INDIA in F1

Tag: Arjun Rao Aroor

  • Gaurav Gill raring to go; Arjun Rao keen to keep the lead; 23 Ammyfied cars

    Gaurav Gill raring to go; Arjun Rao keen to keep the lead; 23 Ammyfied cars

    Coimbatore, 28 July 2023: Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill and co-driver Aniruddha Rangnekar are eager to bounce back while championship leader Aroor Arjun Rao and Satish Rajagopal are looking to looking for a decent finish to garner as many points as possible to keep their title fight alive as the third round of the Blueband fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four wheelers begins at the Kethanur Windmill farms here on Saturday.

    A total of 76 cars are in fray for the rally organised by Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, one of the oldest and founder clubs of fmsci, the Indian federatioin. Though this high number is not a National record, it is one of the events with highest number of competitors in fray. Of these, 23 cars are fielded by Ammyfied Rallying which is sponsored by businessman Vamcy Merla through his sports foundation.

    After the ceremonial start at the traditional Jenneys club on Friday evening, the drivers looked confident with the recce under their belt and Philippos Matthai who just managed to log in some important points in the slippery mountains of Itanagar is raring to go all out in the fast stages of Coimbatore in INRC2 class. The Arka Motorsports driver from Delhi in a rally-tuned Polo will have a fight in hand with Kerala drivers and former champions Dr ‘Speed’ Bikku Babu (Milen George) and advocate Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G).

    Jehan Singh Gill and co-driver Suraj Keshav Prasad, dominated with their raw speed last year but became victims to some errors by the tuners. This year Jehan Singh Gill is expected to showcase his talent to be in the frontrunners not only in INRC3, his class, but is capable of beating the higher-spec machines. Arnav Pratap Singh (Arjun SSB), Darious Shroff (Shahid Salman) and Vishak Balachandran (Anil Abbas) will be vying with each other to be on the top in INRC3 which has a huge number of 28 cars.

    The cars to watch out for in the INRC4 class are Abhin Rai and co-driver Uday Kumar, Ruthuparna Vivek and co-driver Athreya Kousgi, and Jagpreeth Singh Nirwan and Karanpreet Singh Mattu, who are leading the championship in that order.

    The Gypsy class, which is a non-championship Cup event, has attracted more numbers thanks to the generosity of Vamcy Merla.

    Both the Junior INRC and Ladies class will also have stiff competition with the season getting into the midway mark.

    The windmill stages are fast and have two physical stages namely the 8.4km SM Agro and 10.4km BBS which will be run thrice each on Saturday. On Sunday, the longer special stages of Black Thunder (18.2km) and Thunder World (14.99km) will be run twice in the same direction.

    The next round of the six-round calendar, K1000, is expected to be near Bengaluru in August.

  • INRC all set to thrill the spectators in Itanagar

    INRC all set to thrill the spectators in Itanagar

    Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), June 13, 2023: The Rally of Arunachal, organised by the Motorsports Club of Arunachal, under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci)*, the second round of the Blueband FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship will begin with the first leg at Hollongi and Chimpu stages on Wednesday June 14, before it moves up into the mountains of Ziro for Thursday’s final leg. The Ceremonial flag off was held on Tuesday evening.

    This prestigious event is hugely supported by the Directorate of Youth Affairs, Government of Arunachal, with a huge financial and technical support to promote tourism in the North Eastern hill State. Headed by Lhakpa Tsering, President of the Motorsports Club of Arunachal, who will also be the Chairman of the event, the Rally offers a technically daunting terrain and with rains expected, the challenge both for the drivers and the teams increases making it unpredictable. Being a Tarmac rally already offers substantial change in the preparations and car set-up and the travel distance to North East and the transportation of cars, is a huge burden on the drivers. However, the thrills and scenic beauty and the support from the organisers and Promoters should ease the situation.

