Kerala's Younus Ilyas survived a late attack from Bengaluru's Dean Mascarenhas to dramatically clinch the INRC overall and INRC 2 categories in the Sprint de Bengaluru 2019, the curtain-raiser event to the FMSC Indian National Rally Championship here Sunday.
The Race Concepts driver, along with his navigator Harish Gowda, seemed to be in control after storming into a comfortable 10-second lead in the night stage on Saturday.
But Mascarenhas, an acknowledged champion driving in the INRC 3 category, showed a glimpse of his speed and prowess on Sunday. Despite driving his stock car which clearly didn't have enough power, he began Day 2 with a bang, finishing just 2 seconds off Ilyas' well-prepared Cedia.
He was equally brilliant in the next stage, clocking 4:58.30 which was just one second behind Ilyas.
The two stages, at LG Tranquil, tested the drivers and cars thoroughly, with tarmac, gravel, loose soil, sharp climbs and steep falls marking the route. It gave the huge local crowds a bird's eye view of the entire run, making for a great holiday treat.
Mascarenhas then came into his own, winning the next two stages at the LG Champions County track handsomely. With only long straights and sharp curves and turns to conquer, he went all out and gained 9 and 8 seconds each to make up for his 10-second shortfall in the opening stage.
He, though, was penalised six minutes for getting to the starting point on Saturday night late which proved to be too big a deficit to overcome. He slipped all the way to the bottom of the table.
"It was just bad luck," Mascarenhas said. "My car didn't start so I got delayed. I am, however, very happy with the way I drove and I am looking forward to a good season," he added.
Ilyas expressed happiness at his performance and praised the stages.
"It was a great outing. And I loved being out here! The stages were interesting and were challenging at times. But I am really glad to have come out on top, he said.
Dhruva Chandrashekar, with his navigator Musa Sherif, quietly made their way up to take the second place in the INRC overall category. They clinched the INRC 3 category in the process.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
