Arjun Balu-Kumar win Decan Rally; Naren Kumar clinches National Championship 1999

Hyderabad, 13 Dec 1999: Coimbatore duo, talented Arjun Balu and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy pipped compatriots and strong contenders Naren Kumar and co-driver D Ramkumar by a narrow margin of five seconds to clinch the Deccan Rally 1999, the eighth and final round of the Indian National Rally Championship but Naren and Ram managed to top the National Championship table and won the National Crown for 1999.

Sagar Muthappa and navigator Sandeep Rao clocking 2hours, 24min, 55sec to edge out Karandip Singh and Jaidas Menon by 11 second in the Group N class.

Rally Report by Scorp News:

By George Francis

Hyderabad, 13 Dec 1999: Thundering through the dusty dirt roads of Ranga Reddy district, about 100km from here, Team MRF clinched the Overall Group A Modified Class and Group N Un-Modified Class National Championship titles for the Year 1999.

The 187-km Deccan Rally, with 128 km of Special Stages (the rest were transport stages), was organised by Andhra Pradesh Motor Sports Club (APMSC), which was running the 14th edition of the event. The Deccan Rally is the eighth and final round of the Castrol National Rally Championship for Cars 1999, which decides both the Drivers’ and Navigators’ titles.

The hard-working APMSC went through the usual difficulties of not finding any major sponsor. There was JK Tyres offering `Sticker’ sponsorship, the GVK group putting up the FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India) officials in the hotels. It was learnt that every major APMSC member chipped in with Rs10,000 to ensure the proper run of the rally.

The organisers after locating two sections of the Special Stages, ran both the stages, thrice in the forward direction and thrice in the reverse direction, to make upo the necessary stage section. Vinay Asar, APMSC’s live-wire and Clerk of the Course (CoC), was hospitalised soon after the event, with a hemorrhage. He is now fine and recovering after undergoing a surgery.

The JK Tyre Rally team, the `go-getters’ in Indian Motorsport, received a boost before the Deccan Rally, re-appealing on the Steward’s verdict on infringement of technical regulations in the South India Rally 1999. They won the review, which added a very valuable 37.5 points to anchorman Hari Singh and Gurunder Singh Mann’s Overall Championship points.

Going back to details of the appeal, Team MRF’s Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan had appealed to the Stewards of the South India Rally, against certain technical infringements on the JK Cars driven by Hari Singh and Karamjit Singh. The appeal was upheld and Hari and Karamjit were excluded from the Rally results. Arjun Balu of Team MRF was pronounced the winner. The JK Tyre Rally team filed a review petition, citing the fact that Hari Singh and Karamjit Singh were not given a personal hearing. The verdict came up just before the final rally of the year.

While Hari Singh gained valuable points for the Championship, Malaysian Karamjit Singh, the 1997 Group N Pan Pacific Champion, too benefitted. Team JK Tyres, in the reckoning for the National title Overall and Group A, now led the points table with Manik Raikhy leading the field. Though MRF won the Group N title in Bangalore, Manik still maintained his lead.

When the Deccan Rally 1999 was flagged off from `Runaway 9′, a karting track, it was advantage JK Tyres. Three-time National champion Hari Singh led the Overall drivers and Group A drivers’ championship with 101-50 points. Similarly, his schoolmate Gurinder Singh Mann, led the Overall and Group A Navigators’ Championships with 101-50 points. Next in the reckoning was Team MRF’s Naren Kumar with 90 points and his navigator D Ramkumar was in a similar position in the Navigators’ Championship. Third in the competition was Arjun Balu, also of Team MRF, and his navigatore Kumar Ramaswamy.

In the Group N category, Team JK Tyre’s Manik Raikhy was ahead in the drivers and P Vivekanandan in the Navigators’ Championships. In the second place were driver Vijayant Chaudhry and co-driver Jaidas Menon of Team MRF. Sagar Muthappa, Karandip Singh and Jagat Nanjappa, all drivers from MRF, had an outside chance, with their respective navigators Sandeep S Rao, MK Chander and Anita Nanjappa.

Expectations were high in the JK camp, as they had a fine chance to pip MRF Limited at the post. The compulsory `recee’ (reconaissance) to familiarise the `dare devils’ with the rally route, was held on December 10. It was followed by the pre-event vehicle scrutiny and `drivers briefing’ on the 11th.

Hardly 22 cars lined up for the start and only 10 completed the rally. Out of the 22 cars, seven were from MRF, six from JK, two from Chettinad Sporting and three were seven private teams. That there were only seven Group A entries, proved the popularity of the Group N category where it is less costly to prepare a car.

Deccan Rally, the final leg of the Castrol National Rally Championship for cars, was flagged off at 7 am on Dec 12. The two basic stages comprised dirt roads. With the stages being tight, the onus was on the drivers and the navigators to work out a proper strategy.

Hari Singh and Gurunder Singh Mann of the JK Tyres Rally team were the first to be flagged off. In the very first Special Stage, Hari’s car was losing power, his drive shaft was gone, while Karamjit and Manik Raikhy were moving well.

