- DOUBLE PODIUM FINISH SEALS 2ND IN CHAMPIONSHIP FOR PRESLEY MARTONO
- MARTONO SMASHES LAP RECORD AT MMRT
February 4, 2018: Brazilian driver Felipe Drugovich had the perfect ending to the 2017 MRF Challenge when he won the final two races at the MMRT in Chennai. This gives him 10 wins for the season out of a total 16 races. Both races saw Presley Martono and Rinus van Kalmthout finish on the podium. Martono beat van Kalmthout to 2nd in the championship by 7 points
In Race 3 Martono again had a good start and led into the first corner with Drugovich and van Kalmthout slotting right behind. There was action again heading into turn 2 with Kurt Hill and Nazim Azman both retiring on the spot after colliding. The Safety Car came out for two laps before the racing started again.
With Martono struggling on cold tyres, Drugovich pounced and went around the outside of the Indonesian driver at Anand’s corner on lap 2 to take the lead. With van Kalmthout also trying to find his way past, Drugovich pulled away at the front. Behind them both Danial Frost and Louis Gachot got past Julien Falchero with the French driver having a horrible first lap.
With the championship wrapped up the fight for 2nd place continued between Martono and van Kalmthout. With two laps to go van Kalmthout tried to pass the Indonesian into turn 7 but could not make it stick. Drugovich comfortably won with Martono fending off van Kalmthout for 2nd place. Frost finished in 4th place ahead of Gachot and Falchero.
The final race of the season saw van Kalmthout start on pole alongside Drugovich. Van Kalmthout got bogged down at the start, allowing Drugovich to get a better start and lead into the first corner with Martono slotting in behind
Drugovich pulled away at the front and van Kalmthout and Martono battled for 2nd. He comfortably crossed the finish line in first to cap a brilliant season for the young Brazilian. Van Kalmthout finished in 2nd place ahead of Martono. . American driver Robert Megennis had his best finish this season finishing in 4th place, with Harri Jones right behind. Frost finished in 6th position.
The top three drivers also battled for fastest lap with Martono coming out on top. Martono set a 1:29.538 to set the fastest ever lap at the MMRT, four tenths faster than van Kalmthout’s time from yesterday.
2017 MRF Challenge Champion Felipe Drugovich, commented, “Today was just a perfect day. The car felt great and I had a good start in both races. There is something about this track that makes it very challenging. It’s important to get the right balance and we did that today. Chennai is a great city and we felt very welcome here. Thank you to my team and everyone at MRF for this win.”
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MRF Challenge 2017, Round 4, Chennai, Race 3, 20 Laps:
| S.No. | Driver Name | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Felipe DRUGOVICH | 33:09.353 |
| 2. | Presley MARTONO | 33:20.422 |
| 3. | Rinus VAN KALMTHOUT | 33:21.398 |
| 4. | Danial FROST | 33.,22.478 |
| 5. | Louis GACHOT | 33:24.040 |
MRF Challenge 2017, Round 4, Chennai, Race 4, 20 Laps:
| S.No. | Driver Name | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Felipe DRUGOVICH | 30:08.812 |
| 2. | Rinus VAN KALMTHOUT | 30:13.094 |
| 3. | Presley MARTONO | 30:16.118 |
| 4. | Robert MEGENNIS | 30:25.864 |
| 5. | Harri JONES | 30:26.481 |
Final Championship Positions:
| S.No. | Driver Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Felipe DRUGOVICH | 333 |
| 2. | Presley MARTONO | 254 |
| 3. | Rinus VAN KALMTHOUT | 247 |
| 4. | Julien FALCHERO | 194 |
| 5. | Alex KARKOSIK | 122 |
