INDIA in F1

Tag: Ishaan Madesh

  • Rivaan Dev Preetham bounces back and dominates Round 3

    Rivaan Dev Preetham bounces back and dominates Round 3

    Bengaluru, 17 Sept. 2023: Ten-year-old talented driver Rivaan Dev Preetham bounced back with vengeance and won both the final and pre-final races of the Micro Max category in the Round 3 of the Meco fmsci Rotax Max National Karting Championship which concluded at the Meco Kartopia here on Saturday.

    Rivaan Dev Preetham, springs back into contention in Micro Max class with a dominant show.
    INDIAinF1.com Photo by Rahul Reghu

    Rivaan Dev, son of former champion, Preetham Moses, was at his best clocking the fastest laps in both the races. Earlier in the qualifying session he also set a record of sort for the Micro Max category dipping under a minute, when he posted a stunning 59.478. His blistering pace in the qualies led both Danish Dalmiya and Rehan Khan too, to go under the 60-sec mark but in the races Rivaan is the only driver to clock under a minute. Six of his laps in the final were under the magic mark. After dominating the first round, Rivaan had an incident and lost a lot of points. Now, he is trailing by one point in second place in the championship table.

    In the Finals of the Micro Max, Zephaan Ardeshir kept his Mumbai mate Danish Dalmiya behind to take the second spot and in the pre-final too he finished second but it was second round hero Yatharth Gaur of Faridabad, who came third.

    In the Junior class, Ishaan Madesh saw a rare defeat an eventful pre-finals which was reduced to 11 laps after an incident. Hunner Singh of Gurugram came first and defending champion Nikhilesh Raju of Bengaluru came second in both races but in the final he docked a 10-sec penalty for ignoring yellow flags and lost the podium. Ishaan brought normalcy back winning the Final and Aarav Dewan of Gurugram who finished third behind Raju, moved up to second and Hunner came third. Raju clocked the best times in both the races.

    In the Senior Max races, reigning champion Abhay M of Bengaluru won the final after losing the  pre-final, where he redeemed a third place. Arjun Chheda of Pune won the pre-final and came second in the 16-lap final. Raiden Samervel of Mumbai was third in the final. Abhay clocked the fastest laps in both the races.

    Round 3 was held on Friday and Saturday. Round 4 of the five round Karting Nationals will be held from October 20 to 22.

    The results:

    Senior Max – Final (16 laps): 1. Abhay M (Bengaluru, Birel Art India) (14mins, 51.497secs); 2. Arjun Chheda (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (14:53.072); 3. Raiden Samarvel (Mumbai, Rayo Racing) (14:58.639). Best lap: Abhay 55.029.

    Pre-Final (14 laps): 1. Arjun Chheda (12:53.488); 2. Veer Rajwade (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (12:58.030); 3. Abhay M (12:58.199). Best lap: Abhay 54.894.

    Junior Max – Final (14 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (13mins, 04.584secs); 2. Aarav Dewan (Gurugram, Leapfrog Racing) (13:06.267); 3. Hunner Singh (Gurugram, Birel Art India) (13:07.561). Best lap: Nikhilesh 55.153.

    Pre-Final (11 laps): 1. Hunnder Singh (11:30.527); 2. NikhileshRaju (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (11:31.066); 3. Aarav Dewan (11:31.296). Best lap: Nikhilesh 55.005.

    Micro Max – Final (12 laps): 1. RivaanDevPreetham (Chennai, MSport) (12:05.803); 2. ZephaanArdeshir (Mumbai, Peregrine Racing) (12:10.589); 3. Danish Dalmiya (Mumbai, Rayo Racing) (12:13.488). Best Lap: Rivaan 59.766.

    Pre-Final (10 laps): RivaanPreetham (10:11.977); 2. ZephaanArdeshir (10:19.948); 3. DarshNawalgaria (Bengaluru, MSport) (10:20.364). Best Lap: Rivaan 59.944.

