JOIN USArvind, Sandeep lead the charge
With over 170 participants registered across three categories, the seventh edition of the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare rally was flagged off here at the Orion Mall on Sunday.
Tarun Garg, Vice-president, National Sales & Network, Maruti Suzuki, said the event, scheduled over six days, is an attempt to encourage the younger generation towards motorsports. “We are pleased by the response we have received this year. The rally is open not just for professionals but it also allows amateurs to participate. We believe that the event will bring out the best from the motorsports enthusiasts,” Garg said.
The three categories of the rally are: Extreme car, extreme bike and endurance. Covering a total distance of 2000kms over six legs, a total of 105 teams will battle it out for supremacy over six days.
Starting from Bengaluru on Monday, participants will traverse through the testing terrains of Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Bellary, Mangaluru before culminating in Hyderabad on August 7.
Speaking about the challenges for the racers, Garg said: “The participants will have to travel through rocky terrains and the monsoon can impose a great test of skills for them.”
In the extreme car category, Delhi’s Sandeep Sharma will be looking to defend his title with Manali’s Suresh Rana, a nine-time Raid de Himalaya champion set to give a fight.
For Karnataka, Den Thimmaiah is expected to be the stand out performer along with Sanjay Agarwal. Thimmaiah, hailing from Coorg, had clinched the Maruti Suzuki Autocross event in June.
In the extreme bike category, Karnataka’s KP Arvind, who bagged the overall title in the MRF two-wheeler rally, will lead the State’s challenge.
The rally will also witness four women participating in the extreme car category, with the spotlight on Bani Yadav, who has won the Raid de Himalaya, Desert Storm and Autocross events in the past.