Economical & Exciting: 1999 K-1000

By George Francis, Scorp News

Bangalore, 15 Aug 1999: The Silver Jubilee 25th Karnataka-1000 Rally 1999 for cars and motorcycles in the Golden Jubilee year of the organiser, Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC), which proved that a Motor Rally can be exciting even if it is run `economically’.

The Castrol India Limited sponsorship having been denied to KMSC, like all other hosting clubs, the organisers went a begging for sponsors.

The KMSC, with a colourful list of members, which almost reads like a who’s who in the Karnataka Automobile industry, failed miserably to get a sponsor quickly. Respite came in the form of the `knockout beer’, brand of the Mysore Breweries Limited, who chipped in Rs. 1 lakh to sponsor the motorcycle part of the legendary K-1000 Rally.

The history of the Karnataka-1000 Rally is interesting. The KMSC, founded in 1949, ran the first ever race in Karnataka the same year at South Parade, and the first rally in 1950. Having run a motorcycle race in Mysore in 1951, and a motorcycle race at Yelahanka in 1954, followed by a car race at the Yelahanka airstrip in 1955, the Karnataka 1000 Rally was born in 1975.

In the 25th edition of the KMSC’s prime event, K1000, was run as a simple economical and exciting event.

Only two Special Stages, namely India Mines and Kondli Mines made up the basic structure of competition. Both the India mines and Kondli mines were to be run thrice in the same direction, and the former thrice and the later twice in the opposite direction. Six plus five making 11 stages, totalling to 128.70km, including transport stages.

The India Mines stage measured 14.20km, while the Kondli Mines stage was 8.70km long. The setting of these Special Stages was very simple. One had to proceed to Bangalore-Tumkur highway and after reaching Tumkur, travel to Gubbi and Nittur and 5km before KB cross (after 2km from the Diamond Cement Board) one reaches Harena halli, where the service park was located on the left of the highway and the stages are on the right.

Thanks to Bharath Raj, member of KMSC and owner of India Mines and the owner of the Kondli Mines, the KMSC could run their 1999 Silver Jubilee edition successfully.

The simple route with hardly any chances for navigational error, could have easily made the competitors overconfident. The 50 motorcycles and 21 cars started the K1000 but only 30 motorcycles and 10 cars finished the event. Service was allowed with re-grouping at the end of the two stages run consecutively, and each set of stages meant hardly 23 kms of stage driving or riding with negligible transport distances. Compare this to the K1000 run as a 1000 miles event, and God knows, what the present day competitors would have done.

The Karnataka-1000 “99 ran the motorcycles and cars events as separate parts of the same rally. In accordance with the FMSCI rule that all organisers running rallies for motorcycles and cars, should try and run them as separate events, to give both classes, equal publicity, in 2000, and be prepared for the same in 1999, the KMSC is the first club to have made a concrete step towards this format.

On August 10, the compulsory recee (reconnaissance) was run for both cars and motorcycles, and on 11th the pre-event scrutiny was held at Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.

At 6am on August 12 saw the 51 gleaming motorcycles line up at the Kanteerava Stadium in downtown Bangalore for the start. K Prasad of Team MRF Limited know as chia (Champion) to fellow competitors and Karnataka locals, took the starters flag followed by Teammates Rohitaaz Kumar and Amar Sandhu, respectively. Tragedy struck Team MRF Limited and tuners TVS Suzuki on the recee day itself. Reigning champion Zubin Patel, overdoing the recee had a toss and broke his collar bone and wrist, which had earlier broken in another accident also, plus damaged his right elbow terribly. By the looks of it, he may take the rest of the season (4 months) to recoup.

Though 3 out of 4 competitors sponsored by Team MRF were participating, the hype and hoopla seemed to be on the brand presence of the Yamahas and Suzukis.

The 19 Yamahas, of which 9 were RX100s and 10 were RX135s, four Suzuki Shaolins and 27 Suzuki Shoguns made up the 50 competing motorcycles. The line-up clearly emphasised the lead that Suzukis have made into the field of Indian Motor Cycle Rallying in the past five years.

