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Tag: MMSC
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Hemanth Mudappa annexes drag crown for a hat-trick; Jessica wins girls title: Drag Nationals
Hemanth Mudappa with the trophies at MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Team Mudappa for INDIAinF1 Chennai, 30 Dec 2019: Defending champion from Bengaluru, Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing dominated the 2019 MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship as he annexed the title for the third year in a row with a grand double while also equalling the course record at the MMRT, here last weekend.
Attributing his success to the team work by Mantra Racing, in preparing his BMW S1000RR bike in the top-end Unrestricted Supersport class, Muddappa won both the Rounds 3 and 4 for a clean sweep. He clocked 8.070 seconds in Round 3 on Saturday and then, in the next round on Sunday, he did 7.976 seconds to equal the record he had set in the second round in October erasing his own earlier record.
The 29-year old Coorgi made a clean sweep winning all the four rounds for a maximum of 100 points. Hafeez Khan and Harish Naik finished second and third in the National championship. Hemanth, currently heads the leading sports nutrition brand, `1up Nutrition India’ and is based in Bengaluru.
Also scoring a double and claiming the National title is Nivetha Jessica in the Girls category. The 22-year old rider scored her maiden National Championship scoring 93 points. The Bio-Tech engineering graduate from Chennai who made her debut as a privateer in 2017, said: “I have faced a lot of hurdles and finally to overcome all of them with hardwork and support from my team, family and friends makes me so glad.”
Another rider to score a double is Bengaluru’s Aiyaz, who is crowned Nationial Champion in the 361-550cc Supersport Indian class. Local challenger Yogeshwaran, though failing to win a race over the weekend, still garnered enough points to claim the title in the 226-360 Supersport Indian category with 67 points, just two ahead of fellow-Chennai rider AS Alexander.
Bengaluru’s Mohammed Rafiq topped both the 2-Stroke categories (up to 130cc and 131-165cc) and bagged the National title in both classes.
Round 3 of the championship was held on Saturday, Dec 28 and Round 4 on Sunday, Dec 29.
File photo of Hemanth Muddappa with his BMW S1000R and his trophy from Round 2 Sporting a T-shirt that proclaimed him as 2019 champion, with years 2017and 2018 at the bottom denoting his hat-trick, a visibly pleased Mudappa said: “Much hard work went in this year and I am thrilled to complete my hat-trick and a big thank you to my team.’’
“I can’t thank the almighty enough for all his blessings to close this perfect season and end 2019 on a high. I thank the prayers and blessings of my parents and the special lady,’’ he added.
He had a special mention for Mantra Racing and the man behind it, Sharan J Pratap but did not forget his mechs Maruti, Mueen, Manju, Omkar and Nithin. “And off course, the big daddy Pratap Jayaram. Without all of them this season would not have been possible. Big thank you to my wingmen And #1 bike transporter Appu Raj of Power Star and Mohan who are the best support crew I could ask for.
In his hour of triumph, he remembered his friends who gave him a tough fight with the top-three finishing very close. “Hearty congratulations to my great friend Hafeez Khan on securing 2nd in the championship. Congratulations to Harish Naik to get 3rd in his debut racing season,’’ he quipped adding kudos to Zubair Ali Jung for giving a great fight. There was also a special shout-out to Nihas from Colour Me Crazy Customs, who custom-made the Gold championship helmet, in MotoGP style.
“Thank you MMSC and FMSCI, the organisers and governing body of motorsports in India. Thank you all my friends and supporters for the wishes you showered me with,’’ he concluded.
Nivetha Jessica with her tropies at the MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Team Jessica for INDIAinF1 The results (All 4-Stroke unless mentioned):
Unrestricted Supersport (Round-3): 1. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing, Bengaluru) (08.070secs); 2. Zubair Ali Jung (Bengaluru) (08.315); 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) (08.676). Round-4: 1. Muddappa (07.976, equals course record); 2. Hafizulla Khan (Bengaluru) (08.411); 3. Naik (08.554). National champion: Hemant Muddappa (100 points).
361-550cc Supersport Indian (Round-3): 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (12.503); 2. Attaulla Baig (Bengaluru) (12.522); 3. Anandhu KK (12.583). Round-4: 1. Aiyaz (12.230); 2. Baig (12.337); 3. Anandhu (12.443). National champion: Aiyaz (90 points).
226-360cc Supersport Indian (Round-3): 1. AS Alexander (Chennai) (13.123); 2. Bharath (Chennai) (13.192); 3. Ashish Rungta (Chennai) (13.413). Round-4: 1. Shankar Guru (Bengaluru) (12.896); 2. Rungta (12.986); 3. Alexander (13.009). National champion: Yogeshwaran (Chennai) (67 points).
166-225cc Supersport Indian (Round-3): 1. N Deepak (Chennai) (13.655); 2. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (14.194); 3. S Ahamed Vasin (Chennai) (14.883). Round-4: Deepak (13.366); 2. Venu SMD (Bengaluru) (13.835); 3. Mohammed Imran (Bengaluru) (14.251). National champion: N Deepak (83 points).
Up to 165cc Supersport Indian (Round-3): 1. Sooriya PM (Chennai) (14.352); 2. Anand R (Chennai) (14.468); 3. Bharath (Chennai) (14.501). Round-4: 1. Anand R (14.373); 2. Sooriya (14.472); 3. Bharath (14.586). National champion: Sooriya PM (68 points).
