Mahindra Racing

Mahindra Racing
2014 name	Mahindra Racing Team
Base	Turbenthal CH
Tyres	Dunlop
Riders' Championships	0

Mahindra Racing is the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP World Motorcycle Racing Championship and the FIA Formula E Championship. The factory team entered into the championship in 2011, in the 125cc class, and raced in the newly formed Moto3 championship in 2012. Mahindra Racing entered the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012. The team's historic 2012 victory in the CIV Constructor's Cup made Mahindra the first Indian team to win an international motorsport championship. In 2013, the team competed in the 2013 FIM Moto3 Championship as well as in the Moto3 (250cc – 4 stroke) class of the CIV. The team is owned by Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra which has a significant presence in automotive manufacturing.^[1][2]

In 2011, the Mahindra Group put India on the world motorcycle racing circuit by entering the Mahindra Racing team into the FIM MotoGP World Motorcycle Racing Championship. In 2012, the team entered the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship with an entirely new set up.

Mahindra Racing competed in the 2013 season with its own new 4- stroke, single-cylinder, 250cc motorcycle: the Mahindra MGP3O, developed with experienced Swiss firm Suter Racing Technology AG. Experienced Spanish rider Efrén Vázquez (26, from Bilbao) was teamed with exciting Portuguese teenager Miguel Oliveira (18, from Pragal near Lisbon).^[3][4] The team scripted history at the Malaysian Grand Prix, when Oliveira claimed the team's first-ever podium finish, which was also the first ever podium for an Indian manufacturer in the World Championship. The team recorded consistent top five finishes and achieved a pole position and three circuit lap records. Mahindra finished third in the Constructors’ Rankings.

In the 2012 CIV season, Mahindra Racing competed in the 125 GP Class and became the first team from India to win an international motorsport event, eventually recording six victories from eight races and securing the Constructors' Championship. In the 2013 CIV season, the team has entered the Moto3 (250cc – 4 stroke) class with talented riders Andrea Locatelli (16, from Alzano Lombardo) and Michael Rinaldi (17, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna).^[5] and made motor sport history by winning the prestigious Constructors’ Title for the second consecutive year. Locatelli and Rinaldi finished the season in first and second place with 167 and 145 points respectively

Mahindra's decision to take on the world's best at the highest level of motorcycle racing won the team awards such as the 'ZigWheels Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012', and the NDTV Car and Bike Awards 'Mobil 1 Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012'^[6][7] and 2013.

In 2013, the MGP3O gained a lot of attention owing to its good results in the Moto3™ as compared to the non-performing Hondas. As a result Ambrogio Racing switched to the Mahindra MGP3O from their Hondas from the 2013 Misano race. Their rider Luca Amato had previously ridden the bike in the Spanish CEV and the Moto3™ in tests.^[8][9][10]

Racing staff

• Mufaddal Choonia – CEO, Mahindra Racing
• Chandrashekar Joshi – CFO
• Nicola Casadei – Team Manager, CIV Team
• Davide Borghesi – Mahindra Moto3 Project Leader
• Davide Trolli – Team Coordinator & Press Office
• Dilbagh Gill – Team Principal, Formula E Team

Moto3 World Championship team (2014)

Riders

• Miguel Oliveira No. 44
• Andrea Migno No. 16

Bike

• MGP3O

Tyres

• Dunlop

Sponsors

• Elf – Technical Partner
• Mahindra Duro DZ – Official Paddock Scooters
• Mahindra XUV500 – Official Team Vehicle
• Oakley – Official Eye Wear partner
• Dunlop – Technical Suppliers
• Akrapovič – Technical Suppliers
• Regina Chain – Technical Suppliers
• Beta – Technical Suppliers

FIM CEV International Moto3 Championship team (2014)

Riders

• Albert Arenas No. 11
• Stefano Manzi No. 42

Bike

• MGP3O

Tyres

• Dunlop

FIA Formula E Championship Team (2014–2015)

Drivers (2015–16 season)

• Nick Heidfeld
• Bruno Senna

Car

• Spark-Renault SRT 01E

Tyres

• Michelin

Operated by Carlin Motorsport.^[11]

Complete Formula E results

Year	Chassis	Tyres	No.	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Points	T.C.
2014–15	Spark-Renault SRT 01E	M			BEI	PUT	PDE	BNA	MIA	LBH	MON	BER	MSC	LON		58	8th
			5	Karun Chandhok	5	6	13	Ret	14	12	13	18	12	12	13
			21	Bruno Senna	Ret	14†	6	5	Ret	5	Ret	17	16	16	4
2015–16	Spark-Mahindra M2ELECTRO	M			BEI	PUT	PDE	BNA	MEX	LBH	PAR	BER	MSC	LON		61*	5th*
			21	Bruno Senna	13	5	Ret	10	10	5
			23	Nick Heidfeld	3	9		7	8	4
				Oliver Rowland			13

* Season still in progress.

