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by IANS |
Chennai, April 24 (IANS) There is plenty of action on offer as reigning National champion Karna Kadur (co-driver Musa Sherif) heads a 21-strong FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship promoted by Vamcy Merla (Asia Cup) grid that features a Hyundai i20 and Maruti Suzuki Fronx for the first time, in the three-day event that is part of the Indu Chandhok Memorial 48th South India Rally to be run in and around the Madras International Circuit, Sriperumbudur, from April 25 to 27.
Also running concurrently is the first round of the Blueband FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2025 powered by Vamcy Merla which has attracted 52 entries, including those competing in the APRC segment while a new class, the INRC 3T for turbocharged cars will be making a bow in the championship.
Organisers Madras Motor Sports Club have left no stone unturned to prepare 135 kms of fast, flowing and yet technical Special Stages mostly made up of gravel and the average speeds are expected to be quite high. The event will commence on Friday afternoon with a ceremonial flag-off ceremony at the MIC.
Chairman of the event and APRC Working Group Vicky Chandhok said, “We are thrilled that the APRC segment has attracted 21 entries and 54 in all, including the INRC. We at the Madras Motor Sports Club have gone to great lengths to provide Stages that are fast, flowing and challenging under the able leadership of the COC Manoj Dalal. I am sure it will be an enjoyable event. We have pulled out all the stops and worked tirelessly in the short span of time to maintain the MMSC tradition of the Indu Chandhok Memorial South India Rally - since 1953!
"We are most thankful to Vamcy Merla who spontaneously came forward to be the promoter of the FIA APRC segment as well as the event title holder of the INRC segment."
It will be a landmark moment in the National Rally scene with the Hyundai i20 making its debut. Prepared by Coimbatore-based JA Motorsports, the i20 will be driven by Hyderabad’s Jeet Jabhakh (co-driver V Sekar).
Similarly, two Maruti Suzuki Fronx will be seen in action for the first time. Falkon Motorsports team’s C Ramcharan from Coimbatore, and Hyderabad’s Naveen Puligilla, fresh from winning the WRC3 class in the Kernya Safari, a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will be piloting the Fronx cars.
"I am aware that the i20 will be watched with more than just casual interest. It will be a steep learning curve for me driving thei20. I did a test run in Coimbatore recently and was quite happy. It being a turbo car, I had to change my driving style, but I am hopeful of a good performance in the South India Rally. I am focusing on one rally at a time and then take it from there," said Jabhakh who is starting his second full Rally season, having finished first runner-up in INRC3 class last year.
The highly competitive APRC field includes a lone lady participant in Anushriya Gulati, a versatile driver from Uttarakhand who will be partnered by her regular co-driver Karan Aukta from Himachal Pradesh. Gulati, buoyed by a victory in the Thailand championship recently, will be looking forward to completing the South India Rally where she had non-finishes in her previous two attempts.
Another top-notch pair in the fray is the combination of England-based Amittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin Naik from Mangaluru in a Volkswagen Polo. Ghosh, a former National champion, took part only in Nashik Round in the 2024 season, but given his and Naik’s vast experience, he is expected to be among the front-runners.
Also in the hunt is Delhi’s Harkrishan Wadia with Himachal’s Kunal Kashyap in the co-driver’s seat. Wadia enjoyed a successful outing here last year when he achieved a grand triple crown, emerging triumphant in APRC, INRC Overall and INRC2 categories.
The performance of Suhem Mohammed Kabeer (co-driver Vinay Padmashali) will be closely watched as the talented driver from Kodagu has the potential to upstage the field.
There are a few experienced campaigners like Ritesh Guttedar (Suraj M), Vaibhav Marathe (Arvind Dheerendra), Philippos Mathai (Harish KN), former National champion Chetan Shivram (E Shivaprakash) and Jason Saldanha (PVS Murthy) to name a few, who can pull off a surprise or two.
Meanwhile, veteran Sangeeth Samuel (Bopanna Nellamakkada) is returning to the rally circuit after a lapse of 14 years, competing in both APRC and INRC3, driving a Volkswagen Polo.
A conspicuous absentee this weekend is former multiple APRC and Indian champion, and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill.
Slideways Industries team, backed by Pune-based Pinnacle Group, will be entering two cars in the INRC 3 class of the INRC. One of the cars will be driven by the only international entry for the rally, Singapore-based husband-wife duo, Raguvaran Veerappan and Amanda Chew Jia Ying (co-driver) who are making their Rally debut, while the other will be driven by youngster Tarushi Vikram from Chikkamgaluru, partnered by Vybhav Mukund Rao. Both crews are part of the team’s arrive-and-drive programme.
The MMSC has instituted the “Indu Chandhok Rolling Trophy” for the overall winner of the South India Rally annually. Incidentally, he himself was the first winner of the South India Rally in 1953 driving a Triumph Mayflower car.
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