GIRLS (Up to 165cc, Round-3): Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (16.075); 2. Czimkhy (Kerala) (16.438); 3. Ann Jennifer (Chennai) (16.450). Round-4: 1. Nivetha Jessica (15.954); 2. Soundari Ananth Raj (Speed Up Racing, Chennai) (16.328); 3. Ann Jennifer (16.387). National champion: Nivetha Jessica (93 points).
2-Stroke Up to 130cc Supersport (Round-3): 1. Mohammed Rafiq (Bengaluru) (13.183); 2. Hussain Khan (Mumbai) (13.376); 3. Syed Nayeem (Bengaluru) (13.549). Round-4: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (12.990); 2. Hussain Khan (13.499); 3. R Madhan Kumar (Chennai) (13:590). National champion: Mohammed Rafiq (100 points).
2-Stroke 131-165cc Supersport (Round-3): 1. Aiyaz (Bengaluru) (13.042); 2. K Mohan (Chennai) (13.055); 3. Mohd Rafiq (Bengaluru) (13.059). Round-4: 1. Mohd Rafiq (12.356); 2. Salman Khan (Bengaluru) (12.815); 3. Syed Nayeem (Bengaluru) (12.918). National champion: Mohammed Rafiq (90 points).
Mantra Racing, the team behind the National Champion Hemanth Mudappa’s success. Photo for INDIAinF1 from Mudappa/Team Mantra Racing -
Dylan Young, Bent Viscaal share honours: MRF Challenge
Dylan Young on way to winning Race-4 at Bahrain on 4 Dec 2019. Photos by Anand Philar Sakhir (Bahrain), 14 Dec 2019: Dylan Young of Australia showcased his vast experience to chalk up a fluent win in the final race of the second round of MRF Challenge, a support-event for the FIA World Endurance Championship, at the Bahrain International Circuit, here today.
The 30-year old Young, a regular in the MRF Challenge, while scoring his second win in the championship following his success in the first round at Dubai last month, ended the Bent Viscaal-David Schumacher domination. Viscaal, from the Netherlands, had won the first and third races while Germany’s Schumacher, son of former F1 driver Ralf, had taken the honours in Race-2 under lights late last night.
The results notwithstanding, championship leader Michelangelo Amendola of Belgium, who had won three of the five races in Dubai, maintained his top position on the leaderboard despite a poor run here in Bahrain when he finished no higher than sixth. He took his tally to 143 points, followed by Young (127) and Joshua Mason (Britain, 115). The title will be decided in Chennai which will host the final round at the MMRT on February 14-16 next year with a six-race card.
The last race of the round today saw Viscaal and pole-sitter Amendola colliding. Viscaal was forced into retirement while Amendola limped home in seventh.
Up ahead, Young shot off the blocks as the lights went out to pass Amendola and kept his position for a victory. Behind him, battles raged up and down the field with positions being swapped on almost every lap. Eventually, Schumacher, who had started fifth on the reverse grid, came in third behind Jordan’s Manaf Hijjawi who gained two spots to finish behind Young.
Earlier, it was a comfortable win, his second in three outings, for Viscaal in Race-3 as he slipped past pole-sitter Schumacher immediately after the start and then put in two back-to-back fastest laps to effectively seal his win. He then clocked the fastest lap of the race in Lap-5 to further extend his lead over Schumacher who had to be content with a second place finish.
Behind the duo, 16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy made good progress from P5 to P3 while Young who shot up from eighth to fourth eventually finished fifth behind Hijjawi who is in his first single-seater season.
Race-4 winner Dylan Young (centre) flanked by second-placed Manaf Hijjawi (left) and third-placed David Schumacher on 14 Dec 2019 “I had a pretty good start today and moved to P3, but couldn’t get past David (Schumacher). Overall, I am quite happy with my second podium of the championship. It’s been a good learning experience, especially racing with experienced F3 drivers. Everyone has been improving and so, the grid is getting more competitive,” said Sundaramoorthy who has his roots in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Late last night, in Race-2 that was run under lights and on reverse grid, Schumacher came out on top after having started fifth, in a hectic, nerve-wracking three-car finish as he took the chequered flag just ahead of Viscaal and Young. The trio went wheel-to-wheel to set up a thrilling finish with leader Young dropping two places in the last lap as first Viscaal and then Schumacher passing him. The two front-row starters, pole-sitter Reece Ushijima and Joshua Mason, eventually finished fifth and fourth, respectively, unable to match the pace of the top three.
The results (all 10 laps unless mentioned):
Race-2 (10 laps): 1. David Schumacher (Germany) (20mins, 24.266secs); 2. Bent Viscaal (Netherlands) (20:25.968); 3. Dylan Young (Australia) (20:25.994). Fastest Lap: Schumacher (02:00.732).
Race-3: 1. Viscaal (20:16.541); 2. Schumacher (20:17.306); 3. Yuven Sundaramoorthy (USA) (20:23.243). Fastest Lap: Viscaal (02:00.896).
Race-4: 1. Young (20:27.236); 2. Manaf Hijjawi (Jordan) (20:28.071); 3. Schumacher (20:29.810). Fastest Lap: Schumacher (02:01.302).
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Bent Viscaal, David Schumacher set early pace in Free Practice: MRF Challenge
David Schumacher during free practice. Photo by Anand Philar Sakhir (Bahrain), 12 Dec 2019: Debutants Bent Viscaal and David Schumacher set the early pace in Free Practice session as the second round of the MRF Challenge, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club and a support-event for FIA World Endurance Championship, got underway at the Bahrain International Circuit, here today.
