My Experiences as an Amateur in Motorsports

[jalex]

Here are some pictures of Nippendar Jassy, He was one of the best riders in the rallying scene.
The first image is him doing the South India Rally 2000 on a Group C Shogun. The second one is again him in the South India Rally the previous year on a Group C RX 135 Four speeder.
Third is Nippendar at the Goa Rally 99 again on the same RX 135.
The fourth one is him on a Yamaha YZ 125.

A Group C bike is one that has been heavily modified and it develops close to 22-26 Bhp.
Imagine the power to weight ratio as it is a lot lighter than the stock bike.
Group C RX 135's & Shaolins easily did 140Kmph.

 

[Akash]

Good to see that the motorsports have such a long history and we have an amatuer on board. Excellent pics Jalex!

 

[jalex]

Good to see that the motorsports have such a long history and we have an amatuer on board. Excellent pics Jalex!

Well I was an amateur and had to retire as one too, couldn't get anywhere thanks to the F.M.S.C.I - M.A.I Wars which began as a result the of the Ego's of the Tyre Giants clashing, Its a long story.

Many riders had to end their careers. I could never get into the limelight as there were no rallies for two wheelers to participate alone after the 99 Popular Rally in Cochin.

I had managed to come 5th in Group D in three special stages beating TVS and Pacer Yamaha team bikes in the process. I finished 11th in Group D in that event.
Its very sad as I was only starting off and then they killed the sport. Politics everywhere, what to say?

 

['venom']

Very well write up & experience. enjoyed reading !

 

[jalex]

A picture of my old Rally Shogun with my close pal and team mate Paul in the saddle. The picture was taken in 99' after the Popular Rally,Cochin. I know I still have to finish my story and I know I might be testing people's patience. Please do bear with me for a little more time. Been on a blown fuse.

 

[Prads]

These were some of the images from the 80's of the great Himalayan Rally. It was one of the most toughest of events in the world. And it was considered a big deal just to make it to the finish. The Himalayan Rally was the reason I got hooked into the sport as well.

A great read jalex ,my neighbour in Coorg was a participant of this rally & other events,he was a very respected person,he unfortunately passed away last year but some old books were given to me thats why you can see my profile pic is Jackie Stewart & my neighbour was a big fan of his(he had hair styled like him also ), he would tell me about the Himalayan rally & that they would leave a letter in the glove box in case they(including him) crashed & did not survive,i shall see if there are any pictures i can get of the rally & his cars,anyways will post my profile pic so you can take a better look at it(in memory of the racers & people who inspire),its Jackie Stewart drifting past two wrecked F1 cars with the steering on opposite lock,Sorry if am a bit OT just nice to find people with similar interests

 

[jalex]

Me with my team mates- Paul on the left & George in the middle, me on the right along with my Old 800. The last picture is me doing the Super Special Stage at the Popular Rally 99, Cochin

 

[tantragna]

Nice cornering the way out J.Alex! :) Nice to see N.Jassy's riding too, the good-riders posture are always the same anytime on the calendar.. whether new or oldies.. :)

 

[jalex]

Nice cornering the way out J.Alex! :) Nice to see N.Jassy's riding too, the good-riders posture are always the same anytime on the calendar.. whether new or oldies.. :)

Thank you but you should have seen Nippy Jassy there, He was the fastest there, even faster than the leading Group A Esteem, That too after wheelieing out of the chicanes to make the crowds go crazy. He was on a TVS works Group C Shaolin and was the star of the day. Unfortunately I dont have any pics of him from that event.

 

[Iron Rock]

Hi Jalex, good to see such rustic photos, i am sure it gives u goosebumps everytime you watch them. We would keen if you share some racing tips on cornering and any specific techniques and posture( not that i would be trying them on real roads but just curious)

 

[jalex]

Hi Jalex, good to see such rustic photos, i am sure it gives u goosebumps everytime you watch them. We would keen if you share some racing tips on cornering and any specific techniques and posture( not that i would be trying them on real roads but just curious)

Sure I will, Guess we can start a new thread for that.




Now I know its been a long time since I've continued the story. So here it goes,

...continuation from post #29 http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...eriences-amateur-motorsports-3.html#post43155


We were tired having got little or no sleep the previous night. We had to ride till Cochin and from there I had to ride another 80Kms solo to hit home and see my bed.

We were lazily cruising down the highway and somewhere past Avinashi, Dont recall the exact spot. A Zen was following us. He was driving a little rash and we spotted him when we heard tyre squeal a few cars behind us.

(These kind of crazy road racers usually appear around the parts where a rally happens, mostly after the event. Most of the time it will be some spectator trying to show off and make a lame point that he too can 'Drive'.)

Now this guy came in fast, Might have been doing some 100kmph+. I and my pillion kept to the extreme left of the road scared for our lives, even outside the margin line and let him pass. Salam and his navigator were also riding pretty close to the left margin. There was an N.P Truck overtaking another from the opposite direction at the same time.

The guy in the Zen overtook us and then tried to overtake Salam despite the trucks and swerved left to avoid the truck. He banged into Salam's bike launching him and his pillion onto the unpaved shoulder of the road. There was a cycle shop on that side and the area was packed with bicycles. Salam crashed into it and both he and his navigator flew over the handlebars and fell onto the bicycles.

The Zen had lost control and had gone into a skid while doing the stunt, His rear right had stepped out and the driver's side violently crashed into the truck that was overtaking. We stopped our bike and ran to see what happened, Salam and his Navigator were still wearing their gear and so we prayed that they were okay. Both of them were fine, But Salam said he can't feel his left wrist and hand. My pillion went to find where the nearest hospital was and in the mean while I went to see what happened to the people in the Zen.

The driver was probably unconscious (Still have no clue about what became of him.). He was bleeding all over and people were trying to get him out, He was stuck in the wreck. There was a lady in the passenger seat as well. I couldn't see how she was doing as there were a lot of people gathered around and the car had dark tints all around. The only thing I remember seeing is that her hand was shivering a lot. This was the first serious live crash I had ever witnessed as well and I was pretty shaken.

Like before, We had no way to contact our team and so we took Salam to a hospital and got an X-ray taken. He had no fractures, Just some sprains all over said the doctor. The bike was again back to the state it was when it crashed in the Rally. We had fixed the headlight and it was broken yet again. Tired like hell, famished and pretty low on cash after all the incidents, We hit the bike back into shape as much as we could and decided to soldier on to Cochin.

We had no complaints against the Zen guy as well, We just wanted to get home somehow and were more than happy to suffer our damages if we could just be on our way back.

It was around afternoon and we were progressing real slow doing some 30-40Kmph max and reached Cochin around midnight and from there I ride towards home for a much deserving sleep.