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Tag: Gaurav Gill
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Vizag to kickstart INRC 2021 season on scenic beach tarmac
Visakhapatnam, 10 Nov 2021: Popular as INRC, the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship for Cars will kick-start the delayed 2021 season with Vizag hosting the first round next month, announced Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, Minister of Sports, Andhra Pradesh, here on Wednesday along with the Promoters.
“This is the first time we are bringing a high-profile motorsports event to Vizag, which last hosted a National karting event in 2012. While karting is an entry level sport, the historic National rally is a flagship discipline in motorsports and we are expecting huge crowds as an array of stars and fast race cars will be seen in action,” the minister added.
The Minister on behalf of the Promoters also released the four-round Calendar for 2021 season at a Press Conference here. “The Jewel of the East Coast will host the first round on the high-speed tarmac roads on the scenic Beach road from December 17 to 19. Many National rally champions including multiple Asia Pacific Rally champion and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill have entered the fray,’’ said Merla Vamsi, the Promoter of Champions Yacht Club, which will jointly organise the Vizag round along with the Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC), which runs the famous Karnataka-1000, the oldest rally in the 34-year history of INRC, that got the National status in 1988. The other rounds will be Bengaluru (K1000) in January, Coimbatore in February and Nagaland in March. A fifth round, the contender round is also expected in Hyderabad, subject to clearance from FMSCI.
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI), the National Authority that governs motorsport and promotes safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all road users across India, is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). FMSCI runs 12 Nationals in different motorsports disciplines like Rallying, Road Racing, Super Cross and Karting.
The beautiful Vizag-Bhimili beach road from Ramakrishna Beach to Kalinga, where the Special Stages will be held may not see Dolphins in the sea nor spotted deers crossing the road like they did in eighties when Navy used to conduct the Hill Climbs and TSD treasure hunts for motorsports lovers in this region, but the speed maestros like Gill, Karna Kadur, Dean Mascarenhas or Amittrajit Ghosh will be literally flying on the smooth tarmac, with road humps providing a visual treat to the crowds. “To cut the high-speeds we are creating artificial chicanes with soft tyres or tubes and the Stages will be cancelled if average speeds cross 110-kmph. But we are retaining the speed-breakers which will be negotiated with ease and the car jumps will provide a thrilling spectacle at high speeds for the crowds. Also the Police department is kind enough to provide over 400 police and we have trained marshals and local village safety volunteers to guard the route. The roads will be closed for traffic with windows to release the piled up traffic in intervals between the stages. A team of over 35 rally experts and 40 HAM station operators from KMSC Bengaluru, and 10 FMSCI officials will monitor the safety of the rally,” informed Vamsi.
The rally will have 12 Special Stages, eight to be run on Saturday and four on Sunday. The ceremonial start at Ramakrishna beach will be on Friday, Dec 17. All the cars from teams like MRF, JK Tyre, Mahindras, Yokohoma, Arka Motorsports, Chettinad Sporting, Snap Racing, among others will arrive on Thursday for scrutiny. Many lady drivers, who are provided free entries, will compete on equal footing with men. Bhaskar Gupta will be the Clerk of the Course and every car will have a co-driver who will give navigational calls to the driver based on the Road Book (tulip) provided by the organisers and the notes of the driver prepared during recce (reconnaissance), a practice run which is allowed at normal roads speeds on Thursday or Friday. The actual rally will be on Saturday and Sunday.
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Want to win a T-shirt autographed by Gaurav Gill?
Max Attack Testing. Here is a snippet of what’s in store ahead. Which of the three drifts did you like the most? CONTEST ALERT!! Tag three of your best friends in the comment below and share the reels in your stories. The winner for an exclusive autographed T-shirt by Gaurav Gill will be announced on Sunday i.e. 21st Mar 2021. #GauravGill #GillRacing #GGADA #GauravGillAdvancedDrivingAcademy #motorsports #racing #motorsport #f #racecar #race #formula #motorcycle #cars #car #speed
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Gaurav Gill joins exclusive club in INRC Hall of Fame! Musa Sherif, first navigator to do 293 rallies
Bengaluru, 1 Feb 2021: Following are the Statistics of the Indian National Rally Championship after the end of the third round of the four-round INRC 2020 calendar which is pushed to 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.
Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif have been together for 63 Rallies out of which they finished 39 Rallies, notching up 38 podiums and 36 victories. Gill was behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Cedia for his first three titles while the last four came through the bulky Mahindra XUV.
Musa Sherif becomes the leading co-driver with the highest number of rallies, finishing his 293rd rally in the third round at Coimbatore, consecutively calling the notes for 29 years. He has navigated for 47 drivers in that period. These 293 rallies include over 150 rallies in INRC.
INRC Titles from 1988 – 2020
Driver’s Championship winners – After INRC got the National Championship status in 1988
Driver’s Name Number of titles Years won Remarks 1 Gaurav Singh Gill Seven (7) 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020 2 V Naren Kumar Seven (7) 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010 3 N Leelakrishnan Six (6) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2001 4 Hari Singh Four (4) 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 5 Farad Bhatheena Two (2) 1988, 1989 6 Vikram Mathias Two (2) 2004, 2008, 7 Amittrajit Ghosh Two (2) 2012, 2013, 8 Lohit Urs One (1) 2015, 9 Karna Kadur One (1) 2016, 10 Chethan Shivram One (1) 2019, Co-Drivers’ Championship winners
Driver’s Name Number of titles Years won Remarks 1 Musa Sherif Seven (7) 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020 2 D Ram Kumar Six (6) 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010 3 Gurinder Singh Mann Four (4) 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 4 N Mahendran Three (3) 1991, 1992, 1993, 5 Farooq Ahmed Three (3) 1998, 1999, 2001, 6 Raj Bagri Two (2) 1988, 1989, 7 Ashwin Naik Two (2) 2012, 2013, 8 CV Jayakumar One (1) 1990, 9 Sujith Kumar BS One (1) 2004, 10 PVS Murhty One (1) 2008, 11 Shrikanth GM One (1) 2015, 12 Nikhil Pai One (1) 2016, 13 Dilip Sharan One (1) 2019
Drivers, Co-Drivers and Teams that won the National Championship from 1988Year Driver & Co-Driver Team Car Tuner 1 1988 Farad Bathena/ Raj Bagri Team MRF Maruti Gypsy Group II (A) Mohinder Lalwni 2 1989 Farad Bathena/ Raj Bagri Team MRF Maruti Gypsy Group II (A) J Anand 3 1990 N Leelakrishnan/ CV Jaykumar Team MRF Maruti Gypsy Group II (A) N Leelakrishnan 4 1991 N Leelakrishnan/ N Mahendran Team MRF Maruti Gypsy Group II (A) N Leelakrishnan 5 1992 N Leelakrishnan/ N Mahendran Team MRF Maruti Gypsy Group II (A) N Leelakrishnan 6 1993 N Leelakrishnan/ N Mahendran Team MRF Maruti Gypsy Group II (A) N Leelakrishnan 7 1994 Hari Singh/ Gurinder Singh Mann JK Tyre Rally Team Maruti Gypsy Group A-1-A S Karivardhan 8 1995 Hari Singh/ Gurinder Singh Mann JK Tyre Rally Team Maruti Gypsy Group A-1-A S Karivardhan 9 1996 Hari Singh/ Gurinder Singh Mann JK Tyre Rally Team Maruti Esteem Group A-1-A PNR Satish 10 1997 Hari Singh/ Gurinder Singh Mann JK Tyre Rally Team Maruti Esteem Group A-1-A WSRF 11 1998 N Leelakrishnan/ Farooq Ahmed Team MRF Maruti Esteem Group A-1-A N Leelakrishnan 12 1999 VR Naren Kumar/ Farooq Ahmed Team MRF Maruti Esteem Group A N Leelakrishnan 13 2000 VR Naren Kumar/ D Ram Kumar Team MRF Maruti Baleno Group A N Leelakrishnan 14 2001 N Leelakrishnan/ Farooq Ahmed Team MRF Honda City Group A N Leelakrishnan 15 2002 VR Naren Kumar/ D Ram Kumar Team MRF Honda City Group A N Leelakrishnan 16 2003 VR Naren Kumar/ D Ram KUmar Team MRF Honda City Group A N Leelakrishnan 17 2004 Vikram Mathias/ Sujith Kumar BS Team MRF Honda City Group A N Leelakrishnan 18 2005 VR Naren Kumar/ D Ram Kumar JK Rally Team Maruti Baleno Group N N Leelakrishnan 19 2006 VR Naren Kumar/ D Ram Kumar JK Rally Team Maruti Baleno Group N N Leelakrishnan 20 2007 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif Team MRF Mitsubishi Cedia Group N J Anand 21 2008 Vikram Mathias/ PVS Murthy Red Rooster Racing Mitsubishi Cedia Group N+ N Leelakrishnan 22 2009 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif Team MRF Mitsubishi Cedia Group N+ J Anand 23 2010 VR Naren Kumar/ D Ram Kumar Red Rooster Racing Mitsubishi Cedia Group N+ N Leelakrishnan 24 2011 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif MRF Mitsubishi Cedia Group N+ J Anand 25 2012 Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik RRPM Mitsubishi Cedia Group N B Rajan 26 2013 Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik RRPM Mitsubishi Cedia Group N B Rajan 27 2014 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif Mahindra Adventure Mahindra XUV 500 N Leelakrishnan 28 2015 Lohitt V Urs/ Shrikanth Gowda MRU Motorsport Mitsubishi Cedia Evo8 Mohamed Rafiq Udaya 29 2016 Karna Kadur/ Nikhil V Pai Team Yokohama India Volkswagen Polo Group N N Leelakrishnan 30 2017 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif Mahindra Adventure Mahindra XUV 500 N Leelakrishnan 31 2018 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif Mahindra Adventure Mahindra XUV 500 N Leelakrishnan 32 2019 Chetan Shivram/ Dilip Sharan Team Akshara Racing Volkswagen Polo Fazil Khan, FRK 33 2020 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif JK Tyre Racing team Mahindra XUV 300 N Leelakrishnan 34 2021 -
Gaurav Gill powers his limping Mahindra to top spot after Leg 1: INRC Round 3
Kethanur (near Coimbatore), 30 Jan 2021: King of Indian motorsports, Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif, powered their limping Mahindra XUV 300, to clock the fastest timing of the day, finishing ahead of the pack to lead the Day 1 of the Rally of Coimbatore, the third round of the Champion Yacht Club fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four wheelers here at the Kethanur windmill farms on Saturday.
