Tag Archives: Musa Sherif

India’s Motor Sports Body ‘nominates’ its own president Akbar Ebrahim for Dronacharya Award

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Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

Akbar Ebrahim. (TOI Photo)

New Delhi :

Indian motorsports’ governing body FMSCI has nominated its own president Akbar Ebrahim for the Dronacharya Award besides sending Jehan Daruvala’s name to the government for Arjuna Award after inexplicably ignoring him last year.

Racer turned coach Ebrahim’s name was also recommended for Dronacharya last year but none of FMSCI’s nominations for the national sports awards was short-listed by the government appointed selection panel.

However, Ebrahim was not heading the FMSCI back then and some within the FMSCI feel his name should not have been included in the nominations this time as he is holding office.

“It is ironical isn’t it. Effectively the president only decides on the nominations and he has nominated himself . Two names were discussed initially but the Council decided to send only Ebrahim’s name.

“Last year was fine but his name shouldn’t have been gone this year as he is holding office. As far as Jehan’s nomination is concerned, I am glad it has happened this year as his named should have been there last year itself,”  a FMSCI official told PTI.

Top rally driver Gaurav Gill is Indian motorsports’ first and only recipient of a national sports award, having got the Arjuna in 2019. His co-driver Musa Sherif has been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna but he is highly unlikely to be considered for the country’s highest sporting honour.

Jehan’s name on the other hand should have been sent last year. India’s biggest racing star at the moment, Jehan stands the best chance of getting the award.

“He is one deserving candidate and should be honoured by the government,” the FMSCI official added.

The 22-year-old is into his second year in Formula 2 and has multiple podium finishes to his name. He won the sprint race in Bahrain last year and has scored two podiums, a second and third place, this season.

He is also a Red Bull junior driver.

In 2019, Jehan finished third in the Formula 3 Championship, which is another support series to Formula 1.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Sports News> Racing News / by PTI / June 29th, 2021

How a dry fish seller’s son from Kasaragod became most sought after navigator in motorsports world

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Mogral Village (Kasaragod), KERALA :

Another proud moment for Kasaragod as Musa Sharif gets nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, announced district collector D Sajith Babu on his Facebook page.

Musa Sharif (right and inset) with Karamjith Singh, Malaysia’s most-decorated rally driver, at the Rally of Perlis in 2018

Kasargod :

Another proud moment for Kasaragod, announced district collector D Sajith Babu on his Facebook page.

Congratulations to the pride of Kasaragod Musa Sharif, said Kasaragod MLA Nellikkunnu.

“Let’s hope the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna will reach Kasaragod through Musa Sharif,” he said.

For Kasaragod — a district with few sporting heroes —  Asia’s ace navigator Musa Sharif, 49, is a legend. He is the most experienced and sought-after co-driver in India’s motorsports world.

Acknowledging his contributions to motorsports in India, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) has nominated Sharif for the highest sporting honour of India.

“I am honoured by the nomination for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. Normally, drivers get all the attention. But navigators enjoy the blind trust of the drivers and share the podium with them,” he said. 

Since 2007, he has been the navigator of champion Gaurav Gill, who won the Arjuna Award in 2019, the year when the government recognised FMSCI as the national federation for motorsports. Musa has been a navigator for 29 years. “Coming January, it will be 30 years,” he says.

In these three decades, he has navigated for 49 drivers in 296 rallies, of which 67 were international rallies.

“I never had an off-year,” he chips in.

He has won 21 championships, including eight national championships — seven of them with Gill. Musa has travelled long rough terrains to be where he is today.

He was born to the late Zainuddin Perwad and Aysha in Mogral, a fishing village in Kasaragod. His father used to sell dry fish. 

He got hooked to driving when he got admission for Bachelor of Business Management in Badriya College in Mangaluru, 40km from his home.

Thrice in a week, he used to take his TVS Shogun or Yamaha RX100 to the college. Rest of the days, he would take the bus.

When he came to know of racing events in the city, he thought of giving it a try.

The first race he took part in was the rally organised by Karavali Auto Sports Club in Mangaluru in 1993. Congress’s Mangaluru MLA U T Khader was one of his co-racers.

He won the first championship in his fourth rally. In two years, Team MRF signed him as a navigator and he shifted gear to four-wheel racing.

