INDIA in F1

Tag: MMSC

  • Arjun grabs pole position: FMSCI Racing Nationals

    Arjun grabs pole position: FMSCI Racing Nationals

    • Arya Singh (No.12) on way to winning the Student Cup race at MMRT, Irungattukottai,
      near Chennai on 21 July 2017. An MMSC image

      Anindith Reddy quickest in MRF FF1600 practice sessions

    • Kolkata schoolboy Arya Singh annexes Student Cup
    • Top honours for Parmar, Pithawalla, Anekar 

    Chennai, 21 July 2017: Hyderabad’s Anindith Reddy warmed up nicely for this weekend’s races by emerging the quickest in both the free practice sessions of the MRF FF1600 while Arya Singh, a 16-year old schoolboy from Kolkata, clinched the Student Cup (Formula 1300) with two wins and a podium finish in the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Friday.

    South African Devin Robertson, a guest driver, qualified for pole position in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup, a clear second off joint championship leaders Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) and Karminder Singh (Delhi), while defending champion Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Performance) from Coimbatore topped the qualifying session in the premier Indian Touring Cars class.

    In the day’s last event that was run on a combined grid, Mumbai’s Kamlesh Parmar (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Anant Pithawalla (Esteem Cup), both of Team N1, and Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Super Stock) of Race Concepts won in their respective categories.

    Championship leader in the MRF FF1600 class, Reddy, 27, was clearly ahead of the pack as he put in a series of consistently quick laps in the two free practice sessions, but expected a tough fight in the double-header this weekend.

    “I had a really good run in the morning when the track conditions were excellent. In the afternoon, the track was quite hot and I was off the morning pace. Anyway, we still have the qualifying tomorrow and two races. There is not much difference between the top three and it will boil down to who strings together a few good laps,” said Anindith.

    The winner of the MRF FF1600 championship earns a berth in the Road To Indy shootout in the United States, provided the qualifier is under 25 years of age. “I guess, I will not be eligible for the shootout even if I win the championship,” Anindith pointed out.

    The day undoubtedly belonged to 16-year old Arya Singh, a 11th standard Commerce student of Heritage School, Kolkata. After finishing third in the first of the three races in the Student Cup class (Formula 1300), Arya, in just his second full season, put in impressive drives to win the next two of the triple-header.

    “My intention was to have fun and drive fast. I am happy that I managed to win two of the three races. In the first race, I made a mistake at Turn-3 when in the lead and had to settle for second spot, but in the next outing, I had a good start and won comfortably.

    “The third race was most exciting as I had a good battle with Rithvik after I lost position due to a mistake again at Turn-3. In the end, I managed to pass him going into Turn-1 on the last lap and held the lead,” said Arya who idolises former World F1 champion Fernando Alonso.

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

    Indian Junior Touring Cars – Race 1: 1. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (19mins, 52.565secs); 2. Prabhu AS (Red Rooster Performance) (19:57.069); 3. Mikhail Merchant (Team Game Over) (20:14.408).

    Super Stock – Race 1: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (19:18.592); 2. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (19:31.053); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Quickshift Racing) (19:37.032).

    Esteem Cup – Race 1: 1. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) (19:15.634); 2. Charan Chandran (Red Rooster Performance) (19:15.817); 3. Sudanand Rajan (Red Rooster Performance) (19:22.041).

    Student Cup – Race 1 (7 laps): 1. Aanjan Patodia (Pune, Momentum Motorsports) (08: 16.251); 2. Arya Singh (Kolkata, DTS Racing) (08:16.362); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Bengaluru, Wallace Sports) (08:17.064). Race 2: 1. Arya Singh (09:11.388); 2. Aanjan Patodia (09:21.109); 3. Rithvik Thomas (09:22.361). Race 3: 1. Arya Singh (09:25.868); 2. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) (09:27.129); 3. Rithvik Thomas (09:28.836).

    QUALIFYING – Indian Touring Cars: 1. Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Racing) (01:54.365); 2. Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts) (01:55.023); 3. C Rajaram (Performance Racing) (01:57.724).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup: 1. Devin Robertson (South Africa) (01:54.150); 2. A Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (01:55.252); 3. Karminder Singh (Delhi) (01:55.268).

    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 a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships 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.

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • Double delight for Rajiv, Amarnath: Bike Nationals

    Double delight for Rajiv, Amarnath: Bike Nationals

    Amarnath Menon after winning a double in Chennai on Sunday. Image by Anand Philar.

