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Tag: Kush Maini
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Kush Maini finishes second in Race 2: British F3
Oulton Park, 30 July 2020: Lanan Racing’s Piers Prior took a controlled win in the reversed grid second race of the weekend at Oulton Park. The polesitter led every lap despite sustained pressure from Hitech GP’s Kush Maini, who claimed the team’s maiden BRDC British F3 podium on their first weekend, with F4 graduate Bart Horsten completing a 1-3 for the Lanan team. The top three finished a long way ahead of fourth place finisher, Double R Racing’s Benjamin Pedersen.
Kush Maini, Hitech GP, said: “After being the quickest driver in the majority of the test sessions, obviously after qualifying we were really disappointed as I went off and damaged the car, and didn’t really put a lap in. So we had to start race one at the back but in race two we had good pace and I think Bart and Piers both had four new tyres and we were the only ones with two new, and we could match their pace. The car is back, the car is fast and I’m sure tomorrow we will get some more podiums.”
Chris Dittmann Racing’s Nico Varrone headed a train of cars that pursued Pedersen throughout the race, finishing half a second behind the American, and half a second ahead of Hitech GP’s Reece Ushijima in sixth.
Hillspeed’s Oliver Clarke was just three tenths behind at the flag, and in turn three tenths ahead of teammate Sasakorn Chaimongkol. Carlin’s Guilherme Peixoto was just over a second further back in ninth, with Chris Dittmann Racing’s Josh Skelton completing the race two top-10.
Prior started on pole after damaging his front wing in race one held earlier this afternoon, and finishing last in that contest. He benefited from the reverse grid for race two, and took full advantage with a strong start that ensured he kept the lead on the way down to Old Hall, while second place starter Maini moved across the track to defend his position from Horsten, who started third.
The top-three immediately began to operate in their own race, lapping closely together and exchanging fastest laps throughout the race, while building a big gap to Pedersen. Prior’s lead was just under eight tenths at the end of lap one, though Maini trimmed two tenths off that gap on lap two. Maini’s charge continued to gain momentum in the early stages, with less than four tenths covering the pair at the end of lap four, with Horsten only 0.366s further back.
That was to be as close as Maini got though, as Prior was able to pull out a further three tenths on lap five, with the gap hovering between five and eight tenths for the remainder of the race, with the winning margin being 0.639s, while Horsten dropped back a little, finishing 1.2 seconds behind Maini.
The lead trio finished over seven seconds clear of Pedersen, who had to contend with immense pressure for the entire race, as Argentinean Varrone looked to find his way past, with seemingly the rest of the field following by with small gaps between each car.
Despite the close running, the only incident of note came on lap seven as Manaf Hijjawi dropped from ninth to 16th, and then retiring, promoting his pursuers up a position.
Two more races follow this weekend, with race three due to start at 12.30 tomorrow (Sunday) and the final contest at 15.30. Both races will be streamed live on the official BRDC British F3 website and Facebook page
BRDC British F3 Championship, Oulton Park race two provisional result:
1. Piers Prior, Lanan Racing, 13 laps
2. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, +0.639s
3. Bart Horsten, Lanan Racing, +1.934s
4. Benjamin Pedersen, Double R Racing, +9.441s
5. Nico Varrone, Chris Dittmann Racing, +10.019s
6. Reece Ushijima, Hitech GP, +10.592s
7. Oliver Clarke, Hillspeed, +10.899s
8. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed, +11.219s
9. Guilherme Peixoto, Carlin, +12.413s
10. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, +13.240s
11. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +14.308s
12. Nazim Azman, Carlin, +15.116s
13. Kiern Jewiss, Douglas Motorsport, +16.569s
14. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, +16.979s
15. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +20.005s
DNF. Manaf Hijjawi, Douglas Motorsport, 6 laps completed
DNF. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, 6 laps.eom
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Kush Maini tops Friday session 2 in British F3
Oulton Park, 31 July 2020: Hitech GP’s Kush Maini returned to the top of the testing timesheets after posting the quickest time in session two on Friday morning.
