INDIA in F1

Tag: INRC

  • Hat-trick for Karna Kadur, Nikhil Pai; Scratch times help Amittrajit Ghosh edge out Bopaiah

    Hat-trick for Karna Kadur, Nikhil Pai; Scratch times help Amittrajit Ghosh edge out Bopaiah

     

    Odd-man out Amittrajit Ghosh (right) on the podium in Chikkamagaluru on Sunday.              

     

      Chikkamagaluru, 2 Dec 2018: Karna Kadur and his co-driver Nikhil Vittal Pai of Arka Motorsports scored their third consecutive Coffee Day Rally victory for a hat-trick in Chikkamagaluru as the fourth round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), concluded here on Sunday. The duo, in a Volkswagen Polo, nursed their healthy overnight lead with a sensible drive.

    While Kadur, who had won this rally in the previous two years, kept it clean through the three Special Stages, all run in the reverse direction, Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) of Mahindra Adventure took advantage of the scratch times that were allotted to the cancelled Special Stage (SS) 7, to overcome a tough fight from Bopaiah KM (Gagan Karumbaiah) of Team Champions, who drove manfully but fell short by about three seconds. Leading by five seconds overnight, the second-placed duo was defeated off-track by a scratch time of 10-seconds less than what Amittrajit Ghosh was given, that eventually helped the Kolkata driver win the second place behind Karna Kadur. The 10-second parity given by the CoC Ram Kumar, who is an experienced former rally driver himself, appeared odd as Boppaih was faster than Amittrajit Ghosh in all the stages on Day 2, Leg 1. However, it should be noted that the CoC has the privilege to give scratch times, as he deems it fit and it is well within the rules and regulations prescribed in the GP.

    Amittrajit Ghosh may have taken these crucial points, thanks to the scratch times, but as he rightly said in the pre-event press conference, his lead in the championship is worth nothing as he has to forego one round and so will lose 18 points while Gill will discard his zero-point North East round of Arunachal Rally.

    Behind the trio, hot favourite Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif), also of Mahindra Adventure, and celebrating his 37th birthday on Dec 2, set a scorching pace to top the timesheets in all the three Stages today and finished fifth Overall behind private entrants Younus Illyas (Harish KN) who are tuned by Team Race Concepts and second in the INRC-1 category. More importantly, he earned 10 championship points, but the official standings page shows as 12 points as on Dec 3.

    The results meant that Ghosh continues to lead Overall in the Indian National Rally Championship, promoted by the Ramakrishna Race Performance Management, run by his father Arindam Ghosh, with 79 points as against Kadur’s 67 and Gill’s 62, as officially announced on the inrcindia.com website. Thus, the title will be decided in the fifth and concluding round of the Championship to be held in Kerala next month.

    Ghosh and Kadur also topped the INRC-1 and INRC-2 categories, respectively, while Delhi’s Arjun Bani Rao (Milen George) won in the INRC-3 class as the three-day event, organised by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, concluded here today.

    “The result did not surprise us considering the lead that we had overnight. So, there was no need to push today and I was intent on bringing the car back home safely. We backed off a bit, used the advantage we had and finished the three Stages safely. We are very happy that we won for the third time in a row here in Chikmagalur,” said Kadur.

    Meanwhile, Ghosh, still to recover fully from an allergy that also hampered his breathing, said he was happy to have finished second which fetched him precious championship points. “Today, we decided to take it easy in the long stage and push in the two shorter stages. In the context of the championship, it is always good to have points in the bag. So, now, whoever among the three of us (Kadur and Gill being the others) wins in Kerala will emerge champion,” said the London-based Ghosh.

    For Gill, who was docked six minutes penalty yesterday after failing to complete the last two Stages following a mechanical problem that forced him to pull out, it was a matter of pushing hard and gain positions keeping in mind the championship stakes. A philosophical Gill, winner of the opening two rounds in Chennai and Coimbatore before a retirement in Arunachal Pradesh, said: “We had a good run the past couple of seasons, but things go up and down. It was not the best of weekends here or in Arunachal. So, now, we will go to Kerala next month and hope to win there. Today, I gave it all I had and drove 110 per cent. It is good that the championship has gone down to the wire. It is good for the sport.”

