INDIA in F1

Tag: MMSC

  • MRF Challenge poised for an exciting finish; 2019 Indian racing season set to begin

    MRF Challenge poised for an exciting finish; 2019 Indian racing season set to begin

    Raghul Rangasamy (No.99), 2018 champion in MRF F1600 category. File photo by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 7 Feb 2019: One of Asia’s top single-seater racing championships, the MRF Challenge that, over the past seven seasons has evolved into an incubator of talent, is coming home to the MMRT here this weekend when the third and concluding round of the winter series will be held from Friday.

    The two flyaway rounds in Dubai (November) and Bahrain (December) showcased the skills of emerging talent such as Belgium’s Max Defourny and British girl Jamie Chadwick. The two 20-year olds between them have won six of the 10 races in the two rounds. Defourny leads the championship with 201 points ahead of Chadwick (183) and German teenager Andreas Estner (124). As such, there is plenty at stake in the final round with five races to be run.

    Joining the championship for the final round are Saudi Arabia’s rising female talent Reema Al Juffali who recently won the TRD 86 Cup race in Abu Dhabi, and 17-year old Glenn van Berlo, from the Netherlands, who is moving to single-seater racing from karting.

    The busy weekend will also witness the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship 2019 with the MRF Formula 1600, saloon cars in three categories, including the top-end Indian Touring Cars, and the Formula LGB 1300 which has attracted 20 entries.

    Mr Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Ltd, said: “The MRF Challenge once again comes ‘home’ to the MMRT this weekend for the grand finale which will witness another round of close and exciting races as was the case in the two previous outings in Dubai and Bahrain. For the current season, we have provided a slightly upgraded car and tyres that won the approval of the contestants. For the drivers, it will be a first time on the highly technical MMRT circuit and their major challenge will be to learn the track quickly. MRF is also proud to present three FMX riders from abroad who will entertain and thrill the spectators with their aerial acrobatics. All these factors, I am sure, will contribute to a weekend of high-octane action that is not to be missed.”

    The MRF Challenge, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club, has entrenched itself as one of the leading winter series in the region as it offers a car powered by a 2-Litre Mountune Duratec engine producing 230 BHP with advanced aerodynamics. The car boasts of a Hewland six-speed paddle-shift gearbox equipped with Integrated dash and paddle-shift system. Fitted with the MRF Z.L.O. slick tyres, the F2000 is among the fastest racing cars in the region, and has, in the past, attracted many talented young drivers, notably Mick Schumacher, who is poised to break into Formula One.

    The races in Dubai and Bahrain dished out extremely close contests up and down the grid, though Defourny and Chadwick have dominated the front-runners. The Belgian has been the most consistent driver with three wins and six podium finishes in 10 outings while Chadwick also has never held back on the track, winning three races, all of them in the Bahrain round, besides as many podium spots.

    One of the highlights of the weekend card is the trio of topnotch FMX riders, Hannes Akermann (Germany), and Australians Shaun Webb and David Ford who will be performing heart-stopping aerial stunts.

    ABOUT MRF TYRES

    Motorsports in India is synonymous with MRF. In fact, the development and popularity of various forms of the sport could be directly attributed to the pioneering efforts of the company, be it racing, rallying, motocross or karting. To encourage motorsport enthusiasts MRF has spared no money in offering World-class facilities. The development of MRF Power House – a modern motorsports facility has been a boon to the Indian drivers, who wished to compete and test themselves against international standards. The centre is a testament to the commitment of MRF to raising the bar of Indian motorsports.

    Being the largest promoters of motorsports in India, MRF has the added advantage of being able to use the racetrack to test the tyres. MRF is the only tyre company in India to have developed formula car tyres, world- class rally tyres for tarmac and dirt, motocross tyres and also FIA-CIK karting tyres. Today, the company caters to almost all segments of the tire industry and is proud to be the manufacturer of the largest range of tyres. Heavy-duty truck and bus tyres, passenger car tyres, two-wheeler tyres and farm tyres are just some of the tyres that MRF manufactures.

    The one thing that puts MRF head and shoulders above its competition is the fact that MRF is the only tyre company in India without any foreign technical collaboration. The company is where it is today, thanks mainly to its knowhow and its ability to develop indigenous technology. With this technology, MRF now supplies original equipment tyres to multinational manufacturers such as Volvo, Honda, General Motors, Suzuki and Ford. In total, MRF exports to more than 65 countries. MRF has been the undisputed leader in the tyre industry for almost a decade now, notwithstanding the competition from various multinational tyre brands.

