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Tag: MMSC
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Sahan Ali cuts Chirag’s lead with commanding win; Ruhaan dominates F1300
Chennai, 21 Jan 2022: Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin won a battle of the teenagers while Rayo Racing’s Ishaan Dodhiwala from Hyderabad avoided a first-corner incident to triumph as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 sparked to life at the MMRT, here on Friday.
The day began with some commanding display by 15-year old Bengalurean, Ruhaan Alva of MSport, who showed good racecraft while comfortably pocketing the pole position and was the only car to go under 1min 51-sec mark. He set the pace beginning with a best Sector I time before the Red Flag and went on to post the fastest lap of the day in F1300. Meanwhile, Tijil Rao, who had clutch issues jumped into the pits without setting his best time.
Later in the evening, the multiple-National karting champion, Ruhaan, won Race 1 with ease and grace leading from pole to flag in the Safety Car-interrupted race as he gave no chance to the Momentum Motorsports duo Deepak Ravikumar and Tijil Rao, who finished in that order. Tijil Rao, also from Bengaluru, however, made the most of the disadvantage in the morning, by zooming from 19th to podium in the 20-car field. Ruhaan logged the fastest lap, thus completing a triumphant treble on Friday. A pole, a win and the best lap.
Shahan, 17, enjoyed a good start from pole position and went on to pip two 16-year old Bengalureans Chirag Ghorpade and Rishon Rajiv, for his third win of the season. The victory took the Agra teenager’s tally to 109 points in the championship, just 14 short of leader Chirag. The Agra racer too is a multiple Indian Karting champion, who switched over to the Formula cars. Amidst board exams, he took part in the last round and lost points in two races as he had a puncture and technical issues and was trailing by 21 points to Chirag. Thus the victory helped him reduce the margin and with two more races on Saturday in this round, the MRF 1600 class, is interestingly poised. Rishon Rajiv, the reigning Junior National Karting champ, too graduated to cars and did well to complete the podium. Shahan too completed a treble, a pole, a win, and the fastest lap.
Earlier, in the Indian Touring Cars race, Dodhiwala steered clear of a Turn-1 incident involving championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts and Jeet Jhabakh of Rayo Racing to chalk up a fluent win, his first of the season. Balu and Jhabakh, who tried to pass taking the inside line, came together and went off the track while Dodhiwala slipped through into the lead. Balu recovered quickly and all but caught up with Dodhiwala before being forced to ease off due to rising engine temperature each time he pushed.
Eventually, Dodhiwala, who came into this round as a replacement for absentee team-mate Anindith Reddy, won handily ahead of Balu who, however, continues to lead the championship table. The Stewards, after a post-race investigation, docked third-placed Jhabakh a 15-second penalty for “causing an avoidable collision”.
It was a lights-to-flag victory for Ruhaan who fully capitalized on his pole position start and was never really challenged through the eight-lapper which was interrupted by a Safety Car period due to an on-track incident.
Behind Ruhaan, who had missed the previous round due to an international karting commitment, raged a tight fight for the other podium spots. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) and Mohd Ryan (MSport), running second and third, spun off after a contact. It allowed Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport) to move into second position from fourth and defend his spot to the chequered flag, ahead of team-mate Tijil Rao, the teenager from Bengaluru who put in a great performance to move from P19 to P3. The victory took Ruhaan from eighth and fourth in the championship standings.
Also chalking up victories today were Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar of Race Concepts (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar of Performance Racing (Super Stock) while Oshan Kothadiya from Pune drove a near-flawless race for his maiden win of the season in the Volkswagen Polo category.
Haryana’s Justin Singh and Mumbai veteran Fahad Kutty, who started P11 on the reverse grid, won a race apiece, in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) category.
For live streaming of the races, please follow the link https://youtu.be/0OithC0iLLo
The results (provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13mins, 31.446secs); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (13:32.719); 3. Rishon Rajiv (Bengaluru) (13:33.917).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:26.029); 2. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:42.328); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (16:06.177, incl 15-second penalty).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:01.284); 2. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:13.396); 3. Charen Chandran (Pvt, Coimbatore) (16:29.012).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:11.010); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:19.707); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:23.196).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport, Bengaluru) (19:08.955); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (19:14.841); 3. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (19:15.168).
Volkswagen Polo (Race-1): 1. Oshan Kothadiya (Pune) (15:57.549); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (16:01.665); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Thane) (16:02.115).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios – Race 1, 10 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Red Line Racing, Haryana) (16:47.458); 2. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (16:48.378); 3. Anand Prasad (Red Line Racing, Chennai) (16:49.775).
Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (21:09.211); 2. Bala Prasath (Quest Motorsport, Coimbatore) (21:12.259); 3. Angad Matharoo (Red Line Racing, Chandigarh) (21:13.716).
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Ryhana regains title; Prabhu Arunagiri shines for Pacer Yamaha
Chennai, 8 Jan. 2022: Indian National champion in 2018, Ryhana Bee of RACR, regained the National title in the Girls category after a two-year lapse here on Saturday with one race to spare as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 concluded at the MMRT. The Chennai girl, lost the title in the inaugural year to Aishwarya Pissay before the championship was granted National status by fmsci in the 2016 Honda one make championship. The year 2017 saw for the first time a National championship for women in Road Racing in India.
Among the rides of the day was by 29-year old Prabhu Arunagiri from Chennai who scripted a maiden win for Pacer Yamaha, a team returning to the National Championship after a 12-year break, in Race-2 of the Pro-Stock 165cc Open category, holding off a quality field. The race was red-flagged and reduced to five laps from eight following a lap-1 incident, but it did not stop Prabhu from winning with leader Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) crashing in the penultimate lap.
Earlier in the day, Prabhu, who has been in and out of racing in the past few years, finished fourth in Race-1 that was won by Deepak Ravikumar who delivered a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing ahead of defending champion Jagan Kumar while Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) came in third. The two podium finishes saw Jagan moving to 159 points in championship standings followed by Ravikumar (118) and Sethu (116).
Meanwhile, Chennai ace Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate) took decisive steps towards winning the championship in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category by picking up 50 valuable points. The 41-year old international finished second behind Thailand’s Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing), but with the foreigner ineligible for any points, Rajini picked up 25. He followed it up with a fine win in Race-2 on wearing tyres while Malahuan, who had a jump-start, faded out of contention.
After four rounds, Rajini has a tally of 168 points, ahead of Bengalurean Anish Damodara Shetty of Race Concepts (121) who finished third and second in the double-header. With one more round left in the championship and a maximum of 50 points up for grabs, Rajini has one had on the trophy with a 47-point lead.
Ryhana, 24, who sat out the 2020 season owing to injuries after winning the championship in 2019, staged a remarkable recovery to catch up with early leader and defending champion Ann Jennifer before making a decisive pass on the last lap for a merited fourth consecutive victory. It took Ryhana’s tally to 100, way ahead of second-placed Mumbai’s Jagruti Kiran Penkar (Sparks Racing, 57 points) with just one more race remaining and which is scheduled to be run in the concluding round in February.
The day began with local collegian Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports) winning Novice (Stock 165cc) race as he fought his way through the field after losing position early in the six-lapper which he started from pole position. The win, his fourth of the season, drew Sundar level with leader Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing) from Thrissur, both on 128 points.
Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan chalked up a fine double in the NSF 250 category of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, defeating championship leader Kavin Quintal in both races.
The results (Provisional – all six laps unless mentioned):
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Open) Race-1: 1. Vorapong Malahuan (TVS Racing, Thailand) (11mins, 18.244secs); 2. Rajini Krishnan (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate, Chennai) (11:18.657); 3. Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (11:18.921). Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Rajini Krishnan (15:04.127); 2. Anish Damodara Shetty (15:04.297); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:04.454).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Open) Race-1: 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:48.162); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (11:48.484); 3. Rajiv Sethu (Idumitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (11:50.454). Race-2 (5 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Pacer Yamaha, Chennai) (09:57.247); 2. Rajiv Sethu (09:57.505); 3. Jagan Kumar (09:57.655).
Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsport, Chennai) (13:03.215); 2. Sarvesh Balappa (Sparks Racing, Hubbali) (13:05.798); 3. Anfal Akthar (Rockstar Racing, Thrissur) (13:05.856).
Girls (Stock 165cc) 5 laps: 1. Ryhana Bee (RACR Castrol Power Ultimate, Chennai) (11:02.702); 2. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing, Chennai) (11:02.886); 3. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (11:03.512).
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250 (Race-1): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (11:11.037); 2. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (11:14.091); 3. Geoffrey Revinen Emmanuel (Chennai) (11:15.060). Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (14:47.030); 2. Kavin Quintal (14:47.277); 3. Geoffrey Revinen Emmanuel (14:59.460).
Novice (CBR 150): 1. Prakash Kamat (Bokaro Steel City) (13:04.485); 2. Rakshith S Dave (Chennai) (13:04.735); 3.Vivek Gaurav (Patna) (13:06.764).
