INDIA in F1

Tag: MMSC

  • MMSC presents awards to 2024 champions

    MMSC presents awards to 2024 champions

    Chennai, January 31: The racing scene in India is set for a major enhancement by way of bigger and more powerful vehicles in the near future, according to Vicky Chandhok, Vice-President, Madras Motor Sports Club.

    Speaking during the MMSC Annual Awards ceremony to honour the 2024 National Racing Championship winners here on Friday, Chandhok said: “I cannot go into specifics, but the racing scene should witness infusion of bigger and more powerful machines sometime soon.

    “Parallelly, MMSC is working towards making motorsports more affordable and to this end, our karting programme at the Mika International Karting Arena, is the first step in this direction.

    “We also thank MRF Tyres, Honda and TVS for their active involvement in our National Championships.”

    Chief guest Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Ltd., outlined his company’s involvement in motorsports over six decades and a strong presence in various championships globally. He reiterated that MRF would continue to support motorsports in India across various disciplines.

    The ceremony marked the conclusion of the 2024 National racing season as awards were presented to the winners at a gala function.

    MMSC president Ajit Thomas welcomed the gathering while MMSC treasurer Manoj Dalal proposed a vote of thanks.

    The 2024 National Racing Championship winners:

    MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc: Rider Champion – Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing). Team – TVS Racing. Manufacturer champion – TVS.

    Pro-Stock 165cc: Rider – Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing). Team – TVS Racing. Manufacturer – TVS.

    Stock 301-400cc (Novice): Rider – Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate). Team – RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate. Manufacturer – Yamaha.

    Novice (Stock 165cc): Rider – Abdul Basim RS (Chennai, Rockers Racing). Team – Rockers Racing. Manufacturer – Yamaha.

    Girls (Stock 165cc): Rider – Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing. Team – One Racing. Manufacturer – Yamaha.

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250 Open): Rider – Mohsin Paramban (Mallapuram).

    TVS One-Make Championship Open (Apache RR 310): Rider – Senthil Kumar C (Coimbatore).

    TVS OMC Women (Apache RTR 200): Rider – Saimah Ajaz Baig (Pune).

    TVS OMC Rookie (Apache RTR 200): Rider – Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru).

    TVS OMC Electric RTE: Rider – Sarthak Chavan (Pune).

    MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship

    MRF Formula 2000: Driver champion – Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong).

    MRF Formula 1600: Driver – Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru).

    Indian Touring Cars: Driver – Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing). Team – Team N1 Racing.

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: Driver – Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Team Performance Racing). Team – Team Performance Racing.

    Super Stock: Driver – Justin Singh (Gurugram, Redline Racing India). Team – Redline Racing India.

    Formula LGB 1300: Driver – Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing). Team – DTS Racing.

    MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios): Driver – Diana Pundole (Pune).

    Polo Cup: Driver – Dhruv Chavan (Lonavla).

  • Jagan bids adieu winning 11 Nationals; Maiden National title for Jagathishree

    Jagan bids adieu winning 11 Nationals; Maiden National title for Jagathishree

    Chennai, 6 October 2024: Veteran Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing), the “King of 165”, bid adieu to his illustrious racing career after clinching his 11th National title to provide an emotional finish to the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 – Powered by STORM at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.

    Joining him on the National Championship rostrum were Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) in Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open; Abdul Basim (Chennai, Rockers Racing), Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing), an archaeologist in the making, in the Girls, Stock 165cc, and Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) in the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) category.

    Jagan, the 36-year-old from Chennai, rolled back the years with a stunning last-corner overtake while winning the concluding Pro-Stock 165cc Open race that also saw his old mates, KY Ahamed and Deepak Ravikumar following him home, leaving the two next generation riders and team-mates, Sarthak Chavan and Chiranth Vishwanath to scrap for minor positions. The win, his third of the season, put him five points clear of Ahamed in the final championship standings.

    “I am finished with my racing career. I have two young daughters, and they need all my attention now. I started this season with a dream of ending my career with a championship win and I am happy I was able to accomplish that. Now, it is time for the new generation, Sarthak and Chiranth, to step up,” said Jagan, who won the first of his 11 National titles in 2009.

    Meanwhile, Sarthak lent credence to Jagan’s words by becoming only the second rider after Rajini Krishnan (2007) to win two titles in the same season – the Pro-Stock 301-400cc and the TVS RTE Electric. “It’s been a great year for me, and I look forward to more success in the coming seasons,” said the 17-year-old from Pune who scored an astonishing nine wins from 10 starts in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category.

    Among the performances of the day was that of Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) who started last and finished third in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race, behind team-mates Sarthak Chavan, who thus notched his ninth win in 10 starts, and Chiranth Vishwanath. Ravikumar, who missed Saturday’s race owing to the demise of his grandmother, roared through the high-quality grid today for a well-deserved podium finish.

    Jagathishree (One Racing), the 20-year-old from Chennai who has chosen archaeology as a profession, and who scored a fortuitous win yesterday after two title contenders, Ryhana Bee and Rakshitha Dave, crashed. She too suffered a similar fate in Race-2 today but picked herself up to complete the race in sixth place and picked up 10 points that fetched her the championship.

    Sarthak Chavan, at MIC on Sunday

    In front of her, Chennai school girl Rakshitha Dave (Castrol Power1 Ultimate) won the race untroubled with Bengaluru’s Shuria SP (One Racing) and Aisvariya V (One Racing) from Coimbatore finishing second and third, respectively. Ryhana Bee, nursing a wrist injury from yesterday’s crash, did not start the race. Jagathishree copped a Rs 2,000/- fine for crossing the cheqeuered flag twice, but retained her sixth spot that helped her win the title.

    Mysuru’s Tasmai Cariappa (Motul Sparks Racing) won his second race of the season in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category after a tough fight. The result put him in second spot on the leaderboard behind Abdul Basim (Rockers Racing) who suffered a crash and finished 17th.

