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  • India hopeful of MotoGP on schedule
  • FMSCI honours National Champions of 2022 season
  • Special awards for Pragathi Gowda, Shriya Lohia

Chennai, April 11: After successful conduct of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship earlier this year in Hyderabad, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India is hopeful that the FIM MotoGP World Championship will be held as scheduled at the Buddh International Circuit in September.

Delivering the keynote address during the Annual Awards function of the FMSCI, here on Tuesday, when it honoured 118 National champions of the 2022 season across various formats of the sport, president Akbar Ebrahim said: “Last year, we had announced that MotoGP will be coming to India and I am informed by the Indian promoters and FIM that work is in progress, and all are hopeful that event will be held as planned.”

The FMSCI, besides felicitating the 2022 season National champions, presented special awards to Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda who won the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific final round in Chennai, and Shriya Lohia (Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh) who represented India and finished fifth overall at the FIA Girls On Track event in Paris, France.

Ebrahim, recounting various milestones of the FMSCI which is celebrating its Golden Jubilee, revealed that Hyderabad produced India’s first FIA Grade 2 and FIA Formula E street Circuit.

He also announced plans to promote the sport at grassroots level. “We want to take the sport to the masses. We will also be conducting training programmes for Stewards and Marshals to ensure events are run adhering to all safety requirements. Only the accredited officials will supervise all motorsport events in India. At the moment, there are 2,500 FMSCI license holders and we would like to increase the number to 20,000.”

“It is the 50th year of the FMSCI and we owe it to the five founders. We overcame all the challenges because of the passion and dedication of all stakeholders involved in the sport. The FIA and FIM now take India seriously and our country is spoken of highly in various international forums.”

Ebrahim congratulated MRF Tyres for winning the prestigious European Rally Championship (ERC) title. “Indian drivers are now participating in various international events from Karting to Rallying to racing and fighting for podium positions,” he concluded.

The FMSCI Council Members, various Commission heads, promoters and sponsors were also present at the function.

About the FMSCI

The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) was founded in the year 1971 and was registered as a Private Limited Non-Profit Company in 1973. It became affiliated to Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in 1979 and to the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) in 1986. Fifteen years after its inception, the FMSCI was recognised by the Government of India as the sole authority to control and conduct Motor Sport events in India. It is also recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). The FMSCI is the affiliated National Sporting Authority (ASN) of the International federations for 4-wheeler and National Motorcycle Federations (FMN) of the 2-wheeler motorsports viz. the FIA, headquartered at Paris, and the FIM, headquartered at Switzerland. It is also a part of the FIA Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK or CIK-FIA) which is the primary international sanctioning body for Karting. The FMSCI has a wide, pan-India base of affiliated member clubs totalling 48 currently.

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FMSCI announces stimulus package for Indian Motorsports

Chennai, 19th May 2020 :  The Covid-19 Pandemic has disrupted the sporting activities worldwide including motor sports.

The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the National Sports Federation, responsible for the governance and promotion of motorsports in India, has announced a package for the year 2020 to stimulate the Indian motorsporting activity.

To give impetus and to encourage the resumption of grass root motorsporting activities as well as National Championships, the FMSCI Council has announced a spate of initiatives as under:

  • Free renewal of National level Competition Licences applied for in 2020 for the year 2021, if these licence holders do not take part in any event in 2020.
  • 100% waiver of the Permit Fees for organisers of all status of events, if no sponsor/s associated with the event. 50% of permit fees will be charged otherwise.
  • 100% waiver of the Naming Rights fees for events, if no sponsor/s associated with the event. 50% naming rights fees will be charged otherwise.
  • One year extension for the existing Promoters of various National Championship events irrespective of whether the National Championship is conducted in 2020 or not
  • Local Stewards will be appointed to ease the burden of travel and hospitality costs for the organizers.
The FMSCI sincerely hopes that with these initiatives, the motorsports in India will resume as soon as the lock down is lifted for sports activities. The Government has already announced that stadiums can be opened but with no spectators, though a clarity is needed if sports can be conducted without spectators or not.

Maini maintained a significant advantage over its LMP2 Am rivals in free practice to go into qualification as the favourite for pole position.

Superlative race performances from India’s JK Racing backed Arjun Maini, Canada’s John Farano and New Zealand’s Andy Higgins assured RLR MSport of the LMP2 Am Trophy victory in the season-opening four hours of Shanghai that places the British team at the head of the fight for an automatic entry to the 88th 24 hours of Le Mans in June 2020.

Arjun Maini of RLR MSport topped the charts in private testing and maintained a significant advantage over its LMP2 Am rivals in free practice to go into qualification as the favourite for pole position. However, a string of track limit infringements prompted stewards to delete the team’s best qualification times, and a 1m57.841s, set by Maini on a cautious banker lap, resigned the squad to second in class. From the front row of the LMP2 Am grid, Maini made a clean start and quickly relieved the #4 ARC Bratislava entry of the lead.

The young Indian racer made good on his escape, consistently lapping between two and four seconds quicker than his nearest rival to build a massive advantage and break ranks by getting in among the LMP2 Pro runners. Having risen to third place overall during an extraordinary 50-minute stint, Maini gave way to Farano in the first round of scheduled stops.

Maini said:

"I’m quite happy with the result and my performance, although the victory came harder than expected. We were unlucky with the timing of the first Full Course Yellow, but I was actually disappointed that ARC Bratislava retired – I wanted to pass them on-track because we were in a strong position to do so with our pace and strategy. However, it was a good fight, Andy (Higgins) did a great job in his maiden LMP2 race and John (Farano) performed brilliantly in his first competitive outing with the ORECA 05, and it’s comforting to know that we can make more progress with the car next time out in Australia."

The Canadian Am managed the race well and breached the 2m05s barrier during a fault-free stint to keep RLR MSport at the top, but the team’s 40-second lead turned into a 40-second deficit after the second round of driver-changes.

RLR MSport switched Farano for Higgins under green-flag conditions shortly before a protracted Full Course Yellow-Safety Car period, which presented ARC Bratislava with an opportunity to minimise its time in the pits and take the lead.

In an attempt to recover the lost ground, RLR MSport reinstalled Maini and fitted the #59 ORECA 05 with fresh tyres, only for the #4 car to grind to a halt with one hour remaining. From there, the team had a clear run at the top step of the podium. Maini and Higgins drove consistently during outstanding stints to finish seventh overall and take a dominant LMP2 Am victory on RLR MSport’s maiden outing in the burgeoning Asian Le Mans Series.

Memorable feat: Narain Karthikeyan produced a brilliant drive to claim an emphatic victory.

India’s first Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan produced a brilliant drive in challenging conditions to claim an emphatic victory in the SUPER GT x DTM Dream Race here on Sunday, marking a successful end to his maiden season in Sports car racing.

Driving the Nakajima Racing Honda NSX-GT against an established field of 21 drivers, Karthikeyan shone in both dry and wet conditions to achieve a memorable feat in front of a packed Japanese crowd at the Fuji Speedway.

The 42-year-old was hamstrung by three separate safety car interventions, but he perfected the restart on each occasion to secure a stunning victory.

Karthikeyan had been lightning fast from the get go, topping a Hankook tyre test for SUPER GT cars in tricky wet weather conditions on Friday, to set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Despite little dry running on the unfamiliar Hankook tyres, Karthikeyan proved to be just as quick as he was in the wet, tucking behind the polesitter and Audi driver Loic Duval on the opening lap of the race.

At the start of the next tour, he slipstreamed past the former SUPER GT champion around the outside of turn 1, taking the lead, which he would never effectively concede for the remainder of the hour-long race.

Karthikeyan’s early advantage was wiped out when a safety car had to be called in to recover debris from the track. On the Indystyle restart, he kept his composure, comfortably leaving the rest of the pack behind heading into turn 1.

After completing his sole pitstop of the race, Karthikeyan came out in third place, behind the yet-to stop cars of Benoit Treluyer and Alex Zanardi.

Karthikeyan cleared Zanardi after mastering the second safety car restart and assumed the race léad again when Treluyer pitted the next lap for his mandatory stop.

With those two cars behind, Karthikeyan should have had an easy run to the chequered flag, but he hit another stumbling block when a third caution period was deployed to clear the mayhem caused by two separate collisions, including a multi-Lexus crash at the Dunlop chicane. Karthikeyan was able to deploy all his experience once again perfecting the restart to win the historic second race between Japan's Super GT and the European DTM Series.

Ex-F1 racer Narain Karthikeyan won the second Super GT x DTM Dream Race at Fuji Speedway on Sunday after Nick Cassidy took the honours on Saturday.

The non-competition Super GT x DTM Dream Race weekend got off to a sound start on Saturday with a win for the Japanese series’ Team KeePer Tom’s’ Cassidy in the Lexus GT500 car, while Sunday had Nakajima Racing’s Karthikeyan doing it in the Honda.

Cassidy held on the advantage after pole-sitter Loic Duval from DTM’s Audi outfit crashed out in the sighting lap in mixed conditions. The Kiwi survived multiple safety car re-starts and a late charge from Real Racing Honda’s Koudai Tsukakoshi to win by 0.433s margin.

The podium was rounded out by Team Kunimitsu Honda’s Naoki Yamamoto as the lead DTM car slotted in sixth, that of Audi’s Benoit Treluyer. All the cars – from both the series – ran the Hankook tyres as opposed to Bridgestone, Dunlop or Michelin used in Super GT.

After the wet weather conditions on Saturday, it was the same on Sunday which provided a crazy end to a dream weekend with Karthikeyan claiming his first Super GT victory – albeit in a non-scoring event – and his first since the 2013 Auto GP series.

The Indian led the way mostly and survived safety car re-starts like Cassidy en-route the win. It looked like the win was to slip away when DTM’s Audi’s Treluyer got his strategy absolutely correct by stopping under the first safety car period.

But a second period helped everyone on the other strategy to pit as Karthikeyan retook his lead and saw through as the DTM pair fought for second with BMW’s Marco Wittmann managing to beat Audi’s Duval by just 0.890s in the Top 3.

It was a much better showing from the DTM cars in Race 2 with as many as six finishing inside the Top 10 as opposed to just the two in Race 1. The second race, though, had more retirements on the Super GT side with six not making it to the finish line.

• Six gold medals split between as many National Sporting Authorities • Closing ceremony concludes three intense days of competition Russia has emerged as the overall winner of the first ever FIA Motorsport Games held at the Vallelunga Circuit (1-3 November). Klim Gavrilov’s Touring Car Cup gold followed two bronze medals: in the Karting Slalom Cup courtesy of Olesia Vashchuk and Vladislav Bushuev’s and Ilia Fedorov’s third place in the Drifting Cup. Together they helped Russia climb the medal table and celebrate overall triumph in this new, multidisciplinary motorsport event. Australia and hosts Italy finished joint second with a gold and bronze medal apiece, while third was shared between the Netherlands, Ukraine and Japan, who all won a single gold. All medallists were recognised during this evening’s closing ceremony at held at the Congress Centre Vallelunga where the first-ever edition of the event officially drew to a close. Victor Kiryanov, President of the Russian Automobile Federation, commented: “I am very proud of my drivers and those who have helped the team to win this weekend. I am also proud of the Russian Federation and their support, without which this victory would not have been possible. I would like to thank FIA President, Jean Todt, for creating this kind of competition, which did not exist before. And I must also congratulate the Italian Federation, ACI, for being the first to stage the FIA Motorsport Games. It has been a great event.”  

GT CUP:  Gold - Japan | Silver - Poland | Bronze - Australia

Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Ukyo Sasahara of Japan took GT Cup gold by triumphing in a rain-affected medal showdown. Hamaguchi started from third on the grid but had soon moved into the lead and handed over to Sasahara with a sizeable advantage. Heavy rain led to much of the one-hour race's second half being run behind the Safety Car, though Sasahara looked untroubled during the green flag periods. Poland collected the silver medal after starting from the front of the grid, rewarding Andrzej Lewandowski and Artur Janosz for a consistent weekend, while Australia took bronze thanks to a measured drive from father-son duo Stephen and Brenton Grove.  

TOURING CAR CUP: Gold - Russia | Silver - Belgium | Bronze - Slovakia

Klim Gavrilov clinched gold in the Touring Car Cup, where medals were awarded based on aggregated results from two races. The Team Russia Audi drivers secured gold after a victory in Saturday’s Race 1 and second place Race 2 held on Sunday. Third place in Race 1 and a victory in Race 2 allowed Belgian racer Gilles Magnus to snatch silver. Bronze went to Mato Homola, who started off with a second place but then came fifth in Race 2.  

FORMULA 4 CUP: Gold - Italy | Silver - Germany | Bronze - Finland

Andrea Rosso claimed victory in the Formula 4 Cup’s Main Race to seal Italy’s only gold of this inaugural FIA Motorsport Games. Germany’s Niklas Kruetten and Finland’s William Alatalo completed the podium when a late-race Safety Car period dashed the hopes of long-time leader Ido Cohen. The Israeli started from pole and controlled the first half of the 27-minute encounter, which began in damp but drying conditions, but lost the lead to Rosso with just five minutes remaining. He would lose further ground after the subsequent Safety Car period when Kruetten and Alatalo made decisive moves in quick succession.  

DRIFTING CUP:  Gold - Ukraine | Silver - Czech Rep | Bronze - Russia

Dmitriy Illyuk of Ukraine secured the country’s only medal of the event by clinching victory in last night’s Drifting Cup contest. Driving a Nissan 200SX, Illyuk defeated Michal Reichert (BMW M3 E92) in the final battle to ensure his nation took the spoils at Vallelunga. Russia left with the bronze medal thanks to Ilia Fedorov (Nissan Silvia S14), who beat Federico Sceriffo (Toyota GT 86) after the Italian made contact with his rival and sent him into the gravel just moments into their battle. The Top 16 contest played out under the floodlights at Vallelunga and culminated in the event's first podium ceremony taking place following three hours of competition.  

KARTING SLALOM CUP:  Gold - Netherlands | Silver - Belgium | Bronze - Russia

Nina Pothof and Bastiaan van Loenen clinched Karting Slalom Cup gold at the FIA Motorsport Games by seeing off regional rivals Belgium in a closely fought final contest. The medal hopefuls were whittled down to eight nations on Saturday, with just three rounds remaining on Sunday to decide which young duo would leave Vallelunga with the gold. And it was the Netherlands who prevailed during a close-run contest in which consistency trumped outright speed. Antoine Morlet, who shared Belgium’s entry with Manon Degotte, was the star performer during the first runs thanks to a blistering best of 48.929s. The Dutch were close on both, however, and with Pothof and Van Loenen producing consistent efforts it was they who emerged victorious. The winning margin was a mere 3.925s, but it was enough to give the Dutch gold. Olesia Vashchuk and Vladislav Bushuev added to Russia’s medal tally by beating Portugal in the bronze match-up.  

DIGITAL CUP:  Gold - Australia | Silver - Costa Rica | Bronze - Italy

Cody Nikola Latkovski has won the first-ever Digital Cup gold medal after defeating 11 other world-class drivers in the final played at a virtual Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last evening. The Australian beat fellow FIA-certified Gran Turismo World Championship regular Bernal Valverde, who claimed silver for Costa Rica, while local ace Stefano Conte bagged bronze for the host nation, Italy.  

FINAL MEDAL STANDINGS

For all the news from the inaugural edition of the FIA Motorsport Games visit fiamotorsportgames.com  

FMSCI Nominates Drivers for the FIA Karting Slalom and F4 Cup being part of the events being held under the FIA Motorsports Games at Rome, Italy between 31st Oct and 3rd November. Ms. Shravanthika Lakshmi & Mast. Suriya Varathan will take part in the Karting Slalom Competition and Mr. Kush Maini is the driver in the F4 Cup. FMSCI wishes its team all the very best at the FIA Motorsports Games.

Dare to be Different- An exclusive & experiential platform for your daughter aged between 8 to 12 years, to know & learn the fundamentals of motorsports for a day.

Part of main event-GIRLS ON TRACK, Dare To be Different is a platform to raise awareness and shine a spotlight on the industry of motorsports at grassroots level. Come experience the true joy of Motorsports!

Age: 8 - 12 years Venue: Meco Kartopia, Bengaluru Date: 7th - 8th September, 2019 Limited Entries, Register Now! For more details visit: www.mecomotorsports.co.in/got/ GirlsOnTrack #DareToBeDifferent

AT long last, Gaurav Gill has his Arjuna. It took a bit of time - Gaurav was nominated three times before but was sidelined repeatedly. But the ace rallyist - the only Indian to win the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) - was finally selected for the prestigious awardby a twelve-member selection committee this year.

Gaurav is over the moon and maintains that he took past rejections in his stride. “Obviously as a sportsperson, you are disappointed when you don’t get it, but getting an Arjuna is not your aim,” he said. “As a sportsperson, you have to learn to manage the ups and downs. I respect the commit - tee’s decision and I'm honoured that they think Tm worthy of it this year.”

It’s a momentous achievement for Gaurav, for no other athlete in motorsports has ever been shortlisted for an Arjuna before. To be fair, no one other athlete in the sport has arguably come up with the kind of resume that the 37-year-old has amassed over the years. A Sixtime national champion, Gaurav has won the APRC thrice - in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

But it’s an even bigger moment for motorsports in general. A discipline that has always faced a battle to be recognised as a legitimate sport, motorsports has gone from not having its governing body recognised as a National Sports Federation four years ago, to having its very own Arjuna awardee. “No one from motorsports has ever won an Gaurav Gill, India rallyist A lot of things will change for the sport now.

Youngsters are going to look at this and think | can do this one day. Hopefully, there will bean improvement terms of sponsorship as well. Arjuna before and it’s huge for the sport,” said Gaurav.“A lot of things will change for the sport now. Youngsters are going to look at this and think I can do this one day. Hopefully, there will be an improvement in terms of sponsorship as well.” Gaurav’s honour is a win for rallying as well, a discipline that has long languished as the unglamourous cousin to singleseater racing. Most kids getting into motorsports do so dreaming of racing in Formula One one day. Gaurav doesn’t Know if his award will contribute to changing that perception, but he does hope more and more people will get into rallying now.

“Rallying is more difficult than single-seaters,” he said. “Obviously the latter is more popular because of the format — it’s an arena sport. Rallying though is like a cross-country or a triathlon, it tests your endurance levels like anything. But yea, now a lot more people will be looking at rallying and there will be more opportunities there.” Gaurav won't be celebrating this award for long, for there are bigger things on the horizon. The first of these is a foray into World Rally Championships (WRC) in the Rally of Turkey in September. Then there are all the preparations for next year, when he’ll contest a full season in WRC. As someone who dominated the APRC like he did, a regular drive in the WRC should have come a lot sooner in his career. But then, Gaurav is used to waiting for good things to happen.

Saathvik Raju took part in Autoinc Rotax Max Challenge Asia 2019. He finished 2nd in the 3rd round of the championship held on 16th June 2019 at Sepang International karting circuit, Malaysia.

A challenging 33rd position qualifying out of 51 drivers although his lap time was only 0.4s off the fastest time in the FIA-CIK Academy trophy 2019.

Amazing drive in heat 1, on a wet track and dry tires Rishon advanced to 6th position until a late race mistake caused a spin. In Heat 2, in heavy rain and wet tires, Rishon finished an incredible 4th place, a 5-second penalty after race moved him to 6th place.

The top 34 drivers advanced to the finals and Rishon started 27th on the grid. He moved aggressively from 27th to 19th place. However, he was rear-ended by breaking by another driver.

It was an unfortunate end to a great performance in round 1.We wish him all the luck for round 2 in Sarno, Italy from June 14-16

27 years since he first donned a race helmet, Narain Karthikeyan continues to blaze a trail. We take a look back at the life and times of the fastest Indian race car driver. Read Full Article >>
- YOHANN J SETNA

Qualifying 

Qualifying was closer than ever at Brands Hatch. I made it into Super-pole (equivalent of Q3 in Formula 1) for the first time, for the top 12 shootout. I put in a lap that placed me 8th on the grid for Race 1. I was not entirely pleased with the lap as I believe I could have got a better exit out of the last corner but then again, we can do a lot of things better in hindsight!

Race 1 (30 Laps) 2nd 

Euro NASCAR uses the rolling start procedure. I started in row 4 on the outside line. A missed gear shift at the start dropped me down to 10th into the first corner. I managed to gain a position back and then 2 more after a spin in front of me. A few laps later, another incident brought out the safety car, allowing the field to bunch up and giving me a renewed chance to fight at the front.

I was pushing hard, giving it 100% and made my way upto 3rd, finishing just 0.7 seconds behind British driver, Scott Jeffs. I had the pace and needed just one more lap to pass him but ran out of laps. However, due to another incident earlier in the race, Scott was given a time penalty, thus promoting me to 2nd! The podium ceremony was grand as always and the champagne tasted sweet!

Race 2 (30 laps) 3rd 

The series rules state that the best lap times from Race 1 dictate the starting order for Race 2. I managed to put in the 6th fastest time in Race 1 (the top 8 were separated by a few tenths of a second). This was arguably one of the most exciting races the series has ever witnessed. The tyres were very worn out as we have to use them in Qualifying, Race 1 & Race 2. A feisty but clean battle for positions 2 - 6 in the first 18 odd laps allowed the leader to run away into the distance, with the 5 of us going hammer and tongs. An incident brought about the safety car and the pack were bunched together for the last 7 laps. It was a free for all as to who would win! I got a fantastic start and managed to get upto 4th on the restart but a mistake on the next lap saw me drop down to 6th where I ended up finishing. 24 hours later i'm still unhappy with my mistake but that's Motorsport, we live and learn!

