Syed Asif Ali Wins Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally 2016

Gulf Oil Lubricants India and Sportscraft together organized the 27th edition of the Scooter Rally that was held on July 10 at the backwoods of Navi Mumbai. Riders were flagged off at 9 am from K-Star hotel in Belapur. The Rally consisted of 53 riders who fought for the trophy.Although this edition did not experience major rainfall, heavy rain over the past few days made the course wet and tricky to ride on.

Syed Asif Ali, a rider from Bangalore of Team TVS Racing, emerged as the winner of the 2016 Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally. Shamim Khan from Nashik stood second on his Mahindra Gusto, followed by Emiral Shekharan from Navi Mumbai, who finished third. Shamim Khan won the previous four editions of Rally but Syed Asif Ali thwarted the bid of Shamim of being the record-breaking fifth-time winner. The above three riders finished in the S1 class of up to 160cc four-stroke segment. Fourth position was acquired by Sheshraj Yadav riding his Yamaha Alpha and Muzaffar Ali, astride TVS Wego, finished in the fifth position.

Syed Asif Ali, after winning the title of 2016 Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally 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.”

Nidhi Shukla of Team CEAT, on the Honda Activa, was the best among lady riders, completing the rally in remarkable time. Former champion Manjeet Singh Bassan failed to finish in the top five riders but won the S2 class of scooters 110cc up to 160cc two strokes.  A group of first-time riders were also appreciated for their efforts. Mohsin Mehbook Khan, who was awarded the late Firdosh Wajifdar Trophy, was the best in this group.

Many riders damaged their scooters, and some even had to withdraw from the competition because of their engines getting stuck. Few riders took a tumble while crossing a giant puddle. Riders struggled to pass from steep inclines, hairpin bends and water-logged stretches.

The list of winners from various segment with their timing is as follows:

Overall Winners:
1st- Syed Asif Ali(Bangalore)- TVS Wego- 32.43 sec
2nd- Shamim Khan(Nashik)- Mahindra Gusto- 33.36 sec
3rd- Emiral Shekharan(Navi Mumbai)- Yamaha Alpha- 34.18 sec
 
Class S1- 81cc up to 110cc- Two-stroke:
1st- Rohan Thakur(Mumbai)- Kinetic Marvel- 36.54 sec
2nd- Nilesh Thakare(Nashik)- Kinetic Honda- 38.34 sec
3rd- Kunal Rao(Mumbai)- Kinetic Marvel- 39.10 sec
 
Class S2- 110cc up to 160cc- Two-stroke:
1st- Manjit Singh Bassan(Mumbai)- LML Vespa- 37.14 sec
2nd- Ravindra Singh(Mumbai)- LML Vespa-  43.58 sec
3rd- Vikram Boparai(Thane)- LML Vespa- 47.34 sec
 
Class FSG- up to 160cc- Four-stroke:
1st- Syed Asif Ali(Bangalore)- TVS Wego- 32.43 sec
2nd- Shamim Khan(Nashik)- Mahindra Gusto- 33.36 sec
3rd- Emiral Shekharan(Navi Mumbai)- Yamaha Alpha- 34.18 sec