Monsoon Scooter Rally shifted from Navi Mumbai to Nashik

Mumbai: The 29th JK Tyre Monsoon Scooter Rally has attracted 35 riders, including multiple time former champions Manjeet Singh Bassan and Shamim Khan, apart from last years winner Venkatesh Shetty.

The event, normally held in July, has been put off to August 25 and instead of Navi Mumbai, it will be held in Nashik, about 200km from here, in association with the Nashik Automotive Sports Association, said Shrikant Karani of event organisers Sportscraft at a media meet here last evening.

“Our regular sponsor pulled out and it was a nightmare on how to conduct it. We tried to hold it in Panvel (Navi Mumbai), but due to some circumstances which I dont want to reveal it could not be held there,” said Karani.

Karani said JK Tyres and TVS Racing then came to the organisers’ rescue and said the event should not be scrapped as it was a unique race earmarked only for scooters and they will underwrite the expenses to some extent.

“We will cover the rest of the expenses on our own,” he added. Riders from Mumbai, Nashik, Kolhapur, Bhopal and Indore will be seen in action in the race which will also see two women riders – Nidhi Shukla and Priya Gala.

Gala, who did well in last years rally, vowed to do even better this time. Among the other top riders will be former champions Avtar Singh (2011), Muzzafar Ali (2013) and Syed Asif Ali (2016), Karani said. According to the organisers, the slushy conditions expected during the monsoon season will again make the rally a challenging one.

“We are excited to be part of this unique rally. We look forward to the riders making a huge splash in wet and slushy conditions that is the charm of the Monsoon Scooter Rally,” said JK Motorsport’s Sanjay Sharma.

Besides trophies and cash prizes, JK Tyre will be giving away two scooter tyres each to the first three overall winners, the best first timer and the best lady rider. TVS Racing has drafted its leading riders Shamim Khan, Syed Asif Ali and Yash Pawar for the event, while Aprilia Racing team has brought in their team rider Pinkesh Thakker.

The annual event is open to all Indian-made scooters and will see competitions in three categories: S-1, two-stroke scooters between 80cc to 110cc; four-stroke scooters from 80cc to 210 cc in Group B; and S-2 between 110cc to 160cc geared scooters. With the event being held away from Navi Mumbai for the first time, riders will have to contend with an all-new course, comprising competitive and transport sectors.

The competitive sector, comprising gravel-laden dirt tracts, water-logged stretches and inclines, will be around 15-km-long.

“We, at TVS Racing, are excited to be part of the Monsoon Scooter Rally for the fifth consecutive year. Our new race machine NTORQ SXR has performed exceptionally well in the INRC (Indian National Rally Championship) and we are confident that it will battle the challenging terrain of this rally with equal ease.

“Our riders are in great form and have adjusted well to the new scooter, which means we should have positive results in the rally,” said B Selvaraj, Team Manager of TVS Racing.