INDIA in F1

Tag: Tijil Rao

  • Tijil Rao wins another race to lead the table; Sarvesh, Abhishek shine on bikes

    Tijil Rao wins another race to lead the table; Sarvesh, Abhishek shine on bikes

    Coimbatore, August 27, 2023: Bengaluru teenagerRuhaan Alva of MSport signed off on a merry note winning the first race on Day 2 but compatriot Tijil Rao of Dark Don Racing had the last laugh with a fine victory in the last race as he made it a double in the in the premier LGB Formula 4 class of the 26th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, the first round of which concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.

    Tijil Rao, who shared honours with Arya Singh yesterday, won another race and made it a double to take the championship lead. In the opening race, all eyes were on the Dark Don Racing stars but it was Bengaluru’s Ruhaan who won Race 3 with a stunning overtake in the final lap. However, Tijil made a comeback with a facile win in the final Race 4 and ended Round 1 on a high leading the points table in the LGB F4 class.

    Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) dominated for most part but Ruhaan played catch up with some brilliant driving. The former was beginning to feel the pressure. There was a little bumping and jostling now and then between the two but Ruhaan kept searching for space to sneak in. He managed to find one in the final lap and crossed the line much without any further hiccups.

    Kolkata’s Arya Singh, #10, leads Dilijit TS, #44 while Ruhaan Alva, Yellow #27, waits for his time. INDIAinF1 photo

    The second was as good as the first but Tijil did one better than the rest to clinch the thriller. With the reverse grid in play, it was Saran Vikram Tmars (Mars Racing) who started off on a blitzy note staying in the lead for good five laps, however it was Ruhaan who overtook him and was primed for victory.

    Tijil Rao after Race 3 (in pic) makes a strong comeback.

    Tijil Rao at his best:

    Ruhaan failed to hold on to the lead as he spun out of the race giving the Dark Don’s racers a fresh leash of life with Diljith and Tijil battling it out for the victory. While it looked like the senior pro Diljith would close the round on a high, it was the young Tijil who showed grit and great skills to overtake in the 13th lap. It was a sight to behold as both the racers were involved in a to and fro action but eventually Tijil brought in his car ahead of others to win the race, and a double in the weekend.

    Neythan McPherson wins Novice Cup Race 3

    In the JK Tyre Novice Cup, Bengaluru’s Arjun S. Nair of Momentum Motorsports, who cracked a double on Saturday, for once could not celebrate on top of the podium in the first race as his teammate Neythan McPherson from Pune staved off a stiff challenge from him and Aman
    Nagdev (MSport) and took a good win.

    The nine-lap race saw the safety car out twice and that took some flow and shine out of the event.  Aman and Arjun finished second and third respectively.

    But in the second race, Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) came out victorious, while Arjun and McPherson wrested the next two spots.

    Good week-end for Arjun Nair

    However, it was a good week-end for Arjun Nair, who took two victories and two podiums to lead the table in the Novice class after Round 1. “The weekend results justified the countless hours spent fine-tuning our strategies, perfecting my driving, and pushing myself all the time. The competition is fierce, but I managed to raise my performance up to it. I am motivated to work hard physically and to give my best for the remainder of the championship,” said Arjun Syam Nair confidently.

    Sarvesh Balappa rules the roost

    Hubballi’s Sarvesh Balappa, starting on P2, ruled the field in the JK Tyre presents 250 Cup. Pole sitter G Abhinav (Coimbatore) brought some cheer to the home crowd clocking the fastest time of 1:25.00. He maintained a good pace but not good enough to outsmart Sarvesh at the end. Bengaluru’s Rohit ad had to be content with the third spot.

    Abhishek Vasudev at his best

    In the JK Tyre Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, it was the Bengaluru boys who stole the show with a clean sweep. Abhishek Vasudev emerged victorious with an impressive timing of 13 minutes 53.248 seconds, while his city-mates, Ullass Nanda (13:53.651) and Md Samrul Zubair (13:57.403) were the others who stood second and third on the podium respectively. 

