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Tag: Aishwarya Pissay
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Rally of Chikmagalur flagged off; Cream of Indian talent descends in coffee land
Chikkamagaluru, 14 May 2022: The Rally of Chikmagalur organised by Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) was flagged off here on Saturday to kick-start the 2022 season with the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for two-wheelers promoted by GodSpeed Racing. Of the 93 entries, 88 will take the start on Sunday.
Two-wheeler rally continues to be the most popular form of motorsports in India and the overwhelming response of 93 entries proves that bikers continue to call the shots. The 56-odd km dirt tracks comprising of two special stages that will be run four times in the same direction in the famed coffee estates will decide the winners in 9 classes. “The terrain is tricky but more or less similar to last year. But the wet surface due to recent rains poses challenges, the same as last year,” said a biker from Bengaluru. “Yes, it is slushy and we have to be careful in negotiating the tracks,” said Ryhana Bee, a National champion in 2W road racing. “Many will fall tomorrow, including me. The stages are challenging but we are up to it,” warned Deeksha Srivastava in jest, the Sprint Queen, who won the 2021 Sprint Nationals, is making her debut in INRC.
The stages are short but are very technical, providing tricky terrain but with no rains on Saturday and forecast dry for Sunday, the Nationals is all set to ring in a new year. Coming to the defending champion, Abdul Wahid Tanveer, who will be spearheading the TVS campaign, he had some pretty cool answers to the two questions posed by INDIainF1.com. Your goals for 2022, your bike…
When asked about his goals for 2022, Tanveer said: My goals are as simple as 1.2.3. One is to continue following my passion. Second one is to thoroughly enjoy myself while chasing my goals. And the third is to scale greater heights, but one step at a time… To shed some light on the bike, it is a lean, mean machine that is the epitome of strength and a rider’s dream. I am excited for this one!
“I was fortunate enough to fly to France to be trained by a fabulous mentor, Michael Metge. We rode through the various terrains and really pushed our limits, but my favourite part was getting in touch with my inner strength. Thanks to my mentor who made the training eventful and really helpful,” that is how the champion concluded.
Aishwarya Pissay, the 2019 FIM World Cupper, a Ladies World champion was lucky to test her bike today and meet some wild friends. She was trying to get some feel on the bike when she saw something zip past in front of her. Usually the culprit in speeding, at least on the track with full freedom in the world, she was surprised by the speed with which someone else crossed the road. But it is not a competitor. It is a four-legged creature full of beautiful horns. She spotted a spotted deer in the second Stage today. An antler… So what are your goals for 2022, we asked the same question as we did to Tanveer, and the only world champion in Indian motorsports said: “My goal for this year is to win the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for a sixth time. Along with that, I am looking forward to riding in a few international rallies like Andalucia, but they are yet to be confirmed. The Recce was good and I love the feel of the bike. Also, I have just completed one training abroad (France) and will undergo another round of training in June 2022. I am sure these trainings will be very useful for me and will help me give better performance in the 2022 INRC.” Aishwarya won the INRC 2w consecutively for five years from 2017, her debut season.
Her closest rival is Tanika Shanbagh. A rider young and raring to go… But the young rider is not racing in Ladies class this year. She switched gears and is gong hammer and tongs, racing with big boys. She will be the lone lady in the top-six bikes that will be racing in Class 1A, the Indian Experts class. Daughter of former motorsports champion Shanbag, the rider from Satara, will be testing herself astride a Husqvarna TE350 as she prepares to jump start her international career. ”We are planning to take part in at least one international rally event this year and for that I want to get accustomed to the handling, and the speed of the bike. I also want to become faster on the bike,” a simple statement but very assertive. Watch out, this young talent if groomed properly can go places. Apart from the top guns, there are two riders one need to watch out for. Sarath Mohan and Sinan Francis.