The Arjuna Awardee and three-time APRC champion, Gill with Sherif, who is taking part in his 293rd rally, had trouble even before they started the Special Stages, as they faced electrical issues and the car failed to gain speed. They did continue despite the `misfiring’ and still clocked better timings than the others in three of the four stages.
“I was definitely off the pace, by some four minutes. Not sure what the problem is, but hopefully, it would be sorted out tonight. The misfiring started in the very first corner of the first Stage. So much so, I couldn’t even do 100 Kmph! It was frustrating in the sense that I would like to deliver good results to my sponsors and the team. Anyway, tomorrow, I hope to be on the kind of pace I want to,” said Gill at the end of the day.
Meanwhile, other top-guns Karna Kadur (co-driver Nikhil Pai), Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) and Dean Mascarenhas (co-driver Shruptha Padiwal), had a bad day. Kadur, running with a new engine, encountered “teething problems” through the day and lost time, but will be eyeing leg points on the morrow.Ghosh had his share of problems and had stopped while Mascarenhas dropped out due to gearbox issues.
Gaurav Gill, left, and Musa Sherif, who is on his 293rd rally after reccee on Friday. Dr “Speed” Bikku Babu, once again was in his elements and finished the day second overall with another talented Kerala youngster Fabid Ahmer, along with new co-driver Eldo Chacko, overall third at the end of the day after four Special Stages. Two more stages will be run on Sunday.
While Dr Bikku Babu is leading the INRC 2 class from Chetan Shivram, who is now with a new co-driver Shahid Salman and running on stock engine. Sahil Khanna, navigated by Vidit Jain, is in third place. In INRC 3, Arjun Rao (co-driver Shanmuga Sundaram) is trailing Fabid Amer by just 22 seconds. Adiya Thakur (co-driver Virendra Kashyap) is in third.
In INRC 4, the Goa-Kodagu combination of Vaibhav Marathe and Suhan MK are ahead of Yeswanth Padale and Bharath SM, and Rounak Singh and Amit Waghchaure.
Other casuality on Saturday was Rahul Kantharaj (co-driver Vivek Bhatt), who had a puncture and lost precious time.
Provisional Unaudited Results: (Results are given till 7 places, were available, to facilitate drivers and co-drivers to count their leg points)
Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure3 00) (58:41.800); 2. Dr Speed – Bikku Babu/ Bonnie Thoma (VW Polo) (1:00:01.300); 3. Fabid Ahmer/ Eldo Chacko (JK Tyre) (VW Polo) (01:00:08.300); 4. Arjun Rao/ Shanmuga Sundaram (VW Polo) (1: 00:30.800); 5. Aditya Thakur/ Virendra Keshyap (VW Polo) (1:01:04.500); 6. Chetan Shivram /Shahid Salman (VW Polo) (01:01.13.100); 7. Sahil Khanna /Vidit Jain (Snap Racing) (VW Polo) (01:01:33.100); 8. Ritesh Guttedar M/ Lokaranjan HJ (VW Polo) (01:01:37.400);
Note: Phillippo Mathai/ Kumar Ramasamy (Mahindra XUV 500- MRF Tyres) 01:02:47.600 get six leg points for 2nd in INRC class; However, INRC is not a separate class.
INRC2:1. Dr Speed – Bikku Babu/ Bonnie Thomas (1:00:01.300); 2. Chetan Shivram /Shahid Salman (01:01.13.100); 3. Sahil Khanna /Vidit Jain (Snap Racing) (01:01:33.100); 4. Ritesh Guttedar M/ Lokaranjan HJ (01:01:37.400); 5. Dhruva Chandrasekhar/ PVS Murthy (01:04:11.700); 6. BC Roopesh/ Ragavendra Phalguna (01:13:10.400); 7. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Bhatt (01:23:29.700). All in VW Polo.
INRC3: 1. Fabid Ahmer /Eldo Chacko (JK Tyre) (VW Polo) (01:00:08.300); 2. Arjun Rao/ Shanmuga Sundaram (VW Polo) (1: 00:30.800); 3. Aditya Thakur/ Virendra Keshyap (VW Polo) (1:01:04.500); 4. Maninder Singh Prince/ Vinay Padmashali (VW Polo) (01:02:36.400); 5.Mohammed Kasim/ Sanath G (VW Polo) (01:02:39.900); 6. Harkrishnan Wadia /Chirag Thakur (Honda City) (01:03:17.400); 7. Daraius Shroff/ Nitin Jacob (VW Polo) (01:03:22.900).
INRC 4: 1. Vaibhav Marathe/ Suhan MK (Honda City) (01:04:15.300); 2. YeswanthPadale/ Bharth SM (Honda City) (1:07:27.500); 3. Rounaq Singh/ Amit Waghchoure (Maruti Baleno) (01:08:41.900); 4. Pradeep Ravi/ Arvind Dheerendra (Maruti Suzuki Esteem) (01:09:13.400); 5.Sumesh M/ Anil Abbas (Maruti Suzuki Esteem) (01:11:54.700); 6. Amandeep Kaur/ Mohit Mallik (Maruti Suzuki Baleno) (01:14:18.300); 7. Rakesh Shukla / Dileep Sharan (Maruti Suzuki Esteem) (01:15:51.700).
Junior INRC: 1. Pragathi Gowda/ Trisha Jagannath (01:05.10.300); 2. Rohit Iyer/ M Manjunath (01:21:32.200); (Only 2 Junior INRC cars finished the four stages today)
Non-Championship class: Gypsy Challenge: 1. Sanjay Razdan/ Karan Aukta (01:07:17.700); 2. Abhishek Gowda/ Dheeraj Maney (01:08:34.100); 3. Sanjay Agarwal/ Smitha Prasad (01:08:39.000); 4. Divyanshu Vyas/ Venu Remesh;Kumar (01:08:48.600); 5. Mohd. Kaif Khan/ Arjun Dheerendra (01:10:20.600): 6. Dheeraj KV/ Pramod Raman (01:10:49.600); 7. Shyam Gopinath/ Ashwin Gururaj (01:1103.500).
Leg points as follows: 1st Place: 7 points; 2nd Place: 6 points, 3rd Place: 5 points; 4th Place: 4 points; 5th Place: 3 points; 6th Place: 2 points; 7th Place: 1 point.
Pragathi Gowda, left, who won the Junior INRC in Itanagar first round with Deeksha (not in pic) has a new navigator, a childhood friend and schoolmate Trisha Jagannathan, after the Reccee on Friday. (15of the 59 cars that took the start, failed to finish all the four Special Stages, but many of them will be rejoining on Sunday in the Super Rally format to earn Leg Points).
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Facile victory for Gill; Mujeeb redeems last-minute loss; Dean, Aditya win: INRC Ro2
By Samikshan Dutta
Itanagar, 20 Dec 2020: Celebrated Indian rallyist Gaurav Gill continued his winning streak, claiming Rally of Arunachal, Round 2 of the Champions Yacht Club -FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2020 here on Sunday.
The JK Tyre driver with Musa Sherif started off from where he left and after recording a stellar victory in Round 1 at the same time place two days back posted a total time of 42:15.00 minutes to win the rally and finish the Arunachal leg with a grand double.
Driving in a XUV300, the three-times APRC champion looked in top form and dominated the rally right from the word go. He opened up a considerable gap of around 1:51 minutes in the first two night stages on Saturday evening, held onto his lead throughout and mixed aggression with caution perfectly to win all the six special stages including four night stages to consolidate his position at the top of the leaderboard.
His teammate Amitrajit Ghosh along with co-driver Ashwin Naik clinched the second place after posting a total time of 43.48.1 minutes. Amitrajit driving in XUV300, who has been battling car issues for more than a year now, was impeccable behind the wheels and drove with great precision for his first podium finish of the season.
“First of all, it feels good to be rallying again more than anything.
Defending champion Chetan Shivram (&Rupesh Kholay) of Yokohama Tyres who had a DNF in the last round, started the round with a stock engine car and despite driving a vehicle with different specs did well to finish the overall 13th to take valuable leg points and hope for a turnaround in fortunes in the remaining rounds.Karna Kadur of MRF Tyre also continued his good run and after finishing runner-up in the opening round claimed the third place. Along with Nikhil V Pai, Karna was constantly pushing Amitrajit but eventually had to contend with third place with a total time of 44:57.3 minutes. His place on the podium also secured his second position on the points table.
In the INRC 2 category, it was Dean Mascarenhas (& Shruptha Padival who took the top honours by completing the six special stages with a total time of 45:38.6 minutes followed by Snap Racing’s Sahil Khanna (&Vidit Jain) who took 47.42.0 minutes,
to finish the rally. Rahul Kanthraj (along with co-driver Vivek Y Bhat) ended up in third place with an overall time of 47:48.8 minutes.
Aditya Thakur (&Virendra Kashyap) of Team Nutulapati won the top place in INRC 3, after clocking a total time 47.24.5 minutes followed by Fabid Ajmer (&Eldo Chacko) who took 47:30.8 minutes to finish the rally. Last round’s INRC 3 winner, Maninder Singh Prince and his navigator Vinay Padmasali made it to the third place on the podium with a total time of 48:06.4 minutes.
Mujeeb Rahman (& Goutham CP) won the top prize in the INRC 4 category with 50.42.300 minutes, while last year’s winner Vaibhav Marathe & his co-driver Suhan.M.K, driving for Yokohama Tyres won the second place with a total time of 51:28.500 minutes. Rohith Iyer (&M.Manjunath) took the third podium after registering a time of 54:21.600 minutes.
