Sandeep Sharma wins first Tura Challenge: INRC

By George Francis

Tura (Meghalaya), 13 March 2005: Sandeep Sharam and co-driver Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from New Delhi started the MAI (Motorsports Association of India ) INRC (Indian National Rally Championship) 2005, with an emphatic overall victory.

Driving a Maruti Gypsy, the veteran Sandeep took his maiden victory in a National Championship Rally overall today. “This is the moment I have been waiting for the past 14 years and I quite didn’t expect it here. I am thrilled,” remarked Sandeep after finishing the last stage of the day. Sandeep also won the top spot in the Gypsy Class, a new class introduced in the Championship last year, that has seen many a new driver come in from Northern India.

Rally Star Cup winner of 2004, veteran Sanjay Agarwal who was co-driven by the 2004 Overall National Champion navigator Sujith Kumar, won the honours in the 1400 cc INRC class. Sanjay, who had moved up to the 1400 cc class, proved that despite all the problems he had with his car, he was a winner on the track. “I am happy that I finished the event.We broke our front struts in the very first stage yesterday and had a lot of problems before completing the event. We drove conservatively and won the class”, said Sanjay, fizzing Champagne at the Dakopgiri stadium in front of a cheering  8000 strong crowd.

Debutant G.S.Joshy co-driven by experienced navigator G.M.Srikanth won the Rally Star Cup category, with a very convincing drive. “I am too happy to win in the first rally that I am driving. This will encourage me to do the full season now”, opined Joshi. In addition he also placed overall second.

The Best timing of the three Super Special Stages run went to Sunny Sidhu and co-driver H.S.Bawa from Delhi. Sunny,the Raid de Himalaya winner should have finished the rally in good placing, but had to pull out when his Gypsy wheel came off yesterday.
Today he was driving for leg points. Dr.Mukul Sangma, the Home Minister who was there to witness the Super Special Stage was so impressed with Sunny’s driving that he went for a spin with him in the rally gypsy.

The Tura Challenge-5 was flagged off into the stages yesterday morning at 8 a.m. where the rallyists drove two Special stages (in the Chibragre and Badadam areas about 15km away from Tura) repeated thrice and returned to Tura in the evening.

Today morning they were flagged off at 8 a.m. again and they drove both the stages once in the reverse direction and returned to Tura. Later in the afternoon, the Super Special Stage at Dakopgiri Stadium (that was run once on Friday evening) was run twice to complete the rally. 9 of the 15 starters finished the Tura Challenge –05. One of the major dropouts was Philipose Mathai from Team Methods who had a gearbox problem yesterday.

The organizers of the event Motorsports Association of Garo Hills who are running their maiden event in the National Championship, have proved that they have an excellent capacity to organize and this should bring in more people from Magalia into rallying. “I am very happy that all the rallyists enjoyed the rally and we will do it better next year”, remarked Ashok Agarwal, the COC. “The Government of Magalia who has supported the rally are keen on doing whatever possible for promotion of Motorsport in the region,” said the Home Minister Dr Mukul Sangma.

The Champagne ceremony at the stadium was followed by the prize distribution function at the 2nd Battalion at 8 p.m.

Provisional (Unaudited) Results: OVERALL: 1. Sandeep Sharma & Kuldip Singh (2hours, 8min, 0.39sec); 2. GS Joshy & Srikanth GM (2:08:51.43); 3. Chetan Shivram & Chandrashekar (2:12:04.62).

1400cc class: 1. Sanjay Agarwal & Sujith Kumar (2:18:27.98); 2. Ravi Agarwal & Pradeep Kumar (2:28:54.71); 3. Along Aier & Zachume Ezung (2:42:14.53).

Rally Star Cup: 1. GS Joshy & Srikanth GM (2:08:51.43); 2. Chetan Shivram & Chandrashekar (2:12:04.62); 3.Anil Wadia & CK Chinnappa (2:16:44.84).

Gypsy Class: 1. Sandeep Sharma & Kuldip Singh (2:08:00.39); 2. Suresh Rana & Marcus Bugar (2:12:59.08); 3. Prakash Momin & Nancy Sangma (2:26:17:85).

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