INDIA in F1

Tag: NASCAR

  • Indian star Advait Deodhar 2nd in Challenger Trophy

    Indian star Advait Deodhar 2nd in Challenger Trophy

    Valencia (Spain) 7 May 2023: Valencia, 8 May 2023: Indian racing star Advait Deodhar secured a podium in the Challenger Trophy classification for bronze and silver drivers in the EuroNASCAR PRO, finishing second behind Riccardo Romagnoli. In the overall classification, the Euro-based Deodhar, finished P10 within points for a very impressive debut in the top class.

    Kenko Miura came third and overall 11th. The Indian rounded out the top-10 positions. Provisionally, Lucas Lasserre exits the Spanish round of the championship as the championship leader with 71 points. Doubek is in second with 64 points with the aid of bonus points for most positions gained that he secured in Race 2, while Goossens sits in third with 63 points.

    Advait Deodhar being interviewed by his manager Anish Gohil in Valencia.

    Advait Deodhar won the Elite Club championship in 2018 in his debut year and has been competing in EuroNASCAR since then. He took part in the NASCAR2 last year, made an impressive debut in elite Pro-Division at NASCAR Whelen European Series Round 1 here on Saturday.

    One driver who stood out from the rest was Indian racing ace Advait Deodhar, who promoted himself to Elite Pro division this year, driving for Academy Motorsports team. Advait had virtually no practice time, going into the race weekend, which made his performance even more impressive.

    The NASCAR Whelen European Series made its much-awaited return to Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, and it did not disappoint. The first round of the Elite Pro division saw some exhilarating racing and a mix of fortune for many drivers.

    Deodhar salvages P16 in Race 1

    Starting from P14 in Race 1 on Saturday, Advait had a decent start but was forced to go wide in Turn 1 and lost a few positions. However, he managed to gain back some places as the race progressed. His battle with Thomas in car number 46 was intense, and he eventually settled for P16.

    “The qualifying time for Race 2 on Sunday was based on the quickest lap time from Race 1. Advait was determined to do better in Race 2, starting from P14 again. The start of the race was as expected, with drivers going all out to gain positions,” said Anish Gohil, his spotter.

    “An incident in turn one forced half of the grid to go wide but Advait managed to move up to P12. With four laps remaining, another incident involving leading cars of Gimmy and Hezemans forced the safety car out again. Doing everything right at the restart, Advait managed to finish in P10, securing championship points of the season and a top 10 finish,” he added.

    It was a step in the right direction for Advait, who will be looking to build on this performance going forward.

    The next round of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is in the UK at Brands Hatch, which is Advait’s home race. Also it a memorable venue for the Indian, as he secured his first career win in NASCAR at the same venue.

    Academy Motorsports have shown great pace at the track, and Advait and the team are determined to perform well at NASCAR GP UK. Overall, the first round of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was a fantastic event, with some great racing and performances from all drivers.

    “Advait Deodhar’s debut in the Elite Pro division was a promising start, and we look forward to seeing him and Academy Motorsports in action again at Brands Hatch,” Gohil concluded.

    In the overall classification, the Euro-based Deodhar, finished P10 within points. Kenko Miura came third and overall 11th. The Indian rounded out the top-10 positions. Provisionally, Lucas Lasserre exits the Spanish round of the championship as the championship leader with 71 points. Doubek is in second with 64 points with the aid of bonus points for most positions gained that he secured in Race 2, while Goossens sits in third with 63 points.

    The Race report

    The season opener of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season ended with a big bang and it was Lucas Lasserre who won EuroNASCAR PRO Round 2 in a tremendous battle against Martin Doubek. The Speedhouse Racing driver grabbed his first victory since 2018 and gave Speedhouse the team’s second win in EuroNASCAR PRO since its debut in 2017. The Frenchman took advantage from a clash between Gianmarco Ercoli and Liam Hezemans late in the race to take the lead and capture the checkered flag.