In the Junior INRC category, Harikrishna Wadia (& Chirag Thakur) claimed the top position for their performance of 48:28.21 minutes, followed by Team Yokohama’s Arjun (& Shanmuga S N) who took 48:58.9 minutes to complete their campaign. Pragathi Gowda and her co-driver Deeksha Balakrishna of Team Vasundhara impressed yet again as they finished in third place with a total time of 49:37.7 minutes.Provisional Unaudited final classification:
Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill /Musa Sherif (42 minutes, 15.000 seconds); 2. Amittrajjit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik (43:48.100); 3. Karna Kadur/Nikhil Pai (44: 57.300);
INRC2: 1. Dean Mascarenhas/ Shruptha Padival (45:38.600); 2. Sahil Khanna /Vidit Jain (47:42.000); 3. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Bhat (47:45.800);
INRC3: 1. Aditya Thakur/ Virender Kashyap (47:21.500); 2. Fabid Ahmer/ Eldo Chacko (47:30.800); 3. Maninder Singh Prince/ Vinay Padmashali (48:06.400);
INRC4: 1. Mujeeb Rehman/ Goutham CP (50:42.300); 2. Vaibhav Marathe/ Suhan MK (51:28.800); 3. Rohith Iyer/ GM Manjunath (54:21.600).
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INRC: Winners’ Hall of Fame
A list of all the winners of all the rounds starting for 1988 is compiled and given below. (Winners of a few years in the initial years are yet to be collected.)
By David Bodapati
Bengaluru: Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) has a special charm and attraction in India. It is the Crown Jewel of Indian motorsports and holds a respectable status among all the Nationals and vies for supremacy with National Racing Championship which, perhaps, has overtaken in popularity in the last few years due to the meticulous handling and organisational skills of the Madras Motor Sports Club. The overwhelming crowd patronage, the sheer passion and love shown by the drivers, officials, organisers and fans takes one into a different realm when one pours through the 32 editions held so far.
The year 1996 is a special year in my life. It is the first year, I saw a rally live and was enamoured by it. I was working with Indian Express then and was transferred to Bangalore Sports Desk in 1996. Since then I have followed all the rallies and have covered at least one rally a year.
In 1995, I had followed the reports from the rallies, and it was the largest calendar with 9 rounds and 1996 too had a menu of nine rounds, the best two years with the highest number of rounds in the 32 years of INRC history (as of 23Dec200). That year, the first three rounds were held in Nashik, Coimbatore and Madras and there were three different winners which opened up the race for the championship. We were eagerly waiting for the 22nd K1000. Come August and it is rally time here. And there was a new winner once again. Here, I met some of the legends with whom, over the years I developed great friendships. CK Chinnappa, George Francis, Shekar Bojanna, and the like. They used to reel out stories and I was mesmerised. And not to forget the two, Sujith Kumar and Madhu, who introduced me to live F1 screenings at Guzzlers Inn on Church Street, where the atmosphere used to be electric with two camps cheering their F1 heroes while guzzling draught beer. The McLaren fans on one side and the Tifosi on the other.
Coming back to INRC, I have tried to put together all the winners of all the rounds since INRC began in the present format as a National Championship in 1988. I have started with overall winners and co-drivers. Soon I hope to dig in and come up with winners of different classes. There are a lot of gaps. I request all the respected senior drivers and veteran fans to chip in and help me pool in the missing information. I will be very thankful for any additions and corrections. You can click the link for a particular round, if the link is available, and it will take you to the rally report of that year’s round.
A 2009 INRC image by Kishen Nanjappa. The IMG and PSP arrival as promoters has changed the rally scene in India in 2009. Here we go! Have a nostalgic trip!!
2025 INRC – Promoter: Bluedband Sports
Round 1: April 24 to 27: Chennai: South India Rally, Madras Motors Sports Club
2024 INRC – Promoter: Bluedband Sports
2023 INRC – Promoter: Bluedband Sports
2022 INRC – Promoter: Bluedband Sports
INRC 2021 Calendar: (announced by CYC on 22 March 2021)
No rally was held in 2021. The revised calendar after many Covid postponements was supposed to start with Vizag opener from Dec 17 to 19. But it was cancelled in the last minute due to the cancellaltion of the Police permission and despite the best efforts of the Promoter Vamsi Merla, the rally could not be conducted even on the following Tuesday and Wednesday and all the 54 competitors had to go back.
Later, FMSCI announced a 3-round 2021 calender to be conducted in 2022.
2021 INRC round Held in 2022
Aditya-Virender INRC 2021 champs
Round 1: Coimbatore: Rally of Coimbatore, Coimbatore Auto Sports Club
Aditya Thakur & Virender Kashyap clinch Rally of Coimbatore in style: INRC Ro.1
Round 2: Chennai: Madras Motor Sports Club, South India Rally
Karna Kadur wins APRC round on international debut; Nikhil Pai drives Polo magic again
Round 3: Final round: Bengaluru: Karnataka Motor Sports Club, K-1000
Gaurav Gill wins 7th K1000 title; 300th rally cap for Musa Sherif
2021 INRC – Promoter: Champions Yacht Club
Round 1 – Chennai: Madras Motor Sports Club – April 23-25; Postponed
Round 2 – Bengaluru: 45th K1000, Karnataka Motor Sports Club -May 28-30; Postponed due to Covid.
Round 3 – Coimbatore: Coimbatore Auto Sports Club – July 17-18; Not held.
Round 4 – *Delhi, BND Motor Sports , August 27-28; Not held.
Round 5 -Hampi: Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar – Oct 1-3; Not held.
Round 6 – *Nagaland, NAMSA, – November 12-14; Not held.
*Subject to FMSCI inspection and confirmation of organizer
2020 INRC – Promoter: Champions Yacht Club; Champion: Gill-Musa
- Itanagar, Tarmac NH415; 16-17 Dec 2020; Rally of Arunachal Pradesh; (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC, JK Tyres)
- Itanagar, Tarmac NH415; 19-20 Dec 2020; Rally of Arunachal Pradesh; (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC, JK Tyres)
- Coimbatore, Gravel; 29-31 Jan 2021; Rally of Coimbatore; (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC, JK Tyres)
- Bengaluru, Gravel; 12-14 Feb 2021; 45th K-1000 Rally; (Cancelled on 5 Feb 2021 by FMSCI)
*Hampi* (Karnataka); Gravel, 5-7 Feb 2021; Rally de Hampi 4w contender for fmsci INRC 2021; Organised by Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar
**South India Rally at Chennai, Popular Rally in Kerala and Coffee Day Rally in Chikmagalur were cancelled initially for the year 2020 due to Corona Pandemic. Later in the last minute, K1000 was cancelled and Hampi did not get FMSCI clearance and ran as contender.
Note – All rounds of INRC 2020 were put off due to COVID-19 and only began in Decd 202. The Original calendar was 1. Chennai, Mar 20-22; South India Rally (APRC); 2. Arunachal, April 24-26: Rally of Arunachal; 3. Kerala, May 29 to 31: Popular Rally; 4. Coimbatore, July 24-26; Rally of Coimbatore; 5. Bengaluru, Oct 9-11; 45th K1000 Rally; 6. Hampi (Karnataka), Nov 6-8; Hampi Rally; 7. Chikmagalur, Dec 5-7; Rally of Chikmagalur;
2019 INRC (Champions: Brothers Chetan Shivram, Dilip Sharan)
Promoter: Champion Yacht Club
1. Chennai, Gravel, June 28-30; 41st South India Rally (Dean Mascarenhas-Shruptha Padival, VW Polo, Team Champions, INRC2-Overall 1st) 26/51 cars finished.
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, Aug 9-11; Rally of Coimbatore (Chetan Shivaram-Dilip Sharan, VW Polo, Team Akshara, INRC3-Overall first) 40/57 finished.
3. Jodhpur, Sept 20 to 22; Maxperience Rally 2019 (Cancelled after Stage 1 due to Gill accident*)
4. Bengaluru, Gravel, Nov 22-24; 44th K1000 Rally (Chetan Shivaram- Dilip Sharan, VW Polo, Team Akshara, INRC3-Overall first) Only 23/50 finished.
5. Kottayam, Asphalt, Dec 20-22; Popular Rally, (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC)
*Note: 3 died in the accident and the rally was cancelled after the first stage.
2018 INRC (Champions: Gaurav Singh Gill, Musa Sherif)
Promoter: RRPM
1. Chennai, Gravel, April 27-29; MRF 40th South India Rally (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, INRC1) 19/30 cars finished.
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, Aug 3-5; MRF Rally of Coimbatore (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC1) 30/42 cars finished.
3. Itanagar, Asphalt, Nov 2-4; Rally of Arunachal (Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik, Mahindra XUV 500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC1) 13/17 finished
4. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Nov 29-Dec 2; Coffee Day Rally (Karna Kadur-Nikhil Pai, VW Polo, Arka Motorsports, INRC2 – Overall first) 38/45 cars finished.
5. Kochin, Asphalt, Dec 14-16; Popular Rally (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, INRC1) 30/36 cars finished.
Note: K1000 missing in the calendar for the first time in INRC due to the Promoter RRPM’s decision.
2017 INRC (Champions: Gaurav Singh Gill, Musa Sherif)
Promoter: RRPM
1. Coimbatore, Gravel, July 28-30; MRF Rally of Coimbatore (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC). 22 of 32 finished.
2. Chennai, Gravel, Aug 25-27, 40th MRF SIR – CANCELLED
2. Jaipur, Gravel, Sept 22-24; Rally of Rajasthan (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, INRC) 11 of 16 finished. Note: One stage of 13.8km cancelled.
3. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Nov 23-26; Coffee Day India Rally (Karna Kadur-Nikhil Pai, VW Polo, Arka Motorsports, INRC2 – Overall first) 26 of 38 cars finished.
4. Arunachal Pradesh, Gravel, Dec 21-23; Rally of Arunachal (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, INRC) One stage of 18km cancelled. 14/17cars finished.
