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Author: David Bodapati
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Mishap mars Popular Rally; Sad end to the rally
Kochi, 21 August 2004: An unfortunate mishap in the 21st Popular Rally 2004, involving competitor No. 1 Naren Kumar and co-driver D Ramkumar, which resulted in the death of a five-year-old spectator Bobby, forced the organisers, the Kerala Auto Sports Club (KASC) to terminate the rally after four special stages which were run in the area around the forest sanctuary of Boothathankettu, about 40 kms from Kochi, here, on Saturday.
Trailing behind Vikram Mathais by four seconds after the completion of three special stages, defending champion Naren Kumar was touching speeds of over 100 kms when the mishap happened, the young kid crossing the road unexpectedly to join his father on the other side and colliding head on with the speeding Maruti Baleno.
According to the other spectators, the boy was on the opposite side of his father and brother just beyond a narrow bridge and ran to join them on being called. The father did not take into consideration the fast speed of the rally cars and it resulted in the unfortunate mishap. The child was rushed to hospital in the rally ambulance but succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital, where he was declared dead.
An official statement released by the organisers said, “After running 4 special stages, the organisers have decided to terminate the Popular Rally 2004, in view of an unfortunate accident in a closed special stage section, wherein a spectator, Bobby, a 5-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries in an accident involving competitor No. 1, Naren Kumar. The boys was accompanied by his father and his brother.
The fast and treacherous stages also claimed its own victims, three cars, which crashed out in the first special stage, the 15.06 km long Illythodu stage. Overall leader Philipose Mathai, the last round’s 1400cc winner, Prithveen Rajan and Rally Star Cup leader Rajesh Gadakh, all went off the road at high speeds, crashing their cars but escaping unhurt. Also going off the road was Karandip Singh, who smashed into a tree and destroyed the front arm of his car.
After three special stages, Vikram Mathais was leading the overall field with a time of 25.40 seconds, four ahead of Naren Kumar (25.44). Arjun Balu was in third place with 26.13.
Following are the provisional results after three stages:
Overall: Vikram Mathais/Sujith Kumar 25.40 mins; V R Naren Kumar/D Ramkumar 25.44; Arjun Balu/Kumar Swamy 26.13.
1400cc: Arjunrao Aroor/CK Chinappa 26.52; Ranjith Ballal/Ramesh Kumar 28.33; Sandeep Sharma/Kulbeer Singh 28.52.
Rally Star Cup: Sanjay Agarwal/Chandra Mouli 28.20; Khalid Faraz/G S Joshi 31.40; Jasbir Singh/Jeetender Nath 35.33.
Vikram Mathias (right) and co-driver BS Sujith Kumar with the Overall Trophy they won at the Popular Rally 2004. Photo by George Francis, Scorp News. -
Naren-Ram begin account in style; MRF sweep podium
Bangalore, 8 August 2004: Ace rally pair from Coimbatore, Naren Kumar and co-driver D Ramkumar of Team MRF began their title defence with a comfortable victory in the 30th Karnataka-1000 Rally, the second round of the Indian National Rally Championship here on Sunday.
The rally which was flagged off from The Club on Mysore Road on Friday ran the Special Stages at Bagepalli, off Bellary road, about 100km from the city. Defending champions Naren and Ram, began their account this year as Philippos Matthai and co-driver Ashwin Naik stole the victory at the first round in Nashik in July. The champion duo had to contend their teammates Karandip Singh and co-driver Jaidas Menon, who finished second and Vikram Mathis and co-driver Sujith Kumar, who had to settle for third. Thus Team MRF swept the podium in the overall category.
Prithveen Rajan along with navigator PV Srinivasa Murthy won the 1400cc category while Sanjay Agarwal and co-driver Chandramouili lifted the Rally Star Cup.
Two physical special stages, Garuda and Banda, were run thrice each on Saturday and twice each on Sunday near Bagepalli.
Provisional Results: Overall: 1. Naren Kumar/D Ramkumar (Team MRF) (43:32); 2. Karandeep Singh/Jaidas Menon (Team MRF) (44:28); 3. Vikram Mathais/Sujith Kumar (Team MRF) (44:29).
1400cc class: 1. Prithiveen/PVS Murthy (45:34); 2. Arjun Rao Aroor/C Chinappa (45:51); 3. Philippos Matthai/Ashwin Naik (45:51).
Rally Star Cup: 1. Sanjay Agarwal/ Chandramouli (48:36); 2. Chetan Shivraman/ Srikarunaya; 3. Rajesh Gadakh/Paritosh Kohok (50:03).
The following reported is first published in Deccan Herald and reproduced here Courtesy Deccan Herald.
