INDIA in F1

Tag: Meco Kartopia

  • Rivaan Dev Preetham clinches a double after a nail-biting fight: Karting Nationals

    Rivaan Dev Preetham clinches a double after a nail-biting fight: Karting Nationals

    Bengaluru, 8 Sept. 2024: Chennai’s 11-year-old Class 6 student Rivaan Dev Preetham of MSport won both the races in a nail-biting contest in the Micro Max class while another Chennai lad Eshanth Vengatesan, too, bagged a double in the Junior Max class in the fourth round of the Meco Fmsci National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2024 at Meco Kartopia track here on Sunday.

    In a close contest, Rivaan, the Lady Andal House of Children student, pulled off a fine victory in the Pre-Final beating Hamza Balasinorwala of Mumbai overtaking him in the final lap to regain the lead for a hard-fought win. Vadodara’s Yug Jain from Peregrine Racing came in third. In the Final, Rivaan, once again won a close race after he exchanged the lead twice in the final lap with Hamza, who had to be content with a second place. Yug Jain finished third once again.

    In the Junior Max class, Eshanth Vengatesan from Peregrine Racing won both the Final and the Pre-Final beating Pune’s Arafath Sheikh of Crest Motorsport. Sheikh gave a tough fight in the Pre-Final but ended up second again in the Final race. Gurugram’s Aarav Dewan of Leapfrog Racing finished third in both the races.

    In the Senior Max Pre-Final, former champion Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) of Bengaluru took a convincing win beating Huuner Singh of Birel Art India, and Varun Hari Praveen, also from Peregrine came third. But, Varun Hari Praveen of Chennai turned the tables in the Final for a comfortable victory ahead of another multiple champion Ruhaan Alva of MSport, and Madesh finished third.

    The results (Provisional):

    Senior Max – Final (16 laps):

    1. Varun Hari Praveen (Chennai, Peregrine Racing) (15:11.207);

    2. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru, MSport) (15:14.077);

    3. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (15:16.317).

    Pre-final (5 laps): 1. Rohaan Madesh (04:53.038); 2. Hunner Singh (Gurugram, Birel Art India) (04:54.067); 3. Varun Hari Praveen (04:54.838).

    Junior Max – Final (14 laps):

    1. Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSport) (14:01.468);

    2. Arafath Sheikh (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (14:03.229);

    3. Aarav Dewan (Gurugram, Leapfrog Racing) (14:05.584).

    Pre-final (12 laps): 1. Eshanth Vengatesan (11:13.275); 2. Arafath Sheikh (11:13.371); 3. Aarav Dewan (Gurugram, Leapfrog Racing) (11:14.202).

    Micro Max – Final (12 laps):

    1. Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai, MSport) (12:40.762);

    2. Hamza Balasinorwala (Mumbai, Rayo Racing) (12:40.836);

    3. Yug Jain (Vadodara, Peregrine Racing) (12:41.217).

    Pre-final (10 laps): 1. Rivaan Dev Preetham (10:17.041); 2. Hamza Balasinorwala (10:17.246); 3. Yug Jain (10:23.919).

  • Ishaan Madesh begins campaign in style; Adithiya, Varun share honours: Karting Nationals

    Ishaan Madesh begins campaign in style; Adithiya, Varun share honours: Karting Nationals

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 13 August 2023: Ishaan Madesh began his 2023 campaign in style bagging a double in the first round even as his team, defending champions Peregrine Racing dominated the proceedings in the Senior Max and Junior Max classes while MSport took the honours in the Micro Max classes at the Meco fmsci National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2023 which got off to a rousing start with a record 27 karts in the Senior section. The Junior and Micro Max classes attracted 15 and 16 competitors respectively.

    Winners All… All the winners of the First round from all the three classes pose after the prize distribution. Photo by Shajahan

    Twenty-year Mumbai’s Raaj Bakhru of Rayo Racing became the fastest driver of the first round clocking a 54.217sec in the Free Practice. He set the record time at Meco Kartopia on “MRF Tyres” from 2020. Earlier Arjun Maini and Yash Aradhya had the honour in their names. Nikhilesh Raju set the quickest time of the week-end in the Junior class. He clocked a 54.747 lap in the qualies but it was young Rivaan Dev Preetham of MSport, who made everyone sit-up and take notice as he commenced the weekend with a stunning lap in the official Free Practice 2. He dipped under one-minute barrier, which is a record of sorts in the Micro Max category as he clocked 59.884 seconds on Saturday, the fastest Micro kart during the weekend.

    Adithiya Aravind winner of the Finals. Photo by Shajahan
    Varun Hari Praveen, winner of Pre-Finals in the Senior Max class.

    Peregrine racing drivers Adithiya Arvind and Varun Hari Praveen, both from Chennai, shared a win each in the senior class as the first round of the Karting Nationals concluded at the 1.2Km Meco Kartopia track here on Sunday. Adithiya, the 15-year 11th grade student SBOA Junior College could only take a 5th place in the Pre-Final but went on to beat a strong field of 27 to clinch the top place on the podium in the Finals beating Mumbai’s Adithya Patnaik of Rayo Racing to second. In the Pre-Finals, it was Varun Hari Praveen, also of Peregrine Racing who took the victory beating teammate Akshat Mishra and reigning Junior champion Abhay M of Birel Art, who graduated to Seniors this year, came third. Defending champion Rohaan Madesh, who will be moving to the MRF2000 Formula cars did not take part, but was at hand to coach the Peregrine youngsters.

