INDIA in F1

Tag: Karun Chandhok

  • Chandhok rues bad luck which cost him a shot at the victory

    Dubai, 12 Jan 2014: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok got his year off to a brilliant start with a 3rd place finish in the SP2 class victory at the Dubai 24hours. Chandhok, driving the Dubai 24hours  for the second time in his career, drove for the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN, which suffered mechanical issues through the night, costing the team a chance at victory. 

    Chandhok, driving the No. 126 Nissan 370Z Nismo joined Nissan GT Academy winners James Moffat, Tor Graves and Ashley Oldfield in Asia’s leading endurance race, a press release from Adrenna Communications said. The No. 126 car was fighting with the RJN sister car for the win when the team suffered issues into the night, costing them more than 2 hours in the pits. The team was at one point 16 laps behind the leader and managed to unlap themselves 5 times but was too late.

    Chandhok rued the bad luck but was happy to start the season with a podium finish. He commented, “This is a great start to the year for me and I would like to thank the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN for this opportunity. It was a crazy race and at one point we looked fast enough for the win. You need luck in a 24 hour race and we didn’t get our share of the luck but we fought back and took a podium finish.  It’s a shame we had a few problems as we were matching the pace of the sister car at the start of the race.  The podium is a massive reward for the RJN boys so it was good to get it for them”

    Chandhok was invited to join the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN. The academy takes people who are good at video games and, in a matter of months, turns them into professional drivers.  Over 765,000 people participated in last year’s Academy, held through a special free demo made using technology of the new Gran Turismo®6 game. A record 42 gamers gathered at the final selection round this year to compete in the process of turning them from virtual to real racers.

    Chandhok added “This is a fantastic program initiated by the Nissan GT Academy where gamers have a chance to race in the real world. It was interesting to work with the graduates in a cost-effective program which can take a young kid from his couch to the highest levels of racing with Nissan at Le Mans. This event has been an education for me, learning about GT Academy. I have only seen it from the outside before and have read about it in magazines. I hope it will launch in India soon.  It’s good to see these guys getting the opportunities that people like me didn’t have. They have been given a golden opportunity and they need to make the most of it.”

    ends

    Karun Chandhok finishes 3rd in Dubai 24hrs
    Karun Chandhok finishes 3rd in Dubai 24hrs

  • Bharat Raj, Shrikant Karani to fight FMSCI presidential elections

    Bangalore, 22 Dec 2013: Bharat Raj, Chairman of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club, has emerged as a strong contender for the post of the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India with Vicky Chandhok forced to step down from the coveted post after two successful terms in office. The greatest achievement during his tenure, is perhaps, the arrival of Formula One to the Indian shores. The elections are scheduled to be held in Chennai on Dec 23 and the results are expected to be announced on 8 Jan 2014 due to Madras High Court, which ordered the results to be kept in abeyance (in a sealed cover) before going for Christmas holidays.

    Bharat Raj, however, is expected to face a tough challenge from veteran motorsporst administrator and organiser Shrikant Karani of Sportscraft, Mumbai. Karani filed an injunction against the elections contending against an FMSCI ruling which prohibited him from contesting elections as Sportscraft is a profit-making body.

    The elections held today were for the five council berths. The council in turn elects the President and other office-bearers. If the Hon. Court probibits Shrikant Karani, Bharat Raj is likely to elected unanimously as President of the Federation. The other scenario, where the Court allows his nomination, the nine-member Council will elect the President.

    Meanwhile, though Vicky Chandhok sent a subtle hint welcoming the incoming team in his annual news letter and later through his announcement that he would be stepping down paving the way for newcomers, experts feel that it is a strategic move to keep himself out of harm’s way as the International Federation of Motorsports (FIA) has now become a member of International Olympic Association (IOA) and the Indian Federation, an ASN (official member country) of FIA, has to follow the rules and regulations of the National Olympic Association which states that no office-bearer can continue for a third successive term.

    With the Formula One race in India ruled out for 2014 due to scheduling problems, Chandhok, found it is right time to take a sabbatical from the helm. However, the veteran administrator who was the son of Indhu Chandhok, one of the founders of FMSCI and father of Karun Chandhok, the second F1 driver from India, is expected to represent India in the international fora in some honorary capacity, what with his savvy skills to take forward the motorsport in the country.

    An announcement on Dec 23 said: “After a second extended term of being FMSCI President, Vicky Chandhok today confirmed that he will not be standing for re-election for the upcoming year.”