    (Results were updated with the official final results on 17 Sept. 2023)

  • Ishaan Madesh, Abhay M bag a double: Rotax Max Nationals

    Ishaan Madesh, Abhay M bag a double: Rotax Max Nationals

    Ishaan Madesh of Peregrine Racing tops Junior Max class. Photo Rahul Reghu

    Bengaluru, 3 Sept. 2023:  Bengaluru school boy Ishaan Madesh bagged another double to head the championship standings in the Junior Max category as he won both the Pre-final and the Final in the second round of the Meco fmsci Rotax Max National Karting Championship at Meco Kartopia here on Sunday. The 14-year Ishaan from Peregrine Racing won both the races in the first round and is leading the championship table in the Junior class.

    Abhay Mohankumar, another 15-year karter from Bengaluru, scored a brace in the Senior Max class winning both the scoring races of Pre-final and Final while Darsh Nawalgaria won the Micro Max Pre-Final race but Yatharth Gaur, who came second in the pre-final, did one better winning the Final by a comfortable margin.

    In the Pre-final of the Junior Max class, Oman-based Shivali Sinha,  made everyone take notice as she put in a brilliant show taking the second place in only her second outing at the Meco Kartopia while Shriya Lohia completed the podium to hoist the Women in Motorsport flag high. Competing on equal footing with boys, it is a rare but welcome occasion that two girls found their way to the podium.

    Abhay Kumar bags a double in Senior Max class. Photos by Rahul Reghu

    Provisional Results: (Official results are yet to be received)

    Senior Max: Final (15 laps):

    1. #61 Abhay M (Bengaluru) 15:41.242;

    2. #72 Adhithiya Arvind (Chennai) 15:45.203;

    3. #69 Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) 15:47.146.

    Pre-Final (14 laps):

    1. #61 Abhay M (Bengaluru) 12:55.990;

    2. #76 Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) 12:56.906;

    3. #76 Aditya Patnaik (Mumbai) 12:57.189).

    Junior Max: Final (14 laps):

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 13:02.503;
    2. #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru 13:07.837;
    3. #52 Hunner Singh (Gurugram) 13:12.693.

    Pre-Final (12 laps):

    Yatharth Gaur wins the final race in the Micro Max class.
    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 11:07.976;
    2. #42 Shivali Sinha (Oman) 11:10.220;
    3. #29 Shriya Lohia (Sundernagar) 11:10.651.

    Micro Max Final (12 laps):

    1. #21 Yatharth Gaur (Faridabad) 12:18.082;
    2. #07 Rehan Khan R (Chennai) 12:19.615;
    3. #17 Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai) 12:23.383.

    Pre-Final (10 Laps):

    1. #06 Darsh Nawalgaria (Bengaluru) 10:10.924;
    2. #21 Yatharth Gaur (Faridabad) 10:11.074;
    3. #11 Zephaan Ardeshir (Mumbai) 10:11.256.

    ends

  • Ishaan Madesh begins campaign in style; Adithiya, Varun share honours: Karting Nationals

    Ishaan Madesh begins campaign in style; Adithiya, Varun share honours: Karting Nationals

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 13 August 2023: Ishaan Madesh began his 2023 campaign in style bagging a double in the first round even as his team, defending champions Peregrine Racing dominated the proceedings in the Senior Max and Junior Max classes while MSport took the honours in the Micro Max classes at the Meco fmsci National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2023 which got off to a rousing start with a record 27 karts in the Senior section. The Junior and Micro Max classes attracted 15 and 16 competitors respectively.

    Winners All… All the winners of the First round from all the three classes pose after the prize distribution. Photo by Shajahan

    Twenty-year Mumbai’s Raaj Bakhru of Rayo Racing became the fastest driver of the first round clocking a 54.217sec in the Free Practice. He set the record time at Meco Kartopia on “MRF Tyres” from 2020. Earlier Arjun Maini and Yash Aradhya had the honour in their names. Nikhilesh Raju set the quickest time of the week-end in the Junior class. He clocked a 54.747 lap in the qualies but it was young Rivaan Dev Preetham of MSport, who made everyone sit-up and take notice as he commenced the weekend with a stunning lap in the official Free Practice 2. He dipped under one-minute barrier, which is a record of sorts in the Micro Max category as he clocked 59.884 seconds on Saturday, the fastest Micro kart during the weekend.

