Nico Hulkenberg covered 59 laps today as Sahara Force India completed its second day of testing in Bahrain.
Day Two Statistics:
Chassis: VJM07-01
Laps: 59 laps
Mileage: 319 km
Fastest lap: 1:36.445
Classification: P2
Nico Hulkenberg: “My two days in the car have been very positive. We’ve made some improvements to the car, collected lots of data, and continued to learn with each lap. At the moment it’s still early days, but I’m pleased with the progress we have made in terms of understanding the car. I think we are getting closer to seeing the potential of these cars, certainly compared with the performance in Jerez, but it’s such a steep learning curve and I expect the times to become quicker and quicker.”
Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer:
“It’s been another productive day with aero data collection, performance work and tyre evaluation. We had some aero devices on the car this morning and then continued with the set-up programme that we started yesterday. Nico was able to try the various tyre compounds available to us. There was a small amount of downtime in the middle of the day, but on the whole it’s been another solid performance with good reliability.”
Test Schedule
Sergio Perez will drive the VJM07 tomorrow and Saturday.
endsNico Hulkenberg in a Sahara Force India on Day 2 of Testing at Bahrain SIC on Thursday. A Sahara Force India photo
Sakhir, 19 Feb 2014: The second of Formula 1’s three pre-season tests kicked off Wednesday morning at the Sakhir circuit here in Bahrain.
Sahara Force India and Nico Hulkenberg finished at the top of the timesheets after the first day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Day One Statistics:
Chassis: VJM07-01
Laps: 79 laps
Mileage: 428 km
Fastest lap: 1:36.880
Classification: P1
After the busy programme, Nico Hulkenberg said: “A very positive and satisfying day. We had a busy programme and we learned a lot. Time in the car is very valuable at the moment and so it feels good to cover so many laps and even complete two long runs at the end of the day. That gave me a chance to see how the car behaves and to start getting a feel for it, which was not something I was able to do in Jerez. It’s great that we’ve already done some set-up work and started to improve the drivability of the car. But it’s still very early stages; we are learning with every lap and we face a very steep learning curve in the coming days. ”
Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer said: “Our Bahrain test has got off to a positive start. 79 laps is a good effort and it’s just what we need at this early stage of the VJM07’s development. The aero work this morning ran smoothly with the constant speed runs giving us some aero data we required. In the afternoon we started evaluating the soft and medium tyres, and running through different set-up options – changing ride heights and rebalancing the car. We ended the day with a couple of longer runs on the soft tyres.”
Test driving schedule
Nico Hulkenberg will be back in the VJM07 tomorrow. Sergio Perez will drive on Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kevin Magnussen drives the opening two days of the test for McLaren Mercedes, with Jenson Button concluding the test by running on Friday and Saturday.
Kevin kicked off proceedings for McLaren by conducting a series of short aerodynamic evaluation runs, complete with monitoring equipment fitted to the car.
In the afternoon, he completed a number of longer runs, aimed at putting mileage on the power unit and components, and also to proof theories and improvements introduced after the first test in Jerez earlier this month.
Kevin completed the second-highest mileage of the day, and, despite a slow start to the morning, was pleased with his progress.
1 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1m 36.880s 78 laps
2 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m 37.879s 64 laps
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG 1m 37.908s 74 laps
4 Kevin Magnussen McLaren Mercedes 1m 38.295s 81 laps
5 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1m 40.224s 14 laps
6 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1m 40.443s 82 laps
7 Robin Frijns Caterham 1m 42.534s 68 laps
8 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m 44.346s 5 laps
9 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1m 44.832s 8 laps
10 Felipe Massa Williams – 5 laps
11 Jules Bianchi Marussia – 3 lapsNico Hulkenberg sets top times on Wednesday on Day 1 of Bahrain testing. A Sahara Force India photo
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Silverstone, 7 Feb 2014: Sahara Force India has expanded its driver development programme by teaming up with Hilmer Motorsport to create Sahara Force India’s official GP2 team.
The new partnership will see Facu Regalia and Daniel Abt race on the GP2 grid in the distinctive colours of Sahara Force India in the Hilmer Motorsport GP2 car.
