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Tag: MRF
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Splendid double for Max Defourny; Andreas Estner, Patrick Pasma win a race each; MRF Challenge
Andreas Estner (No.11) edging past Jamie Chadwick (55) on way to winning Race-3. Photo: Aditya Bedre Dubai, 17 Nov 2018: Five races and four winners accurately reflected the highly competitive grid of MRF Challenge as Belgium’s 20-year old Max Defourny achieved a splendid double while Andreas Estner (Germany) and Patrick Pasma (Finland) won the previous two races of the day at the Dubai Autodrome here on Saturday.
For Defourny, the Round-1 of the MRF Challenge proved memorable as he won Race 1 and 5 apart from podium positions in the other three races. Defourny finished the Round 1 with 106 points, ahead of Great Britain’s Jamie Chadwick (78) and Singapore’s Danial Frost (70), winner of Race 2 yesterday. The MRF Challenge heads to Bahrain (Dec 6-8) for the next round before moving to Chennai (Feb 8-10) for the championship finale.
Max Defourny. Photo: Aditya Bedre Defourny could have done even better, but he messed up his pole-position start in Race-3 where he lost track position by Turn-1 itself in the very first lap, but recovered to finish third. “I think, I could have done better and won a couple of more races. I made a few mistakes, but more important was that I picked up points at the start of the championship. My win in Race 5 was far more satisfying than that in Race 1. I won more comfortably and on tyres that I had used in the previous four races,” said Defourny.
In the day’s first race, Andreas Estner, was off to a great start, moving from fourth to first as the pack dived into Turn-1, and, thereafter, literally won as he pleased as he left rest of the field, including pole-sitter Max Defourny, scrabbling for positions. While Estner disappeared into the distance, Britisher Jamie Chadwick slotted herself into P2 which she defended gamely against close attention from Defourny with the Belgian first dropping to fourth before tucking himself behind the British girl for the rest of the race.
Race-4 was all about Pasma who made capital of his reverse grid pole-position start to open up a sizeable lead. Behind him, Defourny set a scorching pace to move from fourth to second and bore down on Pasma. In a tense battle, the Finn defended well to win while Defourny picked up his fourth podium with a second-paced finish ahead of fellow-Belgian Michelangelo Amendola.
“The pole position gave me a lot of confidence and I managed to open up a good lead. In the last couple of laps, Max (Defourny) was close behind me, but I managed to survive,” said Pasma.
In the fifth and final race of Round 1, it was Defourny all the way after starting from pole position and with each of the 10 laps, he increased the lead for his second win of the week by nearly 10 seconds. Meanwhile, Chadwick, the only female competitor on the grid, came through a tough midfield battle to finish a deserving second ahead of Singapore’s Danial Frost, winner of Race 1 yesterday.
India’s Chetan Korada, though finishing way down the grid in all the five races, took some positives from the first round. “I am gradually getting used to the car and this is reflected in my ever-improving timings. I hope to have a better outing in Bahrain next month and hopefully, by the time we get to Chennai in February, I should be more competitive and fighting for mid-grid positions,” said the 32-year old Chennai-based driver competing with a prosthesis leg.
The results (all 10 laps):
Race-3: 1. Andreas Estner (Germany); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Defourny (01:57.038). Race-4: 1. Patrick Pasma (Finland); 2. Defourny; 3. Michelangelo Amendola (Belgium). Fastest Lap: Max Defourny (01:58.729). Race-5: 1. Defourny; 2. Chadwick; 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Fastest Lap: Jamie Chadwick (01:59.402).
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Danial Frost, Max Defourny share honours on Day One in MRF Challenge
Danial Frost, winner of Race-2 on Friday. Photo: Anand Philar Dubai, 16 Nov 2018: Danial Frost from Singapore and Belgian Max Defourny scored a race and a podium apiece to open their accounts in the first round of MRF Challenge at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Friday. Three more races are scheduled for tomorrow.
Frost, 17, in his second season in the championship, thus notched his maiden win by topping Race-2 after having finished third in Race-1 that Defourny, 20, won from pole position.
In Race-1, Frost made five places to come in third and in the next outing, climbed from fourth on the reverse grid to win. In contrast, Defourny dominated Race-1 with a lights-to-flag victory and in the next race, sliced his way through from sixth on the reverse grid to finish third behind pole-sitter Czech Republic’s Petr Ptacek who did well to hold off the Belgian over the last couple of laps.
“I had a good start and made positions in the very first lap before taking the lead. Thereafter, I consolidated my track position and it was quite comfortable in the end,” said Frost.
