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Tag: GB4 Championship
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Ruhaan makes a strong debut in GB4 with two P7 finishes in points
Oulton Park (UK), 8 April 2023: Indian racing star Ruhaan Alva made a strong debut, a Baptism by fire, in the British GB4 Championship finishing in the top 10 twice as he returns to racing in the European circuits at Cheshire’s Oulton Park where the Round 1 concluded on Sunday.
He did suffer an unfortunate mechanical issue that pulled him down in Race 2 but is confident to come back stronger. “I am eagerly looking forward to getting back in the car,” Ruhaan, who is sponsored by JK Tyre and backed by Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation, said.
A grid of 15 aspiring single-seater stars of the future assembled at Oulton Park for the start of the new GB4 season last weekend. Three different winners from the season opener suggest another wide-open season is in store, and you can watch all the action again here. Ruhaan Alva did a commendable job and showed enough pace which is expected to improve further as works with his engineers on the car set-up ahead of Round 2 in May. You can watch the Round 1 races here.
Ruhaan Alva The Bengaluru teenager started from P9 in his Tatuus F4 T014 #27 car and managed a creditable seventh in the first race after showing admirable pace in his very first race on debut in the GB4 series. Later, due to some issues he logged a DNF after his anti-fog seal broke and filled up his visor leading to a blind drive behind the safety car that caused contact with a car in front of him, and his race ended abruptly. However, the 16-year-old came back strongly in Race 3 on Sunday for another point finish in the top 10, taking seventh place again in the 15-car grid, 14 of them new for the season like Ruhaan. The Indian will take part in all 21 races over 7 weekends and will use this as a platform to get into bigger things like FIA Formula 3.
“It was a great experience with a lot of learning for me,” said Ruhaan after the race weekend. After initial hiccups in qualifying, he saw that despite an issue with the floor which was dragging on the ground, Ruhaan managed a decent lap to get a P9 position. In Race 1, he did launch nicely off the line and after a comfortable race, he was left with a bit of defending which he did admirably to keep the drivers behind him in check and took a creditable seventh among many racers who had a better saddle time and experience on the circuit.
Race 2, did not go according to expectations. It was raining heavily and most of the race ran behind the Safety Car. The anti-fog seal of Ruhaan’s helmet broke leading to the visor getting filled up with water which caused complete fogging. “I was driving blind under the safety car. The car in front of me braked hard, and I couldn’t see him,” revealed Ruhaan about the conditions that forced him to make a contact. It did damage his front wing and the Master Cylinder that holds the brake fluid resulting in an unfortunate DNF in Race 2.
Ruhaan Alva is in a relaxed mood at Oulton Park ahead of Round 1. The talented Indian karting champion, who graduated from Formula Cars, won the IRL league recently for his team. In Race 3, he was pretty confident and had fun racing, with a lot of battles on a drying track. The pace was decent but he got stuck behind a slower car in the initial stages which caused him to drop back a bit. Once he was able to pass the slower car, Ruhaan was able to climb up the order making two passes on the last lap and once again took a decent P7. “We had a few issues with the engine throughout the weekend and the team is working on it for the next round in the first week of May. I am confident to come back better equipped,” was the parting shot of Ruhaan, son of former Indian rally star Umakanth Alva.
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JK Tyre, Vamcy Merla to sponsor Ruhaan’s GB4 campaign in the UK
Bengaluru, 6 April, 2023: Ruhaan Alva, the young 16-year-old racing prodigy’s next big international outing will be the 2023 GB4 Championship, which gets underway this kon Friday at Oulton Park in the UK.
Ruhaan, who had a dream run in his racing career with four National titles and multiple club titles, for a total of seven titles under his belt, will take part in the GB4 Championship, an extremely-competitive single-seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. Indian rising star, Ruhaan Alva will race with renowned Fortec Motorsport team in the upcoming season.
Ruhaan Alva said: “I’m really excited to be racing in the GB4 Championship this year with such a fantastic team as Fortec Motorsport. The aim is to use this as a springboard and to be as successful in single seaters as I have been throughout karting. I’m grateful to the support JK Tyre has extended to me throughout my racing career. I also thank Mr. Vamcy Merla for his belief in me and my talent. I look forward to represent our country and our Indian motorsport fraternity.”
In 2021, he won four Championships in India at a very young age of 15 years. The driver from Bengaluru, has already represented the country on several international platforms like the Rotax Grand Finals in Bahrain in 2021, Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific selection programme and the World Motorsport Games in F4 in 2022.
JK Tyre Motorsport known for nurturing motorsport talent from India for over four decades inducted Ruhaan in their scholarship program last year.
The talented Bangalore boy, graduates to full-time single-seater Formula cars after an impressive karting and racing career, including winning the Indian X30 title and front-running appearances at both the IAME International Final and Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Now, Ruhaan will contest the seven-event, 21-race GB4 calendar alongside Fortec’s other driver, Colin Queen. The third driver slot is yet to be announced.
Sanjay Sharma, Head of Motorsports, JK Tyre, said: “Ruhaan has been a trailblazer in Indian racing circuit and now it is time that he proves his mettle on international soil. Nothing gives us more happiness than supporting our racers who proudly represent our Tri-colour. We wish Ruhaan the very best and hope that this experience will propel him closer to his dream.”
In a recent announcement by Fortec Motorsport, Team Principal Oliver Dutton said: “We’re really looking forward to working with Ruhaan. His is a name that has been cropping up on a few people’s radars recently, and we definitely think he has a lot of potential. GB4 is a really tough championship, as we found out last year, but with the right development and some experience, he can be a force to be reckoned with, and his addition to the team puts us in even stronger shape heading to Oulton Park this weekend.”
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.