Hornet 2.0 (Support race): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (13:29.346); 2. Ajay Xavier (Nagarkoil) (13:29.437); 3. Prabhu V (Chennai) (13:29.655).
TVS One-Make Championship – Open (RR 310) Race-1: 1. Amarnath Menon (Kozhikode) (11:46.925); 2. Jagadeesh N (Bengaluru) (11:47.761); 3. Manoj Yesudian (Chennai) (11:47.899). Race-2: 1. Manoj Yesudian (11:47.967); 2. Ananthraj P (Chennai) (11:48.088); 3. Amarnath Menon (11:49.172).
Rookie (RTR 200): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:55.139); 2. Chiranth Viswanath (Bengaluru) (12:55.220); 3. Shreyas Copparam Hareesh (Bengaluru) (12:56.356).
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Maiden victory for Chirag Ghorpade in MRF F1600; Rishon day’s fastest driver
Chennai, 11 Dec. 2021: Sixteen-year-old 11th grade student of Bengaluru Chirag Ghorpade, drove a brilliant race to win his maiden race in the coveted MRF F1600 class in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
Ghorpade held off another 7-year old, Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin, for his maiden win in this category while Rishon Rajiv, 6, also from Bengaluru, finished third in the eight-lap race. Rishon became the fastest Driver of the day clocking 1:39.964. Ghorpade did a 39.8 on Thursday but was content in being consistent today and focused on his race victory. The trio was in a league of its own in a field that had quite a few experienced drivers.
“It was a tough race initially when Shahan caught up with me, but I realized that he was unable to narrow the gap any further and I managed to dictate the pace,” said Ghorpade who had earlier qualified for pole position.
Chirag Ghorpade after his maiden win in the MRF F1600 category (Dec 11) Photo: Anand Philar Meanwhile, Coimbatore veteran, defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), at 47, and in his 29th racing season, was in imperious form when easily winning the premier Indian Touring Cars race from pole position, while two Rayo Racing drivers from Hyderabad, Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh finished a distant second and third, respectively.
“Honestly, I was quite surprised by the pace of the car (Honda City) and by the end of the first lap, I was comfortably ahead. Thereafter, I decided to back off a bit and scaled down on my aggression. Yes, I am quite pleased with the performance,” Balu said.
Performance Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar from Chennai and Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) topped in the Super Stock and Indian Junior Touring Cars category, respectively.
Pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) from Vellore emerged a facile winner in the Formula LGB 1300 race that was marred by a red flag stoppage following a series of crashes, reducing it to just five laps.
Mumbai’s Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing) and Coimbatore’s A Balaprasath (Quest Motorsport) shared the top honours in the two MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) races. In the second race, a Delhi-born Punjabi from Gurgoan won his maiden podium taking a second place in his debut week-end in real motorsports as the sim-racer is racing for the first time at MMSC.
The results (Provisional – all 8 laps unless mentioned):
The top three in MRF Saloon Cars race-2 – A Balaprasath (centre, winner), Justin Singht (left, second) and Fahad Kutty (third) at MMRT on 11 Dec 2021. Photo by Anand Philar MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (13mins, 32.919secs); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (13:34.252); 3. Rishon Rajiv (Bengaluru) (13:35.164).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (15:19.312); 2. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:46.386); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (15:54.693).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:09.974); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:12.079); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (16:17.578).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (16:04.162); 2. Charen Chandran (Pvt, Coimbatore) (16:25.674); 3. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (15:30.132, 7 laps)
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing, Nellore) (11:14.406); 2. Arya Singh (DTS Racing, Kolkata) (11:15.966); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (11:20.775).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios – Race 1): 1. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:08.849); Jamie Shaw (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:09.332); 3. Chandresh Tolia (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (17:11.833);
Race 2: 1. A Balaprasath (Quest Motorsport, Coimbatore) (21:17.190); 2. Justin Singh (Quest Motorsport, Haryana) (21:17.925); 3. Fahad Kutty (Red Line Racing, Mumbai) (21:20.784).
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Chance for young guns, Sahan, Ruhaan to showcase their talent: MMSC races
Chennai, 8 Dec. 2021: After a break of close to three months, the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 will resume with Covid-19 safety protocols in place at the MMRT here on Friday, December 10, with a 12-race programme scheduled for the weekend and some 100 entrants in the fray across various categories.