    Chennai, 9 July 2017: Riders from Honda Ten10 Racing team put in dominant performances as Rajiv S


    Mithun Kumar, winner of the Pro-Stock race on Sunday 9Jul2017 Image by Anand Philar

    ethu and Mithun Kumar hogged the limelight even as another youngster Amarnath Menon of Gusto Racing achieved a grand double in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.

    While 18-year old Sethu, in scoring a double, led a 1-2 finish for Honda Ten10 Racing in the premier Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) class with Mathana Kumar finishing second, the team, spearheaded by Mithun Kumar, swept all three podium spots in the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) category.

    Equally impressive was 21-year old Amarnath Menon from Kozhikode who extended his domination in the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) class to repeat his performance of the first round at Coimbatore last month. Menon, thus, has won all four races in his class.

    Peddu Sri Harsha (Sparks Racing) survived an incident-filled Stock (up to 165cc) race that boasted a grid of 39 riders and red-flagged after two laps following a series of crashes before re-starting to complete the scheduled five laps.

    Much of the focus today was on the Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) and the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) classes which were run on a combined grid. Like in the first outing on Saturday, Sethu rode a well-judged race. Starting from pole, Sethu yielded ground to reigning champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) who made a daring pass on the left-hander in the Bridge Complex only to crash out at Turn-4.

    Jagan’s exit came a lap after his team-mate KY Ahamed who was shadowing Sethu had crashed. It gave Sethu a clean run up front and he opened up a gap. for a comfortable win ahead of team-mate Mathana Kumar while Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) finished third.

    “I had a tough fight with Jagan initially and after he passed me at the Bridge Complex, I decided to bide my time before trying to regain the lead. But he crashed soon after and I broke free to win,” said Sethu who through meditation has learnt to reign in his aggression and impatience.

    Mithun Kumar more than compensated for a horrendous first race where he finished sixth after starting last on the grid due to an errant bike, by destroying the Pro-Stock field for his third win in four races. His team-mates Anish D Shetty and Aravind Balakrishnan, winner of the first race yesterday, came in second and third, respectively.

    “I was very disappointed yesterday when my bike had some electrical issues. Today, I started from pole and managed to open up a big lead. In the latter half of the race, I decided to play safe and just cruised,” said 23-year old Mithun who had won both the races in the first round.

    The results (Provisional): Super Sport Indian (165cc, 9 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18 mins:11.528 secs); 2. Mathana Kumar S (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:15.594); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) (18:16.178).

    Super Sport Indian (300-400cc, 10 laps): 1. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (11:54.706); 2. Deepak Ravi Kumar (MotoRev) (11: 54.865); 3. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) (11:55.134).

    Pro-Stock (165cc, 9 laps): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:55.557); 2. Anish D Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:06.148); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:06.610).

    Stock (Novice, 165cc, 6 laps):1. Peddu Sri Harsha (Sparks Racing) (11:23.303); 2. Vysakh Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (11:25.804); 3.Anup Kumar M (RACR) (11:28.032).

    One-Make Championship – Honda CBR250 Open (Race 1, 6 laps): 1. Hari Krishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:35.539); 2. Arvind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:36.307); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:40.917). Race 2 (9 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (2:02.550); 2. Anish D Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) (18:59.675); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (19:00.290).

    Honda CBR150 (Novice, 6 laps): 1. Satyanarayana (Hyderabad) (13:28.437); 2. Amala Jerald A (Chennai) (13:28.861); 3. Vysakh Sobhan (Kerala) (13:29.072).

    TVS Apache RTR 200 (Open, 6 laps): 1. Prabhu V (Chennai) (08:56.086); 2. Sivanesan S (Chennai) (08:56.781); 3. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (08:57.054). Novice (6 laps): 1. Peddu Sri Harsha (Hyderabad) (13:22.472); 2. Shankar Guru A (Chennai) (13:25.083); 3. Romario J (Chennai) (13: 40.846).

    eom/MMSC press release

  • Rajiv Sethu wins as Jagan suffers mechanical failure; Double for Ryhana: MMSC Bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu wins as Jagan suffers mechanical failure; Double for Ryhana: MMSC Bike Nationals

    Ryhana Bee bags a double on Saturday. Photo by Anand Philar
    Ryhana Bee celebrates after winning the Honda all-girls race at MMRT on Saturday. Photo by Sriharsha Nadiger
    Aravind-Balakrishnan-No.13-winner-of-Super-Sport-Indian-Pro-Stock-up-to-165cc-race-at MMRT on Saturday 8 July 2017. Photo by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 8 July 2017: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing, showing maturity far beyond his 18 years, came up with a stunning ride to win the premium Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) class race in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Morocycle Racing Championship at the MMRT track, near here on Saturday.

