INDIA in F1

Tag: MMSC

  • MRF F1600 triple-header to highlight 12-race card: 4w Racing Nationals

    MRF F1600 triple-header to highlight 12-race card: 4w Racing Nationals

    Irrungattukottai, 19 July 2018: The third round of the MRF Indian National Racing Championship which has never failed to dish out high octane action while witnessing emergence of fresh talent, gets off to a start at the MMRT, about 40 km from Chennai, on Friday even as the competition hots up among title contenders in various categories. The Racing Nationals are organised by Madras Motor Sports Club under the aegis of the National governing body for the sport, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (fmsci).

    The championship returns to the MMRT after a gap of five months after the first round in February and the next in Coimbatore last month. A card of 12 races has been scheduled for the weekend. The programme includes Volkswagen Ameo Cup besides the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2018 for four-wheelers which will be run post-lunch on Saturday and Sunday,

    The three races in the MRF F1600, now in its seventh season, has proven to be an excellent platform for young guns to showcase their racing talent. The added incentive to the winner of the championship in the MRF F1600 is the chance to participate in the Mazda Road to Indy shootout in the United States later this year which has been organized by the MMSC. The winner of the shootout will receive a scholarship of USD 200,000.

    The previous round at Coimbatore witnessed the emergence of 19-year old Ashwin Datta from Chennai who won all three MRF F1600 races in a display of raw pace that blitzed the field and gave himself a head-start in the championship.

    The other open-wheel single-seater category, Formula LGB 1300, threw up three different winners – Team MSport’s Nabil Hussain and Sohail Shah, and Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) – in the season-opening triple-header in Coimbatore last month that accurately reflected the competitiveness of the races.

    Among saloon cars, the premier Indian Touring Cars category should witness the more thrilling action. The previous round in Coimbatore was all about returning stars as Coimbatore ace Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), back on track after a five-year break, won both the races to close in on championship leader Ashish Ramaswamy (ARKA Motorsports) from Bengaluru. Just 18 points separate the duo with veteran B Vijayakumar (Prime Racing) and Nikanth Ram (ARKA Motorsports) sandwiched in between.

    A fresh addition to this grid is last year’s champion, Coimbatore-based Arjun Narendran (ARKA Motorsports) who returns after sitting out the previous two rounds and his presence is expected to further sharpen the competitive edge.

    In the other saloon cars categories, K Srinivas Teja (Prime Racing) heads the Super Stock with one win and four podiums as also Prabhu AS (ARKA Motorsports) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars while Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing), having won four races, is ahead in the Esteem Cup.

    The Round 2 of Volkswagen Ameo Cup is again expected to dish out its share of thrillers as witnessed in the previous round at Coimbatore where Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite achieved a credible double to take a firm lead in the championship.

    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 endeavour 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.

     

  • Triple crown for Bengaluru’s Hemant Mudappa in National Drag Race

    Chennai, 8 July 2018: Bengaluru’s Hemant Mudappa scored a hat-trick of wins in three different categories to dominate the first round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Drag Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

    Mudappa was the quickest in the premier Super Sport Unrestricted class while also topping in the 1051cc and Above, and the 851-1050cc categories.

    The results (Provisional):

    Super Sport Unrestricted: Hemant Mudappa (Bengaluru) (08.589secs); 2. Hafizullah Khan (Bengaluru) (08.598); 3. Manohar BN (Bengaluru) (9.285).

    4-Stroke – 1051cc and Above: 1. Hemant Mudappa (Bengaluru) (08.762); 2. Hafizullah Khan (Bengaluru) (09.063).

    851-1050cc: 1. Hemant Mudappa (Bengaluru) (08.538); 2. Anosh Khumbatta (Mumbai) (08.987); 3. Manohar BN (Bengaluru) (09.252).

    361-550cc: 1. Aswin Kumar R (Chennai) (12.903); 2. Kevin Seetharaman (Hyderabad) (13.238); 3. Antony Peter (Coimbatore) (13.350).

    Up to 165cc: 1. Jagan Kumar (Chennai) (14.210); 2. Aravind Ganesh (Chennai) (14.482); 3. Gowtham R (Bengaluru) (15.096). 166-225cc: 1. Harshil Thakur (Mumbai) (14.536); 2. Vaibhav Mathre (Mumbai) (14.657); 3. Sameer Ali (Mumbai) (15.103).