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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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Aishwarya wins again ahead of Tanika; Podium for Apoorva
By David Bodapati
Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka), 22 Nov. 2021: FIM World Cup Baja champion Aishwarya Pissay won the Ladies Class again in the two-day fourth round of the MRF MOGRIP FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2021 for two-wheelers that concluded at the picturesque Coffee Estates on Sunday.
Her main rival, young Tanika Shanbag from Satara, did well to reduce the gap between the champion progressing admirably in every round. Tanika finished second ahead of Apoorva B of Mangaluru. Anam Hashim, who got a podium in the previous round at Puttur, could only finish fourth here.
Aishwarya throttled through with a solid performance in the super special spectator stage on Saturday. The Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) organises this stage in a private school ground, regularly at the INRC, to attract crowds . Well-versed with the terrain, Aishwarya controlled the pace and consistently made time. She won the rally and clocked a total stage time of 1hr 05min 12.915sec to stand 15th among 45 bikers, including 40 men. The defending champion from Bengaluru continued her strong form finishing well-ahead of competitors and improved from 20th overall in Round 3 to top-15 finish in Round 4.
An excited Aishwarya Pissay says: “It may not be a high-speed rally, like the other rounds, but the beautiful coffee estates’ terrain is technically challenging with plenty of tricky corners. It was fun taming my motorcycle through these demanding stages. My team at TVS Racing has done a commendable job in preparing Apache RTR 200 rally-built bike for this terrain.” Along with the
When queried about her progress, Tanika said: “Yes, I personally feel that I’m getting better every round and I’m happy that I’m improving myself by learning from my past mistakes. I had two wheel spins in two different corners in the Super Special Stage due to the slush. But today, I won two stages and made 20 seconds on the same stage where I lost huge time earlier. It gives me great satisfaction.”
Ladies Class winner Aishwarya Pissay with second placed Tanika Shanbag on her left and Apoorva on her right. TVS tuner of Aishwarya’s bike is on the right. Photo @FB TVS Racing Aishwarya began with a solid win at Hampi and went on to take another facile victory in Round 2 at Bengaluru, where she conquered the slushy terrain and after another win in Puttur, now leads the table in the woman’s category with her fourth consecutive win. Tanika is second on the table standings.
The final two rounds will be held on December 11 and 19 in Coimbatore and Nashik respectively, and the topper will be declared the National champion. With one hand on the trophy, the seven-time National champion supported by IIFL, Scott, Puma India, Sidvin, and GoPro is eyeing bigger cross-country desert rallies after the National championship.
Note: With inputs from a WordsWork Comm. press release. Added Tanika quote and other details.
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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.
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Rajendra bags overall honours; Aishwarya begins campign in style
Hosapete, 17 October 2021: 2019 National champion Rajendra RE of Team TVS Racing won the feature event and the overall honours and 2019 World Cup Baja winner Aishwarya Pissay as they led Team TVS Racing sweep in Rally de Hampi, the first Round of the MRF Mogrip fmsci National Rally Championship for bikes (2w) 2021, the final event of the Utsav de Hampi 2021, here on Sunday.
Defending champion in the top Pro-Expert class Nataraj of TVS Racing suffered a DNF (did not finish). Pune mariner Ashish Raorane, could only come 4th in the Expert class, but his very presence here gave a chance to the fans to watch a Dakar hero and his super machine. “It is like training for a marathon and coming for sprint. But is a rear op for our fans to watch our heroes,’’ said a veteran motorsport enthusiast, Rohit of the organising club, Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, about Ashish, who is one among the two confirmed for Dakar 2022 in Saudi Arabia next January along with Kerala’s Harith Noah.
Making a clean sweep of the top-four places in the overall honours and winning every class they entered, the Hosur-based 2-wheeler tyre specialists, TVS Racing, made their speed statement in style on the dirt tracks around the Hampi heritage region in the first round supported by Karnataka Tourism, Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, TVS Apache and Hotel Royal Orchid.
