INDIA in F1

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  • Nirmal Umashanker, Ishaan Madesh continue domination: X30 JK Tyre Karting Nationals Round 3

    Nirmal Umashanker, Ishaan Madesh continue domination: X30 JK Tyre Karting Nationals Round 3

    Nirmal Umashanker takes the chequered flag in the X30 Race 1 on Friday at Meco Kartopia. An INDIAinF1 image

    Bengaluru, 12 July 2019: Nirmal Umashanker of Chennai, who is leading the Championship table, notched up another comfortable win in the first race as the Round 3 of the X30 JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship 2019 began at the Meco Kartopia on the outskirts of Bengaluru here on Friday.

    In a facile win, Nirmal Umashanker clocked 15 minutes, 44.209 seconds over 15 laps to beat Bala Prasath of Coimbatore who was way behind by over 10 seconds while MR Rishon finished third. Nirmal also recorded the fastest lap in his 6th lap clocking 55.680. Debarun Banerjee, who was second on the championship table, before Round 3 began, could not even complete even one lap.

    In the Junior Class, Arjun S Nair of Bengaluru timed 11:24.498 to win Race 1 defeating MR Rishon in a tough battle which saw all the top-3 racers fight till the end. Ruhaan Alva who clocked the best lap in 55.344 had to be content with the third place but garnered important championship points. Before the race, Ruhaan was leading the overall championship table. With 2 races to be run during the weekend, Arjun looks to keep his momentum and jump to the top slot but Ruhaan is ready to give a tough fight to keep his top standing.

    Shravanthika Lakshmi #15, who started Juniors Race 2 on pole giving a tough fight to the boys. She finished 5th.

    In the Second race of the Junior Class, Shravanthika Lakshmi S of Coimbatore started on pole in the reverse grid and the only girl in this class, a 10th standard student, defended well against some of the national champion boys, but ultimately finished fifth. MR Rishon won the race while Ruhaan Alva finished second and Rohan Madesh came third. All the three are from Bengaluru and Ruhaan put in the fastest lap.

    In the Cadet Class, Ishaan Madesh of Bengaluru, the championship leader began Round 3 with a bang, notching up one more win. He timed 10:30.420 for the 10 laps around the Meco Kartopia circuit keeping at bay the girl from Pune, Shriya Lohia, who was within a second but had to settle for a second in 10:31.283. Raiden Samervel from Mumbai took the third place. Ishaan also got the fastest lap at 1min 2.172sec.

    Provisional Unaudited Results: X30 Round 3;

    Senior Class: Race 1 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (15:44.209); 2. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (15:54.237); 3. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (15:58.004); Best lap: Nirmal 00:55.680.

    Junior Class: Race 1 (12 laps): 1. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (11:24.498); 2. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (11:25.310); 3. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:26.941). Best Lap: Ruhaan 00:55.344.

    Race 2 (2 laps): 1. MR Rishon (2:26.691); 2. Ruhaan Alva (2:27.054); 3. Rohaan Mahadesh (Bengaluru) (2:31.581). Best lap: Ruhaan Alva – 1:02.922.

    Cadet Class: Race 1 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:30.420); 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) (10:31.283); 3. Raiden Samervel (Mumbai) (10:41.962). Best lap: Ishaan 01:02.172.

    Note: RESULTS ARE NOT OFFICIAL.

    The 3 classes:
    a) X30 Cadet – Age group – 7-12 yrs
    b) X30 Junior- Age group – 13-15yrs
    c) X30 Senior- Age group – 16 and above

    Grid order for the four races: 
    RACE 1 – QUALIFYING FASTEST LAP
    RACE 2 – RACE 1 – REVERSED TOP 6
    RACE 3 – QUALIFYING 2nd FASTEST LAP
    RACE 4 – FINISHING ORDER OF RACE 3

    Note: The JK Karting Nationals are eligible for anyone who possesses a valid National or International Karting License issued by the ASN (National Sporting Association – FMSCI) for the year 2019, and who has done at least one Training Program with an Academy registered with fmsci.

  • Shahan, Avalakki continue to dominate: JK Tyre Karting Nationals

    Bengaluru, 8 July 2019: Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin and Bengaluru’s Mihir Suman Avalakki continued their good form to hold on to the lead after Round 2 of the Rotax Class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship 2019 at the Meco Kartopia on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

    Shahan (MSport) looked at ease over the weekend as he won race 1 and finished second in another to notch up 86 points and take his total tally to 175 points in the Senior Max Category.