Bangalore, DHNS, Monday August 9, 2004: Reigning National champion V R Naren Kumar (co-driver D Ramkumar) of Team MRF expectedly clinched the overall title with yet another stunning drive in his Baleno as the 30th Karnataka-1000 Rally, the second round of the MAI Indian National Rally Championship, concluded here on Sunday.
Incidentally, Naren had begun his Rally career by winning the group N (unmodified) title in a Gypsy in the 1994 K-1000 and had returned the following year to claim his first ever Overall crown in an Esteem.
Averaging 126kmph, the Coimbatore-based Naren destroyed the opposition even as his nearest overnight challenger and team-mate Arjun Balu (co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy), packed up with a broken suspension early in the first of the two 17.6 Kms stages that were run on Sunday at Bagepalli, about 120 Kms from Bangalore.
In the bargain, the Chandigarh-Bangalore combination of Karandip Singh and co-driver Jaidas Menon, also of Team MRF, finished second, but a mere one second ahead of team-mate Vikram Mathias (Masinagudi) and co-driver Sujith Kumar (Bangalore).
Meanwhile, Coimbatore’s Prithveen and co-driver PVS Murthy of Bangalore, spared seven seconds to local challengers, Arjun Rao Aroor and his veteran co-driver C K Chinnappa to top the 1400cc class.
Arjun Rao and the Nashik Rally winner, Philippos Matthai tied with penalty timing of 45 minutes, 41 seconds, but the former was adjudged second on the basis of more stage wins.
In the Rally Star Cup, Bangalore’s Sanjay Agarwal (co-driver Chandramouli), who was supported by Chettinad Sporting, topped comfortably while Chetan Shivaraman and co-driver Srikarunya of Bangalore, nursed their overnight second position despite suffering mechanical problems.
Provisional results: Overall/1600cc: Team MRF (VR Naren Kumar/D Ramkumar) 1 (43mins, 32 secs); Team MRF (Karandip Singh/Jaidas Menon) 2 (44:28); Team MRF (Vikram Mathias/Sujith Kumar) 3 (44:29).
1400cc: Prithveen/PVS Murthy 1 (45:34); Arjun Rao Aroor/C K Chinnappa 2 (45:41); Philippos Matthai/Ashwin Naik 3 (45:41).
Rally Star Cup: Sanjay Agarwal/Chandramouli 1 (48:36); Chetan Shivaraman/Srikarunya 2 (49:22); Rajesh Ghadag/Paritosh Kohok 3 (50:03). -
Vijaykumar enthralls Chennai, bags best rider award
Chennai, 1 August 2004: The 3rd round of the MRF National Motocross, a round of the FMSCI National Motocross Championship 2004 was a grand success. Huge crowds lined up the Kandaswami College Grounds in Annanagar Chennai to see the cream of the Indian Motocross talent vie with each other. And they were not disappointed as the teams of TVS and Yamaha gave a glorious display of skillful riding.
The event began with the most awaited race of the all. The Indian Experts Moto 1 Foreign Class upto 250 cc. Vijay Kumar of Team TVS Racing was the cynosure of all eyes and didn’t disappoint, as he emerged first at the first turn. With Syed Eathasam and Karan Kadam of Yamaha close on his heels, Vijay Kumar led the pack into the first 4 laps. The 5th lap proved to be a very interesting one as the 3 leaders jostled with one another for the lead. With the crowd cheering on, Karan Kadam of Yamaha was hot on the heels of Vijay Kumar. The gap between them had closed noticeably and as the crowd watched in tense anticipation, Karan was ‘black flagged’ and had to retire on safety grounds as first his seat fell off and then his number plate. Vijay Kumar went on to increase his lead and win with a comfortable margin, as Yogesh Barguje of Yamaha was unable to close the gap. Limping due to an injury suffered earlier, Vijay Kumar won the hearts of all as he showed the Chennai crowd his class act.
With all interest centering on this one race, it was no surprise as the crowd swelled as the second moto began. Vijay Kumar, battling pain, roared into the lead. With daredevil riding he slowly increased his lead as the crowd behind battled for the second and third places. Karan Kadam of Yamaha started closing the gap and almost took the lead at one stage. With the crowd urging on Vijay Kumar, he battled on till the 3rd lap, where he lost the lead to Syed Eathasham and Karan Kadam of Yamaha. As Syed took the lead a new battle began for second place. Into the 6th lap, Karan suffered an unfortunate fall enabling Vijay Kumar to whiz past. Syed won the second moto with Vijay Kumar coming in second.
With his splendid showing Vijay Kumar of Team TVS was adjudged the best rider of the day. With his daredevil riding Vijay showed Chennai crowds why he is held in such high esteem. He was the star of the day leaving no one in doubt about his immense talent.