2019 Champion Rajendra RE of TVS Racing who won the overall honours in Round 1 of the MRF Mogrip National Rally Championship 2w 2021 at Hosapete on Sunday. Sarath Mohan, a privateer from Mallapuram, won the Expert class while another Kerala rider Ajin Abraham clinched the gold in the Super Sport 130cc Group B class. Coimbatore riders Sasikumar (165cc), and veteran biker and Riders’ representative Venu Ramesh Kumar (400cc), also took the top spot on the podium in their respective classes. Samuel Jacob, Mohammed Zaheer won gold in their classes while Nadeem Ahmed became the Star of Karnataka, the support race.
The Bike Rally Nationals promoted by GodSpeed Racing are scheduled to run five more rounds for the 2021 championship.
Provisional (Unaudited) Results:
Overall: 1. Rajendra RE (TVS Racing) (01:01:39.474); 2. Samuel Jacob (TVS) (01:02:12.993); 3. Abdul Waheed Tanvir (TVS) (01:02:25.753); 4. Imran Pasha J (TVS) (01:02:29.794); 5. Sarath Mohan (Privateer-Pvt.) (01:03:22.563); 6. Sachin D (TVS) (01:03:54.305); 7. Yuva Kumar (Hero MotoSport) (01:04:31.790); 8. Asad Khan (Pvt.) (01:05:26.509); 9. Sathyaraj Arumugam (Hero Motosports) (01:06:23.036); 10. Badal Subhash Doshi (Pvt.) (01:06:35.506).
Class 1: Super Bike-Pro Expert Group A: 1. Rajendra RE (TVS Racing) (01:01:39.474); ); 2. Abdul Waheed Tanvir (TVS) (01:02:25.753); 3. Goutham Rao R (Pvt.) (01:11:52.935). All 3 Bengaluru.
Class 1A: Super Bike (Expert) Group A: 1. Sarath Mohan (Privateer – Mallapuram) (01:03:22.563); 2. Asad Khan (Chikmagalur – Pvt.) (01:05:26.509); 3. Badal Subhash Doshi (Vashi – Pvt.) (01:06:35.506).
Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B: 1. Ajin Abraham (Kerala) (01:10:45.998); 2. Nithesh G Poojari (Mangaluru)(01:13:27.186); 3. Deepak Naidu (Bengaluru) (01:14:12.420).
Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B: 1. Sasikumar K (Coimbatore) (01:07:12.705); 2. Pavan BK (Bengaluru) (01:07:55.068); 3. Stephen Roy (Kushalanagar) (01:10:11.197). (All 3 privateers)
Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B: 1. Samuel Jacob (Hosur) (01:02:12.993); 2. Imran Pasha J (Mysuru) (01:02:29.794); 3. Sachin D (Hosur) (01:03:54.305). (All three are from TVS Racing)
Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B: 1.Venu Rameshkumar (Coimbatore) (01:12:15.155); 2. Sajeesh Reghunathan (Bengaluru) (01:12:26.679); 3. Sravan Kumar Kuttoor (Hyderabad) (01:20:46.064).
Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B: 1. Mohammed Zaheer (01:10:52.393); 2. Sharath Kumar (01:15:20.814); 3. Naresh VS (1:20:12.947); All 3 Bengaluru).
Class 7: Group “B” (S0 to S3 Scooters up to 210CC): 1. Shamim Khan (Hosur) (01:09:31.818); Karthik (01:09:36.111); 3. Syed Asif Ali (Bengaluru) (01:10:18.611). All 3 TVS Racing).
Class 8: Group “B” Ladies Class (Open Indian M/c): 1. Aishwarya Pissay M (Bengaluru – TVS Racing) (01:10:20.050); 2. Tanika Shanbhag (Satara pvt.) (01:13:20.998); 3. Ryhana Bee (Chennai pvt.) (01:13:33.072).
Class 9: Star of Karnataka (Non-Championship support class): 1. Nadeem Ahamed (Mysuru) (01:11:54.369); 2. Mohammed Israr (Mysuru) (01:19:33.041); 3. Vinay Channarudraiah (Bengaluru) (01:23:10.010).