Viscaal, the 20-year old from the Netherlands, fresh from his debut season in the Formula 3 championship, was the quickest in the first Free Practice session, clocking a best of two minutes, 01.191 seconds while Germany’s 18-year old Schumacher, son of former Formula 1 driver Ralf, was second best in 02:01.256, ahead of Denmark’s 16-year old Valdemar Eriksen (02:01.850).
In fact, the top five in the session, including fourth-placed Aussie Dylan Young (02:01.901) and championship leader Michelangelo Amendola from Belgium (02:01.915), winner of three races in the first round at Dubai last month, were covered by less than one second.
Viscaal, who was second Overall in 2018 Euroformula Open Championship, was quite pleased with his pace today, though he refrained from any predictions on his performance over the next two days when the qualifying and four races would be run.
“It went very well for me today. First time in MRF Challenge, first time in this car and learning the track. It’s been nearly two months since I drove a racing car. So, MRF Challenge will provide me with some winter mileage. The car is good and so also the tyres, I am really enjoying it here. I was quite happy with the pace, though you never know with quali (qualifying session) and races still to be run,” said Viscaal.
Schumacher said he enjoyed the outing. “New car, new tyres and it was quite fun to drive. It was one of the best cars I have driven in practice session. I was missing half-a-tenths in the quickest laps. The track is really difficult and the temperatures were quite high. This car is pretty easy to drive compared to others. I chose the MRF Challenge to learn the track for next season. This week, I want to win all the races of course!”
The top five were followed by 16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy (02:02.352), Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi (02:02.439), Japanese-American Reece Ushijima (02:02.507), Denmark’s Largim Ali (02:02.739), Britain Joshua Mason (02:03.146) and lone Indian entrant Chetan Korada (02:04.991).
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David Schumacher to race in MRF Challenge Round 2 at Bahrain
David Schumacher in Sakhir Bahrain on Wednesday. Photos by Anand Philar Sakhir (Bahrain), 11 Dec 2019: David Schumacher, son of former F1 driver Ralf, is the latest addition to India’s only FIA-approved international series, the MRF Challenge which moves to the Bahrain International Circuit here with a total of four races spread over two days – December 13 and 14.
The 18-year old David Schumacher from Germany, has been in tremendous form in the past year, having emerged Rookie Champion with eight wins in his category while finishing ninth Overall in the 2018 Formula 4 ADAC Championship, followed by fourth Overall with four wins in the 2019 Formula 3 Regional European Championship.
David Schumacher is the latest among high-profile drivers who have utilised the MRF Challenge, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, as a stepping stone to further their racing careers. Mick Schumacher, Harrison Newey, son of Formula 1 designer ace Adrian Newey, Formula 1 test driver with Alfa Romeo Racing Tatiana Calderon and last season’s winner Jamie Chadwick, who is also the champion of the inaugural W Series this year, are some of the big names to have participated in the MRF Challenge, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club.
David Schumacher said: “I am really excited to race with the MRF Challenge in Bahrain. The series is a good platform to race in the winter break. I am looking forward to get the chance to do my first race in Bahrain and to prepare for the season 2020.”
Looking ahead to Round 2, Mr Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Ltd., said: “At the outset, we would like to welcome David Schumacher to MRF Challenge. He follows his cousin, Mick, son of multiple F1 champion Michael Schumacher, and who participated in the championship couple of seasons ago and is now looking to break into F1. David joins other teenagers from Europe and the United States who showcased their talent in the first round at Dubai last month with some very competitive racing. I am sure, these youngsters are looking forward to racing at the iconic Bahrain F1 circuit in Sakhir.”
File photo of MRF Challenge race. The first round of the MRF Challenge last month in Dubai, comprising five races saw Belgian teenager Michelangelo Amendola dominating with three wins, besides topping the qualifying session and posting three fastest laps to pocket 119 points. The other two races were won by veteran Australian Dylan Young and 16-year old Indian-American Yuven Sundaramoorthy. Trailing Amendola on the points table is British teenager Joshua Mason (77), ahead of Young (65).
Interestingly, 16-year old Japanese-American Reece Ushijima, though failing to win and placed seventh in the championship behind Valdemar Erikson (Denmark), Sunderamoorthy and Jordanian Manaf Hijjawi, showed impressive pace by posting two fastest laps in his debut single-seater season, and would be the one to watch here in Bahrain.
Danish youngster Largim Ali is currently eighth in the championship after finishing fourth in two races while Chennai-based Chetan Korada, India’s lone entry, brings up the rear, having picked up points in all the five outings in Dubai.
Another new entrant for Round 2 is 20-year old Brent Viscaal from the Netherlands who took part in the FIA F3 Championship this year after having finished runner-up in the 2018 Euroformula Open Championship.
ABOUT MRF TYRES
Motorsports in India is synonymous with MRF. In fact, the development and popularity of various forms of the sport could be directly attributed to the pioneering efforts of the company, be it racing, rallying, motocross or karting. To encourage motorsport enthusiasts MRF has spared no resources in offering World-class facilities. Being the largest promoters of motorsports in India, MRF has the added advantage of being able to use the racetrack to test the tyres. MRF also supplies tyres to various other championships in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
MRF is the only tyre company in India to have developed Formula car tyres, world- class rally tyres for tarmac and dirt, motocross tyres and also karting tyres. Today, the company caters to almost all segments of the tyre industry and is proud to be the manufacturer of the largest range of tyres. Heavy-duty truck and bus tyres, passenger car tyres, two-wheeler tyres and farm tyres are just some of the tyres that MRF manufactures.
