INDIA in F1

Tag: Mahindra Racing

  • Felix Rosenqvist brings Mahindra’s win after Abt was disqualified: Formula E in Hong Kong

    Felix Rosenqvist brings Mahindra’s win after Abt was disqualified: Formula E in Hong Kong

    Felix Rosenqvist has provisionally won the second round of the 2017 FIA Formula E Championship in Hong Kong after on-track winner Daniel Abt was disqualified after the race for a technical infringement.

    It was found that the FIA security stickers (barcodes) on the inverter and MGU units did not correspond with those declared on the Technical Passport provided by the competitor Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler for the event. The race results remain provisional subject to an appeal to the FIA International Court of Appeal by Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler against the Stewards´ Decision.

    It was a thrilling climax to the E-Prix as race-long leader and rookie driver Edoardo Mortara spun out with just three laps to go as he was trying to set the fastest lap in the Venturi Formula E Team machine.

    Mortara took the lead after pole-sitter Rosenqvist spun in his Mahindra Formula E Team car at the first corner on the opening lap. The race had started under safety car conditions because of fault with the start lights, but the mistake meant that Rosenqvist had to spend the 45 laps fighting his way through the pack.

    Mortara, famed for his prowess on the fierce street circuit in Macau where two weeks ago he won the FIA GT World Cup, looked at home in his first ever Formula E weekend, and steadily opened out a gap to the chasing Abt.

    Behind the Audi driver, Mitch Evans and Alex Lynn were pushing each in fourth and fifth in the opening laps, but while Evans maintained fourth place to the flag, Lynn dropped down to ultimately finish ninth.

    Evan’s post-race promotion hands Panasonic Jaguar Racing its first podium in the FIA Formula E Championship.

    Yesterday’s runner-up Jean-Eric Vergne fought his way from eighth on the grid to finish fourth ahead of yesterday’s winner Sam Bird. It was a hard charge for the DS Virgin Racing driver to come through from 14th on the grid to finish fifth.

    Oliver Turvey, Maro Engel and Nico Prost finished in close quarters in sixth, seventh and eighth for NIO Formula E Team, Venturi and Renault e.dams respectively, with Prost’s team-mate Sebastien Buemi rounding out the top ten behind Lynn.

    From facing backwards in the first corner, Rosenqvist ended up taking maximum points from the round having taken pole position, the win and the fastest lap.

    Round three of the 2017/18 FIA Formula E Championship takes place in Marrakesh on 13 January.

    Felix Rosenqvist, Mahindra Racing, said: “There’s been a lot of ups-and-downs all weekend, but I’m happy with taking away 29 points – for pole, winning the race and fastest lap – it’s a lot of points! But I feel sorry for Daniel as well, he won the race on track, but I don’t know the reason. It’s not the way you want to win and I don’t feel like I’ve won the race. But I’m happy with the points. Sometimes you’re happy and then you’re sad, like yesterday we were in P15 and turned it around – getting fastest lap but it got taken away, so there’s been a lot like that but I’ll take maximum points and third in the championship.”

    Edoardo Mortara, Venturi Formula E, said: “It’s difficult to find the words actually after a race like that. It’s tough to swallow. We had the pace and managed the race from the beginning to the end. I was checking my energy consumption and the gap to Daniel the entire race and I guess at some point I wanted too much. Sometimes you need to admit it – you were too confident and I should have focussed on bringing home the win. We showed the others today we had the pace, and I’ll improve myself at the next races.”

    Mitch Evans, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, said: “I’m proud to secure Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s first podium in Formula E. It’s bittersweet as Daniel is a good guy and a mate of mine. After a tough year in our first season, this is a great reward for the hard work of everyone in the team. Tonight we will celebrate this achievement together and then work hard to repeat it.”

    2017 HKT Hong Kong E-Prix (Rd 2) – Provisional Race Results

    1 – Felix Rosenqvist, Mahindra Racing, 50:05.084s (29)
    2 – Edoardo Mortara, Venturi Formula E Team, +7.031s (18)
    3 – Mitch Evans, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, +10.619s (15)
    4 – Jean-Eric Vergne, TECHEETAH, +12.593s (12)
    5 – Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing, +12.879s (10)
    6 – Oliver Turvey, NIO Formula E Team, +14.199s (8)
    7 – Maro Engel, Venturi Formula E Team, 15.676s (6)
    8 – Nico Prost, Renault e.dams, +18.905s (4)
    9 – Alex Lynn, DS Virgin Racing, +19.025s (2)
    10 – Sebastien Buemi, Renault e.dams, +22.139s (1)
    11 – Antonio Felix da Costa, Andretti Formula E, +23.359s
    12 – Nelson Piquet Jr, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, +27.904s
    13 – Andre Lotterer, TECHEETAH, +28.591s
    14 – Lucas di Grassi, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, +39.137s15 – Jerome D’Ambrosio, DRAGON, +55.189s
    16 – Nick Heidfeld, Mahindra Racing, +1 Lap
    17 – Kamui Kobayashi, Andretti Formula E, +1 Lap
    18 – Neel Jani, DRAGON, +1 Lap

    DNF – Luca Filippi, NIO Formula E Team, 36 Laps
    DSQ – Daniel Abt, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, 45 Laps