    Later, Chennai’s 24-year-old Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan, who has roots in Kodagu, Karnataka, was content to finish third in the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) race which was sufficient for him to clinch the championship in this category. Bengaluru’s 17-year-old Savion Sabu (Mad Rabbit Racing) won a close race from experienced Raj Kumar (RDX Torque Racing).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup

    Bengaluru teenager Savion Sabu finished the season in the NSF 250R category with his maiden win and occupied second in the championship behind Malappuram’s Mohsin Paramban. The eight-lap race saw Savion, studying online in 11th standard, take an early lead which he nursed to the finish while Mohsin came in second ahead of Hyderabad’s Rajender Beedani.

    TVS India One-Make Championship

    Senthilkumar C from Coimbatore snatched the title in the Open (Apache RR 310) category with a second-place finish in the concluding race which Chennai’s Manoj Yesuadian won. Another Chennai rider, Jayanth P took the third spot.

    Bengaluru’s Harshith V Bogar took the title in the Rookie category though he finished second behind Akarsh Jangam. CS Kedarnath completed the podium.

    Sarthak Chavan wrote another piece of history by becoming the first-ever Electric motorcycle racing champion as he finished unbeaten across five races in the TVS RTE Electric category.

    The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11mins, 06.720secs); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:08.130); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:08.848). Rider Champion: Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing). Champion Team: TVS Racing

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2): 1. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:40.405); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:40.508); 3. KY Ahamad (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:40.667). Rider Champion: Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing). Champion Team: TVS Racing.

    Stock 301-400cc (Novice) Race-2: 1. Savion Sabu (Bengaluru, Mad Rabbit Racing) (12:13.970); 2. Raj Kumar C (Coimbatore, RDX Torque Racing) (12:14.003); 3. Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (12:15.905). Rider Champion: Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate). Champion Team: RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate.

    Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-2: 1. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:59.465); 2. Kamal Navas (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (13:00.752); 3. CS Kedarnath (Tirupati, Alpha Racing) (13:03.426). Rider Champion: Abdul Basim (Chennai, Rockers Racing). Champion Team: Rockers Racing.

    Girls (Stock 165cc) Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Rakshitha Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (11:05.170); 2. Shuria SP (Bengaluru, One Racing) (11:17.947); 3. Aisvariya V (Coimbatore, Motul Sparks Racing) (11:20.239). Rider Champion: Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing). Champion team: One Racing

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R) Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Savion Sabu (Bengaluru) (15:03.809); 2. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (15:10.876); 3. Beedani Rajender (Hyderabad) (15:17.258). Rider Champion: Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram).

    TVS Racing One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR 310) Race-2: 1. Manoj Yesuadiyan (Chennai) (11:42.927); 2. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (11:47.034); 3. Jayanth P (Chennai) (11:51.216). Rider Champion: Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race-2: 1. Akarsh Jangam (Vijayawada) (13:17.500); 2. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:17.929); 3. CS Kedarnadh (Tirupati) (13:18.113). Rider Champion: Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru).

    TVS RTE Electric (3 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (05:22.071); 2. Alwin Sundar A (Chennai) (05:27.526); 3. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (05:34.935). Rider Champion: Sarthak Chavan (Pune).

    Media (Apache RTR 200, 5 laps): 1. Praveen Kumar (Chennai) (11:22.005); 2. Charan Karthik G (Pune).

  • Sarthak wins maiden National title; Jagathishree in line for title as Ryhana, Rakshitha log DNF

    Sarthak wins maiden National title; Jagathishree in line for title as Ryhana, Rakshitha log DNF

    Chennai, October 5: Pune’s Sarthak Chavan (TVS Racing), enjoying the best season of his fledgling career yet, scripted history when he became the youngest ever at 17 years of age to seal the title in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open class as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 – Powered by STORM headed towards a grand climax at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.

    Sarthak, who will turn 18 at the end of October, clinched the crown by winning Race-1 which put him beyond reach of his rivals in the points tally. Riding with great maturity, Sarthak tucked himself behind race leader and team-mate Chiranth Vishwanath, the 17-year-old from Bengaluru before making a move late in the six-lapper to notch his eighth win in nine races. Veteran Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) was placed third. The result put Sarthak 57 points ahead of Chiranth on the leaderboard.

    Minutes after the victory, the team decked up Sarthak in champion livery at MIC on Saturday. Photo By Anand Philar.

    “It feels great to win my maiden National title. I have had a good season this year with five podium finishes at the Asian level. At the start of the season, I was focused on my riding and wanting to do well,” said Sarthak.

    Later, Chiranth Vishwanath, the 17-year-old from Bengaluru, won the other premier class race, Pro-Stock 165cc Open, which went down to the wire after a few heart-stopping moments, as TVS Racing swept the podium spots with KY Ahamed and Sarthak Chavan finishing second and third, respectively. The six-lap race had three different leaders until Chiranth went past Sarthak and Ahamed with a daring move at the last corner as the trio finished within a second of each other.

    The victory, though, kept Chiranth anchored in fourth spot on the leaderboard while Ahamed and his mentor and multiple National champion Jagan Kumar, who finished fourth today, and Sarthak are separated by only three points ahead of Sunday’s concluding race.

    Meanwhile, the Girls (Stock 165cc) race threw up an unexpected result as the two championship contenders Ryhana Bee (One Racing) and Rakshitha Dave (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) made contact and crashed in the third lap. Their retirement saw Jagathishree Kumaresan (One Racing) notch an easy win ahead of team-mate SP Shuria and Saimah Ajaz Baig (Motul Sparks Racing). With today’s win, Jagathishree moved to the top of the leaderboard with a 22-point advantage over Ryhana, going into Sunday’s concluding race.

    Chennai’s Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) picked up crucial points after finishing third in the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) race behind Raj Kumar C (RDX Torque Racing) and Savion Sabu (Mad Rabbit Racing) to keep his top spot on the points table. He leads Raj Kumar by 17 points ahead of Sunday’s final race.

    Abdul Basim (Rockers Racing) maintained his form and scored his eighth win in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category, having already sealed the championship in the previous round. He held off his close rival, Tasmai Cariappa (Motul Sparks Racing).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup

    Scoring his sixth win in nine starts, Malappuram’s Mohsin Paramban only confirmed his title in the NSF 250R category. He had to fight hard for his today’s success as he crossed the finish line in a close formation with second-placed Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) and Bengaluru’s Savion Sabu.

