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Tag: Indian
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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.
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New items in Sahara Force India online shop
A new online E-shop, allowing Sahara Force India fans to purchase the team’s official merchandise, is now live on the Sahara Force India website.The launch of the online shop coincides with the unveiling of a new range of official replica teamwear and accessories, allowing fans to own similar items of clothing as those worn by Paul Di Resta, Adrian Sutil and the team during race weekends.The new online shop brings together for the first time the entire range of officially licensed Sahara Force India products, including Chatham Marine shoes, TW Steel Watches and Memento Memorabilia.The latest release of official teamwear, in particular, will allow fans to purchase perfect replica items such as the official team polo shirt, lightweight jacket and raincoat.Sahara Force India Formula One Team Principal, Dr Vijay Mallya, welcomed the launch of the new online shop: “The team’s increasing success on the track is helping bring more and more fans to our ranks so it’s great to be able to offer them the opportunity to purchase a full range of items in the colours of Sahara Force India and incorporating the team’s logo. Whether it is showing their passion with a t-shirt, making a fashion statement with a watch, or owning some race-used memorabilia, there is something for every fan in our new online shop.”The new Sahara Force India online shop can be reached via the official team website, or by clicking on this link: http://www.forceindiaf1.com/shop ends
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Arjun Balu, Leela win ITC races
Chennai, 23 June 2013: Japanese driver Yudai Jinkawa won Race 2 of the MRF 1600 race in Round 2 of the MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship ahead of Sudarshan Rao and championship leader Ashwin Sundar. The Indian Touring Car races were closely contested with championship contenders N. Leelakrishnan and Arjun Balu winning races 1 & 2 respectively. In other action S. Narendran capped off a strong weekend by winning both races of the Formula LGB4 & Swift. Earlier in the day Gokul Krishna won his first race in the India Junior Touring Car championship ahead of Charen Chandran and race 1 winner Mihir Dharkar, a press release said.
Race 1 of the day saw the Indian Touring Cars in action with Arjun Narendran on pole ahead of local favourite Arjun Balu. Both got off the line really well and had a great battle in the first half of the race with Leelakrishnan right behind them. The leaders then collided sending both drivers backwards and Leelakrishnan getting past both of them. Leelakrishnan went on to win the race with Ramnarayan in second and Arjun Balu fighting back to finish in third place.
Race 2 of the day was the Formula LGB4 & Swift with S. Narendran on pole. Narendran won from start to finish with Jigar Muni in second place and Sudanand D in third place. There was no difference in the second race of the Formula LGB4 & Swift with the drivers finishing in the same order and making it two out of two for Narendran.
The Indian Junior Touring Cars were next up with Gokul Krishna and Charen Chandran starting on the front row. The main battle was behind them with wheel banging between Mihir Dharkar and Feroze Khan. Feroze got past Mihir to finish in 3rd place but was given a 20 second penalty for an incident and finally ended up in 11th place. Gokul withstood pressure from both Charen and Feroze to win his first race in the IJTC.
In race 2 of the ITC championship, Arjun Narendran started on pole ahead of Arjun Balu. Arjun Balu had a great start and went into the lead with Arjun Narendran passing Ramnarayan on lap 3. From there on it was a close battle between the two Arjun’s. It was as close as it could get on the last lap with Arjun Balu just winning by 0.048secs ahead of Arjun Narendran to record one of the closest ever finishes in the ITC history.
The main attraction of the day were the MRF 1600 and it was another exciting race. Ashwin Sundar, starting last fought his way up to 3rd place after a last lap move on Goutam Parekh. In front Yudai Jinkawa had a brilliant start and cruised to victory with second place finisher Sudarshan Rao not getting close enough to challenge him. Vikash Anand drove well to finish in 4th place with 15yr old Tarun Reddy finishing in 5th place after damaging his front wing with a crash with Ashwin Sundar. Ashwin Sundar continues to lead the championship.
The next round of the MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship will take place in Chennai on July 27-28.
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Karun qualifies in seventh at Le Mans for Murphy
Le Mans (France), 21 June 2013: : Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok and his team Murphy Prototypes qualified in an impressive 7th position at the La Sarthe circuit in the LMP2 category in the Le Mans 24 hours. Chandhok’s team Murphy Prototypes set a time of 3:41.569 and will start in 15th place overall, and 7th in their category. The trio of Brendon Hartley, Mark Patterson and Karun Chandhok will drive the iconic Le Mans 24 hours race in the LMP2 Nissan V8-powered Oreca 03 with Murphy Prototypes. The second qualifying session was wet which resulted in Murphy Prototypes not venturing out at all.
