INDIA in F1

Tag: MRF

  • JCT Rallying’s Samir Thapar rolls back years to win Rally Nationals Chennai leg; pushes back leader Gaurav Gill

    Irungattukottai (Chennai), 27 July 2014: Samir Thapar and his co-driver Gurinder Mann of JCT Rallying team rolled back the years by winning the MMSC promoted  AVT Premium South India Rally, the third round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship, here on Sunday.

    In the process, Thapar, driving a Mitsubishi Evo X, stopped the winning spree of championship leader Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif) of Team Mahindra Adventure who finished overall second ahead of PG Abhilash (Kumar Ramaswamy) in a Evo 6.

    Thapar, who enjoyed a sizeable lead overnight over Gill, winner of the previous two IRC rounds in Nashik and Coimbatore, again showcased the pace and power of the Evo by winning all the four Stages, including the Spectator Special Stage with much to spare.

    Thapar, 50, had last won a National championship event in 1997 before quitting the sport while for 49-year old Mann, a multiple Indian champion in his hey days, it was his first success since winning the Asia Zone in 2000. Thapar had words of praise for the organizer, MMSC, who he believed did a great job with the event. He commented, “It is a great moment for us oldies and winning an event after such a long time is just fantastic. The Stages, the organization and just about everything here was perfect. Yesterday, during the first loop, I didn’t have the Pirelli tyres which arrived here in time for the second run and they made a huge difference. The car too was just about right and of course, we both are extremely happy to win here today”.

    Meanwhile, Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt) of Team Yokohama in a Mitsubishi Cedia held his overnight position to win the IRC 2000cc class quite comfortably.

    The IRC 1600cc class saw overnight leader Vikram Devadasen (Vivek Bhatt) of Team Yokohama slip to third position as he lost time on hard compound tyres while Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal), trailing by eight seconds, seized the opportunity to win while Phalguna Urs (Anoop Kumar) came in second.

    In the FMSCI 1600 Cup, Adith KC (Harish KN), placed second overnight, won the honours with leader Raghunandan B (Suraj K) retiring in the day’s first Stage.

    Provisional classifications (after Leg 2):

    IRC Overall: 1. Samir Thapar / Gurinder Mann (JCT Rally, Evo X) (1hr, 37mins, 45.6secs); 2. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (01:40:02.5); Abhilash PG / Kumar Ramaswamy (REA PGA Motorsport, Evo 6) (01:41:16.8).

    IRC 2000cc: 1. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama, Cedia) (01:44:38.4); 2. Prithvi Dominic / Ravindra MS (Cedia) (01:46:06.7); 3. Sumit Panjabi / Venu Ramesh Kumar (Cedia) (01:46:39.6).

    IRC 1600cc: 1. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (VW Polo) (01:42:56.2); 2. Phalguna Urs / Anoop Kumar (VW Polo) (01:42:58.0); 3. Vikram Devadasen / Srikant Gowda (Team Yokohama, VW Polo) (01:43:20.0).

    FMSCI 1600cc Cup: 1. Adith KC / Harish KN (Honda City V-Tec) (01:47:33.9); 2. Aeman Khadri / Sagar M (Maruti Baleno) (01:49.14.2); 3. Bopaiah KM / K Karumbaiah (Maruti Esteem) (01:50:14.3).

    Samir Thaper of JCT Racing, the overall winner of the Indian Rally Championship in Chennai on Sunday. An Adrenna Communications image
    Samir Thaper of JCT Rallying, the overall winner of the Indian Rally Championship in Chennai on Sunday. An Adrenna Communications image

    eom/Adrenna press release

  • Samir Thapar takes lead with a brilliant run on his Mitsubishi Evo X

    Chennai, 26 July

    Sami Thaper and co-driver Gurinder Mann , in a Mitsubishi Evo X take lead in the INC on Saturday. An Adrenna image
    Sami Thaper and co-driver Gurinder Mann , in a Mitsubishi Evo X take lead in the INC on Saturday. An Adrenna image

    2014: Samir Thapar and co-driver Gurinder Mann , in a Mitsubishi Evo X, lit up the AVT Premium South India Rally with a brilliant run that put them in the lead in the Overall classifications with over one-minute advantage over championship leader Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) who were in a Mahindra XUV 500 at the end of the first Leg on Saturday. The Madras Motor Sport Club (MMSC), one of the oldest motorsport clubs in India, are hosts for Round 3 of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship.

