INDIA in F1

Tag: MRF

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The results (Free Practice):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Ashwin Datta. Photo: Anand Philar

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

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

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

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

    Arjun Balu on a charge. Photo: Anand Philar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The results (Provisional):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing tops the time sheets in Practice session: Bike Nationals

    Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing tops the time sheets in Practice session: Bike Nationals

    Action from the Day 1 of the Rolon round of the MRF MMSC fmsci National Motorcycle Racing Championship at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on Friday. Photo: Anand Philar

    Coimbatore, 08 June 2018: Reigning National champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing set the benchmark in the premier Super Sport Indian (165cc, Open) class by topping the time sheets in free practice session as the Rolon Round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship commenced at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Friday.

    Jagan, who notched his sixth consecutive National title last year, displayed good form as he clocked a best of one minute, 12.686 seconds, ahead of TVS Racing team-mates Deepak Ravikumar (01:12.959) and KY Ahamed (01:13.449).

    Also among the quicker riders of the day was Prabhu Arunagiri of Team Alisha Abdullah who topped the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class practice session with a 01:12.698, while last year’s winner in this category Amarnath Menon (Gusto Racing India) was the fourth (01:13.503) behind team-mate Satyanarayana Raju (01:12.923) and Faraz Shariff (01:13.468), a private entrant from Bengaluru.

    In the Pro-Stock (165cc) class, Anup Kumar (Team Alisha Abdullah) was the quickest with a timing of 01:15.959), well ahead of Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing, 01:17.592) and Kevin Kannan (Rockers Racing, 01:17.825).

    Meanwhile, in the girls championship (Stock 165cc), Ann Jennifer clocked 01:25.797 to top the practice session in this category while last year’s first runner-up Ryhana Bee was second fastest in 01:26.353 with Shruthi Nagarajan coming in third at 01:26.873.

    The results (Qualifying only):

    National Championship – Stock 165cc (Novice, Batch 1): 1. Akshay V Murali (Apex Racing) (01:21.050); 2. Ashfaq Ahamed (Team 24 Racing) (01:21.140); 3. A S Alexander (Sparks Racing) (01:21.179). Batch 2: 1. Aditya Rao (Sparks Racing) (01:19.674); 2. Varun Sobhan (Speed Up Racing) (01:20.452); 3. M Nethaji (Pvt) (01:20.698).

    TVS One-Make Championship – Novice (Batch 1): 1. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (01min, 22.796secs); 2. A S Alexander (Chennai) (01:24.616); 3. Suhail Ahamed (Chennai) (01:25.432). Batch 2: 1. Mohamed Shafin (Kerala) (01:25.075); 2. Kesavan S (Chennai) (01:25.405); 3. Suneeth SR (Bengaluru) (01:25.802).

  • Team MRF to do four rounds of WRC 2 this year with Gill; Macneall returns as co-driver

    Team MRF to do four rounds of WRC 2 this year with Gill; Macneall returns as co-driver

    Gaurav Gill (right) and Glenn Macneall. File photo by Anand Philar

    Bengaluru, 11May 2018: Team MRF and three times Asia Pacific Rally champion Gaurav Gill along with his long-time co-driver Glenn Macneall (Ausralia) will launch their World Rally Championship campaign in the WRC 2 category at Rally Italia Sardegna scheduled to be held from June 7-10.

    Gill and Macneall, who have rallied together for seven years as Team MRF in the APRC, will be in a Ford Fiesta R5 run by M-Sport team which also has in its stable Sebastien Ogier, the 2017 WRC champion. With MRF as the tyre choice, Team MRF will compete compete in four of the five gravel rallies on the calendar.

    According to an official press release, MRF Tyres is participating in the following four rounds of WRC in Ford Fiesta R5 (RC2 category):

    1. Rally Italia Sardegna – June 7-10
    2. Rally of Finland – July 26-29
    3. Wales Rally GB – October 4-7
    4. Rally Australia – November 15-18 

    With the season well underway, Gill and Team MRF will not be eligible for championship points, but will utilise the four gravel rallies to collect valuable data on the tyres that will be used to further develop the rubber for a full-season entry next year. Gill will be taking part as a non-priority Driver for the four rounds.

    Since 2018 is a development and familiarization year to study the various parameters like terrains, tyres, cars etc., and as a part of this exercise, a two-day private test session in Europe is scheduled at the end of this month.

