INDIA in F1

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  • Gaurav Gill wins Rally of Arunachal: INRC Round 1

    Gaurav Gill wins Rally of Arunachal: INRC Round 1

    By Samikshan Dutta

    Itanagar, 17 Dec 2020: Ace Indian rallyist Gaurav Gill began his Champions Yacht Club-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2020, with a bang winning the Rally of Arunachal in style here on Thursday.

    Gaurav driving on JK Tyre took a total of 56:55.200 minutes to complete eight special stages and record a victory by a margin of an impressive 4:25.700 minutes over Karna Kadur. Dean Mascarenhas finished third overall with a time of 1:02:30.500 hour.

    The three-time APRC champion was in his ominous best and even a flat tyre on final stage could not stop him from underlining his supremacy in the opening round.

    Gaurav along with co-driver Musa Sherif got off to a thrilling start and after opening up a considerable lead on the opening day which witnessed four thrilling night stages; it was all about driving safe and bringing his XUV300 home.

    However that did not stop him from going full throttle and he drove like a man possessed to win three on day four to increase his lead further. On the final stage, he had a flat tyre just two kilometres away from the flying start but he still managed to finish which was enough for him to draw the first blood.

    “It was a great start to the season. The stages were really fast and I enjoyed driving here. The car has been fantastic and there is absolutely nothing I could complain about. We made some adjustments to the car from last year and it has worked wonders. And all I could say is, me behind the wheels of a car like this on tarmac is just the perfect combination,” an ecstatic Gaurav Gill said.

    Karna Kadur on MRF Tyres overcame initial hiccups which involved a tailspin on ss2 to make his way to the podium. Karna driving a Volkswagen Polo who won the final stage of the round clocked a total time of 1 hour: 01 min:2.9 secs. Karna and his navigator Nikhil V Pai who ended the opening day in second place showed great grit to stave off a fierce challenge from Dean (& co-driver Shruptha Padival).

    Dean who finished third claimed victory in his category too, INRC 2. Sahil Khanna & Vidit Jain of Snap Racing took the second place in INRC 2 category with an overall time of 01:03:25.900 hour followed by Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y Bhatt who took a total time of 1:06:34.300 hour to complete the round.

    Defending champion Team Yokohama’s Chetan Shivram’s title defence took a great hit as he crashed out of the round in the first stage only due to engine failure. He started off well and in the first few kilometers was a treat to watch but mid-way into the stage his car stalled, crashing his hopes. The malfunction could cost him dear as he is likely to miss out of Round 2 as well which will be held at the same place on December 19th.

    While it was business as usual for the big guns, it was the young Bengaluru women’s team of Pragathi Gowda and co-driver Deeksha Balakrishna who impressed everyone with their performance on their debut outing. Representing Team Vasundhara, an all-women’s rally team, Pragathi posted a total time of 01:07:53.400 hour to not only win the women’s category ahead of her teammate and veteran Bani Yadav (& Subhkiran Pal Kaur Brar), she also won the Junior INRC Category beating the likes of Arjun Rao and Rakshith Iyer. She finished fourth in the INRC 3 category and ended ninth on the overall standing.

    Maninder Singh Prince along with co-driver Vinay Kumar posted a total time of 01:05:49.700 hour to clinch the INRC 3 category, while Fabid Ahmer (&Eldo Chacko) won the second place for their total time of 01:06:05.700 hour. Aditya Thakur and his co-driver Virender Kashyap of Team Nutulapati took 01:07:07.700 hour to complete the rally and take the third position.


    Provisional Results

    1. Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif; (56;55.200 minutes); 2. Karna Kadur/Nikhil Pai (1:01:2.9 hour); 3. Dean Mascarenhas /Shruptha Padival (1:02:30.500 hour)

    INRC2: 1. Dean Mascarenhas /Shruptha Padival(01:02:30.500 hour); 2. Sahil Khanna/Vidit Jain (01:03:25.900 hour); 3. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Y Bhatt (1:06:34.300 hour).

    INRC3: 1. Maninder Singh Prince/ Vinay Kumar (01:05:49.700 hour); 2.  Fabid Ahmer/Eldo Chacko (01:06:05.700 hour); 3. Aditya Thakur/ Virender Kashyap (01:07:07.700 hour);

    INRC4: 1. Lanusanen Pongenar/ Lokaranjan HJ (1:18:03.200 hour); 2. Khyati Mody/ Sagar Mallappa (1:22:53.500 hour); 3. Rohit Iyer/ Manjunath (1:33:11.000 hour);

    Overall Leading: 1. Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif (Delhi/Mangalore) XUV300; (00 hour, 56 minutes; 55.200seconds); 2. Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai (Bengaluru) VW Polo (1:01:2.9sec); 3. Dean Mascarenhas /Shruptha Padival (Mangaluru- VW Polo) (1:02:30.500);

    INRC2: 1. Dean Mascarenhas /Shruptha Padival (Mangaluru – VW Polo) (01:02:30.500); 2. Sahil Khanna/Vidit Jain (Gurgaon/Noida – Snap Racing, VW Polo) (01:03:25.900); 3. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Y Bhatt (Bengaluru – Polo) (1:06:34.300).

