March - April 2024

4W INRC

INDIA’S FIRST AND ONLY MOTORSPORTS & OFF-ROAD MAGAZINE

FIA INDIAN F4

Cooper Webster’s maiden Indian F4 2023 C’Ship Title

MARCH / AP

2023

RIL 2024 |

Rs. 99/-

ck Back to Ba Overall win for Harkrishan in ir Kunal pa INRC 2023

HARITH NOAH

delivers historic Dakar Rally2 victory - first ever for an Indian

MRF 2W RACING

Sethu, Lani & Vignesh emerge champions MRF 4W RACING

Sandeep, Chetan win Formula crown each

Hero MotoSports

creates history with a P2 at Dakar 2024

JAHAAN GILL CEAT ISRL R2

BigRock Motorsports extend lead

JUNIOR APRC ‘23 CHAMPION

JK TYRE RACING

Ruhaan Alva crowned LGB F4 Champion

+ INDIAN

RACING FESTIVAL ‘23

CONCLUDES

EDITORIAL / IMPRINT

Hi,

Our New Look.

AUTO TRACK is on a new track...

T

he 2024 season is off to an early start with the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship being the 2024 season opener with back­to­back rounds in February. The franchise­based Indian Racing League (IRL), completed its second season on a high note. But floods played spoilsport, as India's first night race on a street­circuit which was scheduled as last IRL round at Chennai was put off. The races at the street circuit are now rescheduled forward to be held as a round in 2024 season. The second franchise­based Motorsports league, the Indian Supercross League (ISRL) which also got off to three rounds in 2023 season had to face similar hurdles for the final round scheduled for Delhi due to ongoing farmers road­block.

However, the organisers moved the venue to Bengaluru, the motorsports cradle of India. As in the previous year, the APRC along with INRC Chennai round are scheduled to be held in March 2024 but one has to wait and see how many international drivers will take part this year.

While three new Karting tracks are coming up in Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Chennai, it is a wait­and­watch game to see if the tracks shall be part of this season's karting Nationals as venues. INRC 2023 ended up with a very healthy participation and it augurs well for the sport in the country. Promoter BlueBand Sports bringing back three forgotten venues Coorg, Hyderabad and Nagaland, back into the INRC calendar is a symbol of INRC spreading across its old roots and is a welcome move.

The sprint for two­wheelers which ran with a very low profile is set for a change of promoter. If it happens, this sport will get back its much­ needed due. This season shall also see the Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill, supported by JK Tyre, back in International Motorsports arena, where he is deserves to be. In a much­stabilised way, he shall debut with the just­procured Skoda R5 in a few rounds of the WRC2 class in 2024. The only drawback of this season will be the non­conclusion of Indian National Autocross Championship (INAC) 2023 winners in the FMSCI awards gala. Due to busy four­wheeler rallying schedule, the final round of 2023 is yet to be held and the championship winners would be declared only after the final round. Hence, INAC winners will be honoured only after the finale.

S. ASHOK KUMAR TIWARI Editor M: +91­9845296190 autotrack.editor@gmail.com

O1 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

IMPRINT

Editor S. Ashok Kumar Tiwari Concept and Design: S. Ashok Kumar Tiwari

Staff Photographers: Noorulla Managing Editor: Roopa A. Tiwari Sr. Correspondent: S. Nithyanand

Correspondent: K. Manjunath Ghanshyam A Tiwari Gokul

Spl. Correspondent: David Bodapati Western Region: autotrack.west@gmail.com Mob: 09757176958

Editorial Office:

Auto Track 7/3-1, Lalitha Engineering Building, Subbanna Garden Main Road, Vijayanagar, Bangalore-40 autotrack.editor@gmail.com www.autotrack.ind.in For Subscription, contact: 9845296190

For Advertisement, E: ashok.autotrack@gmail.com The Publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are accurate. However, he accepts no responsibility of any effects arising therefrom. Printed at Raj Hans Enterprises, Rajajinagar Industrial Town, Bangalore-560044.

Published by S. Ashok Kumar Tiwari At # 7/3-1, Lalitha Engineering Building, Subbanna Garden Main Road, Vijayanagar, Bangalore - 560040

VOLUME 16, ISSUE 3

CONTENTS March / April 2024

34

34

NEW DELHI

20

News : 03

MRF 1600 Natl’s : 05

JK Tyre 4W Racing finals : 08

Indian Racing Festival : 12

Dakar TVS Racing : 18

Dakar Hero MotoSports R4 : 20

Indian Supercross Racing League : 22

08 08

National Rally 2W, Nashik finals: 26

58: Mysuru Gravel Fest

Natl Supercross : 34

58: MRF 2000 Finals 2023

47th K1000 Rally : 38

56

48 58

O2 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

22 64

54: International News 56: Drag Nationals

58: Mysuru Gravel Fest

APRC Indonesia finals : 30

Robusta Rally, Coorg : 42

04

26 20

38 16

12 44

Automotive 44: ATMA

46: Way.com

48: KIA Sonet Drivve

NEWS

Arun Mammen receives the award at the FIA prize gala in Baku

M

RF Tyres won the European Rally Championship for the second time in 2023 after their inaugural win in 2022. The prestigious trophy was received by Arun Mammen, Vice­Chairman and Managing Director of MRF Tyres, during an FIA ceremony held in Baku, Azerbaijan .This remarkable achievement stands as a testament to the performance and development of MRF Tyres,

JK Tyre showcases future-ready products at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024

I

ndian Tyre Industry major, JK Tyre & Industries showcased its wide range of advanced products, backed by technological excellence at India's first Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024. The first­of­ its­kind global Expo in India, brought together the entire mobility value chain under one roof.

Themed 'Innovation For The Future,' JK Tyre's product exhibit highlighted its commitment to bringing in technological advancements. The company displayed its highly sustainable tyre 'UX Green' made of 80% sustainable materials along with it a selection of EV Tyres was also on display.

Additionally, visitors could also take a look at the complete range of product including

flagship offerings like the Smart Tyre and Puncture Guard Tyres for Passenger Vehicles, the X­ series (Xtra Fuel efficient, Xtra Mileage, Xtra Durability) product line for the Commercial Vehicles market, amongst other products.

Complementing the product showcase, JK Tyre offered visitors an immersive experience with a motorsport zone featuring go­karting activities while registering high footfall at the show.

JK Tyre has been at the forefront of industry transformation, since bringing in Radial Tyre Technology to the nation in 1977. As one of the key players in the industry, the company is well poised to steer changes, ensuring that the road to the future is both innovative and inclusive.

solidifying the brand's continued growth in Europe and across the globe.

“We are very proud and humbled with the success so far, and a big credit goes to the technical and development team at MRF Tyres. We also extend our thanks to our drivers, co­drivers and teams who played a vital role in the development and performance of MRF Tyres," said Arun Mammen.

CEAT launches Steel Rad tyres for High Powered Motorcycles in two variants - SPORTRAD and CROSSRAD

C

EAT, a leading tyre manufacturer, has taken the performance of its two­ wheeler tyre range to a higher level with a new range of steel radial tyres, SPORTRAD and CROSSRAD. This premium range of steel radial tyres is specially crafted to unleash the full

potential of high performance motorcycles. The SPORTRAD series is designed for high speed and cornering; while the CROSSRAD is a multi terrain high grip tyre.Steel Rad tyres feature a steel­belted radial construction, providing superior handling at high speeds.

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 03

Will the MotoGP Bharat bring any changes in Indian Motorsports?

MANJU CHITRADURGA KARAN SINGH RAJASTHAN KULDEEP DELHI

To change Indian Motorsports, MotoGP is not essential. Because similar anticipation was there, years back, when F1 came into India. But there were a few up gradations which were required for other related events. First thing was, hardly one or two rounds of Motorsports were organised in BIC every year. Not many prefer the circuit considering the organising expenses. Only Tata Truck race was the activity which ran to the fullest potential and since the project was red flagged, the track had to rely only on promotional events and activates unrelated to Motorsports, to survive. But running MotoGP also would have costed a bomb, as most of the facilities were outdated or mismanaged… or left unattended. Off course, every event, specially of this magnitude has some or the other things to learn, but carrying forward is an issue.

Never the less, such events give us excitement and there on it shall remain only a Motorsports destination. Since MotoGP had a huge fan followup in India we had a packed race track. This success will definitely play an important role post event.

The stewards training is held too close to the season opener I t i s n o t a n a ca d e m i c calendar, but it is a natural process of bringing in n e w a n d

upcoming stewards into the main fold. While it's time to the outgoing seniors to extend their support and gyan to the trainees, with their experience, as time goes on one may come across private training and upgradation programmes running periodically, so that the stewards' shortage could be overcome and thus this programme becomes a grassroot activity. It will help the sport grow systematically even in the interior parts of India.

Franchise­based events are picking up

These events are essential for the sport to grow. They can give the spectator or the viewer, a better understanding of the sport and these events hold good for a short term and majorly as an entertaining one. But the sport cannot grow without the grassroot events and they are the one's which cater the needs of the Franchise. Hence, the National championship rounds play a very important role in establishing strong riders' and drivers' profile base to cater the needs of the Franchise-based events.

Will the Sprint championship get a new promoter or facelift

Yes definitely! As the championship is up for a process of selecting a new promoter from this year onwards, but the bids were yet to be opened and sometime by this month-end it is expected to be held. Once this is done, if at all there is a new promoter, then one can expect a huge change. And it gives an opportunity to interact and put across your views to carry this championship forward. The kind of backlash and unattended issues bothering the riders and organisers can be exchanged with the promoter and resolved in time. All the issues faced by the riders have already come to the notice of the Federation representatives, the only remaining thing is to sort it out on priority.

R1, CHENNAI

Triple for Abhay

Jaden Pariat dominates Round 1 with stunning speed;

Biren Pithawalla, Angad Matharoo, Diana Pundole complete a double each PHOTO BY: ANAND PHILAR

T

eenager Jaden Rahman Pariat from Shillong displayed quick speeds touching upto 199 kmph as he notched a double in the MRF Formula 2000 class and dominated the Round 1 even as Bengaluru's Abhay Mohan, the youngest competitor at 15 years of age, swept to a triple crown in the MRF Formula 1600 category as the first round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2024 concluded at the Madras International Circuit.

MRF Formula 2000:

The eight­lap Race 1 in the MRF Formula category witnessed

some fine action. Pole­sitter 17­ year­old Jaden Rahaman Pariat from Shillong looked poised to win in the F2000 class going into the last lap when disaster struck.

“There was some issue with my car and I had to switch off and switch on eight times in the last lap. Luckily, I had a sufficient lead and managed to finish second,” said a disappointed Jaden after he virtually gifted a win to Surineni, who was trailing throughout the race.

Another Bengalurean, Tarun Muthaiah finished third.

Jaden, the 17­year­old from Shillong, displayed impressive pace to win both the races on

final day to make up for his P2 finish in Race 1 after taking a massive lead due to engine issues. Bengaluru's Chetan Surineni, the Race­1 winner, came in second in the next two races.

Jaden won Race2 followed by Chetan in second and Tarun finished third. The results remained the same in Race 3 as well, Jaden was followed by Chetan and Tarun.

Reviewing his performance this weekend, Jaden said: “I did some preparation by watching my onboard videos from my December race. I realised there was plenty in the car. It was a

question of putting things together which I did this weekend. I feel there is still a lot I can extract from this car.

Of course, my stint in British Formula 4 helped, but the F2000 is far quicker and I felt very comfortable this weekend.”

MRF Formula 1600:

Meanwhile, 15­year­old Abhay Mohan comfortably won the race1 ahead of the Mumbai pair of Zahan Commissariat and Raaj Bakhru who was docked a 20­ second penalty for a jump start.

Commissariat finished second and Bakhru finished third.

Abhay Mohan, as in the first race, was in a league of his own in

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 05

cruise mode and comfortably won the race ahead of pole­sitter Pratik Sonawane from Buzzing Hornet Motorsport in second and Deepak Ravikumar from Team Performance Racing in third.

Indian Junior Touring Cars:

Performance Racing's Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwalla from Chennai took the honours in Race 1 as his teammate Srinivas Teja a localite with six seconds difference was second and Mumbaikar Nikunj Vagh from Team N1 Racing finished on the podium in third with over 11sec difference.

Viswas Vijayaraj who scored a double in the Formula LGB 1300 category

both the outings on the final day to complete a triple crown and underline his talent and potential.

Abhay won the Race 2, as he was followed by Zahan in second and Monith Kumaran from Chennai finished third. Race 3 also belonged to Abhay and Zahan once again finished in second while Bakhru finished third.

“My only target for this round was to be on top, which I did.

The car too was pretty good a nd so were the MRF tyres. My preparation was to get fit and learn from my Formula LGB 1300 outing last season. Yes, I feel good to have won all three races this weekend,” said Abhay.

Rai regained the second spot.

By then, Biren had pulled off sufficient lead to win handily, followed by Rai in second position and Deepak Ravikumar from Performance Racing finished third, making his debut in this class.

Biren, having won a close Race 1 on Saturday, started P4 on the reverse grid in the 10­lap Race 2, but in the very first lap, seized the

lead, hotly pursued by Rai, cousin and team­mate Ananth Pithawalla.

The trio quickly distanced themselves from the pack before both Rai and Ananth packed up with punctures. Rai rejoined after a visit to the pit, but it was too late. Ananth suffered yet another tyre­burst to finish the weekend without points. Meanwhile, Biren was in

Indian Touring Cars:

In Race 1, Biren, starting from pole, was off to a good start and held off Ritesh Rai from Arka Motorsport with cousin Ananth Pithawalla from N1 Racing running third. The position remained unchanged until the latter half of the eight­lap race when Ananth squeezed past Rai at Turn­3 with a contact between the two, and moved into P2 behind his cousin Biren. In the penultimate lap, Ananth retired when the left front tyre, that was on a slow puncture, burst, and O6 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Biren Pithawalla (90) en route to winning the Indian Touring Cars race

Down the combined grid, Srinivas Teja edged out Race 1 winner and team­mate Hatim Shabbir in Race 2 as Mumbaikar Yug Italiya from Team N1 Racing finished third.

Super Stock:

Chandigarh's Angad Matharoo from Buzzing Hornet Motorsport topped the class in Race 1 as Balaprasath from Coimbatore, representing DTS Racing, finished second with a four­ second difference and local

driver Anirudha Arvind from Redline Racing India finished third with over a second difference.

Matharoo fought his way to his second win of the weekend with a late burst. In Race 2, he was the topper with less than a second difference on the Redline Racing driver Manan Patel, who settled for second position and Anirudha with eight seconds difference finished in third position.

Formula LGB1300:

DTS Racing dominated the Formula LGB 1300 triple­header, with a podium sweep as Nellore's Viswas Vijayaraj won two races and teammate Arya Singh, the other with Balaprasath finishing third in all three outings.

Both Viswas and Arya took the front row in that order for their team, DTS Racing, after a start­ stop­start qualifying session interrupted by a red flag due to an on­track incident.

Viswas won the Race 1, as he managed to keep Arya Singh behind him in second position with a lead of over two seconds and Balaprasath from

R1, CHENNAI

Coimbatore finished third with a 14­sec difference. In Race 2, Arya occupied the top position with a lead of four seconds over the second­placed finisher Viswas.