The development programme expands on the success of Sahara Force India’s reserve driver programme, which has already helped progress several drivers to Formula One race seats. It also represents a logical addition to the team’s ‘One From A Billion’ talent hunt, which helped unearth a selection of young Indian karting talents. The most successful candidate has been Jehan Daruvala, a 15-year-old from Mumbai, who graduated into the team’s Academy last year and was crowned British KF3 Junior champion.
Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director of Sahara Force India: “As a team we’ve always placed great emphasis on nurturing young drivers so I’m delighted to announce our partnership with a GP2 team. It’s the logical next step as we look to bring through the next generation of drivers and provide them with the opportunity to showcase their talent. Our presence in GP2 moves us closer to having a holistic development programme to school drivers from grassroots karting to the higher echelons of professional motorsport.”
Franz Hilmer, Team Principal and Managing Director of Hilmer Motorsport: “We are very happy about the collaboration between Hilmer Motorsport and Sahara Force India Formula One Team. I’ve had an association with Sahara Force India for ten years and we are looking forward to working together on a sporting level going forward. With Facu Regalia and Daniel Abt we have two very talented young drivers with the potential to progress to Formula One. We will do our best to support them on their way to the pinnacle of motor racing.”
Facu Regalia, Driver #12 Hilmer Motorsport:
“It is incredible news for me to be a GP2 driver with Hilmer Motorsport and Sahara Force India’s driver development programme. I appreciate the belief Franz Hilmer showed in my performances last year and the opportunity to race with him in 2014. I am also very proud to be associated with Sahara Force India and will make the most of the opportunities it presents. The chance to drive a Formula One car at the end of the season is also a huge motivation. My focus is to work as hard as I can to make sure we are fighting at the front of the field and getting the best results possible.”
Daniel Abt, Driver #11 Hilmer Motorsport:
“I am very happy about the association between Hilmer Motorsport and Sahara Force India Formula One Team. Over the last few years, Sahara Force India has given young and talented drivers the opportunity to race in Formula One so it’s great to have their support this season. I am determined to have a successful year with Hilmer Motorsport in the GP2 Series and I’m sure that we have the right package to achieve our ambitious goals.”
New Delhi, 5 Feb 2014 – Jaguar Land Rover’s latest award-winning products made their Indian debut at the 12th
Narain with Jaguar F-Type coupe at the Delhi motorshow on Wednesday. A TVC photo
Delhi Auto Expo Motor Show today. Amongst the star attractions, the Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe was unveiled by India’s racing driver, Narain Karthikeyan and the Range Rover long wheelbase by leading Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.
The celebrities appeared alongside Jaguar Land Rover’s new Indian product range, including the latest Land Rover Discovery and the Range Rover Evoque with 9-speed transmission. Also making their much anticipated Indian debut were the Jaguar C-X17 crossover concept and the D-Type inspired Project 7 concept car.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO, Dr. Ralf Speth said:
“We are here in India to showcase the very latest offerings from our two great British brands. India continues to be an important and dynamic market for Jaguar Land Rover with year on year sales growth. This demonstrates that we are delivering our promise to create exciting products and unrivalled customer experiences. We aim to enhance the potential of the Indian market by growing our dealer network by 25 per cent this year and will now manufacture our flagship model, the Jaguar XJ, in Pune”.
Today, the company confirmed that Jaguar’s flagship model, the XJ, would become the third model to be made at the firm’s local manufacturing facility in Pune, following the introduction of the Land Rover Freelander 2 in 2011 and Jaguar XF in 2013.
This positive trend is reflected in India where the Jaguar and Land Rover brands have gained significant prominence and popularity since entering the market in 2009. Retail sales were up by 21 per cent in 2013 and Jaguar was one of the fastest growing luxury car brands in the country.
Chennai, 3 Feb 2014: J Prithviraj of Coimbatore Automotive Sports Club, an active council member in promoting the rallying in India for the last few years was announced as the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India while pre-election favourite Bharat Raj, of Karnataka Motor Sports Clubs, who pumped in monies in the last few years to keep the rallying scene alive in India, was forced to support the new team.
It was Tutu Dhawan, who took Bharat Raj’s place as Vice-President in the Federation, which is under severe pressure to prove its efficiency and capability after the outgoing team’s high performance, at least, as far as Formula One is concerned.