    INRC3: 1. Maninder Singh Prince/ Vinay Kumar (01:05:49.700); 2.  Fabid Ahmer/Eldo Chacko (Kerala- Polo) 01:06:05.700); 3. Aditya Thakur/ Virender Kashyap (Himachal Pradesh – Polo) (01:07:07.700);

    INRC4: 1. Lanusanen Pongenar/ Lokaranjan HJ (Nagaland/Bangalore – Honda City) (1:18:03.200); 2. Khyati Mody/ Sagar Mallappa (Mumbai/Bengaluru – Honda City) (1:22:53.500); 3. Rohit Iyer/ Manjunath (Mysore/Bengaluru – Esteem) (1:33:11.000);

  • INRC night-stage fireworks light up Itanagar and forces Ghosh to do the firefighting

    INRC night-stage fireworks light up Itanagar and forces Ghosh to do the firefighting

    Itanagar, 16 Dec 2020: Champions Yacht Club promoted Indian National Rally Championship presented an early Christmas gift in the form of Diwali fireworks that woke up the sleepy village of Chimpu with screeching sounds and visible thrills. The few hundred fortunate fans, who enthusiastically cheered and clapped for every car that took the flying finish witnessed and enjoyed the motorsport thrills that only a few or fortunate can witness. The rare moment was the highlight tonight, as the beast of a machines, XUV300 driven at mind-boggling speeds produced pleasing sights.

    After the wheel flew off, for over 70 metres in the pitch-dark night huge sparks lit up the night with the rim screeching the tarmac before coming to a halt at the TC. The flying wheel miraculously missed everyone and sped across in a jiffy and landed near a house in no-man’s land. The hot right front rim, shining bright like a round ring in a smelting furnace, National double champion in 2012 and 2013, Amittrajit Ghosh, sprinting to bring back the tyre in a few seconds like an F1 pit crew, presented a spectacle that reminded a splendid glimpse of what happened in Formula One to Grosjean’s car recently. It was scary though, for only die-hard fans and fraternity who watch motorsports regularly would understand such accidents.

    But it is also a tribute to the safety arrangements done by the Arunachal Pradesh, Lhakpa Tsering, the Director of the event, and all the officials, organisers and marshals. Rally of Arunachal is the only rally in India which gets the safety operations approved and implemented by a State Government with none other than the Superintendent of Police personally seen handling the scene at the spot, just before the stage became green. Closing a National Highway, NH415 in this case, is unheard of in Indian Rallying History until Rally of Arunachal came up.

    Later, in a few minutes, Ghosh got back into the seat and drove off, as if nothing happened. INDIAinF1 caught up at the Service Park with the co-driver Ashwin Naik and Ghosh, who were visibly upset and disappointed. “It was dangerous and just an unlucky incident,’’ dismissed Ghosh initially. But he failed to reel out quotes, as is his wont in normal times. For a few seconds, he was silent, then added: `”It is a rare incident, a wheel would fly off, happens in a decade or so in rallying. My wheel studs came off just before the flying finish.’’ As soon as he stopped after FF, and even as Ashwin is reporting and taking the timesheets, Ghosh jumped out ran, and brought the tyre back.

    The tarmac stage and the highly technical superfast Special Stages, the cold temperatures of a night stage may have spoiled many cars, with some stalwarts suffering initial hiccups even before the start of the SS1 and one such unfortunate exit today was the Volkswagen Polo, of Overall defending champion Chetan Shivram of Snap Racing, who did take the stage but gave up in 13 minutes in SS1. “It stalled before the start and we managed to take the start. But within 5km it stalled again. I am not sure what it is and have to check what happened. We came well prepared and gunning for a big fight but am very, very disappointed,’’ said Chetan Shivaram, who is a mentor to many drivers including the talented newcomer Pragathi Gowda, a newbee who drove like a veteran, doing a wonderful job on the day first day of her debut.  “Amazing, it is a wonderful day. I am so happy and having fun,’’ said a pleased-like a punch MBA student of Symbiosis, Pune. Born and bought up in Bengaluru, the 23-year old gets inspiration from her father, just like her silent navigator, who is born and bred under the motorsports culture. Pragathi’s navigator being none other than, Deeksha, the daughter of Balakrishna, popularly known as BK, and currently elevated to full-time motorsports job as Sporting Director in FMSCI. BK is a life-coach helping many a needy.

    Incidentally, Amer Beg and Shahid Salman of INRC3, also of Snap Racing and defending champion in INRC4, Vaibhav Marathe of Goa, are the three casualties that logged DNF tag today (did-not- finish).  Local driver Pen Sonam and co-driver Lenin Jose did not start their Gypsy.

    For the record, the King of Indian Motorsports Gaurav Gill was fastest in all the four stages despite displaying controlled aggression and easing off in the opening stage. As his car approached into the first few km, it sounded very different, with unusual lift-off sound that broke the screeching, steady noise, which is music to the ears of a rally fan. `I had a set-up issue and did take time but there on managed to touch top speeds,’’ said the multiple APRC champion and six-time Indian National title winner.

    And the reigning champ Chethan Shivram too clocked a DNF stalling his car in the very first stage. Of the 43 cars only 39 finished the Day 1, in the Rally of Arunachal, the first round of Champions Yacht Club fmsci Indian National Racing Championship (INRC) 2020.

    MRF continues to pump in money with COVID only changing their status to Associate Sponsor and Sakthi Herbal Nutpowder, a popular health product in Andhra Pradesh making its debut in another AP, that is Arunachal Pradesh, thanks to the promoters. Team Vasundhara, another Hyderabad Jewellery giant, too added their glittering presence & power to “Women in Motorsport”, a concept that is being promoted by FIA. And along with individual team promoters, Mallikarjuna Rao, of Team Nutalapati, Aashish of Team Vasundhara joined the local village fans and sat on the parapet wall of small kiosk/eatery and awaited the cars. They were lucky to see such thrilling motorsports action on their very first day. Rao was seen jumping with joy and congratulating everyone, when he heard that Dr Speed Bikku Babu, is leading the class, at that point while at the service park. The two Vasundhara team drivers too dished out some stunning times today. The third Team owner, Anumolu Ramakrishna is an NRI in USA and could not come here. But this reporter heard him talk to the drivers of his two cars, Lanusanane, who was excluded before being allowed to take the start.