The next race was the Novice Class, and Deepak John on a TVS Shogun shot into the lead into the first bend. Riding steadily he maintained his lead till the fifth lap of the race. Going into the turn into the 5th lap, he misjudged a turn and fell giving Wasim Mohd riding a Yamaha RX 135 to slip past him and move into the lead. And it stayed that way till the end with Mohd Wasim emerging victorious.
With crowd swelling in numbers, interest centred around the next race which was the Class 2, Indian Experts above 80 cc upto 150 cc. All eyes were again drawn to Vijay Kumar of Team TVS. T. K. Viswanath had other plans and he shot into the lead ahead of more fancy names into the first corner. However in the melee immediately post the first corner, C. Santhosh of Team TVS moved into the lead. With the crowd yelling at the top of their voices, Syed Eathasham of Yamaha bore down on Santosh and the pressure was too much for Santosh who surrendered his lead. Syed rapidly built up his lead and was being threatened by both Santosh and Vijay Kumar of Team TVS till a midfield collision between the two TVS riders allowed Yogesh Barguje to move into second place. There was no catching Yogesh however and he won with time to spare.
The next race was for Class 8 – Indian Experts above 110 c upto 250 cc. This was a fairly steady race and Bharat Kadam riding a Yamaha 250 F drove a good, steady race to win comfortably over Abhijit Jadhav.
The race for Class 5, Indian Experts above 80 cc upto 110 cc was next. C. D. Jinan of Team TVS shot into the lead. However a major spill into the 2nd lap involving some of the leaders, led to Jinan surrendering his lead to V. Lokesh. However, Shivkumar began piling on the pressure and son moved into the lead and eventually winning with some smart and effective riding.
Rustom Patel of Team TVS Racing dominated the Class 3 for Indian Experts winning with ease. B. V. Suresh and Sayed Zubair of Team TVS came second and third respectively.
ShivaKumar came back to win the Class 6, Indian Experts, race for bikes above 110cc upto 180 cc. Driving with aplomb, he ensured that he didn’t lose his lead to either Jinan or Shridhar and emerged victorious. This was his second victory for the afternoon.
Chennaites came to their feet to cheer the local class. Anandkumar drove a good race to win.
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Philippos-Naik win maiden Overall title at Nashik
Nashik, 4 July 2004: Talented Philippos Mathai and co-driver Ashwin Naik won the MAK Nashik Rally, the opening round of MAI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), sponsored by Gulf Oil, which concluded here at the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan on Sunday.
The Nashik Rally is the season opener of Motorsports Association of India’s (MAI) ambitious 8-round calendar for 2004. The rally fraternity will move to Bangalore for the second round K1000 in August.
Strong contender Jiby Maliakkal and co-driver Nikhil Pai, who won the final rally last year in Pune, fell into 37-second arrears on Saturday night and made an aggressive attempt to cut the gap but could make only 22 seconds and ended up second overall.
Thus Philippos Mathai and Ashwin Naik bagged their maiden overall title. The Maliakkal and Pai duo, who lost crucial time when their 1600cc Honda City V-Tec went off the road. The duo finished 15 seconds behind clocking one hour 31minutes and 18 seconds. The duo of Mathai and Naik also won the 1400cc title. Arjun Rao Aroor and experienced CK Chinappa came second in the 1400cc class while Sandeep Sharma and co-driver Kulbir Singh Dhaliwal were third.
The Rally Star Cup was won by Zohrab Zorabian and co-driver Rayomand Banajee ahead of Amith Kumar and co-driver Amith Anand. Rajesh Gadakh and co-driver Paritosh Kohok finished third.
The results (provisional):
Overall: 1. Phillipos Mathai/Ashwin Naik 1:31.18; 2. Jiby Maliakkal/Nikhil Pai (Team Chettinad) 1:31.33; 3. R. Karthikeyan/G. Satish 1:31.42.
1400cc category: 1. Phillipos Mathai/Ashwin Naik 1:31.18; 2. Arjunrao Aroor/CK Chinappa (Methods) 1:32.40; 3. Sandeep Sharma/Kulbirsingh Dhaliwal 1:35.12.
Rally Star Cup: 1. Sohrab Zorabian/Rayo Banerjee 1:38.16; 2. Amith Kumar/Amith Anand 1:40.07; 3. Rajesh Gadakh/Paritosh Kohok 1:44.57.
Note: This article is manually migrated from the archives of old website.
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TVS Racing Victorious At Speed Run 2004: Drag races
Mumbai, 28 March 2004: MS Ravindra of TVS Racing, sets a new record as the fastest Indian Rider!!
He was on a group B* TVS Shaolin and covered a distance of 400mts in 13.19 sec (record time), achieving top speed of 146+ km/h.
It was a memorable day at the ‘Drag meet’ where combination of sheer engine power and lightest payload (machine + Rider wt) was at competition. The event was organised by ‘AUTOCAR’ sports magazine.