    Karna Kadur and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy being flagged off at the Ceremonial inauguration on in Itanagar on Tuesday. Karna will be missing his regular navigator, Nikhil Pai, a professional sound engineer, who is in Durban for a big show. Photo MRF

    In the pre-event press conference, Tsering said, “We are proud to hold the 5th Rally of Arunachal INRC in Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal is already established as a driving destination of the Northeast because of events like this. This championship is bound to go a long way in boosting adventure tourism in the state.” Itanagar had hosted two back to back rounds to begin the a very successful 2020 INRC Championship that was delayed to due to COVID19. It was first time in the history of INRC that any venue hosted two rallies within a span of eight days. Later, the INRC 2020 was rounded off with a 3-round year at Coimbatore with Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) adding another title to his chequered career. The event also saw a Digital Steward and was held for the first time on week-days. Arunachal Pradesh made its debut as a venue into the INRC calendar for the first time in 2017, which also saw Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif clinch the victory. Thus, Gill and Sherif have won the Overall top class, in all the rallies held in Arunachal so far. This year, both the stages held in 2020 December will be repeated on Day 1, June 14, before the caravan moves to greater heights to Ziro. Thanks to the government support, the State Police are deployed and the Highways closed for the Special Stages and the rally is run in no-man’s land.

    The stages are very fast and the rule says that the average speeds cannot exceed 110 KMPH, which means that the drivers could touch top speeds of 180kmph (while maintaining over 100kmph average speeds), like what Gaurav Gill, the King of Speed, did in the previous Itanagar round. In fact, this reporter was a witness when Gill and Musa, stopped about a 100 metres from the finish for about 11 seconds. The speed maestro skillfully exploited a brief pause, before the flying finish to stay within the rule. He was streets ahead and could afford halting on a Special Stage and he did win to keep a clean record of winning all the INRC events in Arunachal. Just after that Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) came speeding down and as he crossed the line with a burning hot wheel that flew away from the car into the wilderness, they made it safely to the finish. And Ghosh ran to collect the tyre and resumed to service. Fortunately, it flew into the no-man’s and and there were no casualties. That was all in 2020.

    Amittrajit Ghosh recovers a wheel within a few seconds after his front right flew away into the wilderness of the night stage Hollingi F1 SS2 on Wednesday 17Dec2020, even as Ashwin Naik (in the car) reports timesheets. Exclusive File Photo by David Bodapati

    “We have installed a few artificial chicanes to reduce the speeds at the tarmac roads are very fast. It will help the drivers ease out and makes it more safer,” said Shrikanth Gowda, the Safety Officer, who too was present in 2020 with the same role.  

    The Rally of Arunachal 2023 attracted a massive field of 51 entries, thanks to Ammyfied Rallying which fielded 14 cars with the support Vamsi Merla Sports Foundation. It is the highest seen in the North East, and will offer an adrenaline-fueled experience . The ceremonial start at the Legislative Assembly Complex in Itanagar was held at 4:30 p.m.

    The thrilling event is set to showcase the skill and determination of rally drivers across multiple categories, with seven cars in INRC, 12 in INRC2, 22 in INRC3 and five each in INRC4 and Gypsy Class, a non championship class. Eight of the drivers are also eligible for Junior INRC which is for drivers below 26 years as of Jan 1, 2023. Only 6 of the eight lady drivers and co-drivers will be eligible for Women’s Class honours, which is also a non-championship event. Deeksha Balakrishna, a talented co-driver, misses out as she is navigating for a male driver.

    Promoter Premnath K. of Blueband Sports said: “It is truly encouraging to witness the overwhelming response the INRC has received this year, with a record number of entries representing the absolute cream of rallying talent from all corners of our nation. We are committed to making the INRC bigger, better, and more captivating for competitors and the audience. With a series of six rounds scheduled across India, alongside various other initiatives, we aim to elevate the stature and allure of the INRC.”
     

    The three-day event will take place on June 14, with the Special Stages run on the highway from Hollongi to Chimpu and back, near Itanagar. The adrenaline-fueled action will kick off at 11 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m., offering spectators an unforgettable experience. As dusk falls, the excitement will intensify with a thrilling night Spectator Special Stage inside the city, starting at 8:00 p.m. and concluding at 11:30 p.m., taking participants from Zero Point to the “C” sector.

