INDIA in F1

Tag: Shahan Ali Mohsin

  • Shahan Ali, Akash shine for Speed Demons Delhi; Neel, Akhil salvage win for Hyd: IRL

    Shahan Ali, Akash shine for Speed Demons Delhi; Neel, Akhil salvage win for Hyd: IRL

    Chennai (Tamil Nadu), 4 Dec 2022: Neel Jani and Akhil Rabindra chalked out an opportunistic victory in the Feature Race to help Black Birds Hyderabad maintain their grip at the top after young racing talent Shahan Ali Mohsin took a brilliant win in the Sprint Race 2 for Speed Demons Delhi in the third and penultimate round of the Indian Racing League promoted by Racing Promotions Pvt. Limited (RPPL) at the Madras International Circuit at Irungattukottai, about 40 kms from here, on Sunday.

    Going into the third round, Speed Demons Delhi were lying at the bottom of the points table but with a strategic win in the qualifying session 2, Akash Gowda put his teammate Shahan Ali Mohsin in pole position and the 18-year Agra driver did a brilliant job with a mature drive as he kept experienced Jon Lancaster of Chennai Turbo Riders behind him with excellent defensive tactics despite a Safety Car period and brought home full points. Despite having issues with the gear box, the Speed Demons Delhi, took a gamble and preferred to start on pole, opting not to change the gear box which would have invited a 5-place gird penalty. Lancaster finished second ahead of Nikhil Bohra (Godspeed Kochi) in third, after Bianca Bustamante was hit by a mechanical failure.

    “We did not have it easy in the race, nor earlier in the warm-up as we had gear-box issues. But we had the pace and I kept my focus despite the pressure from Jon (Lancaster). The team did a great job and the strategy worked,” said Shahan Ali.

    Later, Shahan Ali combined well with Akash Gowda and were well on course for a victory but two Safety Car periods spoiled their party. Shahan who started the Feature race, defended well and slowly increased the lead with two fastest laps and handed over the car with a 5-second lead to Akash. Surprisingly, despite being in the lead when the second Safety Car period started, Delhi’s second driver Akash Gowda found himself in third. Sandeep Kumar of Chennai, who was in second place at that point with just a lap to go, stalled his car and the race finished behind the Safety Car. Akash finished behind Jani and Rishon took final place on the podium.

    However, it was an opportunistic victory for Neel Jani, who salvaged full points along with Akhil Rabindra for Black Birds Hyderabad as the championship leaders failed to get on to the podium in both the sprint races in Round 3. Akash Gowda (Shahan Ali) finished second and a lucky Rishon Rajeev (Bianca Bustamante) of Bengaluru finished third, thanks to the Safety Car. During the Safety Car period, the lapped cars were allowed to un-lap themselves and with the mechanical failure for the Chennai car, Rishon suddenly found himself on the podium.

    “I was a bit confused. Suddenly I was behind the Safety Car and I was wondering if I was in P1, then the Safety Car allowed us to pass and I came back into P4 and then the podium,” said a happy Rishon Rajeev of Bangalore Speedsters, whose teammate Bianca did well with some fine defensive driving but was unlucky to miss the podium in the Sprint.

    The Fourth and the final leg of the Indian Racing League will return to the Street Circuit of Hyderabad December 10 and 11.

    Results – Day 2, Round 3:

    Feature Race:

    1. Neel Jani / Akhil Rabindra (Black Birds Hyderabad) 41:20.818;

    2. Shahan Ali Mohsin / Akash Gowda (Speed Demons Delhi) 41:21.384;

    3. Rishon Rajeev /Bianca Bustamanta (Bangalore Speedsters) 41:22.633.

    Sprint Race 2:

    1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (Speed Demons Delhi) 23:04.788;

    2. Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) 23:06.750;

    3. Nikhil Bohra (Godspeed Kochi) 23:13.585.

  • Agra teenager Shahan Ali Mohsin dominates practice sessions

    Agra teenager Shahan Ali Mohsin dominates practice sessions

    Chennai, 11 Feb. 2022: Shahan Ali Mohsin, the 17-year old from Agra, eyeing the title in the MRF F1600 category, dominated both the Free Practice sessions to set early pace as the fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2021 got underway at the MMRT, here on Friday.

    Trailing championship leader Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) by 13 points, Shahan posted a best lap of 01 minute, 39.541seconds in FP-1 and then bettered it with a 01:39.340 in the second session ahead of the triple-header to be run over the next two days.

