Ajgar-Musthaf takes lead after first stage of JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7

Siliguri, Feb 28 (IANS) Ace Indian driver Ajgar Ali came up with a powerful performance to go ahead of the pack after the opening day of the JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 7, here on Thursday.The two-time defending champion along with his navigator Md. Musthafa showed great skills and completed the thrilling night stage from Siliguri to Murti, which comprised dirt sections as well as sharp bends, with the least amount of penalty points (311) to take an early lead. With a total penalty points of 340, the pair of veteran driver Jogendra Jaiswal and his navigator Nagarajan Thangaraj are on the second spot, while the team of V Santosh Kumar and C Sakhtivel with 380 points is placed third and will surely go into the next stages as contenders. India's only international TSD (time, speed, distance) rally started off from from Murti and the competitors drove through Gorumara National Park via Phuentsholing to Paro in Bhutan.
--IANS gau/pcj