5. Bengaluru, Gravel, Jan 19-21, 2018; 43rd K1000 Rally (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, INRC)* 17/27 finished.
*Left over round of 2017 calendar held in 2018
2016 INRC (Champions: Karna Kadur, Nikhil Pai)
Promoter: RRPM
1. Coimbatore, Gravel, July 23-24; MRF Rally of Coimbatore, (PG Abhilash- Srikanth Gowda, Lancer Evo 8, R3A PGA Motorsport, IRC)* 32 of 39 cars finished.
*Note; On Aug 18 protest was upheld and Abhilash-Gowda were declared winners.
2. Nashik, Gravel, Aug 27-28; MRF Rally of Maharashtra (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, Team Mahindra Adventure, IRC) 25 of 32 cars finished.
(Abhilash-Srikanth win IRC, Lancer Evo 8, R3A PGA Motorsport – Overall 9th)
3. Gurgaon, Gravel, Sept 17-18; MRF Rally de North (Arjun Rao Aroor- Satish Rajagopal, VW Polo R2) (Dr Dhirendra-Honey win IRC, Overall 10th) 12/25 finished. Cancelled stage 16.7km.
4. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Dec 3-5, Coffee Day India Rally (Gaurav Gill- McNeal Glenn, Skoda Fabia R5, Team MRF Tyres; APRC) (Karna Kadur-Nikhil Pai, VW Polo, Team Yokohoma, INRC 2000) 31 of 49 cars finished.
5. Hosadurga, near Bengaluru, Gravel, Dec 17-18; MRF 42nd K1000 Rally (Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik, Mahindra XUV 500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC); (Rahul Kantharaj-Vivek Bhatt, Cedia, Team Yokohama, 2000 – Overall 3rd) 20 of 31 cars finished.
Note: Karna Kadur -Nikhil Pai, finish 5th in K1000; enough to win championship.
2015 INRC (Champions: Lohith V Urs, Srikanth GM)
1. Goa, May 29 to 31; – CANCELLED
1.Nashik, Asphalt, June 12-14, Mahindra Adventure Rally of Maharashtra (Gaurav Gill-Musa, Mahindra XUV 500, Team Mahindra Adventure, IRC) 21 of 26 finished.
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, July 30-Aug 1, Rally of Coimbatore, (Lohitt V Urs-Srikanth Gowda, Lancer Evo VIII, IRC) 24 of 35 cars finished.
Rally of Kerala, CANCELLED, Oct 16 to 18 (Labour strike at plantations)
3. Bengaluru, Gravel, Nov 20-22; Horizon 41st K1000 Rally (Pallath Ganesh Abhilash-Anoop Kumar, Lancer Evo 8, IRC) 23 of 36 cars finished.
4. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Dec 11-13, Coffee Day Rally (Lohitt Urs- Srikanth Gowda, Evo 8, RC2 IRC). 17.9km stage cancelled. 28 of 41 cars finished.
2014 INRC (Champions: Gaurav Singh Gill, Musa Sherif)
1. Nashik, Tarmac, June 13-15; WISA Rally of Maharashtra (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, Mahindra Adventure team, IRC) 19 of 20 cars finished.
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, July 11-13; Rally of Coimbatore (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, Mahindra Adventure team, IRC). 21 of 35 cars finished.
3. Chennai, Gravel, July 25-27; AVT Premiuim 39th SIR (Samir Thaper- Gurinder Mann, Lancer Evo X, JCT Rallying, IRC). 18 of 29 cars finished.
4. Kolkata, Durgapur, Gravel, Oct 31-Nov 2; 3 Rally de Bengal (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, Mahindra Adventure team, IRC). 11 of 18 cars finished.
5. Bengaluru, Gravel, Nov 21-23; Kar 1000 Rally (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV 500, Mahindra Adventure team, IRC). 24 of 41 cars finished. Stages Near Doddaguni, Tumkur.
6. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Dec 13-14; Coffee Day Rally (Vikram Mathias- Swaroop Mohan, Lancer Evo IX, pvt, IRC). 19 of 34 cars finished.
2013 INRC (Champions: Amittrajit Ghosh, Ashwin Naik)
1. Chennai, Gravel, March 22-24; 38th AVT Premium South India Rally (Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik, Mitsubishi Cedia, Group N). 19 of 35 cars finished.
2. Nashik, Asphalt, June 7-9; Mahindra Adventure Rally of Maharashtra (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Mahindra Adventure, SUV). 16/28 finished. Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik, Cedia, Group N, Overall Winners
3. Coimbatore, Gravel, July 19-21; Rally of Coimbatore Rally (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, SUV). 14 of 29 cars finished. Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik, Cedia, Group N, Overall Winners.
4. Bangalore, Gravel, Nov 9-10; IMG 39th K1000 Rally (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Mahindra Adventure, SUV). 23 of 36 cars finished.
5. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Dec 19-21; Coffee Day Rally, (Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal, VW Polo, 1600-Overall first). 17/38 finished. 14.21km Stage cancelled.
Note: Following rounds were announced in the Calendar but NOT HELD
Bhuj, Northern Motorsports, April 12 to 14 (Gravel)
Kolkota, RRPM, May 17 to 20 (gravel)
Kochi, KASC, Sept 20 to 22 (TBA) tarmac
2012 INRC (Champions: Amittrajit Ghosh, Ashwin Naik)
Promoter: IMG-PSP; (No Sponsor)
1. Siddlaghatta, Bangalore, Gravel, Sept 21-23; 38th K1000 Bangalore Rally (Lohitt V Urs-Sujith Kumar, Mitsubishi Cedia, 2000, pvt). 22 of 39 cars finished.
Coorg, Oct 19-21; Rally of Coorg. CANCELLED due to rains.
2. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Nov 23-25; Coffee Day Rally (Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik, Mitsubishi Cedia, 2000). 29 of 43 finished.
Note: Karna Kadur-Somonnita Ghosh lost at the fag-end due to 40-sec late penalty at the last TC which virtually cost him the Championship.
Ahmednagar/Nashik, Gravel, Dec 22-23; Rally of Maharashtra. CANCELLED for lack of gravel stage permissions from landowners.
2011 INRC (Champions: Gaurav Singh Gill, Musa Sherif)
Promoter: IMG-PSP; Sponsor Bharat Petroleum- Speed
Calendar announced on 16 March 2011
1. Nashik, Gravel, June 2-5; Rally of Maharashtra (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, MRF Ltd, 2000N+) 18 of 27 cars finished.
2. Chennai, Dirt with SSS on tarmac, June 23-26; 37th South India Rally (Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik, Mitsubishi Cedia, MRF Tyres, 2000N+). 12 of 27 cars finished. SIR revived after 11 years.
3. Coimbatore, Gravel, July 21-24; Rally of Coimbatore (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, MRF Ltd, 2000N+). 26 of 39 cars finished.
4. Bangalore, Gravel, Aug 19-21; 37th K1000 Rally of Bangalore (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, MRF Ltd, 2000N+). 19 out of 41 cars finished.
5. Chikmagalur, Gravel Nov 18-20; MSCC – Coffee Day Rally (Lohitt V Urs-PV Srinivasa Murthy, Mitsubishi Cedia, MRF Ltd., 2000N+). 29 of 39 cars finished.
6. Bhubaneswar, Gravel, Dec 9-11; Rally of Odisha (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, MRF Ltd, 2000N+). 15/18 cars finished. Organisers: BMSC & Kalinga MSC.
7. Durgapur, Gravel, Dec 16-18; Rally de Bengal (Gaurav Gill- Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, MRF Ltd, 2000N+). 15 of 21 finished. Organiser: RRPM
2010 INRC (Champions: Naren Kumar, Dorairaj Ram Kumar)
Promoter: IMG-PSP; Sponsor Bharat Petroleum- Speed
1. Nashik, Tarmac-mix (1ss gravel for a bit), June 25-27; Rally of Maharashtra (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, Team MRF Tyres, 2000N+). 25 of 31 cars finished.
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, Aug 6-8; Rally of Coimbatore (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Mitsubishi Cedia, Red Rooster Racing, 2000N+). 37 of 50 cars finished.
3. Jodhpur, Gravel, Sept 17-19; Rally of Rajasthan (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Mitsubishi Cedia, Red Rooster Racing, 2000N+). 28 of 38 cars finished.
4. Siddlaghatta, near Bengaluru, Gravel, Dec 3-5; 36th K1000 Rally (APRC contender) (Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal, Mitsubishi Cedia, Team MRF Tyres, 2000N+). Only 12 of 41 cars finished.
5. Kottayam, Asphalt, Dec 15-19; Misty Meadows Rally of Kerala (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, Team MRF Tyres, 2000N+). 23 of 32 cars finished.
2009 INRC (Champions: Gaurav Singh Gill, Musa Sherif)
Promoter: IMG-PSP; Sponsor Bharat Petroleum- Speed
1. Coimbatore, Gravel, June 26-28; Rally of Coimbatore (Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal, Mitsubishi Cedia, Team MRF Tyres, 2000N+). 28 of 46 finished.
2. Bangalore, Gravel, Aug 21-23, 35th Rally of Bangalore (Arjun Balu-Sujith Kumar, Mitsubishi Cedia, Team MRF Tyres, 2000N+). 35 of record 61 entries finished.
3. Durgapur, near Kolkata, Gravel, Sept 18-20; Rally of Kolkata (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, MRF Ltd, 2000N+). 22 of 36 cars finished.
4. Nashik, Asphalt, Oct 30-Nov 1; Rally of Nashik (Vikram Mathias- PVS Murthy, Mitsubishi Cedia, Red Rooster Racing, 2000N+). 21 of 27 cars finished.
5. Chikmagalur, Gravel, Nov 20-22; Coffee Day Rally (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, MRF Ltd, 2000N+). 27 of 37 cars finished.
2008 FMSCI INRC (Champions: Vikram Mathias, PVS Murthy)
1. Mysore, Gravel, June 13-15; Sidvin Rally of Karnataka (Vikram Mathias- PVS Murthy, Mitsubishi Cedia, Red Rooster Racing, 2000N+) 25 of 34 cars finished.
