In the absence of defending champion Gaurav Gill and car modifications, Lohitt Urs (co-driver BS Sujith Kumar) claimed the lead by setting the best time on day one of the K-1000 rally here on Saturday.
In round one of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) at the dry and dusty Siddlaghatta course, the Mysore driver completed the nine-stage Special Stage 31.2 seconds ahead of the nearest competitors in the 2000N class of the INRC.
Amittrajit Ghosh, (co-driver Ashwin Naik), who had the lead up until the fifth stage of the rally, finished second with a time of one hour, 23 minutes, 16.6 seconds after he encountered some issues with the car while upcoming driver Karna Kadur and his female navigator Somonita Ghosh finished in third in a time of 1::23:49.2.
With only the 2.6-km spectator-friendly Super Special Stage (Triple S) left on Sunday, Urs is expected to retain his position and claim the opening round.
In the 1600cc category, Aditya S (co-driver Kariyappa KB) managed hold his nerve to take the lead after clocking 1::32:47.1.
Young talent Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padiwal) of Mangalore continued to prove his prowess with a measured drive that fetched him a lead of over two minutes in the Junior INRC.
In the inaugural Indian Rally Championship for Foreign cars category, Team Kajah Motorsports’ A Zuhin (co-driver Musa Sherif) was fast in segments but given the lack of space, his Subaru Impreza failed to gather enough steam and settled for a time of 1::24:34.6.
Results: Indian Rally Championship (IRC): Zuhin A/ Musa Sherif 1 (1::24:34.6).
Indian National Rally Championship (2000cc): Lohitt Urs/ Sujith Kumar (1::22:45.4) 1; Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (1::23:16.6) 2; Karna Kadur/ Somonita Ghosh 3 (1::23:49.2). 1600cc: Aditya S/ Kariappa KB (1::32:47.1) 1; Siddharth Ranganeskar/ Nitin Jacob (1::32:59.6) 2; Prakhyat H Shirole/ SM Bharath (1::34:58.8) 3.
Juniors: Dean Mascarenhas/ Shruptha Padiwal (1::27:10.1) 1; Karan AM/ Shanmuga SM (1::30:04.0) 2; Vineet Tom Vincent/ Sob George (1::34:42.0) 3.