Just like FIA and Formula One, both of whom are steeped in secrecy as far as financial transparency is concerned, FMSCI will also come under the scanner as far as Governance and Transparency issues are concerned especially as the National body which is the ASN (Association recognised by FIA, the World Governing boday) has paid a hefty income tax which would have been avoided, had it spent the money on promoting sport at the grassroot level or sharing the booty with the hard-working Clubs, who are suffering for lack of funds. Motorsports experts in the country feel that had FMSCI spent the money sharing the expenses of running events with the clubs, they would not have ended up paying a huge amount in scores of lakhs to the Income Tax department.
Coming to the elections, while Prithviraj serves as the President, Tutu Dhawan will be the Vice-President. The FMSCI also announced the formation of the new Governing Council for 2014-15 which will see the introduction of two new members. The change of guard promises a new direction that will focus on taking the sport to a higher level and the team and its members at various forums including Facebook, have expressed their inclination to come clean as far as transparency is needed. Prithvi, as he is popularly known in the rally circles, promised to look into the possibility of bringing the Federation under the ambit of RTI act.
Prithviraj has been a part of the rallying scene for over two decades, both as a participant and organizer. He has been a councillor since 2007 and the Vice President of FMSCI for two years, being Chairman and a member of various FMSCI sub committees.
Prithviraj was humbled to be elected President and commented, “I am honoured to be elected FMSCI President by my fellow councillors. Firstly I would like to thank the outgoing President and team for all their efforts over the years. As part of the last council our biggest achievement was bringing Formula One to India. Now our role will be to ensure we maximize the benefits of that to build national motorsport events across the country. The newly elected council is extremely excited of the task that lies ahead and I am confident that this is the perfect team to take the sport forward.”
The newly-elected Council will focus on the following few areas for the year ahead. The first area of focus will be the fact that policies and procedures will take precedence and not just the people involved. Secondly the council will select the best man for the job to ensure that seamless running of the sport comes first. The third objective will be to ensure total access to all information with regard to all aspects of the Federation. The FMSCI will also continue to partner with the auto and auto ancillary manufacturers to increase their involvement in the sport.
The FMSCI announced that they will launch an interactive website which will aim at making all event details easily accessible. From entry forms to regulations to schedules to officials to penalties everything will be made available on the website for everyone to see. Most importantly the online platforms will be interactive and open to queries and suggestions. There will also be an effort to ramp up marketing activities to ensure there is more reach and visibility for events.
Prithviraj commented, “We will look at coming under the ambit of Rights to Information act. The sport has been built to this level with the help of the media and we are looking forward to their continued support as we march on. All these factors will help us in offering better support and returns to our promoters, sponsors and partners.”
The FMSCI will also continue to make sure motorsports reaches all ends of the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Kutch to Kohima. The North-East has already proved a popular motorsport venue with one of our promoters holding rallies there under the aegis of the FMSCI. The FMSCI will continue to give more importance to the region.
Prithviraj also announced the forming of a advisory body which will work with auto manufacturers, partners and government. He commented, “The dedicated committee will be entrusted with the task of working closely with auto manufacturers and government officials. Motorsport is the perfect platform for auto majors to showcase their products and get maximum visibility out of it. We are very happy by the government’s decision to modify the trade policy to facilitate easy import of cars and motorcycles for racing events. We still feel there is a lot of work to be done”
The results of the election were not announced immediately after the elections in Dec due to a court case filed by Sportscraft’s Shrikant Karani. The court ruled in his favour and struck down FMSCI stand that profit making bodies are not eligible to contest as per a recent amendment, but Karani chose to withdraw from the contest at a later stage.
However, it was Sanjay Sharma of JK Tyre, who called the shots. Hardy, as he is popularly known represented as an alternate member of Himalayan Motorspord Club.
Akbar Ebrahim – Meco, S Karani – PCRT, J Prithviraj – CASC, J Balmurugan – Spitfire, Sanjay Sharma, the kingmaker – HMSA. A photo by Adrenna
He also addressed the Press Conference.
Two new member clubs made their entry into the council joining the three founding members. The eight members of the council are:
Jerez, 31 Jan 2014: Formula One’s new era got underway with four days of testing at Jerez (to be followed by two more four-day sessions in Bahrain next month) with teams trying out their new cars and the 2014 tyres for the first time.