    2-Stroke – Up to 130cc: 1. Hussain Khan (Mumbai) (14.409); 2. Aravind Ganesh (Chennai) (14.595); 3. Syed Nadeem (Bengaluru) (14.598). 131-165cc: Hussain Khan (Mumbai) (12.706); 2. Md Touheed (Bengaluru) (13.310); 3. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (13.337).

  • Rajiv Sethu pips champ Jagan Kumar for a double: Bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu pips champ Jagan Kumar for a double: Bike Nationals

    • Rajiv Sethu (No.8) leads Jagan Kumar (background) on way to a fine win in the Super Sport Indian 165cc race on Sunday. Photos by Anand Philar

      Fine win for Hyderabad rookie Karthik Meteti

    • Amarnath Menon, Naresh Babu chalk up victories

    Chennai, 8 July 2018: Local lad Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) ended the weekend on a high by achieving a double in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 concluded at the MMRT here on Sunday.

    In a virtual repeat of Saturday’s Race-1, Sethu scored another win over National champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) who, after leading for much of the eight-lap race, yielded ground and finished second ahead of Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing). The double win took Sethu to the top of the championship standings with 70 points, well clear of defending champion Jagan (62).

    Second-placed Sathyanarayana Raju (left) congratuating winner Amarnath Menon after the Pro-Stock 301-400cc-class-race on July 8.

    Also scoring wins today were Kozhikode’s Amarnath Menon who led a 1-2 finish for Gusto Racing in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class, Naresh Babu of RACR (Pro-Stock 165cc) and Karthik Mateti who headed a Sparks Racing podium sweep in the Novice category while also setting a lap record in this class.

    Sethu and Jagan were again locked in a tight fight from the start. Pole-sitter Jagan, though managed to stay ahead of Sethu, could not pull away. In the penultimate of the eight-lap race, Sethu finally moved past Jagan to emerge comfortable winner.

    Amarnath Menon was involved in a three-way battle that included yesterday’s Race-1 winner and team-mate Sathyanarayana Raju and Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah). As the race progressed, Menon and Raju swapped lead positions lap by lap while opening up a gap on Arunagiri. Eventually, Menon got his nose in front and hung on to win his second race of the season with Raju in second spot followed by Arunagiri. Menon now heads the championship in this class with 72 points, 11 clear of Raju.

    Earlier, Sparks Racing team swept all three podium spots in the Novice (Stock, 165cc) category race with Mateti, a 19-year old Commerce student from Hyderabad, Aditya Rao (Bengaluru) and Alexander AS (Chennai) taking the chequered flag in that order after a close fight. After two rounds, Mateti and Rao are tied with 43 points apiece, having one race apiece.

    Karthik Mateti from Hyderabad (No.72), wins the Novice (Stock 165cc) class race on Sunday.

    It was a fine win for rookie Mateti who is in his first full season of racing. He had participated in a few rounds of a one-make series last year before running out of funds. “I did not have much clue about racing bikes last year until I joined Sparks Racing. Today, it was a tough race and happy to win,” said Mateti who bettered the lap record set by Sathyanarayana Raju when he posted a best lap of 02mins, 07.492secs.

    The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    Super Sport Indian (165cc) – Race 2: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15mins, 37.026sec); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (15:40.465); 3. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15:57.911).

    Pro-Stock (165cc) – Race 2: 1. Naresh Babu (RACR) (16:57.586); 2. Anish D Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten 10 Racing) (17:03.115); 3. Senthil Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten 10 Racing) (17:07.286).

    Pro-Stock (301-400cc) – Race 2: 1. Amarnath Menon K (Gusto Racing India) (15:37.673); 2. Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing India) (15:38.943); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (15:39.216).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, 6 laps): 1. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (13:01.676); 2. Aditya Rao I (Sparks Racing) (13.04.384); 3. Alexander AS (Sparks Racing) (13:04.663).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC – Open (CBR 250cc) Race 2: 1. Anish Shetty (Bengaluru) (16:48.671); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (16:49.460); 3. Amit Richard Toppo (Ranchi) (16:49.692). Novice (CBR 150cc) Race 2 (6 laps): 1. Mohamed Mikail (Chennai) (13:23.224); 2. Kritik Vasan Habib (Karnataka) (13:34.011); 3. Akshay V Murali (Kerala) 13:47.298.