    Third Overall was PG Abhilash (Kumar Ramasway) of Team R3A PGA Motorsport in a Mitsubishi Evo 6, some 27 seconds adrift of Gill (Team Mahindra Adventure). The day witnessed a big crash as Gill’s team-mate and 2013 INRC champion Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) rolled his XUV 500 on SS-5 going into a sequence of corners. Also retiring was the third Mahindra entry Karna Kadur (PVS Murthy) after hitting a rock on SS-2.

    Thapar of JCT Rallying team, who last won a National championship event in 1997 at the Karnataka 1000 Rally, was obviously pleased with the performance and said he would play it safe on Sunday when the three Special Stages would be run.  He commented, “We drove hard today on all the Stages. The second and third Stages were tight and slippery, but we did not back off though it was challenging to drive hard. After a long time, we got a car that we wanted. In Nashik (first round) we had lots of problems and I missed the second round in Coimbatore as I was out of the country. But today, everything came together and it was fun.”

    Gill, winner of the previous two rounds of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship, was not surprised to be beaten. He said, “Like I said yesterday, the Stages are fast with lots of straights where the Evo with more power and being lighter had an advantage. But I thought Sammy (Thapar) drove brilliantly and I am not surprised that he made so much time on us.”

    In the IRC 2000cc class, Bangalore’s Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt) of Team Yokohama was ahead of Prithvi Dominic (Ravindra MS) by some 57 seconds.

    The IRC 1600cc class was poised for a tight finish after Vikram Devadasen (Srikant Gowda) of Team Yokohama made time over Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) in the Spectator Special Stage that was run in heavy rains to turn a slender deficit into an eight-second lead.

    Provisional classifications (after Leg 1):

    IRC Overall: 1. Samir Thapar / Gurinder Mann (JCT Rally, Evo X) (1hr, 04mins, 21.5secs); 2. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (01:06:07.8); Abhilash PG / Kumar Ramaswamy (REA PGA Motorsport, Evo 6) (01:06:35.2).

    IRC 2000cc: 1. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama, Cedia) (01:09:00.7); 2. Prithvi Dominic / Ravindra MS (Cedia) (01:09:58.2); 3. Sumit Panjabi / Venu Ramesh Kumar (Cedia) (01:10:43.7).

    FMSCI 1600cc: 1. Raghunandan B / Suraj K (Honda City V-Tec) (01:10:16.8); 2. Adith KC / Harish KN (Honda City V-Tec) (01:11:28.8); 3. Aeman Khadri / Sagar M (Baleno) (01:12.41.9).

    eom

  • Tarun Reddy recovers to take back championship lead after brilliant win

    Coimbatore, 20 July 2014: The 16 year old Indian Tarun Reddy put on a brilliant display to beat title contenders Vikash Anand and Advait Deodhar in the MRF FF1600 race at Round 3 of the 2014 MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship (NRC) at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. Vikash Anand had a great day which included a win and a 2nd place in the MRF 1600 championship. Other winners included Ashish Ramaswamy in the Indian Touring Cars, Varun Anekar and Advait Deodhar in the Toyota EMR, VJ Senthil in the Indian Junior Touring Cars, Balavijay in the Superstock and S Narendran in the Formula Swift 1300.

    Race 2 of the MRF FF 1600 in Round 3 saw Goutam Parekh on reverse grid pole position. The race was red-flagged after lap 1 due to heavy rain hitting the circuit, forcing the drivers to change to wet tyres. At the restart Vikash Anand got the jump on Goutam to go into the lead. Behind him Advait jumped Goutam, who was busy battling with Championship leader Tarun Reddy. On lap 4, Tarun tried an audacious move on Goutam into the first corner, which resulted in both of them going off and causing a red flag for the second time. At the second restart Advait had a great start and beat Vikash into the first corner. However Vikash wasted no time and overtook Advait before the end of the lap to take the lead and go on to win in dominant fashion. Advait finished 2nd with Lee Keshav in 3rd place. Post race Tarun Reddy was given a 5 place grid penalty for an avoidable accident and causing a red flag.