With such a revolutionary series of technical changes, running was considerably limited compared to last year, and very little tyre work was carried out.
Nonetheless, the teams were able to have their first taste of Pirelli’s 2014 tyre range, which features new compounds and constructions. The teams could also try out the new Cinturato Green intermediate and Cinturato Blue wet on the second day, which was designated as a wet-weather test day. More rain then fell on Friday, providing another opportunity.
Pirelli additionally brought a bespoke ‘winter’ version of the hard tyre to Jerez, designed to enable teams to maximise running even in low ambient temperatures (which dipped down to six degrees centigrade).
Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director:
“The emphasis was not on tyres during this test: instead the teams were simply trying to get an understanding of this radical new set of regulations and put the first kilometres onto their cars. With so much to understand about the new power units and aerodynamic rules, the teams aimed simply to increase their knowledge about the cars. The upcoming tests in Bahrain should allow them to focus on tyres a little more, having had two weeks to develop their cars and remedy any issues that have been identified at Jerez. We too are completely open, flexible and ready to adapt our tyres should the tests in Bahrain, where more meaningful running will take place, identify any need to do so. This year’s test regulations stipulate a day of wet weather running, which we were able to carry out on Wednesday morning. With more rain fallingon Friday, the teams had the opportunity to try out the wet-weather compounds before using them in race conditions.”
Testing Facts:
The opening day of running was extremely quiet, with just 93 laps completed from eight drivers and cars on Tuesday. The on-track action then ramped up, with teams attempting longer runs. The final day was the busiest day of the test, with 688 laps completed.
Teams had a maximum of 25 sets of tyres each at their disposal for Jerez. In total, 18 of those sets were selected by Pirelli (six ‘winter’, four hard, two medium, and three each of intermediate and wet). The teams were then allowed to choose in advance seven more sets of tyres to test per car, up to their total maximum of 25. In total, 135 sets of tyres are allowed per team for testing purposes throughout 2014.
Owing to the huge number of new variables at work, and the very wide spread of lap times seen throughout the four days, there was no real significance in the time difference between the compounds that were tested at Jerez. More meaningful tyre data should be seen in Bahrain, with all the teams expected to be present.
More Testing Facts:
A total of 22 drivers took part in the Jerez test, completing 1,470 laps and 6,509 kilometres.
The equivalent Jerez test last year took in 3,531 laps and 15,634 kilometres.
McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen set the fastest time of the Jerez test, with a time of 1m23.276s on Thursday. By way of comparison, the fastest time at the Jerez test last year was 1m17.879s, set by Felipe Massa in a Ferrari.
The highest number of total laps completed at this year’s Jerez test by any one driver was Nico Rosberg, who racked up 188 laps with Mercedes.
Testing numbers:
Total number of sets brought to Jerez: 250 sets which equals 1,000 tyres
– of which supersoft tyres: 2 sets
– of which soft tyres: 9 sets
– of which medium tyres: 52 sets
– of which hard tyres: 52 sets
– of which ‘winter’ tyres: 69 sets
– of which intermediate tyres: 36 sets
– of which wet tyres: 30 sets
Total amount of sets used: 99
– of which supersoft tyres: 1 sets
– of which soft tyres: 2 sets
– of which medium tyres: 23 sets
– of which hard tyres: 11 sets
– of which ‘winter’ tyres: 32 sets
– of which intermediate tyres: 20 sets
– of which wet tyres: 10 sets
Longest run: 10 laps on the supersoft compound
9 laps of the soft compound
17 laps on the medium compound
24 laps on the hard compound
23 laps on the ‘winter’ compound
26 laps on the intermediate compound
13 laps on the wet compound
Highest / lowest ambient temperature over four days: 17 °C / 5 °C
Highest / lowest track temperature over four days: 23 °C / 6 °C
Testing Times:
Day 1
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
1’27’’104s on Winter compound, New
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
1’27’’820s on Winter compound, Used
3. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
1’30’’082s on Winter compound, Used
Day 2
1. Jenson Button (McLaren)
1’24.165s on Medium, New
2. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
1’24’’812s on Medium, Used
3. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
1’25’’344s on Winter compound, New
Day 3
1. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren)
1’23’’276s on Medium, New
2. Felipe Massa (Williams)
1’23’’700s on Hard, Used
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
1’23’’952s on Medium, New
Day 4
1. Felipe Massa (Williams)
1’28’’229s, on Hard, New
2. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
1’29’’145s, on Medium, Used
3. Daniel Juncadella (Force India)
1’29’’457s, on Soft, New
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A Pirelli photo after Jerez testing on 31 Jan 2014.
