Chennai MRF Challenge: Newey takes title in tie-breaker
Harrison Newey is crowned the 2016/17 MRF Challenge champion after winning the final race of the season at the Madras Motor Race Track.
Photo by: MRF Racing
Starting on pole, Joey Mawson got off the line cleanly in the lead, while front-row starter Mick Schumacher lost a place to Harrison Newey going into Turn 1.
The race was immediately neutralised when Ralf Aron collided with Red Bull junior Neil Verhagen, the Estonian's car flipping over into the run-off area.
Upon the race restarting, Mawson held the lead from Newey and Schumacher, all three closely stacked for the laps to follow.
The Australian had it under control until Lap 11, when he made a slight mistake, which was enough for Newey to make the lunge and sneak through to take the lead.
Mawson's troubles weren't over as Schumacher went past the reigning German F4 champion, pushing him down to third and putting the Aussie in firm danger of losing the title he had looked favourite for all throughout the season.
Newey's title success was then sealed when the British driver clocked the fastest lap of the race on his final lap as he tied on points with Mawson - both ending up on 277.
Having won seven races in the season, Newey was declared the champion courtesy of more wins than Mawson, who had only three to his name.
Behind the top three, Juri Vips fended off fast-charging Felipe Drugovich all-through the race to finish fourth, the Brazilian having to settle for fifth.
Meanwhile, Red Bull junior Dan Ticktum claimed another points finish to be sixth, ahead of MRF Challenge regular Dylan Young.
Another debutant, the F4 SEA champion Presley Martono, was eighth as Yoshiaki Katayama and Manuel Maldonado completed the Top 10.
Race 4 results:
| Pos. | Driver | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Harrison Newey |
|
| 2 |  Mick Schumacher |
3.684s |
| 3 |  Joey Mawson |
5.269s |
| 4 |  Juri Vips |
5.692s |
| 5 |  Felipe Drugovich |
9.350s |
| 6 | Dan Ticktum |
13.535s |
| 7 | Dylan Young |
19.597s |
| 8 |  Presley Martono |
23.178s |
| 9 |  Yoshiaki Katayama |
24.481s |
| 10 |  Manuel Maldonado |
36.253s |
| 11 |  Pavan Ravishankar |
51.992s |
| 12 |  Chia Wing Hoong |
1m12.409s |
| R | Ralf Aron |
|
| R |  Neil Verhagen |
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Mahindra hurt by 'bad grid position' in Qatar Moto3
Kornfeil puts Peugeot in Top 3 on final Moto3 test day
Dalla Porta takes charge for Mahindra on Day 2 in Moto3 test
Alpine rules out F1 test for Mick Schumacher
Alpine: Lapierre “perfect teacher” for Schumacher’s WEC introduction
The brightest lights in F2's departing six-year warhorse
How real-time scrutineering ensures fair and consistent competition in motorsport
The day Button scored his 'best F1 win'... until next time!
New compound to thwart Porsche’s inspired Long Beach ‘no tires’ call
Surging Chase Briscoe says a win "is right around the corner"
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments