Category: Indian Motorsports

The MRF National 4W Racing Championship returned for Round 2 in Madras International Circuit having completed Round 1 just last weekend.

Biren Pithawalla (Team N1 Racing), an experienced campaigner from Mumbai won  both the races in the Indian Touring Cars category to take an early lead in the championship and would be looking to consolidate his position in Round-2.

In the Indian Junior Touring Cars category, two Chennai drivers and Performance Racing team-mates, Hatim Shabbir Jamngarwalla and Srinivas Teja won a race apiece and are tied on 43 points to set up an intriguing contest this weekend.

Meanwhile, four drivers, including winner Chandigarh’s Angad Matharoo (Buzzing Hornet Motorsports), were disqualified from Sunday’s Race-2 in the Super Stock category for technical breach of regulations. Consequently, Anirudha Arvind (Redline Racing) from Chennai moved to the top of the points table in this category.

It was the DTS Racing team all the way in the Formula LGB 1300 category as it celebrated a podium sweep in all three races with Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore) winning two and Kolkata’s Arya Singh one.

A compact card of eight races featured in the second round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2024. 

On day 1 (24th February),  Teenagers, Jaden Rahman Pariat from Shillong and Bengaluru’s Abhay Mohan extended their domination in their respective MRF Formula categories. Displaying impressive pace, 17-year-old Jaden added another win to the double he had scored in the previous round last weekend during Round-1 in the MRF Formula 2000 category while Abhay, only 15, notched his fourth win in as many starts in the MRF Formula 1600 class.

Earlier, Mumbai’s Biren Pithawalla (Team N1 Racing), starting from pole position, also remained unbeaten in the premium Indian Touring Cars category, recording his third straight win. Biren was hardly challenged as his main rival, Ritesh Rai (Buzzing Hornet Motorsports), retired with a mechanical issue while Biren’s cousin and team-mate Ananth Pithawalla, was stuck in third gear and just about finished the race in distant third position behind Deepak Ravikumar (Team Performance Racing).

Further behind, Chennai’s Srinivas Teja led a podium sweep for Team Performance Racing in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category, ahead of fellow-Chennaiite Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala and Coimbatore’s Yokeshwaran. It was Teja’s second win in three starts, including two in Round-1 last weekend.

Anirudha Arvind (Redline Racing India) was handed victory in the Super Stock category race as the top two finishers, Angad Matharoo (Buzzing Hornet Motorsports) and Justin Singh (Redline Racing India) were disqualified for technical infringements following post-race scrutiny. Balaprasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) and Jarshan Anand (Chennai, DB Motorsports) also moved up two spots to finish second and third, respectively.

Earlier in the afternoon, Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) qualified for pole position in the Formula LGB 1300 category with Delta Speed’s Mohit Aryan (Chennai) closing the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Day 2 at the Madras International Circuit saw more action unfolding with Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) and Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru) achieving  a triple crown apiece in their respective MRF single-seater category.

Pariat, the 17-year-old from Meghalaya, showcased his maturity particularly in today’s MRF Formula 2000, 10-lap Race-2 which he started from P3 on the reverse grid. He tucked in behind Bengaluru teenager Chetan Surineni for the initial couple of laps before making a move to take a lead which he expanded lap by lap to win by the proverbial country mile. “I took my time to settle down and then I made my move. Patience was the key and after I moved to the front, I kept pushing,” said Jaden, who also participated in Formula 4 races in the United Kingdom last year.

In Race-3, Pariat capitalized on his pole position to start for yet another handsome win, his fifth in six starts across two rounds.

Similarly, 15-year-old Abhay Mohan started the MRF Formula 1600 Race-2 in P7, but gradually carved his way through the grid, biding his time and waiting for the front-runners to make mistakes before seizing the opportunity for a fine win. “I was very patient and I knew that I had to grab the opportunity when the guys in front made a mistake which they did eventually. Very happy with this win,” said Abhay who later went on to win Race-3 from pole position for his sixth win in as many starts over two rounds.

Also coming through unbeaten this weekend were Biren Pithawalla from Mumbai (Team N1 Racing) in the Indian Touring Cars category and Chennai’s Srinivas Teja (Team Performance Racing) in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class while Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj won two of the three races in the Formula LGB 1300 category.

Earlier, Biren Pithawalla was in his elements while recording his fourth straight win in the Indian Touring Cars category. Starting from P3 on the reverse grid that also included the IJTC and Super Stock cars, Biren snatched the lead by Turn-3 in the very first lap and never looked back. Behind him, Chennai’s Ritesh Rai (Buzzing Hornet Motorsports), despite his best efforts, could not catch up with Biren to finish second ahead of Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing).

Further back, Srinivas Teja (Performance Racing) also completed a double, with an untroubled run with Chandigarh’s Angad Matharoo (Buzzing Hornet Motorsports) taking the honours in the Super Stock category.

The second round featured remarkable performances from young talents, experienced campaigners, and dominant teams. The competition remains intense as the championship progresses.

