Motorsport Reviews

The first round of the 2019 JK Tyre National Racing Championship (JKNRC) kicked-off this weekend and saw young racers coming back to the track across multiple categories. The 22nd edition of the JKNRC has been repackaged completely and has the Indian Formula LGB-4 and the LGB Novice Cup as its star series. In the two-wheeler category, the Suzuki Gixxer Cup will see young riders competing in the championship. As many as 27 new racers lined up for their first real shot at glory.

The 36th edition of the Baja Aragon Rally kick-started over the weekend and saw Indian teams Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team and Hero MotoSports Team Rally traverse challenging terrains in Teruel, Spain. The first day comprised two Super Stages spanning 250 km and saw Sherco-TVS rider Michael Metge claim his dominance with a P1 finish completing the stage with a time of 03h14m56s. Teammate Lorenzo Santolino finished at P7, +28s behind Metge, while Harith Noah finished at P8. CS Santosh was the fastest rider from Hero and managed to take P10, +19m43s behind the race leader.

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen claimed his second win of the year as the young racer mastered challenging conditions to win the 2019 Formula 1 German Grand Prix. The race started under the clouds only for the track to dry out around the closing stages and saw a number of the big wigs losing control at the Hockenheim circuit. Coming in second was Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel who climbed 18 spots after a qualifying gaffe to take a podium finish, while Daniil Kvyat finished third in his first podium finish of the season. The German GP was disastrous for Mercedes however, as pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton finished 11th while Valtteri Bottas crashed out.

Indian karting racers Raiden Samervel and Nirvaan Chandna of Team Rayo Racing put up a brilliant show bagging podiums in Round 4 of the AutoInc Asia Max Challenge 2019 in Sepang, Malaysia. Raiden finished first while Nirvaan finished in second in the Novice Category of the series. Both teenagers participating in the Micro Max category finished 12th and 13th overall, respectively.

Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo suffered a back injury during the first practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix earlier this year, and the injury will keep the three-time MotoGP world champion out of action longer than anticipated. The rider will go on to miss the next two Grand Prix next month. This includes the Brno GP slated on August 4 along with the Austrian GP scheduled the subsequent weekend - August 11. He is now slated to make a comeback with the British GP on August 25, 2019.

Suzuki Motorcycle India has announced the fifth season of the Suzuki Gixxer Cup scheduled to start from the end of this month. The racing series organised under the aegis of FIM and Federation of Motorsports Club of India (FMSCI), in association with JK Tyre Motorsports will consist of four rounds and will see budding racers battle it out on the race-prepped Gixxer motorcycles. The first round is scheduled to take place at the Kari Motor Speedway on July 27, 2019.

The Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team has announced a five-member squad for the upcoming Baja Aragon Rally 2019. Scheduled to take place in Spain between July 25-27, 2019, the rally will see factory team's regulars Michael Metge from France and Lorenzo Santolino from Spain participating in the rally, along with the Indian racers - Aravind KP, Aishwarya Pissay and Harith Noah. Pissay has been a part of a number of Baja rallies this year and is currently leading in women's category of the Baja World Championship. With Baja Aragon, she is aiming for her maiden international title.

In what will be a big step towards motorsport in India, the Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) is planning to host night races. A recent report quotes Vicky Chandhok, MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship - Chairman and Vice President of the MMSC (Madras Motor Sports Club), stating that the club has earmarked funds for install floodlights required to host night races at the track. However, unlike the Bahrain GP or the Singapore GP in Formula 1, the night races in India will be styled along the lines of the endurance racing with the lights needed largely aiding marshalls in case of an accident or for retrieving vehicles.