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Tag: Racing Nationals
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Formula 1500 replaces F1600 as Round 2 begins: 4w Racing Naionals
Chennai, 21 Sept. 2023: Multiple-national champion Arjun Balu from Coimbatore, who is leading the championship and Gurunath Meiyappan of Chennai will resume their battles as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2023 second round begins after a two-month gap at the Madras International Circuit here this on Friday. Over 50 entries are the fray.
The two premium MRF single-seater cars, Formula 2000 and Formula 1500, will be headlining the second round of the championship commencing on Friday. Also on the grid are the Formula LGB 1300, Touring Cars that will be run in three classes and the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios). In all, 13 races are scheduled.
Friday, Sept 22, is set aside for practice sessions in the afternoon, while the qualifying sessions and the races will be run on Saturday and Sunday.
The first round in July witnessed exciting wheel-to-wheel racing in all categories. Multiple National champion from Coimbatore, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts), won two of the three races in the premier Indian Touring Cars (ITC) category for a 10-point lead over team-mate Gurunath Meiyappan.
The situation is somewhat similar in the Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC) class where Performance Racing duo of Deepak Ravikumar and Akkineni Anand Prasad head the championship table with seven points separating them.
In contrast, veteran Diljith TS (DTS Racing) from Thrissur won all three races in the Super Stock category for a 30-point advantage over Jarshan Singh (DB Motorsports) in the points standings.
The Formula LGB 1300 triple-header threw up three different winners. Two Chennai veterans, Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) and Deepak Ravikumar (Ahura Racing), head this category with the former enjoying a 10-point buffer in the points tally.
Organising committee chairman and MMSC vice-president Vicky Chandhok said: “We can expect some high-octane action this weekend in keeping with the trend in the past few seasons. The number of entries is very encouraging and we expect it to grow as we go deeper into the season. Once again, MMSC thanks main sponsor, MRF Tyres, for their continued involvement in the National Championship as also the competitors and the Media.”
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Champions 2022 – Sai Sanjay: MRF Formula 2000 class
Chennai, 2 Feb 2023: Young racing talent Sai Sanjay dished out dominating performance in the top category for the fastest Formula cars in India to be crowned the National champion in the MRF Formula 2000 class, in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022, at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.
Sai Sanjay, the 20-year-old from Salem, won his maiden National title in his debut season in the premier open-wheel Formula category. He notched up three race wins, and displayed mature driving skills and consistent performance throughout the season that got him eight podium places. He garnered 201 points from the 12-race, four-round Nationals and won with a race to spare beating second-placed Ryan Mohamed by (165) 36 points.
“I am very excited and the moment feels surreal. It’s an honour to be crowned the Indian National Champion of the fastest national car racing series in India. We’ve had a great season, the pace was consistently there and the hard work of my team, mechs, finally paid off. Thanks to JA Motorsport and MRF Racing for giving us an opportunity to race in these cars,” Sai Sanjay said.
A Mechatronics student at VIT Chennai, Sai, made his motorsports debut in 2015 and after gaining some international exposure racing in the karting championships in the UAE and also became the Rotax Senior Max UAE vice-champion in 2018. He made the switch to formula cars the same year and raced in the LGB Formula 1300 and MRF 1600 championships. He also has experienced racing the well-known Volkswagen Polo Cup in 2021. All along, he notched up many podiums and dished out many fastest laps and made the switch to faster Formula cars for a successful winning debut in the top class of the country. Sai is currently a part of NK Racing Academy and is being mentored by India’s first Formula 1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan.
“Coaching by Aditya Patel and Armaan Ebrahim during the season also helped polish my skills,” he added. And the restart of the MRF Formula 2000 class after two years of pandemic, gave a huge opportunity for the consistent performer.
“I thank my family for being the biggest and best support in this huge journey. I will continue to push limits and try reaching new heights,” he concluded and had a special word of thanks for Rajarajan, the race mechanic, for pushing and encouraging him. Sai will continue in the Formula races and hopes to go racing abroad in pursuit of his dreams.