Race Seasons

Season 2011

MotoGP 125 cc

In 2011, Mahindra Racing made its motor racing debut in the 125cc class of the MotoGP championship, which was then in its last year. The team performed well in their inaugural season, capped off by Danny Webb securing Team Mahindra's first-ever pole position in the last race, at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.^[12]

Pos Rider Bike QAT ESP POR FRA CAT GBR NED ITA GER CZE IND RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL Pts 15 Marcel Schrötter Mahindra 21 13 18 Ret 16 Ret 9 11 16 14 Ret 15 11 12 11 Ret 12 36 19 Danny Webb Mahindra 16 Ret 16 Ret Ret 11 13 Ret 14 12 DNS 21 15 Ret 10 13 Ret 24 Year QAT ESP POR FRA CAT GBR NED ITA GER CZE IND RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL Pts Pos 2011 16 13 16 Ret 16 11 9 11 14 12 Ret 15 11 12 10 13 12 49 3rd

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Excluded (EX) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap

Season 2012

Moto3

Mahindra Racing participated in the first-ever Moto3 championship, which replaced the 125cc class in 2012. On 5 November 2011, Anand Mahindra then Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra, unveiled the MGP3O, the team's Moto3 Motorcycle. The MGP3O, liveried in red and white, featured a tubular steel frame and an aluminium swing arm. It weighed merely 83 kg and had a Mahindra-homologated 250cc, single-cylinder, four stroke liquid-cooled DOHC engine developed by Mahindra's Engines Engineering and Oral Engineering. The motorcycle was developed by Mahindra's Engines Engineering and Oral Engineering together. Danny Webb and Marcel Schrötter raced for the team in the first eight rounds of the Moto3 World Championship. The team scored its first Moto3 points at Le Mans on May 20, 2012, when Schrötter finished on a strong 12th position. Before the ninth round, at the Mugello Circuit, Schrötter and Team Mahindra parted ways. Riccardo Moretti, who had until then been racing for Mahindra in the CIV, stepped in for Schrötter. The first year of the new Moto3 four-stroke class proved challenging, and prompted the team into a change of direction.^[13] In August 2012, Mahindra partnered with Suter Racing Technology to develop an all-new MGP3O, their Moto3 bike for the 2013 season. And, in November of the same year, they announced that accomplished riders Efrén Vázquez and Miguel Oliveira would be racing for Team Mahindra in the 2013 Moto3 season.

125 cc Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship

^[14] In early December 2012, Mahindra Racing announced its entry into the 125cc class of the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) with Indian rider S. Sarath Kumar and Italian phenomenon Riccardo Moretti. Moretti was the 2009 champion in the 125cc class while Kumar is a former champion in the 130cc 4-stroke (Novice class, 2008) and the 165cc Expert Class (2009). Moretti won the season-opener, at the Mugello Circuit, Mahindra's first time earning a 1st-place finish. Kumar earned a third-place finish in the third round, at Monza. He left professional racing for personal reasons after round six. Moretti won the second and fourth races, at Imola and Mugello respectively. In the sixth round, at Misano, Moretti and new Mahindra rider Miroslav Popov finished first and second respectively; in the seventh round, again at Misano, Popov took first, while Moretti finished third.