Earlier, Defourny put his pole position start to best use in Race-1 and was never seriously challenged even as he nursed his early lead though eschewing risk. Behind him, Jamie Chadwick, 20, who started second, slipped a bit, losing a couple of track positions, but recovered to regain her second spot while Frost drove well to finish third from eighth on the grid.
India’s Chetan Korada, making his debut in the championship, was placed 10th and 12th in the two races. He started Race-1 from the pitlane following an engine change, but said he was pleased to improve his lap times while getting used to the car.
After Race-1, Defourny said: “The race wasn’t too bad. Missed the fastest lap as I was trying to be a bit cautious on the tyres because it was the first race of the season. Was saving my tyres in the beginning and was expecting more track improvement as the race progressed. I opened a comfortable gap and did not want to make any mistakes, though I missed the fastest lap in the last two laps, wanting to save the tyres.”
Earlier, the qualifying session in the morning gradually developed into a two-way battle between Defourny and Chadwick who was provisionally on pole with just a few minutes left on the clock with a 01:57.177. The 20-year old Belgian’s response was a 01:56.819 which eventually ensured him the pole position. Chadwick, also 20, then replied with her best lap of the session, 01:56.937, but had to be content with the second spot on the grid.
“It was my first time out here and it was ok. We managed to get pole for Race 1 and Race 3. So we are positive. We had some issues with the gearbox leading to loss of speed, but we managed to sort it out. I already have two points for pole position and we hope to take as many points as possible from this round,” said Defourny.
The results:
Race-1 (10 laps): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium); 2. Jamie Chadwick (GBR); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Frost; 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic); 3. Defourny.
Qualifying (30 minutes): 1. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:56.819); 2. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:56.937); 3. Andreas Estner (Germany) (01:57.502); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:57.730).
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Jamie Chadwick sets the pace in MRF Challenge
Jamie Chadwick, who topped the free practice sessions on Thursday . Photo: Aditya Bedre. Dubai, 15 Nov 2018: Jamie Chadwick, the only female driver on the 12-car grid, put the marker down for the first round of the MRF Challenge championship by topping both the Free Practice sessions at the Dubai Autodrome, here on Thursday.
Chadwick, 20, from Bath, England, came out on top in the two, 30-minute practice sessions, clocking a best of one minute, 59.218 in the first outing and 01:59.774 in the next around the 5.390 Kms circuit as she made her debut in the MRF Challenge on a high. She survived a tough battle with Czech Republic’s 16-year old Petr Ptaceck who was second fastest in both the sessions, clocking 01:59.581 (FP1)and 01:59.918 (FP2).
Jamie Chadwick. Photo: Aditya Bedre Chadwick, who created history in 2015 when she became the first female and youngest winner of the British GT Championship, and Ptacek exchanged fastest laps in the closing minutes of FP-2. However, Chadwick went quicker on last flying lap to top the time charts. Less than a second separated the top eight drivers.
“I learnt a lot today – new circuit, new car. I am happy with the way we ended up today in these conditions and I look forward to the races,” said Chadwick.
In the first free practice session this morning, one second covered 10 of the 12 drivers, promising a close contest over the five races scheduled for the first round of the championship.
Chadwick recorded her fastest lap of the session on her 14th and final lap as did the rest who all went quicker through the 30-minute practice. The top four, Chadwick, Ptacek, Defourny and Young, all posted sub-two-minute laps.
For the lone Indian entry, Chetan Korada, 32, from Chennai, it was his first run at the Dubai Autodrome and he focused more on learning the tricky track with its blind crests leading into corners.
Korada, who was 11th on the time sheets in both the sessions clocking his best laps of 02: 03.734 and 02:04.100, said: “It was my first run on this track and so, it was more about learning the circuit. However, with each lap, I managed to cut my timing. Overall, it was a reasonably good outing, all things considered. I hope to improve as we go along over the next couple of days.”
The results (Free Practice):
FP-1: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01min, 59.218secs); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.581); 3. Max Defourny (Belgium) (01:59.656); 4. Dylan Young (Australia) (01:59.697).
FP-2: 1. Jamie Chadwick (UK) (01:59.774); 2. Petr Ptacek (Czech Republic) (01:59.918); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore) (02:00.115); 4. Andreas Estner (Germany) (02:00.276).
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MRF Challenge 2018-19 to be held in Dubai, Bahrain and Chennai
MRF Challenge file photo by Anand Philar/MRF Dubai, 13 Nov 2018: The MRF Challenge, one of Asia’s premier single-seater championships, and an FIA-approved series, is again set to light up the winter season with a clutch of young, exciting talent from Europe and elsewhere in the fray as the seventh edition commences at the Dubai Autodrome here, on Thursday, November 15.