    Driver standings

    Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing – 35
    Jean-Eric Vergne, TECHEETAH – 33
    Felix Rosenqvist, Mahindra Racing – 29
    Edoardo Mortara, Venturi Formula E – 24
    Nick Heidfeld, Mahindra Racing – 15

    Team standings
    Mahindra Racing – 44
    DS Virgin Racing – 41
    TECHEETAH – 33
    Venturi Formula E Team – 30
    Panasonic Jaguar Racing – 27
    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler – 11
    NIO Formula E Team – 9
    Andretti Formula E – 8
    Renault e.dams – 7
    DRAGON – 0

    *Subject to an appeal to the FIA International Court of Appeal by Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler against the Stewards´ Decision to disqualify Car no. 66

    eom/

    Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist takes a provisional win pending appeal in the second race of Formula E in Hong Kong on Sunday. An FIA image.

    FIA press release

  • Bird clinches Formula E season opener in Hongkong

    Bird clinches Formula E season opener in Hongkong

    Bird wins season opener in Hongkong on Sunday. Image by FIA

    The FIA Formula E Championship sparked into life for the start of the new season with a gripping opening contest in Hong Kong, where Sam Bird sealed a surprise victory despite picking up a penalty for not stopping in his allocated space during the mid-race car swap.

    Bird entered the pitlane eager to retain the advantage he’d built over TECHEETAH’s Jean-Eric Vergne, but attacked his marks too aggressively on the dusty surface and skated to a halt outside the front of his garage.

    He managed to jump out and into his second car without losing too much time. However, Bird didn’t make his mandatory car change in the box allocated to the driver – picking up a drive-through penalty in the process. But it wasn’t enough to stop him.

    There were several contenders in a hotly-contested battle as Bird faced his former team-mate Vergne for the majority of the opening stint. Vergne led the way from pole position, fending off the fast-starting Mahindra of Nick Heidfeld.

    As the cars filtered through the tight chicane of Turns 3 & 4, Formula E debutant Andre Lotterer collided with the wall – blocking a gaggle of cars behind. Lotterer was avoiding the bottleneck and pitched into the barriers on the outside, holding back Mitch Evans, Nico Prost, Edoardo Mortara and Neel Jani behind.

    The E-Prix came to an abrupt halt as the incident brought out the red flags and after a delay the race got back underway behind the Safety Car. Vergne looked immediately under pressure from Bird in his mirrors and couldn’t hold him back after a lunge up the inside of the Turn 6 hairpin.

    Despite serving his penalty, Bird emerged narrowly in front of the chasing pack. The British driver must have breathed a huge sigh of relief after a botched pitstop cost him a chance of fighting for the win in Hong Kong last year.

    Speaking about the shock result, Bird added: “That was a really crazy race, I’m still trying to process what happened really. It’s unreal for me winning after a driving-through penalty in Formula E. I’d like to thank the team, we knew it would be tough this year with lots of close competition. When I came out the pits there was a TECHEETAH in front of me and thought it was JEV, so I was pushing hard to catch him! It turned out I was in the lead and I never in a million years expected that.”

    Although, it’s a bittersweet result for Bird after being handed a 10-place grid penalty for tomorrow’s race for dangerous driving in the pitlane.

    Vergne defended his position stoutly throughout the race and admitted to struggling without regen and no communication to the team over radio – making it feel like a victory for the TECHEETAH team.

    He said: “This race was by far my most difficult race – I had no radio communication, I spoke to my engineer only twice in the race and I had no regen. So, if this morning somebody told me I’d have these issues, I wouldn’t even take the start of the race. To finish second off the back of this is almost like a victory to us. We’re hoping to fix things overnight and come back stronger tomorrow.”

    Heidfeld saw a lot of Vergne’s rear wing throughout the E-Prix – trying to pass the Frenchman in every direction, but second place still eludes him as the Mahindra driver settled for another third-place finish.

    “It’s probably one of the third places I’m least happy about,” said Heidfeld. “Hopefully this changes in the next couple of days. The team has done a good job and to finish on the podium is always a good result, and you have to focus on collecting the points for the season. JEV said he had a lot of problems – I tried hard to overtake him, but I’m not that happy as I thought it was too much.”

    Reigning Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi and main rival Sebastien Buemi both failed to score. Di Grassi was forced to pit early and switched to his second car after sustaining damage to his right-rear suspension, while Buemi stopped on track with a technical glitch.

    The teams and drivers don’t have long to rest, as the action gets underway again for the second helping of the Hong Kong E-Prix double-header tomorrow.

