The 18th edition of Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya was off to a roaring start as over 250 participants set out to battle the extremes in the week-long challenge.
Day 1 – 9th October
The daunting hilly terrain failed to ebb the enthusiasm as competitors rallied their way to the first pit-stop in Kaza for the end of the leg on day one. Rallyist Lhakpa Tsering with navigator Venu Ramesh Kumar were seen to be leading on the first day of the action which culminated in picturesque Kaza, Spiti. Manali Man, Suresh Rana and ace navigator, Ashwin Naik in their Grand Vitara manoeuvred the challenging tracks to a close second in the Xtreme (4x4) category with a time score of 1:27:54 hours.
The provisional scorecard on day one saw four of the top ten spots dominated by Maruti Suzuki rallyists, with Sandeep Sharma and Karan Arya clocking 1:34:41 hours in their Maruti Suzuki Gypsy. Following closely was the team, Jag Mohan Singh and Vikram Thakur clocking 1:37:27 hours, also in their Maruti Suzuki Gypsy. Harpreet Singh Bawa and Parminder Thakur chased 1:40:10 hours in their Grand Vitara. Amongst the bikers, Abdul Wahid Tanveer led the pack with an overall time score of 1:18:29 hours, followed by R Natraj (1:18.33 hours) and Vishwas SD (1:31:50 hours).
The excitement reached a crescendo as the rally passed through the breathtaking locales of Gramphoo and Losar to end in Kaza. On the first day of the excitement, the rallyists paced through a distance of over 200 kilometres from Manali to Kaza.
DAY 1 RESULTS
Cars Extreme
1. Lhakpa Tsering and Venu Ramesh Kumar – 1:26:58
2. Suresh Rana and Ashwin Naik - 1:27:54
3. Sandeep Sharma and Karan Arya - 1:34:41
Bikes Extreme
1. Abdul Wahid Tanveer - 1:18:29
2. R Natraj - 1:18.33
3. Vishwas SD - 1:31:50
Day 2 – 10th October
On the second day, the participants continued their trek up the narrow roads as the rally moved further ahead to pass through Demul, Lingti, Sichiling to end in Kaza.
According to provisional data, the end of the second day saw Suresh Rana and Ashwin Naik ahead of the pack with an impressive lead time of 7 minutes. The duo was followed by Lhakpa Tsering and Venu Ramesh Kumar, who were trailed by Sandeep Sharma and Karan Arya. Amongst the bikers, day two was led by Abdul Wahid Tanveer, followed by R Natraj, with a gap of 3 minutes between them. In the third spot, was Umang Saxena.
Amidst the unparalleled action, the mountains also witnessed an eye-grabbing spectacle as Maruti Suzuki’s hugely popular compact SUV, Vitara Brezza rode with the rally in its debut rally season. The rally now moves through Losar, Gramphoo, Patseo to end in Sarchu by the end of the day.
Source: Maruti Suzuki
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