HimVani

Manali: Only 39 vehicles out of the 49 that started from Shimla could survive the treacherous terrain on day three of Raid De Himalaya. In the extreme four-wheeler category, Suresh Rana maintained his lead over Harpreet Bawa, who appears to be slowly inching ahead. Captain AS Brar also showed his fauji grit to maintain his third position.

In the extreme motorcycle section, last year’s runners-up Ashish Moudgil appeared to be in a comfortable position, with Sandeep Matharu chasing him on the second spot. Sachin Chauhan gained few positions to finish the day on the third spot. But the surprise package came in the form of Klaudia Honeder from Austria who leaped to fifth position from almost nowhere.

No major tragedy was reported in the day except for Abhishek Mishra’s Gypsy rolling down the Kunzum Pass. Luckily, Mishra along with his co-driver were later treated for just minor cuts and bruises. Ranjan Mukherjee’s car hit a rock which punctures its petrol tank while descending the Rohtang Pass. His vehicle later suffered another underbody scrape, which put an end to his aspirations.