    Chandhok, along with the Jaypee Group and other FMSCI council members including Vijay Mallya, played a key role in bringing Formula One to India and was helped by the great urge of FIA and the wish of ring master Bernie Ecclestone who thought that, the F1 bandwagon visiting India and the Asian country being on the regular calendar of F1 would benefit the sport more than India gaining from it. But the tax problems and other bureaucratic red tape were also named as reasons from removing India from the 2014 calendar. F1 is expected to return to the country in 2015 as JP group has a contract with the commercial rights holders of F1.

    After an earlier stint of 3 years at the helm of the Federation from 2005 to 2007, Chandhok was elected to the Presidency again in 2010. The last 4 years have seen a big boost in Indian motorsport, not just with the Formula One Indian Grand Prix but also with domestic motorsport in general. Auto manufacturer support has increased with involvement in car and bike championships as well as the Indian National Rally Championship. Under his aegis, the first ever Indian National Times Speed Distance Rally Championship was also launched.

    Chandhok said, “This is a difficult decision for me but after being President for 7 out of the last 9 years, and living and breathing Indian motorsport on a daily basis, it is time to pass the baton on. The federation has seen many wins over the past few years, including, most notably Formula 1 coming to India as well as the Asian Road Racing Championship for Bikes. There have been so many positive changes to Indian motorsport with the introduction of new championships, and I am glad to have played a pivotal role in making it happen. The first ever FMSCI Automobile Conclave has helped us in bringing more manufacturers into our various championships. From an international perspective, India has a much larger presence in world motorsport with 14 people joining international commissions and I’m glad that I have played a part in building these international relations with the FIA, FIM and CIK.”

    The last 4 years have seen significant developments in the Indian motorsport arena. Karting and single-seater racing has given young Indian drivers the perfect platform to hone their skills before going to race internationally. The JK Tyre National Karting Championship continues to flourish and the introduction of the JK Racing India Series, MRF 16000 and MRF Challenge 2013 has helped prepare young drivers to face the challenges of international competition. Saloon car racing in India has established its own niche with the introduction of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup and the Toyota Etios Trophy.  Rallying in India has recovered after a couple of difficult years and now has increased manufacture presence from car giants Volkswagen, Mahindra and Maruti.

    Chandhok added, “Young drivers now have ample platforms to chart out their motorsport career starting from karting to F3 style cars. Rallying, a discipline where I personally spent many years competing, has now stabilised over the last 12 months. It has also been very heartening to see the support that organisers, promoters and competitors have extended to me personally, and the federation especially over the past couple of months. I have had a very passionate team of people to work with and none of our achievements would have been possible without the determination and hard work of the entire team.

    “I am very grateful for the opportunity that I was given to improve Indian motorsport and I am confident that we can look forward to more successes in the future. There is a plenty of work to be done in supporting the Jaypee Group and Formula One Management, as well as the vehicle manufacturers to improve the sport in India. I will of course continue to be a member of the FMSCI managing council and look forward to lending my support to the new President and his team,” he added.

    On the other side of the success, the new office-bearers will have to work that much harder not only to keep up the good work but also to bring in transparency and professionalism to the National body. Just like FIA, its parent body, the Indian Federation, guards its accounts and dealings in great secrecy. Time has come now to publish the audited reports and take responsibility by creating strong mechanisms for accountability.

    (This article is edited on Dec 23 at 3pm)

    eom

    File photo of Vicky Chandhok with Bernie Ecclestone. An Adrenna Communications photo
    File photo of Vicky Chandhok with Bernie Ecclestone. An Adrenna Communications photo

     

     

  • Triple ROC ‘Champion of Champions’ Mattias Ekström returns

    • Three-time ROC ‘Champion of Champions’ Mattias Ekström will return to the Race Of Champions at Bangkok in December
    • The Swedish DTM driver has twice defeated F1 great Michael Schumacher in the ROC Grand Final (see picture)
    • Ekström joins a 2013 line-up that includes Schumacher, Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen, four-time V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup and new World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier
    • Tickets are now available from the website www.raceofchampions.com

    Triple ROC ‘Champion of Champions’ Mattias Ekström will make a return to the Race Of Champions at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on December 14-15.

    The Swede has won two DTM championships for Audi in 2004 and 2007 and he still competes in the German touring car series. But he has also appeared in eight WRC rallies and raced in Nascar. This year Ekström has spread his wings yet further with a successful appearance in the legendary V8 Supercar race at Bathurst, even leading the field at one point. He also raced strongly in the X-Games in Munich and took second place on his European Rallycross debut in his home country.

