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Category: Rally
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INRC 4w 2021 season curtailed to 3 rounds
By David Bodapati, Indian Rally Historian (Check-out INRC Hall of Fame)
Bengaluru, 23 Dec 2021: Many a rally lover might feel sad that there was no National rally in India in the year 2021, thanks to the second wave of Carona. But there appears to be a much worse killer virus that has been doing the rounds and, haunting the sport. However, the good news is that the fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four-wheelers for the year 2021 will begin in the New Year (2022) but it will be restricted to three rounds. The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs (fmsci) in India is preparing to put out a “Statement” on the eve of Christmas, according to reliable sources.
As already announced by the “erstwhile” Promoter, the season was scheduled to begin with the first round in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, from Dec 16 to 19 but the local city police chief, an IAS officer, played spoilsport and the lack of Police Permission to run on the “street roads” adjacent to the Bay of Bengal beaches forced the organisers to abruptly call off the rally, leaving all the 54 drivers who landed in the “City of Destiny’ on a forced vacation around the picturesque beaches, but with no joy.
Vizag is a cosmopolitan city, with a culture similar to Bengaluru and unlike Hyderabad and Vijayawada, a commercial hub, the port city is a popular tourist destination. The planned stages were supposed to be held on the Vizag-Bheemli beach road, which saw many Hill Climbs and TSDs, that have been running here for over three decades, one of the main organisers two decades back being Kalinga Naval base. But with most of the riders and drivers moving to Cities, the local organisers became inactive. Near the beach road, there also existed an fmsci-approved Karting track that hosted the 2012 Nationals final round of Rotax Max event. It was washed away by the cyclone in 2017 and rendered useless as the tarmac became bumpy.
Coming back to INRC, the remaining three rounds, the K1000 in January, the Rally of Coimbatore in February and the South India Rally in March are expected to take place on the same dates which were announced earlier and confirmed by the the Federation (FMSCI) calendar on Dec 21. Former Federation Presidents Bharath Vivek Chandhok of MMSC, Prithiviraj of CASC and current Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) President Gautam Shantappa, an F1 Marshal, confirmed that the clubs are ready to host the three rounds as scheduled. KMSC appears to be ready with the SR, as the route for this year’s rally is expected to be the same one that was prepared for last year’s K1000 (but not held). Supplementary Regulations are usually released one month before the event to facilitate smooth logistics for the participants. So the SR should be out in a day or two, if everything goes well.
However, the finances are an issue but the Rally Commission for four-wheelers which met on Dec 22 seems to have addressed the issue. The clubs are likely to get Rs.8 lakhs each from the Federation, from the money that was paid by the Promoter to the Federation as INRC bidding fees. The Promoter has paid Rs.75 lakhs for the three-year contract which began in 2019, but the Federation exteneded the rights for one more year for all the Promoters of all the 12 National championships due to COVID 19. There is no clarity on how it works for those who have bid for five years like Madras Motor Sport Club, which is the promoter for three Nationals. The clubs are expected to fend for themselves and look for sponsors to raise the remaining money to organise one round of the Rally Nationals. Conservative estimates, experts feel, put the cost at around Rs.20 lakh to run one round of rally, while a decently-run rally with minimum facilities for all the participants and other stakeholders needs an amount of about Rs.30 lakhs, a former RallyCom member said.
The cureent Rally commission is headed by chairman Farokh Commissariat. There are rumours that the Promoter has resigned after Rally de Vizag failed to take off while some claim that the Federation has used the termination clause. Either way, the INRC will be without a Promoter for 2021. The worst-ever Calendar year in the three-decade INRC history was the two-round 2012 season. Most of the years had five rounds while nine rounds were hosted in 1995 and 1996. Leelakrishnan, Gaurav Gill, Naren Kumar and Hari Singh and navigators Musa Sherif, Farooq Ahmed, Ram Kumar, are some of the most decorated stalwarts in INRC 33-year history. Many unsung heroes too had their occasional glory but suffered team orders or reasons beyond their control.
Driver-friendly news?
Whatever may be the situation, the good news is that the Promoter recommended to FMSCI that each participant who registered for Vizag rally be paid a compensation of Rs.1.5 lakh from the Rs.50 lakh which he claimed is with the Federation as the 2021 season is yet to start. It is a simple logic that all the monies a Sports Federation earns must be pumped back into the sport. It is time for all the stakeholders to realise that, ultimately it is the Sportpersons, who keep the sport alive. Not the Federation, not the organisers, not the former sportspersons, not the Media, et al. Will the Drivers and teams get back the money they spent on Rally de Vizag is a million-dollar question. All the drivers know and organisers know these answers.
