INDIA in F1

Tag: Raghul Rangasamy

  • Chirag Ghorpade tops F2000 race; Double for Arjun, Raghul

    Chirag Ghorpade tops F2000 race; Double for Arjun, Raghul

    Chennai, 8 Jan 2023: Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghropade held his nerve to win his second race of the season in the premier MRF Formula 2000 category on the concluding day of the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.

    Also in the limelight were Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) and Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) who completed a double each this weekend in the Indian Touring Cars and the Formula LGB category, respectively.

    The day’s schedule came to an abrupt end with two remaining races cancelled following the demise of Chennai racer KE Kumar in a hospital where he was attended to for the injuries he suffered in a crash during the saloon cars race.

    Ghorpade, 17, did well to survive close attention from Salem’s Sai Sanjay, before crossing the finish line while Mohammed Ryan from Chennai completed the podium.

    “It (the win) was a long time coming. I struggled a bit at the start as we had new tyres fitted in. Once the tyres heated up, I managed to open up a good lead, but had to defend my position at certain times,” said Ghorpade.

    In contrast, Balu, starting P5 on the reverse grid, showed amazing pace as he jumped into the lead by Turn-4 in the very opening lap of the scheduled 12-lap race which was reduced to nine after it was red-flagged following the incident involving Kumar and then re-started. Thereafter, Balu again went into cruise mode to destroy the field.

    Chennai’s Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) topped in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category while another local racer, Narendran S (Redline Racing) won in the Super Stock class.

    Rangasamy, who earlier in the day had won the Formula LGB 1300 race after starting form P11 on the reverse grid, continued his winning-ways by topping the next outing to complete a fine double.

    The third round of the championship is slated for January 20-22 at the same venue followed by the fourth and concluding round on January 27-29.

    The results (Provisional):

    MRF F2000 (Race-3, 10 laps): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (15mins, 48.752secs); 2. Sai Sanjay T (Salem) (15:49.462); 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) 15:51.211).

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts) (17:30.324); 2. Ananth Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (17:43.103); 3. Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (17:44.389).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Raja Rajan (Chennai, Performance Racing) (17:55.058); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (18:02.406); 3. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai, Performance Racing) (18:06.320).

    Super Stock (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Narendran (Chennai, Redline Racing) (19:18.726); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:23.585); 3. Fahad Kutty (Mumbai, Redline Racing) (19:26.875).

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram, MSport) (18:57.069); 2. Diljith Shaji (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (18:57.511); 3. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Momentum Motorsports) (18:58.585). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (15:14.465); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (15:14.620); 3. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru, Momentum Motorsports) (15:17.331).

    MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios, Race-3, 8 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Gurugram) (16:44.314); 2. Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh) (16:44.325); 3. Jai Prashanth Venkat (Coimbatore) (16:54.057).

  • Arjun Balu finally gets a National title for Race Concepts in their 6th year

    Arjun Balu finally gets a National title for Race Concepts in their 6th year

    Chennai, 29 Nov 2020: The Gentleman of Indian Motorsports, and one of the best talent India has produced, Arjun Balu of Coimbatore was crowned National champion in the ribbon event, the Indian Touring Class in the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT, here on Sunday.

    His team Race Concepts, which started six years ago, got all the monkeys off their back and won the championship fair and square and the Joel Joseph-led team, which had many talented drivers had to put up with some `off-the-track-excursion’ tactics by many a veteran driver. In the first few years, it was Deepak Chinnappa, turning out in Race Concepts Eneo colours, who was shunted out in Coimbatore and the `tactics’ went on in different ways to deny the talented and hard-working outfit, points in the title race and Arjun Balu too, a decent winner in many rounds of the Indian National Rally Championship, lost the title by a narrow margin the last two years, despite his best efforts and for reasons which are not in his control. This reporter has watched all the races of Race Concepts in the first five years before missing this year’s rounds due to Covid-induced restrictions on media and spectators as per government guidelines.

    “This is our first championship win in six years. It has been a long and difficult journey with many ups and downs, but eventually, we clinched the title. I owe it to all the members of the Race Concepts team that worked long and hard to get us here,” said Joel Joseph.