In the other championship classes, Viswas Vijayraj won the LGB F1300 National title while veteran Arjun Balu bagged the ITC crown, his 11th National title. Ritesh Rai (Super Stock) and Akkineni Anand Prasad (IJTC) were the other National champions.
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India’s top racers vie for top honours in MMSC 2w Nationals: Round 2
Chennai, 8 Sept 2021: If the action-packed lung-opener a fortnight back is any guide, then more fireworks are in the offing in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmscil Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2021, commencing on Friday, September 10, at the MMRT circuit behind closed doors due to the ongoing Covid-19 related restrictions.
There is much to enthuse about the National championship whose growing popularity is reflected in the 100-plus entries across all categories. The National championship comprises Pro-Stock 301-400cc, Pro-Stock 165cc, Novice (Stock 165cc) and Girls (Stock 165cc) classes with all bikes running on MRF tyres which have received thumbs up from the competitors.
The 18-race card also includes TVS and Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup One-Make Championships organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club. TVS are showcasing their Apache machines in the Open (RR 310), Rookie (Under-19 age group) and Girls (both RTR 200) categories, all of which have attracted sizeable entries.
In the first round last month, Honda introduced the Hornet 2.0 via a double-header as a support event to their top-end NSF 250R which is of World Championship Moto3 spec, and the CBR 150.
KTM and Yamaha too have sizeable presence while offering support in a variety of ways to some 17 teams that are in the fray across all categories. Thus, the championship is a confluence of leading manufacturers and the best of Indian racing talent.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: “The response to the championship this year has been quite extraordinary considering the challenging times we are in due to the Covid-19 situation and consequent restrictions. One notable feature is that the riders are not only getting more competitive, but also younger with the numbers growing steadily year-on-year. As always we are grateful to our title sponsors MRF Tyres while we also acknowledge the significant contributions by the two-wheeler manufacturers who are leaving no stone unturned to spot and nurture young talent from grassroot level up.”
The competition in Round 2 is expected to be even more sharper with front-runners looking to add to their tally of points. Veterans Rajini Krishnan (RACR) and Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) put on brilliant exhibition of their undoubted riding skills with a double apiece in the premier Pro-Stock classes, 301-400cc and 165cc, respectively. The duo will again be the cynosure this weekend.
The Novice category has been an eye-opener with entries filling up well ahead of the deadline for submission. As such, the double-header last month boasted of a 39-bike grid, the biggest in the championship with Alwin Sundar winning both the races. The Girls category, an initiative launched by MMSC a few seasons ago, has improved in quality with lap times going down with Ryhana Bee (RACR) winning the race last month.
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 its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the MMRT circuit 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. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. 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. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC purchased Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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Jeet Jhabakh takes pole in ITC class before rains stop session: Racing Nationals
Chennai, 28 Nov 2020: Heavy showers in the afternoon forced curtailment of day’s schedule even as Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) grabbed the pole position in the premier Indian Touring Cars class as the third and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship commenced at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
Due to water-logged track the races were put off to Sunday. @Twitter The day’s proceedings began in bright sunshine with Formula LGB 1300 and the saloon cars going through their paces in two Free Practice sessions apiece before the rains halted further action. After a nearly two-hour break, the qualifying session for the saloon cars was run on a drying track with wet patches in some sections.
Jhabakh and teammate Dhruv Mohite from Kolhapur occupied the front row ahead of Coimbatore veteran and championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts who, incidentally had topped the practice sessions. Completing the second row was Goa’s Keith D’Souza, also in a FB Motorsport livery.
Marshals trying their best after rains lashed the MMRT on Saturday. Images courtesy Twitter @VickyChandhok Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) was the quickest in the Super Stock category while Diljith TS from Thrissur snatched pole position in the MRF Saloon Car series class (Toyota Etios). All the three categories will be on a combined grid for the three races to be run on Sunday while the Formula LGB 1300 will have four runs.
As per the revised schedule for Sunday, the Formula LGB 1300 will have a qualifying session and four races interspersed with three Saloon car races.
The results (Qualifying):
Indian Touring Cars: 1. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (02mins, 02.041secs); 2. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (02:02.599); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (02:03.392).
