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Category: Non-F1
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Top honours for Suhail Ahmed; Double for Sachin
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 21 Nov 2020: Astride a KTM 450EXC, Suhail Ahmed survived minor hiccups to win the top honours on Saturday while Sachin D bagged a brace in the third round of the Motorsport Inc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship for two-wheelers at the closed dirt tracks in Korlahalli, 53-km from here, on Saturday.
Organised by Motorsports Inc, the promoters of the Sprint Nationals, the event attracted 82 entries in 9 classes, and is supported by Red Bull and Hero MotoSports.
Bengaluru rider Suhail clocked the fastest time of the day in Group A up to 800cc class, the ribbon event of the day, beating Sinan Francis of Ernakulam 2.19 seconds, but the Ernakulam rider placed his KTM450EXC in the second to keep the championship lead going into the fourth round on Sunday. “I was bogged down by technical issues and had to manage and finish the stage,” said Suhail, who faced suspension issues.
Suhail Ahmed, who won the fastest rider of the day tag on Saturday. Sachin D, who won a double on Saturday, negotiates a bump in the Star of Karnataka class. In the Group B classes, it was Sachin D from TVS Racing, who had the upper hand winning the 166cc to 260cc Class, astride a TVS Apache with a time of 7min 49.43seconds, the second-fastest time of the day to shoot into the championship lead following two podiums in the first two rounds. Sachin defeated Hero Motosports, Yuva Kumar by a margin of 8.49seconds and Sanjay Somasekhar, also of Bengaluru, took third on a Hero Xpulse, as he finished another 7 seconds behind.
Yuva Kumar of Hero Motosports, showcases his skills on a Hero Xpulse, but had to be content with a second place on Saturday. He collected enough points to stay in title hunt. “It’s a hard and very technical track but I had a good ride and enjoyed the day. Everything went off smoothly today. Hats-off to the organisers, for it is not easy to put together such a show in these days of Corona,” said Sachin at the service park.
In the Star of Karnataka class, Sachin D won clocking 7min 54.24sec and Yuva Kumar once again finished second. “I finished second in both my classes but it was a good day for me. The track was tricky with bumpy terrain and it was a fast stage and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s round,” quipped Yuva of Hero MotoSports.
The big daddies: Devaraj Venkatesh, astride a Himalayan negotiates a corner on way to his win in the Bullet Class Round 3 Sprint Nationals on Saturday. Photo by David Bodapati While Bengaluru’s Pavan BK won the 131 to 165cc Class, Mangalore’s Sudeep Kottary bagged the first place in 261 to 400cc Category and Ernakulam’s Nordin Thomas, put his Yamaha YBX on the top pedestal in `Upto 130cc Class’.
Sudeep was streets ahead as he won by a huge margin with over 47-seconds on Bengaluru-based Sajeesh, also on a KTM Duke. He had to be content with a second place over one minute ahead of Uday Ganguli of Kolkata, astride a KTM 390.
In the Ladies Class, Ryhana Bee, the 2019 National racing champion in her class, continued to dominate the Sprint Rally Nationals as she posted another hard-earned win brushing aside the challenge of Tanika Shanbhag of Satara. Astride a Hero Impulse, the Chennai lass posted a perfect 75 points from three rounds to complete a hat-trick of wins. Arpita VM of Mangalore, who had two podiums in the first two rounds was off-colour today on her Honda Stunner, with Bengaluru’s Dimpy taking the third place today ahead of Arpita. All the top three are riding an Impulse.
“The terrain is pretty technical with rocky pebbles. But I enjoyed the straights where we can gain time. Relatively, it is a hard track when compared to the others, as it requires mental strength to absorb the technicalities of different corners,” said Ryhana, about the 7.75km terrain. The village road from Korlahalli to Melakote amidst the Raagi fields ready for harvest had pebbles, hard rocks and loose soil at different points.
The Bullet class was dominated by Himalayan bikes and the all-Bengaluru podium saw Devaraj Venkatesh on the top step. Mohammed Zaheer came second pushing Vishwas SD to third place.
Provisional final results (Round 3):
Noldin Thomas, who won the Upto 130cc Class, in action on Saturday. Group A:
Upto 800cc: 1. Suhail Ahmed Competition Number #5 (Bengaluru, KTM450EXC) (07 minutes, 48.74 seconds); 2. Sinan Francis #1 (Ernakulam, KTM450EXC) (7: 51.55); 3. Vishwas SD #2 (Bengaluru, Suzuki) (8:09.82);
Group B:
131cc to 165cc: 1. Pavan BK #30 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (8:07.83); 2. Ishan Chandra #29 (Mangalore, Hero Impulse) (8:23.19); 3. Vinay Prasad #24 (Bengaluru Hero Impulse) (8:25.58);
261cc to 400cc: 1. Sudeep Kottary #66 (Mangalore, KTM Duke) (8:38.65); 2. Sajeesh #67 (Bangalore, KTM Duke) (9:26.86); 3. Uday Ganguly #63 (Kolkota, KTM 390) (10:37.97).
Upto 130cc: 1.Nordin Thomas #19 (Ernakulam, Yamaha YBX) (8:53.53); 2. Durgesh J #18 (Mysore, Honda Stunner) (8:55.59); 3. Joseph Jinu #22 (Ernakulam, Yamaha YBX) (9:00.54).
166cc to 260cc: 1. Sachin D #51 (Bengaluru, TVS Apache) (7: 49.43); Yuva Kumar #46 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (7:58.36); 3. Sanjay Somasekhar #45 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (8:05.32).
Bullet Class: 1. Devaraj Venkatesh #88 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:23.12); 2. Mohammed Zaheer #87 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:29.94); 3. Vishwas SD #91 (Bengaluru, Himalayan) (8:32.31).
