Jagat Nanjappa a well-known person in the sport of motor racing in India. He belongs to the Kodava community and is natives of Kodagu district of Karnataka. He 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 70 kilometres (43 mi) to reduce the weight on the flat tyre.
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 coffee, 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
