Kochi: The 2018 MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship is set for an exciting winner-takes-all finish at Kerala’s iconic Popular Rally emerging as the stage for the grand showdown. After reaching the top position in the fourth leg of the INRC at Chikkamagaluru, Amittrajit Ghosh and Mangalorean Ashwin Naik will compete for the title in the fifth and final round of the championship to be held on December 15 and 16.
Representing Mahindra Adventure at the INRC 2018, Ghosh and Naik entered the final leg with the highest points (79) but will still start behind their rivals Gaurav Gill and Musa Sheriff due to the N-1 rule. Gill and Sheriff will begin with a pole position with 62 points while Ghosh and Naik will be right on their tail with 61 points after the N-1 factor.
“We will be facing tough competition from our rally rivals in this championship on the final leg. Amittrajit and I are working on driving more efficiently as it is not going to be easy to win this title”, said Ashwin Naik.
It may be recalled that Ghosh-Naik duo had won the European Rally Championship (ERC) in Athens, Greece earlier this year and topped that up with resounding positions in the last four legs of the INRC at Chennai, Coimbatore, Arunachal Pradesh and Chikkamagluru.
The rally was flagged off by K Padmakumar, IPS, Transport Commissioner, Govt. of Kerala, from Hotel Le Meridien, Kochi, today. It will unfold in 9 special stages on the smooth tarmac in the Mundakkayam-Kuttikanam sector in Idukki district on Saturday. Two more special stages will follow on Sunday, after which the rally drivers will head to Ernakulam for a Super Special Stage (SSS), at HMT Colony Road, Kalamassery.
The trophy presentation to the winners of the Popular Rally 2018 and the champagne shower will be held at the SSS venue itself. The official podium ceremony will be held at Le Meridien later in the evening.
Kerala is hosting the INRC for the first time since 2010 which is doubling up as the Popular Rally. It is in its 24th edition, having made a grand comeback last year after running it successfully for 22 years before a brief hiatus.
Most of the country’s other top drivers including Dean Mascarenhas, Vikram Rao and Rahul Kanthraj, will line up to get their hands on the silverware in various categories as the curtain comes down on the 2018 MRF FMSCI INRC.
Standings for the key categories
INRC Overall: Gaurav Gill/Musa Sheriff (Mahindra Adventure) 62 points; Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) 61 points; Karna Kadur/Nikhil V Pai (Arka Motorsports) 55 points.
INRC 1: Gaurav Gill/Musa Sheriff (Mahindra Adventure) 62 points; Amittrajit Ghosh/Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) 61 points.
INRC 2: Karna Kadur/Nikhil V Pai (Arka Motorsports); Rahul Kanthraj/Vivek Y Bhatt (Arka Motorsports); Jacob K J/Shrikanth Gowda (Arka Motorsports)
INRC 3: Aroor Vikram Rao/Somayya A G (Falkon Motorsports); Dean Mascarenhas/Shruptha Padival (Chettinad Racing); Suhem Kabir/Jeevarahinam (Team Champions)
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