  • Hyderabad racer Karthik Mateti stamps his authority winning two titles: Profile

    Hyderabad racer Karthik Mateti stamps his authority winning two titles: Profile

    Karthik Mateti freeze by Srinivasa Krishnan in Round 3 at MMRT, Chennai

    The Hyderabad teenager wins the TVS one-make championship with an all-win record early on until he was nudged out in the final race

    Chennai: Karthik Mateti of Hyderabad dominated the TVS One-make Championship in the year 2018 with utmost authority demolishing every opposition to win all the nine races before he was nudged out in the last race but the infringement went unnoticed by the stewards and the culprit went on to win the race. However, that did not in any way affect the prospects of Karthik, who became champion with many rounds to spare in the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship.

    Karthik clinches Stock 165cc championship: Karthik Mateti of Sparks Racing, a 19-year old Commerce student from Hyderabad, also emerged champion in the Stock 165cc category by scoring his third win in five races to finish the season with 111 points, and 12 wins and is well clear of team-mate Aditya Rao Immaneni (70). Incidentally, the 13-year old schoolboy from Chennai Kavin Samar Quintal (Team RACR), became the youngest rider this season to win championship points as he finished ninth.

    Image by Praharsha Majeti

    Karthik won Novice Race 1 in 13:44.310 and went on to clinch the second race too clocking 11:24.619 in a tight finish with Anand Rajendran of Chennai on Sunday, Dec 16. Anand who was over 4 seconds behind on Saturday, made amends and gave a tough fight but Karthik withstood the challenge and won. Chennai riders Suhail Ahmed and Venkatesan took the third place on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

    “I thank my Team Sparks Racing for providing me the best bike and supporting me throughout the season and to my Tuner Ravi who always strives to bring out champions from raw Talent,” said Karthik, who focuses on fitness in the offseason.

    In the last race of the season on Dec 16, Karthik took part just to complete the formalities as he was in deep pain with an injured finger on the right hand which he suffered in Delhi. In the TVS One-Make Championship Novice class, Karthik Mateti won Race 1, despite an injured right finger, beating Anand R to second place while AS Alexander completed the podium in third in the final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship as the season concluded at Irungattukottai on Dec 16.

    Karthik Mateti with tuner Ravi. Photo by Praharsha Majeti

    Anand R won the Race 2 while AS Alexander came second. Anish Samson settled for tthe hird position. Karthik Mateti who sealed the Championship much earlier, with two rounds to spare, was nudged out early on, and the final race is the only race he failed to win this season.

    In Round 2, Group D Karthik started on pole but fell back to 13th position and then like man possessed he went on to pass one by one until he caught up with the leading bunch and switched up gears a notch further taking the lead and won by over 3 seconds and in the bargain clocked the fastest lap record of 2.07 sec.

    In Round 4, he crashed in the Qualifying race due to a rider in front of him and started 23rd on the grid and went on to finish 3rd in the race, just a sec behind the leader and won the next race the following day after starting from P3.

     

    Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Honours in Asia Cup Road Race: Earlier in Delhi, he took part in the Asia Cup Road Race (ACRR): The international Asia Cup of Road Race that was run in tandem with the Suzuki Gixxer Cup saw India A’s Karthik Mateti making his mark, winning the race ahead of his Asian counterparts.

    Sri Lanka’s Hansika Abeysinghe claimed the second place while Australia’s Max Stauffer took the third. In the final race, Malsawmdawngliana also turned out victorious in the race two, ahead of top Asian bikers. Australia’s Max Stauffer and Sri Lanka’s Hansika Abeysinghe took the second and third positions.

    The weekend began on a dull note, as Karthik could not practice due to a bike issue and failed to perform up to his potential in the qualifying where he suffered a flat tyre but still gave his best and qualified 13th overall and 3rd in ACRR. However, this did not reduce his confidence one bit as he came up with a position in the race.

    Karthik Mateti with Indian flag after winning the ACRR in New Delhi.

    Karthik started Race 1 from 13th on the grid and was leading the ACRR and 2nd overall in the first lap itself. But a brake issue saw him crash out at C15 and he lost almost 25 positions but recovered and quickly started to gain positions and finished 1st overall in the 8-lap long race. “That was a tough race as I had to manage the rest of the race with only a quarter of my front brake and twisted handle-bar,” recalled Karthik and thanked everyone for the faith they had in him.

