BAHAWALPUR: After several years of hard work and participation, Faisal Shadikhel was crowned champion of the 18th Cholistan Desert Rally on Sunday at Derawar Fort, 70 kilometres from Bahawalpur. The event saw security failings on the race course, resulting in a collision between a racing driver’s vehicle and a carry van, injuring the wagon’s four passengers.

Previously, Nadir Magsi and Sahibzada Sultan had won the rally.

Both Mr Magsi and Mr Sultan participated in the 18th desert rally, but they both lost after the fuel pump of the vehicle of Mr Magsi developed a fault during the first round of the prepared category on Friday. Mr Sultan was prominent in Friday’s first round, but on Sunday, he could not put up the expected show. Dawn learnt that Mr Magsi had been participating in the Desert Rally since 2006 and had been its champion 10 times.

Zain Mahmood Chaudhry came in second place. Shadikhel completed the 235-kilometre journey in 3:59:3 hours, while Mr Chaudhry completed the journey in 3:59:9. Asif Fazal Chaudhry stood third with 4:00:4 hours of coverage.

In the B class of the prepaid Category, former Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal was declared first followed by Asad and Shehry. Jam Kamal covered the distance in 4:20:25 hours, Asad 4:20:36 and Shehry 4:27:51.

In the prepared category for women, Rshida Sultan was declared first, followed by Mahum Shiraz, while in the stock category, Rubab Hayat, and Dina Rohinton Patel were declared first and second respectively.

In the C class, the winners were: Zaheer, Hammal, and Falak; in the D class, the winners were Shakil, Umer, and Zafar.

In Sunday’s second round, 37 racers participated. Among them, Malik Ajmal’s vehicle collided with a carry van on the rally track due to the negligence of the security officials along the track.

Rescue 1122 said the carry van abruptly appeared on the rally track while Mr Ajmal was racing on the track at full speed. The collision left four people injured and both vehicles damaged. Rescuers removed both vehicles from the track. Those injured were shifted to the Ahmedpur THQ Hospital in serious condition.

Dr Raheel Siddiqui and Mahmood Chaudhry, rally participants, expressed concern about the security lapses. They said during previous years, there had been complaints about security, but the departments failed to take measures to ensure the race was hassle-free.

There were also complaints that the TDCP’s staffers failed to recover the broken vehicles of the participants. A cultural night was held in the desert where singer Ibrarul Haq and local artists performed, followed by a spectacular display of fireworks at the venue.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2023