    Coming back to the `Flying Wheel’, fortunately, every one escaped miraculously, but all the drama and fireworks of this dangerous incident, did throw light on the security arrangements and safety aspects and the Stage Commander and his team and Marshals should be commended for convincing a person no other than the Superintendent of Police, who insisted that traffic should be allowed to go for a few minutes between SS 1 and SS2. Fortunately,better sense prevailed and Stage Commander Chandramouli and senior rally sportspersons like Srikanth Gowda and other team members did a good job convincing the top police chief. The gentle giant did endure some irritating advise from a journalist and stayed on much beyond the midnight mark and supervised safety protocols.

    Provisional Unaudited Leg Results – After Day 1 (Special Stage 4 – SS4)

    Overall Leading: 1. Car#4 Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif (Delhi, #PoweredByMahindra) XUV300; (28minutes: 22.700 seconds); 2. c#8 Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai (Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) VW Polo (31:31.300); 3. C#3 Dr `Speed’ Bikku Babu (Kerala, Pvt) /Bonnie Thomas (Kerala) VW Polo (31:42.200);

    INRC:  1. C#4 Gaurav Gill (Delhi, Privateer #PoweredByMahindra) XUV300; (28minutes: 22.700 seconds);  2. C#8 Karna Kadur (Bengaluru, Privateer, Arka Motorsports) VW Polo (31:31.300); 3. c#7 Amittrajit Ghosh (Kolkota) /Ashwin Naik (Mangalore) (#PoweredByMahindra) (2:29:25.400);

    INRC2: 1. Dr Speed Bikku Babu (Kerala, Pvt) /Bonnie Thomas (Kerala) (31:42.200); 2. Dean Mascarenhas Shruptha Padiva (Mangalore, Pvt) (31:47.800); 3. Sahil Khanna (Gurugaon) / Vidit Jain (Noida) (Snap Racing) VW Polo (32:29.400);

    INRC3: 1. Aditya Thakur (Team Nutalapati) (Himachal Pradesh) (VW Polo) (33:24.300); 2. Mininder Singh Prince/ Vinay Kumar (Snap Racing) C#20; VW Polo (34:06.900); 3. Syed Salman Ahmed/ BK Rishab (VW Polo) (34:47.900);

    INRC4: 1. Mujeeb Rehman/ Goutham CP c#27; (Honda City) (33:22.000); 2. C#30 Lanusanen Pongener/ Lokaranjan HJ (Honda City); 3. Khyati Mod/ Sagar Mallappa, C#31 Honda City; (42:17.000).

    Gypsy Challenge: 1. Amanpreet Ahluwalia/ Sandeep Mansukhani (Maruti Suzuki Gypsy) (35:50.500); 2. Daksh Gill/ Mrinmoy Saha (38:14.000); 3. Mohd. Kaif Khan/ Arjun Dheerendra (38:49.400);

    Note: Junior INRC will be added on the final day.

  • 2-wheeler Rally Nationals (INRC) to begin with Puttur round: TVS raring to go

    2-wheeler Rally Nationals (INRC) to begin with Puttur round: TVS raring to go

    By David Bodapati

    Puttur (Mangaluru), 27 Nov 2020: With four National champions under its colours, Team TVS Racing, a giant in the two-wheeler motorsports in the country, both rallying and racing, is raring to go as the MRF fmsci Indian Natioinal Rally Championship which begins here with the first round Special Stages (SS) organised at Panja, about 40km from here on Sunday.

    A record number of entries of 67 including 4 ladies from across India have confirmed their participation. The 115.59km rally distance includes 57.39km special stage sections on the winding dirt roads,  going up and down the lush-green rubber-estate hills in and around the scenic Panja. For other details and last year, Championship results read the build-up article here.

    Rajendra RE, the star campaigner of TVS racing and the current National champion in the top class, the Group A Pro-Experts class will spearhead the challenge astride an Apache RTR450. He will have teammate Nataraj to deal with first to retain his title this year along with others as he goes for another title. Last year, he began with a bang winning the first three rounds before TVS pulled out of the Coimbatore leg for want of time to produce the homologation papers for their new bikes. However, Rajendra won again at the 5th round here, with Puttur turning out to be one of his favourites tracks as he sealed the title before the championship went to K1000, which he missed again.

    Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay, the Baja World Cup champion, will be defending her ladies title on an Apache RTR 200 4V, with Ryhana Bee astride a Hero Impulse and local star Arpita Bhat also on an Impulse, will be fighting for the minor slots but only time will tell if they spring a surprise. There are five entries and Tanika Shanbhag from Satara in Maharashtra, who beat favourite Ryhana in the Sprint Nationals Round 4 last Sunday, can throw a surprise or two. Aishwarya, who is multiple National champion in circuit racing after making her debut in 2016 has sacrificed racing to focus on the off-road event and made a stunning resilience rising like a phoenix from a life-threatening accident that made her bed-ridden for a few months last year.

    Promoted by God Speed Racing, organisers Ace Events, who put Puttur in the motorsports map of India four years back, will be hosting the event for the fourth year running and the man behind the club, ace rider Akash Aithal, will be the Clerk of the Course. “The terrain is technical and tricky and at the same time provides a challenge to the riders who will surely enjoy the mix of dirt and gravel track, winding up and down with two physical stages named Karkala and Palangaya,” Akash said. God Speed Racing which also promotes the Supercross Nationals is headed by another giant, Shyam Kothari, who was a multiple champion in his heydays not just in supercross but also in rally and motocross. This reporter still remembers when Kothari last won his National title at the football stadium in Bengaluru. A truly stunning achievement to win seven National titles. Kothari said: “The pandemic has delayed the season but we are well prepared with all the safety measures in place. And ACE Events of Puttur has done extremely well in organising the event and all the riders are eager to get back to the track.”

