INDIA in F1

Tag: JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship

  • Ruhaan Alva, Veer Sheth, Alibhai win a race each: Indian F4

    Ruhaan Alva, Veer Sheth, Alibhai win a race each: Indian F4

    Chennai, 15 Sept. 2024: Jaden Pariat ‘won’ on the track, but was stripped away and demoted to P8 in Race 3, as the final day of Round 3 of the Formula 4 Indian Championship, produced three different winners in three races held on Sunday.

    The premier F4 championship was held along with the Indian Racing League and the JK Tyre National Racing Championship at the Madras International Circuit, Irungattukottai, near here.

    Ruhaan Alva of Shrach Rarh Bengal Tigers, Veer Sheth of Ahmedabad Apex Racers, who moved up from P2 to P1 after Bangalore Speedsters’ racer winner Jaden Pariat was docked a 20-second penalty, and South African Aqil Alibhai (Black Birds Hyderabad), all won a race each in the three F4 races today. Jaden won the Indian F4 Race 1 on Saturday.

    From left – Isaac Demellweek, Aqil Alibhai, Ruhaan’s team principal, Ruhaan Alva and Jaden Pariat at MIC on Sunday. Photo by IRL

    In the day’s first race, Alva was in a league of his once he moved to the front in the very first lap and was simply unstoppable. As the race progressed, Australian teenager Isaac Demellweek (Chennai Turbo Riders), Alibhai, Pariat and pole-sitter Aiva Anagnostiadis (Goa Aces JA Racing), the 2021 Australian female karting champion, settled into a formation behind Alva until the Safety Car came into play in the 15th minute which bunched up the grid. On resumption with close to two minutes and one lap left, Alibhai and Pariat jumped to P2 and P3 behind Alva who continued serenely to victory while also being credited with the fastest lap of the race.

    IRL cars lined up at MIC on Sunday. Photos IRL

    In the next race, it was Pariat all the way after surviving a contact with Alibhai while trying to regain his track position. The incident pushed Alibhai to P16 but he finished P4 eventually. Pariat was docked a post-race 20-second penalty “for causing avoidable collision” and it dropped him to eighth in the final standings. Consequently, Veer Sheth, Ruhaan Alva and Abhay Mohan (Bangalore Speedsters) all moved up a spot to finish first, second and third, respectively.

    In the final race, Alibhai built a winning lead after moving from P3 to P1 before Turn-1 in the very first lap and enjoyed a trouble-free run to spare nearly 19 seconds to second-placed Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) and Ruhaan Alva who did well to hold off an aggressive Pariat in the latter half of the race.

    IRL

    Mohammed Ryan converted a pole position start to a maiden win while delivering a double for Chennai Turbo Riders the Indian Racing League races. The 22-year-old Ryan’s win came on the back of team-mate Jon Lancaster’s success in IRL Race-1 yesterday.

    Mohd Rayan takes a win from pole in the IRL race on Sunday at MIC. Photos supplied by IRL

    The 2019 Rotax Karting champion Ryan, racing on home circuit, had a brilliant start and put in consistent fast laps for his first win in the IRL which triggered celebrations in the Chennai Turbo Riders.

    While Ryan disappeared into the distance at the start, Sohil Shah (Goa Aces JA Racing) moved aggressively past Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters) going into Turn-1. Pariat then dropped one more spot when team-mate Rishon Rajeev got a jump on him later in the opening lap. The top three then maintained their track positions without much ado, while behind them others scrapped for points.

    An elated Ryan said: “I had a good start and kept my focus to put some consistent laps. I am happy that my team, Chennai Turbo Riders won both the IRL races this weekend and picked up some big points.”

    The Indian Racing League and Indian F4 Championship, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited.

    JK Tyre-fmsci Indian National Championship

    Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao led a podium sweep for Dark Don Racing team as he came up with a brilliant drive starting from P5 for his third win in six starts this season.

    Finishing behind him were team-mates Viswas Vijayaraj from Nellore and Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath. Despite losing the front nose cone of his car, Bala Prasath gave a fine exhibition of defensive driving to hold off rookie and Bengaluru teenager Dhruv Goswami (MSPORT) over the last three of the 10-lap race.

    Goswami, in fact, started from P12 on the grid and aided by some daring overtakes, all but managed to secure a podium spot in the overall standings, though he topped the Rookie category, way ahead of Monith Kumaran (Ahura Racing) and Abhinav Reddy (Avalanche Racing).

    The weekend results put Tijil Rao on top of the overall leaderboard while Goswami also moved up the championship standings in the Rookie category.

    The Round 4 of the Indian Racing Festival will be held on October 19-20 at the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore.

    The results (Provisional):

    Veer Seth, was promoted as the winner of Indian F4 Championship Race 3 at MIC on Sunday.

    Indian Racing League: Race-2 (B Driver) (25 minutes + 1 Lap):1. Mohammed Ryan (India, Chennai Turbo Riders) (26mins, 57.602secs);2. Sohil Shah (India, Goa Aces JA Racing) (26:59.183);3. Rishon Rajeev (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:14.841).

    Formula 4 Indian (25mins + 1 Lap):

    Race-2:1. Ruhaan Alva (India, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers) (28:16.720); 2. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) (28:17.475); 3. Jaden Pariat (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (28:18.697).

    Race-3: 1.Veer Sheth (India, Ahmedabad Apex Racers) (27:41.457); 2. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:41.622); 3. Abhay Mohan (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:43.916).

    Race-4: 1. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) (27:31.329); 2. Divy Nandan (India, Ahmedabad Apex Racers) (27:50.567); 3. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:51.089).

    JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship:

    Formula LGB 4: Race-3 (10 Laps):1. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Dark Don Racing) (19:42.876); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, Dark Don Racing) (19:44.762); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, Dark Don Racing) (19:52.697).

    Rookie: 1. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (19:52.770); 2. Monith Kumaran (Chennai, Ahura Racing) (19:59.569); 3. K Abhinav Reddy (Hyderabad, Avalanche Racing) (20:05.030).

  • Jaden Pariat takes brilliant win in Indian F4; Abhay Mohan takes creditable 3rd

    Jaden Pariat takes brilliant win in Indian F4; Abhay Mohan takes creditable 3rd

    Chennai, 14 Sept. 2024: Teenager from Shillong Jaden Pariat took a brilliant victory, his second in the championship while team-mate 16-year-old Abhay Mohan from Bengaluru, in his first full single-seater season, come third behind South African Aqil Alibhai (Black Birds Hyderabad) to provide their team, Bangalore Speedsters, a creditable double podium on Day One of the third round of the Indian F4 Championship at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.

    The Indian Racing League promoted by Racing Promotions private limited, was also held along with the JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2024.

    Off to a clean start from pole position, 17-year-old Pariat, winner here in Round 1, and National champion in the MRF F2000 class, never looked back for a lights-to-flag win. Behind him, Alibhai settled into P2 from Lap 1 to the finish, not having the pace to trouble Pariat who also put in the fastest lap of the race, a blistering one minute, 40.459 seconds.

    Jaden Pariat celebrates after winning the F4 Indian race at MIC on Saturday. IRL photo

    Down the grid, battles raged up for track positions. Abhay Mohan, winner of the National title in the MRF F1600 category earlier this summer, started from P5 but immediately gained a spot when Veer Sheth (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) stalled on the grid and dropped to last. Abhay, the Class 12 NIOS student, then put fellow-Bengalurean Ruhaan Alva (ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) under pressure before passing for P3, a position he comfortably held to the finish. Alva eventually came in fifth.

    Down the road, Gurugram’s Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) put in an impressive show to climb from P16 to eventual P7 finish.

    Ruhaan Alva impressive, but loses top spot in the last lap

    With a fastest lap timing and leading the race until few corners from the finish, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tiger’s Ruhaan Alva slipped to third position with a gearbox issue and home favourite Chennai Turbo Rider’s Jon Lancaster, made the best of the opportunity to finish on the top step of the podium

    The 35-year-old Lancasterfrom UK and representing Chennai Turbo Riders in this franchise-based Indian Racing League championship, was running about four seconds behind Alva in the last lap of the race (A Drirver), but lady luck smiled on him when disaster struck Alva a few corners from the finish, allowing him to take the win ahead of Czech Republic’s Gabriela Jilkova (Goa Aces JA Racing). Alva, who had started from pole position and built a winning lead, managed to limp home in thirdplace in a race that was his to lose.

    With a win in sight and less than a lap left for the finish, the 18-year-old Ruhaan came across a car that had spun across the track. He slowed down and passed the stricken car only to meet with disaster as the engine spluttered and the gear got stuck in third. It allowed Lancaster and Jilkovato pass him.

    At the start, Alva made a good getawaywhile his team-mate, Malaysian Allister Yoong dropped two spots from P2 as Lancaster and Jilkova slipped past in the very first lap. Their positions remained unchanged until the last lap when Alva blew away a certain victory.

    Gabriela Jillkova, takes a deserving second place, racing on equal footing with men in the IRL at MIC on Saturday. An IRL image

    “You got to take the opportunities,” was how Lancaster commented after the win. “It was

    The Indian Racing Festival, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited.

    JK Tyre-Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship 2024

    Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath led a 1-2 finish for Dark Don after starting P3 on the 24-car grid in Race-1 of Formula LGB, that was twice interrupted by Safety Car due to on-track incidents. Following him home was Tijil Rao from Bengaluru ahead of Ahura Racing’s Chetan Surineni, also from Bengaluru. It was the second win of the season for Bala Prasath.

    Likewise, Abhay Mohan, who showed impressive pace for his second win, and Dhruvh Goswami, both from Bengaluru, delivered a 1-2 result for MSport while Hyderabad’s Abhinav Reddy (Avalanche Racing) completed the podium in the Rookie class.

    At the start of the race, pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj (Dark Don Racing) led the pack for a couple of laps before the Safety Car was deployed. On resumption, Vijayaraj slid to third behind Bala Prasath who put in some quick laps to gain the lead ahead of Tijil Rao who had led briefly. The order remained unchanged for a couple of laps until Surineni made a move on Vijayaraj to take P3 before the second Safety Car period. The race ended behind the Safety Car with Bala Prasath taking a win from Tijil Rao and Surineni.

    Later, in Race-2 that was red-flagged twice and reduced to five laps, Chetan Surineni took the honours, holding off Bala Prasath and Viswas Vijayaraj. In the Rookie class, Bengaluru’s Dhruvh Goswami finished first ahead of Abhinav Reddy and Pune’s Neythan McPherson (Momentum Motorsport).

    The results (Provisional):

    Indian Racing League:

    Race-1 (Driver A, 25mins + 1 Lap):1. Jon Lancaster (UK, Chennai Turbo Riders) (27mins, 11.213secs);2. Gabriela Jilkova (Czech Republic, Goa Aces JA Racing) (27:12.428);3. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:14.554).

    Formula 4 Indian – Race-1 (25mins + 1 Lap):1. Jaden Pariat (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (26:57.528);2. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds, Hyderabad) (27:02.059);3. Abhay Mohan (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:20.546).

    JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship:

    Formula LGB 4 (Race-1, 8 laps):1. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, Dark Don Racing) (17:58.987); 2. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Dark Don Racing) (17:59.833); 3. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru, Ahura Racing) (18:00.288).

    Rookie: Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru, MSport) (18:01.848);2. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (18:02.402); 3.  K Abhinav Reddy (Hyderabad, Avalanche Racing) (18:06.581).

    Race-2 (5 laps):1. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru, Ahura Racing) (09:58.945); 2. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, Dark Don Racing) (09:58.967); 3. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, Dark Don Racing) (10:00.099).

    Rookie: 1. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (10:06.569); 2. Abhinav Reddy (Hyderabad, Avalanche Racing) (10:14.306); 3, Neythan McPherson (Pune, Momentum Motorsport) (10:14.529).

  • Ruhaan Alva continues to dominate; Tjil, Arya steal a win each: JK Racing

    Ruhaan Alva continues to dominate; Tjil, Arya steal a win each: JK Racing

    Coimbatore, 18 Nov. 2023: Championship leader Ruhaan Alva (MSport), Arya Singh and Tijil Rao from Dark Don Racing shared a race win each on an eventful Saturday in the final round of the 26th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam here.

    It has never been this close between the top three in the LGB Formula 4, the premier class of the championship. All the three races went down to the wire. With just a few points separating them, they knew it was now or never and gave their all for one more time.

    Bengaluru’s Ruhaan started with a fighting win over Tijil of Dark Don Racing in the opening race. It did boost his confidence and further his points tally going into the second race. The former took advantage of starting on pole and raced to a quick lead. He was in control for over four laps but quite soon found Arya and Tijil breathing down his neck. The duo even managed to go upfront.

    It was wheel-to-wheel racing between the three from there. Even as Arya and Tijil were fighting right up in front for some time, Ruhaan made a clever move in the first corner of 11th lap to take the lead yet again only to surrender it soon.

    The duo maintained a steady pace to finish one-two for Dark Don, while Ruhaan had to rest content for the third spot on the podium.

    In the last race of the day, Ruhaan was quick off the blocks. So did Tijil and T.S. Diljith of Dark Don Racing. The battle royal had the spectators on the edge of their seats but Tijil held his nerve to finish on top.

    The JK Tyre Novice Cup was as close as the LGB Formula 4 class. Neythan McPherson of Momentum Motorsport edged out teammate and championship leader Arjun S. Nair in the first race. But Arjun, a fighter that he is, shot back to win the second race in style and further strengthened his chances of clinching the championship crown
    with a tally of 62 points.

    Anish Shetty underlined his class in the JK Tyre Presents RE Continental GT Cup with a well-deserved double win.

    The results (provisional):

    LGB Formula 4: Race 1: Ruhaan Alva (MSport) 19:48.550, 2. Tijil Rao (Dark Don Racing) 1:16.555, 3. T.S. Diljith (Dark Don Racing) 1:16.875.

    Race 2: 1. Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) 20:55.669, 2. Tijil Rao 20:56.711, 3. Ru+haan Alva 20:56.738.


    Race 3: 1. Tijil Rao 20:32.887, 2. Ruhaan Alva 20:33.254, 3. T.S. Diljith 20:34.282.

    JK Tyre Presents RE Continental GT Cup: Race 1: 1. Jagadeesh Nagaraj (Bengaluru) 6:05.395, 2. Anish Shetty (Bengaluru) 6:06.322, 3. Vignesh Goud (Hyderabad) 6:07.141.

    Race 2: 1. Anish Shetty 12:55.273,  2. P.M. Soorya (Chennai) 13:00.965, 3. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) 13:00.965.

    Race 3: 1. Anish Shetty 12:57.123, 2. Jagadeesh Nagaraj 12:59.901, 3. Rajkumar (Coimbatore) 13:00.209.

    JK Tyre Novice Cup: Race 1: 1. Neythan McPherson (Momentum Motorsport) 14:39.144, 2. Arjun S. Nair (Momentum Motorsport) 14:39.459, 3. Jigar Muni (Momentum Motorsport) 14:42.854.

    Race 2: 1. Arjun S. Nair13:57.412, 2. M. Abhay (MSport) 13:57.615, 3. Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) 13:57.909.

    The races will be webcasted live on JK Tyre Motorsport’s social media handles:

    Sunday, 19th Nov from 10.15am onwards

    YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/zn__E7azfyE?feature=share

    Facebook: https://fb.me/e/3lLWs714X

  • Arya Singh of Dark Don wins a grand double: JK Nationals

    Arya Singh of Dark Don wins a grand double: JK Nationals

    Coimbatore, 7 October 2023: Arya Singh of Dark Don Racing completed a grand double winning both the blue riband LGB Formula 4 races, on the opening day of the round 2 of JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship 2023, here on Saturday.

    Arya began the day on an imperious note winning the opening race. Starting from P3, the Kolkata racer quickly exerted his dominance and sneaked into the lead in the first lap itself while overtaking his senior teammate T.S.Diljith. But Diljith kept up the pressure and got the lead back in the next lap only to hand it back to Arya. However, with the safety car out in the fourth lap, it was expected the one behind the leader would make up lost ground and press hard to narrow the gap. But, Arya drove with guile and precision to keep his nose ahead.

    Diljith kept the pace on but could not find a way past and eventually had to rest content with the second spot. Championship leader Tijil Rao of Dark Don Racing looked good to secure a third-place finish but his joy was short-lived as Ruhaan Alva of MSport took him by surprise in the final corner for a place on the podium.