Championship Standing

The Elite 2 category has the strongest field the Championship has ever seen. Drivers on the grid have competed in Le Mans, GP3, World Series 3.5, LMP3, NASCAR USA, Blancpain GT Series and so much more! With my relative inexperience in comparison, i'm currently sitting 3rd in the overall Championship standings, a feat that i'm proud of. A lot of hard work and effort has gone into getting behind the wheel and I'm going to fight for this Championship.

Next race

The next round of the Championship takes place at the Autodrom Most, in the Czech Republic. I'm currently 3rd overall and in the Championship and in an excellent position to fight for the title. Motorsport is driven by sponsorship and I'm currently looking for a sponsor. If you are looking to sponsor or know someone who is, do get in touch.

The dream continues!

2019 Calendar 
  • April 13 - 14 : Valencia -Spain
  • May 11 - 12 : Franciacorta, Italy
  • June 1 - 2 : Brands Hatch - UK
  • June 22 - 23 : Most - Czech Republic
  • July 13 - 14 : Venray - Holland
  • Sep 21 - 22 : Hockenheim - Germany
  • Oct 5 - 6 : Zolder - Belgium

Download in PDF

Barcelona (Spain), May 12: India’s Jehan Daruvala did his country proud by winning Race 2 in the first round of the all-new FIA Formula 3 Championship, here today in front of a huge F1 audience. The Indian National Anthem rung out at the Spanish F1 Grand Prix event thanks to the F3 races being one of the support events to F1.

Daruvala, 20, the only Indian on the 30-car grid, finished seventh in Race 1 of the double-header on Saturday, after having qualified fourth, and won Race 2, that saw two Safety Car periods, by a comfortable 2.1 seconds.

Jehan Daruvala (centre) with the winner's trophy

Starting Race 2 from second on the reverse grid, Daruvala (Prema Racing) was able to grab the lead from pole-sitter Niko Kari into the run down to the first corner. With an accident involving four cars at the back of the grid, the Safety Car was deployed on lap one. At the restart, Daruvala had to defend hard to keep the lead from Kari and over the next two laps, he quickly opened up a gap of over 1.5 seconds so as to prevent Kari from deploying DRS (Drag Reduction System).

The Safety Car was deployed a second time negating the advantage of the two-second gap which Daruvala had built up.  During the restart, the Indian was much better prepared and was able to open up a gap of over 1.5 seconds in less than two laps. He thereafter controlled the race well and also bagged the fastest lap of the race and he cruised to take the chequered flag 2.121 seconds ahead of Estonian racer Juri Vips.

 

“During the race, I was, let's say, in control, except for the first restart when I didn't surprise the guy behind, enough, so I had to defend. After that, I was just managing the pace. I have to thank everyone at Prema Racing for giving me a fantastic car. I did not overdrive it, although if I needed more I could have pushed in the final couple of laps,” said Daruvala, the former multiple International Karting Champion.

Daruvala’s next race will be on June 21-23, along with the French Grand Prix.

The all new FIA F3 Championship was created by merging the erstwhile GP3 Championship and FIA F3 European Championship, resulting in an ultra-competitive 30-car grid. The championship will be the perfect training ground for the world’s best upcoming talents, to race at F1 events and the opportunity to prove themselves to all the F1 teams.

 

About Jehan Daruvala 

Jehan Daruvala, 20, began his racing career in Karting at the age of 10. Since then, he has won the Indian National Karting Championship, the Malaysian Junior Yamaha Karting Championship, the FIA CIK Asia Pacific KF3 Championship and the British Superone National Karting Championship. Jehan remains the only Indian on the podium of any FIA World Championship, when he was second runner-up of the FIA CIK World Karting Championship. Jehan also remains the only Indian to win a Grand Prix, when he won the New Zealand Grand Prix and later went on to become the only Indian to win a race in the erstwhile FIA F3 European Championship, which used slower cars. Earlier this year, Jehan was selected by Prema Racing, one of the World’s most successful Junior Racing teams’ to drive for them in this year’s new, FIA F3 Championship.    

Magehalli Rishon Rajeev, the 13-year-old from Bangalore has been selected to represent India in the CIK FIA Academy trophy 2019 in Wackersdorf Germany on May 5th (Round 1). Rishon is all geared up and is ready to take up this challenge. we wish him all the luck and hope our Bangalore boy makes India proud.

Rishon started his racing career in 2017 and right off the mark in his Debutant year, he has won the Best Newcomer award and in the same year, has also won the overall 2nd runner up in the Rotax Go-karting national championship 2017. Rishon moved on to the Rotax Junior max category in Go-kart in 2018 and has won many accolades, two 3rd places and a 2nd place to his credit out of the five rounds in the Go-karting national championship 2018. He has also taken part in the Italian championship 2018 in Italy and 5th place was his best race result in the championship and he stood 9th place in the overall Italian championship 2019.

Sneha Sharma took 2nd overall in the Ladies Cup of the Proton Saga Advanced category in the MSF series, round 1 held in Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia.

Sneha, aged 27, was the only Indian driver in the championship, drove a Proton Saga for Team DV Motorsport in a grid of 70 cars divided into 4 categories - Pro, Advanced, Intermediate and Casual.

Sneha clocked a best time o  2.57.4 and was classified for the Advanced category which is an achievement by itself and crossed the line 1st in Race 1 and 2nd in Race 2 for the Ladies Cup Championship (overall 2nd) and 6th in the overall Advanced category.

“It was my first international win it felt great to be able to compete and stand on the podium. More important than the win, driving the races back to back, the wheel to wheel action until the chequered flag dropped was fun too. I over took 2 cars just before the finish line. So i am looking forward to a lot more racing abroad” commented Sneha Sharma.

“It is a fun car but requires a lot of skill to drive, we also had some gear box issues with the car but the team (DV Motorsport) did a wonderful job to help us get 1 and 2 in both races” she added.

The next round of MSF series is schedule to happen on the 14th of April 2017, and she is looking forward to be there.

 IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team wins HIGHEST EVER 7 points in single race in inaugural race of 2019 ARRC season
  • Honda’s Indian duo of Rajiv & Senthil overtake 3 riders each to finish in Top 14 in AP250 Race 1
  • Rajiv Sethu records new BEST FINISH BY INDIAN RIDER in ARRC, wins 5 points with 11th finish
  • Senthil Kumar becomes the FIRST Indian rookie and YOUNGEST Indian rider to win points in maiden ARRC race with strong top 14 finish
 
Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), 9 March 2019: After the solid practice yesterday where Rajiv closed at ever highest position of 7th and the 18-year old rookie Senthil too zoomed to 17th position in the AP250 class, the solo Indian team IDEMITSU Honda Racing India today celebrated its best ever performance in FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC).
 
Today’s race made India proud and recorded many firsts. It is the first time that both riders of India’s solo team scored points at Asia’s toughest road race championship in same race.
 
Rajiv recorded the best ever finish by Indian rider in AP250 class of ARRC at 11thspot (earlier highest 13th). The teen rider Senthil too showed the power of Young India and became the first Indian rookie to win 2 points with 14th finish in his debut ARRC race itself! With this, Honda’s Indian team has made its best ever season start with tally of 7 points in the first race itself. 
 
Sharing an overview on the solo Indian team’s performance today, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice President – Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “2019 is the year when Indian motorsport is coming of age. Technically, our CBR250RR bikes are tweaked to be more competitive with improved cowl giving added advantage to our boys. Additionally, our boys have the strength of entire team and coach behind them. Right from the first race of the 2019 ARRC season, our solo Indian team is emerging as a serious challenger. Making India proud, Rajiv gave his best ever ARRC performance and added 5 points for Indian team. Senthil the face of new, confident and aggressive young Indian riders finished in top 14 and added another 2 points to IDEMITSU Honda Racing India kitty. Charged with today’s results and learnings, we are challenging ourselves to better our results ever more in tomorrow’s race 2.”
 
Indian team gives best ever performance in AP 250 (race 1) class of ARRC:
In lap 1 itself, Rajiv made a good start from his 14th position. While climbed to top bunch but had to drop back due to other rider crash. But his perseverance paid off mid-race.Overtaking 2 riders in lap 4 and maintaining this till the last 8th lap, the 21-year old recorded his best ever finish in AP250 class at 11th position. With this strong finish, Rajiv swooped his highest single race haul of 5 points in race 1 of 2019 ARRC season itself.  
 
Senthil showed the might of confident young Indian riders in his debut race itself.  Starting 17th on the grid of 25 riders, Senthil made a good start and overtook 3 riders in lap 1 itself. From there till the end of race, Senthil was battling it out with Taipei rider Chiou Ke-Lung and closed at 14th position with total lap time of 20:17:513. With this, Senthil is now the youngest Indian rider and the first ever Indian rookie to score a point in Asia Road Racing Championship.  
 
With 2 crashes in lap 1 itself, the afternoon AP 250 Race 1 saw battle start from the word go. The fight went on till the chequered flag of 8 lap race with Indonesian riders wrapping up the first 6 positions finish. Overtaking to win race 1 just 100 meters short of the finish line was Lucky Hendriansya of Astra Honda (19:34:655), with Andy coming 2nd (19:34:839) and Irfan Ardiansyah also from Astra Honda completing the podium (19:38:376). 
 
 
Satisfied with his performance today and charged up for tomorrow, Honda’s front-runner rider Rajiv Sethu said, “After my best ever qualifier finish at 14th earlier today, I was charged up even more. I made a great start and overtook 9 riders to reach 5th spot in first lap itself. But just then the 2 riders before me crashed and I had to go back to save myself. Yet I could gain 3 spots and finish 11th which is the best ever for me in my 3 years of ARRC. Today, I feel great but tomorrow I will fight to finish in top 10.”
 
Taking on his debut season with fresh energy and confidence, the 18 year rookie riderSenthil Kumar said, “Its been a fantastic day of learning for me. The competition is very tough here. I started strong and overtook 3 riders in first lap itself. Thereafter the battle was to hold my front and I could successfully do that. Personally, I am both humbled to earn points for the only Indian team in my debut ARRC race itself and am excited to do even better in race 2 tomorrow.”
REFERENCE ANNEXURE:
IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team – Rider Profile
Championship
Machine
Rider
Age
Nationality
Career Highlights
FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2019
 
(Asia Production 250 class)
CBR250RR
Rajiv 
Sethu
Nov, 1997(21 yr)
India
2018: 
- ARRC, AP 250 (27th
- Thai Talent Cup (12th
- INMRC Super Sport 165 (2nd)
2017:
- ARRC, AP 250 (46th
- Thai Talent Cup (16th
- INMRC Super Sport 165 (2nd)
- CBR 250R One Make Race (1st)
2016:
- Honda Asia Dream Cup (12th)
- INMRC Pro Stock 165 (1st)
- CBR 250R One Make Race (1st)
 
Senthil Kumar
Feb, 2001
(18 yr)
India
2018: 
- Thai Talent Cup (20th)
- INMRC Pro Stock 165 (3rd)
-  IDEMITSU Honda Talent Cup CBR 250R (3rd)
2017:
- CBR 150R One Make Championship
-  Debut in racing with Honda
About 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship:
FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) is Asia’s most competitive motorcycle road racing championship in its 24th year. The 2019 season has 7 rounds across 5 countries (Malaysia* 2, Australia, Thailand * 2, Japan & South Korea). The battle for 2019 championship starts this weekend (8-10 March) at Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia.
 
In 2019 ARRC features four classes - the newly introduced premier class of Asia Superbike 1000 (ASB1000), SuperSports 600 (SS600), Asia Production 250 (AP250) and Underbone class (UB150). 
 
Representing the solo Indian team at the event - IDEMITSU Honda Racing India are two riders – Rajiv Sethu and the rookie Senthil Kumar who fight on the CBR250RR.
 
 
 
For more information, contact Public.relations@honda2wheelersindia.com
 
 

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Dubai, March 9: India’s Aishwarya Pissay completed a highly successful run in the first round of the FIM Bajas World Cup as she topped the women’s category and also picked up useful points in the junior category as the two-day event, covering 400 Kms of Special Stages across sand dunes, concluded here today.
Aishwarya Pissay, 23, from Bengaluru, and supported by TVS Racing, Mountain Dew, Scott Motorsports India and Big Rock Dirt Pack, not only achieved her immediate target of completing the grueling two-day event but also collected useful championship points.
After crossing the finish line on completing the day’s 204 Kms Special Stage, Aishwarya, said: "I am thrilled to have finished the rally as it is a confidence booster. Day 2 was much better for me as I made fewer mistakes and looked to pick up my pace.
“All the training from the past few weeks really made a difference in the dunes. I will definitely be back next year and look to improve my performance."
Aishwarya, India’s first-ever women’s National Racing champion, finished the World Cup 26th in Overall classification with a much-improved performance on Day 2.
Aishwarya was competing in only her second international event after her debut in Spain last year ended with a heavy cash leading to injuries and lengthy

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Honda 2Wheelers India announces ambitious 2019 motorsport direction

Honda’s 4 Indian riders to realize dreams of representing India at international motorsport championships
  • ‘IDEMITSU Honda Racing India’ to strengthen India’s solo pitch at 2019 Asia Road Racing Championship
  • 2019 ARRC riders: Experienced Rajiv Sethu and rookie Senthil Kumar in AP250
  • Honda fast-tracks career development of 2018 Honda Talent Hunt riders to Asia level
  • India’s teen power at 2019 Thai Talent Cup: 14 yr Mohamed Mikail & 18 year Kritik Habib
  • Honda 2Wheeler companies in Asia Oceania including India push for Asia Power at top level of world racing
  • 4 of Asia’s most promising riders to compete in Moto2, Moto3 class in 2019 MotoGP season
  • Aiming to develop world-class Race technicians, Indian member now part of Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA team
  • This team to compete in the prestigious All Japan Road Race Championship, Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance Race and new ASB1000 class of Asia Road Racing Championship in 2019

Chennai, March 1, 2019: Challenging itself to strive to develop world-class iconic motorsport riders and team mechanics from India, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. today announced its international racing team for 2019 season.

In 2019, Honda reinforces its commitment on its direction which is ‘To develop iconic Indian rider for National & International Championships’ with a more aggressive THREE-PRONGED approach.

Elaborating on Honda’s 2019 plans to discover and nurture riders from India to compete internationally, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice President – Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said,

 “Honda is driven by a challenging spirit and passion to win. A lot of people have high expectations from us, so we will work hard as a team to get the best possible results. With 2 of India’s most promising riders representing the IDEMITSU Honda Racing India at Asia level, we are aiming that our boys climb the top group and make India proud on the international stage in 2019.

Last year, we announced our motorsport direction. And now, staying true to our commitment, we are fast-tracking the development of 2 next-generation riders to the Asian platform. Starting from identifying high potential riders as young as 13 years through our ‘IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt to aiming to develop a top Indian rider for MotoGP, Honda has an aggressive roadmap to support young Indian riders to realize their dreams.”

Honda 2Wheelers India’s team IDEMITSU Honda Racing India at ARRC & TTC:

In the 2019 season of Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) - Asia’s toughest road racing championship since 24 years, the solo Indian team IDEMITSU Honda Racing India strives to emerge as a tough challenger to the best Asian riders in the Asia Production 250cc class.

Leading the battle in ARRC battle will be experienced Rajiv Sethu for whom this year will be his 3rd season in ARRC. Rajiv has shown consistent improvement since his ARRC debut in 2017; climbing from 46th spot in his inaugural year to and earning India multiple points and closing 27th position in 2018.

Backing Rajiv up as teammate is the 17-year-old promising rookie rider Senthil Kumar. In 2018, Senthil showed promising results in his debut year at Thai Talent Cup while grabbing the 3rd position in the 2018 INMRC Pro Stock 165cc championship on the domestic front.

Sharing his thoughts, Rajiv Sethu shared, “This is my third year in ARRC, and I’m very thankful to Honda 2Wheelers India for giving me this great platform. I am realizing my dreams to grow my skills and prove myself in international championships. With every season, I am going a step closer to my dreams. For 2019 my preparation has been the toughest with Honda’s best in class training facilities. This year I am challenging myself to climb even further and strive to close the season in top 15.”

Making his debut in ARRC, Senthil Kumar said, “I feel very blessed to get international opportunities with Honda in just 2 years since start of my professional racing. ARRC will be my first ever exposure to the Asia’s toughest race. I am extremely happy and excited to be a part of the IDEMITSU Honda Racing team and representing India on international soil. It is a dream opportunity for me after Thai Talent Cup and I’ve prepared day and night for to make our country proud. Looking forward for a great learning with team Honda!”

IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt to Thailand Talent Cup (TTC) 2019:

The biggest hurdle in the development of an INDIAN iconic rider for International Championships has been the late entry point into professional racing. But Honda’s is challenging this and fast-tracking the career development of young Indian riders who have high potential.

The unique platform – the IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt, introduced in 2018, has become a huge success in the country. Honda’s team of experts combed through 132 young riders at the hunt, hailing from 21 cities across 7 states and has identified top 12 with immense potential.

The new riders for 2019 season of Thai Talent Cup are 14-year-old Chennai boy Mohamed Mikail & 18-year-old Kritik Habib from Gadag, Karnataka. From bagging top positions in IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup last year to fast-tracked career development through Honda’s key Asian rider development program, these talent hunt stars have come a long way.

Giving priority to developing not just world level rider but also a technician, Mr. P Prabhakaran will join “Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team with SHOWA” competing in new category Superbike1000cc class (ASB1000) as a part of HADR technical team

About 2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship: The 24th edition of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is Asia’s most competitive motorcycle road racing championship, held since 1996. The 2019 season will have a total of seven rounds across 5 countries (Malaysia* 2, Australia, Thailand * 2, Japan & South Korea) starting from 8th March 2019 with the battle going all the way to the last round December 2019. ARRC is part of the production-based category of racing, similar to the Supersport World Championship. This year the Championship will feature four main classes. This includes the newly introduced premier class of Asia SuperBike 1000 over and above the existing three classes SuperSports 600cc, Asia Production 250cc, and the Underbone 150cc.

< REFERENCE 1: Overview of Honda’s road racing teams and riders in 2019 >
  • IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team from INDIA for international racing
Championship (class) Machine Rider Age Nationality Career Highlights
FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (AP 250) CBR250RR Rajiv Sethu Nov, 1997 (21 yr) India 2018: - ARRC, AP 250 (27th) - Thai Talent Cup (12th) - INMRC Super Sport 165 (2nd) 2017: - ARRC, AP 250 (46th) - Thai Talent Cup (16th) - INMRC Super Sport 165 (2nd) - CBR 250R One Make Race (1st) 2016: - Honda Asia Dream Cup (12th) - INMRC Pro Stock 165 (1st) - CBR 250R One Make Race (1st)  
Senthil Kumar Feb, 2001 (18 yr) India 2018: - Thai Talent Cup (20th) - INMRC Pro Stock 165 (3rd) -  IDEMITSU Honda Talent Cup CBR 250R (3rd) 2017: - CBR 150R One Make Championship -  Debut in racing with Honda
Thai Talent Cup (NSF 250)   NSF250R Mohamed Mikail March, 2004 (14 yr) India 2018: - Debut in racing with Honda - IDEMITSU Honda Talent Hunt prodigy - IDEMITSU Honda Talent Cup CBR 150R (1st)
Kritik Habib March, 2000 (18 yr) India 2018: - Debut in racing with Honda - IDEMITSU Honda Talent Hunt prodigy - IDEMITSU Honda Talent Cup CBR 150R (3rd)
 
  • Exclusive teams for top Asian riders by Honda* including India
Championship (class) Team Machine Rider Age Nationality 2018 result
FIM Grand Prix World Championship (Moto2) IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia KALEX Dimas Ekky Pratama 26 Indonesia CEV Moto2 (5th)
Somkiat Chantra 20 Thailand CEV Moto3 (9th)
FIM Grand Prix World Championship (Moto3) Honda Team Asia NSF250RW Kaito Toba 18 Japan Moto 3 (22nd)
Ai Ogura 17 Japan CEVMoto3 (5th)
All Japan Road Race Championship (JSB 1000) Honda Asia-Dream Racing Team with SHOWA * CBR1000RR SP Zaghwan Zaidi 23 Malaysia JSB 1000 (17th)
Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance Race CBR1000RR SP Suzuka 8 hr (7th)
FIM Asia Road Racing Championship / ARRC (ASB 1000) CBR1000RR SP  -

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WHAT IS RX2?

The RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires is the leading official support series to the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy, developing and nurturing the discipline’s future stars. All drivers compete in identical 310bhp machinery, with a single-round World RX Supercar prize drive awarded to the eventual champion and a World RX Supercar test day on offer to the second and third-placed finishers. The 2019 calendar takes in seven events, with the first six taking place throughout Europe before a spectacular South African season finale. A range of options is available for participation depending on budget, from joining a professional team to rental arrive-and-drive packages – contact Series Manager Ian Davies for further information.