    The results (Provisional):

    Overall: 1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports) (02hrs,19mins,59.9secs); 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) (02:22:15.3); 3. Bopaiah KM / Gagan Karumbaiah (Team Champions) (02:22:18.8).

    INRC-1: Ghosh / Naik; 2. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure) (02:23:49.2); 3. Michu Ganapathy / Venu Rameshkumar (Team Champions) (02:27:18.1).

    INRC-2: 1. Kadur / Pai; 2. Bopaiah / Karumbaiah; 3. Younus Ilyas / Harish KN (Pvt) (02:22:34.7).

    INRC-3: 1. Arjun Bani Rao / Milen George (Chettinad Sporting) (02:24:29.4); 2. Fabid Ahmer / Shahid Salman (Chettinad Sporting) (02:26:34.7); 3. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya (Team Falkon) (02:27:57.4).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Vikram Gowda / Sudheendra BG (Team Champions) (02:31:51.6); 2. Prakhyat Shirole / Bharath SM (Pvt) (02:32:53.0); 3. Manoj Mohanan / Sob George (02:35:32.7).

    FMSCI 4WD Cup: 1. Sanjay Agarwal / Smitha Prasad (Team Champions) (02:31:20.0); 2. Sachin Murthy / Satyapal (02:35:00.5); 3. Avin Nanjappa / Suraj M (Pvt) (02:39:26.5)

    Edited on 4 Dec 2018 at 1.20am

  • Gaurav Gill comes to Chikkamagaluru for INRC, despite the withdrawal of APRC: 4th round

    Gaurav Gill comes to Chikkamagaluru for INRC, despite the withdrawal of APRC: 4th round

    • 48 entries for Coffee Day India Rally 2018
    Chikmagalur Coffee Day INRC rally round is known for huge crowds. A file photo of 2017 by Anand Philar

    Chikkamagaluru, 27 Nov 2018: The MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship convoy rolls into the coffee town this weekend for the Coffee Day Rally which has attracted 48 entries. The action-packed event, sponsored by Coffee Day Group and organised by the Chikmagalur Motor Sports Club, will be held from November 30 to December 2. The thrill and excitement that motorsports garners in India especially amongst the youth fits well with Coffee Day considering the strong youth connect that the brand holds.

    The Coffee Day India Rally, which is also the fourth round of the National Championship, will witness some of the best names in Indian motorsport battle it out for top honours. Over the past couple of decades, the three-day event, has grown in stature and popularity among both participants and spectators, thanks to Coffee Day Group’s significant support and constant involvement.

    The Championship, promoted by the Ramakrishna Race Performance Management (RRPM), kicked off earlier this year in Chennai before moving on to Coimbatore and Arunachal Pradesh. After three rounds, Mahindra Adventure team’s Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik head the leaderboard with 61 points, followed by team-mates Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif (50).

    The duo, driving the Mahindra XUV 500, will headline the three-day event which commences on Friday with the popular Super Special Stage (2.2 Kms) at the Amber Valley school grounds. The competitors will then head to the twisty Special Stages located in the nearby Coffee Day Group’s estates on Saturday and Sunday.

    The other big team, apart from Mahindra Adventure, is the Arka Motorsports that boasts of seasoned Rahul Kanthraj (co-driver Vivek Bhatt) and talented Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) as the standard-bearers. Kadur and Kanthraj are placed third and fourth in the Overall classification behind Ghosh and Gill after three rounds and also head the INRC-2 category, while two young guns from Mangaluru, Aroor Vikram Rao (Falkon Motorsports, 68 points) and Dean Mascarenhas (Chettinad Sporting, 53) are in the lead in INRC-3.

    This season’s INRC has seen the entry of a new outfit, Team Champions that was born out of a desire to support talented drivers in need of financial assistance. Team Champions will have a seven-car line-up besides a few more crews they will be supporting. “It is our aim to facilitate the participation of deserving drivers and hopefully, unearth fresh talent. The 2018 is our debut year in INRC and next season, we might be entering more cars,” said Vamcy Merla who manages Team Champions.

