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
April 18,2020

Udupi, Apr 18: The Adamaru Mutt and Mutt-owned educational institutions donated fifty five lakhs, fifty five thousand, five hundred and fifty five rupees to the PM-CARES Fund on Friday.

Sri Vishwakapriyattirtha Sripada, while donating the amount, delivered the message that in these difficult times in our country, the government has no sources of tax revenue but the cost of various departments especially public health expenses are increasing.

We leave three meals a week and distribute the money saved to those in need. We pray that India becomes the first COVID-19-free country in the world with all our efforts.

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News Network
May 7,2020

Mangaluru, May 7: The Dakshina Kannada District Muslim Okkoota has strongly condemned permit for opening of textile and footwear shops across the district at a time when the number of Covid-19 positive cases are on the rise.

In a press note here on Thursday, former Mayor and Okoota President Ashraf alleged that the permission to open the shops at a time when Eid-ul-Fitr was nearing would lead to rush in the shops in turn bringing in fear of spread of Covid-19. 

He expressed his resentment over the fact that the administration has neglected the appeal made by the Okkoota as well as the Qazi of Udupi against permitting textile shops during the lockdown period.

He warned that the administration, district in-charge Minister, MLA and MP themselves will be responsible in case of increased infection cases due to this decision.

The district in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary yesterday had announced that textile shops in the district can be opened from May 7.

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News Network
June 1,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 1: A youth was hacked to death and two others suffered critical injuries following a fight between two gangs at Yekkaru Devaragudde near Kateel under the limits of Bajpe police station last night.

The deceased has been identified as Keertan (20), a resident of Marakada. The injured are Nitin (20) and Manesh (20). It is learnt that old animosity led to the attack and murder.

According to sources, members of both gangs were friends in the past. They had become enemies of each other following a fight regarding sand mining.

Sources said that Keertan, Nitin, and Manesh had reportedly invited their rival gang to Devaragudde for some discussion. A verbal friction arose between the two gangs and it culminated in the attack by the rival gang members with daggers. Keertan reportedly died on the sport. The other two were taken to hospital.

The accused fled the scene soon after committing the crime. A case has been registered at Bajpe police station. A manhunt has been launched to nab the accused.

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