    The Rally of Arunachal 2023 boasts an impressive lineup of renowned drivers who are set to unleash their skills on the challenging terrain. Leading the pack is the Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill (Aniruddha Rangnekar) and reigning national champion from Bengaluru Karna Kadur, who will have a new navigator in Kumar Ramaswamy. The first Round South India Rally INRC segment winner, the formidable Arjun Rao Aroor, and Satish Rajagopal of Mandovi Racing will look to extend their lead. Former champions Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, 2021 champions Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap, multiple champions in various sub-classes and reigning champions of INRC2, Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek have moved up to the top INRC class, will join talented Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah, in the top INRC category. “What a lovely stage, just flat out… The corners are tricky but we will make it,” said Nikeetaa Takkale after the Recce, with experienced Venu Ramesh Kumar, her navigator, watching in admiration, in an insta reel.

    Maninder Singh Prince, the INRC3 champion of 2022 has also moved up to INRC2 class while Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar the Junior INRC champions are in INRC3 and Pragathi will be competing in both INRC3 and Junior INRC.

    The defending Overall team champions Arka Motorsports headed by N Leelakrishnan has fielded 12 cars, including Karna Kadur while Chettinad Sporting and Snap Racing have 7 cars each. Aroor Arjun Rao continues to spearhead Mandovi challenge while two talented drivers Jason Saldanha (Thimmu Uddapanda) and Anushriya Gulati (Arjun Dheerendra) are in fray representing Dark Don Racing.

    For the benefit of followers, real-time results will be available on live.chronopulse.com. The podium ceremony will be held at Ziro on June 16 at 11:30 a.m. The third round Rally of Coimbatore, will be hosted by Coimbatore Automotive Sports Club, form July 28 to 30.

    2022 Indian National Champions in INRC

    Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 4W 2022

    1. INRC Driver Overall champion: Karna Kadur, Bengaluru;

    2. INRC Co-Driver Overall Champion: Nikhil Vittal Pai; Bengaluru.

    3. INRC Overall Champion Team: Arka Motorsports, Coimbatore;

    4. INRC2 champion Driver: Rahul Kantharaj, Bengaluru;

    5. INRC2 champion Co-Driver: Vivek Y Bhatt, Bengaluru;

    6. INRC2 Champion Team: Snap Racing, Delhi;

    7. INRC3 champion Driver: Maninder Singh Prince, Delhi;

    8. INRC3 champion Co-Driver: Arjun SSB, Bengaluru;

    9. INRC3 Champion Team: Snap Racing, Delhi;

    10. Junior INRC champion driver: Pragathi Gowda, Bengaluru.

  • Blueband INRC back to Ziro; Arunachal beckons top Indians drivers to North-East

    Blueband INRC back to Ziro; Arunachal beckons top Indians drivers to North-East

    Itanagar, (Arunachal Pradesh), 12 June 2023: Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill (co-driver Aniruddha Rangnekar) of JK Tyre, the winner of first round APRC, is raring to re-launch his domestic campaign while defending champion Karna Kadur will have a new but experienced co-driver in Kumar Ramaswamy as record numbers, including the cream of Indian talent, pour into Arunachal Pradesh for the second round of the Blueband fmsci Indian National Rally Championship at the picturesque hill station here from June 14 to 16. With rain forecast during the rally, the mountain roads will turn challenging for the drivers, making the event all the more spectacular.

    Gaurav Gill, the 7-time National champion and the first and only Indian to have three Asia Pacific Rally Championship titles will spearhead the campaign after missing the first round INRC at the Blueband MMSC South India Rally 2023, where he took part only in APRC, and won it hands down putting his Subaru Impreza STi N14 on the pedastal after tricky and slushy two days. Reigning champion Karna Kadur, former champions Aditya Thakur, Rahul Kantharaj, Aroor Arjun Rao, Dean Mascarenhas and Amittrajit Ghosh will be the other six top guns in INRC, the premier class.