    Mr. Venkatesh M, Director, Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts said: “Coffee Day is amongst the first few corporates to cultivate the concept of racing in India with Coffee Day India Rally in 2002. This is our 16th edition and we’re proud to see the love for motorsport grow in our country. Coffee Day India Rally is truly unique given its uncanny combination of a rugged terrain with scenic beauty. It is one of the most challenging races in the calendar, filled with twisty and narrow tracks amidst the coffee plantations. The challenging rally will witness some of the best rally drivers tackle tough terrains, set for a thrilling performance in Chikmagaluru. Our team at Coffee Day Group and Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur have relentlessly worked to make the rally one of the most awaited motorsports event in the country. We at Coffee Day are pleased to work towards the continued endeavour and success of the rally.”

    The Coffee Day Rally adorns the INRC scene as the most popular event attracting knowledgeable spectators, from near and far, in their thousands, and who inspire the competitors to raise their game by several notches. It is hardly a surprise then that this year’s Coffee Day Rally has attracted 48 entries across various categories – the IRC, IRC-2, IRC-3 and FMSCI 2W Drive Cup.

    Additionally, the organisers have included a separate category for the Maruti Gypsy vehicles while Volkaswagen have provided two VW Polos in Rally trim as the two forward cars – “Zero” and “Double Zero”.

    The Special Stages are located, as before, in Chettanahalli, Chandrapura and Kumaragode estates. Each of the three Stages will be run twice on Saturday and once in the reverse direction on Sunday. The total competitive section is 122.77 Kms and 229 Kms of liaison for a total distance of 351.77 Kms.

  • Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif notch up a comfortable win

    Coimbatore, 5 August 2018: Indian speed king Gaurav Gill, along with his trusted co-driver Musa Sherif, romped home to a thumping victory in the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Indian national Rally Championship (INRC) as he swept all the special stages winning with ease at the Kethanur windmill farms here on Sunday. He clocked 1:14:30.1 to complete the five Special Stages and won with a clean margin of 1 min 1.1 second.

    His teammate Amittrajit (with co-driver Ashwin Naik) has to be content with the second place all through the rally as he appeared to be no match to the leader, but managed to keep his second position. He was off the pace with Gill trailing by 10 to 15 seconds all along and was no threat to Gill at any stage.

    The President of the Federation, Akbar Ebrahim claimed the third position in the INRC 1 category, reminding fans and drivers that he has not lost his touch even after nearly 25 years of active rallying.

    The 2016 INRC champion, Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai, had to settle for the overall third position as all his efforts to upstage the leaders proved to futile. He managed to claim the INRC 2 category though, making it a 1-2 for Team Arka Motorsports.

    His teammate Rahul Kanthraj along with co-driver Vivek Y Bhatt took the second place while Phalghuna Urs and Srikanth Gowda of Snap Racing claimed the third place.

    The INRC 3 category too didn’t see any change on the leaderboard with Aroor Vikram Rao and co-driver Anand Somayya of Falkon Motorsports taking a facile win.

    Suhem Kabeer and co-driver Jeevarathinam of Team Champions finished second relegating Chetan Shivram and co-driver Rupesh Kholay to the third position on the podium.

    Results:

    INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure; 01:14:30.1); 2. Amittrajit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure; 01:15:31.2); 3. Karna Kadur/Nikhil V Pai (Arka Motorsports; 01:16:24.8).

    INRC 2: 1. Karna Kadur/Nikhil V Pai; 2. Rahul Kanthraj/Vivek Y Bhatt (Arka Motorsports; 01:17:36.9); 3. Phalghuna Urs/Srikanth Gowda; Snap Racing; 01:17:40.7).

    INRC 3: 1. Aroor Vikram Rao/Anand Somayya (Falkon Motorsports; 01:17:11.8); 2. Suhem Kabeer/Jeevarathinam (Team Champions; 01:17:48.8); 3. Chetan Shivram/Rupesh Kholay (01:17:58.4)

    FMSCI 2WD: 1. Adith KC/Suraj K; 2. Suraj Thomas/Sob George; 3. Lokesh Gowda V | Venu Ramesh Kumar.

    eom/david

  • Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif clinch MRF South India crown for their 30th INRC title

    Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif clinch MRF South India crown for their 30th INRC title

    Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif en route to winning their 30th INRC title since 2007. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 29 April 2018: One of the most enduring combinations, Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif picked up their 30th title in the Indian National Rally Championship since coming together in 2007 as the Mahindra Adventure pair won the MRF South India Rally, here on Sunday, sparing over two minutes to their team-mates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik.