    Race 3 of the MRF FF1600 saw Advait Deodhar taking the lead with Goutam Parekh in 2nd and Vikash Anand in 3rd. Tarun Reddy, who was given yet another penalty for the consecutive race weekend started in 6th but quickly moved up to 4th at the end of the first lap. The next 4 laps saw a brilliant battle between Advait, Vikash and Tarun for the lead. Tarun pulled off a great move on Vikash on lap 2 to move into 2nd. On lap 4 Tarun went around the outside of Advait into the first corner to take the lead. Vikash, who was right behind Tarun also took advantage and went past Advait. They finished in that order with Tarun beating Vikash and Advait. Tarun now leads Advait by 6 points in the Championship with Vikash right back in contention after a great weekend.

    Day 2 action resumed at the KMS with the Formula LGB 1300 category and it was S Narendran taking his second win in a row with a commanding performance. There was another close battle for 2nd place with Goutam Parekh just managing to beat Ajay Kini and Deepak Chinappa.

    Next race of the day saw the Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC) with DR Senthil taking his first win of the season and breaking Feroze Kkan’s winning streak. Senthil had an early battle with Siddharth B but pulled away to win comfortably. Siddharth finished in 2nd place ahead of championship leader Feroze Khan.

    The Toyota Etios Motor Trophy had some close racing in both races of the one make championship. In Race 3, Dean Mascarenhas took the early lead with Race 1 winner Varun Anekar right behind him. On lap 5 Varun made his move and overtook Dean to take the lead of the race. He went on to win comfortably with Dean finishing in 2nd place and Hashim finishing in 3rd place.

    In the reverse-grid Race 4 of the Toyota EMR, Vidyuth started on pole position along with Advait Deodhar. Vidyuth held on to the lead but was overtaken by Advait with 5 laps to go. Championship contender Dean Mascarenhas moved in to 2nd place on lap 7 and closed in on Advait but was unable to launch a challenge. Vidyuth completed the third step of the podium.

    Balavijay became the first driver to win all races to date in 2014 with another win in the Superstock category. In a replay of Race 1, behind him there was a great battle for 2nd place between Joel Joseph and Deepak Chinappa. Joel and Deepak had a race long battle with Deepak unable to find a way past.

    The Indian Touring Cars was a race long battle between veteran B Vidyaprakash and youngster Ashish Ramaswamy. The race ended with Vidyaprakash being punted out of the lead by Ashish, who crossed the chequered flag in 1st place. Raja Ram finished 2nd while Championship leader Arjun Narendran had a tough race and finished in 3rd position, suffering his first loss of the season.

    Race Classifications

    LGB Formula 1300 – Race 3

    1. S Narendran
    2. Goutam Parekh
    3. Ajay Kini

    Indian Junior Touring Cars – Race 2

    1. DR. Senthil
    2. Siddharth B
    3. Feroze Khan

     Toyota EMR – Race 3

    1. Varun Anekar
    2. Dean Mascarenhas
    3. Hashim

     Superstock – Race 2

    1. Balavijay
    2. Joel Joseph
    3. Deepak Chinappa

     Indian Touring Cars – Race 2

    1. Ashish Ramaswamy
    2. Raja Ram
    3. Arjun Narendran

    Toyota EMR – Race 4

    1. Advait Deodhar
    2. Dean Mascarenhas
    3. Vidyuth Iyer

     MRF FF 1600 – Race 2

    Advait, left, 2nd, Deodhar, 1st, Tarun Reddy, right, 3rd, Vikash Anand Sun at Coimbatore Round 3 of the Indian National Racing championship. An Adrenna image
    Advait, left, 2nd, Deodhar, 1st, Tarun Reddy, right, 3rd, Vikash Anand Sun at Coimbatore Round 3 of the Indian National Racing championship. An Adrenna image
    1. Vikash Anand
    2. Advait Deodhar
    3. Lee Keshav Gupta

    MRF FF 1600 – Race 3

    1. Tarun Reddy
    2. Vikash Anand
    3. Advait Deodhar

    Please visit www.madrasmotorsports.in for more information.

     eom/Adrenna press release

  • Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif power Mahindra XUV 500 to IRC win at Coimbatore