    “Team TVS Racing has fielded the same team as last year which has four champions. Though much of our time is lost due to the pandemic, we are well prepared and I am confident our champions will continue to keep the TVS colours flying once again,” said Team Principal, Selvaraj, who took over a couple of years back, from the legendary Arvind Padgaonkar, who led the TVS team for over two decades.

    Aishwarya Pissay 2019 file photo by Ace Events, organiser of INRC for 2w

    Apart from Rajendra and Aishwarya, Imran Pasha and Syed Asif Ali. Pasha won the championship in the Class 4 for Super Sport 260cc bikes leaving Samuel Jacob (2nd in the championship) to fight with Sachin D last year. Asif Ali had won the National title in the Scooters upto 210cc class with ease as he took a huge lead in points as his teammates from TVS, Shamim Khan beat Pinkesh Thakur for the first runners-up in the championship battle. All the top-three riders in both these classes were trained and nurtured by Team TVS Racing and the factory team completed a championship sweep in these two classes.

    Jatin Jain, a privateer from Nagpur, will defend his title in the Class 1A for Superbikes (Expert) and M Srikanth won the 2019 title in the Super Sport 130cc class while local star Ishan Chandra clinched Super Sport 165cc class. Mangaluru’s Sudeep Kottary in Super Sport 400 cc and Suhail Ahmed, who last Sunday won both the rounds of Sprint Nationals, will defend his title in the Super Sport 550cc Class 6. The other class left is Star of Karnataka for local riders, which is not counted for the National Championship points.

    Sanjeev Matandoor, MLA Puttur, will be the Chief guest at the Ceremonial flag-off at the Puttur Club at 4.30 pm on Saturday. The PD (Prize Distribution) will be on Sunday.

    Aakash Aithal will be the Clerk of the Course with the current Indian Rally Champion of four wheelers Chetan Shivaram, being the Assistant CoC. His co-driver Dilip Sharan is the CRO. Bhaskar Gupta of Karnataka Motor Sports Club is the Chief Steward. Chidananda NC and D Uday Kumar are the other stewards while experienced Yogesh Kalro will be the Technical Delegate.

  • K-1000 winners from 1975: KMSC Hall of fame

    K-1000 winners from 1975: KMSC Hall of fame

    By David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 16 November 2020: Karnataka is rich in its motorsport history. The state is not only home to many champions of the past but is a cradle of talent and contributed to the Indian motorsport history with many activities. K-1000 rally, the flagship event of the State is a popular and vibrant stage rally that is being organised from 1975. In 1988, it officially joined the calendar of the Indian National Rally Drivers and Co-drivers’ Championship and later, the Nationals were rechristened as Indian National Rally Championship under its current format. K-1000 for the first time shifted to the European Special Stage format in 1996 before which, the rallies were hardcore long-distance endurance events covering many states and usually more than 1000-mile long, and hence the name Karnataka-1000. It is one of the few events that were organised and run successfully by hardcore and passionate motorsports lovers and ran regularly. Some of the other rallies that had multiple editions are the Popular Rally in Kerala, the South India Rally in Chennai, the Charminar Challenge or the Deccan rally and the Coffee Day rally.

    INDIAinF1.com has put together all the winners of the K-1000 from 1975, a compilation first undertaken in 2009 by the late Bharat Raj and Annabelle Manwaring, the promoters of INRC from 2009 to 2011. The last 11 years were added and some gaps were filled. The IMG-PSP duo also sourced historic images of Indian rallying and specially of K-1000 from many sources, with the major contribution coming from the Father of Indian Motorsport Photography, the late George Francis. A poster was released to commemorate the 35th K-1000 celebrations as KMSC completed 35 long years of dedicated service to motorsports, then. Now the club is getting ready to host both the 2w and 4w K-1000 rally once again for the 45th year.

    Here is a list of the all the winners of K-1000, a jewel in the pride of Indian Rallying. Each round’s report will be added shortly. Or you can check the reports at INRC: Winners’ Hall of Fame here. Currently the list contains only the 4-wheel winners and the 2-w biker champions’ list is work in progress and will be updated soon.

    Multiple Asia Pacific Rally champion Gaurav Gill tops the table with six K-1000 wins followed by 7-time INRC champion N Leelakrishnan who bagged the K-1000 five times followed by Naren Kumar, who won it for three times, along with Ravi Gupta, who also had three wins, but it appears he may have navigated for the inaugural edition winner DR Sivaram in 1980, for his second K1000 trophy. Kiran Mody, too had won the K1000 three times.