TIME TO RESPECT THE RIDERS AND DRIVERS! They have been taken for granted for too long. Only when this simple issue is sorted out, one will know who are the sinners, who are the saviours of Motorsports in India!
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Abdul Tanveer crowned overall National Champion 2021: 2w Rally
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
Abdul Tanveer, the Overall Champion, for 2021. 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
Champions All: The triumphant TVS team at Nashik on Dec 19. Photo from TVS 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
Samuel Jacob, Group B 260cc Class Champioin for 2021 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.
Samuel Jacob in action, all photos courtesy TVS 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.
Karthik Naidu, the scooter champion in action. Karthik Naidu 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.
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Santa comes to the rally stages with Team #MRFTyres!
A little Christmas cheer for the fans in Italy as the Italian Rally Championship – Gravel champioin Andreucci Paolo and co-driver M Bimbi takes to the stages in this cool special Christmas livery!
Team MRF Racing took to social media with these beautiful images as the team gets ready to rally in Italy,.
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Deeksha, a techie biker wins Sprint Nationals on debut
Deeksha Srivastava is an off-roader from Pune. The 27-year techie, is born in a middle class family in Allahabad, UP. Daughter of a government employee and a home-maker, the bubbly youngster convinced both her reluctant parents, as she took up riding, considered as a male domain, back home, in those early days. But the Software Engineer at Nagarro is a self-made motorsports athlete taking part in the FMSCI Nationals for the first time and did prove her to parents that she is better than many boys and slowly they started supporting her. It is indeed an achievement winning the Ladies Class in the Indian National Rally Sprint Championship which concluded in Goa on December 5 as it is her first experience in an FMSCI event.
The rally rider is a bike lover who owns KTM Duke 250 and acquired a Hero Impulse for her motorsports exploits. “I used to go for off road trails and some basic off-road level training at a company called Pro Dirt Adventure. I utilised all the resources they provided to max and trained myself hard for the rally. From basic body positioning to fast trails and other minor riding techniques, I used practice everything. For around three months, I trained myself before the rally apart from keeping myself physically fit,” said the rider who qualified from the West Zone in Belgaum, Karnataka for the Sprint Finals held in Goa from Dec 3 to 5.
Excerpts from an interview:
Deeksha As a child what were you interested in? Did you parents support your interest in bikes?
I always had a thing for bikes when I was a kid. My friends used to call me a Nerd and Tom Boy. My parents didn’t like , that I am developing interest towards the things that boys do , like playing cricket, riding bike, going out to places. But later on as they saw, I proved my capabilities, have started paying my own bills and taking responsibilities as an elder daughter, they let me persue whatever I wish for.
When did you first start riding?
I was placed in a multi-national company in Pune in 2017 through college placement. That’s when I came to a metro city and saw the city-lights and its culture. While commuting to and fro on my work, I would often see some girls riding bikes. I also developed an urge to buy my own bike and a year later I bought a KTM Duke 250 in 2019. I used to go off road trails on duke with 70/30 tyres installed.
Later, I bought a Hero Impulse when I started following rally life on social media and wanted to pursue it. I prepared for the rally for about three months. I also learnt the techniques, and would then go on technical and enduro trails to understand the judgement.
Where did you qualify for the grand finals?
The Sprint Nationals 2021 is my debut and my first official rally as an FMSCI registered rider. I qualified from the West Zone which was held in Belgaum on 30-31st October. I bagged the podium at first place in Round 7 and 8. And again winning the championship in INRSC 2021 finals is a huge turn over for me. The feeling can’t be explained in words. I was immensely pleased and felt very much overwhelmed.
How did you feel going into the first day of the finals?
The day before the final two rounds, it started raining in Goa on Friday night. We were staying at Morjim around 15kms from the race location, Arambole. I was concerned about it and was wondering if there will more slush forcing me to be slower or what if I had a crash or a fall… I will lose time, these were some of the thoughts I was pre-occupied with. But I prepared myself mentally for the worst scenario, and buckled up for next day with confidence.
How was the terrain and the recce?
We reached the location in the morning and saw it was a little slushy and slippery. It was all red soil and so the rear tyres were slipping out. We needed to have ultimate control on the bike. We geared up around 11:30 for the Recce so that we can have a better idea of the track, the hurdles, sharp corners and the likes. I was making calculation in mind to visualise everything and to attain the fastest time.