In the final race of the 2012 season, Popov again took first place, and was joined on the podium by new Mahindra Racing rider Lukas Trautmann, who earned a second-place finish in his debut race. The double podium, Mahindra's third of the season, earned the team the 2012 CIV Constructor's Cup.^[15][16]

Constructors' Championship

Year	MU1	IMO	MON	MU2	MU3	MI1	MI2	VAL	PTS	POS
2012	25	25	16	25	10	25	25	25	176	1

Riders' Championship

Rider	MU1	IMO	MON	MU2	MU3	MI1	MI2	VAL	Total Points	Final position
Riccardo Moretti	25	25	NC	25	RET	25	16	-	116	2
Miroslav Popov	-	-	-	-	-	20	25	25	70	4
S. Sarath Kumar	RET	9	16	8	10	-	-	-	43	9
Lukas Trautmann	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	20	20	11

Season 2013

Moto3

The team achieved a double Top-10 finish in the 2013 Moto3 season opener at Qatar. This result was followed by Oliveira's 5th-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas, Team Mahindra's best performance at that point. Mahindra partnered with Suter Racing Technology to develop a new Moto3 bike for the 2013 season. Efrén Vázquez and Miguel Oliveira will be representing Team Mahindra in the MotoGP Championship.^[17]

Riders' standings

Pos Rider Bike QAT AME ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GER IND CZE GBR RSM ARA MAL AUS JPN VAL Pts 6 Miguel Oliveira Mahindra 7 5 16 Ret 4 6 4 4 8 9 5 7 5 3 26 4 10 150 9 Efrén Vázquez Mahindra 10 14 8 DNS DNS 5 12 6 Ret 11 10 12 10 Ret 7 Ret 5 82 Constructors' Championship Bike QAT AME ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GER IND CZE GBR RSM ARA MAL AUS JPN VAL Pts Mahindra 7 5 8 Ret 4 5 4 4 8 9 5 7 5 3 7 4 5 173

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Excluded (EX) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap Blue – Rookie

CIV 2013

In the 2013 season, the team entered the Moto3 class (250cc 4 stroke) in the CIV with talented riders Andrea Locatelli and Michael Rinaldi. Locatelli ended Rounds 1 and 2 with a twin podium finish: he won the first race, and finished in third place in the second. Rinaldi finished eighth in the first encounter and sixth in the second.^[18][19]

Riders' Championship

Final position	Rider	MU1	MU2	VA1	VA2	MI1	MI2	IM1	IM2	MU3	MU4	Total Points
1	A. Locatelli	25	20	10		25	25	20	25	10	7	167
2	M. Rinaldi	10	11	16	13	20	7	25	16	11	16	145

Constructors' Championship

Final position	Manufacturer	MU1	MU2	VA1	VA2	MI1	MI2	IM1	IM2	MU3	MU4	Total Points
1	Mahindra	25	20	16	13	25	25	25	25	11	1	201

Season 2014

Vázquez confirmed that he was no longer riding with Mahindra Racing in the 2014 season, and was replaced by Arthur Sissis.^[20]

Season 2014 was Mahindra Racing's most successful year with the MGP3O recording three podiums – including a best-ever second-place finish by their customer team, Ambrogio Racing's rider Brad Binder. The first podium of the season was secured by Mahindra Racing rider Miguel Oliveira at the Assen circuit in the [[2014 Dutch TT|Dutch TT].

For the entire season, the team riders Oliveira and Andrea Migno regularly challenged at the front of the tight Moto3 pack. The MGP3O recorded six Top-4 finishes in the entire season, as Mahindra finished third overall in the Moto3 Constructors' rankings at the end of the 2014 season.

Pos Rider Bike QAT USA ARG SPA FRA ITA SPA NED GER USA CZE GBR ITA SPA JAP AUS MAL SPA Pts 10 Miguel Oliveira Mahindra 4 15 DNS 14 12 4 12 3 Ret 7 7 4 22 7 Ret 7 Ret 8 110 29 Arthur Sissis Mahindra DNS Ret 22 Ret 17 17 18 21 13 21 26 3 25 Andrea Migno Mahindra Ret 8 Ret Ret 17 Ret 18 8 Year QAT USA ARG SPA FRA ITA SPA NED GER USA CZE GBR ITA SPA JAP AUS MAL SPA Pts Pos 2014 4 15 13 14 12 4 6 3 2 7 6 4 6 7 3 7 14 8 168 3rd

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Excluded (EX)

Seeing the successful performance of their bike in the 2014 season, Mahindra Racing decided that from 2015, they would renew their focus on bike development and become a full-fledged manufacturer in the Moto3 class of the World Championship.^[21]