Maini’s effort of 1m31.945s was slightly slower than this morning’s outright pace, but was enough to ensure he topped the testing times for the fourth time in six sessions so far this weekend. Maini was just 0.025s quicker than session one pace setter Kaylen Frederick (Carlin), with Louis Foster just 0.004s further behind for Double R Racing.
Lanan’s Bart Horsten was fourth fastest, the Australian almost four-tenths further back and 0.058s ahead of Carlin’s Nazim Azman, who enjoyed his best session of the weekend so far.
Nico Varrone set the sixth fastest time for Chris Dittmann Racing, less than a tenth clear of Douglas Motorsport’s Kiern Jewiss, with his teammate Ulysse De Pauw in eighth, just 0.013s ahead of Varrone’s teammate Josh Skelton.
Hillspeed’s Oliver Clarke completed a top-10 covered by just eight tenths of a second, with Lanan’s Piers Prior 11th and only 0.084s further back. Benjamin Pedersen was 12th fastest for Double R and a tenth clear of Josh Mason, with Hillspeed’s Sasakorn Chaimongkol in 14th and 0.007s away from Mason.
Manaf Hijjawi and Reece Ushijima completed the 16 cars that participated in the session. The third session of the day starts at 14.15 UK time.
BRDC British F3 Championship, Oulton Park, Friday test session two result:
1. Kush Maini, Hitech GP, 1m31.945s
2. Kaylen Frederick, Carlin, +0.025s
3. Louis Foster, Double R Racing, +0.029s
4. Bart Horsten, Lanan Racing, +0.412s
5. Nazim Azman, Carlin, +0.470s
6. Nico Varrone, Chris Dittmann Racing, +0.514s
7. Kiern Jewiss, Douglas Motorsport, +0.598s
8. Ulysse De Pauw, Douglas Motorsport, +0.745s
9. Josh Skelton, Chris Dittmann Racing, +0.758s
10. Oliver Clarke, Hillspeed, +0.822s
11. Piers Prior, Lanan Racing, +0.906s
12. Benjamin Pedersen, Double R Racing, +1.056s
13. Josh Mason, Lanan Racing, +1.191s
14. Sasakorn Chaimongkol, Hillspeed +1.198s
15. Manaf Hijjawi, Douglas Motorsport, +1.261s
16. Reece Ushijima, Hitech GP, +1.547s -
Kush Maini to race with 3-time Formula Renault Eurocup Champions R-ace GP
File photo of Kush Maini: INDIAinF1 Bengaluru, 12 Feb 2020: Ace Indian driver Kush Maini will continue in Formula Renault EuroCup Series 2020 and has signed up with R-ace GP.
Backed by JK Racing, Kush finished 2nd in the Rookie standings in 2019 and was 6th overall. He is looking to make a strong come back in 2020. His team R-ace GP have consistently won this Championship for the last 3 years.
The 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup is a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across Europe. The championship features drivers competing in 1.8 litre Formula Renault single seat race cars that conform to the technical regulations for the championship. The 2020 season is the 30th Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season organized by the Renault Sport. The series is run over 10 weekends at 10 different Formula 1 circuits including Monaco and Abu Dhabi making it a very important and Competitive F1 Feeder series.
With a reasonable amount of experience on single seater racing at Europe over the last 4 years, Kush now feels ready to fight at the front of Championship.
Kush is extremely excited to be part of the R-ace GP line up. “Really happy to announce that I will be racing with reigning champions R-ace GP in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2020. We have tested together in Abu Dhabi and in Europe and I am extremely comfortable and confident with the team. Very happy also to be continuing my partnership with JK Racing who have supported me for several years. Can’t wait to get started,” Maini said
Thibault De Merindol team principal of R-ace GP said: “I am extremely satisfied to be able to count on Kush’s performances to defend R-ace GP’s driver and team Formula Renault Eurocup titles. Respectively 6th and 2nd of the 2019 general and rookie classifications, Kush proved himself to be one of the men to watch in 2020. Already at work since November, I am pleased with Kush’s team integration and with our preparation in progress. I want to thank Kush and all his partners for their faith in R-ace GP and I am looking forward to a great season together.”