The third and final qualifying session started on a damp but drying track. There were as many as 9 red flags which disrupted running for all drivers. This resulted in the track coming alive in the last 30 minutes with all cars looking to improve their time. Hartley ran in the qualifying session as he had not got any meaningful running the entire week. He finally managed to get a new set of tyres to run in qualifying.
Chandhok, who is supported by JK Tyre and Tag Heuer, is looking forward to a one-day break before the race starts on Saturday evening. He commented, “The morning session was a complete washout and it made no sense to do any laps. With the weather and so many red flags I could not get any running today but will be back in the car for warm-up tomorrow. We are starting in a reasonably good position and will have to push very hard to get a good result. The atmosphere here is unbelievable and I can’t wait to get going on Saturday. I am a little more experienced after racing last year but conditions are a lot more unpredictable this year so should be an interesting race. ”
Brendon Hartley was happy to get a run finally even though there were some problems to iron out before the race. He said, “We could have been much better, but it’s qualifying for a 24-hour race. We had some kind of issue with the steering rack – Karun commented on it yesterday and that made it very tricky in the beginning. We are in P7 so it’s not a big deal but with such a long race tomorrow we have little issue to fix, but we’re in good shape.”Team Principal Greg Murphy felt the LMP2 category will be one of the most closely contested this weekend and felt the team could have got more running time. He commented, “We were pretty disappointed to be honest, every time we went for a lap we got traffic, we got red flags… I’m sure it’s a common story up and down the pitlane, but yeah, we really struggled. We had a lot more pace in the car, than we showed today. But seventh position, I think Starworks when they won it last year started in 11th, so we’re reasonable happy, 24 hours to go, we’re here to fight and we’re here to win so I think we have some good speed in the car. We had a problem with all the red flags and stuff, we didn’t get a rhythm, and I feel a little bit for Karun he had very little running, but he’s such a good driver it’s not going to be a problem.”
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Chandhok excited about return to iconic Le Mans
Le Mans (France), 18 June 2013:, Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok will return to the historic Le Mans 24 hours race this weekend at the La Sarthe circuit in the North of France. Chandhok will drive the iconic Le Mans 24 hours race in the LMP2 Nissan V8-powered Oreca 03 with Murphy Prototypes. The Le Mans 24 hours race, part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, is widely regarded as part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, along with the F1, a press release from Adrenna Communications said.Chandhok is the only Indian on the grid amongst 166 drivers this year. Last year he created history by becoming the first and only Indian to compete in and finish the race, when he finished in 6th place overall for JRM Racing. There will be 56 cars on the grid and this year LMP2 is the strongest class with 22 cars on the grid.
Chandhok could not hide his excitement about returning to what he considers one of the best races ever. He commented, “I’m very excited to be back at Le Mans! Racing here last year, and being the first Indian to compete in and finish the historic 24 hours was one of the highlights of my career. This race is certainly right up there in terms of the Monaco F1 GP in terms of prestige but in terms of getting a result it’s much harder I think. It’s such a long race and certainly feels like a very long 24 hours hoping that the car runs reliably.“
The Murphy Prototypes team will consist of young New Zealander, Brendon Hartley, and the greatly-experienced endurance sports car campaigner, Mark Patterson, who placed 2nd in LMP2 at the Petit Le Mans 2011 and is boosted at La Sarthe by Karun, a former Lotus and Hispania F1 driver.
Team owner Greg Murphy said “We are thrilled to have Karun onboard for Le Mans this year. Our front-running performances at the two European Le Mand rounds this year at Silverstone and Imola has shown we have the pace, and a great driver combination in Brendon and Mark, which is boosted still further with the addition of Karun Chandhok to the squad for Le Mans. With these three, our line-up is good enough to win. Karun brings an awful lot to the table. He’s a very professional driver with Formula One experience and very quick. So we have a very good blend between the three of them.“
The circuit is 13.6 kilometres long with cars touching top speeds of 315km/h. The three drivers will share driving duties over the 24 hours. Practice & Qualifying will take place on Thursday night with for the drivers to get accustomed to driving at night.
