Raid de Himalaya winners awarded at a gala ceremony

Manali: The winners of the Raid de Himalaya motor sport rally were presented cash prize and trophies at a riveting ceremony at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports here on Saturday.

Suresh Rana and Ashwin Naik won a cash prize of Rs one lakh for securing first place in the X-treme four-wheelers category. Capt Sameer Pande and Honey Narula got Rs 75,000 for finishing second. Third placed pair Harpreet Singh Bawa and Parminder Thakur got Rs 50,000. "Today, not just the winners need to be congratulated but all the participants need to be applauded for their spirit and love for the motor sport," said Shashank Shrivastava, Chief General Manager, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki. Himachal Pradesh Governor Urmila Singh was among the host of dignitaries present on the occasion. The best team prize in the category was won by the Team Thunderstorm. Ashish S Moudghil, winner of the X-treme two-wheelers category, won a cash proze of Rs 50,000 and a trophy. Second placed Gurinder S Rahal was given Rs 35,000 while Stefan Rosner, who was third, got Rs 25,000. Team Austria was declared the best team in the category.Sanjay Takale and Rahul Sanchet stole the show in the adventure trial category. Second and third places were secured by K Pradeep & S K Prasad and Raj Singh Rathore & Chandrashekhar M, respectively. The best team award was given to Team Maruti Suzuki. Army Adventure Wing stood as the second best team. PTI