Category: Non-F1

TVS Racing wins four top glamorous classes of the 2021 National Rally Championship for two-wheelers in a dominant fashion at the final round in Nashik. For many years now, the Premier Racing Team in the country has been winning the Overall Championship and National titles in multiple categories. Defending champions Samuel Jacob and Aishwarya Pissay won the National titles in their respective classes with a round to spare while Pavan BK too won the Super Sport 165cc Group B with a huge margin in the penultimate round itself. However, it is World Cupper Miss Pissay, who dominated the season like no other, winning 150 out of 150 points.

Abdul Wahid Tanveer wins 2w National Rally Championship

Nashik, 19 Dec. 2021: Mysore’s Abdul Wahid Tanveer of TVS Racing was crowned the National champion in the GodSpeed MRF Mogrip fmsci National Rally Championship 2021 for two-wheelers which concluded with the sixth and final round held here on the picturesque foothills of Sahayadri mountain ranges on Sunday Dec. 19, with a consistent show finishing all the six rallies.

Champions All

Abdul Wahid Tanveer, Asad Khan, Ajin Abraham, Pavan BK, Samuel Jacob, Sajeesh Reghunathan, Mohammed Zaheer, Karthik and Aishwarya were the National champions for 2021 in their respective classes from Class 1 for Super Bikes Pro-Expert to Class 8 Ladies category.

Profiles of these 2021 champions will be published soon.

Aishwarya’s stunning Record

Meanwhile, 2019 World Cup Baja winner, the only world champion in motorsports from India, Aishwarya Pissay, astride a TVS RTR200, continued her winning spree as she made a clean sweep of all the rounds and added one more National title to her glittering career.

The Bengaluru rider who made her rally debut in the last round of 2016 season, decided to do both road racing and rallying from 2017 and promptly won both the Nationals. The 2021 title is her fifth consecutive National championship victory in Ladies Class. For record she has 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 INRC titles and 2021 National Rally Championship title. Apart from these five Nationals she is also the maiden National champion in Road Racing when the ladies class was accorded National status in 2017. She won the inaugural MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship Ladies Class in 2017.

The rider supported by Hyperice and Scott, had a blemishless year and young Tanika Shanbagh was the only rider who put up a semblance of a fight but the Kannadiga from Satara, who was bothered by an injury to her leg. But Tanika bravely put up a fight, and deservedly finished second. She did clock some fast times, especially in the slush and muddy terrain, which vanquished many a rider. The talented rider, is focussed and her race craft and hardwork, with experience will surely take her places as she got her fundamentals right. Taking part in different rounds, 10 ladies entries, speak well for the Women in Motorsports, with Sprint Ladies champion 2021, Deeksha joining for the last round in Nashik. Apoorva B, despite taking part in only three rallies finished third in the championship.

Consistent Tanveer is champ

Astride a TVS RTR450, Tanveer, who joined TVS Racing in 2014, won only the third and fourth rounds, but finished all the other rounds in second place for valuable points and defeated teammate and 2019 champion Rajendra RE by a comfortable margin of 22 points. Rajendra, who began with a bang winning the opening round in Hampi, appeared to have taken a decisive lead winning Round 2 too, but the treacherous terrain and the slush killed his hope as he logged a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the next two rounds that virtually put paid to his hopes. The victory at the last round here is only a consolation as Tanveer proved that he could ride in any terrain. The old adage, for finishing first, first you have to finish the rally, proved true as Rajendra’s three wins went in vain.

Tanveer, popular as Tanni in the TVS garage, made his international debut in 2017. He took part in the PanAfrica Rally 2018 at Morocco from September 8 to 15 for a creditable overall eighth position on debut. Moreover, he bagged the first place in Enduro Class in one of the stages and went on to do well in Morocco rally next year in 2019 winning the laurels for the country in his class.

TVS brilliance continues – Samuel retains his class

Defending overall champion, Samuel Shajan Jacob won the championship in the Group B 260cc class for the second year in a row, riding an Apache RTR200. The Udupi rider who joined TVS in 2018 has a Masters in Logistics and Supply Management and thus is a thinking rider, aware of his strengths. Though he lost to teammate Tanveer in overall class, he enjoyed a dominant run this season, with five wins in six rounds and excelled with brilliant riding skills and consistent performance, especially in the wet rounds. Just 28, he celebrated his birthday with a deserving win on Dec 4 with a victory in a tricky round.

Karthik keeps up the tempo till end

Karthik Naidu clinched his maiden title, winning in the scooter class with a rally spec TVS Ntorq 125. He won the title by a margin of just 11sec, with the title coming down to the last loop of the rally. Though the Ntorqs dominated, the class he found some thrilling competition which brought alive the championship and kept it open till the end. It is the NTorq which stood him in good stead in all the obstacles he came across.

B Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing, said, “It has been an incredible season for the TVS Racing team at the 2021 INRC.  I am thrilled with the performance of all the TVS Racing riders, and their hard work and dedication have paid off.Abdul Wahid Tanveer was consistent and flawless and won overall & Group A 450cc category championship. Samuel Jacob worked hard to put up a good show throughout the season and won the Group B 260cc class championship.Aishwarya completely dominated the ladies’ class of the season with six straight wins, and it is her 5th consecutive national title.  Karthik N also put up a staller show andemerged as champion in scooters class.

“I would like to thank all the TVS Racing team crew for their relentless work and immense efforts in keeping the motorcycles and scooters at its best form.”

“Not just the pandemic, the rains too created havoc. But we managed to complete the Championship on time and we are the only fourth Nationals after Karting and Sprint to finsih all rounds successfuly. Now it is Supercross in full swing,” said Shyam Kothari, a 7-time former National champion in three different disciplines of motorsports and the man behind the whole show. A biker known for his spectacular jumps he is the man behind the show for two Nationals, the MRF Mogrip rally and Supercross, promoting under GodSpeed Racing. The Supercross Nationals will begin next month from Indore.

Final audited Results: (To be added)

Champions: 2021 National* Rally Championship (two-wheeler)

Class 1: Super Bike Pro-Expert Group A: Abdul Waheed Tanvir 122 points;

Class 1A: Super Bike Expert Group A: Asad Khan, 94;

Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B: Ajin Abraham 110;

Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B: Pavan BK 136; (Won with 1 round to spare)

Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B: Samuel Jacob 143; (Won with 1 round to spare)

Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B: Sajeesh Reghunathan 133

Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B: Mohammed Zaheer 129;

Class 7: S0 to S3 Scooter 210 Group B: Karthik 122;

 Class 8: Ladies Class Group B: Aishwarya Pissay 125 (Won with 1 round to spare);

*Note: Till 2020 the Championship nomen clature was Indian National Rally Championship for 2w. From 2021 it is changed to National Rally Championship by FMSCI, the governing body for sport in India.