After their Nissan-Oreca ran at the head of the LMP2 field for five hours at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and with Chandhok placed sixth overall last year, hopes are running high in the team camp.
Chandhok is encouraged by the competitiveness of the LMP2 category and the effort the team is putting in. He added, “Last year I was here with JRM in the LMP1 class, but the problem in LMP1 is that only the two manufacturer teams Audi and Toyota have a chance of winning. A privateer has no chance under the current regulations. In LMP2, you have a real chance of fighting for a class victory as every team is a privateer outfit. Its been interesting for me to drive the LMP2 car this year – the speed in the corners is pretty much the same as the LMP1 car and some times even faster as they are lighter, but the straight line speeds are a bit less. We’re still doing 315 kmh down the straights though so it’s pretty damn quick in the middle of the night on a narrow forest road!”
“The team at Murphy Prototypes have been working very hard to get the car sorted – they were leading the race until 6am last year but had a suspension failure. This is such a hard race to get right – the reliability of the car is probably more critical than outright speed although you do need both. I have two good team-mates in Brendon Hartley, who I know from both our time as Red Bull F1 test drivers, and Mark Patterson from America who is a Le Mans rookie but is learning fast.“ commented Chandhok.
This year’s Le Mans 24 hours race will mark the 90th anniversary of the race. The race distance is more than 5000 km, which is equal to about 16 F1 races. The Le Mans 24 hours boasts the world’s largest live audience for a sporting event with over 280,000 people.
Chandhok was also quick to thank his long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer who made this all possible. He said, “Being the only Indian on the grid amongst 166 drivers is once again an honour and I have to really thank my long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer for their backing once again this year.”
The race can be seen live at – www.fiawec.com
Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.
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Gaurav Gill, Sanjay Takale set Indian record in APRC
New Caledonia, 16 June 2013: Celebrated Indian speedmaster Gaurav Gill was totally dominating at Rally New Caledonia delivering an impressive 19-minute win for his MRF Tyres Rally Team. The victory in the second round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) helped Gill take the overall lead in the championship as he pushed his teammate to second place in the standings. Another Indian driver Sanjay Takale from Pune, co-driven by Sean Gregory of Malaysia came second to make an Indian one-two for the first time in the history of APRC.
With his MRF team mate Esapekki Lappi unable to start today, the rally was his to lose. Gill and co-driver Glenn Macneall were masterful on Sunday on the very slippery roads soaked by overnight rain, an MRF press release said.
Gill, who was also the winner on the South Pacific island last season, reached the finish in the capital Noumea on Sunday afternoon with a comfortable margin over countryman Sanjay Takale. Australia’s Simon Knowles finished third following a close battle between the pair.
The rain forced the cancellation of 5 of Sunday’s high speed tests when the roads were deemed to be unsafe for driving. This left just one road/stage to be used 3 times with just 51km to contest. This presented a challenge for Gill not to take it too easy and lose concentration but for now the results speak for themselves.
Meanwhile, Esapekka Lappi, who led the APRC standings on the back of his first place on the season-opening International Rally of Whangarei last month, crashed out on the fourth stage and loses the title initiative to Gill, his Team MRF ŠKODA team-mate, as a result.
Lappi wasn’t the only APRC contender to suffer in the slippery conditions on day one: Matt van Tuinen retired after being injured in a heavy landing over a large jump on stage two. He will have surgery on his back this week and will be out of action for at least two months. Fellow Australian Bruce Fullerton also faltered over the jump with the damage to his Mitsubishi Lancer’s engine forcing him out close to the completion of the first leg.
Co-driven by Glenn Macneall, Gill registered his intent with the fastest time through stage one. He repeated the feat on the following test only for an off-road moment on stage three to cost him vital time as he attempted to select reverse gear in his Fabia Super 2000. That turned an advantage of 14s into a deficit to Lappi of 15s starting stage four.
But Lappi’s lead wasn’t too last. In a fifth-gear downhill section, the 22-year-old’s car pitched sideways into a large rock and the damage was too great for him to continue.
However, there were no such problems for the impressive Gill, who started the final day with a comfortable margin, which he preserved until the finish as heavy rain forced organisers to axe five of the day’s planned eight stages.
