2014–15 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship
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The 2014–2015 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship was the third running of the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship. The championship commenced on 17 October 2014 in Losail International Circuit, Qatar and finished on 25 January 2015 in Madras Motor Racing Track, India. The series consisted of 12 races, spread across 3 meetings.
With four victories – two at Losail and two in Madras – and top-five finishes in every race, Toby Sowery finished the season as champion. Sowery finished 47 points clear of his next closest competitor Ryan Cullen, who was a three-time race winner, winning a pair of races in Bahrain and one in Madras. Third place in the championship went to the best placed home driver Raj Bharath, who was a race winner at Losail; he finished 26 points in arrears of Cullen. Four other drivers won races during the season; Tarun Reddy won the other race to be held at Losail, Struan Moore and Mathias Lauda each won races in Bahrain, and Oscar King won the season's final race, in Madras.
Drivers
Freddie Hunt, son of 1976 Formula One champion James Hunt and Mathias Lauda, son of 1975, 1977 and 1984 Formula One champion Niki Lauda both competed in the series.
| No. | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria Mathias Lauda | 1–2 |
| 2 | India Tarun Reddy | All |
| 3 | Australia Dylan Young | All |
| 4 | France Christophe Mariot | 2 |
| 5 | India Raj Bharath | All |
| 6 | Brazil Pedro Cardoso | 1 |
| 7 | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | All |
| 8 | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen | All |
| 9 | India Lee Keshav | All |
| 10 | India Vikash Anand | 1–2 |
| 11 | United Kingdom Freddie Hunt | All |
| 12 | Brazil Vinicius Papareli | All |
| 15 | India Advait Deodhar | 2 |
| 16 | United Kingdom Laura Tillett | All |
| 17 | Russia Nikita Mazepin | 1 |
| 18 | South Africa Kyle Mitchell | 1–2 |
| 19 | United States Camren Kaminsky | 2 |
| 20 | United Kingdom Struan Moore | 2 |
| 21 | Hong Kong Matthew Solomon | 3 |
| 23 | United Kingdom Jordan Albert | 3 |
| 35 | India Mahaveer Raghunathan | 3 |
| 50 | Brazil Gustavo Myasava | 3 |
| 61 | Germany Sebastian Balthasar | 3 |
| 77 | United Kingdom Oscar King | 3 |
Race calendar and results
The second round in Bahrain was held in support of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | ||||||
| 1 | R1 | Qatar Losail International Circuit, Lusail | 17 October | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | United Kingdom Toby Sowery |
| R2 | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | India Tarun Reddy | ||||
| R3 | 18 October | South Africa Kyle Mitchell | India Raj Bharath | |||
| R4 | India Raj Bharath | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | ||||
| 2 | R1 | Bahrain Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir | 14 November | India Raj Bharath | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen |
| R2 | United States Camren Kaminsky | United Kingdom Struan Moore | ||||
| R3 | 15 November | South Africa Kyle Mitchell | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen | |||
| R4 | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen | Austria Mathias Lauda | ||||
| 2015 | ||||||
| 3 | R1 | India Madras Motor Racing Track, Chennai | 24 January | Germany Sebastian Balthasar | United Kingdom Oscar King | United Kingdom Toby Sowery |
| R2 | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | ||||
| R3 | 25 January | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen | |||
| R4 | United Kingdom Oscar King | United Kingdom Oscar King |
Championship standings