    “Good to be back here. Two years we missed out on this rally. It is a very special rally for me. The Arunachal Government gives so much support here and we get the best roads which are super fast mountain roads. Looking at the weather it is a big game-changer as heavy rain is forecast which is to my liking. Yes, it will change a lot of set-up and tyre selection is crucial. I am well prepared and the JK Tyres offer me the best,” said Gill, who is gunning for his record 8th National INRC title in a Mahindra XUV300. Arunachal is the happy hunting ground for Gill, who won all the INRC rounds held here till now, two in Itanagar in 2020, and once in Ziro 2017, with Musa Sherif as navigator.

    “I am feeling very positive after winning INRC Round 1. Arunachal being a tarmac rally, the set up of the car will be different and I am looking forward to see how my Baleno will perform in its 1st tarmac test. We have couple of night stages as well that makes it interesting. We have done testing and the feeling is good. Looking forward to a good event,” said Aroor Arjun Rao of Mandovi Racing, who broke the ice with winning the INRC section of the South India Rally, the first round this year.

    The Rally of Arunachal returns to its tarmac home Ziro, two years after visiting Itanagar for the 2020 championship double-header. Ziro, the only tarmac rally in the Blueband Sports calendar, which made its INRC debut in 2017, and offers high speeds, high-altitude rallying, and technical challenges including night stage cold tyres. The Rally of Arunachal organised by the local Motorsports Club of Arunachal is sponsored by Arunachal Pradesh Tourism under the Department of Youth Affairs (and Sports) with MRF Tyres as Associate Sponsor. Promoted by Blueband Sports, the rights winners of the INRC, the rally also has Mahindra Thar Club, another local club lending a hand.

    “We are proud to bring back the National rally to Arunachal as drivers and teams loved the Rally in Nagaland last year. North-East states offer well-maintained roads and with the support of Arunachal Pradesh Government and the police, we get closed tarmac high-way roads that offer high speeds,” said Premnath Kashi, the Chief Promoter and the man who brings the spectacular show to North East.

    The roads are closed and manned by the State’s police machinery along with the Safety officer Shrikant GM, a former champion, who did yeoman job, the last time around. All ambulances and other safety measures are in place as per the Federations regulations and experienced Clerk of the Course Girija Shankar Joshy is conducting the event with the support of trained local Marshals who know every bit of route under the guidance of Lhakpa Tsering and Arindam Ghosh, two former rally drivers of repute who will be the Chairman of the Event and Chief Administrator, respectively.

    After a day in the familiar Chimpu (16.05km, SS1 & SS3) and Hollongi (18.10km, SS2 & SS4) Special Stages (SS), that would be run twice in the forward direction on Wednesday, the 2.05-km Super Special Stage (SSS, SS5 & SS6) is run twice in the chilling night that is bound to offer a technically challenging cold tyres for the drivers to tackle.

    Then the caravan moves uphill (from 320 metres above mean sea level to about 1680m) on Thursday morning on the winding roads to still cooler Ziro for final four Special Stages (SS). The two physical stages are Yazali (10.25km) and longer Yachuli Special Stage is 14.75 km. All the cars run both the Yazali (SS7 and SS9) and Yachuli (SS8 and SS10) in the forward direction, once in the afternoon and once in the night and the event ends at about 11pm in the hills to offer a thrilling extravaganza to the speed lovers. The rally has 122.4km of competitive timed distance and offers a total distance of 283km including 160.6km of transport section, where the drivers must follow normal road rules.

    INRC2 will have 12 cars but INRC3 continues to be the popular category with 22 cars while the INRC4 saw the entry of five cars along with 5 Gypsy entries in the non-Championship Challenge event.

    There will also be 8 lady drivers who are competing on equal footing with men and 8 below-26 year drivers in the Junior INRC category.

