INDIA in F1

Tag: Mahindra Racing

  • Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif power Mahindra XUV 500 to IRC win at Coimbatore

    Coimbatore, 13 July 2014: Overnight leaders Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif, in a Mahindra XUV 500, won the JK Tyre-powered Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the FMSCI-Indian Rally Championship (IRC), by over two minutes, here, on Sunday.
    Karnataka’s Arjun Rao and Satish Rajagopal, in a VW Polo, took second place overall and the top spot in the IRC 1600 category, while reigning Asia Pacific champion Gill’s Mahindra Adventure teammates Sunny Sidhu and PV Srinivas Murthy were third.
    A run over the two Special Stages of 26.10 kms and 12.65 kms comprised Sunday’s Leg 2 and Gill, winner of the opening round in Nashik last month, chose to drive cautiously.
    “I didn’t want to take any risks as I already had a good lead overnight,” Gill said. “I wanted to hold on to the lead and it just so happened that I was fastest in both the stages today,” added India’s top rally driver.
    While the top three overnight leaders finished in that order, Team Yokohama’s Vikram Devadasen and Shrikanth in a VW Polo turned in faster times in both Super Stages to finish fourth overall ahead of their Team Yokohama mates Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhatt in a Mitsubishi Cedia.
    Kantharaj and Bhatt topped the IRC 2000cc class, while Devadasen and Shrikanth finished second in the IRC 1600cc category.
    Arjun Rao and Sathish were returning to action after missing the opening round in Nashik and the pair, winners of the INRC 1600 class last season and second in the overall category, turned in another impressive show.
    “The gap between Gill and us was big, but that didn’t change my approach. I was aggressive and I am happy to have finished second overall with a 1600 cc car,” he said.
    B Raghu Nandan and K Suraj topped the FMSCI 1600cc Cup category.
    On Saturday, 10 cars retired during Leg 1, including reigning National champion Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik following mechanical problems.
    The third round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship will be the AVT Premium South India Rally in Chennai between July 25 and 27.
    Unofficial final classification:
    Indian Rally Championship (IRC): 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure) (01:39.53.2), 2. Arjun Rao/Satish Rajagopal (01:41.56.9), 3. Sunny Sidhu/PV Srinivas Murthy (Mahindra Adventure) (01:42.45.8), 4. Vikram Devadasen/Shrikanth (Team Yokohama) (01:44.05.4), 5. Rahul Kantharaj/Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama) (01:44.21.6).
    IRC 2000cc: 1. Rahul Kantharaj/Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama) (01:44.21.6), 2. Byram Godrej/AG Somayya (01:44.36.0), 3. Prithivi Dominic/MS Ravindra (01:45.57.7).
    IRC 1600cc: 1. Arjun Rao/Satish Rajagopal (01:41.56.9), 2. Vikram Devadasen/Shrikanth (Team Yokohama) (01:44.05.4),  3. Phalguna Urs/Anoop Kumar (01:44.33.7).
     FMSCI 1600cc Cup: 1. B Raghu Nandan/K Suraj (01:46.31.3), 2. KC Adith/KN Harish (01:48.27.1), 3. Aniruddha Rangnekar/Nitin Jacob (01:52.24.7).
    eom/Sanjay Rajan/FMSCI release

    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif in action in Coimbatore on Sunday winning the IRC. An FMSCI image
    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif in action in Coimbatore on Sunday winning the IRC. An FMSCI image

  • Oliveira takes 3rd in Moto3 at Cathedral for Mahindra’s first podium

    Miguel, Mahindra Racing pic, celebrates 29June2014 Assen Moto3Assen, June 28, 2014: Mahindra MGP3O rider Miguel Oliveira finished a fine third in today’s Dutch TT, taking a first podium of the season for the only Indian manufacturer in international motorcycle racing after a strong ride from 13th on the grid.

    The Portuguese teenager picked his way through a big group of Moto3™ rivals disputing third place, taking control on the sixth of 22 laps of the 4.54–km classic Assen circuit, nicknamed “the Cathedral of Racing”, and then moving clear.

    Now the chase was on: his next rival was second–placed Alex Rins (Honda), and the gap was 2.5 seconds.

    The Assen crowd were treated to a display of remorseless speed, as Oliveira closed steadily on his Spanish rival. By the 16th lap he was on his tail, and moved directly past.

    From there it was a game of cat–and–mouse, with Rins following the white–and–red Mahindra closely, looking for parts of the track where he might be able to return the attack. It happened on the way into the final chicane for the last time, where Rins outbraked Oliveira to lead him over the line by just over half a second.