    Coimbatore, 13 July 2014: Overnight leaders Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif, in a Mahindra XUV 500, won the JK Tyre-powered Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the FMSCI-Indian Rally Championship (IRC), by over two minutes, here, on Sunday.
    Karnataka’s Arjun Rao and Satish Rajagopal, in a VW Polo, took second place overall and the top spot in the IRC 1600 category, while reigning Asia Pacific champion Gill’s Mahindra Adventure teammates Sunny Sidhu and PV Srinivas Murthy were third.
    A run over the two Special Stages of 26.10 kms and 12.65 kms comprised Sunday’s Leg 2 and Gill, winner of the opening round in Nashik last month, chose to drive cautiously.
    “I didn’t want to take any risks as I already had a good lead overnight,” Gill said. “I wanted to hold on to the lead and it just so happened that I was fastest in both the stages today,” added India’s top rally driver.
    While the top three overnight leaders finished in that order, Team Yokohama’s Vikram Devadasen and Shrikanth in a VW Polo turned in faster times in both Super Stages to finish fourth overall ahead of their Team Yokohama mates Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhatt in a Mitsubishi Cedia.
    Kantharaj and Bhatt topped the IRC 2000cc class, while Devadasen and Shrikanth finished second in the IRC 1600cc category.
    Arjun Rao and Sathish were returning to action after missing the opening round in Nashik and the pair, winners of the INRC 1600 class last season and second in the overall category, turned in another impressive show.
    “The gap between Gill and us was big, but that didn’t change my approach. I was aggressive and I am happy to have finished second overall with a 1600 cc car,” he said.
    B Raghu Nandan and K Suraj topped the FMSCI 1600cc Cup category.
    On Saturday, 10 cars retired during Leg 1, including reigning National champion Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik following mechanical problems.
    The third round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship will be the AVT Premium South India Rally in Chennai between July 25 and 27.
    Unofficial final classification:
    Indian Rally Championship (IRC): 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure) (01:39.53.2), 2. Arjun Rao/Satish Rajagopal (01:41.56.9), 3. Sunny Sidhu/PV Srinivas Murthy (Mahindra Adventure) (01:42.45.8), 4. Vikram Devadasen/Shrikanth (Team Yokohama) (01:44.05.4), 5. Rahul Kantharaj/Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama) (01:44.21.6).
    IRC 2000cc: 1. Rahul Kantharaj/Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama) (01:44.21.6), 2. Byram Godrej/AG Somayya (01:44.36.0), 3. Prithivi Dominic/MS Ravindra (01:45.57.7).
    IRC 1600cc: 1. Arjun Rao/Satish Rajagopal (01:41.56.9), 2. Vikram Devadasen/Shrikanth (Team Yokohama) (01:44.05.4),  3. Phalguna Urs/Anoop Kumar (01:44.33.7).
     FMSCI 1600cc Cup: 1. B Raghu Nandan/K Suraj (01:46.31.3), 2. KC Adith/KN Harish (01:48.27.1), 3. Aniruddha Rangnekar/Nitin Jacob (01:52.24.7).
    eom/Sanjay Rajan/FMSCI release

    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif in action in Coimbatore on Sunday winning the IRC. An FMSCI image
    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif in action in Coimbatore on Sunday winning the IRC. An FMSCI image

  • MRF FF1600, touring cars to be joined by all new Superstock class

    Chennai, 19 June 2014: The Madras Motor Sport Club (MMSC), one of the oldest motorsport clubs in India, is gearing up for yet another Round of India’s biggest domestic racing championship as the 2014 MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship (NRC) returns to Chennai this weekend. The 2014 NRC Round 2 will take place at the MMRT in Irungattukottai and will feature some of the fastest racing categories in India with the MRF FF1600 and the Indian Touring Car Championship (ITC). They will be joined by the Formula LGB 1300, Indian Junior Touring Car Championship (IJTC) and the all new Super Stock category. MMSC also confirmed that delayed coverage of the races will be shown on both Doordarshan and Times Now for all motorsport fans.  

    The MMSC, promoter of the NRC for the 17th successive year, will host races in all three racing circuits available in the country. While the 1st, 2nd and 4th rounds will be held in Chennai, the 3rd round will be held in Coimbatore while the 5th and final round will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. The MMSC had earlier hosted the MRF Racing Festival featuring the MRF Challenge and MRF FF1600 in Chennai in February.