    Manav Sharma of Faridabad, who was outperformed by Shahan in the opening round, however, accumulated two more points than him by finishing second in the pre-final and winning the final this time around. The Peregrine Racing driver has a total of 173 points now and is sitting on the second place.

    MSports’ Bala Prasanth finished fifth in both the races to collect 78 points and take the third position with 160 points.

    In the Junior Max Category, it was a clean sweep for Birel Art as they took all the podium places, led by another local lad Mihir. He did not have the best of starts to the round, finishing only fourth in the opening race.

    But he came back to clinch the second place in the final race to pocket 83 points and take his total tally to 172 points. He is tied on points with his team-mate Rishon after two rounds, who won both races of the day to amass 89 points. Ruhaan Alva is on the third spot as he posted two third place-finishes to collect 82 points to take his total tally to 165 points.

    In the Micro Max Category, it was Peregrine Racing’s Ishaan Madhesh who came up with another powerful performance and won both the races to extend his tally to 178 points. His team-mate Jagrat Detroja is on the second spot with 166 points while Anshul Sai Shivkumar is in the third place with 157 points.

    Note: Results were not received from the organisers
    Provisional Standings after Round 2:
    Micro Max:
    1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) 178 points; 2. Jagrat Detroja (Peregrine Racing) 166 points; 3. Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art) 157 points    Junior Max:
    1. Mihir Avalakkai (Birel Art) 172 points; 2. Rishon (Birel Art) 172 points; 3. Ruhaan Alva (Birel Art) 165 pointsSenior Max:
    1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSports) 175 points; 2. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing) 173 points; 3. Bala Prasath (MSports) 160 points
  • Nirmal Umashankar, Ruhaan Alva, Ishaan Madesh excel in X-30 class JK Tyre Karting Nationals

    Nirmal Umashankar, Ruhaan Alva, Ishaan Madesh excel in X-30 class JK Tyre Karting Nationals

    Winners of Junior class Race 3: from left: Mihir Suman Avalakki (2nd) with winner Ruhaan Alva and Shahan Ali Mohsin (3rd) at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru on Sunday. Photos: JK Tyre

    Bengaluru, 16 June 2019: Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar came up with another power-packed performance to consolidate his lead in the X-30 class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship at the Meco Kartopia near Bengaluru on Sunday.

    Nirmal, an accomplished driver in the Euro JK category of JKNRC, was unstoppable in the Senior Category and won all four races during the day to collect a total of 40 points to maintain his vice-like grip at the top of the leaderboard with 76 points after two rounds. Debarun Banerjee of Delhi, who started the round behind Nirmal, began with two, second-place finishes. But he could not better that show and finished third and fourth respectively in the next two races to drift away. He is currently on 49 points after two rounds.

    Senior Class winners: From left: Debarun Banerjee (2nd), Nirmal Umashankar (1st) and Shahan Ali Mohsin (3rd)

    Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin, who started 7th on the leaderboard, collected 22 points, thanks to his three third-place finishes catapulting to the third spot with a total of 32 points.

    In the Junior Category, it was Bangalore’s Ruhaan Alva who made the most of the round, winning three races to collect a total of 34 points to climb up the charts with a total of 57 points. His city-mate Arjun S Nair won one race and posted two, second-place finishes to log in 27 points and maintain his second spot with a total of 51 points. Shahan Ali, just like in the Senior Category, covered good ground to go to the third position (38 points), courtesy of two second and two third-place finishes. However, Round 1 leader Mihir Suman Avalakki did not have the best of the days and could collect only 23 points to slide down to 4th position.

    Cadet winners: From left: Shriya Loha (2nd), Ishaan Madesh (1st) and Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (3rd).

    In the cadet category, Bangalore’s Ishaan Mahesh collected a perfect 40 to accumulate a total of 77 pointsto hold on to his lead. Young Shriya Lohia of Pune is in the distant second with a total of 52 points, while Sai Shiva Makesh Shankara is in the third spot with 45 points.

    Arafath Sheikh from Pune, the youngest driver on the grid also proved his mettle as he managed to collect 12 points in the cadet category.

    Round 2: (provisional unaudited results):

    Senior Race 1 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 14:07.082; 2. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) 14:07.545; (Fastest lap: 0:55.935); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 13:18.160 (one lap less).

