Top riders set to negotiate tricky conditions in scooter rally

Forty one riders, including defending champion Rustom Patel and former champions Manjeet Singh Bassan, Avtar Singh and Shamim Khan, have entered the 24th Gulf Monsoon Scooter Rally to be run around the backwoods of Navi Mumbai on July 7.
The edition would see many firsts, like thirteen novice riders, a woman participant - Loretta Mathew D'lomen - and a team entry from TVS Racing from Bangalore to be represented by former dirt track national champions - Pramod Joshua and R Nataraj.
The other team participating is 9T9 Racing team which will be represented by Pinkesh Thakker while Shamim Khan, riding a Mahindra Rodeo, is supported by Mahindra and Mahindra.

With tomorrow being the closing date for entries, only four more entries will be accepted, said event organisers Sportscraft today.
After the rally starts from Our Lady's Home in Parel at 8 am, the riders will proceed along Vikhroli to Navi Mumbai for a 25-km competitive sector, the main challenge, as some tracts are gravel-laden, slushy and water-logged following a vigorous monsoon.
While the main contenders are 2009/2012 winner Rustom Patel, Manjeet Bassan, Avtar Singh and Shamim Khan, a new champion could emerge from among the entries from Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Kholapur, Hyderabad, Indore and Bhopal.
27-year-old Bassan is looking for his fifth crown in the event, having won it in 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2008, while the 31-year-old Khan, who hails from Nashik, has his eyes set on his fourth title, following victories in 2003, 2004, 2010.

Bhopal's Muzzafar Ali, last year's runner-up, also cannot be written off.