Behind Gill, APRC Production Cup winner Takale’s second place for India is understood to be the first time that two drivers from that country have climbed the podium on an FIA international event. For Knowles, an APRC Pacific Cup entrant, the result puts him second place in the category points, 27.5 adrift of Gill. Pacific Cup contender Claude Clavel’s challenge ended on stage two when he tore a wheel off his Lancer striking a tree stump.
“It was a perfect weekend for me” said Gill “the technical problems we had with the car in New Zealand resurfaced on shakedown but fortunately Lane Heenan, (Race Torque Engineering), and his mechanic’s found the problem so I was able to drive with confidence.”
Gill also commented “The Skoda and MRF rally tyres were spot on all weekend. The MRF Tyres Rally Team run a Factory backed Skoda Fabia S2000) and this makes a difference because you can concentrate on your driving. Apart from my one small spin yesterday I can say again everything was perfect,” he added.
Unfortunately for Team MRF the young Finnish driver, Esapekki Lappi, was unable to restart day 2 because of chassis damage sustained on day one. An off road excursion ripped the right rear suspension from the car. To be sure the very quick Finnish driver will be back full of determination at the next round.
For the first time ever in APRC history drivers from India made up the first 2 places. Sanjay Takale co-driven by Sean Gregory brought their Subaru Impreza WRX STI home in second place. This is Sanjay’s second event in a four wheel drive rally car and the improvement in speed was evident as the weekend progressed “I cannot believe this result! I know I was getting better and the tight twisty roads suit my style of driving, amazing!” said a very smiley Sanjay.
Once again the unforgiving roads of New Caledonia took their toll with 5 APRC championship drivers failing to finish. Gaurav Gill said at the beginning of the rally that it was an event where you had to drive at your own pace and “not push”. Certainly his experience and maturity as a driver delivered a good result for the MRF Tyres Rally Team.
Gaurav Gill (India), first position: “The final day was obviously a short day but it was still good miles although the heavy overnight rain meant it was slippery in the morning. It was hard to underdrive, which is what I was doing to get to the finish but it’s been a good weekend for us. We were quick from the shakedown having come here with good confidence from New Zealand. Now we have some good points for the championship.”
Sanjay Takale (India), second position: “I am very proud to stand next to Gaurav on the podium. I love these roads and I am well used to slippery conditions from rallying in Malaysia. I am very happy because it’s only my second event in four-wheel drive.”
RESULTS (after 17 special stages, 236.59 kilometres):
1 Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL) ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 1h57m12.3s
2 Sanjay Takale (IND)/Sean Gregory (MYS) Subaru Impreza WRX STI +19m36.0s
3 Simon Knowles (AUS)/Margot Knowles (AUS) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX +22m10.7sFIA APRC Production Cup: Sanjay Takale (IND)/Sean Gregory (MYS) Subaru Impreza WRX STI
FIA APRC Team Trophy: Team MRF ŠKODA
FIA Pacific Cup winner: Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
FIA APRC Junior Cup: This event not part of the FIA APRC Junior CupCHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS (full standings at www.fiaaprc.com):
Overall drivers: 1 Gill 65.5pts; 2 Takale 46; 3 Esapekka Lappi 39; 4 Michael Young 24; 5 Hiroshi Asakura 5; Overall co-drivers: 1 Macneall 65.5; 2 Gregory 46; 3 Janne Ferm 39; 5 Daniel Wilson 24; 5 Takumi Takahashi 5. Manufacturers: 1 ŠKODA 74.5; 2 Subaru 52; 3 Mitsubishi 42.5; 4 Toyota 11. Subject to results being confirmed by the event stewardsEVENT DATA:
Stage winners:
Leg one, Saturday June 15, 123.42 kilometres:
SS1: Gadji-Almameto 1 (16.78kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS2: Magnin-Karenga 1 (13.51kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS3: Max Foucher 1 (10.85kms): Esapekka Lappi (FIN)/Janne Ferm (FIN)
SS4: Gadji-Almameto 2 (16.78kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS5: Magnin-Karenga 2 (13.51kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS6: Max Foucher 2 (10.85kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS7: Gadji-Almameto 3 (16.78kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS8: Magnin-Karenga 3 (13.51kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS9: Max Foucher 3 (10.85kms): Cancelled for safety reasonsLeg two, Sunday June 16, 113.17 kilometres:
SS10: ESQ/Tontouta 1 (13.37kms): Cancelled for safety reasons
SS11: Tomo-Vallee 1 (10.88kms): Cancelled for safety reasons
SS12: Shell-Païta 1 (17.10kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS13: ESQ/Tontouta 2 (13.37kms): Cancelled for safety reasons
SS14: Tomo-Vallee 2 (10.88kms): Cancelled for safety reasons
SS15: Shell-Païta 2 (17.10kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)
SS16: ESQ/Tontouta 3 (13.37kms): Cancelled for safety reasons
SS17: Shell-Païta 3 (17.10kms): Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL)Rally leaders:
SS1-2: Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL) ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000
SS3: Esapekka Lappi (FIN)/Janne Ferm (FIN) ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000
SS4-17: Gaurav Gill (IND)/Glenn Macneall (NZL) ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000NEXT ROUND: International Rally of Queensland, July 12-14
MORE INFORMATION: Visit the official FIA APRC website at www.fiaaprc.com or www.aprc.tv
For Video: http://live.ralliheart.com/2013/06/rally-new-caledonia-leg-1-aprc-2013.html?
