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Category: Domestic
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To SIR with love, South India Rally receives huge response
Bengaluru, 16 April 2021: To SIR, with love, is a popular song of the sixties. But now the SIR is on a song. South India Rally, popularly known as SIR, has received an overwhelming response and a record 65 entries for the 43rd edition that begins on April 23, and is also run concurrently with APRC.
To SIR with love, is actually a British drama, on social issues starred by Sydney Poitier in 1967. Here in India we continue our song in motorsports, to SIR with love. And it will be a big tribute to the grand old Sir, Indu Chandhok, who first won the rally in 1954, when it all began as South India 800 Rally. But after another edition of the TSD event in between in 1955, the South India Rally took its birth in 1957.
Manoj Dalal, the long-time navigator of Vicky Chandhok, is the current CoC (Clerk of Course) for the 43rd SIR, the first round of INRC 2021. And the CoC has confirmed that the final number of entries is 65. Sixty five is the record in the 34-year INRC history. The last highest number was at the 2009 K-1000 which attracted 61 entries.
Chandhok Senior, won the rally in 1954 in a Triumph Mayflower and went on to print his name in the history books winning the first edition in 1957 in a Standard Ten.
Vicky Chandhok. File photo by INDIAinF1 Coming back, the Indian National Rally Championship 2021 (INRC), the first round which is clubbed with Asia Pacific Rally Championship, received a record 65 entries and the organisers Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) was forced to restrict further (late) entries. Another record will be over 10 entries by Lady drivers, making it 23 lady participants in the rally. “This is the first time such huge number of ladies are taking part in an INRC round,” said a regular, who lamented about the ban on spectators.
“When Vamsi (Merla) first said that he would make sure that the South India Rally gets sixty entries, I laughed, and asked him if he was joking. But the response is overwhelming and I have not seen such a rush in the past. I must congratulate the Promoter who worked tirelessly, calling drivers and helping with goodies, providing tyres and supporting the Women in Motorsport initiative enthusiastically by getting them sponsors,” said Vicky Chandhok, the chairman of the meet and the man who brought F1 to India. “Yes, he pulled it off,” he added. “There will not be much imported cars and we will have national cars in the APRC. The number will be known only after a couple of days,” he said talking about the APRC entries.
Due to the Covid second wave, the Organisers and the Promoters, Champions Yacht Club have decided that there would no spectators for the first round of the INRC. “Unfortunately, we had to close the doors on spectators. I am really sorry for all the fans but to compensate, we are making arrangements to live stream and put out live results,” said Vamsi Merla, the Promoter. “We believe upon the best club in the country. MMSC has conducted two Nationals in a strict `Bubble’ and they are known to follow all the procedures and government restrictions thoroughly. They are the active and the best club with great infrastructure. So all the safety precautions, both rally wise and Covid wise are taken care of and we are fully confident,” said Merla, who praised the Marshals of MMSC `who are on the toes always’.
Promoter Vamsi Merla, who encouraged more women to participate by providing sponsors, managed to get over 60 entries. Vicky Chandhok, who won the South India Rally four times, in a Dolphin, Montana and a Fiat, predicts tough competition. Gaurav Gill, three times APRC champion, who was crowned with the Arjuna Award, will be raring to go in Yellow colours. Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, will complete the Mahindra line-up. The rally will also witness talented drivers Karna Kadur, Dean Mascarenhas, Bikku Babu, Chetan Shivram and other youngsters Fabid Ahmer, Aditya Thakur and Arjun Rao.
“I thank MRF for sponsoring many lady drivers. This will be a milestone year in women participation and we wish them all the best,” said Vamci. Apart from regulars Smitha Prasad, Dr Shivani Pruthvi (Deeksha Balakrishna) and Pragathi Gowda (Trisha Jagannathan), 10 other lady teams are expected to take part. Around 10 drivers including Khyati Mody will be supported by MRF. Taking the support of 2019 Overall champion Chetan Shivram, Champions Yacht Club conducted a Talent Hunt over two days in Bengaluru, where about 28 ladies took part. Dhruva Chandrasekhar and Suhem Kabir, also trained the participants. Prominent among them who will be taking part in the INRC Round 1 will be Pathanamthitta lass Athira Murali, a popular Auto Vlogger, and then Renuka G from Andhra Pradesh, who came second in the Talent Hunt, besides Amnadeep Kaur (Amman Jubbal), Madhi Sri Elangovan, Anupma Bindra, Chandrika Thampuratty, and mother-and-daughter duo Shivani and Dr Vani Parmar. However, Ojasvi Mehta, an MBA student from Mumbai, who did well in the Talent Hunt, will not be making it to the first round due to academic clashes.
