London: Gautam Gambhir has cut short his maiden stint in the English county cricket and returned to India for “family reasons”. He joined Essex in August. “Gautam Gambhir returned to his native India on Sunday for family reasons,” Essex Cricket said in a statement on Monday. “At this stage Essex Cricket and Gautam are unable to make any further comment. Essex Cricket is fully supportive of Gautam and very much hope that he will return to Essex before the end of the 2013 English domestic season.” The southpaw scored 31, 21, 2 and 0 in England before making a hundred on August 30 in a drawn match against Gloucestershire. Gmabhir last played for India in January when he featured in an ODI against England at Dharamsala. (IANS)
Force India sign new reserve driver
Monza: Putting to rest all speculation, Force India signed British GP 2 racer James Colado as the team’s reserve driver for the remainder of the 2013 season. The 24-year-old had participated in the young drivers’ test for the Indian Formula One outfit in July. Colado will begin his stint at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix here and he will get behind the VJM06 on Friday for the first free practice session. Team Principal Vijay Mallya confirmed his signing on Monday. “I’m pleased to confirm that we’ve signed James as our third driver. We worked with him during the Silverstone test and he impressed everyone with his speed and consistency,” Mallya said. Colado thus joins Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta in the team. “We’ve always tried to support young drivers and this is a great opportunity for James to gain some valuable experience of driving during Formula One race events.” Mallya said Colado will get chances in other races as well. “James will take part in the opening free practice session on Friday. He will also run in practice at several other races this year. It’s always useful to get another driver’s feedback on the car and it will help us evaluate James,” he said. In the past, Nico Hulkenberg and di Resta were promoted from test drivers to racing seats. (PTI)
McLaren celebrate 50th anniversary
Woking (UK): McLaren Group, which runs one of the oldest teams in Formula One, celebrated its 50th anniversary at the company headquarters here on Monday. Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Limited was formally incorporated on September 2 1963, when the 26-year-old New Zealander mustered together a small crew of committed individuals to design, build and race cars bearing his own name, operating from a small, cramped workshop in New Malden here. Bruce took the team into F1 at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix – and, since that day, has gone on to win 12 drivers’ and eight constructors’ championships. Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton are some of the big names to have driven for the team. Ron Dennis, McLaren Group chairman, said: “McLaren started as the dream of one man, and it’s since grown to encompass the hopes and dreams of more than 2,000 men and women, who work as tirelessly as Bruce McLaren himself once did to ensure that everything we do reflects well when compared with everything we’ve ever achieved. So, our 50th anniversary provides an opportunity for every single McLaren employee to realise that he or she is an utterly crucial part of an organisation with a history and a culture that really mean something.” (IANS)
Yogeshwar not to undergo surgery
New Delhi: Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt has been advised not to go in for surgery by his doctors on the knee, which has been diagnosed twice, as it could pose serious threat to his wrestling career. Yogeshwar suffered a medical collateral ligament (MCL) tear in his right knee in July and was contemplating undergoing an operation in South Africa. “I had consulted Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. He advised me not to go in for surgery as it could keep me out of wrestling mat for at least six to seven months. Moreover, he said it would be risky to go in for a third surgery on the same area,” Yogeshwar said. Yogeshwar had undergone the first surgery on his knee in 2009. “The doctor has said my knee is getting better,” said the 30-year-old grappler. (PTI)