Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm Day 2: R Natraj and Aishwarya Pissay retire from the rally

The second leg of the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm saw competitors cover a distance of 496km, through Noorsar and Bodana, before it concluded in Jaisalmer. Leg 2 included two special and three liason stages.

In the Moto category upto 450cc, CS Santosh continued his dominance in the 450cc category clocking an overall time of 3:03:06 , separated from Aaron Mare of Angata Racing by 2 minutes and 14 seconds. On third spot was Sanjay Kumar, also from Angata racing, with a time of 3:21:27. Santolino Lorenzo (TVS Racing) was placed fourth, while team mates Rajendra RE and Imran Pasha were placed seventh and eighth in the 250cc category.  Aishwarya Pissay and R Natraj from TVS Racing had to retire from the rally. There were some sections in leg two that proved to be tricky, as participants could easily lose themselves in the desert plains.

B Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing said, “The leg 2 of the Desert Storm 2018 was extremely treacherous in terms of the sheer distance and we are happy that Rajendra and Imran continue their good run. It is also heartening to see Santolino Lorenzo from Sherco TVS Factory Rally team moving up closer to the top of the table. As the Rally moves closer to Jaisalmer, it will get more challenging and I wish the team all the best!”

In the Xtreme category, the lead was taken by priveteers Aabhishek Mishra and V Venu Rameshkumar clocking a time of 3:44:07 hours. Maruti Suzuki Motorsport drivers Suresh Rana and PVS Murthy (navigator) were behind the leading duo by 37 seconds at second position. Raj Singh Rathore and Sagar Mallapa in their Isuzu V Cross were in third position with a time of  3:53:7. Sandeep Sharma and Karan Arya from Maruti Suzuki Motorsport were in sixth, while team mates Samrat Yadav and Syed Najeeb Nizami were placed fifth. Gaurav Chiripal and Srikanth Gowda finished the stage in fourth position.