The first round of the INRC will be held at Irungatuukottai on April 24 and 25. There will be two Special Stages, Avisa (16.8km) and Track (12.10km) besides a Super Special Stage of two laps covering a total distance of 4.8km on the tarmac of MMRT.
There will be four classes, Overall INRC, INRC2, INRC3, INRC4 and INRC NR4 for the National Championship. The SUV class and the Gypsy class will also be run as support classes, and the National Junior Championship will test the best juniors below 25 years who never won any round. The APRC Asia Cup round will have 4 more stages to complete the mandatoroy 150km mark. Yes SIR, we are ready!
Note: Updated on 17 April 2021 at 3.20pm
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Athira Murali tops Talent Hunt as CYC selects 10 Lady drivers for INRC
Bengaluru, 31 March 2021: Athira Murali, a popular Malayalam Auto vlogger, who made her INRC debut at Coimbatore in January winning the ladies class and taking a well-deserved 5th among 12 INRC4 drivers, is expected to become a regular feature in the Indian National Rally Championship, thanks to promoters, who conducted a Drivers’ School and a selection camp to pick up talented lady drivers for the upcoming season beginning with the APRC round at Chennai from April 23.
Soon after her topping the selection trials among 25, Athira was picked up by Team JK Tyre, and the Kottayam lass will be taking part in the first round of INRC in Yellow colours. “I am so glad to be sponsored by JK Tyre and excited to wear the yellow colours. I will give my best in the upcoming round in chennai,” said Athira.
The Champions Yacht Club (CYC) FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 will see over 10 women drivers and co-drivers line-up for the start for the first time after coming out on top in a nation-wide Talent Hunt conducted here at the Unite Off-Road Track.
The one-of-a-kind selection and training programme was conducted by 2019 INRC champion Chetan Shivram. The Talent Hunt was supported by promoter Vamsi Merla.
“We believe that Chetan Shivram Motorsports can be the architect and backbone of motorsports in the years to come, as long as we have support from promoters, the way Mr Vamcy Merla promotes and encourages talent. We would be happy to train and support enthusiasts entering motorsports irrespective of age or gender, as bringing more talent to the National level is our priority,” said Shivram.
Twenty-five talented but unheralded women racers were shortlisted from across the country and were given beginners’ and advanced training in rally cars by ace rallyists Suhem Kabeer and Dhruva Chandrashekar before the ultimate shootout. The winners were judged on the basis of their lap timings in the final selection round which was supervised by an FMSCI jury team.
Athira Murali of Kottayam emerged the winner and will be co-driven by her city mate George Varghese, with whom she made the debut in Coimbatore winning the Ladies Class. She would have also taken a podium in INRC4 but a slow car ahead of her prevented her from going further up.Renuka G of Andhra Pradesh who will have Chandni Kotian of Mumbai as co-driver came second in the selections with Ojasvi Mehta of Mumbai taking third place. Ojasvi along with Belgaum’s Isha Sharma are expected to make their debut in Chennai. Anupma Bindra of Gurgaon came fourth and she will go with co-driver Pallavi Yadav of Mumbai, and mother-daughter duo from Mumbai Shivani Parmar and Dr Vani Parmar will be the other ladies’ pair to get selected. Shivani came fifth in the selections.
The will be accorded a fully-sponsored ride by the promoters of INRC which includes entry fee, rally-prepared car, rally tyres and accommodation.
Renuka G, a software engineer from Vizag, stepped into rallying for the first time, thanks to the encouragement by Promoter Vamsi Merla. She first took part in the Ameo Cup in 2018 and has been a biker taking part in the Nationals. “It was a very exciting two days as I learned a lot about rallying. This is the first time for me in a rally car and it is very challenging to shift from tarmac to dirt tracks. I learnt a lot from handling the car to cornering from experienced drivers and it was a new driving style. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to the Chennai round,” said Renuka, who became freinds with Chandni Kotian and picked her up as co-driver. Renuka was all praise for Chetan, Dhruva and Suhem for the training and said that it was very useful to make the switch from racing to rallying.