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache R310) Race 2: 1. Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (16:21.188); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (16:21.244); 3. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (16:30.900). Novice (Apache 200) Race 2 (6 laps): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (13:37.283); 2. Venkatesan (Chennai) (13:50.679); 3. Alexander AS (Chennai) (13:50.726).

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  • Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty post fluent wins: Bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty post fluent wins: Bike Nationals

    Chennai, 7 July 2018: Teenager Rajiv Sethu of Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing kept his wits about to win a tense battle against his arch-rival and defending champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class in the second round of the MRF Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship organised by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) at Irungattukottai, near here, on Saturday.

    Anish Shetty image by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Equally impressive winner was the techie from Bengaluru, 23-year old Anish Shetty, who survived a close battle that went down to the wire, to finish on top in the Pro-Stock 165cc class. It was Shetty’s third win in a row, this season.

    The combined race of Super Sport Indian and Pro-Stock 165cc was reduced from six laps to four following a heavy crash before Turn-3 resulting in a red flag on the very first lap. One of the riders involved in the incident, 21-year old Prashanth Kumar (Sparks Racing) from Karimnagar, was immediately rushed to the hospital where he is said to be in a “critical, but stable” conditions after suffering multiple injuries.

    On re-start, it was a virtual sprint thereafter, as Sethu, starting second on the grid behind Jagan Kumar, bided his time before the TVS racer ran wide in the penultimate lap. It was just the opening Sethu was waiting for, and he made his move and, held position for his first win of the season.Behind the front runners, championship leader KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) fell at the Bridge Complex “S” when running in the front bunch and eventually finished sixth. Jagan crossed the finish line in second position, followed by Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) to complete the podium.

    Likewise, Anish Shetty was involved in a four-cornered fight throughout the four-lap race with lead changing hands before he broke through to win a tight contest, pipping team-mate Senthil Kumar and Naresh Babu (RACR).

    Chennai’s Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing notched her second consecutive win in as many outings this season in the Girls (Stock, 165cc) championship race with ease while experienced Alisha Abdullah (Team Alisha Abdullah) and Sruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) finished second and third, respectively.

    The day ended with another big crash, this time in the Girls race of the TVS One-Make Championship as RC Czimkhy from Thiruvananthapuram fell and was taken to the hospital with injuries. Her condition is said to be stable.

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

    Super Sport Indian (165cc, 4 laps) – Race 1: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten 10 Racing) (07min, 51.210sec); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (07:53.966); 3. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten 10 Racing) (07:54.735).

    Pro-Stock (165cc, 4 laps) – Race 1: 1. Anish Shetty (IdemitsuHonda Ten 10 Racing) (08: 36.405); 2. Senthil Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten 10 Racing) (08:36.455); 3. Naresh Babu (RACR) (08:37.318).

    Girls (Novice, 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (11:35.960); 2. Alisha Abdullah (Team Alisha Abdullah) (11:38.525); 3. Sruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing) (11:38.649).

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC – Open (CBR 250cc, 6 laps) Race 1: 1. Anish D Shetty (Hubbali) (12:39.833); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (12:39.963); 3. Amit Richard Toppo (Ranchi) (12:40.409).Novice (CBR 150cc) Race 1: 1. Mohamed Mukail (Chennai) (13:10.085); 2. Akshay V Murali (Kerala) (13:27.386); 3. Anandhu KK (Chennai) (13:38.297).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache R310) Race 1: 1. Amarnath Menon (Calicut) (12:22.067); 2. Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (12:22.529); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (12: 22.811).Novice (Apache 200) Race 1: 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (13:41.697); 2. Anand R (Chennai) (13:52.409); 3. Venkatesan (Chennai) (13:58.514).Girls (Apache 200, 5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai) (11:46.202); 2. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (11:47.052); 3. Priyanka Kochar (Mumbai) (12:21.837).