The car Kush Maini will be racing in 2020. -
Mumbai Falcons soar high with a double; Bangalore Racing Stars top in Race 1
Mumbai Falcons pair of Kush Maini (right) and Mikkel Jensen who scored a double in the X1 Racing League on Sunday. Chennai, 8 Dec 2019: Mumbai Falcons, represented by Kush Maini and Mikkel Jensen (Denmark), won two of the three races while Bangalore Racing Stars tandem of Arjun Maini and Oliver Webb (England) took the honours in the other outing as the curtains came down on the inaugural franchise-based XI Racing League at the MMRT, here today.
The first race of the day, won by Bangalore, took a heavy toll with six cars packing up due to mechanical reasons. It left a six-car grid for the second and third races, but that did not take anything away from Mumbai’s double.
The Race-1 was interrupted by a Safety Car period after one of the cars blew the engine. Bangalore started fourth on the grid behind Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, but with some smart tactics managed to pull ahead. The teams were required to make a mandatory driver change between ninth and 14th minutes window and Bangalore, powered by Arjun Maini and England’s Oliver Webb got it spot on and then held off a late charging Mumbai (Kush Maini and Mikkel Jensen) to win the race. Hyderabad (Vitantonio Liuzzi-Gosia Rdest) completed the podium.
The second race began on reverse grid of the previous race standings. As such, Delhi’s Gaurav Gill, the three times Asia Pacific Rally champion, started from pole and led until he pitted for Raghul Rangasamy to take over. Rangasamy maintained the track position to finish second behind Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini and Jensen). Bangalore Racing Stars who had started fifth, came in third.
Mumbai Falcons went on to complete a double later in the evening, finishing on top in Race-3 ahead of Bangalore Racing Stars and Blackbirds Hyderabad.
Kush Maini (No.1) on a charge in Race 2 on Sunday. Photos by Anand Philar The results (Provisional):
Race-1: 1. Bengaluru Racing Stars (Arjun Maini / Oliver Webb) (27mins, 23.458secs); 2. Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini / Michel Jensen) (27:24.018); 3. Blackbirds Hyderabad (Vitantonio Liuzzi / Gosia Rdest) (27:28.969).
Race-2: 1. Mumbai Falcons (28:02.222); 2. AD Racing Delhi (Gaurav Gill / Raghul Rangasamy) (28:21.637); 3. Bangalore Racing Stars (28:25.847).
Race-3: 1. Mumbai Falcons (27:59.175); 2. Bangalore Racing Stars (28:03.838); 3. Blackbirds Hyderabad (Luizzi / Akhil Rabindra) (28:28.382).
About X1Racing League
X1Racing League, promoted by Racing Promotions Private Limited, is a hybrid motorsport media business creating, developing and commercializing IPs via live events, experiences and ecosystem. X1Racing League intends to reimagine, reinvent and redefine motorsport. X1Racing League is built on three pillars namely X1Racing League, X1Racing eSports and X1Racing Speed Summits. The X1Racing League powered by JK Tyre takes place in November-December in Delhi and Chennai represented by six franchise teams of 24 race drivers including international and domestic men and women. The X1Racing eSports Season 1 is being held in collaboration with global technology leader OnePlus across each of these six cities prior to the professional league to involve fans in a participative simulator-racing format. Winners will win rewards as well as have an opportunity to be trained by professional race drivers. Additionally, in their attempt to make motorsport a part of a larger lifestyle, the X1Racing Speed Summits will bring about exclusive weekenders in the form of VIP corporate experiences. All these pillars bring together a robust calendar of motorsport activity across India touching fans and talent alike to truly make motorsport much more than a sport, but a lifestyle.