    Such a rare mix of driving skill makes Ekström a maestro at the Race Of Champions, where he has won the overall ‘Champion of Champions’ title no less than three times, all in different stadia. In 2006 Ekström beat home hero Sébastien Loeb in his own rally car at the Stade de France in Paris before twice defeating Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher in the Grand Final – first at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2007 then at Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium in 2009. If he can repeat the feat in Bangkok he will equal Didier Auriol’s all-time record of four ROC triumphs. Ekström has also partnered Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen to ROC Nations Cup glory for Team Scandinavia in 2005 and the duo will now be reunited in Bangkok.

    Ekström said: “I have many happy memories from the Race Of Champions and I’m delighted to be back this year – and to be teaming up with Tom again. It’s always a pleasure to race against the world’s best drivers and I’ve had some strong results down the years. What helps me is that I’ve been lucky to race many good touring cars, sportscars and rally cars but everyone knows it is a unique event. You have two minutes to show what you can do – and if you do it spotlessly you go further. I once won a race by a thousandth of a second: with margins like that you also need luck.”

    Race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “Mattias is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Race Of Champions. So it is great for us to have him back in the field – and he will again start as one of the favourites for success as he bids to equal ROC’s all-time record. He and Tom will make up a formidable partnership in the ROC Nations Cup too and we hope to see a big crowd cheering them all on in Bangkok.”

    Held every year since 1988, the Race Of Champions brings together the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s main disciplines – including Formula 1, World Rally, Le Mans, MotoGP, Nascar, IndyCar, Touring Cars and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.

    ROC 2013 will take place on a specially constructed tarmac track with two parallel lanes winding their way round Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium. Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled forSaturday 14 December, ahead of the individual Race Of Champions on Sunday 15 December.

    ROC features stars from all over the world: along with Schumacher and Kristensen, four-time V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup and 2013 World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier have already signed up and the rest of the field will be announced in the run-up to December’s event.

    Tickets are now available from www.raceofchampions.com where you can also find further information. Sign up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, Race Of Champions on Facebook or @raceofchampions and the hashtag #BangROC on Twitter.

    Drivers already announced for the 2013 Race Of Champions:

    • Michael SCHUMACHER, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
    • Tom KRISTENSEN, nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, World Endurance Champion 2013
    • Sébastien OGIER, World Rally Champion 2013
    • Jamie WHINCUP, V8 Supercar Champion 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008
    • Narain KARTHIKEYAN, Formula 1 driver and ROC Asia Champion 2012
    • Karun CHANDHOK, Formula 1 driver and ROC Asia Champion 2012
    • David COULTHARD, 13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner
    • Susie WOLFF, development driver for the Williams F1 team
    • Mattias EKSTRÖM, DTM ace and triple ROC Champion of Champions
      Mattias Ekstrom and Micheal Schumacher at an earlier RoC. Photo by RoC media
      Mattias Ekstrom and Micheal Schumacher at an earlier RoC. Photo by RoC media

    ends

  • The FMSCI President, Vicky Chandhok speaks!

    Vickey Chandhok (left), Karun Chandhok (2nd from left) and Vijay Mallya (right) at the British GP. File photo by Adrenna Communications.
    Vickey Chandhok (left), Karun Chandhok (2nd from left) and Vijay Mallya (right) at the British GP. File photo by Adrenna Communications.

    Letter from the President

    Chennai, 18 October 2013:

    We are in the midst of one of the busiest months in the year for motorsport in the country and it is great to see everything moving in the right direction. The entire motorsports industry is buzzing with excitement as we are less than a week away from India’s biggest sporting event. As I write this the team cargo is just arriving at the Buddh International Circuit. So let the games begin!!

    FIA

    Attending the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Dubrovnik provided a great insight in to all the great work that is being done by the FIA across the world. This might get repetitive but I never get tired of saying how proud the entire Federation is of the Indian representations on the world bodies. It is fantastic to see how far we have come in the world of motorsport with so much presence in the various commissions. Shivu Shivappa represents the FMSCI on the FIA Rally Commission, Farhan Vohra on the Circuits Commission, Prabha Shankar on the Volunteers & Officials commission, B Vijayakumar, Balakrishnan & Anand Jayachandran on the Single Seater commission, Manjeev Bhalla on the Cross Country rally commission, Karun Chandhok on the Drivers commission, J Balamurugan on the Drag Racing commission, Anand Sashidharan on the FIM Legal commission, Roop Kumar on the FIM tech commission, Shyam Kothari the FIM representative and of course Vijay Mallya on the world council.