Saturday, the big day, how did it go?
At around 2pm, I went for my lap, riding around 100 meters there was a tight right turn and it was deep dry slush where I took the bike smoothly and at a lesser speed. Throughout the race, my objective was to complete the race without having a fall or a crash. At many corners where it was slushy, I slowed down and lost some time on some of those corners. The track also had four MX (Motocross-type) jump bumps. As I did not have any experience on the MX jumps, I decided to go smooth over those bumps, and took a calculated risk losing some time. And in the end I felt good as things turned out and I was happy with my pace and my run. First day in the first of the two final rounds, I completed the lap in 16 minutes 00:771seconds and topped the Ladies category.
And the final run for championship?
Next day on Sunday, it was a sunny day. But we had to report early at around 8:30 am at the parc farme. The track was worse than the day before due to the mist and fog which made the red soil slippery. The rear tyre was washing out this time around. And it happened on the way to reach parc farme, too. The rally started at around 9 and I went for my lap at 9.29 am. I kept calculating in my mind as I started the race and knew that I needed to be fast in the corners and make some time. I tried to be on pace at every corner and did cut down my time, relatively to Saturday’s run. I also had a few jumps in between as there were two back-to-back table-top jumps midway on the track. And as I was proceeding there was a left tight turn, where my rear tyre slipped and I fell to the ground. Within a second I realised, it’s my only chance to have a go at the championship and hurriedly got up in less than 10 seconds, started the bike and shot ahead. I am glad that I completed the lap in 14:41:812 and stood third among the ladies. The two final round times were aggregated to decide the championship. I also had more points as I got overall 40 points, 25 for first on Saturday and 15 for third on Sunday. I won the championship by 4minutes 42 seconds.
What next?
This is my first rally and winning it is the best thing that happened in motorsports life. I am looking forward to more exploits and will take rallies seriously. There is much more to learn and there are more technicalities which needs to be practiced. I will continue to work on improving my riding skills.
The petite champ, promised to be back in full throttle for the next rally. Watch out!
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Musa Sherif-Mansoor Parol, 2nd in Al Thaid Rally Ro5
Al Thaid (UAE), 10 Dec 2021: Ace Indiannavigator who is inching towards his 30th consecutive year in rallying has teamed up with Mansoor Parol as Team Minti Motorsport and won the Overall second position in Round 5 of the 3rd Al Thaid Rally held here recently.
Organised by Emirates Motorsports Club, the Indian duo driving the Mitsubishi Evo 10 car excelled in their class but had to be content with a second place. Thus, Musa Sherif, who bagged Overall third in the co-driver class, also bagged the FWD class championship for the fourth time with Saneem Sani. Earlier, he got the honours in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, with 2020 being hit by the pandemic.
Currently in Visakhapatnam for Rally de Vizag, the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship, the experienced navigator increased his kitty to 22 championship wins. The Kasargod rallyist will be entering his 30th year in 2022 and the Vizag leg happens to be his 299th rally, if held. Then it would be a grand homecoming for the K1000, where he is expected to complete 300 rallies, becoming the only navigator in Asia to complete a triple ton.
Musa Sherif, who calls the pace notes for Gaurav Gill in Indian circuit, had made his debut way back in 1993 in the Karavali Mandovi rally and the then Mangalore, and got hooked to the sport, taking home many laurels in the last 30 years.
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Flash: Rajendra wins INRC 2w Rally of Coimbatore
Coimbatore, 12 Dec 2021: Shimoga-born Rajendra RE, the 2019 champion, was back in his limelight winning the Rally of Coimbatore, the fifth leg of the MRF Mogrip National Racing Championship for two-wheelers 2021 which concluded at the windmill farms of Kethanoor here on Sunday.
