Raising a storm in the hills with 'Rally of Himalayas'

By Sukant Deepak
New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) For someone who has won the 'Raid the Himalaya rally' 11 times, Desert Storm six, seven editions of SJOBA, Dakshin Dare thrice, and has been an Indian National Rally champion (Gypsy), organising a major rally himself was the obvious next step.

As Manali-based rallyist Suresh Rana gets set to roll out the third edition of his 700 km 'Rally of Himalayas', scheduled to take place from October 5 to 8, he is overwhelmed by the number of entries despite the natural calamity the region witnessed recently.

"In the first edition that took place in October 2021, we had 75 two-wheelers and 25 cars. This time, the entries for the bike category have already crossed 55, and we have stopped taking more. We can expect around 25 four-wheelers, though owing to the weather, only 4X4 four-wheelers have been invited for the third edition."

The rally will have both TSD (Time Speed Distance) and Extreme formats and will be held in Lahaul and Spiti region, ending in Manali.

Currently, the only Cross Country Rally (CCR) to be held in the Himalayas ('Raid De Himalaya' has been discontinued for many years now), Rana is optimistic that his event will grow every year. 

"We are paying special attention to safety. Of course, the aim is to make the rally bigger but not at the cost of compromising on logistics. Also, in motorsports, getting permission from the government is a big issue, though we have been lucky that the Himachal Pradesh government, especially the District Commissioner of  Lahaul, Rahul Kumar, who is a motorsport enthusiast has been very forthcoming."

This rally veteran of 20 years observes that it is in the two-wheeler category that one is witnessing fresh talent. When it comes to four-wheelers, mostly the veterans are still pushing the pedal in most events. 

"Even in this one, most of the participants are my contemporaries. Youngsters are preferring bikes as there are more events, less expenditure, and better scope of sponsorship."

Stressing that unless major automobile companies and corporates come forward for sponsorships, one cannot really keep his hopes high, he points out, "Many important rallies have been called off because important sponsors have backed down."

Mention how many automobile magazines had predicted a new dawn in Indian motorsports when Gaurav Gill became the first-ever motorsport participant to win the Arjuna Award, and he says, "Well, I do not really see the Central government taking any instrumental steps for our sport and community. Sadly, nothing has changed despite the fact that Indians have participated in the World Rally Championship Rally (WRC), Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), and Dakar."

Rana, who along with a few others put in their own money in the first two editions has managed to get Hero Motors onboard as the title sponsor this time. 

"This is a good development. I just hope more corporates come forward. Across the world, the automobile sector participates enthusiastically in this sport."

On the individual level, he feels the community needs more people like Vamcy Merla, a rallyist who has been supporting talented youngsters for years now. 

"Even for our event, he has sent several participants and paid from his own pocket."

(Sukant Deepak can be reached at [email protected])