Jerez, 31 Jan 2014: Sahara Force India wrapped up its first week of testing as Daniel Juncadella spent his first day in the VJM07.
Day four statisticDaniel Juncadella makes his debut in a Force India car at Jerez. A Sahara Force India photo
s:
Chassis: VJM07-01
Laps: 81 laps
Mileage: 359 km
Fastest lap: 1:29.457
Classification: P3
Daniel Juncadella: “It was my first day working with the team and it was a big challenge because of the tricky conditions. I took things very cautiously because I had never driven a Formula One car in the wet and for the whole day the track still had damp patches. It was a case of building up my confidence and learning how the team operates. It was a great experience and I made sure to make the most of it. We covered a lot of laps, which was a big improvement after quite a frustrating day yesterday. It’s what the team needed before the Bahrain test to really start understanding the car. I want to thank the team for today and I look forward to the rest of the season.”
Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer
“The final day in Jerez has proved to be the most productive so far. Despite the mixed weather conditions, Daniel was able to cover 81 laps, which has given him valuable experience for his role as a reserve driver this season. The car has run reliably all day, which is a result of all the hard work carried out earlier in the week to resolve some of the initial reliability concerns. During these early days it’s paramount to get laps under our belt and over the last four days we have clocked up almost 650 km. It’s not been an easy test operationally, with lots of different challenges, but the whole team has done an extremely professional job to ensure we maximised the test days we had available.”
Silverstone, 24 Jan 2014: Sahara Force India announced on Friday that Spain’s Daniel Juncadella would be joining as a reserve driver for the 2014 season.
According to a press release, the 22-year-old will attend all races with the team and take part in several Friday practice sessions to gain valuable track time and experience behind the wheel of the VJM07.
In addition to his duties with Sahara Force India, Daniel’s racing focus will remain on the DTM with Mercedes-Benz.
Reserve driver Daniel Juncadella joins driver line-up for 2014. A Sahara Force India photo
Team Principal and Managing Director Vijay Mallya, said: “Daniel is an exciting prospect and I am delighted to welcome him to Sahara Force India. Over the last few years we have always tried to support young, talented drivers and we will continue down this path by giving Daniel the opportunity to drive the VJM07 on Fridaymornings at selected races. Daniel will also play an important role in our simulator programme at the factory, which remains an increasingly important development tool.”
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Daniel Juncadella: “Joining Sahara Force India is a dream come true. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to learn and will hopefully take me a step closer to eventually racing in Formula One. To work with the team at the track and in the factory will give me some valuable experience and I will do my best to make a contribution to help the team achieve its goals in 2014.”
Bangalore, 22 Dec 2013: Bharat Raj, Chairman of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club, has emerged as a strong contender for the post of the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India with Vicky Chandhok forced to step down from the coveted post after two successful terms in office. The greatest achievement during his tenure, is perhaps, the arrival of Formula One to the Indian shores. The elections are scheduled to be held in Chennai on Dec 23 and the results are expected to be announced on 8 Jan 2014 due to Madras High Court, which ordered the results to be kept in abeyance (in a sealed cover) before going for Christmas holidays.
Bharat Raj, however, is expected to face a tough challenge from veteran motorsporst administrator and organiser Shrikant Karani of Sportscraft, Mumbai. Karani filed an injunction against the elections contending against an FMSCI ruling which prohibited him from contesting elections as Sportscraft is a profit-making body.
The elections held today were for the five council berths. The council in turn elects the President and other office-bearers. If the Hon. Court probibits Shrikant Karani, Bharat Raj is likely to elected unanimously as President of the Federation. The other scenario, where the Court allows his nomination, the nine-member Council will elect the President.