Balaprasath was a further four­ sec behind in third. Viswas bounced back to top slot with a five­sec difference on Arya who finished second in Race 3. It was a consistent third position finish for Balaprasath this time with five­second difference as he settled for third.

MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios):

MRF 1600 and MRF 2000 winners along with the JAMS pit crew

Late in the evening, Pune's Diana Pundole won the Race 1 with ease in a race interrupted by a safety car period following a three­car collision. Anirudha Arvind from Chennai finished second and Jai Prashanth from Coimbatore finished third.

In Race 2, Anirudha was the winner followed by Jai Prashanth Venkat from Coimbatore in second position while Diana Pundole from Pune was third.

Also notching a double was Pune's Diana Pundole, a mother of two, besides one P3 finish. She dominated the podium for the second time as she won the Race 3. Anirudha finished second and Kesara Godage from Sri Lanka finished third.

Diana Pundole, Anirudha and Jai Prashanth in Race­1 of MRF Saloons

IJTC Race 3 winners

Chetan Surineni celebrating his win in the MRF Formula 2000 category MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 07

Double each for Tijil Rao, Arjun Nair in LGB F4

I

Triple for Anish Shetty in GT Cup

t was a double victory for Tijil Rao in LGB Formula 4 races despite Championship leader Ruhaan Alva stealing a win in Race 2. Arjun secured a double as well in the JK Tyre Novice Cup while Anish Shetty topped the RE Continental GT Cup with a triple victory in the final round of the 26 t h JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship that concluded at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam, Coimbatore on Nov 18.

LGB Formula 4 Race 1: It has never been such a close battle between the top­ three. All the three races went down to the wire. With just a few points separating them, they knew it was now or never and gave their best, one more time.

Ruhaan Alva from MSport was the winner with a total time of 19min 48.55sec followed by Tijil Rao from Dark Don Racing in second. Rao's teammate TS Diljith finished third.

Champions of Formula LGB 4 O8 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Race 2: Bengaluru's Ruhaan started with a fighting win over Tijil of Dark Don Racing in the opening race. It did boost his confidence and furthered his points tally going into the second race. The former took advantage of the pole position and raced to a quick lead. He was in control for over four laps but quite soon, he found Arya and

Tijil breathing down his neck. The duo even managed to go upfront.

It was wheel­to­wheel racing between the three from there on. Even as Arya and Tijil were fighting in the front for some time, Ruhaan made a clever move in the first corner of 11th lap to take the lead. But soon, he

4W NATIONAL RACING

surrendered it again.

The duo Arya Singh and Tijil Rao maintained a steady pace to finish one­two for Dark Don while Ruhaan had to rest content with the third spot despite a photo finish.

In the last race of the day, Ruhaan was quick off the blocks.

So did Tijil and TS Diljith. The battle royal had the spectators

on the edge of their seats but Tijil held his nerve to finish on top. Ruhaan finished in second and TS Diljith came third.

Tijil had his second podium of the round followed by Ruhaan Alva in second and Mira Erda from MSport had her first podium of the round.

JK Tyre Novice Cup The fight was similar and as close

as the LGB Formula 4 class in the Novice section too. Neythan McPherson of Momentum Motorsport edged out teammate and championship leader Arjun S Nair in the first race. But Arjun, a fighter that he is, shot back to win the second race in style and further strengthened his chances of clinching the championship

crown with a tally of 62 points.

In Race 1, Neythan McPherson won defeating Arjun S Nair by 300th of a second as his teammate Jigar Muni with further three seconds behind in third.

Race 2 was a very close finish for the top three as Arjun finished on MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 09

Action from Race 2 of LGB Formula 4

top and Abhay from MSport came second 200th of a second behind. Joel Joseph from DTS Racing finished within the same second in third, another 300th of a second behind. The final race of the category once again belonged to Arjun followed by Neythan in second and Jigar in third.

JK Tyre Presents RE Continental GT Cup Anish Shetty underlined his class with a well­deserved Triple win.

In Race 1, Jagadeesh Nagaraj from Bengaluru with a time of 6:05.395 won the race beating Anish Shetty also from Bengaluru by a second difference. Vignesh Goud from Hyderabad, with less than a second behind, came third.

Anish Shetty began his winning spree from Race 2 with a comfortable lead of over four seconds. He was the winner followed by PM Soorya from Chennai in second. Abhishek 10 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Vasudeva from Bengaluru was third.

The Race 3 of the class also went Anish's way. He won with over 2­ sec difference. He managed to keep Jagadeesh beind him in second and Rajkumar from Coimbatore with less than a second difference came third.

The final race of the day saw Anish win again. Abhishek came second and MD Samrul Zubair was third, less than a second behind.

JK Tyre Presents 250 Cup (10 laps) Sarvesh Balappa from Hubballi topped the class with a total time of 15:49.274. Sachin Jothees from Hosur was behind by over 3sec and settled for second position while S Govindharaj from Tirupur finished a close third.

Ruhaan Alva crowned LGB Formula 4 champion

Arjun Nair seals Novice Cup: 26th JK Tyre National Racing Championship Championship leader Ruhaan Alva of MSport signed off on a merry note winning the LGB Formula 4 title much to the joy of his team on an action­packed final round of the 26th JK Tyre National Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam, Coimbatore .

Ruhaan enjoyed a good 20­point

lead over Kolkata's Arya Singh of Dark Don Racing. With just a race to go, it was enough for the Bengaluru boy to seal the title.

But it turned out to be a different story as Arya got some relief and his points back after they appealed to the Indian Motor Sports Appeal Court (IMSAC). So did a couple of Momentum Motorsport drivers in the JK Tyre Novice Cup.

A post­event scrutiny saw their points docked in the

4W NATIONAL RACIING

JK Tyre presents 250 cup riders in action

penultimate round at the same venue for technical infringement and they slipped down the table.

So that put the pressure back on Ruhaan gunning for his maiden National championship title in the premier category. However, Ruhaan put that at the back of his head and fought hard from P8 to take the second spot on the podium in the final race and emerge the champion with a final tally of 82 points.

The youngster was obviously elated after the race. “I feel great to have got the title. It was a crazy final race. Diljith [Dark Don] and I were involved in a great battle that went neck and neck.

He tried to hold me up for some time but I managed to cut a corner to come in second,” said Ruhaan. “It was a bit tense at the beginning but I am a lot relieved now,” he added.

respectively.

It was a clean sweep by the Bengaluru boys in the JK Tyre presents Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup with Abhishek Vasudev (54pts), Jagadeesh Nagara (45pts) and Ullas S Nanda (39pts) finishing in that order.

Sarvesh Balappa (Hubballi), who dominated the entire season, finished with 30 points, to seal the title in the JK Tyre Presents 250 Cup followed by Sachin Jothees (Hosur) and S Govidharaj (Tirupur).

Arya and his teammate Tijil Rao, who finished on top of the podium, were tied for the second spot with 71 points each.

Arjun S Nair (82pts) brought great delight to his team Momentum Motorsports by clinching the JK Tyre Novice Cup without much ado. His teammate Neythan McPherson (53pts) and DTS Racing's Joel Joseph (44pts) had to content with the next two places

JK Tyre present Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup riders in action MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 11

12 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

INDIAN RACING FESTIVAL 2023

WEBSTER emerges

maiden FIA Indian F4 champ PC - Srinivasa Krishnan / Akhil P

C

ooper Webster from Chennai Turbo Riders emerged as the champion of the first­ever RPPL promoted FIA Formula 4 in India after final concluding round at the Madras International Circuit, near Chennai, recently. Rishon Rajeev from Speed Demons Delhi with 220 points was first runner­up while Akshay Bohra from God Speed Kochi with 211 points finished third. Webster garnered a total to 282.5 points for his maiden FIA Indian F4 title.

Going into the finals, 20­year Webster, was far ahead of the rest with a lead of over 44 points and there was a close battle for the remaining three positions between the Indian drivers with just 10 points separating the three of them behind Webster. The 16­year­old Akshay Bohra had a lead of 10 points over Shahan Ali Mohsin and Rishon Rajeev, who were both tied with similar points. This event saw drivers progressing with no proper car racing experience before this championship. Having an own F4 championship is the first stepping stone from National karting, which is a major platform for grooming drivers to international platform. Very close lap times mean the young drivers were elevating themselves to the next level.

The qualifying session was held under wet conditions due to overnight and early morning rains, and a few patches of the track were dry while there were many very wet patches.

Race 1 began and the top­three drivers managed to retain their positions. Hoang started losing ground to Rishon Rajeev, who was almost on his back by the end of 4th minute and was within the striking distance and he even managed to come back twice after sliding out. In the very next minute, Rohaan Madhesh climbed one position up by pushing Taylor behind him. In the 16th minute, on a right hander, Nooris Gafoor challenged Jack Taylor from inside. With nine minutes to go, Jain got an opportunity to sneak past Mohsin to be on fifth.

Cooper Webster from Chennai Turbo Riders clinched his seventh top­ finish of the season from 12 races and managed to keep Akshay Bohra from God Speed Kochi behind him, with a difference of 11 sec. Sawer Hoang Dat from Hyderabad Black Birds completed the podium with a further difference of over six seconds. Rishon Rajeev from Speed Demons Delhi was following Sawer very closely but finally had to finish behind in fourth. Rishab Jain from Chennai Turbo Riders finished fifth.

Shahan Ali Mohsin from Hyderabad Black Birds came sixth and Rohaan Madesh from Bengaluru Speedsters was seventh and just missed the reverse grid pole. Cooper had extended his lead to over 51 points on Akshay.

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 13

In Race 2, pole­sitter Shahan Ali Mohsin lost his position in the very first corner as Rishon was quick enough to take him on the outer right and a few moments later Taylor was out and the safety board was displayed. Jain without noticing it, was going past Shahan and during this damaged Shahan's car. Hence Shahan had to return to pits to sort it out. While the cars slowed down due to yellow flag, Akshay Bohra unable to read the situation, mistimed his breaking and banged Hoang from behind and had to pull out, thus giving Cooper a cake walk. Once the safety car was out in the 18th Akshay Bohra in action

minute, the action shifted to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions, a fight between Rishab Jain, Hoang Dat and Cooper Webster, which went on till the last minute with a few close moments of action.

Race 4 winners

F4 Championship winners

Race 3 winners 14 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Doang, the 16­years­old, held on to his podium position against the championship winner Cooper. Rishon Rajeev with over 5­sec lead was the winner followed by Rishab in second but it was short lived as he was penalised with a 30­sec penalty for overtaking under yellow flags. Then he landed in 8th position. In the process, Hoang finished second and Cooper finished on the podium in third.

At the back of the grid, there was a fierce battle between Chheda and Shahan for the 6th position.

Akshay Chheda in his very first F4 outing managed to defend his position till the end to finish fifth while Rohaan finished in fourth position and Shahan was sixth.

In Race 3, Cooper Webster for the second time this round finished as topper. He beat Akshay Bohra by over 12sec.

Rishon Rajeev was a further three­second behind finished third. Sawer Hoang Dat finished fourth while Rohaan Madesh finished fifth.

In Race 4, it was a great start for Shahan, who took off to a good lead right from C2 and Rohaan Madesh was in second ahead of Hoang. Rishab Jain made a very bold move in the very first lap over Cooper, from the inner right, to go past him and climbed to sixth position. When just over a minute passed, Cooper regained his lost position, managing to go past Jain who tried hard to defend his position in vain. This was the most action­ packed race of the season with the top­seven drivers engaging in the battle. With 16min left, Cooper tried twice to go past Bohra but had to back off. Hoang had closed the gap on Rohaan, who was running second and with 6 min left, he managed to go past him. Hoang from there on was on Shahan's neck till the chequered flag. Shahan Ali Mohsin defended well to finish on top followed by Hoang in second and Rohaan came in third. But the 10­sec penalty for a jump start pushed Rohaan out of podium. Rishon Rajeev finished third. Akahsy Bohra was successful in defending his fourth position from Cooper Webster, who had to settle for fifth.

INDIAN RACING FESTIVAL 2023

IRL Championship winners

Jon Lancaster in lead

SOHIL-RAOUL of Goa Aces win IRL Season 2 honours The season two of the Indian Racing League was bagged by Sohil Shah from Goa Aces with 87 points. Sai Sanjay from Chennai Turbo Riders was the runner­up

with 83 points and God Speed Kochi driver Alister Yoong with 79 points was third.

In Race 1, Sohil shah pulled out the lead as Nikhil Bohra and Reddy followed him and

Ruhaan Alva was in fourth. Akash Gowda, who was stuck in the rush slid out into the grass on C1 and there on it was Lancaster who spun in C2 and had to rejoin ahead of Akash

Raoul Hyman in action MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 15

INDIAN RACING FESTIVAL 2023

Race1 winners

Alister Yoong in action

Gowda. But in the middle, it was Ruhaan who was seen going down the order to 10th in the very first lap. By the end of 17th min, Lancaster moved up to 8th place from 11th. In the 12th minute, Sohil, who was leading by a comfortable margin, overshot on C1 into the grass, and lost his leading position and rejoined in second position. With 9 min to the end, he once again spun on home straight and after that the safety car had to come in.

Left with only about a minute, Lancaster overtook Akhil Rabindra at the short loop and in the final lap his wild move

from the outer line to go past Gabriella managed to put him on the podium in third.

Nikhil Bohra from God Speed Kochi finished on top followed

by Anindith Reddy from Hyderabad Black Birds in second and Jon Lancaster from Chennai Turbo Riders finished third.

Gabriella Jilkova from Goa Aces had to settle for fourth as Akhil Rabindra from Hyderabad Black Birds finished in fifth position.

Race2 winners

Race 2 saw three cars spinning in the first corner and one car came to a stand­still and the Safety Car had to come in. Raoul Hyman Ashwin Datta in action

16 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024 OO autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

managed to lead the way, Oliver Webb was behind him followed

by N Jaani and Yoong. Once the Safety Car left with 15min remaining, Raoul Hyman from Goa Aces was the winner followed by Oliver Webb from Bangalore Speedsters the pole­ sitter in second and Neel Jani from Hyderabad Black Birds in third. Alster Yoong from God Speed Kochi missed the podium with less than a second difference. Kyle Kumaran from Bangalore Speedsters finished fifth. Gabriella was running fifth till the final stages but overshot and slid down.

HARITH NOAH

delivers historic Dakar Rally2 victory

Finishes Overall 11th and joins elite Dakar winners' list with class win

S

herco TVS Rally Factory team rider Harith Noah became the most­ celebrated rider from India bagging the coveted Dakar Rally2 victory and an overall 11th place in the general ranking for motorcycles, after 12 gruelling stages, 8000km and 14 days in the desert dunes and rocky­mountains, at the Dakar Rally 2024 which concluded here on Friday. He clocked an overall 54hours, 24minutes and 44seconds for the 12 stages in 14 days.