Ladies Class: 1. Ryhana Bee #73 (Chennai, Hero Impulse) (9:44.10); 2. Tanika Shanbhag #72 (Satara, Hero Impulse) (9:53.33); 3. Dimpy A #70 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (11:30.01).
Scooter Class: 1. Karthik Naidu #79 (Bengaluru, TVS N-Torq) (9:10.86); Pinkesh Thakkar #80 (Pune, Aprilla SR125) (9:27.57); 3. Subramanya #83 (Bengaluru, TVS Wega) (9:43.07).
Star of Karnataka: 1. Sachin D #105 (Bengaluru, TVS Apache) (7:54.23); 2. Yuva Kumar #109 (Bengaluru, Hero Xpulse) (8:05.11); 3. Ishan Chandra #102 (Bengaluru, Hero Impulse) (8:11.67).
Clerk of the Course: Jaidas Menon.
Chief Steward: Gautham Shanthappa, Steward: Rakesh D, Club Steward: Uday Kumar.
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MSCC gears up for Rally of Chikmagalur, a National-level TSD event
Chikmagalur, 18 Nov 2020: Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) will host the Rally of Chikmagalur, a National-level event in Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) format for 4-Wheelers in the Coffee town on December 11 and 12. The rally will offer night sections reminding the good-old long-distance rallies which used to run day-and-night on the hilly treacherous terrain near Baba Budangiri hillocks.
The 250-km rally will begin in Chikkamagaluru around 5pm and will end the next day morning at Horanadu, where the Prize Giving function will be held, after breakfast.
Most of the core team members of MSCC are seen in this file photo. One of the oldest and prestigious motorsports clubs in India, MSCC has a chequered history hosting the ‘Coffee 500′ rally that began in 1982 and used to run in the `closed roads’ with ABC being a vantage point for briefings, parc ferme and PD (Prizegiving ceremony). Many years it ran on the narrow and steep ghat terrain and during nights, usually at the foothills of Sahayadri mountain ranges. The current ‘Indian National Rally Championship’ round which happens annually began with Special Stages that are run in private Coffee Estates from 1996.
Farooq Ahmed, multiple national champion co-driver and current FMSCI vice-president The blend of the scenic beauty and the sounds of the screeching tyres make the fans eagerly look forward to the most-awaited rally. Not just the features mentioned above but the meticulous efforts by the organisers, a bunch of die-hard fans, working as a team day-in and day-out, make it a special event for the participants and the fans alike. It is also one of the rallies in the National Calendar which attracts a huge number of media, usually more than 50 reporters and photographers thronging to the ceremonial start and the PD. In recent years, the Super Special Stage in private school premises has attracted the attention of huge fan following, and is one of the highlights of the event, making it an annual festival.
So much so, the Coffee which 500 became Coffee Day Rally from 1997, after the sponsors started Coffee Day chain in 1996, got the FIA recognition for their good efforts and a Candidate Rally was awarded and the round of Asia Cup was approved and ran in 2015, christened as the Coffee Day India Rally. Ably led by Farooq Ahmed, a champion rallyist himself, the team works like a well-oiled machine.
The FIA later awarded the MSCC a prestigious round of APRC for the year 2016. The MSCC now looks forward to hosting a successful final round of APRC and to cement a permanent spot in the FIA APRC calendar and even look ahead in the coming years but due to the unfortunate demise of the long-standing sponsor’s key man behind the promotion of motorsports, late VG Siddhartha in July 2019, and the arrival of COVID 19 in 2020, the club had to skip the INRC rounds for both the years for different reasons.
However, the club kept their track record clean, of conducting national-level events by organising the South Zone Gymkhana, a qualifying event for entry into the Nationals and for Indian teams. Leaving the coffee estates, MSCC even hosted the event in December 2019 at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru. But the popular one as ever, is their TSD event.
File photo of Marshals and other volunteers of MSCC, courtesy MSCC With a keen motive to go back to roots and spread motorsports at grassroots level, the club officials decided to organise, this year too, the national-level TSD rally, which are now called as time-regulated rallies. The TSDs are famous for the challenges they offer in navigation and are often seen as a gateway to bigger things in motorsports because they lay a good foundation of basics and nurtures drivers and navigators to graduate smoothly into stage rallies.
A 2018 group photo after the successful conduct of the fourth round of INRC. The following Categories are on offer:
1.Pro-expert
2.Pro-stock
3.All ladies
4.Couple class
5.Corporate class*
6.Veterans class*
7.Novice Class*
8. Star of Chikamaglur*
(* Terms and conditions apply please refer to Supplementary Regulations)
(The entry fee Rs. 7,500 per Car for 2 persons and Rs.11,250 for 3 persons, plus GST)
For details call or WhatsApp Dilip Doshi 9902211792 since the entries are limited on a first-come-first-serve basis. https://www.facebook.com/motorsportsclubofckm/
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K-1000 winners from 1975: KMSC Hall of fame
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 16 November 2020: Karnataka is rich in its motorsport history. The state is not only home to many champions of the past but is a cradle of talent and contributed to the Indian motorsport history with many activities. K-1000 rally, the flagship event of the State is a popular and vibrant stage rally that is being organised from 1975. In 1988, it officially joined the calendar of the Indian National Rally Drivers and Co-drivers’ Championship and later, the Nationals were rechristened as Indian National Rally Championship under its current format. K-1000 for the first time shifted to the European Special Stage format in 1996 before which, the rallies were hardcore long-distance endurance events covering many states and usually more than 1000-mile long, and hence the name Karnataka-1000. It is one of the few events that were organised and run successfully by hardcore and passionate motorsports lovers and ran regularly. Some of the other rallies that had multiple editions are the Popular Rally in Kerala, the South India Rally in Chennai, the Charminar Challenge or the Deccan rally and the Coffee Day rally.
