Coimbatore, August 18 2013: Nayan Chatterjee of Rayo Racing (Senior Max), Kush Maini of Dark Don Racing (Junior Max) and Pradyumna Vipul Danigund of MohiteⳊRacing (Micro Max) won the Round 3 of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2013 in at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on Sunday.

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The championshipⳠ36 racers in three categories – Micro Max (7 to 12 years), Junior Max (13 to 16 years) and Senior Max (15 and above) competed at Kari Motor Speedway – the fastest karting track in India and displayed their excellent driving skills.

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In the Senior Max category, Nayan won the toughest race of the Round after beating top racers such as defending champion Ameya Bafna of Rayo Racing and Vishnu Prasad of Meco Racing. Birthday boy Vishnu, started at 3rd position, took early lead by overtaking pole position holder Chittesh S Mandody (MohiteⳠRacing) and Ameya in first few seconds. In the next lap, Chittesh took an attempt to overtake Vishnu but he lost control of his kart, which cost him the podium finish. In the battle for 3rd position, Dhruv S Mohite (MohiteⳠRacing), who started at 4th, was overtaken by Nayan Chatterjee (Rayo Racing) after few initial laps.

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In the 6th lap, Ameya was trying to overtake Vishnu and Vishnu was fighting to save his leading position. But he failed to restrict Ameya, who became the new race leader. Moreover, in this short period of time, Dhruv emerged from behind and pushed Vishnu further down at 3rd position. In 22nd lap, Dhruv collided with race leader Ameya and both went out of the track. Seeing this opportunity, Nayan overtook Vishnu and claimed the first position. Dhruv recovered quickly and re-joined the race at 2nd position ahead of Vishnu, while Ameya managed to continue his race at 4th position.

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With this victory, Nayan toppled Vishnu in the championship table with 255 pts, just one point ahead of Vishnu (254 pts). Ameya Bafna is at third position with 244 pts. 㔯dayⳠrace was very tough and there were lots of ups and downs. It was very difficult to maintain the position as I was getting constant threat from other racers. I just maintained my racing line and patiently waiting others to make mistakes. I am very much happy with my first place podium finish,䠎ayan, who is the winner the Round 1, said after the race. ༯p>

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In the Junior Max, Kush Maini of Dark Don Racing dominated both Final and Pre-Final races and was way ahead of rest of the karters. In the Final race, Kush took the early lead and maintained the lead till the chequered flag. He was chased by Krishnaraaj D Mahadik of MohiteⳠRacing, who attacked Kush in last few laps but Kush handled the pressure well and didnⴊallow him to overtake.

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The real battle was for the third position, where Tejasram, Abhirath Shetty, Akash Gowda (all from Meco Racing), Arya Chirag Gandhi (Rayo Racing) and Ananth Shanmugam (Meco Racing) were fighting neck-to-neck. Tejasram was leading the pack for couple of laps but an unfortunate incident changed the positions of all the racers. AbhirathⳠkart broke down in the middle of the race, which gave opportunity to Arya Chirag and Ananth to topple two front racers – Tejasram and Akash and both claimed 3rd and 4th positions respectively.

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㉴ was a good weekend for me. I am thankful to my mechanics who made my kart quite fast. The weather is also very pleasant, which helped me to focus on my racing line. I enjoyed racing very much and very happy to finish as winner,䠋ush said after the race. Krishnaraaj is leading the championship table with 255 pts, followed by Tejasram (244) and Akash Gowda (240).

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Defending champion Pradyumna V Danigond of MohiteⳠRacing won Final and Pre-Final Race of the Round 3 in Micro Max category and maintained his lead in the championship table. He again outplayed other racers with his better racing skills. However, he received a tough competition from Yash Aradhya of Meco Racing, who constantly challenged him through-out the race. The real fight was for the second position where Yash was fighting with his teammate Paul Francis. Yash claimed the 2nd position in Pre-Final race but he was beaten by Paul Francis in the Final and he finished at 3rd podium in the Round 3.

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㔨e race was good. Other racers like Yash Aradhya and Paul Francis were also raced very well. I got good competition from Yash and he overtook me many times. But I⭠happy to finish at first place,䊐radyumna said after the race. He has maintained his lead in the championship table with 266 pts, ahead of Yash (254) and Shishnu (240).

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JK Tyre is credited with introducing the concept of karting in India and has patronized karting circuits across the country. JK Tyre together with MECO Motorsports introduced professional karting in 2004 with the introduction of the Rotax 2-stroke kart engines. It was then that the current championship came into being and is today the most revered karting contest in India. World class racing drivers such as Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel have graduated from this karting championship.