    Ishaan Madesh shines in Junior Max class

    Ishaan Madesh, a multiple National champion, who missed last year’s title by a whisker, began in whirlwind fashion bagging both the point-scoring races, the Finals and Pre-Finals as he launched his 2023 campaign on a winning note.  He clocked 11min, 08.545 to win the Pre-Finals beating his staunch rival on track and friend off it, Nikhilesh Raju by a huge margin of over 5 seconds. And he went on to clinch the Finals, pushing aside the challenge of Hunner Singh of Birel Art, who got a double podium. The 15-year Hunner, a Grade 10 student of Pathways International School in Delhi, was consistent throughout the week-end and showed glimpses of his talent. Young Aarav Dewan, only 13 years, also from Gurugram put Leapfrog Racing in third as he completed the podium in the Finals.

    Darsh Nawalgaria and Rivaan Dev Preetham fight in Micro Max class

    Rivaan Dev Preetham, who won the Pre-Finals in the Micro Max class.
    Darsh Nawalgaria, who won the Micro Max Finals on Sunday. Rahul Reghu image

    A 13-year Bengaluru karter, Darsh Nawalgaria, took the championship lead in the Micro Max category after a fierce fight with another 10-year talent Rivaan Dev Preetham, who had to be content with a second place in the table after one round. Rivaan began well with a victory in the Pre-finals and mopping up both the heats and taking the pole in the qualies. But Darsh won the Finals with a clean race with a lead of over a second. Yatharth Gaur of Faridabad came second in the finals followed by Rivaan. In the Pre-finals, Bengaluru’s Rishik Rohit Reddy  of Birel Art came third.

    The second round of the Rotax Max Karting Nationals is scheduled to be held at the same venue, Meco Kartopia from September 1 to 3.

    Provisional Results:

    Senior Max: Finals: (16 laps)

    1. #72 Adithiya Arvind (Peregrine Racing, Chennai) (15min, 08.232);

    2. #76 Adithya Patnaik (Rayo Racing, Mumbai) (15:11.682);

    3. #62 Arjun Chheda (Crest Motorsports, Pune) (15:14.862).

    Fastest Lap: #69 Akshat Mishra (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) 55.359sec.

    Senior Max: Pre-Finals: (14 laps)

    1. #66 Varun Hari Praveen (Peregrine Racing, Chennai) (12:57.636);

    2. #69 Akshat Mishra (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (12:59.187);

    3. #88 Abhay M (Birel Art India, Bengaluru) (12:59.356).

    Fastest Lap: #76 Adithya Patnaik (Rayo Racing, Mumbai) (54:946sec).

    Qualifying session on Saturday:

    1. #76 Adithya Patnaik (Mumbai) (00:54.706);

    2. #69 Akshat Mishra (Bengaluru) (00:54.720);

    3. #77 Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (00:54.749).

    Junior Max: Final: (14 laps)

    1.  #55  Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (13min, 02.610seconds);

    2. #52 Hunner Singh (Birel Art India, Gurugram) (13:04.347);

    3. #45 Aarav Dewan (Leapfrog Racing, Gurugram) (13;05.018).

    Fastest lap: #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) 55.170sec.

    Junior Max: Pre-Final: (12 laps)

    1.  #55  Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (11:08.545);

    2. #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (11:14.246);

    3. #52 Hunner Singh (Birel Art India, Gurugram) (11:16.765);

    Fastest lap: #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) 55.014sec.

    Qualifying session on Saturday:

    1. #36 Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (54.747);

    2.#55  Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru) (54.837);

    3. #44 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (54.998).

    Micro Max: Finals: (12 Laps)

    1. #6 Darsh Nawalgaria (MSport, Bengaluru) (12:15.006);

    2.  #21 Yatharth Gaur (Leapfrog Racing, Faridabad) ( 12:16.103);

    3.  #12 Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSport, Chennai) (12:16.519).

    Fastest Lap: #12 Rivaan Dev Preetham 1:00.248.

    Micro Max: Pre-Finals: (10 Laps)

    1.#12 Rivaan Dev Preetham (MSport, Chennai) (10:09.634);

    2. #6 Darsh Nawalgaria (MSport, Bengaluru) (10:11.471);

    3. #5 Rishik Rohit Reddy (Birel Art India, Bengaluru) (10:13.502).

    Fastest Lap: #6 Darsh Nawalgaria 1:00.061.

    Qualifying session on Saturday:

    1. #12 Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai) (1:00.158);

    2. #06 Darsh Nawalgaria (Bengaluru) (1:00.227);

    3. #08 Hamza Balasinorwala (Mumbai) (1:00.44).

  • Peregrine Racing’s Madesh brothers sweep honours; Nikhilesh shines in Micro Max

    Peregrine Racing’s Madesh brothers sweep honours; Nikhilesh shines in Micro Max

    Bengaluru, 17 July 2022: Madesh brothers, Rohaan and Ishaan, led the Peregrine Racing charge in the Meco fmsci Rotax Max National Karting Championship 2022 in an aggressive manner bagging full honours while Nikhilesh Raju bagged enough points with a win the finals to lead the Micro Max class in Round 1 which concluded at the Meco Kartopia circuit here on Saturday.

    The eldest of the Madesh brothers, from Peregrine Racing, also became the fastest driver of Round 1 clocking a blistering 55.357 in the fourth lap of the Official Practice 2. He virtually dominated the week-end winning everything on offer in the Senior Max class as he qualified first and won both the Finals and Pre-finals.

    On his part, his younger brother and former champion, Ishaan, likewise, brooked no challenge in the Junior Max category. He too made a sweep of all the races, save one heat which saw a Red Flag and a re-start. He also clocked the fastest time in his class logging a 56.088 seconds for the third lap in Official Practice 2. He won both the Finals and the Pre-Finals to take a substantial lead in the Junior class championship. He also set the best laps in both the races and was the only driver in his class to dip under 57-sec, reeling out blistering lap after lap in both the finals and the pre-finals. Fourteen of his laps were under 57-sec mark.