“I have experience in F4 cars and karting, but getting into a rally car is a new experience. I learnt many new things, the judgement when you take into corners and to handle the peculiar shifts… It was a new thrill for me to experience and all it happened because of Vamcy Merla,” said Chandni Kotian, a Mortgage Analyst from Mumbai.
“The training and experience on the dirt track was awesome. It is the first time I ever stepped into a rally car and am really happy to grab the great knowledge as a co-driver under the guidance of ace rallyists Suhem Kabeer and Dhruva Chandrashekar. I am looking forward to the INRC round, waiting for that moment to come. This is a great initiative by the FMSCI as women never get much opportunities to rally. I thank Vamsi Merla for bringing more talented women into Indian Rallying and I really enjoyed the two-day training under champion Chethan Shivram,” said Isha Sharma. She will pair up with Ojasvi. “It is a wonderful opportunity to take part in the Women in Motorsport Talent Hunt as I could meet 25 amazing women. The 2-day training and shootout were exceptional and life changing too. So glad to finish 3rd and get a shot at the INRC. From track-walk to understanding the basics of the car, I don’t think I could have got a better experience…, thanks to Vamsy Sir for giving us a chance to showcase ourselves and a huge shootout to Chetan Sir, Dhruva and Suhem for teaching us from the basics. Eagerly waiting for the first round to begin,” said Ojasvi Mehta, a 23-year MBA student from Mumbai.“My commitment towards supporting existing and upcoming `Women in Motorsports’ made me launch this initiative. We had planned this last year as well but unfortunately due to the pandemic we could not go ahead with the camp. But with normalcy finally getting restored in the country we finally conducted the Talent Hunt this year and now here we are with 10 talented women finally getting the platform and the support they deserve,” Vamsi Merla said.
Last year, the promoter paid the entry fee for six Lady drivers and also helped provide 50 per cent subsidy for transport of cars to over 15 drivers who needed it. “This is the first event of its kind in INRC and we have plans to make it a yearly affair. I am really looking forward to seeing these ladies on the track and hopefully this will mark a new beginning for women in Indian Motorsports,” Vamsi signed off.The first round of the INRC kicks-off with the South India Rally on April 23-25 in Chennai which also doubles up as the Asia round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC).
Note: Updated with driver quotes on April 7, at 1.42pm.
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Soorya, Navneeth win overall title: TVS Enduro race
Chennai, 28 March 2021: The Chennai-Puducherry combination of Soorya PM and Navneeth Kumar rode a smart, tactical race to annex the Overall title in the TVS Eurogrip MMSC Motorcycle Endurance Race 2021 at the MMRT, here on Sunday. The pair also topped the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category while completing 55 laps over two hours.
Finishing second a minute in arrears were pole-sitters from Hyderabad Satyanarayana Raju and Sahil Shetty though they also completed 55 laps, while the team of Abhimanyu Gautam and Anand R was third with 54 laps.
Anfal A and Subramani Gandan, completing 52 laps, won in the Stock 165cc category, restricted to those under 15 years of age, while Lani Zena Fernandez and Arpitha Bhat emerged champions in the Girls (TVS Apache RTR 200), completing 48 laps.
Explaining their strategy, Soorya said: “I went out first and was very mindful of the flags and the slow traffic. The idea was to put in consistent laps. After my first stint, Navneeth put in some hot laps which also helped us to finish on top.”
A big disappointment was the retirement of experienced pair of Rajini Krishnan and Sarath Kumar who packed up after 39 laps. The pair led initially, but was docked a ride-through penalty after Rajini, going out first, rode for 46 minutes instead of permitted 45. It effectively ended their challenge.
The results (Provisional):
Overall and Pro-Stock 301-400cc: 1. Soorya PM / Navneeth Kumar (55 laps, 02hrs, 00:38.471secs); 2. Satyanarayana Raju / P Sahil (55L; 02:01:29.921); 3. Abhimanyu Gautam / Anand R (54L; 02:01:22.055).
