About Sameer Contractor
Sameer ContractorConnect with this authorWith an unquenchable thirst for everything automotive, Sameer has always been the go to auto guy that his friends needed. So, it isnt exactly surprising that he chooses to do what he does. A Batman fanatic, Sameers wants to go roof-scaping on the Tumbler, while the Bat motorcycle is certainly on the cards and he plans to build one himself. An avid foodie, he has a road trip in order that will be taking him across the world in search for the best roads and the best cuisines. While his stress buster involves taking aimless motorcycle rides, do not get offended by his sarcasm.
Articles of Sameer Contractor
2019 Rome e-Prix: Evans Beats Lotterer To Take Jaguar's First Ever Formula E Victory
Jaguar Racing secured its first ever victory in Formula E as driver Mitch Evans passed pole-sitter Andre Lotterer of Techeetah to win the 2019 Rome e-Prix. The latter finished a close second completing the race 0.979s behind. With the Rome e-Prix, the British team becomes the seventh different marque to win a race this season. Meanwhile, finishing on the podium was Stoffel Vandoorne of HWA AG, while both the Mahindra drivers managed to complete the race in the top 10 positions.
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Maserati Levante Trofeo India Launch Details Out
One of the most powerful production cars to come from Italian automaker Maserati, the Levante Trofeo SUV has been confirmed for India. Sources close to carandbike have confirmed that the Maserati Levante Trofeo will be launched in India towards the last quarter of this year. Compared to the standard Levante that is already on sale here, the Trofeo packs in 590 bhp and a whopping 730 Nm of peak torque from its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 motor, and has a top speed of 300 kmph, bringing it close to the likes of the Bentley Bentayga Speed and the Lamborghini Urus. The performance SUV was first unveiled globally at the New York Auto Show in 2018 and will be produced in limited numbers. Maserati India though is yet to confirm the launch date on the upcoming super SUV.
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Hero MotoCorp's New Full Faired Motorcycle Spied
Hero MotoCorp is finally coming back to the premium end of the sports commuter segment and the Xtreme 200R was its first product introduced last year after a hiatus. The bike maker's next launch will be the XPulse 200R and 200T in this space bringing an adventure motorcycle. However, it now seems that the manufacturer is also planning a full-faired offering based on the same 200 cc platform. A video surfaced online has given the first glimpse at a full-faired offering from Hero, at reportedly the company's Jaipur based R&D centre. While the prototype does not sport any badging, we believe that the offering could be dubbed as the HX200R or the next generation Hero Karizma upon launch.
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New Generation BMW Z4 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 64.90 Lakh
Having teased its new convertible for weeks now, BMW India has finally launched the much awaited new generation Z4 Roadster in the country. Prices for the 2019 BMW Z4 Roadster start at Rs. 64.90 lakh for the sDrive20i variant, while the M40i is priced at Rs. 78.90 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom India). The all-new offering bring back the Z4 nameplate to India and has been developed in collaboration with Toyota. In fact, the new Z4 shares its engine with the all-new Toyota Supra that was revealed last year. The BMW convertible comes to India as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and bookings are open at the automaker's dealerships pan India.
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Merzouga Rally 2019: Sherco TVS' Abdul Wahid Tanveer Wins Enduro Round
he 2019 Merzouga Rally concluded with Indian teams Hero MotoSports Team Rally and Sherco TVS Rally Team taking the top spots. The gruelling rally saw riders traverse through the challenging terrains of Morroco while keeping up with navigation issues to complete the five day run. Sherco TVS rider Abdul Wahid Tanveer bagged the top spot in the Enduro category having won two out of five stages. Hero's Oriol Mena, meanwhile, took the first podium of his career finishing third overall.
