2018 Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm: Aabhishek Mishra wins the coveted title

The  16th edition Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2018 has ended on a high note this year by witnessing the highest number of participant entries and longest night leg ever stretching from Bhuwana to Majid di Basti covering over 200 kms without GPX tracks. By the end of the fifth leg, participants had covered a distance of 2,300kms.

In the Xtreme category, Aabhishek Mishra and his navigator V Venu Rameshkumar crossed the finish line first with an impressive total time of 11:15:54. Having a good run this year, the pair had been leading the race unbeaten right from leg two and continued their momentum till the finish line of the leg five. Raj Sigh Rathore and his navigator Sagar Mallappa have claimed the second position with a total time of 11:50:36, while Niju Padia and his navigator Nirav Mehta from Desert Raiders have bagged the third position with a total time of 12:35:40.

In the Moto category, Aaron Mare from Angata Racing has been the first one to cross the finish line with a total time of 08:01:20. Closely following, Santolino Lorenzo from TVS Racing has earned the second position with a total time of 08:06:39. One more from Angata Racing, Sanjay Kumar has bagged the third position with a total time of 08:39:09.

In the Ndure category, Ashish Budhia and his navigator Arindham Ghosh have won the title, while Nipul Agrawal and Kabir Mansharamani have took home the trophy in the XPlore cars category. Speaking on the occasion, R S Kalsi, Senior Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., said, “We are humbled and encouraged to see the ever increasing number of participants with each edition, and this year being at an all-time high. I congratulate the invincible spirit of all the rallyists who participated and completed the 16th edition of Desert Storm. Maruti Suzuki motorsports is committed to the Indian Motorsports story. Our events like the Autoprix have driven more young drivers to test their skills and qualify for our cross country rallies like the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm. We are very optimistic that the millennials would continue seizing these opportunities, and together, we would be able to create an advanced motorsports culture in India.”