I hope you didn’t miss last month’s issue of autoX, as it should have gotten you well versed with how to go racing in India. And, as promised, here’s what you need to know to go rallying as well – if sideways suits you better.
The last issue should have initiated your metamorphosis from ‘Stunt Driver Number 1’ on our chaotic city streets to semi-pro, clipping at the heels of Karun Chandhok. This piece, on the other hand, could have you chasing down Gaurav Gill instead. And, as I said before, if you don’t know who they are, ‘Stunt Driver Number 1’ is a better career option.
Indian National Rally Championship |
| Date |
Venue |
Organizer |
Surface |
| 25-27 Jun |
Nashik |
WISA |
Asphalt / Tarmac |
| 06-08 Aug |
Coimbatore |
CASC |
Dirt / Gravel |
| 17-19 Sep |
Jodhpur |
Sportscraft |
Asphalt / Tarmac |
| 22-24 Oct |
Delhi |
Northern Motorsport |
Dirt / Gravel |
| 12-14 Nov |
Hyderabad |
APMSC |
Dirt/ Gravel |
| 03-05 Dec |
Bangalore |
KMSC |
Dirt / Gravel |
| 17-19 Dec |
Kerala |
Pas Sear |
Asphalt / Tarmac |
To refresh your memory, the two most common forms of organized motorsport are Racing and Rallying. Races are held at a race track or circuit – multiple cars race at the same time with the aim of completing a specified number of laps, and, of course, being ahead of every other car. Rallying, on the other hand, are events held on roads closed to the public for the duration of the event – on various surfaces such as gravel, mud and tarmac, where cars run one at a time, with the aim of taking the shortest time from the designated start to an end point. And, resulting from the diversity of its terrain, rallying is an extremely challenging sport – a true test of man and machine. The INRC, or Indian National Rally Championship, consists of seven rounds across the country on a number of different surfaces. There are currently five cars in which you can compete – the carbureted Maruti Esteem (in the Rally Star Cup), the MPFi Esteem, the age old Gypsy, the Baleno, and the Mitsubishi Cedia if you’re really serious. There are some rumors that Fiat are taking a punt on the Punto, and a stripped-out version should be available for the ‘aam rallyist’ to buy come September (don’t you just love rally goss – XOXO, with a ton of testosterone).
Now, as a result of the varied surfaces, rally cars have to withstand a fair bit of abuse. Therefore, a significant difference in racing and rallying your carbureted (Star Cup) Esteem is that, for rallying, your car will have to be strengthened – hence it’ll be slightly heavier – so that it can survive the jumps, bumps, rocks, gravel, mud, water, and tarmac it has to endure. It’s truly amazing how much punishment a rally prepared car can take. The second difference is that you’ll need a navigator – a.k.a. ‘co-driver’ – sitting with you to help you maneuver through some pretty hostile territory. The other nitty grittys I’ll leave for you to discover on your own – it’s part of a magical journey. Hope you reach the Flag off!
The Rally Star Cup class is by far the most competitive. In fact, in my debut rally there were a total of 40 cars in this class alone! To keep costs down, it’s the most controlled class – in the sense that the technical regulations have been scripted in such a way that the car needs only basic modifications, and those also are mainly for safety. In fact, the only thing, apart from the safety features such as a roll cage, belts, and seats, etc., which you have the option of modifying are the struts (i.e. dampers / shockers), and tyres. For struts, you have three options – using the ones that come originally with the car (not recommended), using Koni’s (but they’re a bit outdated), and, finally, using J Anand Suspension – these are the best, as they’re almost unbreakable, which is why they’re used by all the leading cars. Depending on the surface, you’re allowed to purchase tyres that are manufactured in India only.
The other popular classes are the Esteem 1400cc and Baleno 1600cc classes. Both these classes use MPFi engines, and the technical regulations are more ‘free,’ which means that original parts can be more freely replaced with superior, aftermarket ones. As a result, these cars are very quick with their hoards of performance boosting bits – such as a performance ECU, air filter, headers, gearbox, LSD (limited slip differential), suspension, etc. Moreover, the engine can be modified with performance enhancing tweaks and parts as well. Yes, it is more expensive to run, but that’s the price you have to pay to convert your everyday drive into a beast that eats up miles of rough terrain on the redline. Oddly enough, there have been instances where the RSC Esteems have been quicker than MPFi Esteems and Balenos. But in the right hands, these cars have been known to breathe down the neck of the much revered Mitsubishi Cedia.
The spearhead of Indian rallying at the moment, the Misubishi Cedia, sports a 2 litre block, and lines to die for – the apple of every rally drivers eye, and the only class that isn’t solely comprised of Marutis. Unfortunately, this means that unless you’re extremely wealthy, or drive for MRF or Red Rooster Racing, you’re probably not going to get to drive one. Last year witnessed MRF running four Cedias, and Red Rooster Racing running two – although I hear that they may be fielding two more this year to get their National Championship title back from MRF. There were also two privateers, although they didn’t fare too well at all. But there is speculation that this year there could be close to a dozen. The technical regulations on these cars are pretty ‘free’ as well, like the MPFI Esteems and Balenos. But, unlike Maruti performance parts, Mitsubishi Ralliart parts cost an arm and a leg. The advantage is that the Mitsubishi parts last much longer, so you can think of the initial heavy expense as a good long term investment.
Finally, is it a car? Is it a jeep? No, it’s a Gypsy. A true servant of Indian Motorsport, the Maruti Gypsy started rallying in India in the late eighties, and is still going strong to this day – and seems it will do for the next decade. As mentioned above, there’s a special class for the Gypsy in the INRC. However, as they’ve been around for ages, a lot of the Gypsy’s technical regulations are free as well to maximize the performance of this old dame. But don’t be fooled, at last years’ season opener, the Rally of Coimbatore, a Gypsy placed third overall – beaten only by two Cedias. How do you like that? Great driving and extremely degraded terrain contributed to this result, and certainly hushed all the critics who thought the Gypsy didn’t belong in the INRC any longer. The Gypsy is similar to the Star Cup, in the sense that it’s a budget rally drivers dream. But, unlike the RSC, you can’t race a Gypsy. Once you prepare one though, it’s a tank – seldom do parts break, or need to be changed, and drivers have lasted a whole season with minimalistic repairs vis-a-vis the Esteems and Balenos.
Once again, I do hope that my hard work
and toil will be of some use to you, and at least some will take the next step and pursue motorsport in some shape or form – I’ll say it again, you’re never too old or too poor. If you have any questions, or want to know where you can rent a car, or join a team, contact me at info@autox.in