The MRF Challenge 2018-19, organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club, will comprise three rounds, to be run in Dubai (Nov 15-17), Bahrain (Dec 6-8) and Chennai (Feb 8-10, 2019) with a total of 15 races, and offers cars powered by 2-litre engines producing 230 BHP while almost matching Formula 3 in speed and power
Mr. Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Tyres, said: “It has been an exciting journey for us as we present the seventh edition of the MRF Challenge which, among other things, offer young drivers a platform to showcase their racing talent. We provide identical cars to all the drivers and so, the key differentiating factor is the driving ability. It has also been our constant endeavour to develop the car which is now among the fastest single-seaters in Asia. The MRF Challenge also offers us rich data that in turn helps us to develop further the MRF Z.L.O. slicks and wet tyres.
“The positioning of the MRF Challenge in the winter months between November and February also offers an opportunity for drivers across the World to keep themselves race-fit during the off-season. As such, we have had some very exciting talent taking part in the MRF Challenge over the years and it will be no different this time around.”
Mr. J Anand, Managing Director, JA Motorsports, who built the car in technical collaboration with Dallara, said: “We carried out lot of improvements for last year. From the data we collected, we have only refined the aerodynamics package for this season. Apart from that, the car remains the same as last year.”
The MRF F2000 car with Dallara chassis, is powered by a 2-Litre Mountune Duratec engine producing 230 BHP with advanced aerodynamics. The car boasts of a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox equipped with Integrated dash and paddle-shift system.
Europe is expected to have a strong representation as in the previous seasons of MRF Challenge. Several young hopefuls with exposure to junior Formula racing are likely to participate.
Chennai-based Chetan Korada is the lone Indian in the fray. A regular in the Indian National Championship and one of handful of racers in the World competing with a prosthesis leg, Korada is making his debut in the MRF Challenge. “I have been racing in India for over a decade now and I thought I should step outside to race in higher categories. The MRF Challenge car is far more comfortable in terms of space for leg movement than the F1600 I have been driving in India. My target for MRF Challenge is to be in in front. I am putting in lot of time on the simulator at home, besides daily gym work. So, I feel I am fit and ready for MRF Challenge,” said Korada.
This year’s MRF Challenge grid will have Australian Dylan Young who has been participating in the championship since its inception. Returning for a second season of MRF Challenge is Singapore’s Danial Nielsen Frost along with Belgian Michelangelo Amendola.
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Rajiv Sethu leads Honda charge; double for Prabhu Arunagiri; Maiteti tops in Novice class
Chennai, 23 September 2018: Rajiv Sethu successfully led a Honda assault on TVS Racing’s supremacy to score a brilliant victory over defending champion Jagan Kumar in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.
The victory notwithstanding, Jagan, the TVS Racing team’s spearhead, garnered crucial 18 points for his second-place finish today that consolidated his position at the top of the championship table with a tally of 148 ahead of team-mate KY Ahamed (128), winner of the first race yesterday and who finished fourth behind Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar in the second outing today.
The other highlight of the day was the grand double by Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category which is set for a grandstand finish in the final round in December. Only five points separate the top three – Satyanarayana Raju of Gusto Racing (119), team-mate Amarnath Menon (118) and Arunagiri (114).
Hyderabad’s 19-year old collegian Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) chalked up a dominating win in the Novice (Stock 165cc) race to take a 16-point lead in the championship. Another rider from Hyderabad, 20-year old Rahil Pillari Shetty, also from Sparks Racing, followed suit with a season’s maiden win in the highly competitive Pro-Stock 165cc category where Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing), who finished second today, continues to head the leaderboard with 131 points to Kevin Kannan’s (Rockers Racing) 115.
The focus today was on the Super Sport race which turned out to be Hitchcockian thriller with pole-sitter Sethu and Jagan playing the lead roles. Sethu lost his track position early in the first lap with gearing problem which allowed Jagan to move into the front. However, Sethu, who had finished fifth in yesterday’s Race 1 after a crash, fought back to regain the lead midway through the eight-lap race and then hung on grimly to score his third win of the season. Jagan was just one-tenth of a second adrift at the finish, but well ahead of Mathana Kumar who held off Ahamed.
“At Turn-3 in the first lap, the gears tended to slip and I had to firmly put my foot down on the pedal to avoid any more slippage. Jagan went past me, but later, I managed to pass him on the straight. Thereafter, it was a close fight and I had a scary moment in the penultimate lap when I almost lost balance in the Bridge Complex, but managed to hold it together for the win,” said Sethu.
Jagan said: “I did my best and pushed the bike to its limit, but Rajiv was a bit more quicker. He overtook me on the straight and from then on, I just could not catch him.”