    2017 HKT Hong Kong E-Prix (Rd 1) – Race results

    1 – Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing, 1:17.10.486s (25)
    2 – Jean-Eric Vergne, TECHEETAH, +11.575s (21)
    3 – Nick Heidfeld, Mahindra Racing, +12.465s (15)
    4 – Nelson Piquet Jr, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, +15.324s (12)
    5 – Daniel Abt, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, +17.205s (11)
    6 – Antonio Felix da Costa, Andretti Formula E, +18.083s (8)
    7 – Edoardo Mortara, Venturi Formula E Team, +19.797s (6)
    8 – Alex Lynn, DS Virgin Racing, +20.904s (4)
    9 – Nico Prost, Renault e.dams, +24.785s (2)
    10 – Luca Filippi, NIO Formula E Team, +25.500s (1)
    11 – Sebastien Buemi, Renault e.dams, +26.202s
    12 – Mitch Evans, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, +34.871s
    13 – Maro Engel, Venturi Formula E Team, +35.752s
    14 – Felix Rosenqvist, Mahindra Racing, +41.174s
    15 – Kamui Kobayashi, Andretti Formula E, +48.422s
    16 – Oliver Turvey, NIO Formula E Team, +1 Lap
    17 – Lucas di Grassi, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, +1 Lap
    18 – Neel Jani, DRAGON, +1 Lap

    DNF – Jerome D’Ambrosio, DRAGON, 34 Laps
    DSQ – Andre Lotterer, TECHEETAH, 43 Laps

    Driver standings

    Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing – 25
    Jean-Eric Vergne, TECHEETAH – 21
    Nick Heidfeld, Mahindra Racing – 15
    Nelson Piquet Jr, Panasonic Jaguar Racing – 12
    Daniel Abt, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler – 11

    Team standings

    DS Virgin Racing – 29
    TECHEETAH – 21
    Mahindra Racing – 15
    Panasonic Jaguar Racing – 12
    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler – 11
    Andretti Formula E – 8
    Venturi Formula E Team – 6
    Renault e.dams – 2
    NIO Formula E Team – 1
    DRAGON – 0

    eom/FIA press release

  • Sensational podium for Mahindra rider Bezzecchi at Motegi: Moto3

    Motegi (Japan), 15 October 2017: Mahindra rider Marco Bezzecchi rode from a career-best qualifying position to a sensational third place at Motegi today, overcoming dire conditions and conquering his rivals at a rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix.

    The 18-year-old Mahindra CIP team rider from Rimini was less than a second away from second place, and his career-first podium came in his rookie grand prix season. This was his fourth time to finish in the points. The 16 points awarded for third moves Bezzecchi to the head of the Rookie of the Year standings, now four points clear of Japan’s Sasaki.

    It was a double top ten for Mahindra, as Jakub Kornfeil (24) underlined the strength of the only Indian constructor in the World Championship series with eighth place. The rider from the Czech Republic was on a SaxoPrint-backed MGP3O, badged as a Peugeot, Mahindra’s sister company.

    Mahindra’s success, the second double top ten in the last three races, came in extreme conditions. The 4.8-km circuit had been wet throughout practice and qualifying, and this morning an oil spill caused a delay of more than an hour before an abbreviated morning warm-up could be completed. As a result, the Moto3 race was cut from 20 laps to 13, and started 55 minutes late.

    By then, the rain had redoubled, with standing water and flying spray a problem for all riders. Starting from the second row of the grid for the first time played in favour of Bezzecchi, who finished the first lap fifth. He moved up to third by half distance, and was close behind Niccolo Antonelli (KTM) at the finish. Winner Romano Fenati (Honda) was just out of their reach; it was an all-Italian podium.

    Kornfeil had a more difficult race, having to cope with shockingly bad visibility in the spray as he fought his way through the pack from 20th on the grid.

    The good result was some compensation for problems that struck the official Aspar Mahindra team. Albert Arenas was out of the race after suffering a fracture in his right hand, crashing while well-placed in wet Qualifying. Team-mate Lorenzo Dalla Porta was an early retirement from today’s race.

    The Japanese GP was the first of three flyaway races, with the Australian and then the Malaysian GP following over the next two weekends. Two weeks later, the Valencia GP closes the season, Mahindra’s last in the championship series.

    Marco Bezzecchi, CIP Mahindra

    “It is unbelievable! The conditions were almost impossible. At the end the rain was very strong and I was trying to stay focused to not make any mistakes. Thanks to everybody, to the team, to Mahindra, to the VR46 guys, to my family and friends. I’m sorry, I’m lost for words – it is a dream come true.”

    Mufaddal Choonia, CEO Mahindra Racing

    “To us, this podium means almost as much as our first race victory. It’s been a tough season, but the positive is that it is ending well, with our best results as we come to the end of our association with Moto3. This is a very emotional time. Thanks and congratulations to Marco, the CIP team and all the Mahindra Racing staff, for giving us this wonderful moment.”

    About Mahindra Racing

    Mahindra Racing is the only Indian constructor in the Moto3TM class of the FIM MotoGPTM World Championship Series. Competing with the best-of-the-best in the world for six years running, it has seen phenomenal success since its debut in 2011.

    Mahindra Racing supplies the Mahindra MGP3O – a single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 250cc motorcycle to the factory Aspar Mahindra Team and other customer teams. Mahindra also supplies an official Peugeot Motocycles derivative of the MGP3O to the factory Peugeot MC Saxoprint Team.

    The 2017 Mahindra Racing rider line-up includes:

    • Albert Arenas (SPA) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA) [Aspar Mahindra Moto3]
    • Jakub Kornfeil (CZE) and Patrik Pulkkinen (FIN) [Peugeot MC Saxoprint]
    • Manuel Pagliani (ITA) and Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) [CIP]

     

    Mahindra Racing made history in the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix taking the first-ever podium for an Indian constructor. In the same season, the MGP3O recorded top-five finishes in 10 of the 17 rounds, a pole position, three circuit lap records, and a third position in the Constructors’ Championship.