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Merzouga Rally 2019: Metge Retires; Rodrigues & Mena Finish 2nd & 3rd Overall After Stage 3
The third stage of the 2019 Afriquia Merzouga Rally entered the first day of the marathon run with the riders completing 230 km. The first half of the stage concluded with Hero riders Joaquim Rodrigues and Oriol Mena finishing in second and third place respectively. Rodrigues completed the day 02m23s over the stage leader Adrien Van Beveren of Yamaha Racing, while Mena was 03m08s behind Beveren. In overall rankings too, Rodrigues and Mena stand at second and third place, promising a podium finish for the team at the end of the rally.
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Dakar Rally Could Move To Saudi Arabia For 2020
The Dakar Rally has been expected to witness change a change of venue next year and it's now believed that the world's most challenging rally will make its way to Saudi Arabia. As per a recent report by Motorsport.com, the Dakar Rally will leave South America to start afresh in the Middle East, marking the beginning of a new era. Dakar organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) have reportedly signed a five-year agreement with Saudi Arabia to host the rally and will be conducted in Saudi alone in the first year. An official confirmation is yet to come from the organisers, but an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
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Merzouga Rally 2019: Metge Finishes 2nd, Rodrigues 3rd Overall After Stage 2
The second stage of the 2019 Merzouga Rally saw both Indian teams - Hero MotoSports Team Rally and Sherco TVS Rally Team post a strong finish in top five positions. TVS' Michael Metge was the fastest rider for the day completing the stage in 03h42m09s, followed by Hero's Oriol Mena who finished the stage, 01m16s behind Metge. Teammate Joaquim Rodrigues (JRod) finished at the end of the stage, +01m 37s off the race leader behind Adrian Van Beveren of Yamaha Racing. The second stage saw riders face a 212 km special section divided into two parts.
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F1: Michael Schumacher's Son Mick Tests A Ferrari; Second Fastest At Bahrain Test
Wearing red overalls, a Schumacher was entering the cockpit of a Ferrari again after 13 years. Only this time, it wasn't the legendary Michael Schumacher but his son Mick Schumacher driving the Formula 1 car at the Bahrain test earlier this week. The 20-year-old is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and has been carving out a name for himself in the world motorsport. Mick made his F1 test debut with Ferrari, almost completing a circle for the Schumacher family.
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Volkswagen Group To Merge All Passenger Car Entities In India
German auto giant Volkswagen Group has announced that the company intends to merge its three Indian passenger vehicle subsidiaries - Volkswagen India, Volkswagen Group Sales and Skoda Auto India under one umbrella. The merger has been considered and approved by the Boards of the three companies in India and is now subject to the necessary regulatory and statutory approvals, the automaker said in a statement. VW says the restructuring in an important milestone in the Skoda-led 'India 2.0' project. The merger is intended to improve the efficiency of the existing synergies in the company in terms of usage of resources.
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Vardenchi Inaugurates First Lifestyle Garage Flagship Store In Mumbai
Custom bike builder Vardenchi has inaugurated its first Lifestyle Garage Store in Mumbai. Spread over 1000 sq.ft., the new store diversifies the custom biker maker's into more of a lifestyle brand with aftermarket parts, apparel and safety gear. Largely known for its Royal Enfield builds, Vardenchi will also now produce aftermarket components for other motorcycle brands as well including the Bajaj Avenger range, Bajaj Dominar, KTM, TVS and more. The new lifestyle garage also includes a display area for the custom motorcycles and a service centre that will cater to the upkeep of the bikes and also complete the installation process for the custom kits.
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MotoGP: Marquez Takes Dominant Win In Argentina GP 2019; Rossi Finishes On Podium
After putting a spectacular fight in the first race of the season last month, Honda's Marc Marquez took a dominant win in the 2019 MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix. The rider completed the race with a massive lead of 9.816s over the rest of the pack, having led the race right from pole position. Coming in second was Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, going strong even as newer and younger riders take space on the grid. The Italian managed to pass Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso take P2, with each rider of the top three teams making it on the podium.
