Tag: Mahindra Racing

A huge Italian party at a sold-out Misano kicked off in perfect fashion for the home crowd as an Italian rider took victory in Moto3. Enea Bastianini, who took pole position yesterday, was roared on to victory after an almighty battle with Fenati, Oliveira, Binder and Vázquez. Despite the skirmish in the lead group the pace was still a rapid mid-1’43 per lap, with a new record of 1’42.841 included. Oliveira tried to take the lead in the closing stages but Bastianini sealed victory with a brutal overtake as Antonelli provided further home joy behind them with the final podium position.

Pecco Bagnaia had already stated coming into the San Marino Grand Prix that a top ten finish in the Moto3 race would be a satisfactory result for him. Today the MAPFRE Team Mahindra rider met that objective but not without a huge effort. The Italian lost contact with the leaders due to a gearbox error but fought valiantly to cross the line in eighth place. Jorge Martín pushed hard early in the race to recover from a discreet start and despite not enjoying the same feeling that he’d had during practice here the MAPFRE Team Mahindra youngster fought to the end for a points-scoring finish. A final-corner battle with his team-mate Juanfran Guevara almost finished with both riders on the floor but as Martín stayed upright, Guevara was not so lucky.

Francesco `Pecco’ Bagnaia said: “Today was a tough race, probably the toughest of the season because I had to give 120% from start to finish. We were losing quite a lot compared to the other guys down the straights so we need to have a look at the telemetry to work out why that might have been and how we can fix it. I pushed hard at the start of the race and together with Masbou we did a good job to catch the lead group but once I got past him I hit a false neutral and lost a lot of time on one lap. Luckily Kent had to give up a position as a penalty so I was able to hang on to him for the last few laps, which allowed me to open a gap over the rest of the group. Masbou passed me again on the straight and I finished eighth. Tomorrow we have an important test here at Misano to try and improve on where we went wrong today.”

eom/Mapfre Team Mahindra release

The San Marino Grand Prix kicked off this morning at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in spectacular conditions, and even though the track surface has been relaid since the last visit here t

here were several crashes for the Moto3 riders in the opening session. Local favourite Enea Bastianini set the pace this morning and the day looked set to be dominated by home riders until series leader Danny Kent produced a late afternoon effort that sealed stop spot by just 0.036 seconds from Bastianini and 0.074 from Romano Fenati.

Meanwhile, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Jorge Lorenzo rode the quickest ever lap around the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to lead a closely contested opening day of practice at the San Marino and Rimini Grand Prix.

In Moto3 MAPFRE Team Mahindra rider Pecco Bagnaia is one of the Italian riders looking for success this weekend and although he had the setback of a gearbox problem this morning he was competitive from the first lap of the second session this afternoon. The youngster is looking for more front-end performance tomorrow but he is confident after setting the eleventh fastest lap of the day on his fourteenth and final effort. Jorge Martín was twentieth after running into traffic and  and Juanfran Guevara was twenty-first after an early crash.

Francesco `Pecco’ Bagnaia clocked 11th fastest time at 1.44.084 and finished 25 laps. He said: “It was important to us to be inside the top ten today. We were quite fast but struggled to maintain a consistent pace. I set a good lap on my last lap and I was riding alone but we have to improve our pace tomorrow. We also need to improve the response from the front end because I am struggling to get into the turns on the brakes, the bike tends to fold and didn’t give me the feeling I was hoping for today. The mechanics worked hard all day to give me the best possible bike but it was a shame we lost time because of a problem with the gearbox. We could have done with six or seven more laps but I am happy, we are working well and we’re on the right lines.”

Teammate Jorge Martin struggled and was 20th in 1.44.584. He did 34 laps. He said: “We struggled to find a feeling this morning because there wasn’t much grip out there but then it got better and the second session went quite well. Once we had the set-up more or less in hand we tried to push for a lap but I got held up by another rider and couldn’t go any faster. Anyway, we have come here with a good base set-up and in general I am happy although we could do with finding some more front-end confidence tomorrow. We will try to improve our pace in the final free practice then push hard for a fast lap in qualifying.”

eom/Mapfre Mahindra press release

Brno (Czech Republic), 16 Aug 2015: The Moto3 race at Brno had barely started when the red flag came out on the first lap following a crash for four riders in the first corner and then four more in turn three. Half an hour later the race was restarted, cut from nineteen laps to twelve, and even though there was another pile-up this time it was not interrupted. However, it did allow a group of eleven riders to open a gap of two seconds over the rest of the field, with Niccolo Antonelli coming out on top of an intense battle for the win that saw Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder also finish on the podium.

