Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally lived up to its reputation of throwing a new winner every year as Amanpreet Ahluwalia (co-driver Venu Ramesh) today won in the four-wheeler class, while Nataraj Rajanna of TVS Racing emerged champion among bikes in the Extreme Category here.
Overnight leader Delhi-based Amanpreet won the fifth edition of the Southern rally in his very first attempt, defeating his nearest rival Suresh Rana (co-driver Parminder Thakur) by an overall margin of three minutes and 41 seconds.
"It's my first win down south and that too in my very first attempt. It was a different terrain for me and it's great to win it in my first year of competition. The win is more so special because I defeated my nearest competitor and good friend of mine Rana for the overall title," said Amanpreet after his win.
"Day two was the toughest leg for me as the terrain was slippery and slushy near the Tata coffee plantation in the Coorg district but after that I upped the tempo and went on to secure a healthy lead over Rana. My winning philosophy is to always have a positive intent and spend good amount of time on your car," he added.
Amanpreet, who has been enjoying a good season having won the Sjoba Rally in the north, clocked three hours and 45 minutes to finish well ahead of second-placed Rana (03:48:41 hrs).
"I suffered two punctures on Day two of the event and my vehicle also got stranded in the slush which put paid to my hopes of winning my maiden Dakshin Dare title. Also the cancellation of stages on Day 4 of the event due to clearance issue also made it nearly impossible for me to narrow down the lead," said a disappointed Rana.
Rana, the eight-time Raid de Himalaya champion and thrice Desert Storm winner, drove a Grand Vitara for Team Maruti.
