INDIA in F1

Tag: Rohaan Madesh

  • Rohaan Madesh all set to make F4 debut at Chennai

    Rohaan Madesh all set to make F4 debut at Chennai

    Bengaluru, 31 October 2023: Talented teenager Rohaan Madesh, a multiple National champion in karting, is raring to go after a constructive two days of testing, in the maiden FIA Formula 4 Indian Championship, which begins at the Madras International Circuit on Saturday.

    The 16-year Bengaluru student of Canadian International School, Rohaan Madesh, won the senior class Rotax Max Indian National Karting Championship 2022 and he will be one of the four Indian racers in the F4 Indian championship. After making his karting debut in a full season in 2017, Rohaan dominated the karting scene and took a podium finish in the Asia Max Championship at Malaysia. Later in 2018, he represented India at the X30 World Championship in France, and the next year he took part in the Rotax World Finals, also in France. In 2021, he won the X30 National Championship and went on to win the Rotax Max Nationals in 2022. And the highlight of his career came at the Rotax Max World Finals at Portimao, Portugal, where he won a heat and also qualified for the finals, a proud achievement for an Indian karter.

    “I am really excited and looking forward to competing in the Indian F4 Championship. India is where I started racing and it’s a privilege to continue doing so right here at home with the Indian F4,” he said after his name was announced for the event.


    “I would like to thank the sponsors and organisers for making this dream possible. I am honoured and I am very proud to be part of the maiden F4 in India,” the Peregrine Racing product concluded.

    F4 Indian Championship is a single-seater motorsport series based in India. The series is run to the FIA’s Formula 4 regulations and is organised by Racing Promotions Private Limited. The inaugural season’s first race was originally scheduled to be held at the Hyderabad Street Circuit which hosted the Formula E last season, but was shifted to MIC as the Telangana Elections were announced.

  • Rohaan Madesh, Abhay M, Nikhilesh Raju crowned National karting champs

    Rohaan Madesh, Abhay M, Nikhilesh Raju crowned National karting champs

    Bengaluru, 22 October 2022: Peregrine Racing dominated the karting Nationals winning two titles with their leading driver Rohaan Madesh crowned as the Senior National champion 2022 and Nikhilesh Raju as Micro Max National champion after the fifth and final round of the Meco fmsci Rotax Max National Karting Championship which concluded here on Saturday.

    Nikhilesh Raju, Micro Max champ 2022

    Another local karter, Abhay Mohan of Birel Art India completed the Bengaluru sweep, winning the Junior Max National Championship. Rohaan, Abhay and Nikhilesh, the three Indian champions for 2022, booked a ticket for the World finals and will take part in Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portimao, Portugal from November 19 to 26.

    “It is a proud moment for Peregrine Racing to win the Senior National championship for the second year running. We won two titles and missed the third narrowly. It is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication by the team,” said Madesh Lakshman, team Principal, Peregrine Racing, Bengaluru.

    The reigning X30 2021 champion, 15-year Rohaan Madesh from Bengaluru, displayed excellent driving skills and dished out consistent performance throughout the season winning 8 of the 10 races to garner 442. “It is a very special feeling. I am thrilled and excited. After winning X30 title, Rotax Max is a more prestigious championship. I thank all my team, family and supporters,” said Rohaan.

    Rohaan Madesh, takes the win in the final race to be crowned Senior Max National Karting champion as the fifth and final round of 2022 season concluded at Meco Kartopia on Saturday, 22 Oct 2022. Photo by Shajahan

    The 12-year old Nikhilesh Raju, a Class 7 student from Vibgyor school, Bengaluru, overcame a tough fight from Eshanth Vengatesan of MSport, and bagged a double victory in the final round, to clinch the issue with 428 points. With steady performances and sound driving Nikhilesh, the 2021 X30 champion, won six of the 10 races and bounced back brilliantly after a bad Pre-final race in Round 4 to clinch a well-deserving championship.