    It was an untroubled ride to victory for 36-year old three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner Gill as he built on his overnight lead to emerge a worthy winner. “I didn’t really push today, but was still fast enough. I had no issues with my vehicle (XUV 500) today and of course, it is always a nice feeling when you win,” said Gill who now looks forward to doing a few rounds in the World Rally Championship-2 category later this year, backed by MRF Tyres.

    With Gill enjoying a sizeable overnight lead, Sunday was more about others down the field jockeying for positions. Ghosh, also in a XUV 500, drove fast and clean to take second position in the Overall standings, ahead of Karna Kadur (co-driver Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports in the Volkswagen Polo.

    Gill and Ghosh also topped the INRC-1 category while veteran Vicky Chandhok (co-driver Chandramouli), driving a factory-supported Volkswagen Polo R2, and returning to rallying after a gap of 18 years, completed the podium. Chandhok belied his 61 years by not only being competitive, but also withstanding the extreme heat and humidity that had competitors half his age gasping for breath.

    The INRC-2 category saw ARKA Motorsports completing a 1-2 finish with favourite Karna Kadur taking the top berth ahead of the veteran pair and of Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek Bhatt while Sumit Panjabi (Shahid Salman) in a Mitsubishi Cedia finished third.

    A fierce battle raged for the INRC-3 category honours through the day. Overnight leader Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival) met with misfortune in the day’s last Stage as his VW Polo stalled no fewer than five times and he slipped to second behind Vikram Rao (Somayya AG). Young and rookie Fabid Ahmer (Fayaz Arakkal) from Kerala displayed impressive pace and car control to come in third in the category.

    The top prize in the FMSCI 2-Wheel Drive Cup went to Adith KC (co-driver Suraj K).

    Unaudited Provisional classification:

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (1hr, 28mins, 43.1 secs); 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (01:30:39.6); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:30:59.4).

    INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Ghosh / Naik; 3. Vicky Chandhok / Chandramouli (VW Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (01:34:21.7)

    INRC-2: 1. Kadur / Pai; 2. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:32:45.6); 3. Sumit Punjabi / Shahid Salman (Pvt, Mitsubishi Cedia) (01:35:53.4).

    INRC-3: 1. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falkon Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:31:55.5); 2. Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:32:37.3); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Fayaz Arakkal (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:33:00.5).

    Support class: FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:33:28.7); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:36:29.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (01:41.17.5).

  • FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award

    FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award

    Chennai, 29 April 2018: Three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill of Mahindra Adventure team won the 40th South India Rally, the season opener of the Indian National Rally Championship, at Irungattukottai, about 40 km from here on Sunday to strengthen the Federation’s demand for an Arjuna Award.

    “Talent Personified,” was how former FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok, who brought F1 to India said about Gill on Friday. Talking to media, he had said that India needs a Hero in rallying and no one has come close. Gill is talent personified and definitely his going to the world stage will improve the profile of rallying in the country,” he added.

    FMSCI, the Indian Motorsports Federation has announced in a tweet that the name of Gaurav Gill was nominated for Aruna Award. This is the third time that the federation has nominated his name. Gill, if selected, would become the first Indian sportsman from Motorsports to get the coveted honour. However, Narain Karthikeyan was honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in 2010.

     

    nominates India’s Top rallyist Gaurav Gill, a three-time winner of the prestigious FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, for the Arjuna Award.

    Coming back to INRC, Gill was ably navigated by his long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, a veteran of 266 rallies till date. The five-time National champion clocked 1 hour, 28 minutes 43.1 seconds to take a massive lead of close to two minutes to the nearest rival and teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) who fought hard for the second place with 2016 champion Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai.

    “The first South India Rally was held in 1953. It was a TSD Rally from Madras to Pondy and back,” recollected Vicky Chandhok, who took a well-deserved podium as a senior citizen taking the third place in the INRC 1 class behind Gill and Ghosh. Chandhok clocked 1:34:31.7 in his Volkswagen Polo R2 factory-prepared car. Incidentally, his last rally in 2010 was the South India Rally, before he retired. `I kept in touch with driving and had 100 other things to do with motorsports,” Chandhok said.

