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Tag: Vamcy Merla
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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. -
Vamcy Merla is now the Promoter of Otago Rally APRC 2024
Otago (New Zealand) 4 March 2024: Prominent Indian businessman, Vamcy Merla, is now the promoter of the Otago Rally’s Asia-Pacific Rally Championship Pacific Cup. He will provide significant support, including through his business Maitri Estates.
His support of the rally will be a huge boom for competitors in the APRC component of the event, with prizemoney of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 for the first three placegetters.
Merla and his business, Maitri Estates, is a long time supporter of Indian motorsport in many forms, and 2024 will be his second year involved with the APRC.
Vamsi Merla, the APRC Otago Rally Promoter “I have always been passionate about promoting rallying in India and in the Asia-Pacific region,” Merla said.
“I am delighted to be the promoter of the Otago Rally APRC Pacific Cup, and supporting both the competitors and organisers makes the sport stronger. The Otago Rally has a big reputation for providing an outstanding event.”
Rally promotions manager, Roger Oakley, added:
“Vamcy Merla’s support is hugely appreciated. The prizemoney is a significant incentive for competitors and we encourage all those who are eligible to register for the Asia-Pacific Championship component of the event.”
The Central Machine Hire Otago Rally is the first round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship and also includes the famed Otago International Classic Rally.
The rally is the second of six rounds of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, with the series ‘grand finale’ to be held at the Rally of Whangarei in the North Island in early November.
The Otago Rally gratefully acknowledges the Premier Event grant support of the Dunedin City Council.
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Gaurav Gill displays brute speed, just 0.5 sec off the leaders: WRC Acropolis Rally
Delhi, 11 September 2023: JK Tyre backed, Indian rally ace, Gaurav Gill showcased impressive stage timings amid the tumultuous conditions at the Acropolis Rally of Greece. While the recce helped him develop a good strategy, the weather played a spoil sport from the start of the rally, throwing challenges on the go.
Showing characteristic tenacity, Gill was exceptional as he made his presence felt throughout all clean stages coupled with split times on the stages where he had breakdowns, his speed was off 0.5 to 1.0 seconds per kilometre of than WRC2 leader Andreas Mikkelsen.
Indian motorsport’s only Arjuna Awardee, Gill and his co-driver Barral Florian had gone into the hot, dusty, stages of the gruelling event expecting to be in their element. The pair were able to put up some wow moments in their Škoda Fabia R5.
Despite facing setbacks like torrential rain and dry weather which eventually cancelled the shakedown stage and curtailed few more stages. The route conditions further led to radiator issue in Gill’s Car. The Punctures picked up on the rock-strewn terrain further dashed his hopes of a strong result.
However, bouncing back strongly on the final day ending stage 13 and 14 at 10th and 8th positions in the WRC 2 classification, respectively. The rally seriously tested the mettle of the man and machine by throwing them off-guard with various trials.
On his experience at the Acropolis Rally, Gaurav Gill said, “It’s not called the ‘Rally of Gods’ for nothing! This rally is known for its treacherous conditions, the biggest challenge that you can ask for in the WRC in terms of climate, terrain and competitors. We didn’t get the result we hoped for but we were still able to mix it with the great champion drivers in terms of raw pace, despite it being our first rally of the year, which was incredibly encouraging. We also took away a lot in terms of learning and experience and I’m grateful to JK Tyre and Vamcy Merla for the opportunity. Our full focus now is on the Indonesian round of the APRC and bringing the title back to India.”
Gaurav Gill is also supported by the promoter Vamcy Merla.
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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.
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With virtually no seat time, Geoffrey Emmanuel performs admirably: JuniorGP
Valencia (Spain), May 22: Talented Indian racer and a pioneer in his own right, Geoffrey Emmanuel, amazingly adapted to the well-known circuit, despite taking part in a competitive race here for the first time and came out trumps finishing the race, which in itself is a big success as he is the first and lone torch-bearer for India, paving way for others in the FIM World Championship JuniorGP here on Sunday. He made an amazing comeback after his injury in the last round.
The hard-working Emmanuel, son of Indian racing star of yesteryears, Emmanuel Jebaraj, put in a stunning show to improve his performance and finished a creditable P19 and P25 in the second round in the double-header, considering the experience and access to seat time of his competitors, at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the popular venue.
