MAHINDRA ON THE FRONT ROW FOR GERMAN GP

Sachsenring, Germany, July 13, 2013: Miguel Oliveira will start tomorrow’s German Grand Prix from the front row of the grid – the fourth time in the Mahindra MGP3O’s debut season that he has claimed a top-three qualifying position.

The Portuguese teenager placed third, two short of his maiden pole position two weeks ago at Assen, but his third front-row start in succession.

Team-mate Efrén Vázquez qualified seventh, heading the third row, but frustrated that another rider had baulked his last-lap effort to claim his first front-row of the year. The Spaniard finished yesterday’s first day of free practice third overall, proving his potential as he regains strength after earlier injury.

Mahindra is the only Indian factory team in international motorcycle racing. The MGP3O was designed and built in only six months, and has proved not only reliable from the start, but as importantly highly competitive, even in first prototype form.

Tomorrow’s race is the eighth of 17 rounds in the Moto3™ World Championship. Oliveira currently lies a close sixth overall, with Vázquez 13th, after missing two rounds through injury.

MIGUEL OLIVEIRA – Third Place
“We changed some settings overnight, mainly at the rear, and the modifications are working well. I am not completely happy with my rhythm, but I could do a good lap. The race tomorrow will be difficult as always, especially the last laps. There are a lot of left-hand corners here and tyre life will be an issue. It’s also a very tiring track, so it is easy to make a mistake. The start here is not so important because it is not so far to the first corner, but it will be important not to let anybody get away up front, while also looking after the tyres.”

EFRÉN VÁZQUEZ – Seventh Place
“I’m not happy. I think I could have made the front row but on the last lap I was caught up with the mistake of another rider. On the fast corner he closed the door on me and I lost a little time. He did not ride in the correct way. But I think we can still do a good race. The bike is okay – with a used tyre I was only a tenth of a second slower, and I am feeling strong.”

MUFADDAL CHOONIA – CEO, Mahindra Racing
“Another good qualifying for Mahindra. It is always exciting, although perhaps by now we should be getting more used to it. Miguel is riding as well as ever, but I am sorry for Efrén, because he had been having his best weekend so far. Tomorrow we get another chance to add to the success of the MGP3O. Once again, we will have our fingers crossed and hope for a first podium finish.”

About Mahindra Racing
Mahindra Racing became the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship in 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012.
Racing in the Moto3™ class in MotoGP, Mahindra Racing entered the 2013 season with its own new 4-stroke, single-cylinder, 250cc motorcycle: the Mahindra MGP3O, developed with experienced Swiss firm Suter Racing Technology AG. Experienced Spanish rider Efrén Vázquez (26, from Bilbao) is teamed with exciting Portuguese teenager Miguel Oliveira (18, from Pragal near Lisbon). At the opening round in Qatar, the duo finished with a best-ever double Top 10 result for the only Indian team in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. In Round 2 in Austin, Oliveira finished a superlative fifth. Celebrating a third successive top ten finish in Round 3 at Jerez, Vázquez claimed eighth place. At Round 4 in Le Mans, Oliveira secured a front row start by qualifying second, and then in Mugello finished the race fourth. In Catalunya, Vázquez crossed the line in fifth and Oliveira was sixth.
In the 2012 CIV season, Mahindra Racing competed in the 125 GP Class and became the first team from India to win an international motorsport event, eventually recording six victories from eight races and securing the Constructors’ Championship. In the 2013 CIV season, the team has entered the Moto3 (250cc – 4 stroke) class with talented riders Andrea Locatelli (16, from Alzano Lombardo) and Michael Rinaldi (17, Rimini, Emilia-Romagna). Locatelli ended Rounds 1 and 2 with a fantastic twin podium finish. While winning the first, he finished the second in third position. Rinaldi finished eighth in the first encounter and a respectable sixth in the second.
Mahindra’s bold decision to take on the world’s best at the highest level of motorcycle racing won the team prestigious awards such as the 'ZigWheels Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012’, and the NDTV Car and Bike Awards 'Mobil 1 Motorsport Award of the Year, 2012’. For further information please visit: www.mahindraracing.com.

About Mahindra
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.
A USD 16.2 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 155,000 people in over 100 countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, after-market, information technology and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services, defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles and two wheeler industries.
In 2012, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world. In 2013, the Mahindra Group received the Financial Times ‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the ‘Emerging Markets’ category.

Visit us at www.mahindra.com.




For further enquiries
Ms. Roma Balwani
Chief Group Communications Officer
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd
Phone: +91 22 2490 1441
balwani.roma@mahindra.com

Mr. Rupert Williamson
Mahindra MotoGP™ consultant
HPS Jardine
Phone: +44 1628 894 836
Mobile: +44 7774 295 147
rupert.williamson@hpsjardine.com

Ms. Elisa Tamburro
PR and Marketing Manager
Mahindra Racing
Mobile: +39 348 0085351
tamburro.elisa@mahindra.com