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Aman, Aishwarya, Ashishrao Rane descend on Hampi
Hampi, 14 October 2021: Himalayan Hero Aman Prabhakar Pawde of Nagpur, the inaugural Overall winner of the Rally of Himalayas astride a KTM EXCF450, along with FIM World Cupper Aishwarya Pissay, who made a triumphant comeback after an injury-layoff, Dakar Indian Ashishrao Rane will spearhead the challenge at Rally de Hampi, the first Round of the fmsci MRF Mogrip National Rally Championship 2021 for 2-wheelers, the final event of the Utsav de Hampi 2021, here on Sunday.
Prominent international Cross Country rider Ashishrao Rane of Pune, will be the cynosure of all eyes as he makes a rare appearance in the Indian rally circuit. The Dakar rider could not go to Rallye du Maroc last week but will be looking to get back to form for the toughest rally in the world next year.
“Organised by Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar and enthusiastically backed by Karnataka Tourism, the record number of 81 entries from all over the country and their team members will enjoy the scenic sights, in the true spirit of “One State, Many Worlds,” that Karnataka heritage sites and the rally route offers. The Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), TVS Apache and hospitality partners Hotel Royal Orchid have joined with title sponsor MRF to make the two-wheeler National championship an attractive affair to both the riders and the fans as well,” said Promoter Shyam Kothari, a 7-time National champ in three different motorsports disciplines. Kothari heads GodSpeed Racing, the promoters of the 6-round INRC 2w Nationals and Supercross Nationals.
Four-time successive National 2w Rally champion in the women’s category, Miss Pissay, of TVS Racing, is the 2019 FIM World Cup Baja champion but her 2021 WC campaign came to an abrupt halt due to a major incident at the Baja last March but the gritty champion recovered from multiple surgeries and is back to her winning ways beating many ‘Big Boys’ on the foothills of Himalayas last Sunday for a creditable Overall fifth among 75 bikers and a sweet victory in her own class. Apart from the 8 girls, Pissay on her TVS Apache RTR will be eyeing the INRC Overall honours as she prepares to get back to the tougher international cross-country rallies. “After seven months, I was raring to get back into true competition mode and I feel better now after the Himalayan rally and hope to begin my fifth season on a positive note,” said the 7-time racing and rally National champ.
Team TVS Racing will be descending, as usual, with three other defending National champions R Nataraj, Samuel Sajan Jacob and Pinkesh Thakur. R Natarajan will have to do with teammates Rajendra RE, who won the last round here in Hampi and Abdul Waheed Tanveer, who missed the Rallye Maroc. Though there are only three entries in the Group A, the Super Bike Pro-Expert class is expected to have tough competition among the three TVS wards, all on TVS Apache RTR.
Team Hero MotoSports’ Yuva Kumar of Bengaluru and Sathyaraj Arumugam of Coimbatore along with other National champions Kochi’s Sinan Francis, Asad Khan (Chikmagalur), Jatin Jain (Nagpur), Badal Doshi (Vashi), Sachin D (TVS Hosur) racing champion Ryhana Bee (Chennai) and youngster Tanika Shanbag (Satara), who showed a glimpse of her rally prowess at the Himalayas, will all be raring to go in the other classes. Karthik, Syed Asif Ali of TVS Racing and Elango of Erode will fight in the Scooter class.
“This is the first round of the National 2w rally championship. All safety aspects are taken care of with trained marshals and, safety officers will make sure that all COVID19 protocols are strictly adhered to. Doctors and ambulances will be on standby along with a dedicated team of HAMs. I wish all the participants a safe rally,” said GS Joshy, the Clerk of the Course (CoC) and a rally champion himself. He will be ably assisted by home club’s Deputy CoC Rohit Gowda, another noted rider of yesteryears.