    TVS India One-Make Championship

    Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) chalked up his sixth win in the Open (RR 310) category to move 13 points clear of second-placed Manoj Yesuadian (Chennai) on the leaderboard to set up an exciting battle for the title on Sunday when Race-2 will be run. Senthil’s elder brother Raj Kumar came in third but is not in contention for the title.

    Bengaluru’s 20-year-old Harshith V Bogar provisionally clinched the championship in the Rookie (Apache RTR 200) category despite finishing third behind Akarsh Jangam from Vijayawada and CS Kedarnath (Tirupati) in the six-lap race. Going into the concluding race to be run on Sunday, Harshith enjoys an insurmountable 44-point lead over Kedarnath.

    Pune’s Saimah Ajaz Baig took the title in the Girls (Apache RTR 200) category by finishing second behind Sarah Khan (Mumbai) and ahead of Aisvariya V (Coimbatore). The 21 points that Saimah earned put her on top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of the championship in this category.

    The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-1): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11mins, 04.916secs); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:05.126); 3. Rajini Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (11:05.903).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-1): 1. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:42.136); 2. KY Ahamed (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:42.256); 3. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11:42.581).

    Stock 301-400cc (Novice) Race-1: 1. Raj Kumar (Coimbatore, RDX Torque Racing) (12:18.326); 2. Savion Sabu (Bengaluru, Mad Rabbit Racing) (12:18.504); 3. Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (12:18.668).

    Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-1: 1. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai, Team Rockers Racing) (12:55.636); 2. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:58.727); 3. Lal Nunsanga (Mizoram, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:59.713).

    Girls (Stock 165cc) Race-1 (5 laps): 1. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:03.823); 2. SP Shuria (Bengaluru, One Racing) (11:29.946); 3. Saimah Ajaz Baig (Pune, Motul Sparks Racing) (11:39.598).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R) Race-1: 1. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (11:22.331); 2. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (11:22.425); 3. Savion Sabu (Bengaluru) (11:22.568).

    TVS Racing One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR 310) Race-1: 1. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (11:44.902); 2. Manoj Yesuadiyan (Chennai) (11:47.405); 3. Raj Kumar C (Coimbatore) (11:48.223).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race-1: 1. Akarsh Jangam (Vijayawada) (13:14.266); 2. CS Kedarnadh (Tirupati) (13:14.285); 3. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:14.662).

    Girls (Apache RTR 200): 1. Sarah Khan (Mumbai) (13:24.959); 2. Saimah Ajaz Baig (Pune) (13:25.639); 3. Aisvariya V (Coimbatore) (13:27.976).

  • Mika Hakkinen opens Madras International Karting Arena, aka MIKA

    Mika Hakkinen opens Madras International Karting Arena, aka MIKA

    Chennai, 19 Sept. 2024: Double Formula One World Champion Mika Hakkinen flagged off Indian motorsports on a new and exciting journey when he inaugurated the state-of-the-art Madras International Karting Arena (M.I.K.A.), here on Thursday at a gala and landmark ceremony that was attended by India’s two former F1 drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.

    Hakkinen, on a whistle-stop visit to Chennai enroute to Singapore for the F1 Grand Prix, was received on his arrival at the airport by Madras Motor Sports Club vice-president Vicky Chandhok and was brought to the MIC for the launch ceremony that the traditional lighting of the lamp and unveiling a commemorative tablet which will be on display at the MIKA circuit.

    At an emotionally charged function after Hakkinen, the F1 champion in 1998 and 1999, and popularly known as the “Flying Finn”, posed for a group photograph with young karting drivers, he provided an insight into the mind and making of a World Champion. “I like MIKA because it is my name too!” he declared but added on a serious note: “You must learn to lose and enjoy the win, and to control your emotions. As you move up the racing ladder, it is a whole different World out there. There is a lot of pressure from family, friends and teams. So, you must be able to deal with the pressure. But everything is up here,” he said, pointing to his temple.

    On prompted by Karun Chandhok during a one-on-one interview, Hakkinen spoke at length about his Formula One career, especially his inability to win a single race for six years after debut before tasting success by winning two back-to-back World Championship titles. He also touched upon his rivalry with seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher. “You learn a lot watching Michael though, at times, he can be a bit naughty,” said Hakkinen.

    Later, Hakkinen, along with Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, performed demonstration laps on the MIKA track in specially prepared electric karts after the traditional lighting of lamp and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A bunch of 34 drivers, in their own karts, did a processional run watched by a huge crowd of MMSC members, invitees and Media.

    Later, at an impromptu Media interaction, Hakkien was all praise for the MIKA track which he said can spawn a generation of talented drivers in India. “Karting is a good way to start your racing career, and this MIKA track offers a wonderful platform for kids to make a beginning. I hope they enjoy their karting stint,” he said.

    Hakkinen singled out Kush Maini as possibly the next Indian to make it to Formula One. “Kush Maini is good. He is doing well in F2. I feel he has it in him to go all the way to F1,” he opined.

    Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first F1 driver, too heaped praise on the MIKA circuit, describing it as challenging, but a driver’s delight. “The kids have to first learn the track which is fun to drive on, but challenging too with its layout,” he said.

    MMSC president Ajit Thomas, also present at the Media interaction, said: “We have big plans to conduct major international events at MIKA circuit. That is one of the reasons why we undertook the project besides contributing our mite to promoting the sport at grassroot level.”

    Conceived and developed by the Madras Motor Sports Club, the 1.2-km long MIKA circuit, designed by UK-based Driven International in active consultation with Karun Chandhok, is the first of its kind in India, and located in the premises of the iconic Madras International Circuit, in Sriperumbudur, about 40 Kms from Chennai.

    Incidentally, the foundation stone for the Madras International Circuit was laid by three times F1 World Champion Jackie Stewart, also known as the “Flying Scot”.

    Built to exacting global standards, complete with floodlights, sophisticated control room and a holding area with charging facilities for electric go-karts, the MIKA will be open to the public for leisure activity and competitions. The facility is still a work in progress as there are major plans to make it attractive for family outings and corporate activities.