    The 2014 season saw a further three podium finishes for the Indian constructor, including second place at the German Grand Prix.

    In 2015, Mahindra Racing put up a fierce fight at the front of the pack throughout the season, and recorded a podium finish at the French Grand Prix.

    2016 got off to a strong start with Aspar Mahindra Moto3 Team rider Francesco (Pecco) Bagnaia securing a third place podium finish at the opening round in Qatar. The Italian teen picked up podiums in Jerez (Spain) and Mugello (Italy) before making his historic first win in Assen (Netherlands) – Mahindra’s maiden victory in the World Championship. It proved the high-level performance capabilities of the MGP3O. Two more victories followed with John Mcphee dominating the field in a wet Czech Grand Prix and Pecco taking a wonderful seven-second win in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

    Besides its commitment to the World Championship, Mahindra Racing supplies MGP3O machines to Team Aspar and Team LaGlisse in the World Championship feeder series – the FIM CEV Repsol International Championship (Moto3 Junior World Championship). Grand Prix legend Max Biaggi will spearhead Mahindra’s effort in the 2017 Elf CIV – Italian National Championship.

    Mahindra’s bold decision to take on the world’s best at the highest level of motorcycle racing has won the team a number of prestigious awards in India, including:

    • Mobil1 Motorsport Award | NDTV Car and Bike Awards, 2017, 2013, 2012
    • Motosport Award | Autocar India, 2017
    • Bikesport Award of the Year | Times Auto Awards, 2017
    • Racing Bike of the Year | Zeeignition Auto Awards, 2016
    • Motorsport Award | Bike India Magazine, 2013
    • Motorsport Award of the Year | ZigWheels Awards, 2012

     

    For further information please visit: www.mahindraracing.com.

    About Mahindra

    The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.

    A USD 19 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra provides employment opportunities to over 200,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, financial services and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.

    In 2015, Mahindra & Mahindra was recognized as the Best Company for CSR in India in a study by the Economic Times. In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times ‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the ‘Emerging Markets’ category in 2013.

    ends/inputs from Mahindra release

  • Dalla Porta ready for his home race at Mugello: A Mahindra Aspar team preview

    Dalla Porta ready for his home race at Mugello: A Mahindra Aspar team preview

    A Mahindra Aspar team image

    Mugello, 30 May 2017: The MotoGP World Championship reaches a third distance this weekend as it arrives in the Tuscan hills that host the stunning Mugello circuit. The Italian track, which traditionally provides incredibly close finishes in the Moto3 class, like the one in 2016 that saw just 0.069 seconds covering the top three, has seen a limited amount of Spanish success in recent seasons. Since Luis Salom’s victory in 2013, Romano Fenati, Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder have taken the top step of the podium but so far this season four out of fives wins have gone to Spanish riders – three for series leader Joan Mir and one to third-placed Aron Canet – with only Fenati able to break their dominance. Even if Fenati scores another home win at Mugello, the Italian will remain in second position overall as Mir already boasts an enviable lead of 34 points after only five races.

    This sixth round of the season will be even more special for Mahindra Aspar rider Lorenzo dalla Porta. The Italian lives just fifty kilometres down the road from the circuit so this is very much a home race for him. Dalla Porta already raced at Mugello in 2016, when he took the place of Philipp Ottl and managed to lead the race before he finally finished fifteenth, picking up one point despite finishing just two seconds behind the winner. This year at Mugello he hopes to follow the positive recent trend that took him to the points positions at Le Mans. For his team-mate Albert Arenas this will be a first visit to Mugello and the last unknown quantity for him as he raced on all of the rest of the circuits in 2016. The Spaniard arrives in Italy after achieving his best grid position in France, where after two exceptional starts he was running in the top ten before a crash ended his weekend.

    Lorenzo Dalla Porta: “For me, Mugello is my home race and the most important Grand Prix of the season. Last year, when I replaced Ottl, I managed to lead it for a lap. I’m looking forward to the race because I feel ready, but also all my fans will be there, so I’ll be even more motivated. With the bike we have been taking steps forward, so we hope we can adapt it well to this circuit.”

    Albert Arenas: “Mugello is a fast circuit, which looks a lot like Jerez. We will see how it goes but from Friday it will be important to give one hundred percent to adapt as quickly as possible and to work towards a good grid position and a good race. I am feeling very motivated after Le Mans, where we achieved our best grid and we were up at the front in both races. The crash was a pity, but it is about learning from the mistakes and continuing to enjoy ourselves at Mugello.”

    eom/Mahindra Aspar team release

  • Bagnaia gets historic maiden victory for Mahindra in MotoGP

    Assen, 26 June 2016: Gaviota Aspar Mahindra rider Pecco Bagnaia made history today as the first rider ever to win a motorcycle Grand Prix on a Sunday at Assen.

