INDIA in F1

Tag: MRF

  • Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty continue winning spree; Deepak, Venkatesan sparkel: MMSC bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu, Anish Shetty continue winning spree; Deepak, Venkatesan sparkel: MMSC bike Nationals

    Rajiv Sethu celebrating his fifth consecutive win in the Pro-Stock 165cc class at MMRT on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 7 Sept 2019: On a day of serial winners and Honda domination, Deepak Ravikumar spared the blushes for TVS Racing with a brilliant win in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category to consolidate his top position on the leaderboard in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.

    While Ravikumar chalked up his third win of the season, Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing camp celebrated as Rajiv Sethu (Pro-Stock 165cc) stormed to his fifth consecutive win in the class and Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) led a 1-2 finish with his fourth straight success. Not to be outdone, 22-year old from Chennai, Venkatesan I (Moto Maniacz Racing) completed a hat-trick of wins to consolidate his top position in the Novice (Stock 165cc) championship.

    Deepak Ravikumar (No.25), winner of the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race.

    Ravikumar, a businessman from Chennai and a versatile racer who is a familiar figure on the podium in the National car racing championship, started the race from P3, eased his way past pole-sitter and team-mate Jagan Kumar and Alishaa Racing’s Amarnath Menon to hit the front. With Jagan retiring due to a mechanical issue midway through the six-lap race, Ravikumar opened up a big lead.

    Rajiv Sethu after completing his fifth consecutive win in Pro-Stock 165cc class

    However, with two laps remaining, he had to deal with an errant sprocket, but he managed to nurse the wobbly bike over the finish line, just ahead of Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) and Menon. “For the last two laps, my bike was literally dancing and I had a tough time to control the machine, but somehow managed to maintain my track position,” said a relieved Ravikumar who enjoys a 28-point lead over team-mate KY Ahamed going into tomorrow’s Race-2.

    The other notable win of the day was by international Rajiv Sethu, the 21-year old also from Chennai. Starting from pole position, Sethu lost two positions in the very first lap with Jagan Kumar establishing a massive lead. However, Jagan crashed in the third lap, leaving Sethu, who had fought his way to second spot, in the lead. Sethu kept his cool despite close attention from Ahamed and team-mate Sarath Kumar to post his fifth straight win of the championship.

    Venkatesan, winner of the Novice (Stock 165cc) race

    Likewise, Venkatesan had to work hard for his win in the Novice race that was reduced to four laps from scheduled six following a multiple-bike pile-up immediately after the start, leading to red flag and restart. After a poor start from pole position saw him drop a few positions, Venkatesan fought his way to the front for a deserving third consecutive win.

    Late in the day, 15-year old Md Mikail from Chennai, completed a double by winning his second race of the day and fourth win in a row and fifth from six starts, in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup (NSF 250R).

    The results (Provisional – all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11mins, 38.822secs); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (11:38.823); 3. Amarnath Menon (Alishaa Racing) (11:40.477).

    Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:09.576); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:15.051); 3. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Erula Atomic Racing) (12:25.325).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (11:58.132); 2. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11:59.420); 3.Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:03.811).

    Novice (Stock 165cc, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Team MotoManiacz Racing) (08:51.011); 2. Mohan Babu P (Rockers Racing) (08:52.301); 3.Abhimanyu Gautham (Sparks Racing) (08:52.311).

    One-Make Championship organised by MMSC:

    TVS Open (RR 310, Race-1): 1. S Vivek Pillai (Chennai) (11:58.389); 2. Anup Kumar (Chennai) (12:01.632); 3. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (12:05.125). Novice (RTR 200, Race-1, 4 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:18.180); 2. Veera Ashwin Lal M (Madurai) (13:19.885); 3. Annish Samson D (Bengaluru) (13:22.141). Girls (Race-1, 5 laps): 1. Lani Zena Fernandez (Puducherry) (11:20.428); 2. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (11:37.015); 3. Lakiya Lee Charles (Chennai) 11:37.280).

    Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-1): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (10:59.155); 2. Geoffrey Emmanuel (Chennai) (11:09.952); 3. Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (Pune) (11:11.201). Race-2: 1. Md Mikail (10:58.935); 2. Varoon Sadasivam (Chennai) (11:03.295); 3. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (11:11.955).

    CBR 150 (Race-1): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:14.704); 2. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:14.798); 3. S Rajdashwanth (Trichy) (13:14.922).

    About Madras Motor Sports Club

    Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.