Season 2015

In 2015, Mahindra Racing became a full-scale independent constructor, supporting four customer teams in the most competitive class of the World Championship. The highlight of this move, which marked a coming of age for Mahindra Racing, was a tie up with the multiple championship-winning Aspar Team. Mahindra Racing supplied three motorcycles to the four-time champion Jorge Martinez's team, becoming their de facto factory team. The tie-up underlined their determination to transform themselves from established giant-killers to full-blown championship contenders.^{[22][23][24][25]}

2015 Riders Line up

A new partnership with 4 times World Champion Jorge Martinez's experienced Mapfre Aspar Team was announced earlier in 2014 season,^[25] leading the charge for Mahindra in the ultra-competitive Moto3 series with a three-bike line up. The Aspar Team's Mahindra MGP3Os were piloted by the 2014 Red Bull Rookies Champion, Spaniard Jorge Martin; Italian Francesco Bagnaia, a graduate of the VR 46 academy, who switched from the Sky VR46 team; and Juanfran Guevara, contesting his third Moto3 World Championship.^{[22][26][27][28]}

References

1. http://www.business-standard.com/article/press-releases/mahindra-first-indian-manufacturer-to-compete-in-fim-motogp-111012100121_1.html
2. http://www.mahindraracing.com/about-mahindra-racing.aspx
3. http://www.motogp.com/en/teams/Moto3
4. http://www.suterracing.com/news/details/162
5. http://www.civ.tv/scheda-team.asp?id=134
6. http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/awards/mahindra-racing-team-honoured-at-the-zw-awards/7458/
7. http://www.ndtv.com/photos/business/ndtv-car-and-bike-awards-the-winners-14366/slide/21
8. http://storicociv.perugiatiming.com/campionato.asp?p_S_Campionato=MO3&p_Anno=2013&p_PilotiCostruttori=C
9. http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2013/Ambrogio+Racing+switches+to+Mahindra+from+Misano
10. http://indiabikeweek.in/howlingdog/mahindra-racing-claim-first-ever-moto3-podium-finish/
11. Watkins, Gary (1 July 2014). "Super Nova to run TrulliGP Formula E team". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved 11 July 2014.
12. "GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana – 125cc World Championship Classification" (PDF). MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
13. "GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana – Moto3 World Championship Classification" (PDF). MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
14. "Italian Championship Race Result". Mahindra Racing. Mahindra & Mahindra. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
15. http://storicociv.perugiatiming.com/campionato.asp?p_S_Campionato=SID&p_Anno=2012&p_PilotiCostruttori=C
16. http://storicociv.perugiatiming.com/campionato.asp?p_S_Campionato=SID&p_Anno=2012&p_PilotiCostruttori=P
17. "GP Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana – Moto3 World Championship Classification" (PDF). MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
18. http://storicociv.perugiatiming.com/campionato.asp?p_S_Campionato=MO3&p_Anno=2013&p_PilotiCostruttori=P
19. http://storicociv.perugiatiming.com/campionato.asp?p_S_Campionato=MO3&p_Anno=2013&p_PilotiCostruttori=C
20. McLaren, Peter (10 November 2013). "Arthur Sissis joins Mahindra". Crash.net (Crash Media Group). Retrieved 11 April 2016.
21. "Mahindra Racing to renew focus on bike development in 2015" (PDF). Mahindra Racing (Mahindra & Mahindra). 29 August 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
22. "Mahindra looks forward to exciting new Moto3 challenge". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
23. "Mahindra Racing closes season with goals achieved" (PDF). Mahindra Racing (Mahindra & Mahindra). 9 November 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
24. "Choonia and Martinez on Mahindra and Aspar collaboration". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 29 September 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
25. "Aspar team to race in Moto3 with Mahindra: Jorge Martínez's team to campaign MGP3O in 2015 World and FIM CEV International Championships" (PDF). Mahindra Racing (Mahindra & Mahindra). 13 July 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
26. "Aspar recruit Rookies Cup champion Martin". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 29 September 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
27. "Bagnaia completes MAPFRE Aspar Team revolution for 2015". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
28. "Guevara: 'Mahindra have got behind us completely'". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 29 September 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

External links

• The official website of Mahindra Racing
• The official YouTube channel of Mahindra Racing
• The official Twitter handle of Mahindra Racing
• The official Facebook page of Mahindra Racing
• The official SoundCloud channel of Mahindra Racing