Malaysian Rally Championship Round 2 at Negeri Sembilan Day 2 – Total Domination by Karamjit
After two days of rallying and 12 stages being contested, Karamjit Singh emerged as the champion of the Malaysian Rally Championship (MRC) Round 2 at Bandar Seri Jempol, Negeri Sembilan.
Karamjit Singh and co-driver Douglas Pickering with their respective trophies.
The second day of rally saw Karamjit carried his fine form from Day 1, winning 4 stages to add his tally of stage wins to 10 out of 12. The manner of this win showed his superiority over his rivals, signalling to them that the championship is his to lose.
MRU Motorsports’s Mike Ariokiasamy Ratnam in action.
Unlike the first day, when Karamjit ripped the competitions apart – this time he was pushed very hard by teammate Katsu Taguchi. The former APRC champion secured 2 early stages of the day, but Karamjit never rattled – stepping up his speed and holds of the challenge.
Katsu Taguchi and Jagdev Singh.
The duo from GSR Pennzoil Racing Team completed the stages very closely, only a minute and half separated them. Taguchi also managed to leap into 2nd position, capping a 1-2 finish for the team spearheaded by Gunaseelan Rajoo.
Rafiq Udhaya and Sean Gregory were the top finisher for MRU Motorsports.
Rafiq Udhaya of MRU Motorsports finished the rally in 3rd place, losing time to Taguchi after defending a 12 seconds lead over the Japanese from Day 1. Nevertheless it is still a good results for his championship aspiration, securing 2 podiums in a row after his victory in Round 1.
P.Nandakumar with his Proton Satria.
Another GSR Pennzoil Racing Team’s driver P. Nandakumar leapfrogged 2 places to finish in 4th spot, after cutting down his mistake and attacked the course more aggressively in his Proton Satria.
Francis Lai, winner of reality tv show ‘Zero To Hero’, a program that unearthed new rally blood.
Francis Lai of MRU Motorsports completed the top 5 in his red Proton Satria after losing a lot of times negotiating the last 2 stages in a downpour, when the slippery conditions clearly affected his driving.
Yusof Tumin’s Ford Laser. This will be the last rally for the Ford car, after suffering yet another breakdown. New car is in the fray for Yusof.
Final Classification After Day 2 :
1. Karamjit Singh / Douglas Pickering GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
2. Katsu Taguchi / Jagdev Singh GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
3. Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya / Sean F. Gregory MRU Motorsports
4. P. Nandakumar / Suresh Parkash Sharma GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
5. Francis Lai Yew Guan / Ong Boon Keat MRU Motorsports
6. Andrew Miller / Manohar Menon MRU Motorsports
7. Muhammad Siraj Abdullah / Abi Ridzuan MRU Motorsports
8. Jamaluddin Tukimin / Rozita Tukimin
9. Azizul Jamin / Rohasreen Abu Hassan
10. Syahabudin Mohd Mazhor / Adnan Anuar
11. Ashan Silva / Muhd Sabry Abd Salam
12. Raymon Tan / Christy Goh Siau Hoon
13. Muhd Rizal Wahid / Asrizal Saharudin
14. Mike Ariokiasamy Ratnam / Maruthi Ariokiasamy MRU Motorsports
15. Faidzal Alang / Hazwan Fauzi GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
16. Sanjay Takle / Musa Sheriff
DNF:
17. Yusof Tumin / Nazrie Yusof
18. Yasutaka Mizuno / Kamarul Anuar Mohd Razali
19. Wan Mohd Hafiz Wan Mohd / Syed Mohd Jefri Tuan Ahmad
Andrew Miller of Hong Kong, one of a few foreign rally driver competing in this rally.
Final clean up for the car before heading home.
Andrew Miller (middle) chatting with his crew and mechanic.
MRC will continue with Round 3 in Perak on the 16th-17th October, 2010.
Photo / Editorial : Nazim Idris