  • Mikail clocks a stunning lap record in 250cc bikes; Jagan takes pole

    Mikail clocks a stunning lap record in 250cc bikes; Jagan takes pole

    Chennai, 6 Sept 2019: Fifteen-year old Md Mikail from Chennai lit up the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship by setting a record of sorts at the MMRT here on Friday and grabbed pole position in the Honda NSF 250R category while TVS Racing’s ace rider Jagan Kumar qualified first in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category.

    Also qualifying for pole positions in their respective National championship categories were Ann Jennifer of Sparks Racing (Girls, Stock 165cc), Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing’s Anish Shetty (Pro-Stock 201-300cc) and Venkatesan I (Novice, Stock 165cc) of Team Motomaniacz.

    Mikail, riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bike in the Idemitsu Honda Talent Cup one-make championship, clocked a blistering lap of 01minute, 47.887secs around the 3.717-km MMRT circuit in the qualifying session. It was the fastest lap ever in a National championship event for bikes up to 250cc.

    Second behind Mikahil who is full time into racing and studies from home, was another Chennai teenager, Varoon Sadasivam (01:49.327) with Pune’s 12-year-old Sarthak Shrikant Chavan (01:51.342) qualifying third.

    “I am very happy with my qualifying session, but I am working hard to do even better,” said Mikail who is leading the championship in his category.

    Md Mikail who qualified for pole position in the Honda NSF 250R .category. Photos: Anand Philar

    As well as these teenagers rode, the spotlight was on the Pro-Stock 301-400cc qualifying session where seven-time National champion in the lower category Jagan Kumar, lying a distant ninth on the leaderboard after a string of disappointing performances, showcased his mettle by putting in a hot lap of 01:54.037 for pole position. Former National champion in this class, Amarnath Menon (Team Alishaa Racing) was second in 01:54.807 while TVS Racing Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.221) completed the front row on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

    Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) topped the qualifying session in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc category with a flying lap of 01:57.646. Erula Racing’s Mithun Kumar (01:58.310) was the second quickest and Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) qualified third in 01:59.192.


    Jagan Kumar who qualified for pole position in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc class.

    Earlier, international Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing), leading the championship in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, put the hammer down by topping the Free Practice session with a flying lap of 01minute, 59.115 seconds, pipping his closest rival, TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar (01:59.239). Sethu’s team-mate Sarath Kumar, also in the championship reckoning and trailing Jagan by just one point, was third quickest in 02:00.103, ahead of TVS Racing’s Kevin Kannan (02:01.102). The qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday.

  • Rajiv Sethu, Jagan Kumar all set for fourth round of the National Racing Championship

    Rajiv Sethu, Jagan Kumar all set for fourth round of the National Racing Championship

    File photo of Rajiv Sethu (80),(Round 3 Pro-Stock 165cc race) by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 5 Sept 2019: India’s top two-wheeler racers along with manufacturers, Honda, TVS, Yamaha and KTM, will return to action in the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2019 at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    The 2019 season has been a roller-coaster with reputations taking a beating and the race for the title in various categories is thrown wide open. The weekend’s races assume significance as the contenders go wheel-to-wheel for precious points as the championship enters its last leg.

    The Pro-Stock categories comprising the premium 301-400cc class besides 201-300cc and the 165cc, all run on MRF slick tyres, have witnessed thrilling battles through the season.

    Thus, going into Round 4, Chennai-based TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar (101 points) and KY Ahamed (98), both with two wins apiece from six starts, head the 301-400cc class where defending champion Satyanarayana Raju (Gusto Racing) is placed sixth with 51 points with just one win. In contrast, Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Honda Ten10 Racing) is comfortably placed with 90 points in the 201-300cc class following a hat-trick of victories, well ahead of teammate and fellow-Bengalurean Abhishek Vasudev (63).

    The popular Pro-Stock 165cc class has seen long-time rivals Honda and TVS, locked in a fierce fight. Honda’s international rider Chennai’s Rajiv Sethu, after missing the first round due to his commitments in Japan, won four races in a row to lead the championship with 100 points, ahead of seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing (94) who, in turn, enjoys a one-point lead over Honda’s Sarath Kumar. Both Jagan and Sarath have won one race apiece.

    The Novice class (Stock 165cc), with its 40-bike grid and packed with talent, has Chennai’s I Venkatesan (Moto Maniacz Racing) in the lead with 98 points with Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing, 80) from Jind, Haryana, and Bengaluru’s Anish Samson (Speed Up Racing, 70) in tow.

    Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing), having won two consecutive races, is closing in on Girls title with a tally of 68 points, while defending champion and team-mate Ann Jennifer (40) is third behind private entrant Nivetha Jessica (42). Incidentally, all three are from Chennai.