    It was the best result of the year for Mahindra, and a repeat of the same rider’s first MGP3O rostrum in Malaysia last year. In a season where the overall technical standard has risen, it is further proof of the growing maturity and strengthening challenge of the purpose–built Mahindra MGP3O Moto3 racing machine.

    Second rider Arthur Sissis finished a disappointed 21st, after suffering handling issues that saw him drop back from a strong start. Brad Binder was ninth on a customer Mahindra, with Matteo Ferrari placing 13th to put a third Mahindra in the points.

    The race was won by Rins’s team–mate Alex Marquez. The next round is the German GP at the Sachsenring in two weeks.

    MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – third place
    “It was a hard race. I was quite lucky at the start not to lose much time overtaking or getting involved in accidents. After that I focused on my lap time … I already knew that on used tyres we could make a good rhythm. Being so constant gave me an advantage. After I passed Alex Rins for second he was behind me for quite a long time, and he studied me very well … so he was able to pass me on the last braking point. There are still areas we need to improve our bike and the team is working very hard. This result gives much more motivation to keep working, to improve the bike and be constantly on the podium or winning races.”

    ARTHUR SISSIS – 21st place
    “I went well in warmup, and a got a really good start. I was behind Miguel but from the first lap I couldn’t get the speed I had before. Into the corners the back was chattering and I had no grip. It doesn’t seem possible that my lap times were three seconds slower than qualifying. I just don’t understand why.”Miguel, Mahindra Racing pic, celebrates 29June2014 Assen Moto3

    MUFADDAL CHOONIA – Mahindra Racing CEO
    “I’m over the moon. It has been a weekend of ups and downs, but completely up and up in the race. I would have like to finish second, but … that is racing. We were slightly disappointed after qualifying because Miguel’s 13th was not the position we should be in. But it’s the race that matters, and Miguel again showed what he is capable of. We had pole at this race last year and finished fourth. It seems our devotions are heard here at the Cathedral of Racing. I hope we can now be slightly more consistent for the rest of the season.”

    ends/Mahindra Racing Press Release

  • Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif win INRC Round 1 in a Mahindra SUV

    By Sanjay Rajan

    Nashik, 15 June 2014: “Gaurav Gill drove as if he was Skiing in wet tarmac and won#rallyofmaharashtra by 1min 48 seconds,” India’s top rally driver posted on his Facebook page after winning the opening round of the FMSCI-Indian Rally Championship in Nashik on Sunday.

    Gill and his co-driver Musa Sherif in a Mahindra XUV timed 1 hour, 28 minutes and 30 seconds to clinch the overall honours ahead of Mahindra Adventure teammates and reigning National champions Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik.

    “A great start to the Indian Rally C’ship 2014 completing a hat-trick of Nashik Rally wins 2011,13,14,” Gill further posted on social media.

    Gill, the 2013 Asia Pacific Rally champion, was the fastest in all the stages on Saturday and was yet behind Ghosh going into Sunday’s final day action after being docked penalty owing to delay at the service park.

    “The Mahindra team had prepared the XUV very different from the previous year. So I wasn’t very conversant with the vehicle prior to the event. Also the stages were difficult than last year,” Gill said.

    Gill, the 2011 National champion, made up for lost time in SS 8 on Sunday morning and appeared to cruise thereafter.

    Byram Godrej and Somayya AG won in the IRC 2000 category, Hrishikesh Thackersey and Ninad Mirajgaonkar topped in the IRC 1600 category and Anirudha Ranganekar and Arjun Mehta won in the FMSCI 1600 Cup class.

    The second round of the six-round championship will be held in Coimbatore from July 11 to 13.

    The final classification: IRC Overall category: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif (1:28:30), 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik (1: 30:18), 3. Byram Godrej/Somayya AG (1:32:11). IRC 2000: 1. Byram Godrej/Somayya AG, 2. Rahul Kantharaj/Vivek Bhat, 3. Sumit Panjabi/Venu Ramesh Kumar. IRC 1600: 1. Hrishikesh Thackersey/Ninad Mirajgaonkar, 2. Sirish Chandran/Nikhil Pai, 3. Druva Chandrashekhar/B. Roopesh. FMSCI 1600 Cup: 1. Anirudha Ranganekar/Arjun Mehta, 2. Adith KC/Harish KN, 3. Parag Dhhiwar/Aditya Dhhiwar.

    eom

    Gill (left) and Musa Sherif take the first victory as INRC began with the Nashik round. Photo by WISA/Pandit
    Gill (left) and Musa Sherif take the first victory as INRC began with the Nashik round. Photo by WISA/Pandit

  • Miguel Oliveira finishes 12th in Moto3 to get crucial points for Mahindra

    Montmelo, Barcelona, 15 June 2014: Factory Mahindra rider Miguel Oliveira added to his points score in today’s Catalunyan GP, with a fighting 12th place, at the front of a group that had been engaged for the full 22 laps of the opening race of the day.