2. Bangalore, Asphalt, Aug 8-10; 34th K1000 Rally (Vikram Mathias-PVS Murthy, Mitsubishi Cedia, 2000N+) 27 of 52 cars finished.
3. Cochin, Asphalt, Sept 12-14; 23. Popular Rally of Kerala (Lohitt V Urs-CM Chandramouli, Mitsubishi Cedia, 2000N+). 20 of 35 cars finished.
4. Coimbatore, Gravel, Oct 17-19; IMG Mill and Monsoon Rally (Vikram Mathias- PVS Murthy, Mitsubishi Cedia, 2000N+) ?? cars finished.
5. Coorg, Nov 28-30; Rally de Coorg (Vikram Mathias-PVS Murthy, Red Rooster Racing, Mitsubishi Cedia, 2000N+)
6. Nashik, Asphalt, Dec 19-21; IMG Rally of Maharashtra (Vikram Mathias-PVS Murthy, Red Rooster Racing, Mitsubishi Cedia, 2000N+)
Chennai, Gravel, Nov 14 to 16, 36th SIR CANCELLED
2007 MAI INRC (Champions: Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif)
1. Kochin, Asphalt, March 9-11; 22nd Heera Rally, (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, 1600). 17 of 30 cars finished.
2. Chikmagalur, Asphalt, May 4-6; Coffee Day Championship Rally, (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, Team MRF Tyres; Class 2000). 22 of 37 finished. Day 1 Report,
3. Bangalore, Asphalt, Aug 17-19; 33rd Bosch K1000 Rally (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mitsubishi Cedia, Team MRF Tyres – 2000). 32 of 47 cars finished.
4. Pune, Asphalt, Nov 30-Dec 1; Rally of Maharashtra (Lohitt V Urs-Jaidas Menon, Ford Fiesta, Team MRF Tyres, 1600). 30 of 37 cars finished. Preview
2006 MAI INRC (Champions: VR Naren Kumar, D Ram Kumar)
1. Pune, Gravel, May 5-6; Xtra Premium Overdrive Rally of Pune (Gaurav Gill-Farooq Ahmed, Maruti Baleno, 1600). ?? out of 12 cars finished.
2. Chikmagalur, Gravel, May 26-28; Coffee Day Championship Rally, (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, ???, 1600). ?? out of 21 cars finished. Day 1 report,
3. Coimbatore, June 9-11; Rally of Coimbatore, CANCELLED
3. Maddur, near Bangalore, Gravel, Aug 11-13; 32 Bosch K1000 Rally 2006 (Gaurav Gill-Farooq Ahmed, Cedia 1600 class). 31 of 46 cars finished.
4. Chandigarh, Gravel, Nov 3-5; Power Pine Forest Rally, (Lohitt V Urs-Musa Sherif, Maruti Baleno). 19 of 35 cars finished.
5. Goa, Asphalt, Nov 18-19; WIAA Rally de Goa, (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Mitsubishi Cedia, 1600). 29 of 35 cars finished.
Note: Round 6 in Hyderabad, Deccan Rally from Dec 1 to 3 was CANCELLED as organisers said they would not be able to host it.
2005 MAI INRC (Champions: VR Naren Kumar, D Ram Kumar)
1. Meghalaya, Gravel, Mar 11-13; Rally Tura (Sandeep Sharma-Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Maruti Gypsy, Gypsy-Overall first). 9 of 16 cars finished.
2. Mysore, gravel, May 26-29; Mysore Safari Rally (Arjun Balu-Kumar Ramaswamy, Maruti Baleno, 1600). 15 of 22 cars finished.
3. Bangalore, Asphalt, Aug 12-14; Mico Bosch 31st K1000 Rally (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, Maruti Baleno, 1600). 18 of 25 cars finished.
4. Chandigarh, Asphalt, Oct 21-23; Power M1 Challenge Rally (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, Maruti Baleno, 1600). 18 of 28 cars finished. Local Preview
5. Delhi, gravel, Nov 11-13; Rally of the North, (Arjun Rao Aroor-CM Chandramouili, Baleno 1600, Team MRF tyres). Only 13 of total 40 cars finished. Preview.
6. Cochin, Asphalt, Nov 25, to 27, -22nd Popular Rally, ???
7. Hyderabad, Gravel, Dec 9-11; Sujana MRF Deccan Rally (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, Maruti Baleno, 1600). 17 of 26 cars finished. Preview.
2004 MAI INRC (Champions: Vikram Mathias, B. Sujith Kumar)
Awards Ceremony held on 24 January 2005
1. Nashik, Asphalt, July 2-4: MAK Nashik Rally (Phillipos Mathai-Ashwin Naik, Esteem, 1400, Overall first) 12 cars of 14 finished.
2. Bangalore, Asphalt, August 6-8: 30th Karnataka-1000 Rally (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, Baleno, Team MRF Tyres 1600) 18 of 24 cars finished.
3. Cochin, Asphalt, August 20-22: 21st Popular Rally 2004 (Vikram Mathias- Sujith Kumar, Baleno, 1600) 15 of 20 cars finished.
Note: Car No.1 Naren Kumar/ Ram hit a five-year-old who died immediately. After four stages, organisers decided to stop the rally.
4. Panjim, Goa, Gravel, Sept 10-12: WIAA Rallye De Goa (Naren Kumar- D Ram Kumar, Baleno, Team MRF Tyres, 1600). 12 of 20 cars finished.
5. Chandigarh, Gravel, October 29-31: Power M1 Challenge (Lohitt V Urs- Bonnie Thomas, Baleno, 1600). 17 of the 23 cars finished.
6. New Delhi, Gravel, November 19-21: Maruti Suzuki India Challenge – Rally of the North (Vikram Mathias- Sujith Kumar, Baleno, 1600). 24 of 32 cars finished.
7. Pune, Gravel, December 3-5: MRF India Rally (Lohitt V Urs-Bonnie Thomas, Baleno, 1600). 11 of 16 cars finished. A stage of 70.1km cancelled.
2003 MAI INRC (Champions: Naren Kumar and D Ram Kumar)
1. Chikmagalur, Asphalt, May 23-25; Coffee Day Rally, (Naren Kumar- D Ram Kumar, Honda City, Team MRF Tyres) 13/19 cars finished. Preview
2. Nashik, Asphalt, June 6-8; MRF Taj Challenge (Naren Kumar- Musa Sherif, Honda City, MRF Tyres) 10 of 14 cars finished.
3. Cochin, Gravel, Aug 29-31; 20th Kerala Rally (Naren Kumar – D Ram Kumar, Honda City, MRF Tyres, 1600); 13 of 17 cars finished.
4. Chandigarh, Gravel, Sept 19-21; 1. Power M1 Challenge Rally (Naren Kumar – D Ram Kumar, Honda City, 1600); 10 of 16 cars finished. (Organiser: Motorsports One).
5. Panjim, Goa, Gravel, Oct 31-Nov 2; WIAA Rally de Goa (Arjun Balu- Kumar Ramaswamy, Honda City, MRF Tyres, 1600) All 8 cars finished.
6. Bangalore, Gravel, Nov 14-16; 29. Movva Rally de Bangalore 2003 (Karandip Singh- Jaidas Menon, Honda City, 1600). 11 cars of 14 finished.
7. Pune, Gravel, Dec 5-7; MRF India Rally -APRC (Jiby Maliakkal- Nikhil Pai, Honda Civic-VTEC, 1600); 7 of 15 cars finished. Flag Off. Friday report. Saturday report.
Coimbatore, Dec 26 to 28. NOT HELD
(As per the calendar announced in Mumbai on 13 May 2003)
2002 MAI INRC (Champions: Naren Kumar and D Ram Kumar)
1. Coimbatore, Asphalt, Mar 30-31; Servo Mill and Monsoon Rally (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Honda City VTEC, Team MRF Tyres) 17 of 25 cars finished.
Note: Organisers Spitfire Motorsports (Karthikeyan drives a Tata Indica Zero car)
2. Nashik, Asphalt, July 5-7; WIAA Taj Nashik Rally (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, Honda City VTEC, 1600). 13 of 15 cars finished the rally.
3. Panaji, Goa, Asphalt, Sept 27-29; WIAA Rallye de Goa (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, Team MRF Tyres, Honda City VTEC). 9 of 16 finished.
Jiby Maliakkal- Nikhil Pai win 1400cc class.
4. Bangalore, Asphalt, Oct 11-13; 28. Park Plaza Bangalore Rally (Naren Kumar-D Ramkumar, Honda City VTEC, 1600). 13 of 17 cars finished.
Jiby Maliakkal-Nikhil Pai win 1400cc
5.Bangalore, Gravel, Dec 7-8; MRF India Rally, (Arjun Balu-Kumar Ramaswamy, Team MRF Tyres, Honda City VTEC, 1600). 11 of 15 cars finished.
2001 MAI INRC (Champion: N Leelakrishnan & Farooq Ahmed)
(Runner-up Sagar Muthappa & Sandeep Rao)
1. Coimbatore, Gravel, Mar 31 & Apr 1; Servo Mill Monsoon Rally, (Leelakrishnan-Farooq, Honda City)
2. Nashik, June 8-10; Taj Rally India; (Vikram Mathias-Sujith Kumar, Esteem)
3. Mumbai (gravel), July 6-8; Orange Monsoon Rally, (Leelakrishnan-Farooq Ahmed, Honda City)
4. Bangalore, Aug 10-12; 27th K1000 Rally (Karandeep Singh-Jaidas Menon, Maruti Baleno)
5. Goa, Sept 7-9; Gravel, Old Anchor Rally de Goa, (Naren Kumar-Ram Kumar, Honda City) 15 out of 18 cars finished.
6. Coorg, Sept 28-30; Coorg Xpresso Rally, (Sagar Muthappa-Sandeep Rao, Honda City)
7. Cochin, (Asphalt) Oct 26-28; 19th Chandrika Soap Popular Rally 2001 (Sagar Muthappa-Sandeep Rao, Honda City VTec 1600cc) 12 of 17 cars finished.