INDIAinF1.com has put together all the winners of the K-1000 from 1975, a compilation first undertaken in 2009 by the late Bharat Raj and Annabelle Manwaring, the promoters of INRC from 2009 to 2011. The last 11 years were added and some gaps were filled. The IMG-PSP duo also sourced historic images of Indian rallying and specially of K-1000 from many sources, with the major contribution coming from the Father of Indian Motorsport Photography, the late George Francis. A poster was released to commemorate the 35th K-1000 celebrations as KMSC completed 35 long years of dedicated service to motorsports, then. Now the club is getting ready to host both the 2w and 4w K-1000 rally once again for the 45th year.
Here is a list of the all the winners of K-1000, a jewel in the pride of Indian Rallying. Each round’s report will be added shortly. Or you can check the reports at INRC: Winners’ Hall of Fame here. Currently the list contains only the 4-wheel winners and the 2-w biker champions’ list is work in progress and will be updated soon.
Multiple Asia Pacific Rally champion Gaurav Gill tops the table with six K-1000 wins followed by 7-time INRC champion N Leelakrishnan who bagged the K-1000 five times followed by Naren Kumar, who won it for three times, along with Ravi Gupta, who also had three wins, but it appears he may have navigated for the inaugural edition winner DR Sivaram in 1980, for his second K1000 trophy. Kiran Mody, too had won the K1000 three times.
K-1000 Winners from 1975 No. Year Dates The man… Machine Surface 1 1975 DR Sivaram, D Vinod Sivappa, Feroze Asgar Ali & Shivprasad, Bangalore Ambassador 1850 km of mixed roads… gravel, kutcha, tarmac 2 1976 Ravi Gupta, Devendra Gupta, Bangalore FIAT 3 1977 Undecided 4 1978 Dayanand Mandre, Jagadish Reddy, Hyderabad FIAT 5 1979 Kiran Mody, Dr Rajesh Kakkadia, Hyderabad FIAT 6 1980 DR Sivaram, Kiran Mody, Bangalore/Hyderabad FIAT 7 1981 Arindam Ghosh, Saswati Ghosh, Sk Yeasin Ali, Nani Chanda, Kolkota FIAT 8 1982 BM Ravi, Noel Gojar, Bangalore FIAT 9 1983 Uday Eswaran, Dr Ravi Prakash, Bangalore FIAT 10 1984 Kiran Mody, Damaraju Kumar Rao (DK Rao), Hyderabad Dolphin 11 1985 Mohammed Harris, Deepak, UAE SUBARU* 12 1986 Subash Goel, Rajan Siyal, Chennai FIAT 13 1987 Aug Kamlesh Patel, KD Madan, Chennai 118 NE 14 1988 Kamlesh Patel, KD Madan, Chennai 118 NE 15 1989 Harish Samtani, Rajiv Chaudhary, Chennai Maruti Gypsy 16 1990 Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, Coimbatore Maruti Gypsy 17 1991 Aug 12-13 Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, Coimbatore Maruti Gypsy Gravel 18 1992 Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, Coimbatore Maruti Gypsy 19 1993 Aug 14-15 VInyl Varghese, Anil Devaraj, Team Paarel, Kerala Maruti Gypsy 20 1994 Leelakrishnan, Farooq Ahmed, Coimbatore/Chikmagalur Maruti Gypsy 21 1995 Aug 12-14 Naren Kumar, MK Chander, Coimbatore Esteem, Group N 22 1996 K1000 Ashphalt Samir Thaper, Koka Rao, Chandigarh /Hyderabad Esteem India Mines 23 1997 The Club K1000 Hari Singh, GS Mann, Delhi Esteem 24 1998 24th Castrol K1000 Leelakrishnan, Farooq Ahmed,
Coimbatore/ChikmagalurEsteem 25 1999 25th K1000 Hari Singh, GS Mann, Delhi Esteem 26 2000 MAI 26th K1000 TSD Rally – Not part of the National Championship round. 27 2001 Aug 10-12 Karandeep Singh, Jaidas Menon Baleno 28 2002 Oct 11-13 Naren Kumar, Doraikumar Ramkumar, Coimbatore Honda City Asphalt 29 2003 Nov 14-16 Karandip Singh, Jaidas Menon, Chandigarh/Bng Honda city Gravel 30 2004 Aug 6-8 Naren Kumar, Doraikumar Ramkumar, Coimbatore Baleno Asphalt 31 2005 Aug 12-14 Naren Kumar, D Ramkumar, Coimbatore Baleno Asphalt 32 2006 Aug 11-13 Gaurav Gill, Farooq Ahmed, Delhi/Chikmagalur Cedia Gravel 33 2007 Aug 17-19 Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/ Mangalore (Kasargod) Cedia Asphalt 34 2008 Aug 8-10 Vikram Mathias, Srinivasa Murthy, Masinagudi (Karnataka) Cedia Asphalt 35 2009 Aug 21-23 Arjun Balu, Sujith Kumar BS, Coimbatore/ Bengaluru Cedia Gravel 36 2010 Dec 3 -5 Arjun Rao Aroor, Satish Rajagopal, Karnataka Cedia Gravel 37 2011 Aug 19-21 Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/Kasargod Cedia Gravel 38 2012 Sept 21-23 Lohitt V Urs, Sujith Kumar BS, Mysore/ Bengaluru, Privateers Cedia Gravel 39 2013 Nov 9-10 Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/Kasargod Mahindra XUV 500 Gravel 40 2014 Nov 21-23 Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/Kasargod Mahindra XUV 500 Gravel 41 2015 Nov 20-22 Pallath Ganesh Abhilash, Anoop Kumar, Kerala/Bangalore Lancer Evo 8 Gravel 42 2016 Dec 17 -18 Amittrajit Ghosh, Ashwin Naik, Kolkata/ Mangalore Mahindra XUV 500 Gravel 43 2017 Jan 19-21, 2018 Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/Kasargod Mahindra XUV 500 Gravel 2018 NOT HELD Promoters RRPM did not include the event in the Natioinal INRC calendar 44 2019 Nov 22-24 Chetan Shivaram, Dilip Sharan, Bengaluru VW Polo, Team Akshara Gravel 45 2020 -held 2021 Jan Feb 13-14, 2021 Cancelled Gravel *Corrected from BMW to Subaru, thanks to Zuhin, the 2012 IRC winner -
Gautam and Sanjeev take over KMSC reins, promise more activities
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru, 15 Nov 2020: International Formula 1 Marshal, BS Gautam, and former K1000 champion in his class, Sanjeev P Shah, were elected as the President and Secretary, respectively, of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) at the AGM held here on November 12.