Two young guns who stood out in the first round were teenagers Shahan Ali Mohsin from Agra and Bengaluru’s Ruhaan Alva, both products of the National karting championships. Shahan won two of the three races in the MRF F1600 category while Ruhaan (MSport) was adjudged “best rookie” in the Formula LGB 1300.
The MRF F1600 will headline the weekend card with a triple-header, while the Formula LGB 1300, the Saloon Cars (Indian Touring Cars, Super Stock, Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Volkswagen Polo will have two races apiece in the three-day event.
Of equal significance is the entry-level MRF Saloon Cars category, featuring Toyota Etios. Last season, it made a debut in the National championship, promoted by the Madras Motor Sports Club, with just six entries, but now boasts of a grid of 25 cars representing two teams – the Red Line Racing India and Quest Motorsports. The MRF Saloon Cars skipped the first round in September this year, and will offer nine races spread over three rounds. Vehicles in all categories will run on MRF tyres.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas, while welcoming the participants for the second round, said: “At the outset, we need to celebrate the fact that we are able to conduct the championship during this challenging period of the pandemic. It is even more heartening that despite current situation, an increasing number of youngsters are taking to motor racing if one were to go by the spike in entries with each round. The first round in September witnessed the emergence of young talent and we hope they will continue to the perform. Our thanks also to our sponsors, MRF Tyres for their active involvement in the championship.”
As usual, the highly competitive saloon car races are likely throw up some exciting finishes, notably in the premier Indian Touring Cars class where Race Concepts’ Arjun Balu from Coimbatore, the defending champion, will be again up against Rayo Racing pair of Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh (both Hyderabad).
The MMRT circuit stood up well to the recent record monsoon rains and looked to be in good trim to host the weekend’s programme.
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the MMRT circuit in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC purchased Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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Rain master Ruhaan Alva graduates to Formula cars in style; F4 beckons
Bengaluru, 18 October 2021: For many of us in motorsports, K1000 is an annual pilgrimage. And everyone has 100 tales to tell, and I am no different after watching over two dozen K1000s, 22 years to be precise, from 1996, many of them doing media or just having fun. In one of the trips back from a K1000 run in Tumkur, I travelled with two young boys one was 9 and his younger sibling 6. I fell sick and had to return on a Saturday itself, but that provided me with a chance to indulge in K1000 stories with one of the drivers of yesteryears, Umakanth Alva, whom I had the pleasure of watching in late nineties. He introduced his elder son into karting, the gateway to racing bigger things. That day, looking at a shy and playful child, I did not realise his potential. But soon his exploits abroad convinced me about the talent of the precocious 11-year old. He is Ruhaan Alva, 15 now, the reigning X30 Karting Senior champion 2021 who came through the ranks by grit and determination. The younger one, Shlok, was naughty then, but now he is unto himself, immersed in things that make him a computer geek.
Ruhaan’s experience in Europe helped him hone his skills in being much smoother as a driver since the grip levels there, are very high. “One small mistake and you will lose time. The top 10 drivers are fighting for one tenth of a second. The changing weather conditions also helped him adapt much faster to the track since it would be cold and slippery early in the morning and then when the sun comes out the grip levels would increase,” said senior Alva, a rally driver, who retired with a bang winning the Mountain Challenge in picturesque Kohima, organised by Nagaland Adventure Motor Sports Association as its inaugural event after its birth in 2001. Alva, was ably navigated by Musa Sherif, who went on to become a legend of a navigator, and their exploits together, and Alva’s with other navigators, were for another story another day. In fact, the famed speedmaster Lohit Urs’, a National rally champion, first car and team was done by Alva as Team Kadur.
Ruhaan Alva, crosses the flag first, but finishes fifth, on his debut at the MMSC MRF Indian National Racing Championship for Cars 2021, Round 1 in Sept. at MMRT. Photos: Shajahan Coming back to Ruhaan, the experience and learning in Europe, he returned to India and proved himself and earned his Second National title as Junior by dint of hard work in 2020. The fickle English weather added another tool in his armoury. So driving in the wet and figuring out different lines, came naturally to him. The Indian conditions offered him different kinds of challenges, though… racing and some, not as much a part of sport. But the youngster, withstood all the pressures of being alone at the top, and despite no congenial atmosphere for racing, he sharpened his skills with a much higher-level of understanding. The machine, the speed, the tyres, the traction, the set-up, all taught him how to excel in sub-optimal conditions. Finding out his pace and the limit, on the only track in Bengaluru at MecoKartopia, and belting out lap after fast lap, needs some discipline which he did exhibit, but at times was frustrated with the kart set-up. “These are part and parcel of the sport. Despite all these, I aim to be calm and try to perform my best,” he said after one of those bad races last year. “But I will be spending a lot of time in the gym to get my fitness levels up as well as some testing and time on the sim,” he concluded.