    Provisional Results (Day 2):
    LGB Formula 4 Race 3

    1. Ruhaan Alva, MSport: 22 minutes 09.037 seconds;

    2. Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing: 22:09.084;

    3. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 22:10.131.

    Race 4

    1. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 27:51.142;

    2.Diljith TS, Dark Don: 27:51.822;

    3.Saran Vikram Tmars, Mars Racing: 28:05.523.
    Novice Cup Race 3

    1. Neythan McPherson: Momentum Motorsports; 14:28.205;

    2. Aman Nagdev; MSport: 14:28.801;

    3. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 14:29.264.

    Race 4
    1. Joel Joseph, DTS Racing: 16:20.908;

    2. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 16:21.077;

    3. Neythan McPherson, 16:21.201, Momentum Motorsports.

    Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup Race 2
    1. Abhishek Vasudev, 13:53.248;

    2. Ullass Nanda 13:53.651;

    3. Md. Samrul Zubair 13:57.403.

    JK Tyre 250 Cup

    1. Sarvesh Balappa: 15:16.3452;

    2. Abhinav G: 15:19.623;

    3.Rohit Lad: 15:27.436.

    ends

  • Arjun Nair bags a double in Novice class; Arya Singh, Tijil Rao share LGB F4 honours

    Arjun Nair bags a double in Novice class; Arya Singh, Tijil Rao share LGB F4 honours

    Coimbatore, August 26, 2023: It was a fantastic start by Dark Don Racing as their drivers Tijil Rao and Arya Singh shared a win apiece in the LGB Formula 4 class, the premier event, in the opening round of the 26th JK Tyre National Racing Championship which began at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam here on Saturday.

    Tijil started the day finishing on top of the podium in the opening race. It was not easy though for the Bengaluru youngster as his teammates Arya Singh (Kolkata) and T.S. Diljith (Thrissur) gave him a run for his money. The lead kept changing hands lap after lap and, midway through, it was all about holding one’s nerve. But Tijil, despite the pressure, kept his cool, waited for the right moment to strike, and planned his move well in the final lap to take the checkered flag in style.

    For Team Dark Don racing it did not matter as Arya and Diljith wrested the next two positions. In the second race, Arya gained sweet revenge over Tijil with a thrilling win. It was wheel-to-wheel racing between the two and, with three laps to go, it looked like anybody’s game and, with it, another clean sweep for Dark Don Racing. The arrival of the safety car made it even more exciting for the spectators but not for the top three contenders as the back markers gained a slight
    advantage.

    At this juncture, all eyes were on Arya and Tijil but the former did one better than the latter when it mattered most to finish the day on a merry note. Tijil and Viswas Vijayaraj of Ahura Racing had to rest content for the second and third spots respectively.

    Bengaluru’s Arjun Nair, representing Momentum Motorsports, started the season on a super note as well clinching a sweet double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. He clocked the fastest timing in both the races and showed all that he had the race pace to beat the best.

    R. Anand of Chennai scored over a strong field to take the prime spot on the podium in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. In an incident filled race, which had to be restarted due to a couple of accidents saw Md Samrul Zubair of Hyderabad give Anand a run for his money but Anand crossed the line with rather consummate ease.

    Jagadish in action in the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup races on Saturday. Photo by Rahul Reghu

    Results (Day 1)

    LGB Formula 4 Race 1

    1. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:171 minutes; 2. Arya singh, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:369 minutes; 3. Diljith TS, Dark Don Racing: 23:21:586 minutes

    LGB Formula 4 Race 2

    1. Arya Singh, Dark Don Racing: 22:28.087 minutes; 2. Tijil Rao, Dark Don Racing: 22:28.370 minutes; 3. Viswas Vijayaraj: Ahura Racing, 22:31.297

    Novice Cup 1

    1. Arjun S Nair Momentum Motorsports: 13:23:275 minutes; 2. Neythan McPherson, Momentum Motorsports: 13:24:517 minutes; 3. Joel Josheph, DTS Racing: 13:27:272 minutes

    Novice Cup Race 2

    1. Arjun S Nair, Momentum Motorsports: 13:41.982 minutes; 2. Saishiva Sankaran, MSport: 13:47.537 minutes; 3. Abhay M, Msport: 13:48.318 minutes

    Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup
    1. Anand R: 14:53.242 minutes; 2. MD Samrul Zubair: 14:53.806 minutes; 3. Abhishek Vasudev :14:54.196 minutes

    About JK Tyre Motorsport:

    JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.