    Senior Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (14:05.620); 2. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) (14:09.057); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (14:09.274). Fastest lap: Nirmal 0:55.740.

    Senior Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 13:58.958 (Fastest lap 00:55.437); 2. Manav Sharma  (Faridabad) 14:04.372; 3. Debarun Banerjee 14:04.951.

    Senior Race 4 (18 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 16:46.845 (Fastest lap 00:55.674); 2. Manav Sharma (Faridabad) 16:54.526; 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 16:58.972; 3.

    Junior Race 1 (12 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:13.420); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (11:16.546); 3. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (11:19.207); Best Lap: Arjun Nair 0:55.916.

    Junior Race 2 (12 laps): 1. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (11:20.283); 2. Mihir Suman Avalakki (Bengaluru) (11:20.547); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (11:20.895); Best lap: Mihir Avalakki 0:55.581.

    Junior Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (13:49.402); 2. Mihir Suman Avalakki (Bengaluru) (13:52.230); 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13:53.388); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 0:55.100.

    Junior Race 4 (15 laps): 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (13:53.045); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13:57.120); 3. Arjun S Nair (Bengaluru) (13:57.428); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 0:55.255.

    Cadet Class Race 1 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:21.358); 2. Shriya Loha (Pune) (11:31.894); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (11:33.527); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:03.313.

    Cadet Class Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:36.489); 2. Shriya Loha (Pune) (10:40.277); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (10:50.596); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:02.802.

    Cadet Class Race 3 (10 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:34.779); 2. Shriya Loha (Pune) (10:40.682); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (10:42.887); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:02.722.

    Cadet Class Race 4 (12 laps): 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:45.365); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) (12:53.594); 3. Shriya Loha (Pune) (13:00.311); Best Lap: Ishaan: 1:03.314. (Shriya demoted to thrid place after a 10-second penalty for jump start)

    Provisional Rankings post Round 2:
    Cadet Category: 1. Ishaan Madhesh (Bangalore) 77 points; 2. Shriya Lohia (Pune) 52 points; 3. Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (Pune) 45 points

    Junior Category: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bangalore) 57 points; 2. Arun S. Nair (Bangalore) 51 points; 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 38 points

    Senior Category: 1. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 76 points; 2. Debarun Banerjee (Delhi) 49 points; 3. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) 32 points

  • Agra’s Shahan, Bengaluru’s Mihir shine in opening round of Rotax Class: Karting Nationals

    Agra’s Shahan, Bengaluru’s Mihir shine in opening round of Rotax Class: Karting Nationals

    Shahan Ali Mohsin (centre) who won Senior Max Category with third-placed Manav Sharma (2nd from right) and Bala Prasath (2nd from left) who finished second. A JK Tyre photo

    Bengaluru, 9 June 2019: Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin and Bengaluru’s Mihir Avalakki stole the limelight in Round 1 of the Rotax Class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship at the Meco Kartopia here on Sunday.

    Shahan of MSport proved to be the star of the day in the Senior Max category, winning both his races (the pre-final and final) of the day to accumulate a total of 89 points to surge into the lead.

    Manav Sharma of Faridabad and Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath, both regulars in the LGB Formula 4 category of the JKNRC, took the second and third spot respectively.

    Peregrine Racing’s Manav finished second in both races of the day and collected 85 points while Bala of MSport finished third in his two outings to end the day with a total of 82 points.

    Local boy Mihir, who starred in the opening round of the X-30 class earlier this month, sizzled again to go atop the leader board in the Junior Max category.

    Mihir, racing for Birel Art, finished on top in both the races and picked up 89 points. He is being trailed by his team-mate Rushon, who has 83 points.

    Another Birel Art racer and Bengaluru’s own Ruhaan Alva ended the day on the third spot. He finished second in the opening race and third in the last to register 83 points and tie with Rushon but had to be content with the third spot for finishing behind his team-mate in the final race.

    In the Micro Max category, it was the young Ishaan Madhesh of Peregrine Racing who emerged on top with two wins and a total of 89 points in his kitty. Trailing in the second spot is Ranveer Singh of Birel Art with 85 points while Jagrat Detroja of Peregrine Racing is third with 82 points.