    The owner, engineer and driver coach of Speedhouse didn’t plan to jump into the #64 Ford Mustang in 2023, but with the cockpit free, the Biarritz resident decided to take the wheel at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Lasserre has been involved in the series since its foundation in 2009 and is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. It took all his cleverness to put the #64 in Victory Lane: the Frenchman took the lead on restart – the second of the race – on lap 17, beating Vladimiros Tziortzis into turn 2 after the Cypriot had kept the lead in turn 1. Lasserre then defended first place and turned the NASCAR GP Spain into a huge party for Speedhouse.

    On to Brands Hatch – June 17 and 18

    The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will make its next stop on June 17-18 at Circuit Brands Hatch in the UK. Four action-packed races will highlight the 10th edition of the popular American SpeedFest at the Indy layout of the legendary race track close to London. Qualifying and all races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV services from all around the world.

    Editor’s Note: With inputs from Official press release from EuroNASCAR /ANDRÉ WIEGOLD / REZA MAULANA / GIAN LUCA GUIGLIA

  • Advait Deodhar, the man on a mission, wants to redeem himself in 2022

    Advait Deodhar, the man on a mission, wants to redeem himself in 2022

    By Advait Deodhar

    Mumbai, 2 Nov 2021: I went into the weekend with a strong chance of finishing 3rd overall in the Championship. We were off to a great start, finishing Practice in P3. However, it went downhill straight after.

    Qualifying : Due to a clutch issue, I didn’t manage to put in a lap with full power. I had to bring the car into the pits after 4 troubled laps.

    Race 1 : After having to start down in 13th, I was rapidly making may way through the field with some overtaking moves i’m extremely proud of!
    However, mid-way through the race, after overtaking (on the outside with two wheels on the grass) my main rival for P3 in the Championship, I engaged a wrong gear, threw the car into a dramatic spin and had to retire the car . I am still unsure if it was my fault or a mechanical issue for which the wrong gear was selected.

    Race 2 : I was off to another lightning start and made some brave overtaking moves. However, I had a clutch issue once again from lap 3 and had to retire the car.

    End of the most difficult racing season I’ve ever had.
    It’s been a year full of unfortunate events at the circuit and in my personal life.

    I had 5 DNFs out of 12 races in which 2 of them were at the final where each race is double points. 
    Mechanical issues and incidents on track were out of my control.

    There were some big positives though, with 2 pole positions, 1 win and 2 more podiums. Proof of what what could have been this year…!

    Overall, it’s been a very difficult year which I can only learn from but also one which I hope to forget.

    Big thanks to everyone that’s been part of it.

    I’m a man on a mission and want my redemption next year! 

    With a strong package, I have no doubt we will be Championship
    contenders in 2022.

  • Stunning drive gets Advait Deodhar a silver: NASCAR2

    Stunning drive gets Advait Deodhar a silver: NASCAR2

    Czech Republic, 28 August 2021: Indian racing maestro Advait Deodhar of CAAL Racing team looks to have found his wonted form and indulged himself in another stunning drive in wet conditions to take Silver after starting from a disadvantage of a P5, but had a good get away and kept his calm displaying his driving skills to take another podium and valuable points in the Round 5 of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Nascar2 class here on Saturday. He clocked 21min, 01.214sec for the 14 laps of 4.2 km Autodrom Most, just 7.2 sec behind leader Tobias Dauenhauer.

    The London-based Indian’s journey from a Yachtsman to NASCAR racing brings pride to India on the eve of the National Sports Day, which celerates the legendary hockey wizard Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary. The ace Indian racing star jumped to third in the rankings with 159 points behind Tobias and Doubek Martin and has one gold, one silver among his four points finish in top-10. Advait dedicated his trophy to his brother Akshay Deodhar, a sportsman mad about F1 and MotoGP and used to take part in Regatta races of Yachting Association of India in Mumbai. Unfortunately, I lost him last month,'' said the Mumbaikar talking to INDIAinF1.com after the race about his 36-year old elder brother. “Racing for you, my beautiful brother. This one is for you big bro. I could sense you by my side in the car,” Advait’s words after he put his TJB SuperYachts-sponsored Mustang #56 in second place for a silver. In this bereavement, all his fans are with him as he races along to bring more laurels for the country. Ace Indian rally co-driver Musa Sherif, who was nominated for Arjuna Award by the Indian Federatin this year, is the first to congratulate Advaith and by Motoport Seena, who circulated his live video links to thousands of motorsports fans in Bengaluru on Friday.