RX2 provides the perfect stepping stone for drivers climbing the rallycross ladder. In recent years, the series has welcomed competitors from disciplines as diverse as stage and cross-country rallying, cross-kart, folk race, karting, single-seaters and even SuperMoto – as well, obviously, as rallycross itself, attracting talent from the RX Academy, Super1600 and TouringCar. While from a wide variety of backgrounds, all RX2 drivers share a common goal – that of reaching the very pinnacle of the sport, the FIA World Rallycross Championship. As a series, RX2 works hard to foster ever-closer links with World RX and World Championship promoter IMG, with RX2 drivers and teams regularly invited to official activities from pre-event activation to autograph sessions and pre and post-race press conferences.

Taking place in front of the World Championship teams, RX2 offers aspiring rallycross superstars and independent competitors alike an extremely accessible, affordable and direct route to the top of the sport and is the perfect place for drivers to prove their potential in front of a loyal, engaged and enthusiastic audience.

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Dakar 2019 Rally stage 1 – CS Santosh finishes in a strong 20th position out of 137 starters. KP Aravind also had a good run in the opening 80 km stage finishing in 71st position.

Saint Petersburg prepares for a motor sport symphony

2018’s champions are racing into Russia for the glittering FIA Prize Giving at the Philharmonia

The annual FIA Prize Giving Ceremony gathers the year’s championship-winning drivers and teams from around the world to celebrate their achievements, with 2018’s top talents arriving in Saint Petersburg, Russia, for a prestigious evening at the city’s spectacular Philharmonia.

On their way into the world-famous concert hall, the stars will walk past the championship-winning FIA Formula One and FIA World Rally Championship cars on the red carpet, stopping along the way for interviews that will feature on the

FIA Facebook page.

For the first time ever, we will then move to Facebook Live and show the Prize Giving ceremony, giving fans unprecedented access to the most glamourous night of the motor sport calendar.

The top three drivers from this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship – Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen – will all collect their awards, along with six-time FIA WRC champion crew Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, all-conquering WRX champion Johan Kristoffersson and Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne.

In addition to the championship honours, a number of other awards will also be presented. These include a prize voted for by the public, FIA Action of the Year, as well as the FIA Personality of the Year, selected by permanently FIA-accredited journalists and FIA Rookie of the Year, decided by the FIA Drivers’ Commission.

A highlights programme from the event is available to broadcasters around the world from Formula 1 TV.

Former FIM Deputy-President confirmed as successful candidate at FIM Annual General Assembly in Andorra, where three new FIM Board members and three new Internal Auditors are also announced 1001408_Fim_Awards_2018_General_Assembly.jpg Mr. Jorge Viegas is the newly elected FIM President, taking over the role vacated by Mr. Vito Ippolito after his successful candidature was confirmed in today’s FIM Annual General Assembly in Andorra la Vella. Mr Viegas has already served a number of roles within the FIM over a long period, starting as a Member and President of the FIM Promotion Commission in 1992 before being appointed FIM Vice-President for various terms between 1996 and 2014. He has also served several terms as an FIM Board Member and is currently a Member of TAD in Portugal as well as being a Member of the Portuguese Olympic Committee. “I am truly honoured to be elected to the position of FIM President,” said Mr Viegas. “It is a lifelong achievement for me to see my passion for motorcycling develop into a role that can allow me to make a positive impact on the sport. I have spent many years working for and with the FIM and I am looking forward to a bright future together.”

Born in Faro, Portugal, with a Master’s degree in Economics (International Relations), Mr Viegas’ affair with two-wheels began when he first raced motocross back in 1974, before switching to Circuit Racing with some success, even competing in several 250cc Grand Prix events as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After several years working as a journalist he founded and became President of the Portuguese Federation (FNM/FMP) in 1990, and was later appointed by the Portuguese government as President of the Estoril Circuit.

Further to the election of the new president, the delegates of the National Federations also voted on three new members of the FIM board and three new Internal Auditors. The successful candidates joining the FIM board are as follows: Jacques Bolle (FFM), Giovanni Copioli (FMI) and Jan Stovicek (ACCR). The successful Internal Auditor candidates are: Angelos Bavellas (CYMF), Francesco Brandi (FMI) and David Francis (ACU).

Other items on the agenda for today’s FIM General Assembly included approval of the Minutes of the 2017 General Assembly, Report of the President, approval of the 2017 Financial Statements, reports from the Administration and the CONU Presidents, approval of the 2019 Budget, new calendar fees and licence fees proposals, amendments to the FIM Statutes & By-Laws, approval of amendments to the FIM Sporting Code, approval of 2018 FIM Honorary Membership.

FIM Communications | communications@fim.ch

ABOUT THE FIM (www.fim-live.com)

The FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) founded in 1904, is the governing body for motorcycle sport and the global advocate for motorcycling. The FIM is an independent association formed by 113 National Federations throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in motorcycle sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Among its 50 FIM World Championships the main events are MotoGP, Superbike, Endurance, Motocross, Supercross, Trial, Enduro, Cross-Country Rallies and Speedway. Furthermore, the FIM is also active and involved in the following areas: public affairs, road safety, touring and protection of the environment. The FIM was the first international sports federation to impose an Environmental Code in 1994.

WorldFinals of Motorcycle Drag Racing held at South Georgia Motor Park, Valdosta, GA (USA).

India’s first ever representation at the World Finals of Motorcycle Drag Racing with Sonu Sundeep Singh Sokhi & Amit Sharma having made our country proud 🇮🇳. We salute the “Fastest Indians” for their commitment & dedication to the “World Fastest Sport”.

All odds were against the 2. They had never raced on a Drag Prepped Surface, had not been used to the Power of the machines & got only 2 days of training under Rickey Gadson Drag School. That’s a tough ask for anyone to perform with such seasoned racers. But they did it in style and beat the best in the World & earned their RESPECT on a #GlobalPlatform.

There were over 800+ Participants (2000+ entries) from across the Globe. Racers who have 20+ years of experience.

  • Sundeep Singh Sokhi (Sonu) qualifies #3 out of 35 entries in “Street fighter Class“. Sonu earned his way to the final 8 bikes in a sea of seasoned racers.
  • Amit Sharma becomes the “Fastest Indian Rider” in India’s drag racing history when he produced a 8.87sec time-slip. He earned his way to the Top 16 in a seasoned racers class of 64 entries.

Elite Octane’s initiative has opened a doorway for India Racers to perform at the highest level in the “World’s Fastest Sport - Drag Racing”. The initiate which start at India’s premiere Drag Racing event - The Valley Run 2017 saw Rickey Gadson’s attendance and also was host to the first ever Rickey Gadson Drag Racing School in India. The 2 Indian Racers were selected from this very group by the 11 Time World Champion. The journey from Valley Run (Aamby Valley City, India) to World Finals has been incredible & we certainly see a bright future ahead for Indian Racers with support from FMSCI.

Rajini Krishnan took part in the 4th round of the 2018 Malaysian Superbike Championship and won the second round beating ex  Moto 2 rider Azlan Shah.

India’s young Jehan Daruvala sparkles in Round 5 of the 2018 FIA European Formula 3 Championship at Spa-Francorchamps, winning one race and finishing third in another to improve his overall standings.

Renovations at the Madras Motor Race Track has continued apace since the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship’s last visit to the south Indian track in September last year. A brand new pit b

uilding, completed in time for Round 4 of the 2018 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship, will be welcoming the contingent to Chennai, India. The Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC), which runs the Madras Motor Race Track, is hoping that the new and comfortable working environment will result in an even more explosive race this coming weekend.

As the Championship stands, Anthony West is at the top of the SuperSports 600cc leaderboard with 86 points. The Australian former GP and WSBK rider had been able to keep his points-haul up, even though he missed his home race in Australian. West’s closest challenger, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman trails by 12 points.

In the Asia Production 250cc, should Rheza Danica Ahrens extend his winning streak, he could potentially be looking at lifting the title at his home race in Indonesia (Round 5). Rheza leads by a 21-point margin, ahead of his own team mate Mario Suryo Aji.

Conversely, only a single point separates Underbone 150cc leader Mohd Helmi Azman and his closest rival, Mohd Izzat Zaidi. Helmi will be heading to India with 94 points in his pocket, but he will have to fight hard to defend his lead, especially with three other former Underbone champions hot on his heels. After three rounds of competition, Wahyu Aji Trilaksana, Mohd Akid Aziz and Gupita Kresna Wardhana are still within shot of picking up their second (or in Gupita’s case, third) titles.

Aside from the fireworks expected from the ARRC race classes, race fans heading to the Madras Motor Race Track will be treated to two showcases of Indian racing. The TVS RR310 and Honda CBR250 are the platforms where the next big name in Indian motorcycle racing is expected to emerge.

The new all-Indian pair of Armaan Ebrahim and Anindith Reddy in the Pro class of the 2018 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia series started off finishing ninth and second respectively in the two practice sessions at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. With Ebrahim driving the Top Speed Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Evo car in Qualifying 1, the Indian finished third with a time of 2m03.856s for Race 1, which was 0.493s away from pole-sitter #63 FFF Racing Team pair of Andrea Amici and Artur Janosz, while sister #19 car of Jack Bartholomew and James Pull were second.

For his first-ever qualifying session in the one-make series, Reddy finished eighth overall and fourth in Pro class with a time of 2m06.243s. Pole went to #2 Leipert of Ben Gersekowski & Richard Muscat from sister #33 car of Mikko Eskelinen & Juuso Puhakka and third was #19 FFF Racing of Bartholomew and Pull for Race 2.

Race 1

The opening race of the 2018 season saw a dominating performance by the pole-sitting #63 car of Amici and Janosz. The latter had a perfect start to lead the way, but behind the #2 car moved into second after the #19 car bogged down, while Ebrahim stayed third in his #27 Lamborghini. With Janosz already creating some gap, the Indian was not far off from the #2 car until it was forced into a retirement with a suspected suspension failure. This promoted Ebrahim into second, but the Indian couldn’t claw hugely into Janosz’ lead.

The lead was huge enough that even the pit stops didn’t matter hugely as Amici returned and extended it further from now second placed Reddy. The Hyderabad-born driver was unfazed though as he managed his race well on debut – only his second international race as well.

In the end, Amici won it comfortably by 29.626s margin, but most importantly Reddy managed to stay ahead of the fighting pair of #68 Gama Racing’s Evan Chen and Achiro Asai and the #recovering #19 Bartholomew and Pull, but the former managed to take third by just the 0.731s margin.

Race 2

It was Reddy's turn to start in the second race on Sunday. The multiple Indian National Champion had a good run to be sixth in the opening stages while defending from the #68 driver Asai.

The Japanese driver was on Reddy's tail for majority of the stint in the battle for sixth. Reddy was first to pit when the window opened, with Ebrahim taking over and having to endure the same pressure as Asai's teammate Chen also got on his tail.

Both gained a position though after pit stop to be fifth and sixth respectively, but Chen was unable to find any place to overtake Ebrahim - finishing just the 0.456s behind the Indian pair after a race long fight.

For Ebrahim and Reddy, it was their second Pro class podium, following on from second place overall in Race 1

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April 15, Mumbai/Valencia: Mumbai-born Advait Deodhar has made history in the opening round of the 2018 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia (Spain). The 28-year-old became the first Indian driver ever to win a competition in the championship in only his first time racing in Europe.

Racing in the Elite Club Division for Mishumotors in the #33 Chevrolet Camaro Monstrous 5.7 V8 440 bhp, in a time trial format, Advait won the event in a combined result. The Mumbaikar finished first in the opening session, while he was second in the final session.

The Indian’s overall penalty time was set at 4s072ms, which was 0.848ms lower than second placed Marcelo Silva (4s920ms), who won the second session. Third place went to Clemens Sparowitz after his time of 5s812ms.

As in NASCAR, Advait had a spotter to guide him through the sessions to match the target time set by the NASCAR organisers, which was pretty intense for the Indian driver since he had to pace his Camaro in the different sectors according to the target time.

“I came into this round to test the waters of the Euro NASCAR Championship. I've worked pretty hard to get funding to drive as my Euro NASCAR scholarship is only usable if I drive the full season.

“I am very glad with deciding to drive and I am looking forward to move into the ELITE 2 category from the next round, hopefully. I still need the budget and hope this wins helps me find it! The series is great and so is the car. More importantly, I'm glad to know that even after three years of not driving, I still got it!”

After a brilliant start to his stock car career, Advait was greeted by several of the top NASCAR officials and teams from America and held positive talks for the future appearances in the series. While nothing can be confirmed at this stage, but an official word will be made through a release when signed upon.

About Advait Deodhar:

Hailing from Mumbai, the 28-year-old Advait Deodhar only started racing in 2012 when he was 22-years-old. His first outing was in the Indian National Championship’s LGB cars, which forms the bridge between Karting and Junior open-wheel competitions.

He moved to the MRF F1600 series in 2013, where he competed until the 2015 season. He was in contention for the title in 2014 season but was forced to miss one round due to illness which cost him the championship. He made an appearance in the international MRF Challenge series as well in the 2014/15 season.

He has also competed in few Touring Car races in India, which includes a race win in the Toyota Etios one-make series on debut, before eventually deciding to relocate to the UK to try and compete in the sportscar/touring car championships at the international level.

After three years of wait, he has finally made a move to compete in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2018. Career timeline:
2012 – Formula LGB
2013 – Formula LGB
2013 – MRF F1600
2014 – MRF F1600
2014 – Toyota Etios (One Round)
2015 – MRF F1600 (One Round)
2014/15 – MRF Challenge (One Round)
2018 – Euro NASCAR
Contact:
Advait Deodhar  - Twitter, Facebook
Euro NASCAR – Twitter, Facebook, Website

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Grid-Kids-FIA-F1

Formula 1®, the pinnacle of motorsport, together with the FIA, is pleased to announce a new partnership, called Grid Kids, to make the pre-race ceremony more relevant and interesting for fans, especially the younger ones.

The joint initiative will involve the local Grand Prix promoter working alongside ASNs – the FIA-recognised national sporting authorities – who will provide a unique opportunity to youngsters and their families to be part of one of the most exclusive and exciting moments of the whole race weekend.

The youngsters will be chosen by their motorsport clubs on merit, or by lottery, and will already be competing in karting or junior formulae. The lucky few will then be able to accompany and stand alongside the 20 best drivers in the world on the grid as they prepare for the race.

FIA President Jean Todt said: “Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor sport and the dream of every young racer competing the junior series that make up the FIA’s single-seater pyramid, from karting all the way to F1. We are therefore delighted to bring that dream a little closer by giving the future champions of our sport the opportunity to stand alongside their heroes on the grid in the build-up to the race start. For the wider FIA, this is an excellent initiative that provides additional support to our member ASNs in their efforts to grow motorsport worldwide through a unique reward they can make available to youngsters participating in their national series.”

Sean Bratches, F1 Managing Director of Commercial Operations said: “This will be an extraordinary moment for these youngsters: imagine, standing beside their heroes, watch as they prepare to race, the elite of the elite in motorsport, to be there, alongside them in those precious few minutes just before the start. What an unforgettable experience, for them, and their families. An inspiration to keep driving, training and learning so that they can dream of one day being there themselves. What better way to inspire the next generation of Formula 1 heroes.”

The Grid Kids will be chosen at every Formula 1 race, and where possible, also for the major feeder series like F2 and GP3. They will be accompanied by their immediate family who will have paddock access for race Sunday.

GAURAV-GILL Gaurav Gill clinches the fifth MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship title speeding towards a grand victory at the MRF 43rd K1000 Rally held in Bangalore.
Ameo Cup 2018 driver selection Love Driving? Love Speed? Love the Adrenaline that sets your soul on fire? Then this is your chance to turn your passion into reality! Ameo Cup 2018 driver selection registration is now open! Click on the link to register: https://goo.gl/forms/2LEeL2dq13mYOzeg2
karanaKarna Kadur and Nikhil Pai won the Round 4 of MRF FMSCI INRC for the second consecutive year.
gillFIA APRC title secured for Gaurav Gill as he emerged winner for the third time at the Coffee Day India Rally 2017
Aditya-Patel

Indian GT racer Aditya Patel and Malaysian teammate Mitch Gilbert scored doubt victory at the final round of the Inaugural Blancpain GT Series in Asia

Chennais-Mahaveer-wins-Boss-GP Chennai's Mahaveer Raghunathan became the first Indian to win the European Racing Championship where he sped to victory in the Boss GP Championship ( Formula Class) at Imola.
Decha-Kraisart Yamaha Thailand Racing Team’s Decha Kraisart has logged a new track record at Round 5 of the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship hosted at MMRT.
gaurav-gill Gaurav Gill led the show along with his co-driver Musa Sheriff at the Round 3 of MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2017 in Jaipur.
FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2017 – Round 4 Results.

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FIM Asia Road Racing Championship 2017 – Round 4 to be held at the Madras Motor Race Track in Chennai, India on 23rd –24th September 2017.

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Arjun-NarendranCoimbatore’s Arjun Narendran chalked up his fifth win in a row and crowned National Champion in the premier Indian Touring Cars class at the final round MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship 2017
Jagan-KumarDouble for the defending champion Jagan Kumar in the Super Sport Indian Class category in Round 4 of MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2017
Anindith-ReddAnindith Reddy made a dominating win in the MRF FF1600 class while Arjun Narendran swooped a win at the Indian Touring Cars category, also competing a double at the fourth round of MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship at MMRT.
ShahanA gritty fourth place finish for India's upcoming racer Shahan Ali Mohsin at the Rotax Grand Festival Austria.

Hemanth-MuddappaBengaluru's Hemanth Mudappa emerged as the quickest in the second round of MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship at MMRT.

Aishwarya-Pissay

Defending Champion Jagan Kumar made a crucial win at the third round of MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at MMRT.

Gaurav-Gill-dominated-the-first-roundTwo-time APRC Champion Gaurav Gill dominated the first round, along with his co-driver Musa Sherif in the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2017.
AAGC-2017Team Fmsci India finishes 3rd in the Asian Auto Gymkhana Competition held in Indonesia on 22nd July.
yash12Bengaluru racer Yash Aradhya claimed top honours in both the LGB1300 and the Rookie categories in the third round of MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship , while Deepak Paul Chinnappa made a winning round in the the Indian Touring cars.
Asian-AutoFMSCI Team India finish third in the team knockout at the Asian Auto Gymkhana Competition , out of the 15 countries that participated, in Semarang, Indonesia
MRF-FF1600Hyderabad racer Anindith Reddy and Coimbatore’s Arjun Narendran share honors in MRF FF1600 category at the the third round of MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at MMRT.
mmfcsMumbai's Aaroh Rabindra raced to victory in the Senior Max of the second round of Meco Motorsports FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship.

Rajiv-Sethu2Rajiv Sethu (Super Sport Indian up to 165cc) and Amarnath Menon (Super Sport Indian 300-400cc) achieved a grand double at the Round 2 of MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2017 held at MMRT on Sunday.

Bengaluru’s Hemant Mudappa topped the first round of MMSC National Drag Racing Championship, scoring a double.

Ruhaan-AlvaIndia's 10 year old champ Ruhaan Alva came off with ninth place in Round 6 and an overall 4th position at the Italian EasyKart Championship in Castelletto, Italy.
Jehan-DaruvalaIndia's young racer Jehan Daruvala claims maiden win in Race 3 of FIA European Formula 3 Championship at Norisring

TVS Racing rider Harith Noah wins both Motos in Foreign Expert Class 1 to extend his overall lead in the 6-round championship

Coimbatore, July 2: Harith Noah started tentatively but then overtook all after leaving it late to make it through the Joker Lane and won both the Motos in Class 1 SX1 Expert Class as TVS Racing yet again proved its mettle, in the second round of the MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship, at Codessia, Jenny’s Club, here on Sunday.

Riding TVS RTR250, Noah nailed both the motos beating privateer CD Jianan of Thrissur, while his teammate Rugved Barguje settled for the overall third position after finishing third and fourth in two motos respectively.

Noah collected maximum 40 points, while Jianan settled for 34 after finishing runners-up in both the motos on his Kawasaki KX250F. Barguje too was tentative at the start and having recovered from a recent fall during training the Pune rider seemed slower than usual for his caliber.

“The introduction of Joker lane has been appreciated by most of the riders. Though some lost points as they failed to take the difficult Joker lane, the concept has been well received,” said Shyam Kothari, Director of Godspeed Racing, the organisers of the championship.

Noah has returned to supercross this year after having taken two-year sabbatical and has shown results immediately.

TVS Racing rider Abdul Waheed Tanveer, who had been preparing for tougher challenges with his senior teammate Aravind KP after the Rally of Merzouga in Morocco, had to settle for overall fourth position after finishing fifth in first moto and third in second moto.

“Joker Lane did wonders and it was a successful experiment in India for the first time. It was an unknown factor that kept the riders on toes throughout the laps,” said Kothari, himself a seven-time national champion.

After the second round of this six-round championship concluded many riders expressed their wish to see such Joker Lanes in other rounds too.

“It was like going into the pits as it Formula One. Only difference was it was up to the riders to decide when to take that left and into the Joker Lane once during the total number of laps,” said Kothari.

Some left it late and took the Joker Lane just before the laps came to an end, while there were others who completely forgot to take the lane and were penalized with disqualification.

First to get hit was Novice Class rider Asaruddin of Coimbatore. He actually won the Novice Class race ahead of Mahesh VM, but he completely forgot to take Joker Lane and was disqualified. Thrissur’s Mahesh, riding Hero Impulse, took the title ahead of Kali Mohan of Dinidigul.

