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Amanpreet shoots into lead

There was some bad news in store for the championship as four top rallyist pulled out of the event on the first day.

Dirang Valley (Arunachal Pradesh): National autocross champion Amanpreet Ahulawalia took the lead in the Super Special Stage on the first day of the JK Tyre Arunachal Festival of Speed here on Saturday.

There was some bad news in store for the championship as four top rallyist pulled out of the event on the first day.

Favourite Gaurav Chiripal, the winner of the India Baja recently, could not make it to venue as he was stuck in Dubai due to personal reasons. Ten-time Raid De Himalaya champion Suresh Rana, India Baja runner-up Raj Singh Rathore, and seven-time Desert Storm winner Sunny Sidhu also missed the event.

Veteran rallyist Amanpreet of Delhi tackled the slippery grass track in his Maruti Gypsy to delight of the packed stands at the Lopon Stadium. He needed just 2 minutes and nine seconds to complete the zig-zag course but the tougher part was staying in control without sacrificing speed.

“It was fun racing on this tricky course,” Amanpreet said. “We are happy that we have taken the early lead. There is still a long way to go and we hope to drive on this momentum,” he added.

The top seeded racer among those in classified cars here, Bopaiah K.M. from Kodagu, had to settle for second place in his 1600cc Vento. He was off the top mark by 3.15 seconds. Delhi’s Sandeep Sharma just 1.17 seconds behind in third.

In the Auto Cross and Sprint Cars for local talent, Babit Lyngdoh shot into the lead, winning both rounds in his Esteem. He finished with an impressive 2 minutes 15 seconds and 2 minutes 13 seconds in the two rounds. Amitabh Indar was second, just four seconds behind the leader. Kevin Puro (Cedia) was third with a total time of 4:35.

Results: Autocross: Amanpreet Ahluwalia/ Ajay Kumar 2.09, Bopaiah K.M./Gagan Karumbaih 2.12 , Sandeep Sharma/Prathap Thakur 2.13 Autocross (local Talent): Babit Lyngdoh 4.28, Amitabh Indar 4.32, Kevin Puro 4.35.

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