      K-1000 Winners from 1975   
    No.YearDatesThe man…MachineSurface 
    11975 DR Sivaram, D Vinod Sivappa, Feroze Asgar Ali & Shivprasad, BangaloreAmbassador 1850 km of mixed roads… gravel, kutcha, tarmac 
    21976 Ravi Gupta, Devendra Gupta, BangaloreFIAT  
    31977 Undecided   
    41978 Dayanand Mandre, Jagadish Reddy, HyderabadFIAT  
    51979 Kiran Mody, Dr Rajesh Kakkadia, HyderabadFIAT  
    61980 DR Sivaram, Kiran Mody, Bangalore/HyderabadFIAT  
    71981 Arindam Ghosh, Saswati Ghosh, Sk Yeasin Ali, Nani Chanda, KolkotaFIAT  
    81982 BM Ravi, Noel Gojar, BangaloreFIAT  
    91983 Uday Eswaran, Dr Ravi Prakash, BangaloreFIAT  
    101984 Kiran Mody, Damaraju Kumar Rao (DK Rao), HyderabadDolphin  
    111985 Mohammed Harris, Deepak, UAESUBARU*  
    121986 Subash Goel, Rajan Siyal, ChennaiFIAT  
    131987AugKamlesh Patel, KD Madan, Chennai118 NE  
    141988 Kamlesh Patel, KD Madan, Chennai118 NE  
    151989 Harish Samtani, Rajiv Chaudhary, ChennaiMaruti Gypsy  
    161990 Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, CoimbatoreMaruti Gypsy  
    171991 Aug 12-13Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, CoimbatoreMaruti Gypsy Gravel 
    181992 Leelakrishnan, Mahendran, CoimbatoreMaruti Gypsy  
    191993 Aug 14-15VInyl Varghese, Anil Devaraj, Team Paarel, KeralaMaruti Gypsy  
    201994 Leelakrishnan, Farooq Ahmed, Coimbatore/ChikmagalurMaruti Gypsy  
    211995Aug 12-14Naren Kumar, MK Chander, CoimbatoreEsteem, Group N  
    221996K1000 AshphaltSamir Thaper, Koka Rao, Chandigarh /HyderabadEsteemIndia Mines 
    231997The Club K1000Hari Singh, GS Mann, DelhiEsteem  
    24199824th Castrol K1000Leelakrishnan, Farooq Ahmed,
    Coimbatore/Chikmagalur    		Esteem  
    25199925th K1000Hari Singh, GS Mann, DelhiEsteem  
    262000MAI 26th K1000TSD Rally – Not part of the National Championship round.   
    272001 Aug 10-12Karandeep Singh, Jaidas MenonBaleno  
    282002 Oct 11-13Naren Kumar, Doraikumar Ramkumar, CoimbatoreHonda City Asphalt 
    292003 Nov 14-16Karandip Singh, Jaidas Menon, Chandigarh/Bng Honda city Gravel 
    302004 Aug 6-8Naren Kumar, Doraikumar Ramkumar, CoimbatoreBaleno Asphalt 
    312005 Aug 12-14Naren Kumar, D Ramkumar, CoimbatoreBaleno Asphalt 
    322006 Aug 11-13Gaurav Gill, Farooq Ahmed, Delhi/ChikmagalurCedia Gravel 
    332007 Aug 17-19Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/ Mangalore (Kasargod)Cedia Asphalt 
    342008 Aug 8-10Vikram Mathias, Srinivasa Murthy, Masinagudi (Karnataka)Cedia Asphalt 
    352009Aug 21-23Arjun Balu, Sujith Kumar BS, Coimbatore/ BengaluruCediaGravel 
    362010Dec 3 -5Arjun Rao Aroor, Satish Rajagopal, KarnatakaCediaGravel 
    372011Aug 19-21Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodCediaGravel 
    382012Sept 21-23Lohitt V Urs, Sujith Kumar BS, Mysore/ Bengaluru, PrivateersCediaGravel 
    392013Nov 9-10Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
    402014Nov 21-23Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
    412015Nov 20-22Pallath Ganesh Abhilash, Anoop Kumar, Kerala/BangaloreLancer Evo 8Gravel 
    422016Dec 17 -18Amittrajit Ghosh, Ashwin Naik, Kolkata/ MangaloreMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
    432017Jan 19-21, 2018Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif, Delhi/KasargodMahindra XUV 500Gravel 
     2018NOT HELDPromoters RRPM did not include the event in the Natioinal INRC calendar   
    442019Nov 22-24Chetan Shivaram, Dilip Sharan, BengaluruVW Polo, Team AksharaGravel 
    452020 -held 2021 JanFeb 13-14, 2021Cancelled Gravel 
    *Corrected from BMW to Subaru, thanks to Zuhin, the 2012 IRC winner
  • Vasundhara Jewellery Group enters INRC with 2 all-woman teams

    Vasundhara Jewellery Group enters INRC with 2 all-woman teams

    Hyderabad, 12 Nov 2020: Champions Yacht Club pulled off another first in Indian Motorsports roping in a prominent woman entrepreneur of the city to field a first sponsoring two all-woman teams in the CYC FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2020, which is slated to begin with a back-to-back double leg in the North-Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh from December 15.

    Mrs Vasundhara, a well-known Telangana businesswoman of Vasundhara Diamond Roof Private Limited fame, has come forward to sport a rally team for the first time. The Hyderabad -based jewellers will own two teams, a mix of experience and youth, comprising of renowned Indian woman rallyist Dr Bani Yadav of Gurgaon and another talented youngster, Pragathi Gowda of Bengaluru, with Mrs Vasundhara, taking the initiative to plunge into the sport with the first-time entry as a sponsor and team owner with two entries.

    Andhra Pradesh, hosted the finals of the Indian National Autocross Championship last January, before the pandemic halted all motorsports events with the scheduled first round at Chennai, the South Indian Rally, being put off just a week before it was supposed to take off in March last week. Hyderabad, on the other hand, was famous for the Charminar Challenge rally, INRC event season finale, for many years in the past, and rallying is not new to the Telangana capital which has produced many rallyists of yore and had Andhra Pradesh Motor Sports Club during the combined state status which is now Telangana. With the coming of Team Vasundhara, Hyderabad will make its presence in INRC once again through a Team Owner, that too a woman owner, and with Bani Yadav in the driver’s seat, it is something to look forward to for a Rally fan.

    Champions Yacht Club, the promoters of INRC, headed by young rally enthusiast Vamsi Merla, has already roped in Yokohama Tyres, who are fielding defending champion Chethan Shivaram and also announced a slew of benefits for woman teams by organising clubs waiving off entry fee to all women and their teams. Merla also promised to make transport arrangements for taking the cars to the venue at subsidised rates and accommodation is being provided free for all the participants beginning with the first two rounds at Itanagar, where the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Tourism Department of the State are also roped in by CYC.

