INDIA in F1

Tag: Nayan Chatterjee

  • Ashwin Datta leads podium sweep for Momentum Motorsports; Arjun Balu, Vishnu, Nayan win

    Ashwin Datta leads podium sweep for Momentum Motorsports; Arjun Balu, Vishnu, Nayan win

    Chennai, 20 July 2019: Chennai young gun Ashwin Datta spearheaded a momentous podium sweep for his team Momentum Motorsports in the highly competitive Formula LGB 1300 category, holding off two Bengaluru schoolboys while Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) and local challenger Vishnu Prasad won a race apiece in the premium MRF F1600 class on Day Two of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship at the MMRT, here today.

    Also in the limelight was Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) who shrugged off a poor qualifying session where he finished fifth, and won the popular Indian Touring Cars race with a measure of comfort, while Chennai’s RP Rajarajan took the honours in the Super Stock category after a tough fight and Pune lad Pratik Sonawane topped in the Volkswagen Ameo Class race.

    Datta, 20, who was runner-up to Sohil Shah in the LGB 1300 championship last season, overcame a sluggish start when he dropped from second to third before recovering to grab the lead and chalk up his second win of the season. Finishing second and third behind him, respectively, were two Bengaluru schoolboys, Tijil Rao (16), who had started from pole position and Chirag Ghorpade, only 14.

    In the first MRF F1600 race, Chatterjee benefitted from a drive-through penalty for pole-sitter Sohil Shah from Bengaluru for jump start and once in front, he opened up a comfortable lead to win from Chennai’s Nirmal Umashankar and Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath. Sohil Shah, who posted the fastest lap of the race, eventually was placed ninth. In the next race, Vishnu Prasad, starting fourth on the grid, rocketed off the blocks to take the lead in the first lap itself and then hung on to win ahead of two other Chennai drivers, Sandeep Kumar and Raghul Rangasamy.

    Ace drdiver Arjun Balu from Coimbatore after winning the ITC Race on Saturday.

    Earlier, Balu, who had a poor qualifying session due to a technical hitch with his car, was not to be denied when the eight-lap race got underway. Some four corners before the end of the first lap, the Coimbatore star jumped four positions to take the lead and never looked back.

    Behind him, after the initial jostling for track positions, Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsport) seemed content to hold his second spot behind Balu while further back, Nikanth Ram (ARKA Motorsports) won a tight battle with another VW factory driver Ishaan Dodhiwala, to complete the podium.

    Meanwhile, Oman’s Shihab Al Habsi and Finn Elias Seppanen shared the top honours in the two Formula 4 SEA races.

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

    MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Nayan Chatterjee (Mumbai) (13mins, 31.977secs); 2. Nirmal Umashankar (Chennai) (13:34.309); 3. A Bala Prasath (Coimbatore) (13:34.805). Race-2: 1. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai) (13:34.363); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (13:35.140); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13:35.732).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:22.141); 2. Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsports) (15:31.209); 3. Nikanth Ram (Arka Motorsports) (15:38.667).

    Super Stock (Race-1): 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (16:23.257); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:25.808); 3. Sudanand Daniel (Race Concepts) (16:27.363).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (15:23.678); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) (15:25.447); 3. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsports) (15:33.840).

    Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race-1): 1. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (15:36.937); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (15:41.501); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (15:45.786).

    Formula 4 SEA (Race-1, 11 laps): 1. Shihab Al Habsi (Oman) (20:40.847); 2. Elias Seppanen (Finland) (20:43.526); 3. Alister Yoong (Malaysia) (20:44.174). Race-2 (12 laps): 1. Seppanen (19:57.398); 2. Young (19:57.948); 3. Al Habsi (19:58.826).

  • Ashwin Datta consolidates position; double for Chittesh Mandody

    Ashwin Datta consolidates position; double for Chittesh Mandody

    File photo of Kolhapur’s Chittesh Mandody, who won both the LGB Formula 4 races on Sunday.

    Coimbatore, 14 October 2018: Chennai’s Ashwin Datta moved a step closer to his maiden Euro JK title in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship as a dramatic Round 3, replete with ups, downs and upsets, concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.

