Mahindra Racing Grabs Its First Grand Prix Win

It has been a tremendous year for Mahindra Racing at the Moto3. Its rider Francesco Bagnaia (Aspar Mahindra) brought himself and Mahindra its first-ever win at the Dutch Grand Prix, yesterday. The race stats are worth noticing, but what is even more remarkable is the way Mahindra Racing has risen over a brief span of time. It is a team that entered the championship in 2011 and had been very consistent in managing respectable spots in individual races and Constructor’s titles. 

India’s international race history has not been very rich. Yes, we have had some good racers, but till now, none of the Indian manufacturers have emerged as a serious player in the international motorsport. So, Mahindra achieving such a feat is quite commendable. Yes, the rider is very important, but a rider has to have a 100 per cent fit machine to bring out his/her full potential and that is where Mahindra Racing seems to have improved since its inception. It is also the first Asian and non-Japanese race team to have won a GP. Here’s a look at the team’s journey.

Mahindra had raced in the newly formed Moto3 class in 2012, at the same, it had also entered in the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) the same year. The team won the CIV Constructor’s Cup and hence became the first Indian team to have won an international motorsport event. It also entered in the 250cc class in 2013; which was special as the manufacturer had developed its own 250cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine with inputs from Suter Racing Technology AG. The motor powered Mahindra’s MGP30 race machine which was ridden by riders Andrea Locatelli and Michael Rinaldi. This led Mahindra Racing team towards winning the Constructor’s title for the second consecutive year.

Undoubtedly, Mahindra Racing had even higher hopes for the 2014 season. They were able to raise the bar in the same, as Ambrogio Racing ditched the under-performing Honda to join Mahindra, following its laudable victories in 2012 and 2013. The season brought for Mahindra three podium finishes and one-second place finish from Brad Binder, who was racing for Ambrogio Racing (Mahindra’s customer team). By the end of the season, the MGP30 had six top four finishes and Mahindra Racing stood third in the Constructor’s title. 

In 2015, Mahindra came up as a full-blown independent constructor. Not only this, it started supporting four other customer teams, with the most remarkable one being the multi-time champion -- Aspar Team. It was during this season that Francesco Bagnaia switched from the Sky VR46 team to the Aspar Team and rode the MGP30 along with team mate, Jorge Martin.

About the 2016 Dutch Grand Prix Moto3 Race

Speaking of the Assen race, Bagnaia rode in a pack of six fastest riders till the end of the race, but the Aspar Team’s rider managed to emerge clean out of the pack during the last lap astride his MGP30. The Sunday race was largely dominated by Italian riders, who achieved the top-five spots.

Second to finish was Andrea Migno, but was eventually demoted to the third position for riding outside the track limits. This brought great joy to Fabio Di Giannantonio, who got promoted to the second spot astride his Honda. Fourth spot was claimed by Romano Fenati of Sky Racing, followed by Nico Antonelli. Breaking the Italian streak of top-five spots, Frenchman Jules Danilo finished sixth.

With its current victory, Mahindra Racing would surely want to be an individual season champion and if it keeps going the way, it just might achieve the feat -- maybe in the next season, if not for this one.