We had considerably reduced the chassis weight by using rear frame parts (stay, seat support etc) made in aluminum, the engine was a specially tuned TVS Shaolin where the porting, carburation and exhaust complimented each other to bring out this record performance.*Group B: All Solo two wheelers manufactured / assembled in India, homologated with FMSCI but modified within the framework of the regulations. The frame can be lightened, porting can be done exhaust chamber can be used etc. but all modifications must be carried out in India.
Syed Rehman of TVS Racing, did longest wheelie** !
He covered 200 mts on one wheel, the next rider could cover only 85 mts.
**Wheelie: is riding the two wheeler with front wheel lifted in air, this requires considerable amount of practice and skill on the part of the rider. -
Vijay Kumar of TVS Racing excels, awarded ‘Best Rider of the Day’
Chandigarh, 29 Feb 2004: TVS Racing dominated the first round of the MRF National Motocross Championship held in Chandigarh by winning 5 out of 6 championship races. Ace rider and reigning national motocross champion C. Vijay Kumar of TVS Racing showed his mettle by sealing top positions in both the events he participated. His daredevil skill of speed and courage earned him the ‘Best Rider of the day’ title instituted by the organisers. The crowd was in all cheers for this wonder boy as he enthralled them with his jumps in great dexterity and speed.
The bright and sunny morning at Chandigarh began with the Moto 1 of the prestigious Group A Experts Foreign Class upto 250 CC where C. Vijay Kumar leaped into lead followed closely by his counterpart H.K. Pradeep. As the race progressed both Pradeep and Yamaha’s leading rider Yogesh Barguje had a fall putting them out of contention. T. K. Vishwanath of Yamaha went ahead past other riders except Vijay Kumar of TVS Racing who had by then consolidated his initial lead and in the end took the top position with ease. It was however interesting to note that Syed Rehman of TVS Racing, who was way behind caught in a tangle, surged past top 10 riders to take the third position.
The day also ended with the Moto 2, which turned out to be a total entertainer. Three Yamaha riders shot into lead initially and it took a while for the TVS Racers to get out of a tangle they got into. Once Vijay kumar of TVS Racing, who was behind by almost a lap behind, got his coast cleared took on the riders ahead of him with ease. Though he managed to reach only a close second he was by then assured winner in the class with 37 points. Syed Eathasham of Yamaha racing who shot to a good lead managed to guard his position to come first in the second moto.
Following this TVS Racing team continued to dominate leaving no stone unturned for Yamaha to take the limelight. The Group B Indian Experts upto 150 CC was easily won by C. Vijay Kumar who was leading right through. It was however, interesting to note how Syed Rehman of TVS Racing, who once again, surged from behind beating all the riders including the Syed Eathasham of Yamaha racing at the last crossing towards the finish line to become second.
Another surprise winner of the day was the experienced C. D. Jinan of TVS Racing who took the top honours in the Group D upto 180 CC riding TVS Fiero F2. He took a formidable lead right at the beginning and maintained his pace leaving only his team mate H. K. Pradeep to offer some resistance. The only class which Yamaha Racing took number one position was the Class D Indian Experts upto 110 CC where Shivkumar of Yamaha emerged winner. Here again Syed Rehman was not too far behind him at the finish line. The second and third position in this class was sealed by TVS Racing. The novice class also saw TVS Racing taking the top honors.
Thrilled by his win, C. Vijay Kumar of TVS Racing said “This was indeed a short and challenging track and I had told myself at the beginning come what may I must bring glory to my team. It required me to put in extra effort of staying there till the end with high speeds especially at the curves and in the end it paid off.”
Results
MRF NATIONAL MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 1 – CHANDIGARH