    Christened as ‘Team Vasundhara’ the two lady drivers will take part in INRC 3 class in a rally-spec Volkswagen Polo 1.6 shod with MRF Tyres.

    Mrs. Vasundhara, who started the journey 22 years back, was the first women jeweller in entire South Asia and the idea behind promoting women in motorsports is in line with their company’s ethos of `women empowerment’ in all walks of life.

     “A woman team owner, coming forward to promote and empower an all-woman team is a huge moment for Indian motorsports and a first time in Indian Rallying. As a promoter we have always strived for more women participation as part of the `Women in Motorsport’ concept introduced by FIA and FMSCI, and this association is seriously a stepping stone towards bringing in more women enthusiasts into motorsports,” Vamcy Merla, promoter of INRC and director of Champions Yacht Club said.

    “Being a woman, my mother had to overcome many tough hurdles and challenges to make for herself. Our brand is all about woman empowerment as that is a personal journey for me. So keeping up the motto, we want to promote and empower women in all walks of life. We are pleased to have this opportunity to be part of an all-woman’s team and are glad to have been able to convince Bani (Yadav), a legend in her own right and Bengaluru youngster Pragathi (Gowda),” said Ashish, Director of Operation, Vasundhara Diamond Roof.

    After the North-East round in scenic settings, INRC 2020 will move to Southern India with three rounds in Coimbatore, Hampi and the season-finale will be held in Bengaluru, with the iconic K-1000 as the last stop.

    Began in 1988 as a National Championship, INRC the flagship event of Indian Motorsports will have five rounds in the depleted 2020-calendar, due to the Corona Virus, and will extend to two more months in 2021. The 33rd year of INRC will also see Hampi, the famous tourist spot in Karnataka, as a new venue to host INRC. The Hampi round will be in between the two Southern Cities once the venue is inspected and approved by the Federation, which looks like a formality as a non-championship curtain-raiser was run last year successfully. Champions Yacht Club who bagged the rights to promote the National Championship will be in-charge of INRC for two more years, with the Federation extending all championship rights for an extra year due to the disruption of regular events, by the pandemic this year.

  • Team Nutulapati, an Andhra company, enters INRC as a sponsor with 3 cars

    Team Nutulapati, an Andhra company, enters INRC as a sponsor with 3 cars

    Team Nutulapati to line-up with Kerala’s Bikku Babu, Bengaluru’s Dhruva Chandrashekar and Delhi Aditya Thakur

    Hyderabad, 2 Nov 2020: Construction giants from Andhra Pradesh, Venkata Rama Constructions, have announced that they will be entering the Champions Yacht Club FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2020 (INRC), which is set to begin at Itanagar in December before Christmas with a double-dhamaka of back-to-back rounds in five days.

    Nutulapati Mallikharjuna Rao, the man behind the move, announced that they are roping `Dr Speed’ Bikku Babu from Kerala, a veteran rallyist who is known for his consistency and speed over the years. He will be joined by another aggressive driver from Bengaluru, Dhruva Chandrasekhar, and young talent from Delhi Aditya Thakur. It is impressive to note that the Real Estate giant had preferred to support established and talented drivers rather than go for drivers from his own state.

    As INRC is gearing up for the new season in a new avatar, after announcing their association with Yokohama Tyres, they now joined hands with Sri Sai Venkata Rama Constructions who will be fielding a team for this year’s competition.

    Nutulapati Mallikharjuna Rao

    India’s premier rally championship has indeed hit the ground running and in a year where all the other major sporting entities are struggling to run their show, INRC not only announced a five-round season but also have managed to draw attention from the corporate world.

    Owned by Nutulapati Mallikharjuna Rao, Venkata Rama Constructions, giants from Andhra Pradesh will become the first real estate company to own a team in INRC and shall field a team comprising of last season’s INRC overall second runner-up and INRC 2 champion Dr Bikku Babu of Kerala, Dhruva Chandrashekar of Bengaluru and Aditya Thakur of Delhi. They will be rallying under the banner ‘Team Nutulapati’.

    Bikku Babu and Dhruva are expected to take part in INRC 2 category while Aditya will spearhead the team’s challenge in INRC 3 category. All the drivers will be driving a Volkswagen Polo and will be on MRF Rally Tyres.

    “It is indeed a great sign for INRC as well as for the overall motorsports scene in the country. Apart from car and tyre companies, no one else has shown shown interest in the motorsports and have invested their time and money in the sport. We promised to take INRC to a different level and we certainly are on the move. We are in talks with other big companies as well and very soon we will announce new partners and teams. We express our gratitude to Mallikharjuna Rao and his team to have understood and decided to support our vision,” said Vamsi Merla, promoter of INRC said.

    “We are very excited with this new venture as this is the first time that we are involving in sports in a big way. When we were presented with the opportunity to own a team, at first we were a little apprehensive. But after due diligence by our team, we decided to go ahead and take a plunge. We are confident of our chances in the season, with the kind of drivers we have at our disposal, and we fancy our chances,” Mallikharjuna said.

    INRC 2020 will begin on December 15 in Arunachal Pradesh with two rounds in the scenic North-Eastern State. Then INRC will move to Southern India, with three rounds to be held in Coimbatore, Hampi and the season-finale K1000, in Bengaluru.

  • Organisers must waive-off entry fee for women, to host INRC round: Vamsi Merla

    Organisers must waive-off entry fee for women, to host INRC round: Vamsi Merla

    Bengaluru, 2 Sept 2020: Due to the global race against Corona Virus, which affected both national and international motorsports for over five months, the Indian National Rally Championship, too, was postponed after the lockdown was announced in India.