The 30­year­old from Kerala, Harith Noah, concluded his good run at the mighty Dakar 18 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

2024 with a cautious 5th place in the 328­km 12th stage in the Rally2 class and managed to retain his 11th position in the overall general rankings with a splendid P11 in final day's ranking. With this dominating performance in one of the most­demanding and toughest cross­country rallies in the world, the Sports Science graduate from Shoranur in Kerala, entrenched himself in the annals of Indian motorsports with a milestone that will be difficult to reach in the near future.

Astride a 450SEF Rally bike tuned by Sherco TVS rally factory team, Noah began the

prologue on January 5 in a cautious way finishing 29th but increased the tempo to finish P22 in the very first Stage of Selective Section after Day 1 and managed to improve his riding with stunning results after each stage and each day, thereafter. Staying put in the top­20, he delivered a killer punch on the toughest Stage 6 that had two days of marathon without service, and Noah, made the best use of the difficult conditions to shoot to P13 overall. From then on, the second week of Dakar saw his switching up gears into the elite zone, with stunning

DAKAR RALLY

142 riders from all over the world take the start. Of them, only 99 finished the 12 gruelling stages to get the biggest name that is a “Dakar Finisher”. The German­ born is a product of TVS Racing and apart from them; he is sponsored by Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team, Red Bull and Casio. In 2021, he became the fastest from India at Dakar finishing in 20 t h place and became the third Indian after pioneer CS Santosh and Aravind KP to finish the prestigious Dakar rally.

“I'm happy that I've finished. That was the main goal. It is to reach the finishing line and we are here. I'm really blessed to be here. I learned a lot this year, especially during the second week, I felt really strong and it's something to build on for next year. I don't know if I won my

performance that made many veterans sit­up and take notice.

Then on Jan 15th, with four days to go, he touched his peak dishing out his career­best with an Overall P5 and a stage win in his class, the Rally2 category.

Later, he won the stage again in the penultimate round and clinched the issue on the final day with a Rally2 victory and a note­worthy 11th place in the Motorcycle category that saw

category. If I have, that's good. I knew I was somewhere in the top 3, but I didn't know anything more, that's nice. I tried to not have any expectations. I just tried to ride every kilometre one at a time. I tried to navigate and not look at the results, just riding the bike. I think the most surprised I was on Stage 10, I think, when I was leading for some time and then I got fifth overall on the scratch. That really surprised me.

It's a really nice feeling to know that you have it in you. I don't know what happened. I think on the second week I just felt better on the bike, the bike was working perfectly. It was the same bike until the finish, still really strong, so I was really comfortable on the bike, it was good. It feels good to win. I hope it motivates other riders, younger riders, to do the same or try to pursue the

same and grow the sport. I never thought when I was a child that I would be here on the Dakar.

Then I did my first Dakar, then I finished in 2021, which was amazing, and now here I am finishing, well I don't know where I've finished, but I'm happy. For the next step, we will see and we will talk, plan and, for sure, I'll be here next year. That's obviously the goal,” said a jubilant Noah, TVS Racing Factory Team rider who is yet to see his results. A racer of different breed, Harith Noah does not look at the results after every stage, lest they disturb his rhythm.

Vimal Sumbly, Head – Business, Premium, said: “TVS Racing has been instrumental in fostering motorsports in India, and committed to nurture talent globally. At TVS, it is our aim and mission to back young racers and make racing democratic. We are extremely proud of Harith for the determination and grit he showed across all stages of the rally. This is a landmark achievement for India and Harith has become an inspiration for youngsters to take up motorsports. His achievements are a true reflection of the hard work, dedication, and practice that have been put in by him as well as the team, to achieve a performance of this measure, and it has been a delight to watch him brave through the toughest rally at Dakar this year.”

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 19

Hero MotoSports creates history with a P2 at Dakar 2024

Ross Branch brings first podium for an Indian manufacturer team at Dakar “Today marks a historic day, not only for Hero MotoCorp but also for India and its sports.

Congratulations to Ross and the entire Hero MotoSports team, for showcasing that success is a result of dedication, consistency, and unwavering passion.

“While Hero MotoCorp has supported sports and athletes for decades, this achievement by our own team holds a unique significance coinciding with the 40 th anniversary of Hero MotoCorp. May this result

20 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

inspire aspiring riders to pursue motorsports in India, and around the world,” said Dr. Pawan Munjal, Executive Chairman, Hero MotoCorp.

H

ero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, Hero MotoCorp, has created history becoming the first­ever Indian manufacturer team to finish on the podium of the legendary Dakar Rally.

Ross Branch finished the Rally at the second place for the team.

His consistent performance over the 12 stages saw him at the first and second spots in the overall rankings throughout the Rally.

For the Indian manufacturer, this is a phenomenal achievement and a solid validation for the many years of effort put into their racing programme. The growth curve for the team has also been steep in the last few years, taking a first Stage Win at Dakar 2022, doubling it to 2

Stage Wins in 2023, and eventually finishing on the podium in this edition. The team achieved two stage wins during this edition too.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally was formed in 2016 and it participated in its first Dakar Rally in 2017. Over the years, the team has achieved multiple podiums, wins and stage wins at top rally­raids across the world.

This edition of the Rally was extremely gruelling and saw three of the four Hero riders

DAKAR RALLY

In its fifth year at Saudi Arabia, the 2024 edition was undoubtedly the toughest Dakar so far with longer stages, extreme terrains, and confusing navigation right from the start.

Two new formats of racing were also introduced to add more spice. A marathon stage early on in the race, and a 48H chrono stage during which the competitors were split across several bivouacs, away from their teams, and surviving on bare minimum essentials was a novelty and was tough on competitors. As many as one­ third of the competitors who started the race retired from the rally across the 14 days of grind.

To get to a Dakar podium is no small feat. A thousand things need to be right, and yet, each kilometer of these many thousands can destroy a result with a tiny mistake. Finally, 8,000 kilometers at the world's toughest rally conquered with a top­2 result. Hero has made it clear they're here to stay.

Dr Arun Jaura, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp and Team Principal, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said: “This is a fantastic result for our young team! Hero MotoSports is truly the flag bearer of Indian motorsport. A few years ago, no one could have imagined that an Indian manufacturer team will be on the podium of Dakar Rally.

Huge congratulations to Ross, Waffi and the entire team for this massive achievement. We will continue to build on this result.”

drop out of the race during the first week. Joaquim Rodrigues and Sebastian Buhler suffered injuries, while Joan Barreda who displayed a fantastic performance in the first week, exited due to an unfortunate mechanical failure in Stage 6.

The pressure on Ross Branch to continue in the race and continue in the top order was tremendous. However, the Botswanan Hero made it look easy, conquering every mile with a broad smile.

Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager and Head, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said: “Truly a sensational result. It's a big reward to reach the podium.

We started many years ago as a small set­up within Hero MotoCorp and building on that every year we have reached here.

So, many people have worked hard for us to reach here. We had a tough time in the first week of the Rally losing three of our four riders. However, Ross carried forward our hopes, keeping a cool head to bring home success

in this very difficult Dakar. At the end, by overcoming many obstacles we are on the podium.

This 2nd place podium, I want to dedicate to Paulo Goncalves, we carry his never­give­up attitude deeply in our team.

“Many thanks to the Chairman Dr. Munjal, the entire Hero family across the globe and all our fans, supporters and partners. We will continue to build on this success.”

Ross Branch, Team Rider, Hero

MotoSports Team Rally said: “Finally I finished the Dakar!! It was a really tough Dakar 2024 and I am so thrilled to be here.

Finishing on the podium was always the goal, and today it's a dream come true. I'm really over the moon to achieve this goal for Hero. And a big thank you to the team for developing a highly­ competitive machine, for the sleepless three weeks here, and for everything they've sacrificed to reach to this point. I'm really proud of my team. ” MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 21

JORDI TIXIER provides scintillating start to inaugural Indian Supercross League

T

op French rider Jordi Tixier of BB Racing, the 2018 Motocross World Champion, provided an exhilarating start to the inaugural CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) winning a triple, but it was BigRock Motorsports from Bengaluru, who gained the lead in the Team Championship with more points taking podiums in e v e ry ra c e a s t h e h i s t o ri c championship began at the Chattrapathi Shivaji Stadium under floodlights here on Sunday.

22 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

With a mammoth crowd cheering and applauding, the French champion, currently in the ADAC Masters Championship, won the first Moto of SX1, the 450cc race for international riders. By the end of the first lap, he took a comfortable 25­metre lead and went on to increase the gap with every passing lap and won the inaugural moto with ease and grace. Later, he made no fuss of the second Moto and took a well­deserved victory, despite a fall, as he was streets ahead of the rest. Finally, he capped a

successful day winning the 'All Stars' race, a combined event for both the 450cc and 250cc riders.

Junior rider, the 13­year old Brian Gyles of Thailand, a MX Masterkids 2022 vice­champion, riding 567 number bike won the hearts of the crowd and received a huge applause as he lapped everyone with his amazing speed and thrilling jumps. He was streets ahead of the rest in the Junior event and won without a challenge.

In the first moto of the first round, behind him another

champion rider, Matt Moss of Australia, from BigRock Motorsports had to be content with a second place after losing the hole shot and an advantage in the initial race. Riding a Honda 450cc, Tixier set the pace for the rest of the motos in the first round of the league. Matt Moss, astride a Kawasaki 450cc began well for the Bengaluru­based BigRock and will be looking to redeem his fortunes in the next two rounds.

In Race 2 (SX2), Aussie Reid Taylor took the holeshot leaving the two Frenchmen Hugo Manzato and Julien Lebeau, to fight behind him for second place along with American Nick Laurie. After the triple jump in the second lap, Monzato overtook Laurie and later with Taylor pulling off a huge gap, Monzato settled for second and Lebeau took third as Laurie lost his way. Astride a Kawasaki 250cc, the Aussie, Taylor, clocked 11min, 19.680sec, for the 17­lap race.

In Race 3 for the 250cc India and Asia riders, Ben Prasit Hallgren of Thailand took the hole shot and sneaked into the lead with compatriot Athison Ruadero and Thanarat Penjan fighting behind him for a second place. But after a few laps, Hallgren had a fall leaving the lead to Thanarat Penjan, who had a steady race and won comfortably astride a Kawasaki 250cc ahead of Ruadero in second and Sarthak Chavan of India completed the podium. Penjan clocked 9min, 54.877seconds in the 14­lap thriller. Rugved Barguje, the National Supercross champion 2023, could only take a fourth place.

In the Feature Race of the night, the All Stars race for both the 250cc and 450cc riders, Frenchman Jordie Tixier lost the holeshot to Italian Lorenzo Camporese, but quickly recovered and grabbed back the lead before the first big jump and Lorenzo lost his position to

ROUND 1, PUNE

450cc International class

Jordi Tixier after a convincing win

250cc International class

Kawasaki riders Matt Moss of Australia and Charles Lefrancois of France taking second and third behind Tixier, who lapped three riders by the fourth lap and went on to increase the gap for a commanding victory, the third crown on the day. “The Indian League is very successful and it proved a big success for me too.

This is the first time in India for me and I am super happy with the winning start. It always feels good to start with three big victories,” quipped the Frenchman after winning the final race of the day.

BigRock Motorsports ahead in Team Championship BigRock Motorsport surprised the Pune crowd by taking the podium in all categories at the first CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL), a

pioneering franchise­based Supercross competition, held at Pune.

Season 1, first round held at Pune displayed an impressive line­up of international champions and emerging Indian stars across four categories: 450cc international riders, 250cc international riders, 250cc India­ Asia mix, and the fiercely competitive 85cc junior class.

With top riders from around the world converging in India, the series is expected to serve the Indian riders to reach the next level.

Veer Patel, Co­founder and Director of the CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League, expressed his satisfaction at the successful completion of the first round of Season 1. "We are overwhelmed by the response

we received from the Pune crowd and the enthusiasm was unbeatable. The CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League, aims to establish India as the focal point for Supercross for the world. The riders displayed their unmatchable skills and the commitment for the sport.

We appreciate the strong

participation and grit to win the race by all individuals. We congratulate the winners and the teams for their amazing participation. At CEAT ISRL, we look forward to delivering an exceptional experience for fans in Ahmedabad too in the next round." The final round will be in New Delhi.

All stars race action MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 23

Big Rock Motorsports extends lead in Team championship Aussie Reid Taylor dominates CEAT Supercross League Round 2

T

op Australian motocross rider Reid Taylor of BigRock Motors ports stole the show with a double and a second place to turn out as the 'Best rider of the Day' in the second round of the CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) which was inaugurated by the Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel at the Eka Arena, in Ahmedabad on February 11.

However, it was the big fight between the nine­time Australian champion Matt Moss of BigRock Motorsports and French rider, two­time former World champion Jordi Tixier, of BB Racing that reached a cres cendo as both s hared honours winning a Moto each, 24 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

but not before a tough tussle on the track and a war of words off it.

Tixier, the current ISRL leader in the individual leader board, trailing in the feature All­star race, boxed the Aussie rider in an aggressive move and his back tyre hit the front of the Big Rock rider. Moss took a tumble as a result and lost the lead and was visibly disturbed. Jordi Tixier won the race but the duo had an 'exchange of words' at the finish line but soon Tixier, explained his case and rendered an apology.

Moss, was clearly denied a double win today but the Australian accepted the apology and thanked his team, BigRock Motorsports, for the wonderful

bike and all the arrangements. “I am pleased with the Ahmedabad track here and happy to see a huge crowd. We have prepared well and I am very happy to take the lead in the team championship,” said Moss, after the races. Earlier in the first race, the 450cc Moto 1, Tixier was at fault when he clashed with Cedric of Big Rock and both had a fall. However, the aggressive reaction by Cedric on the track was considered 'bad behaviour' and he was excluded from the rest of the motos.

Seven motos were held on Sunday. There were two motos for the 450cc bikes for international riders. Then there were two motos each for the

250cc international riders and 250cc motos for a mix of Asia and Indian riders. The final race was the All Stars Race for both 450cc and 250cc riders.

The BigRock Motorsports continued to dominate the team championship table as its riders took many podium places. Matt Moss, the star athlete of BigRock Motorsports, riding the Kawasaki KX450S, secured first place in the 450cc international race.

Reid Taylor, also from BigRock Motorsport, astride a Kawasaki KX250, won the 250cc international race and went on to take a second­place in the all­star race, competing against 450cc bikes. Punching above his weight, Taylor kept Big Rock in

ROUND 2, AHMEDABAD

the final lap, but fell short, losing time just before the flag.

250cc India Asia Mix class start action

good stead after Moss had a fall and his second place points helped the team very much. Ben Prasit Hallgren of Mohite's Racing riding the Kawasaki won the 250cc India Asia Mix category. The electrifying races drew a crowd of over 8,000.

Earlier, Chief Minister, Bhupendrabhai Patel, inaugurated the second round of the three­round franchise­based league, the first of its kind in the world. Patel said: "Today, it is thrilling to witness this Supercross event in Ahmedabad.

Gujarat is honored to host the CEAT Indian Supercross Racing League, showcasing our commitment to sportsmanship and excellence. This event ignites passion, inspires champions, and elevates Gujarat's global standing in motorsports."