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F1: Hamilton Wins Dramatic Bahrain GP As Leclerc Salvages First Podium
In an absolutely gutting moment for Scuderia Ferrari, Charles Leclerc missed on his first-ever Formula 1 win in the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix as Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas passed the driver to take a 1-2 finish. Leclerc did manage to finish on the podium coming in third, but only as a consolation to his fantastic drive through the 57 lap race. The pole-sitter led right from the first lap only to face an engine issue in the closing stages, which cost him his maiden win in the championship.
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F1: Leclerc Bests Vettel To Take Maiden Pole For Bahrain GP
Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc secured his first Formula 1 pole position for the 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix. The 21-year-old driver made his Ferrari debut this year with the Australian GP and managed to put a dominant performance beating teammate Sebastian Vettel and both the Mercedes drivers. Vettel finished second, 0.294s behind Leclerc who posted a time of 1m27.866s in his second attempt improving from his initial run of 1m27.958s. Leclerc managed to post a faster time thanks to a new set of Pirellis over his teammate, while Vettel did not attempt an initial run.
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Bajas World Cup 2019: Aishwarya Pissay Takes Podium In Women's Class, Ashish Raorane Finishes 27th
The second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup Rally ended on Sunday and Indian riders Aishwarya Pissay and Ashish Raorane traversed the challenging terrains of Portugal to complete the gruelling rally. While Ashish managed to complete the race in 27th place overall, while Aishwarya finished in 29th place in the Baja do Pinhal. Pissay though managed to bag a podium in the women's category of the rally with a third-place finish and was placed fourth in the junior category. The two-day rally saw the riders complete a course of 364.69 km.
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Formula E: Jules-Eric Vergne Beats Oliver Rowland To Win Sanya e-Prix
Techeetah driver Jules-Eric Vergne took his first win of the 2018-19 season with the Sanya ePrix in China. The reigning Formula E champion passed pole-sitter Oliver Rowland of Nissan e.Dams in the final stages of the race to claim victory in a two-part race.
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Royal Enfield Establishes Assembly Plant In Thailand; First Outside India
Chennai-based bike maker Royal Enfield has announced a new assembly plant in Thailand, its first outside India. The new plant marks the formation of the company's first wholly-owned subsidiary in the Asia Pacific region, and will cater to the strong demand for its motorcycles. The new assembly plant will commence operations by June 2019. Royal Enfield had announced its expansion into Thailand with a new plant in April last year, while also announcing plans of establishing presence in Indonesia.
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Bajas World Cup 2019: Indian Riders Aishwarya Pissay & Ashish Raorane To Compete In Portuguese Baja
Indian rider Aishwarya Pissay and Ashish Raorane will be competing in the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup this weekend in Portugal. The rally marks Pissay's third international rally outing in her career, and second this year. Previously, the TVS racer participated in the first round of the Bajas Cup earlier this month competing in the dunes of Dubai. For Ashish too, this will be a follow up to the first round of the rally. Much like the first round, both Aishwarya and Ashish are participating as privateers in the event with Pissay riding the Yamaha 450 rally bike. She is supported by TVS Racing with the event part of her training and preparation. Ashish will be astride the KTM 450 rally motorcycle.
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TVS Young Media Racer Program 3.0 - Learning Basics Of Track Riding
The TVS Young Media Racer Program is an initiative for media professionals to experience the thrill of racing. Here's how the qualifying session unfolded.
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Next James Bond Movie Could Feature An Electric Aston Martin
There has been strong dialogue on what the next James Bond movies should include. Should it be a woman portraying the character ala Jane Bond, or should it feature a person of colour on the titular role. There's also an entire debate going on, if the character should be British. While there are enough yays and nays on each of those issues, one thing we all can agree upon is that an electric Aston Martin will certainly suit the MI6 Agent. And that seems to be the case with the next Bond movie. According to a report by The Sun, the upcoming movie in the spy franchise could feature the Aston Martin Rapide E alongside Agent 007. Currently dubbed as 'Bond 25', the upcoming feature-flick is scheduled for release in April 2020.
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