    Adithiya Aravind winner of the Finals. Photo by Shajahan
    Varun Hari Praveen, winner of Pre-Finals in the Senior Max class.

    Peregrine racing drivers Adithiya Arvind and Varun Hari Praveen, both from Chennai, shared a win each in the senior class as the first round of the Karting Nationals concluded at the 1.2Km Meco Kartopia track here on Sunday. Adithiya, the 15-year 11th grade student SBOA Junior College could only take a 5th place in the Pre-Final but went on to beat a strong field of 27 to clinch the top place on the podium in the Finals beating Mumbai’s Adithya Patnaik of Rayo Racing to second. In the Pre-Finals, it was Varun Hari Praveen, also of Peregrine Racing who took the victory beating teammate Akshat Mishra and reigning Junior champion Abhay M of Birel Art, who graduated to Seniors this year, came third. Defending champion Rohaan Madesh, who will be moving to the MRF2000 Formula cars did not take part, but was at hand to coach the Peregrine youngsters.

    Ishaan Madesh shines in Junior Max class

    Ishaan Madesh, a multiple National champion, who missed last year’s title by a whisker, began in whirlwind fashion bagging both the point-scoring races, the Finals and Pre-Finals as he launched his 2023 campaign on a winning note.  He clocked 11min, 08.545 to win the Pre-Finals beating his staunch rival on track and friend off it, Nikhilesh Raju by a huge margin of over 5 seconds. And he went on to clinch the Finals, pushing aside the challenge of Hunner Singh of Birel Art, who got a double podium. The 15-year Hunner, a Grade 10 student of Pathways International School in Delhi, was consistent throughout the week-end and showed glimpses of his talent. Young Aarav Dewan, only 13 years, also from Gurugram put Leapfrog Racing in third as he completed the podium in the Finals.

    Darsh Nawalgaria and Rivaan Dev Preetham fight in Micro Max class

    Rivaan Dev Preetham, who won the Pre-Finals in the Micro Max class.
    Darsh Nawalgaria, who won the Micro Max Finals on Sunday. Rahul Reghu image

    A 13-year Bengaluru karter, Darsh Nawalgaria, took the championship lead in the Micro Max category after a fierce fight with another 10-year talent Rivaan Dev Preetham, who had to be content with a second place in the table after one round. Rivaan began well with a victory in the Pre-finals and mopping up both the heats and taking the pole in the qualies. But Darsh won the Finals with a clean race with a lead of over a second. Yatharth Gaur of Faridabad came second in the finals followed by Rivaan. In the Pre-finals, Bengaluru’s Rishik Rohit Reddy  of Birel Art came third.

    The second round of the Rotax Max Karting Nationals is scheduled to be held at the same venue, Meco Kartopia from September 1 to 3.

    Provisional Results:

    Senior Max: Finals: (16 laps)

    1. #72 Adithiya Arvind (Peregrine Racing, Chennai) (15min, 08.232);

    2. #76 Adithya Patnaik (Rayo Racing, Mumbai) (15:11.682);

    3. #62 Arjun Chheda (Crest Motorsports, Pune) (15:14.862).

    Fastest Lap: #69 Akshat Mishra (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) 55.359sec.

    Senior Max: Pre-Finals: (14 laps)

    1. #66 Varun Hari Praveen (Peregrine Racing, Chennai) (12:57.636);

    2. #69 Akshat Mishra (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (12:59.187);

    3. #88 Abhay M (Birel Art India, Bengaluru) (12:59.356).

    Fastest Lap: #76 Adithya Patnaik (Rayo Racing, Mumbai) (54:946sec).

    Qualifying session on Saturday:

    1. #76 Adithya Patnaik (Mumbai) (00:54.706);

    2. #69 Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) (00:54.720);

    3. #77 Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (00:54.749).

    Junior Max: Final: (14 laps)

    1.  #55  Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (13min, 02.610seconds);

    2. #52 Hunner Singh (Birel Art India, Gurugram) (13:04.347);

    3. #45 Aarav Dewan (Leapfrog Racing, Gurugram) (13;05.018).