One for the Album: At the turn of the century a new motorsposrts baby is born in the North East and it was the Southers Stars who won the inaugural NAMSA event. Musa Sherif, left, navigated for Umakanth Alva, who bid goodbye to his rally career on a winning note conquering the mountains in the North East in Feb 2001. Ruhaan moved into Formula cars this year and immediately was at front fighting for a win. He won multiple races in the Formula Junior Racing (FJRS) event held in Coimbatore in May 2021. Recently, in October, he won the second race of the MRF MMSC Formula 1300 category showing pace, after starting from 8th place and understanding of the racing lines despite being a debutant at the 3.712 km Madras Motor Sport Track in Irungattukottai. Logging a penalty for overtaking during yellow flag period and costing him the win is a different matter but he made pundits sit up and take notice. Learning to watch yellow flags, with Madras Motor Sports Club introducing Digital Flags for the first time in the country in National Racing Championship will make his experience of taking flashing yellows to a different level when he visits MMRT, for the next round. Ruhaan won the Best Rookie Award on debut at the track and in the National championship. “It’s not much of a consolation because I know I had the pace and I deserved that win but there is nothing more I can do about it rather than learn and come back stronger,” said a disappointed Bengalurean to INDIAinF1 after the race.
The number of competitors this year has suddenly gone up and the grid for Formula 1300 was full for the MMSC MRF National Racing Championship with drivers being put on the wait list. The same is expected for the JK Novice Championship in Formula LGB 1300 as well as LGB F4 with drivers on the wait list.
This bodes well for the sport and with the Mumbai Falcons announcement of the F4 Indian Championship,run along with the F3 Regional Championship this year the sport is looking to grow. The Rotax Indian National Championship also has a record number of entries expected in the Junior and Senior categories.
Ruhaan said: “It’s a big difference moving into Formula LGB, especially getting used to the gearbox, the brakes and the longer wheel-base making the handling very differentcompared to a kart.”
This website wishes Ruhaan Alva, the very best, and would like to see him graduate into F4 and up the ladder for better racing.
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Deepak leads Momentum 1-2; Defending champ Arjun Balu on pole
Chennai, 25 Sept 2021: Shahan Ali Mohsin, the 17-year old from Agra and a multiple National Karting champion, snatched the pole position in the MRF F1600 category just ahead of Chirag Ghorpade of Bengaluru while K Suriya Varathan from Coimbatore and Bengaluru’s Rishon Rajiv occupied the second row. Meanwhile, Deepak Ravikumar from Chennai led a brilliant 1-2 finish for Momentum Motorsport along with Ghorpade in the Formula LGB 1300 race in the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 at the MMRT here on Saturday.
Two other X30 karting talent, Ruhaan Alva, the reigning Senior champion and Delhi school boy Jaden R Pariat, originally from Guwahati, the vice-champion in the Junior section, posted competitive times making their debut in the National Racing championship at the Madras Motor Sports Track (MMRT). More than half a dozen newcomers made their debut in the National Championship taking part in the Formula LGB1300, the entry class on Saturday as the sounds of the single-seater Formula cars reverberated at Madras Motor Sports Club.
Deepak Ravikumar celebrates his victory in the Formula LGB 1300 race (Sept 25) at MMRT. Photos By Anand Philar Behind him, Ghorpade covered a lot of ground starting from P8 to finish a deserving second ahead of Kotagiri’s 10th standard student Amir Sayed (M Sport) who too cut through the field from P7.
In the popular Saloon car category, Coimbatore veteran and defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), expectedly took the pole position followed by the Rayo Racing pair from Hyderabad Anindith Reddy and Jeet Jhabakh.
Another Bengalurean, Aditya Sawaminathan, qualified for pole position in the Volkswagen Polo category with Bangladesh’s Aiman Sadat in second position and Kolkata’s Arya Singh third.
The results (Provisional):
Arjun Balu, who took pole position in the Saloon cars category (Sept 25) at MMRT. Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsport, Chennai) (20mins, 04.575secs); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport, Bengaluru) (20:10.045); 3. Amir Sayed (MSport, Kotagiri) (20:12.571).
Qualifying – MRF F1600: 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Agra) (Best lap – 01:40.148); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (01:40.741); 3. K Suriya Varadhan (Coimbatore) (01:40.977).