    Provisional Results (After Round 1):

    Micro Category – 1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) 89 points; 2. Ranvir Singh (Birel Art) 85 points; 3. Jagrat Detroja (Peregrine Racing) 82 points

    Junior Category – 1. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art) 89 points; 2. Rishon (Birel Art) 83 points; 3. Ruhaan Alva (Birel Art) 83 points

    Senior Category – 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport) 89 points; 2. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing) 85 points; 3. Bala Prasath (MSport) 82 points

  • Chennai’s Nirmal, Bengaluru’s Ishaan, Mihir star in X30 Round 1

    Chennai’s Nirmal, Bengaluru’s Ishaan, Mihir star in X30 Round 1

    Winners of Round 1 of JKNKC X30 Senior Class. From Left: Debarun Banerjee (2nd) Nirmal Umashankar (Winner) and MR Rishon (3rd). Photos: JK Tyre Motorsports

    Bengaluru, 26 May 2019: Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar and Bengaluru’s Mihir Suman Avalakki emerged as the heroes of Round 1 of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Chamionship 2019, X-30 class, at the Meco Kartopia here on Sunday.

    Nirmal, a regular in the Euro JK category of JKNRC, proved to be the man with nerves of steel as he strolled into the lead in the Senior category. He finished third in the opening race of the day but won the next three to accumulate a total of 36 points.

    Delhi’s Debarun Banerjee surged to the second spot by picking up 24 points; thanks to his two second-place finishes in the last two races of the round. Another local boy M R Rishon is on their tail with 23 points with two third places and one second-place finish.

    In the Junior category, Mihir did not have the best of the starts, finishing sixth in the opening race. However, he won the next three races to register a total of 33 points to go atop the leaderboard. With three podium finishes and 24 points in his kitty, Mihir’s city-mate Arjun S Nair ended the round in the second spot.

    Another local boy and one of the favourites of the championship, Ruhaan Alva, is on the third spot with 23 points. He started the round on a glorious note winning the opening race and finishing second in the next race. It looked like it was going to be his day but a DNF in the third race cost him. He recovered well in the final race finishing third, to be pushed down to the third place.

    X30 Cadet Winners: From left: Saathvik Raju (2nd), Ishan Madesh (winner) and Shriya Lohia (3rd) at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru on Sunday. A JK Tyre image

    In the Cadet category, Ishaan Madesh from Bengaluru took the first spot with three wins and one second-place finish with 37 points. Trailing on the second spot is Bengaluru’s Saathvik Raju (30 points) and 9-year-old Shriya Lohia (25 points) of Pune.

    Standings after Round 1 – X-30:

    Senior: Nirmal Umashankar (36 points); Debarun Banerjee (24 points); M R Rishon (23 points)

    Junior : Mihir Suman Avalakki (33 points); Arjun S Nair (24 points); Ruhaan Alva (23 points)

    Cadet : Ishaan Madesh (37 points); Saathvik Raju (30 points); Shriya Lohia (25 points.

    Results: (Unaudited results): X 30 Senior Class:  

    Race 1 (15 laps): 1. Aditya Swaminathan 14:30.208; 2. Mihir Suman Avalakki 14:30.316; 3, Nirmal Umashankar 14:31.455; Best lap: Debarun Banerjee 56.936 (4th place)

    Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar 14:20.166; 2. MR Rishon 14:28.593; 3. Aditya Swaminathan 14:28593; Best lap: Debarun Banerjee 56.672 sec (4th place)

    Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar 14:49.633; 2. Debarun Banerjee 14:50.891; 3. MR Rishon 14:52.133; Best lap: Mihir Suman Avalakki  56.362 secs (4th place)

    Race 4 (4 laps): 1. Nirmal Umashankar 3:50.159; 2. Debarun Banerjee 3:50626; MR Rishon 3:51.602; Best Lap: Debarun 56.649.

  • Shahan raring to go as JK Tyre National Karting Championship begins in Bengaluru

    Bengaluru, 24 May 2019: Young Shahan Ali Mohsin is raring to go as the X-30 class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship gets under way here at the Meco Kartopia on Saturday.

    As many as 30 racers from across the country will be in action over the weekend in three different categories (Cadet, Junior and Senior) as the sports gets a new fillip at the grassroots level.

    Agra’s Shahan Ali, holder of multiple national karting championships and former Asia Max Karting champion, heads the star cast, beginning as a strong favourite in the Senior category.