  • Deepak Ravikumar dominates; Arjun Balu extracts a win from ‘old’ Car

    Deepak Ravikumar dominates; Arjun Balu extracts a win from ‘old’ Car

    Chennai, July 23, 2023: Chennai’s Deepak Ravikumar dominated the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2023 at the Madras International Circuit here this weekend with three wins and two podium finishes in six races as he led a Team Performance Racing sweep in both Indian Junior Touring Cars and Formula LGB 1300 categories. 

    Ravikumar, who celebrated his 36th birthday on July 20, shuttled between the two categories barely without a pause to underline his supreme fitness and adaptability to conditions that turned wet on Sunday which saw persistent light drizzle. He reserved his best for the three Touring Cars races that had a combined 17-car grid comprising three categories, the Indian Touring Cars, IJTC and Super Stock, winning two races and notching a second-place finish behind team-mate Akkineni Anand Prasad. 

    In the Formula LGB 1300 race today, Ravikumar won quite comfortably after front-runners, Viswas Vijayaraj, the 2022 champion in this category, and yesterday’s Race-2 winner Tijil Rao knocked each other out half-way through the eight-lapper when battling for the lead. 

    Deepak Ravikumar in action #25… All photos by Rahul Reghu

    Meanwhile, last year’s champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore, who won yesterday’s Race-1, completed a double in the Indian Touring Cars category with team-mate Gurunath Meiyappan winning the other race. With his regular Honda City in full ITC-trim still under preparation, he drove virtually a stock car that was anything but competitive as compared to the IJTC cars, while Thrissur’s Diljith TS (DTS Racing) won all three races in the Super Stock class without much ado.   

    Deepak with his five trophies including three for victories…

    Also achieving a triple for the weekend was experienced racer Angad Matharoo from Chennai in the MRF Saloon Car category (Toyota Ethios) without raising a sweat. 

    The results (Provisional, 10 laps except mentioned): 

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Gurunath Meiyappan (Chennai) (19mins, 53.610secs); 2. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore) (19:54.013); 3. Rithvik Thomas (Bengaluru) (19:58.313) (All Race Concepts Motorsports). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (18:25.875); 2. Rithvik Thomas (19:16.427); 3. Gurunath Meiyappan (19:40.365). 

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (19:31.198); 2. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai) (19:37.062); 3. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Chennai) (19:43.329) (All Team Performance Racing). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Akkineni Anand Prasad (17:59.606); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (18:00.195); 3. Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Performance Racing) (18:16.233). 

    Super Stock (Race-2): 1. Diljith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (21:09.014); 2. Yokeswaran (Coimbatore, Momentum Motorsports) (21:24.193); 3. Jarshan Anand (Chennai, DB Motorsports) (21:24.775). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Diljith TS (18:56.803); 2. Justin Singh (Delhi, Redline Racing) (19:17.529); 3. Yokeswaran (19:26.035). 

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-3, 8 laps): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Ahura Racing) (15:26.665); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai, MSport) (15:27.719); 3. Aman Nagdev (Noida, MSport) (15:29.919). 

    MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) (Race-2): 1. Angad Matharoo (Chennai) (23:07.072); 2. Anirudha Arvind (Chennai) (23:44.035); 3. Jaiprashant Venkat (Coimbatore) (23:45.017) (All Redline Racing). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Angad Matharoo (19:36.048); 2. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai) (19:43.684); 3. Jaiprashant Venkat (19:45.769). 