Asaruddin, however, redeemed himself in the Locals class and finished third behind Jagdish Kumar and Kalimohan.

Local rider Jagdish was star of the day as he won three classes on his Impulse machine.

First he won Indian Experts Class beating Bengalore’s Suhail Ahmed, then he won the Private Experts Class beating Mahesh VM before grabbing the third title by winning the Locals class.

Aadil wins Junior SX

Cochin’s Aadil Coreyya came up trumps in the Junior SX beating favourite Yuvraj KondeDeshmukh of Pune. Riding on XP 125 Puzey, Aadil aggregated 37 points from two Motos, while Yuvraj on KTM settled for 35

Bangalore’s Prajwal V on KTM 85SX finished third.

Results:

Class 1 SX1 Expert Class Group A: 1. Harith Noah (TVS Racing, TVS RTR250) (20, 20) 40; 2. CD Jinan (Thrissur, KX250F) (17, 17) 34, 3. Rugved Barguje (TVS Racing, TVS RTR250) (15, 13) 28; 4. Abdul Waheed Tanveer (TVS Racing, TVS RTR 250) (11, 15) 26; 5. Adnan Ahmed (Mangalore, YZ125) (13, 11) 24.

Class 2 Novice Group C Moto 1: 1. Mahesh VM (Thrissur, Hero Impulse) 20; 2. Kali Mohan (Dindigul, Hero Impulse) 17, 3. Irfan Pasha (TVS Racing, TVS RTR) 15, 4. Stephen Raj (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 13, 5. Sachin D (Bangalore, Hero Impulse) 11.

Class 5 Indian Experts Group C: 1. Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 20; 2. Suhail Ahmed (Bangalore, Hero Impulse) 17; 3. Mahesh VM (Thrissur, Hero Impulse) 15, 4. Stephen Raj (Coimbatore, Hero Impuse) 13; 5. Rajendra RE (TVS Racing, TVS RTR) 11.

Class 6 Private Experts Group C: 1. Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 20, 2. Mahesh VM (Thrissur, Hero Impulse) 17, 3. Kalimohan M (Dindigul, Hero Impulse) 15, 4. Vikram Sekhar (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 13, 5. Stephen Raj (Coimbatore, Hero Impuse) 11.

Class 7 SX2 Group A: 1. Adnan Ahmed (Mangalore, YZ125) (20, 17) 37, 2. Suhail Ahmed (Bangalore, KTM 350) (15, 20) 35, 3. Sajith ES (Thrissur, KX250) (13, 15) 28, 4. Prithvi Singh (Chandigarh, KX250F) (17, 9) 26, 5. Jatin Jain (Nagpur, KTM 350) (9, 13) 22.

Class 8 Junior SX Group A/B/C/D: 1. Aadil Correya (Cochin, XP125) 37, 2. Yuvraj Kondedeshmukh (Pune, KTM 85SX) 35; 3. Prajwal V (Bangalore KTM 85SX) 30, 4. Ikshan Shanbag (Satara, KTM 65SX) 22, 5. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, KTM 65SX) 22.

Class 4 Locals Group B: 1. Jagdeesh Kumar (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 20, 2. Kalimohan M (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 17, 3. Asaruddin S (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 15, 4. Vikram Sekhar (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 13, 5. Hasim K (Coimbatore, Hero Impulse) 11.

Rank outsider Venkatesh Shetty wins Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally

venkatesh-shettyFavourites took a beating in the 28th Gulf Oil Lubricants Monsoon Scooter Rally, organised by Sportscraft, on Sunday.

Rank outsider Venkatesh Shetty of Lorraine’s Racing, riding an Aprilia SR 150, overcame a strong field that included a host of former champions and tough conditions to emerge triumphant in the popular two-wheeler time trial, run over the backwoods of Navi Mumbai.

In a field of 54 riders , the Mumbai rider, rode judiciously over the dirt tracts to win the grueling 35-km rally in a timing of 25 minutes and 15 seconds in penalties.

In the process he left former champions Syed Asif Ali, Shamim Khan, Rustom Patel, Manjeet Singh Bassan and Avtar Singh in the cold.

Pune’s Pinkesh Thakkar of Team Ceat, also riding an Aprilia SR 150, was second in 00: 25: 43 seconds and defending champion Syed Asif Ali of TVS Racing, astride a TVS 4SXR 150, third in 00:25:44 seconds.

Nashik’s Shamim Khan, who was looking to win the event for the fourth time, finished fourth astride an Aprilia SR 150 in 00:25:55 seconds, while Erimal Shekharan of Team Ceat, astride an Aprilia SR 150, placed fifth in 00:25:56 seconds.

The rally was flagged off by from Hotel K Star in Belapur CBD by popular Radio Jockeys Rohit and Harshit.

Heavy rain over the last few days made riding on the gravel-laden, winding course dicey. Under the circumstances, riders had to exercise extreme caution and control while negotiating the steep inclines, hairpin bends and water-logged stretches they encountered along the course. Some of them took a tumble or two and some even damaged their scooters in their bid to clock good timings in the competitive sectors.

For the record, only 49 of the 54 riders completed the race. Among them were 22 first timers, of which 18 completed the course.

There were two women who braved the challenge admirably. Mumbai’s Nidhi Shukla of Team Ceat, riding a Honda Activa, completed the course in 00:37:13 seconds, while Priya Gala, astride a Suzuki Access, was home in 00:42:19 seconds.

Special mention must be made about the first-timers who went through the motions with equal élan. The best of them was Kolhapur’s Aniket Korgaonkar, astride a TVS Jupiter. He completed the course in 00:32:27 seconds and was deservedly awarded the late Firdosh Vajifdar trophy and adjudged the best Kolhapur rider for his spirited effort.

Former champion Rustom Patel of TVS Racing, astr4ide a TVS Wego, was adjudged the best Mumbai riders, having finished sixth in 00:26.44 seconds.

Speaking during lunch later, the riders applauded the challenge Sportscraft had plotted. They asked how they were to able to chalk out such a challenging course, which even utility vehicles would have found difficult to negotiate.

About Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited

Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited (GOLIL), part of Hinduja Group, is an established player in Indian lubricant market. It markets a wide range of automotive and industrial lubricants, greases, 2-wheeler batteries, etc. Today, the Gulf brand is present in more than 100 countries across five continents with values of 'Quality, Endurance & Passion' as its core attributes. The Gulf Oil International Group's core business is manufacturing and marketing an extensive range consisting over 400 performance lubricants and associated products for all market segments.

Safe Harbour

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects may be termed as forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

BSE Scrip
Code: 538567
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symbol: GULFOILLUB
Visit: www.gulfoilindia.com
Contact: Mr. Vinayak Joshi – Company Secretary,
Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited, Mumbai
+91-22-6648-7777
Email: vinayak.joshi@gulfoil.co.in
Ms. Payal Tiwari, Adfactors PR Pvt. Ltd
Mobile: +91 9930811164
E-Mail: payal.tiwari@adfactorspr.com
Mr. Sumantra Basu, Adfactors PR Pvt. Ltd
Mobile: +91 9820393696
E-Mail: sumantra.basu@adfactorspr.com

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MMSC-2W-ChampionshipsOver two hundred entries up for MMSC 2W Championships. National Championship for Ladies introduced. 19 races at Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore
Shankar-Sarath-KumarShankar Sarath Kumar from India scores points at the Asia Road Racing Championship
nalwalla Indian racing driver Mohammed Nalwalla engineers another top 10 finish in the third round of the Mini Challenge UK at Snetterton
Tragic-death-of-Nicky-Hayden

It is with great sadness that we have to report the passing of the American motorcycle champion Nicky Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) following a cycling incident along the Riviera di Rimini on Wednesday 17 May.

Nicky was involved in a collision with an automobile whilst out training and was taken directly to a local hospital. Following close examination, he was then taken to the Cesena hospital for further treatment and possible surgery.

Every effort was made to provide Nicky with the best possible care, but on Monday 22nd May it was announced he had succumbed to his injuries. Known as the Kentucky Kid, Nicky burst on to the world scene in 2003 just one year after he was crowned AMA Superbike Champion. Securing two podiums in his opening season, he took his debut victory in 2005 at Laguna Seca and sensationally reached his dream of being crowned FIM MotoGP World Champion in 2006. After making the move to the World Superbike Championship in 2016, Nicky stood on the podium three times for Honda, including his debut victory at the Sepang International Circuit.

The FIM and Dorna WSBK Organisation extend their condolences to Nicky Hayden’s family, friends and team.

Indian-racer-Aditya-Patel

Indian racer Aditya Patel and Mitch Gilbert from Australia clinched a 3rd place podium in the second round of the Blancpain GT Asia Series held in Buriram – Thailand.

Indian-Racing-Driver-Armaan-Ebrahim

Indian Racing Driver, Armaan Ebrahim and Jack Bartholomew from the UK takes a well deserved podium finishing 3rd in the second round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series 2017.

Sarath Kumar scores points in Round 1

Johor Bahru (Malaysia), April 3: Shankar Sarath Kumar, representing RAMA Honda Racing by NTS T.Pro Ten10 team, and supported by Honda 2Wheelers India, made a promising start to his campaign in the 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship by picking up points in the SuperSport 600cc class double-header here over the weekend.

Chennai-based Sarath, coming back from a knee injury, improved his time and consistency, and appeared more comfortable with the bike, Honda CBR 600WR, especially in Race 2, while scoring points in both the races.

The other Indian in the fray, Rajiv Sethu, also in the RAMA Honda Racing team by NTS T.Pro Ten10 team livery, and participating in the Asia Production 250cc class, became the first rider from his country to race a Honda CBR 250RR.

With limited development time and test, the Chennai-based youngster made good use of the platform to finish ahead of few bikes on the grid to hold out great promise at the start of the new season.

Sarath and Sethu are part of a five-rider contingent in two classes, backed by John Sudheer of RAMA Group of Companies and who is also the team ambassador.

For RAMA Honda Racing team by NTS T.Pro Ten10 team, it was a fruitful weekend in the SuperSport 600cc class as Japanese ace Tiga Hada delivered two podium finishes in the double-header. He finished second in Race-1 and won Race-2 to take an early lead in the championship.

Reflecting on his performance in the first round, Sarath Kumar said: “Although I fell down in preliminary tests and hurt my right shoulder, I was able to ride without any problem. We communicated well with the new mechanics and I hope to improve step by step. I am happy that I scored points in both the races.”

Rajiv Sethu said: “I am thankful to the team for able to finish the race safely. It was a learning curve for me, racing with quality riders. It was a first time for me and my team and I hope to grow as the season progresses.”

Team Owner, Yusuke Teshima: “We appreciate the cooperation of many people and I am thankful that the season of the Asia Road Race Championship has started in this way. We are proud that Tiga Hada achieved victory in the first round and it is a good start to the season. We are also thankful to our supporters RAMA, NTS, Honda, WebikeMSK.”


Anand Philar
AP Media Communications
+91-94835 48185
Alternate email - apmediacom@yahoo.com

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TEAM HERO’S PORTUGUESE STAR JROD TO MAKE INDIA DEBUT


Close on the heels of its impressive debut at the Dakar 2017, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsports team of Hero MotoCorp - the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer - is gearing up for India BAJA 2017 in April this year.

This will be the Team’s second rally raid on the Indian soil after its podium finish at the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm in Rajasthan, in February.

2Hero MotoSports Team Rally is aiming to deliver yet another good performance at the India BAJA 2017, after the team clocked an impressive debut season at the Dakar rally earlier this year.

For the India BAJA 2017, Hero MotoSports Team Rally will be participating with its ace Portuguese rider Joaquim Rodrigues (JRod), who will be making his debut on Indian Soil.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally has decided to rest C S Santosh to give him more recovery time. Santosh hurt his spine during a nasty crash in the recently concluded Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm. While the team is really happy with his recovery and progress so far, Santosh has been advised some more rest before he starts riding again.

India BAJA will be held from April 7-9 in the expansive Thar Desert of Jaisalmer in the state of Rajasthan. This edition of India BAJA is a part of the Dakar Challenge events which means that the winner of India BAJA gets a free entry into Merzouga Rally in Morocco in the month of May and also an opportunity to participate in Dakar 2018.

Joaquim Rodrigues, Pilot, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, said, “I am really excited to start the new season and working with the Hero MotoSports Team Rally to get ready for the India BAJA and the Merzouga Rally. It is really cool to start working again with the team and kick off our season leading up to the Dakar 2018.”

C S Santosh, Pilot, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, said, “I am still recovering from the injury that I picked up from a crash during the Desert Storm. I am healing well and working towards getting fit for the Merzouga Rally in May. It is really disappointing to sit this one out, but I am confident that with JRod leading Hero MotoSports Team Rally, we will achieve a good result here!”

Wolfgang Fischer, Managing Director, Speedbrain GmbH, said, “After a successful Dakar, we are looking forward to start our engines at the Dakar Challenge ‘India BAJA’ in April. Unluckily, Santosh needs to sit out this race as he recovers from the injury, but JRod will for sure do his best to represent the Hero colors at this premier race in India.”

Dr. Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., said, “We are looking forward to the India BAJA 2017. JRod will bring in international flavour to the Rally and also generate interest among the Indian fans. It is unfortunate for the team that Santosh will not be able to participate due to his injury. However, keeping in mind rider’s safety and the long-term interest of the team, resting Santosh for India BAJA is the right call.”
For more information, please visit:
www.heromotosports.com
FB: /HeroMotoSports
Twitter: @Hero_MotoSports

Press contact Hero MotoSports Team Rally    
e-Mail: motosports@heromotosports.com ‎

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http://www.heromotosports.com/media-kit/

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MMSC Fmsci Indian National Drag Racing Championship 2016

  • Drag racing comes to MMRT track
  • Keen competition in championship finale
  • Imported timing equipment in use
  • TVS Racing to provide kits to riders

Chennai, March 23: The grand finale of the 2016 MMSC Fmsci Indian National Drag Racing Championship will be run at the refurbished MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here this weekend with Round 2 scheduled for Saturday and the concluding round on Sunday.

For the first time the National Drag Racing Championship will be held at the iconic MMRT track which is being transformed into India’s only multi-event motorsport facility run by a club with provision to conduct events ranging from racing to karting to dirt track competitions.

IMG_0145Organisers Madras Motor Sports Club, backed by an enviable track record of organising motor sport events in India and abroad for over five decades, have taken the initiative to bring drag racing, still in a nascent state in the country, under the National Championship umbrella aided by regulations designed to provide a safe and controlled environment for enthusiasts in both two-wheeler and four-wheeler categories.

Chairman of the Meet Farhan Vohra said: “We at the MMSC have always endeavoured to provide a safe environment for racing and set a high benchmark in this respect. Keeping this in mind, we decided to provide a structure and organization to drag racing which is fast gaining popularity, especially among the youth.

“At this weekend’s races, we will be using state-of-the-art timing equipment which we imported from the USA and this move reflects our efforts to take the sport to the next level.

“Further, we have not compromised on safety, especially the riding kit for two-wheeler participants. In this regard, we are indebted to TVS Racing for their magnanimous offer to supply two-wheeler racing leathers to those who need.”

IMG_0023As was the case for the inaugural round in Hosur in November, the entries have been encouraging with nearly 100 participants vying for honours in various categories.

The start-finish straight at the MMRT track has been extended to conform to the regulations.

The spotlight would be on Bengaluru’s Pratap Jayaram and National two-wheeler champion Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing from Chennai who won in the Indian Open class among cars and bikes, respectively.

Veteran Jayaram, driving a modified Reva, evoked memories of his salad days as racer a few decades ago by clocking the fastest time in the Hosur round and is expected to dish out a repeat performance this weekend.

Likewise, Jagan Kumar took no prisoners while riding his trusted TVS Apache RTR to victory in the Indian Open besides topping the time charts in the 165cc class.

Meanwhile, the Superbikes will lend a dash of glamour and to the proceedings with Mysuru’s Rizwan Ahamed starting out as a favourite to top the class like he did in the previous round.

The two-day event beginning Saturday will be a two-tier affair comprising National Championship and support races for both bikes and cars.

All four-stroke bikes fall into the National Championship category, the showpiece events being the Indian Open (modified) and the Superbikes.

The organizers have made it mandatory for two-wheeler participants in each and every class to be kitted out in racing leather suits. As a special gesture, TVS Racing will provide racing suits for participants who do not own their own kit.

In the four-wheeler category, the Indian Open (modified) and the Unrestricted classes form the National Championship backed by support races.

About Madras Motor Sports Club

The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.


For Media queries, please contact:
Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.
Ph: +91-94835 48185.
B David
Ph: +91-98455 69496.

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MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship – Round 2

CHENNAI, February 19: In a thrilling finish, British teenager Harrison Newey snatched a dramatic victory for a brilliant treble to emerge champion in the MRF Challenge 2016 that was run concurrently with the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.

The highlight of the day's proceedings was the presence of cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar who put in a few laps of the circuit in a twin-seater racing car much to the delight of the crowd.

In a tight finish, Harrison and championship leader Joey Mawson from Australia tied on 277 points, but the British driver was adjudged champion on the basis of his six wins. Mawson had three wins, including the one on Saturday. Mick Schumacher of Germany finished third in the championship with 213 points.

Harrison, the 18-year old son of noted Formula One engineer Adrian Newey, trailed Mawson by 27 points going into the fourth and concluding round of the MRF Challenge, but the British youngster won three of the four races this weekend to pip Mawson at the post.

Going into the fourth and last race of the weekend, Newey, who had won Race 3 in the morning session, trailed Mawson by 15 points. The Aussie looked certain to clinch the championship when he led until the 11th lap when he conceded track position to Newey and then to Schumacher, son of seven times F1 champion Michael Schumacher, to eventually finish third in the race that saw Safety Car being deployed following an on-track incident.

Newey did himself a favour by putting in the fastest lap of the race which fetched him two crucial points that helped him tie with Mawson before the deadlock was broken on the basis of number of wins.

Earlier, starting from pole on the reverse grid, Sandeep Kumar scored an emphatic win in the MRF Formula 1600 to make up for his fourth place finish in the first race on Saturday. He drove a near-flawless race to win from Raghul Rangasamy and former champion Karthik Tharani.

Three rookie drivers, Arya Singh (DTS Racing) from Kolkata, Mumbai’s Bhushan Thareja (Momentum Motor Sports) and Hyderabad’s Arun Showry (Momentum Motor Sports) dominated the Formula LGB 1300 race by finishing the race in that order and the trio also topped the Rookie Cup class to complete a fruitful weekend.

Arya Singh made capital of the pole position and managed to hold off stiff challenge from Thareja while Bengaluru’s Yash Aradhya (Wallace Sports), who started from seventh on the grid, came up with a fine performance as he cut through the field to finish on the podium, but was subsequently excluded for “technical infringement”. Showry thus gained a spot from fourth to third.

Narendran of RAD Racing yet again underlined his supremacy in the Saloon car category by comfortably winning the race for a fine double, having won the first outing on Saturday. The race was interrupted by a Safety Car period, but Narendran, who had started fourth on the reverse grid, timed his run to near perfection for a comfortable victory.



Provisional results: MRF Challenge (F2000) – Race 3 (15 laps): 1. Harrison Newey (Britian) (23mins, 19.855secs); 2. Juri Vips (Estonia) (23:27.768); 3. Ralf Aron (Esonia) (23:28.971). Race 4: Newey (27:33.142); 2. Mick Schumacher (Germany) (27:36.826); 3. Joey Mawson (Australia) (27:38.411).National Championship – MRF F1600 (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (13:35.993); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mahabalipuram) (13:36.536); 3.Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (13:40.090). Formula LGB 1300 (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (18:00.626); 2. Bhushan Thareja (Momentum Motor Sports) (18:09.998); 3. Arun Showry (Momentum Motor Sports) (18:10.725). Rookie Cup: 1. Arya Singh; 2. Bhushan Thareja; 3. Arun Showry. Saloon cars – Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Hisham KP (DTS Racing) (19:29.060); 2. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (19:44.851). Super Stock: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (18:52.938); 2. Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) (18:55.226); 3. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (19:11.183). Esteem Cup: 1. Narendran (RAD Racing) (18:51.292); 2. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) (18:53.144); 3. Sudanand Daniel (Red Rooster Racing) (18:53.754).

About Madras Motor Sports Club The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

For Media queries, please contact:
Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.
Ph: +91-94835 48185.
B David
Ph: +91-98455 69496.>br>

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MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship – Round 2

 

Chennai, February 18: Australian Joey Mawson shrugged off a wretched qualifying session to pull off a brilliant win and extend his championship lead over Britain’s Harrison Newey by 27 points in the final round of the MRF Challenge which headlined the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT track in Sripeumbudur, near here on Saturday.

While Mawson and Newey stole the day’s limelight, there were other impressive performances in the National Joey Mawson, winner of Race 2 of MRF Challenge (Feb 18)championship that saw Karthik Tharani (MRF F1600), Prashanth K (Formula LGB 1300) and Narendran (Saloon cars) winning their respective races in contrasting styles.

Newey, starting from pole position, clinched the top spot in the MRF Challenge’s first race after an initial struggle. Mawson, who had qualified seventh, won the second outing quite comfortably after overhauling reverse grid pole-sitter Daniel Ticktum  (Britain).

