Peshawar-The first Derajat off-road jeep race kicked off here on Friday. Being organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) in collaboration with the divisional administration, Commissioner Dera Ismail Khan Yahya Akhunzada inaugurated the three-day Derajat off-road challenge.
The off-road challenge has been divided into stock category, women’s category, local category and professional category.
The track along one of the most stunning landscapes for Derajat off-road challenge was specifically prepared as top riders from across Pakistan, including Jaffar Magsi, Nadir Magsi, Sahibzada Sultan, Babar Khan, Salma Khan Marwat, Maheem Sheraz, Irshad Kakakhel, Zain Mahmood and others, had arrived here to participate in the race.
The venue for the event offered a diverse geography, dry alluvial plains commonly referred to as Damaan, sandy dunes in the foothills of Shaikh Badin and Indus River flowing along the desert. More than 65 racers from all over the country are participating to challenge the sand of the Derajat in different categories.
On the first day, qualifying round was held with a two kilometers track with dangerous turns.
Sahibzada Sultan clinched the first position after he covered the track in 1:53 minutes, Zain Mahmood stood second with 1:54 minutes and Asif Fazal Chaudhry ranked third with 1:55 minutes followed by Jaffar Magsi and Nadir Magsi with 1:56 minutes and 1:57 minutes, respectively.
In the stock category, Sahibzada Fakhar stood first with 1:55 minutes, Taimur Khwaja second with 1:56 minutes and Rashid Goraya grabbed third position who covered the track in 1:58 minutes.
The jeep rally was allowed with the standard operating procedures and on submission of the Covid-19 negative test reports by the participants as per the decision of Covid Task Force, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.