    The 14-year Abhay M, also from Bengaluru, suffered some anxious moments before he was crowned the champion. A 10-sec penalty pushed him to 9th place in the final race but that was enough for him to score 395 points to tie with Anshul and win the Junior title with more number of race wins.

    Championship Standings:

    Senior Max: 1. Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing team) 442 points; 2. Aditya Patnaik (Rayo Racing) 394; 3. Rishon Rajiv (Birel Art India) 386; Team champion: Peregrine Racing.

    Junior Max: 1. Abhay Mohankumar (Birel Art India) 395 points; 2. Anshul Shivakumar (Birel Art India/ MSport) 395; 3. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) 389; Tie broken in favour of Abhay with 3 race wins to Anshul’s zero wins); Team champion: Birel Art India.

    Micro Max: 1. Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing)  428 points; 2. Eshanth Vengatesan (MSport) 424; 3. Anuj Arun (MSport) 400; Team champion: Peregrine Racing.

  • Peregrine Racing’s Madesh brothers sweep honours; Nikhilesh shines in Micro Max

    Peregrine Racing’s Madesh brothers sweep honours; Nikhilesh shines in Micro Max

    Bengaluru, 17 July 2022: Madesh brothers, Rohaan and Ishaan, led the Peregrine Racing charge in the Meco fmsci Rotax Max National Karting Championship 2022 in an aggressive manner bagging full honours while Nikhilesh Raju bagged enough points with a win the finals to lead the Micro Max class in Round 1 which concluded at the Meco Kartopia circuit here on Saturday.

    The eldest of the Madesh brothers, from Peregrine Racing, also became the fastest driver of Round 1 clocking a blistering 55.357 in the fourth lap of the Official Practice 2. He virtually dominated the week-end winning everything on offer in the Senior Max class as he qualified first and won both the Finals and Pre-finals.

    On his part, his younger brother and former champion, Ishaan, likewise, brooked no challenge in the Junior Max category. He too made a sweep of all the races, save one heat which saw a Red Flag and a re-start. He also clocked the fastest time in his class logging a 56.088 seconds for the third lap in Official Practice 2. He won both the Finals and the Pre-Finals to take a substantial lead in the Junior class championship. He also set the best laps in both the races and was the only driver in his class to dip under 57-sec, reeling out blistering lap after lap in both the finals and the pre-finals. Fourteen of his laps were under 57-sec mark.

    In the Pre-finals, Ishaan, had a brilliant start and made his dash to the front look so easy, in the words of commentator, Vivek Abraham, and never disappointed the expectations of the small crowd with his pole to flag exploits. He displayed enough skill and race craft and soon increased the lead substantially to leave the drivers behind to fight for the second place where the battle was between Sai Shiva Makesh and Anshul Sai. Ishaan won a comfortable race to begin his campaign on a positive note full points from Round 1 in the 12-lap race which had a grid 12 karts of 22HP 2stroke engine.

    Nikhilesh Raju, the bespectacled defending champion began on the right note dominating the Micro Max class. Shrugging off initial hiccups in the Practice sessions, he qualified at the top and won the finals and came second in the Pre-finals races in the 8 to 12 years category.

    Starting P2 in the finals, Nikhilesh Raju had a bad start and went down to P5 but quickly recovered making up two positions. Later, after a good fight between the top two, he found the opportunity on Lap 8 as he made a move at the fourth corner but it proved to be futile. However, in the next corner he found a better exit as he went wide and took the other line and dashed to the front taking both the leading karts at a go. In the Pre-finals, Nikhilesh started P4 and had the pace but good defence by poleman Anuj kept him behind for eight laps with Eshan leading the pack. In the eighth lap Nikhilesh moved to 2nd with a brilliant move and retained the second place till the end. He earned enough points with a win in finals and a second in pre-finals to take the championship lead in the Micro Max class after the first round.