    The active involvement of the two-wheeler manufacturers in the championship has cast the net wider and snared a clutch of fresh talent.

    The championship received a massive boost with Honda introducing FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bikes, the fastest in the championship and ridden by hungry-for-success teenagers, all part of the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup programme designed to unearth and nurture talent. The NSF 250R replaced the CBR 250 while the CBR 150 category, boasting of a big grid, has been retained.

    TVS have showcased their Apache RR 310 in the Open class for experienced riders beside the RTR 200 (Novice and Girls) has attracted sizeable and highly competitive grids, while KTM and Yamaha have strong presence in the Pro-Stock, Novice and Girls categories of the National championship.

  • Arjuna Award for Gaurav Gill – a recognition long time coming, but fully deserving! #GillRacing

    Arjuna Award for Gaurav Gill – a recognition long time coming, but fully deserving! #GillRacing

    Former Sports Editor and respected senior journalist, Anand Philar, who specialises in motorsports, has tracked Arjuna Award winner Gaurav Singh Gill from his nascent days, and chronicled and photographed his exploits throughout his career, both at home and abroad.

    In a special article to IndiaInF1, he shares his thoughts on Gaurav Gill.                 

    Gaurav Gill receiving the Arjuna Award from the President of India on August 29, the National Sports Day. Photo courtesy @GauravGill FB page

    By Anand Philar

    Bengaluru, 30 August 2019: Back in 2005, a new sensation called Gaurav Gill burst on to the National Rally scene as a “replacement driver” for Vikram Mathias who was injured in a major crash the previous round in Delhi. Vikram’s navigator, Sujith Kumar, was asked to partner the tearaway Gill at a time when few were willing to sit in the co-driver’s seat. Gill finished Overall second to JK Tyre’s lead driver, VR Naren Kumar, after dominating most of the event by clocking seriously fast Stage times. Gaurav Singh Gill has arrived.

    The following year, in Pune, it was the turn of veteran Farooq Ahmed, to partner Gill who again finished behind Naren Kumar, who went on to win the championship. Both Sujith and Farooq sang praises of not just Gill’s extreme pace, but his “phenomenal memory”.

    Sujith recalled: “I have never sat with any driver with such memory. I realised then that he was a special talent and a superstar in the making.” Farooq said much the same. “Just phenomenal talent Anand. He will go places. I have never co-driven for a guy with such raw pace and memory. I mean, he remembered every corner and dip. I wondered whether he needed a navigator at all!”

    File photo of Gaurav Gill negotiating a corner in the Coffee Day Rally 2017. Photos by Anand Philar

    For sure, Gill had cast a magical and mesmeric spell on the Indian motorsport fraternity which continues to this day. MRF Tyres, taking note of his immense talent, was quick to sign up Gill and thus began the Delhi lad’s long journey to international stardom. APRC titles in 2013, 2016 and 2017, cemented Gill’s status as a World-class driver. At home, his dominance was even more absolute as National titles came his way.

    From the raw pace of the youth to mature driving of the experienced, Gill has come a long way. “Over the years and with experience, I learned to pace myself in a rally. It meant, knowing when to push and when to nurse your position without taking undue risks. It has made me a better driver and in rallying, much like a good wine that tastes better with age,” he had told me in a rare moment of introspection as we drove to Chikmagaluru for the Coffee Day India Rally a couple of years ago.

    Gaurav Gill signals six, after his sixth win in a row. He won the APRC for the third time, winning all the rounds. Photo by Anand Philar

    Through his decade-long campaign in the APRC with MRF team, Gill was pitted against more experienced team-mates, not necessarily in terms of age, but seat time and the number of competitions.

    “These guys do about 20 to 25 rallies in a year as against five or six in my case, and another few in INRC. A couple of my team-mates have been factory drivers, constantly testing the cars that were being prepared for APRC. They literally lived in them! So, straight away, I am at a disadvantage going into an APRC round. Yet, I am able to match and beat them on the Stages. This is what people back home should know, understand and appreciate,” has been Gill’s constant refrain each time we met at an APRC event abroad.

    For me, there is more to Gill than the titles (including one track racing championship). Statistics do no justice to his talent that is so apparent even to a novice watcher. For Indian motorsport, he is once-in-a-lifetime beacon leading the way and setting benchmarks.

    The Arjuna Award came his way exactly 20 years after he made his rally debut on a bike before switching to cars. Through those two decades of living on the edge, as it were, Gill has maintained his focus and motivation, while blossoming into a man who is officially certified fit enough to pilot a monstrous Formula 1 speedboat!