The results saw Mawson taking his championship tally to 250 points while Newey, who was fourth in the second race, has 223 and the other title contender Mick Schumacher (195) was in third position ahead of Sunday’s double-header.

Tharani, who was placed second in the championship last season, put in a fine performance for a lights-to-flag victory after surviving some close attention from Anindith Reddy of Hyderabad who finished a second ahead of Raghul Rangasamy, who hails from the nearby temple town of Mahabalipuram.

It was a touch-and-go battle right through in the 10-car grid as Tharani made a good start from pole position and had to fight hard to nurse his spot despite being hounded by Reddy all through the eight-lap race.

Harrison Newey, winner of Race 1 of MRF Challenge (Feb 18)The Formula LGB 1300 class had a combined grid of National Championship and the Rookie Cup categories. Prashanth K of Wallace Sports comfortably took the honours in the Championship class while team-mate Rithvik Thomas won in the Rookie Cup class.

The 25-car grid of Saloon cars, comprising three categories of Indian Junior Touring Cars, Super Stock and Esteem Cup, proved extremely competitive. Narendran of RAD Racing (Esteem Cup) exchanged track position with Varun Anekar of Race Concepts (Super Stock) before pulling away to win the race while Anant Pithawalla of Team N1 (Esteem Cup) eased way into second spot. Anekar eventually finished third in the combined classification.

Anekar, however, topped the Super Stock class while Himam KP (DTS Racing) won in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class.

Provisional results: MRF Challenge (F2000) – Race 1 (15 laps): 1. Harrison Newey (Britain) (23:25.716); 2. Mick Schumacher (Germany) (23:29.961); 3. Ralf Aron (Estonia) (23:34.870). Race 2: 1. Joey Mawson (Australia) (23:21.673); 2. Ralf Aron (Estonia) (23:30.696); 3. Daniel Ticktum (Britain) (23:32.466). National Championship– MRF F1600 (Race 1, 8 laps): 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (13:40.482); 2. Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (13:40.787); 3. Raghul Ramasamy (Mahabalipuram) (13:42.240). Formula LGB 1300 (Race 1, 6 laps): 1. Prashanth K (Wallace Sports) (12:25.429); 2. Bhushan Thareja (Momentum Motor Sports) (12:32.250); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (12:37.468). Rookie Cup (6 laps): Rithvik Thomas (Wallace Sports) (12:31.682); 2. Bhushan Thareja (Momentum Motor Sports) (12:32.250); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (12:37.468). Saloon Cars (Race 1, 8 laps) – Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 1, 8 laps): 1. Hisham KP (DTS Racing) (18:04.888); 2. Kamlesh Parmar (Team N1) (18:14.762). Super Stock: 1. Varun Anekar (Race Concepts) (17:01.187); 2. RP Rajarajan (Performance Racing) (17:04.577); 3. Sree Venkata Teja (Performance Racing) (17:25.719). Esteem Cup: 1. Narendran (RAD Racing) (16:53.793); 2. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) (17:00.975); 3. Sudanand Daniel (Red Rooster Racing) (17:17.153). About Madras Motor Sports Club The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.
For Media queries, please contact:
Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.
Ph: +91-94835 48185.
B David
Ph: +91-98455 69496.

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  • MRF Challenge set for exciting finish
  • Mawson, Newey, Schumacher in frame for title
  • Saloon car races to have big grids

Chennai, Feb 16: There is plenty of high octane action on cards as the second round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship kicks off at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here this weekend along with the grand finale of MRF Challenge (Formula 2000) which boasts of a highly competitive grid containing young guns from abroad, some of them boasting rich racing pedigree.MRF-F1600

In all, 10 races have been scheduled over Saturday and Sunday after Friday’s free practice sessions. Much of the attention will be on the four MRF Challenge races where Australian Joey Mawson (211 points), Harrison Newey of the UK (184) and German Mick Schumacher (171) are locked in a three-way battle for the championship. The MRF Challenge returns to Chennai after previous rounds in Bahrain, Dubai and Greater Noida (Buddh International Circuit).

One of the highpoints of the weekend will be the presence of MRF brand ambassador Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar who is expected to do a few laps of the circuit in a twin-seater racing car on Sunday.

MRF-Challenge-(F2000)The MRF Challenge is being run concurrently with the National Racing Championship that includes MRF F1600, a revamped Formula LGB 1300 and the Saloon cars which comprise the Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock while the Esteem Cup will be making its debut, but not counting towards the National championship. The high-end Indian Touring Cars will be joining the championship in the next round to be run in March.

The entry-level Formula LGB 1300 which also has a Rookie class provides an option for youngsters moving up from karting to open-wheel racing. The Rookie class is part of MMSC’s continuing efforts to attract fresh and young talent, especially among students and the initiative has met with an encouraging response with 22 entries.

Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “Now that we have the single-seater category in place as a platform for talent to move up the ladder, we decided to focus on saloon cars in our effort to encourage participation of more car manufacturers in the National Championship in keeping with MMSC’s vision.

“With this in mind, we have thrown open the Super Stock to all comers and not just restricted to the Maruti Esteem.

Formula-LGB-1300“The production of Esteem cars has been stopped, but considering that many have already invested in this make, we decided to have a separate Cup for this make. We hope that this move will see bigger grids and more manufacturers coming aboard.”

The MRF F1600, where the champion at the end of the season will be eligible to participate in the Mazda Road To Indy shootout in the United States, is no doubt the flagship of the National championship with a very competitive grid.

The first round in Noida last month saw Bengaluru’s Ananth Shanmugam and Nayan Chatterjee from Mumbai winning a race apiece. The two share the top spot with 40 points apiece, ahead of 2015 Volkswagen Vento Cup champion Anindith Reddy (36) from Hyderabad. The grid also has 2016 Vento Cup champion Ishaan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) who is in his first single-seater season and managed just six points in the previous round.

About Madras Motor Sports Club

Saloon-carsThe Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

For Media queries, please contact:
Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.
  Ph: +91-94835 48185.
  B David
  Ph: +91-98455 69496.
 

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Hyderabad: The awards giving ceremony, an annual feature in the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India (FMSCI), was organised at a much more lavish scale this year under the stewardship of its recently elected president Akbar Ibrahim. As many as 75 winners were presented with trophies for their victorious efforts in the year gone by.

Five time National Rally Champion Gaurav Gill was decorated with the prestigious ’motorsports person of the year award’ here on Friday at a glittering function attended by the entire galaxy of racing and rallying stars in the country.

Gill, the reigning Asia Pacific Champion had a spectacular 2016, winning all five rounds of the APRC to set a new record, received the Raymond Gautam Singhania Trophy from Jean Todt, the president of FIA (Le Federation Internationale de l’Automobile). A packed banquet hall stood up in unison to applaud his feat.

“It’s an honour to receive the trophy from Mr Todt, one of the legends in the world of racing,” Gill, who has already won the trophy twice earlier, said in his acceptance speech. “I will have to win it again and again so that it stays in my cabinet,” he quipped, referring to the fact that it’s a rolling trophy.

Mr B Vijay Kumar, owner of the Kari Motor Speedway, was also given the lifetime achievement award for his immense contribution to the field of motorsports in the country.

“This is a special day for motor sports as the FMSCI was formed exactly on this day, 44 years ago,” Akbar said. “I am proud to say that we had as many as 350 tournaments through the year, which makes us the third most active motor sporting country in Asia,” he added.

He promised to take the sport and the country to greater glory by bringing in more world class events while also ensuring that the infrastructure and quality of officiating reaches international standards. “We will tie up with all our partners so that racing not only becomes cheaper for our drivers and teams but also a much better experience,” he promised.

Akbar also pointed out that a new wing has already been commissioned to empower women and help them race in various disciplines, including motocross, drag racing and rallying.

FIA president Todt, the brain and power behind Ferrari’s much feared Formula One team, couldn’t stop marvelling at India’s amazing culture and fascinating traditions.

‘You are a country of over a billion people. We have a great challenge ahead of us. But it provides us so many wonderful opportunities too,” he declared. “India has always been a very strong federation in the FIA and I want to tell you that you now have a very strong ally in me to develop motor sport in the country,” he added.

All the award winners:

Life Time Achievement Award : B. Vijaykumar ; Motorsports person of the year, Gaurav Gill; Celebrating 50 years of competition in motorsports: D Vidyaprakash

JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship LGB Formula 4 - National Champion Driver: Vishnu Prasad; LGB Formula 4 - National Champion Team: Meco Racing; Euro JK 16 - National Champion Drive: Anindith Reddy Konda

MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship MRF FF 1600 National Champion Driver: G. Vikash Anand; Indian Touring Cars (ITC) - National Champion Driver: Arjun Narendran; Indian Touring Cars (ITC) - National Champion Team: Red Rooster Racing; Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC) - National Champion Driver: Keith DeSouza; Indian Junior Touring Cars (IJTC) - National Champion Team: Red Rooster Racing; Super Stock - National Champion Driver: Raghul Rangaswamy; Super Stock - National Champion Team: Race Concepts; F 1300 - National Champion Driver: Raghul Rangaswamy; F1300 - National Champion Team: Wallace Sports & Research Foundation;

Outstanding Women in Motorsport Award:

  • In Karting - Mira Erda
  • In Single Seater Racing - Sneha Sharma
  • In 2w Racing - Aishwarya Pissay & Shruthi Nagarajan
  • In Rallying - Bani Yadav
MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship

Indian National Rally Champion - Driver: Karna Kadur; Indian National Rally Champion - Co Driver: Nikhil V Pai; Indian National Rally Champion - Team: Indian National Rally Champion - Team: Mahindra Adventure; Indian National Rally Champion Driver - 2000cc: Karna Kadur; Indian National Rally Champion Co-Driver - 2000cc: Nikhil V Pai; Indian National Rally Champion

2000cc Team: Yokohama; Indian Rally Champion - Driver: Abhilash P.G.; Indian Rally Champion - Co-Driver: Srikanth Gowda; Indian Rally Champion - Team: R3A PGA Motorsports

Maruti Suzuki FMSCI National SuperLeague TSD Rally Championship

National Champion Crew: Karthick Maruthi / Sankar Anand S; National Champion Driver: Karthick Maruthi; National Champion Navigator: Musthafa M

 

Outstanding achievement in World Motorsport

Armaan Ebrahim: Winner of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series 2016; Jehan Daruvalla: 2nd in the Formula Toyota Championship in New Zealand ; Akash Gowda – 3rd in the FIA South East Asia F4 Championship; Shahan Ali Moshin – Asia Max Karting Championship – 1st in the Micro Max Class; Ricky Donison – Asia Max Karting Championship – 2nd in the Senior Max Class; Nayan Chatterjee – Asia Max Karting Championship – 2nd in the Shifter Class

JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Karting Championship

Micro Max - National Champion Driver: Shahan Ali Mohsin; Micro Max - National Champion Team: Meco racing; Junior Max - National Champion Driver: Manav Sharma; Junior Max - National Champion Team: BPC Racing; Senior Max - National Champion Driver: Ricky Donison; Senior Max - National Champion Team: BPC Racing

The MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

  1. Super Sport Indian 300-400 cc - National Champion Rider- AMI VAN POEDEROOIJEN
  2. Super Sport Indian 300-400 cc - National Champion Team- ROCKSTAR RACING
  3. Super Sport Indian 300-400 cc - National Champion Manfacturer- KTM
  4. Super Sport Indian 165 cc - National Champion Rider- JAGAN K
  5. Super Sport Indian 165 cc - National Champion Team- TVS RACING
  6. Super Sport Indian 165 cc - National Champion Manufacturer- TVS
  7. Pro Stock upto 165 cc - National Champion Rider- RAJIV SETHU
  8. Pro Stock upto 165 cc - National Champion Team- HONDA TEN 10 RACING
  9. Pro Stock upto 165 cc - National Champion Manufacturer- HONDA
  10. Stock upto 165 cc - National Champion Rider- JOSEPH MATHEW P
  11. Stock upto 165 cc - National Champion Team- SPARK RACING
  12. Stock upto 165 cc - National Champion Manufacturer- YAMAHA
  MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Supercross Championship

Class 1 - Sx 1 - Gp "A"Upto 250Cc (2Stroke) & 500C (4 Stroke) - National Champion Rider - Abdul Wahid Tanveer Class 2 - Novice Class - Group "C" - Stroke 2/4 - Upto 260Cc - National Champion Rider - Jagadeesh Kumar B Class 3 - Indian Experts Class - Group "B" - Stroke 2/4 - Upto 260Cc - National Champion Rider - Nataraj R Class 5 - Indian Experts Class - Group "C" - Stroke 2/4 - Upto 260Cc - National Champion Rider -  Nataraj R Class 6 - Experts Class - Group "C" - Stroke 2/4 - Upto 260Cc - National Champion Rider - Suhail Ahmed Class 7 - Sx 2 - Group "A" - Upto 250Cc (2Stroke) & 500C (4 Stroke) - National Champion Rider - Rugved Barguje Class 8 - Jr Sx - Group "A/B/C/D" - Upto 250Cc -Stroke 2/4 - National Champion Rider - Karan Karle

The MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Rally Championship 2W:

National Rally Champion – Rider- Abdul Wahid Tanveer National Rally Champion – Team- TVS RACING Super Bike Pro Expert - National Champion Rider- Abdul Wahid Tanveer Super Bike - National Champion Rider- Vishwas S.D. Super Sport 130 cc - National Champion Rider- Shivakumar R Super Sport 165 cc - National Champion Rider- Rajendra R.E. Super Sport 260 cc - National Champion Rider- Suhail Ahmed Super Sport 400 cc - National Champion Rider- Venu Ramesh Kumar Super Sport 550 cc - National Champion Rider- Aakash Aithal Scooter - National Champion Rider- Syed Asif Ali

 

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MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2016 – Round 5

Rajiv Sethu clinches Pro Stock championship

Chennai, January 22: Young Rajiv Sethu of Honda Ten10 Racing clinched the title in the Pro Stock 165cc category after scoring a grand double over the weekend in the fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which concluded at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.

TVS-Apache-RTR-200-Locked in a tight tussle for the title with team-mate and championship leader Hari Krishnan Rajagopal going into the final round, Sethu, returning from a major hip injury, kept his wits about him to win both the races to clinch the title. Hari Krishnan was under pressure to stay in front and had a disastrous weekend as he failed to pick up any points.

Also scoring a double in the National championship was Jagan Kumar of TVS Racing who continued his fine form while retaining title in the top-end Super Sport Indian 165cc class to finish the season with five wins from 10 starts.

Jagan, though, had to work hard for his second win this weekend as he was pushed for much of the six-lapper until he managed to get his nose in front in the latter half to take the chequered flag before doing a lap of honour to celebrate his fifth National title in a row.

Equally dominating was Auroville-based Spaniard Ami van Poederooijen of Rockstar Racing in the Super Sport Indian 300-400cc class as he completed a double for seven wins, six of them in a row. He had sealed the championship on Saturday after winning the first of the two races, but that did not stop him from further underlining his dominance by topping the second outing today.

Untitled-111The concluding day’s proceedings witnessed its quota of close and exciting racing, especially in the MMSC One-Make Championships as Meka Vidhuraj (Suzuki Gixxer Cup Open), Joseph Mathew (Gixxer Cup Novice), Kannan Karnan (TVS Apache RTR200 Open), Yashas RL from Bengaluru, who won all the three races over the weekend (TVS Novice), Mathana Kumar (Honda CBR 250) and Anish Shetty from Hubballi (Honda CBR 150) clinched the titles in their respective categories.

Provisional results: (All 6 laps unless mentioned)

National Championship – Super Sport Indian (300-400cc): 1. Ami Van Poederooijen (Rockstar Racing) (12mins, 19.918secs); Amarnath Menon K (Rockstar Racing) (12:30.675); 3. Abhishek V (Rockstar Racing) (12:34.792).

Super Sport Indian (165cc): 1. K Jagan Kumar (TVS Racing) (12:20.839); 2. S Kannan Subramaniam (TVS Racing) (12:20.878); 3. Harry Sylvester (TVS Racing) (12:21.161).

Pro Stock 165cc: 1. Rajiv Sethu (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:54.164); 2. Mithun Kumar PK (Honda Ten 10 Racing) (12:54.986); 3. D Dinesh Kumar (RACR) (12:55.286).

MMSC One-Make Championship – Honda CBR 250 (Open): 1. Hari Krishnan Rajagopal (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:44.938); 2. Mathana Kumar S (Honda Ten10 Racing) (12:45.576); 3. Ananth Raj P (Pro Lap Racing) (12:48.902). CBR 150 Novice (4 laps): 1. Piyush Ranjan (Patna) (09:11.729); 2. Anish D Shetty (Hubballi) (09:11.765); 3. Soorya PM (Chennai) (09:12.070).

TVS Apache RTR 200 (Open): 1. Arun Muthukrishnan (Chennai) (13:34.470); 2. Kannan Karnan (Chennai) (13:34.991); 3. Shyam Shankar (Chennai) (13:43.346). Novice (4 laps): 1. Yashas RL (Bengaluru) (09:07.614); 2. Hari Prasath R (Chennai) (09:09.367); 3. Peddu Sriharsha (Chennai) (09:10.905).

Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Open): 1. Aaron Gunawardena (Sri Lanka) (13:37.638); 2. R Rajinikanth (Chennai) (13:37.715); 3. Vivian Gladwin (Kanpur) (13:38.097). Novice (4 laps): 1. Joseph Mathew (Chennai) (09:16.665); 2. Amarnath Rajan (Chennai) (09:17.987); 3. Alexander AS (Chennai) (09:19.629).

About Madras Motor Sports Club

The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.


For Media queries, please contact:
Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.
Ph: +91-94835 48185 / B David Ph: +91-98455 69496.
Download in PDF
FMSCI Plans Comprehensive training programs for its officials and marshall clubs

Working closely with the FIA and the FIA & FIM accredited Trainers, FMSCI now plans to conduct a comprehensive Training program for interested Marshall Clubs, Race Directors, Clerk of Courses and Stewards. Simultaneously the Technical Commissions will also be conducting a comprehensive Scrutineer Training program in the same period and at the same venue. The Marshall Clubs Training will be done on Train the Trainer basis. Each interested Club will be requested to nominate 2-3 representatives who will get trained by the International trainers. These representatives in turn will train their own registered Marshall and the FMSCI will then certify these clubs as recognized Marshall Clubs of the FMSCI. Organizers can be free to contact these clubs for providing of Marshalls for their events. The Race Directors and Clerk of the Course Training program, apart from those who already hold FIA, FIM and CIK Licenses will be for those who are currently officiating in such positions in National and Regional events and also for those with motorsporting experience who are interested in becoming a COC and then a Race Director. Once the Training is done, assessments will take place and the participants will be graded accordingly by the FMSCI and their names will be listed on the FMSCI Web Site so Organizers will then be asked to appoint COC's and Race Directors only from this panel.

The Stewards' training program will be open to all the existing stewards as well as for new interested stewards. Post the training program there will be assessments done and a 4 tier grading system will be introduced. The FMSCI will then, through their Commission Heads, appoint Stewards from this panel for its sanctioned events.

MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2016 – Round 5
  • Grand finale at MMRT track
  • Tight battles for titles on cards
  • 23 races scheduled for weekend

Untitled-1Chennai, January 19: The fifth and concluding round of the MRF MMSC Fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2016, spilled over from last year following cyclone-induced postponement, is set for a thrilling finish at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here, with titles in all categories up for grabs.

The card of 23 races to be run over three days beginning Friday Untitled-2includes the premium Super Sport Indian (400cc and 165cc) class along with Pro-Stock (165cc) and Stock (165cc) which form the National Championship besides MMSC One-Make Championships for TVS and  Honda, and the Suzuki Gixxer Cup. Also scheduled are races exclusively for ladies, by Honda and Alisha Abdullah Academy.

The Madras Motor Sports Club officials burnt the proverbial midnight oil to get the MMRT circuit facilities in order after the battering it received in December from cyclone Vardah that created havoc in the region while also forcing a postponement of the final round of the two-wheeler championship.

Thus, it has been a three-month break in the championship and the riders, especially those in contention for the titles, are chaffing at the bit eager to get back into action. As such, with so much at stake, the competition is expected to be razor-sharp as in all the previous four rounds.

In the Super Sport Indian (300-400cc), it will be a straight fight between two Rockstar Racing team-mates Ami van Poederooijen (135 points), a Spaniard based in Auroville, and Bengaluru’s Abhishek Vasudev (115), while a trio of TVS Racing mates reigning champion Jagan Kumar (141), Kannan Subramaniam (110) and Harry Sylvester (102), all from Chennai, are in title race in the Super Sport Indian 165cc class.

Two talented racers from Chennai who performed well in the 2016 Asia Road Racing Championships, Hari Krishnan Rajagopal (153) and Rajiv Sethu (144), both from Honda Ten10 Racing team, are locked in a tight battle in the Pro Stock (165cc) category, having won seven of the eight races between them over four rounds.

Untitled-3The Stock 165cc class will witness a four-cornered battle for top honours involving Hubbali’s Anish Shetty (122) of United Tech Torque, Antony Peter (Performance Racing, 120) from Coimbatore, Chennai duo of Joseph Mathew (Sparks Racing, 111) and PM Soorya (Team Speedup, 100).