    It will, however, not be a cakewalk for him as the Chennai duo of Nirmal Umashankar and Raghul Rangasamy are also in the fray. Nirmal and Raghul have already made a mark in the higher Euro JK & LGB-4 category of the JKNRC respectively and will bring all their experience into play in this opening round.

    It will be a three-way battle in the Junior category too, with Shahan featuring in this pack too, and the Bengaluru pair of Rohaan Madesh and Ruhaan Alva. All of them are champions in their own right and have the ability to come up with brilliant performances. Coimbatore’s Shravantika Lakshmi will also be another racer in this category to watch out for. The 14-year-old from Coimbatore will hope to use the opportunity to the optimum and give the boys a run for their money.

    “I am really happy to see so many top young racers lining up for this championship. The younger lot has to go through the rigours on go-karts to become top racers,”  Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre, said.

    In the Cadet category, all eyes would be on the fine young talent from Pune: Shriya Lohia. The 9-year-old has already been lauded by FMSCI in their Annual Awards as an Outstanding Woman in Indian Motorsport. She will look to live up to the expectations and will pose a tough fight to local boy Ishaan Madesh, who will start as the favourite in this category.

    The first and the second round will be held in Bengaluru while the third and the fourth will take place in Hyderabad before returning to Meco Kartopia for the final round.

  • Ali Ajgar, Musthafa complete a hat-trick of wins at JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7

    Ali Ajgar, Musthafa complete a hat-trick of wins at JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7

    Ajgar Ali, Md. Mustafa win the JK Tyre Himalayan drive on Sunday for a hat-trick. A JK Tyre Motorsport file photo

    Siliguri, 10 March 2019: The country’s only multi-nation rally, the JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7, culminated earlier this month, with the famed duo of Ajgar Ali and Md. Mustafa reigning supreme and retaining their crown.

    It was a particularly sweet triumph as the champions completed a rare hat-trick in this gruelling four-day event.

    Ali and Mustafa felt the heat on the second and third day but used their vast experience to emerge victorious with a total tally of 1110 penalty points.

    The team of Gagan Sethi and Rajkumar Mundra (with 1847 penalty points) and Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj (with 2035 penalty points) secured the second and third positions in what proved to be a thrilling fight to the finish.

    In the open category, the team of Govind Dalmia and Anand Agarwal edged past category leader Rohit Agarwal and Kunal Joshi to finish with 9149 penalty points. The Agarwal-Joshi team scored 9691 penalty points. Finishing third in this category were the team of Suyash Raj and Mohammad Sharif with 10796 penalty points.

    This year’s battle for the big title saw a nail-biting finish. The team of Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj, who started the final day (Day 4) as championship leaders, will rue their luck as the crown eluded them for missing the penultimate time control. They suffered a 900-penalty points blow for their faux pas which was enough to send them crashing down to the second place.

    “We are very happy to score this hattrick. It was a very exciting rally and I can say that the JK Tyre Himalayan Drive is the best TSD rally in the country. The competitive sections were superb and posed a tough challenge to drivers, navigators and our cars,” said Ajgar Ali.

    Ajgar, who led the cross-country drive in the first two stages, slipped to the second spot by the end of the third stage.

    With the fourth leg getting cancelled due to snowfall in Paro (Bhutan), they had a steep mountain to climb. Some brave driving, mixed with sheer luck, which saw the leaders picking up a huge penalty, saw them return to the top.

    This year’s victory takes the total winning tally of Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa to four titles (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019) since the Himalayan Drive was first held in 2013. The team of Sudip Ghosh and navigator Arindam Ghosh were the only other team to have won more than one championship title at this event (2014 and 2016). Anubhav De and co-driver Chandan Sen won the title in 2015.

    The last leg of the rally was flagged off from the Kalimpong stadium and started with a steep climb on the road from Mungpoo to Jorebungalow that was lined with verdant forests and offered majestic views of snow-capped peaks of the eastern Himalayas for a few kilometres.

    This was followed by another competitive section downhill through winding mountain roads of Rohini. The third and last competitive section was a tough drive stretching over nearly 23 kilometers through the bed of the Mechi river that forms the border between India and Nepal.

    Ajgar Ali, Mustafa in action on Sunday. A JK Tyre photo

    “I would really like to congratulate Ali and Musthafa for their achievement. The way the entire drive panned, it only shows how the competition has increased over the years and I am sure it will keep getting better every year. I would also like to congratulate Just Sportz for their hard work and commitment for pulling off one more successful edition of the Himalayan Drive,” Mr. Sanjay Sharma, head of JK Motorsport, said.