    Hakkinen said in a statement: “This is my first visit to Chennai, and it’s been my pleasure to open the MIKA circuit today along with India’s only two F1 drivers, Narain and Karun.

    “Karting is such an important first step for any driver today as they begin their journey towards Formula 1. The investment made by the Madras Motor Sports Club into this facility will be a big step towards preparing the future racing drivers from India.

    “The layout of the circuit is really interesting for the drivers with a good mix of corners. It will be challenging and fun for the drivers and combined with the latest CIK (the World governing body for Karting) safety standards, it really is comparable with the top Karting tracks in the World.”

    MMSC secretary Prabha Shanker delivered the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the ceremony that the Titan Edge and GMT partnered the Madras Motor Sports Club.

  • Abdul Basim clinches National title; Double for Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan

    Abdul Basim clinches National title; Double for Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan

    Chennai, 8 Sept. 2024: Abdul Basim (Rockers Racing), the 17-year-old from Chennai, virtually sealed the championship in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category by notching his seventh win in eight races to take an unassailable 57-point lead going into the fifth and final round next month.

    Meanwhile, Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan of TVS Racing team capped a brilliant weekend by winning four of the five races he took part in as the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 – Powered by STORM concluded at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.

    Sarthak, who will turn 18 next month, completed a grand double in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category besides winning Race-2 of the Pro-Stock 165cc Open and the TVS Electric RTE race. To top it, he received Indian Oil special awards for posting the fastest laps on Saturday and Sunday.

    TVS Racing team-mates Sarthak Chavan (centre, winner), second-placed KY Ahamed (left) and third-placed Jagan Kumar after the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race (Sept 8) Photos by Anand Philar

    In the Girls (Stock 165cc) class, Ryhana Bee (Rockers Racing) extended her domination by recording a double as she comfortably took Race-2 following up on her win yesterday to take a slender lead in the championship standings.

    Chennai’s Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) roared to his fourth win to consolidate his leadership position in the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) class.

    Three different leaders over six laps best describes the proceedings in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race before Sarthak made a decisive move in the last lap to achieve a double, having won Race-1 yesterday. Finishing in P2 was arch-rival and TVS Racing team-mate Chiranth Vishwanath from Bengaluru followed by Chennai’s Alwin Sundar (KTM Gusto Racing India).

    In the other headline race of the day, the Pro-Stock 165cc Open, witnessed a thrilling contest between TVS Racing mates, Sarthak and KY Ahamed. The two exchanged leads through the race until Sarthak stepped up the pace for a fine win. Another veteran and multiple National champion Jagan Kumar took the third spot.

    Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (25) en route to winning the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) race on 8 Sept 2024. Photos by Anand Philar

    Behind the front-runners, Chiranth Vishwanath, the other top contender, was penalized for an incident in Saturday’s race involving Sarthak and started from the pit lane. He made swift progress to jump to P3 before an engine issue on the last lap saw him hop off the bike and push it across the finish line for ninth spot.

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup

    Winning both the races this weekend, Mohsin Paramban, the 22-year-old from Malappuram, took an unbeatable lead in the NSF 250R category. In Race-2 today, Mohsin was in a league of his own and won comfortably ahead of Prakash Kamat (Bengaluru) and Kolhapur’s Siddesh Sawant. Thus, after four rounds and eight races, Mohsin, with five wins, has effectively sealed the championship in this category.

    TVS India One-Make Championship

    Chalking up his fifth win in eight starts, Senthilkumar C from Coimbatore maintained his slender championship lead in the Open (Apache RR 310) class after overcoming Manoj Yesuadian (Chennai) by three-tenths of a second in today’s Race-2. Another Coimbatore racer Raj Kumar C finished third.

    Bengaluru’s Harshith V Bogar with a win in today’s Race-2 has one hand on the championship title, requiring just a handful of points in the concluding round next month to take the crown in the Rookie (Apache RTR 200) category. The 20-year-old Harshith survived a tight battle with Vijayawada’s Akarsh Jangam while Tejash BA from Tumakuru finished third.

    Sarthak Chavan swept to his fourth consecutive win in the TVS Electric RTE race to further underline his domination.

    The results (Provisional, all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11mins, 07.139secs); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:08.980); 3. Alwin Sundar A (Chennai, Gusto Racing India) (11:10.406).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (11:33.380); 2. KY Ahamed  (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:33.655); 3. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:42.248).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-2): 1. Abdul Basim (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (12:55.319); 2. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:55.563); 3. Lal Nunsanga (Mizoram, Motul Sparks Racing) (13:06.387).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, Race-2, 5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (10:55.879); 2. Rakshita Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate (11:05.008); 3. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:05.156).

    Stock 301-400cc (Novice, Race-2): 1. Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (12:16.248); 2. Pradeep C (Bengaluru, pvt) (12:17.309); 3. Raj Kumar (Coimbatore, RDX Torque Racing) (12:17.469).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R, Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (15:06.939); 2. Prakash Kamat (Bengaluru) (15:08.635); 3. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (15:11.172).

    TVS India One-Make Championship:

    Open (Apache RR 310, Race-2): 1. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (11:43.600); 2. Manoj Yesuadian (Chennai) (11:43.988); 3. Raj Kumar C (Coimbatore) (11:49.742).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200, Race-2): 1. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:20.484); 2. Akarsh Jangam (Vijayawada) (13:20.600); 3. Tejash BA (Tumakuru) (13:30.522)

    Electric RTE (4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (07:20.468); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (07:24.199); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (07:26.215).

  • Diana Pundole creates history, becomes first woman to win a National title

    Diana Pundole creates history, becomes first woman to win a National title

    Chennai, 18 August 2024: As expected, teenagers Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) and Bengaluru’s Abhay Mohan emerged champions in the premier MRF single-seater categories while Diana Pundole from Pune broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first female driver to win a championship title as the curtains came down on an action-packed fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2024 – Powered by STORM-X at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.