    In the Pre-finals, Ishaan, had a brilliant start and made his dash to the front look so easy, in the words of commentator, Vivek Abraham, and never disappointed the expectations of the small crowd with his pole to flag exploits. He displayed enough skill and race craft and soon increased the lead substantially to leave the drivers behind to fight for the second place where the battle was between Sai Shiva Makesh and Anshul Sai. Ishaan won a comfortable race to begin his campaign on a positive note full points from Round 1 in the 12-lap race which had a grid 12 karts of 22HP 2stroke engine.

    Nikhilesh Raju, the bespectacled defending champion began on the right note dominating the Micro Max class. Shrugging off initial hiccups in the Practice sessions, he qualified at the top and won the finals and came second in the Pre-finals races in the 8 to 12 years category.

    Starting P2 in the finals, Nikhilesh Raju had a bad start and went down to P5 but quickly recovered making up two positions. Later, after a good fight between the top two, he found the opportunity on Lap 8 as he made a move at the fourth corner but it proved to be futile. However, in the next corner he found a better exit as he went wide and took the other line and dashed to the front taking both the leading karts at a go. In the Pre-finals, Nikhilesh started P4 and had the pace but good defence by poleman Anuj kept him behind for eight laps with Eshan leading the pack. In the eighth lap Nikhilesh moved to 2nd with a brilliant move and retained the second place till the end. He earned enough points with a win in finals and a second in pre-finals to take the championship lead in the Micro Max class after the first round.

    The year began on a promising note as the Nationals for the first time in the recent past saw grids of over 20. With new teams entering the fray, the Senior grid saw 21 karts while the Junior grid boasted of 16 drivers including three girls, who kept the women in motorsport challenge alive with Shriya Lohia running close to the frontline boys. The Micro Max too saw better numbers this year with 13 karts on the start gird.

    Provisional official classification – Round 1 2022:

    Junior Max: Finals (14 laps):

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #27 Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Junior Max: Pre-Finals (12 laps):

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #27 Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Junior Max Qualifying:

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #45 Abhay M (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Micro Max Finals (12 laps):

    1. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    3. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art India);

    Micro Max Pre-Finals (10 laps):

    1. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    2. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #25 Anuj Arun (MSport);

    Micro Max Qualifying:

    1. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art India);

    2. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    Senior Max Finals (16 laps):

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #62 Rishon Rajeev (Birel Art India);

    Senior Max Pre-Finals (14 laps):

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #63 Ruhaan Alva (MSport);

    3. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    Senior Qualifying:

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #63 Ruhaan Alva (MSport);

    (Editor’s Note: The results were updated with Official version on 18 July 2022 6pm)

  • Rohaan Madesh wins Junior X30 National title in style

    Rohaan Madesh wins Junior X30 National title in style

    Bengaluru, 18 Sept. 2021: Fourteen-year old Bengaluru racer Rohaan Madesh for once showed plenty of early signs of stability and maturity, as he conquered his maiden Junior National Championship in style, with a race to spare, in the fifth and final round of the X30 Class of the Meco fmsci Indian National Karting Championship title at the Meco Kartopia here on Saturday.

    Jaden R Pariat of Guwahati, fought the battle till the end but conceded the title, with both Madesh brothers winning two races apiece. But the honour of clocking a series of fast times went to 12-year old Ishaan, the younger of the Madesh brothers, who hogged the limelight, with the ‘Fastest Driver of the Day’ tag.

    Not the one to display his moods or emotions, Rohaan broke into a rare smile, for once, and soon disappeared into his own self. Jaden, who almost upset the apple cart of the Bengaluru school student, was disappointed, but was not out. He held his composure, digested the result, sat in silence for a while, but soon recovered and walked to the other end of the straight and found Rohaan, near the car parking and congratulated him. Jaden, a student of  Pathways International School in Gurgaon, showed that the camaraderie prevails and “vowed silently” to come back and win the Championship next year.

    Jaden R Partiat, after a tough battle at Meco Kartopia becomes vice-champion in Junior Class of the X30 Karting Nationals on Saturday.

    Clinching the National title in the Junior X30 Class Championship after his second win in Race 3 today, Rohaan Madesh took an unbeatable lead and won with a race to sapre. A confident Jaden R Pariat, scored 134 points in the end and fell short by a whisker as Rohaan posted 146 points while the “little hero” Ishaan Madesh, who belted fast lap after lap in the morning, shod on cool MRF tyres, did make-up for the disappointment of Thursday, but had to be content with a third place in the championship in his Junior debut year with 130 points.

    On a tense Saturday that made everyone at Meco Kartopia to be on their toes, the day began with two practice sessions and the qualifiers for Cadet and Junior Class. With the Championship interestingly poised in both the classes, Juniors had a menu of all four races while the Cadet’s played two races today and need to take to the track on Sunday to finish two more. Pune’s Nikhilesh has nothing to lose and need only to finish both the races to clinch the Championship, but he says, “I am going for it. I want to win every race and I am game for it,” he told this writer. Only a silly mistake or a DNF can provide an unlikely chance to young challenger Arafath Sheikh, only 9, but has enough experience, as he started karting at the age of 5 in UAE. Fearless Arafath had, in fact, topped the time sheets and posted the fastest time in the Cadet class going under the 63-sec mark, at this level.

