By FELIX MALUNGA at Nsobe Game Camp –
FAROOK Ticklay yesterday won his second leg of the 2015 national championship after claiming the inaugural Gomes Nsobe Safari Rally on a difficult terrain which saw top drivers drop out in Masaiti.
Mohammed Essa led an array of top racers who failed to finish the Gomes Nsobe Safari Rally.
Ticklay, who won the first race of the season, wrapped up the Gomes Nsobe Safari after clocking one hour 26 minutes and 35 seconds, which was 49 seconds ahead arch rival, Muna Singh Jnr in this tough national leg which claimed almost 50 per cent of the competitors.
The 26-year-old Monze based driver, navigated by Jasmeen Singh in his Subaru Imprezza, who also led the qualifying stage at the Ndola Motocross Track on Saturday, earned himself K4, 000 first prize.
Muna Jnr, who was navigated by Adrian Sutherland, got K3,000 in the rally that returned to Ndola for the first time in over two decades.
Local favourite, Leroy Gomes whose co-driver was his wife, Urslla, in a Mitsubishi Evo 4, finished third after timing one hour 33 minutes and 19 seconds to receive K2, 000.
Gomes lost time when he encountered a python in the first stage as he opened the race. Vyon Pinto raced into the fourth position after trailing the Gomes couple by 0:08.22 minutes.
Toofail Dalal, who was navigated by Mali Chulu, clocked an hour 39 minutes and 20 seconds to claim the fifth place, 0:14.27 minutes ahead of Kumaren Naidu, whose co-driver was his mum, Tinky.
Veteran Azim Ticklay, driving his favourite Toyota Land Cruiser, proved that he still got some steel in him by finishing seventh on one hour 45 minutes and 43 seconds, 0:22.19 minutes better than Mujo Simakoloyi.
Another Ticklay, Yazdaan was ninth on one hour 49 minutes and six seconds and was trailed by Wellington Matimba (2:02.08) and Kleevan Gomes (2:21.06), respectively.
However, Essa and 10 other drivers failed to complete the Gomes Nsobe Safari Rally as they crushed out due to various reasons.
Essa, former African Rally champion, dropped out after he burnt his left hand as he attempted to open a radiator cap of his Subaru Imprezza in the final stage of the competition.
Seventeen-year-old Tanweer Dalal bowed out after his Subaru Imprezza hit a tree while Zubair.
Essa overturned also in a Subaru Imprezza.
Other top casualties were Miles Monge, Jurgen Sauter, Kelvin Mhlanga, Mohammed Hassan and Niel Patel among others. The next leg will be the Monze Rally next month.