Nashik, Feb 27 (NationPress) The reigning National Rally Champion, Karna Kadur from Bengaluru, along with his skilled co-driver Musa Sherif from Kasargod, set a remarkable pace by securing first place in the 2.1-km Super Special Stage of the Rally of Maharashtra. This event marks the sixth and final leg of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2025, held at the Grape County tarmac strip in Nashik on Friday.

Kadur, a multi-time national champion, showcased his prowess with an impressive and steady performance, signaling a strong intent with his sprint victory in the opening stage of this final round organized by the Western India Sports Association.

However, the real test is set to commence on Saturday, with crews facing two challenging loops consisting of three Special Stages each, totaling 71.64 km of intricate tarmac that is anticipated to be exceptionally swift in various segments.

Leading the INRC2 championship, Jason Saldanha from Mangaluru, navigated by Bengaluru’s PV Srinivasa Murthy, clocked in as the second fastest overall, demonstrating his reliability. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh's Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap from Team TSI Racing, who triumphed in the last round in Indore, secured third place in the Triple-S.

The reigning champions, Dean Mascarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah, the Mangaluru-Kodagu duo racing on MRF tyres, opted for a safe and thoughtful strategy, avoiding unnecessary risks to finish sixth overall and third in the elite INRC1 class.

Saldanha and Murthy also dominated the INRC2 category, reinforcing their lead in the class standings. In the INRC3 class, championship frontrunners Vishakh Balachandran and Chiranth Jain maintained their strong momentum by leading their category after the Super Special Stage. Jeet Jhabhak from Hyderabad, with Erode’s Sekhar V as co-driver, took an early lead in the INRC 3T class.

Arjun Y. Mavaji delivered a solid performance to take the lead in the Junior INRC category, while Anushriya Gulati made a statement by posting the fastest time in the Ladies class, finishing ahead of the current leader Phoebe Dale Nongrum.

Provisional Results (Super Special Stage):

Overall: 1. Karna Kadur (Bengaluru)/ Musa Sherif (Kasargod), Arka Motorsports (01 minute, 42.9 seconds); 2. Jason Saldanha (Mangaluru)/ PV Srinivasa Murthy (Bengaluru) Arka Motorsports (01:44.3); 3. Aditya Thakur/ Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) TSI Racing, (01:45.1);

INRC1: 1. Karna Kadur (Bengaluru)/ Musa Sherif (Kasargod), Arka Motorsports (01:42.9); 2. Aditya Thakur/ Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) TSI Racing, (01:45.1); 3. Dean Mascarenhas (Mangaluru)/ Gagan Karumbaiah (Kodagu) (TSI Racing) (01:48:2).

INRC2: 1. Jason Saldanha (Mangaluru)/ PV Srinivasa Murthy (Bengaluru) Arka Motorsports (01:44.3); 2. Harkrishan Wadia (Delhi)/ Kunal Kashyap (Shimla) Arka Motorsports (01: 46.2); 3. Fabid Ahmer (Palakkad)/ Milen George (Kottayam), Pvt. (01:48.1).

INRC3: 1. Vishakh Balachandran (Thiruvananthapuram)/ Chiranth Jain (Karkala) Chettinad Sporting (01:51.8); 2. Abhimanyu Sajeevan (Kozhikode) Snap Racing (01:52.6); 3. Aniruddha Rangnekar (Mumbai)/ AG Somayya (Kodagu) (Chettinad) (01:53.0).

INRC 3T: 1. Jeet Jhabhak (Hyderabad)/ Sekhar V (Erode) (Chettinad) (01:49.2); 2. Naveen Puligilla (Hyderabad)/ Santosh Thomas (both Hyderabad) (01:50.5); 3. Baljinder Singh Dhillon (Delhi)/ Goutham CP (Chikkamagalur) R-Tech Motorsports (01:55.4).

Junior INRC: 1. Arjun Y Mavaji (Bengaluru) pvt (01:51.0); 2. Abhimanyu Sajeevan (Kozhikode) Snap Racing (01:52.6); 3. Tarushi Vikram (Chikkamagaluru) (Chettinad Sporting) (01:56.3).

Ladies Class: 1. Anushriya Gulati (Dehradun) Aka Motorsports (01:53.2); 2. Phoebe Dale Nongrum (Shillong) (01:53.6); 3. Tarushi Vikram (01:56.3).

Fmsci Gypsy Challenge: 1. Aneesh Sangma (Tura)/ Dinky Varghese (Coimbatore) Pvt. (01: 59.4); 2. Sanjay Agarwal/ Dheeraj Manae (Both Bengaluru) Pvt. (02:02.5);

Classic Challenge: 1. Satish P (Bengaluru)/ Rishikesh KR (Thrissur) pvt. (02:07.2);2. Elavia Hoshmand (Mumbai)/ Arvind Dheerendra (Bengaluru) Pvt. (02:19.3).