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Tag: JK Tyre
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Off-road event added to JK Tyre Hornbill motor rally at Kohima
File photo of Hornbill Rally. Photo courtesy JK Tyre Kohima (Nagaland), 1 Dec 2018: The picturesque hills in Kohima will reverberate with the sounds of roaring cars as the JK Tyre Hornbill Motor Rally returns to the annual Hornbill Festival of Nagaland in a bigger and more exciting format.
The three-day event, beginning on Sunday, will see some of the country’s top rallyists battle for honours even as the entire town turns into party mode.
The annual rally which is in its 9th year of existence have added the off-road challenge which takes place on December 4.
The exciting off-roading is expected to see top drivers from the region and a few from all over the country, traversing through a course of 1.5 kms negotiating six gruelling obstacles in their bid to win the crown.
Popular as an exotic Northeast state, Nagaland is also organising a World War 2 Peace Rally to pay homage to its martyrs during the Battle of Kohima. Family members of the heroes will be part of a very touching rally, as they will be taken on a parade in vintage cars and jeeps towards the cemetery.
All three events coincide with the famous Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, a seven-day fest cultural performances, ethnic food courts, handlooms and handicrafts bazaars, film and art festivals, fashion shows and a national rock contest.
“We are extremely delighted to be part of the Hornbill Motor Rally once again. JK Tyre has always been keen on tapping motorsport talents from every corner of the country. The Northeast has a number of motorsports enthusiasts and I am sure this year’s competitions will be exciting,” Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Tyre & Motorsports, said.
The Time, Speed and Distance (TSD) rally will be run over a distance of 55 kilometres, starting from the IG Stadium. Day 1 will come to an end at the Kisama Heritage village. Day 2 will see the Off Road Challenge while Day 3 will be marked by the WW2 Peace Rally.
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of gruelling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre’s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the field of motor sport.
In 2011, the company acquired the Formula BMW Series and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series (JKRAS). With this acquisition, JK Tyre created history in Indian Motorsport by becoming the first Indian company to acquire an FIA accredited series. By taking over the series, JK Tyre promises to utilize it as a platform to encourage and support the world’s best racing drivers and promote India as one of Asia’s motorsport capitals.
Thus, JK Tyre has conquered two steps in the motorsport program where the new racing aspirants first establish themselves in
India, then graduate to Asian level i.e. to Formula BMW, which is now JKRAS and then they move to higher levels of racing. JK Tyre now stands closer to achieving its mission of bringing world-class motorsport to the Indian masses. The Racing and Karting programme by JK Tyre has been the breeding ground for the country’s motorsport talents like Narain Karthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel and other emerging talent.
Another pioneering initiative was the launch of the Truck Racing Championship in India in partnership with Tata Motors. The company developed & designed “JetRacing”-the new generation truck racing tyres especially for this application. With this, JK Tyre became the first tyre company to produce truck racing tyres in India. The combination of the Prima trucks fitted with Jet Racing received an overwhelming response from participants and has definitely brought in a revolution in the Indian racing scenario.
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Ashwin, Vishnu start favourites for Round 3 of 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship
EURO JK 18 championship leader Chennai’s Ashwin Datta in action. Coimbatore, October 13: Round 3 of the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship will commence here today at the Kari Motor Speedway with the Chennai trio of Ashwin Datta, Vishnu Prasad and Joseph Matthew looking to consolidate their positions on the leaderboard.
Ashwin, who had surprised everyone with speed and guile this season, has managed to stay ahead of the pack with three podium finishes in the Euro JK 18 category with 51 points. He will be looking anxiously over this shoulder as he has a slender two-point lead.
Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee Nayan Chatterjee (49 points) was breathing fire in Round 2 and will be keen to carry that momentum forward to stake his claim for the championship in the final round next month.
“The championship has reached a very exciting stage, with anyone capable of winning in each of the championships,” Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Motorsports, said. “It is going to be an intense battle this weekend.”
In the LGB 4 category, MSport’s Vishnu was at his imperious best in the last round, winning two races and finishing second in one to gather a total of 28 points. With 50 points in the kitty from two rounds, he will look to widen the gap further at the top. Vishnu, however will be wary of his buddy and team-mate Raghul Rangasamy who is not too far behind him at 45 points.