The one thing that puts MRF head and shoulders above its competition is the fact that MRF is the only tyre company in India without any foreign technical collaboration. The company is where it is today, thanks mainly to its know-how and its ability to develop indigenous technology. With this technology, MRF now supplies original equipment tyres to multinational manufacturers such as Honda, Hyundai, Renault, Nissan, Mahindra, Tata, Volkswagen, Toyota, Suzuki and Ford. In total, MRF exports to more than 90 countries. MRF has been the undisputed leader in the tyre industry for more than three decades now, notwithstanding the competition from various multinational and Indian tyre brands.
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Mumbai Falcons soar high with a double; Bangalore Racing Stars top in Race 1
Mumbai Falcons pair of Kush Maini (right) and Mikkel Jensen who scored a double in the X1 Racing League on Sunday. Chennai, 8 Dec 2019: Mumbai Falcons, represented by Kush Maini and Mikkel Jensen (Denmark), won two of the three races while Bangalore Racing Stars tandem of Arjun Maini and Oliver Webb (England) took the honours in the other outing as the curtains came down on the inaugural franchise-based XI Racing League at the MMRT, here today.
The first race of the day, won by Bangalore, took a heavy toll with six cars packing up due to mechanical reasons. It left a six-car grid for the second and third races, but that did not take anything away from Mumbai’s double.
The Race-1 was interrupted by a Safety Car period after one of the cars blew the engine. Bangalore started fourth on the grid behind Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, but with some smart tactics managed to pull ahead. The teams were required to make a mandatory driver change between ninth and 14th minutes window and Bangalore, powered by Arjun Maini and England’s Oliver Webb got it spot on and then held off a late charging Mumbai (Kush Maini and Mikkel Jensen) to win the race. Hyderabad (Vitantonio Liuzzi-Gosia Rdest) completed the podium.
The second race began on reverse grid of the previous race standings. As such, Delhi’s Gaurav Gill, the three times Asia Pacific Rally champion, started from pole and led until he pitted for Raghul Rangasamy to take over. Rangasamy maintained the track position to finish second behind Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini and Jensen). Bangalore Racing Stars who had started fifth, came in third.
Mumbai Falcons went on to complete a double later in the evening, finishing on top in Race-3 ahead of Bangalore Racing Stars and Blackbirds Hyderabad.
Kush Maini (No.1) on a charge in Race 2 on Sunday. Photos by Anand Philar The results (Provisional):
Race-1: 1. Bengaluru Racing Stars (Arjun Maini / Oliver Webb) (27mins, 23.458secs); 2. Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini / Michel Jensen) (27:24.018); 3. Blackbirds Hyderabad (Vitantonio Liuzzi / Gosia Rdest) (27:28.969).
Race-2: 1. Mumbai Falcons (28:02.222); 2. AD Racing Delhi (Gaurav Gill / Raghul Rangasamy) (28:21.637); 3. Bangalore Racing Stars (28:25.847).
Race-3: 1. Mumbai Falcons (27:59.175); 2. Bangalore Racing Stars (28:03.838); 3. Blackbirds Hyderabad (Luizzi / Akhil Rabindra) (28:28.382).
About X1Racing League
X1Racing League, promoted by Racing Promotions Private Limited, is a hybrid motorsport media business creating, developing and commercializing IPs via live events, experiences and ecosystem. X1Racing League intends to reimagine, reinvent and redefine motorsport. X1Racing League is built on three pillars namely X1Racing League, X1Racing eSports and X1Racing Speed Summits. The X1Racing League powered by JK Tyre takes place in November-December in Delhi and Chennai represented by six franchise teams of 24 race drivers including international and domestic men and women. The X1Racing eSports Season 1 is being held in collaboration with global technology leader OnePlus across each of these six cities prior to the professional league to involve fans in a participative simulator-racing format. Winners will win rewards as well as have an opportunity to be trained by professional race drivers. Additionally, in their attempt to make motorsport a part of a larger lifestyle, the X1Racing Speed Summits will bring about exclusive weekenders in the form of VIP corporate experiences. All these pillars bring together a robust calendar of motorsport activity across India touching fans and talent alike to truly make motorsport much more than a sport, but a lifestyle.
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XI Motorsport League comes to Chennai for 2nd and final round
First round action in Delhi at Buddh International Circuit on 1st Dec 2019. An INDIAinF1 image Chennai, 7 Dec 2019: The cream of Indian racing talent, along with their foreign counterparts, including three former Formula One drivers, will re-assemble at the MMRT, here on Sunday for the second round of the path-breaking, franchise-based X1Racing League, being conducted by the Madras Motor Sports Club.
The three races, scheduled for Sunday, promise high-quality racing with the three ex-F1 drivers, India’s Narain Karthikeyan, Malaysian Alex Yoong and Italian Vitantonio Luizzi, competing against hand-picked racers, both foreign and Indian, with rich international experience, besides domestic talent. Also in the fray is Gaurav Gill, the three-times FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner, WRC2 participant and reigning National rally champion who has also competed in single-seater races in India.
The brain-child of two of India’s finest racers, Aditya Patel and Armaan Ebrahim, and promoted by Racing Promotions Private Limited, the X1Racing League, comprises six city-based teams – Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Delhi. The first round was held at the Buddh International Circuit, Delhi, last weekend.
