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Rustom Patel wins Gulf autocross

March 12, 2006 18:50 IST
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Rustom Patel was the toast of the day in the Gulf Autocross for two-wheelers, sponsored by Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. and organised by Sportscraft, at the Godrej grounds in Vikhroli, Mumbai, on Sunday.

The diminutive champion rider from Mumbai won five classes, including one for scooters, to ride away with the title of 'Gulf Fastest Rider of the day' beating the Pune rider Pinkesh Thakkar by a fraction of a second, to be precise 0.79 seconds.

He was given a stiff fight all the way by Badal Doshi, who won three classes, but his carefree riding and control over the many sharp bends along the course won him the day.

Autocross is a time trial exercise in the finer nuances of driving, where the rider is timed to the hundredth of a second. While this branch motor sport tests one's skills in competition on a specially laid out course, the idea behind the event is to educate the rider in the safety aspect of driving.

Rustom kick-started the day's proceedings, winning the 80cc to 110cc class (4-stroke) for motorcycles. Riding a TVS Victor, he was home in 2 minutes, 21.06 seconds, well ahead of Sudesh Parkar and Gyani Shukla, both on TVS Victors, who finished second and third in 2:27.67 and 2:31.44 seconds respectively.

Then, after Badal Doshi won the 110cc to 125cc class (4 stroke) for motorcycles, on a Yamaha YBX, Rustom, riding a Suzuki Fiero, was back in the limelight as he breezed around the serpentine track to win the 125cc upto 160cc (4-stroke) class in 2:15.44 seconds. Pune riders Pinklesh Thakker and Snehal Chauhan placed second and third respectively.

Two victories to the good, there was no stopping Mumbai's best known two-wheeler champion as he went on to win the 100c upto 160 class for scooters (riding a LML Vespa), and above 160 upto 250cc (4-stroke) and 80cc upto 150cc (2-stroke) classes for motorcycles. Riding a TVS Shaolin in 80cc upto 150cc class Rustom came up with the best time of the day - 2:13.17 seconds.

But the race of the day was the 160 upto 250cc class. It saw Rustom and Badal in a close contest that had the good compliment of spectators at the edge of their seats till the finish. Rustom, riding a Karizma, generated calculated bursts of speed and exercised precision control as he went around the gravel laden, dusty course to clock 2:13.75 seconds. Badal, riding a Bajaj Pulsar, was home in only 2:28. 85.

Though it is not easy to effect sharp turns on a scooter, particularly in muddy conditions, it must be said that most scooterists came through the exercise admirably.

Among the ladies, Shernaz Patel, riding a Kinetic Honda, was the best. She showed she was as competent as some of the men riders while winning the 80cc upto 110cc scooters class for women.

In sum, it was an event to remember for two-wheeler riders. Most of the riders experienced driving in competition for the first time, yet they had nothing to complain about, despite no prize-money at stake. If anything, there was only appreciation from them.

Now, having learnt that they are capable of giving some of the best a good run for their money, some of them are planning to enter the Gulf Dirt Track Championship, which will be held in five stages at various places in the country, with the first coming up in Managalore.

Final results:

POSITION PRIZE NAME OF THE RIDER ORIGIN MAKE TIME
MOTORCYCLES ABOVE 80CC UPTO 110CC GROUP D – 4 STROKE
1ST TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai TVS Victor 2:21:06
2ND TROPHY Sudesh Parkar Mumbai TVS Victor 2:27:67
3RD TROPHY Gyani Shukla Mumbai TVS Victor 2:31:44
MOTORCYCLES ABOVE 110CC UPTO 125CC GROUP D – 4 STROKE
1ST TROPHY Badal Doshi Mumbai Yamaha YBX 2:18:65
2ND TROPHY Sarosh Mulla Mumbai Yamaha YBX 2:20:00
3RD TROPHY Tummi Nanavare Mumbai Yamaha YBX 2:22:96
MOTORCYCLES ABOVE 125CC UPTO 160CC GROUP D – 4 STROKE
1ST TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai Suzuki Fiero 2:15:44
2ND TROPHY Pinkesh Thakker Pune Suzuki Fiero 2:16:93
3RD TROPHY Snehal Chauhan Pune Suzuki Fiero 2:23:75
SCOOTERS ABOVE 80CC UPTO 110CC - GROUP D - LADIES CLASS
1ST TROPHY Shernaz Patel Mumbai Kinetic Honda 3:18:94
SCOOTER ABOVE 110CC UPTO 160CC - GROUP D
1ST TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai LML Vespa 2:30:65
2ND TROPHY Manjeet Basan Mumbai LML Vespa 2:33:84
3RD TROPHY Freddy Elavia Mumbai LML Vespa 2:39:84
SCOOTERS ABOVE 80CC UPTO 110CC - GROUP D
1ST TROPHY Badal Doshi Mumbai Kinetic Marvel 2:27:15
2ND TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai Kinetic Honda 2:30:77
3RD TROPHY Kunal Rao Mumbai Kinetic Marvel 2:37:04
MOTORCYCLES ABOVE 80CC UPTO 150CC GROUP D – 2 STROKE
1ST TROPHY Badal Doshi Mumbai Yamaha RX 2:15:00
2ND TROPHY Pinkesh Thakker Pune Suzuki Shogun 2;16:56
3RD TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai Suzuki Shogun 2;19:18
MOTORCYCLES ABOVE 160CC UPTO 250CC GROUP D – 4 STROKE
1ST TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai Karizma 2:13:75
2ND TROPHY Badal Doshi Mumbai Bajaj Pulsar 2:20:85
3RD TROPHY Ravinder Singh Mumbai Bajaj Pulsar 2:22:73
MOTORCYCLES ABOVE 80CC UPTO 150CC - GROUP B – 2 STROKE
1ST TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai TVS Shaolin 2:13:17
2ND TROPHY Pinkesh Thakkar Pune Yamaha RX 2:13:96
3RD TROPHY Ganesh Lokhande Nashik Yamaha RX 2:20:59
MOTORCYCLES UPTO 250CC - GROUP A – 2 & 4 STROKE
1ST TROPHY Abhijit Jadhav Pune Honda CR 2:14:06
2ND TROPHY Badal Doshi Mumbai Honda CR 2:15:64
3RD TROPHY Sarosh Mulla Mumbai Honda CR 2:15:84
THE GULF FASTEST RIDER OF THE DAY
TROPHY Rustom Patel Mumbai TVS Shaolin 2:13:17
WILLY - OPEN
LONGEST WILLY Sheru Mumbai Yamaha YBX TROPHY
2nd LONGEST WILLY Abhijit Jadhav Pune Honda CR TROPHY

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