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Kush Maini secures Rookie win in Abu Dhabi night race
Kush Maini on the podium. Photo for INDIAinF1 Abu Dhabi, 26 Oct 2019: Kush Maini drove a brilliant Race 1 to bring home the Rookie Win in his first-ever night race at Abu Dhabi also achieved an overall sixth position in the Formula Renault Euro Cup at Yas Marina Circuit on Friday.
Starting P6 on the grid, Maini managed to get ahead of Sebastian at the start and into the first corner. Maini then kept his fifth position for several laps before having to move back to P6 ahead of all the Rookies. From then on, he kept a steady pace to complete the race ahead of Patrik Pasma and Caio Collet.
Kush was happy about the Rookie win and commented, “It was nice to have a Rookie win under the lights here in Abu Dhabi. There is such a big difference in temperatures which makes the event very interesting.“
Kush finished the season 2nd in the Rookie championship and 6th in the overall championship with 102 points. -
Kush Maini secures an impressive third position in the BRDC British F3 Driver’s Championship
A proud moment for Kush Maini. Silverstone, 15 October 2018: BRDC British F3 Series rookie, Kush Maini weathered the literal storm at the Silverstone race circuit over the weekend to complete his season in third position in the championship. Debuting at the BRDC F3 Championship this season, Kush secured the third spot with a total of 366 points that consisted of eight podiums, including a win at Rockingham.
In the last race for the season, the JK Racing-supported driver from Bengaluru could manage only 15th during the weekend’s qualifying session due to set up related issues, but showed great race craft during the weekend’s first race to make up five places and eventually finish 10th.
Due to extremely poor weather conditions, Sunday saw limited running with Race 2 being halted after two laps behind the safety car and Race 3 called off due to poor visibility.
With the weekend adding 20 points to his standings, Kush closed his season third behind Linus Lundqvist who finished as Championship Winner and Nicolai Kjaergaard who took second place in the Championship, both of whom had prior experience racing in the UK.
The 2018 season was a season of firsts for Kush who displayed tremendous pace and consistently finished on the podium during the season which commenced on March 31 at Oulton Park and ended on October 14 at Silverstone Circuit, after eight triple header events for a total of 24 races. This year’s Championship saw 25 drivers from 14 countries take part in the races, with Kush finishing as the top Indian driver in the standings.Speaking on his season Kush said: “I’m happy to have finished third in the championship and also especially happy about my performances during the first half of the season which were a little stronger compared to the latter. I am grateful for a strong debut season and look forward to a strong 2019 season backed by the generous support of my partners, family and well-wishers.”
Kush now heads into the off-season where he will evaluate his plans for 2019.
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Kush Maini finishes a creditable 3rd in Race 2, consolidates third position in the championship
Kush Maini in action at Brands Hatch where took a third place on Sunday. Images: Maini team Brands Hatch, 6 Aug 2018: Up and coming Indian racer Kush Maini of Lanan Racing, the junior of the Maini brothers, finished third in Race 2 to consolidate his third place in the championship standings after a strong display at the Round 6 of the BRDC F3 Championship at the renowned Brands Hatch here on Sunday.
The 17-year old Bangalore-born racer came back strongly after a bad outing at Spa in the last round, He managed two exciting results, finishing sixth in the Race 1 and Race 3, to bag enough points and packed it with an impressive third-place drive to the podium in Race 2.
By claiming 56 points in this round, the Junior Maini has 321 points in the driver’s championship, 19 points ahead of fourth-placed Gamble.
Despite not having much track time in the car, Maini started the weekend with a good qualifying session taking P6 for Race 1 after only a 20-minute practice session. He P6 time was just 0.379s off pole. Then, Maini drove a steady race and managed to finish sixth, the position he started on the grid in Race 1.