    Aravind Balakrishnan, only 22, brought more cheer to Honda Ten10 Racing team by topping the Pro-Stock class that was run on a combined grid with the Super Sport Indian (165cc) while Kerala’s Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) scored a dominant win, his third in as many outings, in the 300-400cc category.

    In the Girls (Stock, up to 165cc) category, Ryhana Bee, the 23-year old from Chennai studying shipping and logistics, pulled off a fine win over pole-sitter Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing Academy) with a late-braking manoeuvre at Turn-4 mid-way through the five-lap race.

    Aishwarya, winner of the first-ever National championship race for girls in Coimbatore last month, eventually came in third behind Madhya Pradesh’s Kalyani Potedar (Team Speed Up Racing).

    Sethu, starting from pole position, yielded ground to reigning National champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) early in the six-lap race. However, in the third lap, Jagan dropped out of contention due to a technical problem with his bike and Sethu needed no second invitation to forge ahead. He gradually increased the lead to win from TVS Racing’s KY Ahamed and Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) with about three seconds to spare.

    “Early in the race, I had some problems with the bike and had no choice but to allow Jagan to pass me, but when he dropped out, I moved in front and did not look back. The team did an excellent job in giving me a winning bike,” said Sethu on notching his second in three outings.

    Further down the field, another intense battle raged in the Pro-Stock class after pole-sitter Mithun Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) was shifted to the back of the combined grid for having missed the warm-up lap due to mechanical problems.

    It left Aravind Balakrishnan and Aravind Ganesh (Team MotoRev) to fight for top honours. The duo kept trading leads before Balakrishnan got his nose in front to win with little to spare.

    In sharp contrast, Menon, though starting second on the grid behind Deepak Ravikumar (Team MotoRev), was in a league of his own in the 300-400cc class race once he got into his stride that saw him move up from third to first and then extend his lead with each lap for another commanding win. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) finished second while Ravikumar came in third.

    The results (Provisional):

    National Championship – Super Sport Indian (Up to 165cc) (6 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethi (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12 mins, 02.236secs); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (12:05.154); 3. Prabhu Arunagiri (RACR) (12:07.398).

    Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) ( 6 laps): 1. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (11:56.238); 2. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) (11:59.744); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Team MotoRev) (12:03.661).

    Pro-Stock (Up to 165cc) (6 laps):1. Aravind Balakrishnan (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:50.292); 2. Aravind Ganesh (Team MotoRev) (12:50.712); 3. Naresh Babu (RACR) (12:50.912).

    Girls (Stock, Up to 165cc) (5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Speed Up Racing) (11:43.645); 2. Kalyani Potekar (Team Speed Up Racing) (11:46.130); 3. Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing Academy) (11:46.783).

    One-Make Championship – Honda CBR 150 (Novice – 5 laps): 1. Amala Jerald (Chennai) (11:28.014); 2. Vysakh Sobhan (Kerala) (11:28.196); 3. Mahesh Murali (Thiruvananthapuram) (11:28.226).

    TVS Apache RTR200 Open (6 laps): 1. Prabhu V (Chennai) (13:20.820); 2. Sivanesan S (Chennai) (13:20.867); 3. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (13:26.414). Novice (6 laps): 1. Peddu Sri Harsha (Hyderabad) (13:49.082); 2. Shankar Guru A (Chennai) (14:01.893); 3. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (14.06.260).

    Support Races (Girls – 5 laps) – Honda: 1. Ryhana Bee A (Chennai) (11:51.658); 2. Shruthi (Chennai) (11:56.585); 3. Kalyani Potekar (Madhya Pradesh) (11:58.728). TVS (5 laps): 1. Soundari A (Chennai) (11:55.836); 2. Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru) (11:56.091); 3. Priyamvada Saradhi (Bengaluru) (12:36.799).

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • Pole for Rajivi, Mithun, Deepak: Bike Nationals

    Pole for Rajivi, Mithun, Deepak: Bike Nationals

    Deepak Ravikumar in action at the MMRT on Friday. Image by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 7 July 2017: Young Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing put the hammer down with a blistering lap to grab the pole position ahead of reigning champion Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) in the premium Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc) class as the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship got off to a flier at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here, on Friday.