    Overall second quickest in this premier category was Bengaluru’s Rishon Rajeev in 01:39.378. The three races this weekend promise to be high on thrill and excitement as the top seven drivers were covered by less than a second in the two practice sessions.

    Defending champion in the premier Indian Touring Cars category, Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore, posted the fastest lap of 01:50.074 in the morning’s FP-1 and followed it up with a 01:50.762 in the second outing later in the day.

    Also topping the time charts was Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) who clocked a best lap of 01:51.909 over two sessions in the Formula LGB 1300 where he heads the championship.

    Chennai’s RP Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) was the quickest overall in the Super Stock category (01:57.643) as was Bengaluru’s Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class (01:56.868).

    Pratik Sonawane from Pune, lying ninth in the championship and trailing leader Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) by 100 points, topped the combined practice sessions in the Volkswagen Polo category with a hot lap of 01:56.625. It bettered Sandeep Kumar’s best of 01:56.806 posted in FP-1.

    Chennai’s Anand Prasad, returning to active racing after a break, was the quickest in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) category with a best lap of 02:03.423 which he clocked in FP-2 to improve on Delhi-based Justin Singh’s 02:04.932 in FP-1.

  • Shahan Ali Mohsin impressive at Rotax Final in Italy

    Shahan Ali Mohsin impressive at Rotax Final in Italy

    Shahan Ali Mohsin in action in Italy on Sunday. Photo for INDIAinF1

    Sarno (Italy), 27 October 2019: Shahan Ali Mohsin once again impressed with his performance in the 2019 Rotax Grand Final in Sarno, Italy, last Sunday but missed the final by a whisker, with two retirements hurting him. Representing India, the youngster from Agra raced in the Senior category, at the world stage after winning the 2019 Indian National Karting Championship.

    The week-long competition had 76 racers from around the globe competing in the Senior category, where Shahan qualified in the Top-10 and became the first Indian to do so in a Rotax Grand Final. Racing for Dan Holland Racing from England, Shahan qualified 10th overall in his #317 kart after finishing sixth in his group.

    Holding Indian flag is always a matter of huge pride, says Shahan.

    Heat 1 saw Shahan running well before a contact with another kart resulted in an axle bend, forcing him to retire from the race. However, it was a mighty comeback in Heat 2, where he finished fourth after running at second for a few laps, the best for an Indian in the Rotax Grand  Finals again. The Indian was only 0.043 of a second behind the third-placed finisher.

    It was a close fight again in Heat 3 where he was seventh, only 0.100s behind the sixth-placed driver. His fantastic run though came to a sad end in Pre-Final by the tiniest of margins. He was well on-course to make it into the Final, where the Top-36 make the cut from the 72 finalists.

    Couple of contacts damaged his steering column and tie rod which forced him to retire on Lap 11. He missed the Final by just two points in the end, with the two retirements making the difference. It was mighty close but luck wasn’t with him. He was well received by his fellow competitors though.

    “I felt a lot of emotions as I carried the Indian flag, which is always a matter of pride for me when I represent India. Taking part in the Rotax Max Grand Finals, which is recognised as Olympics of Karting on a weekend where everyone is celebrating Diwali put me on a high,” said Shahan. “It was another superb experience and every time I feel better prepared for the future.

    “One drawback is not competing the full year but the urge to excel is even bigger in Finals when you have so many experienced racers together eyeing for the world No.1 tag. Racing with the best drivers of the world is always full of excitement and it was also a great chance for learning for me.

    Shahan during heats.

    “I’ll say, of all the Finals I have attended, this year it was different as I felt prepared right from the word `go’. The conditions were superb as the usual adjustment took time. We managed to improve every session and also set a benchmark for other Indians with best results in qualifying and heats.

    “The only downer is the two retirements, especially in the Pre-Final which hampered my chance in the Final as I was set to make it in with the points in the two Heats. Anyways, it was a full weekend and now it is all about preparing for 2020 for another year of racing.”

    “I would like to thank Mr Akbar Ebrahim and Meco Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to race in this event and thanks a lot to my team Dan Holland Racing, UK for the technical support,” Shahan concluded.

     

  • Shahan Ali Mohsin, youngest to win Sr National Karting title

    Shahan Ali Mohsin, youngest to win Sr National Karting title

    Shahan will represent India in the Grand Final at Sarno in Italy between October 19 to 26 where drivers from nearly 60 countries will participate

    Shahan Ali Mohsin displays caution with an eye on the title as the karters were forced to race on slicks as rain hits the last race of the National Championship. An INDIAinF1 image

    Bengaluru, 25 August 2019: Talented Agra racer, Shahan Ali Mohsin won the  JK Tyre fmsci Senior National Karting Championship and became the youngest to bag the senior crown as the Nationals concluded at Meco Kartopia on Satuday.