    They include two all-woman entries of Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar and daughter-mom pair of Shivani and Dr Vani Parmar. Bengaluru’s Deeksha Balakrishna navigates for Aditya Kousgi. Nikeetaa Takkale and Anushriya Gulati have male navigators. Phoebe Dale Nongrum of Shillong will be the only lady driver from North East with a male co-driver in Shivamogga’s Dinesh S.            

    Top guns Gaurav Gill and Dean Mascarenhas of JK Tyre will be among the eight privateers (non-team entry) gunning with top outfit Arka Motorsports’ 12 cars tuned by N Leelakrishnan and Chettinad Sporting’s seven cars tuned by Thiyagarajan and Roshan. Newcomers Ammyfied Rallying, headed by Aeman Ahemad and Sagar, have fielded the highest number of 14 cars while SNAP headed by Sumit Punjabi has seven cars managed by Nitin Jacob.

    Former champion Arjun Rao Aroor fresh from his victory (INRC) in the South India Rally in Chennai will be the lone crusader for Mandovi Racing while another top Road Racing team which entered rallying this season is Dark Don, that has two cars with talented international lady driver Anushriya Gulati and Jason Saldanha, who made his international debut podium this year in Indonesia.

    The event offers prize money of over Rs.9.3 lakhs and trophies in eight different classes for drivers, co-drivers and teams. Best tuners in each class also get trophies.

  • Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal win Rally de North

    Gurgaon, 18 Sept 2016: Ace rallyist Arjun Rao Aroor and co-driver Satish Rajagopal won the Rally de North, the third round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) while championship leader Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) finished way back in fifth here on Sunday. But the Kolkata driver still kept his lead on the top in the championship standings.

    Dr. Dhirendra Kumar and navigator Honey Narulla won the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) while for Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif had to be content with an overall third place in the INRC as they found the bulky SUV500 a bit tough for the terrain. Arjun Rao Aroor clocked 47 minutes 10 seconds while Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai timed 48.04 seconds to finish second ahead of Gill and Musa who 20 seconds more than Karna clocking 48.24sec.

    Organised by Sports Route Trust, the MRF Rally de North, the second gravel event of the calendar, saw INRC return to the North after a gap of over a decade. The last time a North Indian city hosted the rally was in 2005. The six Special Stages covered a distance of about 65km of dirt tracks on the outskirts of Gurugaon. A total of 38 cars started the rally.

    PG Abhilash, who won Round 1 and 2 of IRC crashed out in Stage 2. Karna Kadur and Nikhil Pai also won the INRC 2000cc category.

    Dhirendra Kumar and Honey, entered in the MRF FMSCI Indian Rally Championship (IRC) and won their category with a time of 1:00:04 after overnight leader Samir Thaper retired. Indian drivers in Indian cars were eligible for the INRC while Indian or foreign drivers in Indian or foreign cars were eligible for the IRC.

    Arjun Rao said: “Rally de North has always been lucky for me as I won overall way back in 2005 and then again history repeats. Overall, rally was very challenging as the stages became pretty rough towards the end and we had to save the car as well as keep pace and make sure we are doing good stage timings.”

    The second-placed driver Karna Kadur said: “All I can say is that, it’s been an epic battle to finish 2nd on the podium along with Gaurav and Arjun.”

    Finishing third was Gaurav Gill who said: “It was a great weekend rallying in the northern part of the country finally. Wasn’t the best for our team and car but we still managed to pick up the 3rd spot and that’s still good set of points in the bag.”

    Results: Overall: 1. Arjun Rao Aroor/ Satish Rajagopal 47 min 10sec; 2. Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai 48:04; 3. Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure) 48:24.

    IRC: 1. Dhirendra/ Honey Narulla 1: 00:04; 2.

    2000cc: 1. Karna Kadur 48:04; 2.