In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, all eyes will be on 14-year-old Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsports, who annexed his maiden win to end the round with 13 points. He is currently third in the championship standings. Tijil’s team-mate Siddharth Mehdiratta is currently leading the standings with 16 points, just one ahead of but Viswas Vijayaraj.
Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad Defending champion Joseph Matthew of Chennai continues to rule the Suzuki Gixxer Cup. He is yet to drop a point in the championship and has four wins from as many starts for a total of 40 points. He will be the man to beat once again.
The top 3 after Round 2 – EURO JK 18: Ashwin Datta – 51 points; Nayan Chatterjee – 49 points; Brayan Perera – 43 points
LGB Formula 4: Vishnu Prasad (Msport) – 50 points; Raghul Rangasamy (Msport) – 45 points; Rohit Khanna – 37 points
NOVICE CUP: Siddharth Mehdiratta (Momentum Motorsports) – 16 points; Viswas Vijayraj (DTS Racing) – 15 points; Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) – 13 points.
JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup: Joseph Matthew – 40 points; Syed Muzzammil Ali – 30 points; Malsawmdawngliana – 21 points.
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Mumbai’s Venkatesh Shetty wins JK Tyre Monsoon Scooter Rally
Avtar Singh in action in the JK Tyre Monsoon Rally in Nashik. A JK Tyre photo Nashik, 25 Aug 20018: Braving wet and slushy conditions, defending champion Venkatesh Shetty annexed the JK Tyre 29th Monsoon Scooter Rally title here on Saturday afternoon.
The veteran rider from Mumbai completed the 5-kilometre loop thrice over in picturesque Sarul Village in just 19 minutes and 13 seconds.
He was in his elements as he was the first to be flagged off. He needed just 6.13 minutes in his first run and 6.03 in the third; he recorded the fastest time, a sensational 5.57 minutes in the second run, making it the fastest time of the day.
Cheered on by enthusiastic fans even as light rain lashed the mountainous terrain, Shetty showed amazing control, confidence and courage to tame the dirt track.
Zeeshan Sayed, also from Mumbai, claimed the second place while TVS Racing’s Syed Asif Ali took third place, finishing the entire stretch in 21.36 and 22.19 respectively.
The popular FMSCI-approved scooter rally, organised by Sportscraft and Powered by TVS Racing, had been shifted from Mumbai to Nashik at the last moment but still proved to be a huge success.
As many as 34 riders from different parts of the country, including Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Vadodara, Raigad, Panvel and Nashik took part.
There were two lady riders too who enjoyed the challenge of wading through massive pools of water.
Two teams, Aprilia and TVS, fielded their teams too to underline that scooter rallying retains its charm.
“I am very happy that we managed to pull off the rally. We barely had
10 days to put everything in place after our original venue had to be abandoned due to reasons beyond our control,” Shrikant Karani, the well-known organiser, said. “The competitors showed faith in our event and came over to Nashik and rode brilliantly to the delight of the local fans. The local association and the entire city gave us a lot of support,” he added.
Aprilia’s Pinkes Thakkar, among the early favourites, will count himself unlucky as he had to pull out of the rally when he was comfortably placed behind the leader. Some debris flew into his eye in the second loop and he had no other option but to retire.
The winners were rewarded with trophies and cash awards.
Provisional Results: Overall Winners: 1. Venkatesh Shetty; 2. Zeeshan Sayed; 3. Syed Asif Ali
Above 80cc Upto 110 CC – S1 — 2 Stroke (Group B): 1. Rohan Thakur; 2. Nilesh Thakare; 3. Mohasin Shaikh
Scooter Above 110cc Upto160 CC S2 — Geared Scooter (Group B): 1.
Manjit Singh Bassan; 2. Chinmay Bisht; 3. Vicky Jaskaransingh
Scooter 80cc To 210cc (S-1 to S-3) — 4 Stroke (Group B): 1.
