Kohima (Nagaland), Dec 3 (PTI) Delhi's Gagan Sethi lived up to his reputation by defending his JK Tyre Hornbill Rally title here on Monday.

Competing in the open category, Gagan (with navigator Sabatullah Khan) was at his sublime best, finishing the 55-km TSD rally with a mere penalty of 29 seconds to emerge victorious.

The rally, held in the backdrop of the famous Hornbill Festival, was flagged-off by multiple Indian National Rally Champion Hari Singh from Indira Gandhi Stadium. The competitors traversed through rocky terrains on the outskirts of Kohima to reach the finish line in Kisama Village.

They had to negotiate a total of seven surprise time controls.

Gagan, who teamed up with Sabatullah for the first time, conceded that the victory was indeed very special as it was his wedding anniversary. He promptly dedicated the win to his wife.

The second place was taken by Bijo Awom and Chandrasekhar (1:44 minutes penalty) while Tali Akang and Nirav Mehta finished third with a penalty of 2:05 minutes.

Honourable chief minister of Nagaland Shri Neiphiu Riphu called the event a grand success and vowed to make it even bigger in the years to come. PTI

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