    Also topping the qualifying session in their respective categories were Mithun Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing (Pro-Stock 165cc), Deepak Ravikumar (Super Sport Indian 300-400cc) and Apex Racing Academy’s Aishwarya Pissay (Girls, Stock up to 165cc).

    Sethu, the 22-year old from Chennai, who has been improving with each outing and a regular in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, clocked the fastest lap of one minute 59.344 seconds while Jagan Kumar, who went out at the fag end of the session after sorting out his bike and managed just three laps, had a best of 02:00.396) while KY Ahamed, also of TVS Racing, completed the front row with a 02:00.497.

    Championship leader Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) was placed sixth after clocking 02:03.820, behind Prabhu Arunagiri (02:01.842) and S Kannan of TVS Racing (02:03.174).

    Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay expectedly took the pole position in the girls category ahead of Chennai’s Rhyana Bee (Speed Up Racing) and Ann Jennifer.

    In the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) qualifying session, Mithun Kumar, who won both the races in the first round at Coimbatore last month, was the quickest in 02:06.403, followed by Shyam Shankar and Naresh Babu.

    Meanwhile, local entrant Deepak Ravikumar, who missed the Coimbatore round, snatched the pole position (01:58.716) in the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) class as he pipped championship front-runner Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) by four-hundredth of a second while Vivek Pillai of Rockers Racing was third quickest in 01:58.882.

    The results (Qualifying – Provisional):

    National Championship – Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01min, 59.344secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (02:00.396); 3. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (02:00.497). 300-400cc:  1. Deepak Ravikumar (Pvt) (01:58.716); 2. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (01:58.758); 3. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) (01:58.882).

    Pro-Stock (up to 165cc): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten10 Racing) (02:06.403); 2. Shyam Shankar (Pvt) (02:06.868); 3. Naresh Babu (Pvt) (02:07.022).

    Girls (Stock up to 165cc): 1. Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing Academy) (02:18.767); 2. Rhyana Bee (Speed Up Racing) (02:19.238); 3. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (02:19.315).

    One-Make Championship – TVS Apache RTR200 (Open): 1. Prabhu V (Chennai) (02:10.770); 2. Sivanesan S (Chennai) (02:10.970); 3. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (02:11.464). Novice: 1. Shankar Guru (Chennai) (02:11.883); 2. Peddu Sriharsha (Hyderabad) (02:12.356); 3. Romario J (Chennai) (02:14.066).

    Honda CBR 250 Open: 1. Hari Krishnan Rajagopal (Honda Ten10 Racing) (02:03.437); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Bangalore) (02:03.567); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (02:03.900). CBR 150 (Novice): 1. Mahesh Murali (Thiruvananthapuram) (02:12.765); 2. Satya Narayana (Hyderabad) (02:12.775); 3. Vysakh Sobhan (Kerala) (02:12.975).

    eom/AP Media Comm. press release

  • Huge response for MMSC MRF bike Nationals

    Huge response for MMSC MRF bike Nationals

    • Racing action returns to MMRT track
    • Over 200 entries for National bike championship
    • 2017 Drag Championship set to start

    Chennai, 6 July 2017: After a four-month summer break, high octane action returns to the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here this weekend with the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship.

    The weekend programme includes the inaugural round of the 2017 MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship for two-wheelers that will see an exciting congregation of bikers and their machines.

    To top it, country’s leading two-wheeler manufacturers Honda and TVS are having their separate One-Make Championships in Novice and Open classes where competition, as witnessed in the first round in Coimbatore last month, is extremely sharp.

    While the 19 races are spread over three days, beginning Friday with qualifying sessions, the Drag competition gets underway on Saturday afternoon with practice runs, followed by the final runs on Sunday, making for one of the busiest weekends in recent memory.

    The two-wheeler races have again attracted over 200 entries in the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc and 165cc), Pro-Stock, Stock and Girls categories which comprise the National Championship.

    The championship for girls proved to be an unqualified success with Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay of Apex Racing Academy winning a tight battle against Madhya Pradesh’s Kalyani Potekar (Team Speed Up Racing).

    “We are very pleased with the response for the girls’ championship and we are hoping that the entries keep increasing through the season,” said Manoj Dalal, Chairman of the Meet.