    From left: Raghul Rangasamy (Super Stock), Arjun Balu (Indian Touring Cars) and Tijil Rao (Formula LGB 1300) who were crowned the 2020 National Champions at Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) on Nov 29. All photos by Anand Philar

    A hugely relieved Balu, after sealing the championship with a race to spare, said: “After winning Race-1, I knew I needed just seven points from Race-2 to clinch the championship. So, I held the position through the 10 laps for P2. This championship win is most special and most satisfying for me. The previous two seasons, I missed the title by a whisker (to Ashish Ramaswamy and Dhruv Mohite) despite enjoying big leads early on. This title is also a tribute to Joel Joseph and his Race Concepts team which worked so hard, sparing no effort to make sure I get a competitive car.” A gentleman racer as humble as ever!

    Also clinching the drivers’ titles in their respective categories were Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy of Performance Racing (Super Stock), 17-year old Bengaluru collegian Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsport (Formula LGB 1300) and Thrissur’s Diljith TS (MRF Saloon Car series).

    Tijil Rao, number 12 blue car, in action before clinching the title in FLGB1300 title.

    Balu, who was runner-up in the previous two seasons, endured a difficult, rain-affected weekend and did just enough to pick up crucial points by winning Race-1 and finishing second in Race-2 before retiring in Race-3 after a shunt. Dhruv Mohite of FB Motorsport won a double to help his team take the team championship.

    Meanwhile, Rangasamy made up for a non-finish in Race-1 by surging to win in the next two outings for the title. In contrast, young Tijil Rao went without a win this weekend, but three podium finishes in the four races ensured him the crown.

    The 2020 season was drastically impacted by the pandemic and was reduced to three rounds instead of the scheduled five. The first round was held in February and the remaining two this month behind closed doors while following the Covid-19 protocols.

    Dilijith, the champion in the MRF Saloon Car Series for 2020.

    The results (Provisional):

    Indian Touring Cars: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15mins, 31.003secs); 2. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorspor) (15:35.528); 3. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (15:42.847). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Mohite (19:34.316); 2. Balu (19:36.706); 3.D’Souza (19:37.940). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Mohite (15:49.069); 2. D’Souza (15:49.378); 3. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (16:31.373).

    Super Stock: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (16:41.042); 2. Vineet Abhiram (Race Concepts) (17:02.885); 3. Sridhar Nagaraj (Race Concepts) (17:24.841). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (20:27.517); 2. Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) (20:28.739); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (20:43.616). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Rangasamy (16:33.837); 2. Alisha (16:50.086); 3. Sridhar Nagaraj (16:52.214).

    MRF Saloon Car Series: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Sreeram Sridhar (Chennai) (17:30.244); 2. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (17:31.226); 3. Chandresh Tolia (Mumbai) (17:42.636). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (19:35.644); 2. Diljith (19:38.741); Sreeram (19:42.939). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (17:24.875); 2. Korada (17:26.241); 3. Diljith (17:27.661).

    Formula LGB 1300: Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (15:30.277); 2. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) (15:30.408); 3. Prithveen Rajan (Joba Racing) (15:30.588). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Prithveen Rajan (Joba Racing); 2. Mohamed Ryan (M Sport); 3. Tijil Rao. Race-3 (8 laps): 1. A Balaprasath (M Sport) (15:23.138); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (M Sport) (15:29.350); 3. Ryan (15:29.724). Race-4 (7 laps): Viswas Vijayaraj (15:26.300); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (15:27.162); 3. Tijil Rao (15:28.427).

    National Champions:

    Indian Touring Cars: Driver – Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts, 151 points). Team – FB Motorsport (262)

    Super Stock: Driver – Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram, Performance Racing, 154). Team – Race Concepts (289).

    MRF Saloon Car Series: Diljith TS (Thrissur, 113).

    Formula LGB 1300: Driver – Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, 122). Team – Momentum Motorsport (215).

    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.