    In Race 2, he had the unfortunate incident of a rider in front of him suffer a crash in the Warm-up lap. He could not do anything and it was unavoidable for Karthik, as he hit the bike and crashed too. He hit his bike and had many injuries including a broken finger. He managed to pull himself up with painkillers and with just a minute before the pit lane starts, his bike was made ready. He started from Pole but was not able to ride well as he couldn’t brake with the injuries and was losing positions. He was still in the top 10 but was given a Black flag as the bike did not undergo the re-scrutiny after the crash in warm-up. It was a sad ending but the win in the weekend made him come out shining and with lessons learned.
    Karthik thanked BS Sjuth Kumar, the FIM Asia vice-president and FMSCI 2w Racing Commission chairman for the encouragement and the opportunity to race in the ACRR. He also thanked the efforts of his team @Sparks.racing. Karthik said: “I thank @jktyre_motorsport for the platform and I thank my team. I am very proud to represent India and I gave my best to put India on top,” was his parting shot.
    India got overall 3rd in Championship after the 1st and 2nd rounds in Taiwan.
  • Team TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar clinches 7th Natioinal title: Super Sport 165cc

    Team TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar clinches 7th Natioinal title: Super Sport 165cc

    Champions all: Anish Shetty, Sathyanaryana Raju, Jagan Kumar, Karthik Mateti and Ann Jennifer. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 16 Dec 2018: Nursing severe wrist pain, Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) managed to finish sixth in the concluding race, but the eight points he scored were sufficient for him to clinch his seventh National title even as Rajiv Sethu led a podium sweep for Honda Ten10 Racing as the curtains came down on the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

    Jagan, who had crashed heavily in the first race yesterday after making contact with team-mate Ahamed Arif, was unable to generate his usual pace and was content to pick up the points he required to seal the championship with 158 points. Ahead of him, Sethu was in a race of his own to win comfortably from team-mates Sarath Kumar and Mathana Kumar to finish second in the championship behind Jagan with 145 points. While Jagan ended the season with two wins, Sethu won four races, but two non-finishes in Round 3, cost him precious points. Mathana (130) ended up third in the championship in this category.

    Earlier, Hyderabad’s Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) rode a smart race and finish third to take the championship with 159 points in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category. Another Hyderabad rider, Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) won from Prabhu Arnuagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) who finished second in the championship with 147 points ahead of Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing, 142).

    Karthik-Mateti-No.-72-from-Hyderabad-winner-of-the-Stock-165cc-race on Sunday.

    Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing), a 19-year old Commerce student from Hyderabad, emerged champion in the Stock 165cc category by scoring his third win in five races to finish the season with 111 points, well clear of team-mate Aditya Rao Immaneni (70). Incidentally, 13-year old schoolboy from Chennai Kavin Samar Quintal (Team RACR), became the youngest rider this season to win championship points as he finished ninth.

    In one of the closest-finishes of the season, Bengaluru-based Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) pipped TVS Racing’s Kannan Subramaniam by three-thousandth of a second in the Pro-Stock 165cc race as the duo crossed the line locked together.  Shetty had already sealed the championship in this category and ended his season on a successful note.

    The results (Provisional):

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (all 8 laps unless mentioned) – Super Sport 165cc (Race 2): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (15mins, 41.626secs); 2. Sarath Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (15:47.183); 3. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (15:47.683). Final rider standings: 1. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, 158 points); 2. Rajiv Sethu (145); 3. Mathana Kumar (130). Team championship: TVS Racing. Manufacturer championship: TVS.

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race 2): 1. Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) (15:29.004); 2. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (15:29.197); 3. Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing India) (15:32.809). Final rider standings: 1. Sathyanarayana Raju (159 points); 2. Prabhu Arunagiri (147); 3. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing, 142). Team championship: Gusto Racing. Manufacturer championship: KTM.

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2): 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:12.523); 2. Kannan Subramaniam (TVS Racing) (16:12.520); 3. Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (16:14.942). Final rider standings: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (181 points); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing, 123); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing, 118 points). Team championship: Honda Ten10 Racing. Manufacturer championship: Honda.

    Stock 165cc (4 laps): Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (08:41.788); 2. Venkatesan I (Pvt) (08:42.661); 3. Anand Rajendran (Pvt) (08:46.975). Final rider standings: 1. Karthik Mateti (111 points); 2. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Sparks Racing, 70); 3. Anand Rajendran (50). Team championship: Sparks Racing. Manufacturer championship: Yamaha.

    ONE-MAKE CHAMPIONSHIP – Honda Talent Cup (CBR 250) Race-2: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Bengaluru) (16:36.267); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (16:36.474); 3.Aravind Balakrishnan (Chennai) (16:36.567). Final rider standings: 1. Abhishek Vasudev (171); 2. Anish Damodar Shetty (165); 3. Senthil Kumar (Chennai, 140).

    CBR 150 (Race 2, 6 laps): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (13:25.633); 2.Anandhu KK (Chennai) (13:27.569); 3. Varoon S (Chennai) (13:47.180). Race-3: 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (13:10.101); 2. Kritik Vasan Habib (Gadag) (13:14.564); 3. Anandhu KK (13:16.475). Final rider standings: 1. Mohamed Mikail (233 points); 2. Anandhu KK (151); 3. Kritik Vasan Habib (133).