OVERALL PROVISIONAL/FINAL RESULTS
RANK COMP NO COMPETITOR NAME TEAM VEHICLE CLASS CITY SS1 SS2 SS3 SS4 SS5 SS6 TOTAL STAGE TIME LIAISON PENALTY TOTAL RUN TIME 1 2 RAJENDRA R E TVS RACING RTR 450 CLASS 1 HOSUR 15:10.738 11:26.468 15:00.468 11:39.750 – – 00:53:17.424 – 00:53:17.424 2 1 ABDUL WAHEED TANVEER TVS RACING RTR 450 CLASS 1 HOSUR 15:15.714 11:30.964 15:32.726 11:28.070 – – 00:53:47.474 – 00:53:47.474 3 3 R NATARAJ TVS RACING RTR 450 CLASS 1 HOSUR 15:49.984 11:59.636 15:58.992 12:07.878 – – 00:55:56.490 – 00:55:56.490 4 11 SAMUEL JACOB TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 4 HOSUR 15:47.578 12:03.746 15:58.417 12:15.699 – – 00:56:05.440 – 00:56:05.440 5 12 IMRAN PASHA TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 4 HOSUR 15:54.187 12:19.335 16:08.171 12:23.976 – – 00:56:45.669 – 00:56:45.669 6 14 SACHIN D TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 4 HOSUR 16:25.230 12:44.070 16:16.230 12:26.410 – – 00:57:51.940 – 00:57:51.940 7 6 ASAD KHAN PRIVATEER RMX 450 CLASS 1A CHIKMAGALUR 16:30.746 12:30.082 16:50.980 12:42.691 – – 00:58:34.499 – 00:58:34.499 8 4 ADHAAN AHAMED PRIVATEER KTM 250 CLASS 1 MANGALORE 16:36.078 12:48.105 16:35.046 12:45.910 – – 00:58:45.139 – 00:58:45.139 9 57 KALI MOHAN TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 9 HOSUR 17:10.625 12:54.132 16:54.429 12:52.699 – – 00:59:51.885 – 00:59:51.885 10 10 SINAN PRIVATEER KTM 450 CLASS 1A KERALA 17:09.300 12:51.632 17:14.332 13:06.085 – – 01:00:21.349 – 01:00:21.349 11 19 SAJEESH REGHANATHAN PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 BANGALORE 17:14.539 13:21.359 17:08.351 12:54.828 – – 01:00:39.077 – 01:00:39.077 12 66 K.SARAVANAKUMAR PRIVATEER APACHE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 17:19.117 13:14.882 17:07.894 13:11.667 – – 01:00:53.560 – 01:00:53.560 13 7 JATIN JAIN PRIVATEER KTM 450 CLASS 1A NAGPUR 17:26.890 13:08.450 17:24.830 12:58.210 – – 01:00:58.380 – 01:00:58.380 14 27 PAVAN BK PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 BANGALORE 17:41.453 13:27.023 17:15.687 13:15.042 – – 01:01:39.205 – 01:01:39.205 15 20 V VENU RAMESH KUMAR PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 COIMBATORE 17:35.109 13:19.597 17:28.351 13:24.394 – – 01:01:47.451 – 01:01:47.451 16 9 AMAN PAWDE PRIVATEER KTM 450 CLASS 1A NAGPUR 17:01.636 15:32.054 16:54.468 12:41.542 – – 01:02:09.700 – 01:02:09.700 17 36 NARESH VS PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 BANGALORE 18:00.644 13:23.359 17:22.757 13:23.808 – – 01:02:10.568 – 01:02:10.568 18 15 TRINESH V PRIVATEER RTR 200 CLASS 4 BANGALORE 18:06.875 13:22.785 17:26.921 13:14.640 – – 01:02:11.221 – 01:02:11.221 19 58 VISHNU PRAKASH S PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 18:11.941 13:33.683 17:44.968 13:29.222 – – 01:02:59.814 – 01:02:59.814 20 18 ANAND JAYAKRISHNAN PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 4 TRIVANDRUM 18:16.769 13:47.042 17:51.726 13:50.652 – – 01:03:46.189 – 01:03:46.189 21 46 SYED ASIF ALI TVS RACING NTORQ CLASS 7 HOSUR 18:13.437 13:51.535 17:57.628 13:43.871 – – 01:03:46.471 – 01:03:46.471 22 34 MOHAMMED ZAHEER PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 BANGALORE 18:06.187 14:03.515 17:48.925 13:54.300 – – 01:03:52.927 – 01:03:52.927 23 43 SHAMIM KHAN TVS RACING NTORQ CLASS 7 HOSUR 18:25.042 13:52.855 17:58.347 13:42.480 – – 01:03:58.724 00:12:00 01:15:58.724 24 39 JEEMON ANTONY PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 ERNAKULAM 18:14.835 13:45.300 18:05.933 13:58.378 – – 01:04:04.446 – 01:04:04.446 25 45 KARTHIK NAIDU TVS RACING NTORQ CLASS 7 HOSUR 18:24.949 13:51.718 18:02.417 13:48.074 – – 01:04:07.158 – 01:04:07.158 26 54 AISHWARYA PISSAY M TVS RACING RTR 200 CLASS 8 HOSUR 18:06.839 13:52.468 18:10.839 14:01.128 – – 01:04:11.274 – 01:04:11.274 27 59 SAM ISSAIAH PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 18:09.660 13:39.523 18:07.734 14:20.839 – – 01:04:17.756 00:01:00 01:05:17.756 28 28 PRAVITH P PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 KERALA 17:51.000 13:32.492 