    The 800-km JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7, which was organised in association with Experience Bengal (West Bengal Tourism), sawt the competitors drive their mean machines for four days through majestic locations in North Bengal, scenic hills in Darjeeling and various picturesque routes in Bhutan.

    The TSD drive which draws inspiration from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s vision of connecting Bengal to its neighbours and encouraging people to people connectivity in the region, covered a wide variety of terrain, ranging from tarmac, river beds, dirt tracks, forest paths to mountainous roads.

    The drivers took-off from Siliguri post the ceremonial flag-off and travelled all the way to Murti, driving past North Bengal’s lush forests, river banks and embankments and idyllic towns.

    The second leg saw the drivers start their journey from Murti to Paro, going through tea gardens and forests that are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, the one-horned rhino and the Asiatic elephant before entering Bhutan through Phuentsholing.

    From Phuentsholing, the competitors hit the mountain roads filled with hairpin bends and steep gradients that offer spectacular views of the Himalayan heights, before entering the breathtaking Paro Valley.

    On the third day, they were supposed to drive back from Paro Valley through Dooars and cross the iconic Coronation Bridge over Teesta river to reach Kalimpong but the leg got cancelled due to snowfall in Bhutan.

    The final leg of this rally on Saturday had the competitors drive down from Kalimpong, cross the Teesta bridge, Mungpoo, Jorebunglow and Kurseong before descending into the plains through Rohini.

    After reaching the plains, they went through Dudhia and Panighata, the riverbeds of Menjha and Mechi, and touched Naxalbari before taking the Asian Highway 2 and then National Highway 27 to finish at the City Center at Siliguri, where the prize distribution was held at a gala function.

     

  • Ajgar-Musthafa hat-trick: JK Tyre Himalayan Drive

    Ajgar-Musthafa hat-trick: JK Tyre Himalayan Drive

    Ajgar and Mustafa in action. JK Tyre Photos

    Siliguri, 2 March 2019: After four days of cross-country rallying, the formidable team of Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa successfully defended their JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7 crown.

     
    Hailing from the small port town of Haldia in West Bengal, Ajgar Ali, along with Erode’s Mohammed Musthafa, achieved the rare feat of winning their third successive title in the country’s only international TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rally. 
     
    In the national category, Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa ended with a final tally of 1110 penalty points to emerge victorious. Securing the second position were the team of Gagan Sethi and Rajkumar Mundra with 1847 penalty points while Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj ended their campaign in third position with 2035 penalty points. 
     
    In the open category, the team of Govind Dalmia and Anand Agarwal edged past category leader Rohit Agarwal and Kunal Joshi to finish with 9149 penalty points. The Agarwal-Joshi team scored 9691 penalty points. Finishing third in this category were the team of Suyash Raj and Mohammad Sharif with 10796 penalty points. 
     
    Ajgar & Mustafa

    This year’s title battle saw a nail-biting finish. The team of Jogendra Jaiswal and Nagarajan Thangaraj who started the final day (Day 4, Saturday) as championship leaders lost their bid to the crown in the very final moments by missing the penultimate time control and suffering a 900-penalty points blow.

     
    “We made a big mistake (by missing the second-last time control) and we handed the championship title to them (Ajgar and Musthafa). It is a disappointment for us, but the winners deserve the title,” Nagarajan Thangaraj said. 
     
    “We are very happy to score this hattrick. It was a very exciting rally and I can say that the seventh edition of JK Tyre Himalayan Drive is the best TSD rally in the country till date. The competitive sections were superb and posed a tough challenge to drivers, navigators and our cars,” said Ajgar Ali. 
     
    He was also all praise for Just Sportz, the rally organisers. “This rally is always well-organised and everything is transparent. The hospitality of the organisers is unparalleled,” Ali added. 
     
    This year’s victory takes the total winning tally of Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa to four titles (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019) since the Himalayan Drive was first held in 2013. The team of Sudip Ghosh and navigator Arindam Ghosh were the only other team to have won more than one championship title at this event (2014 and 2016). Anubhav De and co-driver Chandan Sen won the title in 2015.
     