Veer Patel, Managing Director Lilleria Group and Co­Founder of CEAT ISRL, said: “I'm grateful to Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and the Gujarat Sports Ministry for their invaluable support in promoting motorsport. Their visionary leadership and passion helped us to organise this event successfully. The crowd's enthusiasm was unmatched and

Grand double for Reid Taylor In the 250cc race for international riders, Reid Taylor got good points for Big Rock Motorsports with a double win.

He got the hole shot in the first moto and won comfortably.

However, in the second moto, after leading the race and building up a gap, he lost the front and took a nasty fall, but recovered quickly and still emerged as the race winner.

French rider Julien Lebeau of Mohite's Racing came second in both the motos.

it is our vision of establishing India as a global hub for Supercross.”

French rider Thomas wins the First moto of the day French rider Thomas Ramette, astride a Kawasaki KX450S, began with a bang winning the first moto of the day in the 450cc SX1 for international riders. He took the hole shot and kept a marauding Matt Moss as bay for the initial laps and won with a comfortable race at the end.

Germany's Nico Koch also on a similar bike came third making it two podiums for Reise, which is now second in the team standings.

In the second moto of the day for the 250cc Asia and India mix of riders, Thailand's Thanarat Penjan, who won a double in the first round in Pune, began with a win beating compatriot Ben Prasit Haligren but Ben came back and took the victory in the second moto. Athison Ruadero, another Thai rider, who stood third in the first moto, took another podium with a second place in the second moto. While Penjan had a hole shot and lead all the way, Athison gave a scare Ben and almost pipped him in MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 25

Tanveer wins the Rally of Nashik Lone warrior Tanaya Singh clinches women's class

PHOTO BY: GHANSHYAM A TIWARI

A

bdul Wahid Tanveer won the final round of MRF Mogrip Indian National Rally Championship 2023 held on the outskirts of Nashik.

Samuel Jacob, who was leading till the final stage, lost a lot of time in Stage 3 and slid down to second.

Tanveer from Mysuru, representing Petronas TVS Racing, won with a lead of less than a second over his teammate Samuel, who finished second.

Imran Pasha finished third with a

further difference of 10 sec.

Sachin D was further behind by 44sec to finish fourth with a 32­ sec difference which included 10sec liaison penalties. Yuva Kumar from Hero Motosport finished fifth. Privateer Pavan BK from Bengaluru, with 55­sec difference finished sixth.

Karan Kumar M from Hero Motosport with a further 8­sec difference was seventh. Amogh Nag, a privateer from Bengaluru came eighth, with less than two seconds difference. Banteilang

Super Bike Pro­Expert GroupA winner Tanveer

Jyrwa with 32­sec further difference finished ninth while Sabarish from Bengaluru was tenth another 39 sec behind.

Super Bike Pro Expert Group A: Abdul Wahid Tanveer was the winner of the class followed by Samuel Jacob in second position while Yuva Kumar finished third. Kumar's teammate from Hero Motosport, Tanika Shanbhag, was fourth.

Winners Group photograph 26 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Super Bike Expert Group A: GS Amogh Nag, a privateer from Bengaluru, was the topper of the class with a total time of 29min 50sec. Followed him in second position was Venu Ramesh Kumar for Kovai with a difference of 1min 55sec.

NASHIK

Abrar Pasha winner of Super Sport 165 Group B

GS Amogh Nag winner of Supe Bike Expert Group A MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 27

NASHIK

Tanaya Singh winner ­ women’s class Darshan Chaure winner of Super Sport 550 Group B

Super Sport 165 Group B: Abrar Pasha won the class beating Muzaffar Ali by 2min 10sec. Niraj Wanjale with a further difference of 21sec finished third. Nitish Chaudhari came fourth another 1min 41sec behind.

Super Sport 260 Group B: Imran Pasha from Petronas TVS Racing clocked 27min 29sec to beat his teammate Sachin D to second and Pavan BK, a privateer from Bengaluru, finished third. Karan Kumar from Hero MotoSport missed the podium with a 8­sec deficit and settled for fourth. Banteilang Jyrwa from Petronas TVS Racing was a distant fifth.

Super Sport 400cc Group B: Rohit Shinde with a total time of 31min 35sec held on to the top position while Tanay Kasera with a difference of 1min 1sec finished second.

Super Sport 550c Group B: Darshan Chaure with a total time of 33min 33sec clinched the class followed by Santosh Sarkale in second with a difference of 38sec. Nilesh Thakare, a seasoned rider from Nashik, came third with a further difference of 44sec.

Scooter class upto 210cc Group B: Shamim Khan from

Petronas TVS Racing was the winner of the class. His teammates Syed Asif finished second with a difference of 36 sec and Karthik N was third a further 43sec behind. Privateer from Mumbai Venkatesh Shetty was fourth another 1min 13sec behind while Hiten Thakkar from Pune came a distant fifth.

Abhishek Padeshi winner of Star of Maharashtra

Women's class: This class had a lone finisher in Tanaya Singh who clocked a total time of 32min 39sec.

Super Sport up to 450cc Group D: Sabarish R won the class clocking 31min 1sec beating Uday Kumar by 2min 12sec.

Abhimanyu Ray with a further difference of 44sec came third.

Kaustubh Lohar finished fourth and Nayan Wagh had to settle for fifth.

Star of Maharashtra: Abhishek Pardeshi won the class in a time of 33min 48sec. He defeated Kunal Singh by 1min 49sec.

Amarendra Sathe, a seasoned rider from Pune, completed the podium. Aditya Rajput missed the podium with a difference of 3­sec and had to settle for fourth position. Kaustubh Machhe, with a further difference of 7sec finished fifth and Gaurav Pathare came sixth.

Shamim Khan winner of Scooter Class

Imran Pasha winner Super Sport 260 Group B

Nitish Bharadwaj in action

Pavan BK second runner­up Super Sport 260 Group B 28 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Jahaan Gill, first Indian to win Junior APRC Championship Three Indian drivers finished the APRC finale held in Indonesia within the top-8

ACTION PHOTO BY: SOURABH CHAUDHURI

T

he weekend turned out to be exciting and rewarding for JK Tyre Motorsport drivers supported by Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation who were participating at the final round of Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) 2023 at Indonesia. The trio kept the Indian flag flying high with their determined and focussed drives with multiple podium finishes at the Danau Toba Rally, which also

hosted the APRC. The APRC was run concurrently with the Danau Toba Rally of the Indonesia National Rally Championship (INRC), the JK Tyre Motorsport team of drivers were vying for top spot in the overall APRC, in the NVA (National Vehicles Approval) class and in the M2 class of the INRC. Driving a 4­wheel drive car in the rally for the first time with a

limited testing time of just 6 km, three Indian drivers finished the APRC finale held in Indonesia within the top­8. The rally was held along with the Indonesian Rally Championship.

The 21­year­old Jahaan Singh Gill from Chandigarh, one of India's youngest upcoming drivers along with co­driver Suraj Keshava Prasad underlined his supremacy to clinch the prestigious FIA Junior Asia

VM Sports Foundation Group photograph with the winners 3O autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Pacific Rally Championship title 2023 in his maiden outing and became the first Indian to achieve this title. While his teammates, Suhem Kabeer along with PVS Murthy, finished fourth overall, the pair of Lokesh Gowda and co­driver Ashwin Naik finished fifth.

A total of 12 stages counted to about 150 km of special stage

APRC FINALE- INDONESIA

distance within a total of 433km that also included transport section. The Danau Toba Rally was spread across 12 all­gravel roads from conditions varying from wide­open plantation sections to twisty and winding mountainous sections.

The stages were challenging, technical and fast, while the rain made the surface a repeatedly­

changing course, thus forcing all the participants to drive cautiously. Thus huge amount of dropouts, of about 28, were on second day. Indian drivers showed much maturity to adapt to the surface conditions and reached the finish.

Rifat Sungkar, along with co­ driver Benjamin Searcy, won the rally followed by their teammate

All three JK Tyre supported Indian drivers and Navigators with trophies MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 31

driver PVS Murthy, was 17 th fastest in SSS on Day 1. They began their Day 2 very cautiously, since the track was a bit slippery. And in the second stage of the day, they spun once and lost some time. But they managed to reach the remote service with no reverse gear.

Fixing this issue in remote service was impossible as it was meant only for tyre change and refuelling. Thus, with no option left for further two stages, they had to manage, but it became much worse before the last stage before service and they had to take on the stage with only 3rd gear working. It was later fixed in service and they ended their day in 10th position. They began the final day with about 8­min difference with the leader and hence catching them was out of question. They also had a good lead on their follower in third position. So they decided to just nurse the car back to the finish in fourth position.

Jahaan Gill winner of Junior APRC along with Suraj K Prasad

H Rahmat and Hade Mbol in second. H Atuy Faturrahman along with Emay Achmad finished third. Suhem Kabeer and co­driver PVS Murthy came fourth. Lokesh Gowda along with navigator Ashwin Naik was fifth.

Sanjay Takale and Musa Sherif came sixth. Sean Gelael along with Hugo Magalhaes finished in seventh while Jahaan Singh Gill and Suraj Prasad were eighth while the pair of Achmad Aldio Oekon and Respati Adhi ended up in ninth position.

In the MVA category, Suhem Kabeer along with PVS Murthy won defeating teammates Lokesh Gowda and Ashwin Naik.

The pair of Jahaan Singh Gill and Suraj Keshav Prasad were third in this class.

In M2 class, which was part of the Indonesia Rally Championship, Suhem and Murthy finished second while Lokesh and Ashwin were third. The celebration just didn't end with the drivers ruling the podium as team JK 32 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Tyre Motorsport bagged the 'Best Team Performance Award'.

After sealing the Junior INRC class back home, Jahaan in his very first International outing, driving a Subaru, managed to perform at his best despite a fuel­pump issue popping­up on Day 2. He was placed 15th on Day 1 after in a 2.07km Super Special Stage (SSS). He was 12th fastest in Stage 2 at Toba Sari which was run within the tea estates under slippery conditions as this location had a very heavy overnight rain. But the progress of this 21­year driver was short lived. Before entering the next stage at Corbus, his vehicle stalled due to fuel pump issues and the vehicle had to be brought to service after skipping Hota Tonga and Negeri Dolok stages. He rejoined in Stage 6 but never had a trouble­free run and had to pull out for the day with a stage left.

He took a start on Day 2. The second stage was too slippery at

Toba Sari and he managed to make good timing. But once again, trouble followed him on the final day. In service, the car was not cranking and the starter had to be replaced. Thus, he left the service 3 minutes late which give him additional penalty of 30sec. This youngster was so determined that he overcame all odd's to bring the car to the finish.

Suhem Kabeer, along with co­

Lokesh Gowda, who was back to rallying after a gap of three years, along with an experienced co­driver Ashwin Naik, finished Day 1 in 18th position. Along with teammates, they also managed to climb up positions by the end of the day despite losing over 3­ min while negotiating a right­ hander and crashed over a mount. Finally, with similar climbing up the order, they managed to finish behind their teammate in 5th position.

Rain which began a day before

H Atuy Faturrahman and Emay Achmad

APRC FINALE- INDONESIA

Edwin Djaya and M Aruman

The pair of Jahaan Gill and Suraj K Prasad at Ceremonial flag­off

Four teams from India after drivers briefing

“It was one of the most­difficult rallies that I have taken part. It was an uncharted territory for us with little knowledge of the terrain. The slush made the stages very slippery and I had to dig deep into my reservoir to finish the event unscathed,” Suhem said.

the start of the event, continued till the prize distribution, which was held under heavy showers.

Speaking on the event all the three participants said they were driving the event in cautious mode as it was their first international event and they were first learning the throttle response, breaking points, as their main motive was to finish the rally. All the three pairs were very much thankful for JK Tyre Motorsport and VM Sports for providing them an International

rallying platform.

“I am really happy with this achievement and would like to thank JK Tyre Motorsport and Vamcy Merl a Spo rts Foundation for their support.

It was a very difficult terrain and driving for the first time, it was not an easy task. The stages were very tricky and the rains made it worse. We knew the hazards of driving on this surface but we held our act together and managed to end on the podium,” said an elated Jahaan Singh Gill.

Lokesh Gowda and Ashwin Naik at the podium ceremony

Suhem Kabeer and PVS Murthy during the Ceremonial flag­off MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 33

Rugved Barguje triumphs at the final round

MRF Mogrip National Supercross Championship concludes with Mysuru round

Sx1 Foreign Open class winners PHOTO BY: CHANDAN KRISHNA

P

etronas TVS Racing rider Rugved Barguje came out triumphant in the final round of the MRF Mogrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship 2023 organized

by GodSpeed held at Mysuru recently.

SX1 upto 500cc Group A: Rugved Barguje from Petronas TVS Racing won the final round with 37 points from two motos.

Shlok Ghorpade, a privateer from Satara, bagged 31 points to finish second. Ikshan Shanbhag, also from Petronas TVS Racing, came third with 30 points. The remaining two places were taken by his TVS teammates, CD Jinan with similar 30 points and Prajwal V with 24 points as they finished fourth and fifth in that order.

34 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

The very first Moto of the day was dominated by Shlok Ghorpade as he got off to a good start and steadily extended his lead to reach the chequered flag first. While there was much action behind him, CD Jinan was running second but Rugved and Ikshan were after him. Mid­way through the race, Jinan slowed down as Rugved Barguje and Ikshan Shanbhag both went past him. But Prajwal V who was running second in the championship had to struggle hard and managed to climb up but had a fall that halted his progress. Jinan managed to gain a place back and finished third.

Shlok Ghorpade finished on top followed by Rugved Barguje in second ahead of Jinan. Ikshan Shanbhag was fourth and

Prajwal V came fifth.

In Moto 2, Prajwal V got the hole shot and was leading the pack while there was a very good fight going on for the second position between Ikshan and Shlok, who had scaled up from last position.

With 5 laps to go, the main action began. On a left hander, Prajwal was on his extreme right and Ikshan took the inner line to overtake him and with space left Prajwal had to fall from the pot shot and by the time he could rejoin everyone else had crossed him. Later, he had to rejoin in fifth position.

Ikshan was the new leader and in the very next lap, he overshot and had to rejoin skipping a jump. Meanwhile, there was a fierce battle going on between Rugved and Shlok. Later, Rugved

took a wild move and Shlok had a fall. In the final lap, Ikshan had overshot while defending his position and Barguje took the lead. From then on he finished the final lap with care to take the chequered flag followed by Ikshan Shanbhag in second and CD Jinan in third. Prajwal V finished fourth and Shlok Ghorpade from Satara had to recover from the fall and finished fifth.

Indian Expert upto 260cc Group C: Banteilang Jerwa won the class leading from start to flag. He took the lead at the start and in no time, extended his lead. The fight for the remaining two podium places intensified but ultimately Arun T took the second position. Initially, he overcame a good tussle

withShailesh Kumar before keeping Imran Pasha, a localite, at bay from the third lap onwards. Imran tried to overtake him on a couple of occasions but fell on a right hander and lost the momentum. His teammate Sachin D finished fourth and Karan Kumar came in fifth.

Junior SX1 upto 250cc Group A: Shlok Ghorpade from Satara won the class bagging 40 points from two motos followed

by Jinendra Sangave from Khalkaranji with 34 points.