1. Indian Experts Foreign Open – Group A upto 250 CC.
MOTO 1
Sl . No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 C. Vijay Kumar TVS RACING TVS 250 X
2 T. K. Vishwanath Yamaha Racing YZ 250 F
3 Syed Rehman TVS Racing TVS 250 XMOTO 2
Sl . No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 Syed Eathasham Yamaha Racing YZ 250 F
2 C. Vijay Kumar TVS Racing TVS 250 X
3 T.K.Vishwanath Yamaha Racing YZ 250 F
OVERALL WINNER – C. Vijay Kumar of TVS Racing with 37 points2. Indian Experts Group B Above 80 CC upto 150 CC
Sl . No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 C. Vijay Kumar TVS Racing Shaolin
2 Syed Rehman TVS Racing Shaolin
3 Syed Eathasham Yamaha Racing RX 1353. Indian Experts Group B 110 CC upto 250 CC
Sl . No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 B. V. Suresh TVS Racing Fiero
2 Rustom Patel TVS Racing Fiero
3 Chandan K. P TVS Racing Fiero4. Indian Experts Group D 110 CC upto 180 CC
Sl . No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 C. D. Jinan TVS Racing TVS Fiero F2
2 Pradeep H.K TVS Racing TVS Fiero
3 Shivkumar Yamaha Racing YBX Yamaha5. Indian Experts Group D 80CC upto 110 CC
Sl . No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 Shivkumar Yamaha Racing Crux
2 Syed Rehman TVS Racing TVS Victor
3 C. D. Jinan TVS Racing TVS Victor6. Indian Novice Group D Above 80 CC upto 150 CC
Sl . No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 Chandan K. P TVS Racing TVS Shogun
2 Wasim Khan Yamaha Racing RX 135
3 Deepak John TVS Racing TVS ShogunNon-Championship events
The local class was one by Jeevan Jeet Singh of Chandigarh. The intermediate class A stroke 2/4 upto 250 CC / 400 CC was won by Rey Dhillion -
C Vijaykumar rated best; TVS Racing wins National Motocross
Bangalore, 23 Dec 2003: It was grit, skill and motoring endurance that was at display in the dusty tracks of Bangalore’s Palace Grounds and in the end TVS Racing emerged victorious by taking top honours in 5 out of 6 races held today including the prestigious Indian Expert-Foreign Open upto 250 CC where it also emerged as the Champions with C. Vijaykumar’s formidable lead of 26 points (214 points) from the nearest competitor. The fiercely fought battle between TVS Racing and Yamaha Racing at the 6th and final round of MRF National Motocross Championship, saw the best of motor racing the country has ever seen. With this win, TVS Racing sealed the Championship position by taking 3 top positions of the possible 6. The prestigious foreign open was won by TVS Racing.
C. Vijaykumar the young sensation from TVS Racing, also last year’s national motocross champion, kept his title by winning number one positions in both the motos of the Indian Expert-Foreign Open upto 250 CC. His splendid performance today, won him ‘the best rider of the day‘ title as well.
The huge crowd that turned out today was treated first with the daredevil acts of the riders at Moto One of the Indian Experts – Foreign Motorcycles Class Group A for motorbikes upto 250 cc. And they were not disappointed! C. Vijayakumar riding TVS 250 X was lagging behind 5 racers ahead of him at the end of first lap and soon shot himself into the lead at the end of 6th lap and kept the tempo going right till the end where he cleared the ‘tabletops’ with ease. Yogesh Barguje of Yamaha Racing was behind him but was in no position to catch up with Vijaykumar. The second moto of the same class turned out to be an almost repeat performance of the moto one where the top three positions were the same except this time Vijaykumar kept his initial lead throughout.
The other classes too saw TVS taking the honors where the popular ‘TVS Victor’, displaying excellent performance. In a separate add on to the motoring entertainment Paul Broomfield, the Australian Trainer of TVS Racing performed some daredevil stunts that enthralled the crowd. In no time he became the most popular guy in the field.
Speaking on the occasion Arvind Pangaonkar, General Manager, R&D, TVS Motor Company commented, “We have once again proved that we are the leaders of motocross race in India having one this coveted title. This is the fourth continuous year that we are winning the championship and all credit goes to the brilliant performance by our riders. This has given us a strong reinforcement and we promise our supporters a good motoring entertainment in the next year as well”
C. Vijaykumar too was thrilled beyond words, “I am happy with the performance and I hope to do even better for my Team in the rest of the years to come.”