    The last leg of the rally was flagged off from the Kalimpong stadium and started with a steep climb on the road from Mungpoo to Jorebungalow that was lined with verdant forests and offered majestic views of snow-capped peaks of the eastern Himalayas for a few kilometres. This was followed by another competitive section downhill through winding mountain roads of Rohini. The third and last competitive section was a tough drive stretching over nearly 23 kilometers through the bed of the Mechi river that forms the border between India and Nepal. 

  • MOCA claims JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury

    Dambuk (Arunachal Pradesh), 18 Dec 2018: The Manabhum Off-Roaders Club of Arunachal (MOCA) displayed strategic acumen and nerves of steel to claim the JK Tyre Orange 4X4 Fury title here on Tuesday.

    Going into the fourth and final day, with just 5 points separating them and defending champions Gerrari Off-Roaders, the local favourites won the day’s first and played it safe in the second to post their biggest victory on the national stage.

    The MOCA team, led by drivers Aditya Mei and Chow Ujjal Namshum and guided by co-drivers Chow Sujeewan Choutang and Chow Ingieng Mein, went all out in the Camp the River Stage to collect 100 points.

    Their main challengers, the Gerrari Off-Roaders, finished third for 90 points but suffered a big blow when they were penalised 30 penalty points for breaking a bunting.

    The team Chandigarh, powered by Gurmeet Singh (with Gurpratap Sandhu as navigator) and Kabir Waraich (with Yuvraj Singh Tiwana), gave it their best shot but that one mistake proved to be their undoing.

    They won the final Dambuk River stage to collect 100 points but the battle had already been lost. They, however, had the consolation of winning the first runners-up trophy and Rs 1.5 lakh.

    The deserving champions picked up the glittering winners’ trophy as well Rs 2.5 lakh for their efforts. The second runners-up team from Bangalore, BODA, were richer by Rs 1 lakh.

    “We stuck to our overall strategy of avoiding penalty points at any cost,” MOCA’s Aditya Mei said, shortly after winning the title. “We worked well as a team which was perhaps easy because we are all from the same family,” he added.

    The eldest cousin of the foursome, Chow Ujjal Namshum, conceded that they were tense on the eve of the final run but quite confident of doing something special. “Once we picked up a handy lead after the day’s first stage, we knew we had to do,” he said.

    Incidentally, the winners who are planters by profession and took up the sport as a hobby, are all cousins. They began competing in 2012 just for fun before it became their calling in 2015. They now aim to participate in the Rain Forest Challenge.

    Result: 1. MOCA (Aditya Mei & Chow Sujeewan Choutang and Chow Ujjal Namshum & Chow Ingieng Mein);2. Gerrari Off-Roaders (Gurmeet Singh & Gurpratap Sandhu and Kabir Waraich & Yuvraj Singh Tiwana); 3. BODA (Madhusudhan Reddy & ER Rohit and Sidhartha Santosh & Yanren Jamio).

  • Abemo Yanthan was adjudged Best Spotter: JK Tyre Hornbill off-road Cup

    Abemo Yanthan was adjudged Best Spotter: JK Tyre Hornbill off-road Cup

    Champions of JK Tyre Hornbill Cup. An INDIAinF1 photo

    Kohima, 5 Dec 2018: Aviu Rutsa along with co-driver Neiketoulie Meyase, and Rudkuobetvo along with Pete cracked the testing mountain terrain of Kohima to emerge victors in the JK Tyre Hornbill Off-Roading Cup here on Tuesday.

    Yanger Lushang / Maken Lepden and Bento Swu / Bovito Kiho came second while Ikweithing (Justin) / Kenrak Thou and Irietui / Elu took the third place in the 1.5-km course that comprised six gruelling challenges and obstacles.

    Each team comprises of two cars, manned by a driver and a co-driver, to help each other tackle the various obstacles together.

    Abemo Yanthan was adjudged Best Spotter while Aviu Rutsa added another feather to his cap by winning the best off-road rig as well.

    It is the first time that the off-road event has been added to the annual JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally which is in its ninth year of existence.

    The rally coincides with the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, a seven-day extravaganza of cultural performances, ethnic food courts, handlooms and handicrafts bazaars, film and art festivals, fashion shows and a national rock contest.

    Earlier on Monday, defending champion Gagan Sethi and co-driver Sabatullah Khan stole the show in the picturesque hills by winning the TSD rally spread over 55 kilometres.

    The rally coincided with the World War 2 Peace Rally, to pay homage to the martyrs of the Battle of Kohima.