    Arthur Sissis also led his battling group over the line, in 18th place, just three away from the points.
    But if the official Mahindra team had hoped for better after Oliveira qualified a strong seventh, it was still a pleasing day for the only Indian manufacturer in World Championship racing. Customer team rider Brad Binder (Ambrogio Racing Mahindra) played a prominent role in a seven-strong battle for second, eventually finishing a close sixth and underlining the Mahindra MGP3O’s growing strength.
    Oliveira’s difficulties began on the first lap, when he was boxed in off the start, losing a number of positions to finish the first lap down in 13th. This left him in close combat with a big secondary group, giving the leading gang of ten the chance to escape and move out of reach.
    The canny Portuguese teenager more than held his own in the volatile gaggle of high-class riders, and was almost alongside the group leader over the line, by when they had caught up the battle for ninth. Another lap might have seen further promotion.
    Arthur Sissis had a hill to climb, after qualifying 27th, and made the most of it, picking up places lap by lap and finally finishing 18th, leader of a big pack going for the final points.
    Alessandro Tonucci (CIP Mahindra) was less than half-a-second behind Oliveira, putting a third MGP3O in the points.
    The next race is the Dutch TT in 13 days … uniquely the Assen race is held on Saturday.
    MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – 12th position
    A pretty hard race. We put in a new engine today, and the settings weren’t perfect. I was losing a lot in acceleration, especially in first gear. That made it tough off the line and in the fighting, and I’m not happy with my result.
    ARTHUR SISSIS – 18th position
    My race was not so bad, but the weekend was quite bad. My first session was good, then we changed settings and it didn’t work, and I qualified 27th. Being so far back makes the race difficult: you are with slower riders and by the time you get past them the front group has gone. It was exactly like that today, though I did lead my group. I really have to work on qualifying better.
    MUFADDAL CHOONIA – CEO Mahindra Racing
    That was an excellent race for Brad Binder – and it’s great to see him improve every race on his customer bike, showing also the improvement of the Mahindra MGP3O in its second season. He was in a very strong group, and held his position to the end. It was not the best day for the factory riders: Miguel lost many positions at the start, which cost him his chances of doing the same.
    eom

    Miguel Oliveira , 44, finishes 12th for Mahindra. A Mahindra Racing image
    Miguel Oliveira , 44, finishes 12th for Mahindra. A Mahindra Racing image

  • Marquez’s record seventh win brings in Honda’s 100th win from 2002

    Catalunya, 15 June 2014: Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has continued his perfect season with his seventh consecutive win, marking Honda’s 100th victory since the introduction of the four-stroke MotoGP era, and has become just the second rider after Valentino Rossi to win seven successive MotoGP races since the category was introduced at the start of 2002. Teammate Dani Pedrosa battled to the end with Marc, but lost out after a last lap attempt and finished in third.

    It was an incredible race which started at a very high tempo in front of 92,845 spectators. Dani and Marc, first and third on the grid respectively, fell to third and fourth on the first lap before Marc passed Dani into third on lap two, setting a new record race lap of 1’42.182 (beating Dani’s time of 1’42.358 from 2008). Valentino took the lead from Jorge Lorenzo on lap four and on lap six Marc and Jorge had a nice battle passing each other a few times, before Marc made it stick. Coming into turn one on lap seven Dani passed Jorge for third place and began to chase down his teammate Marc and on lap nine the two Repsol Honda riders passed each other twice, but Marc was able to hold onto second place.

    Marc caught up with race leader Valentino and ran wide attempting a pass, briefly dropping down to third but the regaining second place immediately. Five laps later, on lap nineteen, Marc passed Valentino but saw a yellow flag, so he wanted to give back the position immediately. Dani also passed but realised something was strange so he followed Marc’s actions and conceded the position back, he kept close to the two riders battling and on lap twenty two he passed Valentino and chased down Marc.

    On the final lap, both Repsol Honda riders displayed a masterpiece of riding as they passed each other four times before Dani made a small mistake and slightly touched Marc. He was forced to sit the bike up and ran slightly wide, allowing Valentino to pass him and claim second place as Marc won the race setting a new fastest race time with 42’56.914.

