Chennai, July 3 (IANS) A new generation of young and hungry-for-success riders is expected to continue its progress through the ranks in the second round of the MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 commencing at the Madras International Circuit, here on Thursday.

During last month’s Round 1 at the same venue, several talented teenagers, across categories, announced their arrival on the National stage, giving the established stars a run for their money, and in some instances, even overshadowing the seasoned lot.

The trend is likely to continue this action-packed weekend which will see 18 races besides 10 qualifying and 11 practice sessions with over 100 riders from across India lining up on various grids.

Even as the youngsters are creating a buzz in the paddock, title sponsors MRF Tyres, have decided to allocate slick tyres to the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category that should bring down the lap times. Incidentally, the other premier class, the Pro-Stock 165cc Open has also greatly benefitted from slick tyres in the past few seasons.

The best demonstration of the new generation’s takeover is evident in these two highly competitive Pro-Stock categories. Two 17-year-old riders and TVS Racing team-mates, Sarthak Chavan from Pune and Bengaluru’s Chiranth Vishwanath have established themselves as the front-runners and pace-setters in both classes that contain very experienced riders who have been around for over a decade. The intense rivalry between the two is already the talk of the championship.

Another 17-year-old, Abdul Basim from Chennai, looks set to dominate the Novice (Stock 165cc) category, having won both the races in Round 1 ahead of much older riders.

In the other National Championship category, the Stock 301-400cc (Novice), Chennai youngster Kaushik Subbaiah Ganesan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) also enjoyed a good start to the season with a double in Round-1, from a big grid of 30 riders.

Down the field, a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Chennai, Rakshitha Dave, caused a sensation by winning both the Round-1 races in the Girls (Stock 165cc) category, defeating a couple of former National champions.

Rakshitha also made her debut in the Honda India Talent Cup astride the super-quick NSF 250R bike, while sharing the grid with her twin brother, Rakshith, who won the first race and was third in the next outing last month.

Likewise, the TVS One-Make Championship organised by the promoters, Madras Motor Sports Club, has thrown up a few promising youngsters. Coimbatore’s Senthilkumar (Apache Open 310RR) and Bengaluru’s Harshith V. Bogar (Rookie, RTR 200) began their 2024 campaigns by notching a double apiece in their respective categories while Sarah Khan from Mumbai (Girls, RTR 200) looked dominant while winning the race in her class.

Chairman of the Event and Race Director Manoj P. Dalal felt that the 2024 season could be a breakthrough year for several young riders. “The Championship, over the years, has been a breeding ground for talent. We are very pleased that the 2024 season has already seen the emergence of a fresh crop of youngsters who hold out rich promise and we can look forward to an exciting year of highly competitive racing.”

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The senior Indian men’s team will play a Tri-Nation friendly tournament in Vietnam during the October 2024 FIFA window. Apart from India and host Vietnam, the third team in the fray is Lebanon. Both Vietnam (116) and Lebanon (117) are placed ahead of India (124) in the latest FIFA rankings.

This will be the senior side’s first international appearance since their missed opportunity to go through to the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers having lost against Asian Champions Qatar in the final game of the second round of the qualifiers.

The senior men’s side is currently without a manager after the relations between former Head Coach Igor Stimac and the All India Federation soured after the senior team failed to qualify for the third stage of qualifying. That resulted in the Croatian’s contract being terminated by the sport’s governing body ending a five-year tenure for Stimac.

It will be the dawn of a new era for Indian football when they take the field for the very first time with whoever is appointed the new head coach of the team as the search is underway. They will also be without all-time top scorer Sunil Chhetri who played his final game for the national side in the 0-0 draw against Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium on June 6.

Fixtures:

October 9: Vietnam vs India

October 12: India vs Lebanon

October 15: Vietnam vs Lebanon

–IANS

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London, July 3 (IANS) Former World No.1 Andy Murray will partner fellow Grand Slam champion Emma Raducanu in the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon. The announcement came on Wednesday, confirming that the two British stars have accepted a wild card entry into the competition, which starts on Friday at the All England Club.

Andy Murray, who is also competing in the men’s doubles alongside his brother Jamie, is making his final appearance at the grass-court major. The 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion has had to withdraw from the singles draw due to his ongoing recovery from back surgery. Despite this, his participation in both doubles events ensures that he will play at least two matches during the tournament.