Venkatesh Shetty; 2. Zeeshan Sayed; 3. Syed Asif Ali
Ladies Class -Open (Group B): 1. Amruta Guruji; 2. Priyanka Singh
Best performance by a first timer In two-wheeler rally: 1. Niraj Wanjale; 2. Saddam Hussain Vanniyar; 3. Sachin Khengle
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Double for Babit Lyngdoh: DMSC JK Tyre 2018 Autocross
Dimapur (Nagaland), 16 July 2018: The 4th DMSC JK Tyre 2018 Autocross successfully concluded here late on Sunday, with the Meghalaya duo of Babit Lyngdoh and Kamlesh.
Driving through twisty and hairpin turns inside the track in front of delighted crowds, Babit completed a grand double, winning the Open as well as the Above 1.1 Categories. He hit the post in a record-breaking 2:00.47 in the Open category and was equally fast (2:03:81) in the Above 1.1 category.
Kamlesh proved to be the star in the SUV category, needing 2:14.13 to emerge the victor. Sandeep Sharma of Delhi underlined his class, taking the second position in as many as three categories. He took 2:03:22 to finish behind Babit in the Open category, 2:03:91 in the Above 1.1 Category and 2:14:50 in the SUV class for two runner-up places.
Local lad Dennis Assumi too had the distinction of coming third in two races, the Open and the SUV categories
Over 60 drivers from different parts if the country participated in this three-day event organised by the Dimapur Motorsports Club. The winners were rewarded with trophies and cash prizes
Results: Open Category: 1. Babit Lyngdoh (Meghalaya, 2:00.47); 2. Sandeep Sharma (Delhi, 2:03.22); 3. Dennis Assumi (DMSC, 2:04.28)
Above 1.1 category: 1. Babit Lyngdoh (Meghalaya, 2:03:81); 2. Sandeep Sharma (Delhi, 2:03:91); 3. Obeth (AMAM, 2:04.09)
SUV category: 1 Kamlesh (Meghalaya, 2:14.13); 2. Sandeep Sharma (Delhi, 2:14:50); 3. Denis Assumi (DMSC, 2:18.91)
Below 1.1 cc: Imli Pongen (2:06.50); 2. Atoka Awomi (2:09.78); 3. TomitoShohe (2:09.81)
Rookie: Imli Pongen (2:06.06); 2. Atoka Awomi (2:11.34); 3. Jaki Trang (2:11.41)
Special category (Lady): Phoebe (Meghalaya).
About JK Tyre Motorsport: JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of gruelling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre’s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the World of motorsport.
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Bryan Perera emerges star of the day: JK Tyre National Racing Championship
LGB 4 podium. A JK Tyre image Coimbatore, 8 July 2018: Sri Lanka’s Bryan Perera made the most of slightly wet conditions to emerge the star of the day, winning two Euro JK 18 races in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship here on Sunday.
Karthik Tharani, who won the laurels in this category on Saturday, however, made a valiant comeback in the fourth and final race to catch up with Perera as Round 1 came to a thrilling finish.
Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee stayed right behind the leaders by making the podium thrice on Sunday, grabbing the second place twice and the third place once. Another Chennai racer Ashwin Datta enjoyed a good run, finishing second in Race 4 and third in Race 2 and 3.
In fact, Ashwin Datta has taken top position on the leader-board with 24 points, upstaging Perera and Tharani who have accumulated 23 points. Nayan has 20 points.
The LGB 4 too proved to be a tantalising affair, with Delhi’s Rohit Khanna and Chennai’s Raghul Rangsamy winning one race each. Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad had won Race 1 on Saturday, to produce three different winners in the three races in this category.
Vishnu and Kolhapur’s Chittesh Mandody took the second and third places in both the races to pick up valuable points. Vishnu, however, is ahead on points after Round 1 with 22 in his kitty. Raghul and Rohit have 21 and 17 points.
In the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, Joseph Matthew continued his imperious run, remaining unbeaten over this weekend too. He finished the 10 laps in 14:16.799 minutes, recording his quickest time of 1:23.411 minutes in Lap 6 for his second straight victory.
Syed Muzamil Ali (Bengaluru) and Malsawmdawngliana (Aizawl), who had finished third and second last evening, swapped places in Race 2 to finish on the same number of points.
