Rana with his prize-winning Grand Vitara at the 15th
Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya
Suresh Rana, the rallyist with the highest number of
motorsport golds in the last two decades, is the defending champion at the
rally. His prime rival at the Storm is APRC (Asian Pacific Rally Championship)
2013 champion Gaurav Gill of Delhi . Rana
has beaten Gill twice earlier at the Desert Storm, in 2012 and 2013. Both
times, Gill had to bow out of the six-day motorsport event in the first stage
itself.
Rana has won the Desert Storm thrice – in 2009, 2012 and
2013. He is nine-time winner of India ’s
iconic motorsport event, the Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya. Also spicing
up the competition is three-time APRC champion Karamjit Singh, a Malaysian of
Indian origin. They are competing in Storm Xtreme, which is about driving
high speed over the harsh, treacherous terrain of the Thar
Desert . Rana and Karamjit Singh will drive for Team Maruti. They
are driving Grand Vitara for the rally.
Mr Manohar Bhat, Vice President Marketing, Maruti Suzuki,
said that the Desert Storm will traverse a grueling 2,200 kilometers through
the rough outback of Sardarshahar, Bikarner and Jaisalmer to finally end at
Jaipur. “It is a matter of pride for us that 250 champion rallyists from the
country and abroad will compete in the event. There are 55 teams in Rally
Xtreme (4X4), 35 bikers competing in Rally Moto, 30 teams in Rally Ndure and 20
teams in Rally Xplore,” said Mr Bhat. The rally will end at Jaipur on March
1.
Rana’s strategy for the Desert Storm is that of a hardened,
experienced rallyist. The biggest challenge, he said, is the treacherous desert
terrain. “To finish first, you must finish,” he quipped.
Rana admitted that driving top-speed in the sand can lead be
tricky. “One has to maintain momentum so that one doesn’t get stuck, and take
on the dunes at the right speed and angle,” said Rana. He admitted that the two
night stages at the Desert Storm – on the first and the last day of the event –
could be the biggest challenge.
“The navigator’s role is very strong here – there is no room
for error. You need momentum, and you also need to make sure you don’t get
lost. During the night stages, if you can see 50 meters ahead, drive only that
much, and refrain from wild risks. Getting lost in the wild desert outback can
incur heavy penalties, and drive the best of competitors out of the event,” he
observed.
Rana’s navigator is Ashwin Naik of Bangalore . The duo was also the winning team
at The 15th Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya 2013.
Karamjit Singh of Malaysia has been APRC champion in
2001, 2002 and 2004. His navigator for the Desert Storm is Parminder Thakur.
Thakur, who hails from Manali, was the navigator for Rana in 2012 and also in
2013, when the duo won the top position at the Desert Storm.
The other major competitors in the Xtreme category (4X4) at
the Desert Storm are Amanpreet Ahluwalia, Lohit Urs, Sunny Sidhu, Sandeep
Sharma, Harpreet Bawa, Major Amarinder Singh Brar, Amartej Pal Buwal and Gaurav
Chiripal.
The Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm is one of the toughest and
most popular rallies in the country given the conditions, tough stages and
spectacular terrain ranging from desert stretches and vast salt flats to dirt
tracks.
Jayesh Desai, the President of Northern
Motorsport , which organizes the Desert Storm, said that the rally
will run this year with the highest number of competitors, at 250. Last year,
the total number of competitors stood at 220.
Rally Xtreme (4X4) and Rally Moto (motorcycles) are based
solely on fastest timing. Rally Ndure and Rally Xplore follow the
time-speed-distance format. Rally Ndure is the more challenging category here,
since it follows the Xtreme route.
From a two-day rally over a decade ago, the Maruti Suzuki
Desert Storm has evolved into a major motorsport event of massive proportions
that now traverses the Thar desert and the
entire span of the dune country.
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