    Gaurav Gill takes a huge jump during the APRC Malaysian round in 2017. Photo by Anand Philar

    For Gill, speed is the elixir of life, beautifully complemented by his unshakable belief and confidence in his ability to drive quick but safe, take calculated risks that would deter a lesser mortal, the special bonding with the car that becomes an extension of self, quickly learning its limits to push it to the very edge and, sometimes, beyond – all traits of a man who belongs to the elite class of motorsport drivers.

    Gill is a natural. “Give him a bullock cart, and he will still be the quickest!” This is not said in jest, but with awe and admiration. I have had the privilege of sitting with him in the Skoda ahead of Rally of Hokkaido. I barely noticed the stunning acceleration, the cornering, and braking. The silken touch and precision driving had me mesmerised, just like it has always been when I focussed my camera on his car power-sliding through the corner or attacking a crest!

    Family Time: Gaurav Gill with family at the Coffee Day round in 2017. Photo by Anand Philar

    Hailing from a family of rally drivers, his uncle Dicky Gill (Team MRF) being the best known among them, Gaurav took to driving like a duck to water. “I learned to drive very early in life, taking our family car out without informing anyone. Then came the Play Station games and the bikes, which are still my first love, before I moved to cars. So, I grew up in such an environment and here I am, driving Rally cars!”.

    Hopefully, the Arjuna Award would not only motivate Gaurav further, but also spawn a generation of young guns who will not just emulate him, but go a step further. He has waited long for this overdue National recognition, dealing with frustrations and triumphs with supreme equanimity, never once taking his eyes off the goals he had set. Now, looking to his 38th birthday on December 2, Gill has his sights set on the big stage, the WRC. “My ultimate wish is to compete with the best in the World and prove to myself first that I belong to.” His words, spoken over a year ago. It’s time we all got behind this maverick of a driver.

    Pursue your dreams champ and conquer new horizons.

  • 10-car pile-up stops MRF F1600 races; Double for Arjun Balu, Rithvik Thomas

    10-car pile-up stops MRF F1600 races; Double for Arjun Balu, Rithvik Thomas

    Arjun Balu (centre), winner of Race-3 in ITC category, flanked by second-placed Aditya Patel (left) and Dhruv Shivaji Mohite. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 18 August 2019: On a day which began in heavy showers and ended in bright sunshine, Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) completed a grand double in the Indian Touring Cars class to head the leaderboard as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here today. Also achieving a double was Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) in the Super Stock category.

    Overshadowing the day’s proceedings was the 10-car pile-up in the MRF F1600 race that started in heavy showers and lasted barely 300 metres. as pole-sitter Yash Aradhya spun when he put wheels into a puddle, thus losing grip. The cars behind him, with nowhere to go, crashed into one another resulting in the abandonment of the race. None of the drivers suffered injuries barring cuts and bruises, but with 10 cars badly damaged, it was decided to cancel today’s scheduled three races and run them in the next round in September.


    Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (No.5) in action while winning Race-2 in VW Ameo Class.

    “The next round in September, will thus have seven races in MRF F1600 category. It was an unfortunate incident with Yash running into a puddle and spinning. With so many cars badly damaged, we decided to put off today’s three races and have them in the next round,” said Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok.

    In Race-1 of the ITC category, that was declared “wet”, Balu and Patel were locked in a thrilling fight at the head of the field. Starting from pole, Balu maintained his position with Patel in close attendance. Three laps from the finish, Patel moved past Balu, but slipped back to second in the next lap when he ran wide at the last corner. Balu moved to the front and went on to win.

    In Race-2, run in fair weather and reverse grid, the three VW Ventos of Patel, Dhruv Shivaji Mohite and Ishaan Dodhiwala, switched to slicks, while Balu, starting eighth, remained on wet tyres. It was not long before the four moved to the front with Mohite pulling off a fine win ahead of Patel and Balu. The third race in this category, was a virtual procession with Balu, starting from pole, winning comfortably and unchallenged, followed by Patel and Dodhiwala. His two wins this weekend, took Balu’s tally to 148, way ahead of Mohite (119).


    Arjun Balu (No.39), who won a double in action .

    Spearheading a podium sweep for Race Concepts team, Sudanand Daniel, an airline pilot based in Singapore, won a dramatic wet first race in the Super Stock category for his maiden success of the season, with Rithvik Thomas and R Rajashekar in tow. RP Rajaran (Performance Racing) took the honours in Race-2 ahead of Rithvik Thomas and Daniel. In the next outing, Thomas survived a close fight with Daniel for his second win of the weekend. Rajarajan completed the podium.

    Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) and Pune’s Prateek Sonawane won a race apiece in the Volkswagen Ameo Class category. After eight races over three rounds this season, Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay (305 points), winner of the first race yesterday, leads the championship in this category followed by Sidharth Mehdiratta (298) from Lucknow and Sonawane (294).

    The results (Provisional):

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (12mins, 49.794secs); 2. Aditya Patel (Rayo Racing) (12:50.491); 3. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (Rayo Racing) (12:58.907).

    Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (Rayo Racing) (21:19.565); 2. Aditya Patel (Rayo Racing) (21:20.682); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (21:28.378).

    Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (15:11.978); 2. Aditya Patel (15:17.508); 3. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Team Rayo Racing) (15:28.324).

    Super Stock (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Sudanand Daniel (Race Concepts) (14:15.475); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (14:15.787); 3. R Rajashekar (Race Concepts) (14:45.952).

    Race 2 (10 laps): 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (22:15.115); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (22:27.432); 3. Sudanand Daniel (Race Concepts) (22:28.759).

    Race 3 (8 laps): 1. Rithvik Thomas (16:15.162); 2. Sudanand Daniel (16:15.951); 3. RP Rajarajan (16:40.747).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (20:09.577); 2. Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh) (20:12.811); 3. Siddharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow) (20:13.363).

    Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Prateek Sonawane (Pune) (16:00.024); 2. Sidharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow) (16:01.383); 3. Shobhomoy Ball (Bengaluru) (16:06.481).

  • Sohil Shah takes MRF F1600 championship lead with a facile win

    Sohil Shah takes MRF F1600 championship lead with a facile win

    Chennai, 17 August 2019: Bengaluru teenager Sohil Shah made the best of the pole-position start to notch a fine win in the premier MRF F1600 category and head the leaderboard in the Round 4 of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT here today, that had a delayed start owing to the rains in the morning.

    Due to the late start, only two of the four races scheduled for the day could be completed. The remaining races would be added to the six slated for tomorrow which will have an early start 8.15 am. It was a difficult day with changing weather conditions leading to several changes in the schedule.

    In the day’s other action, Mumbai’s Saurav Bandyopadhyay took the honours in the Ameo Class race while Coimbatore ace Arjun Balu of Race Concepts (01:51.474) and team-mate Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (01:59.425) grabbed pole positions in the Indian Touring Cars and the Super Stock categories, respectively.

    Sohil Shah photos by Anand Philar

    The lights-to-flag win today was Sohil’s third success in a row, having won the last two races in the previous round last month. With three more races are scheduled for this category tomorrow, Sohil heads the championship with 81 points, well clear of Mumbai’’s Nayan Chatterjee (63).

    The finish to the six-lap race (reduced from eight laps), which Sohil dominated while enjoying a commanding lead, was under the Safety Car which came out following an incident on Lap 5. As the Safety Car came in on the last lap, Sohil, rolled his car over the finish line ahead of Chennai’s Sandeep Kumar and Manav Sharma (Faridabad).

    “I enjoyed a good lead through the race until the Safety Car period. We all bunched up behind the Safety Car, and I played it safe before crossing the finish line,” said Sohil who has taken a “gap year” after completing 12th standard.

    Further down the grid, Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) who was leading the championship coming into this round, and Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) received 30-second penalties for overtaking under yellow flag, denying them any points.

    The results (Provisional):

    MRF F1600 (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Sohil Shah (Bengaluru) 1 (11mins, 26.939secs); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (11:28.164); 3. Manav Sharma (Faridabad) (11:28.569).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (11:38.169); 2. Shubhomoy Ball (Bengaluru) (11:42.374); 3. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (11:43.025).

  • Aditya Patel to race against Arjun Balu in ITC class: Indian National Racing Championship

    Aditya Patel to race against Arjun Balu in ITC class: Indian National Racing Championship

    Chennai, 16 August 2019: Popular international driver Aditya Patel will replace Karthik Tharani Singh for the Volkswagen Works team in the ITC class and he will be racing against his mentor and former coach Arjun Balu, as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2019 flows into a critical phase with the fourth and penultimate round scheduled to start at the MMRT on Saturday.

    Karthik Tharani escaped with a one-race ban after a grave violation in the third round. Though he is serving only one-race suspension, Volkswagen Motorsport, who promised `clean racing’ as they made their debut in the National Championship this year at Coimbatore, decided to keep him out for the entire round and Tharani will miss three races. Incidentally, Aditya is set to make his saloon car debut in the championship and will be racing at this track after a lapse of 11 years.