A carnival-like atmosphere reigned at the Kari Motor Speedway, with a big holiday crowd turning up to enjoy the Race Day. Music, stunts and close races marked the day, as the competitors gunned for glory.
The Ahura Racing team once again were greeted with the loudest cheers, with the five girls in red tackling the wet conditions with elan.
The slippery track didn’t deter them, leading to a series of photo-finishes in all the categories. Bryan Perera recorded the day’s fastest lap in Race 3, taking just 1:00.279 minutes in his Euro JK 18 car.
Provisional Results: Euro JK 18, Race 2: 1. Bryan Perera (Sri Lanka, 15:22.568); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 15:26.377); 3. Ashwin Datta (Chennai, 15:29.942).
Euro JK 18, Race 3: 1. Bryan Perera (Sri Lanka, 14:15.491); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 14:17.269); 3. Ashwin Datta (Chennai, 14:23.294).
Euro JK 18, Race 4: 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai, 15:33.789); 2. Ashwin Datta (Chennai, 15:34.334); Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 15:34.403)
LGB 4, Race 2: 1. Rohit Khanna (Dark Don, 16:56.965); 2. Chittesh Mandody (Kolhapur, 16:59.249); 3. Vishnu Prasad (MSport; 17:02.297).
LGB 4, Race 3: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 21:56.544); Chittesh Mandody (Kolhapur, 21:57.698); 3. Vishnu Prasad (MSport; 21:59.430).
Suzuki Gixxer Cup, Race 2: 1. Joseph Matthew (Chennai; 14:16.799), 2. Syed Muzamil Ali (Bengaluru; 14:18.749); 3. Malsawmdawngliana (Aizawl; 14:19.951).
Red Bull Rookie, Race 2: 1. Zothanmawia (Aizawl; 14:36.129), 2. Jerome Vanlalrengpuia (Mizoram; 15:04.514); 3. Andy Lalhmangaihsang (Aizawl; 15:13.476).
eom/db
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Chennai trio shine as Ahura Racing girls steal thunder
Team Ahura, an all women’s racing team in the 21st JK Tyre National Racing Championship at Coimbatore on Saturday. A JK Tyre image Coimbatore, 7 July 2018: Chennai’s awesome trio of Karthik Tharani, Vishnu Prasad and Joseph Mathew began the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship on a winning note, even as the all-women’s team of Ahura Racing stole the thunder here on Saturday afternoon.
Karthik Tharani claimed the coveted first race in the Euro JK 18 category, winning the 15-lap race in 15:29.526 minutes. Nirmal Uma Shankar (Chennai) and Manav Sharma (Faridabad) took the other two places on the podium.
Seasoned racer Vishnu Prasad (MSport) staved off a stiff challenge from Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don) and Raghul Rangasamy (also of MSport) to win the highly competitive opening race in the LGB Formula 4.
In the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, defending champion Joseph Matthew was at his imperious best once again, taking the first race of the season in 14:15.877 minutes. He was over 3 seconds faster than Aizawl’s Malsawmdawngliana and Bengaluru’s Syed Muzamil Ali, who was a further 3 seconds behind.
The Red Bull Road to Rookies was once again dominated by the boys from the north-east, with Zothanmawia and Andy Lalhmangaihsang taking the first two places. Jerome Vanlalrengpuia from Mizoram finished third.
The day, however, belonged to the girls from Ahura Racing in their striking red cars and uniforms. The six girls formed an all women’s team and five of them competed in the LGB 4 category, and did well to finish the race.
Racing for the first time ever, Coimbatore’s Megaa KS beat the rest of the girls, impressing with an overall timing of 18:09.051 minutes. Pune’s Dr Ritika Oberoi, a seasoned motorsports competitor, chased her all the way, but was behind by a second.
Race 2 of the Euro JK 18 could not take place on Saturday afternoon as scheduled due to a technical glitch. It will now take place on Sunday, when Round 1 concludes.
Provisional Results: Euro JK 18: 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai; 15:29.526) , 2. Nirmal Uma Shankar (Chennai; 15:31.424), 3. Manav Sharma (Faridabad; 15:34.487)
LGB 4: 1. Vishnu Prasad (MSport; 18:03.844), 2. Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don; 18:04.983). 3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:11.014)
Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Joseph Matthew (Chennai; 14:15.877), 2. Malsawmdawngliana (Aizawl; 14:19.122), 3. Syed Muzamil Ali (Bengaluru; 14:19.181)
Red Bull Road To Rookies: 1. Zothanmawia (Aizawl; 14:23.901), 2. Andy Lalhmangaihsang (Aizawl; 14:47.701); 3. Jerome Vanlalrengpuia (Mizoram; 14:50.264)
eom/db
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Ajgar, Musthafa win JK Tyre Himalayan Drive
Darjeeling, 2 March 2018: The pair of Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Musthafa successfully defended their title at the Biswa Bangla JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 6 beating the hot-in-pursuit Kolkata duo of Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta by a narrow five-penalty margin to bring the rally to an exciting finish in Darjeeling on Sunday.
The five-day event, India’s Tri-Nation TSD rally, took 24 teams across Nepal, North Bengal and Bhutan over 1,615 tough kilometers. Leg 2 and 3 in Nepal were cancelled due to technical problems arising out of rallying through different time zones.
In the Open category too, the Aaj Tak team of Gagan Sethi and Dhiraj Arora maintained their lead right from the Day 1 and emerged winners. The team of Govind Dalmia and Anand Agarwala from Siliguri finished a distant second. Pranjal More and Milindo Paul, also from Siliguri, came third.
In the SUV category, Amit Dhanotia and Anuragh Agarwala emerged winners while in the Above- 1300 cc category, Pranai Rai and Nanki Kharki from Kalimpong won the title. Another Kalimpong team of Bimal Kumar Poudel and Rajendra Gaire won the Under-1,300cc category.
The final leg was flagged off from the Tashi Namgay Grand Hotel above Phuentsholing in Bhutan The rally then hit the hills and passed through Samsing, Gorubathan, Lava and the charming hill station of Kalimpong and continued after lunch through the steep, tea bush-covered hills of Peshoke to reach Darjeeling in the evening through Jore bungalow.
The scenic and iconic Mall in Darjeeling provided the perfect setting for the prize distribution ceremony.
ends/david/release
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Ajgar-Mustafa take lead after Day 1 of Biswa Bangla presents JK Himalayan Drive 6
Chitwan (Nepal), 24 Feb 2018: Defending champions Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Mustafa jumped into the lead after Day 1 of the Biswa Bangla presents JK Himalayan Drive 6, the only Tri-Nation TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rally of India, late here on Saturday.
The veteran rallyists underlined their class in their Mitsubishi Media as they tackled the dirt and dust tracks that eventually took them through the lush forests in Darjeeling. They were ahead of the pack with 54 penalty points; Subir Roy and navigator Nirav Mehta were right behind the leaders, with 62 penalty points in their Maruti Gypsy. Captain Vijay Kumar Sharma and Chandan Sen eased into the third position with 132 penalty points.
The HD 6 was flagged off ceremonially at the City Center in Siliguri (West Bengal), jointly by Siliguri Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Choudhury and Inspector General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Srikumar Bandopadhyay on Friday morning. Hundreds lined up
To watch the mean machines even as police and SSB brass and pipe bands played popular tunes.
The rallyists drove through Matigara-Kurseong Road, Khaprail Bazar and Panihati before reaching the vast dry bed of the Manja river, a tributary of Teesta river. They then drove through Naxalbari (which incubated the infamous ultra-left Naxal movement) to enter Nepal at Kakarbitta.
At Kakarbitta, the participants were accorded a warm welcome by the Nepal Automotive Sports Association (NASA). The rallyists then drove 466 kilometers on the busy East-West Highway to reach Chitwan for the night halt. Out of the total 521 kilometers that they travelled on Friday, 74 kilometers were in the competitive section.
The lush green backdrop of the Chitwan National park in Nepal provided the perfect setting for the ceremonial flag-off of the second leg of the rally. Saturday’s 80 kilometer-long rally route traversed through hills, tropical forests, embankments of the Rapti river and dry beds of the Rapti’s many tributaries.