The Pro-Stock 301-400cc race saw another dominant performance by Arunagiri who set a scorching pace from the start to win from Raju and Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing). In a repeat of yesterday’s Race-1, Arunagiri kept increasing his lead with every lap while behind him, Raju strove manfully to catch up, but failed. Further down the grid, Menon, who led the championship going into this weekend’s Round 4, came in a distant fifth behind Peddu Sriharsha (Sparks Racing).
Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) won the Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship race comfortably, ahead of Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind, Haryana) and Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore).
The results (Provisional):
Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15mins, 32.320secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (15:32.450); 3. S Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (15:37.725).
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdulla) (15:24.129); 2. Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) (15:24.706); 3. Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing) 15:34.637).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Rahil PIllari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (16:09.127); 2. Anish Shetty (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (16:14.615); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (16:14.851).
Novice (Stock, 165cc) 6 laps: 1. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (13:00.950); 2. Varun Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (13:03.720); 3. Venkatesan I (pvt. Chennai) (13:05.622).
Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) (13:12.040); 2. Abhimanyu Gautam (Jind) (13:15.887); 3.Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore) (13: 17.760).
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KY Ahamed pips mentor Jagan in the last lap; Jagan still leads the table: SuperSport 165 cc Class
- Ann Jennifer takes honours in Girls race
KY Ahamed (33) on way to winning the Super Sport Indian 165cc race from Jagan Kumar (3) and Mathana Kumar (46) on 22 Sept 2018. Photos by Anand Philar Chennai, 22 Sept. 2018: KY Ahamed scored a sensational last-lap victory in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class to lead a 1-2 finish for TVS Racing in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
On a day which witnessed crashes in virtually every race, Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) took the honours in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class race that was red-flagged and re-started while Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) was gifted a victory in the Pro-Stock 165cc race after leader and team-mate Mithun Kumar went down.
Ann Jennifer, wins the National Championship Girls race to extend her Championship lead. Meanwhile, 17-year old collegian from Chennai, Ann Jennifer chalked up her third win of the season in the Girls (Stock, 165cc) race after surviving a close fight with her Sparks Racing team-mate Ryhana Bee.
The final outcome of the Super Sport race was in suspense until the last lap with Ahamed, his team-mate and defending champion Jagan Kumar and Honda Ten10 Racing’s Rajiv Sethu locked in a tight battle. On the last lap, going into the right-hander before the Bridge Complex “S”, Sethu ran wide and crashed even as Jagan dipped on the inside to overtake. It put Ahamed in the clear as he flashed across the finish line ahead of his mentor Jagan for his third win of the season. Honda Ten10 Racing’s Mathana Kumar came home a distant third, followed by team-mate Sarath Kumar while Sethu picked himself up to finish fifth.
The result took Jagan’s tally to 130 followed by Ahamed (116), Sarath and Mathana (both 82) and Sethu (80), going into tomorrow’s Race-2 of the double-header.
Senthil Kumar, winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc raceThe Pro-Stock 301-400cc race saw championship leader Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) crashing at Turn-3 which brought out the red flag. On re-start, Arunagiri, who had led from pole, maintained his track position at the very front to win comfortably even as his nearest challenger Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) retired due to an electrical failure. Finishing behind Arunagiri were Sparks Racing duo of Rahil Shetty and Peddu Sriharsha. With his second win of the season, Arunagiri moved up to 89 points to be placed third behind Menon (108) and Raju (101), going into the second race tomorrow.
The results (Provisional):
Super Sport Indian 165cc (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11mins, 43.269secs); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (11:43.938); 3. S Mathana Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (11:47.955).
Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah Racing) (09:47.289); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (09:53.426); 3. Peddu Sri Harsha (Sparks Racing) (09:58.214).
Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:09.582); 2. Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing) (12:11.485); 3. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (12:11.778).
Girls (Stock, 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (11:11.767); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:12.072); 3.Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (11:25.611).
Yamaha-MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice, Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Varun Sobhan (Cherthala) (11:07.221); 2. Ajai Xavier (Pune) (11:07.843); 3. Hari Prasath (Vellore) (11:20.423).
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Rajiv Sethu, Prabhu Arunagiri, Mithun Kumar grab pole positions
Chennai, 21 Sept. 2018: Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing snatched the pole position in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class ahead of his TVS Racing rivals to set up an intriguing contest on the morrow after qualifying session in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Friday.
Sethu put in a blistering lap of one minute, 54.999 seconds to nose out TVS Racing duo of defending champion Jagan Kumar (01:55.034) and Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.409). Jagan heads the championship table with 112 points, well clear of team-mate KY Ahamed (91) who qualified fourth (01:55.481). Sethu (70), who drew a blank in the previous round earlier this month, is placed fourth in the championship behind Ravikumar (74).