    With the front-runners in the championship stakes tightly bunched in all the categories that will be on view this week-end. The expectations of close racing are high in all the classes including premier MRF Formula 1600, Indian Touring Cars and Volkswagen Ameo Class.

    Aditya Patel is set race against his mentor and former coach Arjun Balu, left, in the ITC races on Saturday for Volkswagen team. Photo: Anand Philar

    In the previous rounds, winner-picking was a hazardous guess and it would be much the same this weekend with a clutch of India’s top racing drivers, ranging from bubbling teenagers to battle-hardened veterans, lining up on the grid, each seeking precious championship points.

    The MRF F1600, with four races scheduled over two days, and a maximum of 100 points on offer, has four drivers – Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai, 63 points), Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad (58), teenager from Bengaluru Sohil Shah (56) with two wins from four starts and A Bala Prasath from Coimbatore (43) – heading the leaderboard, but wary of others who have them in their sights.

    The popular Indian Touring Cars category, a triple-header for this round, has developed into a bitter fight involving veteran racer from Coimbatore Arjun Balu (80 points), driving a Race Concepts-prepared Honda Vtec car, and championship leader Chennai’s Karthik Tharani (86) in a factory-supported Volkswagen Vento.  Tharani, winner in two of the five outings, failed to take a drive-through penalty and ignored the black-flag in the previous round to attract the suspension.

    Tharani is replaced by Aditya Patel, the 2007 Formula Rolon champion, who has been a participant in various international touring cars series abroad (VW, Audi, GT Asia) in the past decade.

    “Obviously, I am quite excited to be racing at the MMRT, virtually my home circuit, after over a decade (his last outing was in 2008, a one-off race). Interestingly, my Formula Rolon car in 2007 when I won the championship for NK Racing, was prepared by Arjun Balu and his brother Sanjay. So, it’s quite extraordinary that this weekend, I am racing against Arjun!” said Aditya.

    The Super Stock category, to be run on a combined grid with the ITC class, presents a similar picture with Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) leading RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) from Chennai by eight points. The pair has won three races apiece and with three more to be run this weekend, a thrilling battle between the two is on the cards.

    The VW Ameo Class, which was upgraded to National Championship status, and boasting of 18-car grid, has three drivers, Pratik Sonawane (Pune), Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) and Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai), in that order separated by eight points with Delhi’s Anmol Singh Sahil in fourth, a further nine points behind.

  • Rajiv Sethu makes it four wins in a row; Double for Anish Shetty, Venkatesan; Ryhana stars

    Rajiv Sethu makes it four wins in a row; Double for Anish Shetty, Venkatesan; Ryhana stars

    Rajiv Sethu (80), winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc race ahead of KY Ahamed (33) at MMRT on Sunday. Photos: Anand Philar

    Chennai, 4 August 2019: Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) showed why he is arguably India’s top racing rider at the moment by scrambling to a heart-stopping win, his fourth in a row in the Pro-Stock 165cc class, as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, here today.

    KY Ahamed brought some cheer for TVS Racing on a day dominated by Honda as he topped the premier 301-400cc class by a comfortable margin to move within three points of his team-mate Deepak Ravikumar (101 points) on the leaderboard. Ravikumar finished third today behind yesterday’s Race-1 winner, Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing).

    Also hogging the limelight were Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) and Chennai’s Venkatesan I (Moto Maniacz Racing) who both achieved a double this weekend in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc and Novice (Stock 165cc) categories, respectively, while Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing), also from Chennai, took the honours in the Girls race.

    Sethu, who is growing in stature with each outing and scored a double win in the previous round, held off a late-charging KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) despite a bad start and issues with his bike as the duo crossed the finish line in close formation within one-hundredth of a second between them. Sethu’s team-mate and fellow-international, Sarath Kumar, completed the podium. The victory took Sethu to the top of the leaderboard with 100 points, ahead of Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing (94) and Sarath Kumar (93).

    The Honda ace, who again failed to capitalise on a pole-position start, yielded ground to seven-times National champion Jagan Kumar who was quick off the grid from third position and built up a commanding lead. However, in the third of the eight-lap race, Jagan retired due to engine issues and Sethu forged to the front with Ahamed hot on his heels. The pair fought tooth and nail and were almost inseparable at the finish line.

    Anish Shetty, in notching his third win in a row, cemented his position at the top of the championship in his category with 90 points. Shetty again led a 1-2-3 finish for his team like yesterday with Abhishek Vasudev and Aravind Balakrishnan in tow in that order.