17:47.207 15:12.097 – – 01:04:22.796 – 01:04:22.796 29 22 AAKASH AITHAL PRIVATEER KTM ADVENTURE CLASS 5 PUTTUR 18:36.636 13:49.390 18:14.496 13:52.742 – – 01:04:33.264 – 01:04:33.264 30 42 ARUN JOY PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 ERNAKULAM 18:14.988 14:03.390 18:15.277 14:05.191 – – 01:04:38.846 – 01:04:38.846 31 23 MANIKANDAN PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 COIMBATORE 19:11.113 13:55.835 18:14.554 13:41.390 – – 01:05:02.892 – 01:05:02.892 32 65 VIGNESH VENKATESH PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 19:28.773 13:46.453 18:08.683 13:59.882 – – 01:05:23.791 – 01:05:23.791 33 55 TANIKA SHANBAG PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 8 SATARA 19:04.328 14:08.972 18:24.972 14:07.042 – – 01:05:45.314 – 01:05:45.314 34 5 GOUTHAM RAO R PRIVATEER RTR 200 CLASS 1 BANGALORE 18:55.472 14:06.437 18:54.066 14:34.007 – – 01:06:29.982 – 01:06:29.982 35 16 MOHAMMED IRSHAD PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 4 TRIVANDRUM 18:59.320 14:42.199 19:13.160 14:21.753 – – 01:07:16.432 – 01:07:16.432 36 30 BHARATH L PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 BANGALORE 19:04.582 14:24.425 19:19.417 14:40.894 – – 01:07:29.318 – 01:07:29.318 37 24 JAIDEEP JOSHI PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 COIMBATORE 18:37.777 14:04.453 20:49.472 14:51.632 – – 01:08:23.334 – 01:08:23.334 38 21 SRAVAN KUMAR PRIVATEER KTM 390 CLASS 5 HYDERABAD 19:45.300 14:56.996 19:35.859 14:56.269 – – 01:09:14.424 – 01:09:14.424 39 61 THILAGA RAJA PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 9 ERODE 20:10.167 15:05.492 19:21.218 15:04.925 – – 01:09:41.802 – 01:09:41.802 40 29 HARI KUMAR PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 TRIVANDRUM 20:07.332 15:08.414 19:45.761 15:04.425 – – 01:10:05.932 – 01:10:05.932 41 31 AKHIL ARUMUGAM PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 COIMBATORE 19:56.960 15:32.894 19:45.710 15:05.015 – – 01:10:20.579 – 01:10:20.579 42 56 APOORVA PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 8 MANGALORE 20:27.988 15:05.691 20:10.183 15:30.351 – – 01:11:14.213 – 01:11:14.213 43 37 ABHIJEET SARKAR PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 GUWAHATI 20:45.242 15:27.589 20:09.347 15:10.214 – – 01:11:32.392 – 01:11:32.392 44 48 AJIN ABRAHAM PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 KOTTAYAM 18:16.675 14:02.945 18:11.128 21:23.988 – – 01:11:54.736 – 01:11:54.736 45 60 J PRADEEP PRIVATEER XPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 20:44.316 15:41.132 20:18.441 15:27.882 – – 01:12:11.771 – 01:12:11.771 46 33 BINU JOHN PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 KERALA 20:51.386 15:29.996 20:37.199 15:38.355 – – 01:12:36.936 – 01:12:36.936 47 63 RICARIUS VENCHASLAUS PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE 18:13.511 13:51.789 18:19.167 24:10.078 – – 01:14:34.545 – 01:14:34.545 48 32 MOHAMMED NIYAS PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 TRIVANDRUM 21:58.449 16:11.812 20:35.812 15:52.167 – – 01:14:38.240 – 01:14:38.240 49 64 A KARTHIKEYAN PRIVATEER APACHE CLASS 9 COIMBATORE DNS – – – – – – – – 50 49 CHALASS K BOSE PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 KERALA DNF – – – – – – – – 51 51 AZEEB MUHAMMED PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 KOTTAYAM DNF – – – – – – – – 52 25 SASI KUMAR K PRIVATEER IMPULSE CLASS 3 COIMBATORE DNF – – – – – – – – 53 38 SREEKANTH KOMANA PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 KOCHI DNF – – – – – – – – 54 41 SAMUEL ABRAHAM PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 KERALA 18:05.878 DNF – – – – – – – 55 50 NITESH POOJARY PRIVATEER STUNNER CLASS 2 MANGALORE 18:43.539 14:29.757 DNF – – – – – – 56 47 ABIJITH SHETTY PRIVATEER NTORQ CLASS 7 BANGALORE 19:26.128 14:37.476 19:56.609 DNF – – – – – 57 40 SHAJEER ISMAIL PRIVATEER ROYAL ENFIELD CLASS 6 KOCHI 19:47.125 15:01.687 19:49.046 DNF – – – – -
Al Attiyah-Baumel take control in Saudi Arabia: Hail Rally