Super Stock: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (02:09.276); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (02:10.038); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (02:16.115).
MRF Saloon Car series: 1. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (02:15.996); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (02:18.969); 3. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (02:20.943).
For Live streaming of Sunday’s races, please visit: https://en.madrasmotorsports.com/streaming/
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Double for Karthik Tharani as VW Ventos dominate; Sohil Shah, Jeet Jhabak too win a brace
Sohil Shah (24), who won two races in action in the Formula LGB 1300 races on Sunday. Photos by Anand Philar Coimbatore, 23 June 2019: Piloting the turbo-charged VW Vento, Karthik Tharani authored a dream script for Volkswagen Motorsport’s sensational weekend with a grand double in the premium ITC category while Bengaluru school boy and defending champion Sohail Shah notched up a brace in the LGB 1300 class as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway, here on Sunday.
Also scoring a double were Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabak in the VW Ameo Class and Bengaluru schoolboy Sohil Shah (M Sport) in the Formula LGB 1300 category as he took the top honours in Race 1 and 3 while Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) won Race 2. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) won a close Super Stock race that went down to the wire.
For the factory-supported VW Motorsport team, making their debut in the Indian Touring Cars category, it was a highly-successful weekend as they won all the three races. Incidentally, races in all categories, except VW Ameo Class, today were run on wet tyres in view of forecast of rains which, however, stayed away.
The two ITC races highlighted the Sunday’s proceedings with extremely close contests and incidents in Race 3 bringing out the Safety Car. Having finished second behind team-mate, Kolhapur’s Dhruv Shivaji Mohite in the first of the ITC triple-header yesterday, Chennai-based Tharani led a 1-2-3 finish for VW Motorsport in Race 2 and followed it up with a thrilling win in Race 3 in the afternoon, ahead of Mohite and Arjun Balu (Race Concepts).
In both the races today, Mohite finished second while team-mate Ishaan Dodhiwala took the third spot in Race 2, but spun off in the next outing that led to a Safety Car period, and where Balu came in a creditable third, his second of the weekend.
While the podium finishers hogged the limelight, it was 77-year old D Vidyaprakash who stole the hearts with stirring drives that saw him finish fourth in both the races today. His defending the third spot in Race-2 until late in the last lap against Dodhiwala, 29, before letting the youngster pass, earned him high praise for clean racing. “I just can’t believe that someone at his age can drive like that. I couldn’t pass him until the last lap when he didn’t stop me from overtaking after I put the nose on the inside line,” gushed Dodhiwala after his third place finish.
The Championship moves to the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, where Round 3 will be held from July 19 to 21.
The results (Provisional, all 10 laps unless mentioned):
Indian Touring Cars (Race 2): 1. Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsports) (11mins, 55.229secs); 2. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (VW Motorsports) (11:55.572); 3. Ishaan Dodhiwala (VW Motorsports) (12:06.826). Race 3: 1. Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsports) (15:31.576); 2. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (VW Motorsports) (15:31.717); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:32.087).
Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race 2): Overall – 1. Avik Anwar (Bangladesh) (11:58.554); 2. Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh) (11:58.841); 3. Anmol Singh Sahil (Delhi) (11:59.304). Pro: 1. Anwar; 2. Sahil; 3. Siddharth Mehdiratta (Lucknow) (12:00.233). Junior: 1. Sadat; 2. Viraj Jairaj Jhala (Nashik) (12:05.775); 3. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (12:24.817). Race 3 (Overall and Pro): 1. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (11:58.422); 2. Anmol Singh Sahil (Delhi) (12:00.219); 3. Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (12:02.872). Junior: 1. Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh) (12:09.235); 2. Kaushik Mohan Raja (12:10.360); Viraj Jairaj Jhala (Nashik) (12:18.809).
Super Stock (Race 2): 1. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (13:05.322); 2. R Rajashekar (Race Concepts) (13:05.926); 3. Prateek Benya (Race Concepts) (13:06.209).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race 1): 1. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (10:43.682); 2. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motor Sports) (10:50.180); 3. Kunal Maini (M Sport) (10:56.683). Race 2: 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (14:16.398); 2. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motor Sports) (14:16.661); 3. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (14:16.770). Race 3: 1. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (11:56.907); 2. Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motor Sports) (11:59.205); 3. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motor Sports) (12:07.927).