Wilmer Valentino from Kochi came third with 30 points. Ector Ezak from Kochi was fourth with 26 points and Aleena Shaikh from Bengaluru came fifth with 22 points.

Shlok Ghorpade from Satara got the hole shot in Moto 1 and extended his lead quickly over Jinendra Sangave from Khalkaranji who had issues with his bike. However, Jinendra managed to finish in second position. Wilmer Valentino from Kochi finished third. Aleena Shaikh, the lone women in this category, had a fall defending her position and finished fifth.

Ector Ezak from Kochi came fourth.

In Moto 2, Shlok Ghorpade was unstoppable for the second straight win and Jinendra Sangave finished second and Wilmer completed the podium.

Ector and Aleena finished in fourth and fifth respectively.

Local boys: Local rider Imran Pasha from Petronas TVS Racing was the winner followed by his ex teammate Nataraj R, now with VM Sports Foundation. Adnan Ahmed from Mangaluru finished third. Yogesh P from Bengaluru was fourth and Faraz Pasha from Chamrajnagara came fifth.

SX2 upto 500 Group C: Shlok Ghorpade from Satara won the class with 40 points from two vicories. Amal Verghese from Ernakulam came second with 32 points. Ryan Haig from Kochi finished in third with 30 points.

Bengaluru rider Pavan BK was fourth with 28 points. Wilmer

Valentino from Kochi came fifth with 21points.

Moto 1 belonged to Shlok Ghorpade from Satara as he dominated right from the start.

Manikandan from Coimbatore who was initially running second started lost positions rapidly and settled for fifth. Ryan Haig from Kochi moved up to second.

Starting right from the back, he made progress in every lap and gained positions on the way and managed to finish second. Amal Verghese from Ernakulam began his first lap in fourth and had scaled up to second by the third lap. There on, Ryan was on his back and had to give up in the final lap to settle for third. Pavan BK from Bengaluru finished fourth while Wilmer came in sixth.

challenge of Chaitanya Joshi from Pune (34points) to second place. Svarunha R from Coimbatore came third with 30 points. Mohammed Imran from Mysuru with 26 points was fourth.

In Moto 1, Bhairav Gowda after a very great struggle with Chaitanya Joshi for couple of laps managed to go past him

MYSURU

and build a good lead to finish on top. He was followed by Chaitanya Joshi from Pune in second. Svarunha R from Coimbatore came third and Mohammed Imran was fourth. In Moto 2, Bhairav was once again the leader. Chaitanya followed him in second and Svarunha R finished third on the podium.

Mohammed Imran was fourth.

In Moto 2, Shlok Ghorpade defeated Amal Verghese to win the race. Pavan BK, who was behind Amal from start to finish was unable to go past him and finished third. Ryan Haig came fourth and Wilmer Valentino from Kochi was fifth.

Novice class: Shailesh Kumar from Coimbatore took the early lead. After defending Karan Kumar from Hero Motorsports early on, he extended his lead at the top. Karan eased off trying to defend his second position from Sachin D. Once Sachin had a fall in the third lap, Jayden WN, also from Petronas TVS Racing, tried to close the gap to the second place but fell short and had to settle for third. His teammate Sachin D finished fourth and Nithyan L came fifth.

Sx2 upto 100cc class

Private Expert upto 260cc Group C: Paomin VR from Shillong was the winner of the class. Nataraj R from Kanakapura finished second and Arfaz Ahmed from Chamrajnagar was third. Yogesh P from Bengaluru finished fourth and Adnan Ahmed from Mangaluru came fifth.

SX2 upto 100cc Group A: Bhairav Gowda from Bengaluru won SX2 in the class with 40 points pushing aside the

Sx2 upto 100cc winners MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 35

Junior SX1 Group A: Shlok Ghorpade from Satara was the winner of this class with 40 points from two motos followed

by Jinendra Sangave from Khalkaranji with 34 points in second. Ector Ezak from Kochi with 28 points came third. With the same number of 28 points, Wilmer Valentino from Kochi was fourth and Aleena Shaikh from Bengaluru came fifth with 22 points.

In Moto 1, Shlok Ghorpade from Satara got the whole shot and extended his lead quickly.

Jinendra Sangave who had issues with his bike just managed to complete and finished in second position. Wilmer Valentino from Kochi came third.

Ector Ezak finished fourth and

Shlok Ghorpade triumphs at Mangaluru round PHOTO BY: CHANDAN KRISHNA

T

he penultimate round of the MRF Mogrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship 2023 was held at the Gold Finch City in the outskirts of Mangaluru.

Shlok Ghorpade from Satara emerged triumphant with 35 points followed by Ikshan Shanbhag from Petronas TVS Racing in second with similar points. The remaining three positions were bagged by his teammates Rugved Barguje, who finished third with 34 points. CD Jinan and Prajwal V with equal points of 24 each, finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In Moto1, Shlok got off to a good start but failed to finish on top.

Ikshan Shanbagh was the winner. He was third till the last few laps but managed to go past Rugved Barguje and was running second behind Shlok. Shlok who had a comfortable lead suffered a spin and by the time he could recover and rise again, both Ikshan and Rugved overtook him. Once he rejoined, he could only finish third as Rugved finished second. Prajwal V

36 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

finished fourth and CD Jinan came fifth.

In Moto 2, Shlok Ghorpade was once again in his elements and made sure that he does not let go the top spot this time around.

He rode a calculated race and took the first place followed by reigning National champion Rugved Barguje. Ikshan Shanbagh finished third and Jinan came fourth ahead of Prajwal in fifth.

Indian Expert upto 250cc Group C: There was no looking back for Imran Pasha from Petronas TVS Racing who had a best start and a comfortable initial lead and took an easy win.

However, there was good fight between his teammate Sachin D and Shailesh Kumar from Hero Motorsports behind him. Mid­ way through, Shailesh had a crash, and his teammate Arun T took over the charge. On a couple of occasions, he did try to come close but finally had to settle for third position behind Sachin D. Nithyan L and Subramanya T finished in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Local boys upto 250cc Group B winners

Junior Sx1 Group A winners

MANGALURU

Sx1 Foreign Open winners

Aleena Shaikh from Bengaluru was fifth.

In Moto 2, Shlok Ghorpade was unstoppable for the second straight win and Jinendra Sangave finished second ahead of Ector in third. Wilmer was fourth and Aleena finished fifth.

Locals upto 250cc Group B: Localite Adnan Ahmed had a comfortable win in this class.

Subramanya T from Bengaluru finished second and Mohsin Pasha from Bengaluru came third. Ishan Chandara and Mohammed Ashfan finished in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

SX2 Group A: Shlok Ghorpade from Satara won 40 points from two top podium finishes and was declared the winner followed by Ryan Haig from Kochi in second with 34 points. Amal Verghese from Ernakulam came third with 28 points. Bengaluru rider Pavan BK with 24 points finished fourth.

Manikantan from Kochi was fifth, also with 24 points.

Moto 1 belonged to Shlok Ghorpade from Satara as he dominated right from start. Ryan Haig from Kochi tracked down to second while Manikandan from Coimbatore finished third.

Amal Verghese from Ernakulam finished fourth and Pavan BK from Bengaluru came fifth.

In Moto 2 Shlok Ghorpade was the winner followed by Ryan Haig in second. Amal Verghese

Novice class winners

finished third. Pavan BK came fourth and Manikantan finished fifth.

Novice class: Sachin D from Petronas TVS Racing was the winner followed by Sailesh Kumar from Hero Motorsports in second. Nithyan L, also from Petronas TVS Racing, was third. Subramanya T and Ishan Chandra, both from Bengaluru, were fourth and fifth respectively.

Sx2 GroupA winners

Private Expert Group C: Yogesh P from Bengaluru defeated Ishan Chandra from Mangaluru to win the class. Mohsin Pasha from Bengaluru finished third. Adnan Ahmed from Mangaluru came fourth. Pranav Raj from Thrissur was fifth.

Junior SX2: Bhairav Gowda from Bengaluru won with 40 points from two motos. Chaitanya Joshi from Pune finished in second with 34 points. Svarunh AR from Coimbatore with 28 points was third and Sujan J from Coimbatore, also with 28 points was fourth.

Junior Sx2 winners

In Moto 1, Bhairav Gowda extend a good lead to finish on top. He was followed by Chaitanya Joshi in second and Sujan J came third ahead of Svarunh AR in fourth.

In Moto 2 also Bhairav Gowda became the leader once again.

Chaitanya Joshi had to be content with second position again. Svarunha R came third and Sujan J was fourth.

Indian Expert upto 250cc Group C winners MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 37

Back-to-back Overall win for

HARKRISHAN-KUNAL

38 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

K1000, GUBBI

Hatrick for Arka Motorsports as they win Rally of Hyderabad, Robusta Rally of Kodagu and 47th K1000 Rally

D

elhi's Harkrishan Wadia and co­driver Kunal Kashyap from Himachal Pradesh turned their overnight lead into a memorable victory at the iconic BlueBand K1000 Rally, and won the 2023 INRC2 title bagging full 40 points in the sixth and final round of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four­wheelers, which concluded at Gubbi, about 95km from Bengaluru.

The event was organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club

(KMSC) with 59 competitors in fray saw only 32 cars finish the two­day rally. Six cars on Day 1 and 21 cars on Day 2 did not finish (DNF).

There were two physical Special Stages (SS). Thirtharama stage which was 20.78km long and Hatyalu was 15.74km. The 9.67km Kondli stage was not held due to technical reasons and the length of the other two stages were increased to compensate for the distance. On Friday, both the stages were run twice in the same direction and

Winners Harkrishan and Kunal receive the MICO Rolling trophy MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 39

Hyderabad, representing Snap Racing, with a difference of 1min 12sec with the leader completed the podium.

Dean Mascarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah from Kodagu first runner­up in INRC class

on Saturday, the Leg 2 had the competitors take each of the stage once, for a total Special Stage distance of 109.56km.

“After a long time, we have brought six rounds to the INRC and have also revived the popular venues like Hyderabad and Kodagu. As the season ends, we endeavour to bring more highlights to the ever popular rallying season next year,” said Premnath K, Chief Promoter, Blueband Sports.

The organisers in collaboration with NOTTO and other organisations held National organ transplant and organ­ retrieval awareness programme during the K1000 rally.

The programme involved National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), NEXANAES Tumkur and ICATT Air Ambulance Services while KMSC Bengaluru and BlueBand Sports supported the noble cause and all the competitors cars carried the stickers in support of it.

Arka Motorsports' Harkrishan Wadia and co­driver Kashyap, driving an INRC2 spec Volkswagen Polo 1.6 did a 40 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

commendable job to hold the nerve till the last minute. They started Day 2 with a comfortable lead of over 45sec on Younus and further extended the lead by the end of Day 2 to 1min 12sec.

Privateers Dean Mascarenhas from Mangaluru and Gagan Karumbaiah from Kodagu were

48sec behind the leader and were in third at the end of Day 1.

With an excellent run in SS5 they managed to put Younus 7 sec behind and managed to climb a position up to finish second with a difference of 1min 03sec.

Younus Ilyas from Kollam along with Nitin Jacob from

INRC3 class winners Jason Saldanha and Thimmanna Uddapanda

Jason Saldanha and Thimmu Uddapanda from Dark Don Rallying with a further difference of 1min 33sec finished in fourth position. Delhi's Jahaan Singh Gill and Bengaluru's Suraj Keshava Prasad settled for fifth with a further 10­sec deficit, three positions up than their Day­1 finish. Daraious Shroff along with Shahid Salman from Chettinad Sporting finished sixth with a total penalty of 1min 12sec. The Bengaluru pair of Chetan Shivram and Shiv Prakash from Jo.1 Rallying were a further 32­sec behind in seventh.

Their teammates Ritesh Guttedar M and Suraj M came eighth another 1min 53sec behind.

Youngster from Bengaluru Arjun Rajiv, along with Milen George from Ammyfied Rallying, with an additional 46­sec difference came ninth. Sheshank Jamwal and Aseem Sharma from Arka Motorsports finished tenth.

Delhi daredevil and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill along with Aniruddh Rangnekar supported

by JK Tyre, began with a bang

and clocked the fastest stage times in the first two special stages but it was his compatriot young gun Harkrishan Wadia, who stole the limelight beating the best in the next two stages on Day 1 as Gill faced a few issues with his car. With two more repeat stages left to be taken on Day 2, he clocked the fastest stage time of the rally and he managed to climb from fifth position to second position. He cut down the lead by 47 sec in this single stage from 1min 9sec before the Day 2 start and closed in on the leader Harkrishan with only a 22­sec gap. With the final stage of about 12kms left, he left no stone unturned but ran out of luck with just 5kms to the finish and had to pull out due to ball joint issues.

After finishing fourth on Day 1, the pair of Philippos Matthai and PV Srinivas Murthy from Arka Motorsports, supported by MRF, began the final day with 1min 01sec difference with their teammmates and leaders. But after completing 12 kms he had to pull out due to electrical issues. Their other teammates Karna Kadur and Vivek Y Bhatt both from Bengaluru, supported

by MRF, began the final day from sixth position as they had lost time while trying to go past another teammates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, who were crawling due to break issues and were looking for a

safer place to pull out. Karna was given 1min advantage by the stewards for having to wait for a long distance during this. By then Gaurav Gill had also closed in and he also had to slow down in this process and he was given 15­sec advantage for this visibility issues. Karna had paired with Bhatt for the first time, who had replaced an indisposed Nikhil Pai. This pair had to pull out in SS5 due to rear left­break pad issues.

The Mangaluru­Bengaluru pair of Aroor Arjun Rao and co­driver Satish Rajagopal from Mandovi Racing had already won the BlueBand Indian National Rally Championship 2023 Overall title winning the first three rounds and took a 45­point unbeatable lead going into K1000. In SS2 they noticed power steering issues and after rectifying in the service, they took the SS3 start and just into 600m, it resurfaced and they had to pull out.

Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik in SS1 were facing brake issues and a front­left slow puncture, and decided to pull out and rejoin on Day 2. In their first stage of the day, they had to pull out once again, just a km from the start due to Sub­Frame issues. Their teammates from Arka Motorsports, Dhruva Chandrashekar and Vinay Padmashali, had to pull out in Stage 1 due to mechanical issues. They rejoined on Day 2,

K1000, GUBBI

Overall winners on podium

INRC2 winners on podium

INRC3 winners on podium

Ladies class winners Anushriya Gulati and Sherwin Dalmeida

INRC4 winners on podium MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 41

Winners of JINRC class Jahaan Singh along with Suraj Keshava Prasad

and managed to complete the rally.

“I am delighted with the back­to­ back wins and the title is a bonus.

I am grateful to my father and I thank all my team, especially Leela sir, Karna, Phil (Philippos Matthai) and all the boys. But for them, this would not have been possible,” said the 25­year Harkrishan, the 2020 Junior INRC champ and son of former rally star Anil Wadia.

INRC 2

Harkrishan Wadia and co­driver Kunal Kashyap from Arka Motorsports, with a total time of 1hr 26min 53sec won their class INRC2, apart from the Overall win. This was also the second straight class­win this season.

