Calcutta: V.R. Naren Kumar and co-driver Moosa Sherif of Team MRF gave yet another awesome display of speed and precision driving to win the MRF Taj Challenge Rally, the second round of the Motorsports Association of India’s 2003 Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), in Nashik on Sunday.

With this win, Naren Kumar, without regular co-driver D. Ramkumar (who is getting married later this week), chalked up his sixth straight INRC victory and appeared well on course to equalling the record of 10 wins by teammate Narayanaswamy Leelakrishnan in 1992-93.

At the finish of the two-day event that saw the cars complete six Special Stages, Naren Kumar was a comfortable 55 seconds ahead of teammates Arjun Balu and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy who finished a distant second. Naren clocked 1::13:40 to Balu’s 1::14:35, according to information received here.

RESULTS

Overall: 1. Team MRF (V.R. Naren Kumar/Moosa Sherif) 1 hour, 13 mins, 40 secs; 2. Team MRF (Arjun Balu/Kumar Ramaswamy) 1:14:35; 3. Team Nova (Rahul Kantharaj/Vivek Bhatt) 1:19:10; 4. Lohit V Urs/MK Bopanna 1:19:13; 5. Jiby Maliakkal/Nikhil Pai 1:22:59; 6. Team MRF (Karandip Singh/Jaidas Menon) 1:23:11; 7. Blue Lines (V. Shamsunder/P.V.S. Murthy) 1:25:13. 1400cc: 1. Kantharaj/Bhatt; 2. Urs/Bopanna; 3. Shamsunder/Murthy. Rally Star Cup: 1. Arjunrao Aroor/CK Chinnappa ; 2. Ranjith Ballal/Shanmuga Nataraj; 3. Anita Khole/Rashmi Bopanna.