Syed Asif Ali (TVS Racing) takes first and foiled Shamim Khan’s bid for a record fifth crown in the Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally on Sunday.
Syed Asif Ali rode his TVS Wego to win the 27th edition of the scooter rally organised by Sportscraft, with 32.43 seconds in penalties. Khan (Team Mahindra), rode a Mahindra Gusto to come in second, with 33.36 seconds in penalties. Taking third, astride a Yamaha Alpha, with 34.18 seconds in penalties was Erimal Shekharan from Navi Mumbai.
After taking victory, Syed Asif Ali said “This time the course was really tough. In addition to the slushy areas we had a couple of trucks coming in our way and forcing us to slow down. It did not rain heavily during the race, but, still it was challenging.”
The toughness of the scooter rally can be gauged by the fact that former champions Rustom Patel, Manjeet Singh Bassan and Avtar Singh did not even place among the top five. Seshraj Yadav, astride a Yamaha Alpha, and Bhopal’s Muzaffar Ali, also riding a TVS Wego, were fourth and fifth respectively. Former champion Manjeet Singh Bassan, though failing to finish among the top five riders however, won Class S2 for scooters 111cc up to 160cc 2-stroke in 37.14 seconds.
Nidhi Shukla (Team Ceat), who rode a Honda Activa, was adjudged the best lady rider, completing the course in 45.20 seconds.