    With his victory here in Catalunya, Marc has also become the youngest ever rider (21 years and 118 days) to win seven successive races in the premier class, taking the record from Valentino Rossi (23 years and 155 days) also riding a Honda. This victory marks the first time two brothers have won on the same day in the World Championship after Alex Marquez rode his Honda to victory in the Moto3 race earlier this morning.

    Marc continues to extend his lead in the Rider’s Championship with 175 points with Dani in third on 112. Honda lead the Constructor’s Championship by 48 points, with a total of 175, and the Repsol Honda Team lead the Team’s Championship by 92 points, on 287 points. The next race will take place in Assen on the 28th June.

    Marquez: “I am delighted with this win because this is a track which I have always found difficult. You could see how tough it is for me this weekend: I missed out on pole for the first time this season and had my first crash of the year. The race was very hard with a battle against Dani, Jorge and Valentino. I think that the last few corners were especially spectacular, with the moves by Valentino and Dani. I am very happy about taking another 25 points and also to win on the same day as my brother at home in front of all our fans! It’s something very special”

    Pedrosa: “It was a very good, hard-fought race because we had four riders up at the front for most of the race. There was a lot of overtaking and it was very intense, because we were going so fast. Overall I am very satisfied, even though the end result was not the best; we fought hard and I felt much better physically. I’ll take the positives from this race: I got my wish of being up at the front, both in practice and on the early laps of the race, and I ended the race fighting with Marc for the victory!”

    eom
    Marc Marquez wins 7th race to bring up the 100th win for Repsol Honda in MotoGP on Sunday. A Repsol Honda team image
    Marc Marquez wins 7th race to bring up the 100th win for Repsol Honda in MotoGP on Sunday. A Repsol Honda team image

  • Chikmagalur to kickstart TSD Rally Nationals; Chidu-Sujith on hat-trick

    Chikmagalur, 6 June 2014: There is little doubt that TSD rallying is gaining popularity among the motorsport-loving public. It’s fun, safe due to the low speed and does not need a lot of time and investment as in stage rallying.

    The first round of the 2014 FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rallying Championship will be held in Chikmagalur on Sunday, June 8, and this event will be followed by eight other rounds across India. After Chikmagalur, the third edition of this National Championship will move to Jaipur (June 28-29), Bengaluru (Aug 16-17), Coimbatore (Sept 6-7), Nashik (Sept 20-21), Baripada (Nov 8-9), Kolkata (Nov 15-16), Ranchi (Nov 29-30) and Chennai (Dec 20-21). This is the first time the Championship is moving to so many venues across the country. The interest generated will surely go a long way in promoting the sport.

    Auto majors Tata, Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki have all confirmed their participation in the 2014 Championship. Competitors and teams registered for the National Championship need to take part in at least six rounds, with one round in each zonal region mandatory, to quality for honours.

    TSD, or Time-Speed-Distance, Rallying involves no high speeds. In fact, it is more about calculating precise times and average speeds so as to attract the minimum penalty. Penalty is given to competitors who arrive at the finish too early or late from a given time of arrival. The team that attracts the minimum penalty wins and that is why reaching the finish line at the specified time is key.

    The two main categories are Pro Expert and Pro Stock. The Expert class allows the use of unlimited gadgets, while only the stock Odometer and any calculating device are permitted in the Stock class. An exclusive ladies category has been introduced this year. Titles will be given to the best driver, navigator and team in the Expert, Stock and overall classification, and to the driver and navigator in the exclusive ladies Stock category.

    Bangaloreans Chidananda Murthy and navigator BS Sujith Kumar have won the Pro Stock category title for the last two years for Team Tata Motors. They will be defending their crown this year and a win will be a record of sorts.

    Amol Satoskar (Goa) and Nirav Mehta (Kolkata) will be the second pair for Team Tata Motors. They have won the Raid-de-Himalaya, Desert Storm with different partners and are no strangers to rallying. Team Tata Motors is proud to announce the return of an all-women’s team for the INTSDRC. Vaneeta Kang (Chandigarh) and Nidhi Mittal (Mumbai) have taken part in innumerable cross country rallies and hope to win this time.

    Mahindra’s KP Karthick Maruthi and S Sankar Anand are the defending champions in the Overall and Expert categories, while 2012 Pro Expert champions Satish Gopalkrishnan and Savera D’Souza will turn out for Team Maruti Suzuki.