Stock 165cc: 1. Anfal A / Subramani Gandan (52L; 02:02:05.716); 2. Mohan Babu / Udayi Prakash (52L; 02:02:18.551); 3. Jagadeesh N / Allwin Xavier (51L; 02:02:29.670).
Girls (TVS Apache RTR 200) : 1. Lani Zena Fernandez / Arpitha Bhat (48L; 02:01:11.352); 2. Rakshitha Dave / Baddam Dipika (47L; 02:00:44.209); 3. Nivetha Jessica / Lakaya Lee (47L; 02:01:20.940).
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About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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TVS Eurogrip MMSC Motorcycle Endurance Race on Sunday
Chennai, 26 March 2021: Excitement and high expectations pervade the iconic MMRT circuit which is scheduled to host the TVS Eurogrip MMSC Motorcycle Endurance Race on Sunday, March 28.
The Enduro event, to be run over two hours, with a record 48 team entries and a clutch of country’s top riders in the fray.
The two-hour Endurance race which will have a Le Mans (running) start, a unique feature of this format, will be contested in three categories – Pro-stock 301-400cc, Stock 165cc (restricted to under-25 riders) and Girls (TVS Apache RTR 200). Each team will have two riders. All the bikes will be run on TVS Eurogrip tyres.
As per the format, each team comprising two riders will race for two hours with a minimum of one compulsory fuel stop. Further, each rider is allowed a maximum of 45 minutes per outing with a mandatory 20-minute rest between sessions. Thus, the format puts as much premium on team strategy as race pace. The final positions are decided by the number of laps completed in the specified period.
MMSC vice-president Vicky Chandhok said: “We are absolutely delighted that TVS Eurogrip have made an entry into racing, and the MMSC is truly grateful for their involvement. We are also overwhelmed by the response from the riders despite the challenging conditions dictated by the pandemic. Back in 2019, we had received 32 entries, but this time, the number has exceeded our expectations.
Endurance action file photo by Anand Philar “In our constant endeavour to provide a platform for young riders to exhibit their racing skills, one of the three categories, the Stock 165cc, is restricted to those below 25 years of age while we also have an exclusive class for Girls.
“We at the MMSC always put a premium on safety and in view of the current situation, there will be strict Covid-19 protocols in place.”
Commenting on the association, Mr. P Madhavan, EVP – Sales & Marketing, TVS Srichakra Limited, said: “We are proud to partner with MMSC Motorcycle Endurance Race, and equip the bikes with our tyres. The Endurance Race will be the perfect opportunity for both aspiring and seasoned bikers. Given the challenging nature of the circuit, it will be an unique platform to showcase our products and demonstrate performance. TVS EUROGRIP tyres are built for high performance biking and are an ideal fit for this championship. By associating with Indian Motorsports, we reaffirm our promise of offering world-class products with cutting-edge technology for today’s new age bikers.”
The Pro-Stock category, largely populated by KTM 390 and Yamaha R3 machines, will be headlined by the team of veteran international riders, Rajini Krishan and Sarath Kumar who will be up against skilled pairings like Karthik Mateti-Yashas RL and Abhimanyu Gautam-Anand R.
The 2020 National champion in the Novice class, Mohan Babu along with Uday Prakash, will be the pair to watch in the Stock 165cc category while the talented Lani Zena Fernandez, runner-up in the 2020 National championship, and her team-mate Arpitha Bhat are expected to dominate the Girls category.
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved from Sholavaram to its present location in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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K-1000 gets a new slot in May; Hampi, Nagaland new venues for INRC
Bengaluru, 22 March 2021: The iconic Karnataka 1000, well known as K1000, which suffered a two-year break in its chequered history, will begin afresh as the second round of the National calendar with the traditional dates moved from August to May. The Champions Yacht Club, the promoters of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), for four-wheelers announced the calendar for 2021 with six rounds and have added two more venues to the historic National championship by naming Nagaland, and Hampi, which successfully completed the Contender round this January. Delhi makes a comeback after last hosting a National round in 2005, the Rally of the North.