It proved to be a thrilling leg as it was the first time that an international rally was staged at Chitwan, a National Park and a World Heritage Site spread over 932 square kilometers. The rallyists drove through the periphery of the national park which is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, the endangered one-horned rhino, sloth bears, elephants, leopards and crocodiles.
About JK Tyre Motorsport: JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long-term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of grueling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived as elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre’s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realise the dreams of making India a force in the field of motorsport.
In 2011, the company acquired the Formula BMW Series and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series (JKRAS). With this acquisition, JK Tyre created history in Indian Motorsport by becoming the first Indian company to acquire an FIA accredited series. By taking over the series, JK Tyre promises to utilise it as a platform to encourage and support the world’s best racing drivers and promote India as one of Asia’s motorsport capitals.
Thus, JK Tyre has conquered two steps in the motorsport programme where the new racing aspirants first establish themselves in India, then graduate to Asian level i.e. to Formula BMW, which is now JKRAS and then they move to higher levels of racing. JK Tyre now stands closer to achieving its mission of bringing world-class motorsport to the Indian masses. The Racing and Karting programme by JK Tyre has been the breeding ground for the country’s motorsport talents like Narain Karthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel and other emerging talents.
Another pioneering initiative was the launch of the Truck Racing Championship in India in partnership with Tata Motors. The company developed and designed `JetRacing’, the new-generation truck racing tyres especially for this application. With this, JK Tyre became the first tyre company to produce truck racing tyres in India. The combination of the Prima trucks fitted with Jet Racing received an overwhelming response from participants and has definitely brought in a revolution in the Indian racing scenario.
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Commanding show, including a hat-trick, gets maiden title for Aaroh Ravindra; Rayo Racing tops
Aaroh Ravindra and Aanjan Patodia (right) with their trophies on 15 Oct 2017 in Bangalore. Photo by Rayo Racing Bengaluru : Aaroh Ravindra from Rayo Racing, clinched his maiden National Karting Championship, with a 2nd place finish in Round 5 of the Meco FMSCI National Rotax Karting Championship.
The Mumbai youngster has consistently dominated the championship ever since his victory in round 1 at Hyderabad. He completed a hat-trick of victories at the end of Round 3 and already had a commanding lead of 27 points in the National Championship by then.
Aaroh qualified 2nd as the weekend began, after Nirmal USB of M Sport clinched pole position with a lap time of 54.694, a mere 2 hundredths of a second ahead of Aaroh. Manav Sharma was third. Heat 1 saw Nirmal lead from pole & win the heat, while Aaroh won the 2nd heat, ahead of Nirmal.
The pre final saw Nirmal from Chennai, once again start from pole & win ahead of Aaroh & Manav. Aaroh’s earned enough points in the pre final, to be practically assured of the title, irrespective of the outcome of the final. However, Aaroh was not content with merely finishing.
he final saw Nirmal pulling away as soon as the green flag dropped, while Aaroh fell to third. He regained second, coming out of corner 2 but lost ground immediately to Akash. Soon, it was Rayo Racing 2nd & 3rd as both Aaroh & Aanjan overtook Akash on lap 3. Mid-way through the race, Nirmal picked a puncture which promoted the Rayo Racing duo into 1st & 2nd. Aanjan being quicker, soon passed Aaroh for the lead & won a really close race. Aaroh crossed the line a mere 0.3 seconds behind Aanjan, while local lad Akash finished 3rd, ahead of another Bengaluru lad – Danesh Vakharia from Rayo Racing.
Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghorpade from BPC racing won the junior finals ahead of M Sport Racing boys, Shahan Mohsin from Agra & Yash Aradhya from Bengaluru. Bengaluru boys sealed the Micro Max podium as Ruhaan Alva of Birel Art won the finals ahead of Rohaan Madhesh of Peregrine Racing & Rishon MR from Birel Art.
