Women rallyists take on big boys at 12th Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm

Gurgaon's Sarika Sehrawat Vohra, India's only woman rallyist in Xtreme dune racing at The 12th Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm

Jaisalmer, February 26, 2014:  Ten days ahead of International Women’s Day, a group of feisty women at the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm are redefining woman power by taking on the big boys at what is still primarily a male sport – rallying.

The 12th Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm was flagged off from Delhi on Monday, with 250 champion rallyists from all over the country and also abroad fighting for top honours in one of the most prestigious motorsport events of the country. The six-day marathon motorsport event will end at Jaipur onMarch 1, covering about 2,200 kilometers through the dune outback of Sardarshahar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jaipur.

Leading the pack is Sarika Sehrawat Vohra, India’s only woman rallyist in high-speed dune racing. The Gurgaon-based entrepreneur has been racing since 2002.

Among 55 teams of champion rallyists from all over the country and abroad, Sarika is the only woman driving in Rally Xtreme, the all-out speed category of the event. Her navigator is Delhi-based Deepali Gupta, an IT professional working with Bank of Scotland.

Sarika confesses she is a speed-freak, and is passionate about marathon motorsport races. She is driving a Maruti Gypsy for the rally.

Mr Manohar Bhat, Vice President Marketing of Maruti Suzuki, said that total number of competitors at the Desert Storm 2014 is the highest-ever in its 12-year history. It stood at 220 last year. “The high number of women competitors at the event is encouraging. Our motorsport events showcase our commitment towards youth empowerment and women empowerment," he said.

Team Army brings in its share of woman power to the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm with Capt Madavi Singh and Capt Komal S, both from The Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME). While fitness training is a major issue for all rallyists preparing for a marathon motorsport event, Capt Madhavi says the training wasn’t rally-specific for them. “In the army, fitness training is a daily thing. That was not a concern. Desert driving was new to us, and we were able to learn it during the Army trials at Bikaner,” said Capt Madhvi.

For Capt Komal, competing at the Desert Storm is a dream-come-true. “I was also chosen to compete at The Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya 2013, but during the second round of training for the event was my wedding day,” she informed with a smile. Capt Komal hopes to celebrate her first wedding anniversary at The 16th Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya in October this year. Both officers are competing in Rally Enduro, which follows the Rally Xtreme route in a Time-Speed-Distance format. They are driving a Maruti Gypsy for the rally.

The petite Garima Avtar, a Sufi singer, golfer and entrepreneur based at Noida, is a regular at motorsport events across the country, including the Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya, the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm, the Mughal Rally in Kashmir and the Royal Rajasthan Rally. Garima said the excitement and the challenge of the rallies kept her hooked to the sport. “My annual calendar is marked with the rallies I must do, and then make space for holidays,” she said. Garima’s navigator Sukhbans Mann is a home-maker based at Gurgaon. 

The 2014 edition of the Desert Storm started with 55 teams in Rally Xtreme (4X4) and 35 teams in Rally Moto (Motorcycles). These two categories are based solely on fastest timing.

In addition, 35 teams in Rally Ndure and 25 in Rally Xplore took the start on day one. Both these categories follow the Time-Speed-Distance format. Rally Ndure is the more challenging category here, since it follows the Xtreme route. The Xtreme (4-wheelers), Endure and Xplore teams comprise two rallyists each – the driver and the navigator. 

Sunny Sindhu leads

On Day Three of the rally, Sunny Sidhu of Chandigarh was leading Rally Xtreme, followed by Delhi's Sandeep Sharma, driving a Maruti Gypsy. In Rally Xplore, Sanjay Takale and Mustafa of Team Maruti Suzuki are leading, driving an SX4. Second in this category are Rajesh Chalana and Yogesh Gupta, again driving an SX4 for Team Maruti Suzuki. Third in Rally Xplore is Nitin Yadav with navigator Ravi Bansal, driving a Tata Aria.

In Rally Moto, Bangalore's CS Santosh is leading, followed by Helmut Frauwallner of Austria and Jes David of Jaipur. Defending champion Mohit Verma of Chandigarh lost his ranking at the third place due to a mechanical problem in his motorcycle.