Jagat and Anita Nanjappa are a well-known couple in the sport of

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. They belong to the Kodava community and are natives of Kodagu district of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. They have participated and won many motorbike and car rallies in India. Jagat is usually the driver while his wife Anita dons the role of the navigator. Together, they have won nine Indian National Rally Riders Championship awards in the motorbike section from 1986 to 1996. Known for their grit and determination, they once completed a rally despite having a flat rear tyre with Anita having to sit on the petrol tank of the bike for a distance of to reduce the weight on the flat tyre.

Initiation

Jagat, who grew up in Kodagu, was inspired to take up racing by his father Appanna, who was a fast driver. He started racing bikes as a hobby in the year 1981. His family was mainly engaged in growing

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, and Jagat had ample time to pursue his hobby. The winding, muddy, traffic-less roads of Kodagu gave him further motivation to drive fast. He started rallying with bikes but later graduated to cars. He was later joined by his wife Anita, who after marriage became his navigator in the rallies he participated. They started winning different forms of rallies like TSD (Time, Speed and Distance), stage and raid rallies. Their victories led MRF to sponsor them, and Jagat and Anita raced under the title ''Team MRF'' in the subsequent rallies.

Victories

Jagat and Anita won the Annual Indian National Rally Riders Championship in the motorbike section nine times between 1986 and 1996 losing out only in the years 1990 and 1992. Some of the other rallies won by the couple include: * The Great Desert Rally in 1988. * The

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rally in 1992. * The MASA rally held at

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in the years 1993 and 1994. * The Popular rally held at

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

in the years 1993 and 1994. In car racing, they were runners up in the Indian National Racing championship in the 1400cc category in the years 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Promoting the sport

Jagat and Anita started the Universal Sports Club in the year 2002 in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

with the objectives of introducing new members to the sport, encourage racing enthusiasts, promote the sport and strive towards the improvement of motorsport infrastructure in

. The inaugural event organised by the club was a hill climb race for cars and bikes at the Nandi Hills. They also started the ''Nanjappas Racing Foundation'' with an aim to professionally organise motorsport events in India like

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

, go-karting and motocross. Jagat has also lent his expertise in designing dirt race tracks and has been chosen by Ford India for laying tracks in different cities of India where enthusiasts can test ride Ford's automobiles on those tracks. One of the major events organised by Jagat was ''Burnout'' which was a

drag race Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

held during

Bangalore Habba Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, the annual cultural event held in

. This race which took place in the

Jakkur Airfield Jakkur Aerodrome is an airport located in Jakkur, a suburb of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It is the only dedicated general aviation field in Bangalore. The airfield is the site of the Government Flying Training School (GFTS), the only flying s ...

attracted around 20,000 spectators.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanjappa, Jagat And Anita Living people Indian rally drivers Kodava people People from Kodagu district Year of birth missing (living people)