Pietro Fittipaldi wins MRF Challenge title

Pietro Fittipaldi claimed the MRF Challenge title in convincing fashion after winning the opening race of the day at the Irungattukottai circuit near Chennai.

The Brazilian led home Harrison Newey who was on the champion toes throughout but unable to quite get close enough to challenge him.

It is the third title in cars for Fittipaldi, who has signed up for Formula V8 this season, following on from his 2011 Junior NASCAR honours and his '14 Formula Renault BARC crown.

"It means a lot, and it's great to have something else to put on my CV," said Fittipaldi.

"I start 2016 with one foot forward, and that gives me a boost. Also, Fortec were champions in 3.5 last year so I have full confidence that everything will be good and they'll give me everything I need.

On his debut in the MRF Challenge, Mick Schumacher finished third in the first race of the weekend, then went one better with second in the reversed-grid finale.

That race was won by Alessio Picariello, the Belgian taking the most convincing victory of the weekend to make up for a spectacular crash in the first of the reversed-grid races.

Calderon took third place in the weekend finale to ensure herself second in the championship ahead of Troitskiy.

Meanwhile, in the MRF F1600 class of the National Racing Championship, defending champion Karthik Tharanisingh got off to a rousing start by achieving a double as he won both the races on Sunday.

 Tharanisingh was in a league of his own in the first race and later in the day, he cut through the field after starting fourth on the reverse grid for a double.

Mumbai’s Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) and Adith KC from Bengaluru (Race Concepts) easily won the Indian Junior Touring Cars and Super Stock races which produced some thrilling moments, as both the winners were pushed hard in the early stages of the 10-lapper.

Mathana Kumar from Trichy topped the Honda CBR 250 support race, winning a battle with Chennai’s Dinesh Kumar while teenager Rajiv S completed the podium.

MRF Challenge Race 3

1. Pietro Fittipaldi 25mins, 30.069secs
2. Harrison Newey 25:31.285
3. Nikita Troitskey 25:38.064

MRF Challenge Race 4

1.  Alessio Picariello 31:53.856
2. Mick Schumacher 32:10.076
3. Tatiana Calderon 32:11.187

MRF Challenge Title Standings

1. Pietro Fittipaldi 244
2. Tatiana Calderon 199
3. Nikita Troitckii 191

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

MRF F1600 (Race 1, 7 laps)

Karthik Tharanisingh 1 (11:59.967)
Goutham Parekh 2 (12:02.986)
Anindith Reddy 3 (12:05.762). 

Race 2 (10 laps):

Karthik Tharanisingh (17:14.196)
Raghul Rangasamy (17:14.654)
Anindith Reddy (17:16.931).

Indian Junior Touring Cars (10 laps)

Anant Pithawalla (Team N1) 1 (20:55.530)
Biren Pithawalla (Team N1) 2 (20:59.908)
Sri Hariram R (Pvt) 3 (21:09.653).

Super Stock (10 laps):

Adith KC (Race Concepts) 1 (21:04.425)
Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts) 2 (21:25.155)
Alisha Abdullah (RAD Racing) 3 (21:26.496).

Support Race

Honda CBR 250 (8 laps):

Mathana Kumar S (Trichy) 1 (16:50.446)
Dinesh Kumar D (Chennai) 2 (16:50.633)
Rajiv S (Chennai) 3 (16:51.380)