He started his career as a navigator with Satish Bhat.  In 1997, he joined JK Tyre and then returned to Team MRF in 2001.

In 2013, he joined Mahindra Adventure. Since 2007, Musa Sharif and Gill are together, participating in 63 rallies, and winning in 36 rallies.

Together, they won the Rally of Coimbatore for Mahindra Adventure in January — to emerge national champions again.

His international wins came with Lohitt Urs (Asia Cross Country); Arjun Rao (Malaysian Rally Group N); Sanjay Takle (Malaysian Rally Championship) and Saneem Sani of Thrissur (UAE Rally Championship).

Every driver has a different call sign and navigators have to get adjusted to it. “Before the race, the driver and the navigator take the road twice, and prepare a ‘pace note’. It will be like a story of the road, the turns, and dips, the rise, the angle of the curves,” he said.

On the first trip, the driver gives the notes and the navigator takes them own.

On the second trip, the navigator will guide the driver based on the notes and will make corrections, if needed.

“On the race day, the driver would blindly trust the navigator and go by his command,” he said. 

The navigator
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) nominated Musa Sharif from Mogral in Kasaragod for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

The stats
29 years | 49 drivers
296 rallies | 67 international rallies | 21 championships
8 National championships
7 with Gaurav Gill

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by George Poikayil / Express News Service / July 03rd, 2021

INRC 2019: Younus Ilyas wins Sprint de Bengaluru

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KERALA :

Curtain-raiser event for the 2019 INRC saw Ilyas take victory after Mascarenhas was handed a penalty.

YousufIlyasMPOs26mar2019

The Sprint de Bengaluru 2019 took place over the weekend, acting as a non-championship, curtain-raiser event for the upcoming 2019 season of the Indian National Rally Championship. It was Kerala’s Younus Ilyas who took top honours at the event, after Bengaluru’s Dean Mascarenhas was handed a penalty.

Ilyas, along with navigator Harish Gowda, set the pace early on and held a 10 second lead at the end of the first day. But on the second day, Mascarenhas, who was driving a stock car in the INRC 3 category, started eating into Ilyas’ advantage. After completing the first two stages of the day just behind Ilyas, he managed to win the next two stages at the LG Champions County track, gaining nine and eight seconds on each stage.

However, Mascarenhas was then handed a six-minute penalty for reaching the starting point late on Saturday. This dropped him down to the bottom of the standings, handing victory to Ilyas.

“It was just bad luck,” lamented Mascarenhas. “My car didn’t start so I got delayed. I am, however, very happy with the way I drove and I am looking forward to a good season.”

“It was a great outing. And I loved being out here! The stages were interesting and were challenging at times. But I am really glad to have come out on top,” said Ilyas.

Dhruva Chandrashekar and navigator Musa Sherif took an understated 2nd place in the overall INRC category, taking victory in the INRC 3 category in the process. Sanjay Agarwal and navigator Smitha N rounded up the top three in the overall standings.

The event also featured a separate ladies class that was won by Shivani Pruthvi.

RESULTS:

INRC Overall: 1. Younus Ilyas / Harish KN; 2. Dhruva Chandrashekar / Musa Sherif; 3. Sanjay Agarwal  / Smitha N

INRC 1: Suhem Kabeer / J. Jeevarathinam; 2. Lokesh Gowda / D Uday Kumar

INRC 2: 1. Younus Ilyas / Harish KN; 2. Ritesh Guttedar / Lokaranjan; 3. Lanusanen Pongener / Vinay Kmar PM

INRC 3: 1. Dhruva Chandrashekar / Musa Sherif; 2. Chetan Shivram / Dilip Sharan; 3. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG

FMSCI CUP / 4WD: 1. Sanjay Agarwal  / Smitha N; 2. Avin Nanjappa / Darshan Nachappa; 3. Nikhil J / Arjun Dheerendra

FMSCI CUP / 2WD: 1. Vaibhav Marathe / Arjun SSB; 2. Avinash DC / Kenith Harsha; 3. Adith KC / Venu Ramesh Kumar

Ladies Class: 1. Shivani Pruthvi / Deepti Pruthvi; 2. Harshita Gowda / Vidya M

source: http://www.autocarindia.com / Autocar India / Home> Motorsport News / by Unnatee Gidithuri – Author / March 25th, 2019