Behind them all three MAPFRE Team Mahindra riders finished in the points together for the first time this season after leading the second group home. Jorge Martín, Pecco Bagnaia and Juanfran Guevara lost ground on the leaders after the crash in the restarted race and despite setting an identical pace to the front men throughout the race they were never able to recover the lost ground. However, it was a satisfactory finish to the weekend for the trio, with Martín scoring points for the third straight race, Bagnaia rediscovering his form after making a set-up breakthrough this morning and Guevara now putting the bad luck and injuries that hampered the first half of his season firmly behind him.

11^th Jorge Martín: “The first start was really good, I was up to twelfth and ready to make some passes but then the red flag came out and we had to do it all over again. I tried to do the same thing in the restart but I got passed by a few riders and dropped back. By the time I got back to the front of my group the leaders had escaped. I tried to close the gap back to them but got involved in a battle with another rider and we tripped each other up. It would have been nice to be fighting for the podium because I think we had the pace today. In general I am happy because we have improved here, I won the battle in the group I was in and we have taken a top ten finish, which is important. Hopefully we can continue to improve and get a better result next time. Juanfran and I came together at the end but as far as I’m concerned there’s no problem.”

12^th Pecco Bagnaia: “Today went well and we have finally managed to turn around the strange situation we have been going through. We completely changed the bike this morning and the results were effective. We made the bike easier to ride and I could pick my lines much more easily than yesterday. It took us a couple of laps to pick up the pace but in the end I am happy. It was a shame to have started from so far back because our pace was the same as the guys at the front. Overall, to make up fifteen positions and finish twelfth after a couple of bad results is a good way to end the weekend. We have to be happy and carry on like this.”

eom/Mapfre team release

Le Mans, 17 May 2015: The only Indian team, Mahindra, in the MotoGP came tantalisingly close to a big result. Many hearts missed a beat as the Mapfre Team Mahindra rider Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia lead the race for a few moments and only wished that it lasted for a lap more. That was not to be. However, the Italian claimed a fine, fighting third place in a thrilling French Grand Prix on Sunday – taking a leading role in a fearsome front pack, and missing his and the only Indian marque’s first Moto3 victory by less than half a second.

The 18-year-old had qualified on the front row for the first time, and he didn’t put a wheel wrong throughout a punishingly competitive 24 laps of the 4.185-km Bugatti circuit at the legendary French motor-racing venue.

Pecco started strongly, battled for the lead in the early laps, then played it cool in an eight-bike brawl, saving his strength for the closing battle. The new 2015 Mahindra MGP3O again showed its strength at the highest level, with Bagnaia particularly strong at the crucial corner-entry overtaking points.With four laps remaining, the Italian attacked again. He moved up to second, then took the lead as they started the last lap.

Now it was a four-way scrap, won by inches by Romano Fenati (KTM) and Enea Bastianini (Honda). Championship leader Danny Kent (Honda) was fourth.

Bagnaia proved that Mahindra’s luck seems to have turned and the hard work paid off. Two more MGP3O riders finished in the points. Second Mapfre Team Mahindra rider Juanfran Guevara was a brave 12th, less than a fortnight after surgery for a broken collarbone; rookie Stefano Manzi claimed his first point at 15th.

The next race is the Italian GP at Mugello, in two weeks.

Pecco Bagnaia – Third place

This was for sure the best race of my career. I fought a lot with the other two Italian riders, and that was great. In the remaining two laps, I tried to take first position, and I could make it. But it was so difficult, a real fight. I gave my best, and this third place is the result. I’m very happy, because the team and Mahindra have been working a lot. This is a good reward. Now we have to continue,

Mufaddal Choonia – CEO, Mahindra Racing

What a race! My heart was beating so fast it almost popped out of my chest. We’re very happy. The podium has eluded us so far this year, but now it has come in the fifth race, the earliest top-three we have achieved in a season. Pecco showed his potential, and also proved that the Mahindra MGP3O has race-winning pace. This will drive us on to work even harder. I hope we can get our hands on that elusive first grand prix win as soon as possible.