9 Dec 2021: Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel are closing in on another title in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, with the duo leading the Hail Rally after the opening two days of competition. Jakub Przygonski and Timo Gottschalk have moved into second, with the all-Russian crew of Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov third in a similar MINI John Cooper Works Buggy.
The final and decisive round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies got underway on Wednesday with the first of four selective sections in the spectacular deserts of Saudi Arabia. The opening second-longest section of the rally was trouble-free for Al-Attiyah and Baumel with the Qatari/French pairing claiming the fastest time in the 258-kilometre stage. Today, the Toyota Gazoo Racing crew again took important leg points with second on the longest section of the rally – 314 kilometres – to lead the pack by seven minutes and 24 seconds with two legs remaining.
Przygonski and Gottschalk are second mid-way through the event. The Polish/German crew dropped time yesterday with a navigation issue, finishing third, but bounced back today to claim the stage win by 59 seconds. Krotov and Zhiltsov have been on fine form, the Russians claiming second yesterday, but fourth today dropped them behind Przygonski by just under two minutes. Sebastian Halpern and Bernardo Graue are the third Buggy crew in the top four overall.
Vladimir Vasilyev and Oleg Uperenko dropped a position today after claiming fourth overall yesterday. The Russian BMW X5 crew lost nearly 11 minutes to the leader on SS2 and are nearly 20 minutes adrift of the overall lead. Title contenders Lucio Alvarez and Armand Monleon now have an uphill task ahead of them as they sit in sixth overall in their Toyota Hilux Overdrive.
For Yazeed Al Rajhi, newly-crowned champion of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas*, it was a disappointing event and the Saudi Arabian withdrew after the opening leg having lost too much time with a gearbox issue to challenge for the win.T4 drivers once again feature in the overall top 10 with Poland’s Michal Goczał holding a fine seventh overall and leading the category ahead of his brother and fellow Can-Am driver, Marek. Australian Molly Taylor, category leader last night, dropped time today and slipped to third in T4.
Abdullah Saleh Alsaif leads T3 by an impressive 29 minutes and six seconds after setting another fastest time today. He heads female drivers Mashael Al-Obaidan, Annett Fischer and Dania Akeel, who broke a steering arm on the opening day.
The battle for top honours continues over another two legs before the finish of the final round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies on Saturday.
* Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA.
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Abdullah Al Rawahi, first Omani to win Oman Rally
MUSCAT (OMAN), 4 Dec 2021: Abdullah Al-Rawahi became the first Omani in motor sport history to claim victory at the Oman Rally Sohar International 2021 on Saturday.
Partnered by Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud, Al-Rawahi guided his SRT Škoda Fabia Evo to a stunning start-to-finish victory with a winning margin of 21min 22.5sec.
In so doing, the talented youngster joined veteran Nizar Al-Shanfari (Qatar Rally – 1999) as one of only two Omanis in history to have won a round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) since its inception in 1984.
Al-Rawahi won all of the event’s 12 demanding gravel special stages and gained valuable time behind the wheel of his new car before embarking upon a full MERC campaign in 2022.
The feat means that the Omani becomes the 41st winner of a MERC event on the 221st ever round of the regional series. Al-Hmoud duly became the second Jordanian co-driver in the history of the championship to win a round of the series: fellow countryman Khaled Zakaria claimed six victories during a short spell sitting alongside Mohammed Ben Sulayem and a solitary win in Jordan with Amjad Farrah.
