The team of Sanjay Sikand and Rashid of Delhi in their Gypsy (No 2) were the first entrants to finish the event in the jeep category. Sandeep Sharma and KS Dhaliwal (No 1) and Vishal Gupta and Manan Aggarwal (No 4) finished second and third respectively.

In the cars category, VK Sharma and S Bhalla in their Zen (no 12) were the first to complete the distance followed by the team of Atul and AS Bhambra (No 10). The lone couple entrant Vikas Kuthiala and Shweta Kuthiala, however, finished third in the cars catetory (No 19).

JS Sidhu (No 27) on his Shogun was the first to complete the event in the motorcycles category, Harbinder (No 31) on his Yamaha was second. The third motorcyclist to finish was Arvind (No 37) on his Shogun.

However, Aman Mongia, winner of the motorcycle category in the last edition, participated in the cars section could not complete the event due to mechanical fault, which his car developed in the first leg.

Ravi Sodhi, a pro from Delhi, another prospective winner also got crashed out of the event in the first leg due to mechanical problem in his Gypsy.

There were also first timer's in the rally and they enjoyed every bit of the event. ``It was adventurous, especially the competitive part,'' said Samrat after the rally, who traversed the route in his in Maruti 800.

The rally also had its share of dangerous moments. Sarabjeet Singh (driver) and Sanjeev Gupta (navigator), who were in their car (Maruti 800) turned turtle 19 km from Malla in the first leg. The participants got minor injuries. They were helped by Samrat and Kulbir, who were also participanting in the cars category.

Three more incidents took place, which, according to the organiser were not vert serious.

But according to one of the participants, a motorcyclist, who met with an accident near Solan was hospitalised. And a scooterist (No 55) also met with an accident. In all there were fifty entries including 15 in the car category and 17 in motorcycle group. But 48 were flagged off in the morning today by CSR Reddy, SSP, Chandigarh.

The final results willbe declared on March 24.

Olympian laments
``The game of hockey is losing its glamour and the country lacks dedicated bunch of players, who can win glory at the Olympics,'' felt Charanjeet Singh, an Arjuna Awardee and Padam Shri in Una today. The former captain of the victorious Indian hockey team which struck gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, now settled in Una, said that the players like Dhayan Chand, Roop Lal Keshav and Udham Singh were a treat to watch and attracted huge crowds. The present lot of players don't have that kind of mastery over the game, which can captivate the spectators.

Says Charanjit Singh: ``Indian Hockey Federation also has its share in the decline. Had the IHF been able to sell the game, things would have been better in terms of participation.'' He added: ``Some people in IHF, who hold key posts, are not concerned with the game.'' He however, suggested that the IHF should take the services of some of the former internationals to improve the overall standard of the game. ``Outstanding players should be made members of the selection committee''.

The hockey Olympian also holds the government responsible for the downfall of the game. ``The government never fulfills the promises made to the players, which has a demoralising effect on the player and on the game also''.