All Saloons – Indian Touring Cars: 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts, Coimbatore) (01:50.927); 2. Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (01:52.329); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Rayo Racing, Hyderabad) (01:52.592).
Super Stock: 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (01:58.645); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Chennai) (01;58.841); 3. RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing, Chennai) (01:59.433).
Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (01:58.911); 2. K Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing, Chennai) (02:03.402); 3. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Performance Racing, Chennai) (02:05.029).
Volkswagen Polo: 1. Aditya Swaminathan (Bengaluru) (1:56.609); 2. Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh) (1:56.747); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (1:56.993).
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Anish Shetty, Deepak Ravikumar post maiden wins
Chennai, 12 Sept 2021: Bengaluru-based Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts) pulled off a well-deserved win, if a bit fortuitous, his first of the season in the premier Prostock 301-400cc category as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021 concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.
Also scoring his maiden win of the 2021 season was Deepak Ravikumar who led a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing with championship leader Jagan Kumar in tow ahead of Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing’s Senthil Kumar. The lead Honda rider, Rajiv Sethu, who was eyeing a possible win, crashed after making contact with Senthil in the last lap and eventually finished a distant ninth which fetched him one point.
Earlier, Chennai’s Ryhana Bee (RACR) and Thrissur lad Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing) won in the Girls and Novice (Stock 165cc) categories, respectively.
The Prostock 301-400cc race was action-packed. With several front-runners, including championship leader Rajini Krishnan (RACR) crashing out in the latter part of the eight-lap race, the door was open for Anish Shetty, astride a KTM RC390, to seize the opportunity to win from TVS Racing’s KY Ahamed, the defending champion, and Hyderabad’s Rahil Shetty (Gusto Racing).
Rajini, winner of three consecutive races, crashed at the last corner on the sixth lap soon after surviving a contact on the back sweep with TVS Racing’s Deepak Ravikumar whose challenge thus ended.
Despite the poor result, Rajini continues to occupy the top spot in the championship stakes with 75 points while Anish Shetty (63) moved to second position, followed by Rahil Shetty (58).
The expected TVS vs Honda battle in the Prostock 165cc race flickered for a while with Jagan, Rajiv and Ravikumar swapping lead. The trio was bunched close together with Senthil lurking in their shadow. With a couple of the eight laps left, Ravikumar forged ahead while behind him, Rajiv and Senthil tangled which took out the former, leaving Jagan to snatch P2 while Senthil completed the podium.
The result still left Jagan in the championship lead with a tally of 93 points, well clear of Ravikumar (67) and Rajiv Sethu (56).
Earlier, Ryhana Bee chalked up her second consecutive win in the Girls category, while pushing front-runner Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing) from Puducherry to second place. Mumbai’s Jagruthi Penkar (Sparks Racing) completed the podium. Defending champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing), who had won all four races last season, crashed again as she did in last month’s first round and is still to open her account.
Meanwhile, Chennai riders Kavin Quintal (NSF 250R) and Kevin Kannan (Hornet 2.0) notched their fourth straight win while Bokaro Steel City’s Prakash Kamath (Honda CBR 150) achieved a double in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup One-make Championship organised by the MMSC.
Kolhapur’s 12-year old Jinendra Kiran Sangave also recorded his fourth consecutive win in the TVS Rookie category.
The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Prostock 301-400cc (Race-2 – 8 laps): 1. Anish Damodara Shetty (Race Concepts, Bengaluru) (15mins, 09.769secs); 2. Ahmed KY (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:10.171); 3. Rahil Shetty (Gusto Racing, Hyderabad) (15:10.310).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:51.435); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing, Chennai) (15:51.828); 3. Senthil Kumar (Idemitsu Honda SK69 Racing) (16:10.248, incl 15-sec penalty for jump start).
Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-2: 1. Allwin Xavier (Sparks Racing, Thrissur) (13:01.182); 2. Alwin Sundar (AS Motorsports, Chennai) (13:01.218); 3. Anfal Akdhar (Rockstar Racing, Thrissur) (13:03.516).
Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (RACR, Chennai) (10:58.929); 2. Lani Zena Fernandez (Speed Up Racing, Puducherry) (11:01.217); 3. Jagruti Penkar (Sparks Racing, Mumbai) (11:18.622).
One-Make Championship organized by Madras Motor Sports Club:
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Kavin Quintal (Chennai) (14:52.563); 2. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (15:01.558); 3. Geoffrey Reviven Emmanuel (Chennai) (15:08.141).