“The rally consists of five Special Stages (SS) of 57.85km, which are held on roads closed to traffic. There will be two physical stages, Jumbo and Hampi, 12.05km and 10.8km long, respectively. While Jumbo is run thrice, the riders will take the dirt track of Hampi SS, twice, all in the forward direction, for an overall distance of 115.42 kms including a liaison or transport section of 57.57 kms,” said Santosh HM of Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar, the organising club. Bhaskar Gupta, CK Chinnappa and Abhijeet Pai will be the stewards (judges). Anagha J Bharadwaj will be the Secretary of the Meet.
The Star of Karnataka with five entries will be a support class. Following are the Championship classes where winners will get a trophy and split prize money of around Rs.2 lakh. More importantly they garner championship points and the table toppers in the below classes will be declared National champions.
Class 1: Super Bike-Pro Expert (Group “A” Single class irrespective of engine capacity. Sub classes may be formed if sufficient entries are received.
Class 1A: Super Bike (Expert) Group A;
Class 2: Super Sport 130 Group B;
Class 3: Super Sport 165 Group B;
Class 4: Super Sport 260 Group B;
Class 5: Super Sport 400 Group B;
Class 6: Super Sport 550 Group B;
Class 7: Group “B” (S0 to S3 Scooters up to 210CC);
Class 8: Group “B” Ladies Class (Open Indian M/c);
Class 9: Star of Karnataka.
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Flash: Aishwarya Pissay crashes with minor injuries, taken to hospital
Aqaba (Jordan), 19 March 2021: Ace Indian rider Aishwarya Pissay, backed by TVS Racing, suffered a minor crash in SS1 and was forced to retire from the Jordan Baja, the second round of the FIM World Cup Baja.
Pissay, who suffered minor injury to her hand, is taken to the hospital and is safe, sources said.
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TVS Racing’s Aishwarya Pissay sets sights on Jordan Baja
Aqaba (Jordan), 18 March 2021: TVS Racing Factory Rider Aishwarya Pissay is excited to take part in the Jordan Baja Rally which also doubles-up as the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup which will have 559 competitive kilometres in a total route of 859 km.
The ace Indian cross-country rallyist, Aishwarya Pissay said:“I had a tough first round in Dubai last month when my bike encountered technical issues. But I still managed to finish at 14th position overall. After the Dubai round, I stayed back in Dubai and trained for two weeks under the guidance of Mohammed Al-Balooshi. I have also worked on my fitness prior to the Rally.” Aishwarya, astride a Husqvarna, also finished third in the Ladies Class at the Dubai Baja last month which will count for the World Cup rankings and stayed back to train under Al-Balooshi, the 2019 Jordan Baja winner.
The ceremonial start of the Baja is scheduled for 9.30 pm (IST) on Thursday and the competitors will tackle two challenging sections of 211 kms and 116 kms on Friday and a further 237 kms through the deserts to the north of Aqaba on March 20, the final day on Saturday. Fifteen motorcycles and five quads will be at the start of the Jordan Baja, which will be held in the nearby deserts of Wadi Rum.
The 25-year Bengaluru-based Aishwarya, is supported by her title sponsor TVS Racing, and is co-sponsored by IIFL, Surana College, Micro Labs, SCOTT Sports, Puma, Sidvin, Big Bear Customs and GoPro India. She is one of the two female racers on the entry list, along with Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet.
Aishwarya Pissay finishes documentation on Thursday. Talking from Jordan, Aishwarya said: “I am very excited about the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup. This will be my first experience of racing in Jordan. But I am going in with a positive mindset and hoping for a good finish. Thanks to my sponsors I am well prepared and am able to fight with a clean state of mind. They have enabled me to travel and participate in the World Cup during these challenging times and but for them this Baja would not have been possible.”
Despite the ongoing global travel challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, 17 teams and competitors from 11 nations are participating at the event.
However, this year, the women riders have the liberty to chose only two rounds to qualify for the Final of the ten rounds for the year 2020’s FIM World Cup honours. Dutch rider Mirjam Pol is leading the points table after Round 1 with 25 points while Indian Aishwarya Pissay has 16 points and is third on the table. Margot Llobera Farre, the second ranked rider and Mirjam Pol are not taking part in Jordan Baja
Jordan is located on the eastern bank of the Jordan River and is rich in monuments, temples, tombs and archaeological sites, including the famous Nabataean capital of Petra in the south of the country and in close proximity to the Baja’s base in Aqaba on the Red Sea.
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Aishwarya Pissay excited as she prepares for Jordan Baja
Aqaba (Jordan), 17 March 2021: Indian star cross-country rally rider Aishwarya Pissay will take part in the FIM Bajas World Cup Round 2 that is being run along with the Jordan Baja which gets underway in Aqaba on Thursday evening. That will see Jordan Motorsport host its first international motor sporting event since September 2019.
TVS Racing-backed Aishwarya Pissay, who bagged a second place in her class in Round 1, had settled for a third place in the Ladies section at Dubai. With the regulations pooling all classes together for WC rankings, Aishwarya will get points only for her third place in the Ladies Class. However, this year, the riders have the liberty to chose the best two rounds they have taken part in the year’s 10 rounds, to qualify for the final round. The Bengaluru-based Aishwarya stayed back in Dubai for training for the Jordan Baja, after her podium finish at the opening World Cup round, the Dubai Baja.
Two female riders will line up against 13 male rivals in the motorcycle category: India’s Aishwarya Pissay and Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet will duel for FIM Women’s category glory on their respective Huqsvarna and Yamaha.
Bangalore-based Pissay, 25, hopes to challenge for the title in 2021 and retain her 2019 crown. The Bengaluru rider was the first Indian athlete to win a world title on a motorcycle, the FIM Bajas Women’s Championship 2019, and has already secured seven combined national titles in circuit racing and rallying. Her last National title, the 2w Indian National Rally Championship came on Jan 31, at Hampi last month.
“I’m excited about the second round of the FIM World Baja Rally Cup,” said TVS Racing-backed Pissay. “This will be my first time racing in Jordan. I’m going in with a positive mindset and hoping for a good finish without any technical difficulties.”
Three Jordanian riders will be hoping to challenge their international rivals for success in this weekend’s Jordan Baja, the new second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Talented young rider Abdullah Abu Aisheh is seeded at two behind Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi and has a superb chance of giving the Hashemite Kingdom a second outright victory in the Baja: Ata Al-Hmoud won the inaugural event on a Beta 390 when it ran as a candidate round for the FIA series in 2018.
Abu Aisheh is the national champion and trained in Dubai with Al-Balooshi before taking part in some desert races. He won the MX2 class in the Dubai Endurocross Championship and finished fourth overall in last month’s Dubai International Baja.
“I’m very excited to race the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup in my home country,” said Abu Aishah. “The terrain is fantastic and the route should be fast. Wadi Rum is one of the highly known tourist attractions in Jordan and what makes it a great setting for the Baja is the diverse and dynamic terrain.
“It changes very quickly from sand to rocky sections to dunes. It makes the Baja a fast and technical route. What makes it even better is the breathtaking landscape, so we get to race and enjoy a great view. I will participate with my KTM Rally Replica and I’m aiming for the win. It should be a very challenging race, but I’m confident in my abilities to achieve the result I have in mind. I look forward to it!”
Zaid Jaber and Tal’at Al-Shishane also ride a pair of KTMs and represent the host nation. Twenty-one-year-old Jaber is taking part in his first Baja. He started riding motorcycles when he was only five under the influence of his father Ammar.
“I started riding professionally a year ago,” said Jaber. “My goal is the 2024 or 2025 Dakar. I came here for training with Mohammed Al-Balooshi. I wanted to race in the first round of the World Cup, but I dislocated my shoulder during training for the Dubai Baja. I watched the race in the Al-Qudra desert and learned a lot. I realised that the time is important, but the rules are even more important and if you don’t do any mistakes you have a big chance to win. I’m still in recovery, but was back to riding one week ago.”
