The persistent rain or the fast-flowing river water failed to deter Ajgar Ali as the defending champion remained the leader in the National category after day two of the seventh JK Tyre Himalayan Drive here on Thursday.
Ajgar has been a champion TSD for many years. With Mohammed Mustafa of Erode to read the tricky route, it made things all the more easy for the Haldia star to be firmly on track to complete a hat-trick of titles.
First experience
The duo made sure it came out clean in the opening competitive sector at night the other day.
For the HD-7 competitors it was their first experience driving in the dark and most of them had their cars fitted with LED lights and halogen lamps for better view.
It helped them to a great extent in covering the 85km long route.
Ajgar had done similar fittings on his car, but it was his rich experience that helped him do one better.
His nearest competitor, Joginder Jaiswal (co-driver T. Nagarajan), also came up with a steady show but could not dislodge Ajgar from the top.
And the confident-looking Ajgar further sailed through the river bed without much ado and kept it safe later through the tea plantations to stay ahead.
“The two competitive stages, the gravel and the river bed, was far more easy. It was in the night sector that we had a bit of difficulty. There were some issues but we stumped them all,” said Ajgar.
“The river was a bit deep but then you need some expertise to tackle that. If you don’t have any then don’t be surprised if your car gets damaged,” he added.
Nagarajan said they struggled a little, but promised a better fight tomorrow.