Sport - Racing : Motor

K-1000 Rally from August 8

BANGALORE: The showpiece event of the Karnataka Motor Sports, the K-1000 Rally will be held in Bangalore and Siddalghata (Kolar District) from August 8 to 10. The rally will be sponsored by India Mines Group (IMG), Bosch, Mitsubishi and Methods Automotive.

The rally will commence with a super special stage at the Gayathri Vihar Palace grounds and then move to Siddalghata for the special stages named the Mulberry Stage (9.10km), the Silk Stage (8.95km) and the Clay Stage (12km).

The rally will traverse over 128km in the special stages and 700km in the Transport Stage.

There is, however, some ambiguity as to the teams participating in the event.

Confirmed entries include teams from FRK, Ideal, Chettinad Sporting and Red Rooster. Waiting in the wings are the heavyweights — Team MRF and Team JK.

Tony Rodricks of Team MRF said that his teams cars are being prepared for the event and are waiting for certain developments before the cars and drivers head for Bangalore.

The uncertainty lies in the fact that the President of the Motorsports Association of India, Nasir Hoosein, has won his appeal in the World Council meeting of the FIA and will remain the custodian for the Indian National Rally Championship.

According to the Karnataka Motor Sports Club, there should be no problem as it has paid the licence fee to run the event to MAI.

Sanjay Sharma of Team JK Tyres said his team was fully geared up to participate in the K-1000 rally with a new driver, Akhil Kushlani, steering a Cedia 2000 with Vivek Ponnuswamy as the navigator.

Rodricks echoed similar sentiments saying he will get his cars on the starting grid only after the sponsorship issues were resolved. — Special Correspondent

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