“This is a fantastic result for me and the whole team on my first event in the car,” said a delighted Al-Rawahi. “It was a perfect opportunity to gain more experience before next season and to secure a first MERC win. I thank my sponsors, everyone at the Oman Automobile Association for their efforts and the team at SRT for their support.”
Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and Italian co-pilot Giovanni Bernacchini overcame a time-consuming first day puncture to snatch second place in a Ford Fiesta R5. The former MERC runner-up set a string of second fastest times on the final day to overhaul Zakariyah and Mohammed Al-Amri. Al-Amri’s consolation was guiding his Subaru Impreza to success in the MERC2 section and finishing on the last step of the podium in third overall, despite delays with mechanical issues in SS12.
Jordanian driver Ihab Al-Shorafa teamed up with Emad Juma to claim fourth place and Asem Aref, partnered by Ahmad Jankhout, stayed clear of trouble in his little two-wheel drive Renault Clio RS to confirm the 2021 MERC3 title in the absence of rival and defending champion Henry Kahy. Aref finished a fine fifth.
Oman’s Faisal Al-Rashdi rounded off the finishers in the international field in sixth place with Yaqdhan Al-Rashdi and his Subaru Impreza. Jarah Al-Touqi was forced to retire his Subaru Impreza after mechanical problems in stage nine.
Haitham Al-Soomar was not able to start the third round of the Oman Rally Championship after the issues that had plagued his Mitsubishi Lancer on Friday.
Hamed Al-Qasmi had been fastest over the six stages on day one, but an eighth stage accident side-lined his Mitsubishi and that opened the door for Waheeb Al-Khuraisi and Musaab Al-Soomar to fight for National Rally honours, with the former securing a comfortable win in his Toyota Yaris.
The official calendar for the 2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship will be released after the FIA World Council meeting later this month.
Oman Rally Sohar International 2021 – positions after SS12:
1. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia Evo 2hr 29min 02sec
2. Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5 2hr 50min 24sec
3. Zakariya Al-Amri (OMN)/Mohammed Al-Amri (OMN) Subaru Impreza STi 3hr 07min 50sec
4. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 3hr 09min 30sec
5. Asem Aref (JOR)/Ahmad Jankhout (JOR) Renault Clio RS 3hr 48min 20sec
6. Faisal Al-Rashdi (OMN)/Waleed Al-Rashdi (OMN) Subaru Impreza WRX 3hr 48min 38sec
Oman National Rally – result after SS11:
1. Waheeb Al-Kharusi (OMN)/Wadeea Al-Kharusi (OMN) Toyota Yaris 3hr 30min 38sec
2. Musab Al-Soomar (OMN)/Bassam Al-Qassimi (OMN) Kia Rio 4hr 56min 23sec
Ends
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Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah heads field for Merc finale
Muscat (Oman), 28 Nov 2021: Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, the winner of a record-breaking 17 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) titles, tops the entry for the Oman Rally Sohar International 2021. The final round of the regional series takes place next weekend from December 2 to 4.
The six-time winner of the rally in Oman teams up with regular French co-driver Matthieu Baumel (a two-time winner) before heading off to Saudi Arabia to try and add the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies title to the 17th regional crown he earned in an Autotek Motorsport-run Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 when the fifth round of the series in Kuwait was cancelled earlier this month.
Al-Attiyah faces competition from 11 rivals in the FIA category and a further 11 drivers competing in the second and third rounds of the Oman Rally Championship that will run immediately behind the FIA homologated field.
Talented young Omani Abdullah Al-Ruwahi and experienced Qatari Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya offer the main competition to the top seeded Al-Attiyah. Al-Ruwahi was runner-up to Al-Attiyah in 2020 and again teams up with Jordanian Ata Al-Hmoud in a Škoda Fabia Evo and Al-Atya wheels out a Ford Fiesta with co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini.
The MERC2 category for showroom-type Group NR4 vehicles has been dominated by Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri in recent seasons and he leads seven Mitsubishi and Subaru models into a tussle for category honours.
Competition comes from Oman’s Zakariya Al-Aufi, Zakariya Al-Amry, Jarah Al-Touqi and Faisal Al-Rashdi, Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled and Jordan’s Ihab Al-Shorafa.
Lebanon’s Henry Kahy again teams up with Carlos Hanna in a Škoda Fabia in the two-wheel drive MERC3 category and Jordan’s Asem Aref rounds off the international field in his Renault Clio RS.
