Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally
A winding route, slush, fierce competition, and a scooter; that was their idea of fun
The 28th edition of
the Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally, organised by Sportscraft in association with Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited, took place on 2 July in Navi Mumbai. The competition had two classes for each two-stroke (above 80 cc up to 110 cc and above 110 cc up to 160 cc) and four-stroke (up to 130 cc and above 130 cc up to 160 cc). This year there were 54 participants with a majority of individual entries and three teams, namely, TVS Racing Team, Lorraine’s Racing and CEAT Team.
The rally was flagged off from Hotel K Star in Belapur CCD by a popular radio jockeys from Radio City. Heavy rain on the days preceding the event made the already challenging course a nightmare for the participants. The winding course offered unpredictable terrain and conditions, forcing the riders to exercise extreme caution. Some
riders suffered a tumble or two in their effort to post good times. Only 49 of the 54 entries completed the race which was an achievement in itself because, of the registered number, 22 were first-timers.
Venkatesh Shetty from Lorraine’s Racing took everyone by surprise by emerging the winner on his Aprilia SR 150 over formidable competition that consisted of a plethora of former champions. Second place went to Pinkesh Thakkar from CEAT Team who also rode an Aprilia SR 150 while the third place was claimed by defending champion, Syed Asif Ali from TVS Racing Team, astride a TVS 4SXR 150. Three-time winner Shamim Khan finished in fourth place.
Women power was evident thanks to the efforts of Nidhi Shukla of Team CEAT, riding a Honda Activa, and Priya Gala astride a Suzuki Access. Between them, the former was the first to cross the line.