    After graduating as an Automobile Designer from Turin, Italy, Advait Deodhar took part in domestic races at MMRT Chennai winning the Formula LGB 4 National Championship as a rookie in 2012 and became the vice-champion of Formula Ford 1600 Indian National Championship in 2015. Inbetween, he won a round of the Toyota Etios Cup as a guest driver and also got a drive in the MRF Challenge in Bahrain among other races. Then he says, “I took a one-way ticket to London in 2015 to take my motorsport career forward,” the late-starter, at age 22, is a quick bloomer though, winning the European NASCAR Elite Club Championship in his debut year 2018. Last month, he got his first major career victory at the prestigeous NASCAR2 at the coveted Brands Hatch circuit.

    Rain was falling before the start of EuroNASCAR 2 Round 5 so all drivers had rain tires mounted for the race. At the end of the 14 scheduled laps, Tobias Dauenhauer scored his second win of the season after he already visited Victory Lane at Brands Hatch. Making it two in a row, the German led from flag to flag at the wheel of his #50 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang and extended his Championship lead.

    It was far from an easy race for Dauenhauer though. He went off track at the first chican, but managed to recover and keep the lead despite the incident. Afterwards, he opened the gap on Advait Deodhar, who settled in second after a wild start. Dauenhauer never allowed the other competitors to catch up on him and therefore he grabbed the win in dominant fashion.

    Racing for you my beautiful brother, says Advait, who lost his brother Akshay last month.
    London based Mumbaikar, Advait Deodhar (2nd) gets a podium again and makes sure that Indian flag flies high on Saturday. A NASCAR Whelen Euro series image.

    “The conditions were pretty difficult out there and it was quite slippery”, said the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship leader. “I made a small mistake in the beginning but I managed to open the gap on the second placed car. I’m very happy and really want to thank the Hendriks team for such a great car. It was tons of fun and I’m really looking forward to racing again tomorrow.”

    Deodhar was coming from fifth on the grid but took over second place in the very first lap. The Indian, who scored his first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series win at Brands Hatch, was put under pressure by local hero Martin Doubek, who was trying his best to take over second place. Deodhar defended his position and crossed the finish line in second, while Doubek completed the overall EuroNASCAR 2 podium.

    DF1 Racing rookie Leevi Lintukantu had an amazing run at the wheel of the #23 Iceboys Chevrolet Camaro and stormed to victory in the Rookie Trophy classification in fourth. His teammate Simon Pilate rounded out the overall top-5 after falling through the order from 2nd on the grid. Francesco Garisto was sixth ahead of Max Lanza, who topped the Legend Trophy classification at the wheel of his #88 Caal Racing Camaro.

    His fierce Legend Trophy competitor Yevgen Sokolovskiy finished right behind him in eighth claiming second place in the special classification. Paolo Valeri ended up ninth – and second in the Rookie Trophy standings as well as third in the Legend Trophy classification. Alberto Panebianco not only closed the top-10 but also completed the Rookie Trophy podium. Solaris Motorsport’s Alina Loibnegger edged Arianna Casoli in the battle for the Lady Trophy win.

    Due to the difficult conditions, several drivers were involved in incidents at the 4.1 kilometer long track. On lap 1, DF1 Racing drivers Justin Kunz and Ian Eric Waden spun out. On lap 3, Naveh Talor, who started from 5th, collected heavy damage to his front bumper, while Vladimiros Tziortzis first spun and then had to retire early.

