A Drive Through Nature’s Masterpiece! Monsoon Challenge ’17 Flagged Off
Mangaluru: What a perfect way to mark the beautiful monsoon season in this coastal City, with the flag off ceremony of “Mahindra Monsoon Challenge 2017” that took place at Forum Fiza Mall on Friday, 23 June 2017 at 6 pm- the flag off was done by MLA J R Lobo and Mithun Rai- President, DK Youth Congress, other VIPs, along with the officials of Mahendra Adventure , Valvoline, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), Forum Mall and others. It was a perfect evening with slight drizzle, which didn’t dampen the flag off ceremony. As part of the flag off ceremony, Kudla’s traditional “Tiger Dance” was performed by a bevy of performers, doing some somersaults, jumps etc, which was enjoyed by the crowd.
This Rally is One of India’s biggest TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rallies with highest prize money on offer, and Mahindra Adventure Monsoon Challenge 2017 is held under the Mahindra Adventure brand as part of the Challenge series. This Motorsport TSD event will fetch the winners the highest prize money of Rs. 3 lakh plus on offer. The rally comprising of exclusive Mahindra vehicles will traverse the challenging route starting from Mangaluru to Panjim, Goa. “The Monsoon Challenge 2017 has laid emphasis on the TSD (Time, Speed and Distance) module to decide winners. The challenge was organized to encourage motor sports at the grass root level while imbibing the taste of adventures in people. Goa was chosen as the destination because of the peculiar monsoon that it has and the amalgamation of hill and coastal rains that is sure to give drivers a tough time.
Despite being one of the most treacherous hilly off-road driver tests, nearly 25 vehicles took part in this Challenge, with drivers/participants hailing from Cochin, Erode, Bengaluru, Pune, Chikkamagaluru, Kolkotta, Kerala, Mangaluru and other places. One star driver of Asia Pacific, Sanjay Takle is also one of the participant. The participants will drive through Moodbidri, Karkala, Kollur and reach Murudeshwar near Bhatkal to camp there. On 25 June, the drivers will head to Yana through Honnavar and Sirsi reaching Panjim through Kumta and Karwar. The participants are required to drive excess of 300 kilometers on each day at the earliest time to prove their manoeuvring abilities and fatigue control. Held under the Mahindra Adventure umbrella, it is a part of the Challenges series of motor sport events that were launched six years ago. A unique concept, as the name suggests, TSD rallies are not only about speed but also about the calculated precision of time and distance. The driver and the navigator are expected to keep a track of time in tandem with the distance covered.
As the Federation for Motor Sports Clubs in India has given a green signal to the Challenge, Chief Steward of FMSCI Lancelot Saldanha speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “:The Federation keeps a check on the organization and participant co-operation. At the end of each day, participants should drive happy despite a few rules and guidelines be enforced. We have also marked some towns and cities on the path as ‘Free Zones’ where the drivers can drive relaxed through traffic. To add to this; we also encourage road safety through stickers conveying the need to drive safe, on each participant. Prize money to the total of three and half lakhs will be awarded to the winners according to their stand on the podium.
The Rally is a perfect match of endurance test of the vehicles and ability of the drivers’ test will be gruelling as they have to go through one of the toughest mountain terrains known to India. A series of unpredictable curves and muck of the Western Ghats will be haunting the drivers on the first day and heavy winds and rains are sure to torment them on the second. The Professional Category and Amateur Category in this Rally includes Corporate Category, Ladies Category, Couple Category & Media Category; a Doctors Category has also been introduced. For all the geeks who wanted to know the formula that will decide the winner, it is calculated by multiplying Distance by 60 (time) upon Speed.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean , Dr Prashanth Marla- Medical Director and CEO at AJ Hospital and Research Centre, along with his navigator Dr Nithin Hegde- Nephrologist at AJ Hospital who are taking part in the ‘Doctors Category’ said, ” This is the first time that I am entering into a Monsoon Challenge rally. During my younger days, I have taken part in many treasure hunts, car rallies, etc- and also won quite a few prizes. Since this ‘Monsoon Challenge’ is indeed a ‘challenge for both of us, we will try our best to beat the odds and see that we win. But after all, winning is not so important, it’s the participation and fun that counts. We both are excited and thrilled, to accept this gauntlet of Monsoon Challenge.
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