    Ashwin (74 points after R3 ), who was just two points ahead of Nayan Chatterjee (66 after R3) as the action began on Saturday, made the most of Nayan’s DNF to widen his lead. But Chennai’s Karthik Tharani (68 after R3) won the next two races to come back into the equation.

    The final race of the weekend, however, saw a totally new set of winners, with Nirmal Uma Shankar, Brayan Perera and Yash Aradhya claiming the podium places. Ashwin finished fourth, though, ahead of his key competitors to be 6 points ahead of the field.

    The LGB Formula 4 too proved to be topsy-turvy but Vishnu Prasad (59) managed to keep his nose barely ahead despite not having the best of weekends with Chittesh Mandody (Avalanche) scoring a fine double.

    Delhi’s Rohit Khanna seemed to be cruising ahead after winning the first race on Day 1 and starting Day 2 with another victory. However, a series of incidents led to a number of protests, that saw him being penalized by 20 seconds and slip down from No. 1 to 13.

    In the final race, Rohit just couldn’t recover his poise and ended up with a DNF. Vishnu too had a poor race, finishing ninth and without a point. Raghul Rangasamy is now on the second place on the Championship table with 57 points.

    The other Chennai star Joseph Mathew too had an eventful race, beating Malsawmdawngliana literally at the post. Joseph began cautiously, allowing his rival from Aizawl to take the lead. He overtook him at the halfway stage only to see Malsawmdawngliana streak past him in the final lap.

    Just as victory seemed in Malsawmdawngliana’s grasp, Joseph outwitted him, winning by a wafer-thin margin of 0.087 seconds. This is Joseph’s sixth straight victory in the three rounds and puts him firmly in line for another title.

    The JK Tyre Novice Cup too saw a dramatic turn of events, which led to Surya Varathan claiming the championship and Tijil Rao taking the second place.

    Hashim EKP, who had won all three races over the weekend to move ahead, was disqualified as he had contravened the competition norms.

    The results (Provisional):

    Euro JK 18 – Race 3: 1. Karthik Tharani (15:37.117); 2. Nayan Chatterjee (15:38.043); 3. Ashwin Datta (15:40.886). Race 4: 1. Nirmal Uma Shankar (15:42.818); 2 Brayan Perera (15:46.014); 3. Yash Aradhya (15:47.130).

    Formula LGB 4 – Race 2: 1. Chittesh Mandody (Avalanche; 18:47.313); 2. Sarosh Hataria (Dark Don; 18:47.409); 3. Sohil Shah (MSport; 18:47.957). Race 3: 1. Chittesh Mandody (20:11.953); 2. Sarosh Hataria (20:12.040); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:13.676).

    Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Joseph Mathew (14:02.704); 2. Malsawmdawngliana (14:02.791); 3. Syed Muzamil Ali (14:13.359).

    JK Tyre Novice Cup: 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum; 18:40.030); 2. K Surya Varathan (MSport; 18:40.342); 3. Jamwal Digveshar (Prudent; 18:56.462).

  • Ashwin Datta stays ahead in JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship on a day of crashes

    Ashwin Datta stays ahead in JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship on a day of crashes

    Chennai’s Ashwin Datta in action on Saturday in JK Tyre National Racing Championship.

    Coimbatore, 13 October 2018: On a day of thrills and crashes, Ashwin Datta made the most of his good fortune to hang on to his Euro JK 2018 lead in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.

    Joseph Mathew too continued his stunning run in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, winning his fifth straight race to widen his Championship lead further. The LGB Formula 4, however, saw a mini upset, with Delhi’s Rohit Khanna (Dark Don Racing) pulling off a stunning victory.

    Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee started the day on a high note in the Euro JK 2018, claiming the pole position in a tight qualifying session. He turned out to be just 0.316 seconds faster than the field but looked set to give Ashwin a mighty fight.

    But he was a tad slow off the mark in Race 1, and Karthik Tharani shot past him before the first turn itself. As if that was not enough, Nayan and Tharani got caught in a tangle midway through the race, forcing both of them off the tarmac.

    Tharani managed to recover, but Nayan failed to finish, losing valuable points. Ashwin Datta took advantage of the situation to streak ahead into the lead. He began from P3 but came into his own soon, clocking the fastest lap time of 1:01.422.