    Fastest lap: #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) 55.170sec.

    Junior Max: Pre-Final: (12 laps)

    1.  #55  Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (11:08.545);

    2. #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (11:14.246);

    3. #52 Hunner Singh (Birel Art India, Gurugram) (11:16.765);

    Fastest lap: #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) 55.014sec.

    Qualifying session on Saturday:

    1. #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (54.747);

    2.#55  Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (54.837);

    3. #44 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (54.998).

    Micro Max: Finals: (12 Laps)

    1. #6 Darsh Nawalgaria (MSport, Bengaluru) (12:15.006);

    2.  #21 Yatharth Gaur (Leapfrog Racing, Faridabad) ( 12:16.103);

    3.  #12 Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSport, Chennai) (12:16.519).

    Fastest Lap: #12 Rivaan Dev Preetham 1:00.248.

    Micro Max: Pre-Finals: (10 Laps)

    1.#12 Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSport, Chennai) (10:09.634);

    2. #6 Darsh Nawalgaria (MSport, Bengaluru) (10:11.471);

    3. #5 Rishik Rohit Reddy (Birel Art India, Bengaluru) (10:13.502).

    Fastest Lap: #6 Darsh Nawalgaria 1:00.061.

    Qualifying session on Saturday:

    1. #12 Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai) (1:00.158);

    2. #06 Darsh Nawalgaria (Bengaluru) (1:00.227);

    3. #08 Hamza Balasinorwala (Mumbai) (1:00.44).

  • Peregrine Racing’s Madesh brothers sweep honours; Nikhilesh shines in Micro Max

    Peregrine Racing’s Madesh brothers sweep honours; Nikhilesh shines in Micro Max

    Bengaluru, 17 July 2022: Madesh brothers, Rohaan and Ishaan, led the Peregrine Racing charge in the Meco fmsci Rotax Max National Karting Championship 2022 in an aggressive manner bagging full honours while Nikhilesh Raju bagged enough points with a win the finals to lead the Micro Max class in Round 1 which concluded at the Meco Kartopia circuit here on Saturday.

    The eldest of the Madesh brothers, from Peregrine Racing, also became the fastest driver of Round 1 clocking a blistering 55.357 in the fourth lap of the Official Practice 2. He virtually dominated the week-end winning everything on offer in the Senior Max class as he qualified first and won both the Finals and Pre-finals.

    On his part, his younger brother and former champion, Ishaan, likewise, brooked no challenge in the Junior Max category. He too made a sweep of all the races, save one heat which saw a Red Flag and a re-start. He also clocked the fastest time in his class logging a 56.088 seconds for the third lap in Official Practice 2. He won both the Finals and the Pre-Finals to take a substantial lead in the Junior class championship. He also set the best laps in both the races and was the only driver in his class to dip under 57-sec, reeling out blistering lap after lap in both the finals and the pre-finals. Fourteen of his laps were under 57-sec mark.

    In the Pre-finals, Ishaan, had a brilliant start and made his dash to the front look so easy, in the words of commentator, Vivek Abraham, and never disappointed the expectations of the small crowd with his pole to flag exploits. He displayed enough skill and race craft and soon increased the lead substantially to leave the drivers behind to fight for the second place where the battle was between Sai Shiva Makesh and Anshul Sai. Ishaan won a comfortable race to begin his campaign on a positive note full points from Round 1 in the 12-lap race which had a grid 12 karts of 22HP 2stroke engine.

    Nikhilesh Raju, the bespectacled defending champion began on the right note dominating the Micro Max class. Shrugging off initial hiccups in the Practice sessions, he qualified at the top and won the finals and came second in the Pre-finals races in the 8 to 12 years category.

    Starting P2 in the finals, Nikhilesh Raju had a bad start and went down to P5 but quickly recovered making up two positions. Later, after a good fight between the top two, he found the opportunity on Lap 8 as he made a move at the fourth corner but it proved to be futile. However, in the next corner he found a better exit as he went wide and took the other line and dashed to the front taking both the leading karts at a go. In the Pre-finals, Nikhilesh started P4 and had the pace but good defence by poleman Anuj kept him behind for eight laps with Eshan leading the pack. In the eighth lap Nikhilesh moved to 2nd with a brilliant move and retained the second place till the end. He earned enough points with a win in finals and a second in pre-finals to take the championship lead in the Micro Max class after the first round.

