'Dakshin Dare' flagged off in Mysore

Winner of Indias National Rally Championship Gaurav Gill participates

Motorists, walkers and even bus drivers couldn’t ignore the fleet of cars and motorbikes, parked near Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple to participate in the fourth edition of Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare rally here on Monday.

Participants of the rally will cover a distance of over 2,000 km spanning across three states — Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. More than 100 four-wheelers and 20 bikes are participating in the rally.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, past winner of the India’s National Rally Championship Gaurav Gill was excited about visiting the city to participate in the rally.
“The weather looks good. Hopefully it won’t play spoilsport in the rally starting tomorrow,” he said.
Mentioning that he had just returned from New Zealand, where he came third, Gill said it was quite challenging to take on the race as it wasn’t possible to survey the stages.Gill, who is one of the strong contender’s to participate in the World Rally Championship, is accompanied by navigator Musa Sheriff.
City’s own rally driver, Lohitt V Urs is also participating in the event. He is being accompanied by navigator Chupong.
Cine actor Parineeta flagged off the rally at the Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple. The winners of last year’s Dakshin Dare, husband-wife couple Satish and Savera are returning to defend the title in this year’s event.
National rally champion Sanjay Agarwal is competing in the ultimate cars category. Veena Ponappa is leading an all women team this year. Teams from 3M and Kotak Mahindra are also participating in the rally.

The Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare is organised in association with Motorsports Inc. Spread over 21 special stages, the rally will pass through multiple terrains and each participant would be covering a distance of 400 km per day.
The five-day rally will be traversing through a dirt, tarmac, gravels and slippery tracks in Mysore, Wayanad, Ooty, Munnar, Coimbatore, Kodaikanal and Bangalore. On the first day of the rally, drivers would head from Mysore to Kodagu following which they would head to Wayanad. The second leg would being at 6 am at Wayanad and conclude at Ooty. The third leg will be passing through Munnar and then head towards Coimbatore. Another stage passing via Kodaikanal would also take place. The final leg would be from Coimbatore to Bangalore. The prize distribution would be in Bangalore on April 14.