The fact being that only the Yamahas and Suzukis are the only works teams entering Indian motor sport sport, the way the lesser powered Suzuki zoomed into Indian Motor cycle rallying and racing makes interesting reading.

In the Pre-1994 days, the Yamahas were the leaders. People like Sekhar Bhojana of Down Town Works in Bangalore put the Yamahas in the prime spot.

In 1994, TVS Suzuki launched an aggressive campaign into Indian two-wheeler Rallying with Rajaram, prime tuners, being put on the R&D job exclusively for Shoguns. Powering the Shoguns from nowhere, TVS Suzuki started getting results. The Yamahas though very much present in the Indian rallys, those days fared poorly due to no R&D support, and service support from the manufacturers. In fact, even the Coorgi legends, Jagat and Anita Nanjappa’s pet bike is Yamaha 100, with which they ruled the Indian Rally scene until 1998, when they shifted to 4-wheelers.

Growing in leaps and bounds, Suzuki located the promising riders like Shyam Kothari, K Prasad and Zubin Patel and offered them factory prepared bikes. Winning the rally by a dozen, the practice in two-wheeler rallying was to get on to a Shogun, so that they could get into the works team later, and get spares support when they are novices.

Zen Motors, a retail outlet of TVS Suzuki got into the fray supporting the up and coming rallyists with spares for Shoguns, at Zen’s own expenditure for the love of rallying. Of course, Zen, run by Krishna Murthy and Praneeth Perumal, school-time friends, became popular among Indian rallyists and not a day would pass in their Bangalore outlet without a rallyist visiting them.

In 1996, 1997 and 1998, TVS Suzuki won the Castrol National Rally Championship for motorcycles.

It was in the last few rallies of the 1998 that Yamaha realised that they were the hare in the Tortoise and Hare story. Waking up, Pacer Yamaha, enlisted Shekar Bhojana of Down Town Works, to support the prime Yamaha competitors. Japanese Mechanics and R&D personnel flew into India to locate the advantages the  Shoguns had and the Pacer Yamaha team started perfecting their machines. The RX135s were brought in, to get that little bit of an edge that one needs to win a rally by fractions of seconds. The limelight of the rallying season is fully shining on the Team Pacer Yamaha now. The Suzukis, to beat the 135cc edge of the Yamahas are now perfecting the equally powered Shaolins. In fact, 1998 season was used as a test run for the Shaolins, with Amol Talpade riding them.

Coming back to K-1000 rally, the 50 competitors reached the Service Park in Harenhalli and were now ready to take on the Special Stages, after the two hours 11km tiring transport from Bangalore.

Chia Prasad sponsored by MRF Limited and astride a Pacer Yamaha works team 135bike, thundered across the India Mines and Kondli Mines to lead the pack until the sixth stage. Fate had it that he should suffer a puncture in the 7th stage. The stages and the tighter service schedules upset Prasad and Roitaaz Kumar of Chandigarh, another MRF sponsored rallyist on another Pacer Yamaha tuned Yamaha 135 took over the saddle.

In the meantime, prime drop-outs included Amar Sandhu, Uday Kumar, Vikram Singh, G Prasad, Nippendar Jessy, and many more totalling to 20. In fact, each time the rally passed a stage we were busy noting down drop-outs.

The puncture that cost him the first place, did not make Prasad to lose heart. The chia in him fought valliantly through two stages, totalling 22km, with a flat rear wheel to finish for service and finall breast the tape at second spot.

The performance of R Sreenivas, Akash Ithal, Kunal Singh, Rohan Rego, Ravindra AS, Manu and Amarjeet Singh should be lauded. They seem to be now forming the second line of attack in Indian Motorcycle rallying and shoul soon tune up to be prime rallyists.