    With unconditional support from the FMSCI members and governing council the team is doing India proud! Personally, it’s a wonderful feeling. FIA also gives special focus to developing ASNs across the globe. It is structured around four key building blocks for the establishment and running of a successful ASN, highlighting the need for competent structure and event organization, solid licensing, training and sport development. The FMSCI will also work closely with the FIA in growing grassroots motorsports and making it more affordable for young driver.

    We were fortunate to have an informal international observer at the AVT South India Rally earlier this year. Based on this, the Head of our Rallying Commission Ashwin Pandit, at the Rallycom meeting in Johor Bahru, discussed the possibility of having an official observer for one of our rallies this year. I am glad to say that due to the efforts of the Rallycom, the Chikmagalur Rally will be officially observed so that our Indian events will now have the opportunity to be part of the FIA Asia Cup next year.

    The Technical commission led by K Krishnamurthy and Kamlesh Patel has been exceedingly busy in drafting and monitoring the technical regulations. Your FMSCI has now invested over Rs. 15 lakhs on the import and local purchase of equipment that will aid the technical delegates and scrutineers.

    It is with great pleasure that I announce 17 year old Akhil Rabindra as the Indian driver being chosen as the candidate for the FIA Institute Academy. Drivers from 11 countries across the Asia-Pacific region are set to take part in their regional selection event for the 2013/14 Young Driver Excellence Academy. Each FIA National Sporting Authority (ASN) in the region was asked to put forward their nomination, which was then assessed by the FIA Institute. To qualify, drivers had to meet a set of minimum criteria, as well as having demonstrated strong performance in competition so far. On the final shortlist are some of the top young drivers in motor racing and rallying across the Asia-Pacific region, including competitors from Australian Formula Ford, the Sri Lankan Supercross Championship, JK Tyre Racing Championship and the V8 Challenge Cup Championship.

    Rallying

    The K-1000 rally had to be postponed due to operational reasons but am glad to see everything is shaping up well for one of India’s oldest rallies. At the Rallycom meeting earlier this month we announced changes to the 2014 championship. There will be only 3 categories next year and most importantly we encourage the participation of foreign entrants. We hope to expand the grid and manufacturer list in the upcoming years. The 15th Raid de Himalaya was a success yet again and congratulations to Suresh Rana for emerging victorious for a record 9th time along with his co-driver Ashwin Naik. It is one of the most popular rallies in India and people have nothing but great things to say about the unique event. We were glad to finally kick off the 2013 Indian National TSD Rally Championship with the first round being held in Nashik. TSD rallying is picking up and next year looks good for the championship with ten rounds already being confirmed.

    4W Racing

    The BIC has been bustling with activity over the last month as the Indian GP approaches. The turnout for the 17th MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship & JK Tyre Racing Championship I must admit surprised me and is a clear sign that Indian motorsport is doing just fine. Both championships witnessed record numbers with over 20000 fans, which featured the top talent from the country.

    This year there will only be one support race for the Indian GP with the MRF Formula 2000 kicking off its championship at the BIC. All these cars have been made in India by an Indian team and is probably one of the fastest in the region. The grid will include top drivers from all across the globe.

    This weekend will also witness the final round of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship in New Delhi with titles on the line in the Micro Max, Junior Max and Senior Max categories. This year we have had more than 10 young drivers moving up from Karting to Single-Seaters action and more importantly they have all made the transition with ease. This definitely means that our karting program is on the right track.

    2W Racing

    Round 3 of the FMSCI-MMSC took place at the BIC and created history of sorts as it was the first time that motorcycles had raced around the grand prix circuit. It was good to see full manufacturer support in the form of TVS, Honda and Yamaha blasting around the BIC.

    FMSCI team India rider K.Jagan was invited to particpate in the Asia Cup and did the country proud with a 3rd placed podium finish in Round 1. I am also personally thankful to Nasser at the QMMF for agreeing so spontaneously to a request to upgrade Rajni from the 600cc to a 1000cc bike at Losail for the weekend of the 5th October.

    International Drivers

    Gaurav Gill’s brilliant win in the Rally of Japan in his MRF Skoda Fabia means he is the favourite to win the APRC title with one more round to go. It was a fantastic effort in the Rally of Hokkaido by Gaurav Gill to take a comfortable win. Behind him Sanjay Takale won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) Production Cup title.