CBR 150 (Race-2): 1. Prakash Kamath (Bokaro Steel City) (13:15.766); 2. Johann Reeves Emmanuel (Chennai) (13:28.042); 3. Theopaul Leander (Chennai) (13:28.204).
Hornet 2.0 (Race-2): 1. Kevin Kannan (Chennai) (13:28.694); 2. Balaji G (Chennai) (13:29.169); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (13:29.435).
TVS Apache Open (RR310, Race-2): 1. Amarnath Menon (Calicut) (11:51.317); 2. Navaneeth Kumar (Puducherry) (11:51.778); 3. KK Anandhu (Chennai) (11:52.872).
Rookie (RTR 200, Race-2): 1. Jinendra Kiran Sangave (Kolhapur) (12:56.019); 2. Vignesh Gowd (Hyderabad) (13:02.618); 3. Jagathishree (Chennai) (13:02.922).
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Kavin Quintal emerges as fastest rider on Friday
Irungattukottai (Kanchipuram District, TN), 10 Sept. 2021: Talented teen racer Kavin Samaar Quintal emerged as the fastest rider of the day on the opening day of the Round 2 of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which began at the Madras Motor Race Track here on Friday.
Coached by Tadayuki Okada san, the 16-year Kavin, astride a Honda NSF250R, the best bike on the day with a racing pedigree, blazed the MMSC track with ease and grace to notch up the quickest lap of the day, 1min, 50.085sec in the 30-minute practice session on the 3.717-km tarmac that saw temperatures of over 30 degree centigrade on a “not-so-hot day”, about 70-km from Chennai here.
Another talented teen, Sartak Chavan from Pune did his best lap in 1:50.700, about half a second behind Kavin’s second-best time of 1:51.079. Geoffrey Revival Emmanuel of Chennai was the third quickest clocking 1:52.809 in a grid of 12 riders who were selected for this One-Make Championship by Honda India.
Kavin Quintal, fastest rider of the day on Friday. Photo David Bodapati In the first round held on August 22, Kavin won the Race 2 with a best lap of 1min 49.793sec followed by Sartak (best lap 1:50.595) in second place and Bengaluru’s Samuel Martin took third on the podium (Best lap 1:52.177). Earlier he also won Race 1, and made it a double for the Round 1 week-end.
Promoted and organised by Madras Motor Sports Club, at MMRT, the best active facility in India for riders and drivers, the National Championship saw top riders like Rajini Krishnan, Rajiv Sethu, Jagan and other young and veteran riders, including a bevy of woman riders take part under strict COVID19 restrictions and the new-look Grand Stand which gave the appearance of a Big Sporting Facility for the laymen on the Highway for the first time, was dotted with colourful chairs begging for guests to be seated, but alas that has to wait till the pandemic is tamed.
Blissfully cool and calm, the 11th Class student of Sir Matha School in Chennai said: “I was testing old tyres and suspension. I had fun today and I thank my team for giving a good bike,” before rushing to watch and cheer the rookies taking part in the CBR150 Novice class.
NSF250R is a racing machine for the new era. Powered by 4-stroke engine with 249cc displacement specially designed for racing, it’s light, compact, high output and high in performance. It is a perfect bike to provide integration of high power and rider-friendliness.
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India’s top racers vie for top honours in MMSC 2w Nationals: Round 2
Chennai, 8 Sept 2021: If the action-packed lung-opener a fortnight back is any guide, then more fireworks are in the offing in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmscil Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021, commencing on Friday, September 10, at the MMRT circuit behind closed doors due to the ongoing Covid-19 related restrictions.
There is much to enthuse about the National championship whose growing popularity is reflected in the 100-plus entries across all categories. The National championship comprises Pro-Stock 301-400cc, Pro-Stock 165cc, Novice (Stock 165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) classes with all bikes running on MRF tyres which have received thumbs up from the competitors.
The 18-race card also includes TVS and Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup One-Make Championships organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club. TVS are showcasing their Apache machines in the Open (RR 310), Rookie (Under-19 age group) and Girls (both RTR 200) categories, all of which have attracted sizeable entries.
In the first round last month, Honda introduced the Hornet 2.0 via a double-header as a support event to their top-end NSF 250R which is of World Championship Moto3 spec, and the CBR 150.