The service park and rally offices open tomorrow (Monday) and crews will be permitted to carry out a reconnaissance of the fast and flowing gravel special stages on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The event is being organised by the Oman Automobile Association and officially starts from the seafront in Al-Qurm at 18.00hrs on Thursday evening. Crews will then tackle 12 stages and 215.10 competitive kilometres in a route of 629.21km on Friday and Saturday.
The Oman International Rally is one of the oldest motor sporting events in the Middle East and dates back to 1979, when Sweden’s Harry Kallström and Claes Billstam won in a Datsun 160 J/SSS.
The event entered the inaugural FISA Middle East Rally Championship in 1984 and Qatar’s Saeed Al-Hajri teamed up with Britain’s John Spiller to seal the win in a Porsche 911 SC RS.
Defending champion Al-Attiyah now has six wins in Oman, with Dubai legend Mohammed Ben Sulayem holding the record of seven successes between 1986 and 1998. The rally only returned to the MERC calendar at the start of 2020 after a four-year absence.
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Aishwarya overcomes Tanika threat to keep slate clean: INRC2w Ladies Class
Puttur (Near Mangaluru), 15 Nov. 2021: Young Tanika Shanbag of Satara put up a valiant fight against FIM World Cupper Aiswarya Pissay but the Bengaluru’s rider astride an Apache RTR bull-dozed her way back, to claim her third consecutive victory in Rally de Mangaluru, the third round of the MRF MoGrip FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2021 for two-wheelers here on Sunday. Aishwarya clocked 50minutes 38.849seconds for her third win.
Read the men’s overall report for all classes in Round 3 here.
Tanika Shanbagh, riding a Hero Xpulse 200, came second ahead of another privateer Anam Hashim on Hero Honda Karizma. The teenager clocked 51min, 32.182sec for her second place while Anam took 1hr, 9min, 07.720seconds.
After the win Aishwarya Pissay, the defending champ, said, “I thank my team, TVS Racing and the mechanics for giving me another winning bike. I also thank Hyperice, the equipment that helps me to recover and maintain my fitness levels. The terrain is challenging and it is good for the National Rally because only such difficult terrain can prepare Indians for the tougher International rallies,” felt the six-time National, champion supported by IIFL, Sidvin, Scott, Puma India, and Go Pro. Aishwarya finished Overall 20, among 55 bikers that took the start and was ahead of 29 men and six women, who all competed on different bikes in various classes.
The Rally de Mangaluru organised in Puttur by Ace Events, headed by former National Champion Akash Aithal had two physical Special Stages, namely Karambi, a short 5.2-km dirt stage and Karikala, the slippery 15.1-km longer stage. Both the stages were run three time alternately and with the overnight rains making the roads slushy, the riders once again faced technical challenges but unlike the treacherous Kanakapura mud-traps, the Round 3 proved to be a haven.
Tanika and Aishwarya shared spoils and won three of the six special stages but while the TVS Factory Rider controlled her pace cleverly to limit the damage on the slippery surface, Tanika, nursing an ankle injury sustained in the previous round in Bengaluru rally, had to stop and clear the sticky mud on her bike. “I suffered an injury and did not want to aggravate. So I did not risk too much and stopped to clean my bike in SS3 where I lost a huge chunk of over 30 seconds. But I enjoyed my rally thoroughly as the terrain provided a challenging ride and that is what makes me happy. It is a good learning experience,” quipped the Business Administration student.
Aishwarya, who began on a ferocious note registering a blistering pace in the Karambi Special Stage, lost crucial time in SS2,. But falling back on her vast experience she extracted the best from her bike in the next four stages to bounce back brilliantly and played safe thereon, with regulated aggression on the slippery track to emerge triumphant for a clean sweep of the first three rounds in the 2021 calendar.
Bengaluru’s FIM Baja World Cup champion, claimed a solid win at Hampi and went on to take another facile victory in Round 2 at Bengaluru, conquering the technically challenging slushy terrain, and now leads the table in the woman’s category after her third win from three rounds here.
The fourth round, the Rally of Chikmagalur is scheduled for next Sunday and after two more rounds in Coimbatore and Nashik, the topper with more points is declared as the National champion. Aishwarya is well on her way to bag her sixth bike rally National title. She also won two coveted Road Racing titles.
Note: Photo added on 15th Nov 2021 with inputs from a Wordswork Press Release.