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Gaurav Gill and co driver MacNeall of MRF (centre) came first followed by another Indian driver Sanjay Takale (in blue) to create a record of Indian 1-2 in APRC. MRF Tyres Rally team photo -
Mahindra riders finish 5th and 6th: MotoGP 3
Circuit de Catalunya, 16 June 2013: The Mahindra pair Efrén Vázquez and Miguel Oliveira finished fifth and sixth in today’s Catalunyan Grand Prix. The double top six is the only Indian international motorcycle racing team’s best result so far, earning valuable points to improve the all-new MGP3O machine’s strong standing in the championships, a press release said.
The race was a personal triumph for Vázquez. The 26-year-old racer from Bilbao in northern Spain missed the last two races after breaking his collarbone in practice in France. Still not fully healed, he gritted his teeth and even took the lead mid-race. Still close to the leaders after 22 gruelling laps, fifth was his best finish of the season.
Oliveira (18, from Portugal) started from the front row for the second time this year, and played a strong part in the seven-strong breakaway. By the end he had lost a couple of seconds on his team-mate, but held his pace to win a strong fight for sixth.
It was an important race for the team and the motorcycle. Designed and built in just six months the first Mahindra MGP3O prototype proved not only reliable from the start, but also impressively competitive. The bike for round six in Catalunya was a first development step. Upgraded internal parts and a new muffler have improved engine performance, while refined bodywork has smoothed the aerodynamics.
Both riders felt the advantage, proving development is in the right direction; and the result moved Mahindra tantalisingly closer to second overall in the constructors’ table.
The next round is in two weeks, where the Dutch TT is held on a Saturday at the historic Assen venue.
EFRÉN VÁZQUEZ – Fifth Place
I am very happy with this race even though I couldn’t fight for the podium right until the end. Fighting in the first group demonstrates the level of our performance with the new bike. The setting of the bike was perfect. My main issue was my shoulder. I need more time to let it completely recover because at the end of the race it was difficult to move. It was difficult to ride in such a big battle when I am not at 100 percent. After five or six laps my strength was dropping and the pain increasing. Finally I could be fifth: a very positive result because I am not so far from the first group.
MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – Sixth Place
It was an okay race – I got caught up battling with Jack Miller and we both lost touch with the front group. It was a bit difficult to fight today, but it was important to finish and I am happy we could still get sixth; and sixth in the championship is not bad. Maybe I could have done better if everything had gone 100%, but racing is like that and I am happy that we are in good shape for the next races.
MUFADDAL CHOONIA – Mahindra Racing CEO
It was a very good performance from the boys today. I wouldn’t say I am totally happy, in spite of a double top six. I think we could have finished a couple of places higher had it not been forEfrén’s shoulder, which really hindered him in the second half of the race. It was great to see him leading the race and taking the fight to the rest, but it was difficult to maintain his pace. He was in real pain when he came back into the box – I am very pleased with his effort and determination today. Miguel got caught up with another rider and at a circuit like Catalunya it is very difficult to catch up again once you lose the slipstream. The updates that we had on the bike following the test in Mugello worked very well. This is a good sign for the future and shows we are working in the right direction.