    Needless to say, one of the objectives of the INTSDRC is to promote safe driving. All participating automobiles in the Championship will carry the FIA Road Safety logo sticker as part of the FMSCI’s campaign to create awareness among youth involved in motorsports on the importance of road safety.

    Kicking off the FIA Road Safety programme, FMSCI president J Prithiviraj recently said 

    File photo of the TSD Nationals 2012. Photo courtesy JK Tyre
    File photo of the TSD Nationals 2012. Photo courtesy JK Tyre

    : “More people die in road crashes in India than anywhere else in the world every year. We need to work towards improving road safety awareness in the country. The FMSCI’s Mobility Commission is working on a project that we hope will help in the cause.”

    FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rally Championship calendar: Chikmagalur (June 7-8), Jaipur (June 28-29), Bengaluru (Aug 16-17), Coimbatore (Sept 6-7), Nashik (Sept 20-21), Baripada (Nov 8-9), Kolkata (Nov 15-16), Ranchi (Nov 29-30) and Chennai (Dec 20-21).

    ends/Press Release from Vivek Phadnis

  • Successful shakedown for Karun Chandhok, Mahindra Formula E team

    Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna (right) pose with the Mahindra Formula E car on Thursday. An Adrenna Communications image
    Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna (right) pose with the Mahindra Formula E car on Thursday. An Adrenna Communications image

    Donington, 5 June 2014: The Mahindra Formula E team completed a successful shakedown of the team’s new Formula E car on Wednesday, at a wet Donington Park circuit in the UK. Taking part in the first ever shakedown for the 10 Formula E teams, Mahindra Racing drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok completed various system checks during the day’s running.

    Both drivers completed their seat fits on Tuesday, with the Mahindra Racing mechanics making the seats and adjusting pedal positions to suit both drivers. With only one car yet delivered to each of the teams, Senna and Chandhok shared the team’s car – named via a fan competition as Mahindra Nitro – throughout the day.

    Senna was first to take to the track, pulling out onto a wet Donington circuit in the fully liveried Mahindra Nitro. After a few technical issues, the car was able to complete a number of laps, allowing the team to check the battery and recharging systems. Chandhok drove the afternoon session, completing two separate runs to add to the team’s knowledge of the fully electric machine.

    Chandhok was excited to get his first taste of the Formula E car. He commented, “It was an interesting day. Driving a new car is always exciting but driving something so different made it really intriguing. It was very much a systems check and day gathering information on the motor and battery but also a chance for us as drivers to get a first impression. It’s clear this is going to be a category that is about strategy and intelligence rather than just pure driving speed. With the energy recovery systems and battery life you will have to think about strategy all the time. I think the fans are going to be impressed when they see all the cars on track.”

    Team Principal Dilbagh Gill added, “This was an important day for us. Not only was it the first opportunity for Karun and Bruno to work trackside with the team, it was also our first opportunity to work with and begin to understand the revolutionary technology on the Formula E cars. Despite a few teething problems, we were able to shakedown the car and check very thoroughly all the complex systems on it. Formula E have provided a great technical support team and it was fantastic to see our team and drivers adjust to this new technology so quickly.”

    Chandhok and Senna will be back on track for the first full Formula E test from 3 – 4 July, also at the Donington Circuit in the UK.

    Chandhok will now head to France to participate in the Le Mans 24hrs race which takes place on June 14. Chandhok is supported by long term supporters JK Tyre, as well as Tag Heuer,  Sidvin and the AVT group.

    eom/Adrenna Communications release

  • Contest for children to design Air-powered Electric car in Bangalore

    By our Principal Correspondent

    Bangalore, 27 May 2014: L Green Ventures, an organisation committed to cultivate the habit of science experimentation among children has been conducting Sunday Science Schools at various places. The Sunday Science School is an elaborate hands-on-Science activity for school students that creates a sense of curiosity and promotes inquisitiveness so as to stimulate the children’s scientific creativity.

    As part of Earth Day celebrations, a science contest is being held on June 29 at Vishveswaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore (India) for children in the age groups of 9 to 11 years and 12 to 15 years. To reduce pollution in the environment and place seed in the minds of the children, the students were asked to design the most-efficient `Air powered Electric Car’ with a given common energy source.

    The first 2000 students can take part in the contest on a first-come-first-serve basis.