    TVS Girls (Race 2, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Chennai) (11:57.962); 2. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (12:02.281); Elakiya Lee (Chennai) (12:13.653). Final rider standings: 1. Ann Jennifer (111 points); 2. Ryhana Bee (104); 3. Elakiya Lee (52).

    TVS Apache RR 310 Open (Race 2): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (15:32.651); 2. Kannan K (Chennai) (15:34.875); 3. Amarnath Menon K (Calicut) (15:34.881). Final rider standings: 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, 176 points); 2. Vivek Pillai (Chennai, 137); 3. Yashas RL (Bengaluru, 136.

    Support event – Alisha Abdullah Inter-College Star Race (Race-3, 6 laps): 1. Mervin Kirani (Trichy) (12:47.854); R Vijay Shekar (Chennai) (13:12.758); 3. Reuben Rocky (Kochi) (13:33.948).

  • Anish Shetty, Ann Jennifer emerge National champions

    Chennai, 15 Dec 2018: On a day of drama, marked by crashes leading to unexpected turnarounds, Bengaluru’s Anish Damodara Shetty and local girl Ann Jennifer emerged champions in the Pro-Stock 165cc and Girls (Stock 165cc) categories, respectively, as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship dished out edge-of-the-seat excitement at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    The penultimate day of the 2018 racing season saw Deepak Ravikumar of TVS Racing, running third in the last of the six laps, clinching his maiden win in the premier Super Sport 165cc class after championship leaders and his team-mates, Jagan Kumar and Ahamed Arif crashed out after coming together at Turn-1 on the third lap. Earlier in the race, pole-sitter Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) lost ground when the “clip-on” on the handlebar gave away in the second lap, but he still managed to finish third while team-mate Mathana Kumar got up from a fall, following contact with Sarath Kumar, also of Honda Ten10 Racing, two corners before the finish to come in second behind Ravikumar.

    Despite the crash, Jagan, eyeing his seventh consecutive National title, continues to lead the championship with 148 points with Ahamed second (128), followed by Sethu (120) and Mathana Kumar (115) with the second and last race to be run tomorrow (Sunday).

    Amidst all this action, Ann Jennifer was pushed to the limits by her Sparks Racing team-mate Ryhana Bee who even briefly led before yielding ground in the last lap. Jennifer thus clinched her fourth win in five races to seal the championship in her category.

    Meanwhile, Anish Shetty, a techie and part-time gym trainer from Bengaluru, showed remarkable patience to win the Pro-Stock 165cc race by overtaking three front-runners on the last lap. It was 23-year old Shetty’s fourth win and took his tally to 156, way ahead of second-placed Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) who remained on 115 after crashing out in the race. Shetty, thus, pouched the championship in this category, with one more race to be run tomorrow.

    Later, Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) won a tight race in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category to take a 14-point lead over team-mate Amarnath Menon in the championship stakes. Raju leads with 144 points to Menon’s 130 while Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah), who finished third in the race today despite starting from pole position, is on 129 going into Sunday’s race of the double-header. Another Hyderabad rider, Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) came in second behind Raju in a close finish.

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

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Super Sport 165cc (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11mins, 54.648secs); 2. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:39.132); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (13:07.859).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing India) (11:32.361); 2.Rahil PIllarishetty (Sparks Racing) (11:32.647); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (11:32.741).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Bengaluru) (12:13.060); 2. Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (12:14.279); 3. Kannan Subramaniam (TVS Racing) (12:14.662).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (11:19.207); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:19.362); 3. Nivetha Kumar (Pvt) (11:38.435).

    Stock 165cc (Heat-1, 5 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (10:55.058); 2. Anand Rajendran (Pvt) (10:55.086); 3. Venkatesan I (Pvt) (10:55.270).

    ONE-MAKE CHAMPIONSHIP – TVS Apache RR 310 (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (11:44.741); 2. Peddu Sriharsha (Hyderabad) (11:46.800); 3. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (11:46.961).

    TVS 200 (Novice, Race-1): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (13:54.912); 2. Anand Rajendran (Chennai) (13:56.833); 3. Alexander AS (Chennai) (13:57.024). Race-2: 1.Anand Rajendran (Chennai) 13:56.527; 2. Alexander AS (Chennai) (14:07.923); 3.Anish Samson (Bengaluru) (14:11.845).

    TVS Girls (Race-1): 1. Ann Jenifer AS (Chennai) (11:55.791); 2. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (12:01.809); 3. Elakiya R (Chennai) (12:25.938).

    Honda Talent Cup – CBR 250 (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (12:22.261); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (12:22.641); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Chennai) (12:29.805). CBR 150 (Novice, Race-1): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (13:06.889); 2. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (13:14.110); 3. Anandhu KK (Chennai) (13:15.080).