PROVISIONAL RESULTS – ROUND 2

MRF F2000 

(Race-1): 1. Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) (12mins, 33.263secs); 2. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (12:44.187); 3. Tarun Muthiaiah (Bengaluru) (13:36.416).

(Race-2): 1. Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) (15mins, 56.427secs); 2. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (16:05.412); 3. Tarun Muthiaiah (Bengaluru) (16:29.927). 

Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Jaden Rahman Pariat (12:39.637); 2. Chetan Surineni (12:52.399); 3. Tarun Muthiaiah (13:14.384).

MRF F1600 

(Race-1): 1. Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru) (13:43.696); 2. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (13:50.840); 3. Zahan Commissariat (13:53.611).

(Race-2): 1. Abhay M (Bengaluru) (17:22.437); 2. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai) (17:23.209); 3. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (17:24.049). 

Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Abhay Mohan (13:46.722); 2. Monith Kumaran (Chennai) (13:50.171); 3. Zahan Commissariat (13:54781).

Indian Touring Cars 

(Race-1): 1. Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing) (15:22.341); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (15:29.202); 3. Ananth Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing) (16:18.191)

(Race-2): 1. Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing) (18:54.472); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Buzzing Hornet Motorsports) (18:58.377); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (19:14.141).

Indian Junior Touring Cars 

(Race-1): 1. Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (15:46.971); 2. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (15:47.191); 3. Yokeshwaran (Coimbatore, Team Performance Racing) (16:02.475)

(Race-2): 1. Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Team Performance Racing) (19:34.279); 2. Nikunj Vagh (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing) (19:49.189); 3. Yokeshwaran (Coimbatore, Team Performance Racing) (20:09.989).

Super Stock

(Race-1): 1. Anirudha Arvind (Chennai, Redline Racing India) (16:52.643); Balaprasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) (17:01.063); 3. Jarshan Anand (Chennai, DB Motorsports) (17:08.532).

(Race-2): 1. Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh, Buzzing Hornet Motorsports) (20:51.551); 2. Justin Singh (Gurugram, Redline Racing India) (18:53.444 + 1 lap); 3. Anirudha Arvind (Chennai, Redline Racing India) (18:58.579 + 1 lap).

Formula LGB 1300 

(Race-1, 6 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (11:22.235); 2. Balaprasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) (11:28.841); 3. Mohit Aryan (Chennai, Delta Speeds) (11:31.682).

Race-2: 1. Balaprasath (18:55.936); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (18:56.118); 3. Gokul Krishna (Chennai, Delta Speeds) (19:16.631). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (17:49.603); 2. Balaprasath (18:01.713); 3. Mohit Aryan (18:08.432).

Day 1, 17th February, Saturday

Mumbai’s Biren Pithawalla (N1 Racing) pulled off a fine win in the premium Indian Touring Cars class while Performance Racing’s Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwalla from Chennai took the honours in the Indian Junior Touring Cars segment and Chandigarh’s Angad Matharoo (Buzzing Hornet Motorsport) topped the Super Stock category.

Late in the evening, Pune’s Diana Pundole won the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) race with ease in a race interrupted by a safety car period following a three-car collision.

Meanwhile, Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj and Arya Singh from Kolkata took the front row in that order for their team, DTS Racing, after a start-stop-start qualifying session interrupted by a red flag due an on-track incident.

The eight-lap race in the MRF Formula category witnessed some fine action. Pole-sitter 17-year-old 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, 17, who was trailing throughout the race. Another Bengalurean, Tarun Muthaiah finished third. In contrast, 15-year-old Abhay Mohan comfortably won in the Formula 1600 class ahead of the Mumbai pair of Zahan Commissariat and Raaj Bakhru who was docked a 20-second penalty for a jump start.

Biren, starting from pole, was off to a good start and held off Ritesh Rai (Arka Motorsport) with cousin Ananth Pithawalla (N1 Racing) running third. The position remained unchanged until the latter half of the eight-lap race when Ananth squeezed past Rai at Turn-3 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 Rai regained the second spot. By then, Biren had pulled off sufficient lead to win handily, followed by Rai and Deepak Ravikumar (Performance Racing), making his debut in this class. 

Day 2, 18th February

Bengaluru’s Abhay Mohan, the youngest competitor at 15 years of age, in the MRF Formula 1600 category, swept to a triple crown while another teenager, Jaden Rahman Pariat from Shillong notched a double in the MRF Formula 2000 class as the first round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2024 concluded at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.

Mumbai’s Biren Pithawalla (Team N1 Racing) crowned himself with a grand double in the Indian Touring Cars category as did Angad Matharoo (Buzzing Hornet Motorsport) from Chandigarh in the Super Stock class.

Also notching a double was Pune’s Diana Pundole, a mother of two, in the MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) category besides one P3 finish, while DTS Racing dominated the Formula LGB 1300 triple-header, with a podium sweep as Nellore’s Viswas Vijayaraj won two races and team-mate Arya Singh, the other with Balaprasath finishing third in all three outings.