    “The basic model of the `toy car’ can achieve a speed of 4 km per hour which is our normal walking speed; however, children can also achieve a speed of 15 km per hour car speed if they work on crucial aspects like reducing the weight of the car, reducing friction, aerodynamics of shape, using different fan, different wheels etc. They cannot change the given toy motor (engine of the car!) and the power that can be used (3V!) and that is what makes it challenging,” said Dr Sujatha Virdhe, Director, L Green Ventures.

    Last year L Green Ventures had a contest on “Making Hand-held-Wind-Energy-Generator” and children succeeded in glowing about 100 LEDs using similar a toy motor.

    The contest is sponsosred by Mahindra Reva to encourage the Green Initiative while Karnataka Renewable Energy Department Limited (KREDL) and International Royal Chemical Society would be the co-sponsors of the event.

    For details please visit: http://www.lgreenventures.com

    eom/By Sumitra

     

    A model Air powered Electric car by L Green Ventures for a competition for students. An L Green Ventures image
    A model Air powered Electric car by L Green Ventures for a competition for students. An L Green Ventures image

  • Karun Chandhok, Bruno Senna to drive for Mahindra Racing in inaugural FIA Formula E

    Former F1 drivers Bruno Senna and India's Karun Chandhok will pair to drive for Mahindra Racing in the inaugural Formula E championship. An Adrenna Communications image
    Former F1 drivers Bruno Senna and India’s Karun Chandhok will pair to drive for Mahindra Racing in the inaugural Formula E championship. An Adrenna Communications image

    Mumbai, 26 May 2014.  Mahindra Racing announced on Monday that India’s own Karun Chandhok and Bruno Senna will be the team’s drivers for the inaugural season of the FIA Formula E Championship. The duo will represent Mahindra when they line-up on the grid at the start of the world’s first ever fully electric championship in Beijing later this year.

    Commenting on this development, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Executive Director and President (Automotive & Farm Equipment Sectors), said, “Mahindra Racing takes an important step forward on its pioneering journey into electric car racing with the announcement of our driver line-up. We are confident that our participation in Formula E racing would allow Mahindra to remain at the cutting edge of EV technology and help us develop the next generation of electric road cars.”

    According to Mr. S P Shukla, Chairman, Mahindra Racing, “Both Karun and Bruno come with very strong racing pedigrees and have successfully competed in a variety of racing series over the past few years. The entire team looks forward to working with both of them to optimize the performance of our racing car over the next few months of testing before the start of racing in September this year.”

    Neither Chandhok nor Senna are strangers to international racing fans, both having competed at the top level of the sport in Formula 1. The signing of two such high profile drivers is an indication of Mahindra’s determination to succeed in the first season of Formula E.  Representing the only Indian team on the Formula E grid, Chandhok and Senna bring with them a strong working relationship, having already raced as team mates previously in their careers.

    Team Principal Dilbagh Gill commented, “Karun and Bruno both represent the perfect balance between experience and youthful enthusiasm for this truly ground breaking championship. I am confident they will do their best to represent Mahindra on the world stage and the entire team is aiming for top results from the start of the championship.”

    Preparation for the season is already underway, with the team’s first car having been delivered to Mahindra Racing recently. This brand new Formula E car has already been painted with the team’s new livery – a stunning combination of Mahindra red and the colours of the Indian flag.

    “I’m very excited to be a part of the Mahindra Racing line up,” said Karun Chandhok.  “Mahindra are showing a lot of commitment to Formula E and it’s very encouraging to see the support of senior members of the group to this programme. To be a part of the only Indian team in this series is a real honour for me especially as I’m going to be working with one of India’s most respected brands.”

    He added, “It’s also going to be a nice reunion for me with Bruno again. He’s one of my closest friends from the racing world, we respect each other and work well together which will be good for the development of the team.

    Formula E is a whole new way of going motor racing. The in-city races are going to be a great spectacle and will make the sport a lot more accessible for the public – they’re taking the race to the fans, rather than making the fans come to the race. The quality of teams and drivers should ensure some fantastic racing and I can’t wait for the season to kick off.”

    Teammate Bruno Senna added, “I’m very proud to be joining Mahindra Racing. There is a real ambition within the team to be leaders in Formula E from the start.  It’s also an exciting prospect to be part of such a revolutionary championship from the beginning.”

    “There will be a lot to learn very quickly, both for the teams and drivers, in terms of technology and driving styles and for race fans as Formula E will popularise a new type of motorsport across the world. Of course, I already have a great relationship with Karun which will help us work together and move the team forward very quickly.” he added.

    Chandhok will add the Formula E Championship to his Le Mans programme which will continue next month with the iconic Le Mans 24hrs. Chandhok will race in the Le Mans 24hrs for the third consecutive year.