    The second race turned out to be an anti-climax; it was a safety car finish due to a collision in the penultimate lap. It was Diljith who was at his fiery best and led the pack till the eighth lap before the safety car came out for the first time. The introduction of the safety cut short his momentum and Arya took his chance to shoot into the lead.

    Diljith just could not recover after the safety car incident and despite giving his all he could not overtake Arya. And with just over a lap remaining, the safety car came out again which slowed down the pace helping Arya register his second win of the day. Diljith finished behind him, while Ruhaan Alva of MSport who overtook Tijil and others in front of him before the yellow flag was waved to finish third.

    In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, it was Arjun S Nair of Momentum Motorsports who once again proved to be the best as he dominated from pole position to the top of the podium. The Bengaluru driver who is currently atop the leaderboard started from where he left in the opening round and hardly put a pedal wrong in the race and deservedly took the honours. However, it was the fight for second and third place which intrigued everyone. Joel Joseph of DTS Racing and Jamie Jamshed Shaw of Momentum lit up the day with their skills behind the wheels.

    While they were not quite in the reckoning for the initial few laps, they took advantage of the safety car in the fourth lap and dished out a performance to remember. Both were engaged in a fierce battle and kept the pressure on each other changing positions. However, it was Joel of Bengaluru who kept his composure and took the second position ahead of Mumbai Jamie in a photo finish.

    Md Samuel Zubair stole the show in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup as he zoomed past the elite professionals to win his first podium in the championship. It was not an ideal start for the riders as an incident in the first corner of the opening lap slowed everyone down and they put forth their skills to the ultimate as they had to avoid running into the heap and stay in contention.

    Zubair, who began on P4 started patiently and avoided taking any risks. It was only in the fourth lap after a slight hesitation from Bengaluru’s Jagadeesh Nagaraj on the home straight, he zoomed into the lead and finished off in style. Jagadeesh took the second position, while his citymate Abhishek Vasudev finished third.

     JKNRC ROUND 2 Results (Provisional)


    LGB Formula 4 Race 1

    1)Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing: 21:21.356 minutes; 2)Diljith TS, Dark Don Racing: 21:22:914 minutes; 3)Ruhaan Alva: 21:26.671 minutes

    JK Tyre Novice Cup Race 2

    1)Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 15:04:770 minutes; 2)Joel Joseph, DTS Racing: 15:06.532 minutes; 3) Jamie Jamshed Shaw, Momentum Motorsports: 15:09.944 minutes


    JK Tyre present Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup

    1)MD Samuel Zubair: 13:45.394 minutes; 2)Jagadeesh Nagaraj: 13:45.755 minutes; 3) Abhishek Vasudev: 13:45.860 minutes

    LGB Formula 4 Race 4

    Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing:22:09.690 minutes; 2)Diljith TS, Dark Don Racing: 22:10.104 minutes; 3) Ruhaan Alva: 22:11.147 minutes

    The races will be webcasted live on JK Tyre Motorsport’s social media pages on Saturday, October 7th from 2PM onwards & on Sunday, October 8th from 11AM onwards on the below mentioned links:

    Faceboook: https://fb.me/e/KE85CnDb

    Youtube: https://youtube.com/live/-bxtHGAnzPw?feature=share

  • Tijil Rao wins another race to lead the table; Sarvesh, Abhishek shine on bikes

    Tijil Rao wins another race to lead the table; Sarvesh, Abhishek shine on bikes

    Coimbatore, August 27, 2023: Bengaluru teenagerRuhaan Alva of MSport signed off on a merry note winning the first race on Day 2 but compatriot Tijil Rao of Dark Don Racing had the last laugh with a fine victory in the last race as he made it a double in the in the premier LGB Formula 4 class of the 26th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, the first round of which concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.

    Tijil Rao, who shared honours with Arya Singh yesterday, won another race and made it a double to take the championship lead. In the opening race, all eyes were on the Dark Don Racing stars but it was Bengaluru’s Ruhaan who won Race 3 with a stunning overtake in the final lap. However, Tijil made a comeback with a facile win in the final Race 4 and ended Round 1 on a high leading the points table in the LGB F4 class.

    Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) dominated for most part but Ruhaan played catch up with some brilliant driving. The former was beginning to feel the pressure. There was a little bumping and jostling now and then between the two but Ruhaan kept searching for space to sneak in. He managed to find one in the final lap and crossed the line much without any further hiccups.

    Kolkata’s Arya Singh, #10, leads Dilijit TS, #44 while Ruhaan Alva, Yellow #27, waits for his time. INDIAinF1 photo

    The second was as good as the first but Tijil did one better than the rest to clinch the thriller. With the reverse grid in play, it was Saran Vikram Tmars (Mars Racing) who started off on a blitzy note staying in the lead for good five laps, however it was Ruhaan who overtook him and was primed for victory.

    Tijil Rao after Race 3 (in pic) makes a strong comeback.

    Tijil Rao at his best:

    Ruhaan failed to hold on to the lead as he spun out of the race giving the Dark Don’s racers a fresh leash of life with Diljith and Tijil battling it out for the victory. While it looked like the senior pro Diljith would close the round on a high, it was the young Tijil who showed grit and great skills to overtake in the 13th lap. It was a sight to behold as both the racers were involved in a to and fro action but eventually Tijil brought in his car ahead of others to win the race, and a double in the weekend.

    Neythan McPherson wins Novice Cup Race 3

    In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, Bengaluru’s Arjun S. Nair of Momentum Motorsports, who cracked a double on Saturday, for once could not celebrate on top of the podium in the first race as his teammate Neythan McPherson from Pune staved off a stiff challenge from him and Aman
    Nagdev (MSport) and took a good win.