    EuroNASCAR 2 will be back in action on Sunday: EuroNASCAR 2 Round 6 will start at 1:55 pm IST. All races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s platforms – YouTube, NWES App, Facebook, Twitch – and Motorsport.tv.

    EURONASCAR 2 ROUND 05 RESULTS

  • Advait Deodhar in top-2 in both practice sessions

    Advait Deodhar in top-2 in both practice sessions

    Autodrom Most (Czech Republic), 27 August 2021: 2020 runner-up Tobias Dauenhauer is leading the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship after scoring his first win of the season at Brands Hatch. The German Hendriks Motorsport driver sits 9 points ahead of Most’s local hero Martin Doubek, who dominated the season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia with two wins. Will the German and the Czech be battling for the overall lead or will there be a surprise winner like Advait Deodhar in the UK?

    The ace Indian driver of CAAL Racing team clocked the second fastest time in the Final Practice today putting in 13 laps, the highest than anyone else in FP2. He clocked 2:00.020 for the 4.212-km Autodrom Most here in his #56 Ford Mustang. Tobias Dauenhauer clocked the best time of 1:58.298, 1.722 better than Advait who did averagespeeds of over 126km better than all of the 13 of them except the leader. One can discard the surprise winner of July round at their own cost and all the Indians are behind him cheering in every available channel. Earlier, in FP1 Deodhar clocked 1min 53.046, just 0.240sec behind Lanza Massimiliano of Cheverolet Camaro Caal Racing team.

    The Indian in a relaxed mood with Anish Gohil on Friday. Photos Stephane Azemard

    Wet track for Nascar2 FP2

    While the best times were almost equally split between sessions 1 and 2 in EuroNASCAR PRO, the best lap times in EuroNASCAR 2 were driven in Free Practice 1. The second session was declared wet after moderate rainfall in the preceding EuroNASCAR PRO session. In the end, Max Lanza clocked the fastest lap of the day with a 1:52.806.

    Brands Hatch race winner Advait Deodhar closed the day in second, 0.240 seconds shy of the Italian in first place. Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport’s Vladimiros Tziortzis followed in third, while Valencia double race winner Martin Doubek finished fourth. Tobias Dauenhauer, who topped the standings in Free Practice 2 on a soaked race track, completed the top-5.

    Read Thursday’s Preview article below

    Not Only Motorsport’s Alberto Panebianco was the fastest Rookie Trophy contender in sixth, while DF1 Tiger Justin Kunz was classified in seventh. Leevi Lintukantu was among the fastest rookies on the grid in eighth. Legend Trophy leader Yevgen Sokolovskiy, who’s piloting the #48 Marko Stipp Motorsport Camaro, ended up ninth ahead of Paolo Valeri.

    One of those possible first time winners could be Vladimiros Tziortis at the wheel of the #1 Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport Ford Mustang. With three top-5 and four top-10 results so far, the Cypriot is only 15 points shy of the Championship leader. Brands Hatch winner Deodhar follows in fourth with a 20-point deficit. Double V Racing’s Pierluigi Veronesi is fifth, only 1 point behind the Indian in the CAAL Racing colors.

    You can’t push me out, I will bounce back, Advait seems to be sending out a loud message with P2 in both practice sessions on Friday.

    Israel’s Naveh Talor is another dark horse for the NASCAR GP Czech Republic. The Not Only Motorsport driver shone with one top-5 and three top-10 results so far and is eager to score his first EuroNASCAR 2 win. Simon Pilate and Alberto Panebianco will make their Most debuts at the upcoming weekend, while Justin Kunz from Germany has scored one top-5 and two top-10’s at Most in the 2019 season. Youngster Francesco Garisto rounds out the top-10 of the overall standings.

    The NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most takes place on August 28-29. Qualifying and all races will be broadcasted live on the EuroNASCAR social media platforms – YouTube, NWES App, Facebook and Twitch – as well as on Motorsport.tv.

