APRC Domestic National Rally Championship

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David Bodapati March 20, 2023

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Pragathi Gowda and co-driver Trisha Alonkar in action at the South India Rally on 18 March 2023. Photo by Raghunandan H

Here is a list of articles and reports that were published for the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2023, starting with the Blueband Sports South India Rally (SIR) organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) at the Madras International Circuit (MIC) from March 17 to 19. The International rally returned to MIC after a year for the qualifying round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), in the form of the second round of the Asia Rally Cup that was held concurrently with 18 cars taking part.

Top drivers including Arjuna Awardee and rally legend from India, Gaurav Gill of JK Tyre fame along with Mana Pornsiricherd and Thanyaphat Meenil from Thailand were the star attractions of the APRC Asia leg. Gill was taking the services of experienced navigator Aniruddha Rangnekar for the first time. Defending INRC champion and winner of the last year’s Asia Cup Rally in India, Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai led a field of stars, in the Indian Championship along with Amittrajit Ghosh, (with co-driver Ashwin Naik) who is returning from a break from England, and Dr Speed, the one and only Bikku Babu from Kerala, now settled in US, co-driven by Milen George Cherian, and aggressive driver Dean Mascarenhas (Gagan Karumbaiah) from Mangaluru, 2019 champs and brothers Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, reigning champions in their classes, Maninder Singh Prince, Samrat Yadav and Rahul Kanthraj, were the others stalwarts of the INRC who took part in the 46th edition of SIR.

Many talented youngsters like Jahaan Singh Gill, Arjun Rajiv, a graduate from karting also joined the fray along with six ladies led by FIA Rally Star cup champion from the Asia Pacific region Pragathi Gowda who had Trisha Alonkar as co-driver. Bengaluru-based Vizag driver Renuka Gajendra who paired with Dilip Sharan’s wife Angela James is the only other team which had both ladies in the car. Nikeetaa Takkale, the niece of Sanjay Takale, former APRC Production Cars champion, Shivani Parmar of Mumbai, co-driver Deeksha Balakrishna, were the other two ladies that represented ‘Women in Motorsports’.

A total of 66 cars took part along with three cars which took part only in APRC Asia round. Fifteen of the cars took part in both APRC round and INRC to make it 63 cars in INRC, an attractive number of entries but it not a record as many INRC rounds have seen more number of entries in the earlier years.

With sponsors JK Tyre pulling out in the last minute former champion in his class, Fabid Ahmer, opted out citing lack of time to put the things together. Other notable drivers missing were talented lady drivers Athira Murali (lack of sponsors), and Dr. Shivani Pruthvi (busy with post-graduate medical studies for MD).

The list of articles published for INRC in this website can be read here: (Compilation in process)