After a truncated season, the Champion Yacht Club FMSCI INRC 2021 will begin with the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) round in Chennai, run simultaneously with the Asian and National round, the popular South India Rally, from April 23 to 25. The round will also kick-start the Indian calendar in the hot summer of Chennai. Hosts Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC), one of the best clubs in India, who are known for their meticulous administration and well-planned events, are making no stone unturned to make the return of `the’ international event a grand success. India did not host any international motorsports events for two years except the MRF challenge racing. The SIR, INRC’s first round will be held in and around Irungattukottai in Kanchipuram district around the MMRT and will have a Super Special Stage and Track stage and there will be two more physical stages named, Avisa and Alpha.
The Nationals will culminate in the picturesque North-Eastern state of Nagaland from November 12 to 14 to be organised by NAMSA, who produced a first-time National winner when Launusanen Pongenar dramatically turned tables and proved all experts wrong winning his class on a vehicle which was initially disqualified for being “old” and lacking `Fitness’. Namsa’s Nagaland venue will be the latest addition to join the map of Indian rallying, as a new INRC venue.
Hampi, which was denied a round by FMSCI in 2020, did a tremendous job of successfully organising a motorsport event, and taught a lesson or two to veteran motorsport organisers on how to rope in a sponsor, as they managed to get a strong backing by JSW. Hampi will be the other new venue for the INRC rounds with a proper round of INRC this year.
Though, Arunachal Pradesh hosted the National event for three years, if fell off the map and Nagaland will be hosting its first ever INRC round to host the grand finale of the country’s premier motorsport event.
After round 1, the bandwagon will move to Bengaluru for K-1000 on May 28 to 30, hosted by Karnataka Motor Sports Club. Then the third round will be hosted by CASC (Coimbatore Auto Sports Club) in Coimbatore from July 17 to 18. The Delhi-NCR round from August 27 to 28, is yet to be finalised as FMSCI is required to approve it.
Also this year’s championship will see the SUV class added into the mix to give a chance to other drivers in the country to display their skill on the national circuit, in view of the cancellation of Raid de Himalaya. SUVs have been part of INRC from 2014 with Mahindra’s fielding the top winning combination of Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif. However, it will not be a separate National Championship class, and will run only as INRC class.
“We could not go all out last year due to reasons known to all. The pandemic had tied our hands and it was very difficult for us to organise a full season but still we did what we could do best and completed three rounds. But we are back on the track again and will have six rounds again this year,” Vamsi Merla, director of Champions Yacht Club and promoter of INRC said.
“When we came into motorsports, it was always our mission to take the sports to all the parts of the country and make it more inclusive and that is the reason we have given a chance to three new clubs. We are anticipating a great year ahead and hope that it exceeds all our expectations,” he further added.
Motor Sports Academy of Vijayanagar will carry out the operations in Hampi, meanwhile Nagaland Adventure and Motor Sports Association have been given the responsibility of the final round.
While Chennai, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Hampi have been ratified by the Rally Commission of the FMSCI, the Delhi-NCR and Nagaland round is subject to an FMSCI inspection and confirmation of the local organisers by the FMSCI.
INRC 2021 Calendar:
Round 1 – Chennai: Madras Motor Sports Club – April 23-25;
Round 2 – Bengaluru: Karnataka Motor Sports Club -May 28-30;
Round 3 – Coimbatore: Coimbatore Auto Sports Club – July 17-18;
Round 4 – *Delhi, BND Motor Sports , August 27-28;
Round 5 -Hampi: Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar – October 1-3;
Round 6 – *Nagaland, NAMSA, – November 12-14;*Subject to FMSCI inspection and confirmation of organizer by the FMSCI
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Rare op for sponsors to identify with iconic Dakshin Dare which starts on Easter Day, April 4
Bengaluru, 21 March 2021: The iconic Dakshin Dare is back with a bang. Despite finding it difficult to bag the title sponsor, Motorsport Inc is making all efforts to make the event a grand spectacle for one more year. A novelty is being introduced this year by bringing in the concept of Navigation to the Indian riders. The 5-day 12th edition will begin on April 4 in Bengaluru and it also presents a rare opportunity for a title-sponsor to identify itself with the iconic brand.
The man behind Motorsport Inc, the organisers of the event, Jaidas Menon said: “Dakshin Dare Rally will become the first-ever rally in India to introduce the concept of navigation to the Indian riders in association with Hero MotoSports. The intend to introduce the basics of navigation to all the riders expose them to this very important skill that is essential to succeed at the international rallies.”