| Pos. | Driver | LOS Qatar | BHR Bahrain | MMR India | Points | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. Driver LOS Qatar BHR Bahrain MMR India Points 1 United Kingdom Toby Sowery 1 3 3 1 5 2 3 4 1 1 2 5 221 2 United Kingdom Ryan Cullen 2 6 4 3 1 3 1 8 10† 5 1 4 174 3 India Raj Bharath 9 7 1 2 2 4 4 3 5 6 4 7 148 4 South Africa Kyle Mitchell 3 5 2 7 3 6 2 2 112 5 India Tarun Reddy 6 1 7 5 Ret 7 Ret Ret 2 4 Ret 9 87 6 Austria Mathias Lauda 4 4 6 9 15† 8 6 1 71 7 United Kingdom Oscar King 9† 3 3 1 61 8 Brazil Gustavo Myasava 3 2 5 3 58 9 United Kingdom Struan Moore 4 1 Ret 6 45 10 Russia Nikita Mazepin 5 2 Ret 6 36 11 Australia Dylan Young 8 11 8 10 6 5 7 Ret Ret 10 9 Ret 36 12 Hong Kong Matthew Solomon Ret 8 6 2 30 13 Brazil Vinícius Papareli Ret 10 9 8 10 11 5 Ret 6 Ret 11 12 29 14 Brazil Pedro Cardoso 11 8 5 4 26 15 United Kingdom Jordan Albert 4 12 7 6 26 16 United States Camren Kaminsky 12 9 8 5 18 17 United Kingdom Laura Tillett 12 13 11 12 8 12 Ret 7 Ret Ret 8 8 18 18 India Vikash Anand 7 9 13 13 7 Ret Ret 9 16 19 India Lee Keshav 11 14 12 11 13 13 9 Ret 7 9 10 13 10 20 Germany Sebastian Balthasar Ret 7 Ret 11 8 21 India Mahaveer Raghunathan 8 11 DNS 10 5 22 United Kingdom Freddie Hunt 10 12 10 Ret 9 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret 5 23 France Christophe Mariot 14 15 11 10 1 24 India Advait Deodhar 11 14 10 Ret 1 Pos. Driver LOS Qatar BHR Bahrain MMR India Points | Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points classification Blue Non-points classification Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired, not classified (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 practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX) Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest Lap | |||||||||||||
| 1 | United Kingdom Toby Sowery | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 221 |
| 2 | United Kingdom Ryan Cullen | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 10† | 5 | 1 | 4 | 174 |
| 3 | India Raj Bharath | 9 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 148 |
| 4 | South Africa Kyle Mitchell | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 112 | ||||
| 5 | India Tarun Reddy | 6 | 1 | 7 | 5 | Ret | 7 | Ret | Ret | 2 | 4 | Ret | 9 | 87 |
| 6 | Austria Mathias Lauda | 4 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 15† | 8 | 6 | 1 | 71 | ||||
| 7 | United Kingdom Oscar King | 9† | 3 | 3 | 1 | 61 | ||||||||
| 8 | Brazil Gustavo Myasava | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 58 | ||||||||
| 9 | United Kingdom Struan Moore | 4 | 1 | Ret | 6 | 45 | ||||||||
| 10 | Russia Nikita Mazepin | 5 | 2 | Ret | 6 | 36 | ||||||||
| 11 | Australia Dylan Young | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 10 | 9 | Ret | 36 |
| 12 | Hong Kong Matthew Solomon | Ret | 8 | 6 | 2 | 30 | ||||||||
| 13 | Brazil Vinícius Papareli | Ret | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 5 | Ret | 6 | Ret | 11 | 12 | 29 |
| 14 | Brazil Pedro Cardoso | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 26 | ||||||||
| 15 | United Kingdom Jordan Albert | 4 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 26 | ||||||||
| 16 | United States Camren Kaminsky | 12 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 18 | ||||||||
| 17 | United Kingdom Laura Tillett | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 12 | Ret | 7 | Ret | Ret | 8 | 8 | 18 |
| 18 | India Vikash Anand | 7 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 7 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 16 | ||||
| 19 | India Lee Keshav | 11 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | Ret | 7 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 10 |
| 20 | Germany Sebastian Balthasar | Ret | 7 | Ret | 11 | 8 | ||||||||
| 21 | India Mahaveer Raghunathan | 8 | 11 | DNS | 10 | 5 | ||||||||
| 22 | United Kingdom Freddie Hunt | 10 | 12 | 10 | Ret | 9 | 10 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 12 | Ret | 5 |
| 23 | France Christophe Mariot | 14 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||
| 24 | India Advait Deodhar | 11 | 14 | 10 | Ret | 1 | ||||||||
| Pos. | Driver | LOS Qatar | BHR Bahrain | MMR India | Points | |||||||||
| Colour | Result | |||||||||||||
| Gold | Winner | |||||||||||||
| Silver | Second place | |||||||||||||
| Bronze | Third place | |||||||||||||
| Green | Points classification | |||||||||||||
| Blue | Non-points classification | |||||||||||||
| Non-classified finish (NC) | ||||||||||||||
| Purple | Retired, not classified (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 practice (DNP) | |||||||||||||
| Did not arrive (DNA) | ||||||||||||||
| Excluded (EX) |