RESUILTS FINAL RACE (22 laps)

RESUILTS PRE-FINAL (22 laps)

New Delhi, August 19th, 2013: The Captain of the Indian Cricket Team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was in the capital to promote- FITSOUL a newly launched Sports and Fitness retail chain.

Fitsoul is a one stop retail solution for the best sports and fitness equipments, accessories, apparels and footwear from the leading brands across the world.

An initiative born out of passion for sports and fitness, Mr. Sajid Shamim and Mr. Parvinder Singh bring together the right mix of skills and experience to successfully make sports, leisure and fitness equipment available to everyone in India.

Speaking about the launch, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Brand Champion of FITSOUL said, “Any sport is a land of opportunity but people lose an edge due to lack of quality sports gear. This kind of initiative is much needed in the country. We want to share our passion for sports with the world starting from India through FITSOUL. We strive to provide the best of products in the most efficient and affordable manner.”

Also present at the launch Mr. Sajid Shamim, Co-Founder and Director, FITSOUL said, “The vision for the brand is to provide consumers with a one stop solution for buying equipments backed by expert advice. We are differentiated on the basis of both online and offline presence, industry partnership with like- minded brands, low cost franchisee model and soon to be launched e-enabled retail and champion’sequipment program.”

Adding more details on the launch, Mr. Parvinder Singh, Co Founder and CEO, FITSOUL said, “We are actively working on making Fitsoul the most desired sports and fitness retail destination both online and offline. We have already launched the online portal (www.fitsoul.com) and are getting an overwhelming response from the customers. We have opened 6 retail stores and are looking at opening 350 stores across India in the next five years. Through this rapid expansion we intend to harness the exponential growth in the sports and fitness industry in India.”

Commenting on the launch Mr. Arun Pandey, Chairman and Managing Director of Rhiti Sports said “We are proud of this association since it fits into MS Dhoni’s core philosophy of sports and fitness. Over the years we expect Fitsoul to be a game changer in the sports and fitness industry. We believe it will bridge the gap between the Indian sports enthusiast and the best equipments and gear in the world.”

A multi brand sports retailer having both online and offline presence, FITSOUL aims to provide an easy access to sports equipments, quality gear and merchandise.  It caters to practitioners of all ages and skill levels. The brand offers merchandise from leading brands like Nike, Adidas, HEAD, Wilson, Puma, Yonex, Babolat, Nivia, SG, SS, BAS, GM and many more.

FITSOUL is India’s latest multi branded sports and fitness chain with both offline (FITSOUL Retail stores) and online (www.fitsoul.com) presence. FITSOUL is dedicated to offer the best sports and fitness gear at affordable prices. Started by experts from the sports industry with an authenticity through the sports and fitness icon of the country, MS Dhoni, FITSOUL strives to help by offering the right gear to sports and fitness lovers and improve their performance.

Akshat Shrivastava – 8744004817 || akshat@mediamoments.in

Kanika Sikka– 9899485587 || kanika@mediamoments.in

New Delhi, 19th August: The 2nd edition of the Airtel Rising Stars-Delhi Leg, where Delhi’s talented under-16 football players from leading schools are participating, kicked-off at Ganga International School Ground, Hiran Kudna in Delhi today.

In the inaugural match, St. Margret School beat Venkateshwara School, Rohini 3-0. Rohan’s first goal in 17th minute gave the lead to St. Margret. In 29th minute, Himanshu extended the lead and Raju’s goal in 30th min sealed the victory.

In another league match at the same ground, Pragati Public School, Dwarka defeated Bal Bharti Public School 3-1. Pragati Public School’s Ketan opened the account with his goal in 10th min. However, Rajesh from Bal Bharti equalised the score in 12th min. Since then, Pragati played an aggressive football and scored two more goals to win the match. Suraj took the lead in 15th min and Nikhil extended the lead in 29th min.

Ganga International School was awarded a walk-over as Richmond Public School didn’t arrive for the tie. Heritage Public School thrashed Vidya Jain School 3-0 with the help of goals scored by Aditya Bhalla (11th), Anmol (20th) and Sahil (39th).

Shreya Sharma’s lone goal helped N.K. Bargodia School beat DAV Public School 1-0. Initially, both the teams struggled to score goals. It was Shreya, who got the success in 20th min and assured a result. DAV tried to equalise the score but all their attempts went in vein.

