On Friday, 39 drivers finished the first round of the main stock category of the 17th Cholistan Jeep Rally, completing 231 kilometres.
Early in the morning, the jeep rally kicked off at Dilwash Stadium. The flag-off ceremony was performed by Dr. Sohail Cheema, chairman of Tourism Development Corporation Punjab.
According to unconfirmed data presented to Dawn by retired official Dr Raheel Siddiqui from the desert, Nadir Magsi (Sindh), Zain Mehmood (Bahawalpur), and Asif were ranked first, second, and third, respectively.
Magsi, Zain, and Asif completed in 1 hour 51 minutes 22 seconds, 1 hour 55 minutes 50 seconds, and 1 hour 55 minutes 50 seconds, respectively.
The second round of the Cholistan Jeep Rally will take place on Sunday (tomorrow), the concluding day of the rally. Today is the day for the stock category race (Saturday). There will be male and female drivers competing.
Previous champion Sahibzada Muhammad Sultan is no longer competing in the jeep rally, according to sources, after his vehicle broke down before the halfway point on Friday. As a result, Sultan was unable to complete his race, and it was abandoned.
The Patel family of Karachi, which includes Tushna Patel, withdrew from the race after the death of a member and returned to Karachi.
According to sources, Jeham Bux Bamji, the father of Tushna Patel and the father-in-law of former champion Ronnie Patel, died. After receiving the news, Tushna Patel, the women’s jeep rally champion last year, and her daughter Dina Patel, as well as her husband Ronnie Patel, came to Karachi.
The women’s category is now contested by three women drivers: Palvasha Hayat Khan, Zulaikha Niazi, and Jamila Asif, following the withdrawal of the Patels from the race.
The opening of a food street at Farid Gate in Bahawalpur, a tent-pegging competition, a trade fair jointly organised by the Bahawalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB), and a motorcycle rally around Dilwash Stadium, as well as sports events near Derawar Fort in Cholistan, were all part of the 17th Cholistan jeep rally festival week on Friday.
The food strip was officially inaugurated by Commissioner retired Capt Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and Deputy Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathiya.
A tent-pegging competition was held in connection with the presentation for the first time, and it was well-attended by Sadiq Public School students (SPS). Apart from visitors from other cities who came for the jeep rally and the Channan Pir Mela, the food street attracted a large number of locals.
According to accounts, 30 bikers attended the event. The 75-kilometer bike rally began at the graveyard of the Abbasi family.
According to the results, Shaukat Parhar, Sabir Shair, and Shafiq Mahar placed first, second, and third in the rally.