    The year began on a promising note as the Nationals for the first time in the recent past saw grids of over 20. With new teams entering the fray, the Senior grid saw 21 karts while the Junior grid boasted of 16 drivers including three girls, who kept the women in motorsport challenge alive with Shriya Lohia running close to the frontline boys. The Micro Max too saw better numbers this year with 13 karts on the start gird.

    Provisional official classification – Round 1 2022:

    Junior Max: Finals (14 laps):

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #27 Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Junior Max: Pre-Finals (12 laps):

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #27 Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Junior Max Qualifying:

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #45 Abhay M (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Micro Max Finals (12 laps):

    1. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    3. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art India);

    Micro Max Pre-Finals (10 laps):

    1. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    2. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #25 Anuj Arun (MSport);

    Micro Max Qualifying:

    1. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art India);

    2. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    Senior Max Finals (16 laps):

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #62 Rishon Rajeev (Birel Art India);

    Senior Max Pre-Finals (14 laps):

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #63 Ruhaan Alva (MSport);

    3. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    Senior Qualifying:

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #63 Ruhaan Alva (MSport);

    (Editor’s Note: The results were updated with Official version on 18 July 2022 6pm)

  • Ishaan Madesh sparkles in FP3, gains international exposure: FIA Academy karting

    Ishaan Madesh sparkles in FP3, gains international exposure: FIA Academy karting

    Genk (Belgium) 13 May 2022: Indian karting champion Ishaan Madesh of Bengaluru bounced back brilliantly to mingle with the cream of talent from all over the world as he stood in the top-8 showing resilience amidst adverse weather conditions in the practice sessions here on Friday.

    The Peregrine Racing talent is representing India in the first round of the FIA Karting European Championship which is hosting the FIA Karting Academy Trophy where 53 countries were accommodated with one driver representing each country.

    The conditions were ideal for local drivers but with no time for acclimatisation, the Indian made the best out of the practices sessions on Friday. In the first two practice sessions, the Indian had teething troubles and had issues with the kart but not the one to give up so soon, the determined Ishaan made amends and put in a stunning session to shoot to the top eight clocking 54.357 seconds and was just off 0.162sec off the leader to finish 8th. The event turned out to be very competitive with 19 karters within half-a-second at the top. For the record, Harry Arnett of Australia topped the session with a best lap clocking 54.195.

    However, in the qualifying session Ishaan Madesh could not have the result he wanted as he suffered issues again but managed to finish 19 among 27 karters in his heat. Guillaume Bouzar (LUX) took the pole in Academy but the Indian is confident to put up good performance on Saturday and Sunday.

    Shod on LeCont tyres in an identical Exprit/Vortex karts, Ishaan was allocated a kart by drawing of lots. He was able to familiarise with the equipment but it was too short a seat time to get used to the international standards that the event beckons. The Indian did adapt quickly and is eager to make a mark in the next two days.

     “I love to race abroad as international events require more focus as the standards are very high. I am enjoying my sessions here and it is a good learning experience. I missed being in the front, in the early sessions but did have fun coming 8th in FP3. I am looking forward to the next session,” said Ishaan Madesh, from Belgium.

    54 ENTRIES IN THE ACADEMY

    “The FIA wanted to open up additional places in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy. So now the FIA Karting’s global talent-detection programme will have drivers from 53 nations. Formula Medicine, a Driver training organisation created more than 30 years ago by Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli, returns to the Academy with an educational programme designed to improve the skills and knowledge of the young drivers,” said CIK FIA chief Akbar Ebrahim, who was instrumental in karters for more countries taking part in the Academy trophy.

    Among the 54 drivers, five are competing in their second season in the Academy, including Caleb Gafrarar (USA), 11th in 2021 and Nicolas Roos (ZAF) 18th in 2021. Nine drivers are also entered in the FIA Karting European Championship – OK-Junior, including Arthur Dorison (FRA) currently seventh in the provisional rankings and Guillaume Bouzar (LUX) 12th. Among the three women, Chiara Bätig from Switzerland is supported by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission.

  • Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 30 October 2020: Reigning champion Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru, continued his winning streak in Race 1 for a stunning ninth consecutive race and marched towards retaining his National Champion tag despite a reverse-grid hiccup in the second race, in the third round of the Meco Motorsports fmsci National Karting Championship X-30 races at Meco Kartopia here on Friday.

    Another fun-loving Bangalore kid, Ishaan Madesh had the best outing today clinching a double in the Cadet section to keep his championship lead with 83 points to Sai Shiva’s 67. Eleven-year-old Ishaan was streets ahead as he left the field behind and won with a huge margin of over 13-seconds in Race 1 and went on clinch Race 2, too. Anshul Sai of Pune came second in Race 1 followed by Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh, who took second in Race 2 ahead of Arafath Sheikh, also of Pune. Ishaan who had a DNF in the previous round did make amends and won both the races.

    After topping the official practice session, in Race 1, Ruhaan brushed aside the challenge of Rohaan Madesh beating him by a convincing 3.2-second margin to take another first. Rishon Rajeev completed the podium, a fraction of a second behind, to make it an all-Bengaluru podium.

    In Race 2, Ruhaan was well on course to clinch the issue but his streak of victories was broken in Race 2 due to an unforeseen incident. After the reverse-grid start, he patiently overtook one by one and got to the top and everything looked rosy as he took the lead. But in the last lap, the driver in 2nd place, tried an overambitious move into the fourth corner (C4) and locked-up, and smashed sideways straight into Ruhaan, taking both out in the process. Ruhaan, later managed to finish 6th and retrieved 3 useful points to still lead the Championship by 23 points. Ruhaan has 93 to Rohaan’s 70. But for the incident,  he still showed his talent and kart control and driving skills to bag the `Fastest Laps’ in all the 10 races, till now in Rounds 1, 2 and 3. Six more Races, two in Round 3 and four in Round 4, will decide the title this weekend.

    In the Senior Section, strong contender Suriya Varathan and defending champion Nirmal Umashankar split the two races. Suriya won the first race beating Nirmal Umashankar, who took a comfortable win in Race 2. Raaj Bakhru came third ahead of Shravanthika Lakshmi S of Coimbatore, who came fourth beating three more boys. Bala Prasath finished the podium in Race 2. Arjun Nair, who was second in the title race after two rounds, did not take part today.

    Raaj Bakhru winning the third place in the Senior Class Race 1 has some significance. The 12th class student of Business Management from Mumbai is making his debut in National karting and taking a podium in the first race, and driving a kart only for the third time, is some achievement.

    Results: Round 3 (Unofficial classification): Friday:

    Seniors (15 laps): Race 1: 1. Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14:29.774); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 14:30.541); 3. Raaj Bakhru (14:52.117); Race 2: 1. Nirmal Umashankar (14:31.502); 2. Suriya Varathan (14:32.963); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:40.012).

    Juniors (12 laps): Race 1: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:47.773); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:50.976); 3. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (11:51.216); Race 2: 1. Jaden Rahmat Pariat (Guwahati) (11:37.626); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:38.446); 3. Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai) (11:38.595);

    Cadet (10 laps): Race 1: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:54.561) 2. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (11:07.963); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:15.020); Race 2: 1. Ishaan Madesh (10:28.977); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (10:31.106); 3. Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:46.403);

    Editor’s note: Updated Oct 31 at 9.30 am correcting typo Ruhaan’s lead to 23 points.

  • JK Tyre X30 Karting Nationals: Nirmal, Ruhaan, Ishaan crowned National champions

    JK Tyre X30 Karting Nationals: Nirmal, Ruhaan, Ishaan crowned National champions

    (L-R) The JK Tyre FMSCI National Karting X30 Class winners-Ruhaan Alva (Junior Class), Nirmal Umashankar (Senior Class) and Ishaan Madesh (Cadet Class) in Bengaluru on Saturday. JK Tyre photo

    Bengaluru, 7 Sept 2019: Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva capped off his spectacular run in the X-30 Junior class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship to emerge the 2019 champions here on Saturday. Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar and Bengaluru Ishaan Madesh became the National Champions in the Senior and Cadet classes in the last round itself.