Earlier, Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category though he did just three laps, but his timing of 01:54.857 was enough to put him ahead of the pack. Sparks Racing’s Rahil Pilari Shetty was second quickest followed by championship leader in this category, Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing).
Mithun Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing topped the qualifying session in the Pro-Stock 165cc class with Naresh Babu (RACR) and Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten10 Racing) completing the front row for tomorrow’s race.
Sparks Racing riders dominated the qualifying sessions in the Novice (165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) categories by claiming top two slots. In the Girls category, championship leader Ann Jennifer expectedly took the pole position ahead of team-mate Ryhana Bee while Bengaluru’s Aditya Immaneni and Karthik Mateti from Hyderabad were 1-2 in the Novice (165cc) class.
Immaneni enjoyed a fruitful afternoon as he also clinched pole position in the Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice).
The results (Qualifying):
Super Sport Indian (165cc): 1. Rajiv Sethi (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (01min, 54.999sec); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.034); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (01:55.409).
Pro-Stock (301-400cc): 1. Prabhu Arunagiri (Team Alisha Abdullah) (01:54.857); 2. Rahil Pilari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (01:55.962); 3. Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing) (01:56.307).
Pro-Stock (165cc): 1. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten10 Racing) (1:59.601); 2. Naresh Babu (RACR) (1:59.658); 3. Senthil Kumar (Honda Ten 10Racing) (2:00.510).
Novice (Stock 165cc): 1. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Sparks Racing) (02:08.109); 2. Karthik Mateti (Sparks Racing) (02:08.570); 3. Venkatesan I (Pvt, Chennai) (02:09.011).
Girls (Stock 165cc): 1. Ann Jennifer AS (Sparks Racing) (02:13.582); 2. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (02:13.605); 3. Shruthi Nagarajan (Apex Racing Academy) (02:16.014).
Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship (Novice): 1. Aditya Rao Immaneni (Bengaluru) (02:09.825); 2. Nithin S (Bengaluru) (02:10.873); 3. Sanjay Kumar (Coimbatore) (02:11.571).
About Madras Motor Sports Club
The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors, and to this end, it has chalked out various progressive programmes. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2014, making it the only club which owns such a facility that has been further upgraded with international-standard Paddock, complete with VIP hospitality suites, 20 spacious garages and a separate Paddock on the western side with its own circuit. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championships (2-wheelers) besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.
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TVS Racing-Honda rivalry continues but it’s advantage Jagan: Bike Nationals
Chennai, 20 Sept 2018: Reigning champion Jagan Kumar, who began his campaign on a slow note this year, in the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc class, but picked up speed and is now well ahead of his staunch rivals from Honda who were trailing behind another TVS riders as the fourth round of the MRF Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2018 organised by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (fmsci) begins here on Friday.Jagan is riding high with 112 points for TVS Racing while teammate KY Ahamed is second with 91 points in second with another TVS rider Deepak Ravikumar (74) in third. Honda rivals Rajiv Sethu (70), Sarath Kumar (70) and Mathana Kumar (67) are placed in that order from 4th to 6th before the start of the fourth round. The round which is put off due to the death of former Chief Minister Karunanidhi is scheduled for the middle of December after the monsoon break.
The season enters its crucial phase when the focus shifts from just performance to scoring points as the fourth and penultimate round gets underway at the MMRT circuit.
The final rounds of MMSC Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2018 for both four and two-wheelers will also be held post-lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
With the two-wheeler racing championship titles in all categories still wide open and no rider within a sniffing distance of it, this weekend is expected to be more about strategy and tactics in a bid to gain maximum points possible.
A unique feature of the racing championship is the participation of India’s top motorcycle manufacturers in various categories, dishing out thrilling contests involving not just the country’s leading riders, but also the Novice whose numbers is on the upswing with each round.
Further, title sponsors of the championship, MRF, have also upped the ante by providing slick tyres to three categories – the premier Super Sport Indian 165cc, Pro-Stock (301-400cc) and Pro-Stock 165cc – leading to faster lap timings. The riders in these categories are unanimous in their appreciation of MRF’s gesture that has taken racing a couple of notches higher.
While the top guns have benefitted greatly using the MRF slick tyres, MMSC’s continued efforts to spread the sport among Novice riders has borne rich dividends if the growing number of entries is any indication.
Likewise, the Yamaha MMSC One-Make Championship in the Novice category has attracted about 60 entries with 40 being the cut-off to make the multiple qualifying rounds which, in turn, decide the final 20 riders for the two points-scoring races.
If the competition among Novice (Stock 165cc) riders is razor-sharp with just three points separating Sparks Racing team-mates Karthik Mateti (61) and Aditya Rao Immaneni (58).