8. Mangalore (Asphalt), Nov 24, 25, Coffee Day Action Rally, (Karandeep Singh-Jaidas Menon, Maruti Esteem) 14 of 18 cars finished.
2000 FMSCI/MAI INRC (Champion: VR Naren Kumar, D Ram Kumar)
1*. Calcutta, April 28-29; Birla Tyres Wild Run Rally – PG Abhilash-Yogesh Gupta
2*. Chennai, July 28-30; 36th South India Rally 2000 (Vicky Chandhok-Sandeep Lal, Mitsubishi Lancer (lancer debut) JK Tyre team) 11 of the 19 cars finished the rally.
*Note: Conducted by FMSCI, so does not show in the MAI calendar. MAI came into existence as FIA ASN on April 5.
MAI Official National Rounds
1. Mumbai, Gravel, Aug 4-6; WIAA Monsoon Rally, (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Esteem)
2. Pune, Gravel, Sept 1-3; Para-HRA Monsoon Rally of Pune 2000 (Leelakrishnan-Farooq Ahmed, Esteem)
3. Goa, Gravel, Sept 22-24; Rally de Goa, (Arjun Balu -Kumar Ramasamy, Esteem)
4. Coorg, Asphalt, October 13-15, Rally of Coorg, (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Esteem)
5. Kerala, Asphalt, Nov 3 to 5; 18th Popular Rally, (Arjun Balu -Kumar Ramasamy, Esteem) 9 of 12 cars finished.
6. Coimbatore, Gravel, Nov 24-26, Rally of Coimbatore, ??
7. Bangalore, Gravel, Dec 15-17, 26th K1000 Rally, ??
INRC FMSCI 1999 (Champions: VR Naren Kumar, Farooq Ahmed)
1. Durgapur, Gravel, March 31-Apr 4; 5 Birla Tyres EMSA Wild Run Rally (Hari Singh-Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem)
2. Nashik, Asphalt, June 3-6; Nasa Challenge Rally, (Leelakrishnan- Farooq Ahmed, Esteem)
3. Madras, Gravel, July 9-12; 35th South India Rally, (Arjun Balu- Kumar Ramaswamy, Esteem)
4. Bangalore, Gravel, Aug 11-15; 25th Karnataka 1000 Rally (Hari Singh-Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem)
5. Cochin, Asphalt, Sept 16-20; 17th Popular Rally, (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Esteem- MRF). Organiser: KASC
6. Coimbatore, Gravel, Oct 7-11; 17th Cotton City Rally, (Naren Kumar-D Ram Kumar, Esteem- MRF)
7. Bangalore, Asphalt, Nov 11-14, 17th Rally d’ Endurance (Karamjit Singh- Jagdev Singh, JK Tyres Rally team, Esteem). Organiser: IASC
8. Hyderabad, Gravel, Dec 10-13, 14th Deccan Rally, (Arjun Balu- Kumar Ramaswamy, Esteem). Organiser: APMSC, Secunderabad.
INRC 1998 (FMSCI) (Drivers’ Champ: N Leelakrishnan; Navigators’ champ: Farooq Ahmed)
Driver’s Championship standings; Navigators’ Final Standings
1. Nashik, Gravel, May 8-10; Castrol Challenge, (N Leelakrishnan-Chander MK, Esteem)
2. Madras, Gravel, July 3-6; 34th South India Rally (SIR), (Hari Singh-Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem). Only 13 of the 28 cars finished the rally.
3. Bangalore, Gravel, Aug 11-14; 24th Castrol Kar1000 Rally, (Leelakrishnan -Farooq Ahmed, Esteem) 15 of 28 cars finished. Winner time: 1:38:43.
4. Cochin, Gravel, Sept 11-14; 16th Popular Rally, (Manik Raiky- Vivek Ponnusamy, Esteem)
5. Coimbatore, Gravel, Oct 9-12; 16th Castrol Cotton City Rally, (Naren Kumar-Chander MK, Esteem)
6. Coorg, Gravel, Nov 11-13; 16th Rally d Endurance, (Naren Kumar-Chander MK, Esteem) 10 of 23 cars finished.
7. Hyderabad, Gravel, Dec 5-7, Castrol Deccan Rally, (Dicky Upkar Gill- Aditya Singh, Esteem)
8. Jaipur, Gravel, Dec 25-28, Castrol Desert Rally (Hari Singh-Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem).
INRC 1997 (fmsci) (Champions: Hari Singh, Gurinder Singh Mann)
1. Nashik, Gravel, May 2-5; Castrol Challenge Rally 97 (Thirumal Roy- Amita Roy, Esteem)
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, May 23-27; 15th Scissors Action Rally, (Sanjay Agarwal-Shivu Shivappa, Esteem)
3. Chennai, Gravel, July 11-13; 33rd Castrol SIR 1997 (Dicky Upkar Gill- Manish Kapur, Esteem)
4. Bangalore, Asphalt, Aug 12-14; The Club 23rd Karnataka 1000 Rally, (Hari Singh- Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem)
5. Cochin, Asphalt, Sep 13-14; 15th Popular Rally (Naren Kumar-Chander MK, Esteem)
6. Simla, Gravel, Oct 3-6, Castrol Mountain Challenge, (Hari Singh-Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem)
7. Bangalore, Gravel, Nov 6-9, Castrol Rally d’Endurance (Hari Singh-Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem)
8. Hyderabad?, Gravel, Dec 6-8, Castrol Deccan Rally, (Naren Kumar-Ram Kumar, Esteem)
INRC fmsci 1996 (Champions: Hari Singh, Gurinder Singh Mann)
1. Nashik, Gravel, Jan 6-7; Castrol Challenge Rally (Farad Batheena- Farooqh Commissariat, Gypsy) 12 of 24 cars finished. Winner time: 1:57:16;
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, June 1-3, 14th Scissors Action Rally (Sanjay Agarwal-Shivu Shivappa, Esteem) 9 out of 10 cars finished.
3. Madras, Gravel, July 12-14; 32nd Castrol South India Rally (Majithia-CDR Chowdary, Esteem) 11 of 28 cars finished
4. Bangalore, Asphalt, Aug 11-13, 22nd Karnataka 1000 Rally, (Samir Thapar-Rahul Rao Koka, Esteem) 28 of 35 cars finished.
5. Cochin, Gravel, Sept 13-16; 14th Popular Rally (Hari Singh-Gurinder Singh Mann, Esteem). 17 of 29 cars finished.
6. Delhi, gravel, Oct 11-14; Castrol Mountain Challenge, (Hari Singh-Gurinder Mann, Esteem). 15 of 26 cars finished.
7. Coorg (Madikeri), Gravel, Nov 7-10; 14th Castrol Rally de Endurance, (Bikram Singh Majithia-Vijayant Chowdhry). 13 cars finished.
8. Hyderabad, Gravel, Dec 6-8; Castrol Deccan Rally (Naren-??, Esteem)
9. Bombay, Asphalt, Dec 27-29; Masa Rally (???)
INRC 1995 (Champions: Hari Singh, Gurinder Singh Mann)
1. Nashik, Gravel, April 7-8; Castrol Challenge Rally, (Hari Singh -Gurinder Mann gypsy); 20 out of 25 cars finished.
2. Coimbatore, Gravel, May 27-29; 13 Scissors Action Rally, (Leelakrishnan-Farooq Ahmed, Esteem)
3. Madras, Gravel, July 6-8; 31st Castrol South India Rally (Hari Singh- Gurinder Singh Mann Gypsy)
4. Bombay, Gravel, June 21-23; Castrol Masa Rally, (Majithia-Aditya Singh, Gypsy)
5. Bangalore, Gravel, Aug 12-14; BPL 21st K1000 Rally (Naren Kumar-Chander MK Esteem)
6. Cochin, Asphalt, Sept 16-17, 13th Castrol Popular Rally, (Majithia-Aditya Singh, Gypsy) 26 of 37 cars finished.
7. Delhi, Asphalt, Oct 14-15; Castrol Mountain Challenge, (Hari-Gurinder Gypsy)
8. Bangalore, Asphalt, Nov 11-12, Castrol Rally de Endurance, (Hari-Gurinder Gypsy)
9. Hyd?? Gravel, Dec 2-3, Castrol Deccan Rally (Hari-Gurinder Gypsy)
INRC 1994 (Champions: Hari Singh, Gurinder Singh Mann)
(To be completed)
1?. Madras, 30th South India Rally, ??
2?. Coimbatore, Cotton City Rally, ??
3?. Bombay, ?? MASA Rally, (Jagat Nanjappa-Anita Nanjappa)
4?. Cochin, Sept 12-15; 12th Popular Rally (Hari Singh and GS Mann, Gypsy)
5?. Bangalore, 20th Scissors K1000 Rally, (N Leelakrishnan and Farooq Ahmed, Gypsy, Team MRF) (Naren Kumar-??? won Group N) (Shyam Kothari & C Patil won 2w K1000)
6?.Deccan Rally, Dec 1, Gravel, *(Gurmeher Singh-??? Gypsy)
INRC 1993 (Champions: N Leelakrishnan, N Mahindran or Farokh Commissariat)
1?. Kodaikanal, Castrol 29th SIR (N Leelakrishnan-N Mahindran, Gypsy)
2?. Bombay, MASA Rally, (2W winners: Jagat Nanjappa-Anita Nanjappa)
3?. Bangalore, Aug 14-15; 19th Scissors Karnataka 1000 (Team Paarel, Vinil Varghese and Anil Devaraj)
4?. Cochin, Sept 17-19; 11th Popular Rally (For Castrol FIRD and FIRR Championship) (Farad Bathena, Farooq Commissariat, Team MRF)
5?. Coimbatore, Cotton Rally
6. Hyderabad, 11th Charminar Challenge Car Rally, (N Leelakrishnan, Farooq Ahmed, Team MRF)
INRC 1992 (Champions*: N Leelakrishnan, N Mahindran)
Leela had ten wins in 92-93
1. Coimbatore, 4 May 1992, Scissors Action Rally (Overall first: N Leelakrishnan/ P Vivekanand, Team MRF) Bikes: (Jagat Nanjappa- Anita Nanjappa)
2. Kodaikanal, 13 July 1992; 28th South India Rally (N Leelakrishnan/ R Mahendran, Team MRF)
3. Bangalore, 15 Aug 1992; K 1000 Rally, (N Leelakrishnan/ R Mahendran, Team MRF)
4. Cochin, Sept 18-20; 10th Popular Rally, (Leelakrishnan, R Mahendran, Gypsy), organisers: Kerala Auto Sports Club (KASC).