    Chandhok is supported by long term supporters JK Tyre, as well as Tag Heuer,  Sidvin and the AVT group.

    eom/Adrenna Communications Release

  • Young journalists asking tough questions and opening up FIA press conferences

    Sepang, 29 March 2014:

    Hamilton after taking pole in KL. A photo by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team photo
    Hamilton after taking pole in KL. A photo by Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team photo

    An engineer, a pretty young thing, is in the Press Box, and she is asking questions that make sense. This should make our veteran journalist, Joe Saward, happy. He is the is the one who has the kanck to identify a story from a plant, and many a journalist fall prey to the like of a Thatha. In India, in amny an Indian language, Thatha is an old man with all his tricks up his sleeve

    So it feels good to have journalists around, who know their stuff. Once my editior told me dont feell shy to have a drink and get pampered, but when you write leave that stuff behind and criticise that same guy, if he so deserves. Once you start writing, only truth matters and what you beleie in.

    I got eleven transfers and saw the whole of India, while working with the Newspaper for 18 years. My Editor is no more. He is a great soul. He is Rajan Bala. And I make sense what Joe says and feel good to have some young crop around who know their job.

    For the record, the transcript of the Press conference is reproduced here courtesy FIA: (More later on the subject…)

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

    2 – Sebastian VETTEL (Red Bull Racing)

    3 – Nico ROSBERG (Mercedes)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Lewis, it was pretty close at the end. Obviously a very tough day in terms of the conditions and stoppages, how great is the joy at the moment?

    Lewis HAMILTON: A bit all over the place at the moment. I’m really happy, firstly with the job the team has done and just generally how well we have done throughout the weekend. But today was just incredible, how much, firstly, it rained before qualifying and then during the session it was very, very tricky out there I think for everyone. Particularly at the end it was almost impossible to see anything. During my last lap I just couldn’t see a thing behind Hulkenberg. I couldn’t see where the track went, didn’t know where the corners were, when to brake. To start the lap I couldn’t see where Fernando was behind me, so it was impossible to try to get a gap, so I had to bail out. But fortunately… very close. These guys [Vettel and Red Bull Racing] are definitely a little bit too close, so happy to be here.

    I make it five one hundredths of a second between you at the end there. Sebastian, you had to recover from an early setback, with a reset that you had to have on your car. What was that all about and how do you feel about where you ended up as a result?

    Sebastian VETTEL: Well, obviously, yeah, the beginning of Q1, the heartbeat was definitely rising very quickly when we realised there was an issue, restarted the car, which seemed to solve the problem. After that it was fine, so it was good to go out and get another feel for the car, in the wet, with the conditions. As Lewis touched on it was very tricky. Q3 was not perfect; I would have loved to have a second go. My first attempt, I felt there was a little bit of time to gain here and there, so obviously very, very close; too close because definitely the margin was possible to go that much faster but equally I think if Lewis had another chance he would have improved as well. Would, could, should – at the end of the day it’s good to be on the front row. If I’m not wrong I should be on the good side [of the grid] tomorrow. It depends on how good the start is but for sure very happy with the result.

    It looked as though you were perhaps faster than your team-mate on the intermediates, but then slower when it went to the full wet conditions but again a very close fight between you.

    Nico ROSBERG: Yeah, it was, except for right at the end unfortunately. I was a little bit less comfortable on the full wets, especially in braking, so I’ll have to look into that. But other than that, it’s still a decent place to be, third place. The race is going to be long tomorrow; who knows what the weather is going to do and everything. So that’s OK, just looking forward to tomorrow now, to try to make the most of it again.

    Well done. Coming back to you Lewis. Your second consecutive pole but I guess after what happened to you in Australia your focus is 100 per cent on getting some points on the board tomorrow?

    LH: Definitely, definitely, for myself and for the team the priority is to try to bag as many points, collectively, me and Nico. I think we have a great opportunity, we’ve got a great car and the team’s just performing fantastically right now, so fingers crossed we both see our way through to the finish line.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Q: Can I bring you back to the question I asked Nico about the difference between you on the intermediates early on in the qualifying and then the full wets later on? What’s your side of the story, in terms of how you saw that?

    LH: Not much really. Wasn’t really able to drag the most out of the Inters and when I got to the Extremes it was much easier extract it. I saw where I was losing time and it was very easy to correct it. Obviously my lap at the end, what I qualified on, was obviously not my optimum, not my best lap, it was the first lap so at the end I kind of just messed it up for myself, I was in an awkward position, I wasn’t able to go get another lap but naturally I think with the fresh tyres there was more grip, so I should have been able to eke out a little bit more time.

