Rally of Chikmagalur flagged off; Cream of Indian talent descends in coffee land
Chikkamagaluru, 14 May 2022: The Rally of Chikmagalur organised by Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC) was flagged off here on Saturday to kick-start the 2022 season with the first round of the MRF MoGrip fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for two-wheelers promoted by GodSpeed Racing. Of the 93 entries, 88 will take the start on Sunday.
Two-wheeler rally continues to be the most popular form of motorsports in India and the overwhelming response of 93 entries proves that bikers continue to call the shots. The 56-odd km dirt tracks comprising of two special stages that will be run four times in the same direction in the famed coffee estates will decide the winners in 9 classes. “The terrain is tricky but more or less similar to last year. But the wet surface due to recent rains poses challenges, the same as last year,” said a biker from Bengaluru. “Yes, it is slushy and we have to be careful in negotiating the tracks,” said Ryhana Bee, a National champion in 2W road racing. “Many will fall tomorrow, including me. The stages are challenging but we are up to it,” warned Deeksha Srivastava in jest, the Sprint Queen, who won the 2021 Sprint Nationals, is making her debut in INRC.
The stages are short but are very technical, providing tricky terrain but with no rains on Saturday and forecast dry for Sunday, the Nationals is all set to ring in a new year. Coming to the defending champion, Abdul Wahid Tanveer, who will be spearheading the TVS campaign, he had some pretty cool answers to the two questions posed by INDIainF1.com. Your goals for 2022, your bike…
When asked about his goals for 2022, Tanveer said: My goals are as simple as 1.2.3. One is to continue following my passion. Second one is to thoroughly enjoy myself while chasing my goals. And the third is to scale greater heights, but one step at a time… To shed some light on the bike, it is a lean, mean machine that is the epitome of strength and a rider’s dream. I am excited for this one!
“I was fortunate enough to fly to France to be trained by a fabulous mentor, Michael Metge. We rode through the various terrains and really pushed our limits, but my favourite part was getting in touch with my inner strength. Thanks to my mentor who made the training eventful and really helpful,” that is how the champion concluded.
Aishwarya Pissay, the 2019 FIM World Cupper, a Ladies World champion was lucky to test her bike today and meet some wild friends. She was trying to get some feel on the bike when she saw something zip past in front of her. Usually the culprit in speeding, at least on the track with full freedom in the world, she was surprised by the speed with which someone else crossed the road. But it is not a competitor. It is a four-legged creature full of beautiful horns. She spotted a spotted deer in the second Stage today. An antler… So what are your goals for 2022, we asked the same question as we did to Tanveer, and the only world champion in Indian motorsports said: “My goal for this year is to win the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for a sixth time. Along with that, I am looking forward to riding in a few international rallies like Andalucia, but they are yet to be confirmed. The Recce was good and I love the feel of the bike. Also, I have just completed one training abroad (France) and will undergo another round of training in June 2022. I am sure these trainings will be very useful for me and will help me give better performance in the 2022 INRC.” Aishwarya won the INRC 2w consecutively for five years from 2017, her debut season.
Her closest rival is Tanika Shanbagh. A rider young and raring to go… But the young rider is not racing in Ladies class this year. She switched gears and is gong hammer and tongs, racing with big boys. She will be the lone lady in the top-six bikes that will be racing in Class 1A, the Indian Experts class. Daughter of former motorsports champion Shanbag, the rider from Satara, will be testing herself astride a Husqvarna TE350 as she prepares to jump start her international career. ”We are planning to take part in at least one international rally event this year and for that I want to get accustomed to the handling, and the speed of the bike. I also want to become faster on the bike,” a simple statement but very assertive. Watch out, this young talent if groomed properly can go places. Apart from the top guns, there are two riders one need to watch out for. Sarath Mohan and Sinan Francis.