About Mahindra Team:

Mahindra Racing became the first Indian motorcycle constructor to participate in the FIM MotoGP World Motorcycle Racing Championship series in 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012.

In 2015, Mahindra is competing in its third year in the Moto3 class of MotoGP with its own 4-stroke, 250cc motorcycle: the Mahindra MGP3O, developed in its state of the art development center at Varese in Italy. This development center is part of Mahindra Group’s neural network of innovation.

In season 2014, the Mahindra MGP3O took three podium finishes in 2014, the first for factory rider Miguel Oliveira at the Dutch TT at Assen, while a customer Mahindra in the hands of South African Brad Binder finished third in Japan and second at the Sachsenring, a best ever result for the Indian motorcycle. The team’s history-making first-ever podium came in 2013’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Mahindra Racing recorded top-five finishes in 10 of the 17 rounds of the 2013 World Championship as well as a pole position, three circuit lap records and third in the Constructor’s rankings for Mahindra.

In season 2015, Mahindra Racing has partnered with 4 times World Champion Jorge Martinez “Aspar” to run the factory team for Mahindra Racing. The Mapfre Team Mahindra, as it is called, has three talented riders in Francesco Bagnaia from the VR 46 rider’s academy, 2014 Rookies Cup Winner Jorge Martin and experienced Juanfran Guevara. Besides the factory team, Mahindra Racing also supplies the Mahindra MGP3O racing bike to Team CIP Moto3, San Carlo Team Italia and the Outox Reset Drink Team, who all run two rider set ups. This takes the total number of Mahindra bikes on the grid to 9 for the current 2015 season.

The Mahindra Racing – Aspar partnership will also see Mahindra’s factory team participating in the newly christened Junior World Championship from the current 2015 season.

Mahindra’s bold decision to take on the world’s best at the highest level of motorcycle racing has won the manufacturer 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.

eom/Mahindra team press release

Bangalore, 18 March 2015: The Mapfre Mahindra Team officially unveiled its 2015 season Moto3 livery at the start of final pre-season testing at Jerez, Spain on Tuesday, March 17.

According to a Press Release here on Wednesday, t

he team, a partnership between the multiple-championship winning Aspar Team and Mahindra Racing, will become the Indian motorcycle constructor’s factory team and field three Mahindra MGP3O racers in the 2015 Moto3 season.

During the photoshoot at the unveiling, the Mapfre Mahindra Team’s riders Juanfran Guevara, Jorge Martín and Pecco Bagnaia were joined by team boss Jorge Martinez, Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia and representatives of continuing title sponsor Mapfre.

“We are ready to start the 2015 season feeling excited and very happy because this is a new and completely different project for Moto3,” Martinez, a former rider and multiple champion, said. “Our agreement with Mahindra means that we will become a factory team.

“We have done a great job together over the past few months and the bike has evolved a lot. I hope our riders continue to produce the excellent form they have shown in pre-season testing so that we can start the new campaign fighting at the front.”

“We are very excited by this new project and I would like to thank Mapfre, Mahindra, MRW and all our sponsors for their efforts, because without them this new project would not be possible. I hope that 2015 can be a season full of success,” Martinez, recently recognised as a legend of the sport by governing body FIM, added.

The Jerez Moto3 and Moto2 test takes place from March 17th-19th and they are the final chance for teams to hone their racing bikes on the track before the season kicks off at the Losail circuit in Qatar on March 29th.

eom/AdFactors release

Mumbai, 2 Feb 2015: Mahindra Racing, India’s only constructor in World Championship motorcycle racing, reaffirmed on Monday, its commitment to the MotoGP series and predicted that it is set for a best-ever season in the Moto3 title race.

The announcements were made at a special event at Gateway House, the Mahindra Group’s historic former headquarters in Mumbai, where Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, welcomed Carmelo Ezpeleta (CEO of MotoGP rights-holder Dorna Sports) and Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez (CEO of the Aspar Team).

