Ashima Duggal win Divas on Wheels rally

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Coorg, Jan 19 (IANS) Fast-improving rallyists Ashima Duggal and navigator Amrita Shergill rode on their opening days advantage to capture the challenging Divas on Wheels all-womens car rally here on Saturday.

Ashima and Amrita had a rough second and final day, picking up 3 minutes and 28 seconds penalty points in their run from Chikmagaluru to Coorg.

But their near faultless driving on Friday that saw them collect only 2 minutes and 53 seconds penalty ensured that they were not toppled from the top place.

Prafulla KS (with Sandhya Chandrashekar) had the best day, garnering only 1 minutes 48 seconds to claim the first runners up position. They had amassed 7 minutes and 36 seconds on Day 1 which prevented them from taking the coveted prize.

Shobha Ravi (with Nilofer Ibrahim) clinched the third place with an overall penalty of 13 minutes and 08 seconds.

'The top three finishers, apart from winning handsome cash prizes and trophies, will get a free drive in the next Dakshin Dare,' Jai Das Menon, the organiser of the TSD (Time Speed Distance) Rally, said.

'All these women have been rallying for barely a year. They have shown tremendous improvement,' he added.

Ashima and Amrita, who like to call themselves the underdogs, conceded the second day was much tougher, with the self TCs (Time Controls) proving to be a big challenge.

'It was a very tough day and we know we made quite a few mistakes,' Ashima said.

'Luckily we had a very good opening day but until the results are out, we are going to be anxious,' she added, as the participants eagerly waited for the results, with picturesque mountains in the backdrop.

The route from Chikmagaluru to Coorg involved steep climbs, numerous twists and turns and hairpin bends, forcing the teams (driver and navigator) to be extra cautious.

--IANS

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