Drama hits Mughal Rally on Day 1

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High drama and some miraculous escapes marked Day One of the 3rd J&K Bank Mughal Rally 2012, which zoomed out of Srinagar on Saturday.

Chandigarh’s Sunny Sidhu and his navigator P.V.S. Murthy, part of Team Mahindra, had a providential escape when the steering rod of their vehicle broke on a downhill section. The vehicle hit the mountainside and flipped over on the navigator’s side but neither occupant was hurt.
More high drama came when the SUV of Ludhiana rallyist Jagbir Nirwan and his navigator Shiv Karan fell into a ditch, while Maruti Suzuki saw their only eliminated due to mechanical failure.
Initial standings indicated that Malaysia’s Karamjit Singh, participating as a Team Mahindra rallyist, was among the quickest in both stages of Rally Xtreme. Another leader was Amit Ranjan Ghosh. The tentative leaders in the Enduro category on the first day of the event were Amol Satoskar, Satish Gopal Krishnan and Aditya Anthony.
The rally was flagged off from the Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar, early in the day by minister of state for tourism, culture and home, Nasir Aslam Wani. It will clock about 650 kms of competitive driving this year, passing through the historic Mughal Road that was once traversed by the caravans of the emperors to reach Kashmir.