    Others to win the championship in their respective categories were: Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, N1 Racing) in Indian Touring Cars, Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Performance Racing) in Indian Junior Touring Cars, Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) in Formula LGB 1300 and Diana Pundole, the mother of two from Pune, who also became the first female to annex the title in the MRF Saloons category. Incidentally, she celebrated her 28th birthday on Friday last. “But I didn’t touch my phone because I wanted to focus on this weekend’s races. I can’t describe the feelings now, but I’m very happy, of course,” she said.

    Jaden Pariat, left, and Abhay Mohan

    Businessman from Lonavla Dhruv Chavan survived massive battles through six races over the weekend to win the championship in the Polo Cup.

    Today, Jaden could not add to his eight wins, as he finished second behind Bengaluru’s Chetan Surineni in both MRF Formula 2000 races today. However, the 17-year-old Jaden accrued sufficient points to annex his maiden championship with Surineni in second spot on the leaderboard. “I have proved to myself that I have it in me to win a championship. After my win yesterday, I just wanted to bring the car home without trying anything risky, but it’s great to win my first-ever championship. It is also good for Chetan (Surineni) to win both races today,” said Jaden.  

    Similarly, 16-year-old Abhay Mohan marked his debut season by clinching his maiden championship in the MRF Formula 1600 category though he was denied an all-win record by Mumbai’s Zahan Commissariat. With 11 wins from 12 starts, Abhay emerged champion by a massive margin. “It is still to sink in. I mean, winning a championship in my debut season is great, but I can’t find words to express my happiness. It was a good run overall and I thank my JA Motorsports, my family and friends for their support,” said Abhay.

    Nellore’s 26-year-old Viswas Vijayaraj claimed the title in the Formula LGB 1300 category despite retiring early in the last two races, one of which was won by Mira Erda who, starting from pole, held off stiff competition to score her first-ever win in single-seater since her debut in 2014. “I have waited for 10 years for this moment. I have been racing in a single-seater class since 2014, but apart from a few podiums, I have never won a race. So, I am absolutely delighted by today’s win which I am told is the first by a female driver in FLGB 1300,” said an ecstatic 23-year-old Mira who is also making a career as a driver-coach.

    The day’s post-lunch session was extended due to a couple of crashes and spins leading to Red Flag stoppages with title contenders involved in wheel-to-wheel battles.

    Provisional results:

    MRF F2000 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (15min, 59.892sec); 2. Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) (16:03.671); 3. Akhil Agarwal (Mumbai) (16:26.390). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Chetan Surineni (16:17.445); 2. Jaden Rahman Pariat (16:18.863); 3. Tarun Muthaiah (Bengaluru) (16:31.961). Champion driver: Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong).

    MRF F1600 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai) (17:31.861); 2. Abha Mohan (Bengaluru) (17:32.137); 3. Saishiva Sankaran (Pune) (17:35.536). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Abhay Mohan (16:45.609); 2. Saishiva Sankaran (16:49.407); 3. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (16:57.507). Champion driver: Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (19:15.391); 2. Anant Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (19:35.441); 3. Jeevanantham Subramaniam (Coimbatore, Pvt.) (20:04.964). Race-3 (6 laps): 1. Biren Pithawalla (11:34.635); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (11:34.970); 3. Anant Pithawalla (11:38.379). Champion driver: Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:42.384); 2. Hatim Shabbir (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (19:43.443); 3. Yug Italiya (Mumbai, Team N1) (20:05.723). Race-3 (6 laps): 1. Srinivas Teja (11:50.328); 2. Hatim Shabir (11:50.786); 3. Nikung Vagh (Surat, Team N1) (12:00.937). Champion driver: Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Performance Racing).

    Super Stock (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Gurugram, Redline Racing) (21:07.530); 2. Anirudha Aravind (Chennai, Redline Racing India) (21:09.109); Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh, Buzzing Hornet Motorsports) (21:11.496). Race-3 (6 laps): 1. Justin Singh (12:35.884); 2. Anirudha Aravind (12:40.607); 3. Manan Patel (Mumbai, Redline Racing India) (12:40.825). Champion Driver: Withheld pending investigation.

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Mira Erda (Vadodara, DTS Racing) (19:53.382); 2. Dilijith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (19:54.804); 3.  Dhruv Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (19:57.549). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Diljith TS (15:08.241); 2. Balaprasath (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (15:11.699); 3. Neev Datta (New Delhi, MSport) (15:17.425). Champion driver: Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing).

    MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Anirudha Aravind (Chennai) (21:03.555); 2. Diana Pundole (Pune) (21:03.824); 3. Muskaan Jubbal (Delhi) (21:04.229). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Diana Pundole (16:42.428); 2. Anirudha Aravind (16:46.799); 3. Muskaan Jubbal (16:49.432). All Redline Racing. Champion driver: Diana Pundole (Pune, Redline Racing).

    Polo Cup (Race-4, 8 laps): 1. Romir Arya (Mumbai) (15:33.374); 2. Dhruv Chavan (Lonavala) (15:42.731); 3. Munjal Savia (Mumbai) (15:43.284). Race-5 (10 laps): 1. Aditya Patnaik (Mumbai) (19:30.762); 2. Munjal Savla (Mumbai) (19:40.753); 3. Romir Arya (Mumbai) (19:41.461). Polo Cup (Race-6, 8 laps): 1. Ojas Surve (Mumbai) (15:34.195); 2. Dhruv Chavan (15:39.358); 3. Aditya Patnaik (15:40.331). Champion driver: Dhruv Chavan (Lonavla).

  • Chiranth, Sarthak dominate Pro-Stock races; Savion, Rakshitha, Abdul win

    Chiranth, Sarthak dominate Pro-Stock races; Savion, Rakshitha, Abdul win

    Chennai, 4 August 2024: Two of country’s best and brightest, Chiranth Vishwanath from Bengaluru and Pune’s Sarthak Chavan came up with sensational rides to win a race apiece in the two premier Pro-Stock categories as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 – Powered by STORM concluded at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.

    Chiranth, starting from P10, dished out a stunning ride to win the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open race, all but destroying a high-quality field that included multiple National champion Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate), riding in his 23rd season after a year’s break. Later, Sarthak scrambled to a brilliant victory in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race, starting from P5. The two 17-year-old TVS Racing team-mates, in the process, headlined a fresh crop of young riders who have been making a mark in the National Championship this season.

