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Tag: Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation
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Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation supports tribals in Tiger Reserve hamlets
Hyderabad, 11 June 2024: The 2w Rally Nationals had a surprising tilt that the tribal villagers around the route of the rally welcomed, with thankful hearts, and enjoyed not just the rally but the good tidings that came along, thanks to Vamcy Merla, the founder and director of VM Sports Foundation.
At the conclusion of the MRF MoGrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship for two-wheelers near Hyderabad on Sunday, the VM Sports Foundation arranged an outing with the tribals of the Amrabad Tiger Reserve. It was a pleasant surprise for the villagers, who suffer with excess mosquitoes and the cold nights in the jungles, when bundles and bundles of blankets and bed sheets arrived in their village and an array of biking stars descended on the hamlet, led by Vamcy Merla in the presence of the ranger, Ravi Kumar, who was in-charge of the forest.
“Mr. Merla has been supporting the tribals for over nine years now with blankets, buckets and ration when in need. It was especially helpful during the Covid times. He has also been providing jackets to the forest guards. We are glad that the relationship is now formalised with VM Sports Foundation,” added ranger Kumar, who was instrumental in garnering support for the tribals.
Children in playful mood after receiving the gifts from VM Sports Foundation. “When the ranger brought to the notice of the foundation about the plight of the villagers, Vamcy Merla, immediately responded with a gesture and arranged for the needy things,” said Abijith Shetty, Manager, VMSF, who took the initiative to organise the outing along with VMSF riders. “After a good performance, the riders are in their elements and the free service in the villages is an icing on the cake,” said Nataraj, a top athlete and former National champion.
The efforts were appreciated by the local MLA Dr. Chikkudu Vamsikrushna, Achampet, forest department officials and the Superintendent of Police. VM Sports Foundation riders notched up several podiums in the just concluded Rally Nationals.
Riders of VM Sports Foundation who took part in the 2w Rally Nationals visit the tribal villages and spend time in charity. -
Gaurav Gill-Molly end up in 9th place: APRC Otago rally
Dunedin, 14 April 2024: The Otago International Classic Rally has been won by Irishmen Kris Meeke and Noel O’Sullivan, with their Sunday speed capping off a fine weekend. Ace Indian driver Gaurav Gill from Delhi, backed by JK Tyre and Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation and co-driver Molloy in a Ford Excort M2, fell behind on the final day and ended up 9th.
The pair won all but one gravel stage on Saturday and followed it up with another impressive performance today in a Ford Escort RS1800 that’s been driven by some of the sport’s greats.
Meeke is a five-time World Rally Championship event winner and on his debut on New Zealand roads, added his name to the list of internationals to win the Otago Rally.
That list includes the likes of Jimmy McRae, Pasi Hagstrom, Markko Martin and Mikko Hirvonen, and Meeke was grateful for his experience at the Dunedin-based event.
Second to Meeke on the leaderboard throughout the entirety of the weekend was longtime Otago Rally competitor Deane Buist.
Buist has won the International Classic Rally in three different types of cars over the years and used his trusty Escort to get himself another fine results.
John Silcock and Donna Elder rounded out the podium in their crowd-pleasing Mazda RX7.Silcock’s Mazda was the only non Ford Escort to appear in the top nine positions and got there after a great drive all weekend long.
Richie Dalton made it three Irishmen near the top with his drive to fourth. After competing at the Otago Rally in four-wheel-drive cars previously, Dalton made the switch to a rented Ford Escort RS1800 this year and his result showed his talent behind the wheel.
He held off a fast-finishing Ally Mackay who, despite overheating issues, battled hard to reach a fine fifth overall in his Mk 1 Escort, ending just 6.2 seconds off fourth.
Mackay and co-driver Mikko Johnstone ended the event in great form, finishing the final three stages with top four stage times in the classics field.
Losing out in that day-long battle for the fifth position was Graham Ferguson, however, he’ll surely be content with his top six placing.Tim McIver was seventh, while first-time Otago Rally competitor, Queenslander Tristan Carrigan, overcame brake problems on Saturday to finish in eighth place.
Stephen Gill was ninth, followed by the giant-killing performance from Jake Thomas’ Toyota Levin in tenth.