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Dhruv Mohite leads 1-2 for VW Motorsport in ITC race; Bengaluru racers sweep Super Stock podium
Coimbatore, June 22: Kolhapur’s Dhruv Shivaji Mohite led a 1-2 grandstand finish for Volkswagen Motorsport as he scored a commanding win in the premium Indian Touring Cars class in the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2019 at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday.
The day’s schedule was cut short due to heavy showers that led to the cancellation of Formula LGB 1300 races, just after Bengaluru-based Race Concepts team made a clean sweep in the Super Stock race with Rithvik Thomas, Prateek Benya and R Rajashekar finishing in that order. Incidentally, the three podium finishers are all from Bengaluru.
Mohite, 21, who has graduated from Karting and winner of the Ameo Cup last year, marked his debut in the ITC category in the Volkswagen Vento with a comfortable start-to-finish win ahead of team-mate Karthik Tharani while veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) completed podium.
While Mohite, starting from pole position, was quick off the blocks at the start of the 15-lap race, Balu, from second position, dropped two positions as he missed a gear when the lights went out. But the Coimbatore racer gathered himself to move into third after a couple of laps, easing past Dodhiwala. Thereafter, Mohite, Tharani and Balu were content to nurse their track positions to finish in that order.
“This is my first season in the ITC and I am happy to win my debut race. I had a good start and after opening up a good lead, I held my position as I had a team-mate (Tharani) behind me rather than a competitor,” said Mohite.
For Balu, who is expected to be a top contender for the championship, it was a disappointing outing. “I missed a gear at the start and in the latter half of the race, I didn’t have brakes and I had to use the handbrake. With a lot to make up and a good lead over Ishaan, it was pointless to push. My car is still a work in progress and we have to work on a bit to make it more competitive,” said Balu.
Earlier, Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh chalked up a fluent lights-to-flag victory after starting from pole position, in the Volkswagen Ameo Class race, holding off Anmol Singh Sahil (Delhi) and Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai). The race was run in tricky conditions. A wet and slippery track following a drizzle besides strong winds, were not ideal for racing on slick tyres, but Jhabakh handled the situation with aplomb while behind him, Sahil, having started fourth on the grid, fought his way to second spot, pipping Bandyopadhyay.
Bangladesh’s Aiman Sadat topped the Junior category ahead of Nashik’s Viraj Jairaj Jhala and Bengaluru’s Chetan Surineni.
The results (Provisional – all 15 laps unless mentioned):
Indian Touring Cars (Race 1): 1. Dhruv Shivaji Mohite (VW Motorsport) (17mins, 20.105secs); 2. Karthik Tharani (VW Motorsport) (17:27.062); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (17:44.280).
Volkswagen Ameo Class (Race 1): 1. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (17:48.937); 2. Anmol Singh Sahil (Delhi) (17:52.579); 3. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (17:55.182). Junior: 1. Aiman Sadat (Bangladesh) (18:14.077); 2. Viraj Jairaj Jhala (Nashik) (18:15.882); 3. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (18:04.139, 14 laps).
Super Stock (Race 1): 1. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (22:21.408); 2. Prateek Benya (Race Concepts) (22:23.462); 3. R Rajashekar (Race Concepts) (22:24.390).
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Kari Motor Speedway set for MRF MMSC fmsci Car Racing Nationals 2019
Action from the 2018 National Championship. File photo by Anand Philar. Coimbatore, 19 June 2019: The eagerly-awaited MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2019 resumes at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Friday, June 21, in a new avatar following a rejig of regulations designed to make racing more competitive and exciting than ever before. The weekend card will see 59 entrants, from across India, competing in 11 races.
In a significant development, the Volkswagen Ameo Cup has received the status of National Championship and rechristened as the Ameo Class. The eventual winners (Pro and Rookie categories) after four rounds and 10 races spread across four race weekends, will be declared National champions. Volkswagen Motorsport India had launched their one-make series in 2010 through the Polo Cup before progressing to the Vento and now the Ameo.