Satyavrath KMSC is the founding member of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). Formed in 1954, the Bangalore Motor Sports Club founded by Fred Webb, later became KMSC to cover the motorsports activity in the entire Mysore State, which is now Karnataka. This story published by a German in the erstwhile kmsc.org was verified by INDIAinF1.com with the three granddaughters of Webb, who are now settled in Australia, and visit India, only once in a while. It has a chequered history and is the only active club which has been continuously conducting the K-1000, a premier National rally for 44 years, as part of Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) except in 2018 when it was denied a national round.
The members of KMSC elected its Managing Committee for a period of two years. A long-standing member and specialist route-setter for the Indian rallies, DA Bhaskar Gupta, now takes the reins as Vice-President after serving as Secretary for the last two years. BS Prakash will be the new Joint Secretary while MD Sathyavratha will be the new Treasurer. The list also includes another senior member Praneet Perumal, Janardan Babu and Shanmuga, elected to the managing committee. The new panel is also expected to co-opt three members and currently advocate and motorsport enthusiast VS Harish is the first to be co-opted and he is likely to take care of the legal issues of the club.
Praneeth Perumal, a veteran of KMSC, who has been instrumental in the club reaching great heights with various teams in the past, especially with the late Bharat Raj, has served in various commissions of the FMSCI and also has been a steward, but has not been able to give enough time in the last few years. His re-entry into the active action, along with another long-standing and active member Satya, will be a boon to the club and the new office-bearers will do well to take their experience in handling the motorsports activities.
Praneeth Perumal, a stalwart of KMSC, is
back into the managing committeeShivu Shivappa, the outgoing president, who recently relinquished the vice-president post of FMSCI, is not in the new committee as he opted out after two terms of service to the club. “Time to move on and give space to new faces to take the club forwards,” said Shivappa.
“On behalf of the Newly- elected Managing Committee, I thank all the members, my predecessor Mr Shivu Shivappa and the past committee for the efforts and wonderful work they have put in to keep the flag of one of the most-prestigious motorsports clubs in India flying high,” acknowledged the incumbent President.
When asked about his priorities as the new president, Gautham said: “Reviving grassroots motorsports and the time-regulated rallies, what used to be the TSDs, will be among one of the immediate things we want to do as a team. These events are the life-line of the club and are stepping stones for bigger things in motorsports for riders, drivers and navigators. So we will take up more activities to encourage budding sportspersons in each of their sport, irrespective of the discipline. Whether be it rally, or racing, or motocross or sprints and bike events, improving the participating and increasing the number of activities will be our top priority.”
Sanjeev Shah is elected as the KMSC Secretary. “Karnataka has been one of the cradles of motorsport activities and it has produced scores of champions over the years, its flagship event, the K1000 has etched a name for itself as a popular and vibrant event year after year, for 45 years. But many of the experienced and senior motorsports aficionados are feeling left out. So to help youngsters gain from their experience and knowledge and to create a platform for enthusiastic co-operation and learning between the generations, we are planning to start a veterans event,” said the Fire and Recovery Marshal at the Yas Marina F1 Grands Prix, for the last 10 years. He was also an F1 Marshal at all the three Indian GPs from 2011 to 2013.
Janardhan “I have received a call from our new FMSCI President Mr Akbar Ebrahim and he is very keen that we revive all grassroots activity. And we are also hopeful that we will get all the support from the federation,” concluded Gautam, who is a member of KMSC from 1982. He is currently a Covid Warrior supporting the Karnataka officials with HAM radio and communication work along with other Ham team members, many of whom are active Club members.
Bhaskar Gupta, moves up from secretary to Vice-President for the current 2-year term. Sanjeev P Shah, a member of the Club from 1987, was a former biker, who began with one of the first teams under Shekar Bojanna, way back in the nineties. He won the K1000 in 1991, in the 350 class, navigating for the legendary late Rajan Joshua and went on to win the first runners up spot in the Nationals in 1997 after he switched over to cars, the year which saw a huge number of riders and drivers from KMSC winning honours at the national level. “Secretary is just a badge and we at KMSC have always worked as a team and I look forward to contributing to the growth and continue for the betterment of the club. It is the passion for motorsports which kept us hooked to the sport and I am thankful to get this opportunity to give something back to the club,” said Shah, who is now active as a steward and an administrator.
BS Prakas, Joint Secretary, KMSC Another senior member of the club, Bhaskar Gupta, who just relinquished the post of secretary will now be the vice-president of the club. With three decades of experience as a steward and sports administrator, having served the club in various capacities, Gupta is known for his route-setting skills. Along with Satya, he was instrumental in setting the 1996 K-1000 route, near Maddur, and at India Mines which is talked about even now for the five superb stages, after the National championship shifted to the European stage rallying format for the first time that year. Following in the footsteps of his uncle Chakrapani EG, he took to motorsports and never looked back.