RH Vikram, ex-MRF Team member, is the other one to watch in the 99 season. Vikram, who was over-weight during the last few years, has trimmed down by 12 kgs to put the pressure on the `Big Boys’. “I have to trim down if I want to be on the top. I am going to work hard this season,” Vikram, popular known as Vicky, said, to the applause of his massive fan following in Bangalore.

The last bike finished the special stages by around 6.30pm and left for Bangalore to put their bikes into Parc Ferme.

On the 13th of August at 6am, local hero and Team MRF Tyres sponsored current  Group N champion Sagar Muthappa navigated by  Sandeep Rao, flagged off into the cars event of the Karnataka-1000 Rally, 1999.

The 20 cars started in one-minute intervals. There were seven MRF Tyres sponsored cars, five JK Tyres sponsored cars, two Team Chettinad Sporting cars, two Team Kadur cars, two partly sponsored JK cars and three privateers.

The JK Tyres Rally team was seething under the loss of their overall and top Group A placings in the South India Rally 1999, which Team MRF Tyres won at the IMSAC (Indian Motor Sports Appeal Court). Team MRF Tyres, current National Overall and Group A and Group N champions, were basking in glory, leading all the groups in the 1999 National Championship until now.

At 8.20am, Team MRF Tyres’ Sagar Muthappa, went into the Special Stages at Harenhalli, in his two-rally old Group A (modified) car, and toppled. That set the trend for the K-1000 1999. While the rest of the rallyists passed through the first stage, with utmost care, Deborshi Sadan Bose of Calcutta, a very young `boy driver’, took off into a ditch due to a navigational error, and ended his adventure run there. While a forlorn Deborshi and Iqbal, his navigator, were walking down the stage to exit, Iqbal said, “It is totally my fault. I missed the call.”

Nihar Kiran Modi, along with navigator Nikhil V Pai, did the same trick of flatter ground, straightened out their esteem and proceeded.

The pace was being set by Naren Kumar and Ramkumar (MRF Tyres) leading the overall and Group A positions, while Manik Raikhy and Vivekanandan of JK Tyres were leading the Group N cars.

In the car event also, the pet obsession was to note down who fell off from the rally, as the dare-devils passed from stage to  stage.

Everything seemed under control for Team MRF Tyres until the last three stages, the 4-times National Champion Hari Singh and Gurinder Singh Mann, his navigator, of JK Tyres Rally Team, slowly increased their pace to make up quick seconds on Team MRF’s Naren Kumar.

While Sanjay `Hardy’ Sharma, Team Manager, of the JK Team, sat on a ledge, with folded hands and closed eyes praying for their anchormen Hari and Gurinder, far away in the horizon, one could see a yellow speck drive towards the final of the final stage. Tuners Brian Palmer, and his assistants Sathya Narayana and his boys, and all the other JK Team members who had dropped out lined up on both sides of the one-and-half-kilometre stretch of straight Tarmac, and applauded as Hari Singh and Gurinder Singh Mann, came into view. Microphones crowded, and claps deafened the finish TC of the 11th stage, as Hari and Gurinder said: “Though we were down at one stage, by the last stages we made up and here we are.” Just behind them decided to go for it and checked in JK Tyres Rally Team Manik Raikhy and Vivekanandan to receive the applause for the Group N winner.

Team MRF Tyres almost finished to fifth in overall, Group A and Group N. But the crown for the kings went to JK Tyre Rally Team on the day.

Nevertheless, Team MRF Tyres  leads in overall, Group A and Group N in the  Castrol National Rally Championship for cars 1999.

In the Motorcycle category, Team MRF Tyres sponsored, and Pacer Yamaha tuned, Rohitaaz Kumar, leads Overall and Group C in the Castrol National RAlly Championship for Motorcycles. Team Pacer Yamaha leads in Group D.

Only three rounds remain for the Motorcycle Championships, while there are four rounds left for the cars.