Apart from the Ameo Class races, the weekend will witness competitions in the popular and premium Indian Touring Cars (ITC), the Super Stock and the entry-level Formula LGB 1300 which has attracted the most number of entries of 19 young aspirants. However, the MRF 1600 races are expected to start only from the next round in Chennai.
MMSC Vice-President and Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “At the outset, MMSC would like to acknowledge and appreciate MRF’s unstinted commitment and active involvement in the National Championship, be it two-wheeler or four-wheeler races. In fact, MRF has been the backbone of motorsport in India due to the support they have extended and continue to do so, for all formats of the sport. With MRF’s support, MMSC has been able to take racing a notch higher with every season. This year, we welcome Volkswagen Motorsport into our National Championship by way of the Ameo Class which we expect to be as competitive as before when it was called the Ameo Cup.”
For the Super Stock and the Formula LGB 1300 categories, this weekend’s outing will be Round 2 after the season-opener in February at the MMRT, Chennai, when they were run on the same card as the MRF Challenge international series, while the other classes join the National Championship.
There will be three races each for the ITC, Ameo Class and the Formula LGB categories, and two in the Super Stock class.
The weekend action commences on Friday which is entirely devoted to Free Practice sessions, while qualifying and five races are scheduled for Saturday, followed by six more races on Sunday.
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.
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Raghul Rangasamy, Arjun Balu battle to victories; Sohil takes LGB1300 championship lead
Raghul Rangasamy, on way to MRF F1600 race victory in Round 4 of the National Racing Championship on Saturday. Photos by Anand PhilarChennai, 18 Aug 2018: Raghul Rangasamy converted his pole position into a commanding victory to head the MRF F1600 class leaderboard in the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT, here on Saturday.
As well as 25-year old Rangasamy drove, the spotlight also fell on Coimbatore’s Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) who won a tight and thrilling race in the high-end Indian Touring Cars class while his team-mate Varun Anekar from Bengaluru who started ninth and from the pit-lane, finished first in the Super Stock category.
Sohil Shah of Bangalore takes championship lead in the FLGB1300 class winning a race and a second place on Saturday. An INDIAinF1 photo.The Formula LGB 1300 double-header produced two different winners in Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) from Chennai and Sohil Shah (M Sport) from Bengaluru. The results put Shah at the top of the championship standings in this class with a tally of 126 points to Datta’s 123 with the third title contender Nabil Hussain (M Sport), also from Chennai, on 117, going into the final round next month.
Rangasamy of Mamallapuram moved past championship leader Ashwin Datta who finished a distant eighth. Ahead of the two races to be run tomorrow, Rangasamy has 109 points to Datta’s 100. The championship winner at the end of the season, earns a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States this winter.
Summing up his win, Rangasamy said:“I started thinking what I would say at the post-race interview and stuff like that. As my thoughts wandered, so did the pace. Suddenly, I saw Sandeep Kumar (who finished second) catching up and it woke me up! I am absolutely exhausted! I am not a gym person like others drivers. I reacted a bit late to the lights at the start, but otherwise, it was a good launch and I quickly built up a big lead.”
The day also belonged to Arjun Balu who scored his third lights-to-flag victory of the season in the ITC category, holding off last year’s champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsport), also from Coimbatore, in a heart-stopping eight-lap race. The duo dueled hard and in the sixth lap, Narendran made a move on the outside at Turn-4. The pair made contact and Narendran ran wide which gave Balu the respite to take a firm lead to the finish.
Arjun Balu (No.39) on way to winning the Indian Touring Cars class race on Aug 18. Balu said: “It was a tough race right through. Arjun was on my tail for much of the race, but I managed to soak up the pressure. In the latter half of the race, he caught up and tried to pass me on the outside at Turn-4, but we made contact. He went a bit wide and I managed to keep my lead to the finish line.”
The win took Balu to second on the leaderboard with 93 points while Narendran, who missed two rounds, is on 68 while Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsport) who finished third today, continues to lead with 116 points, going into tomorrow’s Race-2.