    Narain Karthikeyan continued his great form in the final round of Auto GP Championship to take his fifth win of the season. Karun Chandhok and Armaan Ebrahim did not have the best outing at the FIA GT Series with both drivers having to retire their cars. Another great achievement for Narain and Karun is that they have both been invited to represent India at the season ending Race of Champions. This is an invite only event for top drivers including Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Ogier, Sebastian Vettel, Jamie Whincup etc and it is a proud moment for Indian talent to be recognized with these great names.

    Aditya Patel had yet another top ten finish in the Audi R8 in the ADAC GT Masters. Young Indian racer Parth Ghorpade continues to be a top 10 finisher in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps championship with a 6th place finish in Imola. Lastly and quite importantly a big congratulations to Jehan Daruvala as he became the first ever Indian to win the British Karting Championship albeit on a MSA licence. The young Indian driver, backed by Sahara Force India, had two podium finishes in the final round to seal the title.

    Motorsport has always been an unforgiving sport and I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest sympathies to the families of Maria De Villota and Sean Edwards, who both passed away over the last week. Maria was doing a lot of work for women in motorsport with the FIA and will be sorely missed. Sean was close to wrapping up the Porsche Supercup Championship and is a great loss to the motorsport world.

    All members of the FMSCI have been working on overtime in order to try to better the sport in India and I would like to thank them all for making my task easier. Hope everyone has a great time at the Indian GP!

    Yours sincerely,

    Vicky Chandhok

     

  • Narain, Karun re-unite as Team India for Race of Champions 2013

    Chennai, 14 Oct 2013: India will be represented in the Race Of Champions for the second time after Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan signed up for ROC 2013, to be held at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium on the weekend of December 14-15. 2012 marked the first year that Team India made an appearance at the ROC and this was backed by a solid performance by both drivers which saw India being crowned ROC Asia Champions, an Adrenna release said.

    The two drivers joined forces for Team India at last year’s inaugural ROC Asia. They duly topped the group stages with four wins out of six against their competitors from China, Japan and host nation Thailand before defeating the Japanese duo in the final to take the title. That performance has now earned Chandhok and Karthikeyan an invitation to return to the scene of their triumph in Bangkok for ROC 2013.

    Narain Karthikeyan was excited at the prospect of going head-to-head with elite list of world champions that compete in the ROC. He added: “It will be a great privilege to represent India again at the Race Of Champions. We had a great time at our first attempt when we won ROC Asia but it is always a challenge to jump into different cars and adapt quickly. However, with the experience of the 2012 event behind us, we feel more confident and better prepared this time. As always, going head to head with world champions like Michael Schumacher and Sébastian Ogier is something we’re looking forward to.”

    Karun Chandhok was excited to return to the ROC and his happy to be back with more experience in hand. He said: “I’m very excited to be going back to Bangkok for the Race Of Champions. Narain and I had a great time together last year and it was fantastic to be the first ROC Asia winners. ROC is a unique event from a competitive and social perspective and it’s something that every driver looks forward to. It was really nice to drive such a variety of cars and we both have more experience this year and know a bit more about how it all works. The chance to spend time with such a great mix of drivers from a huge variety of championships around the world is a lot of fun and I hope we once again get a good crowd at the stadium.”

    Chandhok and Karthikeyan are the only Indian drivers ever to have competed in F1 and both have extensive racing pedigrees elsewhere too. Chandhok is a race-winner in GP2 and has since turned his hand to endurance racing with strong finishes in the last two Le Mans 24-Hour races. Karthikeyan has taken victories in everything from British F3 to A1GP and Superleague Formula before enjoying considerable success this year in AutoGP including a haul of five wins.

    Held every year since 1988, the Race Of Champions brings together the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s main disciplines – including Formula 1, world rally, Le Mans, MotoGP, Nascar, IndyCar, touring cars and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.

    ROC 2013 will take place on a specially constructed tarmac track with two parallel lanes winding their way round Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium. Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled for Saturday 14 December, ahead of the individual Race Of Champions on Sunday 15 December.

    ROC features stars from all over the world: seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen and newly-crowned World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier have already signed up and the rest of the 2013 field will be announced in the run-up to December’s event.

    Race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “We’re really happy to have Karun and Narain back at the Race Of Champions again. They raced very well last year on their way to victory in ROC Asia and their performance generated plenty of headlines among the burgeoning ranks of motor sport fans in India. So we hope to see many of their fellow countrymen making the short trip to Bangkok this time to cheer them on.”