    Two Chennai riders, 17-year-old Abdul Basim (Rockers Racing) and 15-year-old Rakshitha Dave topped in the Stock 165cc (Novice) and Girls (Stock 165cc) races, respectively, while Bengaluru’s Savion Sabu, who turned 17 three days back, won the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) race with a dominating performance.

    Rakshitha (centre), flanked by Jagathishree Murugesan (left) and Ryhana Bee, 3rd, at at MIC on 4 August 2024. Photo by Anand Philar

    Chiranth was at his very best in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race. He made some six places in the very first of the six-lap race and continued to progress through the field like a hot knife through butter to burst into the lead for a sensational win ahead of Rajini Krishnan and Alwin Sundar (KTM Gusto Racing India). Sarthak, starting from pole, came in eighth after stalling in the very first lap and then rejoining the race. The loss ended Sarthak’s streak of five wins but he continues to provisionally lead the championship table. Chiranth leapfrogged to second spot, 39 behind Sarthak.

    In the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race, pole-sitter Chiranth led in the initial laps before being overtaken by his team-mates KY Ahamed and multiple National champion Jagan Kumar, and later, by Sarthak. In the latter half of the race, Sarthak moved to the front and notched his second win of the season in this category. Finishing second behind him was Jagan Kumar and the late-charging Chiranth.

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: Kolhapur’s Siddesh Sawant scored his first win of the season in the NSF 250R class by a comfortable margin. Savion Sabu from Bengaluru came in second, ahead of Hyderabad’s Beedani Rajender for whom it was his first podium finish this season. Championship leader Mohsin Paramban (Mallapuram) failed to complete the race but still enjoys a 36-point cushion over AS James (Bengaluru) in the provisional standings.

    TVS One-Make Championship: Coimbatore’s Senthilkumar C notched his fourth win of the season to move to the top of the provisional points table in the Open (RR 310) class. 

    CS Kedarnath from Tirupati recorded his first win in the Rookie (RTR 200) category to end the unbeaten run of Bengaluru’s Harshith Bogar who failed to finish the race but continues to provisionally lead the points table on the back of his five consecutive wins this season.

    Provisional results (all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11mins, 03.966secs); 2. A Alwin Sundar (Chennai, KTM Gusto Racing India) (11:06.905); 3. Rajini Krishnan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (11:08.457).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11:40.093); 2. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:41.449); 3. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:43.725).

    Stock 301-400cc (Novice, Race-2): 1. Savion Babu (Bengaluru, Mad Rabbit Racing) (12:11.176); 2. Raj Kumar (Coimbatore, RDX Torque Racing) (12:11.258); 3. Shyam Sundar K (Chennai, Tachyon Motorsport) (12:15.525).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, Race-2, 5 laps): 1. Rakshitha Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (11:02.916); 2. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:08.132); 3. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Motul Sparks Racing) (11:08.174).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-2): 1. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai, Team Rockers Racing) (12:55.289); 2. Kamal Navas (Chennai, Team Rockers Racing) (13:08.895); 3. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (13:08.982).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R) Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (15:11.679); 2. Savion Sabu (Bengaluru) (15:14.661); 3. Beedani Rajender (Hyderabad) (15:25.784).

    TVS One-Make Championship: Open (RR310, Race-2, 5 laps): 1. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (09:52.643); 2. Manoj Yesuadiyan (Chennai) (09:52.644); 3. Ajai Xavier M (Nagercoil) (10:01.808).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200, Race-2): 1. CS Kedarnadh (Tirupati) (13:30.442); 2. Saranjith KM (Thrissur) (13:34.532); 3. Rajivsham AS (Tirupur) (13:41.466).

    Electric RTE (4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (07:21.134); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (07:28.085); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (07:29.421).

    Media (Apache RTR 200) 5 laps: 1. Praveen Kumar (Chennai) (11:25.490); 2. Charan Karthik G (Pune) (11:34.091); 3. Pratheek Kunder (Mumbai) (11:39.208).

  • Jagan Kumar, Sarthak Chavan in historic dead-tie at MIC on Sunday

    Jagan Kumar, Sarthak Chavan in historic dead-tie at MIC on Sunday

    Chennai, 7 July 2024: History was scripted at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday when a dead-heat finish, involving two TVS Racing team-mates Jagan Kumar and Sarthak Chavan, was decided in favour of the former on the basis of the fastest lap of the race as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 – Powered by STORM came to a thrilling finish.

    Old-timers believe that it is the first time in the Indian racing history that two competitors had the same timing at the finish, requiring the fastest lap provision to be implemented to decide the winner. The incident occurred in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race when veteran Jagan Kumar, a 10-time National champion, and his TVS Racing team-mate 17-year-old Sarthak Chavan crossed the finish line together, clocking the same timing. Jagan was declared winner because he had posted the fastest lap of the six-lap race.

    The result denied Sarthak an all-win record across both Pro-Stock categories, the 301-400cc Open and the 165cc Open. Earlier today, Sarthak had achieved a double in the higher class and looked set for a clean sweep before the photo-finish which went in Jagan’s favour.

    Meanwhile, Chennai’s Jagathishree Kumaresan (One Racing) completed a double in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category as did another local rider, Abdul Basim (Rockers Racing) in the Novice (Stock 165cc) class while Pradeep C from Bengaluru notched his maiden win in the National Championship with a P1 finish in the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) race.

    Bengaluru’s Chiranth Vishwanath (TVS Racing) won the Indian Oil award for the fastest lap on Sunday across all categories for clocking a blistering 01:48.648 in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category, but he lost the race to Sarthak when he missed a gear on the back sweep on the last lap to concede the slender lead.

    In an innovative move, promoters Madras Motor Sports Club decided to present trophies to the top five finishers in a race instead of the top three.

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: Mohsin Paramban from Malappuram completed a fine double in the NSF 250R category to open up a 37-point lead in the provisional standings. Two Bengaluru riders Savion Sabu and AS James finished second and third respectively in the eight-lap race.