  • Vishnu Prasad pips Raghul to win Formula LGB-4 title: JK Tyre Nationals

    Vishnu Prasad pips Raghul to win Formula LGB-4 title: JK Tyre Nationals

    Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad on way to hi championship crown in the LGB4 class of the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at BIC, Greater Noida. A JK Tyre photo

    Greater Noida, 1 Dec 2019: Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad and Bengaluru’s Syed Muzammil Ali demonstrated nerves of steel to emerge as the heroes of the thrill-a-minute JK Tyre Festival of Speed here on Sunday.

    Over 35,000 excited and screaming fans had the time of their lives at the Buddh International Circuit, enjoying a wholesome entertainment package topped up by tense races, close finishes and a couple of spectacular crashes too.

    Eventually, Vishnu of MSport pipped his friend, team-mate and rival, Raghul Rangaswamy, to the crown in the coveted Formula LGB-4 category of the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship.

    Going into the final day with 73 points apiece, Vishnu and Raghul knew that, for once, they didn’t have to chase victory; they just had to finish ahead of the other to claim the championship.

    But, true to their reputation, they went all out, providing for a thrilling race, with Vishnu winning in dramatic fashion; Raghul finished third to take the second position in the championship.

    The Suzuki Gixxer Cup too followed the script of the season, with Syed Muzammil Ali and Tanay Gaikwad locked in one last fight. Tanay, however, began with a huge disadvantage following a DNF on Saturday.

    He began from the back of the grid and valiantly fought his way up but could only manage a third-place finish to settle for the second position in the championship. Muzammil, who had an overnight 2-point lead, made sure that he hit the post ahead of Tanay to clinch the Cup.

    The inaugural X1 Racing competition, Powered by JK Tyre, too proved to be with an instant hit, with its mix of top international and domestic drivers in an exciting new format.

    Bangalore Racing Stars, with Arjun Maini, Oliver Webb, Vishnu Prasad and Michelle Gatting, claimed Round 1 in style, thanks to their two wins on Day 1. They also won the last race of the round, the relay race, to emerge clear victors.

    Mumbai Falcons, (Kush Maini, Mikkel Jensen, Karthik Tharani and Pippa Mann) won one of the two races of the day and had to settle for the second position.

    Rajini Krishnan (JK Tyre Superbike 1000cc), P. Sai Rahil Shetty (JK Tyre Superbike Cup 600cc) and Japan’s Karen Ogura (Asia Cup Road Racing) were the other heroes of the day, winning their respective races on Sunday.

    Car stunts at the JK Tyre Festival of Speed.

    RESULTS (Championship winners):

    JK Tyre LGB Formula 4: 1. Vishnu Prasad (83); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (79); Diljith T S (68)

    JK Tyre LGB Formula 4 Rookie: 1.Megaa K. S. (85); 2. Mihir Barve (73); 3. Akshay Kapoor (62)

    JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Syed Muzammil Ali (64); Tanay Gaikwad (60); Sidharth Sajan (36)

    Provisional Results:

    JK LGB Formula 4: 1. Vishnu Prasad (23:16.961); 2. Ashwin Datta (23:18.060); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (23:18.675)

    JK Tyre Suzuki Gixxer Cup: 1. Sanjeev Mhatre (23:28.022); 2. Syed Muzammil Ali (23:29.287); 3. Tanay Gaikwad (23:35.746)

    Asia Cup Road Racing: 1. Karen Ogura (20:51.318); 2. Eane Jaye Sobretodo (20:51.478); 3. Mei Sakurai (21:01.006)

    JK Tyre Superbike 1000cc: 1. Rajini Krishnan (11:49.834); 2. Dilip Lalwani (11:51.070); 3. Simranjeet Singh (11:53.166)

    JK Tyre Superbike Cup 600cc: 1. P. Sai Rahil Shetty (12:21.241); 2. Gurvinder Singh (12:26.929); 3. Vishal Khubchandani (12:41.629)

    X1 Racing Powered by JK Tyre:

    Race 1: 1. Mumbai Falcons; 2. Bangalore Racing Stars; 3. DGR Ahmedabad

    Race 2: 1. Bangalore Racing Stars; 2. Mumbai Falcons; 3. NK Racing Chennai

  • Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Raghul Rangasamy takes lead in the Formula LGB class: JK Tyre Nationals

    Race 3 Winner Raghul Rangasamy flanked by 2nd placed Vishnu Prasad, left, and Sohil Shah.