The situation in the MMSC One-Make championships is much the same with the title race wide open and multiple competitors in the running for the top prize.

After Thursday’s practice sessions, action kicks-off with four races scheduled for Friday followed by a busy Saturday when 10 races will be run before the championship winds up on Sunday when the remaining eight are held. The programme will conclude with championship prize distribution trackside.

 

About Madras Motor Sports Club

The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

For Media queries, please contact:
Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.
Ph: +91-94835 48185.
B David
Ph: +91-98455 69496.
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AMITTRAJIT GHOSH WINS THE COVETED MRF 42nd K1000 RALLY 2016

Bengaluru, 18th December 2016: Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik pulled out all the stops to win the coveted MRF 42nd K1000 Rally 2016 in Bengaluru with an overall time of 00.51.40.2. This is the second time that the Team Mahindra Adventure driver has won India’s oldest rally in the country; the last one being in 2013.

This was the second podium for Amittrajit post his win at the MRF Rally of Coimbatore in the month of July 2016. He said “Feels very nice to end the season with a win and having the most number of wins this season. We will come back better and stronger in 2017”.

The first runner up and the second runner up of the MRF 42nd K1000 Rally 2016 were Phalguna V and Rahul Kanthraj with an overall time of 00:53:38.1 and 00:54:30.5 respectively

Amidst several championship contenders coming into the final round, Gaurav Gill of Team Mahindra Adventure failed to finish the rally when he had driveshaft failure in SS 1. Arjun Rao also failed to finish the event while running third due to gearbox failure.

Mr. Arindam Ghosh, Director, RRPM, who are the promoters of the MRF FMSCI INRC and IRC, said: “It has been a lovely year of rallying and it can only get better from here. We promise to bring back an even better championship next year”.

Abhilash PG and Srikant Gowda took overall honors in the MRF FMSCI Indian Rally Championship (IRC), run concurrently with the INRC, completing the event in a total time of 00:54:31.4, 00:04:57.0 ahead of Mohammed Kasim A.A and Sanath G. Ritesh.M.Guttedar and Sheraz Ahmed were third with a time of 01:00:00.9.

It must be noted that the INRC and IRC are two separate championships and their results are not clubbed together or compared as they run distinctively different vehicles. The INRC is for two-wheel drive Indian vehicles only while four-wheel drive foreign vehicles are allowed to compete in the IRC.

The K1000 Rally is running in its 42nd year. The name K1000 is attributed to the 1000 mile (1600kms) rally that used to run in the mid 80s. As part of the INRC calendar now, the rally spans across 104 kms through 6 stages around the village of Hosadurga that is known to have rich deposits of iron ore and manganese.

Amittrajit and Ashwin took home Rs. 50,000/- in prize money.

The prize money and trophies for the podium finishers were handed out by patrons of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club.

The prize winners for the different categories are as follows:

OVERALL INRC WINNERS

3- Place Rahul Kanthraj (Driver) Vivek Y. Bhatt (Co-Driver) CNo: 8
2- Place Phalguna V. Urs (Driver) Chandramouli C.M (Co-Driver) CNo: 6
1- Place Amittrajit Ghosh (Driver) Ashwin M. Naik (Co-Driver) CNo: 2
WINNERS OF IRC
3- Place Ritesh.M.Guttedar (Driver) Sheraz Ahmed (Co-Driver) CNo: 20
2- Place Mohammed Kasim A.A (Driver) Sanath G (Co-Driver) CNo: 16
1- Place Abhilash P.G (Driver) Srikant Gowda G.M (Co-Driver) CNo: 1
WINNERS OF FMSCI CUP
3- Place Ganapathy S C (Driver) Venu Ramesh Kumar (Co-Driver) CNo: 21
2- Place Krishnakant Yadav (Driver) Sagar M (Co-Driver) CNo: 25
1- Place Sridhar N Urs (Driver) Roopesh B C (Co-Driver) CNo: 23

WINNERS OF GYPSY CUP

3- Place Nayan J Sarma (Driver) Shuchindra S.P (Co-Driver) CNo: 29
2- Place Shiva Kumar Reddy (Driver) Vinay Prasad B.K. (Co-Driver) CNo: 32
1- Place Sanjay Agarwal (Driver) Smitha N (Co-Driver) CNo: 28

WINNERS OF INRC 2000

3- Place Aroor Vikram Rao (Driver) Jeevarathinam J (Co-Driver) CNo: 19
2- Place Bopaiah K.M (Driver) Gagan Karumbaiah (Co-Driver) CNo: 14
1- Place Rahul Kanthraj (Driver) Vivek Y. Bhatt (Co-Driver) CNo: 8


About RRPM:
Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt. Ltd. (RRPM) is a company formed with the sole intention of promoting “Professional Motorsports” in India and provides all kinds of technical assistance and information required to be at par with the National Level. RRPM was started in 2003 by Mr. Arindam Ghosh, an icon in his own rights with rallying and organizational experience of over 40 years.  RRPM is proud to be a part of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, which is the apex body of India.

Please do visit – www.INRCINDIA.com and www.RRPM.co and follow RRPM on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RRPMKolkata/

Twitter:  https://www.facebook.com/RRPMKolkata/

For more information contact:

Mayur Shah

Adfactors PR

Mobile - +91 98201 49769

mayur.shah@adfactorspr.com

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Ladies Back on the Track- 2016 FIM Asia Cup of Road Racing, Thailand.

Aishwarya Madhusudhan and Shruthi Nagarajan are once again getting back on track for the 2016 FIM Asia Cup of Road Racing on 16th-18th December 2016 at the Thailand Circuit, Nakhonchaisri.The machine they will be using for the race is Yamaha Exciter 150cc.

The two ladies made the country proud in the previous race by turning out to be the first two female riders from India to compete at the FIM Asia Cup Road Racing in Taiwan and performing well at their maiden attempt. And they continue to make India proud, by participating in the next race in Thailand. They seem to be their own competition, beating their own records with their dauntless attitude and will- above all their passion for racing. Adding on to this, Aishwarya Madhusudhan also receives an award in Delhi from the TIE Young Achievers Award on 16th Dec, straight from which she will be heading on to Thailand.

Sujith Kumar, Chairman of 2w Racing Commission stated, “Aishwarya and Shruthi are among the fastest lady riders in our country at present and we feel their participation in International events could inspire more women to join the sport”.

“Aishwarya and Shruti have redefined the threshold for women riders in India via their successful participation in the 2016 FIM Asia Cup of Road  Racing. Their dauntless commitment and passion towards the sport is truly inspiring and  I am sure that this is just the beginning of a great future that lies ahead of them. I do wish them the very best in all their future racing engagements" were the words from Akbar Ebrahim, President of FMSCI.

It’s time to watch out for the ladies go vroom on the circuit.

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AKBAR  EBRAHIM  ELECTED PRESIDENT  FMSCI   2017-18

At the FMSCI  Annual General Meeting of 2016,held in Chennai yesterday ,  Mr. Akbar Ebrahim  was   elected as the President of FMSCI and Mr. J.Prithiviraj  elected as the Vice-President.

AKBAR EBRAHIM

AKBAR EBRAHIM

The 43rd Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India was held on  Monday 12th December 2016 at Chennai. Elections were conducted for member clubs to be elected to the FMSCI council for the years 2017-2018. The following Clubs/Councillors were declared elected .

COUNCIL for 2017-2018

  • Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) - KD Madan
  • Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) - Shivu Shivappa
  • Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC) - J. Prithiviraj
  • Calcutta Motor Sports Club (CMSC) - Sanjay Sharma
  • Indian Automotive Racing Club (IARC).- Ketan Mehta
  • Motor Sports Club of Chikmaglur (MSCC) - Farooq Ahmed
  • Meco Motorsports Club (MMS) - Akbar Ebrahim
  • Ramakrishna Race Performance (RRPM) - Arindam Ghosh

Elections were also conducted for the post of President and Vice President and the following were elected by the General Body .

  • Akbar Ebrahim  – President
    dsc_0082-_586-x-331

    J . Prithiviraj

  • J . Prithiviraj – Vice President

Akbar Ebrahim is a well-known  former racer and organizer of the National Rotax Max Karting Championship for  last several years.  He has been in the FMSCI council for the past 4 years and as a Chairman of  4W Racing Commission has streamlined  and brought in many racing initiatives and programs which have resulted in a quantum jump  in car racing in India.

Akbar Ebrahim  said “ It is a great honour to be elected as the President of the FMSCI . I intend to dedicate my time and energy towards further development of Indian Motorsport right from the grass root level all the way to the top Nationally and Internationally for all disciplines of the sport .”

An action packed 2017  Fmsci calendar awaits motorsports enthusiasts with 13 National Championships in various disciplines set to kick off  in January  itself.

At the recent concluded FIA AGM , the following Fmsci nominees were inducted in to the following FIA Commissions .

  • Driver’s Commission - Karun Chandhok
  • Drag Racing Commission - J Balamurugan
  • Rally Commission - Ashwin Pandit
  • Circuits - Manoj P Dalal
  • Medical - Dr Uday Balakrishnan
  • Land Speed Records - Hormazd Sorabjee
  • Women in Motorsports - Navaz Sandhu
  • Volunteers and Officials - Prabha Shankar
  • CIK Karting - Rayomand Banajee
  • Truck Racing - Vicky Chandhok
  • Closed Road - Mohan Nagarajan
  • Hill Climb - Raj Kapoor
  • Off Road - Jayesh Desai
FIM Comissions
  • GP Roop Kumar – Technical .
  • Anand Sashidharan – Legal .

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Ricky, Shahan grab pole for championship race in 13th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship

Kolhapur, September 24: Senior Max favourite Ricky Donison and Micro Max star Shahan Ali grabbed pole positions for the biggest race-day of the 13th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship, winning their respective heats in the fifth and final round with consummate ease here at the Mohite Racing Academy on Saturday.

Ricky Donnison grabbed pole position in the senior max category for the championship race on sunday in the 13th JK TYRE FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship,Kolhapur

Ricky Donnison grabbed pole position in the senior max category for the championship race on sunday in the 13th JK TYRE FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship,Kolhapur

In the Junior Max, Chirag Ghorpade grabbed the honours by winning the first heat and playing it safe in the second, pulling out of the race to save his wet tyres in the fifth lap. He will hope to take advantage of his pole position to pull off a sensational win on Sunday.

Ricky of BPC Racing showed his class on Day 1 of the championship weekend, grabbing the pole position from Vishnu Prasad in the qualifying  and marking his intent right away. In H1, he built a huge lead by the second lap itself and looked untouchable all the way through. He clocked a stupendous 51.320 seconds, amazingly in the last lap to show that he is not going to let up until the final chequered flag comes out on what promises to be a stupendous Sunday.

The Bangalore-based racer was equally imperious in Senior Max’s H2, quickly storming ahead of the field and taking the race with elan. He is currently on 324 points, just four behind the championship leader, Vishnu Prasad, and will fancy his chances on the big day, when a full house is expected to turn out to witness the grand finale.

Local hero Dhruv Mohite gave Kolhapur’s fans a lot to cheer by snatching P2, and staying in line to pull off a sensational upset. He finished second in the first heat and third in the second to stay in the reckoning. He is on 314 points and knows that two great runs on Sunday can well give him the championship.

He took advantage of a melee in the opening round of H1 itself to jump into the second position from third. In H2 too, he was in his elements, giving Ricky a run for his money. But he lost steam at the midway stage, allowing Nayan to come back into the action. The Mumbai lad will start on P3 while Vishnu of Meco will start on P4.

Shahan Ali grabbed pole position in the micro max category for the championship race on sunday in the 13th JK TYRE FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship,Kolhapur

Shahan Ali grabbed pole position in the micro max category for the championship race on sunday in the 13th JK TYRE FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship,Kolhapur

In Junior Max, almost the entire field opted for a strategic race, not finishing H2 to save their tyres for the last two races just in caesarian plays spoilsport. One after the other, all the top contenders pulled out to give themselves a better chance to go for the kill on Sunday. In the event, the only lady karter Mira Erda of Erda Racing emerged the surprise winner in H2. She was followed home by Aditya Swaminathan and Bhragav Pradyumna, both of Meco.

That will, however, not affect the grid positions for the pre-finals on Sunday substantially. Ghorpade (BPC Racing) will begin at P1 while Mira and Nirmal Umashankar will begin on P2 and P3. Manav Sharma, who will start at P4, remains ahead in the championship race with 334 points. Ghorpade is fourth with 317 points and will try to make the most of this huge advantagetomorrow.

Newly crowned Asian Micro Max champion Shahan Ali (Meco) underlined his skill and temperament by winning his two heats in totally different conditions. Just after lunch, with the clouds still too far away to pose any threat, he built on his pole position to build a sizeable lead in the Micro Max. But the Meco racer had to absorb a lot of pressure in the latter part of the race as Aadityanash (Rayo) literally sat on his tail, looking for an opening to streak past him.

Shahan, however, demonstrated remarkable calm and amazing defensive acumen to ward him off. Expectedly, he recorded the fastest lap (57.505 seconds) in the tenth lap; Aadityansh was just two tenths of a second behind him to show how aggressively he was driving. It was a breeze for Shahan in the second heat though, winning the wet race comfortably in 11.14.584 minutes.

This was a crucial win for him. In the previous round, the slippery conditions set him back. But this time, he tackled the wet race with equal ease and jumped ahead and held on to the lead all the way till the last lap. He could only manage a fast lap of 1:06.604 minutes, coincidentally again in the tenth, but that was good enough to put him in the best position for Sunday’s finals. Arjun Nair (Meco) who finished third in the first heat and runner up in the second will start at P2.  Aadityansh will be at P3.

SENIOR MAX

Heat 1: Ricky Donison 1; Dhruv Mohite 2; Vishnu Prasad 3

Heat 2: Ricky Donison 1; Nayan Chatterjee 2; Dhruv Mohite 3

JUNIOR MAX

Heat 1: Chirag Ghorpade 1; Manav Sharma 2; Nirmal Umashankar 3

Heat 2: Mira Erda 1; Aditya Swaminathan 2; Bhargav Pradyumna 3

MICRO MAX

Heat 1: Shahan Ali 1; Aadityansh 2; Arjun Nair 3

Heat 2: Shahan Ali 1; Arjun Nair 2;  Aadityansh 3

JK Tyre - Drive Safe Drive Responsibly, Stay in Total Control 

For all the latest news, photos, videos, and updates, please visit us at:

www.jktyremotorsport.com

www.twitter.com/JKTyreRacing

www.facebook.com/jktyremotorsport

About JK Tyre Motorsport:

JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of grueling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre‟s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the field of motor sport.

In 2011, the company acquired the Formula BMW Series and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series (JKRAS). With this acquisition, JK Tyre created history in Indian Motorsport by becoming the first Indian company to acquire an FIA accredited series. By taking over the series, JK Tyre promises to utilize it as a platform to encourage and support the world‟s best racing drivers and promote India as one of Asia‟s motorsport capitals. Thus, JK Tyre has conquered two steps in the motorsport program where the new racing aspirants first establish themselves in

India, then graduate to Asian level i.e. to Formula BMW, which is now JKRAS and then they move to higher levels of racing. JK Tyre now stands closer to achieving its mission of bringing world-class motorsport to the Indian masses.

 The Racing and Karting programme by JK Tyre has been the breeding ground for the country‟s motorsport talents like NarainKarthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel and other emerging talent.

Another pioneering initiative was the launch of the Truck Racing Championship in India in partnership with Tata Motors. The company developed & designed „JetRacing‟-the new generation truck racing tyres especially for this application. With this, JK Tyre became the first tyre company to produce truck racing tyres in India. The combination of the Prima trucks fitted with Jet Racing received an overwhelming response from participants and has definitely brought in a revolution in the Indian racing scenario.

For further information, please contact: Monsum Hazarika Artsmith Concepts & Vision +91 9999648056 monsum@artsmith.in

Samikshan Dutta Choudhury Artsmith Concepts & Vision

+918377079442

Journalist.samikshan@gmail.com

JK Tyre - Drive Safe Drive Responsibly, Stay in Total Control

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Asia Championship bike races at BIC, Oct 1-2

  • International Bike Races return to India
  • Asia Road Racing Championship at Buddh International
  • Over 70 riders from Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and India in fray

New Delhi, September 27: The premium Asia Road Racing Championship, which showcases the region’s top riders and manufacturers, returns to India with the Madras Motor Sports Club organizing the fifth round of the series at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida on October 1-2.

Hari Krishnan

Hari Krishnan

The ARRC round this weekend comprises the Asia Dream Cup (Honda CBR250) which will see two Indian riders, Hari Krishnan Rajagopal and Rajiv Sethu, besides the SuperSport 600cc that has country’s lone representative Shankar Sarath Kumar on the grid, the Asia Production 250cc and the Underbone 130cc.

sarath kumar

sarath kumar

The three Indians apart, the ARRC will be parading plenty of exciting talent chiefly from Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, countries that have produced riders who have progressed to the World Championship level, and four top manufacturers Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.

The weekend card includes the final round of the Volkswagen Vento Cup, the only four-wheeler category, apart from Round 4 of the MMSC One Make Championships in Honda (CBR 250 Open), TVS (Apache RTR 200 Open) and the Suzuki Gixxer Cup (Open) categories.

Rajiv Sethu

Rajiv Sethu

The action begins on Thursday with Free Practice sessions for the Honda and TVS One Make Championships, the Suzuki Gixxer Cup and the

VW  Vento Cup. The ARRC riders will get into their stride with practice sessions on Friday. In all, 16 races will be held over the next two days.

Chairman of the Meet, Vicky Chandhok said: “In keeping with MMSC’s tradition that dates back to the 1950s of organizing and promoting the highest levels of motor sport in India, we are proud to host a round of the Asia Road Racing Championship at the Buddh International Circuit this weekend.

“The MMSC today organizes and promotes most of motor racing events in India and I am proud to say that seven of the country’s top manufacturers – Honda, Suzuki, TVS, Yamaha, KTM, Bajaj and Royal Enfield – are participating in our events in one form or other.

“With Formula One no longer financially viable to host, it is the endeavour of MMSC to bring to India a high profile and top quality event such as the ARRC as part of our efforts to keep India on the global motor sport map besides making our country a motor sport destination.

“We had the option of hosting the ARRC at our own MMRT tracks in Sripdumbudur at a far lesser cost, but it is MMSC’s philosophy to also support such an iconic track as the BIC which is undoubtedly among the finest race track in the World despite the phenomenal costs involved.”

About Madras Motor Sports Club

The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

For Media queries, please contact: Anand Philar, AP Media Communications. Ph: +91-94835 48185.

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MRF Rally de Bengal – Round 2, East Zone of the MRF FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship 2016 is set to kick off this Saturday

Kolkata, September 08, 2016 – Round 2, East of the MRF FMSCI Indian National TSD Rally Championship(INTSDRC) 2016 – the MRF Rally de Bengal commenced with the pre-event press conference today at the Princeton Club. The championship consists of 8 rounds (2 in each zone) in different parts of the country (schedule given in page 3). Top 7 teams from each zone will qualify for the National Finals to be held on completion of all zonal rounds.

The MRF Rally de Bengal organized by Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt. Ltd. (RRPM) will cover around 115 kms., which will include both dirt and tarmac roads in and around Durgapur on the 10thSeptember. The rally route comprises of public/private roads which remain undisclosed to competitors till the beginning of the event.

arindam-ghosh-coc-mrf-rally-de-bengal-1Mr. Arindam Ghosh, Director, RRPM and Clerk of the Course said, “It is a dual role that we have taken up for this rally. While the Rally de Bengal has been a great success over the years, this time around, RRPM is also the promoter of the Championship. This puts an added pressure for putting up a signature event like previous years but with the team we have at RRPM, I am confident that we will succeed in doing so.”

 “As we are in the top seven after round 1 of the east zone, we are counting on this event big time to enter the national finals and will give it our best.” said Somdeb Chanda, veteran TSD rally navigator and a participant in the MRF Rally de Bengal along with his wife, Debarati Chanda, who is the designated driver of their entry.

Sumantika Choudhury, a passionate rally enthusiast from Kolkata participating in the MRF Rally de Bengal said, “As a regular competitor, we always look forward to good rallies and from my past experiences, I can say that the MRF Rally de Bengal organized by RRPM is going to be a super challenging event.”

Eminent TSD motorists like Saurav Chatterjee, Jogendra Jaiswal and others are participating in this event. The rally will follow the exciting trend of Secret Time Controls and Self Time Controls, a format introduced by RRPM which has been widely accepted and appreciated by all competitors for the last few years and is now a permanent feature in all rounds of the MRF FMSCI INTSDRC. Starting at 7:30 am from CCD on NH 2, the rally is expected to finish by 1:00 pm and the Podium Ceremony and Champagne Shower will be held at 4:00 pm in Hotel Rik in Domra.

 Secret Time Controls help in monitoring the cars during the rally. Times are noted of each car as they traverse through the given route and in the Self Time Controls, teams have to note their timings themselves. This does not allow any car to maintain a relatively high speed for a long duration and hence makes the rally safer.

 The concept of 0 & 00 cars was also brought to Eastern India by RRPM. The 00 car travels through the route about 15 minutes before the rally to check the track and the 0 car generally traverses through the rally route just before the rally begins and follows all the instructions like a participating team.