    Gill said: “It is a huge honour for me to represent Team MRF in the World Rally Championship. I have always wished to participate in WRC and compete against the best in the World. I have been associated with the team for over 10 years now and I am thankful for this opportunity to showcase my skills at this level. I am training extremely hard in preparation for a tough challenge ahead and I hope to be on pace with the best in the world from day one.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Arun Mammen, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MRF Limited, said: “This is a huge step for MRF. We have been actively involved in promoting racing in India over the last 30 years and it gives us immense satisfaction to have a champion Indian racer in Gaurav Gill to spearhead our campaign in the World Rally Championship.

    “Motorsports is a platform where we can demonstrate our tyre technology and apart from that it will also help us in developing new cutting-edge technology through extensive R&D and analysis of data collected from the track. I look forward to our season ahead and to our partnership with M-Sport.”

    Malcolm Wilson, Managing Director, M-Sport, said: “It is great to welcome Gaurav Gill and MRF tyres to not only the WRC, but also M-Sport. We as a company are well aware of their achievements in the APRC for the past 16 years and it is great to see them take their first step into the World Rally Championship with M-Sport and the Ford Fiesta R5.

    “It will be a tough learning curve, competing on four very different rallies – but M-Sport will do all they can to help them with the transition this year.  We hope this will be the start of a long and exciting partnership and wish them all the best of luck.”

  • Nataraj wins overall title in MRF Mogrip 2w INRC Rally of Baroda

    Baroda, 4 May 2018: Rajendra RE, Aishwarya and Syed Asif Ali of team TVS Racing win their respective classes in the Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheelers (INRC) here on Sunday.

    Blazing sun failed to douse their spirits as two-wheeler riders set the tone for the season opener with defending champion R Natraj of TVS racing winning the overall title in the Round 1 of the MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National rally championship 2 wheeler on Sunday.

    The Rally of Baroda saw as many as 55 riders taking the start at Jarod Village near Baroda over a course of 75 km. in four competitive stages of 50 kilometres.

    The Rally of Baroda which opened the 2018 season yet again proved that Team TVS Racing had no match with Natraj leading the charge on a powerful TVS RTR 450FX on which he logged 47 minutes 42 seconds to win Class 1.

    Natraj’s poor show in the second stage was due to problem in his disc-brake that resulted in him falling twice. Nonetheless he picked up his bike and continued running to complete the stage.

    “There was service after two stages and the problem was rectified by TVS mechanics which allowed me to ride better in the last two stages and win the rally,” said Natraj, who had won the opening round in Baroda last year too.

    “The win is always a morale booster and after this win I am ready for the challenge of the Round 2 scheduled next weekend in Indore,” said Natraj.

    “The rally went off smoothly and without any hiccups.  What more can I ask for as a promoter.” Said Shyam Kothari, Director of Godspeed Racing, the promoters of the 2-wheeler rally championship.

    “Besides more entries this year as compared to last year shows that this sport is spreading at the grassroot levels.  Moreover, the response from motorsports enthusiast was also enthralling,” said Kothari.

    “We had marked the course on rugged ground, which was quite testing while competing in temperatures hovering over 43 degrees Celsius,” said Amit Waghchoure of AW Events.

    Aishwarya wins  – riding her TVS RTR 2004V, Aishwarya Pissay won the Ladies class by a good one-minute beating Palakkad privateer Fazeela, who rode a Hero Impulse.  Local girl Gurmail Kaur finished third, also on Hero Impulse.

    The scooter class title went to champion TVS Racing rider Syed Asif Ali, who rode TVS Wego and clocked 59 minutes 55 seconds beating Aprillia Racing’s Pinkesh Thakkar (1:01:40), who rode Aprilia SR150.

  • Gaurav Gill odds-on favourite to win MRF South India Rally: INRC Round 1

    Gaurav Gill odds-on favourite to win MRF South India Rally: INRC Round 1

    Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif of Mahindra Adventure, all set to defend their Indian National Rally Championship crown. The 2018 INRC season commences in Chennai this weekend.  Photos: Anand Philar.​

    Chennai, 27 April 2018: Reigning champion Gaurav Gill, driving the Mahindra Adventure’s XUV 500, heads a 31-car field as the MRF South India Rally which kicks off the 2018 FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship season here this weekend.

    Organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, the event which commences with a ceremonial flag-off at the GRT Hotel here on Friday, will see the participants tackling 106.6 Kms of Special Stages over the following two days.