Aaroh’s domination in the Senior National Championship saw him pick the award for most wins in the entire championship. His worst finish of the season being a 2nd place, he won the National Title with a lead of 33 points & earns himself a ticket to represent India in the World Finals at Portugal in November. Aaroh’s participation in the series came as a result of his sponsorship from Tata Motors, JK Tyres, Rayo Racing & IndiKarting after finishing runner up in the JK Tyre IndiKarting National Series last year. The winner of that series – Aanjan Patodia, finished 3rd overall behind Nirmal USB in spite of not finishing a couple of races. He tied on points with Rayo Racing Teammate – Danesh Vakharia.
Yash Aradhya of M Sport, with 2 victories in the season, won the junior title by 9 points from Chirag Ghorpade & Shahan Mohsin. Arjun Rajiv won the Micro title by 8 points, ahead of Ruhaan Alva & Rishon MR.
“It was an amazing start to the year, with a hat trick of victories. A double runner-up finish in the last 2 rounds was not bad either. It has been hard work by everyone involved & I really want to thank Steve for his efforts, as well as all our sponsors & my family for their support” said an ecstatic Aaroh after the prize distribution ceremony.
He continued, “I have had very limited track time over the last 2 years due to the lack of a budget. The World Finals are going to be tough competing against the 72 best drivers from around the world, but I will be working hard over the next few weeks to prepare in the best possible way.”
As reported earlier, Aaroh Ravindra, Yash Aradhya and Ruhaan Alva, will represent India, in the World Rotax Finals in Portimao, Portugal from 5th to 11th November, as the champions from over 50 countries will vie for the title of World Rotax Champion 2017. Over 300 competitors will race at this prestigious World Finals.
eom/with inputs from Rayo Racing
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Aditya Patel finishes the season with a bang, helps team with a double win: Blancpain GT Asia Series
Zhejiang: Twenty-nine year old Chennai racer Aditya Patel finished the seasonn with a bang with a double victory in along with teammate Gilbert in the 12th and final race of the Blancpain GT Series Asia Championship. The duo, piloting the Audi R8 LMS GT3, missed out on the overall championship title by a single point in the inaugural edition.
Indian GT ace Aditya Patel and Malaysian teammate Mitch Gilbert won both the races at the final round of the Inaugural Blancpain GT Series in Asia which helped them claw back vital championship points, finishing only one point behind the final winner, Hunter Abbott.
“What a weekend! I’ve had a fantastic year with OD Racing and the support from my sponsors Audi India, Jubilant Motorworks and 2GO Activewear has b
Aditya-Patel-and-Gilbert-after-a-double-win-in-the-season-finale-on Sunday. Photo courtesy Aditya Patel een amazing! I can’t wait to see what next year has in store,” said an ecstatic Aditya to www.INDIAinF1.com through an email after the weekend.
The OD Racing pair came into the final round 28 points behind the championship leading pair of Marchy Lee and Shaun Thong. With 50 points up for grabs, Patel and Gilbert came into the weekend with an outside chance of winning the title.
Patel put in a lap which was good enough for second place on the grid for race 1 while Gilbert set a blinding laptime in qualifying 2 which put them on pole position for race 2.
Starting 2nd for the first race, Aditya was quick to take the lead in wet conditions and began to open a gap between himself and 2nd place Aidan Read. The Indian then handed the car over to Gilbert who found himself in the lead even after serving a five second pitstop penalty. From there on Gilbert opened up a gap and finished comfortable with a win in race 1.
Race 2 was held in treacherous conditions after it rained through the night and continued to rain as the day progressed. Gilbert took the start but lost a place to Martin Rump on turn one, and kept his head down through his stint, and then handed it over to Patel who served his 10-second penalty for winning Race 1 and came out in 2nd place behind Rump’s teammate Rick Yoon. However, as conditions got worse, Yoon spun and handed the lead back to Patel who cruised to the 2nd victory of the weekend. Although he roped in a maximum-points haul, the pair still missed out on the overall championship by just a single point.
“What a weekend! We came in 28 points behind the leaders with an outside chance of winning and now we’ve finished 2nd only one point behind. We did everything we could this weekend and had a perfect weekend but in the end it wasn’t enough.
eom/with inputs from Aditya Patel
