Raghul rangasamy crowned `Upcoming Motorsports Person of the Year’: FMSCI awards
Mumbai, 25 Feb 2019: India’s top performers in the world of motorsports were felicitated during the 2018 FMSCI Annual Awards function here on Monday, with Chennai’s Raghul Rangasamy winning the coveted ‘Upcoming Motorsports Person Of The Year Award.
The awards function once held at a make-shift venue under tents some years back, under the guidance of the late Bharat Raj now travels every year to five-star hotels, with pomp and show. Lakhs and lakhs of rupees, which ideally need to be spent on the sportspersons, riders and drivers, end up in corporate kitties. Many more lakhs are being paid as income tax to the government every year for lack of any innovative programmes by the FMSCI which can reduce such taxes in productive expenditure for the promotion of sport.
Rangasamy, the 25-year-old racer had a spectacular year, completing a fine double by claiming the LGB Formula 4 title in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship and the FF 1600 category in the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship to pocket the prestigious Raymond Gautam Singhania Trophy.
The chief guest at the glittering function, the President of FIA (Le Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), Jean Todt, gave away the top prize as also a number of other important trophies in the presence of a galaxy of stars.
Todt, famously known as the force behind Ferrari’s spectacular rise in Formula 1, expressed his delight at the way Indian motorsport has progressed and believed that the country was on its way to bigger things on the world stage. But sadly, the fact is that the Formula One continues to elude the country and there is no positive sign that it would return to India in the near future. The Indian Government and the Indian Olympic Association lay down rules where the sport needs to be democratically governed and represented by all States in its governing body to get the nod for recognition.
The annual function, held under the stewardship of new FMSCI president J Prithiviraj, saw as many as 61 winners receiving the trophies. The former president of FMSCI (1981-82 & 1985-87), GR Karthikeyan, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his valuable contribution to Indian motorsport.
Basking in the progress made in the year gone by, and appreciating the efforts of all the stakeholders, promoters, sponsors and winners, Prithiviraj revealed that much more was in store.
“We are entering the golden period of Indian motorsports. We have events in virtually all the disciplines possible and our boys and girls are competing and winning at the world level, like never before,” he said. “We are going to introduce many other exciting verticals very soon,” he added.
The FMSCI handed out Special Awards to all those made the country proud at the international level too while making a special mention of multiple winner Gaurav Gill, for taking part in the World Rally Championship.
Among others, Armaan Ebrahim (podium finish at the Lamborghini Trofeo series), Anindith Reddy Konda (podium at Lamborghini Trofeo Series), Amiitrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik (winners at ERC 2 Acropolis Rally) and Malswandawngliana (2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing India round) received these awards.
Leading female drivers of the country, including Mira Erda, Sneha Sharma and Shriya Lohia, were also bestowed with the ‘Outstanding Women in Motorsport’ trophies.
The FMSCI meanwhile underlined its new philosophy, ‘equal investment in competitor & training officials’, to take the sport to the next level.
Lifetime achievement award: G R Karthikeyan; Upcoming Motorsport person of the year: Raghul Rangasamy
JK Tyres FMSCI National Racing Championship
Euro JK 18: Karthik Tharani; LGB Formula 4: Raghul Rangasamy; Champion Team (LGB Formula 4): Msport; Rookie Driver (LGB Formula 4): Sohil Shah
MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship
MRF FF 1600: Raghul Rangasamy; FLGB 1300: Sohil Shah; Champion Team (FLGB 1300): Msport; Super Stock K Srinivas Teja; Champion Team (Super Stock ):Performance Racing; Indian Junior Touring Cars: AS Prabhu; Champion Team( Indian Junior Touring Cars): Arka Motorsports; Indian Touring Cars: Ashish Ramaswamy; Champion Team (Indian Touring Cars): Arka Motorsports
FMSCI Indian National Autocross Championship