    Likewise, in the Junior section, it is Ishaan Madesh, the little bundle of joy, who is the hero of the day was on a song. He bagged more points than the big boys today. The knowledgeable karter, pelted out lap after quick lap for three laps in the free practice session and qualifying and some lap times were better than what the Seniors did yesterday. The two-feet 3″ karter, 3 years back, whom this writer watched, having fun on a skate board, had brute speed and is set to go places, if nurtured properly and if he keeps himself away from distractions while graduating to the senior level. Even in Race 3, he logged another point.111sec but the magic mark of going under the 56-sec just did not happen today. The track record by Yash Aradhya, 54.117sec, set in 2018 did take a beating a year later, but it will take some time for the records to be broken as the karts, tyres and tack temperatures need to be ideal.

    Saturday’s Junior Class Provisional Results: (1.2km Meco Kartopia)

    Race 1 (12 laps): 1. #15 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:18.748); 2. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:25.312); 3. #17 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:26.817); 4. #12 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:26.979); 5. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (11:27.768).

    Fastest lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.215. Grid: 10.

    Race 2 (9 laps): 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (08:36.413); 2. #15 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (08:36.522; 3. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (08:37.820); 4. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (12:06.690); 5. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (12:07.252); 6. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (12:06.220); 7. Tarun M (Bengaluru) (11:39.0516);

    Fastest lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.192. Grid: 10.

    Race 3 (12 laps): 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:23.385); 2. #15 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:29.617; 3. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:30.922); 4. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:32.327); 5. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:32.129); 6. Tarun M (Bengaluru) (11:37.001);

    Fastest lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.111. Grid: 10.

    Race 4 (12 laps): 1. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) ( 11:19.882); 2. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:22.130); 3. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:26.967; 4. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:27.283); 5. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:28.262); 6. #14 Tarun M (Bengaluru) (11:37.131);

    Fastest Lap:   Ishaan Madesh 55.972. Grid: Ten karters.

  • Ruhaan, Rohaan and Nikhilesh claim Round 1 honours

    Ruhaan, Rohaan and Nikhilesh claim Round 1 honours

    Bengaluru, 1 August 2021: In the battle between youth and experience,talented Bengaluru teenager Ruhaan Alva took the honours in the first round brushing aside the challenge of two-time National champion Ameya Bafna to lead the table in the MSport IAME X30 Senior Class of the MECO fmsci National Karting Championship 2021 at the 12.km Meco Kartopia track at Bangalru, near here on Saturday and Sunday.

    X30 Karting Nationals Round 1 Senior Class winners after 4 races. From left: MR Rishon 3rd, Ruhaan Alva 1st and Ameya Bafna 2nd;

    Making a comeback after a hiatus of five years, the 26-year Mumbai racer, Ameya Bafna, who won the National Karting Championship in Senior Class in 2012 and 2014, began with a bang posting a facile victory in Race 1 ahead of Bengaluru pilot Magehalli Rishon Rajeev in second. Ruhaan Alva, after dominating the Junior Class in 2020 upgraded himself to the Senior Class looking for better competition but struggled with the balance of the kart in Race 1 and could finish only third. But the talented 15-year-old, starting P4 on the reverse grid ahead of Rishon and Ameya Bafna, made amends and won Race 2. Behind Ruhaan, Rishon finished second again bagging valuable points and Ameya had to settle for third on the podium.

    Ameya came back winning Race 3 but suffered issues with the silencer and could finish only 8th in Race 4. Ruhaan, who kept himself with a striking chance taking second place in Race 3, won the last race with ease taking a six-second lead over Rishon and set a blistering lap of 56.360 on the way. He also clocked the fastest lap of the week-end, a 56.28 in warm-up. Ruhaan leads the points table with 33 points after Round 1 followed by Ameya Bafna and MR Rishon, both on 27 points.

    In the Junior Class, another talented Bengaluru racer Rohaan Madesh won three races to take the Championship lead with 32 points while his younger brother, Ishaan Madesh, the 2020 Cadet champion, won Race 3. Abhay M, also from Bengaluru, who was consistent bagging three second places and a third place, was second in the standings with 27 points ahead of Ishaan on 20 points.

    X30 Round 1 Junior Class – 1st – Rohaan Madesh (centre); 2nd – Abhay M; 3rd (right)- Ishaan Madesh (left)

    In the Cadet Class, Aditya Suresh Kamat and Arafath Sheikh won a race each on Saturday while Nikhilesh Raju clinched both the races on Sunday and with the two second places he bagged on Saturday, the 11-year, Grade 6 student of Vibgyor High School, Bengaluru took the Championship lead with 34 points. Aditya has logged 30 points while Arafath claimed 26 points after Round 1.

    This is the first of the five rounds in the National X30 championship. Each round has four races offering a maximum of 40 points. X30 Round 2 and 3 will be held together from August 13 to 15 while the final two rounds, Round 4 and 5 are scheduled for August 27 to 29. All rounds will be held at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru, unless Carona restrictions disrupt the schedules.

    MSport IAME X30 India 2021 National Karting Championship (at Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru)

    X30 Round 1 Cadet Class: 1st – Nikhilesh Raju (centre); 2nd – Aditya Suresh Kamat (right); 3rd – Arafath Sheikh (left)

    Round 1 Final provisional classification:

    Seniors (15 laps)

    Saturday: Race 1: 1. kart#32 Ameya Bafna (Mumbai) (14:41.597); 2. #25 MR Rishon (Bengaluru) (14:46.375); 3. #27 Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (14:49.808); Best lap: Ameya Bafna 56.880; Race 2: 1: Ruhaan Alva (14:30.977); 2. MR Rishon (14:33.300); 3. Ameya Bafna (14:33.468); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 56.703.