Kush Maini with his trophy at Brands Hatch after his third place in Race 2 on Sunday. Race 2 saw a reverse-grid start, and Maini was forced to start from P10. Despite a bad start, Maini recovered in the first lap itself, as he managed to avoid the clash in front and sneaked in to move up. “There was chaos at the front and I just kept my nose clean and looked for the opportunities,” he said about the initial laps in Race 2. He had a busy race thereafter and with some gritty driving, he avoided the `frantic’ action on the second lap to surge past the cars ahead of him into the fifth position. Then a safety-car was deployed that did not help as he dropped a position after the restart. But the youngster, who grew up watching his father Gautam Maini and elder brother Arjun Maini racing cars, from childhood managed to go up into fourth place by Lap 9. A podium place was in the waiting as the third-placed finisher Ravishankar had to take a penalty for an infringement.
Kush started the final race of the weekend from P8 on the grid. He carried on some of the great form, from his previous race and ensured another P6 comfortably overtaking a couple of cars and then widened the gap to Maldonado, who was trailing him in seventh. He had a lead of over 10-seconds to the Maldonado.
Talking about his race, Kush Maini said, “It’s my eighth podium of the year and so I’m happy, But we’ve had a few tough races, so it’s good to be back here. We will be pushing harder to get back on the top step. There were plenty of battles raging and I thought there was going to be a bit of contact so I took different lines and got people on the exits, and I’m really happy with how I raced my race.”
ends/db
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Kush Maini impresses again with his 7th podium of the year; also sets lap record
Kush Maini on the podium at Silverstone Silverstone, 11 June 2018: Kush Maini’s rich vein of form continued with yet another couple of podiums on the race weekend, this time at the historic Silverstone track, making it 7 podiums in four rounds of the BRDC British F3 championship. The JK Racing-supported driver finished P2 in a tight Race 1, and ended the weekend with a strong P3 finish in Race 3, solidifying his third place in the driver’s standings with 227 points.
Maini started the weekend on a high, with a strong qualifying session where he was on top for the most part only to be pushed down to P2 with five minutes to go, he ended up behind Lundqvist in the session, just 0.051s off pole.
Race 1 began with Lundqvist and Kush making good starts off the line, and saw Lundqvist pull away after the first lap. Kush closed the gap on the race leader with some quick laps, one if which saw him create a new BRDC British F3 lap record around the newly resurfaced Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in the process. He finished just 0.392s off the P1, making this his sixth podium of the championship.
Race 2 saw Kush start at the back of the pack from P16, owing to the reverse grid format of the F3. An early incident in the race meant he had to recover and fight back to gain a couple of places and finish the race in P14.
Race 3 however saw Kush start from pole, on account of his record breaking lap in Race 1. A strong start for Tom Gamble, meant Kush lost one place off the line and while trying to regain this position, Kush veered off course, dropping to P3 by the end of lap 1. Some exciting but disciplined driving ensured that he finished on the podium yet again, keeping him in the hunt for the driver’s championship.
Talking about his weekend, Kush Maini said: “The first race was good for us with promising speed. The second race was tricky, we got a good start but three into one corner doesn’t go, but it was a racing incident. We put that behind us and started on pole for race three because of the fastest lap. I didn’t get off the line well and then had a bit of a tussle through Maggots and Becketts but we can only take the positives from this weekend, we’re still third in the championship with a bit of a margin, but I think we can keep pushing and I’m going to give it my all every race, and that’s all I can do.”
The next round of BRDC F3 Championship will take place at the legendary Spa circuit towards the end of July.
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Arjun Maini scores first points in F2; Kush Maini notches win and a podium in F3
India’s Kush Maini (centre) with the winner’s trophy. Baku, 29 April 2018: Haas Development driver Arjun Maini made an inspired comeback here at the weekend in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Starting from P17, he made 11 overtakes to finish the race in P6. However, a post-race penalty to Sette Camara meant Arjun moved up to P5, scoring his first points in his debut season of the F2 championship.
Meanwhile, in Rockingham, UK, Arjun’s younger brother, Kush Maini secured his first win in the BRDC British F3 Championship. The Lanan Racing driver won Race 2 at Rockingham and finished off with yet another podium in Race 3 to end the weekend on a high.