The Pro-Stock 301-400cc category is developing into a straight fight between Gusto Racing team-mates Amarnath Menon (108) from Kozhikode and Hyderabad’s Satyanarayana Raju (101) while in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, Bengaluru-based techie Anish Shetty (101) has a healthy lead over local challenger Kevin Kannan (85) of Rockers Racing.
In the Girls category, it is extremely tight at the top with Ann Jennifer (50 points, Sparks Racing) leading Shruthi Nagarajan (48, Apex Racing Academy) by just two points. Jennifer, after winning two races on the trot, crashed in the third round which Shruthi won to stay in contention.
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Final round of National Racing Championship (4W) set for a grand finale; F4 cars add colour
File photo of MRF 1600 cars in action by Anand Philar Chennai, 5 Sept 2018: The MRF Indian National Racing Championship 2018 organised by Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC), is set for a grand and thrilling finale as the fifth and final round of the National Racing Championship for four-wheelers commences at the Madras Motorsports Race Track (MMRT) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) here on Friday.
With titles up for grabs in all categories, the busy weekend will also see races in Formula 4 South-East Asia Championship and the Caterham 7 Asian Zonal Championship with drivers from Europe and Asia on the show.
Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “It has been a long season, starting in February this year. We are pleased that the number of entries has shown a significant upward trend, especially in MRF Formula 1600, Super Stock and the Formula LGB 1300. We are indebted to MRF Tyres who have added muscle in more ways than one to our efforts to attract more youngsters to racing.
“This is the biggest positive for us at the MMSC apart from the appreciation we have received from competitors and spectators alike for the upgrades we carried out at the MMRT over the past one year. We plan to build on this to provide better and safer racing environment as we go along.”
Of special interest, this weekend would be the triple-header in the MRF Formula 1600 class where four drivers – Raghul Rangasamy (134 points), Goutham Parekh (123), Sandeep Kumar (115) and Ashwin Datta (110) – are in contention for the championship with a maximum of 75 points on offer.
The Championship winner will earn the right to contest in the Mazda Road To Indy shootout as part of MMSC’s initiative to provide Indians an international platform to further their racing careers. The shootout, whose winner is eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000, will be held in the United States later this year.
The race for titles is as tight in the premier Indian Touring Cars class where a maximum of 50 points is up for grabs over two races. Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy of Arka Motorsports (131 points) and veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore (111) are the front-runners.
Not far behind them are two others from Coimbatore and Arka Motorsports team-mates Nikanth Ram (98) and defending champion Arjun Narendran (93) who missed the first two rounds, but covered a lot of ground by winning three races from four starts, besides a second-place finish.
The three other saloon car categories which have two races apiece with 50 points at stake, are also poised for a close finish. Chennai’s Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) heads the Super Stock class with 97 points, ahead of Varun Anekar (75) of Race Concepts, Bengaluru, with Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar (64) of Infinite Pistons and RP Rajarajan (63.5) of Performance Racing in tow.
Raghul Rangasamy (93, Performance Racing) of Mammallapuram and Erode’s Vinod Subramaniam (82.5, Team N1) top the Esteem Cup while it is a straight fight between Namakkal’s Prabhu AS (82, Arka Motorsports) and Goa’s Chrys D’Souza (75.5, Unimek Racing) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class.
Only nine points separate the top three of Sohil Shah (126, MSport) from Bengaluru, and Chennai lads Ashwin Datta (123, Momentum Motorsports) and Nabil Hussain (117, MSport) in the popular Formula LGB 1300 category that has attracted the most number of entries this season.
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Ghiretti on top at MMRT but Shepherd ready to challenge next week
Formula 4 cars in action for the first time in Inida at MMRT. An F4 image. Chennai, 2 Septr 2018: In the Formula 4 South East Asia (F4SEA) fueled by Petron it was an interesting weekend at the Madras Motor Race Track as a bizarre turn of events saw the same three winners as the previous event in Sepang but that led to a completely different event championship.
- First Formula 4 Race in India
- Double-header means the action isn’t over yet – Event 4 next week 7-9 September
- International grid from France, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Belgium, Ireland and Australia
- Three races covering 180 kms
- All races live-streamed to Facebook
Alessandro Ghiretti walked away with the Event 3 champion trophy. After having two very unlucky weekends in Sepang where he narrowly missed out on the weekend honours, Ghiretti pulled everything together at Madras and flew off the line, with 71 points for his efforts at the end of Event 3.
Ever present in Ghiretti’s rear view mirror was the blue number three car of Kane Shepherd. Thailand’s Shepherd managed to secure three second places with his consistent driving style netting him 54 points just behind the Frenchman.
Malaysia’s Muizz Musyaffa drew cheers from his nation’s mechanics when he won the final race of the weekend. Driving the yellow car number 23, he was always in the middle of the action, but some bad luck in the first two races landed him with 50 points, third overall, just four points behind Kane.
