Kranthi Kumar Vengala, co-driver Rajeev Lal PM retain top position

As per the provisional results for the ‘4x4 Extreme’ category after the completion of Special Stages (SS) 1 to 9, Kranthi Kumar Vengala (co-driver Rajeev Lal PM) from Hyderabad continued to lead the field, with 790 points out of a possible 900. Anand Manjooran (Vishnu Raj) from Kerala fought his way up to the second position on the leaderboard with 745 points, while Ujjal Namshum (Chethan Chengappa) from Arunachal Pradesh held on to the third spot with 688 points.

The pressure of the previous day’s running showed in how several of the leaders fared on Day 2. Kranthi Kumar Vengala lost a tyre during one of the stages but still persevered, eventually completing the stage on three tyres while also recovering the lost tyre in the process.

Ujjal Namshum toppled his vehicle in the very first stage of the day while pushing to climb up the leaderboard. Despite this hurdle, the team got the vehicle, which faced some issues following the topple, fixed in time to complete the remaining three stages and preserve their place in the top three. 

Day 1 of the ‘4x4 Modified’ category's competition saw 16 teams take to the stages. As per the Provisional Results for Special Stages 1 to 4 for this category, Sarjerao Kawade (Rushikesh Patil) from Pune took the top spot on the leaderboard with 363 points out of 400. Suraksha BS (Sanoj S) from Coorg was placed second with 339 points and Nikunj Vora (Parag Patil) from Maharashtra rounded off the top three with 338 points.

The ‘4x4 Modified’ competitors took on largely the same stages the ‘4x4 Extreme’ competitors had faced a day earlier, minus the winching points, turning the day into a pure test of driving. Two of the stages carried significant water obstacles, with the second among them the deepest of the day, while the first and third stages also featured water crossings; only the fourth stage stayed dry.

For competitors used to and expecting high-speed driving, the rain and the water obstacles proved an unfamiliar challenge, with several teams caught out by wading conditions they had not encountered before. The rough nature of the stages, combined with an aggressive approach from some of the competitors, also took a toll on the vehicles, with a number of teams picking up mechanical damage over the course of the day.

The ‘4x4 Stock’ category, meanwhile, completed scrutiny of its 23 competing vehicles, setting the stage for its competition to begin in the days ahead.