Jaden, the 17-year-old from Shillong, displayed impressive pace to win both the races today in the MRF F2000 category to make up for his P2 finish yesterday when he surrendered a massive lead in the last lap due to engine issues. Bengaluru’s Chetan Surineni, the Race-1 winner yesterday, came in second in both the outings today.

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.”

Abhay Mohan, as in the first race yesterday, was in a league of his own in both the outings today to complete a triple crown and underline his talent and potential. “My only target for this round was to be on top, which I did. The car too was pretty good and 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.

Biren, having won a close Race-1 on Saturday, started P4 on the reverse grid in today’s 10-lap Race-2, but in the very first lap, seized the lead, hotly pursued by Ritesh Rai (Arka Motorsport) and, cousin and team-mate 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 tyre-burst to finish the weekend without points. Meanwhile, Biren was in cruise mode and comfortably won the race ahead of pole-sitter Pratik Sonawane (Buzzing Hornet Motorsport) and Deepak Ravikumar (Team Performance Racing).

Down the combined grid, Srinivas Teja (Team Performance Racing) edged out Race-1 winner and team-mate Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala in the Indian Junior Touring Cars class, while Matharoo fought his way to his second win of the weekend with a late burst in the Super Stock category.

The results (Provisional):

Day 1:
MRF Formula 2000 

Race-1: 1. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (12:49.401); 2. Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) (13:20.579); 3. Tarun Muthaiah (Bengaluru) (13:58.255).

MRF Formula 1600

Race-1: 1. Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru) (13:49.827); 2. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai) (14:00.386); 3. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (14:23.370).

Indian Touring Cars

Race-1: 1. Biren Pithawala (Mumbai, Team N1) (15:21.359); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Arka Motorsports) (15:22.782); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (15:34.211).

Indian Junior Touring Cars

Race-1: 1. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Chennai, Performance Racing) (15:35.231); 2. Srinivas Teja (Chennai, Performance Racing) (15:41.732); 3. Nikunj Vagh (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing) (15:53.915).

Super Stock

Race-1: 1. Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh, Buzzing Hornet Motorsports) (16:48.478); 2. Balaprasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) (16:52.781); 3. Anirudha Arvind (Chennai, Redline Racing India) (16:54.402).

MRF Saloons Toyota Etios

Race-1: 1. Diana Pundole (Pune) (18:10.588); 2. Anirudha Arvind (Chennai) (18:15.446); 3. Jai Prashanth (Coimbatore) (18:15.850).

Day 2:

MRF Formula 2000
Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Jaden Rahman Pariat (Shillong) (15mins, 44.717secs); 2. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) (16:02.706). Tarun Muthaiah (Bengaluru) who finished third was disqualified for a black flag violation. Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Jaden Rahman Pariat (12:35.788); 2. Chetan Surineni (12:50.154); 3. Tarun Muthaiah (13:31.154).

MRF Formula 1600 

Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru) (17:14.365); 2. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai) (17:26.618); 3. Monith Kumaran (Chennai) (15:47.911+1 lap). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Abhay Mohan (13:51.711); 2. Zahan Commissariat (14:00.143); 3. Raaj Bakhru (Mumbai) (14:03.179).

Indian Touring Cars 

Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Biren Pithawala (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing) (19:14.983); 2. Pratik Sonawane (Pune, Buzzing Hornet Motorsport) (19:35.983); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:36.365).

Indian Junior Touring Cars 

Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Srinivas Teja ((Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:43.845); 2. Hatim Shabbir Jamnagarwala (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:44.608); 3. Yug Italiya (Mumbai, Team N1 Racing) (19:54.746).

Super Stock 

(Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Angad Matharoo (Chandigarh, Buzzing Hornet MS) (21:03.892); 2. Manan Patel (Mumbai, Redline Racing) (21:04.737); 3. Anirudha Arvind  (Chennai, Redline Racing India) (21:13.128).

MRF Saloons (Toyota Etios) 

Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Anirudha Arvind (Chennai, Redline Racing) (20:47.868); 2. Jai Prashanth Venkat (Coimbatore, Redline Racing) (20:54.145); 3. Diana Pundole (Pune, Redline Racing) (20:54.735). 

Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Diana Pundole (16:31.795); 2. Anirudha Arvind (16:33.562); 3. Kesara Godage (Sri Lanka, Redline Racing) (16:43.645);

Formula LGB 1300 

Race-1 (8 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (14:57.600); 2. Arya Singh (Kolkata, DTS Racing) (15:00.136); 3. Balaprasath (Coimbatore, DTS Racing) (15:14.379). 

Race-2 (8 laps): 1. Arya Singh (15:07.040); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (15:11.098); 3. Balaprasath (15:15.423). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (14:56.286); 2. Arya Singh (15:01.417); 3. Balaprasath (15:06.693).