    The year began on a promising note as the Nationals for the first time in the recent past saw grids of over 20. With new teams entering the fray, the Senior grid saw 21 karts while the Junior grid boasted of 16 drivers including three girls, who kept the women in motorsport challenge alive with Shriya Lohia running close to the frontline boys. The Micro Max too saw better numbers this year with 13 karts on the start gird.

    Provisional official classification – Round 1 2022:

    Junior Max: Finals (14 laps):

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #27 Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Junior Max: Pre-Finals (12 laps):

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #27 Anshul Sai Shivakumar (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Junior Max Qualifying:

    1. #55 Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #45 Abhay M (Birel Art India);

    3. #46 Sai Shiva Makesh Sankaran (MSport);

    Micro Max Finals (12 laps):

    1. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    3. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art India);

    Micro Max Pre-Finals (10 laps):

    1. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    2. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #25 Anuj Arun (MSport);

    Micro Max Qualifying:

    1. #10 Aditya Suresh Kamat (Birel Art India);

    2. #11 Nikhilesh Raju D (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #17 Eshanthn Vengatesan (MSport);

    Senior Max Finals (16 laps):

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #62 Rishon Rajeev (Birel Art India);

    Senior Max Pre-Finals (14 laps):

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #63 Ruhaan Alva (MSport);

    3. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    Senior Qualifying:

    1. #69 Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing);

    2. #96 Nigel Abraham (Peregrine Racing);

    3. #63 Ruhaan Alva (MSport);

    (Editor’s Note: The results were updated with Official version on 18 July 2022 6pm)

  • Jaden takes Round 4 honours in Junior class; Rohaan leads title fight with stunning Race 4 win

    Jaden takes Round 4 honours in Junior class; Rohaan leads title fight with stunning Race 4 win

    Bengaluru, 16 Sept. 2021: Talented Jaden R Pariat from Guwahati took the day’s honours and topped Round 4 as he pipped Rohaan Madesh by two points on Thursday but the Bengaluru school student took a fantastic victory in the final race today to take the fight into the final round and kept the lead in the Junior Championship table after four rounds in the Meco fmsci Indian National Karting Championship X30 Class which is poised for an interesting battle finale in the fifth and final round at Meco Kartopia on Saturday.

    On Thursday, two races were also held in the Cadet class and championship leader Nikhilesh Raju and challenger Arafath Sheikh shared a race win each. The other two races of the penultimate Round 4 will be held on Friday, before the fifth and final round on Saturday and Sunday. All the four races of Juniors will decide the title on Saturday, while the Senior section final four races will be on Sunday.

    Jaden, congratulated his rival after Rohaan posted a stunning win in Race 4, the last race of the day, after playing a wait-and-watch game, which was very much unlike his style. Through the day, with four races on the menu for the fourth round in Junior section, the talented duo fought tooth and nail displaying some fierce competition on the track. Rohaan, who is leading the championship, won the first race after starting on pole, but had to start P6 in the reverse order grid for Race 2 and retrieved 7 points with a second place as Jaden made no mistake and kept his position intact despite fortunes fluctuating either way for the 12-lap race. Ishaan, the younger of the Madesh brothers, who was leading second in the points table before the start of Round 4, did well to take the third place on the podium in Race 1.

    With honours even, in the first two races, the top-three who all have a chance to go at the title, pushed the title fight into the final round with Jaden bagging Race 3. In the second corner of the first lap, Bengaluru karter Abhay M made contact, and both the Rohaan brothers spun and suffered loss of positions but with Abhay getting a 10-second penalty for “avoidable collision” Rohaan, managed a fourth place but lost two valuable points in the process.

    File photo of Jaden R Pariat at the Meco Kartopia track. Photo by Shajahan

    In Race 4, Jaden by virtue of his second best time in the qualifier, took the pole and Rohaan started on P2 but played a brilliant game, patiently driving a consistent race for almost ten laps before overtaking ahead of the blind left and managed to keep at bay, a marauding Jaden to retrieve a victory and 10 points. Going into the final round on Saturday, both Jaden and Rohaan will be fighting for the title, with Ishaan Madesh eyeing for a rare outside chance.