Geoffrey, the 18-year old from Chennai, representing the famous Cuna De Campeones team, made a good beginning on his KTM in the season-opener in Portugal a fortnight back, and despite suffering injuries following a crash, made a valiant effort to be within 3.6 seconds of the leaders over the weekend.
Having qualified 26th on the 27-bike grid, Geoffrey, who is sponsored by Fairstreet Sports, Vidiem, Vamcy Merla and Gusto Racing, put in a determined performance to take P25.
In the second race later in the day, Geoffrey fought hard to finish 19th. Considering the amount of opportunities that he had in India and the experience and seat time enjoyed by his rivals, finishing the race is a good progress. But the Indian is soon adapting to the weather and new conditions and achieved his target of completing the race with aplomb. “It is a good learning experience. I am here to test myself and work hard. I am glad that I got a good team and am able to understand and learn from the professional set-up here,” said Emmanuel, who dreams of racing MotoGP one day.
He felt that his learning at this level continues and after two rounds of the seven-round championship, he grew stronger but realises that he has a long road ahead of him. He is keen to make a mark in the JuniorGP which is a feeder series for the FIM Moto3 World Championship and is considered to be among the most-competitive junior championships in the World. The fact that he is the first and only Indian to get till here makes him a pioneer. “I am aware of the gigantic task ahead of me. But I am willing to work hard and I am sure the way we are working, we will be there soon,” he said confidently to INDIAinF1.com.
Emmanuel added: “Both the races were difficult but I was able to fight with the riders. The two races helped me to figure out the areas where I need to work on and come back stronger for the next round.”
Fairstreet Sports, the promoter who is bringing MotoGP to India, Vidiem, who sponsored and brought the MiniGP to India for the first time in 2022, have backed the young prospect. Vamcy Merla, the maverick former promoter of Indian National Rally Championship, and the founder of VM Sports Foundation, the heir torch-bearer of Andhra Pradesh’s Kalyani Group, has also pitched in to help Emmanuel blossom into an international rider.
And it is Gusto Racing India, but for whom, the young rider would not have made it to the foreign land. His dad, the architect of many a youngster taking to the sport in India, runs Gusto. “If not for my dad, I would not have been where I am,” he told this writer once at the MMSC hospitality. This writer has also spotted Jebaraj waiting patiently for Valentino Rossi, at the Sepang a few summers back, and the technically-sound rider of his day, was so disappointed that the legendary rider soon disappeared out of the motorhome where the Indian maestro was waiting. But the delight and joy that one cannot mistake in his jubilant face once he met the legend, made “yours humbly” realise that JEBARAJ breaths MotoGP day-in and day-out.
The third round of the championship is scheduled to be held in Jerez, Spain, from June 2 to 4, and by the time seven rounds are done, we would have an Indian pioneer. The hardworking youngster has the skills, talent and the commitment to go places, and if nurtured properly, can get the break at the right time.
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TVS’ Rajendra sets fastest time; wins Round 1: 2w Rally
Madikeri, 22 May 2023: Defending champion Rajendra RE of Petronas TVS Racing began his title defence clocking the best time as he won the premier class in the MRF Rally of Coorg, the first round of the National Rally Championship for two-wheelers 2023 here on Sunday.
The first round of the two-wheeler National Rally Championship was organised by Ace Events and promoted by Godspeed Racing. While MRF sponsored the event, many of the riders were individually supported by Vamsi Merla Sports Foundation.
In the Ladies class, young Tanika Shanbagh of Satara (Hero MotoSports) dominated the proceedings all through and won the class with ease and also beat the times of fancied Aishwarya Pissay, the reigning champion, in three of the six special stages. Tanika also finished a creditable overall 30th, among 94 finishers, just two spots behind 2019 World Baja champion Pissay. The six-time national champion, Pissay, moved to the top class contending on equal footing with the male bikers on a TVS Apache RTR 450.
Nataraj of Bengaluru won the Superbike Expert class while Stephen Roy of Kodagu beat Ajin Abraham of Kottayam to clinch the Supersport 165cc Group B class.
Imran Pasha (Supersport 260cc Group B) and Syed Asif Ali (Scooters) won two more titles for Petronas TVS Racing team while Tanika kept the Hero MotoSports flag flying winning the Ladies class victory.
