Hari Singh-GS Mann help JK Tyre rise from the Ashes

By George Francis, Scorp News

Calcutta, 4 April 1999: JK Tyre Rally Team rose from the Ashes of the 1998 Waterloo to emerge the Group A (modified Car) and Group N (unmodified) winners of the Birla Tyres EMSA Wild Run Rally 1999 whose stages were concluded on the outskirts near here on Sunday. Hari Singh and Gurinder Singh Mann of JK Tyre won the overall honours in the season opener.

Thundering across the West Bengal villages near Durgapur, this unprecedented victory, is a shot in the arm for the `Yellows’ who were struck dumb by the MRF juggernaut which kept rolling through 1988.

The Wild Run, is the first rally of the 9-leg Castrol National Rally Championship for Cars 1999 and the very first one to be run on the strict FIA (Federation Internationale de L’ Automobile) rules this season. The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the supreme body which controls Motor Sports in India, decided to strictly follow the FIA rules this season in an effort to run one of the Asia Pacific Rallies in India soon. Though the decision was taken hardly two months back, the Eastern Motor Sports Association (EMSA) rose up to the occasion and brought in the amendments – it is noteworthy that in a bid to give more publicity to cars and motorcycles alike (and the added advantage of event and competitors’ sponsors) the FMSCI has asked the various Motor Sports organisers around the country to run separate events for cars and motorcycles and not to club them together. EMSA should most probably be the first club to run separate events. The EMSA motorcycle event, should be run end of the season. The last-minute change of regulations did put the spanner into the works of many a competitor at EMSA, but they managed to get their cars ready for the Wild Run.

Team MRF Tyres, who had an exciting season last year and all the possible placings in the Castrol Ntional Rally Chmpionship for Cars and Motorcycles 1998, had a bad start at EMSA. Headed by the Ace Tuner and 5-times Nationial Champion Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan, only one car finished the event. Naren Kumar who flies in from Australia month after month for the Indian Rally Championship, navigated by Ram Kumar, saved face for the `Red’ , runner, finishing 2nd overall and Group A in the Wild Run.

Much Praise should go to Team Chettinad Sporting, who came in with 2 Group N cars and finished 2nd and 3rd in the Group and 4th and 5th overall, the only sponsor who has no Direct’ advertising advantage in Motor Sport. Mr MAMR Muthiah, who runns team Chettinad should be happy with his team and its performance. Chettinad’s Navaz Bathena and Sherin Balachandran won the Coupe de Dames Trophy and the second spot among thousand competitors. The other Chettinad entry PG Abhilash won the unseeded class.

The local team numbering 12, a couple of whom ran with part sponsorship from JK Tyres, should be lauded, for eight teams finished the gruelling 2-day event.

The EMSA itself deserves praise for getting in to the National Championship circuit hardly within four years of their inception. Headed by Partha Sadhan Bose, an ardent rallyist himself, the EMSA has a group of committed officials, who brought the Wild Run in to the limelight so soon. The Marshalls were `superb’ was the reaction oif the rallyists and according to the FMSCI, the (the Marshalls) have been “well briefed”, by the EMSA officials. If hard work and commitment to a task could bring happiness, it was clearly evidnt at the packed Calcutta Motor Sports Club during the prize distribution function. A beaming Partha Sadhan Bose was sure his team has done a great job, perfectly.

On the 31st March, the Birla Tyres EMSA Wild Run Rally 1999, started its operation on the rally per se, with the compulsory organised recee (or reconnaissance) run is done to ensure that the competitor gets to know the rally route, to avoid (lurking) danger when going `flat out’ at 120 kmph or at higher speeds. This increases the confidence level of the competitor, who plans his speed chart well in advance with the navigators marking the cautions perfectly.

On fools day, April 1, the EMSA did the scrutiny on the competing vehicles and the team MRF and Chettinad Sporting mechanics had to  work overtime, shifting the petrol tanks from the top (which was allowed until 1998) to the bottom.