    As in the past, the Super Sport Indian (165cc) double-header is the showpiece of the weekend with country’s top two-wheeler racers. Reigning National champion Jagan Kumar along with his TVS Racing mates KY Ahamed and Harry Sylvester, besides Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu and Mathana Kumar are set to renew their rivalry that is marked by plenty of thrills.

    With two podium finishes in the first round, Mathana Kumar heads the championship with 36 points as against 29 of Jagan Kumar who after dropping points in Race-1 won by Sethu, bounced back to win the second outing in Coimbatore.

    Equally competitive is the Pro-Stock class that will be run concurrently with the Super Sport Indian (165cc). Young Mithun Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing has already had a head-start, having won both the races in this class in Coimbatore and will be looking to extend his domination.

    In the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc) class, Kerala’s Amarnath Menon of Gusto Racing won both the races in Coimbatore with a measure of comfort and again, he will be the rider to beat in this class.

    The Stock (165cc) class for Novice riders proved to be a huge success with over 50 entries for the first round that necessitated in qualifying heats to arrive at a grid of 40 for the point-bearing final race. It will be much the same this weekend.

    eom/AP Media Comm press release


    File photo of Aishwarya Pissay at Kari Motor Speedweay, Coimbatore on June 10. Image by Anand Philar
  • Aishwarya Pissay wins historic first National Championship race for ladies in a thrilling duel

    Aishwarya Pissay wins historic first National Championship race for ladies in a thrilling duel

    Aishwarya Pissay of Bengaluru tops the maiden ladies class National Championship race to complete a double. Image by Sriharsha Nadiger, Special Arrangement with INDIAinF1.

    Coimbatore, 10 June 2017: The girls race in the Rolon round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship lit up an overcast day marked by intermittent showers with Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay of Apex Racing Academy team winning a thrilling battle at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Saturday.

    The day’s programme was truncated due to rains in the evening and two scheduled races will be run on Sunday that will have an early start at 9 am, it was officially announced.

    In a very close and thrilling eight-lap race, pole-sitter Aishwarya was off to a bad start and briefly slid to third before recovering to take the lead. However, she got embroiled in a tight battle with Kalyani Potekar (Madhya Pradesh, Speed Up Racing) who nosed ahead in the last lap before committing an error at Turns 3 and 4 where Aishwarya got a jump on her to win the race.

    While Kalyani was left to rue her riding errors in the last lap to finish second, Chennai’s Alisha Abdullah (Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy) came in third.

    “I had a very bad start. I don’t know what happened but I managed to regain my track position. I had a tough battle with Kalyani and in the last lap, I managed to close the door on her and it gave me just enough breathing space to win the race,” said Aishwarya who later won the TVS girls race, a support event, for a creditable double.

    Another impressive winner on the day was Kerala’s Amarnath Menon of Gusto Racing who topped in the Super Sport Indian 300-400cc after front-runner Antony Peter (Kingdom Motorsport) packed up after the first lap.

    Finishing second behind Menon, who faced little competition after he took the lead, was his team-mate Arun Muthukrishnan with Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) completing the podium.

    One of the highlights of Sunday’s programme will be a 40-rider grid in the Stock (up to 165cc, Novice) race. The initial 58 entrants went through a process of qualifying and heats in two batches to make the grid for the race.

    The results (Provisional):

    National Championship – Super Sport Indian (300-400cc, 10 laps): 1. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (12mins, 49.080secs); 2. Arun Muthukrishnan (Gusto Racing) (12:56.517); 3. Vivek Pillai (Rockers Racing) (12:57.274).

    Stock (Novice, up to 165cc) – Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. Aditya Rao (Sparks Racing) (11:34.049); 3. Satyanarayana Raju (Sparks Racing) (11:38.535); 3. Nithish Kumar N (Sparks Racing) (11:40.161). Heat 2: 1. Akshay VM (Palghat) (11:35.275); 2. Navin A (Salem) (11:40.414); 3. AS Alexander (Chennai) (11:45.644).

    GIRLS – (Stock, up to 165cc, 8 laps): 1. Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru, Apex Racing Academy) (12:13.213); 2. Kalyani Potekar (Madhya Pradesh,  Speed Up Racing) (12:13.467); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Chennai, Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy) (12:15.613).

    One-Make Championship – Honda CBR150 (Novice, 8 laps): 1. Satya Narayana (Hyderabad) (14:27.445); 2. Bharath BS (Erode) (14:38.111); 3. Syed Nawas N (Chennai) (14:39.523).