    Vicky Chandhok tweeted soon after the rally saying:

    Podium in class & 8th overall on my return to the driver’s seat with after 18 years!! Congratulations to the very talented on winning the South India Rally. He first rallied when i last did in the year 2000!! YES!!!

     

  • Gaurav Gill tops time charts to take comfortable lead: INRC MRF South India Rally

    Gaurav Gill tops time charts to take comfortable lead: INRC MRF South India Rally

    Action, Gaurav Gill on a charge. Photos – Anand Philar

    Chennai, 28 April 2018: The legend of Gaurav Gill continued to grow following another superlative performance that put him firmly in control of the MRF South India Rally, the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship here today. At the end of Leg 1, Gill, piloting the XUV 500 for Mahindra Adventure, led the field by over a minute and with just five more Stages to be run tomorrow, victory for the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion is virtually assured.

    With his vehicle suffering from a locked hand-brake leading to overheating of the turbo and the engine, Gill, with Musa Sherif in the co-driver’s seat, still had enough in the tank to destroy the opposition.

    “We had an issue with the hand-brake during the first loop in the morning. The rear wheels got locked and the turbo temperature soared. So, we were down on power which is reflected in the Stage timings.

    “During service after the first run, we decided to do away with the handbrake. It meant I had to change my driving style. It was absolutely wild to drive this XUV without handbrake especially the Track Stage being very twisty. Anyway, I still managed to make plenty of time on others. Tomorrow, I will just cruise as the priority is to bring the car home safely,” said the 36-year old Delhi-based ace.

    Second overall after Leg 1 was Younus Ilyas (co-driver Harish KN) of Race Concepts, driving a Mitsubishi Cedia in the INRC 2 class.

    Younnus Ilyas

    He came up with an excellent drive to lead Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports, albeit by just 4.7 seconds to set up a thrilling battle on Sunday when the remaining five Stages will be run.

    Slotted in fourth place and 3.8 seconds behind Kadur was Mahindra Adventure’s Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik), also in the XUV 500 while young Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival), piloting the VW Polo (INRC 3) was placed fifth overall.

    Among the front-runners, Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Falcon Motorsports struggled with his VW Polo R2 after losing the third gear at the very first corner in the day’s first Stage, the SSS, and lost precious time to finish the day overall sixth.

    Veteran Vicky Chandhok (Chandramouli), also in a VW Polo R2, ended up overall 11th after starting the day by topping the time sheets in the Super Special Stage, some three seconds ahead of Gill! The nimble R2, running on slicks, had the advantage on the bulkier XUV 500, but that should not take anything away from Chandhok’s competitiveness.

    But as the day wore on, 61-year old Chandhok, returning to competitive rallying after a lapse of 18 years, dropped down the charts, but seemed pretty pleased with his performance.

    “The R2 is an excellent vehicle, but needs to be driven hard. I pushed a bit, but had to remind myself that I was not here to prove a point to anybody. Overall, it’s been a fun day,” said Chandhok.

    The extreme heat and humidity was among the topics of heated discussion in the garages and also those connected with the event. The weather conditions took a heavy toll on just about everyone and for sure, there will be no respite on the morrow!

    Provisional classification (Leg 1):

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (44mins, 35.0 secs); 2. Younus Ilyas / Harish Kumar (Race Concepts, Mitsubishi Cedia) (45:39.5); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (45:44.2).

    INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (45:48.0); 3. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (45:56.7).

    INRC-2: 1. Ilyas / Harish Kumar; 2. Kadur / Pai; 3. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:57.7).

    INRC-3: 1. Mascarenhas / Padival; 2. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:10.2); 3. Chetan Shivram / Rupesh Kholay (Team Akshara, VW Polo) (46:16.4).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (46:46.0); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (47:56.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (50:48.4).

    FMSCI 4WD Cup: 1. Nikhil J / Arjun Dheerendra (Pvt, Maruti Gypsy) (01:00:55.5).

