In 2019 we saw established Indian athletes have a positive year in the international arena with plenty of firsts. Here's the best bits that happened this year for Indian motorsports.
Shahan Ali Mohsin At The Rotax Max Grand Finals
The Senior-max champion of the JK Tyre National Karting Championship made a strong impression, representing India in the Rotax Max Grand Finals in Sarno, Italy. The Agra-based racer was up against 71 other racers from around the globe in the Senior category and made a mark from the off. He qualified a strong 10th overall to become the first Indian to break into the top 10 at a Rotax Max Grand Final. While he faced some bad luck with a DNF in Heat 1, he made up for it in Heat 2 with a 4th place finish and a 7th place finish in Heat 3. This consistency would've been more than enough for the young karter to qualify for the finals, but another DNF in the pre-final meant that he missed out on the final by just two points. Nonetheless, his performance there was the strongest one by an Indian competitor and should serve as a good benchmark for his competitors back home.
CS Santosh At Baja Aragon And Pan Africa Rally
India's Dakar veteran, CS Santosh capped off 2019 in strong fashion by finishing 10th overall for the in Monegros, Spain. That's not all, as the veteran rider registered a 5th place finish at the Pan Africa Rally 2019 to achieve the best finish by an Indian in an international rally. His teammate Joaquim Rodrigues taking the win and the first rally win of the season for the team. The rally covered a gruelling period of six days and 1,500km.
Aravind KP Completes Dakar 2019
Another benchmark for Indian motorsports came in the realm of two-wheeled racing as he became only the second Indian to conquer the Factory rider finished 37th overall. His teammates Michael Metge and Adrien Metge finished in 25th and 22nd positions overall.
Jehan Daruvala Takes 3rd Overall In FIA F3 2019
certainly grabbed attention in the international feeder single-seater arena as the 21-year-old finished 3rd overall for Prema Racing in the 2019 FIA F3 championship. This result makes it the best result an Indian racer has achieved over a season in an F1 feeder series. His season consisted of 2 wins early on and another 5 podiums to seal 3rd in the championship behind his teammates Marcus Amrstrong and the champion, Robert Schwartzman. It could have been a comfortable 2nd in the standings heading into the final round at Russia, but some horrible luck at the final race caused him to lose 2nd to Marcus Armstrong. Nonetheless, his season should give him a good chance for F2 or F1 teams to take notice heading into 2020.
Gaurav Gill Wins Arjuna Award
And finally, India's rally ace, Gaurav Gill created history by becoming the first motorsport athlete to receive the Arjuna Award. The main criteria for the Arjuna award is based on how well the athlete performs in the last four years at the international level. The New Delhi-based racer also returned to WRC-2 after his debut last year with MRF backing. This year, he had the backing of JK Tyre and participated in the Rally of Turkey. He was also due to participate in the season finale at the Rally of Australia, but the event was cancelled due to bushfires.
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