    MMSC President Ajit Thomas was confident of another exciting season ahead of the opener this weekend. He commented, “We are extremely thrilled to host the NRC for the 17th consecutive year. Our sole agenda has been promoting motorsport in the country, be it talent, infrastructure or machinery. We have provided the platform for youngsters to perform and we will continue to focus on this. MRF has made a huge impact in Indian motorsport and we are privileged to partner with them. They have the fastest single-seater category in India and more importantly all these cars have been designed and built locally in Coimbatore. We are mostly excited about introducing the new Super Stock category, which is a new CC to weight category in which we allow any homologated car upto 1799CC with Group N regulations in which there is no modification allowed on the engine.”

    The NRC returns with regular and seasoned campaigners returning to battle it out. The ITC will see the likes of B Vijaykumar, Radha Selvaraj, M Sivaramkrishnan and Arjun Narendran all looking to stamp their authority. The ITC, which will run along with the newly introduced Super Stock category, will see a total of 25 drivers combined on the grid.

    The MRF FF1600, India’s fastest single-seater series, is the perfect platform for young Indians to hone their skills for international challenges. Round 1 was a thriller with Tarun Reddy winning both races with moves on the final lap. Vikash Anand and Advait Deodhar will be hoping to take the fight to the 16 year old from Chennai this weekend.

    The IJTC will see the biggest ever line-up with 27 cars on the grid. Feroz Khan returns to defend his title with Fahad Kutty, Charen Chandran and S Narendran all looking to challenge for the title. The Formula LGB Swift Championship will see S. Narendran, who made history by winning all races last year, go up against Goutam Parekh and Ajay Kini and a host of other drivers.   

    In a bid to further attract Corporates and sponsors and reach more fans MMSC has signed up with a host of partners for the NRC. MRF Tyres will be the sole tyre partner for all categories that include over 70 drivers.  The MMSC today also confirmed not one but two broadcast partners in Times Now and Doordarshan. Chennai Live 104.8FM has signed on as the Radio partner while Moti Mahal Delux will be the Hospitality partners.

    Practice will take place on Friday with qualifying taking place on Saturday morning. All races will take place on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Please visit www.madrasmotorsports.in f

    File photo of a 1600cc race at MMRT in Chennai. An Adrenna Communications image
    File photo of a 1600cc race at MMRT in Chennai. An Adrenna Communications image

    or more information.

    eom/Adrenna Communications release

  • Rallyists must take part in at least 6 of the 9 events: TSD Nationals Baripada in Orissa, new venue

    Chennai, 4 June 2014: “In a significant step that underlines the growing popularity of the FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rally Championship, the third edition of the competition has gained pan-India presence with the number of rounds almost doubled from the previous year, and at least one round would be held in each of the four zonal regions,” said Sanjay Rajan, Press Officer, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI).

    The calendar kicks off at Chikmagalur this weekend.

    The Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) rallying is enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people as speed is not the main criteria, and the rallies are usually staged on regular city roads as well as smooth dirt roads on the outskirts of cities and participation open in stock automobiles.

    This is because the objective of TSD rallying is to maintain precise times and precise average speeds on various segments of a predefined route, the focus being on navigation. It connects with the grassroots level of the sport, is very popular, and is seen as the first step for rally enthusiasts.

    After being predominantly south India-based last year, the 2014 season of nine rounds will have three rounds in the East zone (Baripada, Kolkata and Ranchi), one each in North (Jaipur) and West (Nashik) and four in the south (Chikmagalur, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Chennai).

    Competitors and teams registered for the National championship will have to take part in a minimum six rounds, with one round in each zonal region mandatory, to quality for honours.

    The two main categories are Expert and Stock. The Expert class allows the use of unlimited gadgets, while only stock Odometer and any calculating device are permitted in the Stock class. An exclusive ladies category has been introduced this year.

    Drivers and navigators registered for the National championship aside, each rally independently attracts local entries ranging between 50 and 70 cars. The numbers are expected to only grow in this edition.

    Titles will be given to the best driver, navigator and team in the Expert, Stock and overall classification, and to the driver and navigator in the exclusive ladies Stock category.

    KP Karthick Maruthi and his navigator S Sankar Anand are the defending champions in the Overall and Expert categories, while Chidananda Murthy and his navigator BS Sujith Kumar will look to make it three-in-a-row in the Stock class.