    Support Event – Alisha Abdullah Inter-College Star Race (Race-1): 1. David Ryan (Chennai) (12:41.492); 2. R Vijay Shekar (Chennai) (12:52.715); 3. Mervin Kiran (Trichy) (13:14.555). Race-2: 1. David Ryan (Chennai) (12:23.077); 2. R Vijay Shekar (Chennai) (12:23.678); 3. R Shiyam (Chennai) (12:54.380).

  • Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu grabs pole: SS165cc

    Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu grabs pole: SS165cc

    Chennai, 14 Dec 2018: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing snatched the pole position in the premier Super Sport 165cc category with a blistering 01:54.906 flying lap to set up an intriguing clash with his TVS Racing rivals as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    Sethu, lying a distant third in the championship behind the TVS Racing duo of leader Jagan Kumar and second-placed Ahamed Arif, put in three laps in the 10-minute qualifying session as he scorched the track, displaying impressive pace. Jagan (01:55.231) qualified second ahead of Ahamed (01:55.951) for tomorrow’s Race-1 of the double-header.

    Also grabbing pole position was Prabhu Arunagiri of Team Alisha Abdullah with a lap of 01:53.872 in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category where he is third on the leaderboard for this class with 114 points. Championship leader Satyanarayana Raju of Gusto Racing (119 points) qualified third behind Sparks Racing’s Rahil Pilarishetty (66). The other title contender, Amarnath Menon (118), also of Gusto Racing, and struggling for pace, will start fourth on the grid tomorrow.

    In the Girls section, leader Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing comfortably bagged the pole position (02:13.615), well ahead of Kalyani Potekar (Apex Racing Academy) and privateer Nivetha Kumar.

    Bengaluru-based Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing), enjoying a 16-point advantage, took the top spot on the front row in the Pro-Stock 165cc category with a lap of 01:59.630 while Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) and Soorya PM (TVS Racing) completed the front row of the grid.

    The results (Qualifying – National Championship):

    Super Sport 165cc: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01min, 54.906secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.231); 3. Ahamed Arif (TVS Racing) (01:55.951).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc: 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (01:53.872); 2. Rahil Pillarishetty (Sparks Racing) (01:53.880); 3. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (01:54.411).

    Pro-Stock 165cc: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01:59.630); 2. Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (02:00.091); 3. Soorya PM (TVS Racing) (02:00.243).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (02:13.615); 2. Kalyani Potekar (Apex Racing Academy) (02:15.406); 3. Nivetha Kumar (Pvt) (02:16.555).

    Stock 165cc: 1. Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind) (02:08.638); 2. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (02:08.721); 3. Anand R (Chennai) (02:08.821).

    One-Make Championship – TVS Apache 200 (Novice): 1. Kathik Mateti (Hyderabad) (02:16.433); 2. Alexander AS (Chennai) (02:20.305); 3. Anand R (Chennai) (02:20.720).

    Honda Talent Cup – CBR 150 (Novice): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (02;07.829); 2. K Vasant Habib (Gadag) (02:09.132); 3. Anandhu KK (Chennai) (02:10.042). CBR 250: 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (02:01.251); 2. Amit Richard Topno (Ranchi) (02:01.271); 3.Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (02:02.076).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors, and to this end, it has chalked out various progressive programmes. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2014, making it the only club which owns such a facility that has been further upgraded with international-standard Paddock, complete with VIP hospitality suites, 20 spacious garages and a separate Paddock on the western side with its own circuit. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships (2-wheelers) besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

  • Over 200 entries as MMRT set for grand finale of Indian National bike championship

    Over 200 entries as MMRT set for grand finale of Indian National bike championship

    Chennai, 12 Dec 2018: The 2018 MRF MMSC Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship is set for a thrilling finish with close battles for the titles in various categories as the fifth and final round, boasting of over 200 entries, starts at the Madras Motorsports Race Trust (MMRT) circuit, here on Friday with 21 races, besides qualifying sessions, to be run over three days.

    The final round is organised by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

    The card includes One-Make Championships by Honda (Talent Cup – CBR 250 Open and CBR 150 for Novice) and TVS (Apache 310 Open and Apache 200 for Novice), besides a support event, the Alisha Abdullah Inter-College Star Race (Formula LGB 1300) which will have a 11-car grid comprising college students, including 16-year old Deepika from Krishnagiri, and in a first, transgender Apsara Reddy, also a journalist, as a guest driver who will race on Sunday.

    It has been a season of surprises and close races. More notably, MRF Tyres provided a huge boost to the championship by offering slick tyres for the two top categories, the Super Sport 165cc and the Pro-Stock 301-400cc. The slick tyres met with unanimous approval of the riders who were able to put in faster lap times due to the higher grip levels, especially through the corners.