    Bagnaia made his charge from tenth on the grid to take the first win of his career and a historic first for Mahindra, a result that moves him up to fourth in the championship, fourteen points shy of third. Bagnaia was followed across the line by fellow Italians Fabio di Giannantonio, Andrea Migno, Romano Fenati and Nicolo Bulega, who filled the top five positions after a memorable 22-lap race that featured countless overtakes. In the end Bagnaia took the flag by just 0.018 seconds from Migno, who was relegated one position after a penalty, handing second place to Di Giannantonio. Series leader Brad Binder could only manage twelfth place today with a 48-point advantage over Jorge Navarro, who remains second despite missing this race through injury.

    For the Gaviota Aspar Mahindra Team the win for Bagnaia was their first since Jonas Folger in the Czech Republic Grand Prix of 2012. Bagnaia rode his Mahindra brilliantly from the start of the race at Assen, making up seven positions on the first lap as he moved up to third. Lap by lap he picked his way to the front but with more than ten riders in the lead group it was a case of fighting to stay in the hunt until the end. A series of impossible manoeuvres around the outside eventually gave Pecco his memorable first win at Assen. His team-mate for this weekend Albert Arenas, stepping in for the injured Jorge Martín, was unable to build on his experience during practice yesterday after a crash at the end of the first lap, which left him with a fractured big toe on his left foot.

    “I am very happy, I can’t believe it because it was very hard to stay at the front today. I have managed to set a fast pace all weekend even though in qualifying it was difficult to set a fast lap because of the amount of slow riders on track. I am happy with my first win, I’m excited, also this is the first win for Mahindra. To win by just 0.018 seconds is incredible. In the race I managed to be quicker in the final sector than I managed in practice and I knew that if I was third in the penultimate sector I had a chance to overtake and win. This win has come on the back of a lot of hard work, two years of working to be stronger and more consistent. I knew I had to give 110%  and on the last lap I knew I could win. I am so happy,’’ says Pecco Bagnaia.

    eom/Aspar Mahindra press release

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Mahindra’s Bagnaia shines at home with Mugello podium: Moto3

    Aspar Mahindra rider takes spectacular third place, whilst teammate Jorge Martín places fourteenth in wild race 

    Mug3llo, 22 May 2016: An exciting Moto3 race was expected at Mugello, and the lower cylinder category did not disappoint. A tight contest, the points-scoring positions were separated by just 2 seconds –and the Top Five was split by just 0.077s. The winner was decided on the final corner, as Brad Binder held off riders attempting a slipstream to claim the third victory of his career. He leads the World Championship by 49 points over Jorge Navarro, who failed to finish at Mugello . The podium was completed by Italians Fabio di Giannantonio, second, and Aspar Mahindra’s Pecco Bagnaia –who made a spectacular push from ninth position with three laps remaining.

    Pecco Bagnaia took his third podium of the season at Mugello. He began strongly, and on the first lap he had already gained three positions –moving up amongst the frontrunners just a few laps later. The Italian was consistently close to the front of a crowded group, consisting of more than twenty riders, but with three laps to go he ran wide at Turn 1, dropping to ninth. From there, Bagnaia continued to climb up the field to go into the last corner second, dropping down to third. He was just 0.031s off the rider in second place at the finish line. Teammate Jorge Martin fought his way up from fourteenth on the grid to fourth place a few laps from the end, but a series of glitches with his gearbox forced him back into the fight with the group. He would eventually take the chequered flag in fourteenth.

    3rd Pecco Bagnaia: “It’s a great result. After spending the whole weekend in the Top Five, it has been exciting to finish third in Mugello; we have gone beyond our limit. It was a tough race, with a very large group, and from the beginning I tried to give my best and push the bike in the same way.  I am very happy with the team’s work; it has been a great race for us. It was hard because I had to stay in front, but at the same time it was easy because there was a very high pace. After finishing fourth for the last two years at Mugello, finishing third is incredible.”

    eom/Aspar press release

  • Bagnaia takes brilliant third for all-new Mahindra: Moto3

    Bagnaia takes brilliant third for all-new Mahindra: Moto3

    Doha, 21 March 2016: Aspar Mahindra rider Pecco Bagnaia toughed it out for a brilliant third place under the floodlights in the opening round of the 2016 Moto3 World Championship in Qatar on Sunday..

    The 19-year-old Italian fought every inch of the way in an eight-strong pack of the world’s best riders, using the MGP3O’s superb handling and his own intelligent tactics to be with the leaders as the chequered flag fell.

    The new white-liveried Mahindra racer was just 0.148 of a second adrift of winner Niccolo Antonelli’s Honda, with Brad Binder’s KTM sandwiched between them.

    Bagnaia had started the Qatar Grand Prix – the first of 18 rounds – from the fourth row of the grid, and finished the first of 18 laps of the 5.38-km Losail circuit in seventh position. From there to the end it was an action-packed 38 minutes, with eight riders exchanging blows at every corner, and swerving in and out of one another’s slipstreams down the kilometre-long start-finish straight.

    Bagnaia held his own throughout, sometimes losing ground on the straight but then taking it back with interest in the corners. At the finish, the first seven riders were still within three quarters of a second of the leader.

    It was a superb debut for the all-new Mahindra Moto3 machine, completely redesigned during the winter break; and justification also for a tactical change of bodywork during the weekend, after it was found that a different version of the fairing gave better results at the desert circuit.

