Rana-Naik duo rule the roost

During the contest,a Gypsy negotiated a sharp turn too fast and overturned. Fortunately,within three minutes the driver and navigator were extricated from the Gypsy,the vehicle put back on its wheels and driven away. Fortunately,neither the driver no the navigator was injured. This was courtesy the special safety equipment mandatory in each rally vehicle like the anti-roll bar,special safety belts,safety helmets etc.

In Gypsies,the team of Suresh Rana and Ashwin Naik brought in the best time of 1:32:14 minutes. The team of Sunny Sidhu and Honey Narula were a shade behind,at 1:32:21. The team of Sandeep Sharma and Kulbir Dhaliwal clocked 1:35:09 for the third spot.

In cars,the fastest was the team of Jagbir Singh Nirwan and Shivkaran Singh Mokha,clocking 1:41:97. The team of Inderbir Libra and Rahul Garg clocked 1:42:52 for the second spot. In third place was Varun Davesar and Karan Bagla with 1:45:34.

In the bikes category,Pardyuman Singh was the fastest with 1:38:43,Saurabh Handa second with1:40:54,while Yogesh Lakhani was third with 1:43:03.

For the second leg of the rally,the teams will be flagged off at 7 am on Saturday from St. Johns School,Sector 26. The night halt will be at Koti Resorts. On Sunday,they will be flagged off from Koti Resorts and are expected to reach St. Johns School in the evening.

Chitranjan Aggarwal,president SJOBA said that the route for the rally is challenging and adventurous,covering fast tarmacs with winding hair pins,unmetalled surfaces and exhilarating hilly terrain in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. “We have provided for FIVs (First Intervention Vehicles) and ambulances at each competitive stage,with SJOBA marshals and doctors available with full medical assistance,” he added.