Fittipaldi ends MRF Challenge weekend as champion

For the second time in as many days Pietro Fittipaldi made good on his pole-position start as he dominated race three in the final round to be crowned the 2015 MRF Challenge champion with a lights-to-flag victory here at the MMRT on Sunday.

Published : Jan 31, 2016 18:53 IST , Chennai

Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, went into the race with a 35-point lead, and needed only a fifth place finish to seal the title.
Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, went into the race with a 35-point lead, and needed only a fifth place finish to seal the title.
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Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, went into the race with a 35-point lead, and needed only a fifth place finish to seal the title.

For the second time in as many days Pietro Fittipaldi made good on his pole-position start as he dominated race three in the final round to be crowned the 2015 MRF Challenge champion with a lights-to-flag victory here at the MMRT on Sunday.

Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, went into the race with a 35-point lead, and needed only a fifth place finish to seal the title. But with his closest rival Tatiana Calderon fighting for fourth place for most of the race with Mick Schumacher, it was a walk in the park for the Brazilian.

Schumacher shines

Meanwhile, Schumacher scored his second podium finishing second behind Alessio Picariello of Belgium, but had to dig deep to keep Calderon at bay for the 20-lap race. With a third-place finish, Calderon managed to seal second place in the championship.

It was a productive weekend for the 16-year old Schumacher in his first outing in the MRF challenge, with two podium finishes against a quality field that was much more experienced than him.

Speaking about his weekend, Schumacher said, “I am pleased and really happy to be in this environment, to drive against some good drivers who have a lot of international experience, so I am really happy to be second. It feels great to drive with the people who have experience, and to see I can complete with them is good. I hope to be back in India next year to race again.”

Start-studded track

The other big name in the series, Harrison Newey, son of Red Bull Racing F1 team’s legendary designer Adrian Newey, also had a nice outing with three podiums after finishing second in race three on Sunday.

The weekend also saw the first round of the MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship, where reigning champion Karthik Tharanisingh produced a dominant display winning both the races.

Results: MRF International Challenge - F2000 (Race 1, 15 laps): 1. Pietro Fittipaldi (Brazil); 2. Harrison Newey (England); 3. Nikita Troitckii (Russia).

MRF Challenge 2015 Championship Standings: 1. Pietro Fittipaldi – 244 points; 2. Tatiana Calderon – 199; 3. Nikita Troitckii – 191.

Race 2 (20 laps): 1. Alessio Picariello (Belgium); 2. Mick Schumacher (Germany); 3. Tatiana Calderon (Colombia).

National Racing Championships – MRF F1600 (Race 1, 7 laps): 1. Karthik Tharanisingh; 2. Goutham Parekh; 3. Anindith Reddy.

Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Karthik Tharanisingh; 2. Raghul Rangasamy; 3. Anindith Reddy.

Indian Junior Touring Cars (10 laps): 1. Anant Pithawalla (Team N1); 2. Biren Pithawalla (Team N1); 3. Sri Hariram R (Pvt).

Super Stock (10 laps): 1. Adith KC (Race Concepts); 2. Veeresh Prasad (Race Concepts); 3. Alisha Abdullah (RAD Racing).

Honda CBR 250 (8 laps): 1. Mathana Kumar S; 2. Dinesh Kumar D; 3. Rajiv S.

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