    Team Tata Motors have confirmed their participation in the National championship and will field five cars in the opening round.

    All participating automobiles in the championship will carry the FIA Road Safety logo sticker as part of the FMSCI’s campaign to create awareness among the youth involved in motorsports on the importance of road safety.

    FMSCI President J Prithiviraj, who launched the campaign during the opening round of the JK Tyre Racing Championship in Coimbatore last weekend, said: “More people die in road crashes in India than anywhere else in the world every year. We need to work towards improving road safety awareness in the country. The FMSCI’s Mobility Commission is working on a project that we hope will help in the cause.”

    The FMSCI-Indian National TSD Rally Championship calendar: Chikmagalur (June 7-8), Jaipur (June 28-29), Bengaluru (Aug 16-17), Coimbatore (Sept 6-7), Nashik (Sept 20-21), Baripada (Nov 8-9), Kolkata (Nov 15-16), Ranchi (Nov 29-30) and Chennai (Dec 20-21).

    FMSCI President Mr J Prithiviraj launching the Road Safety Campaign during the JK Tyre Racing Championship in Coimbatore on 1 June 2014. Image courtesy FMSCI.
    FMSCI President Mr J Prithiviraj launching the Road Safety Campaign during the JK Tyre Racing Championship in Coimbatore on 1 June 2014. Image courtesy FMSCI.

    eom/FMSCI press release

  • Brilliant maiden podium for 16-year-old Tarun Reddy: Formula Renault

    Formula Renault Podium, Alex Gill (GBR) Fortec Motorsport Formula Renault, Pietro Fittipaldi (BRA) MGR Motorsport Formula Renault and Tarun Reddy (IND) MGR Motorsport Formula Renault. Photo courtesy: Jakob Ebrey Photography
    Formula Renault Podium, Alex Gill (GBR) Fortec Motorsport Formula Renault, Pietro Fittipaldi (BRA) MGR Motorsport Formula Renault and Tarun Reddy (IND) MGR Motorsport Formula Renault. Photo courtesy: Jakob Ebrey Photography

    Donington Park, 2 June 2014: Chennai racing talent Tarun Reddy took a fantastic podium finish on just his second race weekend in the UK in the Protyre Formula Renault Championship at Donington Park on Sunday.

    The 16-year-old, who is also currently leading the Formula MRF 1600 category in the National Racing Championship (of India), won a great battle for third place in the second race of the weekend. Combined with seventh and ninth positions in the other two races, that keeps him in sixth place in the championship.

    That was even more impressive considering that Reddy’s plan to get in some testing on the challenging Donington track was scuppered by wet weather, meaning his first laps in the dry at the venue with his MGR Motorsport machine came in qualifying.

    Tarun shook off that handicap to qualify fourth for race two, and sixth for the other two races. In the first race his car lacked pace. Reddy lost sixth place just before half-distance but held off an attack from behind to claim seventh.

    Race two featured a great battle with title contender and race winner Matteo Ferrer. Reddy had moved up to third by passing Canadian Patrick Dussault, but then came under attack from Ferrer, who got by into the first corner. Tarun then repassed the Italian with an ultra-brave move into the Old Hairpin – which despite its name is the fastest corner on the track – and Ferrer went sailing off the track at the next corner. Reddy then held off a renewed attack from Dussault for his maiden podium in the UK.

    A terrific first lap got Reddy up to fourth place in the final race, but he overshot the chicane and dropped to last, before recovering to claim more points in ninth.

    Tarun was thrilled to get his first podium in only his second race. He said, “Considering I didn’t get a single dry lap before going into qualifying, to come away with a podium on my second weekend in Formula Renault is a good start. I didn’t get the best of starts, and I lost a little part of my front nose while passing Dussault early in the race but it didn’t affect the car much. I fought my way back up and managed to hold them off, so I’m really happy.

    “We struggled with race pace in the first race, and I had to do a lot of defending, while in the last race I generally did have the pace to fight for a front position but I locked up at the last corner. I’m quite gutted about it, because it could have been so much better, but I think I did a good job overall and it’s an improvement from round one at Rockingham.”