Irishman Luke Thompson has been steadily improving and now in his second year he’s starting to challenge for podiums doing well enough to bag 30 points and finish fourth on the leaderboard.
Alister Yoong returned to the championship for the Indian legs. Son of the famous Malaysian F1 driver Alex Yoong, Alister has clearly inherited his father’s flare for race craft, and put on an impressive show when he started from the front of the grid, doing well enough to earn 28 points and an overall P5.
Belgium’s Antoine Potty had a fantastic drive in the first race, finishing third overall. But he had less-than-perfect starts in Races two and three, ending his weekend in sixth place, with 23 points. But we’ve seen great things from Potty and we expect him to be back on the podium for the next event.
Hailing from Japan, Ryo Komikado returned to contest Event 3 where he put in several personal bests and showed how much he has improved. With great potential for the next event, Ryo ended this weekend in P7 with 22 points.
The F4 team had a fantastic weekend at Madras and saw some great racing. But the action’s not over yet and the show will go on next week, back at the Madras Motor Race Track, for one more event before the contingent ships out to Thailand.
Pos Driver # Nat Pts
1) Alessandro Ghiretti (R) 28 France 71
2) Kane Shepherd 3 Thailand 54
3) Muizz Musyaffa (R) 23 Malaysia 50
4) Luke Thompson 42 Ireland 30
5) Alister Yoong (R) 22 Malaysia 28
6) Antoine Potty (R) 66 Belgium 23
7) Ryo Komikado (R) 46 Japan 22
8) Aidan Wright 7 Australia 18Leading from the first
Race 1 kick-started this Sunday morning bright and early at 9am. The drivers lined up in their positions from qualifying with Ghiretti on pole, followed by Shepherd and Muizz. As the lights went out, Ghiretti took us down the main straight into Turn 1, diving up the inside to block Shepherd, before returning to the racing line.
But Thompson had a better start than the Malaysian Muizz Musyaffa whom he got past coming into T1 just behind the race leaders, putting France, Thailand, Ireland and Malaysia in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions for a short time.
Muizz knocked on Luke’s door for several laps, but coming out of turn 3 the Malaysian lost his rear and spun round just missing the Australian behind him; fortunately he made a good recovery and returned in P6. From there Ghiretti looked set to take the win with Kane and Luke following suit, but when a safety car was called out, everyone got bunched back up.
Ghiretti had a fantastic restart, pulling away from Shepherd, perhaps due to his qualifying strategy which ensured him fresher tyres than the Thai driver behind him – his main competition for the 2018 driver’s championship. But Luke
Thompson in the pink car number 42 had a terrible turn of events when Ozzie Aidan Wright found a way past him on the first turn. Antoine Potty then piled past on his way up to turn 2, opening the door for Muizz to jump through the inside lane at turn 2. Luckily the Irishman managed to regain the position from Muizz, but dropping from third to fifth in the space of two corners was disheartening and his day wasn’t over yet.
Muizz continued to chip away at Luke’s heels and eventually found a way past. As the chequered flag waved an end to the first F4 race on Indian soil, Alessandro Ghiretti, having led from lap 1, stood at the top of the podium with Kane Shepherd in second and Antoine Potty – who had found his pace during the race – finishing a well-deserved third.
Ghirtetti also bagged the rookie title followed by Potty and Muizz.
Race 1 Results
Pos Driver # Nat Time Fast Stat
1) Alessandro Ghiretti (R) 28 France 00:25:42.565 1:37.901
2) Kane Shepherd 3 Thailand 00:25:44.594 1:37.969
3) Antoine Potty (R) 66 Belgium 00:25:52.451 1:38.657
4) Aidan Wright 7 Australia 00:25:53.105 1:38.520
5) Muizz Musyaffa (R) 23 Malaysia 00:25:53.404 1:38.748
6) Luke Thompson 42 Ireland 00:25:57.030 1:38.758
7) Alister Yoong (R) 22 Malaysia 00:26:26;144 1:40.49
8) Ryo Komikado (R) 46 Japan 00:26:28.960 1:40.685Ghiretti & Shepherd Two for Two
Race 2 saw Alister Yoong in P2 of the reverse grid, just behind Japan’s Ryo Komikado. The Malaysian made a good start jumping up to first, while Irishman Luke Thompson displayed his skill with an amazing start! Moving from third to challenge Yoong for the lead through the first few corners, Luke had to deal with Muizz following right on his tail. Unfortunately for the Malaysian there just wasn’t enough space as Aidan Wright made a move around the outside, and Muizz ended up going through the grass as Alessandro Ghiretti went around Shepherd.