    The two physical Stages are located at the iconic MMRT racing circuit where a 10.15 Kms of dirt track has been specially prepared, and the 13.85 Kms AAVISA, about 24 Kms away from MMRT, off Chennai-Bengaluru National highway.

    Much of the attention will be on 36-year old Delhi-based Gill who will be making his entry into the World Rally Championship 2 category later this year, backed by MRF Tyres who had supported him through 10 seasons in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship that he won thrice.

    Ahead of the season-opener, there are plenty of expectations. For one, Gill is the overwhelming favourite to retain the National title with the seasoned Musa Sherif in the co-driver’s seat.

    The top-end INRC 1 class has six entries, besides Gill. His team-mate Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) will be in the second XUV 500 vehicle while the field also includes two Toyota Liva entries representing Team Thums, and Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Falcon Motorsports in a VW Polo R2.

    Creating a big buzz in the INRC circles is 61-year old Vicky Chandhok who is making a comeback of sorts after a gap of 18 years. He is partnered by the highly rated co-driver M Chandramouli. Former FMSCI president Chandhok who is also the president of the FIA APRC, will be driving a factory-supported VW Polo R2 in the INRC 1 class.

    “It feels great to get back into a rally car and drive it with anger. I hope to do well. The last rally I drove was in 2000 in the same event in a Mitsubishi Lancer. But the R2 is a whole lot different package, but fun to drive,” said Chandhok, looking far trimmer after a month’s absence from his favourite whisky! “I haven’t touched a drop in the past one month, but will enjoy my drink on Sunday after the rally,” he added.

    The competition in the INRC 2 and INRC 3 classes appears wide open. Both categories showcase a lot of experience and youth besides talent. Rahul Kanthraj and his co-driver Vivek Bhatt (Arka Motorsports) head the INRC 2 field and will be seeking a winning start in their bid to retain the crown in this class. The duo will be starting their 19th season together and form one of the most enduring partnerships in the National championship.

    Kanthraj will have to keep a sharp eye on his talented team-mate Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) who is among the most talented rally drivers in the country, but has never quite been able to match his potential. For the South India Rally, Kadur’s big issue is his brand new VW Polo whose engine is still to be run-in, and as such, face overheating problem that cropped during the test session yesterday. So, Kadur will have his fingers crossed.

    In INRC 3, young Mangalorean Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Shrupta Padiwal in Falcon Motorsports livery are the odds-on favourites, having won the championship in this class last year. However, they can expect stiff competition from rookie Fabid Arakkal (co-driver Fayaz Arakkal) from Kerala who is being spoken of highly by the connoisseurs.

    Also in INRC 3 is the experienced Bengaluru pair of Chetan Shivram and co-driver Rupesh Kholay who have moved up a class after winning the 2-Wheel Drive Cup last season.

    `Champions’ from Coorg raring to go!

    Meanwhile, a new team called “Team Champions”, hailing from Kodagu district in Karnataka, will be making a debut in the INRC with a two-car entry in the INRC 3 class.

    The two non-championship categories, 2-Wheel Drive Cup and 4-Wheel Drive Cup, complete the grid with the former having seven entries and the latter, just one, a Maruti Gypsy, driven by Nikhil J, which a few years ago was phased out from the championship.

    After this morning’s recce run, the competitors were unanimous in their praise of both the two Special Stages which are likely to see very high speeds. A few jumps over crests will no doubt add spice to the proceedings. The AAVISA Special Stage was said to be quite fast despite the many tight corners. The track stage which was specially prepared for this event and which will serve as a training / practice circuit, should see plenty more action with several high-speed jumps that should be a photographer’s delight. Overall, MMSC have put in a lot of effort to provide excellent Stages that in more ways one are “driver’s delight”.

     

     

  • Team MRF and Gaurav Gill head to WRC 2; quit APRC after 16 seasons and nine titles

    Team MRF and Gaurav Gill head to WRC 2; quit APRC after 16 seasons and nine titles

    Gaurav Gill (right) and co-driver Stephane Prevot with the 2017 FIA APRC trophy. Photo: Anand Philar

    By Anand Philar

    Bengaluru, April 16: In a major motorsport move, India’s leading tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres on Monday announced their entry into the FIA World Rally Championship 2 category with Gaurav Gill at the wheels, thus ending their 16-season campaign in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship which they had dominated with nine titles.