    The nine-lap race saw the safety car out twice and that took some flow and shine out of the event.  Aman and Arjun finished second and third respectively.

    But in the second race, Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) came out victorious, while Arjun and McPherson wrested the next two spots.

    Good week-end for Arjun Nair

    However, it was a good week-end for Arjun Nair, who took two victories and two podiums to lead the table in the Novice class after Round 1. “The weekend results justified the countless hours spent fine-tuning our strategies, perfecting my driving, and pushing myself all the time. The competition is fierce, but I managed to raise my performance up to it. I am motivated to work hard physically and to give my best for the remainder of the championship,” said Arjun Syam Nair confidently.

    Sarvesh Balappa rules the roost

    Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa, starting on P2, ruled the field in the JK Tyre presents 250 Cup. Pole sitter G Abhinav (Coimbatore) brought some cheer to the home crowd clocking the fastest time of 1:25.00. He maintained a good pace but not good enough to outsmart Sarvesh at the end. Bengaluru’s Rohit ad had to be content with the third spot.

    Abhishek Vasudev at his best

    In the JK Tyre Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, it was the Bengaluru boys who stole the show with a clean sweep. Abhishek Vasudev emerged victorious with an impressive timing of 13 minutes 53.248 seconds, while his city-mates, Ullass Nanda (13:53.651) and Md Samrul Zubair (13:57.403) were the others who stood second and third on the podium respectively. 

    Provisional Results (Day 2):
    LGB Formula 4 Race 3

    1. Ruhaan Alva, MSport: 22 minutes 09.037 seconds;

    2. Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing: 22:09.084;

    3. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 22:10.131.

    Race 4

    1. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 27:51.142;

    2.Diljith TS, Dark Don: 27:51.822;

    3.Saran Vikram Tmars, Mars Racing: 28:05.523.
    Novice Cup Race 3

    1. Neythan McPherson: Momentum Motorsports; 14:28.205;

    2. Aman Nagdev; MSport: 14:28.801;

    3. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 14:29.264.

    Race 4
    1. Joel Joseph, DTS Racing: 16:20.908;

    2. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 16:21.077;

    3. Neythan McPherson, 16:21.201, Momentum Motorsports.

    Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup Race 2
    1. Abhishek Vasudev, 13:53.248;

    2. Ullass Nanda 13:53.651;

    3. Md. Samrul Zubair 13:57.403.

    JK Tyre 250 Cup

    1. Sarvesh Balappa: 15:16.3452;

    2. Abhinav G: 15:19.623;

    3.Rohit Lad: 15:27.436.

    ends

  • Arjun Nair bags a double in Novice class; Arya Singh, Tijil Rao share LGB F4 honours

    Arjun Nair bags a double in Novice class; Arya Singh, Tijil Rao share LGB F4 honours

    Coimbatore, August 26, 2023: It was a fantastic start by Dark Don Racing as their drivers Tijil Rao and Arya Singh shared a win apiece in the LGB Formula 4 class, the premier event, in the opening round of the 26th JK Tyre National Racing Championship which began at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam here on Saturday.

    Tijil started the day finishing on top of the podium in the opening race. It was not easy though for the Bengaluru youngster as his teammates Arya Singh (Kolkata) and T.S. Diljith (Thrissur) gave him a run for his money. The lead kept changing hands lap after lap and, midway through, it was all about holding one’s nerve. But Tijil, despite the pressure, kept his cool, waited for the right moment to strike, and planned his move well in the final lap to take the checkered flag in style.

    For Team Dark Don racing it did not matter as Arya and Diljith wrested the next two positions. In the second race, Arya gained sweet revenge over Tijil with a thrilling win. It was wheel-to-wheel racing between the two and, with three laps to go, it looked like anybody’s game and, with it, another clean sweep for Dark Don Racing. The arrival of the safety car made it even more exciting for the spectators but not for the top three contenders as the back markers gained a slight
    advantage.

    At this juncture, all eyes were on Arya and Tijil but the former did one better than the latter when it mattered most to finish the day on a merry note. Tijil and Viswas Vijayaraj of Ahura Racing had to rest content for the second and third spots respectively.

    Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair, representing Momentum Motorsports, started the season on a super note as well clinching a sweet double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. He clocked the fastest timing in both the races and showed all that he had the race pace to beat the best.

    R. Anand of Chennai scored over a strong field to take the prime spot on the podium in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. In an incident filled race, which had to be restarted due to a couple of accidents saw Md Samrul Zubair of Hyderabad give Anand a run for his money but Anand crossed the line with rather consummate ease.

    Jagadish in action in the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup races on Saturday. Photo by Rahul Reghu

    Results (Day 1)

    LGB Formula 4 Race 1

    1. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:171 minutes; 2. Arya singh, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:369 minutes; 3. Diljith TS, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:586 minutes

    LGB Formula 4 Race 2

    1. Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing: 22:28.087 minutes; 2. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 22:28.370 minutes; 3. Viswas Vijayaraj: Ahura Racing, 22:31.297

    Novice Cup 1

    1. Arjun S Nair Momentum Motorsports: 13:23:275 minutes; 2. Neythan McPherson, Momentum Motorsports: 13:24:517 minutes; 3. Joel Josheph, DTS Racing: 13:27:272 minutes

    Novice Cup Race 2

    1. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 13:41.982 minutes; 2. Saishiva Sankaran, MSport: 13:47.537 minutes; 3. Abhay M, Msport: 13:48.318 minutes

    Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup
    1. Anand R: 14:53.242 minutes; 2. MD Samrul Zubair: 14:53.806 minutes; 3. Abhishek Vasudev :14:54.196 minutes

    About JK Tyre Motorsport:

    JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.