Day two of the Otago Rally was held in fine and sunny conditions near Waihola, with little attrition affecting competitors throughout Sunday’s action, meaning many of the top positions remained unchanged.
The Rally is grateful for the support of Dunedin City Council Premier Event funding.Otago International Classic Rally | Provisional Results
1. Meeke/O’Sullivan, Ford Escort RS1800, 2hr 25m22.7s
2. Buist/Celeste, Ford Escort RS1800, +3m37.3s
3. Silcock/Elder, Mazda RX7, +8m24.4s
4. Dalton/Hudson, Ford Escort RS1800, +9m20.3s
5. Mackay/Johnston, Ford Escort Mk1, +9m26.5s
6. Ferguson/Moody, Ford Escort RS1800, +10m22.4s
7. McIver/McDonald, Ford Escort RS1800, +12m55.8s
8. Carrigan/Wooley, Ford Escort RS1800, +13m13.2s
9. Gill/Molloy, Ford Escort Mk2, +13m19.0s
10. Thomas/Webber, Toyota Levin, +13m36.3s
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Supported by Vamcy Merla, Ammyfied Rallying fields record 23 cars: INRC
Bengaluru, 28 July 2023: For the first time in the 35-year history of Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), a team has fielded a record number of 23 cars for a round of the INRC as official team entries. The huge number also made it a record 76 entries for the Rally of Coimbatore to be held at the Kethanur Windmill farms on Saturday and Sunday.
Team Ammyfied Rallying, powered by Vamcy Merla Sports Foundation, has fielded a record-breaking number of 23 team entries for the Rally of Coimbatore, the third round of the Blueband fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2023 which begins here on Friday. Apart from the team entries, VMSF is said to have supported another 15 privateers.
“Ammyfied Rallying has a deep vision to promote rallying in India and has been supporting talented drivers from different parts of India. With ample support from VM Sports Foundation, we have created a platform for young talent to step into rallying,” said Aeman Ahmed, Team Principal.
“I wish all the best to the biggest team, Ammyfied Rallying. Rallying is my passion and I am doing my bit to promote talented drivers so that they can realise their potential,” said Vamcy Merla of the Foundation.
Ammyfied which has dominated the Gypsy Class so far in the first two rounds has also bagged many podium places in other classes. For this round, drivers were fielded in all the classes except in the top INRC class. Top drivers like Suhem Kabeer and co-driver Jeevarathinam, Maninder Singh Prince and Vinay Padmashali, Chetan Shivram and Shiv Prakash, Ritesh Rai and Lokranjan are in the INRC2 class while Aeman Ahmed and Sagar Mallappa, Himanshu Arora and Kunal Kashyap, Arnav Prathap Singh and Arjun SSB, Arjun Rajiv and Rohit Gowda, Jagbir Nirwan and Karanpreet Mattu, and Nikeetaa Takkale and Venu Ramesh Kumar are in the INRC3 class.
The team will have another five care in INRC4 namely, Abhin Rai and D Uday Kumar, Prakhyat Shirole and Belli, Phoebe and Sawan, Renuka and Pramod, and Farhan and Arun. Ammyfied’s favourite class, the Gypsy Cup will see the championship leaders Samrat Yadav and Chandu lead eight cars. The other are Darshan Nachappa and Abhinav Ganapathy, Akarsh Sundar and Ravi Kumar Reddy, Gurinder Singh Sidhu and Manjunath GM, Baiju Stephen and Sachin Sharma, Sachin Singh and Prakash M, Madhusudhan V and Harsha, Kalyan MVV and Raghuram Saminathan.
Vamcy Merla, who recently won the SUV class in a 4×4 event in Coorg, is expected to get behind the wheel of a Gypsy with Raghu as co-driver.
“I have promoted several FMSCI events in the past too, including the 2019 edition of the Indian National Rally Championship. I have created this foundation to help India’s best rallyists follow their dreams without worrying about money,” said Vamcy Merla, Chairman of the Foundation.
“The INRC has received a huge boost thanks to VMS Foundation’s enthusiasm and wholehearted support. Several drivers, who can’t afford the costs of competing in an event of this scale and magnitude and skip several rounds every year, are all here in Coimbatore,” J Prithiviraj, secretary of the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, said. “We have a formidable field and every class is going to be thrilling and a close affair,” he added.