5. Bangalore, 17 Oct 1992: McDowell Rally de Endurance (Nikhil Taneja/ Askif Haidari) or (Hari Singh, GS Mann) – to be confirmed
*Note: There was a tie between Leelakrishnan-Mahendran and Farad Bathena-Farookh Commissariat, and Leela-Mahendran won the tie-breaker.
INRC 1991 (Champions: N Leelakrishnan, N Mahindran)
1. Coimbatore, Gravel, June 21-23, Cotton City Rally, (Leelakrishnan-Jose, Gypsy)
2. Kodaikanal, Gravel, July 13, 27th South India Rally, (Farad Bathena- Farookh Commissariat, Gypsy) 9 of 15 cars finished.
3. Tumkur, near Bangalore, Gravel, Aug 12-13, Rally de’ Endurance, K1000, (Leelakrishnan-Mahendran or GVL Gopal, Gypsy)
4. ??? – Gravel, Sept 20-21, McDowell Rally, (Farad Batheena-?? Gypsy)
5. Bombay, Gravel, Oct 5-7, Castrol Rally, (Leelakrishnan-??, Gypsy)
6. Hyderabad, Gravel, Dec 7-9, Charminar Challenge, (Leelakrishnan-?? Gypsy)
INRC 1990 (Champions: N Leelakrishnan, CF Jaykumar)
(To be completed)
1?. Madras, 26th South India Rally ??
2?. Bangalore, 16th K1000 Rally, Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, Gypsy Team MRF
3?. Coimbatore, Cotton City Rally ??
4?. Hyderabad, Charminar Challenge ??
INRC 1989 (Champions: Farad Bathena, Raj Bagri) (To be completed)
- Bangalore, Rally de Endurance, Farad Bathena/ Farooq Commissariat
2. Madras, 25th? South India Rally (Farad Bathena- Raj Kumar Bagri, Team MRF, Gypsy)
3. Bangalore, 15th K1000 Rally, (Harish Samtani/ Rajiv Choudhry, Gypsy, Team MRF)
3?. Coimbatore, Cotton City Rally ??
4?. Hyderabad, Charminar Challenge ?? (Ashok Rao Aroor?)
INRC 1988 (Champions: Farad Batheena, Raj Bagri) (To be completed)
1. Coimbatore, Gravel, Scissors Master Action Rally (L Gopoalakrishnan-R Mahendran, Maruti 800, Group A(II) Ind)
2. Great Desert Rally, Farad Bathena/ Raj Kumar Bagri
3. Kodaikanal, 24th South India Rally, Farad Bathena/Raj Kumar Bagri (Team MRF)
4. Karavalli, Karavalli Rally, George Anthony (Team MRF)
5. Mumbai, MASA Rally, Farad Bathena
6. Cochin, July 29-31; 6th Popular Rally; (George Anthony, Jose Anthony, Jiju Elias Paarel, Roy)
7. Bangalore, 14th K1000 Rally (Indian category) Kamlesh Patel, KD Madan, 118 NE.
8. Great Himalayan Rally (Nikhil Taneja/ Sandeep Lal) Team MRF
8. Great Desert Rally (Motorycycles), Jagat Nanjappa/ Anita Nanjappa, Team MRF
9?. Hyderabad, Dec ??; 5th Charminar Challenge ??
Rallies in 1987* (Champions: N Leelakrishnan, CV Jayakumar)
- Rally de Endurance, July 1987, Vicky Bharat Chandhok and Manoj Dalal.
- Cochin, 24-25 July 1987, 5th 1000-km Popular Rally,
- Bangalore, August 1987, Karnataka 1000, Kamlesh Patel/ KD Madan, Team MRF.
- Madras, September 1987, 23th South India Rally, MS Zachariah/ Jagdish Bhatia, Team MRF.
- Coimbatore, October 1987, Scissors Action Rally, Subash Chandra
- ???, November 1987, Great Himalayan Rally, Nikhil Taneja/ Manjeev Singh Bhalla, Team MRF. (To be confirmed if this round is part of National championship)
- Chikmagalur, Nov 1987, Coffee 500, N Leelakrishnan/CV Jayakumar.
- Hyderabad, December 1987, 4th Charminar Challenge, N Leelakrishnan/CV Jayakumar.
*Status of National Championship was not confirmed in 1988
ends/17apr2020/last updated 2mar2021 11pm; to be updated…
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Fabid Ahmer ready to sustain momentum at K1000; Gaurav Gill back on track
Documentation by the drivers on Thursday at Resort Area83, the Rally HQ2 for K1000. By David Bodapati
Bangalore, 22 Nov 2019: Overall championship leader Fabid Ahmer and co-driver Sanath Gopalan, from Kerala, are raring to go and are eager to reinforce their lead in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) as the 44th edition of the popular K1000 Rally begins here on Saturday.
The rally attracted a record number of 55 entries with the number 13 left out of the lot, with no stickering done due to the supposed bad-omen it brings. About 49 cars took the start at the Ceremonial Start on Friday.
However, Team Champions’ Fabid and Sanath duo, who got their Volkswagen Polo tyres sponsored by MRF, will face stiff competition from rival JK Tyre-supported Dean Mascarenhas and Shruptha Padival, the winners of the season opener in Chennai, also in a VW Polo. But both the pairs will be wary of speed maestro Gaurav Gill, who will be rallying after a gap of two months, after the unfortunate incident in Jodhpur.
The Mahindra Adventure team’s Gill, navigated by veteran Musa Sherif, stated that he put the `tragedy’ behind him and was eager to get back on wheels in the WRC2 in Australia, but the rally was cancelled due to bush fires and the multiple-Indian National champion lost a chance to get back into the groove. But the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion want to be back in full force and it would be a pleasure to see him ease into his own gracious self, thrilling the crowds with speeds, only he can churn out. “I have always enjoyed driving here in the K-1000. I am really looking forward to go out there and enjoying myself. Hopefully, things will turn in my favour this weekend,” said Gill who is currently fifth in the championship along with Musa Sherif.
Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai, are always a threat to any team in K1000, and Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, the second team of Mahindra Adventure, will also be looking to make amends for a late-season splash. Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhatt, in INRC2 and brothers Chethan Shivaram and Dilip Sharan winners of the Coimbatore rally will be the others to watch out for. The other INRC2 pair of Dr Bikku Babu and Milen George can spring a surprise, or two.
Gaurav Gill at the Ceremonial Start at the Uru Brewpark in Amruthnagar, on Friday. Photo by Sriharsha Nadiger Champions Yacht Club promoted National Championship, under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI) will enter its final stretch, with its Round 4, the K-1000 Rally at a private property in the Garden City. The premier rally organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club is one of the oldest rallies in the country but after a chequered run, the previous promoters, RRPM, denied K1000 a round in the 2019 National Championship, after many successful decades of running.
The final round, the Coffee Day Rally at Chikmagalur is a doubtful starter with the Coffee Day said to be withdrawing the full sponsorship support after the death of its founder Siddharth but the postponed Popular Rally is likely to be held in December or January. The Popular Rally was put off due to a PIL filed in a Kerala court but the court refused to stop the rally.
Along with Fabid Ahmer, INRC4 topper Vaibhav Marate from Goa along with co-driver Arjun, too would get the support from MRF. Both of them are comfortably placed in their categories and look poised to end the year on a high note. Fabid and Sanath, representing Team Champions are also leading INRC 3 class and have a unique style of driving that can be smooth and graceful. Fabid and Sanath, are also leading the Junior INRC class.
The Mangalore pair of Dean and Shruptha are leading the INRC2 class with 65 points followed by another JK stablemate, Younus Ilyas (42 points).
“We have a very strong field of 55 teams in this round too, creating a record in itself,” Vamsi Merla, the promoter of INRC, said. “Every category is very closely contested, with the backing of two very strong supporters. This is what motorsport is all about,” he added.
The rally will have a Special Stage distance of 125km split into two legs. Leg one on Saturday with six Special Stages will run for a distance of 75km while the leg 2 on Sunday will have 50km distance. There are two physical stages, Khoday’s Lakes and Khoday’s Woods. The rally is run completely in private property, in the Resort Area83 and partly in Khoday’s property. The Lakes stage is 18.5km and Woods stage is 6.5km. Both the stages will be run thrice in the same direction on Saturday and twice in reverse direction on Sunday. Fortunately, the liaison distance will be one of the shortest in the recent times with the drivers taking only 13.8km in transport distance. It is a pity that the crowd favourite stage, the Super Special Stage is done away with, this year.
(Note added on Nov 24: Despite SR on FMSCI (on Nov 22) saying six stages on Day1, only four were run in the actual rally.)
The Rally offers a prize money of Rs.1 lakh for the top three classes and Rs.75,000 for INRC4, and Rs.40,000 for SUV class. Rally teaser!
A new clause is added in the Supplementary Regulations, in hind sight, for “Accident Reporting’’: If a driver taking part in a rally is involved in an accident in which a member of the public sustains physical injury, the driver concerned must report this to the next radio point as specified in the road book and signposted on the route according to Article 3.3.3 of the GP’s. If he fails to observe this rule, the Stewards may impose on the crew responsible, a penalty which may go as far as disqualification. The laws of the country must also be complied with in relation to procedures at accidents.
POINTS TABLE after 3 rounds: INRC: 1. Fabid Ahmed & Sanath G 49 points; 2. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival 42 points; 3. Chetan Shivram & Dilip Sharan 40 pts.