Thompson challenged Yoong for the lead over the next few laps, as the Race 1 winners carved their way through the pack to catch up with the Malaysian and Irishman. Luke tried several moves but couldn’t make anything stick on the rookie driver in front of him and the battle had allowed the blue cars behind them to catch up. So now Thompson had Ghiretti breathing down his neck.
It wasn’t long before the Frenchman made a spectacular move on Luke up the inside of turn 6 and they fought side-by-side through the sweeping right-hand U-turn of curve seven, where Ghiretti pushed Luke off the racing line into the grass and halting his challenge. Car number 42 was airborne for a brief moment, but Luke recovered and rejoined the race behind Shepherd.
Six down, one to go, Ghiretti set his sights on Alister Yoong. The Race 1 winner is ridiculously fast around Madras, and as our driver coach Sandy Stuviq says:
“Alessandro is really really strong under braking. Kane has the better exit in some corners, but Alessandro is really pushing the limit with his braking and that’s where he’s finding the time.”
So it wasn’t long before Ghiretti found a way past the yellow car in front of him. The Frenchman carried a lot more speed through the first corner and got down the inside through turn two, where we’ve seen a lot of overtaking, went through Turn 3 side-by-side with Kane, and Aidan Wright tried a move at the kink.
Alister managed to defend himself and resisted the challenge from Australia’s Aidan Wright that time around. After a stellar drive defending from more experienced drivers, the Malaysian ultimately had to settle for P5 as the chequered flag waved Ghiretti the winner once again ahead of Shepherd and Musyaffa.
Race 2 Results
Pos Driver # Nat Time Fast Stat
1) Alessandro Ghiretti (R) 28 France 00:25:07.949 1:38.713
2) Kane Shepherd 3 Thailand 00:25:10,144 1:38.722
3) Muizz Musyaffa (R) 23 Malaysia 00:25:22.789 1:39.411
4) Luke Thompson 42 Ireland 00:25:27.006 1 :39.163
5) Alister Yoong (R) 22 Malaysia 00:25:38.169 1:40.417
6) Ryo Komikado (R) 46 Japan 00:26:18.261 1:40.852
7) Aidan Wright 7 Australia 00:15:26.352 1:39.356 DNF
8) Antoine Potty (R) 66 Belgium 00:06:37.730 1:41.268 DNFMuizz Victorious for Malaysia
Muizz had a fantastical start at the beginning of Race three, somehow jumping from fourth to second. The Malaysian rookie started on the right side of the grid, which put him on the inside line, setting him up perfectly as the pack went three maybe four wide through Turn 1, pushing Thompson out.
Ryo Komikado did well to hold his position from the fastest drivers on the track, but the tag team of Ghiretti and Shepherd was too much for any man to handle. While Muizz was busy trying to find a way past Alister Yoong, who had come out of the sector on top, the duo sliced past Ryo up the inside through Turn 5 and then again side-by-side for the second time through Turn 7.
Alister was doing well not giving Muizz an inch, but at the end of the lap he ran a little wide coming out of Turn 12. That was all Muizz needed and carrying more speed down the main straight he blitzed past his Malaysian compatriot with Ghiretti in tow. The French driver also tried to make it three for three up the inside of turn one, but didn’t have the space and was forced onto the grass, letting Alister scoop back up second place.
Alessandro managed to recover his car without any fuss, but the time he lost was enough to give his ever-present rival Kane Shepherd the opening he had been looking for all weekend and he danced his way into third, immediately setting his sights on Alister Yoong.
The excitement at the front of the pack produced some sensational racing, and the intense battle for sixth ended with a beached car and double yellows. The Safety Car was deployed just after Kane jumped past Alister, bunching the duo back up and effectively walling off Ghiretti.
But the Frenchman wasn’t going to be stopped and as the chequered flag waved it was Malaysia, Thailand, France – Musyaffa, Shepherd, Ghiretti – First, Second and Third!
Race 3 Results
Pos Driver # Nat Time Fast Stat
1) Muizz Musyaffa (R) 23 Malaysia 00:26:55.151 1:38.639
2) Kane Shepherd 3 Thailand 00:26:55.612 1:38.698
3) Alessandro Ghiretti (R) 28 France 00:26:56.800 1:38.199
4) Alister Yoong (R) 22 Malaysia 00:27:16.582 1:39.686
5) Luke Thompson 42 Ireland 00:27:17.008 1:39.481
6) Antoine Potty (R) 66 Belgium 00:27:17.556 1:39.553
7) Aidan Wright 7 Australia 00:22:42.309 1:38.696 DNF
8) Ryo Komikado (R) 46 Japan 00:0l:52.058 1:48.299 DNF
