Amanpreet Ahluwalia opens up comfortable lead

Dirang Valley (Arunachal Pradesh): Amanpreet Ahluwalia extended his good form on Day Two of the JK Tyre Arunachal Festival of Speed here on Sunday, taking four of the five special stages to stay in contention for the overall championship.

Riding a Maruti Gypsy, the former national rally champion registered a time of 34 minutes and 32 seconds to open up a comfortable lead of 28 seconds over the second placed K.M .Bopaiah.

Bopaiah, the top seeded rallyist in the fray here, took advantage of his 1600cc Vento’s speed to win the last stage of the day, zipping on the one-kilometre tarmac stretch and a three-kilometre valley floor. He, however, couldn’t match Ahulwalia in the other stages.

Delhi’s seasoned rallyist Sandeep Sharma held on to his third place, 24 seconds behind Bopaiah and 52 behind Ahluwalia.

“It was quite a happening day for us. We have a decent lead as of now. But till the time it’s actually over, it’s never over. So fingers crossed,” Ahluwalia said.

“The first stage was the trickiest today as it was reduced by 4kms due to overnight rain. What is meant was that all the downhill stretches were gone and it became an uphill stage,” he added. Bopaiah conceded that his car was not apt for a rally of this nature.

“We did well wherever speed came into play. But during the climbs and the rougher terrain, we struggled a bit,” he said.  

He, however, remained confident that with a bit of luck he could still make it to the top of the podium.

It all began early in the morning, with the drivers testing their mettle against a steep gradient. The climb was almost vertical, extending up to six kilometres.

Three competitors gave up the fight after the third stage, leaving the field open for seven top rallyists from across the country.

The day ended with the competitors racing down the valley into the Sangti riverbed.

In the Sprint Runs for local drivers, Babit Lyngdoh continued to rule the roost, enjoying an eight second advantage over his six opponents after four more rounds on Sunday.

Lyngdoh registered a time of 6 minutes and 56 seconds while Amitabh Indar held on to the second spot with 7:04 minutes. Kevin Puro was third at 7:12 minutes.