Masa Rally Of Mumbai - A Flashback

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Hello to all TeamBHPians once again - just as I have posted my experiences of the Himalayan Rally, I would like to share my very pleasant and memorable experiences of the Maharashtra Automotive Sports Association - MASA - rallies with which I was associated, first as a marshal, then as a competitor and finally as a scrutineer. I took part in this rally in 1983 and 1984. I am posting one of the photographs of my car alongwith the prizes that I won in the 1984 rally here.

I request all those who have similar experiences to please post them here.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[kavesh55]

Lots more stories & pics please Behram

[VJ_MAVRICK]

Maybe this congrats would have made some sense 24 years back, nevertheless it does not take anything from it now, so congrats Behram Ji on the winning experience. Keep us posted with more such achievements

[rallystar]

Nice to see you post this thread.It brings back old memories of the MASA rallies which were regularly covered by the Indian Auto and Car & Bike International the 2 Auto magazines of that time.I think there used to be a MASA Monsoon rally , with sections run at night.It would be run mostly along the regions of Uran , pen , roha and sometimes even mahabaleshwar in later years .I still remember the drivers like Farad Bhatena , Vikas Chudiwala , Sam katgara , Sunil shanbhag , Dileep dessai , Hormazd sorabjee and many more in their premier padminis. there was also a guy called Mr. Punjabi in a MM540 . post more photos please.

[Cyrus43]

Unluckily we have very few photos rallystar. But i am sure there will be people here who have more photos of the MASA rallies across the years.

[salilpawar1]

A bit off-topic:
Is the foglamp setup custom made?
Is there any chance that there is another Fiat in Mumbai with EXACTLY the same pattern of mounting on the mounting frame?

I am asking this because about a couple of months ago, I saw a beautifully maintained white Fiat with exactly the same foglamp setup with a very distinctive exhaust note. I couldn't see the regn. properly but the number was old. Also, it had air-conditioning.

[Cyrus43]

Yes, the setup was custom designed.
We still have all the lights.

[sudev]

hhhmmmm...MASA'94 was supposed to be debut of Zen in Indian rallying scene. I worked hard to get homologation done and get the certificate in hand just before the rally. Turned up at the event to be told that homologation is valid only 90 days after issue....so sat out the rally as supporter.
Maniac Rekhi debuted in this event as Yellow's driver for the first time so gave him service support. And then drove all the way back to Delhi in continuous 15 hour drive stint. Was that mad.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

That's me in the centre alongwith my navigator Hafiz Vakil recieving the prize for fourth overall and first in group A1 from amongst 23 cars. My start number was 14. During those days, unmodified was known as A1, modified without changing the camshaft was known as A1A and modified with changing the camshaft was known as A2.

[amtak]

OT: Dear Mr. Dhabhar, who is this lady giving you the award? Is this a 1984 picture or prior to that?

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

That is a 1983 picture. The lady is the daughter of Mr.Vasant Patki who was one of the DCOCs of the rally. Incidentally, please refer the Himalayan Rally flashback thread. In 1982, I travelled from Mumbai to Delhi, went on the Himalayan Rally route and came back to Mumbai in Mr.Vasant Patki's 1976 model Premier Padmini MMD6300 modified to A1A specifications with twin Solex carburettors and a biiiiiig radiator without any cooling fan on the engine. That car ran like a bomb. I remember reaching Udaipur at 2 in the night after getting lost somewhere near Ahmedabad.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[kavesh55]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

That is a 1983 picture.

That when I was born.

Dear Behram,
Let the stories & pictures keep coming. let us see the auto era we will never witness.

[4wdrifter]

Nice to see you post this thread.It brings back old memories of the MASA rallies which were regularly covered by the Indian Auto and Car & Bike International the 2 Auto magazines of that time.I think there used to be a MASA Monsoon rally , with sections run at night.It would be run mostly along the regions of Uran , pen , roha and sometimes even mahabaleshwar in later years .I still remember the drivers like Farad Bhatena , Vikas Chudiwala , Sam katgara , Sunil shanbhag , Dileep dessai , Hormazd sorabjee and many more in their premier padminis. there was also a guy called Mr. Punjabi in a MM54

Yes, those were the good ol' days. Rallies run with night stages, a separate monsoon event, A1, AIA and AIIA Fiats. Vikash in his Dr. Coolz Fiat and Sunil the gentleman driver. It was the Indian Auto Journal in those days, launched in September or October 1986 with the Himalayan Rally covered. Headed by Gautam Sen with Hormazd as the photographer. And Car & Bike International came much later, headed by Adil Jal Darukhanawala.

hhhmmmm...MASA'94 was supposed to be debut of Zen in Indian rallying scene. I worked hard to get homologation done and get the certificate in hand just before the rally. Turned up at the event to be told that homologation is valid only 90 days after issue....so sat out the rally as supporter.
Maniac Rekhi debuted in this event as Yellow's driver for the first time so gave him service support. And then drove all the way back to Delhi in continuous 15 hour drive stint. Was that mad.

I think I remember that - that year the rally went to either Lonavala or Nashik, I don't remember now. Wasn't yours a yellow Zen? OT: I think you later took part in one of Tutu's events and had a spectacular crash?

I still remember the first event I had marshalled though - in 1986 when we had gone to the Konkan - I was at a village called Diveaghar where the rally was passing through the night. I had my car and with me was Vilas Sunkersett and two of my friends. The village itself was less than a kilometre long with one narrow road passing through it. The rally cars had to pass it in no less than 4 minutes. I left my friends (without the car!) at one end while Vilas & I took up position at the other end (in the car!) It was freezing and as we had setup very early, we went to sleep. We were awoken by a snarling Fiat coming in the opposite direction - Cyrus Gandhi in his white A1A, huge air dam ready to attack the village - we stopped him and I guess he found his way the right way around!
My friends were frozen, standing as it were throughout the night with a stopwatch and a clip pad!
The cars were flagged off from Mhasla in the dark of the night and in those days, you could hear them being flagged off all the way in Diveaghar!
I was recently in Diveaghar and man, that village has grown!