MRF Rally de Bengal, which is Round 2, East of the MRF FMSCI INTSDRC is also the 4th event of the championship and the deciding round to choose qualifiers for the National Finals from the East Zone. Top seven teams after Round 1 - East are Jogendra Jaiswal & Prasenjit Roy, Shekhar Choudhury & Suvrajit Dutta, Biswanath Kundu & Sabatullah Khan, Subhodev Chatterjee & Gairick Khan, Santanu Saha & Mrinmoy Saha, Debarati Chanda & Somdeb Chanda, and Saurav Chatterjee & Souradeep Dutta.

Qualifying teams from the already concluded North Zone include Rajendra Singh Shekhawat & Arjun, Rishi Kapoor & Yogesh Bansal, Laxman De & Punyabrata Barma, Aman Gulfam & Rahul Mukherjee, Deepshikha Bhaduri & Natarajan, and Sukhdeep Singh & Akash Gill.

 The prizes for the different categories are as follows:
Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
INTSDRC Rs 25,000/- + Trophies Rs 15,000/- + Trophies Rs 10,000/- + Trophies Trophies Trophies
Open Rs 20,000/- + Trophies Rs 10,000/- + Trophies Rs 5,000/- + Trophies Trophies Trophies

The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the governing body for all motorsport events in India has given the rights to promote the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), Indian Rally Championship (IRC) and Indian National TSD Rally Championship (INTSDRC) to Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt. Ltd. (RRPM), which has roped in marquee companies like MRF Tyres, Mahindra Adventure, Polaris and Pincon as key sponsors for the Indian rally season.

TSD – Time Speed Distance FMSCI – Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India INTSDRC – Indian National TSD Rally Championship

About TSD Rally:

 TSD rallying (Time Speed Distance) is a form of motorsport usually conducted on public roads as well as off-road and dirt sections. The objective of these rallies is to maintain precise times and precise average speeds on various segments of a predefined route. Each team usually consists of a driver and navigator. Teams usually start a TSD rally at fixed intervals of a minute or two.

At the time of flag off, each team is given a route schedule (tulip/road book) which guides the navigator with the route and average speed to be maintained. Along the route there are several TCs (Time Controls), the positions of which are unknown to the teams. The marshals note the timing at which each team arrives at the TCs. The difference between a team's actual times and the ideal times determine their penalties. (Lateness and earliness both attract penalties with earliness attracting more penalty than lateness). The team with the lowest number of penalties wins.

 Teams use several instruments like different types of Odometers, Terratrip, Monit, Brantz etc., extra speedometers, GPS and rally computers for precision in their time and speed.

About RRPM:

Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt. Ltd. (RRPM) is a company formed with the sole intention of promoting “Professional Motorsports” in India and provides all kinds of technical assistance and information required to be at par with the National Level.

RRPM was started in 2003 by Mr. Arindam Ghosh, an icon in his own rights with rallying and organizational experience of over 40 years. RRPM is proud to be a part of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, which is the apex body of India.

The schedule of the MRF FMSCI INTSDRC (Indian National Time Speed Distance Rally Championship) 2016 is as follows –

DATE LOCATION
NORTH
13th August 2016 Jaipur
14th August 2016 Jaipur
EAST
21st August 2016 Haldia
10th September 2016 Durgapur
SOUTH
25th September 2016 Hubli
02nd October 2016 Bengaluru
WEST
13th November 2016 Nashik
20th November 2016 Goa
 
Please do visit – www.RRPM.co
For more information contact:

Sumantika Choudhury

Adfactors PR

Mobile - +91 9830056185

sumantika.choudhury@adfactorspr.com

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Chennai, September 1: The heat is on as the competition intensifies with nearly 200 entries in fray, including several international riders, and 22 races scheduled for the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship which gets underway at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here on Friday

The weekend fare includes races in the three main classes of the National Championship – the Super Sport Indian (165cc and 300-400cc), Pro-Stock 165 and Stock 165 – besides the MMSC One Make Championships for the three major manufacturers Honda (CBR 150 and 250), TVS (Apache RTR 200) and Suzuki Gixxer Cup.

The programme also showcases two support races in the Superbike (600-1000cc) category and two Ladies races by Honda and Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy.

Much of the focus this weekend will be on the top-end Super Sport Indian class that has a combined grid of 300-400cc and up to 165cc bikes piloted by established riders, some of them like TVS Racing’s Jagan Kumar, Sarath Kumar of Honda Ten10 Racing and veteran Rajini Krishnan (Team RACR), with international experience.

Jagan heads the 165cc leaderboard with an 18-point lead over RACR’s Deepak Ravikumar. Behind the pair of front-runners, five riders are bunched tightly within 14 points of each other. TVS Racing’s Harry Sylvester leads this chasing pack ahead of Sarath Kumar, team-mate Kannan Subramaniam, Rajini Krishnan and young gun KY Ahmed (TVS Racing).

Another international rider Hari Krishnan of Honda Ten10 Racing heads the Pro-Stock category, having won all four races over the previous two rounds. Behind him are RACR’s Dinesh Kumar and Honda Ten10’s Rajiv Sethu, who like Hari Krishnan is a regular on the Asian circuit, with just one point separating them.

Coimbatore’s Antony Peter (RMC Racing) and Anish Shetty from Hubballi (United Tech Torque Racing) are within nine points of each other at the top of the Stock 165cc class which attracts first-timers and young, aspiring racers.

The three MMSC One Make Championships have proved to be very popular going by the huge number of entries and have produced keen competition in the previous rounds. It will be no less fierce this weekend with more than a handful of riders in contention for the championship titles.

About Madras Motor Sports Club

The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

For Media queries, please contact:

Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.

Ph: +91-94835 48185.

B David

Ph: +91-98455 69496.



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Gaurav Gill (Driver) and Musa Sherif (Co-Driver) of Team Mahindra Adventure masters the tarmac stages of Nashik to win the MRF Rally of Maharashtra – Round 2 of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2016

Nashik, 28th August ‘16:  Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif of Team Mahindra Adventure stormed to victory at Round 2 of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) - the MRF Rally of Maharashtra while Abhilash PG and Srikanth Gowda bagged top honors in the MRF FMSCI Indian Rally Championship (IRC).At the glittering podium ceremony followed by champagne shower held here in Nashik, the winners were awarded the trophies by honorable Madhav Nene, Senior General Manager, Marketing, Mahindra and Mahindra and Mr Bijoy Kumar, Chief of Mahindra Adventure, along with a prize money of Rs 50,000/-, in the presence of Mr. Arindam Ghosh, Director, Ramakrishna Race Performance Management (RRPM) – the promoters of the 2016 MRF FMSCI INRC and IRC.

Gaurav Gill (Driver) and Musa Sherif (Co-Driver) of Team Mahindra Adventure masters the tarmac stages of Nashik to win the MRF Rally of Maharashtra

Gaurav Gill (Driver) and Musa Sherif (Co-Driver) of Team Mahindra Adventure masters the tarmac stages of Nashik to win the MRF Rally of Maharashtra

MRF Rally of Maharashtra being the only tarmac event in INRC and IRC 2016 was indeed a super fast event, which was made all the more challenging by the rain god.  The slippery roads made Dean Mascarenhas and Ahmer topple their cars while Sameer Thapar slid off the road and got his car stuck in a mud bank. The slippery tracks did not even let Bopaiah K.M finish the rally as the lower arm of his car broke. On the other hand in spite of losing a lot of time due to 3 punctures in stage 1, 3 and 4, Amittrajit Ghosh of Team Mahindra Adventure managed to bag the 3rd position in INRC.

The team of Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif won the rally with an overall time of 52 minutes 08 seconds followed by Arjun Rao and Satish Rajagopal as the first runners-up (53:12) and Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, also from Team Mahindra Adventure as the second runners-up (53:59) at the exhilarating MRF Rally of Maharashtra which was organized by the Western India Sports Association. Bikku Babu and George Milen won the INRC 2000cc category with a time of 54:33, while K J Jacob and Manoj Mohanan won the FMSCI Cup.

Abhilash PG and Srikanth Gowda, entered in the MRF FMSCI Indian Rally Championship (IRC) won their category with a time of 55:20 which ran concurrently with theINRC. Indian drivers in Indian cars were eligible for the INRC while Indian or Foreign drivers in Indian or Foreign cars were eligible for the IRC.

It must be noted that the INRC and IRC are two separate championships and their results are not clubbed together or compared as they run distinctively different vehicles, most importantly, the INRC is for two wheel drive Indian vehicles only while the four wheel drive foreign vehicles are allowed in the IRC.

The prizes for the different categories are as follows:

Position

1st

2nd

3rd

INRC Overall

Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif

Team Mahindra Adventure

Rs 50,000/- + Trophies

Arjun Rao and Satish Rajagopal

Rs 30,000/- + Trophies

Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik

Rs 20,000/- + Trophies

IRC

Abhilash PG andSrikanth Gowda

Rs 50,000/- + Trophies

Suraj Kute and Shamim Khan

Rs 30,000/- + Trophies

Amol Satoskar and S Dinesh

Rs 20,000/- + Trophies

INRC 2000 cc

Bikku Babu and Milen George

Rs 50,000/- + Trophies

Karna Kadur and Nikhil Pai

Rs 30,000/- + Trophies

Younus Ilyas and Suraj Prasad

Rs 20,000/- + Trophies

FMSCI Cup

 K J Jacob and Manoj Mohanan

Rs 40,000/- + Trophies

Yashas Nayaka M and Uday Kumar D

Rs 30,000/- + Trophies

Ganapathi Michu and Ramesh Kumar Venu

Rs 20,000/- + Trophies

The MRF Rally of Maharashtra, which is the 2nd round of the MRF FMSCI INRC and IRC 2016 season, zipped through the 6 stages covering about 75 kms. of tarmac roads around Bhandardara on the outskirts of Nashik. 32 teams from all over the country competed in this super exciting rally.

Mr. Arindam Ghosh, Director, RRPM said, “I want to thank MRF Tyres, Mahindra Adventure, Polaris and Pincon for sponsoring the 2016 INRC and IRC championships. I also congratulate all winners and the entire team of Western India Sports Association.”

The winning driver of the MRF Rally of Maharashtra (INRC), Gaurav Gill said “It was a very challenging weekend with weather paying spoilt sport and Nashik terrain being even more demanding but we got a great set up thanks to Mahindra Adventure and MRF.”

The second placed driver Arjun Rao said, “On the whole the rally was very good, finishing 2nd overall is a good start to the championship considering that I did not finish in Coimbatore. Stages were very fast, technical and needed 100% accuracy in terms of both driving and navigation. Thanks to my sponsors Mandavi Motors, MRF, Castrol and VW.”

Finishing third was Amittrajit Ghosh who said “Finishing 3rd even after three punctures in 6 stages feels as good as a win. Plus we leave round 2 still leading the championship. Not our day but that’s rallying. Thanks to the team as always for their hard work in getting us to the finish.”

The winner of the IRC, Abhilash PG said “Happy to take home maximum points from IRC in spite of two punctures as the tyre choice went wrong in the first loop. Two wins in IRC this year and a good start for the season.”

The INRC 2000cc winner, Bikku Babu said “We have been having a bit of bad luck in the last few rallies so the idea was to have a trouble free rally. Even though the stages especially the 1st stage was very tricky, and we had a bit of issues with our car ultimately we are happy to end as no 1 in 2000cc.”

About RRPM:

Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Pvt. Ltd. (RRPM) is a company formed with the sole intention of promoting “Professional Motorsports” in India andprovides all kinds of technical assistance and information required to be at par with the National Level.

RRPM was started in 2003 by Mr. Arindam Ghosh, an icon in his own rights with rallying and organizational experience of over 40 years.  RRPM is proud to be a part of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, which is the apex body of India.

The schedule of the MRF FMSCI INRC (Indian National Rally Championship) & the MRF FMSCI IRC (Indian Rally Championship) 2016 is as follows –

DATE

LOCATION

23rd & 24th July 2016

Coimbatore

27th & 28th August 2016

Nashik

17th & 18th September 2016

Gurgaon

26th & 27th November 2016

Bengaluru

3rd to 5th December 2016

Chikmagalur

Please do visit – www.INRCINDIA.com and www.RRPM.co

For more information contact:

Sumantika Choudhury

Adfactors PR

Mobile - +91 98300 56185

sumantika.choudhury@adfactorspr.com

 

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Nayan, Yash, Arjun win Round 4 of 13th JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Championship

Kolhapur: On a rain-hit Sunday, championship favourite Ricky Donison suffered a double blow that saw him surrender his leadership position after the fourth and penultimate round of the 13th JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Championship here at the Mohite Racing Academy.

Donison of BPC Racing, who had won all three earlier rounds, couldn’t come to terms with the wet and slippery conditions on the track and lost his edge in the Senior Max category. He zipped into the parcferme area in the scrutiny bay as he felt that he had a problem with his kart.

He came back a few minutes later to rejoin the race but by then the race organisers had removed his transponder, deeming him DNF (did not finish) on technical grounds. It meant that he had to be content with 38 points in the final that saw him slip to the second position with 324 overall points.

Chennai’s Vishnu Prasad jumped into the lead in the battle for the championship by finishing third in the pre-final and fourth in the final on an action-packed Sunday. He has a nominal 4-point lead now with 328 points in his bag, going into the final round next month.

The round itself was won by Mumbai’s Nayan Chatterjee (Meco Racing) in an exciting race.  Starting from the sixth place, he drove aggressively to come into contention in the opening lap itself. By the fifth, he was in the lead and didn’t give any other driver the opportunity to catch him.

For a brief while, Kolhapur fans had something to cheer as Dhruv Mohite grabbed the lead. But he couldn’t handle the heat generated by Nayan and the rest and slowly fell behind and eventually pulled out in the 12th lap. But the crowds still had reason to celebrate as another local boy Chittesh Mandody surprised all by coming from behind to finish second. Akash Gowda of Meco finished a commendable third, having started from the pit lane.

Interestingly, the Junior Max and Micro Max categories too saw the current leaders, Manav Sharma and Shahan Ali, suffer defeats but that didn’t affect their positions on the championship table.

In Junior Max, Manav of Peregrine Racing only managed to finish sixth after struggling with technical problems with his kart all through the weekend. But that was enough to keep him ahead of the pack with 334 points.

Yash Aradhya of Meco won the round to climb one place up to second position with 328 points.

Chirag Ghorpade of BPC had a great weekend, winning the two heats on Saturday and the pre-final in the morning. But he fell behind in the race that mattered and finished second. He is now in the fourth place in the championship race with 317 points.

In Micro Max, Shahan Ali looked unbeatable till the rains came down. The 12-year-old from Agra preferred not to take any undue risk and couldn’t do anything as Arjun Nair (Meco Racing) sneaked past him in the opening lap itself.

Shahan waited for Arjun to make a mistake but that didn’t happen; he made a late charge, even clocking the quickest timing in the last and 15th lap but Arjun held on to his nerve and warded him off. Bangalore’s Arjun is now just 28 points behind the leader in the championship race.

Results

MICRO MAX Final (15 laps)
  1. Arjun Nair, Bangalore (16:23.165); 2. Shahan Ali Mohsin, Agra (16:27.692); 3. Yeasash More, Bangalore (16:28.345)
Pre-final (12 laps)
  1. Shahan Ali Mohsin 11:55.795); 2. Kunal Vinod, Bangalore (12:02.361); 3. Arjun Nair (12:02.361)
JUNIOR MAX Final (18 laps)
  1. Yash Aradhya, Bangalore (18:52.000); 2. Chirag Ghorpade, Bangalore (19:09.584); 3. Paul Francis, Bangalore (19:14.258)
Pre final (15 laps)
  1. Chirag Ghorpade, Bangalore (13:20.373); 2. Yash Aradhya, Bangalore (13:22.885); 3. Jonathan Kuriakose, Mumbai (13:23.918)
SENIOR MAX (15 laps) Final
  1. Nayan Chatterjee, Mumbai (20:34.842); 2. Chittesh Mandody, Kolhapur (20:40,493); Akash Gowda, 20:45.403)
Pre-final
  1. Ricky Donison, Bangalore (13:20.373); 2. Dhruv Mohite, Kolhapur (13:22.885); 3. Jonathan Kuriakose, Mumbai (13:23.918)

For all the latest news, photos, videos, and updates, please visit us at:

www.jktyremotorsport.com

www.twitter.com/JKTyreRacing

www.facebook.com/jktyremotorsport

About JK Tyre Motorsport:

JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of grueling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre‟s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the field of motor sport.

In 2011, the company acquired the Formula BMW Series and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series (JKRAS). With this acquisition, JK Tyre created history in Indian Motorsport by becoming the first Indian company to acquire an FIA accredited series. By taking over the series, JK Tyre promises to utilize it as a platform to encourage and support the world‟s best racing drivers and promote India as one of Asia‟s motorsport capitals. Thus, JK Tyre has conquered two steps in the motorsport program where the new racing aspirants first establish themselves inIndia, then graduate to Asian level i.e. to Formula BMW, which is now JKRAS and then they move to higher levels of racing. JK Tyre now stands closer to achieving its mission of bringing world-class motorsport to the Indian masses.

The Racing and Karting programme by JK Tyre has been the breeding ground for the country‟s motorsport talents like NarainKarthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel and other emerging talent.

Another pioneering initiative was the launch of the Truck Racing Championship in India in partnership with Tata Motors. The company developed & designed „JetRacing‟-the new generation truck racing tyres especially for this application. With this, JK Tyre became the first tyre company to produce truck racing tyres in India. The combination of the Prima trucks fitted with Jet Racing received an overwhelming response from participants and has definitely brought in a revolution in the Indian racing scenario.

 

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Chennai, August 21: Twenty-two year old Chennai lad Vikash Anand won a double to clinch the title in the MRF Formula 1600 category and a ticket for the Mazda Road to Indy shootout as the

Vikash Anand who won the MRF F1600 Championship

Vikash Anand who won the MRF F1600 Championship

fifth and final round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur, near here on Sunday.

Going into this weekend’s triple-header, Vikash Anand and Karthik Tharani were locked on 138 points. Anand began his campaign with a second place finish behind Tharani on Saturday, but won both the starts today to seal the championship.

I worked hard to win this championship and I really can’t explain how I am feeling right now. Indy is a great opportunity to go abroad and explore new opportunities and learn. I will give my best to be competitive,’’ said Vikash Anand who returned to racing this season after an 18-month break and notched six wins for a tally of 206 points, 10 ahead of Tharani.

Championship winners (Left to Right) - Keith Desouza (IJTC), Arjun Narendran (ITC), Vikash Anand (MRF F1600) and Raghul Rangasamy (Super Stock, F1300)

Championship winners (Left to Right) - Keith Desouza (IJTC), Arjun Narendran (ITC), Vikash Anand (MRF F1600) and Raghul Rangasamy (Super Stock, F1300)

Also achieving a double was Raghul Rangasamy who won both the races in the F1300 Rookie Championship and annexed the title. He later went on to claim the championship in the Super Stock class after Race 2 winner Veeresh Prasad was given a 20-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags which demoted him to fourth place. The result saw Raghul and Veeresh tying on 142 points. Raghul was declared champion on the basis of his three wins to Veeresh’s two on the count-back which was employed to break the tie.

Goa’s Keith Desouza (UNIMEK Racing) topped the Indian Junior Touring Cars class with a crucial win today which helped him finish on 199 points while his nearest rival Ananth Pithawala (Team N1) from Mumbai ended up on 191.

Coimbatore’s Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Racing), who had already clinched the championship in the premium Indian Touring Cars class, ended the season with a double for a tally of 240 points, well clear of Bengaluru’s Deepak Paul Chinnappa (Race Concepts) who finished on 135.

Ishaan Dodhiwala from Delhi won Sunday’s both races in the Volkswagen Vento Cup to consolidate his position at the top of the leaderboard.

The results (Provisional):

MRF F1600 (Race 2, 10 laps): 1. Vikash Anand (Chennai) (16mins, 54.111secs); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Chennai) (16:58.677); 3. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (17:02.390). Race 3 (10 laps): 1. Vikash Anand (16:55.247); 2. Karthik Tharani (16:56.108); Anindith Reddy (Hyderabad) (17:03.391). Championship: 1. Vikash Anand 206 points; 2. Karthik Tharani 196; 3. Raghul Rangasamy 171.

Indian Touring Cars (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Racing) (15:14.881); 2. Ashish Ramaswamy (Red Rooster Racing) (15:26.777); 3. Siva Ramakrishnan (Red Rooster Racing) (15:34.819).

Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1.Keith Desouza (Unimek Racing) (23:54.238); 2.Ananth Pithawalla (Team N1) (23:55.704); 3.Charen Chandran (Red Rooster Performance) (23:57.784). Championship: 1.Keith Desouza 199; 2.Ananth Pithawala 191; 3.R Sri Hariram 113.

Super Stock (Race-2, 10 laps):  1.Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (24:04.104); 2.Deepak Ravi Kumar (Pvt) (24:06357); 3.Dean Mascarenhas (Race Concepts) (24:08161). Championship: 1.Raghul Rangasamy 142 (3 wins); 2.Veeresh Prasad 142 (2 wins); 3.Dean Mascarenhas 117.

F1300 Rookie Championship (Race 2, 8 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Wallace Sports) (15:38.816); 2. Tejasram CS (Wallace Sports) (15:43.047); 3. Alex Bora (Wallace Sports) (15:43.896). Championship: 1. Raghul Rangasamy 205; Tejasram CS 179; Alex Bora 135.