    Tarun’s manager, Formula MRF 2000 champion Rupert Svendsen-Cook, added: “Tarun made a big step forward from Rockingham, which is all you can ask for. It was his best qualifying so far, and his best race finish – and to finish on the podium is a massive achievement. He drove a very hard race, but very fair as well, and that’s great at such an early stage in his career.”

    Tarun now has several weeks before the third round, at Brands Hatch on 26th/27th July. “Now I’ve had my first podium I just have to keep working, and my aim now is to get a win – I don’t see why I shouldn’t get one or two before the end of the year,” he said. “I’ve already done two days of testing around Brands so I should be competitive.”

    Eom/Adrenna Communications Press Release; Images: Jakob Ebrey Photography

  • Jan Kopecky beats Gaurav Gill as MRF takes another 1-2 finish

    File photo after Kopecky has taken lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image
    File photo after Kopecky has taken lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image

    New Caledonia, 18 May 2014: Team MRF Skoda driver and European Rally Champion Jan Kopecky beat team-mate Gaurav Gill to win Round 2 of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in New Caledonia. Both MRF Skoda drivers were under investigation for postponing the start of Stage 13 as what they thought were unsafe conditions but both escaped with light penalties. Gill was comfortably leading yesterday before an accident caused him suspension damage. After two rounds, Kopecky and Gill are joint leaders with almost nothing to choose from them.

    Driving the Team MRF Skoda Fabia S2000, Kopecky was in the driver’s seat with a 5 min lead heading into day 2.     2 stages were cancelled on Saturday, and SS12 was cancelled this morning. Then news came that the last 3 stages would also not run as conditions were so bad that the safety car also could not get through. Both drivers felt the conditions were impossible to drive in and hence requested for safer conditions before resuming.

    2013 European Rally Champion Jan Kopecky admitted he has happy for the rally to finish after driving in very tough conditions. He said, “I am happy to have my first win of the season and the Team MRF Tyres Skoda team have been great in really tough conditions. I have to say I didn’t enjoy my driving so much, with so much mud. One stage I liked it was in the North, more like a proper stage, the rest was like driving over the fields in the mud, I didn’t enjoy so much. Our gap (today) was quite huge, so I didn’t want to make a mistake. There was no pressure and I was relaxed in the car, there was one stage in the North I enjoyed and each time I was able to go quicker than Gaurav, so it was good for us. We are now on equal points with Gaurav, that’s good for championship. If you have a close battle from the start its always better. Next is Australia – I’ve never been there, so a new country, a new rally we are looking forward to it.”

    Defending champion Gill rued the fact that his mistake yesterday cost him the win but was happy to salvage 2nd place. He commented, “We had a good lead and a health margin, but unfortunately we got caught out by the conditions yesterday and found a tree on the exit of a corner, wasn’t so good for the car and we bent a suspension arm. Glenn (Macneall) and I had to do some repairs, the drive the last stage very conservatively. We’re happy to finished the day yesterday and today fastest of the day, so maximum points in the kitty – the best I could have done.”

    Jan Kopecky and his Team MRF Skoda team next head to Australia on equal points (to be confirmed) with his team-mate Gaurav Gill in second. Many stages were cancelled after heavy rain made the roads impossible. The next round of the 2014 APRC is the International Rally of Queensland which will take place next month. Full bonus points will apply as the event had reached the required threshold. Last year 5 stages were cancelled on the final day, again after torrential rain.

    Provisional Result Rally New Caledonia

    1 – Jan Kopecky (Czech) Pravel Dresler (Czech) MRF Skoda 2hr01min40.6sec

    2 – Gaurav Gill (IND) Glenn Macneall (Aust) MRF Skoda 2hr04min53.2sec

    3 – Michael Young (NZ) Malcolm Read (NZ) Cusco Proton 2hr23min18.3sec

    eom/Adrenna Communications Press Release.

    Photos by MACSPEEDFOTO/ALAN MCDONALD

  • Jan Kopecky takes lead as Gaurav Gill hits trouble: APRC

    New Caledonia, 17 May 2014: Team MRF Tyres Skoda driver and European Rally Champion Jan Kopecky stormed into a comfortable lead in Round 2 of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in New Caledonia. Defending champion Gaurav Gill suffered a suspension failure which cost him any chance of fighting for the lead.