  • Tijil Rao stuns field to win Formula LGB 1300 Race 2; Arjun Balu begins with a win

    Tijil Rao stuns field to win Formula LGB 1300 Race 2; Arjun Balu begins with a win

    Chennai, July 22, 2023: Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) came up with a stunning drive to win Race-2 in the Formula LGB 1300 category after starting from P14 on the opening day of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2023 Round 1 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday. 

    Rao, 20, a Business Management student, made up for a retirement in Race-1 that Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai, MSport) won earlier in the day after coming into contact with another competitor. Starting form P14 on the reverse grid, Tijil scythed through the field for a tremendous victory. 

    “Unfortunately, I was involved in an incident in the first race and so, had to make up for that in the next race. It was fun as I managed to overtake all the 13 cars in front of me and win. I should have more such performances,” said Tijil after finishing ahead of Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Ahura Racing) and last year’s champion Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) who started from P11 on the reverse grid.  

    The day’s other winners were Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category, Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) in the Indian Touring Cars class, Thrissur’s Diljith TS (DTS Racing) in the Super Stock segment, and Angad Matharoo (Chennai, Redline Racing) who authored a lights-to-flag win in the MRF Saloons (Toyota Ethios) race. 

    While Tijil and Raghul scored good wins, much of the attention was in the Touring Cars race. Driving an under-powered stock car since his regular Honda City in ITC-trim was not ready for the race weekend, Balu quickly dropped to fourth overall after starting from pole position in the combined grid. Showing good pace, Ravikumar did not take long to get a jump on Balu early in the eight-lap race. So did two others, Akkineni Anand Prasad and Srinivas Teja. The three front-runners, taking part in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category, went on to deliver a podium sweep for Team Performance Racing with Ravikumar finishing well ahead of Prasad and Teja. 

    Behind the foursome, there were close battles up and down the grid. Balu’s team-mates Gurunath Meiyappan and Diana Pundole were locked in a tight tussle before the former finished second ahead of the Pune driver in the ITC category. 

    Further back, Dilijth claimed the honours in the Super Stock category ahead of local challenger Jarshan Anand (DB Motorsports) and Delhi’s Justin Singh (Redline Racing). 

    In the first Formula LGB 1300 race, pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj and Deepak Ravikumar forged ahead after the initial jostle through first of the eight laps. Viswas was harried by Ravikumar through much of the six laps, including a brief Safety Car period until the two made contact in the closing stages. Ravikumar dropped to ninth where he finished while Raghul passed Viswas who was nursing a damaged camber strut following the incident, to take the lead and eventually win the race. Finishing third behind Viswas was Bengaluru’s Chetan Surineni (MSport) who had started from P6. 

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

    Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore) (15mins, 45.687sec); 2. Gurunath Meiyappan (Chennai) (16:03.174); 3. Diana Pundole (Pune) (16:04.053). All three from Race Concepts. 

    Qualifying (best lap – top 3): 1. Arjun Balu (01:56.126); 2. Rithvik Thomas (01:56.154); 3. Gurunath Meiyappan (01:57.086). 

    Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai) (15:37.461); 2. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai) (15:37.923); 3. Srinivas Teja (Chennai) (15:38.747). All three from Performance Racing. 

    Qualifying (best lap – top 3): 1. Deepak Ravikumar (01:55.197); 2. Srinivas Teja (01:55.341); 3. Akkineni Anand Prasad (01:56.670). 

    Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Dilijith TS (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (16:51.283); 2. Jarshan Anand (Chennai, DB Motorsports) (17:03.385); 3. Justin Singh (Delhi, Redline Racing) (17:08.050). 

    Qualifying (best lap – top 3): 1. Diljith TS (02:04.728); 2. Jarshan Anand (02:05.110); 3. Justin Singh (02:06.132). 

    Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai, MSport) (16:36.969); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (16:39.114); 3.  Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru, MSport) (16:40.603). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Momentum Motorsports) (19:18.886); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Ahura Racing) (19:31.153); 3. Viswas Vijayaraj (19:31.557). 