Meanwhile, though Vicky Chandhok sent a subtle hint welcoming the incoming team in his annual news letter and later through his announcement that he would be stepping down paving the way for newcomers, experts feel that it is a strategic move to keep himself out of harm’s way as the International Federation of Motorsports (FIA) has now become a member of International Olympic Association (IOA) and the Indian Federation, an ASN (official member country) of FIA, has to follow the rules and regulations of the National Olympic Association which states that no office-bearer can continue for a third successive term.
With the Formula One race in India ruled out for 2014 due to scheduling problems, Chandhok, found it is right time to take a sabbatical from the helm. However, the veteran administrator who was the son of Indhu Chandhok, one of the founders of FMSCI and father of Karun Chandhok, the second F1 driver from India, is expected to represent India in the international fora in some honorary capacity, what with his savvy skills to take forward the motorsport in the country.
An announcement on Dec 23 said: “After a second extended term of being FMSCI President, Vicky Chandhok today confirmed that he will not be standing for re-election for the upcoming year.”
Chandhok, along with the Jaypee Group and other FMSCI council members including Vijay Mallya, played a key role in bringing Formula One to India and was helped by the great urge of FIA and the wish of ring master Bernie Ecclestone who thought that, the F1 bandwagon visiting India and the Asian country being on the regular calendar of F1 would benefit the sport more than India gaining from it. But the tax problems and other bureaucratic red tape were also named as reasons from removing India from the 2014 calendar. F1 is expected to return to the country in 2015 as JP group has a contract with the commercial rights holders of F1.
After an earlier stint of 3 years at the helm of the Federation from 2005 to 2007, Chandhok was elected to the Presidency again in 2010. The last 4 years have seen a big boost in Indian motorsport, not just with the Formula One Indian Grand Prix but also with domestic motorsport in general. Auto manufacturer support has increased with involvement in car and bike championships as well as the Indian National Rally Championship. Under his aegis, the first ever Indian National Times Speed Distance Rally Championship was also launched.
Chandhok said, “This is a difficult decision for me but after being President for 7 out of the last 9 years, and living and breathing Indian motorsport on a daily basis, it is time to pass the baton on. The federation has seen many wins over the past few years, including, most notably Formula 1 coming to India as well as the Asian Road Racing Championship for Bikes. There have been so many positive changes to Indian motorsport with the introduction of new championships, and I am glad to have played a pivotal role in making it happen. The first ever FMSCI Automobile Conclave has helped us in bringing more manufacturers into our various championships. From an international perspective, India has a much larger presence in world motorsport with 14 people joining international commissions and I’m glad that I have played a part in building these international relations with the FIA, FIM and CIK.”
The last 4 years have seen significant developments in the Indian motorsport arena. Karting and single-seater racing has given young Indian drivers the perfect platform to hone their skills before going to race internationally. The JK Tyre National Karting Championship continues to flourish and the introduction of the JK Racing India Series, MRF 16000 and MRF Challenge 2013 has helped prepare young drivers to face the challenges of international competition. Saloon car racing in India has established its own niche with the introduction of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup and the Toyota Etios Trophy. Rallying in India has recovered after a couple of difficult years and now has increased manufacture presence from car giants Volkswagen, Mahindra and Maruti.
Chandhok added, “Young drivers now have ample platforms to chart out their motorsport career starting from karting to F3 style cars. Rallying, a discipline where I personally spent many years competing, has now stabilised over the last 12 months. It has also been very heartening to see the support that organisers, promoters and competitors have extended to me personally, and the federation especially over the past couple of months. I have had a very passionate team of people to work with and none of our achievements would have been possible without the determination and hard work of the entire team.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity that I was given to improve Indian motorsport and I am confident that we can look forward to more successes in the future. There is a plenty of work to be done in supporting the Jaypee Group and Formula One Management, as well as the vehicle manufacturers to improve the sport in India. I will of course continue to be a member of the FMSCI managing council and look forward to lending my support to the new President and his team,” he added.
On the other side of the success, the new office-bearers will have to work that much harder not only to keep up the good work but also to bring in transparency and professionalism to the National body. Just like FIA, its parent body, the Indian Federation, guards its accounts and dealings in great secrecy. Time has come now to publish the audited reports and take responsibility by creating strong mechanisms for accountability.