Dhruv Mohite from Kolhapur notched his fourth win in six starts in the Volkswagen Ameo Cup race ahead of Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) and Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad).
The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):
MRF F1600 (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram) (13mins, 36.906secs); 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (13:39.058); 3. Nirmal Uma Shanker (13:43.654).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): S Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsport) (15:20.086); 2. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (15:21.981); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (DTS Racing) (15:29.673). Race-2: 1. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (17:33.648); 2.A Balaprasath (DTS Racing) (17:34.089); 3. S Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (17:34.455).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:13.033); 2. Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsport) (15:13.987); 3. Ashish Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsport) (15:27.015). Turbo (Race-1): 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (15:23.854); 2. Rayomand Banajee (Mumbai) (15:38.143); 3. Ishan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) (15:39.252).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (16:14.596); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Infinite Piston) (16:27.106); 3. Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (16:44.359).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Prabhu AS (Arka Motorspor) (17:06.590); 2. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (17:18.579); 3. Chris Desouza (Unimek Racing) (17:29.153).
Esteem Cup (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:51.582); 2. Vinod Subramaniam (Team N1) (17:01.644); 3. Biren PIthawalla (Team N1) (17:01.645);
Volkswagen Ameo Cup (Race-1): 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (15:38.719); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (15:43.499); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (Hyderabad) (15:43.879).
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MRF MMSC Indian Racing Nationals enter crucial phase: 4th Round at MMRT from Friday
File photo of Formula LGB races at MMRT this season. Photo by Anand Philar Chennai, 16 Aug 2018: Teenage sensation Ashwin Datta who began the season with a bank winning all the races in the first round, will look to guard his narrow lead at the top in the MRF 1600 class as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship resumes amidst mounting excitement and expectations as crucial fourth round starts at the MMRT here on Friday.
The chase for titles in various categories gets more frenetic than ever while the front-runners keep an eye on the leaderboard. Every point won will be worth its weight in gold.
The weekend card has races in the MRF F1600, saloon cars (Indian Touring Cars, Super Stock, Indian Junior Touring Cars and Esteem Cup), and the Formula LGB 1300 besides the Volkswagen Ameo Cup, a one-make championship. Also being run is the Indian National Drag Racing Championship, post-lunch on Saturday and Sunday, for both two-wheelers and cars.
The season, so far, has been so topsy-turvy that Chennai teenager Ashwin Datta (96 points), despite three wins on the trot in the MRF F1600 class, is only 12 ahead of Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy.
The previous round witnessed three different winners – Rangasamy, Gowtham Parekh (68) and Sandeep Kumar (67) – in the triple-header. With the championship winner in this category eligible for a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States, an MMSC initiative, the title contenders have everything to play for. The winner of the shootout is eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000.
The situation in other categories is no different. Bengaluru’s Ashish Ramaswamy (101) leads his Arka Motorsports team-mate from Coimbatore Nikanth Ram (84) in the premier Indian Touring Cars class that has seen some high-quality driving. If Ramaswamy started the season with a double in the first round, veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) marked his return to racing by winning both the races in the next round while defending champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) emulated the feat in the third round. Balu (68) and Narendran (50) are placed fourth and fifth, respectively, behind another veteran from Coimbatore B Vijayakumar of Prime Racing (78).
A mere half-a-point separate leader Srinivasa Teja (Performance Racing) and Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Super Stock category while Vinod Subramaniam (73.5) of Team N1 leads Rangasamy (68) of Performance Racing in the Esteem Cup and Prabhu AS (62) of Arka Motorsports is ahead of Chrys D’Souza (59) of Unimek Racing in the Indian Junior Touring Cars.
Equally competitive has been the Formula LGB 1300 class which is developing into a three-cornered battle involving Nabil Hussain (MSport) who heads the leaderboard with 95 points followed by Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) and Sohil Shah (MSport) who are tied second with 83 apiece.
Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite, with three wins in five starts, leads the Volkswagen Ameo Cup with 220 points but needs all the points he can to stay ahead of Saurav Bandyopadhyay (214) from Mumbai and Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh (204) who have won one race apiece.