    Sunday: Race 3: 1. Ameya Bafna (14:23.399); 2. Ruhaan Alva (14:26.885); 3. MR Rishon (14:31.115); Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 56.419; Race 4: 1. Ruhaan Alva (14:30.839); 2. MR Rishon (14:37.309); 3. #28 Nigel Abraham Thomas (14:42.481). Best lap: Ruhaan Alva 56.360.

    Juniors (12 laps)

    Saturday: Race 1: 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:08.116); 2. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (12:08.299); 3. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (12:14.940); Best lap: Abhay M 56.983; Race 2: 1. Rohaan Madesh (12:23.232); 2. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:24.523); 3. Abhay M (12:25.070). Best lap: Abhay M 56.871;

    Sunday: Race 3: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:38.782); 2. Abhay M (Bengaluru) (11:41.156); 3. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:41.385); Best lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.452; Race 4: 1. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:41.008); 2. Abhay M (Bengaluru) (11:43.499); 3. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:46.559); Best lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.415;

    Cadet (10 laps)

    Saturday: Race 1: 1. #2 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Bengaluru) (11:05.088); 2. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (11:07.440); 3. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (11:07.686); Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.881; Race 2: 1. Arafath Sheikh (11:08.223); 2. Nikhilesh Raju (11:12.114); 3. Aditya Suresh Kamat (11:14.461). Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.657;

    Sunday: Race 3: 1 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (11:29.864); 2. Aditya Suresh Kamat (Bengaluru) (11:32.642); 3. #3 Vedha Vishnu (Chennai) (12:00.659); Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.846; Race 4: 1 Nikhilesh Raju (10:56.494); 2. Aditya Suresh Kamat (11:03.359); 3. Vedha Vishnu (11:05.795); Best lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.592;

    Standings after Round 1:

    Cadet Class (Total grid = 5)

    1. Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) 34;
    2. Aditya Suresh Kamat (Bengaluru) 30;
    3. Arafath Sheikh (Pune) 26;
    4. Vedha Vishnu (Chennai) 22;
    5. Zarah Mishra (Bengaluru) 16;

    Junior Class (Total grid = 12)

    1. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 32;
    2. Abhay M (Bengaluru) 27;
    3. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) 20;
    4. Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) 19;
    5. Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) 19;
    6. Ranvir Singh (Pune) 17;
    7. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) 8;
    8. Neythan McPherson (Pune) 8;
    9. Tharun M (Bengaluru) 2;

    Senior Class (Total Grid = 8)

    1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) 33;
    2. Ameya Bafna (Mumbai) 27;
    3. MR Rishon (Bengaluru) 27;
    4. Nigel Abraham Thomas (Bengaluru) 17;
    5. Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai) 17;
    6. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) 13;
    7. G Rahul Reddy (Hyderabad) 11;
    8. Dhruv Mugugappan (Chennai) 7;
  • Rishon, Ishaan book ticket to Portimao for Super Finals; Arjun Maini mingles with youngsters

    Rishon, Ishaan book ticket to Portimao for Super Finals; Arjun Maini mingles with youngsters

    Bangalore, January 11: Bangalore’s young racers dominated the MECO-FMSCI National Karting Championship 2020 (Rotax Max), sweeping all three titles on offer with Arjun Maini, Rishon Rajeev and Ishaan Madesh clinching the honours over an action-packed weekend that concluded at Meco Kartopia in Bagalur, near here on Sunday.

    Organised by Spitfire Motorsports, the Rotax Max Nationals saw the three winners emerge in the Senior, Junior and Micro Max categories respectively and they were automatically qualified to take part in Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portimao from January 23 to 30 later this month, at the Kartodromo Internacional do Algarve. Portimao circuit will stage another impressive karting trophy, with 300 drivers coming from more than 50 countries. Unlike the X30 with different point system and the reverse grid for a race, the rules for the Rotax Max are same for all the 50 countries and the points for Pre-finals and Finals are different. It gives a chance for a karter to come back and win a championship even if he had missed a round, if he has the talent and skill, and chance to bounce back.

    The Rotax Max Indian Championship drew to a close with three rounds held back-to-back at the same venue to ensure safety and convenience of all drivers and teams in the middle of a `subsiding’ pandemic, as Indians too await the Vaccination. The weekend also saw India’s first Formula 1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan driving in a few races as a guest driver.

    Micro Max National Champion Ishaan Madesh, tries to imitate the Red Bull and checks if “Red Bull gives you Wings” slogan will provide him wings into the New Junior Class next year. He successfully completed his years in the lowest age group, Micro Max, dominating with multiple titles, and already tested the competition in the Junior Class on Sunday, preparing for next season. Hope 2021, will be as good for the happy-go-lucky racer! Aditya, Arafath, Nikhilesh…, get ready to fight for the honours in Micro Max in 2021!

    Formula 2 racer Arjun Maini (NK Racing Academy) was head and shoulders above the Rotax Max field, garnering the maximum points in each of the three rounds to comfortably take the crown. Kush Maini said: “I am so excited to see so much talent and, so much interest. Even though the girds are small here, the competition is good and the talent is there. We have to nurture them and provide the right opportunities.”