    In a rather cryptic official press release today, Chennai-based MRF Tyres said: “Team MRF, having successfully won 9 APRC titles over the last many years, is now foraying into the WRC 2 with Gaurav Gill at the wheel. Further details will be shared shortly.”

    INDIAinF1.com first broke this story in January 2018. 

    Gill, who is all set to launch his Advanced Driving Academy in his hometown Delhi shortly, said: “I am obviously thrilled. It is a dream come true for me. In the APRC, I had competed and beaten some of the best drivers from Europe and now, it is time for me to compete with them in their territory. Read my piece on his training sessions at Coimbatore here.

    “This year, it is all about learning for both me and MRF. We will be participating in limited number of WRC 2 rounds, gathering a lot of data for tyre development etc. So, I do not expect any big results. As of now, we haven’t decided on the car I will be driving and also other details are being worked out. The picture will be clear in the coming weeks.”

    The move up to WRC 2 was on the cards pending confirmation from MRF with Gill often expressing his desire to compete on the World stage after winning three APRC titles in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

    For both MRF and Gill, it is a huge step forward, though it is more than likely that the team will use the 2018 WRC 2 season, which has seen four of the 13 scheduled rounds already completed, as a dip-stick prior to doing the full championship next year. It is not known which round MRF and Gill will enter this season with Round 5 to be held in Argentina (April 26-29), followed by Portugal (May 17-20).

    Since MRF and Gill are not registered for 2018 WRC 2 championship, they will not be eligible for any points as per FIA regulations regardless of where they finish in the rounds they will be participating.

    It is also to be confirmed whether MRF will continue their association with Czech car manufacturer Skoda or go with another make of car in the WRC 2.

    File picture of Gaurav Gill in action. Photo: Anand Philar

    Skoda and MRF first partnered in the 2012 APRC season with the S2000 before the Czech manufacturer moving to the Skoda Fabia R5 in 2016. The MRF-Skoda partnership dominated the APRC by winning six championships on the trot between 2012 and 2017.

    MRF made their APRC entry in 2002 with India’s top drivers at the time, Naren Kumar and Arjun Balu before opting for more experienced European crews in 2003 beginning with Germany’s Armin Kremer who won the championship on debut.

    As for Gill, his long-cherished dream of competing at the World-level is about to become reality. The 36-year old Delhi-based ace, since his APRC debut in 2007, has evolved from a driver with raw speed to a mature pilot capable of competing with the best in the World. While winning three APRC titles, Gill time and again defeated Skoda’s factory-supported drivers to emphasise the point that he belongs to World level of rallying.

    Gill is not new to the WRC scene. Backed by a Bengaluru-based company Sidvin, he participated in PWRC rounds in 2008 (Wales) and 2009 (Portugal and Cyprus), while becoming the first and only Indian to score points when he finished seventh in Portugal.

    Gaurav Gill’s APRC record:

    Starts: 57. Wins: 17. Podium: 12. Championship titles: 3 (2013, 2016 and 2017). Debut: 2007 in Mitsubishi Evo IX. First win: 2008, Indonesia in Mitsubishi IX. Last win: 2017, India (Coffee Day India Rally, Chikmagalur) in Skoda Fabia R5.

    Team MRF’s Scroll of Honour in FIA APRC:

    2003 – Armin Kremer / Fred Bressen (Germany) – Mitsubishi Evo VII

    2005 – Jussi Valimaki / Jarko Kalliolepo (Finland) – Mitsubishi Evo VIII

    2010 – Katsuhiko Taguchi (Japan) / Mark Stacey (Australia) – Mitsubishi Evo X

    2012 – Chris Atkinson (Australia) / Stephane Prevot (Belgium) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2013 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Glenn Macneall (Australia) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2014 – Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dressler (Czech Republic) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2015 – Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Sweden) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2016 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Glenn Macneall (Australia) – Skoda Fabia R5

    2017 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Stephane Prevot (Belgium) – Skoda Fabia R5

  • Champ Drugovich unstoppable in MRF Challenge; Maiden career win for Nikanth Ram

    Champ Drugovich unstoppable in MRF Challenge; Maiden career win for Nikanth Ram

    Chennai, 4 Feb 2018: Young Nikanth Ram from Coimbatore and in Arka Motorsports livery chalked up maiden win of

    MRF Challenge 2017 champion Felipe Drugovich (centre) flanked by second-placed Presley Martono (right) and third-placed Rinus van Kalmthout at MMRT, Chennai on Sunday, 4 Feb 2018. Image by Anand Philar.

    his saloon car racing career as the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship 2018 concluded at the MMRT circuit, here on Sunday.

