Maruti Suzuki Motorsport’s performance on Day 5 of the 2018 Dakshin Dare Rally

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Samrat Yadav carried forward his driving performance from the previous leg, as he held on to his starting position on Day 5 to bag the final spot on the podium at the end of the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare rally.

With four intense and gruelling rally legs done and dusted, the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare rally held its last and conclusive leg in Maharashtra, near the town of Bhor, on Friday. The 5^th leg, which originally consisted of two Special Stages (SS15 and SS16), only ran SS15, as the final stage had to be called off due to bad weather in the start region, which led to unsafe driving conditions. However, despite the single stage run, drivers had to cover a stage distance of about 70km on day five. While the stage began in the morning under a moderate spell of rain, it ended on a dry and sunny note.   

Team Maruti Suzuki Motorsport stuck to the modus operandi of defending their current positions, as any unnecessary risks in the crucial last stage of the rally could have led to a DNF. Consequently, Samrat Yadav and co-driver Karan Aukta secured a comfortable third place in the overall Ultimate Cars category. They were followed by teammates Sandeep Sharma and co-driver Anmol Rampal who brought home their 2WD Vitara Brezza in fourth place. The top-five was rounded off by team Maruti Suzuki Motorsport’s Suresh Rana, with his co-driver Chirag Thakur in their 4WD Grand Vitara.

The 10^th edition of Dakshin Dare rally drew to a close on Friday afternoon. The day was also marked by the competitors indulging in a casual drive to Goa for the prize and awards ceremony.