The uniqueness of the X1Racing League lies in its structure that calls for mixed teams of male and female drivers. It also brings together under one umbrella a clutch of Indian racers like the Maini brothers, Arjun and Kush, Akhil Rabindra and Krishnaraaj Mahadik who have been active in various international series with some success.
Also on the grid are drivers with a proven track record in Indian championships, such as young guns Yash Aradhya, Sohil Shah, Arjun Datta, Nayan Chatterjee, Anindith Reddy, besides experienced Ameya Walavalkar, Vishnu Prasad, Raghul Rangasamy, Chittesh Mandody, Karthik Tharani, Arjun Narendran, and Arjun Balu.
The foreign talent includes England’s Oliver Webb, Mikkel Jensen from Denmark and Australian Mitch Gilbert, all with exposure to Touring car championships and Formula racing.
Headlining the female talent is England’s 36-year old Pippa Mann who has been racing internationally for over a decade, including the iconic Indy series in the United States. She will be up against compatriot Alice Powell who finished third overall in the inaugural W Series for women earlier this year, Poland’s Gosia Rdest, Denmark’s Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey from Switzerland.
The Delhi round of the X1Racing League saw Bengaluru Racing Stars, comprising Arjun Maini, Webb, Gatting, Chatterjee, and Vishnu Prasad, winning two of the four races, while Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini, Jensen, Mann, Shah and Tharani) topping the other two.
The teams:
Hyderabad Black Birds: Vitantonio Luizzi (Italy), Gosia Rdest (Poland), Akhil Rabindra (IND), Arjun Narendran (IND) and Anindith Reddy (IND).
Bengaluru Racing Stars: Oliver Webb (England), Michelle Gatting (England), Arjun Maini (IND), Nayan Chatterjee (IND) and Vishnu Prasad (IND).
Mumbai Falcons: Mikkel Jensen (Denmark), Pippa Mann (England), Kush Maini (IND), Sohil Shah (IND), Karthik Tharani (IND).
DG Racing Ahmedabad: Alex Yoong (Malaysia), Rahel Frey (Switzerland), Krishna Mahadik (IND), Chittesh Mandody (IND) and Ameya Walavalkar (IND).
AD Racing, Delhi: Gaurav Gill (IND), Raghul Rangaswamy (IND), Ashwin Datta (IND), Mira Erda (IND) and Sandeep Kumar (IND).
Superspeed Racing, Chennai: Narain Karthikeyan (IND), Mitch Gilbert (Australia), Alice Powell (England), Arjun Balu (IND), Yash Aradhya (IND) and Parthiva Sureshwaren (IND).
About X1Racing League
X1Racing League, promoted by Racing Promotions Private Limited, is a hybrid motorsport media business creating, developing and commercializing IPs via live events, experiences and ecosystem. X1Racing League intends to reimagine, reinvent and redefine motorsport. X1Racing League is built on three pillars namely X1Racing League, X1Racing eSports, and X1Racing Speed Summits. The X1Racing League powered by JK Tyre takes place in November-December in Delhi and Chennai represented by six franchise teams of 24 race drivers including international and domestic men and women. The X1Racing eSports Season 1 is being held in collaboration with global technology leader OnePlus across each of these six cities prior to the professional league to involve fans in a participative simulator-racing format. Winners will win rewards as well as have an opportunity to be trained by professional race drivers. Additionally, in their attempt to make motorsport a part of a larger lifestyle, the X1Racing Speed Summits will bring about exclusive weekenders in the form of VIP corporate experiences. All these pillars bring together a robust calendar of motorsport activity across India touching fans and talent alike to truly make motorsport much more than a sport, but a lifestyle.
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X1 league round 2 at MMRT on Dec 8
Chennai, 12 Nov 2019: About 30 top drivers, representing a city each, will take part in the inaugural edition of the motorsports league to be held at Delhi and Chennai this year.
The X1 Racing League will have about 30 drivers from across the world available for bidding by six franchises, before the league starts on November 30 and ends on December 1. The six franchises are from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi.
The X1 Racing League, a franchise-based motorsports competition will have six teams representing a city each. Son of legendary F1 driver Niki Lauda, Mathias was picked by the Delhi franchise (AD Racing) while India’s Arjun Maini and Gaurav Gill will race for Bengaluru (Bangalore Racing Stars) and Delhi teams respectively. The league is powered by JK Tyre Motorsports.
The league will be held between November 30-December 1 in New Delhi at the Buddh International Circuit and December 7-8 in Chennai at the Madras Motor Race Track. There will be four drivers and two cars in each team. Of the four drivers in each team there will be one international male, one international female, one India international and domestic racer. Of the two domestic racers picked in each team one will get to represent the franchise. Each race will last for 30 minutes and will have three unique team-based race formats per day.
Team Hyderabad (Blackbirds Hyderabad) was the first to pick in the draft which started off with India’s International racers in the first round, they chose Akhil Rabindra. The next to pick was Team Bengaluru who chose Arjun Maini after which Team Mumbai (Mumbai Falcons) went on to choose Arjun’s brother Khush Maini. The others picked in the round were Krishna Mahadik by Team Ahmedabad (DG Racing), Gill by Team Delhi and Chennai team (NK Racing) auto-picked their team owner Narain Karthikeyan.
In the male international racers draft, Bengaluru was the first pick and chose English racer Oliver James Webb. The other male international racers who were picked in the draft include Malaysian F1 driver Alex Yoong by Ahmedabad, Mathias joined Delhi franchise, China’s Frankie Cheng went to the Chennai team, former F1 racer Tonio Luizzi by Hyderabad and Danish racer Mikkel Jensen by Mumbai.