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  • Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju blasts to easy victory: FMSCI Bike Nationals

    Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju blasts to easy victory: FMSCI Bike Nationals

    Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing), on way to victory in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race at MMRT on Friday. Photos Anand Philar

    Chennai, 6 July 2018: Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) from Hyderabad turned in a brilliant performance to win the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class race in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at Irungattukottai, near here, on Friday.

    Riding the KTM RC 390, Raju, a 20-year old Computer Science student, who won the championship last year in the Honda CBR 150 category, authored a lights-to-flag victory that underlined his absolute dominance in the six-lap race that saw him lead a 1-2 finish for his team, Gusto Racing, with last year’s champion in this category, Kozhikode’s Amarnath Menon coming in second ahead of local challenger Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah).

    Reflecting on the race, Raju, who also posted the fastest lap of the race (01:54.744) that bettered his pole-winning time of 01:55.425 in the qualifying earlier today, said: “I had a good start and really pushed over the first three laps to open up a comfortable gap. Thereafter, I eased a bit, not wanting to crash like I did in the first round last month. Yeah, it feels good and I must also compliment the MRF slick tyres which worked quite beautifully today with good grip, especially through the corners.”

    While Raju vanished into the distance, behind him, Menon fought to hold off Prabhu while behind them, battle raged on for minor positions in an entertaining race.

    Earlier, in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class qualifying run, it was a familiar story of defending champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing easing his way to pole position with a scorching lap of 01:55.625 which, incidentally, was his best effort at the MMRT.

    Second on the grid for Saturday’s Race 1 was arch-rival Rajiv Sethu of Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing who timed 01:55.952, ahead of Deepak Ravikumar, also of TVS Racing (01:57.041). Championship leader KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) who was the quickest in yesterday’s free practice session could only put in just three laps due to dust in the carburettor, finished fifth in 01:57.674 behind Sarath Kumar of Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing (01:57.516).

    Others qualifying for pole positions in their respective categories were:

    Pro-Stock 165cc: Mithun Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing, 02:06.163). Novice (165cc): Alexander AS (Sparks Racing) (02:09.323). Girls: Sruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (02:15.891). Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC: Anish D Shetty (Hubballi) (02:05.032). Novice (CBR 150): Kritik Vasan Habib (Karnataka) (02:13.568). TVS One-Make Championship – Open (Apache RR310): Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (02:01.629). Novice (Apache RTR 200): Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (02:15.511). Girls (Apache RTR 200): Anne Jennifer (Chennai) (02:19.920).

    Results (Provisional):

    Pro-Stock (301-400cc) Race 1 (6 laps): 1. Sathyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (11mins, 38.079secs); 2. Amarnath K Menon (Gusto Racing) (11:39.897); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (11:40.966).

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  • MRF slick tyres make strong debut as riders go quicker: Bike Nationals

    MRF slick tyres make strong debut as riders go quicker: Bike Nationals

    KY Ahamed (No.33) who topped the Super Sport Indian 165cc class during free practice session on Thursday. Image by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 5 July 2018: The slick tyre made a promising debut and received a thumbs up from all the riders who used them during the free practice session as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT circuit here on Thursday.

    MRF supplied slick tyres for the premier Super Sport Indian (165cc) and the Pro-Stock 301-400cc classes. The impact of the slick tyres, being used for the first time in the championship, had an immediate impact with timings improving by about two seconds with the likelihood of dropping further at race pace this weekend.

    The fastest rider on the track today in the 165cc class, KY Ahamed of TVS Racing, who leads the Super Sport Indian 165cc class following a double win in the first round last month, spoke glowingly about the MRF slick tyres after the practice session.

    “We all are very happy with the MRF slick tyres. The tyres offer far better grip and I had more confidence taking the corners than before without any fear of crashing. I did 1:56 today and I feel, this timing could come down further at race pace. It is just a question of getting used to the slicks and with more confidence, we can go quicker,” said Ahamed.

    The MRF slick tyres received equally good reviews in the Honda Ten10 camp with experienced international rider Sarath Kumar saying: “The slicks are definitely good and we could lean much more in the corners with confidence due to the high grip.”