    Q: Sebastian, how do you see the state of play now? Obviously we’re a grand prix-and-a-half under our belts in this season, we’ve had some dry running, some wet running – how do you see the state of play between yourselves, Mercedes, possibly Ferrari as well up front?

    SV: Well, to be honest I think Mercedes as a team has the best package. They’ve done a very good job across the break. Obviously with new rules there was a lot of work, so I think they’re the favourites at the moment, no matter, I think, where we go. As a fact, after that I think it’s fairly close between the other Mercedes-powered teams and probably Ferrari and us. I think we’re similar, depending on the day, conditions etc., but difficult to judge. As you said, it’s only one-and-a-half races in. But I’m very happy, to be honest, because we had a bad winter, but the team is fired up, the guys are pushing still flat out. I cannot even imagine how they must feel. It was very tough, we didn’t run a lot, so for us drivers it wasn’t very tough but they surely had a lot of jobs to do on the car: cover off, engine off, change the engine, change this, change that. A lot of work, but they are very happy and it seemed to pay off, bit by bit. Obviously we still have a way to go but… yeah, that’s how I see it.

    Nico, of the three drivers up there, obviously you’re the only one who’s completed a competitive race distance in a grand prix – can you talk a little bit about the strategy, not just the tyres but also the deployment of these new energy recovery systems. How big an impact can conserving, discharging etc., how big an impact that can have on the racing.

    NR: It’s not as much as I would have thought initially because on a track like here, there’s not that much you can do. It’s so easy to… you boost a little bit more on the straight and you discharge a little bit more back there and it’s all done. It’s not like you can push someone into having no battery charge left and then easily overtake him – that’s not the case. I thought it was going to go a bit more in that direction but actually it’s much more simple than expected. Still, of course, a little bit can be done…

    QUESTONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Sebastian, do you think that with the rain you can beat the Mercedes or are they still too quick for the Red Bulls?

    SV: I think we always have a chance to beat everyone, that’s why we’re here. Obviously, as I said, in terms of a package, I think they have the most competitive package. Lewis isn’t digging around, equally, Nico is doing a very good job. It’s difficult to beat them on the day but it’s not impossible. It would be quite sad to wake up in the morning thinking that you can only finish second or fifth or eighth. We’re here to win. We know that in the rain everything is possible, it’s more likely for us to make a mistake, maybe the performance of the car is not that important compared to the dry, to raw dry conditions. We will see what happens tomorrow. If the race is at the same time, I think there is no rain or not so much rain forecast but there’s always a chance around here. We will see but I think yesterday was good, today was very good so it should be a good race. I’m keen to find out where we are, where I stand. Obviously I haven’t done a race since Brazil last year so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Question to Sebastian and Nico: at the end of Q3 you were almost coming together, I think. Sebastian, you weren’t able to do another lap, what happened there?

    SV: Nico couldn’t see much in his mirrors, I guess. Obviously I was on a flying lap and Nico was preparing his hot lap, if that’s correct, and not much happened. Obviously I was pissed off at the time because… sorry, I was angry at that time, at that moment because I turned into turn 12 not knowing where to turn in because I couldn’t see anything. The lap was lost but equally I think there was another car in front of Nico…

    NR: I don’t think that was me.

    SV: No, so then it was Lewis. I think it was a Mercedes.

    NR: I don’t think it was me. I never had anybody behind me.

    SV: Anyways, I ran into traffic, not really, there were two seconds or three seconds gap but enough so that the next corner was completely blind. That’s it.

    Q: (Yassmin Abdel-Magied – RichardsF1.com) Lewis, you’re now the best English qualifier and equal best British, how does this make you feel and were you surprised by how close Red Bull and Mercedes were in terms of times?

    LH: Yeah, definitely. The thing is in qualifying so much is going on so sometimes you forget… you don’t forget but you’re caught in situations and you wish you had another lap. For sure, I don’t fully understand exactly why everyone closes up, particularly Red Bulls get a little bit closer to us when it is wet. That’s something we have to work on but naturally I think, they’re always quick in the wet. [Hey guys, I can’t even hear myself talk.]

    SV: We’re still figuring out who it was…

    LH: But very very proud to be representing the UK and to be amongst the names like Nigel Mansell and James Hunt, James Clark, sorry, Jim Clark, is really really a real honour to be there.

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    eom/Transcript from FIA