Shivamogga’s Darpan Darshan became Star of Karnataka winning the local class while Stephen Roy, Russel Jossey, Arun Jossey M and Nitish Bharadwaj won the other classes.
Provisional Results:
Class 1: Superbike Pro-Expert Group A: 1. Rajendra RE (Petronas TVS Racing) (1hour, 5min, 13.356sec); 2. Samuel Jacob (TVS) (1:05.40.361); 3. Abdul Waheed Tanveer (TVS) (1:06:06.253).
Class 2 Superbike Expert Group A: 1. Nataraj (Bengaluru) (1:09:33.070); 2. Dhritimaan Singh (Dehradun) (1:12:23.307); 3. Sinan Francis (Ernakulam) (1:13:47.472).
Class 10 Star of Karnataka: 1. Darpan Darshan (Shivamogga) (1:22:56.020); 2. Yamanurappa Hugar (Kachohalli) (1:24:13.725 including 1min 51sec penalty); 3. Kiran Kumar S (Mysore) (1:24:33.249).
Class 3 Supersport 165cc Group B: 1. Stephen Roy (Kodagu) (1:13:21.324); 2. Ajin Abraham (Kottayam) (1:13:41.419); 3. Akhil Joy (Ernakulam) (1:16:11.147).
Classs 4: Supersport 260 Group B: 1. Imran Pasha (Petronas TVS Racing) (1:06:34.949); 2. T Arun (Hero Motosports) (1:06:58.310); 3. Karan Kumar (Hero Motosports) – 01:08:57.733)
Class 5: Supersport 400 Grouop B: 1. Russel Jossey (Mumbai) (1:16:54.803); 2. Rohit Shinde (Baramathi) (1:21:41.088); 3. Akhand Pratap Singh (Uttarakhand) (1:22:35.504).
Class 6: Supersport 550 Group B: 1. Arun Joy M (Eranakulam) (1:18:23.852); 2. Jeemon Anthony (Kochi) (1:19:12.449); 3. Sharath Kumar (Bengaluru) (1:20:27.756);
Class 7: Scooters up to 210cc Group B: 1. Syed Asif Ali (TVS) – 01:19:26.866; 2. N Karthik Naidu (TVS) (1:21:19.864); 3. Pinkesh Thakkar (JB Racing) (1:21:48.845).
Class 8: Women’s Class Group B: 1. Tanika Shanbhag (Hero MotoSports) (1:19:04.992); 2. Tanaya Singh (Hero MotoSports) (1:25:20.163); 3. Fazeela U (Palakkad) (1:32:18.855).
Class 9: Super Stock up to 450cc Group D: 1. Nitish Bharadwaj (Kulu) (1:14:29.829); 2. Shailesh Kumar (Erode) (1:14:37.088); 3. R Sabarish (Coimbatore) (1:15:44.466).
Last edited on 30May2023
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Vamcy Merla backs Rally of Whangarei, Pacific Cup winners: APRC
Whangarei (New Zealand), 11 May 2023: The 12-14 May running of the 2023 International Rally of Whangarei is underway with teams now doing pre-event reconnaissance.
“There is prize money of NZ$3,000 for the winning APRC entrant, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third, provided by Indian businessman and promoter Vamcy Merla,” said the organisers about the contribution of Merla, who is taking forward the legacy of his later father, Merla Chandrasekhar Rao of Kalyani Group in Andhra Pradesh.
Preparation for the return of the international level to the Whangārei region comes after numerous weather events and successive years hiatus through COVID-19 restrictions.
Organisers are now looking ahead following Tuesday’s rain downpour – focussing on delivering the event as planned, with currently only one minor alteration to the timetable.
Scheduled to be contested over 18 special sections of closed road, that has now been reduced to 16.
“On the Sunday we’ve removed the Tangihua road from the timetable – which was to be used twice,” said Mr Steve Foster, chairman of the organising committee.
“Following the weather front that passed through we’ve had to ask and been asked the question as to the usability of some roads. Inspection has confirmed It only affected one section of road where there have been slips that are yet to be cleared. While it’s expected to be open again this afternoon we’ve opted to remove it from our schedule.”