But as the day progressed, there was bad news for MRF as well, as its prime tuner and six-time National Champion N Leelakrishnan pulled out due to technical problems on his Esteem. There were more disasers. The 1997 Group N Pan Pacific Champion, JK’s Karamjit Singh, blew his Esteem engine and the 1997 Group N National Champion Manik Raikhy, again JK, toppled, breaking his Esteem’s suspension.

With the major JK Tyre Rally team contenders having pulled out, Team MRF Tyres, cruised through to win the Castrol National Rally Championship. Overall land Group A driver Naren Kumar and Group A Navigator D Ramkumar and teammates Vijayant Choudhry and co-driver Jaidas Menon won the titles.

The Rally brought into focus two new winners. Team MRF’s Arjun Balu and Kumar Ramaswamy took the Overall and Group A title. They were followed by Naren Kumar and D Ramkumar. Team MRF’s Sagar Muthappa and Sandeep S Rao, the 1998 Group N National Champions, won the Group N category in the Deccan Rally, finishing after five years of DNFs (Did Not Finish) in the past.

“We were determined to finish the Deccan Rally this year. The last five times we competed here, we bowed out either due to technical reasons or crashes. We are highly pleased to finish this event and glad that we also won the Group N class,” said Sagar Muthappa, an Engineer by profession.

The soft spoken and modest Arjun Balu and navigator Kumar Ramaswamy proved that they are strong contenders for the Championship. Arjun Balu, who has a `clean driving style’ had been very unlucky in the past, having to drop out of rally after gaining the lead. His performance during the year has been quite consistent, and the next season could well prove his best one. “We are looking towards the next season,” said Arjun and Kumar, in unision.

The run-up to the National titles has not been easy for Naren Kumar and D Ramkumar and Vijayant Choudhry and Jaidas Menon. Every single rally has seen hectic, nail-biting competition between JK and MRF. JK’s import of suspension specialist Brian Palmer, and Karamjit Singh, did provide a higher level of competition. Ace Tuner for MRF Tyres N Leelakrishnan had said in 1998, “Our advantage has been our stronger suspensions.” The strengthening of the JK cars suspensions with rally specialist Brian, provided theneeded `strength to fight’.

Naren Kumar, who has just completed his Business Management studies in Australia, from where he used to fly in for the National Rallys, said: “I am delighted to win the National Title now. I have been chasing the Championship for the past five years, and have seen a downward trend in the sport during these years. The competition has dwindled, with participation reducing every year.”

Naren has the distinction of winning the tough and dicey Karnataka 1000 Rally in his maiden year in Motorsports, in a Group N un-modified car. It was that victory, where he won against many Group A contenders (modified cars) that sounded a warning to the rallying fraternity, about the entry of this young lad.

“Indian motorsports is suffering because there is no entry-level class. There are hardly four to five competitors in this sport, who are entering every rally, in the newcomers category. What we need is a cheaper class like a Marut Gypsy Group N, which would cost hardly 1-5 lakh to participate in all the rallies in a season. The sponsors would watch the performance of these newcomers and finally pick them up in their teams. Karting is the solution for getting more curcuit racers. A cheap entry level class, which will be the stepping stone, is the only way the sport can improve,” quipped Naren Kumar, who was crowned as the Champion for 1999.

In fact, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), has introduced two new championships in 1999, the Novice and the un-seeded class, to encourage newcomers. The onus now on the FMSCI, to make the two classes affordable, by running them with cheaper vehicle preparation possibilities.

Naren, who should be getting into business soon, says, about his plans for the new Millennium. “I would like to win the National title many more times and participate in the international rallies, at least in the far east or in Malaysia.” International participation would give Naren Kumar a better car, and a higher level of competition, and maybe, MNC sponsorships which could give India the necessary leap into International rallying. “The participation of Karamjit Singh from Malaysia has definitely brought in more competition into Indian rallying. But for that, I have been rallying with the same set of competitors for the past five years. Of course, the cars and competitors have improved immensely, but we need more competition if we want to take Indian motorsports to new heights,” he concluded.

Provisional Results:

Overall: 1. Arjun Balu/ KR Kumar (Team MRF) (2hours, 24minutes, 40seconds); 2. VR Naren Kumar/ D Ramkumar (Team MRF)(2:24:45); 3. Sagar Muthappa/ Sandeep Rao (Team MRF) (2:24:55); 4. Karandip Singh/ Jaidas Menon (Team MRF) (2:25:06); 5. Vijayant Chaudhry. MK Chander (2:32:26).

Group A: 1. Arjun Balu/ KR Kumar (Team MRF) (2:24:40); 2. VR Naren Kumar/ D Ramkumar (2:24:45); 3. G Ravindra Mudiraj/ CH Sai Giridhar (3:28:27).

Group N: 1. Sagar Muthappa/ Sandeep Rao (2:24:55); 2. Karandip Singh/ Jaidas Menon ( 2:25:06); 3. Vijayant Chaudhry. MK Chander (2:32:26); 4. Navaz Bathena/ Sherin Balachandran (Chettinad Sporting) (2:36:25); 5. PG Abhilash/ CK Chinappa (Chettinad Sporting) 2:38:25…

(Updated 2020 to support: INRC winners: Hall of fame; Official Results released by VS Shriakant on 17th Dec 1999)