    With the agreement of its customer teams, the only Indian constructor in international racing made the one bodywork change allowed for the season even before the first race. The podium finish was the pay-off; in future races all eight Mahindra riders will have the choice of two different versions of the fairing.

    FRANCESCO “PECCO” BAGNAIA – Third Place

    This was a really, really difficult race. I had to push to the maximum on every single lap, and the pace was very strong. After practice and qualifying I didn’t think it would be possible to stay with the front group – but with the slipstream in the race, I realised I could do it. It was an amazing result for us. Mahindra and the Aspar team have worked really hard. The different fairing was definitely a help: it was easier to take the slipstream, and to close the line on the corners.

    MUFADDAL CHOONIA – CEO Mahindra Racing

    A podium is a fantastic way to start the new season after all the hard work from Mahindra Racing and our teams over the winter. Pecco rode magnificently to show the potential of the new MGP3O. Congratulations and thanks to him. He was the only rider who used the new aerodynamic package that we chose to homologate here. It improved stability and cornering speed, and the result certainly showed. Now we will work toward ensuring all the Mahindra and Peugeot Motocycles riders have the same opportunity: we’re committed to providing all of them with the new fairing from the next race in Argentina.”

    ends

    About Mahindra Racing

    In 2016, Mahindra Racing is competing as a constructor in its fifth year in the Moto3™ class of MotoGP and remains the only Indian constructor in the series, having first participated in 2011.  Mahindra Racing supplies the Mahindra MGP3O single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 250cc motorcycle to the factory Aspar Mahindra Team and three customer teams. Mahindra also supplies an official Peugeot Motocycles derivative of the MGP3O to the factory Peugeot MC Saxoprint Team.

    The 2016 Mahindra Racing line-up includes: Aspar Mahindra Team – Jorge Martin (SPA), Francesco Bagnaia (ITA);  Peugeot MC Saxoprint – Alexis Masbou (FRA), John McPhee (GB); Platinum Bay Real Estate – Karel Hanika (CZE), Darryn Binder (RSA); CIP-Unicom Starker- Fabio Spiranellia (ITA), Tatsuki Suzuki (JPN); 3570 Team Italia – Stefano Valtulini (ITA), Lorenzo Petrarca (ITA).

    Mahindra Racing made history in the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix taking the first-ever podium for an Indian constructor. The MGP3O recorded top-five finishes in 10 of the 17 rounds in 2013 as well as a pole position, three circuit lap records and third in the constructors’ rankings. The 2014 season saw a further three podium finishes for the Indian motorcycle, including second place at the Sachsenring. In 2015, the Mahindra regularly fought at the front of the ultra-competitive Moto3 class and recorded a podium finish at Le Mans.

    As well as its commitment in the World Championship, Mahindra continues to supply MGP3O machines to Team Aspar to compete in World Championship feeder series, the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship in 2016.

    Mahindra’s bold decision to take on the world’s best at the highest level of motorcycle racing has won the team a number of prestigious awards in India, including: the NDTV Car and Bike Awards – ‘Mobil 1 Motorsport Award of the Year’, 2012 and 2013; the Bike India Magazine – ‘Motorsport Award’, 2013; and ‘ZigWheels Motorsport Award of the Year’, 2012.

    For further information please visit: www.mahindraracing.com.

    eom/Mahindra press release

     

  • Gaurav Gill sparkles to take lead; Dean takes lead over Karna

    Chikkamagaluru, 12 Dec 2015: Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif) of Team Mahindra Adventure came up with one of his smoothest drives, marked by controlled aggression to take a sizeable lead at the conclusion of the Leg-1 of the Coffee Day India Rally here on Saturday.

    The day witnessed some stirring action. While 34-year old Delhi-based Gill eased his way through the highly challenging and technical Special Stages to top the time charts clocking one hour, 58 minutes, 18.9 seconds, young Dean Mascarenhas (Shanmuga SN) from Mangaluru was positively sparkling in the Volkswagen Polo to finish second Overall in the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship.

    Lohitt Urs (Shrikant Gowda) who is participating in the FIA Asia Cup that is being run concurrently and is also in contention in the IRC category, carved his way to Overall third after starting the day from 13th position.

    Urs, driving the all-wheel drive Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII, also led the Asia Cup field quite comfortably. In fact, of the eight starters in the Asia Cup, only four were still running as Arjun Rao Aroor (Satish Rajagopal), younger brother Phalguna Urs (Anoop Kumar), PG Abhilash (Rohan Rego) and Garima Avatar (Shrupta Padival) retired, bringing the day’s total of dropouts to 11 of the 40 entrants.

    Even as Gill consolidated his position, the battle of the day was between Mascarenhas and Karna Kadur (Vivek Ponnusamy) of Team Yokohama as the duo went neck-and-neck for positions in the IRC 1600 class. In the process, the two young guns pushed their respective VW Polo cars to the limit, providing plenty of thrilling moments for the spectators.

    Equally impressive was veteran Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt) of Team Yokohama who consolidated his lead in the IRC 2000 class while finishing the day over a minute ahead of Sumit Panjabi (Shahid Salman).