“Our focus and priority will be to increase the number of activities. We want more and more people to take up the sport and also we want to do events at the grassroots in all disciplines including TSD and Picnic rallies. Only when we encourage more sportspersons to take up the sport, then we will have more champions in the making. So it is important to keep organising the activities and get the right sponsors to back them up,” concluded Gupta.
Shanmuga, new member of the managing committee. Office bearers: President: BS Gautam; Vice-President: DA Bhaskar Gupta; Secretary: Sanjeev P Shah; Joint Secretary: BS Prakash; Treasurer: MD Sathyavrath. Managing Committee: 1. Praneet Perumal; 2. Janardan Babu; 3. Shanmuga. Co-opted members: 1. VS Harish; 2 & 3. To be co-opted soon.
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Vasundhara Jewellery Group enters INRC with 2 all-woman teams
Hyderabad, 12 Nov 2020: Champions Yacht Club pulled off another first in Indian Motorsports roping in a prominent woman entrepreneur of the city to field a first sponsoring two all-woman teams in the CYC FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2020, which is slated to begin with a back-to-back double leg in the North-Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh from December 15.
Mrs Vasundhara, a well-known Telangana businesswoman of Vasundhara Diamond Roof Private Limited fame, has come forward to sport a rally team for the first time. The Hyderabad -based jewellers will own two teams, a mix of experience and youth, comprising of renowned Indian woman rallyist Dr Bani Yadav of Gurgaon and another talented youngster, Pragathi Gowda of Bengaluru, with Mrs Vasundhara, taking the initiative to plunge into the sport with the first-time entry as a sponsor and team owner with two entries.
Andhra Pradesh, hosted the finals of the Indian National Autocross Championship last January, before the pandemic halted all motorsports events with the scheduled first round at Chennai, the South Indian Rally, being put off just a week before it was supposed to take off in March last week. Hyderabad, on the other hand, was famous for the Charminar Challenge rally, INRC event season finale, for many years in the past, and rallying is not new to the Telangana capital which has produced many rallyists of yore and had Andhra Pradesh Motor Sports Club during the combined state status which is now Telangana. With the coming of Team Vasundhara, Hyderabad will make its presence in INRC once again through a Team Owner, that too a woman owner, and with Bani Yadav in the driver’s seat, it is something to look forward to for a Rally fan.
Champions Yacht Club, the promoters of INRC, headed by young rally enthusiast Vamsi Merla, has already roped in Yokohama Tyres, who are fielding defending champion Chethan Shivaram and also announced a slew of benefits for woman teams by organising clubs waiving off entry fee to all women and their teams. Merla also promised to make transport arrangements for taking the cars to the venue at subsidised rates and accommodation is being provided free for all the participants beginning with the first two rounds at Itanagar, where the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Tourism Department of the State are also roped in by CYC.
Christened as ‘Team Vasundhara’ the two lady drivers will take part in INRC 3 class in a rally-spec Volkswagen Polo 1.6 shod with MRF Tyres.
Mrs. Vasundhara, who started the journey 22 years back, was the first women jeweller in entire South Asia and the idea behind promoting women in motorsports is in line with their company’s ethos of `women empowerment’ in all walks of life.
“A woman team owner, coming forward to promote and empower an all-woman team is a huge moment for Indian motorsports and a first time in Indian Rallying. As a promoter we have always strived for more women participation as part of the `Women in Motorsport’ concept introduced by FIA and FMSCI, and this association is seriously a stepping stone towards bringing in more women enthusiasts into motorsports,” Vamcy Merla, promoter of INRC and director of Champions Yacht Club said.
“Being a woman, my mother had to overcome many tough hurdles and challenges to make for herself. Our brand is all about woman empowerment as that is a personal journey for me. So keeping up the motto, we want to promote and empower women in all walks of life. We are pleased to have this opportunity to be part of an all-woman’s team and are glad to have been able to convince Bani (Yadav), a legend in her own right and Bengaluru youngster Pragathi (Gowda),” said Ashish, Director of Operation, Vasundhara Diamond Roof.
After the North-East round in scenic settings, INRC 2020 will move to Southern India with three rounds in Coimbatore, Hampi and the season-finale will be held in Bengaluru, with the iconic K-1000 as the last stop.
Began in 1988 as a National Championship, INRC the flagship event of Indian Motorsports will have five rounds in the depleted 2020-calendar, due to the Corona Virus, and will extend to two more months in 2021. The 33rd year of INRC will also see Hampi, the famous tourist spot in Karnataka, as a new venue to host INRC. The Hampi round will be in between the two Southern Cities once the venue is inspected and approved by the Federation, which looks like a formality as a non-championship curtain-raiser was run last year successfully. Champions Yacht Club who bagged the rights to promote the National Championship will be in-charge of INRC for two more years, with the Federation extending all championship rights for an extra year due to the disruption of regular events, by the pandemic this year.
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Double for Raghul, Tijil Rao; Jeet, Keith share ITC wins in 2 races
Irungattukottai (Sriperumbudur, TN) 8 Nov 2020: Championship leader Arjun Balu of Race Concepts had a gear-box failure but notched up two podium places even as FB Motorsport had its finest day yet with Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh and Keith D’Souza from Goa, both driving the Volkswagen Polo, taking victories in the two premier Indian Touring Cars races as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship concluded at the MMRT, about 130km from Chennai here on Sunday. Spectators and media were not allowed due to the government COVID 19 safety regulations and the event was held in a bio-bubble.
Also in the limelight was Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy of Performance Racing, who won both the races on Sunday, in the Super Stock category. Bengaluru lad Tijil Rao, also of Momentum Motorsport, completed a double in the Formula LGB 1300 class by winning the day’s first of the two races in addition to the one he won on Saturday. Viswas Vijayaraj of DTS Racing took the honours in the second of Sunday’s Formula LGB race.
