Mumbai monsoon, scooter riding and no real roads

Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally

The title of this story might sound like a recipe for disaster – something akin to those commuter woes one keeps reading about during the monsoons in India.  Actually, it is a reference to an event that I attended last weekend – the Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally. I know! I know! It’s hard to imagine any motorsport event being conducted in Mumbai, the concrete jungle that it is. In fact, that’s probably why the Indian motorsport fraternity usually gives a wide berth to the maximum city. But fortunately for us Mumbaikars, the Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally prefers to hold their event in Mumbai and has been doing so for 27 editions now. And this year, TVS Motor Company had kindly invited us to watch this gruelling rally and also see their two best riders bring glory to the brand. Now, TVS is the only two-wheeler manufacturer in India which participates in this monsoon rally. All the other manufacturers prefer to stick to selling scooters only. 

Nestled in between villages and massive quarries, the route for the rally was chalked out to make riding difficult and maximise all the misery of the monsoons. The riders were required to go around a 5km stretch thrice, and the one who clocks the least time to finish it takes the trophy home. This might sound easy, but the life of GMSR participants isn’t. The riders rode through heavy water-clogged sections, deep ruts and took some really difficult turns. The route has a lot of challenging climbs and drops, which were quite easy for riders with knobby tyres on, but scooters with stock tyres had issues getting the right grip. There were some patches where most of the scooter’s underbody took a massive hit due to exposed rocks. Trophy or not, the entire route also contrives to throw the rider’s back out, requiring him/her to seek medical relief at the end of the rally. 

TVS has a rally spec scooter which goes by the name the SXR 150. It is powered by a 150cc motor which churns out 18bhp power. This scooter tips the scale at an impressive 90kg (and now we want to ride it too). There are telescopic forks at the front with 80mm of travel and 12-inch wheels with knobby tyres which take care of the rough patches. The SXR 150 gets disc brake setup at front and rear. The team ran the Wego 110 in the last few rallies, but not the ones that come straight out of the production line. Every single component had been upgraded to withstand harsh riding conditions. The reason why the company used the SXR150 this year was because of the Aprilia SR150, a scooter that is known for its looks and performance. Asif and Rustom, both delivered some good action to the spectators. Syed was really fast in the straights, whereas Rustom was aggressive in the corners. 

The event lasted for about 4 hours. In the end, Venkatesh Shetty of Lorraine’s Racing went on to claim the 2017 title. His Aprilia SR150 finished all the three laps in 25 minutes 15 seconds. Pune’s Pinkesh Thakkar of Team CEAT, also riding an Aprilia SR 150, was second in 25 minutes 43 seconds. TVS' defending champion, Syed Asif Ali finished third in 25 minutes 44 seconds.

The rally was amazing while it lasted. And I am even happier than it took place close to my neighbourhood. I had no regrets whatsoever about leaving my warm couch and getting wet and dirty on a rainy Saturday morning. The rally also puts to rest a few notions that people generally presume about a scooter rally – that it’s easy and sedate. Clearly, the Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally is one of the most difficult and gruelling events in the Indian motorsport calendar.  I am now inspired to return next year as a participant rather than a spectator. I just hope that TVS doesn’t junk the Wego rally scooter by then. 

To check the final results of the 2017 Gulf Monsoon Rally click here.