    In the FMSCI Cup 1600 class, Druva Chandrashekar (Jeevarathinam) took a nearly two-minute lead over his nearest rival Raghunandan B (Roopesh Kholay) and looked set to clinch the title.

    The three-day event, supported by Karnataka Toursim and Indian Oil, concludes on Sunday.

    Provisional classifications (after Leg-1):

    FIA Asia Cup: Lohitt Urs / Shrikant Gowda (Pvt, Evo VIII) 1 (1hr, 59mins, 41.2secs); Satyan Kochar / Amit Waghchoure (Pvt, VW Polo) 2 (02:16:14.7); Bani Yadav / Sukhbans Mann (Pvt, Cedia) 3 (02:21:36.1).

    IRC Overall: Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) 1 (1hr, 58mins, 18.9 secs); Dean Mascarenhas / Shanmuga SN (Pvt, VW Polo) 2 (1:59:31.1); Lohitt Urs / Srikanth Gowda (Pvt, Evo VIII) 3 (1:59: 41.2).

    IRC 2000: Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama, Cedia) 1 (2:03:38.4); Sumit Panjabi / Shahid Salman (Pvt, Cedia) 2 (2:05:05.5); Karan AM / Suraj M (Pvt, VW Polo) 3 (2:07:18.7).

    IRC 1600: Dean Mascarenhas / Shanmuga SN (Pvt, VW Polo) 1 (1:59:31.1); Karna Kadur / Vivek Ponnusamy (Team Yokohama, VW Polo) 2 (1:59:47.7); Bopaiah KM / Karumbaiah KS (Pvt, VW Polo) 3 (2:02:05.9).

    FMSCI Cup 1600: Druva Chandrasekhar / Jeevarathinam J (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) 1 (2:03:02.7); Raghunandan B / Rupesh Kholay (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) 2 (2:05:03.2); Adith KC / Harish KN (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) 3 (2:05:12.1).

    eom/MSCC release

    Deam Mascarenhas (co-driver Shanmuga SN) en route to topping the IRC 1600 class on conclusion of Leg-1 of the Coffee Day India Rally in Chikkamagaluru on Saturday.
    Deam Mascarenhas (co-driver Shanmuga SN) en route to topping the IRC 1600 class on conclusion of Leg-1 of the Coffee Day India Rally in Chikkamagaluru on Saturday.

  • Dani Pedrosa smashes Sepang Circuit lap record: Malayasian Motorcycle GP; Mahindra’s Bagnaia P8 in Moto3

    Sepang, 24 October 2015: Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa produced one of his best ever qualifying performances to smash the Sepang Circuit Best Lap record and claim pole position for tomorrow’s Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit, according to a Bridgestone release.

    On just his second lap in Qualifying Practice 2, Pedrosa set a scorching time 1’59.053 to lop over half a second off the previous Sepang Circuit Best Lap record and ultimately end the session 0.409 seconds ahead of his teammate Marc Marquez who claimed second place on the grid. The final front row slot went to Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi who clocked a 1’59.726 on his final lap of the session to out-qualify his teammate Jorge Lorenzo by mere 0.011 seconds. All of the riders that qualified on the front row used the combination of the medium compound slicks front and rear for their time attack in qualifying.
    It was another typically hot and humid day at Sepang, although the smoke haze lingering over the circuit was thicker than yesterday which resulted in slightly lower track temperatures. Today’s maximum track temperature of 46°C was recorded at the end of Free Practice 4 and was 4°C below yesterday’s high. The combination of poor grip from the tarmac and heavy undulations in the braking zone at the Sepang circuit has steered tyre choice towards options that provide good bump absorption and cornering performance. Therefore, in race simulations during FP4 the medium compound front and rear slicks emerged as the favourite options amongst the riders today and are likely to be used by the majority of riders for the race. The soft compound rear slick is also likely be used by some open class riders for the race as it provides extra performance without a big penalty to durability, but the hard compound rear slick is unlikely to be used by the factory Honda and Yamaha riders unless track temperatures tomorrow are considerably higher.
    Tomorrow’s Malaysian Grand Prix will start at 1500 local time (GMT +8) with local weather forecasts predicting a moderate possibility of rain at this time. Before then, the MotoGP™ riders will next be on track for the twenty-minute Warm Up session at 1040 local time.
    Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
    “Thankfully both sessions were dry today which allowed the teams and riders to work on getting maximum potential out of our tyre allocation at Sepang. The condition of this circuit has degraded year-on-year and so it is important to find a setup which can deal with the bumps in the braking zones, while also limiting spinning of the rear tyre on corner exit. Today’s dry sessions provided the opportunity for the teams to find optimal bike settings for our slick tyres and the result was some very quick lap times during both the time attacks in qualifying as well as during race simulations in FP4. The vast reduction in lap times we have seen this weekend is a good indication that our 2015 specification slick tyres are working well here at Sepang and I am confident our tyres can help produce another thrilling race tomorrow.”

    Mapfre Mahindra Moto3 team adds:

    Moto3 lap times edged towards record pace at Sepang this morning and the only question mark was whether or not the pace would be maintained as the temperatures rose for qualifying in the afternoon. Miguel Oliveira answered any doubts as he broke the 2’13 barrier on just the third lap and the Portuguese rider looked likely to stay there as qualifying ticked by with a whole host of riders tripping each other up as they looked for a tow, with slipstreams so crucial at Sepang. The traffic was so bad that it is hard to imagine Race Direction will not be handing out more penalties this evening, which could see changes to the grid before tomorrow’s race. On the final lap, Oliveira was edged out to third position by Niccolo Antonelli and Jorge Navarro.