INRC 2: 1. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival 65 points; 2. Younus Ilyas & Harish Gowda 42 points; 3. Vinoth G Kumar & Krishna Charan Dasari 35 points.
INRC 3: 1. Fabid Ahmed & Sanath G 69 points; 2. Chetan Shivram & Dilip Sharan 45 points; 3. Arjun Rao & Rajit Kadian 30 points
INRC 4: 1. Vaibhav Marate & Arjun SSB 74 points; 2. Rakshith Iyer & Chadrashekar 58 points; 3. Suraj Thomas & Shob George 41 points.
SUV Challenge: 1. Gagan Karumbaiah & Thimmu Uddapanda 78 points; 2. Sanjay Agarwal & Smitha N 60 points; 3. Nikhil J & Arjun Dheerendra 49 points.
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Gaurav Gill to race for Delhi; Bengaluru picks up Arjun Maini: X1 Racing League set to begin Nov 30
From left: Zulfiquar Ghadiyali, CEO private office of sheik Tahnoon Al nahyan (AD Racing Delhi),Yohan Sethna (Team Principal, NK Racing Team), Dhaval Gada(promoter of DG Enterprises, owner DG Racing), Moid Tungrekar (CEO, Mumbai Falcons), Avi Jain (Co-owner, Bangalore Racing Stars), Akhil Reddy (owner, Blackbirds Hyderabad) during the racers draft of the inaugural edition of the X1 Racing League held in Mumbai. Mumbai, 11 Nov 2019: The much anticipated drivers draft for the inaugural edition of the X1 Racing League, a franchise based motorsports competition concluded here today as 30 international and domestic racers were drafted by six teams. Son of legendary F1 driver Niki Lauda, Mathias was picked by the Delhi franchise (AD Racing) while India’s Arjun Maini and Gaurav Gill will race for Bengaluru (Bangalore Racing Stars) and Delhi teams respectively. The league is powered by JK Tyre Motorsports.
The league which is to be held between November 30-December 1 in New Delhi at the Buddh International Circuit and December 7-8 in Chennai at the Madras Motor Race Track will have four drivers and two cars in each team. Of the four drivers in each team there will be one international male, one international female, one India international and domestic racer. Of the two domestic racers picked in each team one will get to represent the franchise. Each race will last for 30 minutes and will have three unique team-based race formats per day.
Team Hyderabad (Blackbirds Hyderabad) were the first to pick in the draft which started off with India’s International racers in the first round, they chose Akhil Rabindra. The next to pick were Team Bengaluru who chose Arjun Maini after which Team Mumbai (Mumbai Falcons) went on to choose Arjun’s brother Khush Maini. The others picked in the round were Krishna Mahadik by Team Ahmedabad (DG Racing), Gill by Team Delhi and Chennai team (NK Racing) auto-picked their team owner Narain Karthikeyan.
In the male international racers draft Bengaluru were the first pick and chose English racer Oliver James Webb. The other male international racers who were picked in the draft include Malaysian driver Alex Yoong by Ahmedabad, Mathias joined Delhi franchise, China’s Frankie Cheng went to the Chennai team, former F1 racer Tonio Luizzi by Hyderabad and Danish racer Mikkel Jensen by Mumbai.
As both male and female drivers would be racing against each other, it was important for each franchise to make sure they had a strong female driver as well. The first female international racer to be picked was Denmark’s Michelle Gatting by Bengaluru. While, English racers Pippa Mann and Alice Powell joined Mumbai and Chennai respectively, Switzerland’s Rahel Frey went to Ahemedabad, Denmark’s Christina Neilsen to Delhi and Polish racer Gosia Rdest to Hyderabad.
The domestic racers who will be part of the action include Arjun Balu and Yash Aradhya for Chennai, Raghul Rangaswamy and Ashwin Datta for Delhi, Chittesh Mandody and Ameya Walavalkar for Ahmedabad, Sohil Shah and Karthik Tharanisingh for Mumbai, Nayan Chatterjee and Vishnu Prasad for Bengaluru and Arjun Narendran and Anindth Reddy for Hyderabad.
“All teams are equally balanced and look strong. As all the cars are of the same make, it will be up to the drivers to show their skills and win the race for their team. We hope that the best team wins the league. We are happy with how the draft concluded and the owners are also happy with their teams. We can’t wait for racing to begin,” said co-founder of X1 Racing, Armaan Ebrahim.
“Some of our domestic Indian drivers will get a chance to rub shoulders with the best of the best. This a chance for the domestic racers who were picked in the draft to make it to the next level and prove themselves against other established International driver. I hope they come out on top,” said co-founder of X1 Racing, Aditya Patel.
The X1 Racing League follows the X1 Racing eSports Racing season 1, a digital-simulator based racing competition which is currently being held in cities across India. The eSports competition was created by X1 Racing in a bid to tap out talent from different strata of the society and also increase the fan following for motorsport in the country.
Team Hyderabad
Akhil Rabindra
Tonio Luizzi
Gosia Rdest
Arjun Narendran
Anindth ReddyTeam Bengaluru
Arjun Maini
Oliver James Webb
Michelle Gatting
Nayan Chatterjee
Vishnu PrasadTeam Mumbai
Khush Maini
Mikkel Jensen
Pippa Mann
Sohil Shah
Karthik TharanisinghTeam Ahmedabad
Krishna Mahadik
Alex Yoong
Rahel Frey
Chittesh Mandody
Ameya WalavalkarTeam Delhi
Gaurav Gill
Mathias Luada
Christina Neilsen
Raghul Rangaswamy
Ashwin DattaTeam Chennai
Narain Karthikeyan
Frankie Cheng
Alice Powell
Arjun Balu
Yash Aradhya -
Gaurav Gill all set for Rally of Australia: WRC
Gaurav Gill all set to resume rallying at WRC Australia leg. New Delhi, 11 Nov 2019: After the unfortunate incident in Jodhpur in September, during the third round of the INRC, India’s top rally driver Gaurav Gill will be back on familiar territory as he returns to the Rally of Australia, the final round of the prestigious FIA World Rally Championship this weekend.
Gill, a three-time APRC champion and recent Arjuna Awardee, had taken part in WRC2 of this rally last year too and had come up with an impressive performance.
The JK Tyre athlete in India, donning JK Racing colours internationally with Macneall Glenn as his co-driver, made his debut as a registered driver in the Rally of Turkey and looked set for a Top 5 finish in his category.
Gaurav Gill during the test run at Raleigh International Raceway ahead of Rally of Australia from Nov 14. Photo: JK Tyre. But mechanical problems hurt him on almost each of the four days, eventually depriving him of the opportunity to excel on the world stage. On the final day, with just 5 kms left to finish the rally, his R5 WRC2 car gave in after a gearbox failure.
He missed the Rally of Wales in between and is now set for the Kennards Hire Rally Australia from November 14 to 17.
“I have had very good testing here over the last few days. I have made a lot of changes to the chassis and the handling of the car and I have a good feeling about the new car. I can’t wait to start the rally, since I’ve been here and have had top times in the past I’m confident of a positive result too,” Gill said from New South Wales, shortly after a practice run.
“I’m loving all the support from rally fans in India as well as many well—wishers on social media,” he added.
“It’s great to see Gaurav Gill behind the wheel at one of his favourite terrains,” Sanjay Sharma, head of JK Tyre Motorsports, said. “We would like to see him drive in his usual aggressive self and make an impact,” he added.
Going by his last year’s performance and the field, Gaurav stands a very good chance of making the podium. He needs to make sure that he completes the rally to become the first Indian to achieve this feat.
The Rally of Australia, however, may be shortened due to the raging fire in the forest stages around the city of Coffs Coast, New South Wales.
The organisers announced that they were in consultation with emergency services, authorities and local community and would take a final call soon. They were confident of staging the WRC on all four days, even if it’s a shorter affair.
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3 dead in Jodhpur accident during INRC first stage
Jodhpur, 21 Sept 2019: A pall of gloom descended on the rally camp at the Maxperience Rally 2019 here as the tragic incident which took three lives, left the Rally Fraternity in a state of shock and disbelief. After the accident that happened in the first few minutes of the start here, the rally was stopped, and later the organisers cancelled the Jodhpur Rally.
Gaurav Gill’s car is said to be involved in the accident while negotiating a blind corner and the `bike appeared from nowhere,’’ a spectator said.
Though a section of the media has put out the names of the deceased, the police are yet to identify and confirm them. Police are yet to file the FIR and find attorneys for traffic accident injuries cases to help the injured victims. The organisers and promoters are fully cooperating with the policy inquiry and are in touch with the top police authorities of the district. You can also get help from Matthew Norris – helping oil field accident victims, in any of the accident or injury cases.
“The rally had to be brought to an abrupt end after one of the cars hit a motorcycle carrying three people. The motorcycle had forcibly entered into the barricaded area, breaking past the security barrier while the stage was still green. The driver was moving at high speed and could not even see the motorbike as it emerged at a sharp turn,” Arvind Balan, the local organiser of the rally said. The attorneys for traffic accident injuries cases can help with the legalities of injury cases.
It is learnt that the three deceased were not wearing helmets and were on the track and argued with the stage marshals who stopped them from entering the stage which is green and ready for the first car. “Everything happened within less than a minute. It was a literally a blind spot. He (Gaurav) tried to stop the car, however, as there was a sharp turn the situation became unavoidable and he was blinded. Despite being warned, the biker forcefully entered the track,” the organizers said.
The driver of the motorcycle and the two pillion riders, said to be his wife and son, reportedly died on the spot. None of them were wearing helmets.
“We feel very sad for the deceased people and express our condolences to their family members. We had all the safety measures at place and also had the necessary permission from the authorities,” Vamsi Merla, the promoter, added.“It was an unfortunate incident that took place despite all the safety measures being in place,” J Prithiviraj, president of FMSCI, who is also the COC of the event, said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. The entire motorsports fraternity stands with them in this hour of grief,” he added.
