Shafraz Junaid-Akhry Ameer 4th overall
Shafraz Junaid (Left) and Akhry Ameer
Sri Lankan rally duo Shafraz Junaid and Akhry Ameer finished 4th overall at the Indian Rally Championships category of the Coffee Day India Rally 2016 held in Chikmagalur, in the south of India, on Monday.
They missed the podium by a mere 5 seconds, having led comfortably at the conclusion of the 1st Leg of the prestigious Indian Motor Sports Rally event as part of the Indian National Rally Championships and the final round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championships 2016 (APRC).
At the conclusion of the first Leg of the strenuous 5-Stage 1st leg on Day 2 of the rally, the duo were in 3rd position, but technical problems in the penultimate stage on Day 3, saw them lose their lead and a possible podium finish.
“We had a bit of an engine miss in the 7th Stage, so we couldn’t push to widen the lead. The nature of the Stages also made it difficult to take the turns faster, due to loss of power. However, we are very happy with the overall result, as our primary goal was to complete all the Stages in our first international rally,” stated Shafraz Junaid.
The Chikmagalur Indian Rally is held in the coffee estates of Coffee Day, and is an iconic event of the Indian motorsports calendar, as it is also the final round of the APRC which was won by Indian Gaurav Gill.
“The Stages are very tight and challenging, which keeps me busy as a co-driver calling out the pace notes. It is quite different from the local speed rallies, and I am happy with the experience, although there is more to fine-tune for that performance edge,” said Akhry Ameer, Junaid’s longstanding co-driver.
Junaid and Ameer drove a Volkswagen Polo prepared by Slideways Industries and Chettinad Sporting team, which too was a challenge, as they had to get accustomed to the car in a very short period of time.
“Shifting from a high-powered 4WD category to a lower 2WD category was a totally new experience,” Shafraz explained.
They will be partly sponsored by Triniti Sports Clutch and Terratrip, manufacturers of international racing products. A total of 53 competitors took part in the rally held over 3 days in various categories. The event was organised by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Karnataka, and sanctioned by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India.