    MAPFRE Team Mahindra riders Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín are hopeful of joining the battle at the front in tomorrow’s race after making constant progress throughout the weekend. After lapping ninth and eleventh fastest in final free practice this morning the pair went in search of strong grid positions from the start this afternoon, with Bagnaia moving up to third position on his third lap. It was only during the final few minutes, when he was held up by traffic, that he dropped a few spots to eighth, half a second off pole, but with the likelihood of moving up a position or two once Race Direction have intervened. Martín may also move forward from thirteenth place, the Spaniard feeling confident that he can meet his objective of a top ten finish tomorrow. The team’s third member Juanfran Guevara is hoping to find some set-up solutions tonight after struggling this weekend and qualifying back in 22nd.

    8th Pecco Bagnaia 2.13.167 (13 laps): “I was able to set fast laps on my own in free practice this morning and in qualifying this afternoon. My race pace is strong and I was able to set a quick lap in qualifying, it was just a shame that when I was on course to go even faster I ran into a bunch of riders in the middle of the track. It has been happening a lot this season and Race Direction have had to get serious about it already. Anyway, I think when the lights go out tomorrow we will be able to make up a couple of positions. I am satisfied with the job we have done, the bike is working perfectly. The forecast is looking like it might rain but I would prefer a dry race. It will be difficult and I don’t think the pace will be so high because the tyres drop off dramatically here. The objective is to get into the lead group at the start and then be fighting at the end for the best possible result.”

    13th Jorge Martín 2.13.573 (12 laps): “In general it has been a very positive day. I felt comfortable in final free practice and I was able to set a really fast lap. My pace is strong on used tyres and that is very positive for the race tomorrow. Qualifying didn’t go as well as I had hoped, I had a problem with my drinks pack at the start and then when we put the softest tyre in I ran wide in one corner but still set my fastest lap. Overall, even though I was hoping for more I am happy with our performance and the result today. I think we have good pace and I am hopeful of running in the front group tomorrow, fighting until the end. I think it will be a big group at the start and then  not so big at the end. Our goal is to be there and at least finish in the top ten.”

    eom/Bridgestone and Aspar team releases

    Francesco Bagnaia to start on P8 in Moto3 for Aspar Mahindra Moto3. An Aspar Team image
    Francesco Bagnaia to start on P8 in Moto3 for Aspar Mahindra Moto3. An Aspar Team image

  • Mapfre Mahindra riders start weekend with strong pace at Phillip Island

    Phillip Islands (Australia), 16 Oct 2015: Just five days after crossing the finish line in the Grand Prix of Japan the Mot

    Guevara on Friday in Philip Islands. A Mapfre Mahindra image
    Guevara on Friday in Phillip Islands. A Mapfre Mahindra image

    3 World Championship riders were back on their bikes today to begin the sixteenth round of the season at Phillip Island. The Australian Grand Prix kicked off in typically changeable weather conditions, with the first session taking place in the dry but the second session starting off in the damp after some intermittent showers. The riders opted to wait in their garages until the track dried, with some riders able to improve their lap times but many struggling to match their pace from the morning. Indeed, the fastest time of the first day here was set in the opening session by Miguel Oliveira.

    MAPFRE Team Mahindra’s three riders made a solid start to the Australian Grand Prix. Juanfran Guevara built on his excellent feeling at this circuit in 2014, working to a similar plan today as he made improvements in the second session to lap eleventh fastest overall, a little over a second off the fastest rider today. Pecco Bagnaia was two positions further back, the Italian feeling satisfied with his bike but uncomfortable with the strong winds that were a constant feature today at Phillip Island. Jorge Martín also struggled with the conditions but otherwise adapted quickly to the circuit and he is confident of improving on eighteenth place ahead of qualifying tomorrow.

    11th Juanfran Guevara 1.38.306 (28 laps): “We had a good race at Phillip Island last year so I was really looking forward to this weekend. We tried to start with the same plan of attack today. We worked well in the first session but this afternoon the conditions were strange and we could only ride for the final twenty minutes so we don’t know how much we could have improved. I am happy though, it was important to start the Grand Prix strongly and especially to see where we could improve. We have done a lot of laps on the same tyre today and that is positive for the race. We had a consistent pace this morning and dropped the lap time in the afternoon. The objective is to continue in the same way tomorrow.”

    13th Pecco Bagnaia 1.38.339 (28 laps): “Today was positive, I am happy with how the bike is working, it was just a shame that the wind was such a problem today. The feeling for the first day was really good and I was running in the top ten, it was just a shame that I got held up on my final lap by a rider on a slow lap. Anyway, I am happy with the result today. Tomorrow we have to try and improve and work on reducing the effect of the wind. It caused a few crashes in turn one today, it is not a nice thing for anybody. We will work on improving our performance tomorrow and maybe try lowering the front end a little so that it doesn’t get lifted quite so much.”

    eom