    In the fifth and final round, Shahan came third in the Pre-final race and went on to claim the second place in the Final in a wet race after the slight rain but the two podium places were enough as he went into the last round with a 12-point advantage.

    “First of all, it was a big relief to get over the line,” Shahan said sporting a smile, as ever. “Even though you have a handy lead, it is still that you need to finish the weekend. A small technical error and it can snatch away all your points. There is no doubt that I am extremely happy to become the youngest driver to win in the Senior category of the Indian National Karting championship.”

    Shahan, who also started to take part in the Formula racing this season, took part in the Round 2 of the MRF F1600 Championship at Chennai this month but had a mixed bad as he encountered rain for the first time in his single-seater career. But this week-end, he was back to his karting roots for the final round of 2019 JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Championship.

    Shahan with with the Championship Trophy in Senior Category.

    Shahan was the youngest to compete in the Senior category when he made his debut in the top category last year. The year helped him to learn the nitty-gritty at the senior level and now he is crowned as the youngest Indian National Karting champion in the Senior category. Juniors are allowed to compete in the senior category as per the guidelines set by the FIA and CIK, especially with regards to the age limit.

    It was a straightforward start to his weekend as he qualified on pole and won Heat 1 and Heat 2 but after the rains, he was cautious and the two podiums were enough for his to seal the championship.

    It was Shahan’s sixth championship win in four years. The Senior title of 2019 adds to his 2015 Indian National Cadets, 2016 Asian Cadets, 2016 Indian National Cadets, 2018 Indian National Junior, and 2018 Indian Junior X30 series.

    “It was a day of mixed weather as it started out to dry but the two races towards the end were under tricky conditions, with the finals being a crazy race where we were running on the slick tyres in wet conditions. It was all about bringing the kart home with enough points to seal the championship. A big thanks to my team MSport and JK Tyre without whom, this wasn’t possible.”

  • Agra’s Shahan, Bengaluru’s Mihir shine in opening round of Rotax Class: Karting Nationals

    Agra’s Shahan, Bengaluru’s Mihir shine in opening round of Rotax Class: Karting Nationals

    Shahan Ali Mohsin (centre) who won Senior Max Category with third-placed Manav Sharma (2nd from right) and Bala Prasath (2nd from left) who finished second. A JK Tyre photo

    Bengaluru, 9 June 2019: Agra’s Shahan Ali Mohsin and Bengaluru’s Mihir Avalakki stole the limelight in Round 1 of the Rotax Class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship at the Meco Kartopia here on Sunday.

    Shahan of MSport proved to be the star of the day in the Senior Max category, winning both his races (the pre-final and final) of the day to accumulate a total of 89 points to surge into the lead.

    Manav Sharma of Faridabad and Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath, both regulars in the LGB Formula 4 category of the JKNRC, took the second and third spot respectively.

    Peregrine Racing’s Manav finished second in both races of the day and collected 85 points while Bala of MSport finished third in his two outings to end the day with a total of 82 points.

    Local boy Mihir, who starred in the opening round of the X-30 class earlier this month, sizzled again to go atop the leader board in the Junior Max category.

    Mihir, racing for Birel Art, finished on top in both the races and picked up 89 points. He is being trailed by his team-mate Rushon, who has 83 points.

    Another Birel Art racer and Bengaluru’s own Ruhaan Alva ended the day on the third spot. He finished second in the opening race and third in the last to register 83 points and tie with Rushon but had to be content with the third spot for finishing behind his team-mate in the final race.

    In the Micro Max category, it was the young Ishaan Madhesh of Peregrine Racing who emerged on top with two wins and a total of 89 points in his kitty. Trailing in the second spot is Ranveer Singh of Birel Art with 85 points while Jagrat Detroja of Peregrine Racing is third with 82 points.

    Provisional Results (After Round 1):

    Micro Category – 1. Ishaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) 89 points; 2. Ranvir Singh (Birel Art) 85 points; 3. Jagrat Detroja (Peregrine Racing) 82 points

    Junior Category – 1. Mihir Avalakki (Birel Art) 89 points; 2. Rishon (Birel Art) 83 points; 3. Ruhaan Alva (Birel Art) 83 points

    Senior Category – 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin (MSport) 89 points; 2. Manav Sharma (Peregrine Racing) 85 points; 3. Bala Prasath (MSport) 82 points

  • Shahan raring to go as JK Tyre National Karting Championship begins in Bengaluru

    Bengaluru, 24 May 2019: Young Shahan Ali Mohsin is raring to go as the X-30 class of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Karting Championship gets under way here at the Meco Kartopia on Saturday.

