Motorsports veteran Musa Sherif felicitated for 300 caps

BENGALURU: Motorsports Journalists Federation felicitated seven-time National rally champion Musa Sherif for completing 300 rallies without a break in 30 years, at the iconic Karnataka 1000 rally, the second round of the delayed Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four-wheelers 2021, near here on Sunday.

Musa Sherif, 50, who made his debut in two-wheeler rallying as a rider in 1993, moved on to develop as a skilled navigator, switching to four-wheelers in 1995. The Kasargod rallyist sat with nearly 50 drivers and took part in 69 international rallies. Though he called the pace notes for many stalwarts including Karamjit of Malaysia and seven-time National champion Naren Kumar, his association with Gaurav Gill, has yielded golden results with seven National Championship titles, a record held by the two giants of Indian motoring.

Musa's 300 rallies include both two-wheelers and cars in all formats of the game including TSD with 35 INRC-round victories, and 33 of them with Gill. He was nominated for the Khel Ratna award last year by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI), the Indian body for governing motorsports.

Three-time Asia Pacific Rally (APRC) champion and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill presented the award to Musa Sherif on behalf of the motorsport’s journalist. "Rallying for 30 years without a break is a great feat and it would be very difficult for anyone to beat this record. He has provided us many moments to cherish with his dedication, discipline and commitment which is a model to the young sportspersons and we are happy to recognise his achievement," said Ashok Tiwari, on behalf of AutoTrack and INDIAinF1.com, the two motorsports-specific media outlets.