Raducanu, who burst onto the global tennis scene by winning the US Open in 2021 as an 18-year-old qualifier, has already progressed to the second round in the Wimbledon singles draw.

Reflecting on her admiration for Murray, Raducanu highlighted his meticulous preparation and dedication to the sport. “I think the biggest advice is just how he’s always taken care of his operations, how he manages his people. I haven’t really spoken to him so much,” she said after her first-round win.

“I think for me it’s just like watching him operate day to day, watching him be absolutely on it with everything. Even in practice now, he’s so on it to the minute.”

She added, “I think me, when I was a bit younger maybe, showing up 15 minutes before practice to do a few arm curls, swing my hand around and warm up, he’s there for an hour and a half doing treatment. He just sets really good examples.”

This will be Murray’s second foray into Wimbledon mixed doubles. In 2019, he teamed up with former World No. 1 Serena Williams, and the duo made it to the third round.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The England Test captain Ben Stokes has declared that his team ‘will be remembered forever’ by those fortunate enough to witness their brand of cricket.

“Everything we’ve done up until now isn’t going to stop because we haven’t managed to win the urn back. The reward for our work isn’t what we get but what we become. And what we have managed to do is we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket,” Stokes was quoted as saying in the documentary ‘Ashes 2023 Our Take.”

The documentary has already garnered significant attention, notably for revealing English players’ candid opinions on the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow. Among the revelations, former captain Joe Root conceded that the Australian team’s actions were fair and that he might have acted similarly in their position.

However, a particularly poignant clip has surfaced, capturing Stokes addressing his team in the Old Trafford dressing room after the fourth Test in Manchester, which was drawn due to rain, with the visitors leading 2-1, resulting in Australia retaining the Ashes urn. With the Aussies leading 2-1, England would not be able to win the urn even after playing the fifth Test which they did and the series was tied 2-2.

Stokes acknowledged the disappointment of not being able to reclaim the Ashes but urged his team to recognize the broader significance of their journey.

“I know it’s going to be a bit flat, I know it’s going to hurt that we go into the next game (at The Oval) not being able to get the urn back. But what we have done is something a lot bigger than any Ashes trophy could ever signify for this team –- be the team that everybody will always remember.”

The sentiment behind Stokes’ words is underscored by the context of England’s recent Ashes performances. The team has not won an Ashes series since 2015 and has not secured a Test match victory in Australia for 15 years. Despite these challenges, Stokes’ leadership has brought a new spirit to the side, with England winning four of their eleven Tests since the start of 2023.

In contrast, Australia have enjoyed significant success during the same period, including winning the ICC World Test Championship, retaining the Ashes in England, and clinching the World Cup.

–IANS

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Stuttgart (Germany), July 3 (IANS) Former champions Spain and Germany, the two favourites to lift the trophy, will clash in a marquee quarterfinal clash at MHP Arena here on Friday as the 2024 European Championship reaches the business end with the last-eight stage matches scheduled in the next few days.

A lot of attention would be on German veteran Toni Kroos as the 34-year-old midfielder is set to retire at the end of Germany’s campaign.

Ahead of the feisty encounter against Spain, Kroos’ former Real Madrid teammate Joselu spoke on the occasion and said, ‘We hope to retire Toni on Friday.’

“We hope it is his last game. It is a game that is not special because of him being here. It is a quarterfinal against a great team. We hope to retire Toni on Friday. He’s been a friend to me. I have spoken with him a lot and he has advised me a lot. He is fundamental for Germany and he has been for Real Madrid. We have to be careful with him on Friday,” said Joselu to reporters in the pre-game conference.

Joselu joined Real Madrid at the beginning of the 2023/24 season. The Spanish forward has been a lifelong fan of the Los Blancos and had a fairytale run with the club which saw him score a late brace against Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the competition which led their team to victory. He scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 49 games for Real Madrid despite starting in only 18 of those games.

Joselu has now left the club and will play for Qatari side Al Gharafa in the coming season.

“We know the conditions that Toni has. I think he is a fundamental player, but we cannot focus only on him. The ball goes through him every time Germany has possession and Toni is a player who represents everything for them. We will have to have a special eye on him so that Germany does not enjoy the game. It is very important to win to qualify. About Toni, we have to believe in ourselves. We don’t care about the other team’s players. I think Friday will be Toni’s last game,” added the former Real Madrid striker.

–IANS

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