    Nirmal, a regular on the JKNRC, collected a total of 23 points in the fifth and final round to amass 160 points to win the Senior category by a mile. Bengaluru’s Aditya Swaminathan (101 points) is the first runner up in the National Championship in Senior category followed by Delhi’s Debarun Banerjee (81) .
     
    It was an eventful start to the weekend, with a carnival-like atmosphere prevailing at the Meco Kartopia. Even as X-30 class was running its final course and the JK Tyre FMSCI National Karting Championship – Sodi Junior & Sodi Senior class’ qualifying rounds began, all eyes were on the `Girls on Track’ programme that attracted racing enthusiasts from across the country.
     

    Ruhaan Alva on way to winning the National Championship in the last round. Photo Shajahan

    Apart from girls from New Delhi, Chennai and Coimbatore, there were four from Nepal too. A handful of 8-year-olds too turned up to get initiated into motorsports along with teenagers and women in their twenties and thirties.

     
    They went through the entire drill of starting on racing simulators before eventually competing in the go-karting slaloms. In between, they underwent a batak reflex test and a basic pit-stop to be set for proper racing.
     
    Meanwhile, local boy Ruhaan Alwa underlined his supremacy in the Junior Category by sealing the title in the first race of the fifth round itself. He returned with a tally of 164 points to be crowned as the National Champion in the Junior class. 
     
    City-mate Arjun S Nair (134 points) is the runner-up in the National Championship and Chennai’s Ryan Mohammed collected a total of 24 points to take the third position in the National Championship with a total of 91 points.
     
    In the Cadet Category, it was Bengaluru’s Ishaan Madhesh who maintained his vice-like grip on the top of the table, winning three more races to accumulate 36 points win with a grand sum of 189 points. Shriya Lohia, a 11-year-old driver from Pune, picked up 27 points to end on the second spot with 134 points. While Ishaan was outstanding and became the National Champion in Cadet class winning all the races, it was a creditable show by Shriya Lohia, who beat many of the boys to stand first runner-up in the National Championship.  
     
    Another Pune driver Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran finished third with a modest total of 117 points.
    Final poinst tally: (top 3) Cadet Category- 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bangalore) 189 points; 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) 134 points; 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) 117 points
     
    Junior Category- 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bangalore) 164 points; 2. Arjun Nair (Bangalore) 134 points; 3. Ryan Mohammed (Chennai) 91 points.
     
    Senior Category- 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 160 points; 2. Aditya Swaminathan (Bangalore) 101 points ; 3. Debarun Banerjee 81 points.
  • Clean sweep by Ruhaan; Ishaan Madesh, Nirmal clinch title in their class with a round to spare

    Clean sweep by Ruhaan; Ishaan Madesh, Nirmal clinch title in their class with a round to spare

    Winners all: The Round 4 winners of the X30 Karting Nationals at Meco Kartopia on Sunday

    Bengaluru, 14 July 2019: Ruhaan Alva and Ishaan Madesh stamped their authority in the X-30 Junior and Cadet classes respectively winning all the four races in the Round 4 while 17-year old Nirmal Umashanker found a late challenger in Abhirath Shetty of Bengaluru, who notched off two wins in the 4-race Round 4,  but the Chennai lad came back to win the last race and won the maiden X30 Senior Class Championship for the year 2019 with a round to spare. While Ruhaan has to wait for the last round, Ishaan Madesh too has clinched the Cadet Class Championship title with a round to spare as he enjoys an unbeatable lead of over 40 points.

    Ruhaan wins all 4 races in Junior Class Round 4 on Sunday. An INDIAinF1 photo by arrangement

    Nirmal, a 2nd-year mechanical engineering student, restored some pride winning two of the four races and bagged the inaugural Championship title winning the X-30 Senior Class with a huge unbeatable lead of 56 points going into Round four next month with 40 points on offer. He garnered 137 points with Debarun Banerjee of Delhi trailing in second place with only 81 points.