    TVS Apache RTR 200 (Novice, 8 laps): 1. Peddu Sriharsha (Chennai) (14:22.692); 2. Shankar Guru (Chennai) (14:28.962); 3. Anup Kumar M (Chennai) (14:42.639).

    Support Race – TVS Girls race (8 laps): 1. Aishwarya Pisay (Bengaluru) (12:20.723); 2.Soundari (Chennai) (12:43.922); 3.Kokila Shiva Shankar (Banglaore) (12:59.397).

    eom/AP Media Comm. Press Release

  • Aishwarya, Jagan top in qualifying: NRC

    Coimbatore, 9 June 2017: Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay (Apex Racing) further underlined her stature as one of country’s top female riders by grabbing pole position in the girls section (Stock 165cc), introduced this season, as the Rolon round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commenced at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Friday.

    Astride a Yamaha R15 bike, 21-year old Aishwarya overcame her nervousness ahead of the qualifying session and put in the fastest lap of one minute, 28.161 seconds which put her in front of the grid ahead of Kalyani Potekar from Madhya Pradesh (Team Speed Up Racing) who clocked a best of 01:28.645 and the experienced Alisha Abdullah of Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy (01:29.046).

    “I was absolutely paranoid before the qualifying session as this was the first-ever National championship for girls. I put myself under pressure and wanted to throw up, but after a few laps, I settled down. I hope I can go faster in tomorrow’s race. Today’s qualifying time was much slower than the 1:24 I had done here earlier,” said Aishwarya who also participates in the National Rally championship.

    Earlier, Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing began the defense of his title by finishing in pole position in the premier Super Sport India (up to 165cc) class.

    Close behind Jagan, who clocked a best lap of one minute, 15.820 seconds in the sixth lap after a sedate start in the qualifying session, was young Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing at 01:15.974, while TVS Racing’s KY Ahmed came in third at 01:16.144.

    Team Honda Ten10 Racing had much to cheer about as its riders Mithun Kumar, Soorya PM and B Aravind occupied the top three slots in the Pro-Stock (up to 165cc) class.

    Qualifying (Provisional):

    Super Sport Indian (up to 165cc): 1. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (01min, 15.820secs); 2. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (01:15.974); 3. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (01:16.144).

    Pro-Stock (up to 165cc): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (01:19.608); 2. Soorya PM (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (01:19.727); 3. B Arvind (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (01:20.017).

    Super Sport 300-400cc: 1. Amarnath K Menon (Gusto Racing India) (01:14.761); 2. Antony Peter (Kingdom Motorsport) (01:16.320); 3. Kishoar VS (Apex Racing Academy) (01:16.514).

    Stock (up to 165cc, Novice – Batch 1): 1. Asfak Ahamed (Kingdom Motorsport) (01:23.412); 2. Peddu Sriharsha (Sparks Racing) (01:23.653); 3. Nitish Kumar N (Sparks Racing) (01:23.788). Batch 2: 1. AS Alexander (RACR) (01:22.297); 2. Anup Kumar M (RACR) (01:22.794); 3. Akshay VM (Apex Racing) (01:22.989).

    Girls – Stock (up to 165cc): 1. Aishwarya Pissay (Bengaluru, Apex Racing) (01:28.161); 2. Kalyani Potekar (Madhya Pradesh, Speed Up Racing) (01:28.645); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Chennai, Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy) (01:29.046).

    One-Make Championship – Honda CBR250 Open: 1. Amit Richard Topno (Pro Lap Racing) (01:17.957); 2. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten10 Racing) (01:17.962); 3. Abhishek Vasudev (Rock Star Racing) (01:17.982).

    TVS Apache RTR 200 Open: 1. Yuvraj S (Chennai) (01:22.477); 2. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (01:22.643); 3. Sivanesan S (Chennai) (01:22.875).

    eom/AP Media Comm press release

  • Newey, Schumacher look to bounce back at BIC

    Newey, Schumacher look to bounce back at BIC

    File photo of MRF Challenge races courtesy MRF.

    Greater Noida, 25 Jan 2017: Round 3 of the MRF Challenge 2016 is back as the F2000 cars head back to the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) after a break of three years and the Australian driver Joey Mawson leads the championship after strong contender Harrison Newey and Mick Schumacher failed to finish in the last round at Dubai. MRF 1600 and Volkswagen Vento Cup will also be held on the week-end.