MRF NATIONAL MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 6 – HYDERABAD
INDIAN EXPERTS FOREIGN OPEN – GROUP A – UPTO 250 CC
MOTO ONE
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1. C. Vijayakumar Team TVS Racing TVS 250 X
2. Yogesh Barguje Yamaha Racing YZ 250
3. Sayed Eathasham Yamaha Racing YZ 250 F
MOTO TWO
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 C. Vijayakumar Team TVS Racing TVS 250 X
2 Yogesh Barguje Yamaha Racing YZ 250
3 Sayed Eathasham Yamaha Racing YZ 250 F
Overall Winner at the end of the Championship
C. Vijaykumar -TVS Racing – 214 points
Yogesh Barguje – TVS Racing – 188 points
INDIAN NOVICE – GROUP D – ABOVE 80CC UPTO 150 CC
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 Chandan K P TVS Racing Shogun
2 V. Lokesh Yamaha Racing RX 135
3 Sridhar Urs Yamaha Racing RX 135
Overall Winner at the end of the Championship
Lokesh Gowda -Yamaha Racing – 97 points
INDIAN EXPERTS – GROUP D – ABOVE 80 CC UPTO 110 CC
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 Syed Rahman TVS Racing TVS Victor
2 Shivkumar Yamaha Racing Yamaha Crux
3 C. D Jinan TVS Racing TVS Victor
Overall Winner at the end of the Championship
Shivkumar of Yamaha Racing -111 points
INDIAN EXPERTS – GROUP B – ABOVE 80 CC UPTO 150 CC
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 Yogesh Barguje Yamaha Racing RX 135
2 Syed Rahman TVS Racing TVS Shaolin
3 T. K. Vishwanath Yamaha Racing RX 135
Overall Winner at the end of the Championship
Yogesh Barguge of Yamaha Racing -92 points
C. Vijay Kumar of TVS Racing – 88 points
Locals Group C 110 CC to 180 CC
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 M.D Azgar Privateer RX 135
2 Deepak John Privateer TVS Shogun
3 Manavalan Privateer RX 135
INDIAN EXPERTS GROUP D 110 to 180 CC
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 B. V Suresh TVS Racing TVS Fiero
2 Sayed Rehman TVS Racing TVS Fiero
3 Rustom Patel TVS Racing TVS Fiero
Overall Winner at the end of the Championship
Sayed Rehman of TVS Racing – 106 points
TVS Fiero INDIAN EXPERTS GROUP B 110 to 250 CC
Sl. No Rider Team Motorcycle
1 G. Prasad TVS Racing TVS Fiero
2 Rustom Patel TVS Racing TVS Fiero
3 Pinkesh Thakkar TVS Racing TVS Fiero
Overall Winner at the end of the Championship
G. Prasad of TVS Racing – 112 pointsNote: This article is migrated from Archives in 2021
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Karamjit wins Pune leg by loses APRC title by a point
Pune, 7 Dec 2003: Karamjit Singh of Malaysia won the MRF India rally with a stunning drive on a difficult terrain on the western outskirts of Pune, steering his Group A Proton to a creditable victory but failed to retain his FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship title, losing by just a point to Armin Kremer, here on Sunday.
INRC Winners – Jiby & Nikhil
Meanwhile, it was Jiby Maliakkal and co-driver Nikhil Pai, who clinched the honours in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) bringing home their Honda City VTec to a comfortable win in the 1600cc class. The INRC was held concurrently with the APRC round here in Pune. Mysore driver Lohit Urs and co-driver Musa Sherif won the 1400cc class.
Tactical Kremer gains
Coming back to APRC, German Armin Kremer not only won the the overall honours for the year but also took home the Production Class victory for the year 2003 by finishing 2nd overall in the final leg in Pune. Behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7, Kremer won the title on his MRF tyres-backed Mitsubhishi by garnering seven super rally points for his drive here, which proved crucial in the end.
Before the start of the APRC final round here, four drivers were competing with a chance to win the championship. Kiwi driver Geoff Argyle was on table top with 45 points followed by Kremer on 43 and, Japan’s Fumio Nutahara was third another six points behind Kremer on 37. Defending APRC champion, Malaysian Karamjit Singh had only 34 points but still had a fair chance of clinching the title again with a maximum of 19 points on offer in the last leg in Pune. However, as one would have it, despite taking the Overall victory here, Karamjit missed a chance to retain the title by a point as Kremer managed 7 super rally points to seal the championship.
Kremer was leading overnight after a good run in the first leg while Karamjit lost about 90 seconds due to a puncture and the three super rally points stood Kremer in good stead with Singh getting only two, which in the end proved costly for the Malaysian.
Despite winning the next two legs and the points, Karamjit Singh had to rue the point he lost in the first leg. He increased the lead to 2 minutes 22 seconds but Kremer was cool enough to guard his second place in the last two legs, thus winning the championship.
Italian Nico Caldarola was third in a Mitsubishi Lancer 7 and MRF team-mate of Kremer, David Doppelrieter was fourth.
Geof Argyle had issues all the day as he had problems with shock absorber before overheating and punctures ruined his chances and he ended up at 6th place by the end of Day 1. But he still had a chance on the following days for the other legs as his contender for the championship Fumio Nutahara crashed out with a suspension issue. His team-mate Katsu Taguchi also pulled out with bad gearbox.
Playig a tactical game and a second place enough for the championship, Kremer took it easy in the second leg and let the Malaysian Karamjit pull up a gap in the lead and was content protecting his second place. “I know I just had to come second. But I have to finish and take the second place for the bonus point for the day which is very crucial. It meant I couldn’t back-off. With the rough conditions it was difficult to know the right pace,” said Kremer. But the way he drove, Kremer judged well during all the stages on the final day. And, he finally made it by just a point.
“I’m very happy to take the overall win because we came here looking for the Group N title for this year. So this is fantastic. This is a wonderful championship with so many countries, conditions and cultures. For European drivers it is such a good experience to have so many events with gravel and they are all so different. It is over and we now we think about next year,” concluded the champion from Germany.