    Ticket details will be released shortly. For further information, media accreditation and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates at www.raceofchampions.com, via Race Of Champions on Facebook or @raceofchampions and the hashtag #BangROC on Twitter.

    endsROC Narain and Karun to form Team India 2013

  • Karun qualifies in seventh at Le Mans for Murphy

    Le Mans (France), 21 June 2013: : Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok and his team Murphy Prototypes qualified in an impressive 7th position at the La Sarthe circuit in the LMP2 category in the Le Mans 24 hours. Chandhok’s team Murphy Prototypes set a time of 3:41.569 and will start in 15th place overall, and 7th in their category. The trio of Brendon Hartley, Mark Patterson and Karun Chandhok will drive the iconic Le Mans 24 hours race in the LMP2 Nissan V8-powered Oreca 03 with Murphy Prototypes. The second qualifying session was wet which resulted in Murphy Prototypes not venturing out at all.

    The third and final qualifying session started on a damp but drying track. There were as many as 9 red flags which disrupted running for all drivers. This resulted in the track coming alive in the last 30 minutes with all cars looking to improve their time. Hartley ran in the qualifying session as he had not got any meaningful running the entire week. He finally managed to get a new set of tyres to run in qualifying.

    Chandhok, who is supported by JK Tyre and Tag Heuer, is looking forward to a one-day break before the race starts on Saturday evening. He commented, “The morning session was a complete washout and it made no sense to do any laps. With the weather and so many red flags I could not get any running today but will be back in the car for warm-up tomorrow. We are starting in a reasonably good position and will have to push very hard to get a good result. The atmosphere here is unbelievable and I can’t wait to get going on Saturday. I am a little more experienced after racing last year but conditions are a lot more unpredictable this year so should be an interesting race. ”
    Brendon Hartley was happy to get a run finally even though there were some problems to iron out before the race. He said, “We could have been much better, but it’s qualifying for a 24-hour race. We had some kind of issue with the steering rack – Karun commented on it yesterday and that made it very tricky in the beginning. We are in P7  so it’s not a big deal but with such a long race tomorrow we have little issue to fix, but we’re in good shape.”

    Team Principal Greg Murphy felt the LMP2 category will be one of the most closely contested this weekend and felt the team could have got more running time. He commented, “We were pretty disappointed to be honest, every time we went for a lap we got traffic, we got red flags… I’m sure it’s a common story up and down the pitlane, but yeah, we really struggled. We had a lot more pace in the car, than we showed today. But seventh position, I think Starworks when they won it last year started in 11th, so we’re reasonable happy, 24 hours to go, we’re here to fight and we’re here to win so I think we have some good speed in the car. We had a problem with all the red flags and stuff, we didn’t get a rhythm, and I feel a little bit for Karun he had very little running, but he’s such a good driver it’s not going to be a problem.”

    ends

  • RIP Allan Simonsen

    23 June 2013: Danish race driver Allan Simonsen died after crashing his Austin Martin in the opening stages of Le Mans 24 hrs classic race at La Sarthe circuit on Saturday. We at INDIA in F1 deeply mourn the death of a talented driver who began as a mechanic but became one of the best drivers being on the podium in many parts of the world.

    His death brings into focus once again the importance of safety in motorsports. At this time our prayers are with his one-year old son and his partner Corina.

    FIA condolence Statement: By Jean Todt, FIA President and Pierre Fillon, ACO President

    We wish to express our profound sadness regarding the death of Allan Simonsen at today’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. We would like to convey our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to Allan`s family and friends. Our thoughts are also with his Aston Martin teammates at this difficult time.

    Allan was an extremely talented and experienced sportscar driver who had raced in every corner of the world and was highly respected by his peers and his team.  For many in endurance racing, Allan was above all a good friend who displayed his passion for racing on and off the track.
    His loss will be felt by the FIA, the ACO and the greater motorsport family.
    Jean Todt, FIA President and Pierre Fillon, ACO President

    Here are a few tributes by the racing fraternity.

    Narain Karthikeyan ‏@narainracing1h : We all think racing is too safe nowadays until something like this shakes us back to reality.. #RIP Allan Simonsen #LM24

    @KarunChandhok: Morning ! First of all, my sincere condolences to Allan Simonsen’s family and everyone at Aston Martin Racing… Terrible to see that happen

    Paul Di Resta: “Sad news at Le Mans, RIP Allan Simonsen. Thoughts are with his family and friends.”

    Force India: Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and team of Allan Simonsen. Really sad news from Le Mans earlier today.

    Jenson Button tweeted: “Allan Simonsen R.I.P. such a tragic loss. A true fighter abd a true racer. Safety is something we need to improve on in motorsport.”