    TVS One-Make Championship:

    Sarthak Chavan extended his domination with a second consecutive win in the TVS Electric RTE race that was reduced to three laps following an on-track incident. Chiranth Vishwanath came in second ahead of Alwin Sundar (Chennai).

    Provisional results (all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11min, 06.298sec); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:06.388); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:10.557).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2): 1. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:37.786); 2. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11:37.786); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:44.162).

    Girls (Stock 165cc) Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:04.106); 2. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Motul Sparks Racing) (11:04.182); 3. Ann Jennifer AS (Chennai, Alpha Racing India) (11:04.327).

    Novice (Stock165cc) Race-2: 1. Abdul Basim (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (12:56.217); 2. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (13:07.206); 3. Lal Nunsanga (Aizawl, Motul Sparks Racing) (13:07.502).

    Stock 301-400cc (Novice) Race-2: 1. Pradeep C (Bengaluru, Pvt) (12:20.775); 2. Raj Kumar (Coimbatore, RDX Torque Racing) (12:27.930); 3. Varun Nanjundegowda (Chennai, Gusto Racing India) (02:03.803).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – Open (NSF 250R) Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (15:07.015); 2. Savion Sabu (Bengaluru) (15:10.965); 3. AS James (Bengaluru) (15:15.953).

    TVS One-Make Championship: Open (Apache RR310) Race-2: 1. Manoj Yesuadiyan (Chennai) (11:47.555); 2. Jayanth P (Chennai) (11:53.712); 3. Lokesh V (Bengaluru) (11:55.233).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race-2: 1. Harshit V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:20.972); 2. CS Kedarnath (Tirupati) (13:26.089); 3. Rajivsham AS (Tirpur) (13:44.946).

    TVS Electric RTE (3 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (05:34.704); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (05:35.877); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (05:42.046).

  • Ahamed beats mentor Jagan in a photo-finish; Dave twins hog limelight

    Ahamed beats mentor Jagan in a photo-finish; Dave twins hog limelight

    Chennai, 15 June 2024: Two sets of siblings from Chennai hogged the limelight by winning four of the nine races on Saturday at the Madras International Circuit to light up the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024.

    The 15-year-old Dave twins, Rakshith and Rakshitha took the honours in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R) and the National Championship Girls (Stock 165cc) races. It was a maiden win for both of them, in their respective categories.

    Two other siblings, 28-year-old KY Ahamed (Pro-Stock 165cc Open) and his 17-year-old brother Abdul Basim (Novice 165cc), also won a race apiece to set off celebrations in both families.

    Elsewhere, Sarthak Chavan, the 17-year-old from Pune, led a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing along with Bengaluru’s Chiranth Vishwanath, also 17, in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category. The race was cut to four laps from scheduled six after a red flag stoppage following a Turn-3 crash (riders ok) and Sarthak, starting from pole, virtually destroyed the field on restart. Chiranth came in second, ahead of Hyderabad’s Sairahil Pillarisetty (Gusto Racing).

    Sarthak, however, had a disastrous outing in the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race as he crashed when in the lead. On his exit, Sathak’s two TVS Racing team-mates, KY Ahamed and multiple National champion Jagan Kumar, were involved in a tight finish. Ahamed pipped his mentor Jagan in a photo-finish with another TVS Racing ace, Deepak Ravikumar, who had started the race from the pit lane, completing the podium. Chiranth, who was running second, also crashed, but resumed to finish fourth.

    Also finishing on top step of the podium was Chennai’s Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) who won as he pleased in the Novice 301-400cc class that gained National championship status from this season.

    Earlier, pole-sitter Abdul Basim, held off a strong challenge from Mysuru’s Tasmai Cariappa (Motul Sparks Racing) who led briefly in the penultimate lap but conceded the advantage. Basim went on to win with Tasmai and Coimbatore’s Abhinav G (Chandra LGE Racing) finishing second and third, respectively.

    Rakshitha Dave, starting from P2, moved in front by Turn-2, deftly avoiding any jostling that was happening behind her, and enjoyed a trouble-free run for a commanding win. Another Chennai rider, Jagathishee Kumaresan (One Racing) and Ryhana Bee (Motul Sparks Racing) settled for second and third spots, respectively, while pole-sitter Ann Jennifer (Alpha Racing) came in a disappointing fourth.

    “I am very happy to score my first-ever win in the National championship. I had a good start today and a trouble-free run after going into the lead early in the first lap. The bike too performed very well,” said a delighted Rakshitha.

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup: Rakshith Dave reigned supreme in the NSF 250R race after initial battle with the more experienced Mohsin Paramban (Mallapuram) with Bengaluru’s AS James finishing third. It was Rakshith’s first-ever win in this class. Incidentally, Rakshith’s twin sister, Rakshitha made her debut in this class and finished 13th.

    TVS One-Make Championship: Coimbatore’s Senthilkumar C took the honours in the truncated Open (Apache RR 310) race that was reduced to three laps from six due to a red flag stoppage following an on-track incident. Jayanth Pratipathi (Chennai) came in second, ahead of Nagercoil’s Ajai Xavier M.

    Harshith V Bogar from Bengaluru notched a dominating win in the Rookie category with second-placed Saranjith KM (Thrissur) finishing some 10 seconds behind. Vijayawada’s Akarsh Jangam was a distant third.

    Mumbai’s Sarah Khan won the Girls (RTR 200) race untroubled from Pune’s Saimah Ajaz Baig and Aisvarya V (Coimbatore).

    The results (Provisional, all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (7mins, 36.007secs); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (07:39.254); 3. Sairahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad, Gusto Racing India) (07:41.470).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-1): 1. Ahamed KY (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:04.178); 2. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:04.192); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (12:14.569).

    Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-1: 1. Abdul Basim RS (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (12:55.808); 2. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:56.136); 3. Abhinav G (Coimbatore, Chandra LGE Racing team) (13:04.554).

    Girls (Stock 165cc) Race-1 (5 laps): 1. Rakshitha Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (10:58.183); 2. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:03.012); 3. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Motul Sparks Racing) (11:03.150).