    In fact, Ahamed, his team-mate and defending champion Jagan Kumar, and Sarath were all in the one minute, 56 seconds bracket with others not far behind, thus raising the prospects of close races over the weekend.

    Karthik Mateti of Sparks Racing topped the time sheets in the Novice category (Stock, up to 165cc), clocking 02:08.975 while Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) was the quickest in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class and Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) topped among Girls (Stock, up to 165cc).

    The results (Free Practice):

    Super Sport Indian & Pro-Stock165cc: 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (01min, 56.177secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (1:56.552); 3. Sarath Kumar (Ten 10 Racing) (1:56.796).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc: 1. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (01:56.147); 2. Dinesh Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) (01:56.284); 3. Peddu Sriharsha (Sparks Racing) (01:56.284).

    Novice (Stock, up to 165cc): 1. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (2:08.975); 2. Aditya Rao I (Sparks Racing) (2:09.555); 3. Annish Samson (Speedup Racing) (2:09.702).

    Girls (Stock, up to 165cc): Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (02:15.631); 2. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (02:16.566); 3. Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (02:17.364).

  • Triple for Ashwin Datta in MRF F1600; Arjun Balu dominates Touring Cars class

    Triple for Ashwin Datta in MRF F1600; Arjun Balu dominates Touring Cars class

    Ashwin Datta (No.7) in action on Sunday. Photo: Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 24 June 2018: For the second day running, young Ashwin Datta (MRF F1600) and veteran Arjun Balu (Indian Touring Cars) hogged the limelight with a triple and a double, respectively, as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Sunday.

    Datta, a 19-year old from Chennai and making his debut in the MRF F1600 class, finished the weekend by winning all the three races while Balu, 43, marked his return to racing after a five-year break by dominating the premier Indian Touring Cars class where he won both the races in imperious style.

    Ashwin Datta. Photo: Anand Philar

    In the morning, Datta, who had won the first race of the triple-header on Saturday, was off to a great start as he made three places in the very first lap before an incident brought out the Safety Car. On re-start, Datta wasted little time to ease past the front-runners and gradually opened up a commanding lead to emerge a creditable winner with Bengaluru teenager Yash Aradhya and Chennai’s Nabil Hussain following him over the finish line.

    Datta, in just his third full season of racing, having graduated from junior Formula competitions, sustained the momentum by winning the third MRF F1600 race in the afternoon, this time, from flag to lights despite two Safety Car interruptions.

    “The wins are unbelievable. I had good pace through the weekend. My progression in the past couple of seasons has been mainly due to my initial training at Meco Motorsports and later at Momentum Motorsports who nurtured me. Frankly, my target for the weekend was to finish in the top five, but am happy that everything came together,” said the 6ft, 2in tall Ashwin who dropped his weight from 94 Kgs to 72 Kgs in two months to get fit for the races.

    Earlier today, Datta, representing Momentum Motorsports, clinched his second podium in Formula LGB 1300 class races by finishing second behind Nabil Hussain (MSport) while Sohil Shah (MSport) came in third. Incidentally, the trio won a race apiece in this weekend’s triple-header.

    Arjun Balu on a charge. Photo: Anand Philar

    For Balu (Race Concepts), it was a memorable comeback this weekend. Watched by his family, he started the race from fourth on the reverse grid, but quickly moved to second as the pack braked into Turn-1. By the second lap, Balu had taken the lead when an incident brought the Safety Car out. On re-start, the former champion stepped up the pace, unaware of the hectic battle raging behind him. Ashish Ramaswamy (ARKA Motorsports), winner of two races in the first round in February but a non-finisher in yesterday’s first race, moved up from 11th to finish second ahead of veteran B Vijayakumar (Prime Racing).

    Later, Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) from Bengaluru came up with a brilliant performance while winning the Super Stock race after starting from 13th on the grid. He cut through the field with ease and then, after chasing front-runner Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) for a few laps, made his move to hit the front. Thereafter, it was a virtual one-horse race as Veeresh Prasad ran out winner by a fair distance ahead of Ravikumar and K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing).

    Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) from Mumbai and Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) took the honours in the Indian Junior Touring Cars and Esteem Cup categories, respectively, that were run concurrently with the Super Stock cars.

    Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite dominated the Volkswagen Ameo Cup double-header by achieving a double. Starting eighth on the reverse grid, he showed impressive pace in winning today’s second race from Affan Sadat Safwan Islam (Bangladesh) and Saurav Bandyopadhyay from Thane. The race was reduced from the scheduled 15 to 12 laps following incidents that led to a red flag after five laps and a Safety Car period on re-start.

    The results (Provisional, all 15 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF Formula 1600 (Race 2): 1. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (17mins, 20.586secs); 2. Yash Aradhya (Bengaluru) (17:23.803); 3. Nabil Hussain (Chennai) (17:24.995). Race 3: 1. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (20:00.619); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (20:03.107); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (20:04.163).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race 2): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (21:00.044); 2. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (21:06.030); 3. B Vijaya Kumar (21:09.814).

    Super Stock (Race 2): 1. Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) (19:00.180); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) (19:07.638); 3. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (19:18.869).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 2): 1. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) (20:08.939); 2. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (20:14.901); 3. Prabhu AS (ARKA Motorsports) (19:15.470). Esteem Cup (Race 2): 1. Raghul Ramasamy (Performance Racing) (19:33.803); 2. Vinod S (Team N1) (19:39.926).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race 3): 1. Nabil Hussain (MSport) (17:25.704); 2. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (17:32.692); 3. Sohil Shah (MSport) (17:32.936).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race 2, 12 laps): 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (16:05.547); 2. Affan Sadat Safwan Islam (Chittagong, Bangladesh) (16:10.334); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (16:10.930).

  • Winning comeback by Arjun Balu; Teenager Ashwin Datta catches the eye: Racing Nationals

    Winning comeback by Arjun Balu; Teenager Ashwin Datta catches the eye: Racing Nationals

    Multiple National Racing Champion Arjun Balu made a winning comeback after 5 years for Bengaluru based Race Concepts team at Coimbatore on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 23 June 2018: Teenager Ashwin Datta and Arjun Balu delivered standout victories in the MRF F1600 and Indian Touring Cars categories, respectively, to set alight the second round of the MRFMMSCfmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Saturday.

    Also notching wins were Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Super Stock class, Chris D’Souza (Unimek Racing) from Goa (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Erode’s Vinod S (Team N1) in the Esteem Cup. The trio emerged unscathed from an incident-filled race of combined 16-car grid that witnessed two Safety Car periods.

    The two Formula LGB 1300 races witnessed close competition with Sohil Shah (MSport) from Bengaluru winning the first outing after a hectic scrap with team-mate Nabil Hussain from Chennaiwhile Ashwin Datta took the second race that witnessed a couple of crashes, but drivers escaping unhurt. Datta, only 19, drove brilliantly after dropping from second to fourth and overtook three cars to jump to the front and eventually win the race.

    The 19-year old Ashwin Datta overtook three cars in one corner and went on win the MRF1300 race (in pic) after a facile win in the MRF1600 for a grand double on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar

    In sharp contrast, Ashwin Datta earlier enjoyed an untroubled ride to victory in the first of the three MRF F1600 races scheduled for the weekend. Having started from pole position, Datta drove a near-flawless race to win by the proverbial country mile. Behind him, RaghulRangasamy, hailing from the temple town of Mamallapuram, fought his way to second spot ahead of Chennai’s Nirmal Umashanker. The remaining two races will be run on Sunday.

    Meanwhile, Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite put in a command performance to win the Volkswagen Ameo Cup race, initially losing track position after starting from pole. Finishing second behind him were Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad), who led briefly, and Thane lad Saurav Bandyopadhyay.

    For 43-year old Balu from Coimbatore, it was a comfortable lights-to-flag victory. Starting from pole position, he gradually built up a sizeable lead with Ashish Ramaswamy (ARKA Motorsports) and veteran Vidyaprakash (Prime Racing) in tow. However, Ashish, winner of two races in the first round in February, retired after his engine expired and it allowed Vidyaprakash and team-mate B Vijayakumar, also from Coimbatore, to second and third positions which they maintained till the finish.