    With the country taking measures to bring back normalcy in the sporting arena along with activities in other walks of life, the Indian government announced Unlock 4.0 and the motorsports fraternity is eagerly waiting for the action to begin. International motorsports, including Formula 1 and MotoGP, have started with tight measures to beat Corona and India too, is expected to resume the events amidst the necessary precautions due to the pandemic.

    Vamsi Merla of Champions Yacht Group, the INRC Promoters

    And the first to respond is the Champions Yacht Club, the promoters of Indian National Rally Championship, the flagship event of Indian Motorsports. The calendar for 2020, was expected to begin with the South India Rally in Chennai but it was the first event to get boxed by the lockdown. The Promoters are eager to announce a seven-round calendar once the go-ahead is given by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). As announced earlier, the Champions Yacht Club is keen to promote ‘Women in Motorsports  (WIM)’ and is offering to waive-off the entry fee for all women participants for the Rally rounds apart from providing a slew of incentives for the drivers and teams to promote rallying. “We have written to the Federation to waive the entry fee for female drivers but it looks like the decision has to be taken by the organising club. So Champions Yacht Club has decided to give hosting rights of a rally round only to those clubs who are willing to waive-off the fee,” said Vamsi Merla, the promoter. “So even a male driver with a female navigator will also get a waiver of the entry fee as the team has a female participant,” he clarified.

    He also promised that the accommodation for all the participants would be provided free by the Promoters and arrangements will be made taking strict precautions to beat the Virus. “We have put in place measures to tackle the current situation. Social distancing norms and masks are made compulsory along with checking of temperature with thermal scanners, and sanitisers would be provided at all necessary entry points and other places. All large gatherings will be prohibited,” added Merla.

    “Rally championship holds a special place in Indian motorsports and over the years, in its 31-year history, INRC has thrown up many champions and the Promoters are keen to encourage newcomers and young talent by providing the necessary facilities to continue the tradition of making champioins,” he added.

    When queried how seven rounds could be possible with only four months available, he said that back-to-back rounds were being planned and permission is being sought to extend the calendar for two months into Feb 2021. “Also five clubs have already agreed to waive the fee and promote women participation. So the confirmed rounds are South India Rally in Chennai, K1000 in Bengaluru, Hampi, also in Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh and Coimbatore,” Vamsi Merla revealed. The calendar will be announced soon.

  • INRC: Winners’ Hall of Fame

    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!!

    Statistics Tables

    K 1000 Winners’ List

    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

    1. Itanagar, Tarmac NH415; 16-17 Dec 2020; Rally of Arunachal Pradesh; (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC, JK Tyres)
    2. Itanagar, Tarmac NH415; 19-20 Dec 2020; Rally of Arunachal Pradesh; (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC, JK Tyres)
    3. Coimbatore, Gravel; 29-31 Jan 2021; Rally of Coimbatore; (Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif, Mahindra XUV500, Team Mahindra Adventure, INRC, JK Tyres)
    4. 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)

    1. 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)

    1. Rally de Endurance, July 1987, Vicky Bharat Chandhok and Manoj Dalal.
    2. Cochin, 24-25 July 1987, 5th 1000-km Popular Rally,
    3. Bangalore, August 1987, Karnataka 1000, Kamlesh Patel/ KD Madan, Team MRF.
    4. Madras, September 1987, 23th South India Rally, MS Zachariah/ Jagdish Bhatia, Team MRF.
    5. Coimbatore, October 1987, Scissors Action Rally, Subash Chandra
    6. ???, November 1987, Great Himalayan Rally, Nikhil Taneja/ Manjeev Singh Bhalla, Team MRF. (To be confirmed if this round is part of National championship)
    7. Chikmagalur, Nov 1987, Coffee 500, N Leelakrishnan/CV Jayakumar.
    8. 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…

  • Ban on Prithviraj illegal and unjust, says Appellate panel

    Ban on Prithviraj illegal and unjust, says Appellate panel

    Bengaluru, 15 March 2020: The Indian Motor Sports Appellate Committee of FMSCI consisting of Justice KP Sivasubramaniam (Retd.), Mr S Silambanan (Advocate) and Mrs. Lita Srinivasan (Advocate) gave a clean chit to Mr J Prithvi Raj, the President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and dismissed the ban imposed on him by the FMSCI Council on 21 November 2019. The Committee said that the Council does not have the power to ban either through the Sporting Code or through the Articles of Association and “…the action per se is improper and illegal.”

    The Appeal was upheld and the ban was dismissed on 11th March 2020.

    In a 6-page verdict signed by all the three members, it also said that the 3-year ban and the demotion as DCoC thereafter for a year, “is clearly illegal and cannot stand any test of reasonable conduct.”

    J Prithviraj

    Prithvi Raj was the Clerk of the Course for the Maxperience Rally, Jodhpur, a round of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) that was held in September 2019. The rally was organised by Max Experience Private Limited and co-organised by Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC). In the opening stage, three died in an accident and the rally was cancelled.

    After a review meeting on 26 Sept 2019 by FMSCI, its Rally Commission on Oct 4 constituted a committee to inquire into the incident and suggest measures to prevent any such mishaps in the future. On Nov 5, the panel imposed a ban for three years and thereafter a one-year mandatory DCoC period on Prithvi Raj and also fined CASC for Rs.5 lakh.

