BY GWEN CHIPASULA –

•Azim Ticklay in action during the Madmax rally in Chisamba yesterday which was won by Muna Singh Snr.
Picture by GWEN CHIPASULA

FORTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Muna Singh Snr yesterday won the season opening Madmax motor rally after an exhilarating race in the muddy terrains of the Chisamba farms.
Muna Snr who started in pole position after Saturday’s spectator stage finished with a time of one hour 30 minutes and 52 seconds, beating 21 other competitors, including his son Muna Junior who took part in the race.
From the 22 drivers who participated in the contest, only 12 managed to finish the race that stretched about 125 kilometres.
Among the 10 that crashed out was national champion Muna Singh Jnr.
Vyon Pinto took second position in the competition after clocking one hour 37 minutes and nine seconds, with Leroy Gomes completing the podium by finishing third and one second off Pinto.
Kleevan Gomes, who was being navigated by Michael Chulu, was fourth and followed by Yazdaan Ticklay in fifth with a time of one hour 40 minutes and 26 seconds in his Subaru Impreza.
Finishing in sixth place was Ismail Shermohamad who clocked one hour 43 minutes and 59 seconds, while Kelvin Mhlanga, the talk of the day on Saturday after his mishap at the spectator stage, took seventh place with a time of one hour 47 minutes and 21 seconds.
Taking eighth place was Mahavir Singh after timing one hour 50 minutes and 29 seconds, with Azim Ticklay and Kyle Latife completing the top 10 by finishing ninth and 10th, respectively.
The other two who got to the checked flag were Anastasios Calavrias (11th) and Raees Gelu in 12th position.
National champion Muna Singh Jnr, who did not finish the race, said crashing out in the second stage of the race indicated a bad start to the season.
He, however, expressed confidence that he would recover as the competition had just begun.
Muna Jnr, who started in second position behind his father, immediately declared his father as his major competitor.
He said the next race would be more competitive especially that his older brother Jassy Singh, a former African champion, would be taking part.
He added that he would, this year, just take part in national rallies because of financial limitations.