Chennai’s Chetan Korada and Chandresh Tolia from Mumbai won a race apiece in the Toyota Etios MRF Saloon Car series.
Super Stock Race 2 winner Raghul Rangasamy flanked by 2nd placed Alisha Abdullah, left, and Vineet Abhiram, 3rd, ( at right) at MMRT on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar Jeet Jhabakh, a 28-year old automotive businessman from Hyderabad, a former Volkswagen Ameo and Vento Cup champion, enjoyed a trouble-free run once race leader, Arjun Balu of Race Concepts, dropped out of contention with a gearbox issue. Jhabakh managed to nose ahead of teammate Dhruv Mohite following a brief contact, and gradually extended the lead for a comfortable win, his first of the season. He, like Mohite, have missed the opening round in February. Mohite came in second and Balu managed a distant third for some valuable points.
“It was a good race for me after I got in front. Not sure what happened with Arjun’s (Balu) car, but I passed him and Dhruv to get in front. I am really happy for this win,” said Jhabakh.
Balu started fourth on the reverse grid, but cut through to the front in the very first lap and looked set for another win when the gearbox played up. “In the third lap, I found the car weaving on the straight and I realised something was wrong. So, I let others pass me and in the final three laps, I shifted to fifth gear and stayed there as I wanted to finish and pick up points,” said Balu, who collected 15 points for his third-place to continue to lead the table.
The Race Concepts team then got to work and changed the gearbox in little over 30 minutes, but attracting a five-position grid penalty for Balu for the next race for which the Coimbatore ace had qualified on pole.
From left: 2nd placed Arjun Balu, winner Keith D’Souza and 3rd Jeet Jhabakh, in the ITC class Race 3 on Sunday. Photo by Anand Philar In the next outing, it was Keith D’Souza all the way as he made the best of a strong start to win comfortably from Balu, who made three places, and Jhabakh.
The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):
Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (19mins, 11.577secs); 2. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (19:14.720); 3. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (21:12.781).
ITC Race-3: 1. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsport) (15:22.987); 2. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:28.096); 3. Jeet Jhabakh (FB Motorsport) (15:30.188).
Super Stock (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (20:08.258); 2. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (20:30.072); 3. Vineet Abhiram (Race Concepts) (20:52.326).
SS Race-3: 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:10.165); 2. Rithvik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:10.728); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (16:32.717).
MRF Saloon Car Series (Toyota Etios) (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Chetan Korada (Chennai) (21:14.775); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (21:15.945); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (19:12.377+1 lap).
Toyota Race-3: 1. Chandresh Tolia (Mumbai) (17:18.519); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (17:19.306); 3. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (17:28.532).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-3): 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsport) (15:13.237); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (15:13.806); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (15:19.854).
FLGB 1300 Race-4 (10 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (20:26.904); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (20:28.587); 3. Arya Singh (DTS Racing) (20:29.120).
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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Arjun Balu, Rithwik Thomas, Diljith reign supreme
Irungattukottai, near Chennai, 7 Nov 2020: Top speedster and talented Indian racing driver, Arjun Balu of Race Concepts, chalked up another fluent victory to extend lead the championship lead in the top-end Indian Touring Cars class as the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship commenced here at the MMRT on Saturday.
Balu from Coimbatore, thus, swept to his third consecutive win despite teething troubles with his car, following a double in the opening round in February, but was far from pleased with his performance. “I was still down on my lap times and was not too happy with the balance of the car. We made some changes to the car from the previous round, and so, had to deal with some teething issues. It was a struggle all weekend and we had to do a lot of work. I hope to do better in the next two races and come back stronger,” said Balu. Starting on pole Balu had a good launch and pulled off a quick lap of eight tenths over Keith in the first lap and did consistently faster laps thereafter, except in the Lap 2. He was not only faster than Keith in the second place but clocked the best lap of 1:53.146 (118.2 kmph). Joel Joseph who came fifth is the tuner of the Race Concept cars.
Arjun Balu in action on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar Finishing behind Balu were two FB Motorsport teammates, Keith D’Souza and last year’s champion Dhruv Mohite, neither of whom came anywhere near the Coimbatore ace who was simply sublime. Mohite who did not take part in the ITC class Round 1, opened his account while Keith is second on the table, adding to his second and fourth in the first two races in February.. “I too had a good start but we did not have the raw pace and all I can do was to keep up with him as much as I could. But I am happy with my race,” said Keith D’Souza of FB Motorsports tuned by Farad Bathena.
Rithvik Thomas after winning the Super Stock Race 1 on Saturday. Also finishing on the top step of the podium was Bengaluru’s Rithvik Thomas, also of Race Concepts, in the Super Stock class and, Diljith TS from Thrissur, in the Toyota Etios MRF Saloon Car Championship.
A couple of rain spells delayed the races but the stop-go proceedings did not affect their competitive nature and produced plenty of action.
Tijil Rao of Momentum Motorsport and Mohamed Ryan of M Sport won a race each in the Formula LGB 1300 category that had two races on Saturday.
Tijil Rao celebrates after winning Race 1 of Formula LGB on Saturday. Pole-sitter Tijil Rao led a 1-2 for Momentum Motorsport after holding off team-mate Chirag Ghorpade in a tense battle and behind them, Diljith TS, of DTS Racing, completed the podium. It was a good run by Ghorpade who started seventh on the grid and cut through the field to catch up with Tijil. The two were locked in a tense battle, but Tijil just about kept his nose in front while Dilijith made two places from fifth to finish third.
Mohamad Ryan giving his bites after winning Race 2 of Formula LGB 1300 at the MMRT. In the second Formula LGB 1300 race, Mohamed Ryan (M Sport) won handily from reverse grid start ahead of Karthik Krishna (Hasten Performance) and Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing). Tijil managed to finish fifth for some important points. “He pressurised me a lot but I managed to keep it up for the win the first race. Now on to the next race,” said Mohamed Ryan. A Balaprasath clocked the best lap in Race 2: 1:53.007 (118.4 kmph) and it was Chirag Ghorpade with the fastest lap in Race 1 timing 1:53.085 (118.3kmph).
