Dakshin Dare 2015: Sandeep Sharma and Arvind KP crowned champions

The seventh edition of the Maruti-Suzuki Dakshin Dare concluded here in Hyderabad, with Sandeep Sharma and Arvind KP taking top honours in extreme cars and extreme bikes categories respectively.

Flagged off from Bangalore, the cross-country rally conversed through Hampi, Bellary and Shimoga before culminating in Hyderabad for the prize distribution ceremony. During these 2000 km, drivers and riders battled through winding turns, rock-strewn surface and occasional spots of rain.

In the end, it was Sandeep Sharma and his co-driver Karan Arya who emerged winners in the extreme cars category. The pair led every leg of the rally in their Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, clocking an overall time of 4hrs. 31:31mins.

Samrat Yadav and co-driver Gaurav finished eight minutes down while multiple Raid de Himalaya winner Suresh Rana could only grab the final spot on the podium.

The extreme bikes category of the Dakshin Dare saw an equally impressive domination by Arvind KP, who was the only rider to clock a time under 4 hours (3:54:51). Natraj was Arvind’s closest competitor in second (4:00:10), while Abdul Wahid was a further 14 minutes adrift in third place.

Included in the list of 170 participants were a trio of ladies, namely, Bani Yadav, Harshita Gowda, and Anu Rana.