     

     

  • Gaurav Gill wins MRF fmsci K-1000, clinches fifth National title: Indian National Rally Championship

    Gaurav Gill wins MRF fmsci K-1000, clinches fifth National title: Indian National Rally Championship

    Gill finally opens up a spray as his co-driver is late in getting off the podium to avoid the champagne attack from the champ. K1000
    PD on 21jan2018 . Image by David Bodapati

    Tumakuru (Karnataka), 21 Jan 2018: King of Indian Motorsports, Gaurav Gill of Mahindra Adventure annexed his fifth National title winning the premier class of the MRF Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2017 at the MRF 43rd K-1000 Rally, the sixth and final round of the INRC here, about 100 km from Bengaluru, on Sunday. The two-day National Championship round was organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) and is promoted by Ramakrishna Race Performance Management (RRPM) of Kolkata. Incidentally this is also the fifth K1000 title for both Gill and Sherif.

    The Chennai round of the INRC was canceled due to inclement weather and the Rally of Arunachal was postponed thereby pushing the K1000 round and the championship in 2018.

    The New Delhi based, Gill, a three-time APRC champion underlined his class and control once again, winning all the five Special Stages recording an overall timing of 00:55:41.6 minutes, a 2 minute-45 second lead ahead of second finisher Arjun Rao Aroor, to take his final tally to a perfect 100 points.

    Gill, along with co-driver Musa Sherif (110 points), has been unbeaten in the MRF INRC 2017, romping home in each of the four rounds that they had taken part in. He missed Round 4, the Rally of Chikmagalur, as it coincided with his assault on the APRC title, but that didn’t stop him from being crowned the undisputed king in the domestic arena. “It was a perfect day, a perfect finish for us,” Gill said, shortly after his coronation once again. “The first couple of stages were slippery but we managed to handle them well; we controlled the rally thereafter,” he added talking about the controlled aggression he displayed to conquer the fast and speedy terrain which was also tricky due to the pebbles, ditches, and grass. N Leelakrishnan with seven National titles and Naren Kumar with six are the only other drivers who have won INRC more times.

    INRC 3 champion Dean Mascarenhas, despite rolling into a ditch in the first run of the Alpha Special Stage and falling behind by over 27 minutes, managed to take the second place in the overall standings by 16 minutes.

    Dean (and Shruptha Padival), who entered the sixth and final round with a slim outside chance of upsetting Gill, picked up a puncture in SS2 too but hung on to keep pace with the rest of the field in the remaining stages. But the initial meltdown meant that he finished 8th (3rd in this category) and could add only 4 points to his final tally. It didn’t affect him in this category though, as he had already sealed the INRC 3 trophy in the last round itself.

    Defending INRC champion Karna Kadur, however, took advantage of Dean’s bad luck and familiar home conditions to force his way to the third position in the K-1000. It ensured him two podium finishes too, the second place in his INRC 2 category and the third place in the overall  Championship.

    Arjun Rao finally showed his true class, taking the second place in the rally but he had to be content with a sixth-place finish in the Championship thanks to DNFs in three rounds.

    As expected, Rahul Kanthraj and co-driver Vivek Bhat claimed the INRC 2 trophy, despite finishing third (fourth overall) in this category.

    The only one who could have upstaged him, Younus Ilyas, pulled out during SS4 to fade out of his Championship battle with Rahul. He eventually had to settle for the third place, with Karna jumping a place to take the second position.

    The FMSCI 2WD Cup was taken by Chetan Shivram and Rupesh Kholay, as they posted one more victory here.

    Defending K-1000 champion Amittrajit Ghosh, who was hovering in the 3rd to 5th position all the way, crashed at the finish, in the sixth and final stage to take the overall fifth place. His car got completely smashed but he and his co-driver, Ashwin Naik, got away with minor injuries. Ghosh was stuck between the seat and the steering wheel and had to be extricated after an hour or so. He escaped with minor bruises and knees pains. The full medical report is awaited.

    INRC Ranking for the National title: INRC Drivers: 1. Gaurav Gill (100 points) & Musa Sherif (110); 2. Dean Mascarenhas (67) & Shruptha Padival (69); 3. Karna Kadur (58) & Nikhil Vittal Pai (58).

