With Team Mahindra Adventure’s big star pulling out due to a mechanical issue in the sixth stage, his teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) showed great tactical acumen to win the Rally of Arunachal, the third round of MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, here on Sunday.
Ghosh who fought back from ninth to third on the opening day, tackled the day’s three stages cautiously, finishing second in SS5, third in SS6 and again second in SS7 for a cumulative top timing of 00:57:33.6.
It was 5.9 seconds faster than INRC 2’s Phalguna Urs and Srikanth, giving them the victory.
“We started the Rally on an ominous note, taking the ninth place due to a technical issue.
“But I and Ashwin kept pushing until we managed to bounce back to the pole,” a victorious Amittrajit said.
The results: INRC: 1. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure, 00:57:33.6s); 2. Phalguna Urs & Srikanth (Snap Racing); 3. Dean Mascarenhas& Shruptha Padival (Team Champions).
INRC 1: 1. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure); 2. Lokesh Gowda & Venu Ramesh Kumar (Team Champions).
INRC 2: 1. Phalguna Urs & Srikanth (Snap Racing, 00:57:39.5); 2. Karna Kadur & P.V.S Murthy (Arka Motorsports); 3. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y. Bhatt (Arka Motorsports).
INRC 3: 1. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival (Team Champions); 2. 2. Aroor Vikram Rao & A.G. Somayya (Falkon Motorsports); 3. Phurpa Tsering & Chow Tiktha (Phurpa Tsering).
FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. K.C. Adith & SSB Arjun (Team Champions, 01:01:20.0); 2. Rakshith Iyer & Sagar Mallappa.
