CHENNAI: Team Champions’ Dean Mascarenhas took the lead in Indian National Rally Championship. The INRC 2 driver, supported by JK Tyre, won Stage 3 and came second in Stage 6 to take a 9.3 second lead after Day 2. He and Shruptha Padival needed 54.48.800 to complete the two legs. Arka Motorsports’ Rahul Kanthraj (& Vivek Bhatt) was second in the overall category. INRC 3’s Fabid Ahmer (& Sanath G) took third.
Six-time INRC winner Gaurav Gill managed ninth in his XUV300. The JK man managed one second-place and two fourth-place finishes to be 1:41.500 off the leader. His Mahindra Adventure teammate Amittrajit Ghosh slipped into the lead in the INRC category, although he was sixth in the overall pecking order.
Results (provisional): INRC Overall: 1) Dean Mascarenhas/Shruptha Padival (54.48.800), 2) Rahul Kanthraj/Vivek Bhatt (54.58.100), 3) Fabid Ahmer/Sanath G (55:03.000). INRC: 1) Amittrajit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik (55.26.100), 2) Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif (56:30.300), 3) Phalguna URS/Srikanth Gowda (56.54.700).
INRC 2: 1) Dean Mascarenhas/Shruptha Padival (54.48.800), 2) Rahul Kanthraj/Vivek Bhatt (54.58.100), 3) Younus Ilyas (55:18.300). INRC 3: 1) Fabid Ahmer/Sanath G (55:03.000), 2) Chetan Shivram/Dilip Sharan (55:04.300), 3) Sahil Khanna/Rajit Kadian (57.15.700).