At 14.40km long it will reduce the overall competitive distance from 254.60km to 225.80km.
Foster says Pohe Island is now the current focus. The William Fraser Memorial Park is to host Saturday’s publicity section: “Current conditions make it marginal for hospitality to setup at Pohe Island – we’re working on an alternate option while remaining optimistic the clearer weather mean we can run as planned.”
With light rain expected during the Thursday, weather for the next few days is clear.
“It’s possible a few showers could pass through later on Sunday however that’s a few days out and unlikely to affect anything,” added Foster.
The event brings 48 teams to the region – 11 of them contesting the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) category. Top-seed drivers include Hayden Paddon and Shane van Gisbergen.
Seven cars are offshore entries, including the Cusco Toyota C-HR of Michael Young. Others include Eugene Creugent and Pierre-Henri Brunet from New Caledonia, Julien Lenglet and Nelson Law from Vanuatu, Stewart Reid and Glen Alcorn from Australia.
Activity starts from 1pm Friday with shakedown testing at William Fraser Memorial Park’s Pohe Island. Drivers will then be at the Cameron St Mall from 4:45pm for a signing session ahead of the 5:30pm ceremonial start.
The competitive section begins Saturday morning with four special stage tests to the north of Whangārei. They return from 11:42am for a service stop before repeating the journey in the afternoon. The day concludes with a double run of the Pohe Island 1.15km spectator stage.
Sunday uses four road stage sections to the south – repeated after the 10:39am service break. The remaining teams return for the ceremonial finish at the Pūtahi Park – Town Basin, Whangārei, from 3pm.
Spectator tickets start at $10 for the rural stages for the Saturday or Sunday, or $20 for the Pohe Island stage. Full ticketing information can be found on the website. https://www.rallywhangarei.co.nz/spectators/
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JK Tyre, Vamcy Merla to sponsor Ruhaan’s GB4 campaign in the UK
Bengaluru, 6 April, 2023: Ruhaan Alva, the young 16-year-old racing prodigy’s next big international outing will be the 2023 GB4 Championship, which gets underway this kon Friday at Oulton Park in the UK.
Ruhaan, who had a dream run in his racing career with four National titles and multiple club titles, for a total of seven titles under his belt, will take part in the GB4 Championship, an extremely-competitive single-seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. Indian rising star, Ruhaan Alva will race with renowned Fortec Motorsport team in the upcoming season.
Ruhaan Alva said: “I’m really excited to be racing in the GB4 Championship this year with such a fantastic team as Fortec Motorsport. The aim is to use this as a springboard and to be as successful in single seaters as I have been throughout karting. I’m grateful to the support JK Tyre has extended to me throughout my racing career. I also thank Mr. Vamcy Merla for his belief in me and my talent. I look forward to represent our country and our Indian motorsport fraternity.”
In 2021, he won four Championships in India at a very young age of 15 years. The driver from Bengaluru, has already represented the country on several international platforms like the Rotax Grand Finals in Bahrain in 2021, Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific selection programme and the World Motorsport Games in F4 in 2022.
JK Tyre Motorsport known for nurturing motorsport talent from India for over four decades inducted Ruhaan in their scholarship program last year.
The talented Bangalore boy, graduates to full-time single-seater Formula cars after an impressive karting and racing career, including winning the Indian X30 title and front-running appearances at both the IAME International Final and Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Now, Ruhaan will contest the seven-event, 21-race GB4 calendar alongside Fortec’s other driver, Colin Queen. The third driver slot is yet to be announced.
Sanjay Sharma, Head of Motorsports, JK Tyre, said: “Ruhaan has been a trailblazer in Indian racing circuit and now it is time that he proves his mettle on international soil. Nothing gives us more happiness than supporting our racers who proudly represent our Tri-colour. We wish Ruhaan the very best and hope that this experience will propel him closer to his dream.”
In a recent announcement by Fortec Motorsport, Team Principal Oliver Dutton said: “We’re really looking forward to working with Ruhaan. His is a name that has been cropping up on a few people’s radars recently, and we definitely think he has a lot of potential. GB4 is a really tough championship, as we found out last year, but with the right development and some experience, he can be a force to be reckoned with, and his addition to the team puts us in even stronger shape heading to Oulton Park this weekend.”
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.