    Kimi Raikkonen: “R.I.P. Allan Simonsen. Sad news.”

    Sergio Perez: “Thoughts & prayers with Allan Simonsen’ family and @AMR_Official team.”Que lastima!! La dura vida de piloto , Murio haciendo lo que quería.”

    Felipe Massa: “Such a tragic news on the passing of @AllanSimonsen . Sad day in motorsport. Thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

    Jaime Alguersuari: “Rest in peace Allan Simonsen.”

     

    ends

  • Chandhok excited about return to iconic Le Mans

    Le Mans (France), 18 June 2013:, Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok will return to the historic Le Mans 24 hours race this weekend at the La Sarthe circuit in the North of France. Chandhok will drive the iconic Le Mans 24 hours race in the LMP2 Nissan V8-powered Oreca 03 with Murphy Prototypes. The Le Mans 24 hours race, part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, is widely regarded as part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, along with the F1, a press release from Adrenna Communications said.

    Chandhok is the only Indian on the grid amongst 166 drivers this year. Last year he created history by becoming the first and only Indian to compete in and finish the race, when he finished in 6th place overall for JRM Racing. There will be 56 cars on the grid and this year LMP2 is the strongest class with 22 cars on the grid.

    Chandhok could not hide his excitement about returning to what he considers one of the best races ever.  He commented, “I’m very excited to be back at Le Mans! Racing here last year, and being the first Indian to compete in and finish the historic 24 hours was one of the highlights of my career. This race is certainly right up there in terms of the Monaco F1 GP in terms of prestige but in terms of getting a result it’s much harder I think. It’s such a long race and certainly feels like a very long 24 hours hoping that the car runs reliably.“

    The Murphy Prototypes team will consist of young New Zealander, Brendon Hartley, and the greatly-experienced endurance sports car campaigner, Mark Patterson, who placed 2nd in LMP2 at the Petit Le Mans 2011 and is boosted at La Sarthe by Karun, a former Lotus and Hispania F1 driver.

    Team owner Greg Murphy said “We are thrilled to have Karun onboard for Le Mans this year. Our front-running performances at the two European Le Mand rounds this year at Silverstone and Imola has shown we have the pace, and a great driver combination in Brendon and Mark, which is boosted still further with the addition of Karun Chandhok to the squad for Le Mans. With these three, our line-up is good enough to win. Karun brings an awful lot to the table. He’s a very professional driver with Formula One experience and very quick. So we have a very good blend between the three of them.“

    The circuit is 13.6 kilometres long with cars touching top speeds of 315km/h. The three drivers will share driving duties over the 24 hours. Practice & Qualifying will take place on Thursday night with for the drivers to get accustomed to driving at night.

    After their Nissan-Oreca ran at the head of the LMP2 field for five hours at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and with Chandhok placed sixth overall last year, hopes are running high in the team camp.

    Chandhok is encouraged by the competitiveness of the LMP2 category and the effort the team is putting in. He added, “Last year I was here with JRM in the LMP1 class, but the problem in LMP1 is that only the two manufacturer teams Audi and Toyota have a chance of winning. A privateer has no chance under the current regulations. In LMP2, you have a real chance of fighting for a class victory as every team is a privateer outfit. Its been interesting for me to drive the LMP2 car this year – the speed in the corners is pretty much the same as the LMP1 car and some times even faster as they are lighter, but the straight line speeds are a bit less. We’re still doing 315 kmh down the straights though so it’s pretty damn quick in the middle of the night on a narrow forest road!”

    “The team at Murphy Prototypes have been working very hard to get the car sorted – they were leading the race until 6am last year but had a suspension failure. This is such a hard race to get right – the reliability of the car is probably more critical than outright speed although you do need both. I have two good team-mates in Brendon Hartley, who I know from both our time as Red Bull F1 test drivers, and Mark Patterson from America who is a Le Mans rookie but is learning fast.“ commented Chandhok.

    This year’s Le Mans 24 hours race will mark the 90th anniversary of the race. The race distance is more than 5000 km, which is equal to about 16 F1 races. The Le Mans 24 hours boasts the world’s largest live audience for a sporting event with over 280,000 people.

    Chandhok was also quick to thank his long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer who made this all possible. He said, “Being the only Indian on the grid amongst 166 drivers is once again an honour and I have to really thank my long time supporters JK Tyre and Tag Heuer for their backing once again this year.”

    The race can be seen live at  – www.fiawec.com

    Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.

