FOOTBALL
Punjab FC announces squad for the PL Next Generation Cup 2024
Punjab FC has announced its 16-member squad for the Next Generation Cup 2024 which will be played from August 1- 4 in England.
The tournament, hosted by the Premier League, will be played at Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Training Ground and the finals will be held at Loughborough University Stadium. Teams from eight academies including English Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton and Crystal Palace and South African side Stellenbosch will join Punjab FC, East Bengal FC and Muthoot Football Academy for the fifth edition of the tournament.
Punjab FC will be coached by Head Coach Sankarlal Chakraborty and will include seven players from the senior side which won the RFDL National Championships and qualified for the NextGen Cup.
Punjab FC Squad for the Next Generation Cup 2024
- Team Sportstar
MOTORSPORT
Dominant Mudappa registers triple victory in National Drag Racing
Bengaluru’s Hemanth Muddappa of Mantra Racing continued his domination with a superb triple victory and second place in the third round of the MMSC-FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship on Sunday.
The ‘King of Drag Racing’ with 12 National titles, Muddappa was at his best, winning four podium places and the fastest rider tag.
The reigning champion in the unrestricted class once again put paid to the hopes of the opposition in the premier Super Sport class, adding two more victories in the 1051 to 1650cc and the 851 to 1050cc sections.
Bengaluru’s Hemanth Muddappa with his trophies | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
He added another podium, a second place in the 551 to 850cc class to become the most-successful rider in Round 3.
He began with a podium in the 4-stroke 551 to 850cc Super Sport class astride a Ninja 6R, behind his arch-rival Mohammed Riyaz of Hyderabad. Another Hyderabad rider Altaf Khan came third.
Mudappa clocked 8.110 seconds in the unrestricted class, leaving his Bengaluru opponents Attaulla Baig and Mujahid Pasha, to second and third places, respectively.
Muddappa came out triumphant in the 851 to 1050cc Super Sport final run, clocking a blistering 08.006 to leave behind Niranjan R Kumar (08.805) in second and Khaja Awais in third (08.950).
-PTI
Rally of Coimbatore: Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap to seal overall title
Himachal’s Aditya Thakur and his co-driver Virender Kashyap kept it simple on the two stages to seal the overall title in the Rally of Coimbatore, the third round of the Blueband – FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four wheelers, at the Kethanur windmill farms, near Palladam, on Sunday.
The INRC2 driver, representing Team Chettinad Sporting, was quite gentle on the car. Gaurav Gill (co-driver Aniruddh Rangnekar) and INRC2 driver Harkrishan Wadia (Kunal Kashyap) clocked the fastest for the day. However, it did not matter much for Aditya, as he had enough lead in his bag.
He was focused from the word go and never allowed a rush of blood to his head. It did a world of good as he brought the car home safe and secure much to the joy of his team.
Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
On playing it safe on the road, Aditya said he could have gone rough on the road to prove his toughness. “Over the years, I learnt that rallying is an art. You need to understand how to save the car and the tyres, its pressure and the compound to be used on these kinds of stages. It’s not about going flat out but being calculative.”
He thanked MRF for the tyres, SIDVIN, his team and his co-driver for the support. “Kashyap was spot on for the second day on the trot,” he said.
But Aditya did not wish to celebrate the victory following the death of his teammate, INRC3 driver K.V. Premlal, the other day. “It’s a sad moment for all of us and not a time to celebrate. My prayers for his family.”
Karna Kadur (Musa Sherif) and Harkrishnan staged a strong fightback to finish second and third in the overall class.
INRC overall
Kavin, Mohsin sign off at 18th and 23rd place in race 2 of round 4 of ARRC
The duo of Kavin Quintal and Mohsin Paramban from IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team finished on 18th and 23rd position respectively in Race 2 of Round 4 of the 2024 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship here on Sunday.
Competing in the AP250 class race at Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Kavin started from the 27th position on the grid but showcased his racing prowess producing a total time of 18:23.701.
Despite the challenging circumstances, the 19-year-old from Chennai managed to stay steady and avoided any crash.
His teammate, Mohsin from Malappuram, started the race from 21st on the grid and finished at the 23rd position in Race 2 with a total time of 18:45.987.
Unfortunately, both the riders could not secure any points for the team in this round.
The Honda Racing India team holds a cumulative total of 12 points across all four rounds of the 2024 Asia Road Racing Championship.
With the season in full swing, the Honda team from is all set to make their mark in the next round.
- PTI
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