based Coorgi, a three time National champion, touched a top speed of 222.49 kmph despite the third fastest reaction time of 1.658 sec at the start, to began the season on a winning note. He broke his own National record of 7.976 which he set in the round two last year on 6 October and equalled in the Championship winning last round in December. The bike was tuned by Sharan Pratap of Mantra Racing, Bengaluru. Muddappa won the National championship consecutively in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
While Mudappa expectedly topped the time charts, clocking a blistering time for the sprint in the Super Sport 4-stroke Above 1051cc class, he could only come second in the 851 to 1050cc class as Mohammed Riyaz of Hyderabad won the dash. Rulex Rockers Racing team’s Bharatraj and Mohammed Rafiq notched a double apiece in their respective categories. Defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the girls category on Saturday.
“I have been eagerly waiting to get back on track and am keeping myself fit. I was confident of clocking the best time, but beating the track record again is a bonus. I look forward to a consistent season to retain my National title,” said the Coorgi, who is primarily into civil contracts and also a partner in a leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’. He is based in Bengaluru.
Sporting activity came to a grinding halt in March and since then it was seven months that the Indian motorsports saw no activity. But with the revised calendar announced by the Federation, MMSC Indian National Drag Championship hosted the first Nationals to kick-start the motorsports calendar with a `new normal’, what with all the guidelines to tackle Corona Virus.
Managing some 116 entries besides a host of officials, volunteers and employees, the MMSC went to great lengths to strictly implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and protocols as mandated by Government guidelines designed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. In view of the restrictions, no spectator or guest was permitted entry to the venue, while each competitor was allowed only one helper or mechanic, and the races were spread over two days (Saturday and Sunday) so as to limit the size of the congregation to under 100.
MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “Following weeks of preparations and working on the SOPs as dictated by the government guidelines, it was great to go racing again after a break of seven months. Though we had to make do without a sponsor, we spared no expense to create a secure bio-bubble at the track. Of course, as per sporting regulations, we had a fully-equipped Medical team to deal with any emergency.
“As much as the sport mattered to us, we gave top priority to health of all involved in the event. The strict protocols, followed by all at the venue, involved temperature checks, frequent hand sanitization and physical distancing. We also restricted entry to only essential persons, besides competitors.”
The results: 4-Stroke Super Sport:
Champion in the Above 1051cc class Hemant Muddappa (centre) flanked by second-placed Hafizulla Khan (left) and third-placed Harish Naik. An MMSC image Above 1051cc: 1. Hemant Mudappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (07.783secs); 2. Hafizulla Khan (Bengaluru) (08.374); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.721).
851-1050cc: 1. Mohammed Riyaz (Hyderabad) (07.922); 2. Hemant Mudappa (08.162); 3. Sugan Prasad (Bengaluru) (08.382).
361-550cc: 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (12.256); 2. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (12.350); 3. Karthik Mateti (Telangana) (12.518).
226-360cc: 1. J Bharatraj (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (12.805); 2. Vivek Pillai (Team Alisha Abdullah, Chennai) (13.104); 3. P Yogeswaran (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (13.137).
Up to 165cc: 1. Bharatraj J (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.580); 2. PM Soorya (Rulex Rockers Racing, Chennai) (14.656); 3. Anand R (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (15.039).
Saturday: Novice (Girls, Stock up to 165cc): 1. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (16.512); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (16.642); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Chennai) (16.781).
2-Stroke Super Sport 131-165cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (12.843); 2. Manoj Kumar S (13.228); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.253).
Up to 130cc: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (13.381); 2. R Madhan Kumar (13.584); 3. Mohammed Touheed (13.954).
-
Defending champ Nivetha Jessica wins first round: MMSC Drag Nationals
Chennai, 10 October 2020: Touching a top speed of over 118 kmph, defending champion Nivetha Jessica won the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Championship Madras Motor Sports Club drag strip here on Saturday as Indian Motorsports began after a gap of 7 months due to COVID 19.
The Chennai girl won the four-stroke Upto 165cc Stock Class, the only class for girls, beating the challenge of Ann Jennifer and experienced Alisha Abdullah. The Team Pro-Speed Racing lass did a splendid job despite being a bit slow off the blocks with a reaction time of 0.907 and shot into the top spot clocking stunning 16.512 seconds.
AS Ann Jennifer took the second place timing 16.642 though she had a better reaction time of 0.574 at the start. Alisha Abdullah, who had the best start among the 10 riders, reacting at 0.377 seconds, coiuld only complete the podium in 16.781 seconds.
“I was very nervous at the beginning of the session but I had good fitness level which helped me to focus in the race. It is a long gap because of the pandemic which affected us with lack of practice and also lack of sponsors. But today, I concentrated on winning the race and I believed in myself and my vision,” said the 2019 champion, who was astride Yamaha v3 R15 tuned by Srinivasan.
“Yes, of course, it is a overwhelming moment for me to take the first win of the season and I hope to maintain the same momentum in the upcoming rounds,” concluded Jessica.
-
FMSCI announces stimulus package for Indian motorsports
Chennai, 19 May 2020: The Indian Motorsports Federation, FMSCI, has announced a slew of concessions to clubs and sportsperson to promote the sport during these tough times due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which has disrupted the sporting activities worldwide including motorsports.
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the National Sports Federation, responsible for the governance and promotion of motorsports in India, has announced this package for the year 2020 to stimulate the Indian motorsports activity on Tuesday.
To give impetus and to encourage the resumption of grass root motorsports activities as well as National Championships, the FMSCI Council has announced a spate of initiatives as under:
· Free renewal of National level Competition Licences applied for in 2020 for the year 2021, if these licence holders do not take part in any event in 2020.
· 100% waiver of the Permit Fees for organisers of all status of events, if no sponsor/s associated with the event. 50% of permit fees will be charged otherwise.
· 100% waiver of the Naming Rights fees for events, if no sponsor/s associated with the event. 50% naming rights fees will be charged otherwise.
· One year extension for the existing Promoters of various National Championship events irrespective of whether the National Championship is conducted in 2020 or not
· Local Stewards will be appointed to ease the burden of travel and hospitality costs for the organizers.
The FMSCI sincerely hopes that with these initiatives, the motorsports in India will resume as soon as the lock down is lifted for sports activities.
The Government has already announced that stadiums can be opened but with no spectators, though a clarity is needed if sports can be conducted without spectators or not.
-
South India Rally from March 20 in Chennai
Chennai, 13 March 2020: The South India Rally, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, and which doubles up as the opening rounds of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and the Indian National Rally Championship (4-wheelers), will be held as scheduled in Chennai from March 20 to 22, but strictly complying with medical and travel advisories issued by the Indian government, according to the Chairman of the event, Vicky Chandhok.
In a statement here today, Chandhok, who is also the president of the APRC Working Group, said: “To reiterate, next week’s South India Rally is very much on as per schedule. We are closely monitoring the situation arising out of the COVID-19 spread globally, and taking due precautions as per the directives of Union Health ministry.
“As Chairman of the event, it is my duty to stay in close contact with our team and medical advisors which is what we are doing. No spectators will be allowed into the Rally HQ areas and no gathering of people in a single place will be permitted.
“We have also communicated to all the participants, officials and stakeholders, urging them to take all precautions to stay safe and healthy.”
Chandhok said that the APRC segment will be exclusively for Indian nationals of the INRC who register for it. “Consequent to Government of India’s travel advisory prohibiting entry of foreign Nationals into India until April 15, and other factors, the APRC round here will be contested by Indian crews who thus will have an opportunity to win a FIA international trophy,” he said.
