Factory teams in fray for Pirelli Rally

Being revived after a gap of five years, the Karnataka Motor Sports Club is conducting the second round of the Indian Rally Series for two-wheelers here Sunday.

The event is named the Pirelli Rally of Karnataka and is being conducted under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India.

The Pirelli Rally of Karnataka will have two challenging stages with the surface comprising of dirt and loose sand. The first stage is the India Mines stage and the second is the Torque stage.

The first stage is approximately 9.95 kms and the second 14.95 kms. These stages were also used for the four-wheeler K-1000 Rally that was held recently.

The India Mines Stage will be run thrice and Torque once with the riders scheduled for a recce run Saturday.

The response has been good for the event and around 50 entries are expected. Apart from the factory teams of TVS, Hero and Mahindra, there will be a host of privateers who will pit their skills against the best in the event.

KMSC chairman Bharath Raj said: "I am happy to state that after a five-year gap, the rally for two wheelers is back in action. I would like to congratulate the FMSCI and two-wheeler Rally Commission chairman Praneeth Perumal for having taken up the challenge of running this series."

Bhaskar Gupta, the Clerk of the Course, said: "Two-wheeler rally has been revived after 5-6 years. These stages are very technical and gruelling for man and machine."