PG Abhilash, Yogesh Gupta clinch season opener Birla Wild Run Rally

Calcutta, 30 April 2000: The turn of the millenium proved to be turbulant for the Indian motorsports with a new federation popping up and usurping the powers making use of their close proximity with the International Federation, the FIA. The man in the hot seat is non other than Nazir Hoosein, who formed a new federation name Motorsports Association of India late last year and this month saw the powers transfer from the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) to MAI.

The FMSCI IRDC 2000 was at stake till the 25th, as FIA kept the Federation in the dark on the alleged transfer of sporting power to MAI and to Nazir Hoosein, who many felt, that he has stabbed FMSCI at the back. Everyone was doubtful if the National Rally Championship would take off this year.

On his part, Nazir Hoosein threatened the organisers of the EMSA rally that if they do not get a permission from MAI it would be considered as an unauthorised even and are liable to be penalised as per the FIA statutes. But here is one organiser, Partha Sadhan Bose of Eastern Motor Sports Association, who knows that at the end `Dharma’ will prevail and went ahead running the first round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Drivers Championship from April 26 to 30 at Calcutta, despite defending champions MRF pulling out of the championship.

Unmindful of all the happenings in the power-centres, Kerala driver PG Abhilash, along with  his navigator Yogesh Gupta of Calcutta, began the season with a bang winning the first rally here. Driving for the Chettinad Sporting Club he won the Birla Tyres Wild Run Rally 2000. the first leg of the eight-round Indian Rally Drivers Championship (IRDC). The duo clocked a penalty of 2 hours, 7 minutes and 9 seconds.

In the Group N modified cars category, BS Pruthvi from Tamil Nadu, finished with a penalty 2:80.49sec to trail the leaders and took the second spot with Sandeep Sharma from Delhi in third, clocking 2:17.20 penalty.

Important player in the Indian rallying scene, JK Tyres withdrew its team at the last minute citing costs, but did not stop them form sponsoring six cars. Pruthvi and Sandeep Sharma. Abhilash and Yogesh were partly sponsored by JK. Birla Tyres sponsored two cars.

A visibly pleased Abhilash said: “I am really thrilled to win this rally. This is the best performance of my career so far. The route here is a test for both the man and the machine. It’s quite tough and slippery and I enjoyed it thoroughly.” Abhilash finished 10th overall in the previous year in 1999.

Earlier, the first car was flagged off by GoC Bengal Area Maj Gen OS Lochab, at the Pavilion in maidan. The rally was over a distance of 700km including liasion and had a Special Stage distance of about 130km in the Kankrajhor forest range. There were 9 special stages run over two days and the post-event scrutiny was held on April 30.

There were a number of local entries, among others, from all over the country like Abhilash, Maliakkal, Akbar Ebrahim and Harish Samtani from Tamil Nadu, Rajiv Khanna and Sandeep Sharma from Delhi, Pruthvi from Karnataka. Among the local entries were Subhajit Kumar, Mithil Chakraborthy, Joginder Jaiswal Biswajit Chaudhry and Deborshi Sadhan Bose.

The event was witnessed by an unprededented number of spectators and was very successfully run for the second year in succession as a National Championship rally.

Ater a meeing in Paris on April 5, FIA transfered the power from FMSCI to MAI, which is now recognised as the ASN of FIA for India. This lead to MRF Tyres withdraw from the championship this year citing differences with the FMSCI.

Vijay Mallya, who is the chairman of FMSCI said that the FIA’s decision is `most surprising and unwelcome’. He claimed that the FMSCI has been in existence for 28 years and has the support of over 57 motorsport clubs in India. Mallya vowed that foreign organizations will not be allowed to dictate the future of Indian motorsport and its development.

FMSCI was getting ready for a show of strength to the FIA and have called for an EGM on April 27, where nearly 75 per cent of the total number of clubs signed in favour of the FMSCI being the sporting power, the organisers were preparing themselves with the pre-event scrutiny.

It is once again proved that MRF needs motorsports more than motorsports needs them, thanks to the organisers of EMSA, Calcutta for having kick-started the rally championship.

Birla Tyres have supported the event with their sponsorship and making the event happen, when Castrol India, who have been associating with the Natioinal Rally Championship for 9 years now, preferred to remain a silent spectator at the hour of crisis.

Provisional Results:

Overall: 1. PG Abhilash (Chettinad Sporting); 2. BS Pruthvi (JK Tyres); 3. Sandeep Sharma (JK Tyres); 4. Jiby Maliakkal (Chettinad Sporting); 5. Subhajit Kumar (Birla Tyres); 6. Mithil Chakraborthy (JK Tyres); 7. Joginder Jaiswal; 8. Arvindam Ghosh (Birla Tyres).

Group N: 1. PG Abhilash (Chettinad Sporting); 2. BS Pruthvi (JK Tyres); 3. Jiby Maliakkal (Chettinad Sporting); 5. Subhajit Kumar (Birla Tyres); 6. Arindam Ghosh (Birla Tyres).

Group A: 1. Sandeep Sharma (JK Tyres); 2. Mithil Chakraborthy (JK Tyres); 3. Joginder Jaiswal (pvt);

(Results courtesy VS Shrikant, FMSCI)

Editor’s note: INRC tag incorporated for better search results. The championship is IRDC