    Jaden clocked the fastest lap of the day posting a 56.506 to pip Rohaan (56.514) both in Race 4 for the Driver of the day honours on the 1.2km Meco Kartopia tarmac. With four races and 40 points on offer, Rohan is ahead by five points at 114 while Jaden has 109 points. Ishaan slipped to third place and has 96 points after four rounds.

    “”Despite all the fight, it was a very good race, so I felt I have to congratulate him,” said a sportive Jaden, who wants to go with a clean mind and focus on the qualifying session. “I will take it race by race rather than think too much about the championship.” he added. “I am confident and well prepared for the final round and am eagerly looking forward to clinch the title,” said Rohaan.

    Clerk of the Course and young open-wheel formula racer Sandeep Kumar, has been doing a professional job attracting some kind comments from the parents, and his words of caution in the drivers’ briefing stressing the safety aspects at the beginning of the week-end double-header, keeping in mind the incident in Round 3, seems to have brought some sanity at the track. Despite less number of karters, the intense competition has made the job of stewards tough, as usual, and Sanjeev Shah too had a word of advice to the young racers and their parents along with Pandey and Chidanand, the FMSCI Stewards. “Yes it has been a difficult two days and the parents’ peer-pressure makes it more difficult for the young drivers. We are only trying to make it an even-playing field and safe and intense racing for all with due respect to rules and safety,” said Shah, the former rallyist and current Hon. Secretary of Karnataka Motor Sports Club.

    Round 4 (At 1.2km Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru)

    Cadet Class:

    Race 1 (10 laps): 1. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (11:12.669); 2. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (11:14.490); 3. #2 Vedha Vishnu (Gujarat) (11:26.755) 4. #3 Anuj A (Madurai) (11:33.753); 5. #7 Rohaan Reddy (Gujarat) 11:43.738; 6. #1 Zarah Mishra (11:15.476 lapped)

    Fastest lap: Arafath Sheikh 1:03.307; Grid 6 karters.

    Race 2 (10 laps): 1. #4 Nikhilesh Raju (Bengaluru) (10:44.070); 2. #5 Arafath Sheikh (Pune) (10:55.877); 3. #3 Anuj A (Madurai) (10:56.214); 4. #1 Zaarah Misra (Bengaluru) (11:09.769); 5. #2 Vedha Vishnu (Gujarat) (11:20.298) 6. #7 Rohaan Reddy (Gujarat) (11:40.651 including 10-sec penalty). Fastest Lap: 1:03.190 by Arafath Sheikh. Grid 6 karters.  

    Junior Class

    Race 1 (12 laps): 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:29.203); 2. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:29.706); 3. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:32.336); 4. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:39.308); 5. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (11:41.020).

    Fastest lap: Ishaan Madesh 56.777. Grid: 10.

    Race 2 (12 laps): 1. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (12:00.062); 2. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:06.107); 3. #11 Abhay M (Bengaluru) (12:06.220); 4. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (12:06.690); 5. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (12:07.252); 6. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (12:09.806 including 3-sec penalty for false start);

    Fastest lap: Jaden R Pariat 56.563. Grid: 10.

    Race 3 (12 laps): 1. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:26.489); 2. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:30.846); 3. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:32.354); 4. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:33.803); 5. #17 Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:34.651);

    Fastest lap: Jaden R Pariat 56.643. Grid: 10.

    Race 4 (12 laps): 1. #15 Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru) (11:30.530); 2. #18 Jaden R Pariat (Guwahati) (11:30.592); 3. #12 Akshat Misra (Bengaluru) (11:32.287); 4. #16 Sai Shiva Makesh (Pune) (11:32.731); 5. Ishaan Madesh (Bengaluru) ( 11:33.854).

    Fastest Lap:   Jaden R Pariat 56.506. Grid: Ten karters.