Two Jordanian crews are also aiming for the podium in a National Baja that runs behind the main event and includes a shorter second day’s action in the deserts to the north of Aqaba. Haitham and Saif Al-Abbadi and Ghaith Qubti and Moath Al-Arja have entered a pair of T2 Range Rovers and will compete against three Palestinian crews and competitors from Saudi Arabia.
Dania Akeel finished eighth in her rallying debut at the Sharqiyah International Baja two weeks ago and the Saudi girl will be tackling her first event outside Saudi Arabia with French navigator Stéphane Duplé.
Akeel is part of the new SHERO Rally Team by Duust and has entered the event in a Can-Am Maverick X3 in the FIA T3 section. She had been looking forward to competing against fellow Saudi female Mashael Al-Obaidan, but her Jordanian navigator Musa Djierian confirmed on Monday morning that unseen issues had forced them to withdraw their Can-Am entry.
Akeel will now compete in T3 against fellow Saudi driver Ibrahim Bin Salamah and his co-driver Adel Al-Muhaia.
Restrictions on travel have forced the Argentine duo of Orlando Terranova and Franco Caimi to withdraw their entry. Terranova competed in Jordan in 2019 and finished second overall in his quest for FIA Baja Drivers’ Championship honours. The Mendoza driver lists the Jordan Baja as one of his favourite events and vows to return next year to tackle the unique desert stages in Wadi Rum.
The Jordan Baja gets underway with a ceremonial start in Aqaba from 19.39hrs on Thursday evening.
Competitors will then tackle two challenging sections of 210.72km and 112.9km on Friday, March 19th and a further 236.06km through the deserts to the north of Aqaba on Saturday, March 20th.
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Aishwarya takes podium in Class 1 of Dubai Baja, with crucial points for WC
Dubai, 19 Feb 2021: Ace Indian cross-country rallyist of team TVS Racing, Aishwarya Pissay, the FIM Bajas World Cup 2019 winner made it to the chequered flag to take a well-deserved podium in the Dubai International Baja, the first round of the FIM Women’s Baja World Cup at the Deserts of Al Qudra here on Saturday.
Astride a Husqvarna SX-F450, Aishwarya clocked 9hours, 21minutes 27.0seconds (including a penalty time of 6:00:0 after SS1) for an overall second place in Class 1 and Group 1 but she had to be content with a bronze in the women’s category. The Class 1 podium fetched her 16 valuable points in her campaign for the 2021 Bajas World Cup. However, the provisional points need to be confirmed by FIM.
The Bengalurean finished the first leg in second place in the women’s section with an overall lead in 18th place after Day 1. Today, she took overall 14th place on Day 2, for a final count of third in the women’s class which matters for her WC campaign.
On Day 2, an issue with in the gearbox slowed a speeding Aishwarya in her tracks. Forced to nurse her bike back while others passed by, Aishwarya made the most of her situation to cross the finish line for a third place in the women’s class. Mirjam Pol (7:04:06) and Llobera Farre (8:27:01) finished ahead of her in that order.
Khuraibet S, who did well, picked up a penalty and slided to fourth place. Aishwarya’s third was good enough to get her an overall combined second place behind Pol in Class 1 but with both classes 1 and 1/2 counting together for WC points, Aishwarya will get 16 points for her efforts.
Aishwarya Pissay in Dubai before with her medal. The TVS Racing talent is supported by Sidvin Core Tech, Scott Sports India, K&N, Pepsico and CutGear.
Aishwarya has bagged 16 points with her achievement today. This year, the ladies should take part in at least one of the 10 FIM 2021 Baja World Cup rounds to be eligible for the finals, which will have a coefficient of 2. Along with the final rankings, two other best events rankings, among the ten, will be counted for the World Cup Baja title. The individual qualifying rounds will have a coefficient of 1.
Note: Class and Points corrected on 22 Feb 2021 at 4.28 pm