    INRC 2 Drivers: 1. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y Bhatt (97) 2. Karna Kadur  & Nikhil Vittal Pai (75); 3. Younus Ilyas & Harish K.N. (58)

    INRC 3 Drivers: 1. Dean Mascarenhas (115) & Shruptha Padival (118); 2. Saddam Ali Sheikh (54) ; 3. Daraius N Shroff (51).

    INRC 3 co-drivers: 1. Shruptha Padival (118); 2. Nitin Jacob (54) and  3. Mrinmoy Saha (53)

    FMSCI 2WD Cup Drivers: 1. Chetan Shivram (75); 2. Fabid Ahmer (61); 3. Suraj Thomas (48).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup Co-Drivers: 1. Rupesh Koley (75); 2. Suraj M (66) and 3. Thomas Paul (33).

    K-1000 Provisional Unaudited Results: INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif (00:48:14.1); 2. Arjuna Rao & Satish Rajagopal (00:50:18.2); 3. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (00:51:10.3)

    INRC 2: Karna Kadur  & Nikhil V Pai (00:51:10.3); 2. G.B. Girijashankar Joshy & Chandramouli M (00:52:03.6); 3. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y Bhatt (00:52:54.2)

    INRC 3: 1. Vikram Rao Aroor & Somayya (00:52:55.2); 2. Saddam Ali Saikh & Abhijeet Singh (00:56:22.8); 3. Chandan M Gowda & Vinay P.M. (01:03:43.5)

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Chetan Shivram & Rupesh Koley (00:55:19.2); 2. Fabid Ahmer & Sanath G (00:55:35.8); 3. Asad Khan  & Gautam C.P. (00:56:08.8).

    eom/posted by David Bodapati

  • Gill rules the night stages of Rally of Arunachal: INRC

    Itanagar, (Arunachal Pradesh), 23 Dec 2017: King of Indian motorsports and reigning Asia Pacific Rally Championship, Gaurav Gill of Team Mahindra Adventure moved closer to another National title as he won along with long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, the Rally of Arunachal, the fifth and penultimate round of the MRF fmsci Indian National Rally Championship at Ziro on Saturday. With three wins, Gill has 75 points and is leading the table with Dean Mascarenhas in second place with 63 points.

    Fresh from his victory at the APRC championship victory at Chikkamagaluru, where he could not take part in the INRC which were held simultaneously. With the Mangalorean Musa Sherif making the calls, Gill was at this best speeding away through the Special Stages, as night stages made a comeback to add flavour to the first rally in the North East in the INRC on Friday.

    Young Turk Dean Mascarenhas of Mangalore came overall second and won his class, INRC3. Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) came third.

    Younus Ilyas and Harish Kumar won the INRC2 class edging out Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek Y Bhatt, who finished fifth overall, were leading the championship table in their class with only K-1000 round remaining in January. The South India Rally in Chennai is not likely to happen for want of calendar time as K1000 in Bengaluru is already pushed to the New Year.

    Karna Kadur and Arjun Rao failed to finish the rally due to mechanical problems.

    Provisional Results:
    INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif); 2. Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik);
    INRC 2: 1. Younus Ilyas (Harish Kumar); 2. Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Y Bhatt); 3. Jacob KJ (Venu Ramesh Kumar);
    INRC 3: 1. Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival); 2. Daraius Shroff (Nitin Jacob); 3. Dr Punyabrata Barma (Mrinmoy Saha).

    eom/

  • Gill-Musa bad Rally of Coimbatore to begin season with a win

    Coimbatore, 31 July 2017: Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif began with a bang, winning the MRF Rally of Coimbatore, the first round of the MRF-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) at the windmill farms of Kethanur, near here, on Sunday.

    The King of Indian motorsports, along with co-driver Musa Sherif, took a comfortable lead from the very first special Stage and slowly improved it to chalk out a convincing win. The double Asia Pacific Rally Champion made amends to his run at the Southern Indian city last year which was troubled by mechanical problems, but today he made up for the loss with a good win to take a lead in the Championship race.

     Reigning champions Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai followed Gill and Musa in second place and last year’s winner Amittrajit Ghosh and navigator Ashwin Naik could only finish third. The Kolkota driver looked rusted and the seven-month gap from driving showed on his performance. “The long gap took its toll and it is difficult coming back from such a break,” he said. On the contrary his Mahindra Adventure teammate Gill was happy with the show. `I have not got into the SUV for almost a year but I am happy with the result,” he quipped.