    The JK Tyre National Karting Championship weekend which concluded at the 1.2km Meco Kartopia circuit, here on Sunday, saw four races each in the X-30 Round 3 and Round 4 that were held together in a three-day weekend from Friday.

    Ruhaan wins all four races in Round 4 on Sunday. An INDIAinF1 image

    Ruhaan Alva, all of 13 years, won all the four races, with ease and grace as he maintained comfortable margins of lead in the Junior category while Ishaan, the younger of Madesh brothers, from Bengaluru continued his unbeaten run winning all the four races in the Cadet category.

    The 10-year old Vidyashilp Academy student suffered a rare loss yesterday to Shriya Lohia of Pune but his dominance on the track goes hand in hand with the playful nature of a tiny-tot, all intact.

    Ishaan Madesh on way to his victory in Race 4 on Sunday.

    Race 1 of all the three categories of Round 4 were held on Saturday. Sunday began with the Junior class and Ruhaan Alva took a commanding lead and was so relaxed with a comfortable lead that Arjun Nair and Ryan Mohammed were left fighting for the second place.

    And Ruhaan, lost the sight of the fastest lap as he won by over four seconds but Arjun pipped Ryan for the second with Ryan forced to be content with the fastest lap.

    Later in both the races, Ruhaan showed his mastery and won the races with the fastest lap to boot. Arjun Nair came second pushing MR Rishon to third in Race 3 while Rishon took the second spot edging out Arjun in Race 4.

    Ishaan Madesh (centre) won all the four races in the Round 4 to lead the X-30 Cadet championship.

    Ishaan Madesh took to the track after the Junior race and he continued to win all the three races in the Cadet class. After a rare loss yesterday, he did well to control the proceedings and won Race1 beating Pune’s Sai Shiva while Raiden Samervel of Mumbai came third, far behind the top two.

    However, it was the lone girl in the class, Shriya Lohia, who caught the eye, with her racing. She gave a tough fight to Ishaan in both Race 3 and 4 and also managed to bag the fastest laps. After the end of Round 4, Ishaan has 153 points and the second-place Shriya Lohia has 107. With four races and 40 points on offer in the last round, Ishaan virtually sealed the title for 2019 in the Cadet Class.

    Today INDIAinF1 features the photograph of the Baby of the Round 4 Arafath Sheikh, the youngest driver on the grid, who displayed amazing guts to overtake three of his more popular and experienced mates before finishing sixth in Cadet Class Race 3. At just 7 years, the young karter has a bright future if groomed well and nurtured properly.

    Baby of the Round, Arafath, in action on Sunday.

    Provisional Unaudited Results: X30 Round 4:

    Senior Class: Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (14:26.347); 2. Abhirath Shetty (Bengaluru) (14.28.209); 3. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (14:28.588). Best Lap: Nirmal 55.322.

    Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Abhirath Shetty (13:56.849); 2. Nirmal Umashanker (13:57.138); 3.Aditya Swaminathan (14:06.852). Best Lap: Nirmal 55.242.

    Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (14:01.022); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:05.400); 3.Abhirath Shetty (14:08.818). Best Lap: Nirmal 55.252.

    Junior Class: Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (13:55.994); 2. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (14:00.210); 3. Ryan Mohammed (Chennai) (14:00.341). Best Lap: Ryan 55.145.

    Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (13:52.519); 2. Arjun S Nair (13: 54.422); 3. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (13:56.762). Best Lap: Ruhaan 55.228.

    Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (13:52.325); 2. MR Rishon (13:55.129); 3. Arjun S Nair (13:58.400); Best Lap: Ruhaan 55.178.

    Cadet Class: Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:16.885); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (11:17.245); 3. Raiden Samervel (Mumbai) (11:28.082). Best Lap: Ishaan 1:02.681.

    Race 3 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (11:15.186); 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (11:15.499); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (11:21.476). Best Lap: Shriya 1:02.777.

    Race 4 (10 lap): 1. Ishaan Madesh (10:34.220); 2. Shriya Lohia (10:35.078); 3. Raiden Samervel (10:45.089). Best Lap: Shriya 1:02.660.

    ends