Ends
About Mahindra Racing
1.2
Mahindra Racing became the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship in 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012.
Racing in the Moto3™ class in MotoGP, Mahindra Racing entered the 2013 season with its own new 4-stroke, single-cylinder, 250cc motorcycle: the Mahindra MGP3O, developed with experienced Swiss firm Suter Racing Technology AG. Experienced Spanish rider Efrén Vázquez (26, from Bilbao) is teamed with exciting Portuguese teenager Miguel Oliveira (18, from Pragal near Lisbon). At the opening round in Qatar, the duo finished with a best-ever double Top 10 result for the only Indian team in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. In Round 2 in Austin, Oliveira finished a superlative fifth while Vázquez claimed 14th place. Celebrating a third successive top ten finish in Round 3 at Jerez, Vázquez claimed eighth place. At Round 4 in Le Mans, Oliveira secured a front row start by qualifying second.
In the 2012 CIV season, Mahindra Racing competed in the 125 GP Class and became the first team from India to win an international motorsport event, eventually recording six victories from eight races and securing the Constructors’ Championship. In the 2013 CIV season, the team has entered the Moto3 (250cc – 4 stroke) class with talented riders Andrea Locatelli (16, from Alzano Lombardo) and Michael Rinaldi (17, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna). Locatelli ended Rounds 1 and 2 with a fantastic twin podium finish. While winning the first, he finished the second in third position. Rinaldi finished eighth in the first encounter and a respectable sixth in the second.
Mahindra’s bold decision to take on the world’s best at the highest level of motorcycle racing won the team prestigious awards such as the ‘ZigWheels Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012’, and the NDTV Car and Bike Awards ‘Mobil 1 Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012’.
For further information please visit: www.mahindraracing.com.
About Mahindra
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.
A USD 16.2 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 155,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, after-market,information technology and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.
In 2012, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world. In 2013, the Mahindra Group received the Financial Times ‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the ‘Emerging Markets’ category.
Visit us at www.mahindra.com.
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Efren Vazquez-of Mahindra Racing who finished 5th in Catalunya GP ahead of his teammate. A Mahindra Racing photo. -
Mahindras’ Oliveira claims front row: Moto GP
Circuit de Catalunya, 15 June 2013: Mahindra rider Miguel Oliveira claimed his second front-row start of the year for Sunday’s Catalunyan GP. Team-mate Efren Vazquez will start directly behind him, qualifying a best-yet sixth to put international motorcycle racing’s only Indian team in a strong position for tomorrow’s race.
Rising teenage Portuguese star Oliveira is fresh from fourth place in Italy after challenging throughout. The more experienced Spaniard Vazquez is back after pulling out of that race, recovering from collar-bone surgery.
Both are riding the first development version of the Mahindra MGP3O Moto3™ machine. Engine performance and aerodynamics have both been enhanced as development of the brand-new bike continues apace. The white-and-red streamliner is in only its sixth race.
Today’s qualifying continues a positive trend for the Mahindra squad. Six months after the bike first hit the drawing board, shake-down tests proved speed and reliability; results have improved race by race. At the same time the first developments were undergoing thorough tests, before finding their way to the race-track at Catalunya.
The result underlines Mahindra’s growing credibility and status in the paddock, and has further quickened interest in the machine from other teams, interested in the prospect of running the MGP3O in next year’s series.
“We have the infrastructure for supplying the MGP3O to other Moto3 teams next year as per the Moto3 regulations for 2014,” explains Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia. “It’s quite an exciting time in the paddock because we are getting approaches from a number of teams interested in Mahindra and the possibility of using the MGP3O as their official bike next season. And it would be extremely satisfying to see more Mahindra MGP3Os on the grid. It would certainly make us proud.”
Tomorrow’s race is the sixth of 17 rounds in the Moto3 championship.
MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – Third place, 1’51.540
After free practice we made some changes to the bike, and I was in a good group so I could get a good lap.Tomorrow will be difficult for sure – another big group fight, and tough over 23 laps. I have to be smart and conserve my strength. While the team has been doing a good job developing the bike, I am also developing myself. The first job tomorrow is to finish the race, we’ll have to wait and see what position it is.