    Coimbatore, 1 Sept 2019: On a day of intense battles and loads of drama, Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy came out trumps, collecting 18 points to shoot to the top of the FLGB-4 standings as Round 2 of the JK Tyre FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship concluded here on Sunday.

    Tanay Gaikwad (Pune), Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai), Sai Prithvi S (Chennai), Mira Erda (Vadodara) and Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) were the others stars of the day, emerging victorious in their respective categories.
    Most of the big excitement, as expected, emanated from the LGB category, with multiple national champions gunning for glory. After Sohil Shah (MSport) set the stage for a no-holds-barred fight on Saturday with a cheeky win, it was Diljith TS’s (Dark Don) turn to bring Sunday to life.
    Beginning at P7 as the reverse grid came into play, he exhibited speed and control to steadily move up and take the first place. Raghul (MSport), who was at P5, got caught in the front pack to lose the initiative and settled for the second position.
    Raghul, however, took advantage of a similar situation in the day’s second and final LGB-4 race to win it in dramatic fashion. His fourth-place finish on Saturday was enough to give him a total of 47 points. That took him past teammate Vishnu Prasad, who didn’t have the best of weekends despite racing out of his skin.
    Vishnu also suffered the worst of lucks, being cheated by the safety car when he was leading with a big margin in the last race. He had to settle for the second position while he had already endured a sixth-place finish in the earlier race to slip down to a total of 45 points in the two rounds. Diljith, who often seemed alone in this dog-fight, was placed third with 31 points.
    Tanay Gaikwad stole the thunder in the Suzuki Gixxer Cup, collecting the maximum possible 20 points to join Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore) at the top of the table.
    After winning the first race on Saturday, Tanay showed his class on Day 2 too, posting his second straight victory. Muzammil clocked the day’s fastest lap (1:23.681) but finished 0.068 seconds behind in the 10 laps.

    Mira Erda (centre) who won the ladies class. A JY Tyre image

    Mumbai’s Aaroh Ravindra stayed ahead in the JK Tyre Novice Cup, by collecting 10 more points to make it a grand sum of 52, including 28 this weekend. Bangalore’s Chirag Ghorpade was second with 39 points, after a second-place finish.

    Vadodara’s Mira Erda continued to rule in the women’s category, finishing ahead of all the ladies for the sixth consecutive time. Coimbatore’s Megaa KS (45) and Anushriya Gulati (28) were in the hunt behind her.
    Chennai’s David Ryan, who was the standout performer in the JK Tyre Inter-College Cup on Day 1 with two wins, lost his pre-eminent position to Sai Prithvi (also Chennai) on Sunday. He, however, finished second to hold on to his overall lead with 28 points.
    The day’s winner Sai Prithvi S (Chennai) and Kedin Akhil (Kolkata) were tied on 16 points for the next two positions.
    Ikshan Shanbag (Satara) claimed the JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies, winning both the races over the weekend. He maintained a clean slate after showing his class in Round 1 too.
    Provisional Results: LGB Formula 4 (15 laps)
    Race 2: 1. Diljith TS (Dark Don Racing; 18:14.76); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport; 18:14.96);  3. Sandeep Kumar A (Dar Don; 18:15.31)
    Race 3: 1. Raghul (20:29.90); 2. Vishnu Prasad (Chennai; 20:29.92); 3. Sohil Shah (Bangalore; 20:29.10)
    Suzuki Gixxer Cup (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Tanay Gaikwad (Pune) – 14:18.57; 2. Syed Muzammil Ali (Bangalore; 14:18.64); 3. Shazan Khan (Bangalore; 14:32.58)
    JK Tyre Novice Cup: (15 laps): Race 3: 1. Aaroh Ravindra (Mumbai; 18:19.30); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bangalore; 18:24.87); 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai; 18:29.31)
    JK Tyre Redbull Road to Rookies: (10 laps): Race 3: 1. Ikshan Shanbag (Satara; 14:56.42); 2. Aditi Krishnan (Bangalore; 15:20.92); 3. Aryan Gurav (Pune; 15:23.78)
    JK Tyre College Cup (8 laps): Race 3: 1. Sai Prithvi S (Chennai; 10:20.80); 2. David Ryan (Chennai; 10:22.73); Chetan Surineni (Bangalore; 10:46.82)
  • 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.