    “Youngsters should focus on racing and not worry about a bad kart or other obstacles. Despite all these problems and obstacles of not having a good kart, not having sponsor, one should focus, work hard and try to overcome all of them without cribbing and try to race clean and win. Only such dedication and sincere hard work can take you to the top,” said Arjun Maini, who came from the grassroot level by dint of hard work, and commitment. He was so positive and mingled with all the juniors and smilingly obliged all the fans and junior karters and teammates. So much so, the few friends and teammates celebrated by drenching Kush, Arjun, David, Nandan with bottles of cold water, and later by even throwing eggs on each other. Good banther!

    from left: Kush, of British F3 fame and younger of the Maini brothers, Arjun Maini, Haas F1 Test driever for two years and an F2 star, who raced on F1 weekends, and Narain Karthikeyan the master of them all, the first Indian to lay the path for Indians to try their dream of F1, a pioneer and INDIAinF1 sends early Birthday wishes for him ahead of Jan 14 as we thank him for bringing the stars and enlivening the Karting Nationals.
    Photo by Anand Philar

    “After all the high pressure of the season, coming down to my hometown getting into a kart and having fun is nice. I always love to get into a kart and drive,” said Arjun when asked how he feels to come back from racing at an F1 weekend to this humble Kartopia and getting into a kart. `Having fun and enjoying what you do, is the key,” chipped in Kush, who himself raced with authority at the British F3, till the half-way mark before losing points in rain due to issues with wet set-up (for rain) and finished the championship in 2nd place fighting till the fag end in the fickle English weather.

    Arjun, Gautham, the man behind the stars, and Kush Maini at Meco Kartopia on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar.
    Team NK Racing, who won the Team Trophy in the Senior Class and their lead driver one of the top-3 current Indian International racing champions (Arjun Maini, right) who became the National champion again in Karting (Seniors) for fun. Photo by David Bodapati
    Divy Nandan gets a cold surprise as NK Racing team celebrates their maiden triumph winning both the team trophy and the individual trophy (Arjun Maini) in their debut in Rotax Max National Karting Championship at Meco Kartopoia on Sunday. Divy, from Gurugram, made his debut in the National Championship, thanks to NK Racing. David ‘s photo

    Coming back to Rotax Max, Kush (NK Racing Academy), incidentally clinched the top position in each of the three rounds he had competed in. He didn’t take part in Round 2 due the death of his grandfather, and then in Round 5 due to some technical issues, which saw Arjun Maini restore the order, claiming the title.

    Agra’s Shahan Ali Moshin (MSPORT) took the second position with an aggregate of 400 points in the category while Bangalore’s Mihir Suman (Birel Art coached by Preetham Muniappa) finished just 4 points behind to take the third place in the championship table.

    Micro Max driver ditya, gets a Special Award

    Another Bangalore lad, Rishon Rajeev (Birel Art, also Preetham’s ward), kept his grilling run going, winning the Junior Max title with 436 points. Rishon began slowly, though, finishing third in Round 3’s two races and Round 4’s first. But thereafter he was in a league of his own, taking the top spot in the remaining three races. He won Best Driver of the Year Award for his consistent performances.

    Ruhaan Alva (MSPORT), who totally dominated the X30 Nationals to become a Junior National Champion earlier, could only get with 410 points as he had issues with the kart from the very first round and could not sort it out nor recover from the loss of initial points, and settled for second best. That in no way, takes the fight out put out Ruhaan and Rohaan, the senior of Madesh brothers. Rishon, did put in consistent performance and deserved his wins. And Rohaan, driving for Peregrine Racing International bagged 399 points from the five rounds to take third position in the Championship.

    Rohaan’s younger brother Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing International), however, brought home a championship trophy by clinching the Micro Max title fairly comfortably. He was an epitome of talent and when he is on track blazing for all those wins, it’s like “Poetry in Motion”. He collected  445 points which was way better than Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birelart Racing; 413) and Arafath Sheikh (MSPORT; 413).

    Aditya was declared the Best Newcomer of the Championship. Ishaan Madesh won two special awards, for the most number of poles and the most number of wins through the season. No surprises there!

    The participation of Narain Karthikeyan ( F1 ), Arjun Maini ( F2 ) and Kush Maini ( British F3 ) added a lot of value to the championship and reinstated the value of the commitment of Meco Motorsports to provide a fantastic platform for young Indian drivers to progress from, thanks to Narain Karthikeyan for bringing his team NK Racing to Meco Kartopia.

    Women in Motorsports: Our girl in Karting, this season is Shriya Lohia. Read her experience in her own words:

    Shriya Lohia, spends some time, may be posting on Social Media, after the races and before the PD on Sunday.

    And that's an end to the Rotax Max National Championship 2020!
    “A completely new experience for me. I started off Round 1 in the Micro Max Class just to find out that I’ve outgrown it. Becoming 8 kg overweight! I decided to drop out of the Round 2, as I was stuck between Micro and Junior classes. I tested out the Junior kart for two days and just for some exposure; I took an entry into Round 3 in the Junior kart. The kart felt so much faster and nicer. Due to a few problems in the set-up (kart) and me being completely new to the category, I couldn’t perform well. I made my way upto 7th in the Finals which is acceptable due the fact that I was the only one with such less experience. I really need to work on my strength if I want to be successful in this category. In Heat 1 of Round 3, I was able to get a good start all the way up to 5th, only to lose it to an incident. Besides that, it was really fun and I can’t stop fan-girling over the fact that Kush Maini came up to me and told me it was a decent first race in junior! Means, more than the world to me. Overall, it was a really fun weekend with the guys and also got have some fun in the wet! I promise to work hard and perform better next time. Congratulations, to all the winners! A huge thanks to all the mechanics, coaches and team members. And Thank You for a good weekend.” Cho chweet, Shriya. At INDIAinF1, we promise we will follow you, too! Source: From Shirya’s INSTAGRAM!

    Championship winners:

    Senior Max: 1. Arjun Maini (NK Racing Academy; 431); 2. Shahan Ali Moshin (MSPORT; 400); 3. Mihir Suman Avalakki (Birel Art; 396)

    Junior Max: Rishon Rajeev (Birelart; 436); 2. Ruhaan Alva (MSPORT; 410) 3. Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing; 399)

    Micro Max: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing; 445); 2. Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birelart Racing; 413); 3. Arafath Sheikh (MSPORT; 413).

