Chennai F4 night street race HIGHLIGHTS | Australia's Hugh Barter and South Africa's Aqil Alibhai share honours
Barter, who last weekend had won a race starting last on the grid, was unstoppable while winning the first race that was marred by two Safety Car periods and then a red flag with little over three minutes and a lap left.
Formula 4 (F4) night street race winners Hugh Barter (C), Ruhaan Alva (L), and Abhay Mohan (R) strike a pose with their trophies. (Photo | Manivasagan)
CHENNAI: Australian Hugh Barter of Godspeed Kochi and South African Aqil Alibhai of Hyderabad Blackbirds shared the day’s honours in the FIA-Formula 4 Indian Championship in the country's first-ever night racing event, in Chennai on Sunday night.
Legal issues, track certification delay, change of corners, traffic diversion - the inaugural night street race in Chennai had hurdle after hurdle hurling at it. But they all fell by the wayside, a challenge so distant that it was not even visible on the rearview mirror when the action finally began on Sunday night.
By the time spectators made their way to the stands in the afternoon, the excitement around the event reached its peak with whooshing cars burning the rubber and setting the road-turned-track on fire in the qualifying rounds.
At the golden hours of the evening, the F4 cars buzzing around the track made it a visual treat for the large crowd that assembled here.
The atmosphere was further electrified when celebrity team owners like John Abraham, Naga Chaitanya, Arjun Kapoor, and Sourav Ganguly made their way to the pitstop to greet their teams and crew members. Also present was Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Udhayanidhi Stalin, who faced political flak for being keen on organising the event.
CHECK OUT HIGHLIGHTS OF DAY 2 HERE:
FIA Formula 4 Indian Championship (25mins + 1 lap) – Race 1:
1. Hugh Barter (Australia, Godspeed Kochi) (19:42.952);
2. Ruhaan Alva (India, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers) (19:50.251); 3. Abhay Mohan (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (20:09.021).
Race-2:
1. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Blackbirds Hyderabad) (30:03.445);
2. Divy Nandan (India, Ahmedabad Apex Racers) (30:03.704);
3. Jaden Pariat (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (30:04.413).
Aqil Alibhai, Divy Nandan, and Joden Pariet take top spots in F4 Indian Round 2 of Race 2.
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Starting from pole position, Barter topped Race-1 in typical style, outpacing the field, in another flawless exhibition that underlined his undoubted talent. In contrast, Alibhai, who missed Race-1 due to issues with his car, made ample amends by winning Race-2 after starting fourth on the grid, and, in the process, displaying considerable skill in defensive driving.
Barter, who last weekend had won a race starting last on the grid, was unstoppable while winning the first race that was marred by two Safety Car periods and then a red flag with little over three minutes and a lap left.
Meanwhile, Abhay Mohan (Bangalore Speedsters) quietly moved to P4 from P8 and then jumped to third place behind Barter and Ruhaan Alva Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers) as Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters) retired, bringing out the Safety Car for the third time with about six minutes and a lap left of the race.
The proceedings were yet again interrupted by a red flag with about 3:30 plus one lap remaining following an incident.
Unable to complete Qualifying-2 session, Barter started Race-2 from the end of the grid, but in no time, climbed to fifth before tangling with Ruhaan Alva and dropped to eighth. Ahead of them, Alibhai made three spots to take the lead which he defended with aplomb to win from two Indians, Divy Nandan and Jaden Pariat as the race ended behind the Safety Car. Alva finished fourth while Barter came in fifth.
(UNI inputs)
“The track was really cool to drive, probably one of my favourite tracks to drive. My aim for the race was just to get my head down and give my best,” said Hugh Barter, speaking to the media after the first race.
Formula 4 Racing Winners Details:
Indian Racing League - Round 1 - Race 1 - Results
1st Place
Team: Goa Aces Ja Racing
Driver Name : Raoul Hyman
Nationality: British
2nd Place
Team: Goa Aces Ja Racing
Driver Name : Gabriela Jilkova
Nationality: Czech
3rd Place
Team: Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers
Driver Name: Alister Yoong
Nationality: Malaysian
Winners Hugh Barter, Ruhaan Alva, and Abhay Mohan strike a pose with their trophies.
Up Next: Indian Racing League (IRL) will zoom through the track for one last time this season.
Race 1 of Round 2 in the F4 night street race:
Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin came to the circuit in the evening to witness the street race.
He later took a round in a medical car around the track and visited the pit lane to see the cars getting ready for the second and final race of Round 2.
Minister of Youth Welfare & Sports Development #UdhayanidhiStalin came to circuit at around evening to witness #streetrace. He later took a round in a #medicalcar around track & visited the pit lane to see the cars ready for second & final race of round 2.
— DT Next (@dt_next) September 1, 2024
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