As both male and female drivers would be racing against each other, it was important for each franchise to make sure they had a strong female driver as well. The first female international racer to be picked was Denmark’s Michelle Gatting by Bengaluru. While, English racers Pippa Mann and Alice Powell joined Mumbai and Chennai respectively, Switzerland’s Rahel Frey went to Ahemedabad, Denmark’s Christina Neilsen to Delhi and Polish racer Gosia Rdest to Hyderabad.
The domestic racers who will be part of the action include Arjun Balu and Yash Aradhya for Chennai, Raghul Rangaswamy and Ashwin Datta for Delhi, Chittesh Mandody and Ameya Walavalkar for Ahmedabad, Sohil Shah and Karthik Tharanisingh for Mumbai, Nayan Chatterjee and Vishnu Prasad for Bengaluru and Arjun Narendran and Anindth Reddy for Hyderabad.
“All teams are equally balanced and look strong. As all the cars are of the same make, it will be up to the drivers to show their skills and win the race for their team. We hope that the best team wins the league. We are happy with how the draft concluded and the owners are also happy with their teams. We can’t wait for racing to begin,” said co-founder of X1 Racing, Armaan Ebrahim.
“Some of our domestic Indian drivers will get a chance to rub shoulders with the best of the best. This a chance for the domestic racers who were picked in the draft to make it to the next level and prove themselves against other established International driver. I hope they come out on top,” said co-founder of X1 Racing, Aditya Patel.
The X1 Racing League follows the X1 Racing eSports Racing season 1, a digital-simulator based racing competition that is currently being held in cities across India. The eSports competition was created by X1 Racing in a bid to tap out talent from different strata of the society and also increase the fan following for motorsport in the country.
Team Hyderabad: Akhil Rabindra, Tonio Luizzi, Gosia Rdest, Arjun Narendran, Anindth Reddy
Team Bengaluru: Arjun Maini, Oliver James Webb, Michelle Gatting, Nayan Chatterjee, Vishnu Prasad
Team Mumbai: Khush Maini, Mikkel Jensen, Pippa Mann, Sohil Shah, Karthik Tharanisingh
Team Ahmedabad: Krishna Mahadik, Alex Yoong, Rahel Frey, Chittesh Mandody, Ameya Walavalkar
Team Delhi: Gaurav Gill, Mathias Luada, Christina Neilsen, Raghul Rangaswamy, Ashwin Datta
Team Chennai: Narain Karthikeyan, Frankie Cheng, Alice Powell, Arjun Balu, Yash Aradhya
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Gala time at sparkling MMSC Awards Night
Winners of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship titles (Cars and Motorcycles)Chennai, 12 Oct 2019: The Madras Motor Sports Club reiterated its decision to introduce night racing for saloon cars next year after successfully conducting India’s maiden night test session in August at the MMRT.
Speaking on the occasion of MMSC 2019 Circuit Racing Annual Awards function here last night, MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “In addition to continuing the highly successful mainstream events, we plan to introduce interesting alternate events like Night Racing after successfully conducting the first-ever night test session for saloon cars at the MMRT in August.
“We also have plans to further upgrade our infrastructure at the track with a permanent Grand Stand and a karting track, after having invested in building two new paddocks, a permanent Drag Racing strip, the only one of its kind in India, state-of-the-art timing equipment, Pit display system, etc.”
The glitzy evening saw chief guest Mr Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Ltd., presenting trophies to the podium finishers of just-concluded Indian National Racing Championships for four-wheelers and two-wheelers – Individual, Team and Manufacturers. Trophies were also presented to the top three finishers in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup and TVS One-Make Championship.
Raghul Rangasamy, winner of the MRF F1600 Championship and Dhruv Shivaji Mohite of Rayo Racing, champion in the Indian Touring Cars, will be participating in one-off races in the UK and South Africa, respectively.
Reiterating MRF’s commitment to motorsports, Mr Mammen said: “As you are all aware, MRF is India’s No.1 Tyre Company for more than 32 years and has been one of the pioneers in the field of motorsports. MRF has not just grown as a company but has nurtured motorsports in India, whether it is Racing, Rallying, Supercross or Karting.
“Our efforts to give the best tyres has fructified and today the national motorcycle championship has seen the country’s first slick motorcycle tyres. This has received positive response from the participants of the National Championship including the manufacturers who are keenly putting their efforts into making better machines to race on track. We do not intend to stop with that, we push ourselves to raise our products performance and see that we take Indian racing to the next level.”
Reflecting on the 2019 season, MMSC Vice-President and former FMSCI chief Vicky Chandhok said: “At the outset, we would like to thank MRF for their continued support and commitment. MRF’s active involvement in our racing activities has helped us to take the sport to the next level as was evident this season when we witnessed exciting season marked by close racing. We saw a quantum increase in number of participants from across India, giving our championships a truly National flavour. We had 260 participants from 18 States and Union territories in two-wheeler championships, 90 representing 15 teams in four-wheeler championship. The season also heralded several emerging young talents in the age-group of 12-18. We also acknowledge and appreciate the participation of manufacturers TVS, Honda, Volkswagen and Yamaha.”
Mr Indu Chandhok, one of the founders of the sport’s governing body in India, FMSCI, emphasised efforts to focus on road safety through motorsport thus supporting FIA’s move in this direction.