  • Ruhaan continues to dominate with a Rookie-double

    Ruhaan continues to dominate with a Rookie-double

    Coimbatore, 21 Nov 2021: Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru continued to dominate his class as the MSport athlete became the most-successful driver of the day with a brilliant double while Dark Don racers TS Diljith and Tijil Rao shared a race win each in the LGB Formula 4 class in Round 2 of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship that concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.

    The Rookie, who impressed with his driving style, started on pole and went on to win the race to add to the crown he won on Saturday.

    Meanwhile, in the feature event, the Dark Don Racing boys who did not enjoy a great Saturday bounced back strongly to wrest the top three slots on the podium in both the LGB Formula 4 races. The premier event of the championship not only brought the best out of the drivers but also found new winners.

    It was Amir Sayed of Ahura Racing who notched up his maiden win on Saturday but today,TS Diljith clinched the prime spot in Race 2 of Round 2, the first LGB race on Sunday. It wasn’t an easy affair for the ever-energetic star from Thrissur as the championship leader Vishnu Prasad was right behind for most part of the race.

    Even as Vishnu was trying hard to pass, the Dark Don stars Tijil Rao, Sandeep Kumar and Arya Singh were pressing the pedal hard. That put the pressure on Vishnu, who swiftly switched to the safety mode. He left Diljith alone and concentrated on defending his position. It failed miserably towards the end as Tijil and Sandeep made the most of it to finish second and third respectively.

    Tijil Rao did one better in the second race finishing ahead of his teammates Sandeep and Ashwin Datta.

    Ruhaan Alva (MSport) completed yet another grand double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. There’s none to beat the 15-year-old this season. Jaden Pariat (MSport) from Guwahati seems to get better with every race and quite deservedly finished second in both races.

    Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubli) did likewise finishing right on top in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. But a 30-second penalty for overtaking under the yellow put paid his hopes of completing a grand double. Thrissur boys Anfal Akdhar and Allwin Xavier, who finished second and third were elevated to the first and second position respectively, while Coimbatore’s Raj Kumar moved one up as well to finish third.

    Provisional Results: JK Tyre Formula LGB4:

    Race 2:

    1. T.S. Diljith (Dark Don Racing) 23:10.852

    2. Tijil Rao (Dark Don) 23:18.310

    3. A. Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don) 23:18.521

    Race 3:

    1. Tijil Rao 21:34.441

    2. Sandeep Kumar 21:36.264

    3. Ashwin Datta (Dark Don) 21:36.452

    Novice Cup:

    Race 2:

    1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport) 13:22.885

    2. Jaden R. Pariat (MSport) 13:23.794

    3. Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) 13:42.994

    Race 3:

    1. Ruhaan Alva 21:08.051

    2. Jaden  R Pariat 21:12.389

    3. Gaurav Kochar 21:12.949

    Race 2:

    1. Anfal Akdhar (Thrissur) 5:53.042; 2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur) 5:53.387; 3.

    Raj Kumar (Coimbatore) 5:55.744.

    Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup:

    Race 2:

    1. Anfal Akdhar (Thrissur) 5:53.042

    2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur) 5:53.387

    3. Raj Kumar (Coimbatore) 5:55.744

  • Ruhaan Alva dominates with a double; Arya Singh crowned

    Ruhaan Alva dominates with a double; Arya Singh crowned

    Coimbatore, 23 October 2021: Talented Bengaluru adolescent Ruhaan Alva, dominated the proceedings for the second consecutive day with a double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup but it was Sohil Shah who stole the fastest lap of the day before his he forefeited his LGB Formula 4 ‘win’ in the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship held at Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.

    Sohil, who started on P5, moved to 4th in the very first lap overtaking Diljit and clocked the fastest lap of the race at 1min: 17.326sec (Lap 3). By the end of fourth lap he was leading the race. Dilijit who followed him into P2 lost position to Arya Singh after Lap 11. But the honour of the fastest lap is no consolation as Sohil lost the hard-earned race due to a technical infringement and the 10-sec penalty.

    Thus, young Arya Singh who crossed the flag second, actually won the gold thanks to his clean race. Starting on P2, he overtook the experienced Raghul Rangasamy in the very first lap. But he slid to 8th position (P8) at the end of Lap 4 and used the two-lap Safety Car period to his advantage and jumped to P2 in Lap 11, and thereon, drove a steady race to keep P2 and eventually win the race as he was alert not to make any fouls. A great result for the talented Kolkata youngster, who is growing with experience as he managed two Safety Car periods to his advantage.

    “I am happy to start the season with a win, though it was not easy. I was in the lead but once the safety cars came out, there was a lot of bunching. The net effect is the lead which you had in time and distance gets shrunk. I waited for the right moment in the final lap and won,” said Sohil, after the race before he was penalised.  

    LGB F4 podium before results were audited: Bengaluru’s Sohil Shah, centre, 1st, followed by Arya Singh of Kolkata, right, 2nd and Diljit TS, 3rd (2nd from left) and Sohil’s tuner at Kari Motor Speedway on Saturday. Arya Singh won the race after Sohil was relegated to 10th following his penalty by the race stewards.

    Bullets weigh 180kg and are quite demanding, especially at small tracks like KMS. But they did not deter Anish Damodara Shetty one bit, and the rider from Hubli eventually emerged winner in the 10-lap race, timing 1:18.325, ahead of Allwin Xavier from Thrissur by just 0.117 seconds. Telugu rider Jayanth Prathipati took the final spot on the podium.

    ‘”It was a great challenge to win the maiden race and the last lap was electrifying,” said Anish. Speaking about the close second spot, Allwin took it philosophically. “It’s a new race in a new bike. There is speed and also your legs feel tired handling the weight. I am happy to come second,” said Allwin.  