    Arun Mammen, Managing Director, MRF Tyres, said: “BIC has always provided some great racing and we are thrilled to be back. The F2000 has made leaps and bounds since we last visited here and we are confident that fans will witness the fastest cars racing on this circuit since the F1 cars back in 2013. This weekend will also be a great learning for the young Indian drivers participating in the MRF 1600 Championship as they get a front row seat on how international drivers prepare for a race weekend and constantly improve as each session goes on.”

    Mawson currently has 141 points with Newey on 113 points. Brazilian driver Felipe Drugovich is in 3rd place on 105 points after a strong showing in the last Round in Dubai. Schumacher headed into the last Round in the lead of the championship but a double DNF seriously dented his title hopes, as he now finds himself 39 points behind the leader.

    This weekend will once again see the leading young drivers from across the globe competing against each other. 2015 Italian F4 Champion and F3 race winner Ralf Aron returns this weekend along with Japanese F3 Champion (National Class) Yoshiaki Katayama and Manuel Maldonado, cousin of former F1 race winner Pastor Maldonado.

    In its fifth year, the MRF Challenge will feature MRF Formula 2000 race cars, which have been made in India by Coimbatore based JA Motorsport. The Formula 3 style car has been built by JA Motorsport in technical collaboration with Dallara, and is considered to be the fastest of its kind in Asia. The new car is powered by a 2 litre Mountune Duratec engine with max power of 230 bhp and shod on MRF Z.L.O. tyres. The car will also feature advanced aerodynamics with underbody diffuser and a Hewland 6-speed sequential gearbox.

    Joining the MRF Challenge 2016 cars this weekend will be the MRF 1600 series. This will be the first round for the MRF 1600 championship and will feature 12 drivers on the grid. Leading the charge will be former Volkswagen Vento Cup winner Anindith Reddy, who will return for the second year. He will be joined by 2016 Volkswagen Vento Cup Champion Ishaan Dodhiwala, and young guns Nayan Chaterjee and Ananth Shanmugam.

    Free Practice 1&2 will take place on Friday, January 27. Qualifying and Races 1&2 will take place on Saturday, January 28, with Races 3&4 taking place on Sunday, January 29.

    MRF Challenge 2016 Calendar: Round 1: November 17-19, 2016, Bahrain, Bahrain International Circuit (WEC Support Race); Round 2: December 7-9, 2016, Dubai, Dubai Autodrome; Round 3: January 27-29, 2016, New Delhi, Buddh International Circuit; Round 4: February 17-19, 2016, Chennai, Madras Motor Race Track.

    eom/david/Murali press release

  • Rajiv Sethu clinches Pro Stock championship

    Rajiv Sethu clinches Pro Stock championship

    From left: Poederooijen, winner of Super Sport Indian 300-400cc National Champion along with other National Championship winners, Rajiv Sethu (Pro Stock 165cc) and Jagan Kumar (Super Sport Indian 165cc). Image by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Chennai, 22 Jan 2017: Young Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing clinched the title in the Pro Stock 165cc category after scoring a grand double over the weekend in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.

    Locked in a tight tussle for the title with team-mate and championship leader Hari Krishnan Rajagopal going into the final round, Sethu, returning from a major hip injury, kept his wits about him to win both the races to clinch the title. Hari Krishnan was under pressure to stay in front and had a disastrous weekend as he failed to pick up any points.

    Also scoring a double in the National championship was Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing who continued his fine form while retaining title in the top-end Super Sport Indian 165cc class to finish the season with five wins from 10 starts.

    Jagan, though, had to work hard for his second win this weekend as he was pushed for much of the six-lapper until he managed to get his nose in front in the latter half to take the chequered flag before doing a lap of honour to celebrate his fifth National title in a row.

    Equally dominating was Auroville-based Spaniard Ami van Poederooijen of Rockstar Racing in the Super Sport Indian 300-400cc class as he completed a double for seven wins, six of them in a row. He had sealed the championship on Saturday after winning the first of the two races, but that did not stop him from further underlining his dominance by topping the second outing today.

    The concluding day’s proceedings witnessed its quota of close and exciting racing, especially in the MMSC One-Make Championships as Meka Vidhuraj (Suzuki Gixxer Cup Open), Joseph Mathew (Gixxer Cup Novice), Kannan Karnan (TVS Apache RTR200 Open), Yashas RL from Bengaluru, who won all the three races over the weekend (TVS Novice), Mathana Kumar (Honda CBR 250) and Anish Shetty from Hubballi (Honda CBR 150) clinched the titles in their respective categories.