Driver Stock (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc ):Sahil Khanna; Driver Stock( 2-wheel drive Over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Samrat Yadav; Driver Stock (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc) Arjun Rao; Driver Open (2-wheel drive upto 1400 cc): Abhishek Mishra; Driver Open (2-wheel drive, over 1400 cc upto 1650 cc): Dean Mascarenhas; Driver Open (2-wheel drive Over 1650 cc): Arjun Rao; Driver (Open, Unrestricted): Abhishek Mishra; Driver (Ladies): Bani Yadav
MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship
Driver Indian (Open Stock Body): Vivek Ramachander; Driver Indian (Open Altered Body): Jayant V; Driver Indian (Touring Cars): Kasha Sai; Driver (Unrestricted Class): Vivek Ramachander
MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship
Driver Overall INRC: Gaurav Gill; Co-Driver Overall INRC: Musa Sherif; Team Overall: INRC Mahindra Adventure; Driver (INRC 1): Gaurav Gill; Co-Driver (INRC 1): Musa Sherif; Team (INRC 1): Mahindra Adventure; Driver( INRC 2 ):Karna Kadur; Co-Driver( INRC 2 ): Nikhil V Pai; Team (INRC 2): Arka Motorsports; Driver (INRC 3): Aroor Vikram Rao; Co-Driver (INRC 3): Somayya A.G; (Team INRC 3): Falkon Motorsports
Meco Motor Sports FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship
Micro Max: Ishaan Madesh; Team (Micro Max ): Peregrine Racing; Junior Max Shahan Ali Mohsin; Team (Junior Max) Msport; Senior Max: Debarun Banerjee; Team (Senior Max): MSport
MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship
Rider (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Satyanarayana Raju; Team (Pro Stock 301-400 cc): Gusto Racing India; Manufacturer: (Pro Stock 301-400 cc KTM); Rider (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): Jagan Kumar; Team (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS Racing; Manufacturer (Super Sport Indian upto 165 cc): TVS; Rider (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Anish D Shetty; Team( Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda Ten10 Racing; Manufacturer (Pro Stock upto 165 cc): Honda; Rider (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Ann Jenifer; Team (Stock upto 165 cc Girls ): Sparks Racing; Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc Girls): Yamaha; Rider (Stock upto 165 cc): Karthik Mateti; Team (Stock upto 165 cc): Sparks Racing; Manufacturer (Stock upto 165 cc): Yamaha
MMSC FMSCI Indian National Drag Racing Championship
Rider (2 Stroke upto 130 cc): Hussain Khan; Rider (2 Stroke 131 to 165cc): Hussain Khan; Rider (4 Stroke upto 165 cc): Aravind Ganesh; Rider (4 Stroke 166 to 225 cc): Harshil Thakur; Rider (4 Stroke 226 to 360 cc): Shankar Guru; Rider(4 Stroke 361 to 550 cc): R Ashwin Kumar; Rider( 4 Stroke 851 to 1050 cc): Hemant Mudappa; Rider( 4 Stroke 1051 & above): Hemant Mudappa; Rider (4 Stroke Unrestricted): Hemant Mudappa; Team: Mantra Racing
MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Supercross Championship
Rider (Group A SX1 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Harith Noah; Rider (Group C 2/4 Stroke: 260 cc Novice) Imran Pasha; Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke:260 cc Indian Expert): Imran Pasha; Rider( Group C 2/4 Stroke 260 cc Expert): Jagdeesh Kumar; Rider (Group A SX2 2 Stroke 250 cc & 4 Stroke 500 cc): Saijith ES; Rider( Junior SX 1 2/4 Stroke 250 cc): Yuvraj Kondedeshmukh; Rider (Junior SX 2 2/4 Stroke 250 cc )Sarthak Chavan
MRF MOGRIP FMSCI National Rally Championship
Overall R Nataraj; Rider (Super Bike Pro Expert Group A Rider): R Nataraj; Rider (Super Bike Expert Group A Rider): Jatin Jain; Rider (Super Sport 130 cc Group B Rider): Rakesh Kumar V; Rider (Super Sport 165 cc Group B Rider ): Imran Pasha J; Rider (Super Sport 260 cc Group B Rider) Rajendra R.E.; Rider (Super Sport 400 cc Group B Rider ): Venu Ramesh Kumar; Rider( Super Sport 550 cc Group B Rider): Vinit Sharma; (Rider Scooters Group B Rider): Pinkesh Thakkar; Rider( Ladies Class): Aishwarya P.M.
Outstanding Achievement In World Motorsport
Abhilash PG: Winner APRC 2 Cup for Drivers; Abdul Wahid: 2nd Overall in category of Rally of Morocco , a FIM Cross Country World Championship Event; Armaan Ebrahim: Podium in Lamborgini Super Trofeo Asia; Anindith Reddy K: Podium in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia; Amittrajit Ghosh:Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Driver; Ashwin Naik: Podium ERC Acropolis Rally ERC 2 Co-Driver; Jehan Daruvala: Several Podiums in FIA Euro F3 Championship; Karthik Matei: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing (Indonesia Round); Musa Sherif: Winner APRC 2 Cup for Co-Drivers; Malsawndawngliana: 2nd in Asia Cup of Road Racing India Round.
Outstanding Women in Motorsports
Mira Erda; Sneha Sharma; Shriya Lohia