    Provisional unaudited Results:

    FINAL

    Seniors (18 laps): 1. #63 Arjun Maini (NK Racing) (17 min, 02.222 seconds – 55.475); 2. . #61 Mihir Suman Avalakki (Birel Art) (17:08.977 -55.815); 3. #62 Yash Aradhya (MSport) (17:11.272 – 55.714);   4. #68. Raaj Bakhru (Rayo Racing) (17:15.611 – 56.043); 5. #76 Nigel Abraham Thomas (Peregrine Racing International)  (17:15.947- 55.945); 6. #72 Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport) (17:16.713; 55.963);. 7. #96 Sohil Shah (NK Racing) (16:20.598); 8. #69 David Ryan (17:22.197 -56.282); 9.#99 G Rahul Redyy (MSport) (17:24.834 -56.296); 10. #55 Divy Nandan (NK Racing) (17:39.564-57.282); Grid: 12 drivers; Result subject to Post-Event Scrutiny! DNF: #77 Suriya Varathan (MSport) 7:51.757 – 55.902; #64 Narain Karthikeyan (NK Racing – Guest Driver) Best lap: Arjun Maini; Avg Speed: 76.070; Best Speed: 77.873; Margin of victory: 6.775;

    Junior (15 laps): 1. #26 Rishon Rajeev (Birel Art) (14:39.205 – 56.239 Lap 10); 2. #36 Ruhaan Alva (MSport) (14:39.664 – 56.015); 3. #45 Abhay M (Birel Art) (14:41.751 – 55.986); 4. #48 Shaurya Kapani (Rayo Racing) (14: 44.521 – 56.209); 5. #40 Jaden Rahman Pariat (MSport) (14:45.773 – 56.016); 6. #41 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing International) (14:51.732             -55.805); 7. #Rohaan Madesh (14:53.121 – 56.545); 8. #49 Akshat Misra (14;54.051 – 56.356); 9. Anshul Sai Shiva Kumar (Birel Art) 14:55.333 -56.573); 10. #44 Tarun Muthaiah (14:55.585 -56.378); Grid: 10 drivers.

    Micro Max (12 Laps): 1. #11 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing International) (13.11.258 -1:01.000); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (MSport) (13:19.734 – 1:01.740); 3. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art) (13:23.353 -1:01.575); 4. #2 D Nikhilesh Raju (Birel Art) (13:24.195 – 1:01.495);  5. #9 Vedha Vishnu (MSport)  (13:41.934 -.01:02.711). 6. #25 Anuj Arun Velraj (MSport)  (13:59.170 – 1:02.252);  Result subject to Post-Event Scrutiny! Grid 6 drivers; Best Lap: Ishaan Madesh; Avg Speed: 65.516; Best Speed: 70.820; Margin of Victory: 8.476.

    PRE-FINAL

    Seniors (15 laps): 1. #63 Arjun Maini (NK Racing) (14:10.767 – Best lap 55.577); 2. #61 Mihir Suman Avalakki (Birel Art) (14:16.639 – 55.922); 3. #62 Yash Aradhya (MSport) (14:19.894 – 55.919) 4. #72 Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport) (14:22.328; 56.325); 5. #77 K Suriya Varathan (MSport) (14:22.681 – 56.267); 4. 5. #68 Raaj Bakhru (Rayo Racing) (14:23.041- 56.221); 7. #96 Sohil Shah (MSport) (14:25.808 -56.426); 8. #76 Nigel Abraham Thoma (Peregrine Racing International) (14:26.574 – 56.253); 9. #69 David Ryan (NK Racing) (14:27.295 -56.381); 10. #99 G Rahul Reddy (MSport)  (14:30.113 – 56.596); 11. #55 Divy Nandan (NK Racing)  (14:41.411 -57.414) Grid: 12 drivers; DNF: #64 Narain Karthikeyan (NK Racing – Guest Driver). Result subject to Post-Event Scrutiny! Best Lap: Arjun Maini Average Speed 76.167; Best speed: 77.730. Margin of victory: 5.872.

    Junior (12 laps): 1. #26 Rishon Rajeev (Birel Art) (11:37.327 – 56.138); 2. #36 Ruhaan Alva (MSport)  (11: 40.383 – 56.193); 3. #48 Shaurya Kapani (Rayo Racing) (11:42.694 – 56.318); 4. #45 Abhay M (Birel Art) (11: 42.822 – 56.212); 5 #44 Tarun Muthaiah (Peregrine Racing International) (11:43.412 -56.468); 6. #40 Jaden Rahman Pariat (MSport) (14:48.081 – 56.312); 7.#49 Akshat Mishra (MSport) (11: 42.694 – 56.098); 8. Anshul Sai Shiva Kumar (Birel Art) 11:54.030 – 57.166); 9. #41 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing International) (11:36.844 -57/217); 10. #27 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing International) (11:37.828 – 56.589); Result subject to Post-Event Scrutiny! Best Lap: Rishon Rajeev Ag speed 74.341; Best speed 76.953. Margin of victory: 3.056

    Micro Max (10 Laps): 1. #11 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) (10.26.285 -1:01.159); 2. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art) (10:33.060 – 1:01.660); 3. Arafath Sheikh (MSport)  (10:42.491 – 1: 01.905);  4. #25 Anuj Arun Velraj (MSport)  (10:43.166 – 1:02.518); 5. #9 Vedha Vishnu (MSport) (10:51.088 -01:02.822). 5. #2 D Nikhileash Raju (Birel Art) (10:53.235 – 1:01.676 Lap 10); 4. Grid 6 drivers. Result subject to Post-Event Scrutiny! Best lap: Ishaan; Avg Speed: 68.978; Best Speed: 70.636; Margin of victory: 6.775;

    eom/David/Result added 11Jan2021 at 0750pm – with inputs from fmsci release

  • Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    Ishaan bags a double; Ruhaan leads despite a minor hiccup

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 30 October 2020: Reigning champion Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru, continued his winning streak in Race 1 for a stunning ninth consecutive race and marched towards retaining his National Champion tag despite a reverse-grid hiccup in the second race, in the third round of the Meco Motorsports fmsci National Karting Championship X-30 races at Meco Kartopia here on Friday.