Karamjit Singh said: “I am happy to win in India as this country is very special to me. But it is a bit frustrating to lose the championship by a point.”
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Karamjit Singh takes lead after Day 2: APRC
Pune, 6 Dec 2003: Celebrated rally driver Karamjit Singh and co-driver Allen Oh of Petronas Eon Racing team, Malaysia, driving a Group A, modified Proton Pert, snatched a 90-second lead over Germany’s Armin Kremer and co-driver Fred Berssen of Team MRF Tyres, to take the day’s honours on Saturday at the end of Leg 2 of the MRF India Rally, the fifth and concluding round of the 2003 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, simultaneously run along the seventh and final round of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) here on Saturday.
Karamjit, the 2002 Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and Production Cars category World Rally Championship winner, managed to erase the deficit of over one minute to overnight leader, Kremer who lead at the end of Leg 1.
Driving aggressively and hitting top speeds in the first Special Stage of the day (SS6), Karamjit took 14 second off Kremer, the 2001 European champion, and went on clip a further 54 seconds in the next stage and reclaimed the lead he had on Friday but some technical issues with suspension later on, spoiled his good work as he lost almost two minutes.
However, Karamjit consolidated his lead increasing it by another 45 seconds in SS-8 and then enhanced it to one minute, 29.7 seconds at the end of Leg 2.
Kremer, who had clinched the Group N (unmodified) title last night after his closest rival Japan’s Fumio Nutahara had dropped out following an off-road excursion, had to deal with gear selection problems. He was forced to drive his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 in third gear through much of SS-7 and SS-8.
“It was basically a technical problem and I was stuck in third gear for nearly 10 kms of SS-7 and also the next Stage. It has been a tiring day for me, with the Stages being long, narrow and tricky. However, we only need to finish second Overall to win the APRC championship and that is not too bad a position to be in. But then, I need to keep an eye on Nutahara who might be starting again tomorrow to try for some Leg points,” said Kremer at the final Service halt.
Nutahara, after crashing out yesterday, started Leg 2 today, but half-way through SS-7, the gearbox of his Evo 7 gave way, forcing him to retire for the day. However, he plans to restart on Sunday.
Karamjit had no such issues, though he had to come to terms with a suspension that had gone soft and some problems with the brakes. “We have had no punctures, no big problems. So, I’m pretty happy with our performance,” said Karamjit.
Meanwhile, two top New Zealand entries, Geof Argyle (co-driver Steve Smith) of Racetech Seats and Andrew Hawkeswood (co-driver Paul Fallon) of Force Motorsport Ltd., dropped out of contention.
Argyle, in a Group A Evo 6.5, has had a wretched outing here. “I broke both the front struts today and had a puncture on SS-9 that cost me three minutes. So, it has been a disappointing Rally for me. Perhaps, I should have run on harder suspension, given the rough terrain here,” said Argyle who is placed fifth Overall, but second in Group A, behind Karamjit. Hawkeswood, also in a Group A Evo 6.5, retired after a puncture on SS-7 and broken strut on SS-8.
“I had broken two struts yesterday. So, I do not have any spares. It has been a disappointing APRC season for me, as I finished only two of the five rounds. Perhaps, I will take a year’s break and come back in 2005,” he said.
David Doppelreiter of Austria (co-driver Ola Floene of Norway), representing Team MRF Tyres, put in some fast times in his Group N Evo 7, to finish Leg 2 at fourth Overall, behind Karamjit, Kremer and 2002 Group N champion, Nico Caldarola (co-driver Paolo Cecchini) of Italy.
Provisional/unaudited classification after Leg 2:
APRC Overall: 1. Karamjit Singh/Allen Oh (Team Petronas Eon Racing) (3hrs, 9mins, 29.3secs); 2. Armin Kremer/ Fred Berssen (Team MRF Tyres) (3:10:59.0); 3. Domenico Caldarola/ Paolo Cecchini (3:14:44.7); 4. David Doppelreiter/ Ola Floene (Team MRF Tyres) (3:20:02.2); 5. Geof Argyle/ Steve Smith (Team Racetech Seats) (3:29:15.1); 6. Chris Atkinson/ Ben Atkinson (Team Monster Sport Australia) (3:33:03.2); 7. Brian Green/ Fleur Pedersen (Team Force Motorsport Ltd) (3:43:54.5).
APRC Group N (unmodified): 1. Kremer/Berssen ; 2. Caldarola/Cecchini ; 3. Doppelreiter/Floene 3.
Leg 2 Points: Karamjit Singh 3 pts; Kremer 2 pts; Caldarola 1 pt.
Total points after Leg 2: Kremer 5, Karamjit 5, Caldarola 2.