    Also, the initiative of Madras Motor Sports Club to unearth fresh talent has been an unqualified success with ever-increasing number of entries from first-timers competing in the Stock 165cc category. With about 50 Novice riders in the fray, MMSC introduced heats to arrive at the final grid for the point-scoring race. Hyderabad teenager Karthik Mateti of Sparks Racing and team-mate Aditya Rao from Bengaluru, exerted dominance to head the leaderboard with 86 and 70 points, respectively, winning three of the four races between them.

    Similarly, Honda and TVS attracted over 20 entries apiece for in both Open and Novice categories. The TVS race for girls also proved popular with about 15 riders on the grid. Also to be run is the final round of the TVS Media championship.

    While the titles in all the National Championship categories are still up for grabs, much of the attention will be on the premier Super Sport 165cc double-header. With a maximum of 50 points on offer, another bitter fight between TVS Racing and Honda Ten10 riders is on the cards. TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar (148 points), eyeing his seventh title, enjoys a healthy lead over team-mate KY Ahamed (128). Honda Ten10 rider, Rajiv Sethu, has much work to do as he trails Ahamed by 23 points.

    The two races this weekend in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category will also be closely watched. As many as four are riders in contention for the title. Leading the pack is Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (119 points), just ahead of his Gusto Racing team-mate Amarnath Menon (118) from Kozhikode. Behind the duo are Chennai’s Prabhu Arunagiri of Team Alisha Abdullah (114) and Hyderabad’s Peddu Sriharsha (91) of Sparks Racing.

    Likewise, it is a four-pronged battle for the title in the Pro-Stock 165cc category where Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (131 points) of Honda Ten10 Racing leads, ahead of Chennai’s Kevin Kannan (115, Rockers Racing). Not far behind the two leaders are Coimbatore’s Senthil Kumar (106, Honda Ten10 Racing) and Hyderabad’s Rahil Pilarishetty (94, Sparks Racing).

    The National Championship for girls has been dominated by Chennai riders Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) who won three of the four races for a tally of 75 points, Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) with 63, and Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) with 55.

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors, and to this end, it has chalked out various progressive programmes. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2014, making it the only club which owns such a facility that has been further upgraded with international-standard Paddock, complete with VIP hospitality suites, 20 spacious garages and a separate Paddock on the western side with its own circuit. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships (2-wheelers) besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

     

  • Rajiv Sethu leads Honda charge; double for Prabhu Arunagiri; Maiteti tops in Novice class

    Chennai, 23 September 2018: Rajiv Sethu successfully led a Honda assault on TVS Racing’s supremacy to score a brilliant victory over defending champion Jagan Kumar in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

    The victory notwithstanding, Jagan, the TVS Racing team’s spearhead, garnered crucial 18 points for his second-place finish today that consolidated his position at the top of the championship table with a tally of 148 ahead of team-mate KY Ahamed (128), winner of the first race yesterday and who finished fourth behind Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar in the second outing today.

    The other highlight of the day was the grand double by Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category which is set for a grandstand finish in the final round in December. Only five points separate the top three – Satyanarayana Raju of Gusto Racing (119), team-mate Amarnath Menon (118) and Arunagiri (114).

    Hyderabad’s 19-year old collegian Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) chalked up a dominating win in the Novice (Stock 165cc) race to take a 16-point lead in the championship. Another rider from Hyderabad, 20-year old Rahil Pillari Shetty, also from Sparks Racing, followed suit with a season’s maiden win in the highly competitive Pro-Stock 165cc category where Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing), who finished second today, continues to head the leaderboard with 131 points to Kevin Kannan’s (Rockers Racing) 115.

    The focus today was on the Super Sport race which turned out to be Hitchcockian thriller with pole-sitter Sethu and Jagan playing the lead roles. Sethu lost his track position early in the first lap with gearing problem which allowed Jagan to move into the front. However, Sethu, who had finished fifth in yesterday’s Race 1 after a crash, fought back to regain the lead midway through the eight-lap race and then hung on grimly to score his third win of the season. Jagan was just one-tenth of a second adrift at the finish, but well ahead of Mathana Kumar who held off Ahamed.

    “At Turn-3 in the first lap, the gears tended to slip and I had to firmly put my foot down on the pedal to avoid any more slippage. Jagan went past me, but later, I managed to pass him on the straight. Thereafter, it was a close fight and I had a scary moment in the penultimate lap when I almost lost balance in the Bridge Complex, but managed to hold it together for the win,” said Sethu.

    Jagan said: “I did my best and pushed the bike to its limit, but Rajiv was a bit more quicker. He overtook me on the straight and from then on, I just could not catch him.”