    (Note: Complete results are not released by the organisers/promoters)

  • Lohith Urs leads Team MRF 1-2 at Popular Rally

    Lohith Urs leads Team MRF 1-2 at Popular Rally

    By George Francis

    Kochi, 14 Sept 2008: Team MRF Limited finished the Popular Rally of Kerala 2008, taking the top two spots comfortably. After capitalising on the overnight lead, ‘Team Reds’ were placed on the top two steps of the podium, with hardly any competition with Lohith Urs and co-driver Chandramouli winning the Popular Rally, the third round of the Indian National Rally Championship 2008 here on Sunday. Teammates Arjun Rao Aroor and navigator Satish Rajagopal came second while most of the rest of the top runners had pulled out on Saturday due to various mechanical reasons. Lohith Urs made his debut in a Cedia.

    “We have been running by and far in the top three positions in the last five rallies, and we are confident that we would do well. We are happy with the win,” said Lohith Urs, who won the rally on debut in a Cedia 2000 N+ car. Lohith and co-driver Chandramouli, clocked a penalty of I hour 15 minutes and 18 seconds in the two-day rally. Team MRF’s Arjun Rao Aroor and co-driver Satish Rajagopal who were almost 2 minutes behind Lohith, finished second overall and first in the 1600 N+ class, driving a Ford Fiesta.

    The Popular Rally of Kerala 2008 that was flagged off on Saturday morning had to cancel one of the Special Stages due to technical issues and ran only 2 of the scheduled 3 stages.

    Biju Antony and co-driver Uday Kumar, of Kochi, won the 1600cc class, followed by Roopesh Kholay and navigator Prajval Pai and Sanket Shanbhag and Ramesh Shanbhag of Team Winspeed in third. In fact, the Shanbhags were running third overall on Saturday and were holding the same position until the final stage of the rally, where they went off the road and lost time to concede the second place.

    Lohith Urs and co-driver Chandramouli pose with trophies at the podium ceremony after winning the Popular Rally on Sunday. Photo by George Francis
    Lohith Urs and co-driver Chandramouli pose with trophies at the podium ceremony after winning the Popular Rally on Sunday. Photo by George Francis

    The 1400cc class saw a new winner in Bonnie Thomas from Thodupuzha co-driven by Adhiraj Bhardhan. Sujay and Bharath pair finished second while Francis and Royce came 3rd.

    In the Rally Star Cup, Den Thimmaiah and Dinesh finished on top followed by Vikram Devadasan and Anoop Kumar in second. Kaushik Shinde and Sulaiman Shaikh came third.

    The Gypsy Class was won by Sandeep Sharma and Rashid Raza beating Surenda Babu and Nayeen to second place. Experienced pair of Sanjay Agarwal and Elias Paarel came third.

    The Kerala Auto Sports Club (KASC) organised Popular Rally of Kerala 2008, which ran 400-odd kilometers, of which about 100-kms were competitive stage distance and the rest traversing transport distance. The next round of the MAI INRC would run in Coimbatore in October.

    Provisional unaudited Results:

    OVERALL: 1.Lohith Urs & Chandramouli (Team MRF Limited) 1hour, 15min, 18sec; 2. Arjun Rao & Satish Rajagopal (Team MRF Limited) (1: 17: 10); 3. Bonnie Thomas & Adhiraj  Bharadhan (1:21:41); 4. Biju Antony & Uday Kumar (1:21:52); 5. Den Thimmiah & Dinesh (1:22:06);

    2000cc: 1.Lohith Urs & Chandramouli (Team MRF Limited) 1hour, 15min, 18sec;

    1600 cc: 1. Biju Antony & Uday Kumar (1:21:52); 2. Roopesh Kholay & Prajual Pai (1:24:36); 3. Sanket Shanbhag & Ramesh Shanbhag (Team Winspeed) (1:32:50).

    1400cc: 1. Bonnie Thomas & Adhiraj Bhardhan (1:21:41); 2. Sujay & Bharath (1:24:00); 3. Francis KJ & Royce (1:24:46).

    Rally Star Cup: 1. Den Thimmiah & Dinesh (1:22:06); 2. Vikram Devadasan & Anoop Kumar (1:23:42); 3. Kaushik Shinde & Sulaiman Shaikh (1: 25:21).

