Big-time Motorsport returns to Kolkata with 2w Sprint Rally Nationals
Kolkata, 17 Sept. 2021: Two-wheeler rally returns to the City of Joy after a gap of 18 years with the MotorsportsInc FMSCI Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2021 for two-wheelers set for the two-day East Zone qualifiers in the mixed-tarmac and murram dirt terrain of the jungles in Bardhaman district, about 180 km, from here on Saturday and Sunday. The South Zone rounds were held in August and two more rounds in North and West Zone would culminate in the Grand Finale at Goa from November 6 to 7.
Locals stalwarts Vishal Das, Uday Ganguli and Jayaraj will spearhead the competition with the `Flying Lady’ Buli Nath providing the North-East edge with a bevy of young riders and fans descending from Assam. A veteran of 20 years riding in different disciplines of motorsports including Desert Storm, the 42-year young Vishal Das, is a Stock class winner of the Holy Grail, the Raid de Himalaya, blazing his KTM390 on the dangerous terrain when it was last held in 2018. Uday Ganguli is also a popular name in these parts with his motorsports exploits being second to none. He too has taken part in cross country rallies and other disciplines including Desert Storm. “These veterans will be challenged by a host of youngsters, some of whom have high skills but no platform to showcase their talent and have to travel to north or south of the country. Many of them will ride in multiple classes with a handful of bikes in the special stage which is closed to road traffic, said Sandeep Sardar, who received 72 entries as Treasurer of BMSC.
“It is our endeavour to bring back the popular sport to the riding fraternity of Kolkata and North East region. We are organising this with strict respect to all the COVID protocols and it is a good chance for riders to win medals at the National level again,” said Jaidas Menon of Motorsports INC, the promoter and the brain behind the concept of Sprint. Menon has multiple INRC wins as navigator in four-wheelers and now runs the Dakshin Dare and the Sprint Nationals.
Organised by Bengal Motorsports Club and promoted by Motorsports INC, the Federation of Motor Sports Club Sprint Nationals for 2w stage rally is a recent concept on the lines of T20 cricket to provide a thrilling shorter version where an 8-km stage is run twice, once in the forward direction on Saturday and once in the reverse direction on Sunday. The top-five qualifiers in each of the 9 classes will make it to the Finals in Goa. The sponsorship from Hero Moto Corp has not only helped their two star riders Yuva and Satyaraj from Bengaluru take part and provide the impetus to motorsports in East and North-East but also to bring back a big-ticket event to this region with the Kavi Guru rally being the last held here 2019 by BMSC.
Overnight rains can make the red murram slushy and interesting for the 10 classes which will showcase a plethora of machines, in the picturesque forest backdrop, with Group A upto 600cc class for motocross tuned bikes and the Open Class upto 600cc class being the feature events. The scooter class, Bullet class among the ten categories add spice as they provide intense competition and the response is overwhelming with over 70 entries expected to fight for honours. The presence of Buli Nath adds spice to the ladies event as the `Flying Lady’ from Assam coming to the Sprint Nationals within two months of delivering a baby had inspired a few other bikers from Assam to take part.
“To bring rich-man’s sport to the commoners, the Bengal Motor Sports Club was born in 1998 and is taking the initiative to organise the Sprint Rally Nationals. The club regularly runs events and has a team of motorsports enthusiasts and veterans who volunteer to maintain high standards while running the events, said Pratim Chowdhury, Secretary of BMSC. The Rally Headquarters will be at the Deul Park Eco Resort, near Durgapur, and the terrain is famous for the INRC four-wheeler round, last held in 2011.
The 2w Sprint Rally Nationals is one of the 10 different motorsports disciplines that were given the National Championship status by the FMSCI and nine National Champions for 2021 will emerge after the final round.
Championship classes: Class 1. Group A upto 600cc (Foreign bikes only) 2. Group B upto 130cc 3. Group B 131cc to 165cc 4. Group B 166cc to 260cc 5. Group B 261cc to 400cc 6. Group D upto 260cc 7. Scooter Class 8. Bullet Class 9. Open Class upto 600cc.
