Leela-Farooq win Monsoon Rally of Pune to lead MRF sweep
Pune, 3 Sept 2000: Five-time National champion N Leelakrishnan and co-driver Farooq Ahmed of Team MRF Limited won the Para-HRA Monsoon Rally 2000, the second round of the MAI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) and lead a `Red Sweep’ with Team MRF winning all the top six Overall honours, here on Sunday.
Apart from the top-six places in the Overall section, Team MRF also won the top-three positions in the Group `A’ Modified class and also swept the podium in the Group `N’ unmodified production cars class in the gruelling rally held on the outskirts of Pune.
A Motorsports Association of India (MAI) press release said that the Pune rally had received 16 entries from across the country with MRF dominating the entry sheet. Of them, 11 cars finished the two-leg rally run in Special Stage format on dirt road stages which are closed for public. Leelakrishnan and Farooq Ahmed were the overall winners as they defeated their main rivals and reigning National champions Naren Kumar and co-driver Ramkumar, who had to be content with a second place. Karandip Singh and co-driver Jaidas Menon, also of MRF, won the Production Cars class and also finished third overall. Biking legends, Jagat Nanjappa and Anita came fourth overall and second in Group N class.
On Sunday, Vijayant Choudary (MRF) was the lone drop out while four others dropped out on Saturday during the first leg. Palash Tavaria and Sagar Muthappa of Team MRF, who had pulled out on Saturday rejoined on Sunday’ in the superrally format to have a go at some points for the National Championship.
This year’s MAI calendar has seven rounds and the next round will be in Goa from September 22. The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) which is removed as the ASN by FIA recently, is running their own championship and had completed two rounds at Calcutta and Chennai.