Coming back to Dakshin Dare, the only such event in the south, saw the last edition held in 2019 crown Gaurav Gill as the champion. The three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner and Team Mahindra Adventure entry are yet to confirm their entries. The regular sponsor has shied away this year and with the dwindling number of entries one is tempted to approach Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) promoters Champions Yacht Club (CYC) which has done a good job of roping in many entries by providing free transportation of vehicles and sponsored teams besides waiver of entry fees, to replenish the Arunachal rounds of INRC last December with many goodies.
When queried if they would be interested in supporting the iconic event in the absence of Maruti Suzuki, the regular sponsor, Vamsi Merla of CYC said: “Yes, Dakshin Dare has chalked out a name for itself as a historic event with popular support. Definitely we would be interested in supporting teams for the event as we usually do for INRC. I am in touch with the organisers and let us see how we can go about it.”
The Dare begins with a Super Special at the Unite Off-road Park, near Gunjur, after the Ceremonial Start and the next day, participants will travel to Chitradurga and some special stages nearby. They will return to Bengaluru on March 8 where the Closing Ceremony and Prize Distribution (PD) is scheduled to be held at Fairfield Marriott, Rajajinagar at 6 pm.
The four Categories will be T1 2wd, T2 4wd, for Modified Cross-country vehicles and T2 2wd and T2 4wd for Series Cross-country vehicles. There will be three classes in each category as follows: Class 1 over 1001cc Up to1400cc; Class 2 over 1401cc Up to 1850cc and Class 3 over 1851cc and above.
The entry with late fee will be March 31 at 5pm. Admin checks, documentation and scrutiny will be held on March 3 at Unite Off-road Park.
Navigation Bootcamp: “Hero MotoSports team will be conducting an exclusive bootcamp in Bengaluru on March 27 and 28 for anyone interested in learning the navigation basics. The bootcamp will be conducted by Jordi Grau, who is a part of the Hero MotoSports Team Rally and is a Navigation expert of international reputation. Many of our own stars like CS Santosh and other international top riders have trained with him in Spain,” a Hero statement said.
“The bootcamp will cover some theory aspects of Navigation followed by a practical session where one can learn reading a roadbook and ride, using it under the guidance of the Hero MotoSports team.”
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn navigation from the best in the business. So I would strongly recommend all of you to attend the same,” concluded Jaidas Menon, a former National Champion navigator in the Indian National Rally Championship for many years.
Riders can register for the bootcamp here.
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Mahesh wins Red Bull Ace of Dirt 2021, gets a Hero bike
Kolar, 19 March 2021:Red Bull Ace of Dirt, second edition, had 32 two-wheel racers who were invited to compete in multiple off-road disciplines. Of the 16 who qualified after the initial round, the riders battled each other eliminating half of them in each round of pre-quarters, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, on a specially-laid course which had six obstacles courses like motocross, dirt track and enduro sections having wooden logs, table top jumps, mud pits et al. The winner received a Hero bike and he will receive training at the facility.
The winner of the first edition in 2019) of Red Bull Ace of Dirt Yuva Kumar could not make it to the final this year. But he got a lifetime opportunity to train with CS Santosh. The winner also received a bike from Hero. This year too, the winner gets these benefits.
On Friday and Saturday, an endurance race was held at Big Rock Dirt Park, a facility created by Santosh to train and to spread his knowledge to the interested.
Winners of the Red Bull Ace of Dirt on Friday. A Red Bull image Finally, over four laps of the 2.8km course, it was Mahesh VM, astride a Xpulse 200, who won the event after making through the semifinals and finals. A Sathyaraj, also on a Xpulse, came second followed by Sachin Ignatius (Apache RTR 200) and Gideon Benjamin (Implulse).
Top riders including defending champion Yuva Kumar, Naresh VS, Arun T and Devaraj Venkatesh were eliminated in Semis 1 & 2. While Naresh did not start, Yuva had a DNF in the other semis.
Pavan BK, Samuel Abraham, Shoeb, Ishaan Chandra, Trinesh, Salman Khan, Purab Gowda and Asad Khan lost in the quarterfinals.
Final Results (Top-4): 1. Mahesh VM (Xpulse 200) 20: 29.734; 2. A Sathyaraj (Xpulse 200) 21: 09.578; 3. Sachin Ignatius (Apache RTR 200) 24: 20.031; 4. Gideon Benjamin (Impulse) 26: 22.207.