    While Ram, a 21-year old commerce graduate from Coimbatore, bagged full points, team-mate Ashish Ramaswamy from Bengaluru achieved a double by winning the second race earlier, but retired with an expired engine in the weekend’s third outing.

    Meanwhile, 17-year old Brazilian Felipe Drugovich stamped his authority in the MRF Challenge 2017 as he swept to victory in both the races run today to finish the season with 10 wins from 16 outings over four rounds.

    Drugovich, who had sealed the championship on Saturday itself, had few problems in Race 3 after easing his way to the front of the field. He set such a hot pace that midway through the 20-lap race that he finished some 11 seconds in front of second-placed Indonesian Presley Martono who was followed home by Rinus van Kalmthout from the Netherlands.

    In the final race of the 2017 MRF Challenge later in the day, Drugovich, starting second on the grid, got a jump on pole-sitter Rinus van Kalmthout of the Netherlands in the very first lap and then gradually increased the lead to notch another fluent win.

    While Drugovich finished the season with 333 points, Martono (254) and Kalmthout (247) completed the top three positions in the championship.

    In the day’s first saloon car race, Ashish Ramaswamy was again the dominant force despite starting fourth on the reverse grid. He jumped two places by the end of the first lap, tailed leader Vidya Prakash for a couple of more laps before moving into the lead. Thereafter, he kept increasing the lead to emerge a comfortable winner while veterans Vijaya Kumar and Vidya Prakash finished behind him in that order while pole-sitter Nikanth Ram was a non-finisher following a spin.

    Nikanth, however, was handed a victory on the platter in the next outing when Ashish, enjoying a massive lead after starting from pole, retired with the engine problem in a fourth of the eight-lapper. Nikanth who was running second, made the best of the situation to score a maiden win in his saloon car racing career and finished ahead of Prime Racing’s Raja Ram and Biren Pithawalla of Team N1.

    The results (Provisional): MRF Challenge – Race 3 (20 laps): 1. Felipe Drugovich (Brazil) (33mins, 09.353secs); 2. Presley Martono (Indonesia) (33:20.422); 3. Rinus van Kalmthout (Netherlands) (33:21.398). Race 4 (20 laps): 1. Drugovich (30:08.812); 2. Kalmthout (30:13.094); 3. Martono (30:16.118).

    National Championship – Saloon cars: Indian Touring Cars (Race 2, 12 laps): 1. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (23:25.024); 2. B Vijaya Kumar (Prime Racing) (23:51.922); 3. D Vidya Prakash (Prime Racing) (23:58.350). Race 3 (8 laps): 1. V Nikanth Ram (Arka Motorsports) (15:55.693); 2. C Raja Ram (Prime Racing) (15:59.000); 3. Biren Pithawalla (Team N1) (16:11.372).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 2, 11 laps): 1. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (23:55.103); 2. Chrys D’Souza (Unimek Racing) (24:24.572); 3. Prabhu AS (Arka Motorsports) (24:24.812). Race 3 (8 laps): 1. D’Souza (17:48.207); 2. Prabhu (17:48.434); 3. Nikunj D Vagh (Team N1) (17:49.100).

    Esteem Cup (12 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (24:20.853); 2. Vinod S (Team N1) (24:33.727); 3. Archit Mylanda (Performance Racing) (25:06.829).  Race 3 (8 laps): 1. Rangasamy (16:21.542); 2. Vinod S (16:30.865); 3. Mylanda  (16:43.432).

    Super Stock (12 laps): 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (24:55.565); 2. Srinivas Teja K (Performance Racing) (25:18.133); 3. Swajit Acharaker (Team N1) (23:38.158 + 1 lap). Race 3 (8 laps): 1. Srinivas Teja K (16:52.869); 2. Acharaker (17:02.854); 3. Rajashekar R (Infinite Piston) (17:09.812).