  • Brothers team up to glory in their first year; Dilip Sharan shares his story: INRC 2019 champions

    Brothers team up to glory in their first year; Dilip Sharan shares his story: INRC 2019 champions

    File photo of Chetan Shivram (left) and Dilip Sharan on the podium after winning the K1000 rally, the 4th Round of Champiojns Yacht Club INRC 2019 in Bengaluru in November. INDIAinF1 photo

    Bengaluru, 23 Dec 2019: One of the ever-green and most popular events of the Indian Motorsports calendar, the Indian National Rally Championship, saw new champions take the crown in 2019. The championship concluded on Sunday in Kerala with the Popular Rally, organised by Southern Adventures and Motorsports, and promoted by Champions Yacht Club (CYC), completing four of the six scheduled rounds in the calendar.

    Akshara Team’s Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, emerged overall champions and bagged their maiden National title. For 41-year-old Shivram, who has been around for over two decades, it is a sweet ending to the campaign, winning the title with his younger brother. This is the first time in the 32-year history of INRC that two brothers won the National title. And winning with a lowly-INRC3 car, after fighting with much-powerful INRC machines is no mean achievement.

    Today, INDIAinF1 caught up with Dilip Sharan, the 29-year-old, who teamed up his brother for the first time in this year’s INRC after a trial run in the curtain-raiser Sprint de Bengaluru proved to be a success.

    The duo was apprehensive of the tarmac terrain in Kerala but realised that it was their golden chance to win the championship, what with a handsome lead they had with two victories. At the start, the fears were thought to be misplaced as both the South India Rally and K1000, were new stages but the brothers performed admirably.

    However, as the Popular Rally began, the unforgiving cruel corner in the very first stage, just after about six km into the rally, saw them suffer a casualty, the second of the four cars to crash at the same corner. “In the very first stage with less than 2-km to the finish we hit a `dip’ and did not realise that we had a low air pressure on the front left (tyre) and we lost control. However with the experience Chetan has, he didn’t give up, and found a way to get the car back and got on to the wheels. Then, unfortunately, we lost a wheel including the hub, and the day ended for us being the leaders of the Overall Championship,’’ he added.

     

    The disaster in the first stage at the Popular Rally. But the duo came back on sunday with FRK Racing getting the car ready for the final 3 stages. Photo By Dilip Sharan

    “With much regret, we sat and thought of things we could do to make sure we start Day 2. As usual, the magical hands of our `Mechanics’ coming for a team which needs no introduction, did get the car ready again.’’ The mechs were none other than from #FRK Racing. “The boys put the magic to work, and gave us a car to start on Sunday. But this would not have been possible without the help of Sumit Punjabi, who generously gave us the parts required to rebuild the car and for it to be ready for Day 2. As we entered the beginning of the stage, Chetan says `Sherry the car is just not handling, it’s all over the place,’ all we did was cruise… to finish the first stage, and stood 10th fastest,’’ went on Dilip talking about how they managed those last three stages.


    “As we waited for Stage 2 to start, the one-and-only #Tiger_Baba (Sanjay Agarwal) asked Chetan what’s happening. So he explained why this is happening as the experience he carries in rallying is more than my age. With the wise advice well digested, we ended the stage 5th fastest and ended the next stage again in the same order to bag three points,’’ he continued.

    Earlier at the start of the season, it all started with an informal chat. In Dilip’s own words, “the year 2019 has ushered in a lot of positive and happy changes in my life, and the most important being the marriage with the love of my life, Angel (Mabel).’’

    During a chat with his elder brother Chetan Shivram and sister-in-law Jessica, the question of navigating for a one-off curtain raiser came up, which eventually turned into a full-season adventure. “I jumped at my brother Chetan’s invitation as I to love sit with him and the preparation of a freshly-built Volkswagen Polo-INRC3 began, but I was nervous…,’’ Dilip quipped and “who would not if one had to call pace notes to a driver like Chetan.’’

    But soon all the doubts vanished as he sat in the car and the duo finished the Recce and the Rally. “For some good reason the bond in the car was so good, and we felt like we had done this few 100 times before,’’ Dilip, who made his rally debut in Chikkamagaluru Coffee Day Rally in 2016, recalled of the gut feeling he had at that time in March.

    In the first round, at the South India Rally’s opening day in Chennai the duo took the lead but toppled on the second day. “After Day 1, we were in the Overall lead but unfortunately we flipped, toppled on Day 2’s first stage and then tried to finish, in vain,” he explained. Then the second rally at Coimbatore saw the pair dishing out splendid stuff when many experienced and talented top guns toppled to the tricky terrain, as they nurtured their car and safely finished the rally on the top step of the podium.

    Many thought it was a fluke and a section of the media too, unprofessionally sidelined their superb showing, but with determination and focused approach, and technically-sound driving, the Bengaluru brothers proved their mettle once again and bounced back.

     “At the legendary K1000, we went in not knowing what to expect as the stages were brand new for all the drivers, after Recce, Chetan had one thing to say, “These are my kind of stages”, and then we set in the good vibes, family and friends there to cheer for the `Home-Town Boys’ to win.

     “As we entered the rally to make sure we win INRC 3, much to our surprise in no time Chetan made sure to endure the car and bring it back to finish on Day 1. Day 2 saw a good battle with Dr Speed (Bikku Babu). And we ended up on the podium with yet another Overall win.

    And as the day ended in Kerala, bringing to close the INRC season, it was history and INRC saw New Champions. The Brothers, who entered as an INRC3 team, not only became the National Champions but managed a Double Dhamaka, also winning the INRC3 class.

    “We are humbled with this success and express our gratitude to all the people who stood with us,’’ said Dilip. “I would like to thank Sumanth Akshara, the Chief, and my dad (Jothinarar Vishwanathan Shivram) and all the family members, for the opportunity and, for persistently believing in us, and giving us the fabulous courage to win,’’ he concluded, with a big thanks to MRF Tyres.

    Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, right, at the Rally PD. Photo by Anand Philar