    Qualifying (best lap – top 3): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (01:52.719); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Ahura Racing) (01:52.809); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (01:53.060). 

    MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) (Race-1): 1. Angad Matharoo (Chennai) (16:38.754); 2. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai) (16:39.058); 3. Jaiprashant Venkat (Coimbatore) (16:47.584). All three from Redline Racing. 

    Qualifying (best lap – top 3): 1. Angad Matharoo (02:03.052); 2. Diana Pundole (Pune, Redline Racing) (02:03.076); 3. Zahan Commissariat (02:03.458). 

  • Ruhaan continues to dominate with a Rookie-double

    Ruhaan continues to dominate with a Rookie-double

    Coimbatore, 21 Nov 2021: Ruhaan Alva of Bengaluru continued to dominate his class as the MSport athlete became the most-successful driver of the day with a brilliant double while Dark Don racers TS Diljith and Tijil Rao shared a race win each in the LGB Formula 4 class in Round 2 of the 24th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship that concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.

    The Rookie, who impressed with his driving style, started on pole and went on to win the race to add to the crown he won on Saturday.

    Meanwhile, in the feature event, the Dark Don Racing boys who did not enjoy a great Saturday bounced back strongly to wrest the top three slots on the podium in both the LGB Formula 4 races. The premier event of the championship not only brought the best out of the drivers but also found new winners.

    It was Amir Sayed of Ahura Racing who notched up his maiden win on Saturday but today,TS Diljith clinched the prime spot in Race 2 of Round 2, the first LGB race on Sunday. It wasn’t an easy affair for the ever-energetic star from Thrissur as the championship leader Vishnu Prasad was right behind for most part of the race.

    Even as Vishnu was trying hard to pass, the Dark Don stars Tijil Rao, Sandeep Kumar and Arya Singh were pressing the pedal hard. That put the pressure on Vishnu, who swiftly switched to the safety mode. He left Diljith alone and concentrated on defending his position. It failed miserably towards the end as Tijil and Sandeep made the most of it to finish second and third respectively.

    Tijil Rao did one better in the second race finishing ahead of his teammates Sandeep and Ashwin Datta.

    Ruhaan Alva (MSport) completed yet another grand double in the JK Tyre Novice Cup. There’s none to beat the 15-year-old this season. Jaden Pariat (MSport) from Guwahati seems to get better with every race and quite deservedly finished second in both races.

    Anish Damodara Shetty (Hubli) did likewise finishing right on top in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. But a 30-second penalty for overtaking under the yellow put paid his hopes of completing a grand double. Thrissur boys Anfal Akdhar and Allwin Xavier, who finished second and third were elevated to the first and second position respectively, while Coimbatore’s Raj Kumar moved one up as well to finish third.

    Provisional Results: JK Tyre Formula LGB4:

    Race 2:

    1. T.S. Diljith (Dark Don Racing) 23:10.852

    2. Tijil Rao (Dark Don) 23:18.310

    3. A. Sandeep Kumar (Dark Don) 23:18.521

    Race 3:

    1. Tijil Rao 21:34.441

    2. Sandeep Kumar 21:36.264

    3. Ashwin Datta (Dark Don) 21:36.452

    Novice Cup:

    Race 2:

    1. Ruhaan Alva (MSport) 13:22.885

    2. Jaden R. Pariat (MSport) 13:23.794

    3. Joel Joseph (DTS Racing) 13:42.994

    Race 3:

    1. Ruhaan Alva 21:08.051

    2. Jaden  R Pariat 21:12.389

    3. Gaurav Kochar 21:12.949

    Race 2:

    1. Anfal Akdhar (Thrissur) 5:53.042; 2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur) 5:53.387; 3.

    Raj Kumar (Coimbatore) 5:55.744.

    Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup:

    Race 2:

    1. Anfal Akdhar (Thrissur) 5:53.042

    2. Allwin Xavier (Thrissur) 5:53.387

    3. Raj Kumar (Coimbatore) 5:55.744

  • 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.