EFREN VAZQUEZ – Sixth place, 151.952
I’m very happy and a little bit surprised: my collar-bone is still in eight parts. I have a little pain … but I am from Bilbao! I’ve been training at home, and I feel good that I can fight tomorrow. The team is improving all the time. At each race the bike and the performance get better. Having both on the front two rows is important to the team, and for our race results.
Ends
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Vettel wins Canadian GP
Montreal, 9 June 2013 (IST 1.22 am Monday): Reigning World Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany drove from lights to flag to notch up his 29th victory to put Team Red Bull Racing on top in the Canadian Grand Prix here on Sunday to extend his Drivers’ Championship lead as well as the Constructors’ lead.
Spaniard Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari overtook a struggling Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes AMG Petronas in the last lap to take the second place.
Sahara Force India did a great job for a double points finish in their 100th race as Paul di Resta, who was one of the only four drivers to start on Medium tyres, did a one-stop race to finish 7th after starting from 17th while Adrian Sutil who was running behind him on 8th place for long was penalised with a drive through penalty for ignoring blue flags and ultimately finished 10th to take the last point.
Vettel now has 132 points in the drivers’ championship and Alonso pushed Kimi Raikkonen (88) to third place with 96 points. Paul di Resta has 34 points in the 8th place while Sutil garnered 17 points to stand at 11th place.
Both the McLarens finished outside the points as Sergio Perez and Jenson Button finished 11th and 12th respectively. Mclaren’s record of 64 point-scoring races ends on the 45th anniversary of their 1st win. They had never failed to score since Button joined
Mark Webber brought the other Red Bull in a fourth place finish while Nico Rosberg was fifth in the Mercedes. Jean Eric Vergne brought his STR Ferrari in sixth.
ends
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Di Resta quickest in first practice in Canada
Montreal, 7 June 2013: Late flying lap puts Sahara Force India driver Paul Di Resta at the top of the timesheet in rain-hit session on Friday at the Circuit Filles Villeneuve here.
Force India’s Paul di Resta popped at the top of the leaderboard in the last few seconds of a rain-affected Free Practice (FP1).
First practice at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was dominated by the conditions, which saw rain fall steadily in the lead up to the session – but the rain held off during the session itself, and thus drivers went through the whole range of tyres as a dry line formed.
The early laps were on the full wet tyre, followed by the bulk of the session being run on the intermediates. Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne appeared on Pirelli’s experimental slick tyre shortly after the hour mark but pronounced it too wet. Sebastian Vettel tried on the medium shortly afterwards on his Red Bull but struggled to match his time on the inters. Only in the last ten minutes did the majority of the field appear on dry tyres, by which point the track was sufficiently dry for them to be marginally quicker than the inters.
That triggered big changes to the leaderboard. Jenson Button went into P1 with a lap of 1:21.551, the first runner to do so on slicks but several runners went under that mark in the last minute of the session, with Di Resta, anonymous to that point, being the man at the top when the chequered flag signalled the end of proceedings.
Di Resta’s time of 1:21.020 was six seconds away from a good, dry practice time of 2012, indicating how marginal the surface was. Several drivers had spins and minor excursions during that last ten minutes, with Williams’ Pastor Maldonado hitting the wall and shattering his nosecone at Turn Four.
Earlier in the session Jules Bianchi had been the only casualty, taking to the escape road at that same chicane, struggling to turn his Marussia around and being asked to switch off his engine by his pit crew. The intermediate running had seen Nico Rosberg for Mercedes continuing his strong form with a series of fastest laps, though as the session went on Vettel overhauled him and would finish FP1 with the fastest time on the inters.
Canadian Grand Prix first practice times
1 Paul di Resta Force India 1:21.020
2 Jenson Button McLaren 1:21.108 0.088
3 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:21.258 0.238
4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:21.308 0.288
5 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 1:21.608 0.588
6 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:22.068 1.048
7 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.402 1.382
8 Sergio Pérez McLaren 1:22.587 1.567
9 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:23.047 2.027
10 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing 1:23.131 2.111
11 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:23.341 2.321
12 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:23.352 2.332
13 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:23.386 2.366
14 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:23.417 2.397
15 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 1:23.957 2.937
16 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.054 4.034
17 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 1:25.354 4.334
18 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1:25.753 4.733
19 Max Chilton Marussia 1:25.821 4.801
20 Alexander Rossi Caterham 1:27.143 6.123
21 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:27.522 6.502
22 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:29.306 8.286ends