Arjun began his race weekend with a P7 in qualifying, and showed some great promise at the start of the Race 1 when he moved swiftly into P4, but problems with the engine meant an early retirement from the race.
Arjun Maini in Baku. Photo: Sebastiaan Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency Looking to make up for his rather unlucky start to the weekend, the JK Racing and TVS Motorsport supported driver began Race 2, which he started from P17 on the grid, on the front foot. He moved up into P9 by the end of the first lap itself with some great driving. He followed this up with some gritty racing and eventually passed a few cars ahead, a difficult task in the tricky streets of Baku and finished ahead of his fellow Trident teammate Ferrucci.
Arjun Maini said: “It’s nice to finish the weekend on a positive note and get my first points in the championship. After the disappointing end to Race 1, I felt it was important to come back strong and this race will hopefully give me and the team momentum going forward.”
Speaking about Arjun’s notable drive, Karun Chandok, Former F1 driver and Arjun’s mentor said: “Arjun did a great job all weekend. Racing for the first time in a new category on a street circuit can be quite daunting, but he coped with the challenge well.
Arjun Maini on a charge in Baku. Photo: Sebastiaan Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency “It was a real shame that he had a car problem in the first race when running strongly in the top 5 and that sent him down the grid for the next race. However he showed on Sunday that he’s got the speed and potential to mix it in the top 6 and that’s where we’re aiming to be going forward.”
Talking about the next round of the championship he added: “He knows the Barcelona circuit very well and won there in GP3 last year, so fingers crossed he can have some good reliability and deliver strong result.”
Arjun will be in action at Barcelona shortly, as round 3 of the FIA F2 Championship is set to take place in a couple of weeks, between May 11-13. It’s the same track where he, last year, created history by becoming the first Indian to win a GP3 Series race.
Arjun also joined the thousands of people in India in demanding justice for Asifa, in his own way, by having a message on the side of his car throughout the race weekend to raise awareness through his sport.
KUSH MAINI WINS RACE 2 AT ROCKINGHAM
ROCKINGHAM: Kush Maini secured his first win in Round 2 of the BRDC British F3 Championship. The Lanan Racing driver won Race 2 and finished off with yet another podium in Race 3 to end the weekend on a high.
Kush Maini’s determination to win finally paid off as he came from P5 to claim his maiden race win in the championship. Also combining his second consecutive podium in Race 3, this weekend’s results meant he acquired a considerable chunk of points towards the driver’s championship, putting him currently in fourth place with 113 points, just six points off third placed Gamble.
Kush Maini, who started off the weekend in the wet by qualifying in P6, was involved in an incident early on in Race 1, but fought back strongly to claim P7. As the track dried out over the next day, Kush started the race from P5, and won a couple of places off the start itself. He then chased down the front two, and was in the lead by the end of the first lap. A string of consecutive fastest laps helped him pull away from the rest of the pack as he ended the race with almost a 5-second gap back to the driver in P2.
In Race 3, Kush, starting from pole, couldn’t capitalise on his momentum from the previous race as he battled hard in thrilling encounter. Lundqvist and Kjaergaard got off the line quicker as Kush stayed right on their tail. However, a string of safety cars and yellow flags made it difficult for him to keep the pressure. Nevertheless, he managed his second consecutive Race-3 podium in a close race with the top 3 separated by just 0.638s.
Kush said, “In race 2, it was a case of keeping my nose clean the first lap. We knew from the start of the season, our pace in the dry is superior so as long as I could go the distance we could get a good result. It was disappointing to not win in Race 3 from pole, but it was a good race and another load of points so I’m looking forward to the next round.”
The next round of BRDC F3 Championship takes place at Snettorton at the end of May where Kush will be looking to make this momentum count.
The 2018 season was a season of firsts for Kush who displayed tremendous pace and consistently finished on the podium during the season which commenced on March 31 at Oulton Park and ended on October 14 at Silverstone Circuit, after eight triple header events for a total of 24 races. This year’s Championship saw 25 drivers from 14 countries take part in the races, with Kush finishing as the top Indian driver in the standings.
