The spirit of adventure supercedes the need for fancy wheels that one normally expects at rallies.
When Dinesh Kataria drove his Maruti 800 from Baroda to Leh to participate in the rally organised by the Vidarbha Automotive Racing Association (VARA) in the year 2000, it was an eye opener for many car enthusiasts. As he recalls, the event organisers said that he should get a prize for just the lengthy journey undertaken to reach the rally starting point.
The fact that he went on to participate in the rally and bagged the first prize in the 800cc category just proved to be the cherry on the icing on the cake where this transport businessman and automobile enthusiast was concerned.
Driving past the bunkers that were set up during the Kargil battles of 1998 was a memorable experience that you just cannot get during your daily commute on city roads, he recalled.
Prior to that, there was an instance where an Ambassador actually led (outright) the Himalayan Rally before breaking the gearbox, according to Niaz Ali, who used to bring out a magazine called ‘Cars in Action’ in the mid-eighties.
Not that such instances are relegated to the pages of history.
This year’s (believe it or not) Santa Banta Women’s Car Rally (no, we didn’t make up the name, its real), was held on March 10, 2013. Organized by Team Chandigarh Adventure Sports (TCAS), in association with Chandigarh Police, it had the theme ‘Road Safety and Safety of Women’.
About 40 participants followed the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format, and adhered to all the traffic, speed and safety norms of the union territory. Here too, a woman could compete in any car of any make. No modifications were required in the car to participate in the event.
If reading this has whetted your interest in taking your car off the beaten track, here’s some good news. The Raid de Himalaya 2013 will once again run the ‘Adventure Trial’ from October 4-12, 2013, where participants would be spending at least 2 days above an altitude of 15000 ft. Take on the mightiest mountains in the world at altitudes where nothing much survives. The unexpected lies around the next bend and it need not always be pleasant!
A well-prepared car and a generally fit person can easily cope up with the rigours of the event and all that the high altitude route has to offer.
The organisers have attempted to keep the cars on as much tarmac as possible. However, as the Himalayas are full of tiny mountain streams or small patches of broken tarmac your car may have to cross some small sections of non tarmac road.
Rest assured that the route is such that even small cars (read entry level hatchbacks) can tackle it with sufficient aplomb. As the event organisers point out, the normal stock car is a lot stronger than it is given credit for and coupled with sensible driving, should see you traverse this years Raid de Himalaya Adventure Trial with self respect intact.
Keep in mind that a Maruti Esteem (Grp N) won the X -Treme event outright in 2000, well ahead of all 4X4 vehicles entered!
Don’t be fool-hardy
Dinesh Kataria recalls how during the 2002 Himalayan rally, the engine of his Gypsy brokedown. He had to abandon the quest on day 4 of the 7-day event. A heater, though good insurance against the cold will be useless if engine failure is the cause of your breakdown! Get a sleeping bag that will keep you warm even in zero degree temperature.
While we have reported success of regular car models at rallies, do opt for a SUV/ MUV where advisable.
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