Ganga International School (walk-over) v/s Richmond Public School;

St. Margret School 3 (Raman 17th, Himanshu 29th, Raju 30th) bt Venkateshwara School, Rohini 0;

N.K Bargodia Public School 1 (Shreya Sharma 20th) bt DAV Public School, Pushpanjali 0;

Heritage Public School 3 (Aditya Bhalla 11th, Anmol 20th, Sahil 39th) bt Vidya Jain School 0;

Pragati Public School, Dwarka 3 (Ketan 10th, Suraj 15th, Nikhil 29th) bt Bal Bharti Public School 1 (Rajesh 12th);

C.R.P.F, Dwarka 2 (Rajinder Joshi 17th, Deepak 49th) bt Titiksha School 0;

St. Marks School 2 (Shiva 17th, Lalit 33rd) bt Mira Model School 0.

Centre for Policy Research (CPR) is organizing a seminar on “Regional Cooperation and Integration in Asia: New Pathways for South Asia” by Mr. Rajat Nag, Managing Director General, Asian Development Bank, Manila, on 29 August 2013, Thursday, at 3:00 pm in the Conference Room,CPR. Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Senior Fellow at the Centre has kindly agreed to Chair the seminar and also present his views on the topic. Please find below an abstract and brief profile of the speaker for your information

Given the topical nature of the subject and its increasing importance, as well as your interest, I would like to invite your to seminar and share your views.

We would very much appreciate a line confirmation.

With best regards,

Sincerely yours,

Pratap Bhanu Mehta

It is predicted that Asia has the potential to dominate the global economy, with the region’s economic output soaring from $17 trillion, currently just 28% of global GDP, to $174 trillion by 2050, making up over half of global GDP.  India and ASEAN are predicted to account for 32% of Asia’s total output.  Regional cooperation and integration (RCI) plays a critical role in achieving this growth.  The promise of the “Asian Century” is contingent on the countries and subregions of Asia working together to cement the region’s gains in the face of vulnerabilities to global shocks. There is a need to effectively harness the gains from the so-called “garlanding” of various RCI initiatives, wherein the benefits of increased connectivity, trade supply chain links, and overall economic integration are further expanded. Building and opening local markets will provide the means for countries in South Asia to move up the value chain. Synergies will also be generated by joint efforts in developing new technology, harnessing clean and secure energy, and preparing for disasters, which will contribute to long term political and economic stability. The peace dividend generated further strengthens the economic benefits from RCI.  In this context, the speaker will discuss challenges, potential, policy options, and the role of multilateral players as honest brokers.

   Mr. Rajat M. Nag is the Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He has been with the institution for more than two decades and assumed his current position in December 2006. With broad experience across Asia, Mr. Nag plays a critical role in providing strategic and operational direction to ADB, so that it achieves its mission of helping its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. Mr. Nag’s work has given him wide-ranging insight into several issues and challenges relevant to Asia, including risk management, infrastructure financing, public-private partnerships and regional economic integration. His particular interest is in working to enhance regio nal cooperation and integration in Asia and bridge the gap between the region’s thriving economies and the millions of poor people being left behind.

Mumbai August 19, 2013: Mahindra scored mixed results as the Moto3™ championship got back into action at the mighty Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.

Portuguese teenager Miguel Oliveira rode to a fighting eighth place, matching his qualifying position as he fended off a fierce two-bike attack in the closing corners.

Team-mate Efrén Vázquez (from Spain) had qualified fourth and was running strongly in the group disputing that position until a minor oil-control issue struck his Mahindra MGP3O machine, and he was wisely retired to the pits.

Mahindra Racing CEO Mufaddal Choonia was pleased with Oliveira’s effort, but naturally disappointed with the new-this-year Mahindra machine’s first race retirement in its strong debut season. The only Indian factory machine in the championship has claimed pole and front-row starts, and challenged strongly for the top-three podium in the first eight races of the 17-round season.

“The good news is that it was not a mechanical failure: the engine is quite undamaged,” he said.

The problem was caused by rising oil pressure that caused an overflow: the bike trailed smoke because of oil on the hot exhaust pipe. “It was a very minor issue, but unfortunately in a race a minor issue can cause a major problem,” he continued. “Efrén decided to stop for safety reasons, which was a good decision.

“Now we go to the Czech Republic in one week, confident of continuing the strong performance that has us third and close to second in the Constructors Championship,” he said.

“I am not really happy. Eighth is certainly not our place. But today was very hard – I was struggling a lot for grip from the tyres. As we know, we lose a little acceleration to the KTMs at the moment, and there are two very small first-gear corners on this track, and a long straight. I aimed for a safe race, try not to crash, and get some points. I just tried to defend myself and my position, and that was successful.”

“I’m a little bit disappointed because we lost a good opportunity for a top-five result and some good points. If I’d been able to continue in my position to the last laps I would be seventh. I was fighting with the KTMs but then something happened and I thought it was safer to stop.”