Gulf Autocross for two wheelers : Mumbai : 11-12 Mar 2K6
Rustom Patel shines in Gulf Autocross, wins place in Gulf Dirt Track National Championship

Mumbai: Rustom Patel was the toast of the day in the Gulf Autocross for two-wheelers, sponsored by Gulf Oil Corporation Ltd. and organised by Sportscraft, at the Godrej grounds in Vikhroli, Mumbai, on Sunday.

The diminutive champion rider from Mumbai won five classes, including one for scooters, to ride away with the title of ‘Gulf Fastest Rider of the day’ beating the Pune rider Pinkesh Thakkar by a fraction of a second, to be precise 0.79 seconds.

He was given a stiff fight all the way by Badal Doshi, who won three classes, but his carefree riding and control over the many sharp bends along the course won him the day.

Autocross is a time trial exercise in the finer nuances of driving, where the rider is timed to the hundredth of a second. While this branch motor sport tests one’s skills in competition on a specially laid out course, the idea behind the event is to educate the rider in the safety aspect of driving.

Rustom kick-started the day’s proceedings, winning the 80cc to 110cc class (4-stroke) for motorcycles. Riding a TVS Victor, he was home in 2 minutes, 21.06 seconds, well ahead of Sudesh Parkar and Gyani Shukla, both on TVS Victors, who finished second and third in 2:27.67 and 2:31.44 seconds respectively.

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