Chetan Shivram and co­driver E Shivprakash from Jo.1 Rallying, took the second place, about 3min 40sec behind the winners.

Their teammates Ritesh Guttedar and Suraj M, both from 42 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Bengaluru, finished third with a difference of 5min 34sec with the leader. They finished Day 1, in 11th position and were eighth in the overall leader board.

Ramcharan C from Coimbatore and Jeevarathinam from Bengaluru, representing Arka Motorsports, finished fourth with a difference of 16min 46sec with the leader. Sahil Khanna from Delhi and Harish KN Gowda from Bengaluru finished fifth, a little over 7 minutes behind.

Deepak Chandra and Mahesh Nandi came sixth.

INRC 3

In the INRC3 class, Mangaluru's Jason Saldanha and Kodagu's co­driver Thimmanna Uddapanda, from Dark Don Rallying, fresh from their exploits in this year's Thailand Rally Championship, emerged as winners. Delhi's Jahaan Singh Gill, and co­driver Bengaluru boy Suraj Keshava Prasad from Snap

Racing, finished second. They began Day 2 with a difference of 22sec on the leader and finally managed to scale it down to 10­ sec by the end of the day which was enough for them to clinch the INRC3 2023 championship.

Daraius Shroff and Shahid Salman from Chettinad Sporting, who were in title contention till Hyderabad, lost the plot in the last two rounds. They finished third in their class with a further 12­sec behind. They were unable to capitalise on the 7­sec difference on the final day start.

Arjun Rajiv and Milen George, from Ammyfied Rallying, were further down by 3min 12sec and settled for fourth. The pair of Sheshank Jamwal and Aseem Sharma from Arka Motorsports ended up fifth with a difference of 2min 54sec. Privateer Ajay Sankar along with Nitharshan were sixth with 7min 28sec difference.

INRC 4

Ammyfied Rallying pair of Abhin Rai from Kodagu and co­driver Rohit Gowda from Bengaluru won the class on way to their maiden INRC4 title.

Kothamangalam privateers Athul Thomas and Sajil V Saji came second with a difference of 11min 08sec and Praveen Dwarakanath and co­driver Kariyappa KB were third another 3min 31sec behind. Vignesh Janarthanan and Senthil Kumar Kannan finished fourth while Sefeekudheel and Arun V from Kass Motorsports were fifth.

Championship contender Vivek Ruthuparna and Deeksha Balakrishna from Snap Racing missed the chance as they had to pull out in Stage 2.

In the Gypsy class, Ammyfied Rallying made a clean sweep of the podium led by Samrat Yadav and Arvind Dheerendra with a total time of 1hr 40min 02sec.

K1000, GUBBI

Gypsy class winners on podium

The Kodagu pair of Darshan Nachappa and co­driver Abhinav Ganapathy were second with a difference of 3min 26sec and that was enough for them to clinch the 2023 Gypsy Cup.

With a difference of 23sec, the pair of Dr Akarsh Sunder from Chikkamagaluru and V Sekar from Coimbatore, who finished third, amassed more points but lost on “N minus one' rule, where drivers can discard one round.

Baljindar Singh Dhillon and Goutham CP finished fourth.

Jayanth Somanathan and R Rajashekar came fifth while the pair of Sanjay Agarwal from Bengaluru and Phalguna Raghavendra finished sixth.

engine overheating issues in both SS3 and SS4 on Day 1 and had to contend with Nikeetaa, who was closely behind her in both the stages. But Nikeetaa was unable to overtake her due to heavy dust.

The final day began with Shivani Parmar and Arjun Dheerendra leading by 12sec on the pair of Nikeetaa Takkale and Raghuram Saminathan but Shivani had to pull out in SS5 due to engine failure. Nikeetaa too had a bad day in the SS5. Within the first km, she hit a rock on the route

Younus Ilyas and Nitin Jacob second in INRC class

and was managing well and she had to just nurse her car back home as she had a comfortable lead of 29sec on Anushriya who was running third. But a few kms before the finish, she had to pull out due to ball joint problem.

Anushriya Gulati was never trouble­free as she still had issues with her car and lost over 12min trying to sort out the issue. A DNF also would have sealed her championship but finally she managed to nurse her car back to win the class and was the lone finisher in this class.

Ladies class winners with Tuner Leela Krishnan

JINRC: Jahaan Singh along with Suraj Keshava Prasad, who won the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) Junior title last month in Indonesia, also won the Junior INRC title. They were also the toppers of the class. Arjun Rajiv and Milen George from Ammyfied Rallying finished second with 3min 24sec difference. Abhin Rai and Rohit Gowda were third further behind by 3min 11sec. Ajay Sankar and Nitharshan finished fourth and Aditya Kousgi and Dilip Sharan came fifth.

Women class: Anushriya Gulati, co­driven by Sherwin Dalmeida from Dark Don Racing, who won the K1000 Rally, also clinched the Ladies Class championship 2023.

Anushriya was reeling with

Winners of INRC4 class Abhin Rai and co­driver Rohit Gowda MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 43

44 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 45

UNDER ONE ROOF

way.com

million­dollar business today, impacting the lives of more than seven million people in the USA. On top of that, it has cemented his reputation as a visionary, a critical thinker, a problem solver, and a genius with a hunger to learn and introduce new ideas and innovations for the benefit of its customers.

“The reason I started Way.com was because there was a need in the marketplace for affordable car services. I also want to make car ownership affordable and convenient for everyone.

We have emerged as the market leader. Our expertise can also be replicated in different geographies that continue to grapple with the nightmarish problem of car parking,” says Binu, who has been powering his company with perseverance, vision, and focus on the services to customers.

Mr Binu Girija, Founder and CEO, Way.com TEXT: Madhavan SM

Way.com, an automotive solution provider offers a variety of services from parking, insurance, car wash, auto financing, car ownership, gas cashback and electric vehicle charging.

Indian­origin entrepreneur and Founder and CEO, Way.com, Binu T Girija came up with an idea to offer services across the entire automotive services. Way.com offers a complete range of automotive and supplemental services. Well­known in the United States for its success story, the company was launched in 2015 with parking as its flagship offering. As the first super auto app, it has now grown into a full­fledged Insuretech/Fintech platform for all car­related services in the USA. As per customers' choice, it offers monthly and hourly parking reservations, auto insurance, auto finance, car wash bookings, and roadside assistance at a reasonable price helping its customers save a substantial amount with a trusted service.

The success story With its footprints in all 50 American states and a registered user base of more than five million, Way.com is the fastest­ growing company in the parking sector. It achieved this coveted status in July 2021, hitting $180M in annualized revenue. This was after receiving just $7 million in VC funding back in 2018, making it the most capital­efficient company in Silicon Valley. The company’s car insurance vertical was ranked the #1 auto insurance app in product quality in 2021 by unit Q.

Binu’s expertise in automobiles, especially parking tech, has changed the way people think about parking. With a multi­ 46 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Another USP of the portal is that its business is a ‘platform play’ which allows it to scale much faster than its competitors.

Also, by using more of Way.com’s car services, customers can build up their ‘loyalty points’ and gain more economic benefits, thus inducing them to stay on the platform. By using best­in­class technology, it has overhauled many of the antiquated car services for improving the customer experience, and also attracted top talent from Google, Uber, eHarmony, and Big Fish Games.

Use services and earn loyalty points In February 2022, the company launched Way+. This brand­ new bundle membership brings together high­quality car services, including parking at 20,000 lots across the USA, 6,000+ car washes, the best auto refinance rates, and roadside assistance in one monthly offering, connecting customers with the best rates and offers in real­time. When customers order roadside assistance through the Way.com app, a request goes out to a network of 35,000+ digitally connected tow trucks. In real­time, the app tracks the tow truck’s arrival, which includes details like the driver’s name, and ratings.

Way.com’s auto insurance vertical, launched in November 2020, achieved $60 million in annualized premiums in its first year. It partners with over 180 insurance carriers and provides customers with the most competitive rates for auto, renters, motorcycle, and home insurance. Customers can get a policy activated in just 30 seconds without having to speak to an agent making its customer's life easy and hassle­free operations.

The portal’s AI­driven dynamic pricing and listing engine has generated millions in revenue for parking transactions, creating value for both customers and partners. Through a constant influx of data, the technology’s predictive engine optimizes pricing and anticipates supply and demand in the parking industry marketplace, down to every location it serves within the USA.

FEATURE

India operations Way.com has around 300 people working from its offices in Technopark Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru. The company’s operations in India started with a 5­member team in a 200 sq feet office space at Technopark phase 1 in 2019.

From there, it transitioned into a 6,000 sq feet space in 2020 with 40 members and a 30,000 sq feet space in Phase 3 with a team of more than 300 employees in 2022 gaining strength from strength.The business was featured in 48th position in the world’s top 100 Marketplace by Bloomberg. Binu says the super auto fintech app has so far helped seven million drivers across the US save money on everything from parking to gas to auto insurance. It is also helping thousands of EV owners find the nearest EV charging station and drive toward a greener future.

New office at Thiruvananthapuram

INSIGHT

AutoTrack had a quick chat with Mr Binu Girija, Founder and CEO, Way.com about the business, the industry and their inroads into the Indian markets, just as he was about to leave for the US.

1. How did you come up with the idea for this business?

A: As a serial entrepreneur, I always look for opportunities. I had the experience of using parking services and overpaying for it. I realised that there was a need for a better and more affordable solution here. I also recognise that there are so many like me who were facing the same issues and are being massively overcharged.

That’s where the idea originated for creating a marketplace for car services.

2. What do you believe led to the success of your business idea?

A: I believe in a 3 pronged approach to successful business practices; focus, persistence and a strong go-to-market strategy. These were instrumental to bringing Way.com to where it stands today.

3. What insights do you believe will pave the way for your success in India?

A: Based on recent developments, I feel that there is a huge scope for this business in India.

Especially, the new policies for infrastructure improvements are favorable towards the progress and growth of this industry.

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 47

New Sonet offers stunning looks, performance

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he majestic attitude of the new Sonet is redesigned with few outer looks, interiors, tech and safety. They made it look bolder and fantastic. It was an opportunity to drive the GT­Line in Bhopal.

In the front view: The tiger nose grille with knurled premium dark metallic surround and when we talk of head lamps, they differ in all the three trims. While in the GT­Line and X­Line the new head lamp and the DRLs design is based on futuristic star map lighting, there is crown jewel led headlamps and star map led DRLs that come with side­turn indicators. LED headlamps are just below it and are placed below the bonnet cover. In the bottom, at the edge of the bumper is placed the sleek LED 48 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

fog lamps and towards the bottom is the Sporty Aerodynamic front skid plate with dark Metallic accent.

The mid trims­halogen replaces the led headlamps and the side indicators are below the headlamps. The ice cube formation LED fog lamps are just below the head lamp. Entry trim has a halogen MFR headlamp and below are head light indicators.

While we look into the side view: The GT­Line comes with a glossy black roof rails with a chrome belt line while the door handle comes along side the body colour. The door Garnish is dark metallic while it varies amongst other trims. The wheel size of 16 inches is standard

amongst all variants, but 4 different wheel styles are made available. For GT­Line and X­Line crystal cut sports alloy wheel are in the menu and in the Upper mid­trim it is crystal cut alloy wheels. For mid­trim, it is styled steel wheels and with full cover for entry trim. The all­wheel disc brakes enhance braking performance, so you are always in control and are too sharp.

When we talk of rear: You can see a Shark­Fin Antenna coping with the body colour and the similar colour spoiler which gives a sporty look. You have a Star­ futuristic star­map lighting. The star map LED connected tail lamp further connects to the LED light bar throughout the rear door. The LED stop lamp is only

available in mid and upper trims.

The reflectors are repositioned and below, you have the sporty aero dynamic skid plates in GT­ Line and Tusker inspired masculine skid plates in tech line.

Interior: The driver seat height adjustment is manual and apart from that, you have a 4­way electrical adjustment. Both the driver and co­driver seat is ventilated. The 20.32cm touch screen with wireless Android auto and Apple car play and the 10.67cm colour instrument cluster are adjacent at the same height.

Six airbags shield and protect you from all three sides.

Electronic Stability Control ESC, 16 inches wheel, Hill Assist

Control (HAC), Vehicle Stability management (VSM) are all part of the Standard safety package across all the trims. Smart Pure Air Purifier with Virus and Bacteria Protection ensures you breathe the cleanest of air inside.

The instrument cluster had the RPM meter as the driving and traction mode, blind view monitor depending upon the turn direction and lane assist is displayed on the same screen.

On the touch screen, various displays like sound, FM, map, surround image, 360 degree camera, driving rear view monitor and the rear view camera with guidelines can be seen. Three C type USB chargers are provided, one in the front and two at the rear.

With no extension of leg space possible, alternate is done on the thigh space by increasing the edge height and by scooping the front seat rear portion, which prevents knee rubbing. Rear door sunshade curtains are part of this trim. Sunroof can be operated through voice command in Hinglish as well while the front and rear windows also can be opened and closed through voice command. There are much more commands in English for maps, FM, etc.

ADAS Level 1: Lane departure warning cautions you with a beep once you are trying to get near or cross the white line on either side, followed by Lane­ Keep Assist and Lane Following Assist which will create anti­ steering torque depending upon which side you are departing the

lane without turn indicator input.

Driver Attention Warning, depending upon your driving style, it detects your fatigue and suggests you to take a coffee break display on the cluster.

DRIVE, BHOPAL

Leading Vehicle Departure alert: Once both the vehicles are in a standstill and once the vehicle in the front moves and if you do not react, you receive an alert. High Beam Assist: Depending on the front illumination and road, it automatically adjusts the light beam.

Forward Collision warning: A Forward Collision Avoidance Assist can only detect pedestrian, car and cyclists. It warns and then brakes and holds it for about 3sec there on it releases, if it is further required to be stationary you need to hold the brakes.

KIA Connect: It has about 70 features which include 12 new features across various domains.

It has Keyless entry, Remote Climate control, Lock /Unlock facility, Horn and light control, Tyre pressure information, Fuel Level Information and find my car with Surround view monitoring, which provides a picture of your car and its surroundings on your mobile irrespective of the location.

Technical specifications: In petrol you have MPi 1200cc with 5speed manual transmission, GDi 1000cc 6iMT, 7DCT. In Diesel, DRCi 1500cc 6MT, 6iMT and 6AT. Interior colours and seat patterns differ for X­Line, GT­Line and Tech ­Line.

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 49

Harkrishan-Kunal

duo emerges overall winners Promoter BlueBand Sports brings INRC to Coorg after 15 years

PHOTO BY: GHANSHYAM A TIWARI / KRISHANU CHATTEERJEE

W

ith a stunning display of controlled aggression, Arka Motorsports pair of Harkrishan Wadia and co­ driver Kunal Kashyap bagged their maiden overall victory and emerged triumphant in the BlueBand Robusta Rally of Kodagu, the fifth round of the BlueBand Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four­wheelers at Kodagu in November.

The penultimate INRC round offered tough terrain, like the previous rally in Hyderabad, with only one INRC spec car finishing in the top­10. With top guns faltering once again, like in Hyderabad, the Delhi­Himachal duo took the overall honours.