    The Pro-Stock 301-400cc race saw another dominant performance by Arunagiri who set a scorching pace from the start to win from Raju and Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing). In a repeat of yesterday’s Race-1, Arunagiri kept increasing his lead with every lap while behind him, Raju strove manfully to catch up, but failed. Further down the grid, Menon, who led the championship going into this weekend’s Round 4, came in a distant fifth behind Peddu Sriharsha (Sparks Racing).

    Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) won the Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship race comfortably, ahead of Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind, Haryana) and Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore).

    The results (Provisional):

    Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15mins, 32.320secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (15:32.450); 3. S Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15:37.725).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdulla) (15:24.129); 2. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (15:24.706); 3. Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing) 15:34.637).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rahil PIllari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (16:09.127); 2. Anish Shetty (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (16:14.615); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (16:14.851).

    Novice (Stock, 165cc) 6 laps: 1. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (13:00.950); 2. Varun Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (13:03.720); 3. Venkatesan I (pvt. Chennai) (13:05.622).

    Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) (13:12.040); 2. Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind) (13:15.887); 3.Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore) (13: 17.760).

  • KY Ahamed pips mentor Jagan in the last lap; Jagan still leads the table: SuperSport 165 cc Class

    KY Ahamed pips mentor Jagan in the last lap; Jagan still leads the table: SuperSport 165 cc Class

    • Ann Jennifer takes honours in Girls race
    KY Ahamed (33) on way to winning the Super Sport Indian 165cc race from Jagan Kumar (3) and Mathana Kumar (46) on 22 Sept 2018. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 22 Sept. 2018: KY Ahamed scored a sensational last-lap victory in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class to lead a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    On a day which witnessed crashes in virtually every race, Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) took the honours in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class race that was red-flagged and re-started while Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) was gifted a victory in the Pro-Stock 165cc race after leader and team-mate Mithun Kumar went down.

    Ann Jennifer, wins the National Championship Girls race to extend her Championship lead.

    Meanwhile, 17-year old collegian from Chennai, Ann Jennifer chalked up her third win of the season in the Girls (Stock, 165cc) race after surviving a close fight with her Sparks Racing team-mate Ryhana Bee.

    The final outcome of the Super Sport race was in suspense until the last lap with Ahamed, his team-mate and defending champion Jagan Kumar and Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu locked in a tight battle. On the last lap, going into the right-hander before the Bridge Complex “S”, Sethu ran wide and crashed even as Jagan dipped on the inside to overtake. It put Ahamed in the clear as he flashed across the finish line ahead of his mentor Jagan for his third win of the season. Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar came home a distant third, followed by team-mate Sarath Kumar while Sethu picked himself up to finish fifth.

    The result took Jagan’s tally to 130 followed by Ahamed (116), Sarath and Mathana (both 82) and Sethu (80), going into tomorrow’s Race-2 of the double-header.


    Senthil Kumar, winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc race

    The Pro-Stock 301-400cc race saw championship leader Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) crashing at Turn-3 which brought out the red flag. On re-start, Arunagiri, who had led from pole, maintained his track position at the very front to win comfortably even as his nearest challenger Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) retired due to an electrical failure. Finishing behind Arunagiri were Sparks Racing duo of Rahil Shetty and Peddu Sriharsha. With his second win of the season, Arunagiri moved up to 89 points to be placed third behind Menon (108) and Raju (101), going into the second race tomorrow.

    The results (Provisional):

    Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11mins, 43.269secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (11:43.938); 3. S Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (11:47.955).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah Racing) (09:47.289); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (09:53.426); 3. Peddu Sri Harsha (Sparks Racing) (09:58.214).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:09.582); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) (12:11.485); 3. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (12:11.778).

    Girls (Stock, 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (11:11.767); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:12.072); 3.Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (11:25.611).

    Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice, Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) (11:07.221); 2. Ajai Xavier (Pune) (11:07.843); 3. Hari Prasath (Vellore) (11:20.423).

  • Rajiv Sethu, Prabhu Arunagiri, Mithun Kumar grab pole positions

    Chennai, 21 Sept. 2018: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing snatched the pole position in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class ahead of his TVS Racing rivals to set up an intriguing contest on the morrow after qualifying session in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    Sethu put in a blistering lap of one minute, 54.999 seconds to nose out TVS Racing duo of defending champion Jagan Kumar (01:55.034) and Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.409). Jagan heads the championship table with 112 points, well clear of team-mate KY Ahamed (91) who qualified fourth (01:55.481). Sethu (70), who drew a blank in the previous round earlier this month, is placed fourth in the championship behind Ravikumar (74).

    Earlier, Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category though he did just three laps, but his timing of 01:54.857 was enough to put him ahead of the pack. Sparks Racing’s Rahil Pilari Shetty was second quickest followed by championship leader in this category, Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing).