The combined saloon car race grid comprised two other classes, including the Super Stock, which was won by Rithwik Thomas of Race Concepts. It was his third success in a row and he extended his championship lead in this class. Raghul Rangasamy of Race Performance came second ahead of Alisha Abdullah, who did a good job to take the podium again ahead of five more racers, including Shivani Pruthvi of Davangere, who switched from rallies to racing once again, after her debut in racing last year at Coimbatore. “It was a good race. I started on the pole and had a fight for a few corners in the beginning before I settled down. Looking forward to tomorrow’s races,” said Rithvik Thomas. He consistently had faster laps and his best lap of 1:58.922 was over a second faster than the best lap of second-placed Rangasamy.
“I am very happy with my performance today and I have more to learn. I am focused now tomorrow’s races and looking forward to it,” said Alisha Abdullah.
Alisha Abdullah get a third place competing with the male racers for the third time running. The MRF Saloon Car Championship with identical Toyota Etios vehicles, made its debut, where Diljith TS topped without much ado. Chennai’s Balaprasath, who also took part in the Karting Nationals at Bengaluru last Sunday, came second ahead of Mumbai’s Chandresh Tolia.
The results (Provisional, all 8 laps unless mentioned):
Formula LGB (Race-1): 1. Tijil Rao (Momentum Motorsports) (15mins, 20.044secs); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Momentum Motorsport) (15:20.726); 3. Diljith TS (DTS Racing) (15:25.857).
Race 2 (10 laps): 1. Mohamed Ryan (M Sport) (19:10.071); 2. Karthik Krishna (Hasten Performance) (19:11.888); 3. Viswas Vijayaraj (DTS Racing) (19:12.884).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1): 1. Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) (15:13.588); 2. Keith D’Souza (FB Motorsport) (15:21.592); 3. Dhruv Mohite (FB Motorsport) (15:26.575).
Super Stock (Race-1): 1. Rithwik Thomas (Race Concepts) (16:09.642); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Performance Racing) (16:15.868); 3. Alisha Abdullah (Race Concepts) (16:33.443).
MRF Saloon Car Championship (Race-1): 1. Diljith TS (Thrissur) (17:04.940); 2. A Balaprasath (Chennai) (17:12.098); 3. Chandresh Tolia (Mumbai) (17:22.490).
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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Arjun Balu and Rithwik Thomas raring to go: National racing resumes
Irungattukottai (Sriprumbudur, TN), 5 Nov 2020: Speedmaster and star racing driver Arjun Balu of Coimbatore is raring to go as the MMSC fmsci Indian National Racing Championship resumes after a COVID-induced break of over eight months at the Madras Motor Sports Track here on Saturday.
Arjun Balu is leading the Championship table with 50 points in the Indian Touring Car (ITC) category while his Race Concepts teammate Rithvik Thomas, who too won both the races in the first round held in February, leads the Super Stock class, also with 50 points. Tuned by Joel Joseph, the Race Concepts team did a commendable job in 2019 but their prospects were damaged due to guest drivers in the last round.
“Happy to be back racing and looking forward to an enjoyable weekend of racing. We need more time to develop the car, as there are many changes made. So not yet optimum yet, but we will try to bring updates for the next round,” said Arjun Balu.
“Coming into this Round, my main aim is to get back into the rhythm of racing and enjoy the weekend after such a long break. How everything else goes is secondary but we are well prepared and I am looking forward to a good weekend,” said Rithvik Thomas, talking to www.INDIAinF1.com
The guest drivers did not score points and were not eligible for the championship but Race Concepts’ lead driver, Arjun Balu, who had some issues with the car in the qualifying session in the final round of 2019 got stuck behind them and lost the championship. Leaving all that behind, Arjun Balu began with a bang and convincingly won both the races in Round 1 in February 2020, which included two races for saloon cars in ITC and Super Stock classes, besides two support events, the MRF F1600 and Volkswagen Ameo Super Race were also held.
With the Corona pandemic eating away vital 8 months of the season, the calendar is reduced to 8 races in all the classes, including both the ITC and Super Stock, which will run three races in this round and three more in the third and final round to be held on November 28 and 29. Formula LGB will have four races this week-end, two on Saturday and two on Sunday and four more in the final round to decide the champion. A new category in the National Championship, the MRF Toyota Etios Junior class will also have four races in this round and four races in the final round on that concludes on Nov 29.
Meanwhile, MMSC has updated many facilities at the track, prominent among them being the covered facilities for Marshal Post and the construction began for a 600-seat Grandstand for spectators.
“It is exactly 220 days since we had the last competitive race at the MMRT on February 16, 2020, which is the longest break ever in the history of the MMSC National Championship. In these times, we at MMSC have not been sitting idle and have been continuously planning and arranging to restart racing events. As per the current scenario, we will need to follow the new protocols/ Standard Operating Procedures and will adhere to all government guidelines,” said an MMSC note to the drivers while releasing the revised calendar in September last week.
New Marshall posts at Madras Motor Sports Club’s track in Chennai. Photo Twitter @VickyChandhok MMSC National Championships Calendar 2020 Date Event Round 10 – 11 October 2020 2W Darg National Championship 1 6 – 8 November 2020 4W Racing National Championship 2 26 – 28 November 2020 4W Racing National Championship 3 5 – 6 December 2020 2W Darg National Championship 2 10 – 13 December 2020 2W Racing National Championship 1 17 – 20 December 2020 2W Racing National Championship 2 For the Car National Championship, we have planned to run 8 races for all the categories in 2020. So the races will be spread over 2 weekends in November as follows, the note added.