Volkswagen Vento Cup (Race 2, 9 laps): 1. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) (20:13.197); 2. Dhruv Bhel (Delhi) (20:15.171); 3. Niranjan B Todkari (Pune) (20:17.447).  Race 3: 1. Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) (19:44.856); 2.Karminder Pal Singh (New Delhi) (19:46.918); 3. Todkari (19.50.640).

About Madras Motor Sports Club

The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

For Media queries, please contact:

Anand Philar, AP Media Communications.

Ph: +91-94835 48185.

B David

Ph: +91-98455 69496.

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Karthik Tharani, winner of MRF F1600 race (August 20)

Karthik Tharani, winner of MRF F1600 race (August 20)

Chennai, August 20: Karthik Tharani made the best use of a poor start by his key rival Vikas Anand to take a comfortable win in the MRF Formula1600 race in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship at the MMRT track, Sriperumbudur, near hear on Saturday.

Tharani took the lead from P2 even as Vikas slipped to fourth and slowly opened a huge gap and won by over 12 seconds. However, Vikas managed to recover to second place and is now seven points behind Tharani with two more races scheduled for Sunday. Sandeep Kumar finished third pushing Raghul Rangasamy to fourth. The winner of the championship is eligible for the Mazda Road to Indy shootout this December.

Arjun Narendran, who clinched the Indian Touring Car championship with a round to spare, won the first race with a lights-to-flag win while veteran Leelakrishnan came second with Ashish Ramaswamy third for a 1-2-3 finish for Red Rooster Racing.

Charen Chandran, winner of IJTC race (August 20)

Charen Chandran, winner of IJTC race (August 20)

Earlier, in Race 1 of the Indian Junior Touring Cars class, Charen Chandran of Red Rooster Performance took a surprise win while Ananth Pithawala of Team N1 pushed Keith Desouza to third place. Desouza (174) leads Pithawalla (173) with Race 2 scheduled for Sunday.

Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts, 109) from Bengaluru took a one-point lead over Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) after winning today’s race in the Super Stock category. Raghul finished third behind Deepak Ravi Kumar while Alisha Abdullah (Rad Racing) came in fourth which took her tally to 96. The other title contender Dean Mascarenhas (Race Concepts) remained on 102 points after failing to finish the race.

Raghul Rangasamy (No.99), winner of F1300 Rookie Championship race (August 20)

Raghul Rangasamy (No.99), winner of F1300 Rookie Championship race (August 20)

Raghul Rangasamy extended his lead in the F1300 Rookie Championship by winning the first of the two races despite starting fourth on the grid. With his sixth win in nine starts, Raghul took his tally to 180 points, 19 clear of his nearest rival and Wallace Sports team-mate CS Tejasram, who started from pole position, but finished third behind Alex Bora.

Starting second on the grid behind championship leader Ishaan Dodhiwala, Delhi’s Karmindar Pal Singh took the honours in the Volkswagen Vento Cup race. As the lights went off, Ishaan got off the grid with a lot of wheel spin which allowed Karminder to get past him on the first corner. From then on, Karminder kept his lead all the way to the chequered flag ahead of Ishaan and Aditya Vijay Pawar.

On winning the race, Karmindar said: “My launch off the grid was the best today. That helped me get past Ishaan in the first corner itself. From then on, I just wanted to drive a clean race and make no mistake. I went off a little bit mid-way through, but fortunately Ishaan made the same mistake and I retained my lead in the race.

The results (Provisional):

MRF F1600 (Race 1, 10 laps): 1. Karthik Tharani (Chennai) (17mins, 20.723secs); 2. Vikas Anand (Chennai) (17:32.296); 3. Sandeep Kumar (Chennai) (17: 36.497).

Indian Touring Cars (Race 1, 8 laps): 1. Arjun Narendran (Red Rooster Racimg) (15:32.658); 2. N Leelakrishnan (Red Rooster Racing) (15:43.242); 3. Ashish Ramaswamy (Red Rooster Racing) (15:50.872).

Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race 1, 10 laps): 1. Charen Chandran (Red Rooster Racing) (21:24.071); Ananth Pithawala (Team N1) (21:24.553); Keith Desouza (Unimek Racing) (21:32.575).

Super Stock (Race 1, 10 laps): 1. Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) (21:42.254); 2. Deepak Ravi Kumar (Pvt) (21:44.881); 3. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (21:53.701).

F1300 Rookie Championship (Race 1, 8 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Wallace Sports) (15:53.517); 2. Alex Bora (Wallace Sports) (15:54.884); 3. Tejasram CS (Wallace Sports) (16:00.033).

Volkswagen Vento Cup (Race 1, 8 laps): 1. Karmindar Pal Singh (Delhi) (20:26.665); 2. Ishaan Dodhiwala (Hyderabad) (20:28.120); 3. Aditya Vijay Pawar (Mumbai) (20:34.500).

About Madras Motor Sports Club

The Madras Motor Sports Club has been the pioneer in developing and promoting motorsport in India since 1953, and we look to further improve in the years to come. It is the club’s endeavor to provide more opportunities for competitors and to this end, it has chalked out a progressive program for 2016. From the days of Sholavaram , MMSC built its own racetrack which was inaugurated in 1979 and secured its FIA Grade-2 international certification in 2015, making it the only club which owns such a facility. The club has organised the Porsche Super Cup, Formula Campos, Formula Asia, Asian touring car championships, Formula 3, Tata Prima Truck racing championship, the Asian 2-wheeler racing championships besides a host of other motorsport events over the years. The club also has active participation for its events from vehicle manufacturers who also use the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) extensively for testing their products.

For Media queries, please contact:

Anand Philar, AP Media Communications. Ph: +91-94835 48185. B David Ph: +91-98455 69496.

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Donison, Chirag, Shahan, grab pole in penultimate round of 13th JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Championship

Kolhapur: Senior Max racer Ricky Donison and Micro Max star Shahan Ali grabbed pole positions for Sunday’s pre-finals in the fourth and penultimate round of the 13th JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Championship here at the Mohite Racing Academyon Saturday.

The Junior Max category saw championship leader Manav Sharma suffer a major setback, unable to start in either of the two heats with a kart problem. That allowed Chirag Ghorpade of Bangalore take pole position for Sunday, winning both his heatson Saturday.

Donison of BPC Racing, the championship leader with 252 points, was in a league of his own, winning both his heats on an action-packed day.

The Bangalore lad was in fine form right through the day, doing the fastest lap of the day in the qualifying round. He needed just 51.750 seconds to underline his form and mental fortitude to jump into. He built a huge lead in the first heat in the second lap itself and went on to win the race with an impressive timing of 13:08.349 minutes.

In the second Heat too, he jumped ahead of the pack quickly and won it in 12:56.490 minutes. Local lad Dhruv Mohite (Mohite’s Racing; third with 243 points) gave his fans a lot to cheer by claiming P2, by finishing second in the first heat and third in the second heat. His effort was even more commendable as he started in the fifth position in H1 and clawed his way up steadily, taking down three determined racers in his wake. He clocked a remarkable 52.553 seconds in the tenth lap and finished the race in 13:17.138 minutes to show his familiarity with the track where he has been racing since he was a kid.

The second heat, however, saw Nayan Chatterjee of Mumbai (Meco; fifth with 229 points) outwitting Dhruv and claiming the second place. That was enough to give him P3 for Sunday. Vishnu Prasad of Chennai (Meco) took P4 while another Kolhapur racer, Krishnaraaj Mahadik taking the sixth place in the grid.

In the Junior Max category, Chirag of BPC Racing proved to be the surprise package of the day. Currently trailing at fifth place in the championship race with 231 points, he grabbed the pole position for the first heat, doing a the fastest lap in the qualifying round. That was enough to put him ahead of the pack in, both, Heat 1 and Heat 2.

His Bangalore city mate Yash Aradhya of Meco Racing finished second in the two heats to take P2. Jonathan Kuriakose of Mumbai finished third in Heat 1 and fourth in Heat 2 to take P3. Twelve-year-old Shahan Ali won both his heats in the Micro Max rather comfortably, and might well pocket the championship in the penultimate race itself. He is comfortably ahead with 262 points and two wins on Sunday might be enough to put him beyond reach.

Kunal Vinod of Bangalore will start at P2 while Pune’s Aadityansh of Rayo Racing will start at P3, after showing speed and consistency on Saturday.

Shahan of Meco Racing looked relaxed in the paddock and sure of himself behind the wheel. He stormed into the lead in the qualifying round with a nippy lap of 57.479, and was virtually uncatchable all through the day. In Heat 1, he needed just 9:38.065 minutes to finish the 10 laps while he took 9:38.366 mins in the second to underline his class and pedigree.

Pune’s Aadityansh of Rayo Racing, who pulled off a surprise in the qualifying by finishing second held on to his position to take the second position. He however faded away in Heat 2, finishing sixth. Kunal Vinod of Bangalore, representing Birel Art, made a desperate charge after squandering his P3 in Heat 1, to finish a commendable second in Heat 2. That will see him start in Pole position on Sunday for the prefinals.

Ruhaan Alva who is currently second in the championship race will have to fight hard to reclaim his position after finishing seventh and fifth in the two heats.

Race Results: MICRO MAX

Heat 1

1. Shahan Ali Mohsin, Agra (9:38.065); 2. Aadityansh K, Pune (9:47.562); 3. Kunal Vinod, Bangalore (9:47.753) Heat 2 1. Shahan Ali Mohsin, Agra (9:38.366); 2. Kunal Vinod, Bangalore (9:47.586); 3. Arjun R, Bangalore (9:47.691)

JUNIOR MAX

Heat 1

1. Chirag Ghorpade, Bangalore (13:14.787); 2. Yash Aradhya, Bangalore (13:22.751); 3. Jonathan Kuriakose, Mumbai (13:31.690) Heat 2 1. Chirag Ghorpade, Bangalore (13:07.783); 2. Yash Aradhya, Bangalore (13:09.935); 3. Jonathan Kuriakose, Mumbai (13:13.974)

SENIOR MAX

Heat 1

1. Ricky Donison, Bangalore (13:08.349); 2. Dhruv Mohite, Kolhapur (13:17.138); 3. Vishnu Prasad, Chennai (13:18.000) Heat 2 1. Ricky Donison (12:56.490); 2. Nayan Chatterjee, Mumbai (13:10.094); 3. Dhruv Mohite (13:10.165)

For all the latest news, photos, videos, and updates, please visit us at: www.jktyremotorsport.com www.twitter.com/JKTyreRacing www.facebook.com/jktyremotorsport

About JK Tyre Motorsport: JK Tyre has always been closely associated with the world of sports. Almost three decades back the company laid down a long term and sustained approach to promote Motorsport. Participating in this form of the sport has helped the company in continuously updating its products to meet the challenges of grueling Indian conditions. The sport at that time in India was perceived for elite but JK Tyre took upon itself to package and redesign the sport to suit the masses. The company not only made the sport affordable but also equivalent to International operating standards. JK Tyre‟s foray into Motorsport was a well thought out strategic decision to not only use and develop this virgin branding platform but also to realize the dreams of making India a force in the field of motor sport.

In 2011, the company acquired the Formula BMW Series and rechristened it as the JK Racing Asia Series (JKRAS). With this acquisition, JK Tyre created history in Indian Motorsport by becoming the first Indian company to acquire an FIA accredited series. By taking over the series, JK Tyre promises to utilize it as a platform to encourage and support the world‟s best racing drivers and promote India as one of Asia‟s motorsport capitals. Thus, JK Tyre has conquered two steps in the motorsport program where the new racing aspirants first establish themselves in India, then graduate to Asian level i.e. to Formula BMW, which is now JKRAS and then they move to higher levels of racing. JK Tyre now stands closer to achieving its mission of bringing world-class motorsport to the Indian masses.

The Racing and Karting programme by JK Tyre has been the breeding ground for the country‟s motorsport talents like NarainKarthikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim, Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel and other emerging talent. Another pioneering initiative was the launch of the Truck Racing Championship in India in partnership with Tata Motors. The company developed & designed „JetRacing‟-the new generation truck racing tyres especially for this application. With this, JK Tyre became the first tyre company to produce truck racing tyres in India. The combination of the Prima trucks fitted with Jet Racing received an overwhelming response from participants and has definitely brought in a revolution in the Indian racing scenario.

For further information, please contact:

Varsha Purohit Corporate Communication JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. varsha.purohit@jkmail.com

Kuhelika Guha Artsmith Concepts & Vision +91 9990810222 Kuhelika.guha@gmail.com

Samikshan Dutta Choudhury Artsmith Concepts & Vision +918377079442 Journalist.samikshan@gmail.com

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Donison, Manav & Shahan start as firm favourites in Penultimate Round of 13th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax Karting Championship

Kohlapur: High octane racing will return to Kolhapur after a year’s gap, with the fourth and penultimate round of the 13th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship scheduled to take place at the state of the art Mohite Racing Academy over the August 20-21 weekend.

The round promises an exciting fare with all eyes set on Ricky Donison of BPC Racing who has been in supreme form throughout the season. Bengaluru’s Donision with a tally of 252 points is leading the charts, and will aim for an encore, that not only will maintain his 100% record this season but also consolidate his position at the top. However, it will not be an easy run out there for Donison, as he will be up against a strong challenge from Chennai’S Vishnu Prasad of Meco Racing (247 points) and local lad Dhruv Mohite of Mohite Racing (243). Both the drivers will be go out all guns blazing and aim to narrow the gap at the top. Dhruv will perhaps fancy his chances a little more as he will literally be racing in his backyard, being a Kolhapur racer and also the owner of the Mohite Racing Academy track.

JK Motorsport’s president Sanjay Sharma believes that this round may well be the most critical one for the championship. “All the racers know that a big prize awaits them if they win the national championship. They will be rubbing shoulders with 360 of the finest racers from 50 nations,” he said.

In the Junior Max (for kids between 13 and 16) and Micro Max categories (for kids between 7 and 12), Manav Sharma and Shahan Ali are in much more comfortable positions, with 9-point and 16-point leads. Manav of BPC is ahead with 257 points, having won the first round and taking the fourth and second positions in subsequent rounds. But Meco’s triumvirate of Nirmal Umashankar (248 points), Yash Aradhya (240) and Paul Francis (231) will surely come up with a joint strategy to unseat him from the leader’s position.

Twelve-year-old Shahan, who suffered some bad luck in the Rotax Euro finals over the last weekend and finished 29th, has reason to believe that life will be much easier back home: he might even believe that the Micro Max championship is almost in his pocket. He has been virtually untouchable in the earlier three races and is sitting pretty on 262 points. Ruhaan Alva (246) of Perigrine, Arun Nair (241) of Meco and Arjun R (239) of Birel Art can only hope to fight for the second and third positions.

The action will begin at the Mohite Academy on Saturday with practice rounds in the morning. The four races in each of the categories will take place over the weekend, the first two eachon Saturday and the last two each on Sunday, with drivers from across the country ready to burn rubber.

Championships standings after Round Three:

Senior Max

Position Name Team City Points
1 Ricky Donison BPC Racing Bengaluru 252
2 Vishnu Prasad Meco Racing Chennai 247
3 Dhruv Mohite Dhruv Mohite Kohlapur 243
 

Junior Max

Position Name Team City Points
1 Manav Sharma BPC Racing Faridabad 257
2 N.Umashankar Meco Racing Chennai 248
3 Yash Aradhya Meco Racing Bengaluru 240
 

Micro Max

Position Name Team City Points
1 Shahan Ali Meco Racing Agra 262
2 Ruhaan Alva Peregrine Racing Bengaluru 246
3 Arjun Nair Meco Racing Chennai 241
 

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Greetings from FMSCI Media!

If the month of June had six National Championship rounds, July has seven as the 2016 Indian motorsporting season picks up both speed and momentum, also with the much-awaited FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship/FMSCI Indian Rally Championship for cars opening with the Rally of Coimbatore on July 23-24 and the first round of the JK Tyre FMCI National Racing Championship for JK FB02 and LGBF4 cars to be held at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore between July 29 and 31.

Another packed month

July will open with the fifth round of the JK Tyre IndiKarting National Series (July 1-3, organisers RR Motorsports Mgt Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, rayoracing@gmail.com, 022-32229659, 09892077956) and will also feature a round each of the FMSCI National Superleague TSD Rally Championship (4W), MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship for cars, JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship, MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Rally Championship for motorcycles and the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Championship.

FMSCI National Superleague TSD Rally Championship (4W)

Round 4 of the FMSCI National Superleague TSD Rally Championship (4W) will be the 5th Mughal Rally in Srinagar (J&K) to be held between July 14 and 17. (For further details contact Himalayan Motorsport Association, Shimla  (vijay@raid-de-himalaya.cominfo@raid-de-himalaya.com, 0177- 2842916, 098160 04137). Subir Roy and co-driver Nirav Mehta had won the third round at the Backwaters Rally in Kochi.

MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship for cars

The fourth round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship for cars will be staged at Chennai’s MMRT circuit between July 15 and 17. The categories are the MRF FF1600, Super Stock, Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars and Formula LGB 1300. The second round of the MMSC VW Vento Cup will be held concurrently. (For further details contact MMSC, Chennai, mmscgmo@gmail.com, 09841031576, 044-28520023). Coimbatore’s Arjun Narendran won all three races in the Indian Touring Cars category in the third round held at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore in June.

JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship

Round 3 of JK Tyre FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship will be staged at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore between July 15 and 17 (For further details contact Meco Motorsports Pvt Ltd, Chennai, 098844-03363 / fayaz@mecomotorsports.com).  Ricky Donison, Yash Aradhya and Ruhaan Alva emerged as the winners in the Senior Max, Junior Max and Micro Max categories respectively in the second round.

MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Rally Championship for motorcycles

The fourth round of the MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Rally Championship for motorcycles will be held in Coimbatore on July 16 and 17 (For further details contact Godspeed, Pune,godspeedracing.in@gmail.comshyamkothari69@gmail.com, 09890168000). TVS Racing’s Abdul Waheed Tanveer won the opening three rounds to take a big step towards winning the National title.

MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Championship

Round 2 of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Championship will be staged at Chennai’s MMRT circuit between July 21 and 24. The categories are Stock (above 130cc up to 165cc), Pro Stock (above 130cc up to 165cc), Super Sport Indian (above 130cc up to 165cc), Super Sport Indian (Above 200cc up to 300cc), Super Sport Indian (above 300cc up to 400cc). The second round of the MMSC One-Make Championships of TVS, Honda and Suzuki Gixxer Cup will be held concurrently (For further details contact MMSC, Chennai,mmscgmo@gmail.com, 09841031576, 044-28520023). Hari Krishnan Rajagopalan of Team Honda Ten10 Racing team chalked up a fluent double in the Pro-Stock 165 class in the opening round.

Rally of Coimbatore, Round 1 of the FMSCI INRC/IRC

Rally of Coimbatore, Round 1 of the FMSCI IRC/INRC, will be held in Coimbatore on July 23 and 24 with the Special Stages a mix of dirt and gravel (For further details contact CASC, Coimbatore, casc.cbe@gmail.com, 098435-44242). The IRC is open to Saloon cars/SUVs which are homologated with the FIA/ FMSCI and prepared under any Rally Technical Regulations of the FIA/ FMSCI. The INRC is open to Saloon cars / SUVs which are homologated with the FMSCI and under Group N Technical Regulations of the FMSCI and FIA R2 Technical Regulations. The categories in INRC are:  Overall, Upto 2000cc, INRC 1400cc and FMSCI Cup.

JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship

The opening round of the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship for JK FB02 and LGBF4 cars will be held at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore from July 29 to 31. Vishnu Prasad of Meco Racing and Ajay Kini of Dark Don Racing are the reigning champions in JK FB02 and LGBF4 respectively.

Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare

The Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare will be held between July 30 and Aug 6 and comprises two and four wheeler categories in the Extreme and TSD sections. It is organised by Motorsport Inc, Bangalore (080-23181709/09035325655, Jaidas Menon).

Other events scheduled for the month:

July 1-3: JK Tyre IndiKarting National Series, NCR Noida Wonder Speedway (Contact RR Motorsports Mgt Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, rayoracing@gmail.com, 022-32229659 /09892077956).

July 9-10: Gulf-Monsoon Scooter Rally (2W), Mumbai (sportscraft@gmail.com, 022-23677631).

July 17: Vizag Autocross (4W), Vizag (TT Motorsports, ttmotorsports128@gmail.com, 891 2732660).

July 23-24: Malwa Adventure TSD Rally (2/4W), Indore (Malwa Motorsports Club, afzalbunglowala@gmail.com, 09827010807).

Kaviguru TSD Rally (2/4W), Shantiniketan, WB (BMSC, Kolkata, 09831027558, pratim.chowdhury@gmail.combmsckolkata@gmail.com)

For further details, please feel free to call FMSCI Media at +91 9629259138.

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P.G. Abhilash / Srikanth Gowda have been declared the winner of Rally of Coimbatore after the Stewards upheld the protest lodged by him. They were also declared the winner of the IRC category.

The next round MRF Rally of Maharasthra is scheduled between 27-28 August 2016 at Nashik which is a tarmac rally. Closing date of entries is on Monday, 22nd August 2016.

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