    “Everything went well in the race and my focus was to put in consistent laps without sacrificing my pace. I could see that after three laps, I had pulled a decent gap. More importantly, this victory is dedicated to my team Race Concepts who worked so hard in the past few days to prepare the car. We were a bit nervous after the last minute changes to the car to comply with the regulations. I always respected my competitors and so did not take anything for granted despite qualifying on pole position,” said Balu who began his motorsport career in 1992 as a racer before getting into rallying in 1995, followed by an odd appearance in racing competition.

    The results (Provisional, all 15 laps unless mentioned):

    MRF F1600 (Race 1): 1. Ashwin Datta (Chennai) (15mins, 52.195secs); 2. RaghulRangasamy (Mamallapuram) (15:59.749); 3. Nirmal Umashanker (Chennai) (16:03.412).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race 1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (16:38.541); 2. D Vidya Prakash (Prime Racing) (16:46.128); 3. B Vijay Kumar (Prime Racing) (16:47.238).

    Super Stock (Race 1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (22:43.752); Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) (22:45.806); 3. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (22:48.777).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 1): 1. Chrys D’Souza (Unimek Racing) (22:54.799); 2. Prabhu AS (ARKA Motorsports) (22:57.507); 3. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (23:01.287).Esteem Cup (Race 1): 1. Vinod S (Team N1) (22:50.081). Only one finisher.

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race 1): 1. Sohil Shah (MSport) (19:20.665); 2. Nabil Hussain (MSport) (19:21.179); 3. A Balaprasath (DTS Racing) (19:22.636).Race 2:. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (17:32.137); 2. Rupesh Sivakumar (MSport) (17:51.678); 3. Nabil Hussain (MSport) (17:55.093).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race 1): 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kohlapur) (17:44.976); 2. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (17:49.205); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (17:54.758).

  • Packed, quality grids for second round at Coimbatore: MRF MMSC National Racing

    Packed, quality grids for second round at Coimbatore: MRF MMSC National Racing

    An INDIAinF1 file photo of a MRF F1600 car in action.

    Coimbatore, 21 June 2018: Packed and quality grids will feature the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship commencing at the Kari Motor Speedway here this weekend which will also witness the opening round of the Volkswagen Ameo Cup.

    As in the previous seasons, the MRF F1600 winner at the end of the championship comprising 12 races over four rounds, will earn the right to participate in the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States. The winner of the shootout will be eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000.

    The MRF Formula Ford 1600 will no doubt headline the programme. It boasts of a 14-strong line-up featuring established racers like Raghul Rangasamy, Kolkata’s Arya Singh, who last year won the Formula LGB 1300 championship, Karminder Singh, the 2017 VW Ameo Cup champion, Karting graduates Yash Aradhya and Nayan Chatterjee, besides Sandeep Kumar, the 2017 first runner-up.

    Chairman of the MMSC championship Vicky Chandhok said: “At this juncture, we must appreciate and acknowledge MRF’s long and committed association with motorsport in India, be it rallying or racing or motocross. It is thanks to MRF that we are able to run the racing championships, both cars and bikes, as they supply top quality tyres for all participants. Participation in motorsport has also helped MRF to develop World-class tyres as could be gauged from their success in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and now the World Rally Championship. Also, as title sponsors, MRF Tyres have helped Indian motorsport to grow and thrive.”

    The weekend card also includes the ever-popular saloon cars that will be competing in three categories – the premier Indian Touring Cars, the Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock besides the Esteem Cup – and the Formula LGB 1300 which, like MRF F1600, joins the National championship from this round.

    The ITC grid has been considerably strengthened as two Coimbatore veterans 54-year old Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan (ARKA Motor Sports) and Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), 43, both former champions, have thrown their hats in the ring. Leelakrishnan, who returned to racing after a gap of 17 years in 2011, sat out the 2017 season while Balu is staging a comeback after a lapse of five years.

    In the first round in February this year, Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy (ARKA Motor Sports) won two of the three races to tally 50 points and will be looking to consolidate, though the competition will be far stiffer this time.

    Volkswagen Motorsport India has finalised 19 new drivers who will take part in the 2018 Volkswagen Ameo Cup. All the VW Ameo cars will be fitted with MRF tyres. The list for the upcoming season includes two female drivers while Yash Ojha from Lucknow is the youngest on the grid at just 19 years. Like last year, there is one entry from Bangladesh who will lend the event an international flavour.