KTM and Yamaha too have sizeable presence while offering support in a variety of ways to some 17 teams that are in the fray across all categories. Thus, the championship is a confluence of leading manufacturers and the best of Indian racing talent.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “The response to the championship this year has been quite extraordinary considering the challenging times we are in due to the Covid-19 situation and consequent restrictions. One notable feature is that the riders are not only getting more competitive, but also younger with the numbers growing steadily year-on-year. As always we are grateful to our title sponsors MRF Tyres while we also acknowledge the significant contributions by the two-wheeler manufacturers who are leaving no stone unturned to spot and nurture young talent from grassroot level up.”
The competition in Round 2 is expected to be even more sharper with front-runners looking to add to their tally of points. Veterans Rajini Krishnan (RACR) and Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) put on brilliant exhibition of their undoubted riding skills with a double apiece in the premier Pro-Stock classes, 301-400cc and 165cc, respectively. The duo will again be the cynosure this weekend.
The Novice category has been an eye-opener with entries filling up well ahead of the deadline for submission. As such, the double-header last month boasted of a 39-bike grid, the biggest in the championship with Alwin Sundar winning both the races. The Girls category, an initiative launched by MMSC a few seasons ago, has improved in quality with lap times going down with Ryhana Bee (RACR) winning the race last month.
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the MMRT circuit in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC purchased Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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Rakshith & Rakshitha, the Chennai twins blossom at MMSC bike races
Irungattukottai, 21 August 2021: Talented teenage twins, Rakshith and Rakshitha, from Chennai, blossomed together to notch-up easy maiden victories in their respective one-make Championships at the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship, 70-km from Chennai, here on Saturday.
The 8th Standard students of Chettinad Harishree Vidyalayam, Chennai, gave themselves a belated birthday gift as they took the top spot on the podium today. The talented duo, who completed 13 years on August 8, made their debut in the first round last December, and are only in their second season.
It was Rakshith Srihari Dave, who took the stage first, dominating the Idimetsu Honda CBR 150 Novice Class Race 1 as he clocked 13 minutes, 12.373 seconds over six laps. Taking the lead at the first corner into the second lap, he soon increased the gap and put in consistent laps with steady riding to grab an easy win beating Prakash Kamath of Bokaro Steel City by a huge 4.8 second margin even as Theopaul Leander, also from Chennai, finished third. “I enjoyed my race and feel happy to get my first victory. I thank my team and my parents,” said Rakhsith in the pitlane after the win.
Rakshita Srihari Dave, the 13-year Chennai lass, follows suit his twin brother to a maiden race victory on Saturday. A screen grab of MMSC live streaming In the third race of the day, the TVS RTR200 for Girls Race 1, Rakshitha S Dave also took a thrilling victory defeating Baddam Deepika Reddy and Adlin Seles. Later, Deepika was penalised 10-seconds for a jump start. Thus, Adlin came second and Nishita Palani took the final podium place ahead of Deepika in fourth. “I am very happy with my victory as I gave a good fight. I am also glad because this is my maiden win which was made possible by my bike. I thank TVS racing for giving me this wonderful platform to perform,” quipped Rakshitha, who made her Debut on 11th December last year and got a podium the very next day in the Girls Stock 165cc class of the National Championship. She also partnered with Deepika and won a second place in the girls section of the Endurance event conducted by Madras Motors Sports Club in March this year sharing a tiring-47 laps with the Hyderabad lass, before the pandemic stopped all sports activity. She says, she enjoys riding and is looking forward for more racing, says the youngest participant on the grid.
Rakshith Srihari Dave, who won his maiden race at MMRT on Saturday. The kids get their inspiration from their dad Srihari R Dave, who used to race for fun and turned his passion into profession as he continues in the automobile business. “I feel blessed and proud of my twins,” he said after the double delight today. Their mom, Vidya Srihari, is visibly pleased too. Though she was reluctant initially, to allow the kids go racing bikes for fear of injuries, she was convinced by all the three, and now understands the safe environment at MMRT for racing. “I don’t watch the race as I am still afraid but am happy and thrilled that they both won today. My husband convinced me. Also, it is not just racing, they learn how to take failures in equal stride, that helps them grow in life,” she said.
Currently, Rakshitha is coached by Mohamed Haneef of Speed Demon Motorsports, Chennai and Rakshit is under the umbrella of Idemitsu Honda Racing India. Both the riders underwent Level I training by Ramji at the basic camp at Ten10 Racing Academy in Bengaluru in 2018. They had a few podiums last season but this is their maiden victory and both are the youngest on their respective grids. This year, both were shortlisted for the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, which was scheduled for October 2021 in Malaysia, before the pandemic played spoilsport and the event was put-off. If groomed and nurtured properly, the kids would `go places’…