    Teen sensation Ruhaan Alva from Bengaluru, well known for his exploits since the age of seven, began the proceedings with dominance.  Competing for MSport, Ruhaan showed poise and purpose after the first race was red flagged. 

    Novie Race 2 Podium: Ruhaan Alva, centre, wins a double, while Jaden R Pariat, right, notches his maiden podium in Race 2 while Adithya Parusuram, 2nd from left, gets a second and third respectively in Race 1 and Race 2 in the Novice Class on Saturday.

    It had to be restarted. Ruhaan was fully focussed, not letting the brief stoppage affect him. On a pleasant and sunny afternoon, the 15-year youngster raced without any glitch, virtually, as he timed 14 minutes 22.061 seconds in the 10-lap race. His best lap time was 1:18.001, was actually not his best, but the he gained more time by being consistent as he was within half a second margin in all lthe laps except during the yellow flags. He best on Saturday came in Race 2 at 1:17.685, the second fastest time on the day as Sohil clocked 1:17.326 in a better car, the LGB F4 car. 

    “I am happy to have begun with a win. Once a race is red-flagged, it’s very important to remain focussed. I was happy with my start to the championship,” said Ruhaan, who took to karting at the age of seven. He idolises legend Ayrton Senna, which speaks a lot about how much he has followed the sport of Formula 1 racing. 

    Later in the evening, Ruhaan once again was in his elements in the fight between the ‘master and the student’. Fourteen-year school boy Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati, who was trailing by two laps in the first race eventually, staged a superb comeback in the second race, to take second on the podium. Race 2 also saw a crash and Ruhaan used a different technique to restart, once the safety car was in, as he slowed down before zooming off once again to create enough gap and thwart any chance that Jaden got with skilled driving. Ruhaan has been the mentor for Jaden in his first karting season and it showed good results. Jaden not only impressed with his driving skills but notched up many victories with good emotional control.  

    Provisional audited Results: (Editor’s note: corrected on 24 Oct 2021 at 6.30am)

    Formula LGB 4: Race 1: 

    LGB Formula 4: Race 1 (Overall Race 3 of the day):

    1. Arya Singh (Kolkata, Dark Don Racing) 23:27.088 (best lapt: 1:17.512)
    2. Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai, MSport) 23:29.179 (Best 1:18.057);
    3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai, MSport) 1:17.905;

    Novice Cup:

    Race 1: 

    1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) – 14:22.061;

    2. Aadithya Parasuram (Chennai)- 14:25.202;

    3. Gaurav Kochar (Coonoor)- 14:34.275.

    Race 2: 

    1. Ruhaan Alva –15:06.124;

    2. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati)-15:07.429;

    3. Aadithya Parasuram -15:09.109.

    RE Continental GT Cup: Race 1: 

    1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubli) – 14:07.754;

    2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur)- 14.07.859;

    3. Jayanth Prathipati (Hyderabad)- 14:08.859.

  • Ruhaan Alva leads karters domination on Formula cars

    Ruhaan Alva leads karters domination on Formula cars

    Coimbatore, 22 October 2021: MSport’s Ruhan Alva of Bengaluru clocked the overall best time in the second qualifying session to not only top the combined time-sheets but also became the fastest driver of the day with a stunning 1minute, 17.278seconds in the Novice Class of the 25th JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2021 which began at the 2.3km Kari Motor Speedway here on Friday.

    Jaden Pariat, 14, who got into motorsports only in November 2020, making his debut at the Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru, missed the National Junior X30 Karting Champinship title by a whisker. But within a short period, he has shown that the genes of speed are blossoming. Qualifying second today behind Ruhaan, a much more experienced driver, is no mean task. His father, Atiqur Rehman, is a rally rider, and his photograph of jumping over 7-time National champion and current promoter Shyam Kothari in late nineties will be ever etched in the mind of yesteryear motorsports lovers, thanks to a late George Francis photograph. Jaden clocked 1:17.977 to take P2 in the combined quali timesheet. Chennai’s Aditya Parusuram of Hasten Performance took P3 clocking 1:18.003. Ruhaan’s father Umakanth Alva too, is a rally driver of yore.

    In the LGB Formula 4, Raghul Rangasamy of Chennai took the pole position with a 1:17.453 followed talented Kolkata younster Arya Singh, who timed 1:17.473 for P2 and Dilijit TS (1:17.665) and experienced Sandeep Kumar (1:17.590) completed the second row, in that order.

    The 15-year old professional driver, Ruhaan, who just graduated to Formula cars this season, caught the eye with good performance at the Madras Motor Race Track recently, and now got his Pole Position in the Novice class. Even Ruhaan, imbibed the professional motorsports culture of Europe, thank to his Rally-loving father, Umakanth Alva, and his inherent self-discipline.

    Many other drivers including former National Racing multiple champion Raghul Rangasamy and experienced drivers like Vishnu Prasad, Sohil Shah, Sandeep Kumar (Karting Nationals CoC) and young Tijil Rao (Bengaluru Sim specialist), all pelted fast laps below 1min, 18 seconds, ie below 78 seconds for the Kari Motor Speedway, an F3 homologated re-laid Race track with a 2.3-km tarmac (earlier 2.1) built in the name of legend Karivardhan. Some, like Jaden Pariat, (Guwahati, MSport), who graduated from karting to Formula cars, also impressed in the sessions today displaying good pace for his age and experience.

