Did Vinod Singh and Shailendra Singh Win Their First Dakshin Dare Title?

Bengaluru, Sep 1 (NationPress) In a remarkable achievement, Vinod Singh and his co-driver Shailendra Singh from Team Vishva secured their first Overall title in the FMSCI 14th Dakshin Dare cross-country rally, which concluded in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. The event culminated with a valedictory ceremony late on Sunday night.

Adit K.C. from Palakkad and co-driver Harish K.N. (Team VMM) claimed the second overall position driving a Honda City on the final day. They were followed by teammates Aieman Ahmed from Chikkamagaluru and co-driver Sagar M. from Bengaluru, who came third in a Polo 1.6.

Phoebe from Shillong and Venu Ramesh Kumar from Coimbatore finished fourth, ahead of Vamcy Merla and seasoned navigator Ashwin Naik. Team Vamcy Merla Motorsports secured the Team Championship in the cars’ category with four out of five teams finishing in the top-5, while Team TR2 Racing India took the title in the two-wheeler section.

In the two-wheeler category, multiple National Rally Champion Rajendra RE from Shivamogga, representing Petronas TVS Racing, triumphed by winning the overall championship, surpassing defending champion Dhritimaan Singh of Dehradun on a TR2 Racing’s KTM 450.

Sanjay Somashekar of VM Motorsports secured third place. The only world champion in motorsports from TVS, Aishwarya Pissay, clinched the Ladies category title. The rider for Micro Labs and R9 Stables impressively finished 9th overall, outperforming over 20 male competitors in her third Dakshin Dare after an 8-year break.

“This rally journey is deeply fulfilling as it has been part of my motorsport roots since 2016. Returning with more experience and a sharper mindset was incredibly nostalgic,” Pissay expressed.

VM Motorsports’ Phoebe Dale Nongrum of Shillong won the Ladies class in the cars category while driving a Polo 1.6 fitted with JK Tyres, finishing ahead of a dozen male competitors.

This event, organized by Motorsport Inc under the guidance of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), featured 18 cars and 32 bikes covering over 2000km over five days, including a timed segment of 350km.

“We remained focused and navigated through dust, heat, and long hours in challenging terrains. A huge thank you to my co-driver, Shailender Singh, for his sharp focus through every twist and turn, and to our brilliant tuners Dr. Perk and Kapil Thakur for providing us with a resilient machine that could endure and still perform remarkably,” said Vinod Singh of Indore, who is not only a gypsy driver but also a National-level showjumper in equestrian sports. For Vinod and Shailendra, the victory in their 1300cc Maruti Gypsy marks their first Dakshin Dare title.