INDIA in F1

Tag: Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India

  • Sarthak Chavan first Indian to get a podium at Thailand Talent Cup

    Sarthak Chavan first Indian to get a podium at Thailand Talent Cup

    Buriram, 8 May 2022: Pune’s 15-year old Sarthak Chavan became the first Indian Honda racer to take a podium at the Thailand Talent Cup. On Sunday, the young racer won a third place in the TTC, the Thailand Honda Talent Cup which was held as part of the larger Thailand’s most popular two-wheel championship, the OR BRIC Superbike Championship 2022 at the famous Chang International Circuit here on Sunday.

    Well versed with the Moto3 spec machine NSF250R after taking part in the National races at Chennai, Sarthak confidently took on the best of the Talent in the Asian region and came out with flying colours in the first race on Sunday. “I am delighted to get this podium and thrilled to learn that this is the first by an Indian in the Thailand Cup. I thank Honda India for the bike as I really enjoyed racing here. I am blessed with the support from family and the team and all my mechs,” said a beaming Sarthak, to INDIAinF1 from Buriram.

    Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India congratulated the racer and celebrated his victory in their social media handles acclaiming the podium as “A proud moment for Honda Racing India. Sarthak Chavan wins the first ever Indian podium in Thailand Talent Cup.” The other rider from India who took part inthe competition was Kavin Quintal from Chennai.

    Sarthak Chavan with his trophy after becoming the first Indian to win at theThailand Talent Cup on Sunday. Photo by Chavan for INDIAinF1.com

    Earlier in March, as the season of International racing resumed after two years of enforced inactivity, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India announced its international racing team for the 2022 season. Along with the team for Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), two riders were also selected for the Thailand Talent Cup (TTC). The experienced rider Rajiv Sethu and 20-year-old rider Senthil Kumar, were named for another road racing championship in Asia. For Thailand Talent Cup, Honda pitched 16-year-old Kavin Quintal from Chennai and Sarthak Chavan.

    For the 2022 Thailand Talent Cup, Honda has pinned hopes on the racing duo of 2021 Honda India Talent Cup winner Kavin Quintal, and 2020 Honda India Talent Cup champion, Sarthak Chavan. Both riders are well versed with the Moto3 spec machine NSF250R and are confident of taking on the best of the Talent in the Asian region.

  • Moto Racing National season begins at new-look MMSC

    Moto Racing National season begins at new-look MMSC

    Chennai, 19 August 2021: A fully sanitised MMRT will witness another grand congregation of country’s top talent and two-wheeler manufacturers when the first round of the 2021 MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commences on Friday, August 20, with over 100 entries in fray in a card of 19 races that will be held behind closed doors, while strictly complying with the Covid-19 safety protocols.

    TVS, Honda, KTM and Yamaha will be competing in four categories of the National championships – the Pro-Stock 301-400cc, Pro-Stock 165cc, Novice (Stock 165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) – which also boasts of record 17 private teams. Also in the mix are the two One-Make Championships organised by MMSC for Honda and TVS.

    Honda, as part of their highly-acclaimed Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, will again parade their Moto3-spec NSF 250R ridden by a clutch of talented teenagers, all under 19 years of age, besides races in the CBR 150 while Hornet 2.0 will be seen in action for the first time as a support event.

    TVS will be showcasing their popular Apache RR 310 in the highly competitive Open class besides the RTR 200 in the Rookie (restricted to those below 19 years of age) which was earlier known as Novice, Girls and Media categories.

    MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “We again welcome the two-wheeler racing fraternity to the MMRT with all the Covid-19 safety protocols in place. In these troubling and uncertain times, it is extremely heartening that we have India’s top riders and the leading bike manufacturers competing after overcoming all the challenges. We are also very grateful to MRF Tyres who continue to support our championships which, as in the past, is expected to be a humdinger.”

    The Pro-Stock 301-400cc class will headline the weekend programme. In the fray are several international riders led by National champion KY Ahamed, Jagan Kumar and Deepak Ravikumar (all TVS Racing), Anish Shetty (Race Concepts, KTM) and veteran Rajini Krishnan (RACR, Yamaha R3).

    The popular Pro-Stock 165cc which is set to witness the return of Pacer Yamaha team after a long gap, boasts of a very competitive field. TVS Racing’s Ahamed, Jagan and Ravikumar will be up against Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar, and Pacer Yamaha riders.

    The Novice category (under-23) has yet again proved to be extremely popular with the organisers forced to close the entries ahead of schedule, while the Girls grid will be headed by defending champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing).

    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 its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the MMRT circuit 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. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. 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. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC purchased Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Team Honda Racing India’s Hada scores 9 points in Japan, ARRC; Anish Shetty and Rajiv finish in Top 25

    Team Honda Racing India’s Hada scores 9 points in Japan, ARRC; Anish Shetty and Rajiv finish in Top 25

    Anish Shetty…a tough debut at Suzuka

    Suzuka, 03 June 2018: The Sunday finale race of round 3 of Asia Road Racing Championship 2018 (ARRC) at Japan’s legendary Suzuka circuit was a mixed bag for IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team by T.Pro Ten 10 Racing. The team’s solo entry in Supersport 600cc class, Taiga Hada won nine points in the two races of Japan round. Meanwhile, the Indian duo of Rajiv Sethu and Anish Shetty maintained their rhythm and closed in the top 25 for race 2 as well.

    Honda 2Wheeler India team’s third rider, 19-year old Japanese rider Taiga Hada finished 11th which is one improvement over his 12th finish yesterday. Overall, Hada gained nine points in the Suzuka round, taking his total points tally to 29 in three rounds.

    In the Race 2 of Asia Production 250cc class, Indonesia’s Honda rider Rheza Danica Ahrens starting from the pole position continued to build on his lead. The race, which saw as many as five crashes, turned out to be a highly competitive one with as many as seven riders having less than one second gap.

    Rajiv Sethu…..picking up pace

    Still learning the ropes of international racing as part of the debutant Honda Racing India team, rookie Anish Shetty and Rajiv Sethu consistently picked up pace and completed the 8-lap race in top 25 of 33 riders. Still recovering from his wrist injury and less lap practice due to crash in practice 1, Rajiv Sethu gained seven positions to finish at 24th. Anish, despite experiencing the Suzuka track for the first time ever, worked his way up to 25th, gaining five positions.

    Sharing overview of the Indian team’s performance in Japan round,  Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice President – Brand & Communication, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd said: “After the warm up today morning, our boys had entered the race with a positive frame of mind. Despite riding a completely new machine for him (CBR 250RR) and first time riding in the tough Suzuka track, Anish has consistently improved his time daily. We have high hopes for Rajiv and look forward to better performance as he recovers fully. Our Indian riders maintained rhythm and finished in top 25 in Japan round. With the national championship starting next weekend, our boys will have more practice before the next Chennai round of ARRC. We want to ride on the home advantage.”

    Anish Shetty said: “Japan was a tough one for me. I started on a good note but couldn’t keep up the pace in second half. I’m now better adapted to the new bike (CBR 250RR) and this is where I feel that the next round will be critical. With more laps under the belt, I look forward to the home advantage in Chennai. For me, the countdown starts today.”

    Rajiv Sethu said: “It’s less than a month since my wrist surgery and getting my momentum on track back is top priority. I entered the race on a very positive note after the morning warm up. However I, touched another rider in lap 3 of the race which unsettled my rhythm and I couldn’t recover fast enough. But moving ahead, I want to score in the next Chennai round. From now to August, it will be time for intensive training. First on my target is to win podium at National Championship and then better my craft when I compete in the Thai Talent Cup in this month itself.”