    Gypsy Class: 1. Sandeep Sharma & Rashid Raza (1: 25:00); 2. Surendra Babu &  Nayeen (1: 27:15); 3. Sanjay Agarwal & Elias Paarel (1:30: 46).

    ends

  • Arjun Rao Aroor’s dream punctured; Naren lifts title

    Chandigarh, 23 October 2005: Arjun Rao Aroor and trusted co-driver Chandramouli were on the verge of winning the Rally de North before a puncture, destroyed their dream of winning the rally. With just 5km to the end of the last stage, the Karnataka pair had a flat tyre and the Team MRF’s duo, lost not just 41 seconds but the overall title. Celebrated champion VR Naren Kumar of Team JK Tyre was not the one to miss a chance and the Coimbatore speed diva clinched the the HPCL Power M1 Challenge Rally, the fourth round of the Motorsports Association of India (MAI)’s Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), which concluded at Kalagram on Sunday.

    Naren, despite suffering from a viral infection, did everything along with co-driver Ramkumar to clinch the issue as he had to did deep into his reserves and rely on his considerable experience of Ram, to emerge the winner. Aroor and Chandramouli had the consolation of bagging the overall third place.

    Trailing Aroor and co-driver Chandramouli overnight by 10 seconds, Naren Kumar and co-driver Ramkumar made six seconds on the first special stage of the day, over 10.14-km run at Kanda in the Shivalik Hills. Aroor was also docked a penalty of 90 minutes for reporting to service park, nine minutes late after the last stage. This meant team-mate Arjun Balu and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy leapfrog into the second position, ahead of Aroor. Naren completed the rally in 2 hours 7 minutes and 20 seconds, while Balu came home in 2:9.13 and Aroor in 2:9.22.

    Earlier, Team MRF’s Karandip Singh and Jaidas Menon were excluded from the competition for a technical violation, and were not permitted to start on the second day.

    Both Arjun Balu and Arjun Rao Aroor maintained their momentum in the super special stage, the concluding stage of the rally in Kalagram, finishing first and second, with timings of 2.18 and 2.19 minutes, respectively. Naren could only manage 2.23 minutes.

    The 1400 cc saw Prithveen Rajan and PVS Murthy winning the title with a timing of 2:13.09, followed by Philipose Mathai and Ashwyn Naik in second place.

    Local driver Sunny Siddhu drove away with the honours in the Gypsy Class with a timing of 2:12.16, which also placed him in fifth place overall, a creditable showing that earned him much applause from the home crowd at the podium finish.

    The Rally Star Cup also saw the emergence of new talent in Chetan Shivram and Rupesh Kholay, who finished on top in their category with a timing of 2:13.11.

    Provisional Final results: Overall: 1. Naren Kumar/ Ramkumar (Team JK, Baleno) (2hour, 7min, 20sec,); 2. Arjun Balu/ Kumar Ramaswamy (Team MRF, Baleno) (2:9.13); 3. Arjun Rao Aroor/ Chandramouli (2:9.22); 4. Vikram Mathais/ Sujith Kumar (Team MRF, Baleno) (2:10.16); 5. Sunny Siddhu/HS Bawa (Gypsy) (2:12.16); 6. Prithveen Rajan/ PVS Murthy (Esteem) (2:13.09).

    1400cc class: 1. Prithveen Rajan/ PVS Murthy (2:13.09); 2. Philipose Mathai/ Ashwyn Naik (2:13.11); 3. Ravi Agarwal/Prakash D’Souza (Esteem) (2:27.38).

    Gypsy Cup: 1. Sunny Siddhu/ HS Bawa (2:12.16); 2, Sandeep Sharma/Kulbir Singh (2:13.38); Kanwar/ Vijay Vir Singh 2:16.38.

    Rally Star Cup: 1. Chetan Shivram /Rupesh Kholay (2:13.11); 2. Girishankar Joshy/ Srikanth GM (2:14.28); 3. Anil Wadia / CK Chinappa (2:19.04).