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Birthday boy Armin Kremer takes lead after Day 1: APRC
Pune, 5 Dec 2003: Birthday boy Armin Kremer of Germany put his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 in the lead on the opening day on Friday. Driving along with co-driver Fred Berssen for Team MRF Tyres, the duo emerged as the early leaders in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship conducted along with Indian National Rally Championship here on Friday.
Kremer, the Group N (unmodified) 2003 APRC champion and the 2001 European champion, led Japan’s Fumio Nutahara (co-driver Satoshi Hayashi) by 66 points to 54, going into the MRF India Rally, the fifth and concluding round of the 2003 APRC series. Thus, he clinched the Group N title when Nutahara retiring after a crash in Special Stage-3.
Kremer, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Thursday, topped the time charts at the end of Day One and with it earned three points for being the fastest in Leg 1. The three points saw him overhaul the overall championship leader, Geof Argyle (co-driver Steve Smith) of Racetech Seats, New Zealand, and lead by 46 points to 45.
Argyle, driving a Group A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6.5, lost considerable time due to a puncture, a broken strut and an overheating engine that capped a rather disappointing outing as he returned to the cool of his hotel room without a point after finishing fifth in Leg 1.
And in between, strong contenders Karamjit Singh and co-driver Allen Oh of Malaysia, driving a Group A Proton Pert for Team Petronas Eon Racing, had a puncture and lost two minutes in SS-5. In the process, Karamjit, had to concede the lead to Kremer who was ahead by a minute on Friday.
“Yes, it is good to win the Group N championship, but Saturday would be crucial as I am sure, Karamjit will be pushing hard to make up time. A one-minute lead is nothing much and I need to drive well to hold off both Karamjit and Argyle,” said Kremer.
Kremer too suffered a puncture in SS-3 but recovered fast to carry on his campaign. “I somehow managed to finish the Stage, but lost about 18 seconds due to the puncture,” Kremer, the 3-time German champion added.
David Doppelreiter of Austria (co-driver Ola Floene of Norway), also of Team MRF Tyres, drove conservatively to finish Leg 1 fourth Overall and third in Group N, behind Kremer and Domenico Caldarola (co-driver Paolo Cecchni) of Italy.
Karandip-Jaidas lead: In the MAI Indian National Rally Championship, the seventh and concluding round of the series, a lot of drivers failed to finish the day. Karandip Singh and co-driver Jaidas Menon of Team MRF, driving a Honda City V-tec, Overall first at the end of Leg 1 with a lead of over four minutes on second-placed Jiby Maliakkal and co-driver Nikhil Pai.
Top guns like VR Naren Kumar and co-driver D Ramkumar, and his MRF team-mates N Leelakrishnan (Farooq Ahmed), Arjun Balu (Kumar Ramaswamy) and Vikram Mathias (Sujith Kumar), retire due to mechanical problems.
Provisional/unaudited classifications after Leg 1 (90.08 Kms):
APRC Overall: 1. Armin Kremer/ Fred Berssen (Team MRF Tyres) (1hr, 21mins, 34.9secs); 2. Karamjit Singh/ Allen Oh (Team Petronas Eon Racing) (1:22:34.9); 3. Domenico Caldarola/ Paolo Cecchini (1:23:14.5); 4. David Doppelreiter/ Ola Floene (Team MRF Tyres) (1:23:49.2); 5. Andrew Hawkeswood/ Paul Fallon (Force Motorsport Ltd) (1:26:08.1); 6. Geof Argyle/ Steve Smith (Team Racetech Seats) (1:30:30.3); 7. Chris Atkinson/ Ben Atkinson (Monster Sport Australia) (1:32:58.0); 8. Brian Green/ Fleur Pedersen (Team Racetech Seats) (1:33:38.8).
APRC Group N: 1. Kremer/Berssen; 2. Caldarola/Cecchini; 3. Doppelreiter/Floene.
Leg points: Kremer/Berssen 3 pts; Karamjit/Oh 2 pts; Caldarola/Cecchini 1 pt.
MAI-INRC Overall: 1. Karandip Singh/ Jaidas Menon (Team MRF Tyres) (1:35:44.4); 2. Jiby Maliakkal/Nikhil Pai (1:40:31.2); 3. Lohit V Urs/ Musa Sherif (1:42:24.5); 4. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Bhat (Team Movva) (1:47:08.7).
Rally Star Cup: 1. Arjun Rao Aroor/ CK Chinnappa (Team Mandovi) (1:48:00.7); 2. Ranjit Ballal/ Shanmuga Nataraj (1:48:34.7); 3. Sanjay Agarwal/ Ashwin Naik (Team GMW) (1:50:28.9); 4. Prithveen Rajan/ Jay Kumar (1:52:37.3).