Chennai, April 19: Karna Kadur of Bengaluru delivered a commanding performance to win the 49th South India Rally, overcoming a mid-race turbo failure at the Madras International Circuit on Sunday. Partnered by co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy, Kadur secured victory in both the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and the Indian National Rally Championship categories.

The rally, organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, saw a dramatic twist when three-time APRC champion Gaurav Gill retired due to mechanical issues, handing Kadur a decisive advantage.

Turbo Trouble, But a Champion’s Response

Kadur’s otherwise dominant run faced a scare during Sunday’s second Special Stage when he lost turbo power just 700 metres into the 19.38 km stretch. The issue cost him over a minute, cutting into his lead over Gill.

However, fortune favoured Kadur as Gill himself was forced to stop in the same stage with a mechanical failure. Kadur’s experienced service crew managed to fix the turbo issue within the 30-minute service window, allowing him to regain pace and seal a memorable victory.

“It was a struggle after losing the turbo, but I managed to survive. The team’s experience made the difference,” said Kadur, expressing satisfaction at a strong start to the season.

APRC Podium: Jeet Jhabakh Impresses on Debut Season

Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabakh, alongside veteran co-driver Musa Sherif, finished second in the APRC standings. Sherif was also honoured for competing in his 350th career rally—a significant milestone in Indian motorsport.

Spanish duo Edgar Vigo Lopez and Fatima Ameneiro Teijeiro completed the podium after battling challenging weather conditions in their India debut.

INRC Results: Bengaluru Drivers Dominate

In the INRC Overall classification, Kadur led an all-Bengaluru podium:

• Ritesh Guttedar and co-driver Suraj M finished second for AART Motorsports
• Arvind Dheerendra and Shahid Salman took third for Duran Racing

Ritesh also topped the INRC 2 category, while Arvind Dheerendra secured victory in the INRC 3 class, marking a successful debut for Duran Racing.

Women Shine in Competitive Field

Among notable performances, Tarushi Vikram from Chikkamagaluru emerged as a standout, finishing in the top 10 overall. Along with co-driver Athreya Kousgi, she clinched both the Ladies and Junior INRC titles.

Anushriya Gulati, co-driven by Karan Aukta, secured second place in the INRC 3T category, underlining the growing presence of women in Indian rallying.

Provisional classification:

Asia-Pacific Rally Championship: 1. Karna Kadur/ Kumar Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (01hr, 59mins, 55.5secs); 2. Jeet Jabhakh/ Musa Sherif (pvt.) (02:04:58.0); 3. Edgar Vigo Lopez/ Fatima Ameneiro Teijeiro (Spain) (02:05:47.8).

Indian National Rally Championship:

INRC Overall: 1. Karna Kadur / Kumar Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) (01:59:55.5); 2. Ritesh Guttedar / Suraj M (AART Motorsports) (02:04:27.4); 3. Arvind Dheerendra/ Shahid Salman (Duran Racing) (02:04:29.2).

INRC 2: 1. Ritesh Guttedar / Suraj M (AART Motorsports) (02:04:27.4); 2. Jeet Jabhakh / Musa Sherif (pvt.) (02:04:58.0); 3. Arjun Y Mavaji / Jeevarathinam J (Chettinad Sporting) (02:07:49.8).

INRC 3: 1. Arvind Dheerendra / Shahid Salman (Duran Racing) (02:04:29.2); 2. Chandan Manchegowda / Suraj Keshav Prasad (Arka Motorsports) (02:06:02.4); 3. Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi (Chettinad Sporting) (02:06:46.1).

INRC 3T: 1. Vishakh Balachandran / Chiranth Jain (Duran Racing) (02:05:43.6); 2. Anushriya Gulati / Karan Aukta (Arka Motorsports) (02:06:38.8); 3. Adith KC / Avinash CA (Arka Motorsports) (02:11:01.9).

Ladies: 1. Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi (Chettinad Sporting) (02:06:46.1); 2. Athira Murali / Arun Chakkalakkal (Duran Racing) (02:15:30.0); 3. Sonakshi Paranthaman / Dheeraj Salimath (Chettinad Sporting) (02:20:56.8).

Junior INRC: 1. Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi (Chettinad Sporting) (02:06:46.1); 2. Sonakshi Paranthaman/ Dheeraj Salimath (Chettinad Sporting) (02:20:56.8); 3. Hoshmand Elavia / Venu Ramesh Kumar (Pvt.) (02:50:41.3).

Masters Cup: 1. Pradeep Ravi / Thimmu Uddapanda (Arka Motorsports) (02:07:15.1); 2. Balakrishna Jayasimha / Arjun Dheerendra (Pvt.) (02:18:13.6).

Classic Cup: 1. Sreejesh MP/ Naushad KM (Pvt.) (02:38:28.7).