    As many as 30 racers from across the country will be in action over the weekend in three different categories (Cadet, Junior and Senior) as the sports gets a new fillip at the grassroots level.

    Agra’s Shahan Ali, holder of multiple national karting championships and former Asia Max Karting champion, heads the star cast, beginning as a strong favourite in the Senior category.

    It will, however, not be a cakewalk for him as the Chennai duo of Nirmal Umashankar and Raghul Rangasamy are also in the fray. Nirmal and Raghul have already made a mark in the higher Euro JK & LGB-4 category of the JKNRC respectively and will bring all their experience into play in this opening round.

    It will be a three-way battle in the Junior category too, with Shahan featuring in this pack too, and the Bengaluru pair of Rohaan Madesh and Ruhaan Alva. All of them are champions in their own right and have the ability to come up with brilliant performances. Coimbatore’s Shravantika Lakshmi will also be another racer in this category to watch out for. The 14-year-old from Coimbatore will hope to use the opportunity to the optimum and give the boys a run for their money.

    “I am really happy to see so many top young racers lining up for this championship. The younger lot has to go through the rigours on go-karts to become top racers,”  Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsport, JK Tyre, said.

    In the Cadet category, all eyes would be on the fine young talent from Pune: Shriya Lohia. The 9-year-old has already been lauded by FMSCI in their Annual Awards as an Outstanding Woman in Indian Motorsport. She will look to live up to the expectations and will pose a tough fight to local boy Ishaan Madesh, who will start as the favourite in this category.

    The first and the second round will be held in Bengaluru while the third and the fourth will take place in Hyderabad before returning to Meco Kartopia for the final round.

  • 14-year Shahan Ali Mohsin youngest to start MRF F1600 race

    14-year Shahan Ali Mohsin youngest to start MRF F1600 race

    Shahan Ali Mohsin on the grid as he becomes the youngest to take part in MRF 1600 races at Chennai on Feb 10. Image Shahan Media.

    Chennai, 12 Feb 2019: Shahan Ali Mohsin entered in his first-ever single-seater competition this past weekend, where he became the youngest at the age of 14-years, to race in FMSCI Indian National Championship’s MRF Tyres-backed MRF F1600 race.

    With the 2019 series to start later in the year, an invitational round was held as a support event to the international MRF Challenge (F2000) series where plenty of international drivers were racing at the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) in Chennai.

    The race weekend gave Shahan a valuable insight as he made his single-seater debut.Shahan was up against some of the experienced campaigners in the Indian racing scene in the F1600, which is equivalent to Europe’s Formula Renault and Formula 4 level. The idea for the weekend was to gain experience and understand the nuances of a single-seater car.

    He started off the weekend with the two practice sessions and a qualifying. The initial running was devoted to getting used to the new machine as he went into qualifying with more knowledge and qualified ninth overall ahead of the three races.

    The Race 1 ended up on a short note when while battling with another car on Lap 2, Shahan spun out and was forced to retire, thereby having an anti-climatic end on his single-seater debut race. The Race 2 was more like it as he finished eighth in the 10 laps.

    Shahan Ali Mohsin

    He finished eighth again in Race 3 as he maintained a consistent 1m41s lap time, which was a stark improvement from the practice session. Overall, it was a fun and learning first weekend for Shahan, which wouldn’t be possible without the help of Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel.

    “It was an amazing experience in the MRF F1600 series,” says Shahan. “Not only my first time in the Formula 1600 car but also my first competitive single-seater run. I am elated with the conversion from karting to single-seater, which isn’t an easy task as you feel so-so different on the track in a single-seater car than a kart”.

    “It was a weekend of learning and I managed to adapt well with help of my coaches Armaan Ebrahim and Aditiya Patel. It took some laps to get used to the steering wheel and also the power of the car especially in the corners. My lap times got better over the weekend which was the aim and I hope to get stronger by the end of the season.”

    Following his extensive karting career where he has won five titles in all, Shahan has stepped up to single-seater racing and will compete in the full MRF F1600 championship going forward in 2019 and will also race in the Euro JK (Formula BMW) series which is backed by JK Tyre Motorsport.

    In addition, Shahan intends to race in selected kart events in India as well. With the Indian National Karting Championship only starting in June, the decision on whether to continue racing full-time in karts hasn’t been taken yet.