    Provisional results: (All 6 laps unless mentioned)

    National Championship – Super Sport Indian (300-400cc): 1. Ami Van Poederooijen (Rockstar Racing) (12mins, 19.918secs); Amarnath Menon K (Rockstar Racing) (12:30.675); 3. Abhishek V (Rockstar Racing) (12:34.792).

    Super Sport Indian (165cc): 1. K Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (12:20.839); 2. S Kannan Subramaniam (TVS Racing) (12:20.878); 3. Harry Sylvester (TVS Racing) (12:21.161).

    Pro Stock 165cc: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:54.164); 2. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:54.986); 3. D Dinesh Kumar (RACR) (12:55.286).

    MMSC One-Make Championship – Honda CBR 250 (Open): 1. Hari Krishnan Rajagopal (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:44.938); 2. Mathana Kumar S (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:45.576); 3. Ananth Raj P (Pro Lap Racing) (12:48.902). CBR 150 Novice (4 laps): 1. Piyush Ranjan (Patna) (09:11.729); 2. Anish D Shetty (Hubballi) (09:11.765); 3. Soorya PM (Chennai) (09:12.070).

    TVS Apache RTR 200 (Open): 1. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (13:34.470); 2. Kannan Karnan (Chennai) (13:34.991); 3. Shyam Shankar (Chennai) (13:43.346). Novice (4 laps): 1. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (09:07.614); 2. Hari Prasath R (Chennai) (09:09.367); 3. Peddu Sriharsha (Chennai) (09:10.905).

    Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Open): 1. Aaron Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (13:37.638); 2. R Rajinikanth (Chennai) (13:37.715); 3. Vivian Gladwin (Kanpur) (13:38.097). Novice (4 laps): 1. Joseph Mathew (Chennai) (09:16.665); 2. Amarnath Rajan (Chennai) (09:17.987); 3. Alexander AS (Chennai) (09:19.629).

  • Keen battle on cards for National titles: Bike races

    Keen battle on cards for National titles: Bike races

    File photo of Jagan Kumar of TVS in action. Image by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 19 Jan 2017: The fifth and concluding round of the MRF Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2016, which spilled over from last year’s calendar, is set for a thrilling finish at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here, with titles in all categories up for grabs.

    The card of 23 races to be run over three days beginning Friday includes the premium Super Sport Indian (400cc and 165cc) class along with Pro-Stock (165cc) and Stock (165cc) which form the National Championship besides MMSC One-Make Championships for TVS and  Honda, and the Suzuki Gixxer Cup. Also scheduled are support races exclusively for ladies, by Honda and Alisha Abdullah Academy.

    The Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) officials burnt the proverbial midnight oil to get the MMRT circuit facilities in order after the battering it received in December from cyclone Vardah that created havoc in the region while also forcing a postponement of the final round of the two-wheeler championship, which was earlier scheduled to be held on Nov 19.

    Thus, it has been a three-month break in the championship and the riders, especially those in contention for the titles, are a bit eager to get back into action. As such, with so much at stake, the competition is expected to be razor-sharp as in all the previous four rounds.

    In the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc), it will be a straight fight between two Rockstar Racing team-mates Ami van Poederooijen (135 points), a Spaniard based in Auroville, and Bengaluru’s Abhishek Vasudev (115), while a trio of TVS Racing mates reigning champion Jagan Kumar (141), Kannan Subramaniam (110) and Harry Sylvester (102), all from Chennai, are in title race in the Super Sport Indian 165cc class.

    Two talented racers from Chennai who performed well in the 2016 Asia Road Racing Championships, Hari Krishnan Rajagopal (153) and Rajiv Sethu (144), both from Honda Ten10 Racing team, are locked in a tight battle in the Pro Stock (165cc) category, having won seven of the eight races between them over four rounds.

    The Stock 165cc class will witness a four-cornered battle for top honours involving Hubbali’s Anish Shetty (122) of United Tech Torque, Antony Peter (Performance Racing, 120) from Coimbatore, Chennai duo of Joseph Mathew (Sparks Racing, 111) and PM Soorya (Team Speedup, 100).

    The situation in the MMSC One-Make championships is much the same with the title race wide open and multiple competitors in the running for the top prize.

    After Thursday’s practice sessions, action kicks-off with four races scheduled for Friday followed by a busy Saturday when 10 races will be run before the championship winds up on Sunday when the remaining eight are held. The programme will conclude with championship prize distribution trackside.

     

    eom/AP Media press release