    Czech driver Jan Kopecky and co driver Pravel  Dresler have a lead of 5min20 sec over team mate Gill after Day 1 of Rally New Caledonia. Gill pulled out a 52 second lead until SS7 where he dropped 1min 40sec then a further 3min 40sec on the final stage of the day with suspension failure.  Despite dropping so much time Gill holds onto second place for the MRF Rally Team with a 10 minute buffer over third place Sanjay Takale. Gill managed to get his car to the service tent with the mechanics confident of getting the car ready for tomorrow.

    Overnight rain and further showers today made the 2 shorter inland stages very muddy and in many places almost impossible to drive.  This created a day of attrition with 6 of the starters failing to finish the day.  Both Australian APRC competitors Mark Pedder and Tom Wilde ended up off the road. The conditions became very tough forcing the organisers to cancel SS5 & SS8.

    How the day unfolded

    1. SS 1 Gill jumps out to a 30sec lead over Kopecky
    2. SS 2 Gill wins by 9.5 sec
    3. SS3 Gill wins by 1.7sec and leads Kopecky by 40.9sec at service after first loop

    Stages are now repeated

    1. SS4  Kopecky wins by .5 sec
    2. SS5 Cancelled
    3. SS6 Gill wins by 11.6 sec and now has lead of 52 sec at second service after second loop

    Stages repeated for third time

    1. SS7 Kopecky wins by 1min 40sec Gill has suspension damage
    2. SS8 Cancelled
    3. SS9  Kopecky wins by 4min 30 sec Gill crawls through stage with makeshift repairs

     

    eom/MRF release from Adre

    Kopecky takes lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image
    Kopecky takes lead in New Caledonia APRC leg on Saturday. An MRF image

    nna Communications

  • Team MRF Tyres’ Gaurav Gill all set for New Caledonia

    New Caledonia, 16 May 2014: Team MRF Tyres Skoda driver and defending champion Gaurav Gill will return to New Caledonia this weekend for Round 2 of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). Gill, who won at New Caledonia last year, will be joined by European Rally Champion and Team MRF Tyres Skoda team-mate Jan Kopecký from the Czech Republic, as the two drivers are all set to resume their battle in the Skoda Fabia S2000.

    The MRF team driver line-up is impressive featuring both the current APRC Champion Gaurav Gill and Czech driver Jan Kopecky European Champion. Last month in New Zealand, the MRF Rally drivers made the perfect start finishing 1-2 in the first round. Indian rallying champ Gaurav Gill took the honours after a 23 sec deficit on day 1 to win by 11 secs.

    With both drivers closely matched and MRF Rally tyres ideal for New Caledonia conditions, Skoda factory backed cars prepared by Race Torque engineering are confident heading into Round 2.

    Although twice a previous winner here, two of the stages are relatively new to Gill having been cancelled last year because of rain.  So for a greater part it is a level playing field with team mate Jan Kopecky who showed in New Zealand he was extremely competitive by leading for over half of the rally distance.

    Gaurav Gill was optimistic after winning last year. He commented, “I am thrilled to be back in New Caledonia with the MRF Tyres Skoda team. The stages will be slightly different this year with the roads been made wider and smoother and in most places it’s going to be faster than last year. Hopefully it will be dry this year. In New Caledonia it is important not to push too hard, it can be very tough on both drivers and cars and as the saying goes, first you must finish. Experience has taught me we don’t try to go faster we need to be more precise”.

    New Caledonia is nestled in the South West Pacific and surrounded by the most beautiful tropical lagoons however venture inland and you will find the rugged interior roads that can catch out even the most experienced driver

    The rally course is situated 50 kilometres to the north of the capital Noumea on mining and rural roads.  There is 235 km of high speed tests broken down into 17 stages, 3 stages repeated 3 times on Saturday and the course run again in reverse on Sunday.

    While the weather is normally fine and the temperature a balmy 25c this time of the year, rain can have a significant impact turning parts of the course into a skating rink.

    2014 Asia Pacific Rally Championship Points after first round

    (1) Gaurav Gill (IND) 38, (2) Kan Kopecky (CZE) 31, (3) Mark Pedder (AUS) 25

    Gaurav Gill in New Caledonia on Friday. An MRF image
    Gaurav Gill in New Caledonia on Friday. An MRF image

    eom/MRF Release from Adrenna Communications