The JK Tyres Rally Tuner, Manager Vicky Chandhok made a statement that the JK Tyres team ran their cars with the same set up as in the South Indian Rally 1999, for which they were excluded by the IMSAC.

Does this remark mean that the IMSAC are fools, or Team MRF Tyres are cheating, or that JK Tyres Rally Team can get away with whatever they do. Only a `Ban Penalty’ from rallys could change the attitude of these two teams MRF and JK, who are peripheral manufacturers hogging the limelight in Indian Motorsport.

On August 14, post-event scrutiny was alone on the leading Bikes and Cars, and a well-attended prize distribution function wit Tea and snacks, at Hotel Woodlands wound up the Silver Jubilee K-1000 Rally.

The absence of the “Rally Ball” again showed like a sore thumb in one of the oldest rallies of India, which ran without a sponsor. Until date, only the Eastern Motor Sports Association and Nashik Automotive Sports Club have ended their rallies with the customary cocktails and dinner. For the last competitor, who spends and comes for an event of National stature, that is where he cheers or drains his rally feelings.

Results:

Cars Overall: 1. Hari Singh/ GS Mann (JK Tyre) (1:42:40); 2. Naren Kumar/ Ramkumar (Team MRF) (1:44:34); 3. Manik Raikhy/ P Vivenanandan (JK Tyre) (1;47:16); 4. Karandip Singh/ Jaidas Menon (Team MRF) (1:48:47); 5. Jagat Nanjappa/ Anita (Team MRF) (1:49:39).

Cars Group A (Modified cars): 1. Hari Singh/ GS Mann (JK Tyre) (1:42:40); 2. Naren Kumar/ Ramkumar (Team MRF) (1:44:34); 3. N Leelakrishnan/ Farooq Ahmed (Team MRF) (1:53:31); 4. Ramesh/ V Kamat (2:12:01).

Cars Group N (Unmodified cars): 1. Manik Raikhy/ P Vivenanandan (JK Tyre) (1;47:16); 2. Karandip Singh/ Jaidas Menon (Team MRF) (1:48:47); 3. Jagat Nanjappa/ Anita (Team MRF) (1:49:39); 4. Navaz Bathena/ Sherin Balachandran (Chettinad Sporting) (1:56:23); 5. Vijayant/ Chander MK (Team MRF) (1:57:12).

Cars – Unseeded: 1. Karandip Singh/ Jaidas Menon (Team MRF) (1:48:47); 2. Navaz Bathena/ Sherin Balachandran (Chettinad Sporting) (1:56:23); 3. Vijayant/ Chander MK (Team MRF) (1:57:12); 4. Ramesh/ V Kamat (2:12:01); 5. Satyan/ Woodhan (2:13:58).

Cars – Novice: 1. Ramesh/ V Kamat (2:12:010; 2. Satyan/ Woodhan (2:13:58).

Motorcycles Results:

Overall Group C (Modified Bikes): 1. Rohitaaz Kumar (MRF) (1:45:44); 2. K Prasad (MRF) (1:46:35); 3. RH Vikram (Pacer Yamaha) (1:46:56); 4. Akash Ithal (1:56:39); 5. Sham Sundar (1:57:45).

Group D (Unmodified Bikes): 1. R Srinivas (Pacer Yamaha) (1:58:52); 2. Kunal Singh (TVS Suzuki) (1:59:57); 3. Rohan Rego (Zen Motors) (2:02:57); 4. Amith Kumar (2:04:06); 5. Ravindra (2:05:42).

Motorcycles Unseeded: 1. Akash Ithal (1:56:39); 2. Sham Sundar (1:57:45); 3. Rohan Rego (Zen Motors) (2:02:57); 4. Amith Kumar (2:04:06); 5. Ravindra (2:05:42).

Motorcycles Novice class: 1. Pramod Rahan (2:10:18); 2. Manu (2:10:40); 3. Badal Joshi (2:10:59); 4. Amarjeet Singh (2:14:15); 5. Kailash (2:16:01).

ends