Brothers team up to glory in their first year; Dilip Sharan shares his story: INRC 2019 champions

Bengaluru, 23 Dec 2019: One of the ever-green and most popular events of the Indian Motorsports calendar, the Indian National Rally Championship, saw new champions take the crown in 2019. The championship concluded on Sunday in Kerala with the Popular Rally, organised by Southern Adventures and Motorsports, and promoted by Champions Yacht Club (CYC), completing four of the six scheduled rounds in the calendar.

Akshara Team’s Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, emerged overall champions and bagged their maiden National title. For 41-year-old Shivram, who has been around for over two decades, it is a sweet ending to the campaign, winning the title with his younger brother. This is the first time in the 32-year history of INRC that two brothers won the National title. And winning with a lowly-INRC3 car, after fighting with much-powerful INRC machines is no mean achievement.

Today, INDIAinF1 caught up with Dilip Sharan, the 29-year-old, who teamed up his brother for the first time in this year’s INRC after a trial run in the curtain-raiser Sprint de Bengaluru proved to be a success.

The duo was apprehensive of the tarmac terrain in Kerala but realised that it was their golden chance to win the championship, what with a handsome lead they had with two victories. At the start, the fears were thought to be misplaced as both the South India Rally and K1000, were new stages but the brothers performed admirably.

However, as the Popular Rally began, the unforgiving cruel corner in the very first stage, just after about six km into the rally, saw them suffer a casualty, the second of the four cars to crash at the same corner. “In the very first stage with less than 2-km to the finish we hit a `dip’ and did not realise that we had a low air pressure on the front left (tyre) and we lost control. However with the experience Chetan has, he didn’t give up, and found a way to get the car back and got on to the wheels. Then, unfortunately, we lost a wheel including the hub, and the day ended for us being the leaders of the Overall Championship,’’ he added.

“With much regret, we sat and thought of things we could do to make sure we start Day 2. As usual, the magical hands of our `Mechanics’ coming for a team which needs no introduction, did get the car ready again.’’ The mechs were none other than from #FRK Racing. “The boys put the magic to work, and gave us a car to start on Sunday. But this would not have been possible without the help of Sumit Punjabi, who generously gave us the parts required to rebuild the car and for it to be ready for Day 2. As we entered the beginning of the stage, Chetan says `Sherry the car is just not handling, it’s all over the place,’ all we did was cruise… to finish the first stage, and stood 10th fastest,’’ went on Dilip talking about how they managed those last three stages.

“As we waited for Stage 2 to start, the one-and-only #Tiger_Baba (Sanjay Agarwal) asked Chetan what’s happening. So he explained why this is happening as the experience he carries in rallying is more than my age. With the wise advice well digested, we ended the stage 5th fastest and ended the next stage again in the same order to bag three points,’’ he continued.

Earlier at the start of the season, it all started with an informal chat. In Dilip’s own words, “the year 2019 has ushered in a lot of positive and happy changes in my life, and the most important being the marriage with the love of my life, Angel (Mabel).’’

During a chat with his elder brother Chetan Shivram and sister-in-law Jessica, the question of navigating for a one-off curtain raiser came up, which eventually turned into a full-season adventure. “I jumped at my brother Chetan’s invitation as I to love sit with him and the preparation of a freshly-built Volkswagen Polo-INRC3 began, but I was nervous…,’’ Dilip quipped and “who would not if one had to call pace notes to a driver like Chetan.’’

But soon all the doubts vanished as he sat in the car and the duo finished the Recce and the Rally. “For some good reason the bond in the car was so good, and we felt like we had done this few 100 times before,’’ Dilip, who made his rally debut in Chikkamagaluru Coffee Day Rally in 2016, recalled of the gut feeling he had at that time in March.

In the first round, at the South India Rally’s opening day in Chennai the duo took the lead but toppled on the second day. “After Day 1, we were in the Overall lead but unfortunately we flipped, toppled on Day 2’s first stage and then tried to finish, in vain,” he explained. Then the second rally at Coimbatore saw the pair dishing out splendid stuff when many experienced and talented top guns toppled to the tricky terrain, as they nurtured their car and safely finished the rally on the top step of the podium.

Many thought it was a fluke and a section of the media too, unprofessionally sidelined their superb showing, but with determination and focused approach, and technically-sound driving, the Bengaluru brothers proved their mettle once again and bounced back.

 “At the legendary K1000, we went in not knowing what to expect as the stages were brand new for all the drivers, after Recce, Chetan had one thing to say, “These are my kind of stages”, and then we set in the good vibes, family and friends there to cheer for the `Home-Town Boys’ to win.

 “As we entered the rally to make sure we win INRC 3, much to our surprise in no time Chetan made sure to endure the car and bring it back to finish on Day 1. Day 2 saw a good battle with Dr Speed (Bikku Babu). And we ended up on the podium with yet another Overall win.

And as the day ended in Kerala, bringing to close the INRC season, it was history and INRC saw New Champions. The Brothers, who entered as an INRC3 team, not only became the National Champions but managed a Double Dhamaka, also winning the INRC3 class.

“We are humbled with this success and express our gratitude to all the people who stood with us,’’ said Dilip. “I would like to thank Sumanth Akshara, the Chief, and my dad (Jothinarar Vishwanathan Shivram) and all the family members, for the opportunity and, for persistently believing in us, and giving us the fabulous courage to win,’’ he concluded, with a big thanks to MRF Tyres.