There were 22 entrants, who qualified for the start of the Birla Tyres 5th EMSA Wild Run Rally 1999. At 7am, on Good Friday, April 2, the first round of the Castrol National Rally Championship for Cars was flagged off from the Territorial Army Institute Grounds.

A long transport of 160km greeted the dare devils, as Team MRF’s Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan, the reigning National Champion, flagged off on to the Khidderpore road on to the Kona Expressway route, on to the Durgapur Expressway to meet the Burdwan by-pass and enter the service park at the end of 158 km. 270 metres of driving on the quite busy expresswaysw brought the rallyists to the Special Stages near Burdwan on way to Durgapur.

Three Group A cars from Team MRF, two Group A and three Group N cars from JK Tuyres RAlly team, two Group N cars from TEam Chettinad Sporting made up the top 10 competitors. Twelve local teams (4 Group Asa nd 8 Group Ns) of which at least four were partly sponsored by Team JK, formed the total entry list of 22 competing vehicles. While everyone had opted for the now tested and perfected Maruti Esteem, one of the competitor Ashish Bagchi and his navigatore Satya Sunder Datta, opted for the maruti Gypsy (Group A).

Three basic special stages formed the essence of the competitive sections of the EMSA Wild Run. Vayusena (Air Force) (9.59km), Brahmangram (9.52km) and Shyamarupa (5.14km) run twice in that order, with only the Vayusena stage repeated a third time on Friday, to complete seven Special Stages. Thre were 3 service stops, one before the start of Special Stage 1, the second on after Stage 4 and the third at the end of Stage 8 after which the continuing cars were to be put in to parc ferme. The Vayusena Stage was predominantly tarmac, while the Brahmangram and Shyamarupa stages were dusty, dirt roads all the way. OUt of the 22 rallyists who started, only 17 remained in the run after Stage 1. IT was breathtaking to watch the rally drivers churn the dirt and go flat out on the narrow roads, with their navigators yelling instructions at the top of their voices. The second stage ended well in day light as the rallyists headed to the pathik Motel, Durgapur to part for the night.

While Naren Kumar and Ramkumar (MRF) were fastest in 4 stages, Hari Singh and GS Mann (JK) were fastest in 2 of the 7 stages. IN Group N, Nikhil Taneja and Moosa (JK) were the fastest in 5 stages, while Navaz Bathena and Sherin Balachander (Chettinad) topped the speeds in one stage.

A dinner arranged at the Peerless Inn at Durgapur for all participants and supporting officials was one of the most deliecious ever organised in rallies in such a small town.

The Leg II started at 7am on April 3, 1999 and four participants out of 17 starters of Leg II pulled out and 13 competitors finished the Wild Run. While the sponsored teams picked up all the top honours, kudos to the veteran rallyists Mitil Chakravorty and  Bhabesh Dhabaria, who finished 10th overall and 4th Group N and to Deborshi Sadhan Bose, won of partha Sadhan Bose, navigated by top navigator Sandeep Lal who finished 7th Group N and won the Novice Class prize.

We have found at least six new talents from West Bengal in this Rally, said Partha Sadhan Bose, the chairperson of EMSA. The Prize Distribution function at the Sports Complex of the Calcutta Club was one the well-attended meetings, followed by dinner on the lawns, a bit over crowded. WHile EMSA proved beyond doubt the organisational capacity, they shoulbe thankful to the supoport of Birla Tyres, their Sponsors.

Results: Overall:

1. Hari Singh/ GS Mann (JK Tyres); 2. Naren Kumar/ D Ramkumar (Team MRF Tyres); 3. Nikhil Taneja/ Musa Sherif (JK Tyres).

Group A: 1. Hari Singh/ GS Mann (JK Tyres); 2. Naren Kumar/ D Ramkumar (Team MRF Tyres); 3. Sanjay Arya/ Yogesh Gupta.

Group N: 1. Nikhil Taneja/ Musa Sherif; 2. PG Abhilash/ Jeff GP (Chettinad Sporting);

 3. Navaz Bathena/ Sherin Balachandran (Chettinad Sporting);

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