    Another fun-loving Bangalore kid, Ishaan Madesh had the best outing today clinching a double in the Cadet section to keep his championship lead with 83 points to Sai Shiva’s 67. Eleven-year-old Ishaan was streets ahead as he left the field behind and won with a huge margin of over 13-seconds in Race 1 and went on clinch Race 2, too. Anshul Sai of Pune came second in Race 1 followed by Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh, who took second in Race 2 ahead of Arafath Sheikh, also of Pune. Ishaan who had a DNF in the previous round did make amends and won both the races.

    After topping the official practice session, in Race 1, Ruhaan brushed aside the challenge of Rohaan Madesh beating him by a convincing 3.2-second margin to take another first. Rishon Rajeev completed the podium, a fraction of a second behind, to make it an all-Bengaluru podium.

    In Race 2, Ruhaan was well on course to clinch the issue but his streak of victories was broken in Race 2 due to an unforeseen incident. After the reverse-grid start, he patiently overtook one by one and got to the top and everything looked rosy as he took the lead. But in the last lap, the driver in 2nd place, tried an overambitious move into the fourth corner (C4) and locked-up, and smashed sideways straight into Ruhaan, taking both out in the process. Ruhaan, later managed to finish 6th and retrieved 3 useful points to still lead the Championship by 23 points. Ruhaan has 93 to Rohaan’s 70. But for the incident,  he still showed his talent and kart control and driving skills to bag the `Fastest Laps’ in all the 10 races, till now in Rounds 1, 2 and 3. Six more Races, two in Round 3 and four in Round 4, will decide the title this weekend.

    In the Senior Section, strong contender Suriya Varathan and defending champion Nirmal Umashankar split the two races. Suriya won the first race beating Nirmal Umashankar, who took a comfortable win in Race 2. Raaj Bakhru came third ahead of Shravanthika Lakshmi S of Coimbatore, who came fourth beating three more boys. Bala Prasath finished the podium in Race 2. Arjun Nair, who was second in the title race after two rounds, did not take part today.

    Raaj Bakhru winning the third place in the Senior Class Race 1 has some significance. The 12th class student of Business Management from Mumbai is making his debut in National karting and taking a podium in the first race, and driving a kart only for the third time, is some achievement.

    Results: Round 3 (Unofficial classification): Friday:

    Seniors (15 laps): Race 1: 1. Suriya Varathan (Coimbatore) (14:29.774); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) 14:30.541); 3. Raaj Bakhru (14:52.117); Race 2: 1. Nirmal Umashankar (14:31.502); 2. Suriya Varathan (14:32.963); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (14:40.012).

    Juniors (12 laps): Race 1: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru) (11:47.773); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:50.976); 3. Rishon Rajeev (Bengaluru) (11:51.216); Race 2: 1. Jaden Rahmat Pariat (Guwahati) (11:37.626); 2. Rohaan Madesh (11:38.446); 3. Shaurya Kapani (Mumbai) (11:38.595);

    Cadet (10 laps): Race 1: 1. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (10:54.561) 2. Anshul Sai (Bengaluru) (11:07.963); 3. Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:15.020); Race 2: 1. Ishaan Madesh (10:28.977); 2. Sai Shiva Makesh (10:31.106); 3. Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:46.403);

    Editor’s note: Updated Oct 31 at 9.30 am correcting typo Ruhaan’s lead to 23 points.

  • Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

    Keen contest in Sr Class final rounds of Karting Nationals

    Bengaluru, 29 October 2020: Coimbatore’s Suriya Varathan, Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair and Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar are poised for a royal battle in the final two rounds of the Meco-FMSCI National Karting Championship X30 Classes over two days beginning from Saturday here at Meco Kartopia track.

    The Junior Class seems to have one hero in the making, what with the domination Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva had last-week-end sweeping all the eight races in the two rounds for an overwhelming 80 points. If he continues his wonted form, sure will bag the championship. Citymate Rohaan Madesh followed him past the chequered flag in each of the races to have 56 points in his kitty. He will need to do one better than Ruhaan in all the remaining races to earn the chance of annexing the crown. A tough task for the jovial karter, who is fun to watch.

    Suriya Varathan has a compelling lead in the Senior class, having amassed 70 points in the first two rounds held last Saturday-Sunday. He had won three out of the four races in Round 1 and two out of the four in Round 2 to be in the best position to claim this year’s championship.

    The championship is the third national-level sporting event organised in the country since the COVID-induced lockdowns in March after the Drag Nationals and 2-w Sprint Rally Nationals. All sanitising and social distancing norms are being followed to ensure the well-being of the young racers.

    Arjun Nair managed two second-places in Round 1 and two first-places in Round 2 to have 55 points in his kitty. He and Nirmal Umashankar (51 points) will need a massive change in fortunes to topple Suriya from the perch in the last two rounds.

    In the Cadet Class too, another Bengaluru lad, Ishaan Madesh, enjoys a handy 9-point lead over Pune’s Sai Shiva Makesh. Ishaan won all 4 races in Round 1 but had a disastrous start in Round, getting a DNF in Race 1 and a sixth-place finish in Race 2 before regaining his winning touch.