    Chennai’s Ryhana Bee, with the win today, her second in three rounds, took a sizeable lead in the championship with 68 points. Defending champion and team-mate Ann Jennifer crashed in the last of the five laps after Ryhana overtook her. Alisha Abdullah (Alishaa Racing) was second followed by private entrant Nivetha Jessica who is now second on the leaderboard with 42 points ahead of Ann Jennifer (40) with two more rounds to be run in the coming weeks.

    Later, Md Mikail, the 15-year old from Chennai, won his second race of the weekend riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, putting in a hot lap of 01:47.974, in the process.

    The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-2): 1. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (15mins, 32.793secs); 2. Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) (15:35.179); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (15:44.637).

    Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-2): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:13.776); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:26.707); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:31.680).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-2): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (16:07.022); 2. Ahamed KY (TVS Racing) (16:07.032); 3. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing)(16:15.267).

    Novice (Stock 165cc) Race-2 (6 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:13.563); 2. Lokesh V (Speedup Racing) (13:14.839); 3. Annish Samson (Speedup Racing) (13:21.887).

    Girls (Stock 165cc, 5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Sparks Racing) (11:09.174); 2. Alisha Abdullah (Alishaa Racing) (11:12.948); Nivetha Jessica (Pvt) (11:32.874).

    One-Make Championship:

    Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-2): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (14:48.615); 2. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (14:51.398); 3. Kavin Samaar Quintal (Chennai) (14:51.669). CBR 150 (Novice, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:15.112); 2. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:15.162); 3. S Deepak Kumar (Chennai) (13:18.127).

    TVS – Open (RR 310, Race-2): 1. Aravind Ganesh (Chennai) (16:06.657); 2. Karthik Mateti (Hyderabad) (16:06.806); 3. Anup Kumar (Chennai) (16:07.154). Novice (RTR 200, Race-2, 6 laps): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:12.481); 2. Lokesh V (Bengaluru) (13:20.336); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (13:20.372).

  • Rajiv Sethu records 3rd win; Double for Venkatesan; Rahil Shetty, Anish Shetty, Mikail win

    Rajiv Sethu records 3rd win; Double for Venkatesan; Rahil Shetty, Anish Shetty, Mikail win

    Rajiv Sethu (80), winner of the Pro-Stock 165cc race on Saturday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 3 August 2019: International rider Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) notched his third win in a row in the Pro-Stock 165cc class while Hyderabad’s Rahil Shetty (Sparks Racing) kept his nerves and wits to pull off a brilliant victory in the premier Pro-Stock 301-400cc category on the second day of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Round 3 at the MMRT, here today.

    Also scoring impressive wins on the day in the National Championship were Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty who led a podium sweep for Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc category and Venkatesan who topped the Novice (Stock 165cc) race.

    Venkatesan (59), on way to winning the Stock 165cc (Novice) Race 1 on Saturday. He also got a double later as he won Novice Class RTR 200 Race 1 also.

    Sethu, who missed the first round due to international commitments, is in a catch-up mode in the championship stakes, and his hat-trick of wins took him to third on the leaderboard with 75 points behind TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar (94) and team-mate Sarath Kumar (78) going into tomorrow’s second race.

    The trio was involved in a thrilling battle that went down to the wire with Sethu, having overcome a poor start from pole position, managed to get past seven-times National champion Jagan on the last lap for a well-deserved win while Sarath followed the TVS Racing ace home. Less than a second separated the three podium finishers.

    Equally superb win was that of 21-year old Rahil Shetty who battled not just his rivals but also his own error-filled riding before squeezing past TVS Racing pair of Deepak Ravikumar and KY Ahamed in the last lap. “I made too many mistakes today, but somehow managed to pull through,” said a relieved Shetty who started on P3. Despite the second-place finish, Ravikumar continues to lead the championship in this category with 86 points, followed by Ahamed (73) while Shetty (35) is placed seventh.

    Racing on the same grid as the 301-400cc bikes, Bengaluru-based Anish Shetty logged his second consecutive win with team-mates Abhishek Vasudev and Aravind Balakrishnan following him home. Today’s win took Anish’s tally to 65, well ahead of Mathan Kumar of Erula Racing (47) and Vasudev (45).

    Earlier, in yet another close race, Venkatesan also registered his first win of the season in the Novice class after battling Mohan Babu (Rockers Racing) and Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing) over six laps. Lakshmipathy Balaji (Alpha Racing) missed out on the podium by a whisker as the four crossed the finish line covered by less than a second. Abhimanyu, though, continues to head the leaderboard with 80 points, trailed by Venkatesan (73) and Mohan Babu (57) going into the second race tomorrow.

