Dakshin Dare Rally :Everything you want to know about ADV News, Photos & Exclusive stories.

Here are some detailed shots from the 2018 edition of the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally. While it may appear like a cakewalk in comparison to other cross-rallying events, it truly upholds a test for the man and its machine.

2018 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally - Photos

With just one final leg of the 2017 Maruti-Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally left to go, Team Maruti-Suzuki's Suresh Rana finds himself in the lead - a spot he is familiar with - but only 38 seconds ahead of the rising new talent Samrat Yadav after the end of Leg 4.
The Lionnoil sponsored driver has proved himself to be an exciting new talent in Indian cross-country rallying but with a reputation of being too aggressive to his detriment in previous events, including the 2015 Raid de Himalaya. Cooler heads will, no doubt, be advising him to exercise some degree of caution while trying to eat up the slender lead that India's current cross-country king has over him.
In fact, Yadav almost retired from the rally yesterday as his Gypsy nearly toppled over during a right-hand corner before going off into a ditch. Only by the fortuitous presence of two onlookers was Yadav able to get his car running again instead of being classified as a non-finisher. Rana managed to pass him in the overall standings after that incident on the third leg of the rally yesterday, but Yadav has nonetheless, continued to be aggressive in his pursuit of victory.
Sandeep Sharma continues to hold third place in Ultimate Cars almost 16 minutes behind Yadav.
TVS CONTINUE TO HOLD BIKES LEAD 
As the rally held its first ever stages in Maharashtra - close to the border with Karnataka after crossing over from Belgaum - competitors were treated to windy and rainy conditions while making their way through a stage that featured a narrow road with a drop on either side of it. On one side, a canal and on the other farm fields.
The cars completed three runs of the 28km stage while the bikes did two. The Ultimate Bikes class is still led by TVS Racing's R Nataraj and Tanveer Adbul Wahid. The duo took over the lead from surprise early leader Sanjay Kumar on the second leg and have held it firmly with little sign of surrendering it despite one or two navigation issues for Wahid caused by what he claims was malfunctioning equipment.
Wahid won a berth to take part in the Merzouga Rally and the Dakar Rally but his participation in next year's South American cross-country spectacle is still subject to training and evaluation by Sherco-TVS.
The rider, who finished third in this year's India Baja, will be headed to Europe for intense navigation training in order to prepare himself for the toughest rally in the world.

Dakshin Dare 2017: Rana holds slender margin over Yadav while Nataraj holds bikes lead

With just one final leg of the 2017 Maruti-Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally left to go, Team Maruti-Suzuki's Suresh Rana finds himself in the lead - a spot

The second of three major cross-country rallies sponsored by Maruti-Suzuki, the ninth edition of the Dakshin Dare, was flagged off at Bengaluru's Orion Mall today.

A field of 36 drivers in the Ultimate Cars class, led by Suresh Rana and co-driver Ashwin Naik's Grand Vitara will compete in the rally that kicks off its competitive stages tomorrow to conclude in Pune on the 21st.

TVS Racing's Tanveer Abdul Wahid and R Nataraj headline the 31 riders in the Ultimate Bikes category.

However, there are noticeable absences in both the four and two-wheel classes, with many competitors who took part in the Desert Storm and India Baja preparing and conserving their machines for the Raid de Himalaya, which will be held in October.

Among the four-wheelers, Raj Singh Rathore and his Isuzu D-Max V-Cross will not be among the competitors. And among the two-wheelers, TVS Racing's Aravind KP and Hero MotoSports Rally's CS Santosh are absentees as the two prepare for their participation in international cross-country events ahead of January's Dakar Rally.

THE ROUTE 
The total distance (transport plus special stages) of 2,200km will be conducted over five legs. 
The first leg will take the rally from Bengaluru to Chitradurga.

The second leg will run in stages within Chitradurga before the third leg advances the course of the rally to Belgaum.

The fourth leg will take the rally into Maharashtra as the route runs from Belgaum to Kohlapur. The fifth and final leg will run from Pune to Kohlapur.

The final results will be confirmed on the 22nd along with the prize distribution.

Dakshin Dare 2017: Maruti-Suzuki Dakshin Dare flags off in Bengaluru

The second of three major cross-country rallies sponsored by Maruti-Suzuki, the ninth edition of the Dakshin Dare, was flagged off at Bengaluru's Orion Mall today. A field of 36 drivers in the Ultimate Cars class

Dakshin Dare Rally

2018 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally - Photos

Dakshin Dare 2017: Rana holds slender margin over Yadav while Nataraj holds bikes lead

Dakshin Dare 2017: Maruti-Suzuki Dakshin Dare flags off in Bengaluru

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