    In Race 2, with the reverse grid for the top six coming into play, young Yash Aradhya started on pole. Yash made the most of the opportunity to build a sizable lead, but he slipped out of contention due to another minor collision.

    Karthik Tharani jumped at the chance to win the race while Nayan Chatterjee, racing in a hit car, finished third to keep his Championship hopes alive.

    Joseph Mathew reigned supreme in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup once again, claiming another facile victory. He was followed home by Malsawmdawngliana and Sachin Chaudhary.

    Rohit Khanna of Delhi made the most of his smart run in the LGB Formula 4 qualifying to win the race. It was a close race, with Sandeep Kumar finishing second just 0.285 seconds behind.

    Raghul Rangasamy claimed the third place while championship leader Vishnu Prasad had to be content with the fourth place.

    The results (Provisional):

    Euro JK 18 – Race 1: 1. Ashwin Datta (15:38.306); 2. Karthik Tharani (15:42.598); 3. Brayan Perera (15:42.829). Race 2: 1. Karthik Tharani; 2. Nirmal Uma Shankar; 3. Nayan Chatterjee.

    Formula LGB 4: 1. Rohit Khanna (Dark Don Racing; 23:28.307); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don; 23:28.592); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 23:29.337).

    Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Joseph Mathew (12:36.577); 2. Malsawmdawngliana (12:41.202); 3. Sachin Chaudhary (12:44.210).

    JK Tyre Novice Cup (under investigation): 1. Hasim EKP (19:09.525); 2. Kunal Maini (19:14.166); 3. Tijil Rao (19:26.560).

  • Ashwin, Vishnu start favourites for Round 3 of 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship

    Ashwin, Vishnu start favourites for Round 3 of 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship

    EURO JK 18 championship leader Chennai’s Ashwin Datta in action.

    Coimbatore, October 13: Round 3 of the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship will commence here today at the Kari Motor Speedway with the Chennai trio of Ashwin Datta, Vishnu Prasad and Joseph Matthew looking to consolidate their positions on the leaderboard.

    Ashwin, who had surprised everyone with speed and guile this season, has managed to stay ahead of the pack with three podium finishes in the Euro JK 18 category with 51 points. He will be looking anxiously over this shoulder as he has a slender two-point lead.

    Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee

    Nayan Chatterjee (49 points) was breathing fire in Round 2 and will be keen to carry that momentum forward to stake his claim for the championship in the final round next month.

    “The championship has reached a very exciting stage, with anyone capable of winning in each of the championships,” Sanjay Sharma, Head of JK Motorsports, said. “It is going to be an intense battle this weekend.”

    In the LGB 4 category, MSport’s Vishnu was at his imperious best in the last round, winning two races and finishing second in one to gather a total of 28 points. With 50 points in the kitty from two rounds, he will look to widen the gap further at the top. Vishnu, however will be wary of his buddy and team-mate Raghul Rangasamy who is not too far behind him at 45 points.

    In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, all eyes will be on 14-year-old Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsports, who annexed his maiden win to end the round with 13 points. He is currently third in the championship standings. Tijil’s team-mate Siddharth Mehdiratta is currently leading the standings with 16 points, just one ahead of but Viswas Vijayaraj.

    Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad

    Defending champion Joseph Matthew of Chennai continues to rule the Suzuki Gixxer Cup. He is yet to drop a point in the championship and has four wins from as many starts for a total of 40 points. He will be the man to beat once again.

    The top 3 after Round 2 – EURO JK 18: Ashwin Datta – 51 points; Nayan Chatterjee – 49 points; Brayan Perera – 43 points

    LGB Formula 4: Vishnu Prasad (Msport) – 50 points; Raghul Rangasamy (Msport) – 45 points; Rohit Khanna – 37 points

    NOVICE CUP: Siddharth Mehdiratta (Momentum Motorsports) – 16 points; Viswas Vijayraj (DTS Racing) – 15 points; Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) – 13 points.

    JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup: Joseph Matthew – 40 points; Syed Muzzammil Ali – 30 points; Malsawmdawngliana – 21 points.