Gill wins Rally of Arunachal; Mangalureans Dean Mascarenhas, Ashwin Naik finish second, third

Agencies
December 29, 2017

Team Mahindra Adventures Gaurav Gill took another measured step towards his fifth MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, adding the Rally of Arunachal to his conquests here today.

The three-time APRC champion and his co-driver Musa Sherif were in a class of their own, scorching the two night stages on Friday and winning two out of the four stages on Saturday to the delight of awe-struck fans here in picturesque Ziro.

"They were the fastest and most technical stages that I have seen in the INRC in many, many years," Gill said, immediately after his victory.

"We had a great car, wonderful setup and tyres and we really enjoyed this win," he added.

Dean Mascarenhas consolidated his position in the INRC 3 class by finishing second in the overall category. In the bargain, he posted his fourth straight victory in as many rounds in his class to virtually seal the title.

Gills Mahindra Adventure teammate Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik took the third place by keeping pace with the winners in each and every stage. They were just 11.8 seconds behind Dean and 43.2 seconds behind Gills final tally of 58:50.4 minutes in the six stages.

The INRC 2 division was claimed by Younus Ilyas and Harish Kumar as they pipped table toppers Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek Y Bhatt, gaining a 19.3 second advantage in the opening stage.

Defending champion Karna Kadur and top contender Arjun Raos cars stalled just after the start and blocked the road, forcing the organisers to cancel the stage. Both withdrew from the rally, giving a free run to the rest of the field.

The four drivers ahead of them finished the stage while all others were given the same scratch time of 14 seconds. Rahul Kanthraj, who was among the finishers, could muster only 14:19.3 minutes which eventually hurt him in the final count. He, however, took the second place (fifth overall) to stay ahead in the race for the INRC 2 title.

Gill was calm personified as he built a solid lead of over 50 seconds in the first three stages itself. He took his foot off the pedal in the fourth stage, allowing Dean and Amittrajit to fight it out for honours here.

He reasserted himself in the next stage to ensure that the Rally of Arunachal was safe in his pocket. He is ahead with 75 points from three starts, despite missing Round 4 in Chikmagalur, and simply needs to drive smart in the final round in Bengaluru.

Dean Mascarenhas, with 63 points, has to be reckoned with though as an upset victory can still set him up for the 2017 championship.

Comments

Zahoor
 - 
Friday, 29 Dec 2017

Proper support from KN govt may helps to achieve more

Danish
 - 
Friday, 29 Dec 2017

Wow.. Congrats.. I saw him. He used to drive like race in NH also

Kumar
 - 
Friday, 29 Dec 2017

Congrats.. Great achievement

Ganesh
 - 
Friday, 29 Dec 2017

Very young energetic guy

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News Network
June 23,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 23: Karnataka Congress leader and Kanakapura MLA DK Shivakumar said on Monday that in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, people of his assembly constituency have taken a unanimous decision of remaining under voluntary lockdown until July 1.

The decision was taken after he headed a meeting at Kanakapura on Sunday, at the office of Kanakapura Municipality.

"Let us consider the situation after July 1, hold a similar meeting, and take the next decision. It has nothing to do with the state government's mandate. It came to the conclusion that this was a decision that we all voluntarily took," said DK Shivakumar.

DK Shivakumar informed that the merchants have agreed to sell groceries, fruits, vegetables, fennel, meat and other food items from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. only. District authorities, DCs, SPs and hospital representatives have decided the timings of clinics and drug stores.

He further said, "In this self-motivated lockdown, unnecessary driving should be avoided. The social gap must be maintained. No one should be oppressed by anyone."

Member of Parliament DK Suresh, Ravi - Ramanagara District Collector Archana, SP Anoop Shetty, and Kanakapura Planning Authority Chairman Jagannath were also present in the meeting.

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News Network
March 29,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 29: Seven new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Karnataka since Saturday 5 pm to 2 pm on Sunday.

The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 83, out of which five have been cured/discharged and three have lost their lives, according to the Karnataka Health Department.

A total of 979 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in India, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

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News Network
June 16,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 16: Continuing easing of restrictions under 'unlock-1,' the Karnataka government has allowed shooting and production of films and television programmes in the state.

In a clarification, Principal Secretary Revenue N Manjunath Prasad said, shooting and production of all films and television programmes that were stopped in between due to lockdown can be allowed.

It is also allowed to continue with the post-production activities of film and television programmes after completing the shooting, it said.

The permission is conditional as it is subjected to adhering of the national directives issued in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, and standard operating procedures prescribed by the Department of Information and Public Relations.

The clarification said permission can be given as film and television shooting and production activities are not banned under guidelines issued by the centre and the state government recently.

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