    The results (Provisional, all 6 laps unless mentioned):

    National Championship:

    Pro-Stock 301-400cc (Race-1): 1. Rahil Pillari Shetty (Sparks Racing) (11mins, 41.443secs); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (TVS Racing) (11:41.990); 3. KY Ahamed (TVS Racing) (11:42.201).

    Pro-Stock 201-300cc (Race-1): 1. Anish Shetty (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:11.667); 2. Abhishek Vasudev (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:20.100); 3. Aravind Balakrishnan (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:20.245).

    Pro-Stock 165cc (Race-1): 1. Rajiv Sethu (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:01.973); 2. Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (12:02.073); 3. Sarath Kumar (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:02.833).

    Novice (Stock 165cc) (Race-1): 1. Venkatesan I (Motomaniacz Racing) (13:06.397); 2. Mohan Babu P (Rockers Racing) (13:06.447); 3. Abhimanyu Gautam (Sparks Racing) (13:06.628).

    One-Make Championship: Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup – NSF 250R (Race-1): 1. Md Mikail (Chennai) (11:04.391); 2. Varoon Sadasivam (Chennai) (11:12.581); 3. Kritik Vasant Habib (Gadag) (11:13.432).

    CBR 150 (Novice, Race-1): 1. Lal Nunsanga (Aizwal) (13:16.118); 2. Samuel Martin (Bengaluru) (13:16.240); 3. S Deepak Kumar (Chennai) (13:16.528).

    TVS – Open (RR 310, Race-1): 1.S Kannan (Chennai) (11:54.079); 2. Soorya PM (Chennai) (12:02.607); 3. Aravind Ganesh R (Chennai) (12:02.680).

    Novice (RTR 200, Race-1): 1. Venkatesan I (Chennai) (13:24.694); 2.Lakshmipathy Balaji (Vellore) (13:25.047); 3.Ullas Santrupt Nanda (Bengaluru) (13:25.380).

    Girls (RTR 200, 5 laps): 1. Nivetha Jessica (Chennai) (11:30.986); 2. Lani Zena Fernandez (Pondicherry) (11:31.075); 3. Lakiya Lee Charles (Chennai) (11:32.354).

    ends

  • Sivanesan, Anish Shetty take pole; Ryhana Bee tops girls’ class: Bike Natioinals

    Sivanesan, Anish Shetty take pole; Ryhana Bee tops girls’ class: Bike Natioinals

    Chennai, 2 August 2019: Sivanesan Sethu pulled off a stunning flying lap to lead a 1-2 for TVS Racing in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category qualifying session as the third round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship got off to a storming start at the MMRT, here today.

    Sivanesan, clocked a sizzling 01min, 54.325secs followed by team-mate and fellow-Chennai rider KY Ahamed (01:54.871), with Hyderabad’s Rahil Shetty of Sparks Racing (01:55.001) completing the front row for tomorrow’s race.

    Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing, led by Bengaluru riders Anish Shetty (01:57.384), and Abhishek Vasudev (01:59.890), and Chennai’s Aravind Balakrishnan (02:00.969), qualified for the top three spots in that order in the Pro-Stock 201-300cc class.

    Championship leader Ryhana Bee of Sparks Racing (02:11.216), team-mate Ann Jennifer (02:12.189) and Speed Demonz Racing’s Lani Zena Fernandez (02:14.007) were the top three qualifiers in the Girls category.

    Lighting up the day’s proceedings was a bunch of teenagers, led by 15-year old Mohammed Mikail from Chennai, scorched the track in the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup riding the FIM Moto3-spec NSF 250R bikes. All the eight riders comfortably went under two minutes in the qualifying session, with Mikail grabbing pole position (01:48.949), ahead of two other Chennai riders, 14-year old Kavin Samaar Quintal (01:50.345) and 16-year old Varoon Sadasivam (01:51.198). Charan Thangavel, also from Chennai, who finished eighth and last, timed 01:56.828.

    Meanwhile, Rajiv Sethu  (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing), who scored a double in the previous round, but is trailing team-mate Sarath Kumar by 13 points and championship leader Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) by 26, set the early pace in the Pro-Stock 165cc class by topping the only free practice session, with a flying lap of 01:59.956.

    Jagan, a seven times National champion, had a disappointing run with a 02:03.413 to come in ninth as against his team-mate KY Ahamed who was second quickest in 02:00.848, ahead of Yashas RL (Idemitsu Honda Ten10 Racing, 02:01.414). However, the riders are expected to clock better timings in the qualifying session on Saturday.