Asper is the new racing partner of Mahindra team.

Mahindra explained that Mahindra Racing, serves an important role within the Mahindra Group.

“We are still at a relatively early phase of our journey in motorsport, but the technological challenge and learning that we achieve through our racing programmes are of major importance to the whole Group. The international footprint and high-profile of MotoGP helps us build the Mahindra brand globally. We are also strengthening our technical skills with the opening of a new development centre in Italy. This becomes part of our neural network of innovation along with other R&D facilities in India, Korea and the US.”

SP Shukla, Chairman of Mahindra Racing and Mahindra Group President, Group Strategy, Defense Sector, and Chief Brand Officer, outlined a number of changes made by Mahindra Racing as it matures as a constructor in the ultra-competitive Moto3 class.

“The 2015 Moto3 grid will feature four teams and nine Mahindra MGP3O machines, one more than last season,” he explained. “However, the main change is that we shall not run our own team, instead we have bolstered our line-up of partner teams with the important addition of the Aspar Team. Jorge Martinez – known as Aspar – is a legend of the sport having achieved multiple World Championships as a rider first and then as a team owner. Working closely with Jorge’s team should help us to develop and deliver even better results in 2015,” said Shukla.

Under the new structure, the Aspar Team will concentrate on running the team and developing the riders, while Mahindra Racing will focus on developing a winning bike and better supporting its customer teams. To help with that process Mahindra Racing has recently opened a new European technical base at Besozzo near Varese in Northern Italy.

VIP visitor Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sport, was delighted to be in India and explained the importance of Mahindra’s MotoGP involvement to a growing Indian audience. “We have definitely seen a surge of interest in MotoGP from India since Mahindra joined the series in 2011. I have been very impressed by what I have seen so far from Mahindra. The Mahindra bike challenges at the front of Moto3 and many teams and riders have been interested in working with Mahindra. I think the changes put in place for 2015 should make Mahindra even more successful and that can only be good for MotoGP in India.

India is an economic powerhouse in the world economy and a very important growth market for the sport of MotoGP. I know that I am not alone among international sports rights holders looking for growth in India. However, I do feel the ingredients are all right for us: India has a huge two-wheeler market; in Mahindra we have an Indian constructor competing successfully in the sport; and we have a fantastic product – anyone who watches MotoGP with its mix of drama, excitement, speed and characters can very easily become hooked. We won’t just rely on those ingredients, however, and are working very hard on improving our TV distribution.

“We are also continuing to work on bringing a MotoGP race to India. And judging by what I have seen of the motorcycle riders on Mumbai’s roads today, I am sure there is also a future Indian World Champion out there somewhere!”

Joining the VIPs on stage was MotoGP Hall of Fame inductee Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez, whose successful Aspar Team becomes Mahindra Racing’s partner team in the World Championship during the 2015 season. Martinez won four World Championships as a rider in the 1980s before founding his own team in 1992 and securing a further four World Championships as a team owner.

The highly-experienced Spaniard was full of praise for his new technical partner. “Straight after the end of last season we started testing with Mahindra and the whole team was immediately very pleased,” he explained. “The riders found a good feeling with the bike and were able to record some very good lap times almost immediately. The bike is quick, agile and reliable and we have quickly established a very good technical and personal relationship with the Mahindra engineering team.

“I have been involved in the MotoGP series for a long time, but I am feeling very enthused and excited by this new partnership and the season ahead. We have three talented young riders in the World Championship and some exciting new prospects in the Spanish Championship, and I am confident that, together with Mahindra, we’ll enjoy a lot of success on-track.”

It was left to Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia to sum up the prospects for Mahindra Racing in 2015: “We had one podium in 2013 and three last year, including a second place. Clearly we are looking to go one better this year. I believe that we have put together a package capable of winning races and regularly finishing on the podium. We have a great deal of young riding talent aboard Mahindra machinery in Moto3 and an extremely experienced addition to our line-up of teams in Team Aspar. It’s an exciting year and I am confident that our new structure and on-going hard work will pay dividends.”

eom/A Mahindra Racing press release