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Hemanth Muddappa clocks stunning 7.9sec, touches 200kmph for gold: MMSC Drag Nationals
Chennai, 6 Oct 2019: Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing stunned the spectators and fans as he clocked the best timing of 7.976 seconds over 302 metres astride his superbike BMW S1000RR at the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Championship Round 2 which concluded at MMRT, at Irungattukottai, near here on Sunday. He was the first to break the 8-sec barrier on the track, at the MMRT’s start-finish straight.
Earlier on Saturday, in Round-1, Muddappa clocked 8.270 secs in the Unrestricted category.
For the first time, a separate class for the Girls was introduced in the National Championship this year and Nivetha Jessica of Speed-up Racing and Alisha Abdullah shared the spoils bagging a gold each in the first two rounds held on Saturday and Sunday. In Round 1, Jessica clocked 16.516sec for the gold beating Alisha by a fraction of a second, as she timed 16.871. Very popular long-distance biker A Soundari Ananthraj, also from Speed-up Racing, came third in a time of 16.890, another fraction 0f a second deciding the podium places. In Round 2, it was experienced Alisha Abdullah taking control with good reaction time as she clocked 16.851 as Nivetha Jessica was a wee bit slow at the start and had to settle for the second place timing 16.911. Ann Jennifer was third in 17.005.
Girls 165cc Round 1 podium The week-end saw the first two rounds of the championship and Hemant Mudappa, who took part in the four-stroke Unrestricted Open class clocked a leisurely 8.025 sec in the Free Run before upping the pace to set a Track Record, breaking his own record. But the sheer speed sent the few die-hard fans at the Drag Nationals into elation and Hemanth himself was visibly happy revving up, and later hugging all his friends. “I am very happy to get this timing. After two rounds, I am leading the championship and will be here well-prepared for the next round,” said the Bengalurean who touched a top speed of 217.78 kmph.
Hafizullah Khan, astride a Suzuki Hayabusa, came second in the Unrestricted four-stroke class, timing 8.150 sec while Zubair Ali Jung came third in 8.381 in his Suzuki GSX-R. Both of them also touched speeds of over 200 kmph. All the top three are from Bengaluru. Harish Naik, Ratish Nair and Manohar BN who finished behind the podium winners in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, also touched speeds of 200kmph. Hemanth’s bike was tuned by Sharan J Pratap of Mantra Racing.
The next two rounds of the championship will be held at the same venue on December 28 and 29.
The results (All 4-Stroke unless mentioned):
Unrestricted (Round-1): 1. Hemanth Muddappa (Mantra Racing) (08.270secs); 2. Zubair Ali Jung (08.311); 3. Hafizullah Khan (08.448). Round-2: 1. Hemanth Muddappa (07.976); 2. Hafizullah Khan (08.150); 3. Zubair Ali Jung (08.381).
361-550cc (Round-1): 1. Anandhu KK (12.488); 2. Attaulla Baig (12.805); 3. Aiyaz (13.056). Round-2: 1. Aiyaz (12.455); 2. Attaulla Baig (12.714); 3. Anandhu KK (12.774).
226-360cc (Round-1): 1. Yogeshwaran (13.440); 2. S Ravi (13.913); 3. A Shankar Guru (13.933). Round-2: 1. Alexander AS (13.373); 2. Yogeshwaran (13.499); 3. Bharathraj (13.617).
166-225cc (Round-1): 1. Badusha M (14.996); 2. Manoj Kumar S (15.037); 3. Ahamed Vasin (15.441). Round-2: 1. Deepak N (14.784); 2. Badusha M (14.796); 3. Ahamed Vasin (15.315).
GIRLS (Up to 165cc, Round-1): Nivetha Jessica (Speed Up Racing) (16.516); 2. Alisha Abdullah (16.871); 3. A Soundari Anantharaj (Speed Up Racing) (16.890). Round-2: 1. Alisha Abdullah (16.851); 2. Nivetha Jessica (Speed Up Racing) (16.911); 3. Ann Jennifer (17.005).
2-Stroke 131-165cc (Round-1): 1. Mohammed Rafiq (13.029); 2. Syed Nayeem (13.143); 3. Manoj Kumar (13.304). Round-2: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (12.945); 2. Manoj Kumar (13.303); 3. Rajesh S (13.338).
Up to 130cc (Round-1): Mohammed Rafiq (13.888); 2. R Madhan Kumar (13.965); 3. Syed Nayeem (14.039). Round-2: 1. Mohammed Rafiq (13.571); 2. Syed Nayeem (13.784); 3. R Madhan Kumar (13.869).
Hemanth Muddappa in action on Sunday. Photo Rahul Reghu Alisha Abdullah wins the gold in the Round 2 of the Indian National Drag Championship 165cc Girls class on Sunday. Alisha Abdullah with Sparks Racing team head Rajesh (right) and the tuner Ravi. Ann Jennifer poses with team members of Sparks Racing after winning the Round 1 165cc Girls class on Saturday. Nivetha Jessica who won the first race in the Girls 165cc class of the National Drag Championship on Saturday. Jessica Nivetha clocks the best time on Saturday in Round 1. Soundari Ananthraj, aka Sindy, who took the third in Round 1 in action on Saturday Alexander, centre, who won the 4stroke 226 to 360cc class in Round 2 flanked by Yogeshwaran, Bharathraj and the tuner. (This Report is updated at 11.30 am on 8 October 2019)
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Deepak, Venkatesan crowned Champs; Sarath, Ryhana play safe to clinch Championship titles
National champions (L to R) – Ryhana Bee (Girls), Sarath Kumar (Pro-Stock 165cc) and Venkatesan (Novice) on Sunday. Photos Anand PhilarChennai, 29 Sept 2019: Deepak Ravikumar of TVS Racing annexed the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc title on a day dominated by Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing as the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019 concluded at the MMRT, here today.