    Novice (Stock 301-400cc) Race-1: 1. Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power 1 Ultimate) (12:17.257); 2. Lokesh V (Bengaluru, Pvt.) (12:23.458); 3. Varun Nanjundegowda (Mysuru, Gusto Racing India) (12:27.927).

    Idemitsu Honda India Cup (NSF 250R) Race-1: 1. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (11:12.157); 2. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (11:16.226); 3. AS James (Bengaluru) (11:16.669)

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR 310) Race-1 (3 laps): 1. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (05:56.457); 2. Jayanth Pratipathi (Chennai) (05:59.277); 3. Ajai Xavier (Nagercoil) (06:02.953).

    Rookie (Apache RTR 200) Race-1: 1. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:43.666); 2. Saranjith KM (Thrissur) (13:53.770); 3. Akarsh Jangam (Vijayawada) (14:07.100).

    Girls (Apache RTR 200) Race-1 (5 laps): 1. Sarah Khan (Mumbai) (11:19.075); 2. Saimah Ajaz Baig (Pune) (11:21.156); 3. Aisvariya V (Coimbatore) (11:23.221).

  • Lani Zena Fernandez win girls’ race; Rajiv Sethu disqualified

    Lani Zena Fernandez win girls’ race; Rajiv Sethu disqualified

    Chennai, 30 Sept. 2023: Bengaluru teenager Chiranth Vishwanath (Petronas TVS Racing) and Chennai veteran Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha) shared honours by winning a race apiece in the premier Pro-Stock 165cc Open category in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.

    Rajiv Sethu (RACR Castrol Power1) continued his unbeaten run in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open class and crossed the chequered flag first but was later disqualified from both his races in the 165cc class. Chiranth was promoted as winner in the Pro-stock 165cc Open Race 1 as Rajiv Sethu was disqualified due to technical infringement. In Race 2, Prabh Arunagiri made it double as Rajiv Sethu was once again disqualified in the post-race scrutiny of the 165cc Race 2.

    Another Bengalurean, 22-year-old six-footer Manvith Reddy (RACR Castrol Power1), bided his time to win the Novice (Stock 165cc) race after a couple of front-runners, including pole-sitter Vignesh Goud, retired, while his team-mate Puducherry’s Lani Zena Fernandez made the best of pole position start to score a comfortable victory, her second win of the season, in the Girls (Stock 165cc) class of the National championship.

    Chiranth, only 16, was impressive in winning Race-1 of the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category. He showed a big heart for a close fight to overcome championship leader Rajiv Sethu, who despite starting P12 after a disastrous qualifying session, led briefly. However, a loose footrest and then a broken gear lever saw Sethu pull out of his battle with Chiranth and was content to finish second. Earlier, pole-sitter Sarthak Chavan, the 16-year-old from Pune, retired after a high-side crash at Turn-1 in the very first lap, but walked away unhurt, clearing the way for Chiranth to hit the front.

    In Race-2 of the same category in the evening, Prabhu Arunagiri fully capitalised on a set of new tyres to a run-away win, while behind him his Pacer Yamaha team-mate Mathana Kumar did well to hold up the traffic that included Sarthak Chavan, who eventually finished second ahead of KY Ahamed. Mathana, who had scored a double in the first round in June, came fourth.

    Sarthak suffered yet another crash after coming together with his Petronas TVS Racing team-mate KY Ahamed in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open race, a little later. With the two out of contention, Sethu stormed into the lead and fought off Hyderabad’s Rahil Pillarisetty (KTM Gusto Racing) for his sixth consecutive win of the season.

    Chiranth Vishwanath ended the day on a winning note by topping the Open (RR310) category of the Petronas TVS One-Make Championship.

    Thailand’s Vorapong Malahuan clocked a blistering lap of one minute, 49.198secs for pole position in the inaugural TVS E-Invitation Race category, ahead of two Petronas TVS Racing factory riders KY Ahamed (01:50.666) and Jagan Kumar (01:50.681).

    Provisional results (all 6 laps unless mentioned): (before scrutiny)

    National Championship – Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (11mins, 21.000secs); 2. Rahil Pillarisetty (Hyderabad, KTM Gusto Racing) (11:22.194); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai, KTM Gusto Racing) (11:27.023).

    Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-1): 1. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, Petronas TVS Racing) (09:56.159); 2. Ahamed KY (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (10:03.002); 3. Race-2: 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Chennai, Pacer Yamaha) (11:48.680); 2. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:52.473); 3. Ahamed KY (Chennai, Petronas TVS Racing) (11:52.859).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Manvith Reddy K (Bengaluru, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (13:16.375); 2. Abdul Basim (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (13:16.375); 3. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Pacer Yamaha 1) (13:16.869).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Lani Zena Fernandes (Puducherry, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (11:10.327); 2. Jagathishree (Chennai, One Racing) (11:12.974); 3. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Axor Sparks Racing) (11:17.529). Qualifying (top 3, best lap): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (02:12.592); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai, Alpha Racing) (02:13.274); 3. Ryhana Bee (02:16.213).

    Support Race (301-400cc, Novice): 1. Rohit Lad (Bengaluru, Pvt) (12:50.702); 2. Aldrin Babu (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1) (12:53.293); 3. Vivek M (Bengaluru, Eminence Racing) (12:53.336).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R) – Qualifying (top 3, best lap): 1. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (01:51.512); 2. Shyam Sundar (Chennai) (01:54.039); 3. AS James (Bengaluru) (01:55.017).

    Petronas TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR 310): 1. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (11:34.135); 2. Senthil Kumar C (Coimbatore) (11:38.154); 3. G Balaji (Chennai) (11:42.214).

    Girls (Apache RTR 200, 5 laps): 1. Saimah Ajaz Baig (Pune) (11:19.600); 2. Nadine Faith Balaji (Chennai) (11:20.014); 3. Aisvariya V (Coimbatore) (11:34.185).

    TVS E-Invitation Race – Qualifying / Practice (top 3, best lap): 1. Vorapong Malahuan (Thailand) (01:49.198); 2. KY Ahamed (Chennai) (01:50.666); 3. Jagan Kumar (Chennai) (01:50.681).