(This article is edited on Dec 23 at 3pm)
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File photo of Vicky Chandhok with Bernie Ecclestone. An Adrenna Communications photo
Chennai, 21 Dec 2013: British driver Rupert Svendsen-Cook stormed back into the title fight with a dominant win in Race 4 of the MRF Challenge 2013 Round 3 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. Svendsen-Cook won the race ahead of Shinya Michimi and Sam Dejonghe as his main title rivals faltered. Championship leader Tio Ellinas was given a drive through penalty for a jump start while Arthur Pic had to retire after a collision with Renan Guerra. Earlier in the day Tio Ellinas beat Svendsen-Cook & Pic to win Race 3.
In Race 3, Rupert Svendsen-Cook started on pole position alongside Tio Ellinas. Svendsen-Cook had a clean start and went into the lead with Ellinas and Sam Dejonghe behind him. Arthur Pic starting in fourth position held on to his position in front of Brazilian driver Renan Guerra. Svendsen-Cook made a mistake on lap 3 allowing Ellinas to get a run on him and pass him on the main straight. On the same lap Pic made a move on Dejonghe to move into third place. While Ellinas started to slowly pull away, Pic started to close in on Svendsen-Cook with 5 laps to go. Pic made a move on Svendsen-Cook on the final lap but could not make it stick and ended up finishing in third place. Ellinas crossed the finish line to take his third win out of the last four races to increase his championship lead with Pic second and Svendsen-Cook third. Renan Guerra, who was in fourth place had to retire with a mechanical problem. Harry Tincknell finished in fourth place ahead of Sam Dejonghe and Shinya Michimi
Raj Bharath was once again the fastest of all the Indian drivers with a 11th place finish. Tarun Reddy ran as high as 13th place before finishing in 16th place while Vikash Anand retired from 15th position.
In Race 4, Shinya Michimi started on reverse-grid pole position alongside Sam Dejonghe. Both front row drivers started well holding their positions while Svendsen-Cook had one more of his trademark starts and jumped to third place from fifth on the grid. Ellinas moved into fourth place with Harry Tincknell and Arthur Pic behind him. Svendsen-Cook made a move on Dejonghe and got past him on lap 2 and then set his sights on Japanese driver Shinya Michimi. It took him another 2 laps but Svendsen-Cook got past Michimi to take the lead on lap 5. Behind him there was action all around with Ellinas getting past Dejonghe for third place. Tincknell, Pic and Guerra were involved in a close battle which ended with Guerra colliding with Pic forcing both drivers to retire on the spot. The drama continued when Ellinas was given a drive though penalty and was forced to come in to the pits to serve the penalty, putting him out of the points. With both Pic and Ellinas out of the points, Svendsen-Cook took advantage to cross the finish line in first in first place with Michimi second and Dejonghe third. Behind them Tincknell picked up another fourth place with Ryan Cullen and Camren Kaminsky in fifth and sixth places respectively.
The Indian driver enjoyed their best finish to date with an 8th & 9th place for Vikash Anand and Raj Bharath. Both drover very well to move up the field and into the top 10. Tarun Reddy retired after a collision on lap 1.
Championship leader Tio Ellinas was excited after yet another double podium finish. He said, “In Race 3 I had a good start but Rupert had a better start. I managed to pass him in a couple of laps and after that it was just a matter of keeping him behind me. I am glad I was able to increase my lead after Race 3. In Race 4 I moved a little but did not jump the start. It is unfortunate that I got a drive through penalty but that’s how it goes. This is my first race off the podium but am glad that my championship lead is still intact.”
Race winner Rupert Svendsen-Cook was happy with a double podium finish and a small change in his luck. He commented, “I am happy to take a dominant win after yesterday’s Race 2 retirement. The car felt much better than the morning and I was sure that I would be in with a good chance. I have inched closer to the top two guys in the championship so can’t wait to get to India for the final round.”
MRF Challenge 2013 Calendar:
Round 1: October 25-27, 2013, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit (Formula One Support Race)
Round 2: November 28-30, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (World Endurance Championship Support Race)
Round 3: December 19-21, 2013, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (Gulf Racing Festival)
Round 4: February 14-16, 2014, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Trust
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Tio Ellinas in Chennai on Saturday. An Adrenna photo
