Lohit V. Urs (co-driver Srikanth Gowda) cashed in on the opportunity that came his way and took the early lead after the first leg of the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship, at the Kethanur windmill farms near Palladam on Friday.
But it was Mahindra Adventure’s Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) who called the shots at the start. He attacked the stages with aplomb, much to the joy of his team. Even as Gill enthralled the crowd with his daredevilry, Lohit quietly planned his moves at every stage. He enjoyed being on a faster car (Mistubishi Evo VIII), but was equally aware of the nature of the gravel track.
He slowed down a bit early on, for safety reasons, but upped the pace midway through to make life tough for Gill, who enjoyed a slender edge after SS3. The final stage of the day, however, turned out to be a disaster for Gill. Clutch issues let him down when it mattered most. Lohit, on the other hand, safely brought his car home. “We are happy with our performance today. The opener at Nashik wasn’t so good for us. So, it is a kind of turnaround for us,” said Lohit.
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IRC 2000: 1. Rahul Kantharaj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohoma) 01:08:45.8; 2. Hrishikesh Thackersey / Ninad Mirajgaonkar; 3. Sumit Panjabi / Nitin Jacob.
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FMSCI Cup: 1. K.C. Adith / K.N. Harish 01:09:47.3; 2. D. Ashwin Reddy / M. Suraj; 3. Druva Chandrasekhar / J. Jeevarathinam.