    Vidiem Superbikes Cup (Support race) – Race 2 (8 laps): 600cc – 1.Siddhanth Koundinya (Bengaluru) (15:30.765); 2. Vishwadev Muraleedharan (Coimbatore) (15:39.311); 3. Ritesh Sapre (Mumbai) (15:45.182).

    eom/MMSC release

  • Fluent win for Ashish Ramaswamy in saloon car race; Felipe Drugovich seals MRF Challenge title

    Fluent win for Ashish Ramaswamy in saloon car race; Felipe Drugovich seals MRF Challenge title

    MRF Challenge 2017 Champion Felipe Drugovich. An MRF image

    Chennai, 3 Feb 2018: Bengaluru lad Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) destroyed the field in the saloon car race to launch his campaign in the MRF MMSC fmsci I

    Ashish Ramawamy of Bengaluru, winner of Saloon car race at MMRT on 3Feb2018. Image by Anand Philar

    ndian National Racing Championship 2018 in style at the MMRT circuit, here on Friday.

    The day’s focus, however, was on the fourth and final round of MRF Challenge. Championship leader Felipe Drugovich, the 17-year old from Brazil was not the fastest man on the track as he finished third and sixth in the double-header which was enough for him to seal the 2017 title with still two more races to be run on Sunday.

    While Drugovich sealed the championship, Rinus van Kalmthout from the Netherland and Indonesian Presley Martono won the day’s first and second race, respectively. The results took Drugovich’s tally to 283, well ahead of Martono (219) and Kalmthout (212).

    Starting third on the grid behind pole-sitter Martono and Drugovich in the first race, Kalmthout was off to a brilliant start as he slipped past the front runners to take the lead in the very first lap. Thereafter, it was a virtual procession as the Dutchman scored his third win of the season ahead of Martono and Drugovich who was subsequently docked 10 grid positions for the next race due to “fuel infringement”.

    The second race was red-flagged after just one lap following three different incidents, including that involving reverse grid pole-sitter Alex Karkosik (Poland) who spun off the track. On re-start, Singapore’s Danial Frost led much of the race, reduced to 15 laps before he went off and dropped to third while Martono won from Kalmthout.

    The saloon car race was a one-horse affair as pole-sitter Ashish Ramaswamy never looked back after a flying start and finished some 30 seconds ahead of veteran B Vijaya Kumar (Prime Racing) and V Nikanth Ram (Arka Motorsports) who kept exchanging track positions in the latter part of the 12-lap race.

    Even as Ashish pulled away into the distance, Nikanth Ram opened a good lead over Vijaya Kumar. However, in the second half of the race, Nikanth Ram spun, conceding his advantage to Vijaya Kumar who caught up and moved into second spot. Ram then barely held on to his podium position with another veteran Vidya Prakash sitting on his tail on the last lap.

    Prabhu AS (Arka Motorsports), RP Rajarajan and Raghul Rangasamy, both Performance Racing, took the honours in the Indian Junior Touring Cars, Super Stock and Esteem categories, respectively, of the saloon car race.

    The results (Provisional):

    MRF Challenge – Race 1 (20 laps): 1. Rinus van Kalmthout (Netherlands) (30mins, 22.676secs); 2. Presley Martono (Indonesia) (30:29.174); 3. Felipe Drugovich (Brazil) (30:31.552). Race 2 (15 laps): 1. Presley Martono (Indonesia) (22:50.733); 2. Rinus Van Kalmthout (Netherlands) (22:52.713); 3. Danial Frost (Singapore) (22:54.318).

    National Championship (Saloon cars, 12 laps): Indian Touring Cars – 1. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (23:18.381); 2. B Vijaya Kumar (Prime Racing) (23:48.765); 3. V Nikanth Ram (Arka Motorsports) (23:56.477).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Prabhu AS (Arka Motorsports) (23:48.082); 2. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (24:08.005); 3. Nikunj D Vagh (Team N1) (24:48.633).

    Super Stock: 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (25:04.844); 2. Srinivas Teja K (Performance Racing) (23:23.023 +1 lap); 3. Swajit Acharaker (Team N1) (23:42.600 +1 lap).

    Esteem Cup: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (24:46.448); 2. Vinod S (Team N1) (24:58.109).

    Vidiem Superbikes (Support Race, 8 laps) – 600cc: 1. Siddhanth Koundiya (Bengaluru) (15:32.243); 2. Vishwadev Muraleedharan (Coimbatore) (15:46.550); 3. Arthur Fernando (Tuticorin) (15:46.887).  1000cc: 1. Rish Agarwal (Bengaluru) (15:06.577); 2. Himanish Amla (Bengaluru) (15:32.545); 3. Yokeshwaran K (Coimbatore) (16:03.838).

    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.

    eom/MMSC release