  • Karun Chandhok returns to Le Mans 24-hours

    Nogaro (France), 3 April 2013: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok confirmed his return to the historic Le Mans 24 hours with LMP2 Team Murphy Prototypes. Last year Chandhok became the first Indian to compete in the Le Mans 24 hours and will join Brendon Hartley and Mark Patterson to race for the Irish team at the marquee event in June this year. Both Chandhok and Hartley have previously worked together as they were test drivers at the Red Bull Racing F1 Team. Chandhok, who is supported by JK Tyre and Tag Heuer, will continue to drive in the FIA GT Series as well for the 2013 season.

    Chandhok could not hide his delight at being back at the Le Mans 24 hours and commented, “I am really excited to return to the Le Mans 24 Hours as racing there last year was one of the highlights of my career. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and had a great race to finish second in the privateers class and sixth overall. I’m really glad to be back in a prototype for the biggest endurance race in the world. While I’ve enjoyed my first steps into GT World, racing high downforce cars are what I know and love.”

    Murphy Prototypes was leading the Le Mans 24 hours last year before mechanical problems hit the team’s chances. Team owner Greg Murphy said: “We’re looking to win every race that we compete in this year and, having lead Le Mans for five hours last year, we very much feel that’s unfinished business for us. With these three, our line-up is good enough to win. Karun brings an awful lot to the table. He’s a very professional driver with Formula One experience and very quick. So we have a very good blend between the three of them. Brendon is electrically fast over one lap and he’s learned a lot about sportscar racing. He knows when to push and when to hold back and it was important for us to have him as our anchorman.”

    Both Chandhok (Team Lotus and HRT) and Hartley (Red Bull Racing, Mercedes F1) have a track record in Formula One and Le Mans, while Patterson has experience racing in endurance around the world.

    Chandhok added, “Greg and I were very keen to work together and I’m glad it’s worked out. He is a straight-talking Irishman and seems very motivated to reach the top step of the podium. I know Brendon from our time together on the Red Bull Junior Team. He’s obviously very quick but also a great guy which will make the weekend a lot of fun. The team had a strong run until some reliability issues last year and they’ll give me a great chance to try and become the first Indian to get on the podium at Le Mans. I would once again like to thank JK Tyre and Tag Heuer for their continued support.”

    File picture of Karun Chandhok courtesy Adrenna Communications.

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  • Karun-Seyffarth duo recovers to finish 11th: GT series

    Nogaro, 1 April 2013: Indian racing driver Karun Chandhok and his Seyffarth Motorsport team survived getting hit from behind in torrid conditions to finish 11th overall and 7th in the PRO category in his FIA GT Series debut at the opening round at Nogaro, France. Chandhok and his team-mate Jan Seyffarth had a great start to the weekend after finishing 6th in the qualification race yesterday.

    Heavy rain continued to hit the opening round of the FIA GT Series with the morning warm-up session also being very wet. The conditions for the start of the race deteriorated with all drivers having a tricky time on their out-lap. Chandhok started in 6th position but started to slip down the order as he struggled to get grip on the wet tyres. After 4 laps Chandhok started to catch the cars in front of him at a rapid pace and passed former F1 driver Ricardo Zonta for 9th place before getting punted from the back by Frank Stippler. Chandhok then dropped to 16th place before he and his team-mate Jan Seyffarth managed to fight through the field and finish in a creditable 11th position. This is not only Chandhok’s first race in the FIA GT Series but also the first race for his team Seyffarth Motorsport.

    Chandhok was optimistic of strong season ahead after a mixed start to the season. He commented, “It is a shame that I got hit by Stippler which cost us more than 5 places. He came and apologized but we lost the opportunity of a good finish. I was really struggling for grip in the early part of the race but we got more experience in the wet and we have some useful data about the tyres for next time around. We got a few more points so overall a good start for the team this weekend, who have done a great job for their first race in the FIA GT Series. I think we can fight for podiums this season after a little more track time. The next round in Zolder will be tricky again but after that I feel we should be right up there battling with the top guys.”

    The next race will take place on April 21 at Zolder, Belgium.

    About FIA GT Series

    SRO Motorsports Group and the FIA have jointly launched the newly named 2013 FIA GT Series which will bring together the most professional GT teams and drivers from Europe and beyond. Only one of the races will be run outside of Europe and is to be held in the Middle East. The FIA GT format and regulations will be very similar to those of the former FIA GT1 World Championship, with the only significant difference being the introduction of a specific class for Pro-Am and young driver pairings. This format was successfully explored in 2012 when a combination of the GT1 World and GT3 European grids raced together at some events.

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