    Ruhaan Alva, is a picture of concentration, on Friday at the Kari Motor Speedway. INDIAinF1 commissioned Photo by JR Dhinesh Kannan

    Mira Erda, kept the flag flying for Women in Motorsports, with some quick laps beating many men to take P10. Another Faridabad girl, Muskaan Jubbal, daughter of popular rallyist Amandeep (Jubbal) Kaur, and Anushriya Gulati of Dehradun are among the lady drivers in the fray. Muskaan and Jasmehar Singh Jubbal from Faridabad are the only siblings on the grid in the same race.

    The Unofficial Practice Session 4, was ideal for fast times on Friday, with Rahul Rangasamy setting his personal best at 1:17.382; Sohil Shah 17.450; Arya Singh 17.473; Vishnu Prasad 17.561, Sandeep Kumar 17.590; Diljit Singh 17.665; Tijil Rao 17.886 for other 1:18sec dippers on the day.

    The popular JK Tyre championship has three classes, JK Tyre Novice Cup, LGB Formula4 and Support non-championship Royal Enfield single-make Continental GT Cup over Saturday and Sunday. Novices have two races of 10-lap each and one race of 12 laps on Sunday while the LGB F4 drivers take part in three, 15-lap races, one on Saturday and two on Sunday. The Bullet bikers also have two 10-lap races, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Sunny Kumar is the Clerk-of-the-Course.

    Disclaimer: This reporter is not at the venue. The report is based on the timer app which are unofficial unaudited timings and subject to final audit. Any driver or rider can get back if a clarificatin is needed. Please do not call. WhatsApp first 98455 69496 with your profile and signed timesheet/s.

  • Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Race 3 Winner Raghul Rangasamy flanked by 2nd placed Vishnu Prasad, left, and Sohil Shah.

    Coimbatore, 1 Sept 2019: On a day of intense battles and loads of drama, Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy came out trumps, collecting 18 points to shoot to the top of the FLGB-4 standings as Round 2 of the JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship concluded here on Sunday.

    Tanay Gaikwad (Pune), Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai), Sai Prithvi S (Chennai), Mira Erda (Vadodara) and Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) were the others stars of the day, emerging victorious in their respective categories.
    Most of the big excitement, as expected, emanated from the LGB category, with multiple national champions gunning for glory. After Sohil Shah (MSport) set the stage for a no-holds-barred fight on Saturday with a cheeky win, it was Diljith TS’s (Dark Don) turn to bring Sunday to life.
    Beginning at P7 as the reverse grid came into play, he exhibited speed and control to steadily move up and take the first place. Raghul (MSport), who was at P5, got caught in the front pack to lose the initiative and settled for the second position.
    Raghul, however, took advantage of a similar situation in the day’s second and final LGB-4 race to win it in dramatic fashion. His fourth-place finish on Saturday was enough to give him a total of 47 points. That took him past teammate Vishnu Prasad, who didn’t have the best of weekends despite racing out of his skin.
    Vishnu also suffered the worst of lucks, being cheated by the safety car when he was leading with a big margin in the last race. He had to settle for the second position while he had already endured a sixth-place finish in the earlier race to slip down to a total of 45 points in the two rounds. Diljith, who often seemed alone in this dog-fight, was placed third with 31 points.
    Tanay Gaikwad stole the thunder in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, collecting the maximum possible 20 points to join Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore) at the top of the table.
    After winning the first race on Saturday, Tanay showed his class on Day 2 too, posting his second straight victory. Muzammil clocked the day’s fastest lap (1:23.681) but finished 0.068 seconds behind in the 10 laps.

    Mira Erda (centre) who won the ladies class. A JY Tyre image

    Mumbai’s Aaroh Ravindra stayed ahead in the JK Tyre Novice Cup, by collecting 10 more points to make it a grand sum of 52, including 28 this weekend. Bangalore’s Chirag Ghorpade was second with 39 points, after a second-place finish.

    Vadodara’s Mira Erda continued to rule in the women’s category, finishing ahead of all the ladies for the sixth consecutive time. Coimbatore’s Megaa KS (45) and Anushriya Gulati (28) were in the hunt behind her.
    Chennai’s David Ryan, who was the standout performer in the JK Tyre Inter-College Cup on Day 1 with two wins, lost his pre-eminent position to Sai Prithvi (also Chennai) on Sunday. He, however, finished second to hold on to his overall lead with 28 points.
    The day’s winner Sai Prithvi S (Chennai) and Kedin Akhil (Kolkata) were tied on 16 points for the next two positions.
    Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) claimed the JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies, winning both the races over the weekend. He maintained a clean slate after showing his class in Round 1 too.
    Provisional Results: LGB Formula 4 (15 laps)
    Race 2: 1. Diljith TS (Dark Don Racing; 18:14.76); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:14.96);  3. Sandeep Kumar A (Dar Don; 18:15.31)
    Race 3: 1. Raghul (20:29.90); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai; 20:29.92); 3. Sohil Shah (Bangalore; 20:29.10)
    Suzuki Gixxer Cup (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Tanay Gaikwad (Pune) – 14:18.57; 2. Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore; 14:18.64); 3. Shazan Khan (Bangalore; 14:32.58)
    JK Tyre Novice Cup: (15 laps): Race 3: 1. Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai; 18:19.30); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bangalore; 18:24.87); 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai; 18:29.31)
    JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies: (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Ikshan Shanbag (Satara; 14:56.42); 2. Aditi Krishnan (Bangalore; 15:20.92); 3. Aryan Gurav (Pune; 15:23.78)
    JK Tyre College Cup (8 laps): Race 3: 1. Sai Prithvi S (Chennai; 10:20.80); 2. David Ryan (Chennai; 10:22.73); Chetan Surineni (Bangalore; 10:46.82)