Ravikumar’s win today, his fourth this season, denied Honda a clean sweep of titles in the Pro-Stock category. While TVS had something to celebrate, Honda riders, Anish Shetty (Pro Stock 201-300cc) and Sarath Kumar (Pro-Stock 165cc) won the championship in their respective categories. Shetty, who had sealed the championship yesterday itself, finished the season with a double and seven wins on the trot, while Sarath won his first National championship title in nine years despite finishing third in his race.
Deepak Ravikumar (centre), winner of Race-2 in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category flanked by second-placed Karthik Mateti (left) and third-placed Rahil ShettyThe other National champions to emerge on the concluding day were Chennai riders Venkatesan I of Team Moto Maniacz in the Novice (Stock 165cc) and Ryhana Bee of Sparks Racing in the Girls category.
While Ravikumar had to fight hard for his crucial win, Sarath played it smart to finish third behind Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) and a charging Kevin Kannan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing).
Likewise, Ryhana Bee rode carefully and was content to finish third that earned her sufficient points to win the championship. Finishing ahead of Ryhana in the race were 2018 champion Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) and Alisha Abdullah (Alisha Racing).
“I am absolutely delighted to win a National championship after a lapse of nine years. We had a strategy for today’s race and I am happy that it worked well,” said Sarath Kumar who had a brief stint in the FIM Moto3 World Championship a few years ago before a knee injury severely affected his racing career as the healing process took much longer than expected.
The Pro-Stock 165cc race turned out to be a two-man show with Kannan and Jagan exchanging lead through the eight laps while Sarath seemed content to be in a lonely third spot while behind him, championship contender Rajiv Sethu, who had won six races on the trot earlier this season, gradually faded from the contest. By finishing third, Sarath picked up sufficient points to clinch the title ahead of Sethu and Jagan Kumar.
The Girls race saw defending champion Ann Jennifer hitting the front and go on to win with a measure of comfort with Lani Zena Fernandez (Demonz Racing) and Alisha Abdullah (Alisha Racing) following home. Ryhana Bee finished fourth. However, after the post-race scrutiny, Lena was disqualified for “technical violation” and Ryhana was elevated to third place. Ryhana, thus, finished with a tally of 123 and secured the championship while Jennifer (108) was placed second.
“Since I had a bad qualifying session, I started only fourth on the grid and with the championship in stake, I was intent on collecting points without taking any risks. This is my first National championship title and I am extremely happy. My thanks to my team, Sparks Racing, Yamaha and all the mechanics who worked behind the scene,” said Ryhana.
In the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup came from Chennai’s Md Mikail notched eight consecutive wins for the title in the NSF 250R class (FIM Moto3 spec bikes). Aizwal’s Lal Nunsanga who finished with seven wins, including a double in the final round, emerged champion in CBR 150 class.
The results (Provisional):
National Championship:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2, 7 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (13mins, 31.612secs); 2. Karthik Mateti (Gusto Racing) (13:32.042); 3. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (13:35.414). Championship winners: Deepak Ravikumar (Rider), TVS Racing (Team), TVS (Manufacturer).
Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-2, 7 laps): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (13:55.497); 2. Naresh Babu (Eneos Honda Chandra Racing) (13:55.727); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (14:04.454). Championship winners: Anish Shetty (Rider), Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing (Team), Honda (Manufacturer).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (15mins, 59.392secs); 2. Kevin Kannan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (15:59.592); 3. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:10.802). Championship winners: Sarath Kumar (Rider), Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing (Team), Honda (Manufacturer).
Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-2: 1. Venkatesan I (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:09.759); 2. Manoj Y (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:09.871); 3. S Aravind (Rockers Racing) (13:10.028). Championship winners: Venkatesan I (Rider), Sparks Racing (Team), Yamaha (Manufacturer).
Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer (Sparks Racing) (11:07.846); 2. Alisha Abdullah (Alisha Racing) (11:16.374); 3. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:17.256). Championship winners: Ryhana Bee (Rider), Sparks Racing (Team), Yamaha (Manufacturer).
One-Make Championship organised by MMSC:
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-2): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (11:04.901); 2. Kavin Samaar Quintal (Chennai) (11:09.254); 3. Charan Thangavel (Chennai) (11:24.314). Race-3: 1. Md Mikail (14:26.574); 2. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (14:51.658); 3. Kavin Samaar Quintal (15:04.385). Rider champion: Md Mikail.
CBR 150 (Race-2): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:11.665); 2. S Rajdaswanth (Trichy) (13:12.646); 3. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:19.680). Rider champion: Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal).
TVS Open (RR 310) (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Anand R (Chennai) (15:56.785); 2. Aravind Ganesh (Chennai) (15:58.363); 3. Soorya PM (Chennai) (15:58.607). Rider champion: Aravind Ganesh.
Novice (RTR 200) Race-2: 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:17.268); 2. Manoj Y (Chennai) 13:17.325); 3. Anish Samson (Bengaluru) (13:21.648). Rider champions: Venkatesan I (Chennai, Boys) and Nivetha Jessica (Chennai, Girls).
Media Championship: Jehan Darukhanawala (champion rider).