    IST Qulaifying time for NASCAR2 for Advait Deodhar: 1.30 pm IST

    Saturday Race 1 of Round 5: 5.30pm IST

    Sunday race: Round 6 race: 1.35 pm IST

    Watch Live on YouTube here

  • Advait returns to NASCAR Whelen Euro Round 5

    Mumbai, 13 Sept. 2018: Indian racer Advait Deodhar will make his return in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series after three successful rounds earlier this year, where he also became the first Indian in history to win in a NASCAR event in Europe.

    The 28-year-old from Mumbaikar based in London made his return to competitive racing earlier after a gap of three years winning a scholarship to race in the America’s popular stock car racing’s European arm.

    Advait started his season in the Elite Club which he leads by four points from Marcelo Silva. He then made his debut in the Elite 2 class in Round 3. He now returns to compete in both the categories this weekend at Hockenheimring, Germany, the circuit which hosted this year’s Formula 1 race.

    The Indian will drive the Ford Mustang for Speedhouse in the Elite Club category to start the weekend and then switch to Dexwet DF1 Racing for the Elite 2 run in the Ford Mustang. Advait will have the backing of London’s Superyacht brokerage, TJB SUPERYACHTS LTD on his cars.

    “It is good to be back,” says Advait. “In the Elite Club in the last round, I finished second by the closest of margins. Now I am going for a win to extend my championship lead over Marcelo.

    “It was a learning debut weekend at Brands Hatch for me in the Elite 2 category. I showed some promising signs but then I made some big errors that resulted in retirements and a penalty. I was over aggressive,” he admitted.

    “The break gave me some time to rethink the strategy and this weekend I’m going in with a calmer mind and not try to win the race on Lap 1 itself. It’s a long race and I need to concentrate and drive smart. With good practice, I aim for a Top-10 result.”

    Ever since moving to the United Kingdom, Advait has been looking to make a switch from single-seater to sportscar/touring car racing. In 2016, the Mumbaikar came close to secure a drive in Porsche Carrera Cup GB, but budgetary limitations hampered his return.

    The Indian then earned his Elite Club drive after a test run in January at Circuit Fontenay-Le-Comte, France when he was watched on by the NASCAR organisation. Advait became only the first Indian to win a NASCAR event and second Indian to drive in the European championship after a brief run by Sailesh Bolisetti in the 2013 season. India’s first Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan has also raced in NASCAR, but he competed in the NASCAR Truck division in America.

  • US Motorsport legend Dan Gurney passes away

    Dan Gurney, one of racing’s most well-respected stars, has sadly passed away aged 86. The American driver was renowned not only for his numerous successes behind the wheel in a variety of disciplines but also as an innovator who had a great influence on the development of motorsport for many years.

    Gurney was a winner of four Formula One Grands Prix and drove for almost all of the sport’s most iconic teams including Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, Brabham and Lotus. Perhaps the most impressive triumph, however, came in a car of his own construction – the stunning Eagle-Weslake – at the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix.

    He also drove to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that same year and, during the podium celebrations, spontaneously sprayed champagne – an action that would lead to one of motor sport’s most recognisable traditions and ensure an eternal legacy that plays out after every race all around the world.

    As well as competing at the very highest levels in Formula One and Sports Cars, Gurney drove to many successes in both NASCAR and IndyCar, as well as many other series in the United States.

    Gurney will also be long remembered for the technical innovations he brought to the sport, including most famously the ‘Gurney flap’ which increases downforce without great cost to aerodynamic drag.

    FIA President Jean Todt said: “I would like to pay tribute to Dan Gurney, he was a great driver who truly inspired my love of motor sport, and I was very fortunate that he became a good friend. We owe a lot to his character and his innovations, and I know that motor sport would not be what it is today without him. My thoughts, and those of the whole FIA family, are with his loved ones at this difficult time.”

    eom/FIA press release