    The Ameo Cup champion will be decided over 10 races during the season and there will be two categories, Pro and Junior. At the end of the season, the winner of the Ameo Cup Pro class will get a sponsored drive in a higher category of racing, while the winner of the Junior category will be offered a sponsored drive in the next season of the Ameo Cup.

    As per the schedule, Friday has been set aside for practice sessions followed by qualifying and races the following two days.

    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.

  • KY Ahamed, Anish Shetty bag a double: Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Round 1

    KY Ahamed, Anish Shetty bag a double: Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Round 1

    Anish Shetty (44) in action on Sunday, 10 June 2018. Photos by Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 10 June 2018: Chennai youngster KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) and Anish Damodar Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) from Hubballi, Karnataka, scored a double apiece in their respective classes on Sunday as the Rolon Round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here.

    Ahamed, the 20-year old who made his debut in this class in 2015, rode another fine race to notch his maiden double even as reigning National champion and team-mate Jagan Kumar, who had finished second in the first race of the double-header yesterday, crashed following a front tyre deflationon the 10th lap and limped home sixth despite clocking the fastest lap of the race.

    Finishing second behind Ahamed was team-mate Deepak Ravikumar as TVS Racing completed their second 1-2 finish of the weekend. Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar was a disappointing third after leading in the opening two laps before dropping down to third as Ahamed and Jagan overtook him. After Jagan crashed, Mathana had a moment with a backmarker and saw Ravikumar move past him in the closing stages of the 15-lap race.

    “I am very happy with the double. It was a tough race, but I managed to hang on to my first place, especially after Jagan crashed,” said Ahamed.

    KY Ahamed (No,.33) easing past Mathana Kumar (46) en route winning the Super Sport Indian (165cc) race on 10 June at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore.

    Emulating Ahamed was 23-year old Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty in the Pro-Stock 165cc class who had to work hard for his victory as through the 15 laps, he was hotly chased by Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) and Mithun Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing). The trio finished in that order after an entertaining battle.

    Sparks Racing had a profitable outing in the Novice (Stock 165cc) class as Aditya Rao and Karthik Mateti delivered the team a 1-2 finish from a 32-rider grid that was arrived at after two heats. Akshay Murali (Apex Racing) completed the podium.

    There was more cheer for Sparks Racing as Ann Jennifer won the National championship girls race ahead of Nivetha Kumar (First 1 Racing) and Czimkhy RV from Trivandrum. The girls did well to hold their never as the eight-lap race was run in spells of sharp showers.

    The results (Provisional):

    NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP – Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race 2,15 laps): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (18mins, 23.078secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (18:23.550); 3. Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:24.464).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race 2,  15 laps): 1. Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:28.918); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) (19:29.420); 3. Mithun Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:31.426).

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race 2, 15 laps): 1. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (18:22.762); 2. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (18:25.077); 3. Antony Peter (Vortex Racing) (18:39.130).

    Stock 165cc (Novice, 10 laps):1. Aditya Rao (Sparks Racing) (13:28.042); 2. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (13:28.457); 3. Akshay V Murali (Apex Racing Academy) (13:37.568).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 8 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (11:55.766); 2. Nivetha Kumar (First 1 Racing) (12:01.280); 3. Czimkhy RV (Pvt) (12:11.675).

    One-Make Championship: Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup 2018 organised by MMSC – Race 2 (CBR 250, 15 laps): 1. Senthil Kumar (19:40.847); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubballi) (19:40.950); 3. Abhishek Vasudev (Bengaluru) (19:41.128).

    TVS – Open (Apache RR 310 R2)10 laps: 1. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (13:16.475); 2. Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (13:20.907); 3. PedduSriharsha (Hyderabad) (13:21.068). Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (19:30.812); 2. S Sivanesan (Chennai) (19:40.844); 3. PedduSriharsha (Hyderabad) (19:47.759). Novice (Apache RTR 200) Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (14:10.019); 2. Anand R (Chennai) (14:25.680); 3. AS Alexander (Chennai) (14:32.877).