FLGB 1300 ITC Super Stock Toyota Etios Junior 14 – 16 Feb (completed) 0 2 2 0 6 – 8 Nov 4 3 3 4 26 – 28 Nov 4 3 3 4 -
Toyota Etios to make its debut as National Racing Championship resumes
Chennai, 5 Nov2020: Toyota Etios enters a National Championship in India for the first time as the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2020 resumes in a bio-bubble after eight months at the MMRT circuit here on Saturday behind closed doors necessitated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The MRF Saloon Car Championship, featuring Toyota Etios, makes its debut in the National Championship.
Experienced speedster Arjun Balu, made up for a bad last round in 2019 by winning both the races in the first round of the National Championship for Indian Touring Cars and leads the points table while his Race Concepts teammate Rithvik Thomas bagged both the races in the Super Stock category to sit on the top of the table. The Round 1 was held along with MRF Challenge and other classes were not held in February. The MRF 1600 and Ameo Cup were run as Support Races.
The strict enforcement of Government-mandated Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) would mean the absence of spectators, guests and the Media with the entry restricted to competitors with a maximum of two helpers each and officials.
By successfully conducting the first round of the National Drag Racing Championship for two-wheelers last month, also in a closed environment, MMSC took the lead to resume motorsport activities in the country following the easing of restrictions by conducting the first of the 11 Nationals in motorsports that are scheduled for this year.
Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “It has been a tough year for everyone due to the pandemic, but after the government eased restrictions and allowed resumption of sporting activities, we conducted the National Drag races last month without any incident. This weekend, we go a step further by resuming the four-wheeler championship, again with protocols in place with no compromise on safety and health of all involved by implementing temperature check, hand sanitisation, wearing of masks and physical distancing. Our very popular hospitality enclosure will also, unfortunately, be sealed off, for now, to ensure that the norms of social distancing are met.
“Having said that, the MMSC would like to thank long-time sponsors MRF Tyres who have stood by us in these difficult times, and of course the competitors who have turned up in good numbers. We also welcome the very affordable newly-launched single-make MRF Saloon Car Championship, with arrive-and-drive programmes.”
The weekend card includes triple-headers in the popular Indian Touring Cars (ITC), Super Stock and the Indian Junior Touring Cars categories, as also the MRF Saloon Car Championship while the Formula LGB 1300, will have four races.
Going into the second round, Race Concepts (Bengaluru) drivers, veteran Arjun Balu (Coimbatore) and Rithvik Thomas (Bengaluru) head the ITC and Super Stock classes, respectively, with 50 points apiece after scoring a double each in the opening round in February. The Formula LGB and the MRF Saloon Car Championship classes will have their first runs of the season this weekend.
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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Team Nutulapati, an Andhra company, enters INRC as a sponsor with 3 cars
Team Nutulapati to line-up with Kerala’s Bikku Babu, Bengaluru’s Dhruva Chandrashekar and Delhi Aditya Thakur
Hyderabad, 2 Nov 2020: Construction giants from Andhra Pradesh, Venkata Rama Constructions, have announced that they will be entering the Champions Yacht Club FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2020 (INRC), which is set to begin at Itanagar in December before Christmas with a double-dhamaka of back-to-back rounds in five days.
Nutulapati Mallikharjuna Rao, the man behind the move, announced that they are roping `Dr Speed’ Bikku Babu from Kerala, a veteran rallyist who is known for his consistency and speed over the years. He will be joined by another aggressive driver from Bengaluru, Dhruva Chandrasekhar, and young talent from Delhi Aditya Thakur. It is impressive to note that the Real Estate giant had preferred to support established and talented drivers rather than go for drivers from his own state.
As INRC is gearing up for the new season in a new avatar, after announcing their association with Yokohama Tyres, they now joined hands with Sri Sai Venkata Rama Constructions who will be fielding a team for this year’s competition.
Nutulapati Mallikharjuna Rao India’s premier rally championship has indeed hit the ground running and in a year where all the other major sporting entities are struggling to run their show, INRC not only announced a five-round season but also have managed to draw attention from the corporate world.
Owned by Nutulapati Mallikharjuna Rao, Venkata Rama Constructions, giants from Andhra Pradesh will become the first real estate company to own a team in INRC and shall field a team comprising of last season’s INRC overall second runner-up and INRC 2 champion Dr Bikku Babu of Kerala, Dhruva Chandrashekar of Bengaluru and Aditya Thakur of Delhi. They will be rallying under the banner ‘Team Nutulapati’.
Bikku Babu and Dhruva are expected to take part in INRC 2 category while Aditya will spearhead the team’s challenge in INRC 3 category. All the drivers will be driving a Volkswagen Polo and will be on MRF Rally Tyres.
“It is indeed a great sign for INRC as well as for the overall motorsports scene in the country. Apart from car and tyre companies, no one else has shown shown interest in the motorsports and have invested their time and money in the sport. We promised to take INRC to a different level and we certainly are on the move. We are in talks with other big companies as well and very soon we will announce new partners and teams. We express our gratitude to Mallikharjuna Rao and his team to have understood and decided to support our vision,” said Vamsi Merla, promoter of INRC said.
“We are very excited with this new venture as this is the first time that we are involving in sports in a big way. When we were presented with the opportunity to own a team, at first we were a little apprehensive. But after due diligence by our team, we decided to go ahead and take a plunge. We are confident of our chances in the season, with the kind of drivers we have at our disposal, and we fancy our chances,” Mallikharjuna said.
INRC 2020 will begin on December 15 in Arunachal Pradesh with two rounds in the scenic North-Eastern State. Then INRC will move to Southern India, with three rounds to be held in Coimbatore, Hampi and the season-finale K1000, in Bengaluru.