With the current season heading for a six­round championship, after a series of less­than­four­

5O autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

round championships, the promoters BlueBand Sports brought back such forgotten venues into the main frame.

Kodavas are one of the most sports­loving communities in India and they welcomed the rally in their own pomp and style. The rally was run within the Tata Coffee Plantations at different locations in South Coorg. The last rally held in this region was the Rally de Coorg, way back in 2008.

“We are thrilled to rejuvenate the rally scene in Coorg by bringing back INRC here after a 15-year hiatus,” said Premnath K, the Promoter - BlueBand Sports.

The competitive sections were run at the Tata Coffee Limited plantations. There were two physical stages, Anandapura

Overall winners Harkrishan Wadia and Kunal Kashyap

(12.75km) and Pollibetta (8km), run thrice in the forward direction on Saturday. On Sunday, 8.5­km Woshully and 8­km Margolly, near Ammathi were run thrice in the forward direction for a total competitive distance of 111.75km. Along with another 152 km transport distance, the total rally distance

was 263.7 km. The rally had attracted 61 entries and the ceremonial flag off was held at the Ammathi High School on Friday.

INRC Delhi's Wadia and Himachal's Kashyap, unfurled their magic in a lower spec INRC2 Volkswagen Polo 1.6, to win the Overall

KODAGU

honours. They also won their class, INRC2. Wadia began his Day 2 with a lead of over 31sec on Jahaan, and 51sec lead on Vikram. And there was no looking back for Wadia, as he was the fastest in five of the six stages on the final day. He was behind by about 6 sec in Stage10 and by the end of the day, he

extended his 51­sec Day 1 lead to 1min 28sec on the second­ placed finishers, Aroor Vikram Rao and co­driver Somayya, who were third overnight. Trailing 20sec behind Jahaan, Vikram finished a creditable Overall second as he managed to cut down the deficit in the last five stages and managed to build a

lead of 16sec over the third finishers young Jahaan Singh Gill and co­driver Suraj Keshav Prasad.

Jahaan did manage to extend his overnight lead by another 6sec but there on, he had to cope up with his car issues and then decided to take it easy and save a podium place. Since the

difference with the fourth­ placed driver Sahil Khanna was about 1min 15sec but it was gradually reducing down. Jahaan managed well within the considerable lead he had, and finished on the podium.

The pair of Sahil Khanna and Harish KN Gowda, after starting fourth on Day 2, managed to MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 51

massively,” said a visibly­ delighted Wadia.

INRC 2

Overall winners, Harkrishan Wadia and Kunal Kashyap from Arka Motorsports, also won their class, the INRC 2, followed by MRF­supported Aroor Vikram Rao and AG Somayya from Chettinad Sporting. Jacob KJ and Shanmuga SN, also from Arka Motorsports, finished third.

Younus Ilyas and Nitin Jacob in action

hold on to the same position. But they lost about 20 sec in the final stage and slid to fifth. The pair of Jacob KJ and Shanmuga began their final day in fifth position with a difference of 7sec with Sahil ahead of them. While the lead graph was going up and down, they managed to make about 23 sec in the final stage which put them one place up in fourth.

Younus Ilyas, along with co­ driver Nitin Jacob, began with a 56­sec difference over Sahil and were looking very aggressive in Stage 9 and 12. They made the most out of these two stages but had to settle behind them in sixth after bringing down the difference to 8sec. They managed to climb four positions up from overnight 10th place on Day 1. Sheshank Jamwal and Aseem Sharma finished seventh with a difference of 35 sec. They managed to climb one position up than their previous­day finish.

Daraious Shroff and Sahid Salman began their final day in sixth position with less than three seconds difference over Jacob. Finally, they managed to finish in eighth position with a difference of 8 sec. The pair of Vishakh Balachandran and co­ driver Anil Abbas finished ninth

52 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

with a difference of 51 sec on Daraious. The pair of Ritesh Guttedar M and co­driver Rohit Nagaraj with 20sec further difference finished tenth after being 7th on Day 1. They were pushed to 7th by a fraction of a second as they timed in the same second with the sixth­placed Daraious.

Major names they suffered casualty and dropped out from this rally were double national champion Karna Kadur, Dean Mascarenhas and Rahul

Overall winners on podium

Kanthraj.

“We are over the moon. This is our first overall victory and first INRC 2 win. And our first stage wins, too. We are thankful to everyone who helped us in this journey. Especially, I am grateful to my father, who has always been my No.1 supporter. Thanks to the whole team at Arka who made this sweet victory possible.

They gave us the perfect car throughout the weekend, and Phil bhaiyya (Philippos Matthai) who helped improve my driving

Sahil Khanna, who was behind third­placed team by 15sec, missed the podium and settled for fourth. Ritesh Guttedar M with less­than­a­second difference came fifth. Deepak M finished sixth and Ramcharan C weas seventh. Former Overall champion Chetan Shivram had to be content with eighth. Three dropouts in the class were Philippos Matthai, Mazdayar Vatch, the winner of Coorg Talent Hunt, and Deepak Chandra.

INRC 3

Chandigarh's Jahaan Gill along with Suraj Keshava Prasad won the INRC3 class with a total time of 1hr 46min 51sec as they defeated Sheshank Jamwal and Aseen Sharma by 1min 34sec.

Daraious Shroff and co­driver Shahid Salman from Chettinad Sporting, driving for Slideways Industries, finished in third

KODAGU

Ruthuparna and co­driver Athreya Kousgi from Snap Racing were third another 3min 47sec behind.

Ladies class

Anushriya Gulati and Sherwin Dalmeida from Dark Don Rallying were the winners with a difference of 1min over second­ placed Shivani Parmar and Arjun Dheerendra from Chettinad Sporting. Pragathi Gowda and co­driver Trisha Alonkar from Aart Motorsports, supported by MRF, completed the podium another 3min 44sec behind. The championship leader Nikeetaa Takkale and co­driver Raghuram Saminathan, from Snap Racing, who were leading the rally had to pull out in the final stage.

FMSCI Gypsy Cup

INRC3 winners Jahaan Gill and Suraj Keshava Prasad

position with a further 7­sec difference.

Vishakh B and co­driver Anil Abbas, also from Chettinad Sporting came fourth with a further 51­sec difference. Jeet Jhabakh and V Sekar, a privateer team, finished in fifth position.

Riyas Abdul Majeed and co­ driver Lenin Joseph, another Chettinad Sporting team came sixth with a further difference of 4min 11sec. The Dark Don pair of Anushriya Gulati from Himachal Pradesh and co­driver Sherwin Dalmeida from Bengaluru finished seventh, another 35 seconds behind. The second lady driver, Shivani Parmar, along with co­driver Arjun Dheerendra, also from Chettinad Sporting were eighth.

INRC 4

Abhin Rai and co­driver Arvind Dheerendra from Ammyfied Rallying won the INRC 4 class defeating Vivek Ruthuparna and co­driver Athreya Kousgi from Snap Racing by over 3min 47sec.

Sefeekudheel and Arun V were third with a further 14min, 53sec difference. Prajwal HM and co­ driver Vinay SM who were running third by the start of the

day were DNF. Junior INRC

Jahaan Singh Gill along with Suraj Keshava Prasad from Snap Racing won the Junior INRC class and sealed their Junior championship with a round to spare. Abhin Rai, along with co­ driver Arvind Dheerendra, from Ammyfied Rallying finished second with a difference of 5min 36sec. The pair of Vivek

Privateers Mitchu Ganapathy of Gonikoppa and co­driver Venu Ramesh Kumar of Coimbatore with a total time of 2hr 3min and 30sec won the Gypsy Cup. Abhishek Gowda and Dheeraj Manae with a further 39­sec difference finished second.

Jayanth Somanathan and co­ driver R Rajashekar came third another 3sec behind. Local drivers Darshan Nachappa and Abhinav Ganapathy, from Ammyfied Rallying, with 1min 50sec further difference were fourth and Sanjay Agarwal a n d c o ­ d ri v e r P h a l g u n a Raghavendra came fifth another 3min30sec behind.

Aroor Vikram Rao and co­driver Somayya Overall second

Prem Lal KV and Uday Kumar came ninth, a further 35­sec behind. Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar from Aart Motorsports, supported by MRF and Sidvin finished tenth. The lady driver and championship leader Nikeetaa Takkale and Raghuram Saminathan, from Snap Racing, had to pull out in the last stage of the day.

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in53

Saneem-Musa Sherif win MERC4 class; finish 14th overall Loubet-Pascaud take top th honours; Fabid-Milen, 6 in MERC2 class and 12th overall

I

ndian pair of Fabid Ahmer and Milen George, supported

by JK Tyre, driving a Subaru finished 12th overall while the Indian Pair of Saneem Payyaakkai and Musa Sherif, supported by MRF Tyres, driving a Ford Fiesta won the MERC4 class as the only team while finishing in Overall 14th position in a tough rally.

Pierre­Louis Loubet and Loris Pascaud delivered a master class performance on their desert debut and overcame late damper issues and a couple of time penalties to secure a memorable victory at the Qatar International Rally in Lusail, Qatar in January.

Norway's Mads Østberg and his Swedish co­driver Patrik Barth delivered a late charge over the afternoon loop of three short stages but missed out on the win 54 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

by just 4.6 seconds. Loubet became only the second non­ Arab driver to win the event outright.

With a total time of 2hr 33min 41sec, the pair from India Saneem Payyaakkal and Musa Sherif won the MERC4 class driving a 2WD Ford Fiesta, the lone participants in this class.

After encountering a technical setback during the spectator stage on Thursday night, Fabid Ahmer and co­driver Milen Cherian demonstrated resilience and skill to complete the Qatar International Rally. After restarting on Friday with a 10­ minute penalty, the duo consistently secured top­3 positions in the MERC2 category throughout most stages, concluding with a commendable 6th place.

NEWS

Drifting ace Sanam Sekhon crowned JK Tyre Drift champion Dhole Patil College excels in Formula Imperial; Rajarambapu Institute wins karting

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Fabid was unable to take a start in Super Special Stage as he could not rectify the existing technical difficulties in the car and was awarded 10­min penalty. But this did not put down his morale as they were running third till midway of the rally and later on due to brake issues they started losing time and dropping down the order and in the final stage. Later, they suffered another 30­sec additional penalty for brushing against the barrier which put them down to sixth with a difference of 18min 53sec on the leader and just over 9­min difference with the first runner­ up. With 10min 30sec added

penalties they had to settle for sixth finish in MERC4 category and 12th overall.

"Navigating through challenging terrains and competing against some of the world's best drivers, is a significant learning experience, particularly in handling a 4­ wheel drive rally car. I thank my sponsors JK Tyres, the primary sponsor, and additional backing came from Madre Engineering and Dudes of Dunes. Back home the team is geared up for another thrilling competition, building on the lessons learned and experiences gained in the Qatar International Rally" said Fabid Ahmer.

anam Sekhon, hailed as the Drift champ of India, dominated proceedings at the inaugural JK Tyre Drift Challenge as he swept unopposed to victory in two out of three categories at country's first­ever official drifting competition. Seasoned drifter, Mudit Grover also finished on the podium in all three categories of the JK Tyre Drift Challenge which concluded in October at Greater Noida.

Sekhon looked poised and in control as he slithered his specially­prepped Lexus GS 300 sideways around the corners and Mudit in his BMW E46 showcased his spectacular skills on the twisting drift track at the Buddh International Circuit in a masterful display of tyre­smoking car control.

The Chandigarh­based driver won the D1 category with a whopping haul of 744 points with his closest rival Jugraj Singh Bhurjee, driving a BMW M3, only picking up a score of 476. Mudit Grover, with 286 points, sealed third in his BMW E46.

Sekhon scored 460 points to also win the D2 category with Mudit Grover (262 points) and Mugdha Grover, driving the Mercedes C200 K, (156 points) completing the podium.

His hopes of completing an unbeaten run, however, were dashed with Mudit beating him to victory with 700 points to Sekhon's 636, with Samyak Kapoor on 281 points in third.

Points were awarded by a three­member expert panel of international judges comprising Taniguchi Atsushi from Japan, Tanakorn Lertyaovarit from Thailand and India's own drift expert Alistair Woodham. Drivers were judged on multiple parameters including line, angle, style and speed.

The three categories ­ D1, D2 and Open ­ were differentiated by tyre width. Cars competing in the D1 category were running on tyres that were 215­ 255mm wide. The maximum permitted tyre width in the D2 category was 205mm, while all competitors, regardless of the width of their tyres were eligible for the Open category.

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 55

Double delight for Hemanth; Md. Riyaz bags 551-850cc title

Muddappa becomes most-decorated motorsports athlete with dozen National titles Unbeaten Shah Rukh Khan, Jagathishree, Arfath, Fazil, Madhan Kumar crowned champions

PHOTO BY: SRINIVASA KRISHNAN

T

en­time Indian National drag racing champion Hemanth Muddappa from Mantra Racing became the most­decorated motorsports athlete with an unprecedented dozen National titles as he remained unbeaten in the top two classes and emerged a double champion in the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship which concluded at 56 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

the Madras International Circuit (MIC) in Irungattukottai, near here, in December.

He made it a sweet double as he emerged triumphant in both the Unrestricted class and the 1051 to 1650cc class in the fourth and final round. He won the Unrestricted class and the 1051 to 1650cc categories despite suffering a wheelie

at the start in the later race and annexed the top place in both Round 3 and Round 4 races held in the same week­end to bring his tally of National titles to a grand dozen. He remained unbeaten in these top two classes in all the four rounds, throughout the year.

Earlier in the morning, he won the 4­stroke Unrestricted category astride the Suzuki Hayabusa, beating arch­rival and Bengaluru mate Alimon Saidalvi, clocking a blistering 07.746 and went on to claim another first place in the 4S 1051 to 1650cc class beating another stalwart Mohammed Riyaz of Hyderabad with a time of 7.779sec. Riyaz, who came third in the Unrestricted class had the consolation winning the 551 to 850cc Super Sport class, where Muddappa could only finish third behind another Hyderabad rider Mirza Jahangir, who took second.

“It is a grand dozen and I am proud of the long and strong relationship with Mantra Racing that has brought a lot of happiness, not to talk about the hard work and struggles we underwent throughout the year. It is an amazing journey and I am glad we got a double. My thanks to all the boys, my family and my supporters,” said Muddappa, who is nicknamed as 'LightningR1' for his brute speed.

Similarly, Riyaz was in a league of his own in the 551­850cc (Super Sport) category where he timed 08.544 in Round­4 and 08.476 in the previous round this morning to extend his unbeaten run in this class, winning four races from as many starts.

MMRT, CHENNAI

In view of the backlog of races due to the rain­affected Round­1 in September, the remaining three rounds were held back­to­ back in the same weekend in December to complete the championship.