  • Pole for Raghul Rangasamy in MRF F1600: MRF MMSC Racing Nationals

    Pole for Raghul Rangasamy in MRF F1600: MRF MMSC Racing Nationals

    Raghul Rangasamy, who took pole position in the MRF F1600 class at MMRT on Friday. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 17 Aug 2018: Raghul Rangasamy from the nearby temple town of Mamallapuram, took a big step towards realising his dream of earning a ticket to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States later this year, by grabbing his first pole of the current season in the MRF F1600 class as the fourth round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship got underway at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    “As I am already 25, this is my last chance to make it to the Mazda Road To Indy shootout and I am giving it everything I have,” said Rangasamy, referring to the upper age limit for participation in shootout whose winner is eligible for a scholarship of USD 200,000.

    Rangasamy, who is currently second in the championship, just 12 points adrift of leader Ashwin Datta, clocked one minute, 39.828 seconds, ahead of Sandeep Kumar (01:40.028) and Kolkata’s Arya Singh (01:40.268). Datta, who had started the season with a triple in the first round, had a poor qualifying session and will start the first race tomorrow from eighth position on the grid after clocking 01:41.010.

    Reflecting on his qualifying run, Rangasamy said: “I used the tyre strategy to my advantage by doing a couple of hot laps and then cooling off in the pits before going out again. Today, it worked well for me.”

    Nabil Hussain, who took pole position in the Formula LGB 1300 on Friday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Earlier, Chennai’s Nabil Hussain (MSport), who heads the Formula LGB 1300 leaderboard, also qualified for pole position in his category with a hot lap of 01:53.679 followed by Ashwin Datta, also from Chennai, of Momentum Motorsports (01:53.705) and Bengaluru’s Sohil Shah of MSport (01:54.279).

    Also grabbing pole position in their respective categories were: Varun Anekar of Race Concepts (Super Stock), Nikhunj Vagh of Team N1 (Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Raghul Rangasamy  of Performance Racing (Esteem Cup).

    Meanwhile, last year’s champion Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) from Coimbatore, was the quickest in the Free Practice session for high-end Indian Touring Cars as he clocked a best of 01:52.812 ahead of Saturday’s qualifying run.

    Kolhapur’s Dhruv Mohite (01:54.959), who tops the Volkswagen Ameo Cup leaderboard, took pole position ahead of his nearest rival Saurav Bandyopadhyay of Mumbai (01:55.719).

    The results (Qualifying):

    MRF F1600: 1. Raghul Rangaswamy (Chennai) 1 min, 39.828 sec; 2. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (01:40.028); 3. Arya Singh (Kolkata) (01:40.268)..

    Formula LGB 1300: 1. Nabil Hussain (M Sport) (01:53.679); 2. S Ashwin Datta (Momentum Motorsports) (01:53.705); 3. Sohil Shah (M Sport) (01:54.279)

    Super Stock: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (01:56.579); 2.Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) (02:01.802); 3. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (02:01.818).

    Indian Junior Touring Cars: 1. Nikunj Vagh (Team N1) (02:04.564); 2. Prabu AS (Arka Motorsport) (02:04.641); 3. Chris DeSouza (Unimek Racing) (02:05.718).

    Esteem Cup: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (02:02.399); 2. Vinod Subramaniam (Team 1) (02:03.119); 3.Biren Pithawala (Team N1) (02:03.718).

    Volkswagen Ameo Cup: 1. Dhruv Mohite (Kolhapur) (01:54.959); 2. Saurav Bandyopadhyay (Mumbai) (01:55.719); 3.Pratik Sonawane (Pune) (01:55.774).