    Results: INRC 2017 Round 1 – Coimbatore
    INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure); 2. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure).

    INRC 2: 1. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Red Rooster Performance); 2. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Bhatt (Red Rooster Performance); 3. Younus Ilyas & Harish Kumar.

    INRC 3: 1. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival; 2. Dr Biku Babu & Milen George; 3. KM Bopaiah & Karumbaisah G.

  • Lohit Urs, Srikanth Gowda win Coimbatore rally

    Coimbatore, 2 August 2015: Mysore businessman Lohit Urs and long-time winning navigator Srikanth Gowda of Bangalore won the IRC class and Overall title in the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship here on Sunday. Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif retired due to technical problems.

    They were in a Mitsubishi Evo VIII car and timed a total of one hour, 34 minutes, 59.1 seconds.

    Mahindra Adventure’s Sunny Sidhu-PVS Murthy (01:39:27.6) finished second Overall, while their teammates Amittrajit Ghosh-Ashwin Naik (01:39:59.0) were third. Karna Kadur-Vivek Ponnusamy (01:40:30.5) finished fourth Overall and also won the IRC 1600 title here.

    Defending National Overall champion Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) retired with car problems on Friday and started Leg 2 on Saturday. However, Urs and Gowda had put themselves in a good position and clinched the title.

    An elated Urs said: “The road was rough but we managed to do good times today. We were faster than yesterday. There were niggling problems with the car and we had to ease off.

    “All our efforts have paid off and our main target is to do well in the Asia Cup in Chikkamagaluru this year. The IRC is going to be good practice for us as we continuously aim to improve the car and our driving.”

    Co-driver Gowda said: “I am happy with the win. With the Evo being a much faster car than the others I have rallied in, it was a big leap in terms of learning. Basically, the calls had to be much faster and Lohitt has helped me cope up with the new challenge. It is good that we got this win.
    Bengalureans Rahul Kanthraj-Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama), in a Mitsubishi Cedia, wrapped up the IRC 2000 title with a total time of 01:43:06.5. They retained the Rally of Coimbatore title and made it two in a row this season after winning in Nashik. Second was the combine of Hrishikesh Thackersey-Ninad Mirajgaonkar, while Sumit Panjabi-Nitin Jacob finished third.

    Kanthraj stated: “The lead we now have in the championship is heartening. We have been winning and are settling into a nice rhythm. The team has done an excellent job.”

    It was a mix of joy and relief for Karna Kadur (co-driver Vivek Ponnusamy), who clinched the IRC 1600 title.

    “There was a lot of pressure on me and this win has come in good time. It is a relief and I am happy as well. We drove clean today and made up a lot of time. We now have to begin work for the next tarmac rally,” said Kadur.

    Last year’s champions Adith KC-Harish KN won the FMSCI Cup with a total time of 01:43:53.2.

    There were five retirements from the 30 who started the rally on Saturday. Prominent among them were Arjun Rao Aroor-Satish Rajagopal with car problems.

    Results (provisional):

    Overall IRC: 1. Lohit Urs & Srikanth Gowda 01:34:59.1s; 2. Sunny Sidhu & P.V. Srinivas Murthy 01:39:27.6s; 3. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik 01:39:59.0s.

    IRC 2000: 1. Rahul Kantharaj & Vivek Y. Bhatt 01:43:06.5s; 2. Hrishikesh Thackersey & Ninad Mirajgaonkar 01:44:00.8s; 3. Sumit Panjabi & Nitin Jacob 01:46:10.7s.

    IRC 1600: Karna P. Kadur & Vivek Ponnusamy 01:40:30.5s; 2. Bikku Babu & Milen George Cherian 01:42:15.4s; 3. Aroor Vikram Rao & A.G. Somayya 01:42:41.4s.

    FMSCI Cup: 1. K.C. Adith & K.N. Harish 01:43:53.2s; 2. D. Ashwin Reddy & M. Suraj 01:44:49.7s; 3. Habib Mohammed & Shahid Salman 01:45:21.0s.