Notching four wins in as many starts, Mumbai's Shah Rukh Khan (Mantra Racing) and Jagathishree Kumaresan from Chennai (One Racing) annexed the titles in the 4­Stroke 361­ 550cc and Girls (4S 165cc, Novice) categories, respectively, Meanwhile, two Bengalureans, Mohammed Arfath (2­Stroke 131­165cc Super Sport), Mohammed Fazil (2S 165cc Super Sport India), and Chennai's Madhan Kumar R (2S Up to 130cc Super Sport) also topped the championship in their respective categories.

Hemanth Muddappa in action

“Both Hemanth Muddappa and Mantra Racing have began the journey at the hallowed track of MIC and have dominated the National Drag scene like no other team at all circuits in the country and have produced great results and records culminating into 12 National titles, a record in the Indian drag racing history,” said Sharan Pratap, who tunes the champion's bikes.

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 57

ILYAS fastest but, misses crown as DHRUVA triumphs Mysuru Gravel fest returns to thrill after a gap of 4 years

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t was the second title for Dhruva after his previous title in 2018 and Younus Ilyas was the fastest driver in this edition but he missed the second crown.

Dhruva was the winner of the 3rd Mysuru Gravel Fest. The event came back to light after a gap of four years and became the first Fest post­covid. The benchmark

event had above 170 entries from 9 different classes including the ten from Apex class. The event organised by ASCOM was an annual event which was part of the Mysuru Dasara sports activities.

Indian Open

Younus Ilyas from Kollam had improved on his previous timing,

he clocked it in 2min 20.126 with a very clean run apart from winning the class, he was the fastest driver here. Chetan Shivram despite improving his own timing than the previous class had to finish in second position with less than a second difference.

Syed Salman from Mysuru was

behind by 290th of a second and finished third. Pragathi B Gowda, the lady driver from Bengaluru, came 4th with more than two seconds deficit.

Younus Ilyas winner Indian Open 58 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Philippos Matthai, who was sharing the car with Wadia was in fifth with a further difference of less than a second. Ritesh Guttedar from Bengaluru with less than a second difference finished sixth. Nikhil J also from Bengaluru with half­a­second

MYSURU

Dhruva Chandrashekar Overall winner

difference was seventh. Moin Pasha from Bengaluru, Ruthvik M Gowda from Mysuru and Dhruva Chandrashekar from Bengaluru finished in 8th, 9th and 10th positions respectively.

1401 to 1650cc class: This was the most­attractive class as it had rally cars in action. Chetan Shivram from Bengaluru was the fastest with a time of 2min 21.777sec. Younus Ilyas from Kollam with less than three­

second difference finished second. Syed Salman, a localite with a further less­than­three seconds difference managed to complete the podium.

Den Thimmaiah, also a localite, with less than a second difference on Salman, settled for fourth position. Star lady driver Pragathi Gowda from Bengaluru with half a second difference came fifth. Harkrishan Wadia from Delhi, driving a Honda City

iVetc, finished sixth, 700th of a second behind. Localite Ruthvik M Gowda with a narrowest margin of 0.016th of a second was seventh and Jenu K Johnson, also a localite, was in eighth with over a second difference. Sumesh from Kochi and Ravi Kiran from Mysuru finished in ninth and tenth positions respectively.

ASCOM open: Younus Ilyas from Kollam improved with over

one second on his own timing to be the fastest. He clocked 2min 18.897sec to win the class.

Localite Syed Salman was over two seconds behind to secure second position and Harkrishan Wadia who had just won the INRC round at Coorg finished third with less than 100th of a second behind.

Philippos Matthai of Speed Sport Delhi, with over a second difference, missed the podium to

MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 59

settle for fourth position. Dhruva Chandrashekar from Bengaluru, with less than a second difference was fifth. Pragathi Gowda from Bengaluru with less than a second difference finished behind him in sixth position.

Keerthan Kuttappa from Virajpet was seventh with a further 2­sec difference. Ritesh Guttedar from Bengaluru and Nikeetaa Takkale from Pune finished in the same second as Keerthan in eighth and ninth positions. Abhin R Rai winner of 1101 to 1450cc class finished in tenth position.

Apex class: The most­ prestigious class of the event which had a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs and the top­ten fastest drivers were selected to run in this class. Dhruva Chandrashekar from Bengaluru was the winner with a timing of 2min 19.340sec and he stands to win the cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs.

Syed Salman also improved on his own timing but was about 800th of a second behind and had to settle for second. Younus Ilyas, the fastest driver of the event, had to settle for third as he was further one second behind in this class.

Chetan Shivram action in Apex class

second with a difference of over 200th of a second in sixth. The remaining four positions in the top­ten were bagged by Bengaluru drivers as Nikhil with over a second difference finished

seventh and Moin Pasha finished in eighth with a difference of over two seconds. Chetan Shivram with over a second difference was ninth and Ritesh Guttedar managed to finish in

Harkrishan Wadia from Delhi missed the podium with 500th of a second difference and settled for fourth. Pragathi B Gowda from Bengaluru was the fifth fastest in the class with a difference of half a second.

Philippos Matthai from New Delhi finished within the same

Mysuru DC, Dr. Rajendra KV at the Ceremonial flag off

Pragathi Gowda Ladies class winner 6O autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

tenth after he toppled and rejoined.

Upto 1100cc class: Virajpet's Mandanna MP known as Suraj, driving a Maruti Alto, clocked the twin­track in 2min 35.152sec to win the class. Bruhath Kembhathmakki from Mudigere was behind by over three seconds to settle for second.

Prakash R from Mudigere with 150 th of a second difference came third.

Shafeeque Ahamed from Virajpet missed the podium by 200th of a second and finished fourth. Akash Aradhya from Mysuru was just behind him in

fifth with less than 200th of a second. Manjunath K from Mysuru was sixth, Azweer from Mudigere was seventh, and Sharif MK from Kodagu, Lokesh Kumar Jain from Mudigere and Rohit RS from Mysuru finished in 8th, 9th and 10th positions respectively.

1101 to 1400cc class: Abhin R Rai from Madikeri brought in his rallying skills into the fast­ flowing track, this time driving a Maruti Esteem. He was the fastest in the class with a time of 2min 29.500sec. Mohanraj GP from Bengaluru finished in second position with over 2sec difference. Jenu K Johnson from Mysuru and Arvind Dheerendra from Bengaluru finished within the same second in third and fourth positions respectively.

Arjun lost his podium with a mere 0.090th of a second difference. Ravi Kiran Gowda from Mysuru and Athul Thomas from Kothamangala finished in fifth and sixth positions within thousandth of a second difference with each other. Arif Khan and Moin Pasha both from Bengaluru finished a very close seventh and eighth. Ismail Khan from Bengaluru and Ithihas from Mysuru finished in ninth and tenth positions respectively.

Ladies class: Pragathi Gowda from Bengaluru driving a Volkswagen Polo clocked 2min 24.489sec to lead the category.

Nikeetaa Takkale from Pune who is currently leading the Ladies class in INRC, driving a Volkswagen Polo 1.6 with over 11sec difference finished second. Tarushi Vikram from Chikkamagaluru venturing in to autocross as she is a regular racing driver, with further 12­sec difference completed the podium.

Sumitha Thattachery from Nileswar finished in fourth with a 19­sec deficit. Chaitra V Urs from Mysuru with a further 15­ sec difference was fifth. Rashi TS from Mysuru was sixth and Sonam Chugh, also from Mysuru, was seventh.

MYSURU

Local Boys: Ithihas from Mysuru driving a Maruti Esteem clocked 2min 31.406sec to win the class.

Nischay with 600th of a second deficit came second. Akash Aradhya finished third with a further 4­sec difference.

Amruth Mari Gowda was behind by 2sec and settled for fourth.

Syed Imran Ahmed with a second difference finished fifth.

P Manju Gowda with less than a second difference was sixth.

Yeshwanth Kumar MS, Rohit RS and Priyankanth K, all finished in the same second, to finish in seventh, eighth and ninth positions, respectively. Nanda Kishor KS finished tenth.

4wheel drive Open: Darshan Nachappa Kokkengada from Kodagu was the winner of the class clocking 2min 32.141sec.

Nanda Kishor KS from Mysuru finished second with a difference of over 12sec.

Jigmet Singey from Leh Lakadh with less than two­seconds difference finished third.

Abhinav Ganapathy MS from Bengaluru was fourth another second behind. Shashi Umar from Bengaluru and Thilak Tholasi from Mysuru came in fifth and sixth positions respectively.

Philippos Matthai action in Indian Open

Abhin R Rai winner of 1101 to 1400cc class

Darshan Nachappa winner 4wheel drive open MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 61

Kolkata's Arya Singh celebrating his maiden win in the MRF Formula 2000 category

Sandeep Kumar, Chetan Surineni win MRF Formula crown each Gurunath Meiyappan, Diljith and Deepak Ravikumar bag National titles

PHOTO BY: ANAND PHILAR

O

n a day over­run with emotions, Chennai's Sandeep Kumar and Bengaluru youngster Chetan Surineni won the titles in the showpiece MRF Formula 2000 and 1600 categories, respectively, as the curtains came down on the fourth and final round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2023 at the Madras International Circuit .

Also picking up the National titles in their respective categories were Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts, Indian Touring Cars), Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing, Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Diljith TS (DTS Racing, Super

62 autotrack.ind.in MARCH / APRIL 2024

Stock and Formula LGB 1300).

MRF Formula 2000 Kolkata's Arya Singh finally delivered his maiden win in the MRF Formula 2000 category after a string of near misses to start his campaign edging out Jaden Rahman Pariat from Shillong in a very close finish while Chetan Korada from Chennai with over five­seconds difference finished third.

The Championship battle in the MRF Formula 2000 went down to the wire. Sandeep Kumar did just enough to pick up crucial points and pip Kolkata's Arya Singh by just three points to claim the championship. Incidentally, both the MRF F2000 races were won by Bengaluru's Aditya

Swaminathan. In Race 2, Aditya Swaminathan won beating Arya Singh to second by over half a second, and Jaden Rahman Pariat was third with over 10­sec difference. In the third race, Aditya was once again the winner. Jaden with over 200th of a second difference came second and Arya Singh was third another five seconds behind.

MRF Formula 1600 Also chalking his first win in the MRF Formula 1600 category that was run on a combined grid with the F2000 was Nellore's Viswas Vijayaraj, who started from P3.

He had a very close fight with the second­placed Aman Nagdev from Noida and the difference stood to about 1/4th of a second

and Veer Sheth from Mumbai came third a second behind.

In Race 2, Chetan Surineni from Bengaluru beat Vishwas Vijayaraj from Nellore by 4sec and Aman Nagdev from Noida finished third with another over 2­sec difference. Viwas was the winner of Race 3 while Chetan finished second with over 200 th of a second difference. Veer Sheth from Mumbai came in third another 7 seconds behind.

Chetan Surineni won Race­1 and finished second in Race­2 behind Viswas Vijayaraj to claim the championship in the MRF F1600 category.

Indian Touring Cars Chennai's Ritesh Rai from Arka Motorsports grabbed the pole

FINAL, CHENNAI

Viswas Vijayaraj , winner of the MRF Formula 1600 race

position with a hot lap of 01minute, 50.754 seconds followed by Mumbai's Biren Pithawalla from Team N1 Racing with 01:51.042 and last year's champion, Coimbatore's Arjun Balu from Race Concepts whose best lap in the qualifying session was 01:51.680. Championship leader in this category, Gurunath Meiyappan, also from Race Concepts missed the qualifying run due to other commitments and started last on the grid in Sunday's Race­1.

For 48­year­old Meiyappan, who made a comeback to racing after a break of 20 years last season, it was an emotional moment.

Needing just five points going into Round 4, he finished Race­1 in fourth and Race­2 in third to seal the title with a tally of 171 points. Meanwhile, Chennai's 41­year­old Ritesh Rai scored a double in front of his family to cap a memorable weekend as he finished second in the championship, ahead of Mumbai's Biren Pitawalla.

Ritesh with a total time of 15:01.439 was the leader in Race 1 and managed to keep Biren behind him by over 6 seconds.

Coimbatore's Arjun Balu from

Race Concepts finished third with a further difference of less than half a second. In Race 2, it was once again Ritesh who won as he managed to hold on to his position with a difference of more than three seconds while Gurunath Meiyappan finished third another 11sec behind.

“I am totally exhausted but very satisfied to win my first­ever National championship. I missed the qualifying session yesterday as I was racing in Dubai (Porsche Cup) and returned home early this morning. After a two­hour sleep, I was at the track for the races. The feeling is still to sink in as I am just too tired mentally,” said Meiyappan.

Indian Junior Touring Cars Performance Racing's pair of Deepak Ravikumar with 01:55.697 and fellow­Chennai driver, Akkineni Anand Prasad with 01:55.939 filled the front row in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category. Anand Prasad was leading over Ravikumar by just three points in the championship standings before the start.

But the Chennai driver, Deepak Ravikumar edged out his Performance Racing teammate Akkineni Anand Prasad by

Diljith TS, pole position in the Formula LGB 1300 category

Ritesh Rai, pole position in the Indian Touring Cars category MARCH / APRIL 2024 autotrack.ind.in 63

FINAL, CHENNAI

Chetan Surineni, champion in the MRF Formula 1600 category

Gurunath Meiyappan, who won the title in the Indian Touring Cars category

winning both the races.

Deepak, with a lead of over three seconds was the winner of Race 1 over his teammate Anand and another teammate Haktim Shabbir Jamnagarwala from Chennai managed to secure third position with a difference of six seconds.

The results were no different in Race 2. Deepak with a difference of less than 3 seconds was the winner followed by Anand in second who in turn managed to beat Haktim with a narrow margin of less than half a second.

Super Stock The 30­year­old Diljith, who had effectively sealed the championship with a round to spare, only confirmed the title.

He took the pole clocking a top lap of 02:03.430 while Chennai's Anirudha Arvind from Redline Racing started Race­2 from P2.

Zahan Commissariat from Mumbai was the winner with a difference of 400th of a second over the current Champion Diljith TS from Thrissur finishing second. Justin Singh from Gurugram representing Redline Racing came third another over 3­sec behind. Dilijith won Race 2 beating Zahan by over a second.

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Jarshan Anand from Chennai representing DB Motorsports finished third with a difference over 13 seconds.

Formula LGB 1300 Diljith with 01:51.073 qualified for pole position ahead of Bengaluru's Navneet Bhurani from Momentum Motorsports after putting in a best lap of 01:51.853.

However, Diljith had to fight hard for the Formula LGB 1300 crown that was decided only on conclusion of the final race in this class. He finished second in Race 1 behind teammate Viswas Vijayaraj from Nellore and third in Race 2 to annex the title. Race 2 was won by 16­year­old Bengaluru schoolboy Dhruvh Goswami from MSport from pole position in the reverse grid.

Viswas the winner of Race 1 and was followed by Diljith in second as Bala Prasath from Coimbatore representing DTS Racing came third with a difference of over 15 seconds.

Dhruvh was the winner of Race 2 followed by Abhay M from Bengaluru representing MSport in second with a difference of less than a second. Diljith finished third with another four­ second difference.

Sandeep Kumar, champion in the MRF Formula 2000 category

Aditya Swaminathan who scored a double in the MRF Formula 2000 category

Diljith TS, winner of titles in in the Super Stock and Formula LGB 1300 categories