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CS Santosh makes a rare appearance at Big Rock Dirt Park at Kolar
Kolar, 19 March 2021: Ace Indian cross country rider and accomplished supercross champion CS Santosh, made a comeback to a public event, after more than two months, following his serious crash at Dakar 2021, and subsequent hospitalisation.
A strong fighter who has seen many obstabcles in his racing life, Santosh, made another comeback from a serious brain injury, and was seen at a Public event for the first time at his own Big Rock Dirt Park supercross track at Kolar, accompanied by his parents. The Hero rider, though, has been visiting the Kolar facility for the last couple of weeks with his parents.
Taking part in his 7th Dakar, Santosh suffered a heavy crash in Stage 4 and was airlifted to a Riyadh hospital on Jan 6. A few days later, he was induced into medical coma and brought back to India. After getting treated in the ICU of a private hospital for many days, he then did his rehab at home and was said to have lost memory of how the accident happened.
He again started talking and walking and is slowing getting back to do his fitness regime under controlled and very light conditions. Today, he was able to recognise people a bit but not like earlier, one of the participants said.
On March 16, in an exclusive scoop, ESPN reporter Susan Ninan, quoted his father Shivshankar saying: “He still doesn’t recall the accident but through our conversations, he’s slowly grown to accept that it did take place. Now he asks questions like, ‘oh wow, that’s crazy, how did it happen?”
Red Bull tweeted today about the Hero’s comeback!
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Want to win a T-shirt autographed by Gaurav Gill?
Max Attack Testing. Here is a snippet of what’s in store ahead. Which of the three drifts did you like the most? CONTEST ALERT!! Tag three of your best friends in the comment below and share the reels in your stories. The winner for an exclusive autographed T-shirt by Gaurav Gill will be announced on Sunday i.e. 21st Mar 2021. #GauravGill #GillRacing #GGADA #GauravGillAdvancedDrivingAcademy #motorsports #racing #motorsport #f #racecar #race #formula #motorcycle #cars #car #speed
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Abhishek stripped of 2020 TVS OMC title: IMSAC ruling
Chennai, 9 March 2021: Bengaluru rider Abhishek Vasudevamurthy, winner of the TVS One-Make Championship 2020 (RR310 category), has been stripped of his title in addition to the penalties imposed by Race Direction for his “unsportsman-like act” in the season-finale race last December.
The penalty is in accordance with the ruling by a three-member Indian Motor Sport Appellate Court (IMSAC) panel comprising Senior Advocates Silambannan (Chairman) and PR Raman (Member), and J Balamurugan, Chairman, FMSCI Disciplinary Committee (Member), after a hearing, attended among others, by Abhishek via Zoom Video Conferencing, on February 13.
In its ruling, IMSAC said: “Mr Abhishek Vasudevamurthy, competitor No.12 in the FMSCI TVS One-Make Championship 2020, be divested of his 2020 Championship title in the said Championship. The other penalties awarded by the Race Direction shall remain in force.”
The IMSAC hearing and subsequent ruling was a consequence of an incident in the eighth and final race of the TVS One Make Championship 2020 at the MMRT on December 20. On the start-finish straight, Abhishek grabbed and depressed the brake lever of fellow-competitor Anup Kumar (Chennai). Incidentally, Abhishek had already sealed the championship going into the final race.
After the race, the Race Direction summoned Abhishek for a hearing, following which docked him a fine of Rs 30,000 besides disqualifying him from the race. Further, under the provision in the FMSCI Disciplinary and Arbitration Code, the Race Direction referred the matter to IMSAC, recommending a minimum ban on Abhishek for one round of the next Championship he takes part in.
During his virtual disposition to IMSAC, Abhishek stated that he had apologised after the race for his action and accepted Race Direction’s decision (disqualification and monetary fine) while preferring not to appeal. During the hearing, Abhishek also conceded that “the worst-case outcome of the incident could have been one or more fatalities and accepted that it was a serious breach”.
After viewing the video recording of the incident and due deliberations, IMSAC observed that “the incident was a very serious and unsportsman-like act on part of the competitor (Abhishek) and that it deserved exemplary and deterrent penalty so that such actions are not repeated by him or by others in the future”.
