| Navigator-driver synergy helps team clinch trophy |
30th Mar 2013
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Amanpreet Ahluwalia (L) and Sandeep Mansukhani with their trophy | PHOTO: Deepak Kumar
hat is more challenging? Navigating paths or steering through tricky roads? I guess there is no clear answer to this as both contribute equally towards success for a rallyist.
The 26th SJOBA Thunderbolt Sub-Himalayan Open Rally, 2013 proved to be a great motor sport event that not only witnessed roaring cars, SUVs, assembled mean machines and driving extravaganza, but also a new winning team.
Duo Amanpreet Ahluwalia (Driver) and Sandeep Mansukhani (Navigator) of team Terrain Tigers finished first and ranked fastest overall in the Extreme category. The team raced ahead of seasoned champions and claimed top positions in this longest running motorsport event of the country.
Delighted over their victory, Ahluwalia said, "I have admired cars since childhood but started with karting at an early age. I became a national champion in karting, and in fact the only driver in India who competed in the All Motor Sports event i.e. Formula Racing, Karting and Rallying. I was also a part of the first Indian Racing Team known as Team Valvoline. Participating in SJOBA is itself a challenge as there are champions of the champions from across the country. But I am really happy that not only we participated but won the trophy as well."
Ahluwalia is an entrepreneur who owns a workshop 'Auto Attitudes' where he assembles rally cars with specialization in rally Gypsy.
He further said, "Competing with drivers like Suresh Rana, who has won the last three editions of SJOBA in the extreme category, was a real challenge, but we led since first day and maintained the swiftness till end that helped us win the category. Above that the really close calls made by Sandeep helped us save several seconds on the track that added to our chances of winning."
About 125 rallyists from various parts of the country took part in this motorsport event recognised by the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India (FMSCI).
Navigator Sandeep Mansukhani, who is a professional Pilot with Jetlite is happy with the performance. He said, "Because of a tight professional schedule we didn't get time even to do a rekey of the track but it's all because of the synchronisation between both of us that we finally made it to the top rank."
Mansukhani is a regular participant at the SJOBA rallies and has been navigating for the last three years. He adds, "Both the driver and navigator positions are equally important. It is also important for a navigator to make the right call at the right time and for a driver, it is very important to react to that call without wasting any time, because with each brake you decrease the chances of victory."
Cross-country marathon motorsport national champion Suresh Rana's performance proved disappointing as he finished fourth. About the loss, Rana said, "I believe our luck wasn't great this time. First the machine didn't respond well and secondly the cancellation of four stages because of rough weather. We had no other way to cover up the loss."
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