    Mithun Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing topped the qualifying session in the Pro-Stock 165cc class with Naresh Babu (RACR) and Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) completing the front row for tomorrow’s race.

    Sparks Racing riders dominated the qualifying sessions in the Novice (165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) categories by claiming top two slots. In the Girls category, championship leader Ann Jennifer expectedly took the pole position ahead of team-mate Ryhana Bee while Bengaluru’s Aditya Immaneni and Karthik Mateti from Hyderabad were 1-2 in the Novice (165cc) class.

    Immaneni enjoyed a fruitful afternoon as he also clinched pole position in the Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice).

    The results (Qualifying):

    Super Sport Indian (165cc): 1. Rajiv Sethi (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (01min, 54.999sec); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.034); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.409).

    Pro-Stock (301-400cc): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (01:54.857); 2. Rahil Pilari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (01:55.962); 3. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (01:56.307).

    Pro-Stock (165cc): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten10 Racing) (1:59.601); 2. Naresh Babu (RACR) (1:59.658); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten 10Racing) (2:00.510).

    Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Sparks Racing) (02:08.109); 2. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (02:08.570); 3. Venkatesan I (Pvt, Chennai) (02:09.011).

    Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (02:13.582); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (02:13.605); 3. Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (02:16.014).

    Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice): 1. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Bengaluru) (02:09.825); 2. Nithin S (Bengaluru) (02:10.873); 3. Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore) (02:11.571).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors, and to this end, it has chalked out various progressive programmes. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2014, making it the only club which owns such a facility that has been further upgraded with international-standard Paddock, complete with VIP hospitality suites, 20 spacious garages and a separate Paddock on the western side with its own circuit. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships (2-wheelers) besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

  • TVS Racing-Honda rivalry continues but it’s advantage Jagan: Bike Nationals

    TVS Racing-Honda rivalry continues but it’s advantage Jagan: Bike Nationals

    Chennai, 20 Sept 2018: Reigning champion Jagan Kumar, who began his campaign on a slow note this year, in the  premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class, but picked up speed and is now well ahead of his staunch rivals from Honda who were trailing behind another TVS riders as the fourth round of the MRF Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 organised by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (fmsci) begins here on Friday.

    Jagan is riding high with 112 points for TVS Racing while teammate KY Ahamed is second with 91 points in second with another TVS rider Deepak Ravikumar (74) in third. Honda rivals Rajiv Sethu (70), Sarath Kumar (70) and Mathana Kumar (67) are placed in that order from 4th to 6th before the start of the fourth round.  The round which is put off due to the death of former Chief Minister Karunanidhi is scheduled for the middle of December after the monsoon break.

    The season enters its crucial phase when the focus shifts from just performance to scoring points as the fourth and penultimate round gets underway at the MMRT circuit.

    The final rounds of MMSC Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2018 for both four and two-wheelers will also be held post-lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

    With the two-wheeler racing championship titles in all categories still wide open and no rider within a sniffing distance of it, this weekend is expected to be more about strategy and tactics in a bid to gain maximum points possible.

    A unique feature of the racing championship is the participation of India’s top motorcycle manufacturers in various categories, dishing out thrilling contests involving not just the country’s leading riders, but also the Novice whose numbers is on the upswing with each round.

    Further, title sponsors of the championship, MRF, have also upped the ante by providing slick tyres to three categories – the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc, Pro-Stock (301-400cc) and Pro-Stock 165cc – leading to faster lap timings. The riders in these categories are unanimous in their appreciation of MRF’s gesture that has taken racing a couple of notches higher.

    While the top guns have benefitted greatly using the MRF slick tyres, MMSC’s continued efforts to spread the sport among Novice riders has borne rich dividends if the growing number of entries is any indication.

    Likewise, the Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship in the Novice category has attracted about 60 entries with 40 being the cut-off to make the multiple qualifying rounds which, in turn, decide the final 20 riders for the two points-scoring races.

    If the competition among Novice (Stock 165cc) riders is razor-sharp with just three points separating Sparks Racing team-mates Karthik Mateti (61) and Aditya Rao Immaneni (58).

    The Pro-Stock 301-400cc category is developing into a straight fight between Gusto Racing team-mates Amarnath Menon (108) from Kozhikode and Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (101) while in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty (101) has a healthy lead over local challenger Kevin Kannan (85) of Rockers Racing.

    In the Girls category, it is extremely tight at the top with Ann Jennifer (50 points, Sparks Racing) leading Shruthi Nagarajan (48, Apex Racing Academy) by just two points. Jennifer, after winning two races on the trot, crashed in the third round which Shruthi won to stay in contention.